["By eliminating the wicked, to halt the progress of erosion... Was that your decision too?"
"No, that was before I was fully awake. The one who made that decision was the [Conductor]."
Seeing Mei's confusion, Vill-V explained further: "Ah, sorry, that's just a customary term. In your understanding... she should be an engineer—you two should be quite familiar by now."
"That her... the most common [Vill-V]?"
"Correct, she was the first thought segment I split off. Frankly speaking... I wasn't skilled back then, didn't grasp the分寸 properly."
"Besides engineering knowledge, too many subjective and perceptual cognitions were mixed in, making her far too similar to me."
This is also why Vill-V handed the authority to split thoughts over to the Conductor.
With the Conductor's help, the Original Self actually managed to survive.
Yet, because [Malice] wanted to eliminate Mei this way, it instead gave the Original Self a chance to meet Mei.
"What about... Kevin, Pardo, and Mobius then...?"
"Their sacrifices seem utterly meaningless."
Vill-V nodded: "Mhm, right. Utterly meaningless..."
"So... they shouldn't have happened either."
Hearing this, Mei seemed to think of something, her voice trembling slightly as she asked: "What do you mean...?"
Vill-V meticulously explained to Mei how Malice killed them. However, the [Kevin Destruction Button] made by the Expert indeed had a backdoor, one that Malice couldn't shut down!
"What about... Elysia?"
"Elysia, she..."
"I didn't want to believe it either... but the Herrscher... seems to have truly deleted all of her data..."
"That Vill-V didn't want anyone to discover Kevin's possibility of revival, so she destroyed the typewriter and fabricated the [Kevin is Dead] file."
"But the night Elysia disappeared... the [absolutely objective] typewriter hadn't been destroyed yet. So..."
Although Vill-V didn't continue, Mei already understood... Elysia was never coming back.]
[Pardofelis]: "Yeah! I'm gonna win the revival match!!"
[Silver Wolf]: "That's great, Pardo can be revived, Kevin too, and Mobius even saw through Vill-V early on and had a plan all along. They should be able to turn the tables now, right?"
[Raiden Mei]: "Elysia... she's really gone?"
[Fuxuan]: "Different from those killed by Vill-V, the memory bodies eliminated by the erosion have no possibility of revival."
[Stelle]: "Ahhh, damn you, Herrscher of Corruption ahhhh!"
[Sparkle]: 'What a pity though, even if they revive, won't they still have to face the Herrscher of Corruption next?'
[March 7th]: "You, shut up! Don't make me think about such a scary thing!"
[Next came the matter of Vill-V and Mei discussing how to break the situation. It was very simple.
First thing, eliminate [Malice] Vill-V.
Second thing, eliminate the Herrscher of Corruption, and strive to achieve an... [optimal] outcome for everyone.
"I feel like... the impression you give is very different from [Vill-V]."
"Sorry, I don't know how to describe it."
"Very quiet, right?"
Vill-V forced a smile: "Haha, well, all the [Vill-Vs] are [geniuses]..."
"And I'm just a..."
"Never mind, let's set off."
This was the last time. Vill-V also wanted Mei to accompany her in searching for past events within her memories. Mei naturally agreed.
It was only then that Mei truly came to understand the Vill-V currently by her side...
She was genuinely socially anxious.
Until Vill-V finally found her most precious memory: her first meeting with Elysia, which was also the beginning of Vill-V gradually succumbing under Elysia's constant praise.
"That's right, there were times I really disliked myself too... that period of [undervaluing myself]."
"I spent a lifetime reconciling with [inferiority]. Now... I can finally view myself somewhat objectively."
"If I had let any single [talent] blossom and bear fruit, I might have walked the path of a genius."
"But that version of me... would no longer be [me]."]
[Lingsha]: "Just how many beauties have fallen under Elysia's攻势?"
[Stelle]: "Don't know, but Mei is definitely one of them!"
[Einstein]: "Her scientific research level has already reached such heights, yet she still didn't let her [talents] blossom and bear fruit?"
[Changguang]: "Exactly, if she really let her [talents] blossom and bear fruit, what level would that be?"
[March 7th]: "The 'Original Self' Vill-V is essentially a somewhat insecure, socially anxious, quiet beauty. Who would have thought?"
[Qingque]: "The personality difference with the other split-off Vill-Vs is way too big!"
[Silver Wolf]: "Heh, well said. I want to see just how that so-called best outcome is achieved!"
Silver Wolf said this through gritted teeth!
[Stelle]: "Who says a grand reunion is impossible? A netherworld grand reunion is still a grand reunion, right?"
[March 7th]: "Do you even believe that yourself?"
[Elysia]: "The Flame-Chasers' finale should be grand and solemn, don't you think? ♪"
[Stelle]: "Corruption, you damn !!"
["You seem a bit nervous?"
"Uh... Hahaha..."
Vill-V whispered quietly: 'Although you might not believe it, I'm a bit different from the other Flame-Chasers you know.'
"I... even when I was alive, spent most of the time asleep. Experience-wise... I really am just a twenty-year-old [girl], you know."
"Alright, next... how do we get to [her] side?"
"After all, my mind is still quite vast..."
Mei stepped into the Kurikara. Vill-V had a bad feeling: "Wait a second, you don't mean to ride this dragon, do you...?"
CEO-style Mei said: "Are you ready?"
"Eh!? W-Wait, hold on, don't push me—"
"Ah... Ah...!"
Amidst the Original Self's startled cries, they soared through the sky, arriving before Malice.
Malice saw the Original Self and was greatly shocked: "You... Impossible, that area definitely vanished."
Meanwhile, Vill-V was still panting heavily, completely unable to recover.
Mei said无语ly: "Well, at least we found one of your weaknesses, even if it's unlikely to be useful."]
[Herrscher of the Void]: "Bella!!!"
[Stelle]: "Mei's dragon got ridden by someone else. I want to ride a dragon too!"
As she spoke, Stelle turned her gaze towards Dan Heng. Dan Heng felt extremely uncomfortable under her stare and retorted:
"No, don't even think about it!"
[Tail]: "Haha, the way the Original Self looked all timid on the dragon is just like you! Want me to take you for a spin in a Star Skiff?"
[Huohuo]: "S-Stop joking around, Tail!"
[Sparkle]: "Mei rides a dragon with someone else, Kiana's at Anti-Entropy. Mei's horns get touched by someone else, Kiana's at Anti-Entropy~~"
[Herrscher of the Void]: "This is my Bella!!"