The timeline rewinds to the day before Elysia's mysterious death.
Night. A silver moon hung high, studded with a tapestry of stars. A green-haired woman in a white lab coat sat in the control room of Prometheus.
She mimicked Su, closing her eyes and slumping slightly, using the seemingly relaxed posture to conceal the taut muscles beneath her clothes.
She didn't need to open her eyes to know everything within a hundred-mile radius. In The MOTHs Who Chase the Flame, aside from the bathrooms and dormitories, practically every corner was under surveillance.
And after obtaining the power of [Artificial Corruption], Prometheus, the super-AI created by MEI, had become her plaything. If she so desired, she could even manipulate Prometheus to mislead MEI herself.
The night breeze drifted by, seeming to carry a cloyingly sweet scent.
From the empty corridor came a light humming and the cheerful, rhythmic sound of footsteps. In this day and age, there was only one person who possessed such a joyous spirit.
"Hii, Mobius. I didn't expect you to invite me here. What a lovely surprise♪"
"Hmph. If it were up to me, I'd rather see you on my operating table, Elysia."
Elysia walked in with a buoyant stride. Her gaze seemed to casually sweep over a security camera before landing on the figure that appeared behind the door.
She remembered that ever since the first stratum, Mobius had only used her [Snake Slough] to revert to her early twenties. The version before her now was even younger.
Is it because she wanted to maintain a certain image in front of Fu Li, but after seeing him become a couple with Pardo, she intentionally reverted to her just-turned-adult form?
A mischievous, triumphant smile tugged at her lips. To think that Mobius would have such petty thoughts. How cute.
So then...
What is Mobius's purpose in seeking me out?
Elysia's expression darkened slightly. She sat down beside Mobius and subtly straightened her spine—as always, she was not accustomed to looking up at someone while speaking, not even a little.
Sigh, what a pity. If Mobius were still in her tiny form, there would be no way for her to be taller.
This was a little game between her and Mobius. This time, however, her invitation to play received no response.
"...Elysia."
Mobius slowly enunciated the name. She opened her eyes, a chilling light glinting in her emerald pupils, and cut straight to the point.
"You are not the Thirteenth Herrscher. You have been a Herrscher from the very beginning, haven't you?"
"Ah, well... you're right." The surprise on Elysia's face was fleeting. She quickly smiled and nodded, masking the flash of disappointment in her heart.
Even if the Mobius of previous lives had been obsessed with researching how to carry memories into the next cycle, with her intellect, it was only natural she would notice something was amiss once she had a moment to spare.
So, her surprise was not because her [secret] was exposed, but because Mobius had pointed it out so directly.
"Hah... As I thought."
Having gotten the answer she wanted, Mobius straightened up slightly, also nonchalantly adjusting her posture to be just a little taller than Elysia.
Seeing the flicker of delight in Elysia's eyes, Mobius sneered internally. What an easy woman to read.
Make no mistake, she wasn't happy about such a childish victory. She simply felt that, from a psychological standpoint, hitting someone with a stick before giving them a sweet date was the best way to extract the information she wanted.
"Alright, tell me. What do you know?"
Mobius tilted her head. Even though she was ninety percent certain, she still chose to phrase her question vaguely.
Like Vill-V, she always liked to leave herself some wiggle room.
"Mm-hm, Mobius, are you that curious about my secret? But you know, a maiden's secret isn't so easily pried into."
Elysia propped up her chin, looked at the expressionless Mobius, and sighed.
"Alright, alright. I'll tell you the parts I can. Honestly, Mobius, you're so mean-spirited. But since I'm so understanding, I'll choose to forgive you, of course."
"Li's first time... was yours, wasn't it~"
Elysia winked playfully, unable to suppress a light laugh as she watched Mobius's body suddenly relax.
They both knew which [first time] she was referring to.
"Fine, I get it." Mobius nodded and asked directly, "What else can you tell me? Your authority? Why don't you tell the others the truth? Or why you have to die every single time?"
"About that, I'm sorry, but I can't say."
An apologetic expression appeared on Elysia's face, but her words were heavy with implication.
She couldn't help but tense up. If possible, she truly didn't want to fight anyone she could call a [friend].
But she knew Mobius so well—her madness, her thirst for [Evolution]. And the possibility of that evolution was sitting right in front of her.
She had long foreseen such a scene, yet she still chose to come alone.
But, unexpectedly, Mobius simply nodded, waved her hand, and made a gesture of dismissal.
"Alright, in that case, you can go."
"Hm... huh? You're just letting me leave?"
"What else?" Mobius frowned, her tone laced with sarcasm. "In your eyes, am I the kind of person who wants to send every Herrscher she sees to the dissection table?"
"Hmm...? Aren't you?"
"... " Mobius seemed to sigh, her tone shifting. "I'm doing this because I trust you. That's all."
It was a lie. Elysia knew that with absolute certainty.
But she genuinely didn't understand Mobius's reaction right now. She also knew this wasn't the time to press for answers.
Honestly, this Mobius is so wicked. I'm about to die, and she still has to leave me with such a huge mystery.
Then again, I suppose I've left her with a big mystery too. So we're even?
With Elysia's departure, the tense atmosphere in the room dissipated. Mobius closed her eyes again, waiting for her next guest.
Almost as soon as Elysia's footsteps faded, another set of footsteps sounded.
Mobius lifted her head, opened her eyes, and saw her new 'ally': Aponia.
She wore an inscrutable smile. Her fair, jade-like hands—the envy of all—were raised, forming the number 'one'.
"So, this is the one chance of victory you foresaw?"
"Of course, Mobius. But I cannot offer an absolute guarantee." Aponia opened her blue eyes, which were filled with compassion. Paired with her mysterious smile, it created a sense of threat that seemed to emanate from the very soul.
"Tonight, you followed my prophecy. So please, trust my next one."
"This final battle against the Herrscher of the End will be unlike any other. So, could I trouble you to persuade Vill-V and the others to combine the hibernation site with the battle command room?"
"That's no problem at all. It's a small matter." Mobius looked at her, her eyes filled with scrutiny.
"But I hope you won't pull any tricks. We have an agreement. We can only pursue our own happiness after everything is resolved."
"Hehe, of course... Mobius. You know me. I never lie."
"I hope so."
This time, it was Mobius who chose to leave first.
She was certain that everything she had done was of her own volition, not the influence of [Discipline]. But it was precisely because of this that she felt a sense of unease in her own body.
She had only superficially believed Aponia's words; behind the scenes, she would never abandon her own plans.
But perhaps due to some imperceptibly subtle suggestion, she had forgotten one simple thing.
If Aponia had foreseen countless possible futures, why wouldn't she have foreseen the little tricks Mobius would play?
Or perhaps, those little tricks were something Aponia was happy to see happen.
Mobius didn't know that after she left, Aponia's blue eyes gradually became tinged with blood red, and her smile grew ever more mysterious and strange.
Sometimes, even without telling a lie, one could still guide matters to a desired outcome.