Outside the MOTHs facility, a group of soldiers in black uniforms lay scattered on the ground like corpses. However, the steady rise and fall of their chests indicated that they were still alive, and quite well at that.
The weakened authority of the Eighth Herrscher: [Dream State].
This was the method Black Pardo had employed, plunging these ordinary soldiers into a deep slumber in a mere instant.
Having completed their delaying task, the two of them sat quietly on a lamppost, waiting for the conversation inside the room to conclude.
---o---
"In short, that's the situation."
Inside Dr. MEI's laboratory, Fu Li toyed with the Black Box containing the sealed Core of Corruption as he addressed the unfazed doctor.
As a being of absolute rationality, she was earnestly weighing the pros and cons. In the end, she chose to trust Fu Li, though she still sought confirmation.
"So, Rin has already become a Coreless Herrscher?"
"That's right."
"Hmm, very well. I agree to hand over Rin's custody to you. However, in exchange, Mobius's lab cannot have complete authority over the research of the Corruption Core."
"Are you saying your research institute wants a piece of the pie too?"
"No." MEI shook her head, explaining, "I simply need to confirm her harmlessness. Beyond that, I will not interfere with anything you do."
"Fine, we'll leave it at that."
The negotiations came to a close. Fu Li wasn't actually all that interested in the Corruption Core.
The only reason he was negotiating with Dr. MEI in the first place was because Mobius had given him the task.
But since it had been settled so easily, Fu Li saw no reason to say anything more.
As for the official story they agreed to release to the outside world, it was this:
When the Herrscher of Corruption appeared, Dr. MEI had locked onto its position in advance, allowing Kevin and Fu Li to jointly decapitate it directly.
The identity of the Herrscher of Corruption was an unnamed female mercenary from the outside.
Although this story was riddled with holes, when all the higher-ups and all personnel involved in the incident presented a unified statement, people had to believe it, whether they wanted to or not.
Because that was their only source of information. That was all they were allowed to see.
---o---
"Yo, finished your business? How did we do?"
Seeing Fu Li emerge, Black Pardo leaped into his arms, nuzzling her chin against his without a trace of shyness.
"Hey, you! We're still in the middle of a mission, you know."
Despite her words, Pardo, not to be outdone, latched onto Fu Li's other arm, puffing out her cheeks as she glared at Black Pardo.
Clearly, this little cat's competitive spirit had been ignited by Black Pardo's unabashed display.
They're a couple now anyway, she reasoned, so there's nothing to be ashamed of for being a little more direct.
Of course, the only reason they were acting this way was because they could tell Fu Li had finished what he needed to do.
So now, they were waiting for their well-deserved praise.
"You two, honestly... The main part is done, but there's still some clean-up work to do. And by the way, you both did a great job."
Fu Li expertly patted both girls on the head, feeling a little helpless. He then proceeded to use Aponia's crucifix to brainwash the soldiers again.
Only a few people needed to know the truth of tonight's events. This way, Rin's life wouldn't be disturbed.
"Alright, let's go. We deliver this thing to the research institute, and then we can go home."
"Mhm, okay~."
Seeing the unconscious soldiers wake up one by one and leave like zombies, Black Pardo released Fu Li and shot Pardo a triumphant, provocative smile.
This time, she had completely monopolized the front-facing hug. It was her complete victory.
"Alright, stop messing around. Let's hurry up and finish the mission so we can go back."
Sighing helplessly, Fu Li turned and headed toward another laboratory.
Seeing this, Black Pardo quickly scurried to catch up. But just as she was about to say something more, she felt a sudden sharp pain on her rear.
Black Pardo instinctively glanced over her shoulder, just in time to see a mischievous orange tail quietly retracting after its dirty deed.
Damn it! This original body of mine!
Black Pardo was never one to swallow her anger. She immediately used her own tail to strike back with even greater force.
Instantly, Black Pardo heard Pardo suck in a sharp breath, and a triumphant smirk curved her lips.
But before she could savor her victory for too long, the orange tail whipped over again. One lash after another, the two tails began to fight in mid-air.
Fu Li could, of course, hear the "smack, smack, smack" sounds from behind him, but he was already used to their childish behavior.
If they wanted to fight like elementary schoolers, then let them fight. It wasn't his butt that was getting sore, anyway.
Shaking his head, Fu Li paid no mind to their daily squabbles. Right now, he just wanted to lie down in his own bed and properly sort through the unexpected situations he had encountered today.
Sakura's situation was probably just a special case. Someone like Mobius, who had grown up with him since childhood, surely wouldn't be hiding things from him... right?
Perhaps he was just overthinking it.
............
"Mobius, here's the thing you wanted."
"Mhm, thank you for your hard work, Li."
"It's nothing. We'll be heading back now. Good night."
"Mmm~ Good night."
Mobius's gaze lingered on Pardo for a moment, but in the end, she said nothing. After seeing the two of them off, she closed the door.
After this period of observation, she had come to a conclusion. So what if Pardo and Fu Li were a couple? When had people like them ever cared about so-called laws?
Displeasure aside, if you like someone, you should be with them. For people facing the apocalypse, the logic was just that simple.
As for what others thought of her—if she cared about that, she wouldn't be Mobius.
Shaking the thoughts from her mind, Mobius returned to the lab with Klein and casually placed the black cube on a table.
[Won a battle, but lost the entire war]—this pitch-black cube, once a name that struck fear into people's hearts, now lay quietly on her experiment table.
Who would have thought that this thing, which had once led to their failure, could be dealt with in such a laughably anticlimactic way once its origin was understood?
The entire process didn't even cost them a single soldier.
However, just as Mobius was thinking this and preparing to continue her experiment, Klein placed a hand on hers, stopping her.
"Doctor, you can't continue. That hypothesis might have a chance of success, but your compatibility with it is just too poor."
"Klein..." Mobius sounded a little impatient, but also resigned. "Do you have to remind me of this in every single cycle? Fine, then I'll give you my answer once more."
"Besides myself, no one else possesses the qualifications I have. To understand god, create god, and finally... trample god."
As she spoke, Mobius picked up the pitch-black cube. After skillfully opening it, she watched as black patterns crept up her fair skin, inch by inch.
Though the pain it brought was as intense as ever, it couldn't hide the increasingly wild smile spreading across her face.
Emotion... personality...
Thought... consciousness...
A new form of life, undying eternity, primeval infinity...
Even with someone to love, someone to care for, and more people who understood her, Mobius was still Mobius.
She had never abandoned her ideals. It was just that now, those ideals included two people who hadn't been part of the original plan.
She would lead them, in her own way, to ascend to godhood.
And for a mad scientist, a [Herrscher] was never a synonym for danger. It was a new beginning for life and evolution, a new starting point, a new existence.
Seeing the Doctor lost in her state of excitement, Klein's face remained impassive. She simply sighed silently and walked over to a nearby machine, preparing the equipment she had secretly made ready long ago.
An Artificial Herrscher of Corruption. This was Mobius's new goal. But could such a vision truly succeed?
Klein had her doubts, but in the end, she stood firmly by Mobius's side. Because only by believing in the Doctor could she repay her debt of gratitude.
Besides, seeing Fu Li and Pardo sticking together all day... even she was getting a little jealous.
......
The next morning, in a MOTHs training room.
As expected, the news of the Twelfth Herrscher caused no ripples. People's lives continued as usual, mechanically repeating their duties.
Pardo was currently sitting in her small shop, leaning back in her chair as usual, looking rather excited.
After the matter with the Twelfth Herrscher, she had been given a short vacation. It was because of this that she had the chance to take stock of her recent finances.
She had been feeling down about her declining income, but for some reason, Eden had suddenly sought her out and given her a large bag of gemstones, saying it was some kind of... compensation?
She didn't know why Eden would compensate her, and her smile had been a little unsettling, but did that matter? Not in the slightest.
When it came to money, Pardo never said no.
"Hehehe~, my little pretties."
Pardo rested her head on her arms, playing with a deep blue gemstone in her hand, a silly, sweet smile on her face.
She had been worried that she wouldn't be able to scrape together enough money for their one-month anniversary gift, but now the money had practically flown to her.
And if she sold all these gems, she might even have some left over.
Looking at it this way, Eden was such a huge spen—ah, no, such a wonderful person!
Next time she wanted to buy something, she'd give her a twenty percent discount... on second thought, maybe just ten percent. After all, Eden was the type who would give away the entire Golden Courtyard without a second thought.
Seemingly unable to bear her original body's current foolish appearance, Black Pardo cut into her fantasy with an exasperated tone.
"Speaking of which, have you thought of what to give Li?"
"Mm-hmm, of course I have." Pardo sat up straight, saying proudly, "Last time, Li gave us those two cat dolls studded with gems, right? So I think we should give him a gift of equal value."
A gift of equal value?
Black Pardo was surprised. She was well aware of her original body's miserly nature. She never thought Pardo would be willing to give such an expensive gift.
Her curiosity was instantly piqued. "A gift of equal value? That won't be easy to find. What are you planning to give?"
"Hmph hmph."
When asked the crucial question, Pardo didn't answer directly. Instead, she put on an air of mystery. "You know little Klein from Mobius's lab, right? Don't you think she's super cute, being so tiny?"
"You mean? The puppet Klein?"
Black Pardo's mind worked fast, and her expression changed instantly. "You're not thinking of making a puppet of us to give to Li as a lab assistant, are you?"
"Mm-hmm, that's right! What do you think, isn't my idea brilliant? That way, even when he's sleeping, a version of me can be there to accompany him."
"Brilliant my foot!"
Seeing Pardo with her tail practically pointing to the sky, Black Pardo looked at her with an expression of deep disappointment before giving her a heavy pat on the head.
"Ow! What was that for?!"
"What do you think?! Are you an idiot?! Like Danzhu?!"
Black Pardo sighed, feeling that as Pardo's external brain, she had a duty to set her straight.
"Don't you forget, an artificial intelligence like the puppet Klein is practically indistinguishable from a real person. Do you really want another AI competing with you for Li's affection?"
"Ah, this... but it's just a robot. Is it really that serious?"
Pardo was stunned. She had been so focused on a gift of "equal value" that she had completely overlooked that point.
"Of course it's that serious! Are you a moron?" Black Pardo covered her face, feeling helpless.
"Okay, fine, you have a point." After imagining such a scenario, Pardo decided to pass the buck.
"Then what do you think we should give him?"
"Um, well..."
Black Pardo froze. She was about to say that she didn't know either when she saw the look in Pardo's eyes that said, 'Let's see what brilliant idea you can come up with.'
Damn it! How dare a mere Pardo look down on me!
No matter what, she had to think of a gift now, just to show this foolish original body how amazing she was.
Black Pardo's competitive spirit was ignited. She immediately adopted the air of a worldly sage, while her mind began racing to solve the problem.
But just as she was putting on a calm facade while panicking internally, a pleasant voice rang out.
"Hi~ It's you two, little Pardo, and little Naiyisi~♪"
The pink-haired elf, dressed in a gorgeous combat suit, suddenly appeared, a look of great interest on her face as she smiled at the two deadlocked cats.
"I think I heard someone mention a topic related to love just now~ If you're feeling troubled, why not come and consult with me?♪"
"After all, I love everyone the most~♪"
"You?"
Seeing the self-recommending Elysia, Pardo and Black Pardo exchanged a glance. After seeing the utter blankness in each other's eyes, they nodded with grim determination.
"Then we'll be in your care, Sis Elysia!"
"Mhm, leave it to me. I'll definitely help you pick out the bestest gift~♪"
At the same time, Fu Li, who was taking a bath, suddenly felt a malevolent chill for no reason. He subconsciously covered his body and then sneezed.
What the hell is with this bad feeling?