"Anyway, just leave this matter to me." Little Corruption smiled, raising her hand.
Then, right in front of everyone, she plunged her hand directly into her own chest.
"W-Wait a minute!" Elysia panicked instantly upon seeing Little Corruption literally digging her heart out. "Little Corruption, Little Corruption! Treatment is one thing, but there's no need to pour your heart out—literally!"
"Hmm?" Seeing the anxious Elysia beside her, Little Corruption looked rather puzzled. "What's wrong? I'm looking for my Core. Without the Core, how am I supposed to save her?"
After rummaging around in her chest for a moment, Little Corruption pulled her hand out, bringing with it a gem glowing with a dark red light.
"Hmm, so Herrschers can gouge out their own gems?" Mobius stared at Little Corruption's chest with great interest; there wasn't a single wound there.
Clearly, Little Corruption hadn't actually torn open her chest just now, but had searched for the gem within her body using some other method.
"I don't know if others can do it, but I certainly can." Little Corruption calmly pushed the Core forward. Guided by this force, the Core floated gently above Rin's stasis pod.
Wasn't it obvious how she created the Realm? It was all done with her Core. She had learned how to dig the Core out of her own body long ago.
This was also because the true body of the Herrscher of Corruption was, in fact, always that Core. The body on the outside was more like a reality interaction panel she had piled up for herself using the Corruption virus.
In this aspect, she was still quite different from other Herrschers. Otherwise, the other Herrschers would have long since dug out their Cores to expand the Realm with her. She wouldn't be the only one holding on by herself using this method.
Since then, this Core had not been inside her body. After so much time had passed, now that she had suddenly come to Irene's side, the Core naturally returned to her body as well.
However, Little Corruption was actually a little unaccustomed to having the Herrscher Core inside her.
Moreover, with over a decade having passed, she had forgotten how to summon it quickly. Fortunately, she still knew roughly where the thing was. She could dig it out by force; it wasn't like she would die from it anyway.
"Mm, let me ask a question. Why did you specifically take the Core out?" Mobius leaned in close to the Herrscher of Corruption's Core. She had seen plenty of Herrscher Cores, but this was indeed the first time she had seen one so active.
And it was fresh, too—a Core the Herrscher had personally pulled out of her body. Opportunities like this were rare; collecting some data might prove beneficial later.
"Mm, mm, you can understand it as filtration." Little Corruption snapped her fingers lightly. "The Corruption virus released from the Core while inside my body would inevitably carry my characteristics."
"Mm, to use a metaphor: when water flows through soil, it always brings some mud along with it~"
Although the Herrscher Core belonged to her in the end, and would thus still carry a bit of her imprint, she could handle it at that level.
But if the Core were inside her body, what the released Corruption virus carried would be more than just a simple imprint. Therefore, she had to take the Core out of her body first.
Under Little Corruption's guidance, the gem floating above the stasis pod emitted a radiance that shone directly onto Rin within the pod.
"Mm, as expected of another Herrscher of Corruption. It will actually take an hour." Little Corruption sensed how long it would take to wake Rin.
She had to say, it really was another Herrscher of Corruption. That one hour was enough for her to put everyone in the Realm to sleep and then wake them up twice over.
"Hah, it's so easy once you find the method." Mobius watched Little Corruption from the side. Although she wasn't without her own ideas, it was obvious she wouldn't be able to achieve this without a month or so of work.
Ultimately, matters of Corruption could only be solved by Corruption. Especially since this Corruption had been working in this field for who knows how long. That experience wasn't something she could instantly make up for just by being a genius.
As for Sakura, she was currently crouching beside the stasis pod, gazing intently at Rin, who was becoming visibly more vibrant to the naked eye.
"Rin... wake up soon."
*
In a realm of darkness, a woman dressed in a somewhat strange nun's habit opened her eyes. She looked at the boundless darkness before her and fell silent for a moment.
After a long silence, a deep sigh emerged from the darkness. Then, Aponia stood up and walked outward. It was time for her to face the mistakes she had once committed.
Aponia walked out of the Deep End where she had stayed for a long time. Just as she stepped out, she saw Eden walking toward her.
"It seems you have finally decided to come out." Eden looked at Aponia as she emerged, her gaze shifting to the surrounding ground.
The ground was covered in scorched marks, as if it had experienced a horrific fire. Eden retracted her gaze and looked at Aponia again. "It looks like the situation was quite tragic."
"This is something I must face." Aponia looked at Eden. After a moment of silence, she asked, "That child... what do you think of her?"
"Which one are you referring to?" Eden produced her golden wine goblet from somewhere and took a light sip of the wine within. "There have been quite a few people arriving recently."
"The child named Irene who brought Rin here, correct?" Aponia looked at Eden. "What kind of child do you think she is?"
"Mm, let me think." Eden pretended to ponder for a moment before speaking. "A very good, and very hardworking child. Her character is as noble as gold."
Although Eden hadn't had deep contact with Irene, what Irene had done was already enough to explain everything. Moreover, the other party had truly conquered the Herrscher personality.
She knew what Elysia had done, but no matter how much Elysia did, if Irene didn't have that will herself, then doing more would be useless.
One could not deny the efforts Irene had made just because of everything Elysia had done. Elysia had opened a path for future generations, but whether one could walk that path still depended on oneself.
Not to mention, Irene had saved Rin and the two little Doctors. How could such character not be called noble?
"It seems you rate her very highly." Aponia looked at Eden and nodded. "But you are right. She is indeed a young girl filled with miracles."
"It seems your evaluation of her is also very high." Eden looked at Aponia. She knew Aponia possessed some special abilities; getting Aponia to give someone an extremely high evaluation was not an easy task.
"Because of what she has done?"
"Because of what she has done." Aponia nodded, then added a sentence. "And the things she will realize in the future."
"Is that so?" Eden nodded. "They should be at Mobius's laboratory right now. I wonder if that Little Corruption can truly save Rin?"
"She can." After spitting out these words, Aponia bypassed Eden and headed toward Mobius's laboratory. Eden stood behind her, watching Aponia's retreating figure, and let out a light chuckle.
*
"Ugh..."
The girl's eyelids trembled slightly. Somewhat piercing light constantly penetrated her thin eyelids, stimulating her eyes. Sounds kept drifting into her ears.
"Is this effective?"
"Don't worry. With my skills, I've saved so many people. Could I possibly make a mistake?"
There were two voices that sounded very familiar echoing in her ears. What were they saying? The girl felt these voices were truly familiar, but in her impression, only one person should possess this voice.
Just as the girl was feeling confused, a familiar voice came from another side, filled with worry.
"Doctor... look, Rin..."
It was Elder Sister's voice. Rin immediately realized that among the voices drifting into her ears, there was her Elder Sister—or rather, Sakura's voice. She would never forget this voice.
"Mm, brainwave activity is increasing. The treatment should be taking effect." Rin felt as if something had swept over her body.
"As for why she hasn't woken up yet, maybe the little tyke slept too soundly and is dreaming."
"If she's dreaming, she's dreaming. I've been doing this job for decades. Aside from those who really couldn't hold on, I've never made a mistake."
"Alright, alright, we believe you, Little Corruption~"
"Mm, Miss Little Corruption." Elder Sister's voice drifted over again, only this time without much worry. "Mm, would adding a little more make it faster?"
"It's already enough. Wait a sec, let me tweak it."
As the voice fell, Rin felt a sensation of solidity transmit through her body again. Following this sensation, Rin opened her eyes.
"Rin!"
Before Rin could figure out the situation, a pink-haired figure suddenly flashed before her. Sakura looked at the just-awakened Rin with concern. "How do you feel? Is there anywhere uncomfortable?"
Rin's vision was still a bit blurry, but the feeling coming from her soul allowed her to squeeze a weak sound from her throat in an instant.
"Elder Sister...?"
"It's me, Rin! Elder Sister is here!" Sakura's voice carried uncontrollable excitement and choking sobs. She reached out and immediately lifted the cover of the stasis pod.
She lifted Rin out of the stasis pod and caressed Rin's cheek with great care. "I'm here, I'm here. I'm right here, Rin."
The surrounding scene gradually became clear in Rin's eyes. She saw her Elder Sister's face, written full of worry and joy, as well as the others gathered around the stasis pod.
The memories within her soul gradually awakened, allowing Rin to match the names in her mind with the people present.
Dr. Mobius, Miss Irene, and her own Elder Sister. Rin could be very certain: that was not Yae Sakura.
The appearance was the same, but the aura between Sakura and Yae Sakura was completely different. But what was even more puzzling was... why were there two Elder Sister Elysias on the side?
"Elder Sister... why are you here?" Rin's voice was still somewhat weak, and she blinked in confusion. "I remember... wasn't I..."
Fragments of memory began to surge back. The final confrontation with Higokumaru in the Stigmata Space, that desperate self-formatting... The intense exhaustion and the feeling of nothingness as her consciousness dissipated seemed to still linger in the depths of her soul.
"It's alright now, Rin." Sakura gently supported her younger sister, letting her lean more comfortably in her arms, her voice so gentle it could drip water.
"It's very safe here. It was... Little Corruption who saved you."
"Little Corruption?" Rin murmured, her gaze involuntarily falling upon that blue-purple toned Elysia. The latter was patting her chest, wearing a proud expression that said 'Hurry up and praise me'.
"That's right~ It was this Miss, the loved-by-all Little Corruption, who took action to wake you from your long slumber!" Little Corruption leaned in with a grin. "How does it feel? Is there anything wrong? Feel free to tell me!"
"After all, this is the first time I've used this craft to save a Herrscher of Corruption like me."
"I feel... okay." Rin tried to move her fingers, then gently shook her head. "It's just... my body feels a bit light and floating, I don't have much strength..."
"That shouldn't be. This situation hasn't happened before." Little Corruption scratched her head upon hearing Rin's words. She had saved quite a few people with this craft before and never encountered this situation.
"It's not a problem with your craft." Mobius looked at Rin. "I think it's likely because a Herrscher of Corruption is more sensitive to the Corruption virus. It has no effect on others, but for a Herrscher of Corruption, it might be the exact opposite."
"She needs a period of time to adapt. But no matter what, at least this experiment was a success."
"Hehe, I told you to trust me!" Hearing this, Little Corruption raised her chin proudly. Then, she reached out and recalled the Herrscher Core floating in mid-air. The dark red gem sank silently into her chest as if merging into water.
The heart that Elysia had been keeping in suspense finally settled down. She looked at the reunited sisters with a face full of smiles. "That is truly wonderful, Sakura, Rin~ This is a joyous event worth celebrating!"
However, this warm and touching atmosphere was broken by a calm and rippleless voice coming from the laboratory door.
"It seems I have arrived at the exact right time."
Everyone looked toward the sound, only to see Aponia standing at the door at some unknown point. And beside her was Kalpas, arms crossed and looking displeased, yet for some reason not taking action.
"My, Aponia, you were finally willing to come out." Elysia looked at Aponia, smiling and waving her hand, then turned to look at Kalpas beside her.
"Kalpas came in too. Come look, Rin is awake."
"I saw. My eyes aren't blind." Kalpas crossed his arms, his face full of displeasure. It was a pity he had been too slow; otherwise, did Aponia think she could enter so easily?
But since Rin was awake, it wasn't appropriate to make a move in front of her. Once he had confirmed the other party was okay, he would take this little brat to go find trouble later.
Aponia, meanwhile, walked over amidst Rin's puzzled gaze and bowed deeply toward Rin.
"I am sorry, Rin."
________________________________________
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