The collapse started when Kiana came to the door

"In a sense, it's hard to refute." [Engineer] spread his hands. "However, considering the difference in power, it's not surprising to prepare a plan that can keep everyone safe. As a fellow Weilwei, you should also know that we can't allow anyone to get hurt because of such a joke."

"Tsk... why should I follow the rules you set?" [Evil] muttered in a low voice, and then loosened the hands that were ravaging [Conductor], stood up, and patted the dust off his clothes, "Okay, okay, I am a magnanimous person and I won't bother with you guys who don't keep your word. Anyway, the quarrel has been made, so next, the matter with the young lady will be handed over to you."

"..."

All the other Vilvie looked at each other silently, smiled somewhat happily, and saw expectations in each other's eyes.

Although I know rationally that this is not something I should be happy about, I also know that deceiving others with the news of my own death is an extremely bad joke.

But as expected, emotionally speaking, the pleasure of stabbing someone... is really something that makes people unable to stop.

——Especially, knowing that everyone is actually safe.

At this moment, all the Weili felt a subtle sense of empathy towards Captain Li Shubai, who had lent them several Keys of God.

Chapter 4: The Appearance of the "Herrscher of Corrosion" (k)

"Okay, take it."

In the spiral hall.

After the battle was over and all the figures of Velvet disappeared for a short while, the figure of [Self] suddenly appeared in front of Raiden Mei and handed her a deep black crystal flower.

Mei Raiden slightly moved her limbs that were crushed by the gravity released by [Extreme Evil] to the point where her bones were broken. She did not immediately take the crystal flower handed to her by [My Self]. Instead, she raised her eyes and stared straight at [My Self]'s pink pupils, which were a little erratic because she was not good at looking into other people's eyes. Her voice trembled: "Vilvi, you..."

"Did you see that? There's nothing we can do. This is the end of Velvet's performance." Hearing Mei Raiden suddenly stop talking, [My Self] sighed softly, "You should have guessed it before we set out."

Mei Raiden lowered her head and clenched her hands, which had just recovered their strength. Her fingers covered with red armor sank deeply into her palms, with such force that it seemed as if they were going to dig into the flesh that one wondered if the black gloves covering her palms would be pierced in the next second.

"Take good care of it and don't lose it. After all, this is the last gift that Weiwei, who is standing here, can give you." Looking at Raiden Mei's silent expression with her head down, [I] said in a gentle tone, "However, before I completely disappear, let's hurry up and get you out of this consciousness space."

"...Thank you." Mei Raiden pursed her lips, raised her head again, and her gaze towards the [self] Wilvi in ​​front of her became softer than ever before.

...After the [self] took out this crystal flower, Mei Raiden finally understood what Alicia...represented to Velvet.

"This crystal flower... So you are also one of the guardians of the [Secret]?"

The disappearance of Alicia was such a sad thing for the Thirteen Heroes.

She who loved humanity and was sincere to everyone died.

After her death, the last trace left in this world will also disappear.

When she thought of this, Mei Raiden felt extremely guilty.

What position does she have and what qualifications does she have to question these heroes who stand tall in the paradise?

“Don’t make such an expression.” Looking at Mei Raiden’s face, [My Self] scratched his face in some distress. “You put on such an uncomfortable expression that I can’t comfortably hand over the next task to you.”

"I'm sorry." Mei Raiden took a long, deep breath, calming down her sad and uncomfortable thoughts as much as possible, and spoke in a voice that had become as steady as before: "I lost my composure... What else do you need me to do?"

Although her voice was calm and the self-blame and regret on her expression were well concealed, her [self] could still see that Mei Raiden was just being stubborn.

She suddenly realized why this successor had always gotten along so well with Hua, who was carrying the mark of [Floating Life] among them.

Although there is also the factor of knowing and being familiar with each other in the real world, in terms of being stubborn, holding on, and being very demanding of oneself, the personalities of this successor and Hua are like they were cast in the same mold.

"Do you remember what that Vivi mentioned to you when we were testing [Weaponizing Kevin]?" [I] said, "When building the Paradise of the Past, the experts habitually left a program for the Kevin Arming Model 666. Its official name is [Paradise Data Indiscriminate Irreversible Surprise Cleaning Tool]."

"Yeah." Raiden Mei nodded. "I remember that Vilvi told me that it was a series of commands that could delete the entire Paradise of the Past with one click, but because you will also be deleted, that plan was abandoned. In addition, for a reason, the conditions for starting it no longer exist... Wait?"

Halfway through the conversation, she repeated words that she had heard once before from the [Great Magician]. This time, Mei Raiden finally realized that something was wrong.

Since it is an abandoned plan, then why did that Weiwei mention... the so-called "starting conditions"?

"It seems that you have already noticed it." [I] nodded gently, "That string of commands has not been abandoned, and it is indeed possible to easily delete the entire data of the Paradise of the Past Life, but... the disappearance of [activation conditions] is also true."

"..." Raiden Mei stared blankly at [my true self]'s expression, which was calm yet slightly helpless.

Although it was the same riddle as always, this time, Mei Raiden understood the implication of [Self] Velvet, and also understood what the so-called [activation conditions] were.

Although the number of heroes who have disappeared has risen to three, Mei Raiden already knew from Velvet that Kevin and Mobius did not actually disappear, but were hidden somewhere unknown in Paradise as Velvet's backup to deal with the Herrscher of Corrosion.

Therefore, in the present paradise of the past, this data space composed of the consciousnesses of thirteen heroes, there is only one thing that has been confirmed to have completely disappeared -

——Aliceia.

"Although, you may not realize how important you are to the whole plan." For some reason, [I] suddenly looked relieved and let out a long sigh, "But it doesn't matter. Su will make you understand. He should have seen the message I left for him."

"..." Raiden Mei nodded, indicating that she had understood everything that her [self] told her.

"Okay, now that everything has been explained, the next thing... is the last thing I can do in this plan."

The sky began to collapse, and the mirror that buried the memories shattered piece by piece. Various building materials and glass fragments gradually fell on the floor of the hall, piling up one mountain of rubble after another.

As Wei Liwei was about to disappear, this consciousness space that seemed to dominate the theater finally and inevitably came to an end.

In the corner that Mei Raiden couldn't see, above the sky.

“Tsk… This inefficient method of destruction really lacks the beauty of architectural engineering.” The [Engineer] controlled the Star of Eden, allowing his consciousness space, which was shaped like a theater of domination, to slowly collapse from the outside in sequence, while making an extremely uncomfortable sound, “If only directional blasting could be used…”

"You'll be happy if that happens, but that [Vilvi] will probably be buried forever in this ruin together with Ms. Mei." [Expert] said in a cold tone while methodically releasing the Holy Judge of Skyfire, causing the uncontrolled collapse that might hit Raiden Mei and [Self] to be burned from the inside, gradually shrinking, and finally turning into harmless dust and flying around. "Compared to that kind of thing, why are there only two of us working now? I've already said that I have no interest in this kind of thing. I clearly asked the captain to wake me up when he transferred us out... Why did he make me the coolie in the end?"

"Don't say that. It shouldn't be a big deal for you to just control the Holy Judge of Skyfire to burn away the things that destroy the atmosphere." The [Conductor] smiled and patted the frosty [Expert] on the shoulder. "Besides, we are all Wei Erwei. Do you think we can't sense that you are also very happy?"

"Tsk..." The [Expert], who was completely unable to refute the [Conductor] on this point, put away his indifferent look that he had shown towards everything else for the first time in a long time, and instead showed a somewhat helpless expression, "This is just this time, it won't happen again."

Just as the [Expert] and [Engineer] were diligently setting the scene for the farewell of Raiden Mei and Wilvi, the [Idea], sensing the right atmosphere, began to control Yu Duchen, making his body translucent in Raiden Mei's perception.

Her existence gradually faded away, as if she would disappear in the next moment.

"If I remember correctly, the conductor should have mentioned to you... that she couldn't explain the inscription of the [Spiral] to you with just her own words." Finally, the Hero of the Spiral named Velvet showed a gentle and peaceful smile in the eyes of Raiden Mei, which was incompatible with this doomsday-like posture. "But now... maybe, you can witness the end of the [Spiral], and we will become one and become the complete [Velvet]."

That kind of reassuring and calm smile of [all tasks completed] made Mei Raiden's chest feel as if it was cut by a broken blade, causing waves of pain.

Is it really good?

As the Hero of Spiral, the genius of Wei Erwei, you just leave everything to me and then disappear without a trace, are you really satisfied? Just as Raiden Mei was thinking this and opened her mouth, another thing suddenly came to her mind, and she instinctively closed her mouth.

"What's next?" The words that were about to be said turned into a determined inquiry, "What can I do?"

This Weiwei is just a memory of the paradise in the past life, and she herself can recognize this fact very clearly.

Rather than allowing herself to stay, she chose to entrust the hope of defeating the Herrscher of Corrosion to herself.

Therefore, what she, Mei Raiden, has to do is not to arrogantly question the other party's choice, but to... do her best to complete the task.

We cannot let this genius disappoint his successors.

"Do you remember the time when we exchanged everything?" [The Self] answered without a trace of hesitation.

Several identical, yet slightly different voices overlapped.

"Just open your heart..."

——In the eternal paradise.

After saying goodbye to all the Velvets one by one and being given the true [Spiral] Inscription by them, Mei Raiden was taken back to the eternal paradise and opened her eyes again.

In front of him was the iron gate of the amusement park. The surroundings had returned to calm. The figures of Padofelice and Vivi disappeared without a trace, as if they had never appeared in the first place.

The sky had fallen into darkness at some point, and the residential areas on both sides of the iron gate gradually lost their vitality with the arrival of night.

"Am I... back? Hmm..." The next moment when she realized that she had left Weiwei's consciousness space, dizziness and pain that were enough to make a person lose consciousness suddenly hit her mind.

However, after witnessing the unbelievable things happening before her eyes, Mei Raiden had lost the ability to adapt to the pain.

"What..." Her pupils dilated slightly, and she watched the extremely strange changes happening before her eyes.

...alive.

Although there were no employees and the amusement park was surrounded by black iron gates, it was the opposite of the residential area immersed in silence and darkness. As night fell, it began to show a creepy vitality.

The lights on the roadside lit up one by one.

The carousel standing at the door began to jump and turn along with luxurious and elegant music.

Crisscrossing every corner of the amusement park, the roller coasters hovering in the sky like a tumbling dragon recklessly smashed through the air, rubbing against the rails, and making shrill hissing sounds amid the flying sparks.

The Ferris wheel, which broke the construction limit of real amusement facilities and was so huge that people wondered whether it would pierce the sky, also moved slowly with a low sound.

And after the amusement park suddenly started to operate, a black shadow, as if summoned by something, broke through the night with swift and elegant posture, and landed lightly at the gate of the amusement park, in front of Raiden Mei.

After seeing the smiling figure, Raiden Mei's expression suddenly became solemn.

Although she had long known that the Herrscher of Corrosion incident was far from over, she also knew that she had no time to indulge in sorrow and pain.

But even so, Mei Raiden still couldn't have predicted that not long after she had said goodbye to Velvet... in this incident, the true identity of the [enemy] would appear before her eyes so impatiently.

Different from Kevin, Mebius and the others.

Alicia's data... had indeed been completely deleted from the paradise of the past life - in Velvi's consciousness space, the [self] once asserted to her.

So, the person standing in front of me——

"Hi~"

——Who is this person who uses Alicia’s face, speaks with Alicia’s voice, and says the same words that Alicia once said to her?

"How do you feel~~"

In Mei Raiden's heart, there is already an absolutely definite answer.

Chapter 5: Happy Master Qian (k)

Once upon a time, fifty thousand years ago, in a past that had long since become history and disappeared in the dust, there existed a very beautiful crystal flower.

Now, fifty thousand years later, the flawless and gorgeous crystal flower has long since withered, and as the nutrients of an era, it has silently nurtured the growth of civilization.

The newly born human beings stood up, stacked stones layer by layer, and sent metals into the sky piece by piece. The thick smoke of civilization rose from the chimneys of the factories. At the same time, the natural disaster called collapse, accompanied by the scattered and transparent smoke, sank again into this noisy world.

But even so, all of this, whether it was the new civilization that emerged in later generations, or the collapse that came again in later generations; whether it was beauty or disaster, had nothing to do with the flower that had long since withered.

--Yes.

Only when the dazzling crystal flower has withered.

In the empty amusement park, countless lit lights tore through the dark night scene. Various luxurious and dreamy amusement facilities began to operate one after another as if they had "come alive". Next to the iron gate of this magnificent amusement park, two girls with completely different auras looked at each other face to face.

"Who... are you?" Mei Raiden stared at the girl who suddenly appeared in front of her. Her expression was cold and hostile, making people wonder whether she would draw her sword against the person in front of her in the next second.

"Hmm?" After hearing Raiden Mei's hostile question, the other girl with a smile on her face did not waver at all. She raised her eyebrows and said in a slightly angry tone: "It's only been one day since I last saw you, and my dear Mei, have you already forgotten me? This really makes me sad."

This is indeed the truth.

Although she knew that things were developing very smoothly as predicted by Velvi and Li Shubai, Alicia had indeed expected that Raiden Mei...whether she would recognize her at first sight like Eden and Aponia.

However, as expected, after Velvi's hints, the conclusion she came to through her own thinking made Mei Raiden firmly believe that "Alicia in front of her is a fake."

Just as Alicia thought, after hearing her words with a hint of complaint, Raiden Mei felt her heart couldn't help but tighten due to the sudden rise in blood pressure.

like.

Even Mei Raiden, who was full of hostility at the moment, had to admit that the "Alishia" standing in front of her, her tone, expression, and voice, were so much like Alishia herself.

...No, not so much like.

Rather, this guy is Alicia herself.

If Velvi had not emphasized several times in her consciousness space and confirmed that Alicia's memory had indeed been deleted by the Herrscher of Corrosion, perhaps... if she had suddenly seen this [Alisa] disguised as the Herrscher of Corrosion without knowing it, she would have determined without any doubt that she was Alicia herself.

But now, after learning the other party's true identity, the more this guy who usurped the throne behaved like Alicia, the more Raiden Mei felt disgusted.

I feel disgusted with myself for not being able to distinguish the real Alicia from the Herrscher of Corrosion... from the bottom of my heart.

"Stop pretending." With a click, Mei Raiden clenched her teeth tightly, enduring the nausea that kept rising in her chest. A voice of extreme disgust came out from between her tightly clenched teeth, "...We all know that you are not her!"

Oh my, after hearing Raiden Mei's almost roaring voice, Alicia shrugged her shoulders with exaggerated movements. A hint of guilt flashed in her eyes, but she still complained unbearably: "Well, since you are so determined that I am not Alicia, then so be it - I never thought that my best friend would actually turn the tables on me. Should I say that you are worthy of being the Spiral Hero who was active 50,000 years ago?"

"Really?" Raiden Mei sneered, "Do you really think of Wei Erwei like this?"

"Of course. After all, she is my irreplaceable best friend." Alicia smiled and tilted her head. Her bright and flawless eyes were full of reminiscence. "Are you right? My dear Mei?"

"You..." The anger that dominated her body and thoughts turned Raiden Mei's eyes blood red.

How much easier it would be if I could just bump into something and pass out, or just draw my katana.

But... at this moment, she couldn't obey her anger and directly swing her sword at the enemy in front of her.

After all, she did not forget that her ultimate goal was to find a way to defeat the Ruler of Corrosion, rather than venting her anger meaninglessly.

His heart, overflowing with blood, was about to burst, and his chest rose and fell uncontrollably as his lungs starved for oxygen.