"Ah, Lin, I was just about to look for you."
A sunnily radiant Vil-V greeted the brooding man in the helmet, swinging a long sword in her hand with reckless abandon.
Lin looked over her shoulder and saw Prometheus emotionless face, letting out a small sigh of relief.
It seemed he had chosen correctly this time.
"I happen to have something to talk to you about as well."
"The Super-Vil-V Soul Steel Surprise Package Number One!"
"..."
Lin treated Vil-V's naming conventions as her own unique brand of dry humor.
In her hand was the long sword that had killed her twice in a row. The entire blade was a matte iron color. Compared to her previous high-tech inventions, this sword looked utterly primitive. It didn't even have a handguard (tsuba), resembling a half-finished product that an apprentice bladesmith had spent six months failing to complete.
However, Lin already knew that this sword was actually the first weapon ever forged from Soul Steel. Not even Kevin, using the power of a MANTIS, had been able to leave a scratch on it.
And as a tool for cutting down humans, it was a peerless weapon of slaughter.
"Hmm? Give me some reaction." Seeing Lin and Prometheus remain unmoved, Vil-V scratched the back of her head. "Oh dear, if the audience doesn't applaud, it really drains a performer's passion for the stage."
"...What is this?"
"The Super-Vil-V... ah, I get it! I get it! Don't leave!"
Seeing Lin turn to walk away, Vil-V hurriedly stopped him, stroking the blade with a pleasant smile as she introduced it: "This is a prototype for a Divine Key. The first weapon to utilize Soul Steel."
"..."
"...Eh? You aren't surprised?"
"And then?"
Vil-V narrowed her eyes and sized up Lin, seemingly deep in thought, but she quickly returned to normal: "And then... because it's just a prototype, it doesn't have a Herrscher Core, and there's no additional technical support. But it is absolutely the hardest weapon in human history, and it won't be eroded by Honkai energy. How about it? An epoch-making invention, isn't it? Well... of course, it just relies on the properties of Soul Steel. What I want to make later is the real—"
"Does it have a name?"
"Didn't I tell you? The Super-Vil-V—"
"Let's call it Shenqie (God-Slayer)."
"Hey!"
Lin took the long sword for himself... It should be called God-Slayer now. The last time, he hadn't had a chance to look at it closely before it fell into the frozen sea. Looking at it again, this plain, unadorned blade—so contrary to Vil-V's usual style—exuded a fierce, murderous aura.
Was it because the design was simple yet full of menace?
"Whew... Lin, aren't you a bit too lively today?"
"Am I?"
"Maybe it's just my imagination?" Vil-V said uncertainly. "God-Slayer... because Herrschers are gods?"
"They are false gods."
Lin corrected her, tucking the blade into a buckle on his waist, acting as if he didn't need to be polite with Vil-V at all.
Lin gestured toward the door and said to Prometheus, "Prometheus, go to Dr. Mobius and get something for me. Tell her, 'Lin wants Ritalin.'"
After watching Prometheus leave, he turned back to meet Vil-V's meaningful gaze. She snapped her fingers, and the door immediately closed, turning the Spiral Workshop into an airtight room.
"You even sent away Prototype No. 1. It seems what you want to tell me is very important." Vil-V was worthy of her title as a genius; she was incredibly sensitive when it came to reading people. She stood with her gloved hands crossed in front of her. "And, asking Dr. Mobius for 'Ritalin'... are you serious?"
"Is there a problem?"
Recalling the change in Mobius eyes when she heard he wanted Ritalin last night, Lin realized it might hold some unique significance for her.
"...It's nothing, just some random gossip. Everyone has their little secrets; it's better if you ask her yourself."
Vil-V was never one for perfunctory answers, which meant her refusal was straightforward. Seeing that she wouldn't talk, Lin didn't press her. He had more important things to deal with.
Thus, Lin spoke about the loops, consciousness erosion, and "certain things," and asked for Vil-V's opinion.
"So that's how it is..." Lin let out a long breath after receiving an answer from Vil-V. The hair inside his helmet was soaked with sweat, which ran into his eyes and blurred his vision, so he nimbly removed the helmet.
"Hmm? Is it okay?" Vil-V asked, surprised by his action.
"It's fine."
"Ah, no wonder I was killed the first two times." Vil-V laughed boisterously. "So it was because of that."
"It's simple once you know the answer. But if it weren't for you all, my consciousness might really have been eroded."
"To call it erosion..."
"..." Lin stopped Vil-V in time. They had said enough. It was impossible to be certain if "that person" would know everything said here.
"Don't worry about it. If He really knew everything here, He wouldn't have gone to all this trouble. Should I say it's lucky it's you? Anyone else would probably have had a mental breakdown by now."
Lin shook his head.
"It's not luck. It had to be me."
The unique nature of his consciousness dictated that he would inevitably encounter this incident.
Furthermore, it wasn't just because he was resilient enough not to break down.
Before ending all of this, there was one more person Lin wanted to see.
Knock, knock, knock.
Click.
The face behind the door changed drastically the moment it saw Lin, as if it had seen a prehistoric monster. Lin felt a sense of daze; it felt like a long time since he had seen this disguised appearance.
But in reality, it had only been about six days.
This person, skilled in disguise, who wrapped herself in layer after layer of lies, who had stayed by his side as a "villain" and had died.
Even though Lin had lived and died with her once already, he still couldn't see through what kind of person she was, or which one was the real her.
Chiaki hid cautiously behind the door, her suspicious gaze lingering on Lin. "Do you need something?"
"Are you free? I want to talk to you about some things."
"...Me?" Chiaki froze for a few seconds. "Uh, okay... would you like to drink..."
"Cola."
Lin answered before she could ask.
"..."
Chiaki looked at him with a strange, subtle expression.
Like Vil-V, she clearly felt that Lin was a bit "lively" today, or rather... hyperactive?
After walking into the room, Lin estimated the time and then cut straight to the point:
"Were we... classmates before?"