Honkai Impact 3rd, But I'm Ren Amamiya! (Chapter 148-149)

Chapter 148: Elysia: Doing Bad Things to Mobius? I'll Lead the Way!

When a sense of vague familiarity appeared in Ren Amamiya's eyes, a feeling of joy and excitement had initially risen in Elysia's heart.

However, after Ren uttered the completely unfamiliar name "Elysia," the little scheme she had been secretly concocting in her mind was instantly torn to shreds.

The cute smile on her face immediately froze.

"...Elysia? Who's that?"

Elysia forced a strained smile and pretended to be nonchalant as she spoke to Ren through the ELF.

"I'm a fairy, you know. You can just call me Miss Fairy~~~"

If Ren had truly known the existence of "Elysia," she wouldn't have minded dropping her disguise and revealing her true form and identity as a surprise.

But now that he had mistaken her for someone else, Elysia couldn't bring herself to say it.

Because the name "Elysia" was strangely close to her real name, even the name "Ely," which she had intended to use for her ELF disguise, was no longer suitable.

Therefore, Elysia could only awkwardly omit the name "Ely" and ask to be called Miss Fairy instead.

Come to think of it, maybe that girl named Elysia really does look like me. After all, people who look alike are rare, but not completely non-existent, right?

The thought flashed through Elysia's mind, and she began to subtly observe the purple-haired girl next to Ren, who had her black demon mask casually tilted to the side of her face, revealing a delicate and familiar visage.

"This... uh, Miss Fairy, are you a native of the Elysian Realm? Given the average level of this large-scale Palace, you shouldn't have been cornered by such a weak group of shadows to the point of needing to call for help."

Faced with the ELF's furtive glances, Raiden Mei crossed her arms and examined the less-than-half-a-person-tall Fairy Ely with a scrutinizing gaze, her suspicion about the fairy's identity not diminishing in the slightest.

"Of course Miss Fairy is a native of this Elysian Realm. It's just that, unlike everyone else who lives here, Miss Fairy isn't as strong as the others."

Despite admitting her weakness, Fairy Ely placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her chest, looking completely unapologetic.

Faced with Fairy Ely's unthinking response, Raiden Mei instinctively turned to look at Ren, who nodded slightly in confirmation.

"That's a possibility."

"However, low-level, high-intelligence shadows that appear in such a high-level Palace usually have some special characteristics that other shadows don't, such as being the creation of some existence, or..."

Appearing in the deepest part of the impression space, the Elysian Realm Palace, yet being so weak, utterly lacking the strength to match its environment.

This little pink fairy, so familiar that it made Ren feel a sense of intimacy, reminded him of Morgana's birth.

Both were weak shadows scurrying around in the deepest part of the impression space. Morgana's true identity was a guide shadow created by the real Igor to guide the Trickster.

This cute little fairy shadow might be similar to Morgana, a creation belonging to some existence.

Given the little pink fairy's special nature, Ren believed she also had the potential to become a Persona user.

After all, there was a precedent for a high-intelligence shadow awakening the power of a Persona.

"Cough, cough, cough, cough, cough!! Sorry, my throat is suddenly a little uncomfortable..."

Just a few sentences into their conversation, Ren had already seen through Fairy Ely's identity as an ELF creation. Elysia quickly made Fairy Ely cough loudly, interrupting Ren's next words and taking control of the conversation.

"Speaking of which, what is Sir Warrior seeking in the Elysian Realm? If you tell me, perhaps Miss Fairy can help. After all, this Elysian Realm is as familiar to Miss Fairy as her own back garden. It would be most appropriate for me to be Sir Warrior's guide!!"

Fairy Ely flapped the small, pure white wings on her back and eagerly approached Ren, puffing out her chest proudly as she promoted herself.

"A guide, huh..."

Looking at the little pink fairy floating in front of him, with her just-right chest puffed out and a look of pride and eager anticipation on her delicate little face, Ren's expression became even more peculiar. The feeling of dissonance was growing stronger.

"If you're willing, then I'll leave the guiding to you. I need to find a female shadow named Mobius in this Elysian Realm Palace. Do you know where she is?"

Although his train of thought had been interrupted, Ren didn't deliberately try to pick it up again. Instead, he went with the flow and made his request to Fairy Ely.

It was probably better not to announce the fact that this little pink fairy shadow had the potential to become a Persona user.

After all, awakening a Persona was something that was best left to happen naturally. If the desire to awaken a Persona was too strong, it could actually hinder the stirring of the heart of rebellion, causing a Persona that should have awakened to remain dormant.

"Hmm, you're looking for Mobius? Leave it to Miss Fairy! I know where Mobius is!"

After hearing Ren's answer, Fairy Ely's eyes darted around. She nodded energetically, then turned around and started to lead the way, leaving only her small back to Ren and Raiden Mei.

"...Ren, are we really sure it's okay to follow this fairy shadow's guidance?"

Seeing Ren unhesitatingly follow the leading Fairy Ely, Raiden Mei had no choice but to walk alongside him. But she was still hesitant, and as she watched Fairy Ely's back, who was humming an unknown tune as she led the way, she lowered her voice and expressed her concerns to Ren.

"It's fine. Although it's suspicious to encounter a very weak yet overly enthusiastic high-intelligence shadow in the Elysian Realm Palace, this was probably orchestrated by Vill-V. I think she intended for this little pink fairy to be our guide."

Ren's pace did not falter as he replied to Raiden Mei in a calm tone.

He had explored the Elysian Realm Palace several times before, but this time, the portal opened by Vill-V had led him to an area he had never explored before. And as soon as he arrived in this new, unfamiliar area, a weak and helpless high-intelligence fairy shadow had called out to them for help. The artificiality of it all was barely concealed.

Out of trust for Vill-V, his supporter, and confidence in his own strength, Ren didn't mind following the little pink fairy's guidance to see where she would lead him.

Fairy Ely's pointed elf ears, hidden under her soft pink hair, twitched slightly. With her back to Ren and Raiden Mei, a faint smile appeared on her delicate and cute little face.

"What does Sir Warrior plan to do after finding Mobius? To be honest, Dr. Mobius is not very good at communicating and getting along with others. She even seems eccentric and difficult to approach in the eyes of ordinary people. If Sir Warrior wants to ask Mobius for help with something, even with me helping to mediate, it will probably take a lot of effort."

Fairy Ely turned around in mid-air and casually probed Ren.

Ever since the great battle between Ren and Kalpas that had shaken the entire Elysian Realm, Mobius had been trying to pester Vill-V to get information about Ren.

And Vill-V's response was to simply shut herself away. No matter how much Mobius pestered her, she didn't show her face, let alone reveal any clues about Ren.

Even Elysia herself had to wheedle and coax Vill-V for a long time before she managed to get permission to contact Ren.

She had been unwilling to reveal information about Ren to Mobius before, but now she was actively guiding Ren to meet Mobius face-to-face... Although this way of doing things was very much in Vill-V's style, Elysia, hidden behind the ELF, still puffed out her cheeks slightly.

"Just call me Joker. This is Acheron. As for our purpose in finding Mobius... it's to collect the Will Seed of Sin that she represents."

After briefly introducing themselves, Ren paused slightly before slowly revealing his purpose to the curious Fairy Ely.

"Collect the Will Seed of Sin that Mobius represents? I don't know what a Will Seed of Sin is, but getting something from Mobius is not an easy task. However, Miss Fairy believes that Lord Joker will definitely be able to achieve his goal!!"

Fairy Ely blinked, a subtle change in the expression on her small face. Although she didn't know what a Will Seed of Sin was, she knew Vill-V very well.

Vill-V, who had been avoiding Mobius, was now actively luring the very person Mobius wanted to know about to find her and obtain something called a Will Seed of Sin from her. She must be up to some mischievous scheme.

After a few seconds of silent mourning for Mobius in her heart, Elysia couldn't help but reveal a mischievous and joyful smile. A sense of eager anticipation welled up in her mind. She couldn't wait to see the delicious expression on Mobius's face after being pranked by Vill-V.

"Here we are. This is Mobius's residence. She never likes to go out. If nothing unexpected happens, she should be in her lab right now."

At the thought of doing bad things to Mobius, Fairy Ely's guiding became even more energetic. With her guidance, and after dealing with a few waves of shadow attacks along the way, Ren and Raiden Mei soon arrived at their destination.

"She actually uses her research institute as her home... Joker, is something wrong? You look a little strange."

The magnificent white research institute exuded a cold and gloomy aura. The colossal, pale institute was like a venomous snake hidden in the grass, secretly coiled in the rugged depths of the lush forest. If it weren't for the guidance of an insider like Fairy Ely, it would have taken Ren and Raiden Mei a great deal of effort to find it on their own.

As Raiden Mei marveled at Mobius's passion for her research, she turned to look at Ren beside her and was startled by his somewhat somber expression, thinking that there might be some hidden danger in the white research institute that she hadn't noticed.

"...No, it's nothing. I just remembered some not-so-pleasant memories."

Ren shook his head and dispelled the thought. He then examined the white research institute more carefully.

"The skylight on the side of the institute is open. Let's enter through there."

After a thorough examination, Ren's gaze quickly locked onto the open skylight, and he quickly decided on the entry point for this infiltration.

"We're going to infiltrate the institute through the skylight?!"

Fairy Ely's eyes widened, her hands clasped in front of her chest. Her pink eyes were still sparkling, and her tone was filled with excitement and anticipation.

"Of course. We're Phantom Thieves. If we have a choice of entry points, we definitely won't go through the front door."

Using the gloomy and twisted trees of the forest as cover, Ren and Raiden Mei bypassed the main entrance of the research institute and stood below the skylight. Then, he naturally responded to Fairy Ely, who had been following them all along.

"Acheron, don't move."

After instructing Mei, Ren reached out and wrapped an arm around the samurai girl's slender, soft waist.

Raiden Mei's fair face flushed slightly, and her body stiffened for a moment, but she quickly relaxed and even subtly adjusted her angle to press herself more naturally and tightly against Ren.

Under Fairy Ely's curious gaze, a crimson light flashed in Ren's free hand, and a precisely constructed black grappling hook appeared out of thin air.

Ren skillfully threw the grappling hook upwards, accurately hitting the edge of the skylight above.

After a gentle tug on the rope to confirm its stability, Ren pressed the grappling hook's mechanism. His body shot up into the air like a black falcon, holding Raiden Mei, who was leaning against his chest, and they both landed easily inside the white research institute.

Chapter 149: Your Name is Really Ely?!

"Damn that Vill-V, she won't reveal even a shred of information about that visitor to me!!"

In the low-temperature lab bathed in an eerie green light, Mobius aborted yet another failed experiment due to a lapse in concentration. She frowned in annoyance, even letting out an irritated "tch," and ground her teeth at the thought of Vill-V for the umpteenth time.

At this moment, Dr. Mobius's mind was consumed by an intense curiosity and thirst for knowledge about Ren Amamiya, and nothing else.

As for her fellow Flame-Chasers—Kalpas, who was defeated by Ren, and Sakura, who offered herself to him—Mobius couldn't care less about their fates.

It wasn't that she had no feelings for her comrades of fifty thousand years.

It was just that the Flame-Chasers living in the Elysian Realm were all, in essence, data constructs. As long as the Elysian Realm itself was not destroyed, their data could be recreated countless times, no matter how many times it was deleted.

The moment Ren Amamiya left the Elysian Realm, Vill-V had already adjusted the database and recreated the backups for both Kalpas and Sakura.

Sakura had acted of her own free will, so there was nothing to worry about. As for Kalpas, he was still alive and kicking. If he wanted revenge, he could very well go and settle the score with Ren himself.

With their core backup data intact, Kalpas being "killed" once by Ren was, in Mobius's eyes, no different from him tripping and falling on the road—just another piece of material for her to mock him with.

However…

"Backups, huh? Data backups of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers... Heh, can a new individual created by restoring a data backup truly be considered the same person?"

A rare, cold smile appeared on Mobius's face.

Though a mad scientist with no taboos, Mobius clearly still possessed a sense of ethics that differed from the usual villainous mad scientist trope.

But as a continuation of that cruel civilization's end, Mobius really had no other choice.

"No, I still have other choices! No matter how much the others are willing to debase themselves, I will become a true life form, the one and only, true Mobius!!"

Mobius pressed a hand to her forehead, her green-and-pink serpentine pupils trembling violently from her turbulent thoughts. A twisted, crazed expression appeared on her delicate, cute face.

The thought that the Elysian Realm's data was still recording and copying her own data at this very moment, and that it had the ability to recreate several identical Mobius-es at the same time, made her chest feel so tight she could hardly breathe.

She wished she could obtain a real body immediately, then completely delete all information about "Mobius" from the Elysian Realm's database, and finally escape this cage that had imprisoned her for fifty thousand years.

"If it's him, he should be able to grant my wish..."

The mysterious figure of Ren Amamiya appeared in Mobius's mind once again. She had reviewed all the records of his appearances in the Elysian Realm and knew that he possessed the Key of Corrosion, Jizo Mitama—a weapon the Previous Era had failed to complete even by its end.

With the power of the Key of Corrosion, and her as a willing inside agent, it would be child's play for Mobius to destroy the stored information about "Mobius" in the database. Once that was done, she would be the one and only, true Mobius!!

Furthermore, Mobius had a very strong premonition. She intuitively felt that Ren Amamiya, with his immense power, mysterious methods, and his role as an unknown variable injected into the unchanging Elysian Realm, would surely be able to fulfill her wish of obtaining a real body, allowing her to break free from the shackles of the Elysian Realm and walk the real world once more.

That was why Mobius so desperately craved any information about him.

Unfortunately, Vill-V completely avoided her. Kalpas was even more clueless than she was. As for Sakura...

Although the Sakura that Vill-V had recreated was the one from the moment she made contact with Ren and was about to offer herself as his power, and she seemed to have learned some special information from her contact with the Key of Corrosion, no matter how much Mobius questioned her, that blockhead would just remain silent, refusing to answer with even a single word.

After trying everything, Mobius had hit a wall everywhere she turned. In the end, the only thing she knew for sure was the mysterious masked man's codename.

"The Phantom Thief... Joker!!"

The words, spoken like a dream and filled with intense obsession, escaped Mobius's hoarse throat. Her pink-and-green serpentine eyes stared blankly ahead, her agitated mind once again uncontrollably churning with various complex ideas on how to obtain information about Ren Amamiya, or even how to meet him in person.

Until the very next moment.

BOOM—!!!

The locked door of the lab let out a deafening groan as it was blasted off its hinges by a massive force from outside, crashing into a row of lab tables before embedding itself deep into the wall.

As if a fantasy had become reality, Mobius instinctively turned her numb gaze towards the laboratory entrance. Before she could even frown or feel a surge of anger, the black figure standing at the entrance shot into her vision like a bolt of lightning, causing her pupils to constrict violently.

"So you already detected my infiltration? As expected of Vill-V's designated target. You're certainly different from the other test subjects."

Dressed in a black trench coat-style phantom thief outfit and a strange, white, half-coverage mask shaped like a bird, Ren Amamiya tugged at the red gloves on his hands. He looked at the figure of Mobius sitting in the shadows of the lab and couldn't help but sigh in admiration.

This lab was highly sealed, with the main door being the only proper entrance. Before Ren, who was lurking outside, could even try to find an alternative entry point like a ventilation duct, he had keenly heard the girlish voice from inside, muttering his codename through gritted teeth.

It was obvious he had been discovered. The smooth, unobstructed infiltration might have been the result of this "Mobius" deliberately letting him through, waiting for him to come to her.

Therefore, upon hearing his codename being chanted through clenched teeth from within the lab, Ren had unhesitatingly kicked open the locked door and appeared openly before his target.

"So you're Mobius. You look a little different from what I expected..."

He sized up the green-haired girl sitting in the shadows, confirming her identity.

On his way here, Ren had already received some intel about Mobius from the little pink fairy. He just hadn't expected "Dr. Mobius" to look so young and petite. It wouldn't be wrong to call her a loli.

Looking at Mobius's surprisingly youthful form and face, Ren couldn't help but think of the other two doctors he had met. Beautiful girl doctors really are a staple of the gaming world, aren't they?

"Phantom Thief Joker. I was just thinking about how to find you, and you've delivered yourself to my doorstep?"

A strange light flickered in Mobius's pink-and-green eyes. She subconsciously extended her nimble, pink tongue and licked her lips like a viper. An ecstatic, delighted grin uncontrollably spread across her face.

The target she had dreamed of meeting had now appeared right before her. How could Mobius, who had been so frustrated and fruitless in her search, not feel excited, even euphoric?

Just the sight of Ren made Mobius's mind tingle with excitement, as if the realization of her dream was within reach.

"You were looking for me? Why?"

Hearing Mobius's slightly joyful and excited words, Ren raised an eyebrow slightly and asked noncommittally.

"I mean you no harm. Even if you caused some irreversible damage to the Elysian Realm, it's all the same to me... I just want to cooperate with you. I want you to cooperate with me on some small, harmless, ordinary experiments."

A bewitching smile that didn't match her appearance bloomed on Mobius's face. Her voice was like a deadly poison laced with honey, both incredibly alluring and extremely dangerous.

"Experiments? What kind of experiments are you planning for me to cooperate on?"

Contrary to his expectation of an immediate battle, the target, Mobius, was surprisingly showing a willingness to communicate. Although her tone and expression were a bit unusual, Ren didn't mind exchanging a few more words with her.

If he could, through conversation, directly induce Mobius to hand over the last Will Seed of Sin, or even persuade her to become his Persona, that would naturally be the best outcome.

Of course, if Mobius tried to trick him into some kind of human experiment on her operating table, Ren would not hesitate to resort to the most primitive and classic method: give her a good thrashing first, then proceed with the thievery.

"Don't be so defensive, Big Brother. I really mean no harm. I would never hurt you. I just want your help. Help me, okay, Big Brother..."

"In this world, only you can help me. I hope, Big Brother, that you can use your weapon, that Jizo Mitama, to... huh?!"

Mobius clasped her hands in front of her chest and looked up at Ren with an innocent expression, exuding a pitiable and lovable cuteness, like a harmless little girl who matched her appearance, her voice somewhat affectedly sweet.

However, just as Mobius was about to reveal her plan to Ren, a small head peeking out from behind him completely captured her attention, causing the words she was about to say to be caught in her throat, replaced by a soft "hmph."

"You're—Ely...?!"

Mobius's eyes widened. She was about to instinctively call out Elysia's name.

Elysia was an absolutely crucial core existence in the Elysian Realm. Although Mobius only planned to use the Key of Corrosion to destroy the data about herself, it was still an act of damaging the Elysian Realm's database, a malicious act that Elysia would never agree to.

Therefore, when the ELF created by Elysia appeared before her along with Ren, Mobius, who already had a guilty conscience and had almost revealed her entire plan, instantly panicked. Her pink-and-green serpentine pupils began to flicker guiltily.

"—That's right! I am the cute and beautiful fairy, the righteous Miss Pink Fairy Ely!!"

Under Elysia's control, the little pink fairy with white wings placed her hands on her hips in a proud and righteous pose.

She spoke loudly, trying to drown out Mobius's voice, and successfully interrupted her from finishing her sentence. In the end, Mobius had only managed to subconsciously call out the two syllables, "Ely."

"Fairy Ely? You didn't call yourself that before."

A slightly questioning voice came from further behind. Mobius, whose gaze had been fixed on Ren, only now noticed that there was another person behind him.

Looking at Raiden Mei, who was frowning slightly at Fairy Ely, a hint of surprise flashed in Mobius's eyes.

"Well, that was our first meeting, after all. Although Lord Joker saved my life, it's a matter of a beautiful maiden's modesty not to introduce herself before the gentleman has introduced himself~~~~"

Fairy Ely twirled a small finger matter-of-factly and chattered away while floating in mid-air.

"Besides, when Lord Joker first met me, he subconsciously called me 'Fairy Ely.' In that situation, if I had just straightforwardly said my name was Fairy Ely, wouldn't that have made me seem like a suspicious person who makes up a fake name on the spot?"