North Africa, Sahara Desert, Newborn World Serpent Headquarters, underground base.
The virtual remote meeting was still in progress.
In the conference room, after MEI mentioned the organizational development resolution based on "Path" and confirmed it with Mobius and the others, she detailed her account of the strange space she had abruptly entered.
"...That place felt like a vast and boundless starry sky."
"I strolled on a path of light, its reality uncertain, with no end in sight."
"Yet, I was constantly drawn to it, step by step, continuing forward."
MEI seriously described her experiences and feelings at the time.
Until she finished speaking...
"Back then, when we were just simple Memory Bodies who could only move within the Elysian Realm... one day, we heard Mr. Ling Ke talk about the Path."
Su's Memory Body, as usual with his eyes closed, slowly said: "He said that Path was originally a conceptual power from another parallel universe."
"In that world, there are Aeons that embody different Paths, and Emanators, individuals chosen by an Aeon and granted certain authorities and transcendent power."
"For an Emanator to be chosen by an Aeon, they must first be glimpsed by it and receive its attention."
"The conditions for achieving such a miracle are not many."
"Being able to meet one directly in reality is undoubtedly the luckiest (unluckiest) way."
"Besides that, one can also dwell within the legendary Path Interstice."
At this point, Su's Memory Body actually opened his eyes slightly, a rare sight, and turned his head toward the purple-haired girl in the main seat wearing large-rimmed glasses. "MEI, according to what Mr. Ling Ke said before,"
"Those who stepped onto a Path before he made those 'announcements' today are either lucky (unlucky) enough for some event to trigger it,"
"Or they are simply exceptional individuals."
"And you are currently the only one among us who has stepped onto a Path and has even entered the legendary Path Interstice."
"Perhaps, if the Path you stepped onto now has a corresponding Aeon, then before... you might have been glimpsed by it."
His words were well-reasoned.
And on top of that...
"The universe is boundless. There are countless advanced intelligent civilizations and powerful astral lifeforms."
"Yet now, among the existing eighteen Paths, only five Divine Thrones are occupied."
Su's Memory Body closed his eyes again and said slowly, "Without a doubt, ascending to the Divine Throne of an Aeon is no easy feat."
"We should avoid being overly ambitious."
Everyone present generally agreed with his point of view.
Of course, some people with naturally arrogant personalities had their competitive spirit ignited instead.
But... in the end, it was just as Su's Memory Body said: becoming an Aeon is absolutely... hard! Hard! Hard!
It had little to do with what kind of personality you have.
Ultimately, it all comes down to one's own abilities.
And speaking of that...
"Um, MEI."
Young Kevin tentatively raised his hand and asked, "I don't know if I should ask this now... but I'm really curious!"
"What Path did you step onto?"
"..." × N
Now, everyone's gaze in the conference room fell on MEI.
"..."
MEI was somewhat speechless.
This Kevin really knew how to get her into trouble.
Helpless, she could only roll her eyes at him, then looked around at the others and said, "The Path I stepped onto should be Erudition."
"Oh."
At this moment, many people's faces showed expressions of "As expected, I thought so.jpg".
The two Elysias, after performing a perfectly synchronized tactical lean back, looked at each other and smiled.
Then they began to mutter things like "We're so in sync," "Of course we are," and "Guess what Path we stepped onto."
"Maybe it's Beauty?" Elysia's Memory Body smiled.
"Shouldn't it be Voracity? You eat so much." Mobius unconsciously retorted, "You've gained weight again lately, haven't you!"
"No, I haven't!" ×2
The two pink piggies protested at the same time.
"Tch, boring."
Kalpas's Memory Body clicked his tongue and complained.
His expression... well, you couldn't see it at all, as it was covered by his mask.
"Ahem~"
Seeing that the meeting was getting off track, MEI cleared her throat again and steered the conversation back on course.
Just as she was about to speak...
"We'll put the topic of 'Paths' on hold for now."
Her expression suddenly became very serious. "The next matter is the main point of today's meeting."
With that, MEI didn't even wait for the others to compose themselves before pressing a button on the console in front of her.
The next moment, a light screen appeared on the wall behind her, which had been empty just before.
Using this simple and direct projection technology...
"..."
In the conference room, Kevin and Fu Hua's faces turned extremely grim.
Because the light screen behind MEI was now displaying a series of extremely negative news reports about "Superhumans," published today by several well-known news agencies from various countries around the world.
Many of the reports included footage of Kevin destroying towns and forests in the Far East while chasing Kiana and Sirin. There were also images of Fu Hua and Raiden Mei's battle at sea, which had triggered a massive storm and tsunami, smashing countless ships and even some warships, and nearly flooding the entire Nagazora.
Regarding these things...
Kevin and Fu Hua were not the kind of people to deny their actions.
On the contrary, they had long since prepared themselves for the consequences before ever taking action, firmly walking the path of the Flame-Chaser while never considering themselves heroes.
But right now, they could both see...
"MEI, is this the impact you mentioned earlier, caused by people exploiting my actions today?" Kevin asked.
"Yes."
MEI nodded. "It is no surprise, and even reasonable, that the things you... no, the things our Newborn World Serpent did today are being criticized, cursed, and even hated by others."
"But..."
MEI manipulated the information displayed on the holographic screen.
This time, it wasn't a report on Kevin or Fu Hua, but... one about Sakura.
"Sakura took action in Nagazora today, freezing the massive tsunami that almost flooded the entire city."
"Without a doubt, this was a rescue mission."
"But now, reports from various media outlets, and even across the global internet, are overwhelmingly negative toward her actions."
"If it were simply people venting their emotions and taking their anger out on the Superhuman community, it wouldn't be so surprising."
"But the problem is..."
MEI looked at Mobius's virtual remote projection.
The latter understood and continued, "A portion of these negative reports was deliberately spread by the high ranking officials of the Moths Who Chase the Flames, who contacted media outlets in various countries."
"Create public pressure first, then force a certain group to compromise... This is obviously a common tactic used by those politicians."
"They had been preparing for this for a long time, MEI... I warned you about this before."
Mobius looked at the others, excluding the Memory Bodies. "You all should have expected this. It shouldn't come as a surprise."
"Back when you were investigating that Serene Miniature Garden, those useless fools were already planning to sabotage you."
"But then, the Third Herrscher caused worldwide panic. You were helping to deal with it and killed many of those alien monsters, so the matter was delayed."
"But today, to stop Raiden Mei and hunt down that girl who might become a God in the future and will likely stand against us, you really did a lot..."
She trailed off.
Everyone in the conference room knew exactly what Mobius meant by her unfinished sentence.
The death of innocent people.
This wasn't something that could be dismissed with a simple "I've accepted the consequences."
Those people were also "chosen."
This time, they were the arrogant "choosers."
This is "sin."
Suddenly...
"Hmm?"
Elysia, who was also heartbroken, frowned.
She looked at the virtual projection. "Dr. Mobius?"
"Ugh..."
The remote virtual projection of Mobius... her expression was very strange.
She was frowning deeply, her face showing extreme pain.
Then...
"!!!" x N
Everyone in the conference room watched in shock as a large amount of blood spilled from Mobius's mouth in the virtual projection.
And then...
*Shuck—*
*Shuck, shuck—*
Mobius's body tilted backward... no, she was forced into that position.
Her feet had already left the ground.
In her abdomen and even her chest, strange, ink-colored spikes had pierced through her body.
Several of the spikes had clearly pierced her heart... and other vital organs.
They were forcibly hoisting her entire body up.
"Dr. Mobius!"
Almost everyone in the virtual conference room, including Elysia, stood up and tried to do something.
But... separated by great distance, no one could instantly travel from the African continent to the Mu Continent.
The only person with that ability... she had not joined the Newborn World Serpent.
They could do nothing.
They could only watch helplessly...
"Ugh... Heh... Heh..."
Mobius, who had been coughing up blood, struggled desperately.
Her hands flailed wildly in the air as if trying to grab something, but they only swept through empty space over and over again.
She turned her head with difficulty, but before she could see what was behind her...
*Shuck—*
The spikes that had pierced her body tore outward in opposite directions, like the claws of a savage beast.
Blood stained everything red.
The feed from the Mu Continent cut off, leaving the North African side unable to see anything more.
"..."
The virtual conference room fell into a dead silence.
After a long moment...
"Heh... Hehehehe..."
The virtual projection from the Mu Continent showed movement again.
It seemed as if someone else was fiddling with the equipment on that end.
Soon, the projection that had belonged to Mobius was replaced by a petite figure in a black dress.
"Hello everyone~"
The figure wore a wicked smile, her snake-like eyes scanning everyone in the conference room. "Were you calling for me just now?"