Good news: Mei left. Bad news: Sakura didn't. / Kiana: Surely Corruption wouldn't go after little Griseo, right?

"If we're eliminated this round, will it lead to a failed outcome...?"

"It's alright. The greatest advantage of Narrow Encounter is that it doesn't calculate victory or defeat."

Mei, who was decisively defeated, said helplessly, "Besides... if I really have to face Flame-Chasers every time, I'd rather lose a few more matches."

As the two were defeated, Sakura sheathed her sword and looked at Erosion, who was leisurely resting high up.

"Your corrupted creations have all been destroyed by us. Now... you'll have to take matters into your own hands."

"Hmm, is this the fate that Elysia must bear?"

"I have been sincere from beginning to end, but you insist that I prove it before you will believe me?"

"Moreover, it must be proven through [life]..."

"Okay, the reason I'm not joining the fight is really just because I can't bear to, not because I'm not confident, okay?"

The Herrscher of Corruption leaped down from the height, a weapon identical to the bow and arrow that Elysia usually used appeared in her hand.

"Since none of you believe me, then I'll have no choice but to reluctantly prove it... But this time, whose life should I use to prove it?"

"That's strange..."

In this Elysian Realm, Little E fell into deep thought.

"It's just a slight difference in the tone of voice; I didn't even notice it when I was checking the script..."

"But why is there such a big difference in the effects of saying it?"

"Hmm, perhaps it's because of my state of mind."

Looking at the somewhat bewildered Little E, Xia Ling rubbed her cheeks again.

"Although the battle voice lines of Faded Miss Fairy and Pink Fairy Lady are roughly the same, the effect of saying them will be completely different due to their different states of mind."

"For example... look."

Xia Ling pointed to the screen.

"Elysia's voice says, 'Please accept this bouquet of flowers with gratitude,' while Erosion's voice says, 'Please accept this bouquet of flowers with gratitude,'"

"Although it's only a difference of two words,... in Faded Miss Fairy, you can clearly feel a sense of coercion."

"So... which one does Xia Ling prefer?"

Little E tilted her head.

"Of course, it's someone like Elysia," Xia Ling replied matter-of-factly.

"I understand. Xia Ling likes a slightly coerced feeling, but not a complete one; she's not a complete masochist..."

Little E nodded and immediately began to take notes.

"What have you learned so far?!"

Chapter 97 Good news: Mei left. Bad news: Sakura didn't leave.

"In a sense, this could be considered... a date?~"

The second round of battle began with the Herrscher of Corruption's piercing voice.

It was then that Mei and Kiana realized something: Erosion didn't seem to be considered a temporary member.

If we had to categorize her attributes on the battlefield, she would be considered a device.

"Now I finally understand why Sister Xia Ling was so supportive of our exploration in pairs from the beginning."

Kiana's face was full of frustration. "So this is what you were waiting for us to do!"

"I can be 100% certain that Sister Xia Ling did it on purpose!"

"Calm down, Kiana, whatever it is, we'll settle things outside..." Mei turned her gaze to the battlefield. "Anyway, a fight that happens in Narrow Encounter won't affect the later plot, so..."

"Roar, Hi-maru!"

A giant pink fox demon appeared instantly on the battlefield and pounced on Sakura.

But her purpose was not to attack, but... to block the arrows that were eroding and scattering everywhere.

After all, putting Mei aside for the moment, if Sakura is touched by the corruption, it's like a death sentence. And the Faded Miss Fairy borrows Elysia's skill module... her attack density is naturally extremely high.

Moreover, Sakura isn't just an Eastern player whose judgment point is her buttocks.

"This can't go on. In terms of sheer intensity, the Herrscher of Corruption said he could take us all down with him, and I'm afraid that's not an exaggeration."

Amidst the barrage of attacks, Sakura caught her breath during a brief lull:

"Although I don't want to admit it, with her current strength, I'm afraid even if all the remaining Flame-Chasers were here, they wouldn't be able to do anything to her."

"In that case... Sakura, you're faster, you go find Aponia now, I'll hold her off."

"Normally, that would be possible, but given the current situation... the other side could probably easily intercept both of us."

Watching the erosion still thriving in the distance, Sakura paused for a moment before saying, "I have a plan..."

Sakura did not avoid the erosion, and the erosion did not take the opportunity to attack the two of them. The scene remained still in this strange atmosphere.

"Sakura, I really don't want to interrupt you, but..." Erosion tilted its head. "I heard everything, you know?"

"Should I go and cover Erosion's ears?" Kiana, standing behind Erosion, was eager to try.

"Kiana, stop fooling around."

"It doesn't matter. Whether you hear about this plan or not is irrelevant."

Sakura ignored Corruption's doubts and simply nodded slightly to Mei: "Please, Mei."

As he spoke, a cold, sharp light swept across the area, heading straight for the erosion.

"Honestly, they're always plotting and scheming loudly; it's really bothering people!"

Erosion easily dodged Sakura's attack, revealing a troubled expression. (The rest of the text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the previous sentence.)

"Your plan was actually told to me on purpose, wasn't it? I always feel that the girls in the Elysian Realm are a bit too cunning."

"And..."

With Mei and Kiana watching from the sidelines in shock, everyone on the battlefield seemed to have been put on pause.

The erosion leisurely circled behind Sakura, not in a hurry to make a move, but instead "playing" with its prey.

"Holy crap, there's a cheat code!"

Kiana couldn't help but exclaim, "A complete time stop... how are we supposed to fight like this?"

"So, the Herrscher of Corruption is essentially the Finality within the data space..." Mei sighed, unable to bear watching any longer. "In that case, the victim at this node will probably be..."

Before he could finish speaking, the situation on the battlefield suddenly changed.

Sakura, who was about to be touched and corrupted, suddenly transformed into another figure.

The real cherry blossoms, however, have already quietly appeared behind the erosion.

"Wow, he's actually pretty good at fighting..."

As they watched Erosion freeze instantly from Sakura's sword strike, before the two could even pop the champagne, the situation took another turn.

"How is this possible? You actually..."

"Haha, never mind, pretending to be shocked is just too hard for me."

The erosion, which had been unable to move, suddenly burst into laughter.

"Using sword skills to create an illusion, switching your and Mei's identities, and using Mei as bait, then seizing the opportunity to block me off guard... To accomplish this without any communication, even I'm a little jealous~"

"But... from the very beginning, my defenses were actually only against you. After all, as long as I avoided the sword that froze the space, the Seven Thunders of Retribution would be nothing to fear."

"And..."

The faint green spots had already begun to spread upwards along Sakura's arm.

"Not only can you not be attacked, but even initiating an attack will be considered as contact?"

"Isn't this cheating?!"

Kiana wanted to stab Erosion from behind, but then she discovered... the blade had passed right through Erosion's body.

"Why is Guan Youshang still involved! Damn it, once we get out of here, I'm definitely going to get Sister Xia Ling..."

After thinking about it carefully, Kiana suddenly realized that although Xia Ling usually seemed very submissive when facing Elysia and Theresa, it seemed that when facing her... Sister Xia Ling could surprisingly be the one to take the initiative?

Kiana, realizing she couldn't do anything about Xia Ling, reluctantly shut her mouth.

"Is that so... It seems we've made a mistake."

Sakura showed no emotion about her failure, simply saying something understated.

"Um?"

Erosion narrowed its eyes.

"I have a feeling... there's something hidden in your words?"

"That's right." Seeing that the time was ripe, Sakura no longer tried to hide it.

"Because you've got one thing wrong."

"Using illusions to replace identities... my swordsmanship cannot do that."

"Therefore, from the very beginning, this battle was not a two-on-one attack, but rather... one against three."

"Sumeru Mustard Seed!"

Accompanied by a sudden male voice, a powerful mental shock spread from the arena. When everyone came to their senses again, Mei had already disappeared from the arena.

"Our real objective isn't to kill you here, but rather..."

A smile played on her lips beneath the cherry blossom mask, "Send Mei away from here."

"That power just now was the Thousand Worlds Layered..."

Kiana, also Herrscher of the Void, had already sensed the Herrscher fluctuations remaining in the air.

"Great! I knew the Herrschers would find a way! But why isn't the battle over yet...?"

Before she could finish speaking, Kiana froze on the spot.

Because she noticed that there seemed to be one person left behind, who hadn't left with them.

"..."

"So, your only purpose in coming here is to be corrupted by me?"

The Herrscher of Corruption, atop the high platform, was silently watching Sakura, who remained standing there, her tone now tinged with a chilling coldness.

Chapter 98 Kiana: We can't possibly erode little Griseo, can we?

"Sakura has left too..."

In an almost silent atmosphere, Kiana and Mei silently witnessed Sakura's end.

"She truly lives up to her role as the older sister..."

"It's okay, Mei, try to think positively."

Kiana patted Mei and comforted her, "At least Sakura got a good ending in reality."

"Didn't Sister Xia Ling say that the bell in the Stigmata Space was Sakura's younger sister? She's now reunited with Sakura in the true Elysian Realm."

"I wonder what they'll think when they see this scene..."

"Given Sakura's personality, she probably wouldn't care about these things, and might even praise Sister Xia Ling for writing a good ending."

Mei's smile was somewhat forced, "That's true, at least in reality, Sakura got a good ending."

Both of them subconsciously avoided the question that this was only the first Narrow Encounter, and there would be four more to come.

And it seems that every single battle segment is inextricably linked to them.

In the next segment, they saw... Vill-V and Cosmo.

"I call it Little Maggie, it's a very fitting name, isn't it?"

"Just like Doctor Mobius, it's both surprising and delightful that she actually completed the replica of the Twelfth Herrscher and hid it here."