Daytime. Sakura's homeland.
"Wow, Pardo, you're amazing! A MANTIS through and through."
A big sister in a combat suit patted the safe, wiping non-existent sweat from her forehead as if she had just survived a catastrophe.
They had originally thought it would take a tough fight to acquire this item, but they never expected that Pardo, while merely scouting, would stumble upon the mission objective and bring it out by sheer chance.
"Not at all, not at all. It was just a coincidence this time. I'm actually really weak compared to the other MANTISes."
Hearing the praise, Pardo quickly waved her hands, looking as if to say, don't get the wrong idea, I'm really not that strong.
She didn't like being the center of attention. No matter the task, she would always complete it just at the passing mark. Only by giving people the impression that this was the extent of her abilities could she better slack off.
And that wonderful slack-off time could be spent napping on a soft balcony or pulling Fu Li along to wander around.
Perhaps because she was always with Fu Li, she frequently entered various places within the MOTHs' facilities and had become quite familiar with big shots like Mobius and Eden.
Especially Eden. She was Pardo's second favorite person after Fu Li, as Eden often gave her sparkly gems.
Sitting in the helicopter and listening to the teasing voices of her teammates, Pardo's cheeks flushed slightly, but her mind had already drifted elsewhere.
In one month, the MOTHs would be holding a ball. Sister Eden had already prepared a beautiful gown for her. When the time came, she would wear that dress and invite Fu Li to dance.
Just thinking about it was a little exciting.
With such thoughts in her mind, Pardo, having completed her mission, didn't want to stay here a second longer. She just wanted to hurry back to the MOTHs.
However, just as the young girl was lost in her daydreams, Fu Li was once again meeting with God.
---o---
The familiar, pure white space. The familiar god.
Fu Li clearly remembered that this was the third time he had entered this space.
The resentful thoughts within him had awakened the moment he stepped into this dimension. A horrifying black aura condensed behind Fu Li, like a person constantly struggling and wailing.
They were accusing God, demanding that God kill this traitor for them.
However, neither God nor Fu Li was the least bit affected.
"Hello, God."
Fu Li waved as if greeting an old friend and asked the question he had long since prepared.
"How do I awaken and control the power of the End?"
God tilted its head, a thought-provoking smile playing on its lips.
Beside Fu Li, a dozen familiar, pure white figures suddenly appeared. But unlike God, their bodies were covered in cracks, and transparent tears streamed from the corners of their eyes.
They reached forward, as if pleading for help, or perhaps making an accusation. But the moment they touched Fu Li, all the figures dissolved into motes of light and vanished.
Fu Li's expression darkened. Those figures just now—besides the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, they included other people he cared about.
But if their deaths were the price for awakening the power of the End, then even if he defeated the Herrscher of the End, what would be the point?
"Is there any other way?" Fu Li was not satisfied with this answer, but God would not break its rule of one question, one answer.
The surrounding scenery collapsed, and Fu Li was kicked out of the space.
---o---
"...Dammit."
When he came to his senses again, Fu Li saw a massive human heart, and Aponia was looking at him with a worried expression.
"How was it, Li?" Aponia asked gently, using her psychic powers to shield Fu Li's mind from the whispers of the resentful thoughts.
"Hah... It's nothing."
Fu Li shook his head. He had no intention of following the path God had shown him, so telling others about it was an unnecessary option.
"Is that so?" Aponia nodded, not probing further, but asked pointedly, "Then when does our plan begin?"
"It begins now."
Feeling the Core that had condensed within his body, Fu Li flashed a wicked smile and dialed the numbers of the other individuals.
"Hello. I am one of the former strongest MANTISes of the MOTHs. I hereby extend an invitation to my comrades, inviting you to my island to fight against the evil MOTHs together."
[With Aponia's help, you imbued your psychic message with the power of inducement and obedience. Thus, they prepared to head to the island with almost no suspicion.]
[Your plan proceeded very smoothly, with more and more individuals of the Herrscher of Legion arriving on the island.]
[But for some reason, when faced with Aponia's suppression, the resentful thoughts did not put up much resistance. Instead, they went dormant, which made you feel a little uneasy.]
[Meanwhile, within the MOTHs.]
"Hello, Sister Eden, have you seen Fu Li?"
"Sister Klein, have you seen Fu Li recently?"
"Kalpas, have you seen Fu Li lately? What? Aponia is gone too?"
Within the vast MOTHs headquarters, Pardo clutched the letter, anxiously weaving through the corridors, grabbing every familiar person she met to ask her frantic questions.
For this, she even deliberately sought out Kalpas, whom she was a little afraid of, but in the end, the only answer she received was the same unsettling reply: "Sorry, I haven't seen him recently."
Although the letter told her not to worry, her feline intuition told her that something terrible was about to happen.
The feeling of her heart being squeezed, the difficulty breathing—it made every hair on Pardo's body stand on end, making it impossible for her to stop moving.
Finally, she bumped into a familiar figure.
"Sorry... I'm so sorry, I wasn't paying attention."
Pardo apologized instinctively, hastily picking up the files from the floor. But when she looked up, she met a pair of serpentine eyes that held a faint, unreadable smile.
"It's fine, just a small matter. But you, Pardo, why are you in such a hurry?"
"Sis... Sister Snakey..."
For no reason at all, Pardo felt as if she were being watched by a dangerous creature. Her words came out as a stutter, but then her eyes lit up.
After all, having been with Fu Li for so long, she was well aware of his relationship with Mobius. She immediately said:
"It's just... Li seems to have gone out for something, and I've been looking for him everywhere. Oh, right! Sister Snakey, if it's you, you must know where he went, right?"
"Well..." A trace of hesitation flashed across Mobius's face, and she said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Pardo. Li told me that what he's doing right now is a bit dangerous, and that I shouldn't tell you."
"But you can rest assured. He... should be fine."
Seeing the clear lack of confidence in Mobius's tone, Pardo was about to press further, but Mobius dodged her.
"Pardo, I know what you're thinking. I promised Li I wouldn't reveal his whereabouts. So, I'm sorry..."
After saying this, Mobius gave her no further chance, took the remaining files, and quickly left.
Pardo tried to chase after her, but as she turned the corner, she found that Mobius was already gone.
Staring at the bustling corridor, Pardo gritted her teeth.
Her intuition was rarely wrong. Fu Li's trip was definitely extremely dangerous. So, no matter what, she had to find him.
By any means necessary.