Inside the virtual meeting room at the Newborn World Serpent Headquarters.
The atmosphere was... incredibly oppressive.
No one could have ever imagined that the first casualty in their own ranks would not be caused by an unknown external enemy, but...
"Why did you do this?"
As the Sovereign of the Newborn World Serpent, Kevin did not usually involve himself in the organization's internal management, but right now... he knew he had to step forward.
Step forward and personally demand an answer... from Memory Body Mobius.
Ask her what the point of this was. What was her goal?
He suppressed the anger in his heart.
However...
"Kevin... Perhaps I shouldn't call you 'MEI's little lackey' anymore?"
"You're not really a good fit for it anymore."
In the virtual projection, the petite figure in the black dress... Memory Body Mobius, toyed with the green finger-stalls on her right index, middle, and thumb, and said with a deliberate, wicked smile, "After all, the role of 'little lackey'... oh! That naive young man over there with the light still in his eyes might be a better fit?"
With those words, Memory Body Mobius's gaze fell on Young Kevin.
In response...
"..."
Young Kevin took a step back, staring warily at this... much smaller "Mobius."
At this stage, he was still a hot-blooded young man. Therefore... he strongly disliked her actions.
Of course, he wasn't the only one who found it repulsive.
Some people didn't just dislike it; they were genuinely disgusted.
Like a certain masked, hot-tempered guy.
With his feet casually resting on the conference table, he clicked his tongue in annoyance, then turned his head away. He didn't even want to look at Memory Body Mobius's virtual projection. Out of sight, out of mind.
Even...
"..."
"..."
In the virtual conference room, two Vill-V sat opposite each other across the table, unlike the two Elysias who were sitting close together. Both of them had unnatural expressions on their faces.
They were actually quite crazy themselves.
But when it came to "killing oneself," they really weren't as crazy as the two Mobius.
Even so...
Some things can be mutually ignored if everyone agrees not to mention them... or even never brings them up at all.
But now, Memory Body Mobius's actions have brought certain sensitive issues directly to the table.
As a result, putting aside everyone else for a moment... the two Vill-V have already become wary of each other.
They couldn't be sure if the "Pure Evil" inside the other would suddenly emerge and run wild.
This time, when she looked back at the virtual projection of Memory Body Mobius...
"How boring. You're all so boring."
Memory Body Mobius glanced around the virtual conference room at everyone.
Her gaze finally lingered for a brief moment only on Memory Body Eden... and Memory Body Griseo.
Then, as if giving up on everything, she said to herself, "You're all so wary of me right now..."
She then looked at the white haired young man(?). "And Kevin, the reason you asked me such a question is ultimately because you don't understand what 'Mobius' truly is."
"You don't know what kind of person I am... of course, maybe you have no interest in knowing... well, I don't care either."
Memory Body Mobius sneered. "But the fact is, she and I both had the same idea."
"We both wanted to be the one and only, true Mobius."
"We didn't want to share this name with so called 'another self'."
"So... I made my move."
Mobius tilted her head back slightly, laughing with a hint of madness. "That's right, she and I are no different. We aren't even two sides of the same coin. We are identical."
At this point, her expression suddenly turned cold. "Precisely because we are the same, it's the most disgusting thing."
"I couldn't stand this sick joke of a situation, as if ten million ants and maggots were crawling all over me at all times..."
At this moment, her left hand, clad in a small black glove, was casually twirling her emerald green curly hair, clearly showing no remorse whatsoever for everything she had just done.
Just then...
"True, if you really want to get technical... there's a difference now."
Memory Body Mobius's lips curled into a smug smile. "Because I struck first."
"I secured my victory while she was still weak."
"She is gone, and I remain... that is the only difference."
Memory Body Mobius grew more excited as she spoke. "Yes! From today... no, from this very moment, I am the one and only, the true Mobius."
"Heh~ Hahaha!"
"Hahahaha!!!"
Memory Body Mobius laughed.
She laughed with aberrant joy.
Suddenly...
Silence.
Her laughter stopped abruptly. "Tell me..."
She looked at the others again. "Does this count as a kind of 'rebirth'?"
"A snake must shed its old skin to live longer and go further."
"..." x N
At this moment, after hearing these words that sounded like a 'declaration,' the virtual conference room fell silent.
Among them, Dr. Einstein, who was also on the Mu Continent, looked incredibly pale... and conflicted.
She was a very kind person.
So kind that she would even consider the human rights of the other intelligent species she had created.
She had originally agreed to Kevin's invitation and secretly joined the Newborn World Serpent to save this dying era, to prevent it from walking the old path to destruction.
But, everything that had happened inside this organization today...
The way Kevin had repeatedly caught innocent people in the crossfire during his past pursuit missions...
And now...
She finally realized that the former Mobius's reputation for cruelty might have been an understatement.
"Was my choice truly correct?"
"They are truly... terrifying!"
"It feels as if humanity's warmth has gradually faded away."
"Cold, numb!"
"To disregard minor details to achieve a goal? To even use any means necessary?"
"Can a chilling philosophy like this really save this era?"
Incredibly, Dr. Einstein's heart filled with this series of troubling thoughts.
And they began to take root, impossible to erase.
Just then...
"Mobius."
MEI, who had been silent for a long time in the main seat, finally spoke again.
It was as if her earlier silence was spent rapidly weighing the pros and cons.
And the result of that weighing...
"I will call you by this name as you wish, for now."
MEI looked directly at the virtual projection of Memory Body Mobius and asked seriously, "I've noticed that from the beginning, you've only ever considered things from your own perspective."
"So I want to know..."
She spoke bluntly, "Now that 'she (Mobius)' is dead, killed by you... what comes next?"
"Are you going to take her place in The Moths Who Chase the Flames' First Research Division, or... take her place in the hearts of others?"
"Or perhaps..."
"These matters have nothing to do with you, MEI."
Memory Body Mobius interrupted MEI's question, her tone indifferent. "I know you don't trust me... and as it happens, I don't trust you either."
"Now that the grand road called the 'Path' lies before me, I... don't need you anymore."
"Yes, I no longer need you, or anyone else!"
"I have found the path I want to walk, and I can walk to the end on my own."
"As for... saving this rotten era?"
"No, no, no. Throwing myself into such a meaningless cause would only hold me back."
"So, what I plan to do in the future... why should I foolishly tell you?"
A cold sneer reappeared on her face. "Alright, greetings are done. Let's end the small talk here!"
"I'm very busy. I have to deal with my most precious... new experimental material (her corpse)!"
"Goodbye!"
"And preferably... never see you again!"
Memory Body Mobius narrowed her eyes, her gaze full of threat. "MEI, you know what I mean."
"You... and all of you, shouldn't waste any more energy on me."
"Otherwise... heh~"
She didn't finish her sentence.
But everyone knew what she meant.
At this moment, having said everything she wanted to say, Memory Body Mobius's virtual projection completely vanished.
She had cut off the communication from Mu Continent.
Without hesitation, and without any regret.
She was going to pursue her own path of "evolution."
Facing this situation...
"MEI."
Young Kevin looked at her. "What should we do next?"
At this moment, he was the only one in the conference room to ask a question.
It could only be said that the other two Kevins were undoubtedly more experienced in dealing with people.
They knew very well that although MEI was excellent, she wasn't omnipotent.
Therefore, they wouldn't put any more pressure on MEI at a time like this.
But since Young Kevin had already asked...
"Memory Body Mobius is a huge hidden danger."
MEI sat back in the main seat, rubbing her brow with her right hand. "Now it seems we must deploy a portion of our forces to Mu Continent."
"On one hand, we need to investigate the full details of the First Research Division's subsequent developments."
"On the other hand..."
Her gaze fell on Dr. Einstein. "The safety of our own members can no longer be ignored."
"Security forces formed from ordinary people are simply not enough to resist the supernatural."
"Memory Body Mobius wasn't wrong..."
MEI finally looked at her own palm, which was again showing an abnormal energy fluctuation. "Even if 'we' have great potential, we are still too weak right now."
"It's too easy... to be shattered and lose everything."
Having said this...
"Let's end today's meeting here."
She suddenly changed the subject and looked around at everyone. "I'm sorry, I might need to get some good rest, and then... organize my thoughts to make the next... and even more long-term, proper arrangements."
Hearing her say this and sensing the unmistakable exhaustion in her tone, everyone nodded in understanding.
Then, they began to leave one by one.
In truth, the others also needed time to quiet their minds and reflect on many things.
Because of this, most of them didn't want to stay any longer.
However...
At that moment, a rather strange scene unfolded.
As Dr. Einstein's hologram and the virtual projections of the other absent members slowly faded out, the people present stood up...
"..."
"..."
They all noticed a very strange atmosphere between the two Vill-Vs.
Fortunately, the two didn't cause any further trouble that would have made the situation worse, and they left, one after the other.
Only then did many of the people in the room secretly breathe a sigh of relief.
But their worried hearts could still not set aside their concerns.
Time passed, minute by minute.
The three Kevins were the last... to actively walk out of the conference room.
Well, calling it completely "active" would be inaccurate.
Because Young Kevin was a bit dazed. Confused and not knowing what was happening, he was carried out by the other two Kevins, who looked at each other without a word and hoisted him up by his arms, one on each side.
Only then...
"..."
Inside the conference room, MEI still hadn't left.
And besides her, there was one other person present.
She had tacitly agreed to stay behind...
"Aponia."
MEI said in a deep voice, "There is something I need you to do."
"You must act immediately."