"Lin" / Imaginary Enemy

"Lin"

"Bzz..."

The clear, cloudless weather was covered by something like garbled data. The scenery before her spun wildly, dim colors replacing the original warm tones and making the already ferocious monsters look even more sinister.

"Hmm?" Mei swept aside the Imaginary Tree creature before her with a slash. A giant arm at her side drew its blade, and lightning swallowed the enemy whole. She frowned and looked up at the dark sky.

What was going on?

It was as if she had suddenly fallen into an inner world. The ground beneath her let out an eroded wail, while the three floating gateway symbols in the distance were shrouded in a murky gray filter.

After sheathed her blade, Mei walked up to the doors and examined this unexpected situation. "Three paths? Nothing like this has ever happened before. Have I reached a new area, or..."

"No... there really is a problem with the Imaginary Tree." An unfamiliar voice she had never heard before spoke directly beside Mei's ear.

"Who's there!" Mei flicked her thumb against the hilt, lowered her stance, and warily surveyed her surroundings.

This gloomy place felt as though something spine-chilling might leap out at any moment. Mei did not know the Imaginary Tree deeply enough; it was entirely possible that she had triggered some kind of deadly trap.

"Time is limited. There's no time to explain. In short, the memories forming the area you are in have developed some problems. At the same time, your consciousness and self-perception have also been affected to a certain extent." The powerless-sounding voice spoke at odds with the content of her words, without the slightest hint of urgency. "So, do not trust your common sense from now on. Follow my guidance, and I will return you to reality."

"Why should I believe you? You're a stranger who won't even show yourself. At the very least, you should state your identity."

"...An unfamiliar name and no name should make no difference to you. You should be more concerned about your own situation, test subject. The area you are in may undergo some unexpected changes very soon."

Mei did not return her blade to its sheath. The identity of this strange voice was unknown. It might belong to a new MOTH Hero, or perhaps a World Serpent member. And the term test subject reminded her of someone she did not wish to encounter.

"You are very close to an anchor point now. I have already analyzed it... The area accessible through the path to your left has become unstable, and you may encounter an unimaginable enemy. The anchor connection in the center leads to a normal area, belonging to Wisdom."

Mei raised her head and glanced at the Wisdom insignia on the far left and the Massacre insignia in the center, suspicion rising in her heart.

The last teleportation anchor was shaped like an antique clock with only an hour hand and minute hand. That was... Lin's insignia?

"Do not approach that anchor point."

When Mei walked closer to the last anchor point, the unfamiliar voice suddenly warned her.

"The area connected to that anchor contains a special existence. With your current abilities and Signets, I do not recommend going there."

"So this is the so-called erroneous data?" Mei stared at the clock symbol that had turned dark blue and asked the voice.

"No... The area connected to the anchor and the existence within it both normally exist in the Imaginary Tree, but it is not an area you should normally be able to reach at your current state. The erroneous data connected the teleportation anchor to it."

"A normal area? Then why can't I enter?"

"That existence is too special. It involves the core of the Imaginary Tree. If you go there now, highly unstable circumstances may arise."

"The core of the Imaginary Tree..." Mei stared solemnly at the door. Wasn't the answer she sought related to this very thing?

Should she trust this person's guidance? Or should she trust her own judgment?

After weighing the pros and cons, Mei said firmly, "I'm going in."

"..."

The voice suddenly fell silent. It was impossible to tell whether she had been shocked or angered by Mei's decision.

"Do you have anything else to say?"

"No... If this is your choice, I have no right to interfere. But please leave there as soon as possible. I need to begin repairing the data in that area."

"Fine."

Mei took a deep breath, kept her blade at the ready, and activated the teleportation anchor.

"----"

Rain.

Mournful, cold rain fell from the sky.

Mei looked in surprise at the raindrops falling by her feet. In her memory, it only rained in the Imaginary Tree when she was at Lin's graveyard.

But this was not a graveyard. It was a lonely space containing nothing but a metal floor.

Then this situation was...

She slightly lowered her head and gazed straight ahead. In this vast, empty place, there was only a black speck standing so far away that she could not make it out.

It was as though nothing remained between heaven and earth but this land of steel and that "thing" whose true form she could not discern.

With a Herrscher's eyesight, Mei saw the black speck clearly.

"Should I say this is exactly what I expected, or completely unexpected..." Mei gripped her long blade and muttered, "Putting everything together, you're the only one I could think of."

A helmeted man sat upright in the rain. Water streamed down the grooves of his helmet, while his extinguished visor made him look like an abandoned robot.

The Lin before her differed somewhat from his usual self. Aside from that deathly aura, the most obvious difference was his armor.

"What is that?"

It was vastly different from his usual technological designs and the mechanical style layered with countless devices. What Lin wore now was cold gray armor that did not appear to have many mechanisms. Apart from a few parts whose mechanical structure was still visible, the rest resembled an outer garment like Kevin's.

The sensation emanating from that armor was like a viscous texture sliding across Mei's body. She did not realize that the more intently she focused on observing it, the stronger the invisible pressure became. An eerie aura gradually wrapped around her whole body from beneath her feet.

Mei suddenly woke from her daze. "No. He isn't Lin."

The instant she noticed that, the black speck that had been on the horizon flickered to a point less than a hundred meters in front of her. The eerie presence that distance had diluted erupted from the man at once.

Starting from his chest, the gray outer armor was dyed azure. His visor lit up as well. He slowly rose to his feet and calmly watched Mei, who had assumed an attacking stance with hostility written across her face.

There was no time to think about what was happening. Was this enemy resembling Lin the so-called matter related to the core of the Imaginary Tree?

What was this feeling? A Honkai Beast? A zombie? A Herrscher?

None of those. It unmistakably carried the aura of a "human."

"Lin" did not unleash the teleportation-like speed from before. Instead, before Mei's incredulous eyes, he raised both hands. A flawless pure-white knight's lance appeared in one hand, and a pitch-black, deathly spear appeared in the other.

Black Abyss... White Flower?

The sight of "Lin" wielding the Divine Key that should not have been here instantly reminded Mei of Lin's Signet symbol. The way those two spears hung low—wasn't it exactly like the hour and minute hands on that clock?

Was this also formed from memories? No, a Divine Key should not be able to be simulated from memories. Then what exactly was this "person" before her?

But it was not over yet. After taking hold of the weapons that embodied the Authorities of creation and decomposition, "Lin" raised Black Abyss high. Data above his head rapidly gathered into the shape of a mechanical humanoid.

"Boom!"

A Titan vastly different from the one in Mei's memories landed with a heavy crash. Though unmanned, it drew the giant ion cannon from its back and aimed it at Mei.

"This ability has nothing to do with Black Abyss White Flower. It's more like..." Mei's pupils trembled violently at the sight.

Before she could think further, energy had already begun gathering in the Titan's cannon barrel. Once it had compressed to the limit—

"Bang!"

Scattered metal fragments streaked past "Lin's" helmet, letting out a cold scraping sound.

The azure visor held no killing intent, only the stillness of an inorganic object.

Imaginary Enemy

"Bang!"

The sparks from the collision between Mei's blade and Black Abyss lit up their faces.

Mei coldly commanded the giant arm to bring down its blade, but before it could strike "Lin," he had already vanished. The Titan wielding a massive sword blocked the slash instead. Before the Vulcan cannons on either side of the Titan could fire, Mei cleaved them in half with a sweep of her blade.

The floor beneath her feet loosened, and a verdant sprout broke through. Mei's heart skipped a beat as she flew backward. Before she could even take a step, thick vines grew wildly like venomous snakes and wrapped around her ankles.

Behind her, the indifferent helmeted man raised the black spear. The power of death condensing upon it was practically tangible as it thrust toward Mei's back.

"Tch..."

Mei's gaze sharpened, and the electric field around her suddenly exploded. Dark purple lightning shot forth like spears of light, forcing "Lin" back.

Having failed to land a strike, "Lin" retreated a step and released White Flower. Flowing data energy gathered in his hands once more. This time, it formed a rifle bearing the Fire Moth insignia. Without needing to pull the trigger, flames poured endlessly from the muzzle!

Lightning formed a shield. The bullets were shot down before they could pierce it. Yet before Mei could steady her breathing and counterattack, "Lin's" ghostly figure vanished again.

The Titan retreated alongside him, charging its ion cannon and forcing Mei to remain on the defensive.

Mei, who had never witnessed or experienced Lin's fighting style before, found the situation exceedingly troublesome. It was not that "Lin's" strength was truly overwhelming. Rather, his combat style was like a cold shot fired from the shadows without warning. Mei possessed greater destructive power, yet could not bring it to bear, while Lin always found an opening to launch precise, lethal attacks against her.

Simply put, Lin fought by "seizing opportunities."

Either he left no openings at all, or he caught an opportunity and killed his opponent. It closed the gap in their raw strength as much as possible.

And "Lin" could not possibly be at full strength right now. Though he could use the abilities of Black Abyss White Flower, he could only wield their most basic functions. He was merely using them as two long weapons, while his ability to construct creations had been nearly useless so far apart from the single Titan.

Was this a battle between a so-called "human" and a "Herrscher"?

A smoke grenade landed at her feet. Gray-black smoke obscured her vision, but Mei's eyes lit up as she saw a figure rushing toward her from the left through the smoke.

Mei held her long blade horizontally and unleashed an icy full-force sweep!

"Screech—"

The figure was cut apart, but Mei received none of the feedback of striking a human body.

"Lin" faded into an afterimage and disappeared.

"A projection?"

"Above you." A familiar, indifferent voice warned Mei. She abruptly looked up, only to find Black Abyss's spear tip already at her eyelashes.

Damn it!

Such a simple trick had fooled Mei so easily. It was too late to raise her hand in defense; she could only activate her Authority and send the currents coursing through her body surging toward the spear.

"Clang—"

The spear was knocked aside, but... no one was holding Black Abyss.

Mei stared blankly into the empty sky.

This was a double decoy.

"Bang!"

"Bang!"

Mei's pupils shrank. The burning heat of a bullet grazed her side. It had not hit her, but the searing phantom pain still flooded into her mind.

"Lin" stood not far away. He released the handgun in his hand and went still, looking toward another person who had appeared in the space.

The familiar helmeted man stood directly behind Mei. He too lowered his handgun. It had been him who shot "Lin's" bullet out of the air, causing the attack that should have struck Mei to miss.

"There's nothing for you to do here." Lin holstered his handgun and spoke to the motionless "Lin."

There was no response. "Lin" and the Titan disappeared together.

Still shaken, Mei watched "Lin" fade away into the air, then turned and saw Lin standing quietly there.

Honestly, after the brief but deadly battle just now, Mei had developed something of a shadow toward that helmet. Only after carefully confirming that Lin's armor was not the same as "Lin's" did she lower the tip of her blade and force herself to remain calm.

Of course, Mei did not put away her weapon. She was still wary of that elusive black spear as she asked Lin, "Why are you here?"

"That's what I should be asking. Why are you here?" Lin's visor lit up, and the movement made Mei raise her blade again. "This is not a place you should be."

"I... There's a problem with the Imaginary Tree."

"A problem... Where's Klein?"

"Klein?"

"A listless workaholic."

"A listless workaholic? I haven't seen her, but I did hear a listless voice."

Lin folded his arms and scrutinized Mei. "Then why didn't you do as she told you?"

"I have the right to act freely." Mei crossed her arms with equal forcefulness. At one hundred and seventy-two centimeters tall, and with her heels, she was not much shorter than Lin. Her presence did not lose to his either. "This is supposedly the core of the Imaginary Tree, but it seems there's more to it than that."

"You don't need to know."

"Do you all enjoy making people guess riddles so much?"

"I am merely stating the facts. I do not care what attitude or expectations Elysia and the others have toward you. To me, you are only a visitor, even if you are a Herrscher." It was impossible to know what expression lay beneath Lin's helmet, but Mei guessed it had to be a face as cold as ice. Combined with his flat voice, it made him seem like an iceberg through and through.

Having seen "Lin" just now, Mei believed some of what Lin said. But she had only fallen into a disadvantage because she had never fought Lin before. So she replied coldly, "Your attitude is exactly like that hot-tempered masked man's. Did I misunderstand your personality? Or are all of you who cover your faces equally short-tempered?"

"Chrono is different from me. But if necessary, I will do the same thing he would."

"..."