To create Honkai Impact 3rd in a world where Kallen exists.

"I was just curious~ But I'll still trouble you, Eden?~"

Alicia nodded with a smile, and under the silent urging of Qianjie and Vilvi, changed back into her original clothes.

This color scheme... it really doesn't suit her.

...

"A word to the wise is enough," perfectly describes Mei and Erosion's current situation.

No matter how nice the other party's words are, Mei's anger at their actions will not easily dissipate.

She kept insisting that she had no intention of harming anyone, but those obituaries that fluttered like snowflakes, those specks of light that drifted from her palm... could not be illusions.

The paradise that the Herrscher of Corruption spoke of has not disappeared, they have not disappeared...

The source, however, was merely her own absurd and unbelievable claim that she had obtained their data, experienced their experiences, and inherited their emotions and will.

She seized this place, manipulated everything, and wantonly trampled on the last traces left by these heroes in the world...

Yet they say it can be seen as a continuation of the lives of heroes?

Mei lowered her eyes, concealing the anger in her pupils.

"They died right before my eyes, and you claim to be the continuation of their lives?"

Mei was almost laughing out of anger. How could the other person have the nerve to say such a thing?

The faded eyes of the girl before Mei were dim, revealing a girl's unique helplessness. Every frown and smile reminded her of the person she knew, which made Mei's anger even greater.

"It seems that no matter what, in Mei's heart, I'm a bad person, huh?"

"It seems we have no choice but to fight."

The Herrscher of Corruption shook her head with some regret; fighting was not her intention.

But in order to prove that she had indeed 'inherited' Yingjie's will and was a continuation of their lives, she fought Mei in the subsequent battles in the forms of Vervie, Mebius, and Qianjie.

Moreover, that power... was exactly the same as the one Mei had felt before.

There are no winners in a battle.

The Herrscher of Corruption seemed to genuinely consider it a friendly spar, silently proving that she had been saying there was no malice involved.

Just like she always showed Mei, with a charming smile.

...

【Pah! You dare call yourself a continuation of the heroes?】

[Fighting using a friend's fighting style... No wonder she's a Herrscher who messes with people's mentality]

[You're the bad guy, if you're not the bad guy, then who is?]

In fact, Mei chose to stop because of the pain from the spiral imprint in her brain.

The pain even made her suspect that the erosion nearby had already launched an attack on her.

For a moment, she also recalled the meaningful words that Wilvi had once said: in her plan, there was a part that Sue had to complete, as well as the importance of Mei herself that she had repeatedly emphasized.

From this perspective alone, it is also necessary to keep this corrupting herrscher, who claims to have no ill intentions towards her, occupied.

"Mei, are you really not going to have a proper talk with me again?"

"I can give you all the answers you want, okay?"

The Herrscher of Corruption opened her eyes wide, looked at the other party with a smile, and brought up a long-ago matter, the original promise made by Alicia.

Now... let her do it for him/her?

"Hmm...that's what Alicia told you, right?"

"Let's go to that misty island, to the site of that final banquet, and witness the birth and end of the Thirteenth Herrscher together."

Snapped--

With a snap of the fingers, the scenery within the paradise began to change, and when the dazzling lights came on, the furnishings were no longer what they used to be.

She silently demonstrated her current control over Paradise, as if it were a form of deterrence.

Mei's pupils contracted, and she glanced at the other person while pursing her lips.

"So... were you threatening me just now?"

"Mei is so mean! I just... wanted to save time on the journey!"

The Herrscher of Corruption, leaning slightly back against the sky, smiled and said...

"Come on, Mei—let's fulfill that promise we made back then."

"Next is the time for us to confide in each other, just like... a date?"

The words spoken sounded as if she had listened quietly to them under the warm sunset countless days ago, coming from the mouth of that fairy-like girl, but now... everything has changed.

Mei remained silent, staring coldly at the other person.

...

In the courtyard hall,

"Alicia, the Herrscher of Corruption who's about to go on a date with Mei has appeared!"

Mebius spoke expressionlessly, in a tone of reverence.

"Uh, my dear Möbius, if it only appeared once in the game's loudspeaker, there's no need to remember it now, is there?"

"Besides, Mei will never give in to the other party, am I right?"

Alicia cupped her face in her hands and looked at the green-haired loli in front of her.

I really can't tell whether the other party hates the Herrscher of Corruption more or hates her more.

It's really hard to predict what a stubborn person might say.

In a sense, it is a rare skill that a simple sentence can be remembered so vividly by a PhD student.

"One by one, they all want to steal my Mei. Wow, Mei, do you have some kind of Herrscher-attracting physique?"

Kiana sighed silently, feeling that the road to protecting the buds was still long and arduous.

It must be because Mei is just too outstanding!

"...Is it possible that the Herrscher of Corruption is just imitating Alicia, and that she isn't actually interested in me?"

Mei poked the other's forehead, forcing the insect's head to shake back several times before returning to its original position.

Kiana puffed out her cheeks and continued to move closer to Mei.

Their persistent attitude is quite adorable.

...

The Ferris wheel swayed slowly, round and round, past the accompanying lights and nightscape. This gave the two inside ample time to discuss their matters.

During what is called a date.

The Herrscher of Corruption always displays aspects similar to Alicia, and it's easy to see from her words that she wants to completely replace Alicia.

Even Mei was somewhat puzzled. She didn't understand why the other person always tried to imitate Alicia's actions, and even missed many suitable opportunities because of it.

In addition, she poured out her grievances to Mei, expressing her innocence and hoping to gain Mei's understanding.

She said it was like a naive child, with only a vague and mechanical understanding of the world...

The only emotion she had was the desire to live, and her only instinct.

So in that first encounter, she 'subconsciously' chose to take action.

She sighed softly, her brows furrowing in helplessness, her eyes filled with sorrow as she gazed at Mei.

"If Mei were in a similar situation to me, she would understand..."

"I was so helpless back then, and now... I regret it so much."

The scene shifted dramatically under her control; in the hazy night, countless faded monsters appeared before her, motionless, but their inorganic eyes fixed on her.

The air seemed to freeze, the murderous intent permeating the air sending chills down one's spine.

Instinctively, Mei pulled out the hilt of the knife.

With a flash of light, everything vanished, and the scene, under the control of the Corruptor, returned to the Ferris wheel cabin.

She looked at Mei with a somewhat helpless expression and said,

"That way, Mei can understand what kind of situation I was in back then."

"Didn't you notice?...None of them...intended to hurt you, did they?"

Mei remained silent; she had just sensed a threat.

Besides, they're just Honkai Beasts... Mei seemed to understand the problem the other party was trying to point out. To her, perhaps humans were the aliens, while Honkai Beasts were more like friends.

When faced with an enemy, the first thing to do is to resist.

She used a simple experiment to show Mei that the other person's way of thinking was different.

The Herrscher of Corruption continued to guide them, saying that the death of a memory entity should be a different manifestation than that of a normal life form.

And she can bring memories back to life...

With a snap of her fingers, she conjured up the image of Velvet and began to speak with her. In simple conversations, Mei couldn't tell whether it was the Herrscher of Corruption or Velvet herself.

Then, there was Qianjie again, mimicking his irritable tone perfectly. Not wanting him to see his ugly side, he said his final goodbye to Mei.

A deafening lightning strike shattered the illusion like a mirror.

No matter how real it may seem, it wouldn't be them.

"--you!"

The Herrscher of Corruption couldn't help but shout angrily, but the moment the next word came out, she transformed into a feigned angry expression, pulling back her broken face.

"Stop pretending."

"...And stop imitating her; that will only expose your terrible acting skills."

Mei stared coldly at her, the other woman repeatedly using a face that wasn't hers.

And now, he still claims Alicia's appearance as his own.