Elsewhere, Otto finally laid eyes on the legendary Imaginary Tree—or at least, a copy of it.
"Magnificent, wouldn't you say, Void Archives?"
"Less gawking, more running. Unless you want to fight infinite versions of yourself?"
Void Archives had no intention of crawling back home like in the script.
Otto, however, was curious.
"Relax. I'd like to see how other 'me's' love for Kallen compares to mine."
"...Your funeral."
As Otto approached, golden silhouettes emerged—countless versions of himself, all faceless.
Grinning, Otto transformed Void Archives into Judgement of Shamash.
"He said: Let's go!"
"I DID NOT—!"
Void Archives would've screamed if it could.
Otto charged, cleaving through his doppelgängers with morbid glee.
After felling half a dozen, he wiped his brow.
"Enough fun. Void Archives—Eden's Star. Tear us a way home."
The weapon shifted form, and a pseudo-black hole ripped open space.
Otto stepped through—
—and found himself at Babylon Labs.
"Luck's on my side. No need for a pickup."
Stretching, he entered the tower—now a haven for "retired" characters like Sirin, Serena, Benares, and Himeko.
Maybe we should rename it Babylon Memorial...
Meanwhile...
"Mei. I've implanted the 12th Herrscher's consciousness within you. Upon entering the Elysian Realm, it will mature and awaken."
Prometheus' voice echoed in Mei's mind as she walked.
Pausing, Mei listened carefully before contacting Raven.
"Raven here. What's up, Red Lightning Dragon? Borrow money? Treat me? Or buying me a private island~?"
"...The 12th Herrscher's consciousness is with me. I'm returning to the Realm. It'll manifest soon."
"Oho~! No worries. The Flame-Chasers are prepped. Go ahead."
Assured, Mei stepped into the Realm—
—where Klein immediately detected the nascent Herrscher.
Guiding it to a prepared containment chamber, she trapped it before it could comprehend its predicament.
Soon, the Flame-Chasers gathered (minus a few uninterested parties).
"Wow. So this is the Herrscher of Corruption? ...It's, uh, unique-looking."
Elysia stared at the giant eyeball, her smile twitching.
Even after millennia, this was the weirdest Herrscher she'd seen.
"It's underdeveloped. Once it consumes data, it'll take human form."
Vill-V adjusted her goggles, analyzing the readings.
Elysia's eyes sparkled.
"Let me feed it my Elysian Realm data! A blue-purple gradient Elysia would be gorgeous~!"
"...Typical of you."
Chang Yuan sighed fondly.
Seeing Klein's hesitant glance, he nodded.
"Go ahead. It's harmless."
With permission granted, Klein replicated Elysia's data and fed it to the Herrscher.
The entity devoured it ravenously—and within seconds, its form shifted.
Now resembling Elysia, it blinked in confusion.
Its awareness sharpened—only to realize it was caged, with no means of digital escape.
Outside, the very person it had mimicked waved cheerfully.
"Hi~! Consciousness fully formed? Don't worry, we're good people here. No discrimination against Herrschers~?"
"...So I've been captured. But how did you know I'd awaken early?"