Just as expected. Apart from the first two identities she already knew, she had never heard Elysia mention being the Thirteenth Herrscher or the Daughter of God.
Strangely, seeing the words "Thirteenth Herrscher," Mei felt unexpectedly calm. Perhaps, in her heart, the identity of a Herrscher actually fit the consistently mysterious style she associated with Elysia.
That being said, it was still quite surprising that a Herrscher could become one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. After all, from what she heard from the other Flame-Chasers, Mei understood the irreconcilable conflict between the Fire Moth and Herrschers.
Even a seemingly harmless girl like Rin could be killed outright; there was no reason Elysia should have been allowed to peacefully form this team.
"A Herrscher never mentioned in the records... Herrscher of Human, perhaps?" Her fingertips traced the word "Herrscher" as Mei murmured to herself.
During her conversation with Liuli, she had faintly heard this title. She'd thought it was just her imagination, but thinking back now, it was likely information left by Elysia.
While the identity of Herrscher of Human was somewhat understandable, where did the title "Daughter of God" come from? From what she knew, only the nursery rhyme she'd overheard mentioned it.
"The stars and moon sent forth the Daughter of God; she wished to become humanity's companion.."
This rhyme undoubtedly referred to Elysia, but the information it conveyed was difficult to grasp.
Of course, being unable to understand wasn't important. With the Typewriter here, she could ask as many questions as she wanted.
Mei: What does "Daughter of God" specifically refer to?
Typewriter: Elysia.
"..." Mei was speechless. It seemed this Typewriter was exactly as the fairy described – only capable of mechanically answering specific questions.
She rephrased her question, "The stars and moon sent a daughter divine. What do 'stars and moon' refer to?"
The Typewriter clattered, typing out a line.
Stars and moon, twin-born, bright as luminous jade.
Was that... an answer? Or did even the Typewriter not know the specific details?
Yet, reading between the lines, Mei felt an inexplicable familiarity. Just as she was about to ask for more details, the Typewriter suddenly sprang into action, automatically printing a new page.
Clearly, while she was asking questions, something major had happened again in the Elysian Realm.
Mei took the printed paper. The content was brief, yet it made her pupils constrict—Kevin, dead.
It seemed the worst-case scenario had indeed occurred. Even hiding in the Eternal Paradise, the Corruption's attacks hadn't ceased. Kevin's death essentially marked the collapse of their high-end combat power, and simultaneously meant the enemy's strength had increased further.
No matter how she looked at it, this was not good news.
Realizing this, Mei felt restless, wishing she could immediately return to the Flame-Chasers' side and stop the Corruption's continued sneak attacks. But reason told her using the Typewriter to gather information was far more efficient.
Suppressing her anxiety, Mei asked about the status of Mobius and the other fallen Flame-Chasers, unsurprisingly receiving confirmation of their deaths. Helplessly, she could only try directly asking for the Herrscher of Corruption's location.
Unfortunately, the Typewriter could only confirm its presence within the Eternal Paradise.
"Last question: who is the traitor among the Flame-Chasers?"
[Pure Evil].
[Pure Evil]? What was [Pure Evil]? The codename of a Flame-Chaser?
The unfamiliar designation puzzled Mei. Just as she was about to inquire further, a violent tremor suddenly struck from beneath her feet.
BOOM!
As the loud explosion sounded, the entire tower seemed to shake violently. Mei reacted quickly, immediately steadying the Typewriter. The other furniture wasn't so lucky, scattering across the floor amidst the shaking.
"Waaah! Bad guys are attacking!" Fairy Ely shrieked, clutching her magic staff and scrambling under the table in a flash.
Mei steadied herself and walked to the window. She saw a massive flying Honkai Beast circling in mid-air, then charging straight towards the tower.
The next second, another violent impact struck. The archive room's windows instantly shattered into countless fragments. Amidst the tower's trembling, the section already weakened by the previous impact could hold no longer, collapsing completely with the sound of tearing stone.
The break occurred precisely on Mei's floor. She looked up; the ceiling was gone, replaced by the azure sky.
"Found me, huh." With a cold sigh, Mei clenched her fists.
It was obvious: the Corruption's initial targets were the Flame-Chasers, but as Mei progressed with her clues, she had become a threat to its survival.
The fractured remnants of the wall fell into the town below, kicking up clouds of dust. The commotion was so loud it likely reached every corner of the realm.
Seeing the Honkai Beast attack again, Mei chose to take the offensive. Leaping forward, her entire body transformed into crimson lightning. Raising the Seven Thunders high, she surged towards the Honkai Beast.
With Mei's current strength, a monster relying solely on size was no match. In an instant, the creature was cleanly bisected.
However, after the monster died, its corpse didn't disappear. Instead, amidst a flash of white light, it split into two entirely new individuals.
The newborn monsters were unlike anything Mei had seen before. At the core of their bodies, a green eye insignia was branded.
She had seen this mark before in Griseo's painted world – clearly the work of the Herrscher of Corruption.
With a cold snort, Mei decisively struck again, cutting them down.
But the outcome was the same. The slain monsters didn't vanish; instead, they split into even more individuals.
Replication and proliferation – this was the manifestation of the Corruption's authority.
Worse still, besides the one Mei was fighting, more and more viral monsters continuously emerged from various parts of the town. Within minutes, a massive number had replicated.
Realizing simple attacks couldn't kill these viruses, Mei no longer held back. Channeling her strongest lightning strike through the Seven Thunders, she vaporized the monsters, along with their corpses, into ash.
But while she could kill one, she couldn't kill an entire swarm. The tide of monsters surged relentlessly, quickly bogging her down in combat.
Even though Mei's blade flashed like lightning, continuously slaying the monsters, their sheer numbers were too overwhelming to eliminate quickly.
"Wait... they're just trying to stall me!"
By the time she realized this, it was too late. With a deafening rumble, another explosion rocked the top of the tower.
Accompanied by a heart-wrenching scream, Fairy Ely was thrown through the air like a rag doll. Before she could even hit the ground, she disintegrated into countless specks of light. Only the magic staff she had been holding fell from the sky, landing before Mei along with the damaged Typewriter.
"..." A sharp pang shot through Mei's heart. Her eyes widened. In that moment of distraction, countless viral monsters surged forward, completely overwhelming her in their monstrous tide.