The Valkyries of Schicksal were witnessing a scene that would shock them for the rest of their lives. One after another, they stood with their mouths slightly open and eyes wide in disbelief. Many of them even pinched their own cheeks hard.
"I-I'm not dreaming, am I?"
"The Overseer actually... actually..."
"I don't even know what to do anymore."
"It feels like... I really can't bear to watch this."
"This is far too undignified..."
At this moment, Otto was begging in humiliation.
Before all the Valkyries, he allowed the glorious image he had spent hundreds of years building to collapse completely, because he no longer had the luxury to care.
If he had simply been defeated in terms of strength, then even in defeat Otto would have remained calm and elegant, at the very least preserving his dignity. But... his weakness had been seized.
And so the only thing Otto could do was display his most humble, ugly, and shameful posture, repent for his mistakes, and beg the white-haired youth before him for forgiveness.
He had clung to life for five hundred years for one reason alone—to pursue the hope of resurrecting the saintess. That was the most precious thing in his existence, far more important than the life of Otto Apocalypse, this scum of a man.
Compared to that, his dignity? His image?
They were nothing!
"Respected Savior, Otto Apocalypse is willing to pay any price for the foolish sins he has committed. No matter what punishment you impose, I will accept it! So please—please do not take away the one wish I have pursued for these five hundred years. I beg you, show mercy in this matter alone."
Otto pressed his forehead against the ground. Such a miserable and disgraceful sight was unprecedented in his entire life.
Yet Elias gave him no response at all.
"I've come to take you away, Cecilia. Let's go. From today onward, you are free. Let's continue the journey we never finished. Oh, right—bring Theresa and your squad with you as well."
The white-haired youth's gaze fell upon Cecilia, gentle enough to melt solid ice.
Even with the platinum mask obscuring his face, it still stirred the hearts of many Valkyries.
"Mm... o-okay."
Cecilia's cheeks flushed slightly red. At this moment, she was completely immersed in Elias' tenderness, unable to extricate herself.
When she had been at her most desperate, the man before her had descended and severed the chains of fate that were about to bind Cecilia Schariac. She had never imagined such a thing could happen.
It was like a fairy tale—she had become the princess rescued by a handsome and dashing prince in her moment of peril.
The heart that had already been stolen from her now sank even deeper, beyond salvation.
And Elias perfectly fulfilled every image of a prince that might exist in a girl's heart. His charm was unquestionable. His domineering strength toward Otto was enough to make one tremble, while his gentleness toward the one he loved made one's heart race.
Cecilia had never been the type to swoon over appearances, yet now her eyes were practically shining with hearts. She could not help but wonder how she had ever managed to resist this man's charm in the past.
"S-Savior, I..."
Otto gritted his teeth and struggled to speak again, but what answered him was an irresistible crushing gravity.
Elias cast a cold glance at Otto, whose body had been pressed into a human-shaped crater in the ground. The icy look in his eyes was completely different from the one he had shown Cecilia.
"I will not answer your question. For you, that is the best punishment. Live in fear as much as you like, Otto Apocalypse. We shall meet again in the future."
Elias did not respond to Otto's plea.
Thus, the fool would live in unease from this day forward, unable to determine whether, after he finally succeeded in resurrecting the saintess, the Savior Flame-Chaser would appear and kill her.
All he could do was pray. Otto Apocalypse had no means to stop Elias, and this torment would continue until more than twenty years in the future.
That was the punishment Elias bestowed upon Otto for this transgression.
(This is the ending you deserve. No matter how moving Apocalypse Thus Spoke may be, no matter how devoted your five-hundred-year obsession seems, it cannot offset the sins you have committed, nor can it conceal your own ugliness.)
Those who commit mistakes must accept punishment.
Every sin will be counted and repaid.
That was the unbreakable rule Elias had set. Even if the Galactic Baseballer themselves showed up, it would change nothing!
As for forcing Otto to atone with his life—
(Death? That would be far too merciful. It would practically be a reward for him.)
Not everyone in this world fears death. Especially for someone like Otto, who had already looked past life and death over five hundred years, death could even be considered a form of release.
After all, death was merely a moment of pain, followed by eternal peace.
Elias had no intention of being so kindhearted.
For someone like Otto, only by remaining alive could he truly receive the punishment he deserved, no matter how innumerable and unforgivable the sins he had committed over the past five centuries.
Elias declared that, as a companion of justice, he would personally help him tally every single crime and make him pay the price.
Until every sin of this damned dog was settled, he would not even have the right to choose death.
(Otto: ...Isn't that a bit too cruel?)
(Elias: You deserve it.)
After that, Elias left with Cecilia, Theresa, and the Snowwolf Squad.
Before departing, he nodded toward the so-called "flat-chested immortal," who had spent the entire time watching the spectacle without ever finding an opportunity to enter the stage. She returned the nod, indicating that she understood what needed to be done.
Fu Hua was only lacking in emotional intelligence. Her actual intelligence was perfectly normal. In fact, among the Flame-Chasers, she was the one who required the least worry from Elias.
Though... perhaps that was simply because this poor child was a blockhead.
Fu Hua: "..."
...
Within the Elysian Realm.
The group, visiting for the first time, was completely stunned.
This flawless paradise, created from the most beautiful memories shared by Elias and Elysia, was a place more dreamlike and wondrous than any fairy tale.
An ELF serving as a tour guide—ELF Elysia—excitedly led the girls around to explore.
Meanwhile, Elias was confirming the situation with the system, just in case.
"System, I might have gone a bit overboard this time. I've changed quite a lot. Are you sure that correction mechanism of yours still works? You're not going to toss me into some parallel world afterward, are you?"
Elias asked with some unease. Because of his actions, Cecilia had already become his, and Theresa as well as the Snowwolf Squad had withdrawn from Schicksal far earlier than they should have.
He could not help worrying about how the future might change. For example, would Durandal still appear?
[Please rest assured, Host. According to this system's observations, the timeline itself has not shifted. Although the future has changed, no malignant consequences have been produced.]
[And the individual known as Durandal still exists. In fact, as an important figure in this world, unless you had destroyed the world in the past, her birth in the future is an inevitability.]
"Alright. Hearing that puts me at ease."
Elias nodded and let out a breath of relief.
At the same time, he thought to himself that she truly deserved to be the real overpowered protagonist of the original storyline. If Durandal were placed into a fantasy novel, she would undoubtedly be the chosen one blessed with immense destiny.
"By the way, didn't you say before that there was a new function I should look forward to? I don't have much time left in this time-travel session, so stop keeping me in suspense."
Elias tapped the system interface lightly.
[Yes! New function: Bring Target Back! Host, you may bring the target of this time travel—Cecilia Schariac—back with you to the original timeline.]
"Oh? That's not bad at all."
Elias' eyes lit up. The system had finally given him a pleasant surprise. He had not expected it to allow him to bring someone back. If that was the case, then next time, could he even bring someone along during time travel?
If he traveled to five hundred years ago next time, wouldn't he be able to bring Kallen Kaslana directly to the modern era?
If that damned dog were told about this, he would probably kneel down and lick Elias' shoes, begging him to do exactly that.
[However, please note that the Bring Target Back function cannot be used freely. First, you may only bring one person. Second, it will cause an unknown degree of impact upon history.]
"Alright, alright. As expected, you're only reliable halfway. I'll ask Cecilia what she thinks. If she's willing, we'll do it."
[How could she possibly refuse? Saving twenty-four years of waiting—if this were those female Flame-Chasers, they would be overjoyed.]
"Heh, not necessarily. You should know that Cecilia is the woman who has rejected me twice already."
Elias said with inexplicable pride.
And sure enough, the system was immediately proven wrong.
After Elias explained the matter of time travel to Cecilia and the others, the Schariac saintess hesitated for a long time before finally shaking her head and declining.
"Third time~ Cecilia, congratulations. You've become the person who's rejected me the most in this lifetime. Want a medal?"
"N-No, that won't be necessary..."
"Alright. But have you truly thought this through? If you stay in this time period, it will be a very long wait before we meet again in the future."
Elias gently stroked the girl's cheek, his voice full of affection.
"For me, it will only be a fleeting moment. But for you, it will be a long stretch of time. Enduring and longing aren't easy things."
"It's alright... No, perhaps it really won't be easy. But you know me, Elias. I'm very good at enduring. So I'll definitely be able to hold on until the day we meet again."
Cecilia clenched her fists and revealed a resolute smile, having made her decision.
If it were Elias who had to wait that long, she would have chosen without hesitation to leave with him.
But if it was she who needed to endure, Cecilia was willing to bear the time apart.
In truth, she desperately wanted to go to the future with him. Just thinking about being unable to see him for so long filled her heart with sorrow.
At the same time, Cecilia was afraid—afraid that when they met again in the future, she herself might have changed, and afraid that this burning love might cool with time.
But...
It's alright. It will be alright. If the Flame-Chasers could preserve their feelings for Elias unchanged for fifty thousand years, then I can do the same!
She told herself in her heart, And if I myself change during this time... then I will change into someone better than I am now—someone even more worthy of Elias!
After hearing everything, she had already understood.
Her remaining in this era would be better for Elias.
As long as she stayed, it would avoid unpredictable changes to history. And beyond that, Cecilia had several other reasons to remain in this time.
First—her family and companions.
"Don't go, okay, Cecilia? Without you, how am I supposed to live? Waaaah—!"
"Me too, Lady Cecilia! If I can't see you for that long, how could I possibly endure it?!"
"Alright, alright~ I'm not leaving. I'll stay in this era. So Theresa, Kira, stop crying."
After learning about the time travel, Theresa and Shigure Kira had immediately rushed forward, each hugging one of Cecilia's exquisite legs, crying their eyes out and begging her not to leave.
As for Cheng Lixue, Salome Jokanaan, Shub-Niggurath, and Patricia Highsmith—the four members of the Snowwolf Squad—they expressed that Captain, you shouldn't think too much about it. As long as you're happy, that's what matters.
If it had only been Theresa and Shigure Kira's pleas, Cecilia would ultimately still have chosen to go to the future.
But...
"Elias, I've decided. I'm going to accomplish that thing."
"That thing?"
Elias blinked, momentarily stunned.
"Mm! I want to establish a Valkyrie academy—one where Valkyries can experience the life of ordinary people, and learn to protect themselves instead of becoming cold machines of war. Most importantly, I want them to understand—what makes the world beautiful."
Cecilia spoke with unwavering seriousness.
The Valkyries of Schicksal upheld the creed of "fighting for all that is beautiful," yet most of them had never truly experienced what beauty was. Every day consisted only of relentless training and missions.
Many did not even understand what beauty meant before dying in battle.
Cecilia herself had once been the same. But she had changed. Her world had become beautiful because of Elias. She had already found the reason she was determined to fight.
And so she hoped that more Valkyries could find the same.
In her view, a Valkyrie who fights for beauty must first discover her own beauty.
"Alright. I support you, Cecilia."
Elias gently patted the girl's head, feeling deeply gratified. He thought to himself that the future would undergo further changes now—but he believed they would be changes for the better.
"I—I want to help too!"
Theresa stood on tiptoe and raised her hand.
"Me too! Lady Cecilia!"
"In that case, I'll join as well."
"I'll discuss it with my master. Okay—Master agrees."
The five girls of the Snowwolf Squad also declared their participation.
With one S-rank Valkyrie, five A-rank Valkyries, and one B-rank Judah launcher as the core team, Elias could already foresee that the founding of St. Freya Academy would proceed far more smoothly than before.
As for funding, World Serpent could provide support at the beginning. Once it reached a certain scale, St. Freya Academy would be able to sustain its own development—and later even seek sponsorship from Anti-Entropy.
"How impressive, Cecilia. As expected of my girlfriend. Heh~ I really look forward to seeing what changes will take place at St. Freya Academy in the future," Elias said.
"Mm. Leave it to me. After all, this isn't just something I want to do—it's also the wish you entrusted to me back then."
Cecilia was brimming with motivation. This was a rare ideal she had found for herself, and she was determined to give it her all and accomplish it to the very best of her ability.