"This is really strange. Countless successors have visited the Elysian Realm over the years. Has a similar situation happened before?"
After settling Yuno down, Lin Wei immediately went to Elysia to ask. After all, if there had been a precedent, Yuno's problem would be much easier to solve.
"Yes!" Elysia replied readily.
"That's great, it's..."
Lin Wei was about to ask for specific details, but when he turned his head, he saw Elysia's beautiful eyes blinking, looking at him with a smile. His heart skipped a beat, as if he suddenly remembered something, and he became speechless.
"The precedent you mentioned..."
After a moment of silent hesitation, Lin Wei pointed at himself and asked uncertainly,
"...Couldn't it be me?"
"Correct! Wow! You're so smart, you guessed the right answer right away!"
Elysia exclaimed excitedly, then tilted her head and said with a giggle,
"Didn't you and your Stigmata also separate into two individuals after entering the Elysian Realm? Miss Yae Sakura is such a beautiful girl♪"
"..."
So you also harassed her quite a bit, didn't you?
Does that familiar face make you so excited?
"My Stigmata is a special case. You know how it came about. And Sakura… no, Yae Sakura, as the will of the Stigmata, isn't the same as Yuno. She was always human, while Yuno is a survivor who accidentally merged with a Honkai beast in the outside world and miraculously survived."
Lin Wei wasn't in the mood to argue with her. He briefly explained Yuno's origins, then continued,
"I've examined her with a Divine Key. Although the Honkai energy, genes, tissues, and destructive instincts are subtly merging with and influencing her body, genes, and consciousness, I haven't found a second consciousness within her. That's why I was surprised by the unexpected battle earlier."
Such a sudden change upon entering the Elysian Realm was something Lin Wei hadn't anticipated.
"Regarding Yuno's situation—I hope I pronounced that correctly—I was just as surprised as you when I first saw her. She does seem similar to a MANTIS, but not entirely the same. Hmm… How should I describe it? More… primal?"
Elysia said in her usual cheerful tone,
"Although the Meta-Morph ICHOR factors for MANTISes are also related to Honkai beasts, they are extracted from dead Honkai beasts, and during the development process, we tried our best to make them controllable and docile—although this technology was still very dangerous in our time."
Although her voice was still as clear and cheerful as ever, Lin Wei still heard a hint of sadness and nostalgia. But that subtle emotion was fleeting, and Elysia's voice became surprised again,
"But Yuno is different. If you're right, she merged with a living Honkai beast to become what she is now. This is truly unbelievable. Even the craziest scientists of our era wouldn't have proposed such a crazy idea!"
"Is there any difference between this and the hypervariable factors?"
Lin Wei asked, puzzled.
"Well… I don't know the specifics. Maybe, compared to the precise numbers and scalpels in the lab, this accidental factor might bring some unexpected changes?"
"...It's just a coincidence."
Lin Wei shook his head and said,
"Perhaps it's because the Third Herrscher of this era was inherently flawed and died prematurely, causing the newly born Honkai beast to be incompletely formed and instinctively seek refuge in a human body, borrowing it to be reborn. Then I intervened, pulling Yuno back from the brink of being devoured and assimilated, awakening her original will, and turning her into her current state."
The Third Honkai Eruption was forcibly induced by human intervention, and there was a suspicion of "spoiling things by excessive enthusiasm." In addition, the Herrscher of Thunder's "baptism" hadn't even begun before being knocked back by a certain hothead, causing the entire Honkai disaster to end prematurely.
The Honkai beast that should have been born alongside the Herrscher of Thunder was still in its embryonic state, almost dying. Then it landed on Yuno, this "lucky one," borrowing her body, absorbing the remaining Honkai energy near Chiba Academy, and beginning to regenerate…
Lin Wei turned his head and looked in the direction of Yuno's room. The exhausted girl was now sleeping peacefully on the soft bed.
"Anyway, if certain people find out, it might arouse even more interest! So, from now on, you have to be even more careful with Dr. Mobius♪"
"...Thanks for the reminder."
Are you hinting at something? Lin Wei thought, speechless.
It was hard to say whether she should be considered human or a humanoid Honkai beast now.
Even the destructive instincts from the Honkai beast were hidden in her subconscious like a lurking flood, turning the originally docile and quiet girl into her current somewhat frenzied state...
"The Elysian Realm is a world of memories and consciousness..."
Lin Wei muttered to himself,
"Perhaps that ugly, humanoid monster is the 'truest' form of herself in Yuno's imagination, a manifestation of the root of her fear and hatred."
Stigmata consciousness could become independent individuals in the Elysian Realm, the paintings in Griseo's mind could become real in the Elysian Realm, and when Pardo woke up in the Elysian Realm, a cat that never existed in reality appeared beside her.
Then, a "self" constructed and imagined from pain, fear, and anger in the subconscious, also becoming real in this magical world of the Elysian Realm and attacking, even devouring, oneself, was only natural.
After all, in a sense, it was truly another side of one's personality, the side that was rejected and loathed...
"No wonder Elysia said she was 'fighting herself,' and Sakura couldn't intervene. No wonder Yuno was so desperate to tear it apart..."
Fortunately, it was stopped early, Lin Wei thought thankfully.
The more furious and eager she was to defeat it, the more easily she would be influenced by it in return, and ultimately assimilated by it unknowingly.
After all, all the anger and eagerness stemmed from the fear and cowardice deep within her heart, highlighting her inner weakness and vulnerability.
"If that fight had continued, Yuno's self might have really been devoured."
Lin Wei felt he had the most say when it came to this kind of mental confrontation.
After all, beneath all the powerful exterior, deep down, Yuno was just a sad and helpless girl...
Unlike Durandal, Rita, Fu Hua, or even Lin Wei, although their talents and starting points varied, even with Lin Wei's negative starting point, the power they possessed undoubtedly came from their hard work. In this process, their willpower had long been tempered to match, or even surpass, the power itself.
But Yuno was different, her will couldn't control this power.
After all, the power she gained came from the curse of fate, very similar to a Herrscher—an immensely powerful force suddenly infused into this innocent girl's body, destroying her life, ravaging her will, and transforming her into a puppet of the Honkai.
If Lin Wei hadn't intervened, forcibly interrupting her transformation, if Fu Hua hadn't sent Lin Wei's blessing into the depths of her heart with a feather to protect her consciousness, Yuno might have been eliminated halfway, just like her original fate...
A strange thought suddenly popped into Lin Wei's mind,
"From this perspective, calling her a 'pseudo-Herrscher' seems quite fitting?"
An inexplicable urge to speak suddenly arose, prompting Lin Wei to share this thought with Elysia, leaving the sprite-like girl stunned.
What's he talking about?
But it sounds quite interesting!
"Wanting to help Yuno better control this power... is that why you brought her here?"
Elysia walked up to Lin Wei, put her hands behind her back, and chuckled,
"What a caring boy~ As a place of 'trial,' the Elysian Realm is indeed quite suitable."
On the long sofa in the Elysian Realm lounge, Lin Wei couldn't help but shift his butt to the side, putting some distance between himself and Elysia, and said noncommittally,
"Hmm, one of the reasons..."
Stay away from me!
"Hee hee~"
Elysia subtly moved closer again, smiling brightly, but talking about something seemingly unrelated,
"You seem to often make friends with Herrschers. Even… pseudo~ Herrschers, hmm?"
Elysia enunciated each word of this strange term that had never appeared in the Previous Era, the smile on her face inexplicably becoming even brighter.
Hmm?
What do you mean?
Lin Wei remembered something, looked at her strangely, shifted his butt to the side again, and said,
"Elysia, you don't want me to bring a Herrscher here next time for you to meet, do you?"
Do you think this is a restaurant?!
Elysia subtly moved closer again, her eyes sparkling as she looked at Lin Wei. After a moment, she just shook her head.
She wouldn't force this kind of thing.
The incident with Rin had given her a surprise, but it was fleeting. Elysia didn't even have time to say a word to her, leaving her with great regret.
Ultimately, she transferred this regret to Lin Wei, which, combined with certain qualities he already possessed, greatly increased her interest in exploring him.
Actually, when Lin Wei brought this up, Elysia had thought of going along with it, but at the last moment, a great fear surged in her heart.
Is it really okay?
Would the real me, the Herrscher me, really be liked?
She wanted an answer from Lin Wei. After all, he and Rin could be good friends, so she should be able to too, right?
But ultimately, this inexplicable fear in her heart prevented her from confessing rashly.
So, while she attacked fiercely in her "Elysia style," she also carefully hid herself, like protecting a fragile crystal flower.
"Actually, if Kevin agrees, I think I can find a way..."
Lin Wei keenly caught Elysia's fleeting vulnerability, and his heart softened. He sighed and shook his head, pretending to say casually,
"However, judging by Yuno's situation, if I really bring a Herrscher to the Elysian Realm, it might cause big trouble."
"How so?"
Elysia's curiosity was immediately piqued.
"Well, Herrschers aren't mentally stable. Of the three known Herrschers, two have split personalities. Hmm, the other one seems even more fragmented…"
Lin Wei pointed in Yuno's direction and complained,
"Even she's like that, if I bring a Herrscher in, wouldn't it be chaotic?"
The Herrscher of Reason shouldn't be a problem, and the two personalities of the Herrscher of Thunder actually had a decent relationship, but the Herrscher of the Void would definitely cause a big incident!
Hmm, the Elysian Realm itself shouldn't be affected, but the Herrscher of the Void herself would definitely die.
And once she died, the poor Sirin who shared her body would naturally be gone too…
"Tsk, so that's how it is..."
For a moment, Lin Wei seemed to understand why Kevin had kept Mei for a few months, insisting on waiting until she had encountered the Will of Honkai once before sending her into the Elysian Realm.
The fake reason: Mei touched the secrets of the Honkai, so she could go to the Elysian Realm for further studies.
The real reason: Mei passed the willpower test and could now be presented to Elysia.
After confirming that Raiden Mei's will was stable and mature, and wouldn't suddenly explode like a certain smuggled Herrscher, causing trouble, Kevin eagerly sent her into the Elysian Realm—Go, go quickly, don't keep Elysia waiting!
"Uh..."
Elysia was stunned for a moment, then burst out laughing,
"Pfft, hahahahaha..."
Like spring wind chimes, clear, crisp, and refreshing.
She imagined the scene, a certain immature Herrscher turning the Elysian Realm upside down, and she suddenly found it quite amusing.
However, although the imagination was amusing, if this really happened, it would probably be filled with regret.
"Indeed, it's better not to force it."
Although her thoughts were the same as before, Elysia's heart felt much brighter this time.
When those immature children truly grew up, perhaps that future would be worth looking forward to?