"You're always like this, always trying every possible way to erase my existence!" Within the dark consciousness space, the furious roar of the [Pure Evil] personality echoed. The cold air offered no response, merely observing the trapped Vill-V with detached indifference.
But the calmer it was, the angrier [Pure Evil] became. Her clenched fists nearly drew blood, yet she continued to vent her long-suppressed dissatisfaction into the darkness.
Because she knew, the only one who could see through her plans and effortlessly trap her was the true owner of this consciousness space – the original personality.
"You're mistaken. I never thought of erasing you, nor did I ever think of hiding your talent." Lights flickered on, darkness retreated, and a girl's gentle voice sounded from nearby.
[Pure Evil] turned her head and saw the girl-form Vill-V sitting calmly on a sofa, fingertips gently stroking the cover of a picture book in her hand.
"It really is you." Eyes filled with venomous hatred, [Pure Evil] spat through gritted teeth, "The one who calls herself a fool despite being a genius."
"Not a genius, merely possessing talent beyond the ordinary. The extension of the helix has no end, neither for you nor for me."
"Heh, only you could say something like that. After all, you are the origin of the helix, while we are just insignificant branches." For some reason, actually seeing Vill-V calmed [Pure Evil] considerably.
She turned her head towards the mental prison trapping Mei, her tone laced with sarcasm, "You divided your consciousness into eight parts and stored us separately. Wasn't that precisely to conceal your excessive talent?"
From a very young age, Vill-V displayed genius-level talent. Her thinking was exceptionally sharp, her ideas often wild and imaginative. This transcendent thinking and keen insight into truth made her an outcast among her peers.
However, this talent brought her no happiness. Because most people around her were ordinary and couldn't comprehend her way of thinking, she grew increasingly lonely.
Her only confidants were her parents, but as she grew older, Vill-V's talent became even more pronounced, making it difficult even for her supportive parents to keep up with her thoughts.
This feeling of being misunderstood accompanied her throughout her childhood. Gradually, Vill-V finally understood that her loneliness stemmed from her own talent. So, she stopped expressing her ideas and participating in others' discussions.
To mortals, genius itself was a transgression.
Vill-V chose to hide her talent and secluded herself, attempting to reintegrate into society under the guise of a fool.
But the more she did so, the lonelier and more painful her inner world became. Her overflowing talent had nowhere to go, only swirling within her own mind. It was precisely because of this that she awakened the ability to segment her consciousness.
"Ultimately, you're still running away. You let the other personalities control the body but forbid only me from participating. Isn't it because you fear my abilities?" Being locked away for tens of thousands of years would fill anyone with resentment, let alone a personality that was inherently [Pure Evil].
"There is some truth to that." Girl Vill-V didn't deny it. She gently closed the book in her hand and said calmly, "But restraint upon oneself is inherently part of talent."
"High-sounding nonsense!"
"Not all talents need to be displayed, nor is it true that all ordinary people cannot become geniuses. Elysia taught me that."
Having awakened the ability to segment consciousness, Vill-V involuntarily absorbed others' consciousness, mimicking and learning at an extremely rapid pace. She used these personalities to disguise herself, but inevitably displayed talent in various aspects.
The situation didn't improve; instead, it rapidly worsened. Fortunately, she met Elysia.
Elysia recognized her talent and recruited her into the Fire Moth.
"There are many geniuses here, just like you. You are not alone."
It was then that Vill-V met Dr. MEI and Mobius. Compared to these two geniuses, the brilliance radiating from her finally seemed less blinding. She no longer needed to flee, no longer needed to hide. She could finally, like an ordinary person, simply focus on doing her own thing.
"What about you, Elysia?"
"Me? I'm just an ordinary, slightly cute girl."
Vill-V was absolutely certain Elysia possessed talent equal to her own, yet she managed to be friends with so many people. This made her extremely curious.
"You just need to do your best to show your abilities when your companions need it. Showing your talent for others means you won't be lonely anymore."
The girl's words touched Vill-V's heart. No matter how ordinary someone was, they possessed their own talent when wholeheartedly helping friends. No matter how genius someone was, as long as they sought like-minded companions, they wouldn't feel lonely.
And so, she joined the Fire Moth, becoming the youngest head of the engineering department in history.
"Genius and mortal, opposition and unity – they are inherently part of the helix. You are part of my personality, and I am part of yours as well. If I indulged my talent unrestrained, the result would be what you are now," Girl Vill-V – no, perhaps Helix Vill-V – looked at [Pure Evil] and said.
"[Pure Evil] itself is a kind of talent. I was unwilling to let you take over the body simply because it wasn't necessary. After all, the battle on the moon fifty thousand years ago... that was your true stage."
Fifty thousand years ago, during the Previous Era's final battle against the Herrscher of Finality, Vill-V piloted the warship Selene, managing to deplete 2% of the Final Herrscher's energy and, coordinating with Kevin, forced it into silence for 12 hours.
The only regret was that the Final Herrscher was too powerful; Vill-V ultimately died fighting on the moon.
Even so, that was the result of all personalities working together.
"Heh, you make it sound so noble, but in the end, you still trapped me here," [Pure Evil] felt a pang but changed the subject.
"This is different. You can occupy my body, even attack the other personalities, but you shouldn't have collaborated with the enemy. The Herrscher of Corruption destroys the entire Elysian Realm. We must stop it."
As the two conversed, Raiden Mei finally discovered the secret of the maze. Using her memories of navigating with Pardofelis, she returned to the surface layer of consciousness.
Upon arriving, she saw the two Vill-Vs confronting each other. She had thought [Pure Evil] had escaped, but unexpectedly, someone had intercepted her.
This sudden turn of events presented an opportunity. Mei quickly drew her sword and closed in on [Pure Evil].
"Damn it! You forced me to do this!" Seeing Mei attack, [Pure Evil] knew there was no escape. Gritting her teeth, she crushed an item in her hand.
The next second, the supposedly stable consciousness space began to tremble violently. Simultaneously, an intense psychic shockwave swept over them. A piercing hum assaulted everyone's nerves, twisting Mei's consciousness like a blender.
Though it was Vill-V's consciousness space, a rift inexplicably appeared. The moment it opened, a pair of giant eyes slowly blinked open.
"Bastard! Hurry up and help me!" Seeing the eyeball appear, [Pure Evil] managed a sigh of relief and immediately called out.
However, before Mei or Helix could act, a pale pink arrow shot from the void, piercing straight through [Pure Evil]'s body. Her eyes widened in disbelief.
In an instant, countless arrows rained down like a torrential downpour. The true Vill-V's expression changed; she proactively deconstructed her own persona, transforming into an invisible barrier to shield Mei from the arrow storm.
When the attack ended, only Vill-V's 'corpse' remained in the consciousness space. Mei looked up, wanting to assess the situation, but the click of high heels on the ground suddenly sounded from behind her.
"Hi~ How does it feel?" Elysia's smile reflected in Mei's pupils.