I already said this is not a life simulator!

"Has it been there since then? Is Xi Wang's disappearance related to it?"

"Yes, but we also found traces of Skadi, and... according to Eden's later supplement, Xiwang must have been voluntary, even his disappearance was the same."

"........."

"Okay Kevin, don't look like that."

"I know."

"So...what's next?"

"Get ready for battle."

--------

On the Moon Base...

“Is this the destination?”

Kiana and the others followed Mei to the designated location, where Velvet and Mebius were waiting for them.

"Hello~ the little white mice of the new era~"

“…We are not guinea pigs.”

"Ah, do you hate this name? Please don't mind it, after all... this is my nickname~ Not everyone can be treated this way~"

"Mebius...Vilvi...I didn't expect you guys to be here."

Mei Raiden looked at the two "dangerous people" in front of her and said with some distress.

"What's wrong? Do you prefer Alicia to guide you rather than us?"

"…In a sense, yes."

"You've become more honest, that's great, little guinea pig."

"...Mei, who is Alicia...?"

"Uh……"

Facing Kiana's questioning and Bronya's puzzled gaze, Mei Raiden shrank her neck for no reason, as if "she went out to play with other friends without telling her best friend, and her best friend called her in the middle of the trip and asked who the person next to her was"... That was probably the feeling.

But Mei Raiden quickly shook her head and put this inexplicable thought behind her.

"A friend I had the honor of meeting before... No, to be more precise, he should be considered our [senior]."

"senior?"

"Yes, Alicia... is also a Herrscher, from the previous era."

"Is that so... Then what kind of person is she?"

"Well... in her own words, she is probably like..."

"A girl who is as beautiful as flying flowers~?"

A light voice sounded at the side, and along with the voice, a pink figure fell.

"Hello~ Mei's friends~ Of course, maybe it would be more appropriate for me to call you "juniors" here?"

"Alicia..."

"What's wrong, Mei? Are you scared by my surprise appearance?"

“…No, I’m kind of used to it.”

"Since you have all said hello, could you please be quiet?"

Velvet's tone was calm and polite.

"This tone... [Expert]? Are you in charge this time?"

Alicia thought for a moment, and then said with some surprise.

"After all, this is about him and [Song], so it's better for me to check it out..."

Velvet said so.

"And I specifically asked that my most precious little guinea pig be treated with great care~"

Mebius shifted his gaze slightly to look at the instrument that Velvi was operating, and subconsciously brushed his lips with his fingertips, speaking meaningfully.

"……What's the meaning?"

"Ah, you don't understand? Well... that's right, come to think of it, I haven't explained to you why I asked you to come here... Alicia, it seems that your guidance is not very good~"

"Oh my, my~ Alicia is being stupid again on this point..."

"Don't be cunning, Alicia, and continue your duties."

"Okay~"

Realizing that Mobius was somewhat unhappy, Alicia clapped her hands lightly, attracting the attention of Raiden Mei and the others to herself.

"Although we allowed you to come here without any detailed explanation, it is still our responsibility..."

"Alicia."

"...Okay, that's my fault~?"

Alicia stuck out her tongue, trying to get away with it by being cute, but it was clear that Mebius wasn't buying it.

"But I asked you to come here to help you deal with your problems~?"

"The problem with us?"

"Well, I believe you have already felt it, right? As Herrschers, after coming here, do you feel that your power has become a little unstable and your mood has begun to become anxious?"

"Indeed... that's right... so this isn't your problem?"

"Of course not, Meiyi, why do you think so?"

Alicia tilted her head in confusion, then followed Raiden Mei's gaze and looked at Mobius and Velvet who were standing beside her.

"Huh? What's wrong?"

Mebius narrowed his eyes slightly, and his pupils, which looked just like a snake, revealed a hint of danger.

"Alas~ Mobius and Velvet wouldn't do such a thing, um... this is actually related to another of your [Seniors]~"

"…It's Xiwang, right?"

"Yes~ I believe that as the Herrschers of this era, you should be able to feel it. The Song that always protects you and accompanies you... That is his power."

Alicia said with a smile.

"Through this, the Herrscher Core in you will become more stable and easier to control. Likewise, your ego will not be overwhelmed... Finally, with continuous efforts, you will gradually adapt and learn how to control this power."

"Yeah, finally... a Herrscher who is similar to me and him, who also loves Humanity and fights for Humanity, appears~"

"Unfortunately, most of his [Song] circulates on Earth, and there is very little of his power left on the Moon... In addition, his power can only help you stabilize the state of the [Herrscher Core] at most, but it cannot allow you to fully control it."

"So now... um, we need to help you overcome this problem, so that you can truly master your power as a Herrscher?"

"...So, according to you...what we have now is not the true power of the Herrscher?"

Mei Raiden asked with some surprise.

"Of course, you are still missing a process of metamorphosis."

Mebius said casually.

"A true Herrscher...is not as weak as you."

"........."

Some people wanted to refute, but feeling the danger coming from Mebius, they fell silent again.

"So what? What do you guys want to do?"

"It's not a big deal... I just need to take back his power, or his [Song] from you."

Wei Liwei said slowly...At this time, she had completed the final debugging.

"At that time, you will face a test of your consciousness and spirit. As long as you pass it successfully, you will be able to truly master the power of the Herrscher... Considering that this process may not be very safe, we let you come here."

"Fighting here... no innocent people will be harmed, right?"

"That's pretty much what it means."

Weiwei said casually, and at the same time patted the cabin beside her to drain out all the liquid inside, and then arranged the person inside... or the body.

"And we can also achieve some small goals through this."

"A small purpose... huh?"

Mei Raiden stared at the body in a daze, then realized something.

"You want to... revive him?"

"Oh, little white mouse, how can you say it's [resurrection]?"

Mebius responded with a somewhat strange tone.

"I just provided him with a suitable body... Well... I spent a lot of effort to copy his body~"

Mebius reached out and touched the chest of the body, feeling the skin of this body that he had built bit by bit, and narrowed his eyes in fascination.

"Alas, it's a pity that in the end, we still couldn't figure out what the children of the [Ocean] represent... Even with the help of that Honkai Beast, we still couldn't figure it out. What a pity~"

"...Mei, who...is that body...?"

"I am your [senpai]~ and the owner of [Uta]... Well, never mind~ I'd better introduce him with more understandable words~?"

Alicia's gaze lingered on the body for a while, and then she said with a smile.

"His name is Xiwang. He can be considered the Herrscher of the End of our time~"

“…Are you kidding me?”

"No~ Miss Kiana~?"

"...Are you serious?"

"That's right~ Mei~?"

"........."

"Okay, are you done talking? I've finished debugging here, and now it's time to..."

Weiwei walked towards Raiden Mei and others with a few devices that looked like headbands, and it seemed that she was planning to proceed to the next step.

At this time, Velvi was away from the body and the instruments, and Alicia was always with Raiden Mei and the others. Now, the only one left by the body was... Mobius.

And maybe because he was too casual, or maybe because there were several [Herskers] in front of him that Mobius liked quite a bit, Mobius was facing Raiden Mei and the others with his back to the body.

then……

Lala——

A slight sound, as if the body of a puppet was being lifted, came quietly.

Along with it came the sound of breaking air from behind.

And the target...is naturally the closest one, Mebius.

"Ah? Are you finally unable to hold back and take action?"

【Um? ! 】

However, he... no, its attack missed. Mebius seemed to have anticipated it and dodged the sneak attack from behind by slightly tilting his head. Then... he swung his tail, and a dark green "snake tail" emerged from the ground, bringing up waves of sludge-like substance and slapping backwards.

【whispering sound--】

Unfortunately, it dodged the attack.

But the machine gunfire and pink crystal arrows that followed made it quite panicked.

"Hmm? Huh?"

Mei Raiden and the others didn't understand the situation for a while... but soon, they caught sight of the strange movements like a puppet, and the faintly visible [silk threads] on the body.

They immediately realized something... It was the Herrscher of the Thousand! They were very familiar with it! Especially Kiana, who remembered it very clearly!

"Weren't they wiped it out completely?"

"No... When I checked, there were indeed only 999 [Cores]..."