Making Honkai Impact lll In A World Where Kallen Exists [Continuation]

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The undercurrents surged. Everything now began to surface.

Mobius' desires, her motivations, were partially revealed as she herself stepped into her own trap.

"It hasn't reached the point of being completely irreversible yet."

Raiden Mei lowered her gaze, determination flashing in her eyes.

When it came to disputes over control of consciousness, she was no stranger to the battlefield. Besides, she had no path for retreat now.

This space had been thoroughly sealed by Mobius. No one could leave.

Thus, the only course of action left was clear—

She raised her blade, assuming a stance. Purple lightning danced along its edge, crackling menacingly. She took a step back, her body angled to prepare for an attack.

Across from her stood the laughing girl, her expression twisted in madness, no longer resembling what one might call "human."

Perhaps Mobius' definition of "human" was fundamentally different from anyone else's.

"What's this…? You still want to resist? Oh dear, why don't you hurry up and say goodbye to 'Raiden Mei,' hm? Hehe~"

Mobius raised her hand to her cheek with mock interest, unbothered by Mei's stance.

Why should she be concerned? Even if Mei had the strength to defeat her, this was her domain, a place where she held complete control.

She merely watched Mei with an amused smile, continuing her mental assault.

"…The one saying goodbye will be you, Mobius. You don't need to hide behind this childlike facade anymore. Show me your true form… your MANTIS self."

Mei's voice was calm as she gripped her blade, facing the girl before her without flinching.

If she were afraid, hesitant or cowardly, she would never have proposed the idea of coming to World Serpent.

"Hehehe—fine. Since you're so eager to see that form… why not let me show you?"

"The final form… of a MANTIS."

Mobius' laughter rang out sweetly.

Abruptly, she raised her hand as if wielding a scepter. Her gaze grew lofty, profound. Beneath her feet, a vibrant green light coalesced—a dark shadow spreading and rising along a green column of light.

The sight was simultaneously beautiful and menacing.

Moments later, it transformed into a towering serpent, upright and imposing.

The serpent wielded a scepter that symbolized supreme authority, crowned with a regal golden crown.

Her face was no longer human. The grotesque expression she had hidden before was now fully revealed, and the facade of emotion she once wore was trampled underfoot.

At this moment—

She was no longer human. Perhaps she was even more monstrous than a Honkai Beast.

And now, Mei understood why Raven had fled the moment she saw Mobius back then.

The so-called "gift"... its true nature was now clear as day before her.

A creature beyond humanity.

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[Huh? My little waifu turned into… poof—gone!]

[...On second thought, snakes aren't bad, though a bit big. Hiss~]

[Brave Mei, fear nothing, overcome all obstacles!]

"Beast form..?"

"So this is the ultimate form of you MANTIS? Then… your true form… Sorry, haha, I guess I shouldn't ask."

Kiana looked at the scene on the screen in amazement.

Seeing someone suddenly transform into a monster left her worried and filled with a sense of urgency.

Even if she didn't want to dwell on it, she couldn't help but wonder...

The warriors of the previous civilization sacrificed their humanity for the sake of their civilization. What about them, the warriors of the current civilization?

Were they also meant to make such sacrifices?

"Indeed, if you know it's not something to ask, don't ask. Kiana, you still need more training," Luo Mo said in a mockingly wise tone, nodding solemnly for effect.

"What the heck... I know it's probably a secret, but the way you said that… Hmm, it doesn't feel very convincing," Kiana pouted. What authority did Luo Mo even have to say that? They were just a bit older than her—wait, how much older?

If Luo Mo was one of those ancient beings that survived until now, Kiana had no ground to argue, did she?

She rubbed her chin, uncertain.

"Maybe her Beast form just isn't very pleasant to look at~" Luo Mo speculated playfully. "That's why she doesn't want to show it."

"Though I can't show it easily… it's not for that reason, Luo Mo. You're awful, pressuring a beautiful girl like this," Elysia huffed, wrinkling her nose in displeasure and pointing accusingly at Luo Mo.

Criticizing Kiana? More like trying to shift the pressure onto herself!

"…Actually, I'm curious too, Elysia. Your Beast form—okay, okay, I'm not curious anymore! Stay back, stay back!"

Mobius' subsequent voice sounded more like a panicked shriek than a calm response. She hadn't expected such a strong reaction from Elysia.

Could it truly be something unpleasant to look at?

Mobius thought back to Luo Mo's words. If it were anyone else, such an excuse would be unconvincing. But for Elysia? Plausible!

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As the final battle began, it was clear that only one of the two could leave alive.

"Let's see who walks away from this—the Mobius, or the Raiden Mei!"

The massive, snake-like creature spoke with a voice that was both Mobius' and raspy, intertwined.

It raised its scepter high, countless green bolts of lightning crashing down. Its entire body shimmered with golden light, impervious to any attack.

Dark green liquid churned across the ground, its effects on those who stepped into it unknown.

Countless flashing orbs darted across the battlefield, threatening Mei's life at every moment.

But more troubling was the strange doll-like figure that had appeared.

It hindered Mei, supplying energy to Mobius while remaining impervious to her attacks. This unbreakable link only tipped the scales further in Mobius' favor.

Mei, anxious and desperate, found no effective way to deal with the situation. Though she could occasionally counter Mobius' attacks and even suppress her momentarily, the opponent's home-field advantage, along with her strange abilities—proved overwhelming.

"One strike… split in two!"

Even as the massive serpent retreated, the damage Mei inflicted was quickly healed by the doll, as if nothing had happened.

Mei raised her blade horizontally, blocking an attack from Mobius' tail. She grunted in pain.

"Enough… This isn't what Mobius wants to see," a voice suddenly interjected, halting the battle.

It was Klein, the administrator.

"What?"

Mobius was visibly shocked, as if seeing something unbelievable.

Klein… had betrayed her?

How could this be?

It… it was impossible!!

Mobius' thoughts wavered. But Klein's next action only confirmed it, she severed the connection to the doll, an ability enabled by her authority as an administrator of the Elysian Realm.

"If… even this isn't enough to defeat her, I'll have to retreat for now," Klein said with some regret.

But Mei didn't let the opportunity slip.

Seizing this chance, she relentlessly pressed her attacks on Mobius.

The Herrscher core within Mei fully activated in this realm. With the doll no longer a hindrance and even reversing Mobius' restrictions back onto her, the tide of the battle shifted decisively.

She succeeded in defeating the tenth MANTIS renowned for being frail and unsuited for combat. The process was grueling.

Mobius lay powerless on the ground, symbolizing the near-total failure of this experiment.

Yet, she still didn't understand—

Why did Klein betray her?

She considered Elysia's interference, various factors leading to failure, but refused to accept one thing: Klein's betrayal.

"..."

"It's over, Dr. Mobius,"

Klein hung her head low, unsure of what expression to wear as she looked at the defeated Mobius on the ground. Her gaze carried sorrow and guilt.

Perhaps she had betrayed her creator... though not the original one.

...Mobius lay curled on the ground, her body weak. Her dress was scratched, and she looked utterly disheveled.

In her defeated state, she had lost to Raiden Mei.

"No… perhaps I shouldn't call you that anymore."

Klein shook her head softly yet resolutely.

"You should have understood… fifty thousand years ago, you already knew I'd do this. You never opposed me back then."

"Why… why are you trying to stop me now?"

Mobius' eyes betrayed panic, even desperation. She pleaded for Klein not to stand against her.

She could overlook everything that had happened, if it was Klein.

She couldn't lose her. She couldn't lose her final supporter, her only confidant…

For the lonely serpent, Klein was perhaps her sole vulnerability.

"Because... the real Dr. Mobius gave up on this plan when she first shared it with me."

Klein spoke calmly, though the revelation was shocking.

"The real Dr. Mobius? What do you mean, Klein?"

Mobius's tone turned icy. She glared at Klein coldly, unwilling to allow anyone to question her identity.

"I... am the real Dr. Mobius," Mobius declared.

"That's what I used to think too," Klein admitted with a faint nod.

"There is no difference between you and the Doctor. Your thoughts, actions, personality, they are completely identical."

"Just as she once saw me as a continuation of Klein, I have always considered you to be the real Dr. Mobius."

"But now…"

At the turning point of her speech, Klein hesitated, biting her lip as she looked at Mobius with reluctance.

"Klein… in your eyes, do you see me as someone who never changes?"

Mobius sneered coldly.

She had never imagined her only confidant's betrayal. Could Klein still be considered her confidant?

Klein's words continued, striking Mobius' heart like blows.

"But what you've done today... this is not something the real Dr. Mobius would have done."

"The Doctor… like other humans, no matter how much she changed, there was always something she kept constant."

"And that… is the difference between you and her."

"The difference between me and her? What a joke…"

Mobius refused to acknowledge it.

She was the real Dr. Mobius. There were no differences between them!

Their conversation continued, but Klein pulled out an item that shattered Mobius' beliefs completely. It was irrefutable evidence.

"I know I can't convince you."

"W-What?"

"She left behind something, entrusting it to me to give to you. But I've kept it until now."

"In my eyes, passing on Mobius' message to Mobius... it was meaningless."

"Until now."

Klein raised her hand, revealing the item she had been keeping.

It was a recording, carrying the words of the real Dr. Mobius.

"She left something... for herself? Are you playing tricks on me, Klein?"

"I'm not one for sentimentality. This kind of meaningless formalism, it's not like her at all…"

The fallen Mobius didn't believe Klein. She scoffed, clenched her fists, and stared at her.

But suddenly, a familiar voice echoed through the space, perfectly continuing Mobius' previous words. It was a voice both Klein and Mobius recognized intimately, Mobius' own voice.

"I know this doesn't seem like something I'd do. But if there's anything I need to tell you, this is the last chance."

Between Mobius and Klein, a tall, curvaceous figure materialized. Wearing a white lab coat and intellectual glasses, the figure had long, curly green hair identical to the girl on the ground.

The figure before them was identical in appearance, voice, and demeanor…

[What? The Mobius in this memory isn't actually Mobius…?]

[Then who is the real Mobius? (laughs)]

[The difference? Oh, it's obvious—height, figure, weight… it's clear between you two!]

"Hmm… how should I address you? Mobius? Or another me?"

The figure greeted the Mobius from another era. Despite being a recording, it didn't behave like one, its synchronization seemingly perfect.

But the Mobius lying on the ground ignored it, knowing that no matter what was said, there would be no response.

After all, it was just a recording, an audio file incapable of replying.

Mobius narrowed her eyes, glancing at the petite girl beside her. Was this the reason for Klein's 'betrayal'?

Her voice carried an indescribable tone as she spoke:

"So, Klein? Do you prefer me from back then?"

"This holographic recording is what the Doctor entrusted me to deliver to you," Klein said softly, her tone tinged with sadness.

Even if Klein had long forgotten how to feel grief, her words still carried its weight.

"She recorded this message… just before her death."

"Death? Klein, do you even know what you're saying? Death is something that could never happen to me…"

The Mobius on the ground retorted.

And she wasn't entirely wrong. The idea of Mobius dying was, after all, an impossibility in that era, a universal truth.

Everyone believed that even at the brink of civilization's collapse, Mobius would endure, unscathed by the tides of destruction.

"Yes, even I couldn't believe it, how could I actually die?"

Suddenly, the figure in the recording interjected, perfectly matching the flow of the conversation as if it had been waiting for this moment.

Unlike its earlier silence, the timing of its interjection was eerily precise.

"Is… is this a live transmission?"

The Mobius on the ground was startled. Could her judgment have been wrong?

But how…? What kind of real-time communication could span fifty thousand years?

Klein shook her head gently as she looked at her.

"Klein, if you wanted to deceive me, you shouldn't have left such an obvious flaw," Mobius remarked coldly.

"I'm still the same as always… I remember everything that's happened, down to the smallest detail."

She tried to bolster her argument with her words, refusing to let such an apparent loophole slide.

"At that time, let alone memory recordings, even the Elysian Realm didn't exist yet. How could I possibly have left a message for myself?"

"Because it's interesting, isn't it?"

Once again, the hologram interrupted their exchange.

The Mobius on the ground grew more uncertain, glaring at the impossible apparition.

Unless… all of this had been calculated and accounted for from the start?

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