"Don't be like this, Ely, Pardo, Griseo. I'm not dying this time. I'm just returning to the original timeline. Aren't your reactions a bit too exaggerated?"
Elias wiped sweat from his brow as he looked at the three accessories hanging off him.
Elysia and Griseo were hugging his neck, one on each side, while Pardofelis clung to his long leg, crying her heart out.
The other Flame-Chasers had also gathered, along with Cecilia, Theresa, and the five members of Snowwolf Squad. Every one of them looked at Elias with reluctance and sorrow.
Anyone unaware of the situation might think that Elias was about to die yet again.
"Waaah, Boss Elias, don't go!"
"Can't you stay just a little longer?"
"Sorry. It's really reached the very end."
Elias gently patted Griseo's and Pardofelis's heads. Though for him the separation would only last an instant, he found that even so, it was unbearably difficult to accept.
The time for this journey through time had finally run out.
He was about to return to his original timeline. It was only natural for the girls to feel reluctant. After all, for them, this parting would last more than twenty years.
"Alright, Pardofelis, Griseo. When we say goodbye, we have to smile, remember? That's what we agreed on. It's only twenty-four years. It'll pass in the blink of an eye."
Tears shimmered in Elysia's eyes as she spoke. In truth, she was the one who felt the most reluctant of all, yet Miss Pink Elf still forced herself to show a bright smile.
"Ely..."
"This time, it's reversed, isn't it, Eli?"
Elysia gave a bitter smile. Thinking back, she had once been the one who left. Though it had been to save the future of the white-haired boy, she had left him eleven times.
As she savored the present moment, she felt she finally understood Elias's feelings back then. Being separated from the one you love... was truly a painful thing.
But precisely because of that, reunion was something worth looking forward to.
"Ely, I'll be waiting for you all in the future."
"Mm. We'll definitely catch up to you."
After bidding farewell to Miss Pink Elf, Elias turned his gaze toward Cecilia—the heroine of his brief journey this time, and perhaps the strongest and hardest-to-win girl he had ever encountered.
He had once suggested using the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience to seal this portion of her memories, letting her recall them only after he returned to the future. That way, she would at least be spared the longing.
But Cecilia had refused him once more. She said she wanted to keep her memories and was willing to miss him for twenty-four years.
"So stubborn... thank you, Cecilia."
"I should be the one thanking you, Elias. If not for you, I would still be bound. Thank you for giving me such a happy experience."
Cecilia wiped away the tears at the corner of her eyes. Her life had changed because of this encounter. It was Elias who had given her—like a bird trapped in a cage—the freedom to choose her own fate.
Though twenty-four years was so long it exceeded her entire life thus far, she believed that no matter how much time passed, the feelings in her heart at this moment would not fade in the slightest.
After that, Shigure Kira and the others also bid him farewell. As a side note, Elias had already used the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth to grant the girls the blessing of agelessness. It could be considered a bit of selfishness on his part.
He hoped their time would stop here.
Until he returned to the future and met them again, he didn't want them to change too much. Otherwise, if they became strangers, he would feel sad as well.
(Though this time, it's rare that everything ended peacefully.)
Elias suddenly sighed inwardly.
(In the past, almost every return meant dying first. What a rare time-travel journey without a death experience. Not bad, not bad. Hope I can keep this up next time.)
Thinking back, even Elias himself felt he hadn't had it easy. Nearly every time he traveled through time, the ending involved death. If not for the system's protection, he would have died countless times over.
Being able to return intact this time made him feel rather gratified. Quite a bit of progress indeed.
(Right, in that case, let's do something special. System, can I decide the return effect? It's a rare opportunity. Might as well leave everyone with a 'deep impression'.)
[Host, your expression right now is very delighted. Are you thinking of going next door to become an Emanator of Elation? But... this request is entirely acceptable. Please, feel free to unleash your creativity.]
...I feel like you're a prankster system too.
Elias raised an eyebrow, and with a mere thought, it was settled.
As the system's countdown reached zero, this journey through time officially came to an end. Before everyone's eyes, Elias's body transformed into a crystalline ice sculpture, shimmering under the simulated sunlight of the Elysian Realm—and then... shattered!
Elysia: "???"
Cecilia: "???"
Everyone: "?!!!"
Sh-shattered!!!
Watching the white-haired boy break into glittering ice fragments, though the sight was gorgeous and dreamlike, everyone felt as if they had just been stabbed through the heart. Each of them nearly coughed up blood from the shock.
...
Inside the system space.
"Oh my~ Did I go a bit too far with that prank? But I did it on purpose! Back then I got stabbed pretty badly too. So let's call it even... though I might have accidentally injured Cecilia and the others in the process."
Elias curled his lips in delight, admiring through the system interface the shattered expressions of Elysia and the rest.
At the same time, he recalled experiencing the Elysian Realm storyline in his previous life, when the ice shattered and left him emotionally devastated.
Back when he had still been a Captain staring at a screen, watching the nameplates of the thirteen Flame-Chasers shatter one by one, he had squeezed his phone so hard he cracked the screen.
But now, at last, he had taken revenge.
"As expected, watching others get stabbed hurts in a much more delightful way! Hehehehehe~"
Soon, a system notification rang out.
[Time-travel reward settlement: Holy Blood purity increased by 100%. Favorability of those with the Schariac bloodline increased. One hundred ways to use Judas manual. Ten thousand tons of bitter melon juice. Voice of Extinction...]
"Uh... feels kind of underwhelming."
Elias looked at the rewards with a subtle expression, but he quickly let it go. It was understandable that the gains weren't high.
(It can't be helped. This time the time travel wasn't particularly difficult. Cecilia and the others don't possess abilities that can significantly help me. And besides... I've already obtained the most precious thing. No need to be greedy.)
He had gained a beautiful saintess who loved him deeply, the wonderful memories they shared, and an early reunion with the Flame-Chasers. Elias was already more than satisfied.
Moreover, at his current level, taking another step forward in strength was no easy task. It wasn't impossible, though. For example, he could become the Herrscher of Finality.
Or...
He could charge the Imaginary Tree one more time.
Last time had been his first attempt, so he had been unfamiliar in many aspects. But now he had experience.
Elias believed he had already figured out the optimal "posture" for charging the Tree. One day, his shattered Pseudo God authority would be reforged. And next time...
He wouldn't merely aim for the power of a Pseudo God.
He would aim for an authority worthy of being called a true god.
If everything went smoothly, he might even obtain power surpassing that of the Herrscher of Finality.
After all, the Imaginary Tree stood on a far higher level than the Cocoon of Finality. The fact that his wish to erase the Honkai from one parallel world had been fulfilled was the best proof.
The Imaginary Tree could help him reach an even higher realm.
(But there's no need to think about that right now. My current power is more than enough. There's no rush. And there's a mountain of preparation required. Slowly, step by step.)
Elias set aside the second version of his Tree-charging plan that he had long been preparing. His life was going smoothly now, and the future Honkai crises were all within manageable scope. There was no need to take risks.
After all, he sought power to protect those important to him. And as he was now, he already possessed the strength to achieve that goal. So he could afford to slack off a little.
This second Tree-charging plan would remain a hidden trump card for a future crisis he truly couldn't handle.
At that moment, the scenery before Elias shifted.
When he came back to his senses, he found himself inside a familiar Valkyrie villa. It looked exactly the same as before his time travel, as though nothing had changed at all.
He could even still feel the faint ache in his abdomen—from eating MEI's dark cuisine before he traveled. Though emergency treatment had saved him in time, some side effects remained.
"What's wrong, Elias? Haven't recovered yet?"
"Cecilia..."
Elias turned his head and saw a white-haired beauty looking at him with concern. Those azure eyes were trying their best to restrain the love within them. He curved his lips into a faint smile.
"What a fast reunion. The reluctance from our parting hasn't even faded, and I'm already seeing you again, Cecilia. The feeling's a bit strange, but... I'm back."
"!!!"
As intelligent as Cecilia was, she instantly understood his meaning. In that brief moment just now, the boy had returned from the past. She no longer needed to endure in silence.
"I can finally hug you openly now... right?" Crystal light shimmered in her eyes.
"Yes. Sorry to keep you waiting."
Elias opened his arms and embraced Cecilia tightly.
Though he still felt a bit odd inside. For him, returning from the past to the present had taken only an instant. It was like stepping out the door for a second and immediately coming back.
There had been no time for longing to accumulate.
Last time, his journey to the Previous Era had been too long. This time, it had been too short.
Fortunately, Elias adapted quickly. At the same time, he also sensed the changes brought about by altering the past.
"Cecilia, you've become impressive in every way," Elias said, gazing at the beauty in his arms.
She could no longer be called a girl. Though her body hadn't changed, this timeline's Cecilia Schariac had become an incomparably mature woman.
She was dressed in an OL outfit, looking capable and dashing. The youthful air she once had was gone, yet she remained as holy and beautiful as ever.
"Elias, can you give me a kiss? Consider it a reward for all these years." Her gaze burned with intensity.
"Heh~ Cecilia, you're still so easily satisfied. How could a single kiss be enough? You can do anything you want."
Elias raised his hand and gently stroked her head.
That simple gesture alone made Cecilia so happy she nearly melted. She took a deep breath and began expressing the feelings she had accumulated over all these years through action.
Very soon, pleasant female sounds echoed throughout the villa.
...
Afterward, by comparing his updated memories, Elias came to understand the many changes brought about by this time travel. First of all, the events he had experienced in the past remained almost unchanged.
His memories of the Second, Third, and Fourth Honkai Eruptions held no discrepancies. Rather than altered memories, it was more accurate to say that new memories had been added.
The only true difference lay with St. Freya Academy itself.
Cecilia had now become the principal of the academy. Theresa served as vice principal. Himeko had gained the additional position of head instructor. The five members of Snowwolf Squad had also become teachers there.
Furthermore, the scale of St. Freya Academy had expanded. It now even had two branch campuses—one in Shenzhou and one in North America.
Its strength had naturally grown as well.
Ever since the Fourth Honkai Eruption—when Kiana awakened as the Herrscher of the Void—and the defeat of Otto and the Schicksal forces he led, St. Freya Academy had risen to become the foremost of the four great organizations in the Current Era.
"What a strange feeling..."
Elias narrowed his eyes slightly. As he continued being intimate with Cecilia, he couldn't help but feel emotional. He felt no sense of rejection toward these updated memories, because they were indeed his.
Changing the past had not made his present unfamiliar. It had merely made certain parts more wonderful.
"Lady Cecilia, this report requires your personal review—ahhhhhhh—!"
At that moment, a beautiful ice-blue-haired girl walked in through the door, holding a report. Shigure Kira had just entered when she saw the two of them without a single stitch of clothing.
"Hi~ Kira. I'm back."
"Elias, don't do this to Lady Cecilia the moment you return! If you've got something, come at me instead!!"
Shigure Kira's cheeks flushed red. She wanted to look away, yet for some reason couldn't. In the end, she threw the report in her hand straight at Elias, only for him to catch it effortlessly.
"Uh, that's not impossible... want to?"
"...I—I'll go inform everyone."
Now an S-rank Valkyrie, the girl fled in disarray. Though she was tsundere like Mobius, Shigure Kira clearly lacked the snake's shamelessness.
That very night, everyone held a celebration banquet in the Valkyrie dorms—to celebrate the addition of yet another love rival.
Raiden Mei: "Ugh! Even Principal Cecilia is a love rival now. This is getting troublesome."
Rita: "Indeed. After all, she is the principal. The entire academy is Lady Cecilia's domain."
Kiana: "Huh? What do I do now? I already acknowledged Aunt Cecilia as my mom not long ago!"
Bronya: "This just became interesting."
Sirin: "Every time Elias travels through time, relationships get more complicated. By the way, has the state of that person over there been a bit off since earlier?"
Everyone's gaze shifted toward a certain blonde Valkyrie.
Having completed her daily one hundred missions, Durandal had come after hearing about the celebration. Since it began, she had been staring at Elias with an earnest and upright gaze.
Durandal: "Please don't misunderstand. I just suddenly feel that Elias... looks very pleasing to the eye. It's strange. What exactly is going on? Come to think of it, ever since we first met, I've felt an inexplicable sense of closeness toward him."
Siegfried: "!!!"
A certain Kaslana husky who had come all the way from Anti-Entropy to mooch dinner and see his daughter immediately shot upright, glaring at Elias with vigilance.
Siegfried: "Elias, this is going too far! Back then, Cecilia rejected me because of you. And now you're even trying to charm my precious daughter? I object!"
Durandal: "Dad, please don't speak of Mr. Elias that way. Right now, I can feel that he seems to be someone very important to me."
Siegfried: "Pfft—!!"
Elias looked at Durandal in surprise, wondering if the girl was about to remember what had happened back then.