“So, on one hand, you cloned K423, hoping she could become a vessel capable of crossing the ‘Finality,’ just like the original paramecium from the intrinsic world. On the other hand, you sought a way to save Atlantis from sinking into the Quantum Sea and withering away completely.
“To achieve this, you didn’t hesitate to strip away unnecessary emotions, turning yourself into a machine of pure rationality. You even struck a deal with the omniscient and omnipotent [Sa], hoping to use her power to re-anchor the world bubble to the edge of the Book of the Imaginary.
“Obviously, the stronger your power, the higher your chances of success. So, devouring me—the Herrscher of Corruption from the intrinsic world—naturally became your inevitable goal.”
Enoxia stared at her for a moment, then smiled and shook her head:
“No wonder you’ve been so calm and composed from the start, in no hurry to consume me. I don’t know where this place is, but the ‘you’ I’m speaking to right now is just a projection.
“You’ve made the same decision as the real Aponia did 50,000 years ago—completely merging your core, your true self, with Atlantis. If it fails to change its destined fate, you’ll vanish into nothingness along with it.”
“Goodness, I’ve only been alive for three months. All I’ve done is save four people—Sirin, Cecilia, Alexandra, and Cheng Lixue… well, Bella barely counts, so let’s say five. And it was all for purely selfish reasons.
“Compared to me, someone as selfless as you deserves to have monuments erected in your honor. In terms of greatness, I’m nowhere near your level.”
A faint smile finally appeared on [Enoxia ]’s otherwise expressionless face: “Monuments? Greatness? No, no. Just like you, I’m acting out of selfishness. Saving Atlantis—that is my selfish desire.”
Seeing her smile, Enoxia nodded in satisfaction:
“We both know very well that the way we look now is just Elysia with a different color scheme. Since we’ve chosen the most beautiful face, of course it’s better to wear a smile, don’t you think?
“I understand you well enough to know you wouldn’t surrender just because my goal is to save Atlantis. But you seem completely at ease—which means you still have an ace up your sleeve, something even I can’t uncover by reading your memories.”
Enoxia grinned even wider: *“Not at all. Originally, in terms of combat power and stats, I was stronger than you—after all, I’m a Herrscher of the Cocoon, while you’re a Herrscher of Sa, without Seele’s affinity for the Quantum Sea.
“But now, things are different. You’ve enlisted Sa’s help directly, and with her power boosting you, your stats clearly surpass mine. Right now, you can see most of my memories, while I can only catch glimpses of yours—only what you’re willing to show me.”*
Just then, a wisp of pale blue flame drifted into [Enoxia]’s hand from nowhere.
“Is this… a clone carrying part of your emotions?”
[Enoxia] gave a slight nod: “Correct. She was just killed by Bella, so the emotions that belonged to me have now returned. Sirin and Bella have been searching for you—it’s only a matter of time before they find this place.”
“You say that, but we both know ‘a matter of time’ could mean anything. This place clearly isn’t normal space. By the time they find me, you’ll probably have finished whatever you’re planning.”
“Exactly. So they have no power to influence the game between you and me. Bella thought her clone was stalling for time, but she didn’t realize that letting it die was my goal all along.”
With that, she gently pushed the blue flame in her hand, sending it flying straight toward Enoxia —where it vanished into her forehead.
Enoxia’s expression twisted slightly in pain as she felt the changes inside her.
“So this is your move… These emotions are… yandere… and jealousy… Alright, I can already tell my head’s about to be filled with some… interesting new memories.”
If a person lived their entire life without major ups or downs, coasting along comfortably yet possessing extraordinary mental resilience—how could a Herrscher of Dominance possibly make such a person crack?
The answer, of course, is that they couldn’t. The way the Herrscher of Dominance breaks people is by targeting those already flawed or deeply scarred, dragging them into the Theater of Domination and bombarding them with verbal assaults, amplifying their inner darkness. But if someone is mentally unshakable and hasn’t faced significant trauma, the puppets’ strings simply can’t ensnare them.
The Herrscher of Corruption, however, is different. It doesn’t rely on persuasion to alter someone’s mindset—it directly rewires their cognition through its authority. Even if a person has lived a charmed life, it can reconstruct their memories, making them believe they’ve suffered unbearable tragedies.
And now, what [Enoxia] was doing to Enoxia was flooding her mind with overwhelming emotions to destabilize her psyche—paving the way for memory alteration.
Sure enough, amid the chaos in her mind, Enoxia realized a new memory had taken root—one that had never actually happened.
…..
A corner of Atlantis.
Not long after Sirin left, the slacker Enoxia also vanished. K423 looked at the three remaining Enoxias before her and forced a bitter smile:
“So her true plan… has finally begun, huh…”
The bold and cheerful Enoxia had just stepped to K423’s left when the latter suddenly wrapped an arm around her waist.
“Even though you knew this was coming, you still can’t bear to say goodbye, can you? Don’t worry—according to her plan, I’ll be with you till the very end. Though I certainly don’t mind you taking the initiative like this~”
The impulsive and hotheaded Enoxia suddenly strode forward.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m next. I… I just want to see Atlantis one last time before I go.”
Without another word, she walked away, not looking back.
“Honestly, she’s as bad at expressing herself as ever.”
The shy and timid Enoxia cautiously approached K423’s right side. After taking a deep breath, she mustered her courage and gently rested her head against K423’s shoulder.
“Um… K423, I remember you once said… you wanted to achieve the ‘left hug, right embrace’ dream one day. Well, the truth is… just like the cheerful me, I’ve always been willing. It’s just… I… I…”
K423 chuckled: “I can’t believe you’re the one who remembered that offhand joke of mine. Out of all five Enoxias, you’re the most attentive.”
“Th-thank you… So… before I go… c-can we…?”
Without hesitation, K423 raised her right arm and pulled the shy girl into her embrace.
“Of course. Having beauties like you throwing yourselves at me is something most people couldn’t even dream of in a hundred lifetimes. Why would I ever refuse?”
Under the moonlight, the two Enoxias nestled against K423, left and right, quietly listening to her breathing. They knew all too well—their lives were now counting down to zero.
