After learning that Elias intended to bring everything to an end in this final loop, Misteln no longer chose to report to the other Flame-Chasers about the existence of the cycles.
Instead, she decided to devote her power to him—to help minimize the losses of the Previous Era and make this the cycle with the fewest casualties in history.
After all, since she couldn't stop Elias...
She would give her all to assist him.
And because she shared his memories, Misteln had accumulated the experience of ten loops. At this point, she was the person who understood the Honkai best—second only to Elias himself.
If he weren't here, Misteln could have been called the Saintess of Salvation.
However...
"Master, are you really not going to tell me the method you'll use to save everyone?" Misteln asked, arms crossed.
"Of course not. Whether you know or not doesn't matter. In fact, it might be better if you don't." Elias refused to reveal his plan, no matter what.
"You think I'd get angry and try to stop you?"
"You would. You'd get angry, and you'd try to stop me—but you wouldn't be able to."
"...Ehh~"
Misteln sighed, pressing a hand to her forehead. She felt completely exhausted as she shot him a weary glare.
Sometimes, she really wanted to just lock this man in a little dark room so he could never come out again.
The outside world was far too dangerous—and this person had a way of constantly getting himself hurt.
She didn't know what kind of method Elias planned to use to sever the chains of fate, to save Elysia while also freeing future Herrschers from the control of the Honkai—but she was certain she wouldn't like it. And as far as her dislikes went...
As a Stigma spirit, Misteln wasn't human. Concepts like good or evil didn't matter to her; she viewed the world with detachment. Whether something was righteous or wicked made no difference.
There was only one thing in existence she truly hated—Elias being hurt.
"Don't worry, Misteln. There's a price to pay, sure, but I won't die."
Elias smiled. With the system's protection, even if he perished during a temporal shift, he'd simply return to the Current Era.
"Not dying... that's all? Heh~ If that's the case, then you were right not to tell me. If I knew you'd be 'hurt' again, I'd definitely do everything in my power to stop you."
Misteln gave a faint, bitter smile.
As for that pink elf girl—Misteln couldn't care less. To her, as long as Elias was safe, even if the whole world perished, it didn't matter.
She could always take Elias traveling through the bubble worlds instead.
But since her Master wished to save everyone, then as his Stigma and as part of his strength, Misteln would naturally assist him.
"So then, the first thing to do is deal with the Herrschers, right?"
"Yeah. That's Phase One of the plan—neutralize every Herrscher of the Previous Era, including the Herrscher of Finality. We're already over halfway done. Not bad, huh?"
"Yes. You're getting faster each time," Misteln said.
She recalled the five Herrschers imprisoned in the Deep End—together with their Honkai Beast companions, they hadn't lasted even two minutes before being subdued by Elias.
Even Misteln couldn't help but be impressed.
"But the next two..."
"Yeah. They're special."
Elias' eyes narrowed slightly.
The next Herrschers—Numbers Six and Seven—were special.
Not because of their power.
Although starting from the Seventh Herrscher there would be a qualitative increase in strength, as long as they weren't at the level of the Herrscher of Finality, they were still well within Elias' range of instant subjugation.
What made them special was that both of these Herrschers were people connected to him.
"In any case," Elias said with a soft sigh, "let's just do it like always. I'll go retrieve Sheele. But first, I need to change into something more fitting for greeting a lady."
He opened his wardrobe and began selecting an outfit suitable for welcoming a girl.
The Sixth Eruption—codename: Herrscher of Death.
The place of birth: North Ursus. The Honkai energy concentration of the Sixth Herrscher exceeded 10,000 HW. If left unchecked, the Herrscher of Death would, at the moment of her awakening, instantly kill every living being in the entire nation.
The Herrscher of Death possessed a delicate and pitiful appearance. Unlike the brash and stubborn Herrschers before her, she was quick to beg for mercy when at a disadvantage—only to flee and resume her rampage the moment she saw an opening.
Adding to her threat was her vast domain of decaying black mist, capable of destroying genetic structures of all living beings within its range—a truly large-scale attack.
In every sense, she was the perfect opposite of Elias, the Herrscher of Rebirth who excelled at saving others. She, on the other hand, was the embodiment of death.
Yet...
Few knew what kind of misfortune and sorrow the girl had endured before becoming the Herrscher of Death.
She had once been an orphan who lost her parents. Her relatives had stolen her inheritance, then sent her off to an orphanage tied to human trafficking.
If Elysia was a Herrscher born from the kindness of humanity, then the Herrscher of Death was one born from its cruelty.
But that was all in the past.
Once a tragedy reached Elias' ears—it ceased to remain a tragedy.
"How's it going? Did you catch them?"
"Yes, Lord Elias. Those scum have been captured."
"Good. Give them a warm welcome. Send them to Mobius—tell her she can 'play' however she wants. Just don't use anesthesia."
A cold glint flashed in Elias' eyes. He had already ordered the arrest of the girl's relatives earlier.
Pathetically, they had even tried to resist capture, shouting things like, "Does being a Savior mean you can just arrest anyone you want?!"
The answer was—yes.
As the Savior who had singlehandedly defeated five Herrschers and their companion Honkai Beasts, leading humanity to pin the Honkai itself to the ground, Elias' word was the law of the Previous Era.
Every decision he made was absolute.
His will was the will of the era.
"How do I look?" Elias asked, turning to the young secretary of Fire Moth after changing into fresh clothes.
"Y-You look... perfect, my lord."
The secretary's cheeks flushed bright red. Her eyes were practically blinded by his beauty. Their beloved Savior had already been impossibly handsome to begin with—and now that he had dressed up, the sight struck her heart like a divine spear.
Inwardly, she screamed, Mom, I'm in love!
Of course, she knew full well that the man before her was someone far beyond her reach. Still—was there any woman in Fire Moth who hadn't secretly fallen for the Savior at least once?
He was like the sun—too radiant for mortals to approach. And besides, the women around him were all one-in-a-billion existences themselves.
"May I ask, my lord... what exactly are you planning to do?"
Gathering her courage, the secretary finally asked.
"Hmm? Isn't it obvious? When a man dresses up nicely, it's obviously to go greet a lady."
Elias smiled, lips curving upward in amusement.
"To be greeted by you personally... that girl must be the luckiest in the world," the secretary said enviously.
Elias shook his head lightly. "No. She's a very unfortunate girl. But precisely because of that, I have to save her. Alright, let's go."
...
In a filthy, wretched orphanage—
"Hurry up and get to work! Move faster, or Mama will 'teach you a lesson'!"
Even the brightest sunlight could not reach every corner. In those unseen shadows, human malice thrived.
A woman with long golden hair and an alluring figure glared at the orphans. Though she called herself "Mama," she treated the children as nothing more than tools.
She was a woman who wished to climb into high society—not by honest means, but by founding an orphanage and presenting herself as a benevolent soul, all while secretly using the guise of adoption to sell children for profit.
To the children, this place was hell.
In front of outsiders, the children had to maintain bright, cheerful smiles. But once the orphanage doors closed, they became their "Mama's" slaves, merchandise, and stepping stones.
"Someone... please save us..."
A trembling girl with shoulder-length black-blue hair, eyes as deep as the sea, and snow-pale skin whispered in fear.
Her name was Sheele—a girl abandoned by her relatives and thrown into this orphanage after her parents' death.
"I don't want to be sold... Anyone, please, just take me away from here..."
Sheele hugged her head and curled up inside a small wooden chest, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Just yesterday, her so-called "Mama" had given her some "good news": someone had finally agreed to "adopt" her.
Though Sheele was innocent and kind, she wasn't naive. She knew there was no such thing as genuine kindness in this twisted orphanage.
Her "Mama" had already received a hefty donation from the supposed adopter.
If she were "adopted" in a few days, Sheele couldn't imagine what awaited her—only that it would be a fate far worse than her current life. A true hell.
"Why did it turn out like this...? Mama said only bad kids get punished. But Sheele never did anything wrong... So why... why is this happening to me...?"
"I'm scared... I don't want to be adopted... I have to escape... But if I'm caught, Mama will punish me again..."
Every instinct screamed at Sheele to run. Yet when she recalled what had happened to the children who tried before her, her body froze in terror, and the tears wouldn't stop.
All she could do was pray—for a miracle, for a ray of light to pierce through this living hell.
And then—
"So this is where you're hiding, huh? Took me long enough to find you, Sheele. Seems like you still need a little lesson."
"Cocolia... Mama..."
Reality wasn't a game. Hiding in a box didn't make you invisible. The lid creaked open, and Sheele stared up at the blonde woman's cruel smile, trembling uncontrollably as despair spread across her face.
"You're getting adopted in a few days. Can't have you bruised up—it'll ruin your price tag. Of course, Mama knows plenty of ways to 'discipline' naughty kids without leaving marks."
"I-I'm sorry, Mama Cocolia! I'll be good! Please, just this once, let me go!"
"No can do! Get out here! It's time you learned your lesson properly!"
The blonde woman grabbed Sheele's frail arm, trying to drag her out of the box. Though the girl struggled desperately, she was no match for an adult's strength.
As she was pulled out, Sheele screamed, tears falling freely.
"P-Please... someone... someone save me..."
"Still crying for help? Foolish girl! This is my orphanage! You could scream your lungs out, and no one would come!"
But the very next second—
BOOM!
A thunderous crash echoed through the building as the orphanage's front door was kicked open with overwhelming force.
"Fire Moth—Open-the-door! Uh, wait... guess it's already open."
A young man in a white formal suit stood in the doorway.
Moments later, several armed Fire Moth soldiers rushed in behind him, swiftly taking control of the Cocolia Orphanage.
The sudden intrusion left everyone inside frozen in shock. The children huddled together in fear.
When Cocolia saw the emblem of the burning moth, her face drained of all color. And when her eyes landed on Elias himself, she fell to her knees with a wet splat, completely losing control.
"You really do play the villain no matter which world you're in," Elias said coldly. "And not even a proper one—just the most pathetic kind of bottom-feeder villain, huh, Cocolia?."
He gazed at her with open contempt—this alternate version of the foxlike woman from the Current Era.
"W-Why... why are you here..."
"Because someone important to me is here," Elias said softly. "Anyway, congratulations, Cocolia. You've officially lost any hope for the rest of your life. Have you prepared yourself for repentance?"
"..."
Cocolia was utterly stunned.
She had known there might come a day when her crimes would be exposed, so she'd made her share of backup plans—contacts, favors, powerful patrons. Even if the police came knocking, she had no fear.
But this wasn't the police.
This was Fire Moth. This was the Savior himself!
Those so-called "connections" of hers were worth less than dust before the white-haired youth standing before her. Cocolia's mind went blank—she was terrified beyond reason.
Why? Why would the Savior himself come for someone like me?! she thought. Surely this is too much!
Facing a small-time villain like her, did it really require him to personally intervene? At this point, not even the Will of the Honkai could save her.
"Take her to Mobius," Elias said coldly. "Tell her she can do whatever she wants with this woman—just don't kill her. She's someone who dared to offend me."
"Y-Yes, sir!"
The Fire Moth soldiers collectively sucked in a sharp breath.
Their eyes toward Cocolia were tinged with pity. They had seen plenty of people with a death wish—but never anyone who had courted death quite like this woman.
Even committing every crime written in the Codex would've been a lighter punishment than angering their Savior.
Just thinking about Mobius' laboratory sent chills down their spines. People who entered often didn't come out the same—or come out at all.
But... in this case, she deserved it.
After seeing what this orphanage had become, everyone knew—Cocolia wasn't worth an ounce of sympathy.
To quote a certain "legendary grandma":
"Children are humanity's greatest treasures. The gravest sin in this world... is harming those treasures."
"Check on the children," Elias ordered calmly. "If any were kidnapped, return them home. If they were sent here willingly, arrest whoever sent them. For now... take them all to Aponia's sanatorium."
Activating his Herrscher of Rebirth Authority, pure white lilies of creation blossomed around the children, mending their wounds and soothing their pain.
Given Elias' fame and reputation, even the orphans recognized him. Their frightened eyes filled with admiration and awe.
At that moment, every girl in the room fell a little in love.
Wearing an elegant white suit trimmed with gold, his beauty reaching the very limits of humanity, Elias looked like the prince every girl had once dreamed of.
Sheele stared in a daze. Her prayers had been answered—the man who had kicked open the orphanage doors had also kicked open the locked doors of her heart.
And then, the next second, Sheele thought she must be hallucinating—
Because Elias was walking straight toward her.
—
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