Elysia: So that's why you made that standee back then!

Then, even Kiana behind her could feel Mei's breath catch in her throat.

[Emergency Operations - Choices]

[Enemy Information: Elysia, Sakura.]

"This means... the erosion has been discovered?"

Kiana, who peeked out from behind, was startled.

"No..." Mei bit her lip tightly.

"More likely... they were discovered through corruption."

"What's going on? Why aren't Elysia and Xia Ling here today?"

Outside of the Elysian Realm, Theresa, who had just entered the reception room, was somewhat surprised.

Just now, she was forced to go out due to some urgent matters of Schicksal. When she returned, not only were Kiana and the others nowhere to be found, but Xia Ling and Elysia were also missing.

"What is this...? The Preparation Zone has been locked?"

"Ah?"

Theresa was naturally familiar with the name "Preparation Zone". Generally speaking, any unit currently idle in the Elysian Realm can be considered a unit in the Preparation Zone, which means a unit that can be captured by the trial participants using Recruitment Voucher.

But in this situation... it seems like I wasn't included?

Furthermore, why is the Preparation Zone locked down?

Theresa was completely baffled.

Confused about what had happened, she could only sit on the sofa and watch the footage of Kiana and the others fighting in the Elysian Realm.

Upon closer inspection, they immediately noticed something was amiss.

"Huh? What does this mean...?"

"What do you mean... Elysia is dead?"

"I said, wouldn't it be a bit inappropriate for us to suddenly disappear under these circumstances?"

In the Elysian Realm, Xia Ling was sandwiched between two Miss Fairy, one on each side, and was forced to enjoy the soft touches coming from both arms at the same time.

"Really? I wouldn't mind, but if Xia Ling appeared in front of them in the middle of this storyline..." Elysia said with a hint of teasing, "Who do you think would be the unlucky one?"

"That's right!"

Little E, looking displeased, hugged Xia Ling's other arm and pouted, saying, "It's all Xia Ling's fault. From now on, they'll probably be subconsciously wary of me whenever they see me..."

"Tell me, Xia Ling, how are you going to make it up to me!"

"Didn't I already give myself to you...?"

Xia Ling's face showed a hint of helplessness. She never expected that Little E, who looked so clueless, was actually thinking about taking advantage of her.

If she hadn't been spending more time with Little E lately, she wouldn't have known that the child had such thoughts... and that they had developed to an extremely serious degree.

How could Xia Ling put it... She didn't dislike Little E, and even quite liked her, but being reverse-pushed by Little E, Herrscher who had only been born a few months ago... she felt like she was beyond saving.

Putting aside Xia Ling's long-standing self-perception as "80% dominant," Xia Ling felt that she usually had a lot of authority, at least in front of people like Kiana and Sirin, she was a reliable senior figure.

The series of setbacks made Xia Ling a little resigned... It wasn't that she hadn't thought about standing up for herself, but she only stood up for a moment, and after that... she could only close her eyes and lie down.

I've decided. I definitely need to find an opportunity to prove that I can still be the one to take the initiative...

After making a silent decision, Xia Ling refocused her consciousness back on the Trial Elysian Realm.

Unlike the three onlookers on Xia Ling's side, Mei and Kiana's emotions were extremely suppressed inside the Trial Elysian Realm.

After all, they were in the deployment zone, watching helplessly as the erosion completely wiped out Elysia's data.

Because they had zero deployable slots, they had no way to stop it at all.

At that moment, they experienced a profound sense of powerlessness.

"Let's continue."

After a long pause, Mei bit her lip and spoke with difficulty.

"When we faced Aponia, didn't we say that even if the ending was already predetermined, we would still decide for ourselves how to reach that ending?"

"I don't believe this ending could be so despairing. Sister Xia Ling didn't need to deliberately create such a cruel ending for us. She must... be trying to tell us something through this ending."

"So, at least we should see it through to the end, okay?"

"Mei, you've misunderstood. I didn't mean to run away..."

Kiana shook her head slightly and said, "I just... discovered a problem."

"Mei, have you noticed that the way this ending is narrated is a little different from our previous endings?"

"No the same?"

"Yes, the previous endings and plot content were all geared towards 'us,' that is, all the members who participated in the trial."

"And this ending..." Kiana's voice was hesitant. "So far, apart from the corruption, it seems that the main perspective of the story is only you, Mei."

"You don't play many games, so you might not be very sensitive to this difference, so... let me put it another way."

"The previous trials, the narrative mode was more like a dream play for us, the plot could be directed at me, you, or all of us."

"But this ending, compared to the game, is more like a... record."

Chapter 81 Elysia: So that's why you made the standee in the first place!

"You mean... this ending might be some kind of real historical event?"

"I just feel that Sister Xia Ling doesn't need to go to such lengths to make up such a complicated and logical story."

Kiana analyzed, "After all... if we follow the current plot, the origin of this ending is the Mei, and the development is completely in line with common sense."

"I remember Durandal once told me that she had met the pioneer from the Previous Civilization who was specifically responsible for observing parallel worlds. It's not surprising that Sister Xia Ling has similar methods or experiences..."

"Moreover, since Sister Xia Ling was able to create such a plot, it proves that she believes this ending is not unfounded... At the very least, she may have actually come into contact with this Herrscher of Corruption."

"Is it true erosion...?"

Mei was about to say something when a crisp breaking sound interrupted her thoughts.

She looked up in surprise, only to find...

The thirteen standees that had been surrounding the interface were now making a series of crisp sounds.

Then, before the two could react, the crystal standee in the very center, representing Elysia, shattered instantly.

"..."×2

The sudden turn of events left both of them in silence.

To be precise, it was a deathly silence that descended upon the dream.

"Once we get out, I'm going to ask Sister Xia Ling who came up with this idea."

Mei's voice was filled with gritted teeth.

"Isn't this a little inappropriate...?"

Kiana, who harbors some inexplicable feelings for Xia Ling, still wants to help Xia Ling struggle a bit.

But just then, a notification about the item's contents silenced her completely.

[Shattered Standee - True Self: When carried, the number of units that can be deployed simultaneously by the entire team increases by one.]

No matter when or where, Elysia will respond to your expectations?

But it seems this expectation will no longer be answered...

"..."

"I agree. Why don't we just tie Sister Xia Ling up and throw her into Auntie's bedroom?"

Kiana, who was familiar with Xia Ling's situation, came up with an even more vicious plan.

However, even though Elysia's standee was broken, this storyline had only just begun, and despite feeling extremely sad, the two still had to continue.

But when they reached the second floor, they discovered a new problem.

"Why... has the environment of the Trial Elysian Realm become like this?"

Compared to the usual colors, a strange purple hue appeared in this Elysian Realm. This purple hue was small, but extremely eye-catching.

"I guess it's a reminder of environmental changes that erosion has already invaded our Elysian Realm... This really is an immersive experience."

With a slightly self-deprecating chuckle, Mei looked at the node information on this layer.

The good news is that this layer doesn't seem to have the strange situation of four consecutive Loss and Gain like the First Floor, but... it's not much better.

There wasn't a single combat node in the entire second level.

This means they have no chance to recruit new teammates at all—which is good news in a way, since no combat points should mean no one will die.

Then, the two entered one of the routes.

"These nodes seem to have shifted the focus from the erosion to Mei's side."

At this new juncture, the story begins to continue from Mei's perspective. After discovering Elysia's "death," Mei begins to investigate the Elysian Realm.

"So that means the horizontal nodes in the second layer could be different events that occurred at the same time?"

Mei looked at the three keys she initially carried and pondered for a moment.

"Then let's explore all the nodes on the second layer as much as possible."

"I have no objection, but the last node should be discarded." Kiana pointed to the map. "After all, the node layout on this layer is normal to some extent."

"The last node of both routes was Wish Fulfilled."

"Wish Fulfilled... I hope it really Wish Fulfilled."

"Xia Ling, Xia Ling, so what exactly is the Wish Fulfilled at the final juncture?"

Elysia tugged at the sleeve of Zeroba Wu, who was Sixth Father Qizaki Xia Ling, and shook it. "Stop keeping me in suspense, please, please~"

Seeing Elysia's expression, Little E tilted her head and imitated her by rubbing her soft skin against Xia Ling's arm.

"Ahem, Elysia, didn't you already read the script...?"

"I only saw the script, not your plot design," Elysia said matter-of-factly. "When you said you were going to collect pictures to make crystal standees, I never imagined you were going to use them to break!"

"Let me add something for Xia Ling. She specifically emphasized to me that she wanted that crisp, breaking sound." Little E decisively chose to kick someone when they were down.

"Okay... Actually, I can give you a hint, and you'll probably guess it right away."

Xia Ling said mysteriously, "Actually, the Wish Fulfilled wasn't specifically for Mei's Wish Fulfilled."

"... I knew you weren't up to any good."

Elysia pinched Xia Ling's soft cheeks, puffed out her cheeks, and said, "You usually seem so cute, why are you so mean when you're making a girl cry?"

"Hmph..." Xia Ling was not ashamed at all, but instead became proud. "This is the strength of a veteran courier!"

Meanwhile, after experiencing multiple plot points involving Elysia, discovering Elysia death, and confirming the cause of Elysia death through various means, the story revolves around Elysia.

Feeling that their hearts were riddled with wounds, the two finally reached the point where their Wish Fulfilled.

Don't ask why it's riddled with holes; the answer is that it was stabbed by the Elysian Realm Archives.

Mentioning this, the two couldn't help but feel a bit resentful towards Xia Ling. They were now certain that Xia Ling was definitely doing this on purpose!

What kind of kind person would keep the plot of Elysian Realm Archives in Safe Corner?

Is the Elysian Realm Archives safe? Yes, the Fairy Elysia storyline when I first went in was quite heartwarming.

What about the second time?

Heaven knows what the two felt when they entered the Elysian Realm Archives just as they were about to relax and found Elysia lying dead all over the floor.

If looks could kill, Trial Elysian Realm would probably have been pierced through by Mei and Kiana's resentful gazes long ago.

"It's alright, there's still Wish Fulfilled... Well, now, even I don't have any faith in Sister Xia Ling anymore."