As Nagami's calm gaze slowly shifted, both Elysia and Mobius turned their eyes toward the black-haired boy.
"At first, I only wanted to confirm the true nature of the heroes' memory constructs that still exist here in the Elysian Realm.
If they were nothing more than copies—mere imitations inheriting the original's memories, personality, and temperament…"
His voice was gentle, his smile almost serene, yet the words he spoke sent chills down their spines.
"Then I would have simply used those memory constructs as raw material for my experiments—to create something... interesting. But now that I know these memories actually contain fragments of the original souls—"
Nagami paused for a moment, as if realizing something, then his lips curved into a knowing smile.
Raising his voice slightly, he sounded like a gracious host welcoming guests.
"Since everyone's already here… why not come out and join the conversation?"
He spoke with such warmth and confidence that anyone unfamiliar with the situation would've thought he was the master of this domain.
The next instant— A torrent of blazing fire erupted.
It devoured the air, seared the ground, and burned everything in its path.
From within the inferno stepped a man wearing a black mask, white hair fluttering amidst the flames.
Kalpas—the warrior who bore the title Annihilation, a fusion soldier enhanced with the genes of the emperor-class Honkai beast Nirvana.
A member of the old era's elite strike unit, MOTH's Cocoon Division.
"A mere Herrscher of Reason… and you dare talk big!"
He had felt the Herrscher's energy the moment Nagami revealed it earlier while speaking to Mobius.
A Herrscher had entered the Elysian Realm—impossible, yet undeniable.
Before anyone could react, the ground cracked beneath Kalpas's feet.
The air shrieked as his punch broke the sound barrier, trailing a sonic boom and waves of flame.
To him, the only good Herrscher—was a dead one.
Lumine didn't flinch.
She simply pulled Paimon out of the incoming blast, teleporting them through a dimensional rift to a safer distance.
"Calm down, Kalpas! Nagami isn't under the Honkai's control—he's—"
But before Elysia could finish, her pupils shrank in disbelief.
The black-haired boy turned and smiled faintly.
The air shattered like glass.
Compressed layers of atmosphere burst outward as Nagami's punch collided with Kalpas's fiery blow.
The sheer force tore the roof above into a spiraling hole, as moonlight pouring down like a divine spotlight.
Lowering his hand, Nagami glanced up at the clear night sky before turning his gaze toward the masked warrior.
"Nice to meet you—Kalpas, the sixth fusion warrior. I've heard much about the one known as Annihilation. Seeing you in person, your reputation truly precedes you."
His tone was calm and sincere, warm like sunlight.
Kalpas didn't reply immediately.
He just stood silently, staring at the clouds that refused to close.
Only after a long pause did he murmur in a deep, gravelly voice:
"Power crushes all reason."
Another voice followed, quiet yet carrying the authority of wisdom.
A tall man with long gray hair tied into a ponytail stepped forward.
His eyes remained closed, and his refined presence exuded both grace and intellect.
Su—the one known as Heavenly Insight, bearer of the title Tianhui.
"You came as well, Su."
A soft, melodic voice—like a song played on morning dew—flowed into the scene.
From the swirling light appeared a woman of stunning grace.
Her delicate features and elegant figure were framed by a dark brown gown that radiated both nobility and charm.
Eden—the golden diva of the old world, her very presence like a hymn to the stars.
Her weapon, Star of Eden, was as famous as her title: The Golden One.
A woman so wealthy that gifting a world-class gemstone to a friend was nothing to her.
"This visitor of ours is… far too extraordinary," Su said gravely.
His usual calm was replaced by rare solemnity.
The Elysian Realm was a special construct—a "world bubble" born of perception itself.
Yet this visitor stood outside of perception.
Nagami existed beyond what even the fusion warriors could comprehend.
Not only him—but even the small, strange creature and… that other presence accompanying him.
"The Golden One and the Wise One," Nagami greeted with a faint smile. "It seems you already know who I am, so I'll skip the formalities."
"Herrscher of Reason, Nagami," Su replied, his lips curving slightly. "Titles are just names. If our goals align, then we are both seekers of truth—let us speak as equals."
A streak of shadow sliced through the sky like a comet before landing gracefully.
The figure that appeared was both familiar and new—a young woman with long gray hair tied back, her aqua-colored eyes sharp yet curious.
"First time meeting you, Herrscher who betrayed the Honkai. My name is Hua."
Her outfit was unlike anything from the current world—an old-era combat suit with sheer black fabric covering most of her upper body.
It looked thin, almost transparent… yet it was crafted from ultra-high molecular materials—resistant to heat, cold, and even bullets.
Unfortunately, its dark translucent tone gave off an… impression.
Especially since Hua's chest was, well—let's just say, modest enough that she didn't really need additional support.
Five millennia ago, Hua was still the flat-chested, serious girl she had always been—
no immortal "Immortal of Shenzhou" aura yet, just a hint of teenage awkwardness hidden beneath that stoic expression.
If this the a normal circumstances, he might've teased her a little, but right now…
His eyes glowed, black pupils replaced by violet six-pointed stars.
The moment Hua appeared, Nagami had already begun analyzing her memory construct.
Among all the heroes of the Elysian Realm, only Hua and Kevin retained a faint trace of their original souls since neither had truly died at the time of data transfer.
It was through that sliver of soul essence that Nagami could trace when their true selves had perished, and activate the corresponding restoration programs.
Through the Alpha Stigma Eyes, he deciphered the mechanism.
How the Elysian Realm's ether anchors interacted with the SO-1129 simulation system, allowing a soul to resonate with its parallel counterparts across timelines.
Now understanding the system behind these memory constructs, Nagami smiled warmly at Hua.
"Nice to meet you too, Hua."
Inwardly, though—he couldn't help but think:
'I kind of want to run some experiments on this memory construct…'
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