"What a pity. If the Herrscher of Binding had appeared earlier, our war against the Honkai would've been so much easier. After all, once we got our hands on her Core, every combat-oriented Herrscher would've been completely useless."
Elias patted the Oath of Judah with a touch of regret.
The [Elysion Pedion] was less a restraint on humanity than it was a bane to Herrschers. If the Herrscher of Binding had descended earlier and Elias had defeated her to seize her power…
Then, aside from the Herrscher of Sentience and the Herrscher of Dominance—those sneaky troublemakers who preferred working from the shadows—all other Herrschers would've been forced to kneel on the spot.
"Uh, but if the Herrscher of Binding came that early, wouldn't that have been bad for us too? Without you and Kevin, our two Chimera fusion warriors, no one could even fight inside her barrier."
Vill-V scratched her head. She didn't dare imagine how disastrous it would've been for humanity at that stage of development.
Back then, the only way to fight her would've been to throw countless fusion warriors into the [Elysion Pedion]—and even then, victory wasn't guaranteed.
After all, post-battle analysis revealed that unless one could output Honkai energy faster than the barrier could absorb it, the only result would be feeding her more power.
So yes, "throwing lives at it" would have to be done fast enough, many enough, and hard enough!
For instance, to match the output Elias once achieved within the [Elysion Pedion], it would require fifty fusion warriors per second expending all their Honkai energy!
That meant over 9,000 fusion warriors charging into the barrier within three minutes—just to barely blow it apart.
However...
"My dear great inventor, you didn't think that was my only solution for the Herrscher of Binding, did you? I only used the Honkai energy detonation because it looked cooler and was more convenient."
Elias wrapped an arm around Vill-V's shoulders with a teasing grin.
"Oh? You've got other tricks up your sleeve, Elias?"
"Plenty. For example—our Moonlight Throne warship. A full-power shot from that could've shattered the barrier easily."
"Ah—right! How could I forget about that?!"
Vill-V blinked, then shouted in realization.
The [Elysion Pedion] might've been an absurd domain capable of nullifying and absorbing Honkai energy, but in the end, it was still made of Honkai energy. Which was… frankly ridiculous.
A barrier made of Honkai energy that nullifies Honkai energy? Was Honkai energy truly omnipotent now?
So omnipotent it could even counter itself?
But in terms of neutralizing Honkai energy, the Moonlight Throne—a device secretly developed in a bubble world—could do even better.
The Moonlight Throne was an energy converter capable of decomposing Honkai energy into other usable forms.
At 200% power output, a single blast could vaporize thirty percent of the Herrscher of Finality's Honkai energy. Blowing apart a mere [Elysion Pedion]? Laughably easy.
"Then why didn't you use it back then?"
"Obviously because I wanted to surprise the final boss."
Elias smirked and pointed upward.
In the original timeline, the Previous Era had spent countless resources and years building a single Moonlight Throne—it was so costly that constructing even a second one was practically impossible.
The Current Era's version was a severely downgraded replica.
After all, any warship that required four Herrscher Cores as power sources just to start up? Vill-V wanted no part of designing that useless monstrosity.
But now, just one Moonlight Throne at full power could decompose nearly a third of the Herrscher of Finality's energy—and Elias casually mentioned that he had built dozens of them.
So... should the Herrscher of Finality start panicking now?
As for the massive costs in materials, manpower, and resources?
Before the might of the Herrscher of Reason's authority, all of that was nothing but a fleeting illusion~
After spending a month fully understanding the complete schematics of the Moonlight Throne, Elias had begun its mass production himself.
To prevent the [Cocoon of Finality] from detecting the Moonlight Throne and prematurely sending the Herrscher of Corruption after it, Elias deliberately chose an unobservable bubble world within the Sea of Quanta—an empty, isolated bubble world—and transformed it into a colossal docking platform for the Moonlight Throne.
Elias: "This is going to be fun. I can hardly wait to command the Moonlight Throne fleet and have a 'friendly spar' with Finality, keh keh keh~"
Vill-V: "Ooh, that sounds terrifying just thinking about it! Hehe, when the time comes, I'll be your vice-captain!"
Elias: "No problem. Speaking of which—Vill-V, have you finished the remaining Divine Keys?"
Vill-V: "Of course~ They're all done! Feast your eyes upon the greatest creations of the world's most brilliant inventor and savior—Vill-V's masterpiece series: the Divine Keys!"
Clang! Clang!
As the spotlights lit up, the entire Helixcraft workshop transformed. One by one, the magnificent artifacts appeared in full display.
First Divine Key – Void Archives / Codex of Truth
Second Divine Key – Cosmic Juggernaut / Hand of the Void
Third Divine Key – Seven Thunders of Retribution
Fourth Divine Key – Skyshatter Symphony / Echo of the Sky
Fifth Divine Key – The Great Hibernation / Annihilation of All
Sixth Divine Key – Black Abyss White Flower
Seventh Divine Key – Judgment of Shamash
Eighth Divine Key – Fenghuang Down
Ninth Divine Key – Cosmic Harmony
Tenth Divine Key – Sword of Domination (999 units total)
Eleventh Divine Key – Oath of Judah
"Mm~ Cool~"
Elias' golden eyes gleamed. He gazed at each Divine Key like an art collector admiring priceless masterpieces.
But soon, he noticed a few that didn't exist in his memory.
"Vill-V, why do the First, Second, Fourth, and Fifth Divine Keys each have two versions?"
He pointed toward the duplicates: a book, a pair of gauntlets, a set of wings, and a crown.
"Why, isn't it obvious? They're for you!"
Vill-V's voice brimmed with excitement.
"Eh? Me?" ∑(O_O;)
Elias widened his eyes in surprise.
"Hehe~" (￣︶￣)
Vill-V admired his reaction, placing her hands on her hips, utterly satisfied. It had been worth hiding such a huge surprise for so long.
Unlike in the original timeline, Vill-V hadn't developed the Divine Keys to help humanity fight the Honkai. Her goal was much simpler—to create weapons perfectly suited for Elias.
To Vill-V, civilization didn't matter. The world didn't matter. The more Herrschers appeared, the better! The more Herrschers there were, the more Cores she could harvest to craft weapons for Elias!
After all, her greatest joy was seeing that white-haired boy wielding her creations to save the world.
So, when she learned that the Herrscher of Earth had self-destructed its own Core, her yandere personality had gone on a rampage inside her mind for days, cursing the Herrscher's ancestors across eight generations.
Yandere: (Damn that Herrscher of Earth! Fine, die if you want—but at least leave your Core behind, you idiot! Now my Divine Key series is one short! Damn it, damn it, damn it! That was supposed to be weapon material for Elias! How are you going to make this up to me?!)
If not for all her other personalities—Pure Evil included—suppressing the yandere one, she might've truly lost control.
"Sure, locomotives and satellites are impressive, but you can't exactly wear them, can you? So I remade second versions—models that you can actually equip directly."
"...Thank you, Vill-V."
Elias met her gaze seriously.
He wasn't oblivious—he could see her sincerity, the devotion hidden behind every design, every weapon infused with meaning. Without hesitation, he spread his arms and gave his great inventor a long, heartfelt hug.
"I love your Divine Keys—and I love you, my brilliant inventor."
"Y-you—what are you saying all of a sudden, Elias? I-I didn't—these are just—I-I..."
The once manic and flamboyant Vill-V instantly froze up—her expression tightening, her posture shrinking like a startled hamster.
Her flawless, Eden-worthy figure trembled slightly. The Magician persona, usually a master performer, found herself completely tongue-tied.
A puff of white steam rose from her head.
Conductor: (Wait—did Elias just confess to me?! I—I wasn't prepared for this!)
Expert: (Calm down. Deep breaths. What we need right now is composure. Therefore... let me take over!)
Flavorful: (Yay! We did it! We actually did it!)
Model-15: (What are you waiting for?! Magician, hurry up and respond to him!!)
Occultist: (Our endless efforts have finally borne fruit. Today is the day of harvest—tonight, the moment of ascension!)
Self: (I'm so happy! I thought we'd be stuck pining for him forever... Everyone, hold down the Yandere!)
Yandere: (LET ME OUT—!!!)
Elias had no idea that his single sentence had thrown Vill-V's mind into complete chaos, igniting a full-blown civil war among her personalities.
The Magician, who currently held control, hurriedly grabbed Fenghuang Down from the nearby rack and used its mental manipulation powers to stabilize her overloaded brain.
(Feels like I need this more than Hua does... No, focus! Respond! Quickly! What did Griseo's "romance manuals" say to do in a moment like this...)
Recalling the "Love Guidance Materials" drawn by the illustrious Stars-sensei—a collection she had studied many times over—Vill-V took a deep breath and acted in the simplest, most direct way she could think of.
Chu!
Her soft pink lips pressed against Elias' own.
"!!"
Elias was momentarily surprised—but quickly accepted it.
After all, aside from her Self, every Vill-V persona was bold and unrestrained.
So he responded in kind—considering it a small gesture of gratitude for the girl who had devoted so much to him.
However, the gap in experience between them was... rather extreme.
After barely two minutes, the Magician persona was completely dazed.
Magician: "(((φ(◎ロ◎;)φ)))"
Other Personalities: (Pathetic! Next one up!)
...
Elias: "Well... that was certainly a new experience."
By the end, he had kissed every Vill-V persona—except Pure Evil and the Yandere.
Now, Vill-V's mind was completely bathed in a rosy haze—though two small black shadows still lurked in the corners.
Yandere: (Damn it! I'll kill all of you!)
Pure Evil: (Agreed! Let's burn everything down!)
A while later, when the Magician regained consciousness, she smiled radiantly. Rising on tiptoe, she threw her arms around the white-haired boy, feeling that, in that single moment, her entire life had been worth it.
No amount of applause, praise, or admiration from her past performances could ever compare to hearing Elias say, "I love you."
From a certain perspective, the two of them were the Current Era's mirrored reincarnations of the Saint and the Fool.
Elias played the role of Kallen—the Saint.
Vill-V, that of Otto—the Fool.
And like the Fool before her, Vill-V had resolved to dedicate all her brilliance and talent to the white-haired savior who sought to rescue the world—to fulfill his dream, no matter the cost.
"Elias, I've waited so long for this day!"
"I see... Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"It's okay! For you, Elias, I could wait forever! Now, come—let me properly introduce the surprises I've prepared for you! (The extra Divine Keys!)"
Vill-V pulled Elias eagerly toward her creations.
These Divine Keys were made by overclocking Herrscher Core outputs, completely ignoring user tolerance—deadly weapons no ordinary being could hope to wield.
It sounded reckless.
But Vill-V knew this was exactly how it had to be.
If the weapons crafted for Elias were weakened for the sake of safety or convenience—that would be the true foolishness.
After all, what kind of burden could possibly overwhelm the body of a Chimera MANTIS combined with that of a [Palatinus]?
"Second Version—First Divine Key: Codex of Truth."
"This book-shaped Divine Key records all of my inventions—all the technological knowledge of the Previous Era. As long as your Honkai energy is sufficient, Elias, you can simply tap the name of what you need, and the Codex will automatically construct it."
Though it took the form of a book, the Codex of Truth was only a front and back cover—essentially a foldable tablet the thickness of a dictionary. (Appearance reference: Dr. Ratio's plaster tome.)
"Second Version—Second Divine Key: Hand of the Void."
"Wear these gauntlets, and you can not only use the Herrscher of the Void's portals, but also reconstruct matter through imaginary-space restructuring—turning physical entities into imaginary forms!"
"And I've fine-tuned it based on all available Herrscher Core protection data so far. Which means... it's perfect for extracting Herrscher Cores! Fast, clean, efficient!"
It was a pair of tricolor gauntlets—black, white, and gold.
The ring and little fingers of both hands were white; the other six fingers were black, while golden halos flickered across the surface of the fists.
"Second Version—Fourth Divine Key: Skyshatter Symphony!"
"Its function is simple—speed, speed, and more speed! Once equipped, you could fly from Earth to the Moon—or even Mars—in no time at all!"
"It's the fastest flight system in existence—and the fourth pair of wings I've built for your [Reverse God] form!"
Unlike the massive satellite-type first version, this was a sleek pair of emerald-gold soulium wings. It abandoned all unnecessary design, focusing every ounce of potential on acceleration.
If any ordinary person tried to use it, they would be instantly crushed by the air resistance generated the moment the Divine Key activated. Only the body of a Chimera MANTIS could withstand its divine velocity.
"And finally—Second Version—Fifth Divine Key: Key of Permafrost — Annihilation of All!"
"The effect of this crown-shaped Divine Key is simple as well—it destroys the world!"
"When used together with your full Honkai energy output, Elias, it can literally freeze the entire planet in an instant!"
At that moment, Vill-V's expression turned completely manic. She raised the Annihilation of All with trembling hands, placing the crown upon Elias' head. A feverish blush spread across her cheeks.
"Uh... Isn't this a bit much? Wait—this power far exceeds the limits of a Divine Key's domain! Don't tell me, Vill-V—its activation principle is...?"
Elias' eyes widened in realization. Even he couldn't suppress a shiver of awe—and a twinge of fear.
"It seems you've figured it out, Elias. Haha~ That's right! It's exactly what you think it is—a one-time-use Divine Key that triggers a cataclysmic strike by self-detonating its Core!"
"With the Herrscher of Earth's mere 20,000 HW of Honkai energy, its Core explosion was enough to obliterate the entire Mu Continent."
"But if you, Elias, were to detonate your own Core—containing over 800,000 HW of Honkai energy—the resulting blast would... freeze! the! entire! world!"
Yandere Vill-V's eyes gleamed with madness, her tone both hysterical and reverent.
This was not a Divine Key crafted by the Expert.
It was a Divine Key personally built—by the Yandere herself.