"Next, I'll remove the crystals here! Then, Sakura and I will use the Second Divine Key to go near the target and set up relays..." Elysia explained. "Since we don't know how the Honkai beast interferes with consciousness, we need to monitor both Honkai energy and electromagnetic radiation, ready to pinpoint its location at any time... Hehe, Mobius, Vill-V, perfect job for each of you!"
"Finally, it's your turn, Hua." Elysia hopped over to Hua, playfully ruffling her gray hair into a mess.
"Elysia, this plan is just... too..." Sakura trailed off, unsure how to describe it.
"Too reckless," Mobius supplied, using one of Mikael's favorite words.
But thinking about it... Mobius and Sakura have both undergone the Metamorphosis surgery, putting them beyond ordinary humans. Elysia... isn't an ordinary human to begin with. Vill-V... a benign schizophrenic, she'd have above-average mental fortitude. Following the principle of picking the easiest target, the Honkai beast shouldn't target any of them.
Of the remaining people, if Kalpas were affected, the entire Golden Courtyard would need to be prepared for demolition. Rin is too young; no one would risk her. Between Pardo and Hua, Hua's resilience is clearly stronger. They needed bait, but bait that could withstand the Honkai beast's assault, making Hua the only choice.
But that wasn't the issue.
"Elysia, how can you be sure it'll take the bait?" If the Honkai beast was at Seele's villa, over forty kilometers from the Golden Courtyard, how many ordinary people were within that radius? The beast could choose any one of those thousands, so why Hua?
"Of course... I'm not sure!" Elysia continued to ruffle Hua's hair. Wow, no wonder Mikael likes doing this. It feels so nice!
"Not sure... sigh. Simple, direct, relying on a low-probability event. Classic Elysia," Vill-V said, spreading her hands in exasperation.
Meanwhile, Hua's thoughts, amidst the head-ruffling, continued to evolve. Although she appeared to be merely following orders, she naturally began to think like Mikael.
Elysia looks so confident. Clearly, she's not 'not sure.' But where does her confidence come from?
Let's reverse engineer this. List all the observed phenomena...
"Ah!" she suddenly exclaimed, drawing everyone's attention.
"I think I understand..." She looked up, meeting Elysia's gaze for the first time. "It's been three or four days since Seele was affected, and there haven't been any large-scale disturbances or other unusual phenomena within that radius. Plus, if your deduction is correct, it even needed those men in black to protect it. This means it's not in good shape, at least not right now..."
"So, its influence is likely targeted. Seele may have been accidental, but Mikael is an ideal 'contamination' subject—a powerful Herrscher with a fragile mental state..."
"In short, from this perspective, it's more likely to choose me... But I don't think I have anything that would attract it."
"Excellent analysis!" Elysia glanced smugly at Mobius before pinching Hua's cheek. "As long as there's a possibility, it's worth a shot, even if it's only a one-in-a-million chance, right?"
Hua couldn't tell if Elysia had actually considered all that or if it was just a lucky guess.
"It's okay..." Hua shook her head. The pink shimmer on the walls vanished, and an irresistible wave of drowsiness washed over her. She couldn't help but yawn and stretch.
When she opened her eyes again, she was surrounded by stark whiteness.
"Where... where am I?" Her lips moved soundlessly; she couldn't hear a thing.
Then, on the distant, curved horizon, a blue-gray sphere slowly rose...
Not far from Seele's Dormitory, on the same high-rise where Sakura had fought earlier, space tore open once more. Two pink figures emerged.
Almost the instant they landed, the relay began flashing red. Vill-V's excited voice crackled through the comms. "No way! It actually worked! I've picked up an electromagnetic signal... The interference pattern is like invisible threads connecting something... Hold on, pinpointing the location now. For greater accuracy, you'd better place the second relay one kilometer north of your current position."
Before Elysia could give the order, Sakura had already vanished.
Just a few seconds later, a cool voice came over the comms. "Relay deployed."
"Heehee!" Elysia sucked on her finger, the faint scent of Hua's skin still lingering. Sakura is always so efficient and obedient... And she has pink hair too... Hua is so cute... Oh wait, Mobius is even cuter when she's angry... Is there anyone else? Wait... Why do I feel like I understand him? No, no, bad!
"Found it... Wait! It's not in the villa? No, not in the house... It's by the lake in the back garden?! Hold on, connecting to Fire Moth's satellite for visuals..."
After a clatter of mechanical sounds, Elysia heard the crisp click of keyboard keys.
"Where's Mobius? Why isn't she saying anything?"
"Hahahaha! The plan actually worked! She's probably crying in the bathroom right now!"
"Oh, Mobius, no need to cry! Let me see... How about you wear that pink maid outfit I left in your closet for a day, hmm?"
"Elysia! Don't push it!"
"Hahaha, Mobius, you can't hit me through the comms!"
"Heh..." Listening to the others bicker, Sakura couldn't help but chuckle, a smirk playing on her lips.
But she quickly suppressed her amusement, pulling up her hood, wrapping herself in a large black coat, and placing a long-unused mask over her face.
"Okay! Thirty-eight people in total, along with the Honkai beast's location. Data sent to your terminals."
"Looks easy peasy, right? So, it's settled then, Sakura. You take the people; I'll take the Honkai beast. Deal?"
Under the purple-red twilight, Sakura nodded to the other pink figure on the distant high-rise and vanished.
When Elysia strolled into the villa, hands clasped behind her back, she found the men in black scattered across the floor, unconscious, with no trace of blood. Sakura had simply knocked them out with the blunt side of her blade and injected them with tranquilizer. Nothing more.
"Elysia, you're late," Sakura, masked, appeared behind her.
"Oh my! *Ahem!*" Elysia cleared her throat, deepening her voice in a mock-serious tone. "Where did this sudden urge to compete come from?"
"..." Sakura ignored her, bending down to place a small blue forget-me-not flower on each unconscious face.
When she looked up, Elysia was gone.
She sprinted towards the lake, but Elysia was even faster than she could have imagined.
By the time she arrived, pink crystals had already sliced open a large white cocoon. A moth-like Honkai beast was struggling to emerge, but Elysia had already pierced its heart.
"Oh dear, Sakura! I was faster!" she said, stretching languidly.
Sakura meticulously cut a small piece from the Honkai beast's wound and placed a forget-me-not on it.
"Hey! Sakura! What are you doing?! You... you stole my kill! So mean!"
"Elysia, where did this sudden urge to compete come from?" Sakura retorted, mimicking Elysia's earlier tone, her voice low.
Their eyes met, and they both burst into laughter.
"Let's go. We still need to collect those letters. Mikael might find them useful."
Even after Elysia had walked five paces away, Sakura remained, her eyes filled with confusion and questions. With a sigh, she finally left the question unasked: Elysia, where does that power, far surpassing even a MANTIS Soldier, come from?