Deep within the Pacific Ocean.
"Hi~ Sheele, I came to see you."
"Hmph! So you still remember to come?"
The moment Elias stepped into the girl's bedroom/prison, a small shoe was flung at him. Though it flew as fast as a bullet, he still caught it with his bare hand.
Seeing her "attack" fail, the Herrscher girl Sheele frowned and prepared to throw the other shoe. But in the next second, Elias was already sitting beside her.
"Don't be mad. Let's play a round of the game first. Let me see how much you've improved during this time."
Elias swiftly connected the game controllers and set it to two-player battle mode. It was as if he was telling her—if she wanted to vent her anger, then do it in the game. Of course, the strong-willed Sheele wouldn't refuse.
"Fine, I'll let you see the result of my ten hours of daily training!"
She rolled up her sleeves and grabbed the controller. Just from her spirit alone, she was brimming with confidence.
Ten minutes later.
"..."
"Uh, don't be discouraged, Sheele. You're already amazing."
Elias glanced at his HP bar, which had only lost a sliver, then sincerely comforted Sheele, who had wrapped herself in the blanket and curled up like a cocoon, completely crushed into silence.
With his gaming talent, dynamic vision, and reflexes, even losing a sliver of HP was already difficult. She wasn't weak at all—it was just that Elias was far too strong.
"Grrr! I don't need your pity! Elias, go away! And I bet you've forgotten me already, haven't you? Count for yourself—how long has it been since you last came here!"
"Eh, how could I forget you, Sheele? You know how it is—I'm busy leading humanity against the Honkai every day. Oh, by the way, the new red-haired big sister next door is the Seventh Herrscher. Have you two been good neighbors lately?"
Elias scratched his head awkwardly, quickly trying to change the subject. He really was busy fighting the Honkai, though sometimes he also ended up caught in messy situations.
"Hmph, average. No, wait—Elias, I'm telling you, the Honkai will never lose! No matter the price, sooner or later the Honkai will defeat you humans!"
"...Why does that sound so weird…"
Elias twitched at the corner of his eye. Anyone overhearing this might think humanity was the one invading the Honkai.
Looking at Sheele, still refusing to come out and tightly wrapped like a caterpillar, Elias decided to use some force. He grabbed the blanket and yanked it away.
"Waaahhh—!"
"Come on, wake up, the sun's going to burn your butt."
"Let me go, Elias! And besides, there's no sun in this deep place! Hm? Wait—who's that woman?"
Sheele, still struggling frantically, suddenly noticed that aside from Elias, there was another person in her room. Strangely enough, she didn't feel any killing intent toward her.
The visitor was, of course, Misteln. The young lady of stigma greeted Sheele with a friendly handshake.
"Nice to meet you, Miss Sheele. My name is Misteln Schariac. Please take care of me from now on."
"…I'm a Herrscher!"
"Mm-hm~ And so what?"
Misteln smiled and shrugged.
In truth, she bore no hatred for Herrschers. After all, her beloved Master himself was an unprecedented seven-core Herrscher. In a way, no one in the world was more of a Herrscher than Elias.
"...I still don't like you."
After a moment of silence, Sheele finally muttered.
"Yes, that's only natural."
Misteln nodded in understanding.
[Idea] was the opposite extreme to Herrscher. If Herrschers were flame, then [Idea] was water. Feeling instinctive dislike was completely normal.
Elias lifted Sheele onto his lap and gently stroked her black hair, which had grown a little longer during this time. At first, she resisted, but as Elias used his signature "petting technique," Sheele eventually let out a soft, contented hum.
"From now on, I'll make more time to spend with you, Sheele. You must have been really bored all by yourself. How about I tell you some stories about what's been happening outside?"
"Elias, don't think I'll thank you for that. Whether you tell stories or not is your own business—I don't care. Mmm! A little lower, right there—ahh~ so comfortable…"
Sheele squinted her eyes in enjoyment, like a black cat purring under her master's hand.
Watching the Herrscher of Death unconsciously nuzzle into his hand, Elias felt a little proud.
Recently, since a cat named Pardofelis had joined the household, he'd gotten real practice. Now his cat-petting skills had leveled up even further.
"Alright~ then just think of it as me talking to myself."
Elias scratched the chin of the Sheele-cat in his lap.
In truth, getting along with her wasn't hard at all. He had already grasped the trick: for this tsundere, easily ruffled yet unexpectedly clingy cat, all he had to do was stroke along the fur.
Unfortunately, in the Previous Era, the Honkai's control over Herrschers was still absolute. Sheele couldn't get along peacefully with any human—not even fusion warriors.
At present, the only one she allowed close without attacking was Elias. Misteln might have potential in the future, while Elysia was simply disliked outright.
"Let me think where to start… Oh right, not long ago I took part in a grand concert. Then the Seventh Herrscher suddenly appeared. Heh, but under my command, not a single person died. The details are…"
"..."
Though Sheele had claimed not to care, her ears were perked up. Still, her expression grew more and more conflicted.
Elias told stories vividly, making Sheele feel as if she were right there, watching it all happen before her eyes. His life was always dazzling and eventful.
To Sheele, it was far more exciting than the online novels she idly read. But the problem was…
This was a human's story of fighting against the Honkai.
And she herself was a captured Herrscher!
It was like forcing a little monster to watch Ultraman Tiga. At first, she listened with great interest. But remembering her identity, she suddenly felt as if she were listening to a horror story.
Before long, Sheele curled up again and repeated her earlier line.
"Just you wait, humans. No matter the cost, the Honkai will definitely triumph over humanity!"
"Heh~ not with me here. Isn't it obvious already, Sheele? Even though the Honkai grows stronger, humanity's victories are only becoming greater and greater~"
To be precise, Elias' victories were becoming greater.
Back when he first joined Fire Moth to face Herrschers, he was still a little inexperienced, and humanity suffered some casualties. But now, he was becoming more and more adept.
The Seventh Honkai Eruption, which should have turned all of Australia into a hell on earth, ended with his perfect record of zero casualties. That alone was the best proof.
True, the strength of the Honkai rose alongside civilization, even adapting to humanity's strengths and weaknesses by spawning targeted Herrschers.
But Elias' existence was a bug it couldn't counter.
He was simply too perfect—almost without weaknesses.
"Hmph! Don't get cocky. The next Honkai Eruption will surely bring a far stronger Herrscher! Elias, if you're willing to return the Core to me and submit, I promise to let you live until the world's very end."
As she spoke, Sheele lifted her delicate foot and stretched it toward Elias, her face full of excitement and expectation—as if saying, Kiss my foot and swear your loyalty.
It was something she had recently seen in a less-than-decent comic. Being a slightly yandere Herrscher girl, she had already imagined Elias in that role many times.
Misteln, smiling serenely, silently picked up Elias' Judgment of Shamash and prepared to draw it.
Doing something this envi—ahem—this detestable, truly befitting of a Herrscher. Perhaps she really should just eliminate her.
"Looks like I'll have to start limiting your browsing privileges. You're not picking up any of the good things—only the bad ones. And even if I did submit, I'd only live until the end of the world. That sounds like a terrible deal."
Elias spoke while holding Sheele's delicate foot, subconsciously comparing it in his mind to Griseo's.
There was only a slight difference—but still, it was wonderful.
"!!!"
Sheele's eyes lit up at his words. She thought she actually had a chance to make Elias submit to her.
"Then I'll allow you to live forever! If it's Elias, even if all humans die, I'll let you keep living."
"…Oh? But what if other Herrschers try to kill me? Right now I'm Honkai's number one enemy. Any Herrscher born from now on will surely want me dead, right?"
Elias blinked in surprise, then asked with a smile.
"They wouldn't dare!!"
Sheele slammed her palm against the bed in excitement.
So what if they were other Herrschers?!
No matter who dared to harm Elias, she wouldn't forgive them!
Her small hand clutched the hem of his clothes, and her gaze on him was like looking at a priceless treasure. Though it sounded unbelievable, perhaps it was only natural.
Looking back at the girl named Sheele's life up until now—it had been nothing but misfortune.
Before becoming a Herrscher, she was an orphan whose parents had died. Her relatives seized the inheritance that should have been hers, and the orphanage she entered later was run by a scumbag.
After becoming a Herrscher, she followed the Honkai's orders, using the powers granted by God to take revenge on humanity.
But whether before or after, her life held no beautiful memories—only tragedy.
Until Elias captured her, and her fate finally shifted.
Even though she was locked away in this prison known as the Deep End, Sheele had never suffered harsh treatment. On the contrary, her life here was comfortable and peaceful.
Beautiful clothes, fun games, delicious food—things she had never experienced before were all given to her by the white-haired boy before her.
Especially when Elias occasionally came to keep her company. Though she had never once beaten him in a game…
That didn't matter at all.
What mattered was his presence and warmth.
So even if Elias was human, it didn't matter anymore. Sheele had already decided—no matter when she regained her full strength, she would never kill him, nor would she allow any other Herrscher to kill him!
After all, he was the only one in this world who could bring her warmth. How could Sheele possibly bear to kill him?
"Humans are filthy, ugly, and despicable. They don't deserve your protection, Elias. The Honkai will one day wipe them all out. So join us. Sheele will make sure you live forever, as long as you stay with me and keep playing with me…"
Sheele cupped Elias' face in her hands, her crimson eyes filled with a disturbingly unnatural emotion.
"…Sorry, Sheele."
Elias naturally shook his head in refusal.
But still, he was shocked. Just now, his heart had skipped a heavy beat—twice.
He had actually felt a little moved!
It wasn't that his ideals had wavered. Rather, it was because of Sheele's charm. In that moment, she was like a pitiful angel, inviting him to fall into hell together.
Had it been anyone else with a weaker will, they might truly have agreed to defect to the Honkai.
"I won't join the Honkai. But I will always stay and play with you, Sheele. And with me here, humanity will one day triumph over the Honkai," Elias declared with unshakable resolve.
"Elias, you don't understand the Honkai at all! No matter how glorious your victories seem, the moment Finality descends, everything will be reduced to nothing!"
Sheele clutched his clothes tightly. In her eyes, defeating the Honkai was utterly impossible—because as a Herrscher, she had once glimpsed a fraction of God's overwhelming power at birth.
That was why she was certain—humanity was doomed to fail.
But that didn't matter!
Sheele didn't care who else died in this world. The only exception was Elias. She wanted this boy who had given her warmth to live forever.
"…Thank you for your concern, Sheele."
Elias smiled as he hugged the Herrscher girl before him. Yet in his eyes shone boundless confidence. The white-haired boy spoke with pride—one might even call it arrogance.
"Perhaps humanity knows nothing of the Honkai. But in turn, the Honkai knows nothing of me!"
"Elias, you…"
(Whether it's Sentience or Earth, whether it's Domination or Binding, even if Finality itself descends—I fear nothing. Come at me, Honkai! I will shoulder all the burdens of this era and then surpass you!)
The thirteen trials of the Honkai against humanity were already more than halfway complete. Elias knew the remaining tests would only grow more difficult one after another. But his confidence never wavered.
For this was the very reason he had come to this era.
And if nothing else, when it came to dealing with the next Herrscher—the Herrscher of Sentience…
(Alright, I admit this one's going to be a real headache. Not that she's unbeatable, but her authority clashes badly with mine. And on top of that, she's annoyingly sly.)
Elias narrowed his eyes. He hated opponents who refused to confront him head-on the most.
Truth be told, the great Herrscher of Sentience remained powerful whether in the Previous Era or the Current Era. Even Elias would have to pay a price to clear this trial.
He had already steeled himself mentally—planning to just follow the original storyline, endure heavy casualties, and force his way through! Then he would record all the intel and be fully prepared the next time the cycle came around. But now…
The white-haired boy turned his blazing gaze to the young lady beside him—his beloved stigma. In that instant, he felt the Herrscher of Sentience was doomed. Compared to her, even the Herrscher of Fire would be harder. This time he could clear it flawlessly, without injury.
"Misteln, your timing couldn't be better!"
Elias spoke from the heart. His stigma lady was truly a savior!
"Mm~ Please leave it to me, Master."
Misteln patted her chest with confidence. Coming from fifty thousand years in the future, she naturally knew the Herrscher of Sentience's methods. And against her? Well… she was born as the perfect counter!
"Heh~ If you came out to fight openly like Sentience, it might cost a little effort. But since you insist on hiding and using 'that kind' of method—then it's practically handing us the win~"
Elias recalled the plot he knew, and the corners of his lips curled high. He was certain now—this round was as good as won!