Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

"Mobius, aren't you going a bit overboard?"

Lin Wei shouted his protest at Mobius. You even activated your Artificial Cascade Form! What for?

It's not like I'm the Herrscher of Thunder!

"What, scared you? After all, this human body is just… inconvenient. Not quite satisfying enough!"

Mobius writhed her massive serpentine body with visible pleasure, her voice filled with perverse excitement.

"Since I'm finally getting some exercise, I might as well have a little fun~ Don't worry, I'll make it quick, and it won't hurt a bit~"

Mobius had decided to vent her frustration with Elysia onto Lin Wei as well. She was determined to teach this insufferably active guy a harsh lesson.

So what if I'm picking on someone weaker? Survival of the fittest is the law of nature!

Mobius rationalized inwardly, refusing to admit she felt humiliated moments ago and was trying to reassert her dominance. Worst case, I'll just go a little easier when I knock them out later~

"Fine, you asked for it!"

Lin Wei fumed, done arguing. He turned to protest elsewhere.

"Klein! Isn't the experiment over yet? Your Doctor's gone crazy, aren't you going to do something?"

"The experiment is proceeding normally. Please do not stop midway, test subject."

Klein's weary yet calm voice soon echoed near his ear.

"To better couple the physiological changes in your simulated form with real-world data, a moderate amount of stress hormones is beneficial. It significantly accelerates data acquisition speed. In this field of research, no one is more professional than the Doctor. Therefore, I suggest you cooperate to the best of your ability."

"...You call this moderate?"

Lin Wei stared at the restless half-human, half-serpent monstrosity in the distance, unsure whether to complain or freak out. Klein, are you being serious? That's completely biased!

"Klein, that's quite enough chatter from you."

Mobius's displeased voice cut in promptly. Klein, reprimanded, immediately fell silent.

Though Mobius feigned annoyance at Klein's distraction, she was secretly delighted by the final compliment. Naturally, she wouldn't let it show.

Her mood slightly improved, Mobius regarded Lin Wei a little more favorably. With a wave of her staff, the two remaining ELFs on the battlefield dissolved into streaks of green light, vanishing into the staff's tip.

"My, my, look at you, so flustered and pathetic. It's quite amusing."

She decided to lower the difficulty slightly for Lin Wei and the others, casually recalling her ELFs to make the pressure more "moderate." But her tone remained dripping with disdainful mockery.

"Let's just hope the way you struggle won't be too unsightly~"

"..."

Lin Wei was speechless. Even though he roughly guessed Mobius's true thoughts, her sharp tongue still infuriated him. He decided then and there to take her on.

You wanna be stubborn? Fine!

If I don't beat you until you're crying on the floor, I lose! Lin Wei made a ridiculously bold vow in his heart, then turned to start his pre-battle pep talk—aimed solely at Yuno.

"Yuno, don't worry too much later! Just hit her hard! Beat her senseless!"

Lin Wei loudly bolstered Yuno's flagging spirits, slightly dampened by her earlier recklessness and mistakes.

"I know you hate 'monsters,' that you're afraid of becoming one yourself someday. Don't worry! See that overgrown serpent over there? She's nothing but intimidating size! As long as you don't let yourself be scared, you'll see that so-called 'monsters' are nothing special!"

"Hm? Hmph!"

Hearing Lin Wei's blatant disrespect, Mobius flew into a rage. Coiling her tail, her entire serpentine body shot towards Lin Wei like a python striking its prey, descending with the terrifying force of a collapsing mountain!

Zing!

Yae Sakura kicked off the ground, meeting the charge head-on, counterattacking with speed that rivaled Mobius's own.

Though the saying goes "strike a snake at its weak spot," she knew neither Mobius nor Honkai Beasts were truly snakes. With Mobius's intelligence, she'd likely turn this supposed "weakness" into a dangerous trap; attacking it rashly would only put Sakura at a disadvantage.

Therefore, without hesitation, Sakura drew her blade. The sword's edge hummed with terrifying lightning capable of splitting mountains and cracking stone as she slashed straight for the serpent's neck, aiming to decapitate her in a single blow!

Though the size difference between them was immense, Sakura's own power was already on par with the Elysian Realm SAKURA without activating "Artificial Cascade Form." Mobius certainly couldn't ignore such a powerful strike. She swung her staff, crackling with green light, to meet the blow.

Clang!

Blade met staff. Sakura used the impact to redirect herself in mid-air, landing lightly on the giant claw's wrist. Treating the massive serpent's arm like a highway, she surged forward, her blade losing none of its momentum as she aimed straight for the huge, ferocious serpent head!

"Tch!"

As if provoked, Mobius abruptly halted her crushing advance towards Lin Wei. Then, from her back and shoulders, several more serpentine necks and heads sprouted, fanning out loosely like her flowing green hair, yet upon closer inspection, they appeared as eerie and terrifying as a mythical hydra.

"Hiss! Hiss!"

The smaller heads reacted instantly. Some fixed cold stares upon the tiny Yae Sakura, others opened their maws to spew beams of venomous energy, while still others simply lunged, attempting to bite her like prey.

Sakura weaved through the dense barrage of attacks with the agility of a swallow, dodging and weaving. But ultimately, she was outnumbered. Before Mobius's other giant claw could strike, Sakura retreated, severing an intercepting snake head mid-air before landing safely.

Though the strike failed, she had successfully blocked Mobius's terrifying initial assault, achieving her primary goal. Furthermore, forcing Mobius to reveal more hidden tactics made the exchange definitely worth it.

"Sakura, nice job!"

Lin Wei had almost been sent flying by Yuno's vines again. With the immediate crisis averted, he quickly called out,

"Yuno, you saw that, right? As long as you don't rush in recklessly, follow orders, we still have a chance to beat her!"

"...Mm."

Yuno looked at the safely landed, slightly breathless Yae Sakura, then at the giant serpent Mobius reattaching its severed head. She nodded seriously, handing the Abyss Flower back to Lin Wei.

"What should I do?" she asked earnestly.

She didn't understand how things had escalated like this, nor why the person Lin Wei brought her to for help had undergone such a terrifying transformation. But she knew the answers would come after this battle. Right now, she needed to—cooperate.

"Simple. Take down that snake! Teach her to speak with a different tone!"

Yuno was remarkably clear-headed now, much to Lin Wei's delight. He quickly gave her concise instructions.

"Use your strengths to their fullest! Control and pin down Mobius, create more attack opportunities for Sakura!"

The understanding between him and Yae Sakura was strong enough that she didn't need specific instructions; she would grasp his intent the moment she saw Yuno act.

But this feels weird... Lin Wei thought oddly. When did I become a 'squad Leader'?

He barely had time for these thoughts. Mobius, feeling she'd lost face again, didn't want to see Lin Wei looking so calm and collected. With a cold snort, she waved her staff. A bolt of terrifying green lightning coalesced out of thin air above Lin Wei and crashed down in an instant!

Boom!

The attack came suddenly. Yuno subconsciously flung Lin Wei far away, taking the horrifying lightning strike herself. Her pained grunt was swallowed by the crackling thunder, barely audible.

"Oops, missed!"

Mobius muttered with feigned regret.

She knew this fragile guy, Lin Wei, was the core of this strange little team. Without him, the other two women, despite their considerable strength, weren't a real threat.

That guy is just so annoying!

Mobius flicked her forked tongue, preparing to pursue, when a dozen Swords of Domination suddenly flew through the air, interrupting her. She swung her staff, blocking them all. Sakura seized the opening, leaping behind her, attempting the same decapitation strategy.

Annoying pest!

Mobius irritably directed the auxiliary snake heads at her side to intercept Sakura. After blocking all the Swords of Domination, she once again raised her staff, preparing a second strike against Lin Wei.

Zing!

Suddenly, under the cover of the Swords of Domination, a holy lance shot out from an unseen angle, aimed precisely at Mobius's face!

Mobius startled. That's a complete Divine Key! Taking a hit from that would hurt! She hastily swung her staff to block.

Swish! Swish! Swish!

Several more Swords of Domination slipped through the gaps while she was occupied, striking the smaller snake heads. Mobius couldn't dodge them all and was wounded again!

Using cheats and overwhelming stats, anyone can do that! Lin Wei thought dismissively. I'm holding a pile of Divine Keys! I have more than enough, I could bury you with them!

"Yuno, she's all yours!"

He was now sprawled limply on the ground. After unleashing such a powerful, coordinated burst, he was temporarily unable to get up, forced to leave the battle to his teammates.

Yuno, relying on her incredible resilience, had weathered the lightning strike. Though still weak and disheveled, seeing Lin Wei helpless spurred her into action. She charged through the opening Lin Wei had created, heading straight for Mobius. Hundreds of vines erupted from her body, forming a colossal, sky-blotting net that surged towards the giant serpent!

She knew if Mobius freed her hands again, Lin Wei wouldn't be able to withstand another attack. She had to bind Mobius tightly, preventing her from attacking or even getting near Lin Wei again.

Clang! Clang!

Yae Sakura had seized the opportunity to lop off two more snake heads before retreating. Once Yuno successfully engaged Mobius, pinning down most of her attention with ubiquitous, sharp vines, Sakura closed in again, launching her third deadly assault.

She knew that while she could threaten the giant serpent, Mobius could also easily inflict heavy damage on her. Thus, each of her attacks was carefully controlled; she would rather forgo an opportunity than risk losing her ability to fight due to a moment of carelessness.

Now, with Yuno providing support, she could finally let loose a bit more.

Sakura swung her blade downwards in mid-air. Her exquisite swordsmanship easily severed the data flow of the Elysian Realm, allowing her body to momentarily step outside the world, traversing the intervening space as if walking through the void.

She effortlessly bypassed Mobius's defenses, reappearing directly in front of the massive serpent's torso. Then, leaping back into the normal flow of the Elysian Realm, her expression calm, she thrust her sword straight towards the giant serpent's chest—where the faint outline of the humanoid Mobius could be seen.

She actually wanted to see if she could carve Mobius right out of the serpent's body!

"You?!"

Mobius felt like she blinked, and suddenly Sakura was right in front of her, launching such an insulting attack. Shock and rage surged through her.

Sakura was too close now; Mobius's massive body made counterattacking too slow. She tried to dodge, but her lower serpent body was tightly bound by Yuno's vines, rendering her immobile for the moment.

Unable to do anything else, Mobius forced her body to dissolve once more into a large patch of shadow, escaping both the blade's threat and the entangling vines. She flowed like liquid to a safe distance before reforming.

"Damn you all!"

Mobius seethed with impotent rage. She couldn't understand why, even after revealing her most powerful form, the fight was still so frustratingly difficult.

This isn't right. It shouldn't be like this!

Back in the Flame-Chasers, it took three MANTISes giving their all just to subdue this Active Honkai Reaction Form! Why am I performing so poorly today?

Mobius was baffled.

But she failed to consider two things. Firstly, that incident occurred at the Flame-Chasers' base. The MANTISes attacking her were hesitant, afraid of hurting her and causing collateral damage.

Secondly, Mobius had lost consciousness back then, acting purely on instinct, essentially becoming a reborn Honkai Beast—a top-tier account with maxed-out stats, freed from the unskilled player's control. Its power and threat level had skyrocketed!

Neither of those advantages existed on this battlefield:

First, this was the Elysian Realm. There were no "innocent bystanders." They could fight without holding back.

Second, Mobius was conscious now. As a scientist, she lacked Sakura's refined combat techniques and

Yuno's reckless abandon. Her own skill limitations effectively nerfed her power.

It boiled down to the same principle: even the best account is useless if you don't know how to play it!

Mobius had the 'home field advantage' but lacked tactical timing and opponent synergy. Facing these two opponents, it was perfectly normal for her to be struggling.

Not to mention, there was that inconspicuous rat causing trouble at critical moments!

"..."

Thinking of Lin Wei only fueled Mobius's anger. She then realized that, although she looked pathetic, she had indeed escaped Sakura and Yuno's encirclement.

In that case...

A vicious idea took hold. The newly reforming serpent body dissolved once more. The flowing shadow surged silently towards Lin Wei's location. He was still lying on the ground, dazed, his Star of Eden lying uselessly beside him, too weak even to pick it up.

"Watch out!"

Yae Sakura saw the dark currents converging on Lin Wei from afar and cried out in alarm, mentally cursing herself. Why did I use that movement technique so carelessly?

Otherwise, with that technique's properties, I could have reached Lin Wei's side instantly!

If even she was powerless, Yuno stood no chance. Though she desperately stretched her vines towards Lin Wei, how could they possibly match the tidal speed of Mobius's shadow form?

"This time, let's see who can help you!"

Mobius rapidly closed in on the isolated Lin Wei and reformed without hesitation. A monstrous serpent erupted from the shadowy river, jaws gaping wide, and swallowed Lin Wei whole!

"You lose, little guinea pig!"

Within the dark serpentine body, Mobius's triumphant voice echoed from all directions, thick with satisfaction.

"Really? Are you so sure~?"

Lin Wei, still seemingly lying on the ground within the darkness, remained unfazed. He shifted slightly, revealing a uniquely shaped greatsword that had been hidden beneath him. A strange smile played on his lips.

"Maybe you should reconsider?"