Fifth Research Institute, deep within the laboratory.
Thick blast-proof glass walled off the chamber. Klein, clad in a white lab coat, stood frozen before the window, documents trembling faintly in her hands.
Inside the operating room, a heavy, dark green fluid churned and bubbled, alive like sentient mud. At its core, the massive sealed gate bulged inward, warped as if something inside had savaged it.
Her hand quivered over a crimson button. Before the procedure began, every passive defense system had been shut down.
If she pressed it, the lab's self-destruct sequence would trigger. N1 bombs buried deep below would reduce everything to ash, while 『Fire Moth』 headquarters received a top-level alert.
The dark green fluid slithered through the fractures toward the gate. The Honkai Beasts' roars dwindled rapidly, as though something within was tearing them apart, consuming them.
A monster—like a newborn child, ravenous for sustenance.
Gulp.
Fear clawed at her heart, forcing Klein to swallow. She felt as though she were standing before a raging inferno. If that mud breached the glass, her death would be instant.
'Dr. Mobius, you promised the surgery would succeed.'
Regret twisted her chest. Though the procedure drew on lower-tier 『MANTIS』 data, the difference between them was like heaven and earth. Had Mobius not ordered her to escape, Klein herself would already be part of that green mire.
'Why are you so stubborn, Doctor? Dr. Ryan clearly urged you to advance step by step. Why must you risk everything at once? Aren't you afraid of dying?'
"No… Dr. Mobius is forcing herself past every limit!"
Thoughts raced through her mind, yet her finger never pressed the button. She knew how long Mobius had prepared for this day.
Years of research data, countless anti-Honkai Beast trials, secretly cutting off external communications—everything had been arranged to complete this evolution under 『Fire Moth』's very nose. Perhaps that Hawaii trip had loosened her nerves, but now Klein trembled, terrified, powerless. Until—
"What's the situation?"
The sudden male voice jolted her, every strand of her short green hair standing on end. She spun around, eyes going misty at the sight.
"Dr… Dr. Ryan, you finally came!"
Alone in the depths, forced to watch an incomprehensible evolution unfold, had been sheer torment.
"Don't worry. Now that I'm here, even if Mobius loses control, I'll pin her down and break her if I have to." Ryan rested a steadying hand on her shoulder, taking the report from her grasp.
Three full days had passed since the surgery began. Data spiraled into chaos, and in the end, Mobius herself vanished.
To evade upper-level surveillance, while Ryan and Elysia weathered the political storm, Mobius had slipped back into the Fifth Institute to begin this experiment.
She often vanished underground for months, quietly rewriting the detectors. The guards above suspected nothing.
They would only learn the truth when it was done. Otherwise, if the council discovered her intent to become the first High-tier 『MANTIS』, they would have flooded the lab with experts—and this, what Klein now witnessed, could never have taken place.
Three days without incident. That meant success… right?
Ryan pored over the data again and again, a sudden unease gnawing at his chest. He only knew the final outcome—not the process. What if the Śeṣa factor he'd retrieved carried hidden flaws?
And damn that Mobius. She never once abided by the simple rule: "If you don't court death, you won't die." He had told her, clearly, to advance in stages.
"Doctor, nothing's going to go wrong… right?"
"There won't be any problems. I trust her." Ryan's voice was tight, his teeth clenched. He refused to believe that after carefully stacking every probability of success, after painstakingly reducing every possible side effect, this attempt would fail compared to the original timeline.
Besides—Mobius had also used his genes as a catalyst, driving the success rate even higher.
In science, trust was a meaningless word. Yet somehow, Klein's panic eased at his conviction.
"『Honkai Energy』 reactions stabilizing! I can start reading Dr. Mobius's physiological responses!" Klein gasped, rushing to the control console.
Ryan didn't move. The data mattered little—his own eyes told him enough.
The dark green mire surged once more, then abruptly receded like a tide, drawn back into the warped fissure of the metal gate. In moments the operating room was spotless—not a single droplet left behind.
That twisted rift gaped like the maw of an abyss. Ryan fixed his gaze on it, hand brushing the hilt at his waist.
'Come on, Mobius. Show me your most brilliant form.'
Klein watched too, her lips drained of color. Her eyes flicked to the long sword hanging at Ryan's side.
"Dr. Ryan… if she fails, will you kill her?"
Failed fusions weren't rare. They always ended one of two ways: a grotesque mutation that killed the subject outright, or the mind consumed by the Honkai Beast—leaving nothing but madness.
"No. I'll suppress her—and then drag her back." Ryan's reply was sharp, decisive. Then his ears caught it.
Click… click… click…
Bare feet against the floor. Ryan held his breath, eyes locked on the fissure.
A pale hand pressed against the doorframe. Then a familiar silhouette stepped forward.
Long green hair spilled across her chest, veiling delicate curves. The overhead lights bathed her bare skin in pure white.
Slender legs. Firm breasts. Not a single thread of clothing. Her eyes gleamed with a gradient of crimson and jade, slit like a serpent's.
Mobius emerged from darkness into light. A strange smile tugged at her oval face—part confusion, part satisfaction. Finally, she let her eyes fall closed and breathed out a soft, languid moan.
It was evolution at an existential scale. She could feel it: if she willed it, steel would soften into mud; she could stride into the vacuum of space without so much as a suit.
Food, water, air—no longer needs. The rush of destruction transforming into rebirth filled her with euphoria… and then with boundless hunger.
Satisfaction bled into craving. Her heart, like shattered shackles, began to boil and surge; morals and ethics no longer restrained her. A sense of unchained will flooded her chest.
'I want to evolve further. I want to evolve without end.'
"Mobius. Congratulations on becoming something other than human."
The male voice drew her snake-pupilled gaze. Ryan stood before her, his reflection glimmering in her eyes. The aftertaste of metamorphosis left her mind hazy; a sharp, glinting greed surfaced in her stare.
The path of evolution opened before her. She wanted—
Clang—
The scrape of a sword leaving its sheath sliced through her thoughts. Mobius stilled, then curved her lips into a smile and spread her hands slightly.
"Ryan, is this your way of congratulating me?"
For an instant Ryan felt the edge of her threat—but he let it pass.
Everything in this world carried a price. Mobius was clearly paying hers.
"Hold on to your reason. Strengthen your inner self. Don't let instinct rule you."
"Ryan," she murmured, a low chuckle on her breath, taking a slow step toward him, "I've never been so rational, so free, so clear-minded. Are you afraid of me?"
"No. I'm reminding you of our promise. Do you remember what I told you at the Far East Branch?"
Thud.
Her steps halted. Mobius tilted her head, recalling that warning.
Evolution was not chaotic growth; some things had to remain. As long as they endured, it could still be called human evolution.
"If I told you I'd forgotten," she said softly, "would you kill me?"
"Since you said it, you remember." Ryan sheathed his sword with a smooth, dangerous smile. "I won't kill you — but you ran out naked. Such shamelessness deserves a proper lesson."
Me? Shameless? What nonsense is he talking about?
Mobius blinked as her awareness slid back into her body, instinct receding. Slowly she lowered her eyes and registered the obvious: she stood completely naked before Ryan.
Her lips pressed into a thin line as she fought for a cool tone.
"Human shame. Hmph. What a tedious idea."
You're amazing, and yet you're shaking. Don't lie.
Ryan scoffed inwardly, shrugged out of his jacket, and tossed it to her.
"Don't lose your head. Śeṣa will mess with your mind, but it won't overwrite who you are. Try to control it a little."
Mobius folded the cloth around herself. Her senses still jittered, and her eyes had changed, but none of it surprised her—these were expected side effects. Current-stage fusion carried a high chance of complications; she'd already hit the jackpot. She had half-expected to sprout a snake's tail.
"You trust me that much?" she asked.
"Of course." Ryan's answer was immediate and steady. "You're Mobius."
That made her smile—natural, pleased. She flipped her long hair back, accidentally baring her chest as she reclaimed her posture, and didn't even notice.
"Haha, I know—there's nothing I can't do!"
"Yes, yes, yes, you can do anything," Ryan indulged, eyes flicking over her. "But I'd appreciate it if you put on some clothes before you go on."
The remark brought her back to herself. Pale skin warmed, a blush creeping up her neck to her cheeks.
"Ryan, will you please turn around!!"
Ah — so that was it.
Ryan realized, with a faint flush, that he'd been polite but not nearly gentlemanly enough. He turned his back as the rustle of fabric sounded; despite himself, he thought she did have an excellent figure.
Calm down. Stay calm. Don't let her gain leverage. And Klein—what's with that pervert look?
He shot a mock glare at the girl by the observation window. She darted off to fetch clothes. Ryan inhaled slowly, letting his heat cool.
He knew Mobius. Any sign of instability and she'd pounce, turning the moment into torment—making him crave what he could not have. That bitterness had long been building; she wanted revenge.
'I won't lose to you. I won't let you have your revenge.'
Ryan stiffened with resolve. He knew transformation would make her bolder—Śeṣa's influence and the sheer power she'd gained were a dangerous mix.
He suddenly regretted turning her into a 『MANTIS』. If she were still her old self and dared to act this way… she would have been tied up and given a proper beating.