MGSFV?! Chapter 338. The Snake Who Abandoned Eternity, and [Infinity]
Elysia had only exchanged a few light words with Hokuto about Hua's luck.
She didn't pursue the topic any further.
Her gaze turned again—
To what Mobius would do next.
The timeline in the story returned to the present.
At this most critical moment—
Mobius, with Aponia's help, had successfully evaded the Herrscher of Corruption's surveillance and managed to make contact with Klein, outside Elysian Realm.
"…Still can't decide?"
Before Klein stood a memory construct that by all logic should have been consumed by Corruption. But now, speaking in a mocking tone, that person addressed her real-world self.
However—
To the present Klein, the one standing before her was no longer the "Doctor" she had once known.
"So, you resolved the issue of virus sovereignty without a governing system back then, did you? Doc… no—Mobius."
Though Mobius's artificial Corruption experiment had succeeded, she had not acquired the Herrscher's power of self-replication.
Still—
If Mobius had managed to appear before Klein now, then she must've already found a workaround.
Klein assumed so too.
"Using… the replica of that former Twelfth Herrscher?"
"Replica? That insignificant Herrscher of Corruption…"
Mobius scoffed. "Anything I create will naturally surpass her."
A single sentence delivered like a cold injection of adrenaline.
[Snake-sis really is pure security incarnate.]
[I'm suddenly hyped! I can't wait to see what she does next!]
…
The tides were turning—and after Mobius's arrival, the players' excitement noticeably surged.
They focused more intently on the story now, anticipating what would come next.
And sure enough, the following plot wouldn't disappoint.
Back in the scene—
Klein still hesitated after hearing Mobius's words.
"But… there's been no recorded data anomaly in Elysian Realm right now…"
"Enough, Klein," Mobius cut her off. "Since when did you start getting ideas?"
"I don't have time to answer your questions. Just do what I say."
Though her words were harsh, she couldn't help but add a little explanation of her own.
"I don't have time to answer your questions"? Classic Dr. Mobius.
"If those outside could easily detect the Herrscher's presence… then I wouldn't have had to go through all this trouble just to see you."
"..."
Klein had no rebuttal.
"I can assume that the Herrscher of Corruption exists within Elysian Realm in this era…"
"But according to your logic, your current corrupted state is intentional."
"You embedded that so-called 'replica' into the Herrscher's data."
At this point, Mobius's plan was becoming very clear.
Just as many had guessed…
Using magic to defeat magic—using Corruption to corrupt the Herrscher of Corruption—
And it certainly fired up the playerbase.
"You thought you were corrupting me? Turns out I was corrupting your corruption. Didn't see that coming, did you?"
Mobius was visibly pleased with herself.
"Unless you've got a better way—something simpler and less suspicious?"
"But…" Klein still reasoned, "it seems like there's one last step you need me to complete. Otherwise… coming here would've been unnecessary."
She paused, then ventured a guess.
"…You want me to use hardware privileges to replicate that viral 'replica' within Elysian Realm?"
"Correct."
Mobius nodded. "That's right. Using the former 'Twelfth Herrscher' to counter the current 'Herrscher of Corruption.' Doesn't that sound… exciting?"
[Now that is definitely exciting.]
[Elysian Realm: Electronic Beetle Battle Edition.jpg]
[LMAO at the beetle battle comparison. But hey—it works.]
Though players had inexplicable trust in Mobius…
Klein, her former assistant, remained skeptical.
Or rather, she understood Mobius well enough to know that her plans were never just surface-deep.
"Is this another one of your attempts at 'revival'?"
"If it works, you wouldn't just return to the real world… you'd have power equal to the Herrscher of Corruption…"
Was she really allowed to say this?
No one knew how Mobius would take it. Players were nervous.
Mobius might act aloof, but she wasn't exactly known for being easygoing.
Would she argue? Get angry?
But no.
There were a rare few people Mobius would never truly get mad at—and Klein was one of them.
Rather than anger, Mobius smiled faintly.
"It's fine. You don't need to believe me, Klein."
"You just need to acknowledge that we don't have many options left… and this, is one of them."
"As for my so-called 'eternal life'—that's just a… trivial side effect."
Klein had to admit—
Mobius was right.
In a data space like Elysian Realm, the only thing that could match a Herrscher of Corruption…
Was another Herrscher of Corruption.
At last—
Klein's hands moved across the console.
"Just like that."
"Oh right, Klein…"
Mobius had just started to say something—
But Klein quickly cut her off: "Please don't distract me, Mobius."
"If we don't reach a sufficient replication scale, the operation will fail."
At this point, from the players' perspective—
The battle against the Herrscher of Corruption had begun!
And! It looked like things were going well!
They cheered internally.
Snake-sis! Klein! You got this!
But…
Was it really going to be that easy?
"You're telling me not to distract you?"
Mobius chuckled. "Never thought I'd see the day… What's this? A reversal of roles?"
"Don't worry. We still have plenty of—"
"…?"
Mobius suddenly went quiet.
The game's atmosphere, previously stable, turned tense.
Klein's CG changed—the faint marks of Corruption appeared around her neck.
Players: [??????]
Huh?! What's happening?
Don't scare us like this!!
Then the BGM changed—just in time.
Dun dun dun~
A touch of melancholy.
???
Why the music change?
What's going on?
Everything was fine just a second ago!
"It's the Herrscher of Corruption… Has she discovered us?!"
"Klein! Step away from the machine!" Mobius was clearly panicking.
But the other side showed no response.
"Klein!"
The corruption spread rapidly—
Still, Klein never once left the console.
"…If she's trying to stop us, that means this method is working."
"Please don't distract me… Doctor."
She stood tall.
But—
Why now? Why make Klein the next tragedy?!
Scriptwriter! How could you do this to Klein?!
Wasn't she outside of Elysian Realm?!
Please stop!!
Well…
This time, the scriptwriter did spare Klein.
"..."
Mobius froze for a moment after hearing Klein call her "Doctor."
It felt strange.
So many days and nights spent together in the lab, solving problems side by side…
But things were different now.
After trying to take the Herrscher's body for herself, Mobius had… lost her only "understander."
"Why??"
Mobius couldn't help but ask.
Klein remained silent, operating the machine.
"…Forget it."
Mobius's tone turned serious.
She ordered: "Stop, Klein. At least for now—I still have a way to save you."
"I don't need you to replicate the virus anymore. Just destroy all the hardware in Elysian Realm and get the hell out."
"No!"
Klein firmly refused. "Maintaining Elysian Realm is the duty you entrusted to me."
"I won't—and can't—make decisions on my own."
Mobius sneered.
"You think you've got the same resolve as the Flame-Chasers? You won't last long. The tiny amount of virus you managed to replicate—what good will it even do?"
Even now, she was panicking…
And still so stubborn.
Stop pretending, Snake-sis. Just admit you don't want her to die.
"..."
But Klein stopped typing.
She looked up, gazing at Mobius as if trying to etch her into memory.
"Because—I believe in you."
Players: "..."
Emotions surged.
Where were these lines coming from?!
Scriptwriter, were you corrupted?! Why is this so sweet?!
Even Mobius—facing Klein directly—must've broken inside.
Sure enough—
"…What?!"
Mobius froze.
Klein continued:
"I… I don't know why. But from past experience—if I just do my job, no matter the problem…"
"You—whether as Doctor or Mobius—you will find a way to solve it."
"I don't have an 'emotion' module, so this must be a rational decision. Not impulse from a familiar face."
"The odds of success… are at least 70%."
Are you two competing to see who's more emotionally repressed?
Please stop. We can't take it anymore.
"..."
Mobius said nothing.
What could she say?
Time passed—
This guardian of Elysian Realm poured every last bit of her vital code into the abyss of time—
To create another "monster."
To protect Mei, to uphold her duty, to ensure neither the Flame-Chasers nor Mobius would vanish forever—
She kept standing.
Kept replicating.
Until her thoughts began to dull—
Her fingers slowed—
Then stopped.
"..."
"This… should be enough."
The BGM shifted again.
A familiar Starfall nocturne played.
The players felt it like a dagger in the chest.
Another farewell?
First the playable character—now the doll?
Why here, of all places?!
Klein…
MiHoYo, how could you be this cruel?!
"Do you even know what you've done?!"
Mobius shouted.
"This was never a rational decision."
"Seventy percent? Destroying the hardware was guaranteed. Why didn't you do that?!"
"There's a reason, of course…"
"Maybe… it's my way of returning a gift."
Klein recalled something—
A message Mobius had once left her.
"I never understood what she meant… She said…"
But the words stopped.
Corruption overtook her speech module.
"..."
She couldn't finish.
Klein knew… this was her end.
Like Gray Serpent before her, she had made the same choice—
To halt the spread of the Herrscher of Corruption—
She would destroy the vessel.
Now was the time…
[No!! Klein!!]
[Let! Her! Speak!!]
[You won't even give Klein a last line?! Do you have a soul, scriptwriter?!]
The chat raged.
But—
Klein hadn't reached her end yet.
Because—
Just as she prepared to self-destruct…
She realized she could no longer move.
And the one who stopped her…
Wasn't the Herrscher.
Klein looked to Mobius, wide-eyed.
Finally, she understood.
Mobius had said she could still save her.
As the first successful Domination experiment subject—
Mobius used her own data to draw away Klein's Corruption and redirect it to Elysian Realm.
Klein whispered in her heart: But Doctor… if you do this…
"With this, the only chance of linking Elysian Realm to the outside world… is gone."
"Yeah, it's your fault. Now I really have to die."
No more escape. Mobius would absorb the Herrscher's power… completely.
Players: [What?!]
A fake-out?!
Not Klein—but Mobius?!
"You were the one being reckless, Klein."
"Oh… no."
Mobius's voice wavered—
But she forced it back down.
"I'm not as stupid as you."
"Don't overestimate yourself. I'm just here to complete my [Infinity]."
[Even now?! Still pretending you don't care?!]
[Did the scriptwriter hate us in a past life?! Why do this to us?!]
[Hearing Snake-sis say 'I'm going to die'… I can't—]
"Klein?"
"…Klein?"
No response.
The moment the virus left her—
She fell into deep sleep.
Just like before—they never got to say goodbye.
But…
This time was different.
In the Previous Era, Mobius had grieved over failing to save Herrscher-Klein.
Now—
She had corrected that regret.
And reached their "best" ending.
"…How pathetic."
"Not even strong enough to say farewell?"
With an unreadable expression, Mobius stood beside Klein.
"But maybe that's for the best."
"A snake… doesn't want anyone witnessing its [end]."
"Sleep well. When you wake again… you'll be [free]."
She hesitated.
When Klein woke up, her fifty-thousand-year duty would be over.
She would need a new reason to live—a new future to face.
[They call her a mad scientist—but in the end, she showed true emotion.]
[MiHoYo really understands contrast.]
That would be terrifying.
In comparison, maybe death would've been easier.
At least, for ordinary machine lifeforms.
As for Mobius—
Whatever words her real-world self had left for Klein… she might never know.
But it didn't matter.
She understood now.
Mobius touched foreheads with Klein, gently held her in an illusion of an embrace.
In the softest voice she'd ever used—
"The future…"
"Will be the last [Infinity] I create for you."
"Goodbye, my [Understander]."
The snake who sought [Infinity]—
Abandoned her own [Infinity].
She chose to end her life just before reaching [Eternity].
In exchange, she gave her [Understander] an [Infinite] future.
Yes—
She let go of herself—
And became something more.
Mobius—The Snake Beyond Infinity.
The Plunderer once said: "Truth has no end."
The Plunderer once said: "Infinity is meaningless."
[Snake-sis!!!]
[She's gone too?! I'm really going to lose it!!]
[Here's a horror story: the main story isn't even over yet.]
[There's more?! Seriously?!]
Scriptwriter: Don't worry. There's still plenty left.
Players: ...
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