Chapter 224

"Oh dear, it's only been a short while, and Mei has already forgotten about me?"

The Herrscher of Corruption feigned sadness.

"Mei is so heartless, I'm so sad."

We all know very well that you are not her.

Raiden Mei stared sharply at the Herrscher of Corruption.

Even if the other person has the same appearance and figure as Elysia, she can never become Elysia.

"Alright, if you're so clueless about romance, there's no need for me to keep up the act."

The Herrscher of Corruption sighed.

"I never expected that my friend would turn the tables on me, even though I trusted Vill-V so much."

The alliance with the Extreme Evil has broken down, although the Herrscher of Corruption is still unclear about what exactly happened in Vill-V's memory space.

Judging from Mei's attitude, it's clear that Vill-V must have told Raiden Mei a lot of things.

Otherwise, the Herrscher of Corruption wouldn't have needed to personally intervene.

"Trust? I'm afraid not."

"Don't say that, my dear Mei. I saw it in their memories; that's what she called you, wasn't it?"

The Herrscher of Corruption put on a cute expression, but all she got in return was a furious glare from Mei.

"Why are you angry? That's strange. I'm using the familiar look you know and calling you by your favorite name, so why aren't you happy at all?"

The Herrscher of Corruption looked puzzled.

"I feel like you really dislike me. I have no idea what Vill-V said to you. It's okay, I'll read her data later."

"But before that, I want to make it clear that I have absolutely no ill intentions towards you."

To show his sincerity, the Herrscher of Corruption stepped back and began to introduce himself.

"I am Herrscher born between life and death, living on information and data, existing through a medium attached to some kind of entity."

"In terms you're more familiar with, I am the Herrscher of Corruption."

Why did you transform into Elysia's appearance?

Raiden Mei asked.

If I wanted to provoke her, transforming into my own likeness would probably be better.

"Oh? Is that what Mei cares about? The reason is simple. Besides making Mei feel more at ease, it's also because... don't you think I look especially cute with this appearance?"

The Herrscher of Corruption pointed to her face and asked.

Her hair was adorable, her face was adorable, and even her every word and gesture was so lively.

Elysia: "Oh dear, putting aside the others, at least the Herrscher of Corruption has good taste. Even when she transforms into my form, she's still so sweet and adorable."

The moment Elysia saw the Herrscher of Corruption transform into her, a fleeting light flashed in her eyes.

The difference between the Herrscher of Corruption and her appearance is roughly that the Herrscher of Corruption has a very, very bad feeling, but perhaps because she absorbed too many of Elysia's personalities, she also has a more cute appearance.

Just like Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Reason.

If the Herrscher of Reason gives the impression of a child who can't be truly evil no matter what, then the Herrscher of Corruption is a cute girl with a dangerous side.

Sakura: "Elysia, aren't you angry when you see the Herrscher of Corruption transformed into your appearance?"

Elysia: "Why should I be angry? On the contrary, I should be happy to see such a cute girl."

Raiden Mei: "..."

Well, it seems Elysia really doesn't have any objections. Since even she has no objections, why should these other people care?

Bronya: "Are Herrscher of Corruption really that powerful? They can even mimic Elysia's every word and action?"

Welt: "I'm afraid it's not just imitation, but rather an idea gained after eroding the data."

Unlike Kevin and the others, Elysia was truly killed.

So it's not surprising that after the Herrscher of Corruption killed her, it corrupted her data and could mimic Elysia.

Elysia: "Hmm, in that respect, she seems like a bad kid."

Elysia stared at the Herrscher of Corruption in the image, pondering how best to discipline the disobedient child.

[In the scene, the Herrscher of Corruption points to her face and says to Mei with a happy expression.]

"Because I took over her data, you should know better than me that no one in this world cherishes this unique beauty more than she, that is, more than I do now."

"..."

Raiden Mei remained silent.

She remembered that Vill-V had said that Elysia's data had been deleted, but the Herrscher of Corruption claimed that she had taken over Elysia's data.

Moreover, judging from the Herrscher of Corruption's jubilant appearance, Mei was genuinely unsure who had made a mistake.

"While embracing external influences, I also continuously grow."

The Herrscher of Corruption shrugged.

"Because we have life, we learn to fear death; because we have form, we understand the pursuit of beauty; because we once had nothing, we want to cherish everything."

Born from nothingness, the Herrscher of Corruption gradually came to understand the meaning of life.

"If Mei simply imagines me as an enemy of humanity, then she's quite mistaken."

"Misunderstanding?"

Raiden Mei raised an eyebrow.

What she witnessed, the actions of the Herrscher of Corruption in the Previous Era Elysian Realm, could not be explained away by a mere misunderstanding.

Chapter 363 A Battle Without Suspense

Faced with Raiden Mei's attitude and her sharp gaze, the Herrscher of Corruption could only helplessly continue explaining.

"Yes, I have corrupted the Previous Era Elysian Realm, an indisputable fact, since the very foundation of my existence is this constant corruption."

"But you must know, Mei, I have never had the intention to harm anyone, even if they are just Memory Body made of data."

"And that is indeed the case. You see, everything in the Elysian Realm has never disappeared; it's right here."

The Herrscher of Corruption pointed to his own head.

"After the erosion was complete, they became a part of me, and in return, I became a part of them. Because I was once a blank slate, I was able to fully accept everything about them."

"I obtained their data, learned about their experiences, and inherited their will. Mei can absolutely see me as a continuation of the Flame-Chasers' lives."

"You!"

Raiden Mei gripped the hilt of her sword tightly at her waist, glaring angrily at the Herrscher of Corruption before her.

The scene from a few days ago flashed through her mind: the specks of light scattering in her hand, the Flame-Chasers who had once helped her—their deaths were all thanks to the Herrscher of Corruption.

In the end, she could still say such things.

"You have seized this place, manipulated everything, and wantonly trampled on the last traces left by heroes in this world. They died right before my eyes, and yet you claim to be the continuation of their lives?"

If she hadn't known that the Previous Era Elysian Realm was the other party's home ground, Raiden Mei would have already placed her knife against the neck of the Herrscher of Corruption.

"Sigh, well, it seems no matter how I explain, Mei still sees me as a bad person."

The Herrscher of Corruption sighed.

"Since you're determined to fight me no matter what, I'll have to grant your wish. After all, the last thing I want to do is disappoint others."

"If I could, I really wouldn't want to fight Mei at all. This battle is pointless, and we should never be enemies."

That's what they say, but Raiden Mei could still faintly sense the powerful force emanating from the other party.

That was something that made the weapon in her hand tremble.

Raiden Mei didn't know why the Herrscher of Corruption was putting on such a harmless act, but she could definitely feel the Raiden Mei's unreasonable and overwhelming power.

Because her first enemy was data from Mobius.

Raiden Mei: "!!!"

Kiana: "Are you cheating? How are we supposed to beat this?"

The Herrscher of Corruption stood still in the scene, displaying the power belonging to Mobius.

Although it was merely a clumsy imitation compared to the real Mobius, it did reach a level that Raiden Mei could not easily defeat.

Mobius: "Ha, he's nothing but a fake who's not even half my level. Besides, how could a mere Herrscher of Corruption possibly comprehend the true meaning of Infinity?"

It's just about getting data.

According to the Herrscher of Corruption, she acquired the thoughts of the Flame-Chasers and inherited their will, but that was nothing but a boastful joke.

She couldn't even imitate half of Mobius, and her imitation of Elysia was nothing more than a mirage, so how could she claim to have inherited the will of the Flame-Chasers?

Danzhu: "But Doctor, she can imitate more than just you."

Bronya: "According to this theory, any Flame-Chasers Memory Body that she has corrupted can be imitated by Herrscher of Corruption. So, Chakravartin, Vill-V, even Kevin..."

Theresa: "Wait, Kevin was killed by Vill-V using the Kevin Annihilation Button, right? What does that have to do with the Herrscher of Corruption?"

Kevin: "..."

Whether the Herrscher of Corruption can imitate Kevin is still undecided.

But the power she displayed was indeed beyond Mei's capabilities.

The battle between Mei and Mobius lasted for a while before the Herrscher of Corruption snapped her fingers, turning the battlefield upside down, and Raiden Mei's opponent became Chakravartin.

Raiden Mei: "Tsk."

This is tricky. Mei has figured it out: the Herrscher of Corruption never intended to fight seriously from the start.

Even so, the data from the imitations of Mobius and Chakravartin was enough to put her in a tough fight.

Chakravartin: "He's nothing but a fake piece of trash, trying to imitate Chakravartin's wrath. How laughable."

Su: "Judging from the performance, the Herrscher of Corruption's imitation of Chakravartin Calamities is indeed just a fake."

Compared to the Chakravartin Tribulations that forced Su to open his eyes to deal with, which placed him and Hua in dire straits, the existence imitated by the Herrscher of Corruption was indeed on a completely different level.

But this imposter's power was far beyond Mei's ability to handle.

Durandal: "If this continues, Raiden Mei will be completely defeated in about fifteen minutes."

Raiden Mei: "So sure?"

Speaking of this, even Raiden Mei herself couldn't see how long that chuunibyou Mei could keep going, but Durandal could pinpoint the problem perfectly.

Besides her immense power, Durandal's composure and judgment were also among the reasons she became the strongest Valkyrie.

Durandal: "It's just based on experience. In situations like this where the power imbalance is so great, it's not difficult to calculate when one side will be defeated."

However, the Herrscher of Corruption seemed to be getting bored and snapped her fingers again, turning the battlefield upside down once more.

The person fighting against Raiden Mei has now become Vill-V.

Pardofelis: "Goodness, is this going to make Sister Mei beat up all the corrupted Flame-Chasers?"

Raiden Mei: "This... Herrscher of Corruption really that powerful in the data space?"

If the Herrscher of Corruption can access the data of Chakravartin, Mobius, and Vill-V, then it is highly likely that she can access the power of Elysia or Kevin.

If that's the case, then the outcome of the battle was never in doubt from the start.

[In the scene, the battle lasted for a long time, and the Herrscher of Corruption also felt a little bored. She gently snapped her fingers.]

The power that had been resisting Raiden Mei vanished instantly.

"Now Mei should understand, right? This kind of battle is pointless."

The Herrscher of Corruption shook her head regretfully.

"But even knowing you have no chance, you still keep attacking me. That's what I like about you."

"..."

Raiden Mei remained silent.