Elysia knew Lee was strong, but honestly, she had always harbored a tiny bit of doubt about exactly how much stronger Lee was than her... Thinking back, as the world's best bestie (self-proclaimed), she and Lee had never truly fought each other with their full strength.
Either Elysia hadn't awakened her power yet, or Lee wasn't in her complete state; the two never had the chance for a full-power spar.
The only time approaching a real deadly battle was perhaps back then, just before Lee resolved to save the world through slaughter, when Elysia mistakenly thought she had been replaced by the Herrscher.
Unfortunately, Elysia had already handed over her Herrscher core by then, so she didn't even last a single move...
Still, Elysia felt she had a chance. First, one must be confident. Second, she couldn't beat Kevin Kaslana, and Lee also couldn't beat Kevin, so rounding things off, she and Lee should be roughly evenly matched.
However, while ideals are beautiful, after actually trading blows, Elysia quickly felt the harshness of reality.
She was indeed the Herrscher of Origin, but the Lee standing before her now possessed the very same power within her body.
Unlike the time she borrowed Lihua's body to fight Kevin on the moon, the current Lee, aside from not wielding the Seven Thunders of Retribution, was in her strongest state—the peak condition she was in during her final, climactic battle against Kevin!
Elysia had only glimpsed this power in the game after coming to Blue Earth, and because Lee lost to the even stronger Kevin, this power was depicted as less terrifying in the game.
Now, experiencing it firsthand, Elysia could only conclude—Can't win, absolutely can't win. Might as well try some Talk no Jutsu...
"Lee, what exactly happened? What is the thing influencing you from behind the scenes? Why can't we investigate?!"
"The more you know, the more dangerous it becomes."
Lee walked calmly towards Elysia. The crystal arrows fired at her couldn't hinder her steps in the slightest, easily turning to dust. "Give up. It's not too late yet."
"No!"
Looking at Elysia's face, etched with unwavering refusal, Lee's expression didn't change much, but inwardly she felt...
Utterly delighted and cheerful!
Nice! It's been ages since I had such an easy fight!
Although she achieved victory against the Herrscher of Legion back then, the process was incredibly difficult. Later, defeating poor Kalpas and the others was easy, but she immediately got thrashed by Kevin.
More recently, she had a run-in with the white-haired lunatic on the moon, unable to win even with all her might...
But now, she had finally regained her confidence thanks to Elysia!
Although this might not be a pleasant experience for the battered Elysia, who asked this to be part of the plan? Besides, she'd been taking hits constantly lately, so she was used to it. Getting beaten up one more time probably wouldn't matter.
"Elysia, be good!"
After barely escaping Lee's grasp once again, Elysia could sense a growing impatience in the other's voice. "If you don't hurry..."
"Getting me to listen is easy. Just stop speaking in riddles, explain everything clearly, and then come back with me—or letting me go with you works too."
Elysia gasped for breath, but her back remained ramrod straight, as if she weren't the one dizzy from the beating. "Lee, choose!"
"..."
Lee suddenly fell silent, causing an inexplicable tightness in Elysia's chest, though she quickly dismissed it as overthinking. But the flames that appeared in Lee's hand the next second shattered her self-comfort.
It was a weapon Elysia had seen countless times, but the person gripping its hilt right now was not its rightful owner.
"Judgement... of Shamash?" Elysia stared blankly at the greatsword held by Lee, murmuring, "Why do you have this...?"
Yes, she shouldn't.
The Judgement of Shamash wasn't some clothes-drying pole found lying around. As a crystallization of Previous Era technology, this Divine Key should be unique in the world.
Although Lihua and Kevin both possessed their own Judgement of Shamash after arriving on Blue Earth, that could arguably be explained by them coming from different timelines, representing the same object in essence.
But why did Lee have the Judgement of Shamash? She had never used this weapon, which was exclusively Kevin's! Did she get it from Kevin? Or perhaps Lihua... or even that mysterious entity gave it to her?
The appearance of the Judgement of Shamash baffled Elysia, while the terrifying surge of power emanating from Lee proved the weapon's authenticity and simultaneously increased the pressure on Elysia exponentially.
"Elysia, I'm sorry."
Blazing flames erupted with a brilliance that made it hard to look directly. In the next instant, the defenses Elysia hastily constructed shattered like fragile glass.
Amidst the overwhelming inferno, an arm shot through the sea of fire, reaching straight for Elysia.
With no strength or opportunity left to resist, Elysia could only watch helplessly as Lee's hand approached... Although she firmly believed Lee held no malice towards her, she absolutely could not accept the ending Lee proposed—forgetting everything and obediently returning.
Therefore, she had to resist! She had to win! Even if the outcome seemed decided, even if her opponent was Lee herself!
Power, help me one more time... Just like when I defeated Kevin!
In an instant, a stream of light, like condensed moonlight, struck like a meteor, forcing Lee, who should have secured victory, to retract her arm and defend against the attack—an attack incredibly familiar to her.
...Hold on, sis, what the heck is this?
Looking at the figure that had materialized beside Elysia, identical to her past self, Lee felt bewildered for the first time.
Is this a Shadow Clone? And regardless, using me to fight myself, isn't that a bit outrageous...?
Her surprise was understandable. The last time Elysia used this move was during her great battle with Kevin. Lee had already died and returned to Blue Earth by then, never witnessing this technique.
Furthermore, that battle between Elysia and Kevin was only mentioned briefly in the background even in the game, so no information about it could be found on Blue Earth either.
Elysia unleashing this move at this moment truly gave Lee an unexpected shock.
"It's not over yet, Lee..." Seeing the past phantom of Lee manifest beside her, Elysia felt endless strength surge within her. For some time previously, her wavering heart had prevented her from manifesting Lee's image.
Yet now, facing Lee herself, she successfully summoned the Lee from her memories.
This must mean that deep down, Lee actually acknowledges me too!
"Everyone, come on out!!!"
The next moment, the Eighth Divine Key on Elysia's chest flared with full power. In the blink of an eye, the figures of the Flame-Chasers materialized beside her.
"Today, you will come back with me!"