Honkai: It’s broken, I have become the Herrscher of Corrosion?

"Ah... I thought this was a great idea. Take their data away from paradise and fulfill their wishes before they died. Isn't that what Mobius thought too? I just made the idea possible.

Um, well, if Mei doesn’t like it, we can also… try another way?”

The scenery in front of her changed again, and Mei saw an incredible sight and an even more incredible person.

"...Thousands of tribulations?"

"What's wrong? You look like you ate a fly. Is it strange to see me in this kind of situation?"

He tugged at his collar in annoyance.

"…It's so noisy. Why do I have to stay here and play a ridiculous game with a bunch of idiots? Just because today is that woman's birthday?"

"…Herrscher of Corrosion, it's time to end this meaningless role-playing."

"Hersher? That thing has been completely destroyed, why mention it? But...hearing the name again after so many years makes me want to fight. If you are free, change your clothes, call everyone you know, and have a good fight with me...Raiden Mei."

"Don't be surprised. This is the life Qianjie wants. An unchanging life, a decent opponent, and... a place to call "home". He is such a simple person. Unfortunately, most people fail to realize this."

"Look, Mei, it's so difficult to understand each other. Even if we are comrades who have lived and died together, even if we have spent ten thousand years together, there are still corners in people's hearts that cannot be seen."

"But data won't lie. The world I see is completely different from yours. Only I can understand them, only I can give them the future they long for, and only I—"

"boom!"

Under the fierce bombardment, the illusion constructed by the data shattered, revealing the astonished face of the Herrscher of Corrosion.

“…Alas, Mei, I get upset when I’m always interrupted. Could it be that… you’re the one who holds a grudge and don’t like the future I’ve arranged for Qianjie?”

"Stop pretending. ... And stop imitating her. It will only expose your poor acting skills."

"Alicia...it finally returned to her, didn't it? I know that in your heart, she is special. You are angry, you feel unfair, and you just hope that she can have a better ending."

"This... is indeed a bit too much to ask. All I can do is to use the corrections from other memories and use my own data as a blueprint to restore her data as best as possible."

"As you can see, the result is... This is my limit. I will try my best to "become" her. Her thoughts are my thoughts, and her voice is my voice. We have the same face, the same personality, and the same memories. If Mei wishes, we can also relive those past memories again--"

"That's enough... The more you act like this, the more you remind others that you and Alicia... are completely different..."

When [Herrscher of Corrosion] heard this, he was not angry at all, but instead smiled meaningfully:

"Mei, I don't know if you've noticed that every time I mention [Alishia], the expression on your face tells me that in addition to [anger], there's also a hint of [worry] and [uneasiness]. What exactly... don't you want me to think of through [Alishia]?"

"Gudu."

Mei swallowed subconsciously.

"Yeah, I was just saying it casually, but I didn't expect to guess it right. Let me think, in the current situation, is there something that only [Alicia] can do, that other heroes can't do, and that plays a crucial role in [changing the status quo]..."

"Kevin, Aponia, Eden, Velvet... Oh Mei, there's nothing we can do. Humans are just like that. The more we warn ourselves not to think about something, the more our brains will involuntarily think about it..."

"It's related to both Kevin and Velvet, and Alysia is needed to turn the tide... It seems that the only way is to arm Kevin. 666."

"You... are right. I admit that what I am most worried about is that you will think of the "Weapon Against Kevin 666". But now that you admit it yourself, doesn't it mean that... your so-called "instinct" and "helplessness" before are just excuses. The reason why you racked your brains to "imitate" Alicia is precisely to... activate the "Weapon Against Kevin" that has long been ineffective."

"Because that is the only thing you fear, and it is also the only weapon in Paradise that can completely destroy you. The order to make everything in the Paradise of the Past no longer exist is not initiated by "unanimous approval" or "the minority obeys the majority"... but by "Alisa's will." "

"Haha...hahahaha..."

"Mei, you are such a smart girl. Yes, I really didn't expect that Wei Wei, a rare genius in the world, would leave me such a great gift even after she disappeared."

"'Delete the entire paradise of the past with one click'... What a grand invention. But, so what? Mei, you seem to have made a mistake. I'm not trying to 'take away' the initiative, but to - 'create' it."

"Alicea is indeed the only condition for activating this "Armament Against Kevin", but now, the original her has been destroyed. If there is anyone who has a chance to control it, that person must be me."

"I have enough patience to take over its control bit by bit. Before that, I also have a long time to erode every blade of grass, every insect and every animal in the paradise."

"When that time comes, Mei... guess what kind of ending I will give everyone in Paradise?"

Click - the Ferris wheel made a slight sound and stopped. The sky was gloomy, and no one knew what was brewing.

(This is a lie. If that were true, she wouldn't have needed to pester me or repeatedly test me. Whatever the reason, her abnormal words and actions point to one fact... She is afraid of something that has not yet happened but is fatal.)

(In that case... the time is now. I must convince her that I have discovered the "flaw" that will cause her to fail. Then, I will use this only opportunity... to go all out.)

"How's it going, Mei? You're not saying a word. Are you thinking about how to refute me? Or... have you finally agreed with my point of view?"

"I was just thinking... you really shouldn't delete Alicia's memory. Even if it's not for survival, but purely for your own sake."

"Statistics don't lie, and you know that better than anyone. So, if you look through her life carefully, you'll realize that... even if you can replicate her appearance, imitate her behavior, and repeat every word she said... you can't be her."

"You will never be her."