The moment Lynelle came into view, Kevin, who'd been floating mid-air, drew a sharp breath and instantly appeared right in front of her.
The girl, her face etched with worry, was completely unaware that an extraordinary visitor had just appeared to observe her. Her gaze remained fixed intently on the battlefield.
"...No, it's not her."
After studying her for a moment, Kevin let out a sigh of relief, his tension melting away.
While this girl did bear a resemblance to Elysia, it was mostly in her hairstyle and build. A closer look revealed differences in her facial structure.
For instance, she was a bit shorter than Elysia, not as curvaceous in the chest, and her face... well, how to put it? It gave Kevin a feeling of timidity, a vibe he'd rarely, if ever, associated with Elysia.
"Could she be an alternate version?"
Kevin pondered this deeply. Although he'd once declared "There will never be another Elysia," Su had also observed across parallel worlds that every version of Elysia made the same choice.
That meant a purely natural Herrscher of Origin like her was indeed one of a kind, but alternate versions of Elysia could still exist.
So, was this girl the current era's alternate version of Elysia?
Just as Kevin was lost in thought, Welt's voice crackled through Lynelle's communicator.
"Lynelle."
Welt sounded utterly exhausted. "I've successfully used Selene to separate the Herrscher of Thunder's core from Sirin. However, Sirin's rampaging state remains unchanged. Additionally, Siegfried's condition is deteriorating rapidly. I doubt he can hold on much longer."
"If you have any other cards left to play..."
It was only then that Kevin remembered he supposedly had a descendant fighting for his life over there.
Well, no matter. With the wielder of the Black Abyss White Flower present, death wasn't really on the table. Right now, observing this girl who might be Elysia's alternate was far more crucial.
But even though this girl named Lynelle looked completely non-combative, in the First Herrscher's eyes, she was considered a "trump card"? How intriguing...
"I'm sorry, Welt. I do have one last card, but it can only be used in a truly hopeless situation."
Lynelle's voice was apologetic. "It's not that I think the current situation isn't dire enough, or that I'm holding back... It's just that unless we reach that point, I'm afraid I might not be able to fully utilize that item, and all our efforts could be for nothing."
"It's alright. As long as you trust your own judgment."
Welt paused for a moment before continuing. "In that case, would you like me to bring you closer to the front? I've basically lost all fighting capability now. The most I can do is provide some protection."
"That would be good."
Lynelle nodded, hopping out from behind the rock. Simultaneously, a shimmering "Ego" stigma appeared just above her chest.
After getting the system to add this buff last time, Lynelle had asked the Customer Service Rep, Kiana-chan, to move the stigma to a spot above her chest.
Mainly because having it on the back of her hand always gave her the feeling she was participating in some Holy Grail War.
This action, however, caused Kevin, who was still floating nearby, to completely lose his composure.
"Wait, that is... No, that's impossible! How could Elysia have a stigma lineage?!"
Kevin's eyes widened in shock. If it weren't so utterly inappropriate, he would have moved in for a closer look, to verify what this thing was and if his senses were deceiving him.
But having coexisted with the Kaslana Stigma Space for fifty thousand years, there was no way Kevin could mistake it.
Every one of his senses, except perhaps his rational mind, was screaming at him that this was unmistakably Elysia's stigma.
"C-could it be... there was some plan back then that I wasn't aware of?"
A muscle twitched near Kevin's mouth. He suddenly recalled the Project VALUKA that Mei had secretly entrusted to Su.
Looking at it now, perhaps Mobius, who took over the Stigma Project after Mei's death, might have also been given some confidential plan by Mei.
This Elysia Stigma before him could very well be a product of such a plan.
"If that's the case..."
Almost instinctively, Kevin felt a desire to recruit her.
"She seems quite close with that Second Herrscher. If I could bring them both to World Serpent, into the Elysian Realm..."
The mere thought of such a scenario caused the corner of Kevin's mouth to twitch upwards by a single pixel.
[Lynelle? Lynelle?]
While Kevin was deep in thought, Lynelle suddenly heard the system calling her.
"Huh? Kiana-chan, why are you calling me now? Is something wrong?"
Lynelle, who had been repeatedly checking the item description to make sure she hadn't missed any crucial information, asked in confusion.
[Look closely~ It's Customer Service Ely-chan now, you know?]
"Oh, just changed the profile picture, huh... I have to say, you've imitated her pretty well."
Lynelle glanced at the system screen. It was still the same old goofy chibi coin avatar, but now it had Elysia's face.
[Hehe, actually, I can only change it for a little while. The system has unified requirements for our profile pictures, you see?]
Customer service Ely-chan casually offered an excuse before quickly getting to the "main point."
[The reason I called you now is just to ask for a little favor. You wouldn't refuse a cute girl, right~?]
"Well... okay, but nothing too complicated. Welt will be here any second."
Lynelle looked towards the distance where Welt was rapidly approaching.
[It's no trouble at all, not complicated in the slightest?]
[Now, look in the direction of your eight o'clock... then, gently tilt your head that way, smile, and give a little wink?]
"W-what kind of strange request is this now?"
Lynelle felt like the question marks in her head were about to overflow.
[It's just a facial verification thing! Come on, quickly, quickly!]
"Alright, alright, alright..."
Still utterly baffled, Lynelle quickly followed the instructions from customer service Ely-chan and performed the action.
"???!"
Over to the side, Kevin felt his head explode with a deafening 'buzz.'
Because, from his perspective, right after that girl's chest displayed Elysia's stigma...
As if sensing something, she suddenly turned her head and looked directly at his location.
Then, she flashed a mischievously cute smile.
'What was that just now... Elysia? No, impossible. She isn't Elysia. I confirmed that multiple times already. But that smile... it was just like hers...'
Stunned, Kevin stood frozen for a few seconds before quickly darting after Lynelle's retreating figure.
A sudden realization had struck him.
That girl hadn't noticed him at all before. It was only after the stigma lit up that the previous scene had occurred.
And technically, he himself was here by projecting his consciousness through the Kaslana family's stigma.
So, could it be...
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.