Inside the Fire Moth base—
"Have you heard? Lord Elias and the others went on a 'team-building' trip—and ended up taking down another Herrscher."
"Of course I heard! The name was Herrscher of Binding, right? That power was absolutely terrifying!"
"Tch~ figures. Whenever that man organizes a team event, it always turns into a Herrscher hunt!"
"I mean, did you guys watch the full video yet? The one Prometheus recorded? It was insane—Lord Elias looked like an angel, no, like an actual god!"
"Yeah! I've had that song on repeat over three hundred times now. Used it as BGM on a mission yesterday—absolutely annihilated over a dozen Templar-class Honkai Beasts!"
Ever since the footage of Elias defeating the Herrscher of Binding was released, conversations like these echoed throughout the base.
And that was just the start—across the entire world, the number of followers in the [Eli Gate] continued to skyrocket.
The [Reverse God]'s near-perfect appearance, combined with his song Wildfire, was simply too powerful to resist.
Within a single day of Elysia and Prometheus uploading the video, the views had already surpassed ten billion.
"I can't even go back to the base anymore," Elias muttered.
Currently, he was in Eden's Golden Court.
As he celebrated with the others at a small victory feast, he sighed in mild frustration. These days, nine out of ten people he met outside were devout followers of the Eli Gate—and the tenth was a rabid fan.
Whenever he appeared in public, they all shouted "Eli Gate!" in unison.
But that wasn't the real issue.
What truly troubled Elias was that more and more people were starting to worship him as an actual deity.
Just yesterday, he'd encountered a mother and daughter who dropped to their knees, praying fervently for his blessing.
"Well, Eli, that's because your appearance after the artificial cascade was just too divine. And considering everything you've done since, it's only natural people would start worshiping you," Elysia said with a teasing smile.
"Ely, you know me. I'm fine with being admired as a hero—but I don't like being worshiped as a god."
Elias patted the pink-haired elf gently. In truth, she was partly to blame for his current popularity.
After all, it was Elysia who had encouraged Prometheus to post the video of the battle against the Herrscher of Binding.
"Mhm, I know. My dear Eli isn't some god—you're just like me, a radiant soul as brilliant as a falling petal, a dazzling yet ordinary boy who shines like the sun."
Elysia spoke softly, affectionately—and proudly. Though, her face was pale, and she could hardly move.
"Miss Pink Elf has already reflected deeply. Next time, I promise to get your permission before posting anything… So, tonight, Eli… could you please be gentle like before?"
"My dear Ely, I only used ten percent of my power last time. Weren't you the one who said even if I became a Chimera, you'd still be able to handle it?"
"Well, um, that was… my bad, sorry! Please forgive me, Eli!"
Elysia's tone turned pitiful.
"..."
Elias stayed silent. He knew Ely would probably dare again in the future, but in the end, he sighed and let it go.
After all, though the sight of Miss Pink Elf with her eyes rolled back, begging for mercy, had its own allure—he still felt a bit bad afterward.
"Fine. I forgive you… for the billionth time."
"Yay~ Eli's the best! Oh, and I kinda want to touch your horns again."
"…No."
Elias rolled his eyes, uncharacteristically refusing her request.
Ever since he gained his [Reverse God] form, his horns, tail, and wings had never had a moment's rest.
Elysia was obsessed with his horns, Mobius adored his tail, and Eden was enamored with his wings. Though Elias was happy that they admired his divine form, there was such a thing as too much.
He thought about how, when he petted Pardofelis' cat ears, he always limited himself to two hours a day. Elysia and the others, however, had no sense of moderation—ten hours daily, minimum.
"Ely, I think it's time you went through a little detox."
"Nooo~ Eli, your horns are one of my reasons to live! How could I survive without them?"
Elysia panicked instantly.
Anyone who had ever touched Elias' dragon horns knew their allure.
That sensation—Miss Pink Elf was proud to call it the best in existence. Once you'd touched them, you could never stop. Now, without her daily horn fix, she couldn't eat properly, couldn't sleep soundly.
And recently, she'd made a new discovery—the horns glowed in the dark. Since then, she'd thrown away her nightlight.
She no longer used blankets either. For the past three nights, she'd been using Elias' wings as her cover—and his long, snow-white tail as her pillow.
"Eli, let's talk about this. Don't joke around like that, okay?"
"Hmm, looks like your condition's worse than I thought…"
Elias' eyebrow twitched. He decided Elysia's 'rehabilitation' needed to be bumped up by at least two levels. Like he always said—admiring his body was fine, but moderation was important. And it wasn't for his sake—it was for theirs.
Ever since he became a Chimera, even the most durable among them—Miss Pink Elf herself—couldn't last ten minutes.
"All right, let's start with a three-day ban."
"Nooo~!"
Elysia's heart broke on the spot. She collapsed dramatically, clutching her chest as though her soul had left her body.
After a long string of desperate pleas—all firmly rejected—she puffed up her cheeks, clenched her little fists, and began hammering Elias' chest in protest.
"Eli, you're so mean! Why can little Griseo do it anytime, but I can't?"
"Am I not your favorite girl anymore? But Griseo's only twelve, you know!"
"Even if you're the Savior, that's still a crime! Over three years' difference, and it's maximum sentence—death!"
Elysia's tone was serious and righteous.
"..."
Elias' eye twitched violently. He reached out and pulled hard on the pink elf's cheeks.
"Don't get jealous of a child! What do you take me for?! Besides, I'm pretty sure it's because of you all—fine, us all—being so shameless that Griseo started drawing those kinds of pictures in the first place!"
"Uhh… yeah, can't exactly deny that…"
Elysia's expression froze awkwardly.
"We need to set a proper example for a growing child! I don't want Griseo turning into a doujin artist!"
Elias sighed with helplessness.
After defeating the Herrscher of Binding, he'd fulfilled his promise—and the first thing he did upon returning to base was give Danzhu, who had been teaching Griseo questionable poses, a well-deserved beating.
When Elias exposed her browser history and shared her 'short stories' publicly, Danzhu had immediately broken down—clinging to his leg and crying for mercy, claiming she'd learned her lesson.
Danzhu: "I know everyone must die eventually, but does it have to be social death?! Have mercy on your friend, please!"
Elias: "Of all the ways to die, social death is the most entertaining for others!"
And so, Danzhu faced her punishment—banished from dignity, condemned to a fate worse than death. She even applied for transfer to the lunar base just to escape.
However, thanks to Elias' authority—and the collective outrage of the Flame-Chasers, who adored Griseo above all else—her application was swiftly rejected. Everyone agreed: she deserved it.
After all, even Mobius held Griseo in high regard. Upon learning Danzhu had corrupted her, the serpent immediately tripled her workload—assigning her a full Klein-level schedule.
Thus, Danzhu's punishment was complete.
Social death, plus the hell of eternal overtime.
In short, she'd never live long enough to be eaten by Chiyou in the future—because some people, though alive, are already dead inside.
Yet when Elias later examined Danzhu's confiscated stash, he found something that nearly made him faint—
A doujin drawn by Griseo herself.
And not just any doujin—one starring him!
Though the artist's name was listed as "Stars-sensei," Elias could recognize Griseo's art style at a glance.
After trembling as he flipped through a few pages, Elias completely lost it.
He unleashed Subspace Lance, Ideal Fluid Blade Storm, Floating Cannons, Withering Mist, and finally—Shamash Assault—all at once on the accursed book.
No Herrscher in the history of the Previous Era had ever suffered such a brutal combo. When it was over, not even a single particle of the doujin remained.
Elias: "My little Griseo… turned into a doujin artist?! I can't accept this—!!"
He was so distraught he nearly triggered [Rewinder] right then and there.
Elias: "Yes, Rewinder… I'll just reset everything! Then my dear little Griseo will be pure again… hahaha… hahahahaha…"
Elysia: "Eli was terrifying that day. I honestly thought the world was going to end."
For the record—Griseo herself had been present during the incident.
When she saw Elias holding the book she'd drawn, the so-called "Stars-sensei" froze completely.
Griseo: "Big Brother Elias, please let me explain! This… that… it's not what you think! I just…"
Elias: "It's fine, little Griseo. Even your Big Brother Elias, as strong as he is, can't handle everything. Some things are better left unseen… ah, the mental damage from that book hurts worse than the Herrscher of Sentience's authority."
In that moment, even the [Eternal Heart] title granted by his system began to waver.
Griseo: "Sister Danzhu, you promised you wouldn't let Big Brother Elias see it… uuu…"
Despite her innocence, Griseo wasn't clueless—she was actually quite smart.
She knew very well what she'd drawn wasn't exactly wholesome. A doujin about the big brother she liked… yeah, there was no "artistic justification" for that.
If Project ARK still existed, she probably would've boarded the next flight off Earth that night.
But the worst part?
That book was only one of many.
Upon further investigation, Elias discovered an entire collection of self-published works starring himself.
The New White Transfer Student, My Neighbor Big Brother's Love Manual, The Overbearing Savior Fell for Me, The Dangerous Love of the White Angel… and more.
"Shamash… Assault!!"
Elias drew the Judgment of Shamash and fired without hesitation.
"Nooo! My precious collection!! Elias, take it out on me instead!!"
Danzhu completely broke down in despair.
Her only regret wasn't corrupting Griseo—it was not hiding her collection better.
(Danzhu: "Hiding it under the bed was so classic… so obvious! Ugh, it's all gone now. Not only did I die socially, not only did I get buried in overtime—but now my treasures are gone too! I can't live like this!")
Elias: "…Cangxuan, your sister's beyond saving."
Cangxuan: "I don't know her. I'm an only child."
Even as her twin sister, Cangxuan felt nothing but shame. She had nearly considered disowning her outright.
After all, they were twins.
And thanks to Danzhu's antics, she too was suffering from public confusion.
(Cangxuan: "That stupid girl—does she realize we look identical?! Everyone's been giving me weird looks lately. Maybe I should ask Mobius for cosmetic surgery… hopefully she'll give me a discount. Or do it for free.")
And then, to top it off, she tried to sell her sister.
"Elias, I don't want this Danzhu anymore. How about I sell her to you? Ten credits per kilo—you can do whatever you want with her."
"Sis! I'm your sister! You can't sell me just because you're a greedy miser!"
"…You two are unbelievable," Elias muttered.
The cold, calculating, money-obsessed elder sister—and the goofy, over-imaginative little sister. Both were undeniably beautiful, and being twins only added to the appeal.
"So, ten credits per kilo, huh? How about three?"
"No way, no way! Three credits per kilo is way too low—how about seven? That's already a huge discount!"
"Even cheap, it's still pointless. It's not like buying Danzhu would be of any use to me. Let's stick with three credits per kilo. But, if you include yourself, Cangxuan, I'll go up to ten per kilo."
Elias said it jokingly—but then…
"…I'll think about it."
Cangxuan actually pulled out a calculator.
(This deal might look bad on the surface… but actually, it could be a great investment! Elias is dating Eden, and rumor has it she gave him an unlimited black card. If I 'sell' myself to him, wouldn't that guarantee a worry-free life? Besides… I really, really want a boyfriend!!)
"Deal! Together, Danzhu and I weigh about two hundred and ten kilos. She's two hundred, I'm ten. Elias, you can pay by transfer or check—I accept both."
"...Huh?"
Elias was completely dumbfounded.
"Why?! Why do I only get three credits per kilo, but once you're added it jumps to ten?! And I'm not two hundred kilos, Sister, stop slandering me!"
"That's your concern?!"
Elias sighed. He had long since given up trying to understand the twin sisters' logic.
And just like that, Elias somehow ended up with a pair of twin sisters he never asked for. If possible, he'd like to request a full refund.
Cangxuan: "No refunds or exchanges."
Elias: "…Six out of ten. I give up."
That said, Cangxuan actually proved useful—she was incredibly shrewd with money and had a real business mind.
As for Danzhu…
Well, she was part of the package deal. Useless overall, but still worth keeping close—mainly to make sure she never corrupted little Griseo again.
Through her, Elias later discovered that Griseo's doujins had mostly circulated only within Fire Moth. However, a few copies had somehow leaked to the outside world.
Elias immediately ordered every single doujin to be confiscated and destroyed. He even went so far as to pass a new law across the Previous Era—
"No one is allowed to draw doujins of me. Violation: minimum three years imprisonment."
Elias: "Even though I've burned almost all of them, there are still some that slipped through. I'll have to find a way to wipe them out completely!"
Elysia: "Y-yeah, that's true… We really should… clean them up… hehe… Eli, you're absolutely right…"
Miss Pink Elf smiled awkwardly, already planning her next move.
As soon as she returned home, she swore to relocate her secret stash from under the bed to somewhere truly safe.
She would not repeat Danzhu's mistake.
And deep down, she vowed—
Elysia: (I'm sorry, Eli… but Griseo's masterpieces must never be destroyed! As Miss Pink Elf, I'll fight to protect all that is beautiful in this world… I will protect your doujins!!)