Lin Lan stared at Sui Qiong, whose face was already being consumed by META corruption. For a moment, he found himself utterly speechless.
No matter what, he had never imagined that Sui Qiong had been created using a Prime Cube.
That black-red cube, like the mocking laughter of a cunning devil, declared to him the cruel fate of the shipgirl—one that could never be saved.
"Commander, please… take care of Orlan."
"Sui Qiong… must not… become a monster. Go. The future… of Orlan… is in your hands."
Sui Qiong gazed at Lin Lan's stunned expression. It was as if she had already accepted her fate. Her voice was calm, yet barely audible.
Even speaking had become fragmented—proof that her META transformation had reached its final stage.
And yet, she forced herself to stay lucid, to share her last words with the commander in her arms.
"There has to be a way, Sui Qiong! There's a way! Lieyun and I already promised—we will take you home—"
"Commander… from the future."
Sui Qiong's soft voice interrupted him.
"Thank you… for letting me know… I have companions. That I have… a home."
"Even without… the database… I acknowledge you… as my commander."
Lin Lan's eyes widened in shock.
Sui Qiong had already seen through his identity.
It made sense. After all, everything—including Lieyun—was just a fabricated illusion created by the Mirror Sea's past echoes.
Now, Sui Qiong could no longer connect to the database, yet she still called him Commander.
There could be only one reason for that.
She had truly accepted him.
Not as the commanding AI of Orlan's superweapon, the Overlord Mecha, but as an unprecedented shipgirl born from Cube technology.
"Then all the more reason for you to listen to me! We'll leave together!"
"Your journey doesn't end here! Everyone is still waiting for us! You can't just give up—"
Even knowing that a shipgirl created from a Prime Cube would inevitably succumb to irreversible META transformation, Lin Lan knew—
He could not give up on Sui Qiong.
From the moment she called him Commander, that choice was no longer an option.
Just like how he would never abandon any of his shipgirls back at the port.
But some things… were beyond the power of will alone.
Sui Qiong looked at the young man who worried for her so desperately.
On her face, now marred by black META corruption, a smile appeared—for the first time since her creation.
The petite, white-haired girl smiled.
Even though, corrupted by META energy, her expression was twisted and terrifying like a ghost—
In Lin Lan's eyes, she remained the same—adorable, radiant, and beautiful.
Even though they had only known each other for less than an hour.
Lin Lan already understood, with every fiber of his being, just how deeply this poor Overlord Mecha shipgirl longed for companionship. Longed for home.
"This… is the end. Commander, thank you."
"Sui Qiong, you—"
"…And… goodbye."
Lin Lan tried to say more, but before he could—
Sui Qiong grabbed him by the waist and, with all her strength, hurled him into the sky.
With that sudden, forceful throw, his body shot straight through the rift in the Mirror Sea's sky—out into the real world.
The familiar scent of the ocean filled his lungs.
The golden light of the sunset wrapped around him.
He had finally escaped the Mirror Sea.
At this moment, he was high above the waters near Dongyun City.
But there was no joy in Lin Lan's heart.
Because all he could do was helplessly watch as the shipgirl's petite figure—
Was left behind in the collapsing Mirror Sea, drifting further and further away.
"No—SUI QIONG!!!"
Lin Lan, his eyes red, roared in grief, completely forgetting that he had just escaped.
Chased by the black tidal waves of corrupted data, the girl had chosen self-sacrifice.
To prevent herself from becoming a monster that would bring harm to others—
She chose to stay behind.
Alone.
Waiting for oblivion.
Lin Lan plummeted through the air, helplessly watching the shrinking rift in the Mirror Sea, his heart twisting in agony.
Everything… seemed to have been sealed by fate.
But in this world of endless possibilities—
Miracles exist.
"Commander, don't make that despairing face—that's not like you at all."
A confident, melodic voice rang in his ears, breaking through his sorrow.
"Who's there?!"
Lin Lan's heart jolted.
That voice—it didn't belong to any of his Iron Blood shipgirls.
And yet, it felt… inexplicably familiar.
Almost as if…
It came from someone dearest to him.
No.
This must be an illusion.
A trick of his mind, born from grief.
He was still hundreds of meters above the ocean, plummeting at high speed.
Holding his breath, he strained to listen.
But all he heard—
Was the howling wind of his free fall.
As expected…
It was only an illusion.
"It looks like you've really forgotten me, you heartless playboy."
The girl's voice rang out once again, making Lin Lan completely certain—this was definitely not his imagination!
He quickly let go of his face and looked around, but no matter how hard he searched, he couldn't find the source of the teasing, slightly scolding voice.
Just as he was about to hit the surface of the sea, he suddenly noticed deep blue crystalline particles rapidly forming around him.
The next moment, his rapidly falling body was caught by a soft embrace.
At the same time, a pair of cold, slender arms wrapped around his back, gradually slowing his descent.
"Honestly, where did you run off to, hiding from all of us? And now you've even gotten so much younger... You have no idea how hard it was for me to find you."
As the girl spoke in a tone that sounded like a spoiled complaint, a slender figure holding him in a princess carry gradually appeared.
Long, deep blue hair cascading down to her waist, a gentle smile on her delicate, fair face.
A tight white short dress outlined her elegant and alluring curves, while blue-black gloves and thigh-high boots added an unexpectedly sultry touch to her otherwise pure appearance.
But the most striking features were the black-blue ribbons attached to her outfit, their ends crystallizing into deep blue shards.
And those eyes—those deep crimson irises, burning as if they held flames within them.
The blue-haired girl, who now held him tightly in her arms, radiated an overwhelming sense of futuristic beauty.
That warm and gentle smile on her face—it was filled with affection, like someone who had finally reunited with a long-lost lover.
"Helena... No, Helena META?!"
(Helena META)
Lin Lan's eyes widened in shock as he took in the girl's face, immediately blurting out the name of the one and only powerful shipgirl from his port.
That's right—the blue-haired girl holding him, despite her delicate, slender frame and innocent appearance, was none other than Helena, who had undergone META transformation after losing everything she once cherished.
This was Lin Lan's first time encountering a META shipgirl from his own port, yet he felt none of the usual ominous aura that came with META transformation.
There was only a deep, unwavering love.
"Correct, Commander~ Looks like you still remember me. That makes Helena very happy."
Hearing Lin Lan call out her name, Helena META's face lit up with a radiant smile.
As they slowly descended onto the ocean's surface, the META girl activated the ring-like rigging behind her, allowing her to stand steadily upon the water.
"Helena, you're a META shipgirl too. Do you have any way to save—"
Although Lin Lan was overwhelmed with emotion at reuniting with Helena META after so long, with countless things he wanted to say to her, this was not the time for reminiscing.
Sui Qiong was still trapped in the collapsing, soon-to-vanish Mirror Sea!
As a brilliant and reliable strategist, Helena META had to have a way to save Sui Qiong.
But before he could finish his sentence, Helena META suddenly leaned in and placed a gentle kiss at the corner of his lips.
The cool sensation that entered his mouth seemed to calm his anxious heart in an instant.
A few seconds later, Helena META reluctantly pulled away, looking into his eyes with a confident smile.
"As expected, you still taste just like the Commander I know. Don't worry—everything you're concerned about, Helena has already taken care of."
The moment Helena META softly spoke those words, Lin Lan saw a sudden rupture in space appear right before them.
From within the fissure, the black-winged mech girl, Sui Qiong, who was now entirely encased in deep blue crystals, fell through, floating before them.
At this moment, Sui Qiong's eyes remained tightly shut, her small frame curled up within the transparent blue crystal. The signs of META corruption that had once plagued her body had completely faded.
Aside from her wings, which remained pitch black, the petite, white-haired girl looked as if she were merely sleeping.
Lin Lan was stunned. He turned his gaze back to the META girl holding him, only to find that she was still looking at him—her eyes had never once left him.
This was Helena META.
A META shipgirl who, after losing everything, dedicated all of her power and intelligence solely to her Commander.
Even in the game's storyline, before she ever joined the port, she had never harmed the Commander, despite being a former Ashes member.
At this moment, Lin Lan's mind was filled with the words widely spread by fellow players in the forums:
"You can always trust your Helena-mom."
"She has always loved her disappointing child."
"Whether it's after a retrofit or as a META transformation—your Helena-mom will always be your Helena-mom."
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50 advanced chapters on p@t re on (.) com/SenatusTheta
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