Newborn World Serpent Headquarters, Virtual Remote Conference Room.
The atmosphere in the room was... a bit strange.
How should I describe it?
Everyone was a familiar face?
Well, yeah. So many of them were so familiar that they were sharing the same face in groups of two or three.
"Ahem~"
MEI coughed helplessly.
She could only say, thank goodness she was the only MEI present.
Even though the three Kevins beside her all looked over at once, even someone as rational as she was almost couldn't keep a straight face.
Her eyelid twitched, and her lips couldn't help but tremble.
After a long moment...
"The situation is urgent, so I'll get straight to the point!"
MEI finally calmed down. Then... she stood up from the main seat. "First, welcome the eleven new members to Newborn World Serpent. Our top combat power has been greatly strengthened..."
"Are we really considered 'new members'?"
"Well, since it's called 'Newborn World Serpent,' of course it will be distinguished from the old organization!"
"Besides, we weren't officially part of World Serpent before. We were just giving those executives a little test and an 'imprint'."
"That's true."
***
Low whispers filled the room.
Looking closely, it seemed to be Vill-V's Memory Body muttering to herself.
MEI: "..."
Well, all she could do was pretend not to hear it.
Without calling out who had just interrupted, she continued, "Everyone should be quite familiar with the eleven new members who have joined our faction."
"After all, they could be considered 'future versions' of yourselves."
At this, Ancestor Kevin, the 'Returnee', couldn't help but glance at Memory Body Kevin.
For a moment...
Kevin: →_→
Memory Body Kevin: ←_←
Young Kevin: ???
Obviously, the two old hands were fine with it.
But a certain Far East high school student, who had dropped out halfway, couldn't stand it at all.
To make matters worse, he was sitting right between the two Kevins...
"Why do I have to attend this meeting too?"
The young Kevin scratched his head, looking distressed.
He felt like he shouldn't even be here.
Just then...
"Dr. MEI."
In the meeting room, the gentle woman with waist length wine red hair said with a smile, "You can just call us Memory Bodies, so it's easier to tell us apart... We won't mind."
"This..."
MEI still hesitated slightly.
But when she saw most of the other ten Flame-Chasers' Memory Bodies nod, and only a few... like Kalpas's Memory Body, completely ignored it... she stopped insisting.
"Alright."
MEI accepted the kind offer from the gentle woman, Eden's Memory Body.
Then, she explained to the others: "As Miss Eden said, they are all Memory Bodies from the future Elysian Realm."
"And for the past few months, they have been in a special domain called the Theater of Domination, which is controlled by that person... Ling ke."
At this point, MEI turned her head to look at a pink haired girl (?) beside her. The girl understood and smoothly took over the conversation.
"Everyone, don't worry. All the information we mention today is within the scope of what is allowed to be revealed."
"Therefore... in a certain sense, this could be considered as us having received his (Ling ke's) permission."
"To use his (Ling ke's) own words: this is an operation and method that is 'allowed within the rules'."
The pink haired girl (?)... Elysia's Memory Body, said.
She waited for a moment, and after seeing that everyone else had gradually indicated their understanding, she continued: "Ling ke's 'Theater of Domination' is a special space completely independent of the 'Proper World'."
"There, as the sole master, he controls everything."
"For example: forcibly incorporating the former 'Elysian Realm' into it and turning it into a series of 'Instances'."
"For example: completely 'gamifying' us Memory Bodies, defeating us time and time again, and reviving us time and time again."
"In short... yes, you've also seen it."
Elysia's Memory Body made a final statement, "The many methods he has demonstrated are all truly... in the realm of a 'God'."
She looked at the white haired young man (?) sitting closest to MEI. "Kevin, you should have already received and understood the subtle hints and warnings Su conveyed through that 'Non-existent Memory'."
"Correct."
Kevin nodded. "Only that person (Ling ke) is someone we must not make an enemy of."
Most of the people present had no objections to this point.
Although a hothead like the young Kevin, who hadn't yet been beaten down by society, might have felt some dissatisfaction.
But fortunately, as he was currently just a "little follower," he listened to MEI very well.
So...
"Mr. Ling ke is very powerful, a kind of power we cannot comprehend."
Eden's Memory Body chimed in. "This can be seen just from the anomaly that appeared when that 'Declaration' was announced today."
Indeed.
Stopping time, but not restraining consciousness.
It was clearly telling you with actual actions: I'm going to speak now, and you all have to listen carefully.
As for the concept of "Path" that he mentioned today...
"Path... If what Ling ke said is true, then I should be considered a Pathstrider now," MEI said suddenly.
At the same time, she raised her right hand, showing everyone the results of her recent breakthrough.
An invisible ripple emerged, distorting the light in the room.
With a flick of her fingers, a pen in front of her floated into the air.
"That's... power similar to a psychic type MANTIS!" Su's Memory Body analyzed.
"This is just... the most basic manifestation of the ability I've obtained... or rather, awakened," MEI explained.
"It has many other fascinating uses."
She guided the pen back to its original position and continued, "However, a talent show isn't the focus of this meeting."
She didn't reveal too much of her hand. Instead, she looked around at everyone and said seriously, "What I want to say is, since we've discovered a safer way to obtain superhuman power than the Hypermutation Surgery, then..."
Her gaze fell on Mobius's virtual projection. "Until the success rate of the Hypermutation Surgery improves, I think we should shift our personnel's focus from power enhancement to researching and studying the power of the Path."
As she finished her statement...
"What are you looking at me for? It's not like I have any objections."
Mobius's virtual projection, transmitted from the distant Mu Continent, showed an impatient expression. "I'm not that kind of conservative person. I wouldn't be foolish enough to hang myself from a small, old tree."
"Besides, it's not like I didn't hear all that important information today... Aeons! They are beings with a higher status than even the Cocoon of Finality."
"Now that we have this broad road with a higher upper limit, I'll take the challenge even if the hope of ascending the Divine Throne is incredibly slim."
"I won't waste my time on the MANTIS path, which has a limited upper limit and is full of side effects and hidden dangers."
She spoke quite bluntly.
However, there was one thing that had to be said.
As MEI had just mentioned, eleven new members joined the Newborn World Serpent today.
However, there were thirteen Memory Bodies of the Flame-Chasers.
In other words, two of the Flame-Chasers' Memory Bodies did not come here to contact MEI, Kevin, and the others.
One of them was Pardofelis's Memory Body, who simply didn't want to deal with this mess anymore and just wanted to live a quiet life with her cat food.
The other was Mobius's Memory Body, who had taken ELF Klein with her.
Now, both of them had vanished without a trace, and they hadn't told the other Memory Bodies about their future plans or goals before they left.
Therefore...
Setting aside the cat girl herself, who was still living a leisurely life in the isolated Sundown Alley and wouldn't worry about anything happening outside...
The original Mobius actually had a lingering bad feeling in her heart.
It couldn't be helped. She knew "herself" too well.
She wasn't like Elysia, who would excitedly rush to meet another version of herself, nor was she like Sakura, who would get lost in her own overthinking.
Her thought process was simple. And direct.
"There can only be one Mobius in this world."
"If there is a second one..."
"Then she can only be on my (Mobius's) operating table!" x2
Mu Continent, near the First Research Institute of the Moths Who Chase the Flames.
A mass of muddy dark green substance had already slithered to the area around the facility.
Like a venomous snake eyeing its prey, it was about to lunge forward, entwine the prey's body, bite its neck, and let it struggle.
Then, wait for the opponent to lose their will to resist in despair.
And finally... lose everything.