"..."
From the beginning of the hearing until now, Elysia had not said a single word, leaving Mr. Li to refute all the council's accusations.
It was only after the latter, with an expression of disbelief, tremblingly opened the file in his hands... and turned a similarly bewildered gaze upon Elysia, that the silence was broken.
"Sigh."
After a brief silence in which a pin drop could be heard, Elysia let out a soft sigh.
"Does looking human..."
"Truly matter so much to everyone?"
Elysia did not directly answer the council's question, but instead sighed and posed one of her own.
"Even when they take on the form of Honkai Beasts, even when they lose their bodies and burn their memories, they are all fighting to protect humanity."
Elysia was not defending herself. The story she told was that of the collective known as the Fusion Warriors.
"Is that still not enough to prove where they stand?"
"To fixate on differences in form and pass judgment based on them... shouldn't it be the heart that still holds its humanity that determines whether one is human?"
Following that, Elysia once again asked two questions that she could not, or rather, was unwilling to "understand."
"..."
"Ms. Elysia, please answer our previous question. Do not evade the subject."
"This is not a regular matter that you can simply bluff your way through."
The female voice from before spoke again, but this time, the gravity and tension in her words were clearly difficult to control.
"..."
"'To seek common ground while reserving differences' is a very beautiful quality."
Elysia once again sidestepped the question.
"Indeed."
"But, Ms. Elysia..."
This time, the one who picked up the conversation was the council member who had spoken with Mr. Li at the very beginning of the meeting.
"'Those not of our kind are sure to have a different heart'—in many situations, this phrase is perhaps more appropriate."
"..."
Mr. Li, finally snapping back to his senses, broke the dead silence in the room.
"Elysia."
"I know you've always wanted a public forum to speak for the Fusion Warriors, but today... you should be defending yourself first."
"This file."
Mr. Li looked at the document he had personally unsealed.
"Something must have gone wrong... Yes! It must have been swapped by someone with malicious intent while I was away!"
"That's enough, Mr. Li."
Elysia's usually lively tone was exceptionally somber at this moment.
"There is nothing to defend."
"Because from the very beginning, the file in your hands..."
"Was a forgery."
"A forgery!?"
Elysia's words unleashed a tidal wave.
Mobius was one of the founding members of the Flame-Chasers, having joined when the organization was still just a predecessor.
Such an accusation carried consequences far more unpredictable than any conjecture.
If Mobius had forged the surgical report, it would mean the "schism" within the Flame-Chasers was no better than that of current human society. And if it were the second possibility... if top-secret information concerning the Fusion Warriors could be falsified, then the seemingly impregnable Flame-Chasers had likely been infiltrated by certain factions long ago.
As for whether these factions belonged to humanity or Honkai...
"Mobius does not write her own reports."
"After Franka resigned, that work was entirely taken over by Klein. Like Mobius, I never doubted Klein's loyalty."
"But that was on the premise that..."
Elysia's somberness was not due to her own treatment.
"...she had not become a vessel for the advent of a Herrscher of Domination."
That's right.
No matter what, the vast majority of people inside the Flame-Chasers' base were still ordinary humans, and Klein was one of them. The reason she was able to work under Mobius for so long was not due to any physical peculiarity, but simply out of mutual trust and understanding for the "Doctor."
This bond, difficult to explain to outsiders, was what allowed Mobius to notice the change in Klein at the first opportunity.
But Mobius had said nothing.
As mentioned before, all Herrschers of Domination, upon their true identity being discovered and escape being impossible, would choose to launch a suicidal attack. Klein's position was special, but not so special as to alter the Herrscher of Domination's methods.
Without a doubt, once the truth was exposed, Mobius would lose her trusted assistant forever.
To prevent this from happening, Mobius had pretended to notice nothing and continued on as usual, treating any "assassination attempts" she experienced during this time as if they hadn't happened. Meanwhile, in secret, she intensified her research on the Herrscher of Domination... all in the hope of being able to save the original Klein from its clutches.
But now, for a goal that could hardly be called "noble," Elysia had no choice but to share this secret in public.
Mobius had not opposed this "plan," but that did not lessen the burden of guilt in Elysia's heart.
Everything was because—
"Mr. Li."
"I am very grateful for your 'defense,' but... let's end it here."
"The questions raised by the council."
"If I recall correctly, the answers to these questions are classified at Level A or higher within the Flame-Chasers."
Elysia pulled herself together, the light sparkling in her eyes signaling that she had returned to her usual self.
"Klein was indeed granted a high level of clearance."
"But much of this information was beyond her access. Besides Dr. Mei and myself, in this current era of 'dwindling talent,' the only high-ranking official who could access these files... seems to be you, Mr. Li."
"'The detection devices are not precise.'"
"That can serve as evidence to clear my name, but at the same time, it can also serve as a reason why I 'couldn't be detected due to equipment problems.'"
"'Fusing with Maheśvara.'"
"That also served as a reminder to everyone that, as a Fusion Warrior, I do not exhibit the 'inhuman characteristics' that the surgery should have produced."
"'Fusion Warriors cannot become the Tenth Herrscher.'"
"But that doesn't rule out the possibility of me being another Herrscher."
"All your refutations to the council... they all seem to have loopholes that even I can see."
An entirely unforeseen scenario unfolded in the meeting room.
"..."
"Elysia, what are you talking about?"
Mr. Li, astonishment still plastered on his face, could not have imagined why Elysia would suddenly turn the "flames of war" on him.
"I'm saying,"
"That in this room, there is indeed someone who wants to deal with me... by acting as a comrade."
"Am I right?"
"Mr. Li... no, Your Excellency, the Herrscher of Domination."