MGSFV?! Chapter 350: A Group Photo? Brain Short-Circuit.
It's happening. It's really happening?
Eden smiled upon hearing Mei's final question and offered a gentle reminder.
"The only answer that can turn all the 'unreasonable' into something 'reasonable'... is the very 'truth' you've been seeking all along."
"Is that so...? Then..."
The scenes of the past rose unbidden—casual conversations, subtle signs, every piece pointing toward one single truth.
Had Mei figured it out?
What exactly was the answer?
[That's right... Maybe I really did tell one big lie—my one and only lie in this life.]
[After all... I get scared too.]
[Mm... I wonder how I did? What will everyone think of me...? Judging from their reactions, it seems the result was good, right?]
[Otherwise, there wouldn't have been an 'Elysia' in the Elysian Realm...]
The emotions welled up without warning. The players' clicking paused for just a moment, unable to continue.
And then—
[...Haha. Thank you, Mei.]
[To see you again like this... I'm really lucky. You've given me a gift I always longed for, yet never dared to hope for.]
Fragments of Elysia's past words strung themselves together, leading everything toward a single, inevitable answer.
As Mei recalled, the players' hearts began to reach the same conclusion.
Could it be...?
Mei spoke aloud her suspicion: "So... Elysia... she was never actually the 'Thirteenth Herrscher,' was she?"
Eden nodded gently.
"Mm. 'Thirteen' was a false number."
"..."
"The second of the Flame-Chasers, Elysia of the True Self—this girl who loved all of 'humanity'…"
"She was born... as a Herrscher."
Mei: "..."
The truth left everyone in stunned silence.
And in uncontrollable grief.
Elysia, who loved everyone so deeply—who loved humanity—was not born human herself?
No wonder she had felt fear.
No wonder Mobius had called her a "traitor."
No wonder… Elysia had been so happy to see Mei.
Because she herself wasn't human, she longed for a Herrscher who would truly fight for humanity.
Mei was the miracle she had always hoped for.
She loved humanity so much—so much that she wanted to be human.
But...
Because of that very fact, Elysia—who could never truly be human—what kind of True Self lay beneath that ever-smiling face?
How lonely must it have been? How sad?
And yet she still gave everything—for humanity.
What then...?
An unspeakable emotion wandered deep within every player's heart.
Even Hokuto quietly turned his head to look deeply at Elysia.
At the very least…
She had already become human.
But when Elysia noticed Hokuto's gaze, she seemed to misunderstand it.
"Mr. 'Otto,' if you're hoping to see me there…"
"You're going to be disappointed."
Hokuto: "..."
Not that bad. He wasn't that far gone.
Elysia continued speaking softly.
"This isn't sadness—it's joy. Joy for the happiness I once had, and hope for the miracles yet to come."
"Look, Mei… she's the very 'miracle' I once dreamed of, isn't she?"
"As for loneliness..."
She paused, then turned her eyes back to the screen.
In the game—
Eden was speaking to Mei.
"As for loneliness… it's true, Elysia was a girl who feared being alone. Like a Crystal Flower—beautiful, flawless, but ever so fragile."
"So… Miss Mei, please go forth in our place. Witness the conclusion."
"Elysia will be waiting for you behind that door, and your journey will blossom at the very end of all memory..."
"With that, the Thirteen Flame-Chasers' final mission here... is complete."
"..."
As Eden's voice faded with a touch of relief—
Mei's expression, in contrast, grew heavier.
Even though hope was just ahead. Even though the dream they had all chased—what the Flame-Chasers and she herself longed for—was about to be fulfilled.
Why… did the sorrow still feel so overwhelming?
"Even if I can't watch the final curtain with Elysia… I believe this time, she will once again gift us with the 'best' ending... won't she?"
"Then, let me sing once more—for you, Miss Mei, as a farewell gift."
"With the song she loved most."
Eden began to sing. A gentle melody. The perfect curtain call.
"Elysia, my friend…"
"May we never be parted. May time… forever linger in this moment… ♪"
This was it.
The true swan song of an era.
With Eden's voice carrying through, every emotion the players had been suppressing surged to the surface.
And then, as her final note rang out…
Her Crystal Card shattered.
Shattered completely.
None of the Flame-Chasers survived.
Looking at the once-glorious Flame-Chaser dossier—now devoid of even a single unbroken character card—
Players who thought they'd cry out loud… found only emptiness in their minds.
They were numb. Fully numb.
[Quick, screenshot it—it's the group photo. (Brain fried)]
[I remember Elysia in the middle, with Eden and Aponia beside her, Pardofelis far left, Griseo and Hua far right… they're still in my memory, so they're not shattered (deranged)]
Before Elysian Realm: Kevin, certified unhinged.
After entering Elysian Realm: I am Kevin.jpg
[Pain. It hurts so much. Is this what it means to cry without tears?]
[Smile, everyone. Okay? (sunglasses emoji)]
[You there. Don't run. Let me peel back your mask (]
Meanwhile, Elysia had been silent the whole time.
"…Are you okay, Elysia?" Hokuto asked.
"I…"
Elysia took a deep breath.
"Every story has to reach its conclusion. But that's not the end—it's the beginning of hope."
"That's what everyone believes."
"And I believe it too."
"So, I'll see them off with a smile… after all, a girl looks best when she's smiling."
"Even me… I'd hate to leave everyone with a bad impression, you know?"
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