"There's a problem inside the Elysian Realm."
When Mei received this message from Klein, her first reaction was to think of the previous "bug" in the Elysian Realm.
If internal secrets could be revealed ahead of time, allowing contact with "Lin," then this time, was there an opportunity to find out more of the information she desired?
Therefore, without Klein asking, Mei proactively offered to help Klein investigate the problem within the Elysian Realm.
"Ash plan… Triumvirate…" On the way, Mei frowned, sorting out the intelligence known so far.
At the brink of its destruction, the Previous Era formulated several plans to extend human civilization and defeat the Honkai. These different plans were entrusted to different people and Fusion Warriors for execution. Among the known ones documented in the Elysian Realm and World Serpent were Hua's MOTHERS Plan, Kevin's Stigma Project, and Su's Samsara Plan.
The meaning and purpose of these plans are all reflected in their names. The MOTHERS Plan is to preserve the seeds of human knowledge for the continuation of civilization, so the Ash Plan should also have a meaning that can be roughly understood from its name.
The name "Ash," combined with the fact that this plan was entrusted to a memory body whose original self had already died, and the recent "takeover" attempt by Mobius to leave the Elysian Realm through her body, Mei already had some conjectures in mind.
Moth's Flame (Zhú huǒ zhī é), as the name suggests, are moths chasing a flame, symbolizing the powerlessness of weak humans fighting the Honkai, and also symbolizing humans pursuing a light that will destroy themselves. Therefore, the ash should represent Lin himself, or the Moth's Flame of the Previous Era itself.
And ash that has not been completely burned out is easy to reignite. Whether it is Kevin and Hua in reality or the Elysian Realm, they all represent that the "ash" of Moth's Flame has not been completely extinguished.
"Using the Elysian Realm to send a memory body to reality?"
This was the most plausible conjecture.
If one were to ask who the most powerful warrior in the current world is, even if Mei didn't want to admit it, she had to acknowledge that Kevin, the sovereign of World Serpent, was the most formidable fighter against the Honkai. His power had completely exceeded imagination.
And what if there were multiple combatants of Kevin's caliber or more?
The Previous Era, with a full-strength Kevin, still couldn't escape the fate of destruction, but the experience and data they left behind became the most powerful aid for the Current Era. Even Mei had imagined sending the MOTHs from the Elysian Realm to reality. With their strength and experience, they could certainly become a huge force against the Honkai.
But the various issues involved in this were still alarming.
For example… the body.
Whether the Ash Plan was an approach that disregarded morality and humanity, like the Stigma Project, would require further investigation.
"Have we arrived…"
Mei quickly reached the location of the problem described by Klein. She had passed this spot several times, and coming back now, she didn't notice anything wrong.
Everything was as normal as before, even the color of the sky hadn't changed.
"Did the transfer anchor points malfunction?" Thinking back to the last incident, Mei focused her attention on several transfer anchor points, but they also appeared normal, with no discernible issues.
"Klein, can you figure out where the problem is?"
"…"
"Klein?"
Klein's slightly languid voice did not respond. This instantly raised Mei's alertness to maximum. An indescribable "thing" erupted from her heart. She instinctively jerked her body backward to dodge—
"Bang!"
A scythe, swinging down from above, narrowly missed her eyes. Her purple pupils reflected the tip of the blade and the figure concealed within the black mist.
The end of the scythe heavily slammed into the ground. Mei backed up repeatedly, two giant hands appearing by her sides. She drew the blade from her waist, narrowed her eyes, and scrutinized the "person" in front of her.
Short hair, not tall, with a feminine physique.
In contrast to the petite body, the figure held the massive scythe—taller than Mei—in a distorted posture. A pair of crimson, bloodthirsty eyes stared at Mei, who felt a chill down her spine.
Something was wrong.
The feeling this person gave her was wrong. Not the type of a zombie or a Honkai Beast, nor the strange enemies seen in the Elysian Realm. An extremely "real" sensation emanated from this figure.
The element of death surrounded her.
And it was a different feeling from "Lin"! This figure had a strong sense of self-awareness!
"Whoosh…"
The figure didn't give her a chance to observe further. She raised her hand, and the black mist surrounding her instantly contracted, then, like a spring pulled tight and then released, it surged toward Mei in an overwhelming torrent!
"Boom!"
However, before she could dodge, the ground under her feet instantly cracked, and a thick tree trunk sprouted out. This familiar scene immediately reminded her of a certain person outside the Elysian Realm who used the Abyss Flower to create a giant tree!
The spontaneously growing branches blocked the black mist. These plants seemed to have the ability to absorb the black mist. Merely standing there, they completely blocked the attack of the black mist.
"Tap."
A man wearing a helmet stepped out from the anchor point behind her, holding two weapons, one black and one white. The white lance emanated a rich vital energy—clearly, this tree trunk was created by the Abyss Flower's power of creation.
"How are you here?" Mei was not surprised by Lin's appearance. Ever since Lin had told her he was the executor of the Ash Plan, she knew that Lin likely had control over all things, big and small, within the Elysian Realm. All this was to ensure the smooth realization of the Ash Plan.
"…This is an accident."
Lin's words, however, surprised her.
This was the first time Lin had used the word "accident."
"This is an entity that should not exist in the Elysian Realm…" Lin stared intently at the distorted figure. The Black Abyss shielded Mei's front, motioning for her to step back. "Something is wrong with the Elysian Realm, Raiden Mei. You must leave immediately."
Mei knew by Lin's tone that the seriousness of the matter was not to be underestimated: "What about you?"
"I need to deal with this problem… At least I have to stop her first."
"Do you know her?" Mei deduced something from his tone.
"It's not important." Lin shook his head. Seeing the restless black figure raising her scythe, he said gravely, "Go find Elysia and tell her about this. And if possible, go see Aponia… quickly."
Not asking who Aponia was, it wasn't the time, but Mei had her own conviction: "Can you handle this alone?"
"If I can't handle it, no one in the Elysian Realm can."
As soon as the words fell, the black figure disappeared from its spot, and Lin raised his hand. The anchor point behind Mei instantly appeared in front of her, swallowing her inside.
In the final moment, what Mei saw was Lin plunging the Abyss Flower into the ground. Countless vines and trees shot up…
But in an instant, they were sliced apart by a chain-scythe of death.
Her eyes widened.
Blood surged.
Lin was cut in half.