The final piece of the plan is... the kitty?

After all, this outcome did show them a different side of Flame-Chasers... which greatly changed their previous views.

Tonight, they'll most likely be thinking about so-called "self-reflection."

Yes, actually, Xia Ling's real purpose was to make everyone lose sleep (I'm sure of it).

Meanwhile, Hua, the other host of the Corrosion Virus, slowly opened his eyes.

Due to memory loss, she was not quite sure what had just happened.

But she knew that the current state of erosion was not right, and this was an opportunity.

"This is really difficult, isn't it?"

Somewhat unexpectedly, Erosion spoke first.

"No matter what happens, even if you are hurt or betrayed, you should still love everyone equally."

"How did she manage in a similar situation back then?"

"No one knows Ling's father's dream, so she is Elysia."

Fu Hua gripped the feather tightly in her hand, assuming a fighting stance.

"So, you also think I can't do this, that I can't become her?"

The sound of erosion carried an indescribable complexity of emotions.

"Okay, okay... I admit that now too."

With a laugh that sounded almost Honkai, Erosion spoke slowly.

"Ha... hahahaha..."

"But it's okay. All those things I can't convince myself to love, can't they just disappear?"

With that, the Herrscher of Corruption aimed at Hua and drew his longbow.

"Has this girl finally run out of steam?"

After waiting for so long, Kiana was clearly very happy to finally see the Herrscher of Corruption suffer another defeat.

"From the very beginning, every time Flame-Chasers rebelled, it meant she was being rejected once more..."

Mei slightly. "She's already quite resolute in her heart to have held on until now, even if she's resolute in the wrong place."

Although the battle below was in full swing, Mei and Kiana on the side looked calm and composed - after all, they couldn't fight the Erosion, and they couldn't help the Erosion fight Hua, could they?

Just then, an arrow that was bouncing around erratically struck Kiana on the head with a graceful arc.

"Ouch, that hurts!"

Kiana quickly covered her head, but soon she realized something was wrong.

"Wait... I can feel pain?"

Kiana blinked, then her expression turned to ecstasy.

"This time, are we on the same side as the Class President?"

"Then what are we waiting for?"

Mei's actions were faster than her words; the scarlet fox spirit had already appeared beside her.

"Roar, Hi-maru!"

"Xin Yan, draw your sword!"

The combined full-force attack of the two Ascended Herrscher descended upon the Herrscher of Corruption in an instant.

However... such an attack did not cause much damage to the Herrscher of Corruption.

The opponent completely absorbed Kevin's data, so for Ascended Herrscher, Kevin's strength is still a bit too much.

Therefore, even though Kiana and Mei joined the battle, they still couldn't inflict much effective damage on the Herrscher of Corruption.

Or rather, the opponent's health bar barely moves.

However, despite this, the primary target of the invasion remained Hua. Even though they had tried their best to shield Hua from harm, they had only delayed the defeat for a while.

Soon, Hua was forced to kneel on the ground by the precise strike of the Herrscher of Corruption.

"I told you, Hua, this time, I won't hold back."

Erosion slowly stood in front of Hua, looking down at her.

"Stay here and slowly feel death approaching..."

"Um?"

The erosion suddenly lowered its head.

The instant she uttered those words, a blazing flame pierced through her chest, bursting open from the inside out.

That radiance was like a star going out of existence.

This attack jolted the two of them awake, reminding them of the backup plan that Vill-V had mentioned for Kevin and the cat.

"It's Kevin! It's the backdoor that Vill-V left behind!"

"If Kevin comes out, we should be able to resist the erosion head-on for a while, right?"

Kiana was already somewhat exhausted, suddenly felt as if a surge of power had flowed into her body.

She had never found Kevin so agreeable before.

After all, Kevin has always been almost synonymous with strength.

Although they didn't yet know the true meaning of Vill-V's dying wish, that didn't stop them from regarding Kevin as...

An impending turning point.

Chapter 104 The final piece of the plan is... a cat?

As the scene shifted, this time, someone appeared before the two of them that was somewhat unexpected.

"Su?"

"In the previous plot, there was no mention of what happened to Su after he was corrupted..." Mei pondered, "So, does this mean he entered the inner world of the Herrscher of Corruption?"

"It seems so, and judging from Sue's explanation... he seems to have done it on purpose."

"Considering the fact that the previous erosion was broken from the inside by the Heavenly Fire, Su should be the one to trigger Vill-V's plan... However, it seems that his abilities have almost disappeared as well."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Su casually and instantly killed a large group of faded Honkai Beast that had surrounded him.

"Uh..." Mei's lips twitched. "Okay, as expected, all Mental Perception types are monsters."

"Hey, wait a minute, Mei, look..."

Kiana, with her sharp eyes, spotted a familiar figure ahead.

"Is that Pardo?"

"It really is true... Su seems to have noticed it too."

Sue obviously saw the cats setting up a stall in the ruins, so she immediately went up to them, intending to use the cats to find Kevin.

However, the conversation that followed left all three of them puzzled.

"Pardo... it seems like she doesn't remember anything?"

Seeing the cat awkwardly calling Su "uncle," Mei and Kiana's expressions... both showed a hint of suppressed laughter.

"After being corrupted, those powerful Flame-Chasers might be able to maintain their sanity for a period of time, but for Pardo... it might indeed be a bit difficult."

Fortunately, even a cat with "amnesia" is still a cat. With Su's gentle persuasion, it quickly agreed to take Su to find Kevin.

Then...

"Holy crap, the Thousand Worlds Layered?"

Under Kiana's stunned gaze, Pardo pulled out a Divine Key from her small shop, its energy fluctuations appearing strangely familiar.

Then, she skillfully manipulated the Divine Key, taking Su on a leap through Changkong City.

"Is this the ordinary little merchant that Pardo was talking about...? A merchant who can casually pull out a Divine Key? Give me a dozen..."

Kiana followed closely behind Pardo with Mei in tow, all the while making sarcastic remarks.

"More important than this is something else..."

Mei's gaze was fixed on the ground. Herrscher's physical attributes gave her excellent eyesight, allowing her to clearly see the situation on the ground.

"In this Changkong City, there seems to be no one... So who is Pardo doing business for?"

"Well, that is a problem... Ah, Pardo has stopped."

Before she could even think about the question, Pardo stopped with Su and then quickly fled the scene at Su's urging.

"You run so fast, Pardo... Never mind, let's hear what Kevin and Sue have to say first."

Watching Pardo, who was controlling the Thousand Worlds Layered, disappear rapidly into Changkong City, Kiana didn't have time to chase after her and could only focus her attention on Kevin.

However, what they heard was astonishing; the sheer amount of information contained in their conversation left both of them stunned.

Theresa, who was outside the trial, was also stunned.

However, compared to Kiana and the others, Theresa, as an adult, was more sensitive to this information. She didn't even bother to wipe away the tears from the corners of her eyes and hurriedly started recording it on the terminal.

"Speculations about the world... a pre-arranged drama... and the end of humanity's childhood?"

Looking at the information recorded on the terminal, Theresa fell into deep thought.

After completing the first, second, and third endings, they unlocked all permissions for the Memory Plate, and quickly organized and analyzed the relevant content.

One of the key topics in their research is the thread of fate.

The various signs in the memories indicate that the fate of this world was indeed predetermined before, and Aponia's abilities also confirmed this... But later, these threads seemed to have been completely erased when Elysia became Herrscher.

Sue and Kevin's conversation seemed to confirm the truth of their conjecture once again.

"So, does that mean the theory about 'human childhood' is correct? I'll need to organize that and send it to the Doctor then..."

After quickly finishing her tasks, Theresa breathed a sigh of relief. She picked up a glass of bitter melon juice, took a sip, and immediately looked up to focus on the latest developments in the plot.

Then, she froze.

"What do you mean... Pardo is the final piece of the plan?"

"The final step? Boss, I don't quite understand what you mean..."

Under Kiana and Mei's stunned gazes, the scene shifted to Pardo and the expert Vill-V.

The content of their conversation left both of them puzzled.

To be more specific, it's roughly like this...

"Huh? Pardo still retains her self-awareness, and her amnesia is just an act?"

"Huh? Pardo is the final piece of the Vill-V plan??"

"Huh? Pardo's mission is to become a guide for an attack???"

Amidst the chorus of "ahs" from the two, Vill-V's plan was gradually revealed in its entirety.

"Let Pardo become Kevin's guide for his all-out attack..."

Thinking of the power of the Heavenly Fire: Unleashed in Sirin's memory, then thinking about her own full-force attack now, and then looking at the cat's strength, Kiana decisively shook her head.

"If that's the case, Pardo will die!"

As someone who also has a deep understanding of spatial abilities and knows the power of the Skyfire, Kiana is well aware of the price that must be paid to act as a guide for the Skyfire—a portal of that level requires someone to maintain it.

And the cat doesn't look like the kind of creature that could survive a firestorm unscathed.

And Pardo clearly knew this well.

At this moment, she was "firmly" moving "away" from the planned coordinates.

"Really... why do we have to risk our lives like this?"

Pardo muttered to herself as she moved quickly forward.

"What's wrong with living in a world of illusion... We're just data, aren't we?"