Chapter 56: Elysian Realm~

————[Event: A glimpse of the ocean (select Griseo)]————

"Want to go see Brother Nozomi...Okay."

In response to Mei Raiden's request, Griseo agreed without hesitation and even acted very actively. After simply saying hello to Kosma, Griseo took Mei Raiden on the journey... Her movements were so quick that Mei Raiden felt Griseo couldn't wait.

'Griseo...seems to like that [Hero]?' Raiden Mei thought so.

"Ah~ Look who I found~ It's the cute little Griseo~ and the cute Mei~"

Elysia's brisk and playful voice came.

"Where are we going? Um... let me guess. We're going to look there, right?"

"Well... Mei said she wanted to see Nozomi-nii..."

Griseo pulled Raiden Mei's hand and spoke softly.

"Besides, it's raining today... I also want to go visit my brother..."

"Yeah~ I knew it~"

Elysia didn't seem surprised at all. She just smiled and walked forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Griseo.

"I just happened to be planning to talk to Mei about this as well. Do you mind if I'm included?"

"Well, Elysia... If my sister comes with me, I hope my brother... will be very happy..."

'It seems that the [Hero] has a good relationship with the two of them' Raiden Mei judged so.

Following the guidance of the two people, they passed through the [Deepest Place] and finally came to a slightly damp place filled with deep darkness.

Snap, Snap——

Perhaps because Elysia was leading the way for Raiden Mei, not long after arriving here, Griseo let go of Raiden Mei's hand, began to walk forward on her own, and soon lost her trace.

"Griseo..."

"Don't worry, Griseo is just too happy. She hasn't seen Nozomi for a while~"

"It sounds like they have a good relationship?"

"Yes~ The relationship between the two of them is super good, it feels like they are siblings~?"

"But...Griseo is not..."

"Ah, please rest assured, Griseo won't be tainted by Nozomi's [color]~ This is one of the reasons why they have a good relationship."

Elysia explained with a smile, then waved forward and shouted.

"Nozomi, are we going to play~?"

"...sigh."

With a slightly helpless sigh, the surrounding darkness was dispelled by the faint blue light, giving the surroundings a beauty unique to "sea water."

What caught the eye was, of course, the human figure. A dark, strange sword was floating quietly beside him, wrapped in the azure water. He looked capable in a dark "hunter's suit," and his white hair like waves and golden pupils like stars were particularly eye-catching.

Of course, what attracted people's attention more was the colorful graffiti on his face - they were just painted by Griseo.

And now Griseo is still painting.

"......" x3

The scene was awkward for a moment. The three of them were silent, except for Griseo, who was silently painting on his face with a paintbrush.

"…Pfft, as expected, you're always like this every time you meet Griseo, Nozomi."

Elysia smiled, walked forward with brisk steps, and poked Nozomi's face which was covered with various colors.

"Elysia, you shouldn't have brought her here."

In response, Nozomi just spoke as usual, but with his face covered in paint... it looked a little funny no matter how you looked at it.

"Don't say that. Mei is the most special one after all. It's okay to let her accept your Signet, right? You should at least give her a chance, right?"

"Nozomi-nii... Mei-nee... it's OK."

At this moment, Griseo stopped painting, sat directly in Nozomi's arms, and spoke softly.

"…Okay, there's only one chance."

Nozomi was silent for a while and finally nodded in agreement.

"Then... [Herrscher], cherish this opportunity."

He didn't say any nonsense, but just held Griseo in one hand and tapped his toes lightly. With some inexplicable bubbles emerging out of thin air, he "swam" directly into the air with Griseo, while with the other hand, he moved his fingertips lightly, and the azure water took away the color on his face and then scattered around Raiden Mei.

The running water stained with [color] began to wriggle and grow after hitting the ground. After a while, it turned into several Honkai beasts, emitting an abnormal aura.

'They were somewhat different from Griseo's [Monsters]' - Raiden Mei was keenly aware of this and quickly prepared for battle.

"Survive and kill them all, and you'll pass."

Nozomi said this.

"Come on, Mei, I'll always be here to cheer you on."

Elysia, who also inexplicably "swam" to Nozomi's side, said with a smile while cheering for Raiden Mei.

"It's a really simple and straightforward [Test]... But it's not bad at all."

Mei Raiden whispered to herself, and then...she drew her sword, and lightning appeared.

[Enter a difficult battle. After winning the battle, the seal of "Revelation" will be opened.]

————[Event·Regarding the ranking]————

Mei Raiden: Although I have long known that your [ranking] has no practical significance...but I am very curious as to why someone like you would be ranked last, and it seems that you took the initiative to ask for it.

Nozomi: You already know that it has no practical significance, why are you still asking this question?

Mei Raiden: Like I said, I'm just curious.

Nozomi: ...I just didn't want to make things difficult for others when she was ranking them.

Raiden Mei: ...Is it Elysia?

Nozomi: No, it's Sakura and Elysia...or everyone who supported this project in the beginning.

Nozomi: Given my situation at the time, I had to be ranked last, so that the Fire Moths wouldn't cause any trouble…

Mei Raiden: I'm a little surprised...you're so considerate of others.

Nozomi: "Consider others"? Haha…haha…so funny. That's why I ended up like this. It's because I kept comforting myself, "This is for humanity", "This is for XX or something"…that's why I finally chose to become a Herrscher!

Nozomi: Now that I think about it, I was really stupid before. Why did I always force myself to do something? ! How can the identity of a human being be so important! What "for the sake of humanity"... It's all lies! They're all liars!!! I should just [hunt] them all!!! Not even one should be left behind!!!

Raiden Mei: (It seems I accidentally stepped on his sore spot... I'd better not mention it again in the future)

————[Event·About "Water"]————

Mei Raiden: You seem to be a [Flame Chaser] who controls water... but now it seems that it is not just water, it is more like... a living "thing"?

Nozomi: You just said [Flame Chaser]...right?

Raiden Mei: ...I'm sorry.

Nozomi: ...Humph, but you are wrong, they are just "water". The truly living thing is the "ocean".

Raiden Mei: ......

Nozomi: Why? You really want to see me once?

Nozomi: Believe me, you don't want to see it, because once you see it... you will definitely see me.

Nozomi: What will follow will inevitably be the end of civilization.

Mei Raiden: (It seems that he is still alive? Like Kevin? A Herrscher who has lived from the previous generation?!)

————[Event·About Myself]————

Mei Raiden: How do you see yourself? I mean, after becoming a Herrscher.

Mei Raiden: From what I can see now, you are still conscious after becoming a Herrscher, but according to others, the Herrschers of the previous generation... didn't seem to be able to retain their own consciousness.

Nozomi: [Herrscher]? Haha... Becoming a [Herrscher] is the best choice for me. At least I don't have to listen to other people's nagging and using nonsense like "everything is for humanity" to deceive me.

Nozomi: As for the fact that I can still retain my self-consciousness... do you really think so?

Raiden Mei: ......

Mei Raiden: (He doesn't seem to want to talk much, and his mood is not right... Is there something that makes him unhappy?)

————[Event: The Mark of "Revelation"]————

Mei Raiden: Come to think of it, your nickname is [Revelation]... This seems a little different from you.

Nozomi: What? It's not what you expected?

Mei Raiden: Indeed, after all, for the others... I can see something more or less, but for you... I can't seem to figure out how you correspond to this title.

Nozomi: You will know, but not here... Well, I'll give you a hint.

Nozomi: In the existing records of [Herrscher], my title is [Herrscher of the Sea]. Of course, there is also another one - [Herrscher of Revelation].

Nozomi: As for the number, you don't want to know.

Nozomi: By the way, next time you hear the sound of a horn, it's best to pray that you only hear it six times.

Raiden Mei: ([Herrscher of Revelation], [Herrscher of the Sea]... I seem to have heard this title somewhere before, and... is there a horn sound?)