"I love Brother Eli the most!"
Elias was caught completely off guard by Griseo's sudden ambush.
He froze, one hand covering the cheek that still carried the lingering warmth of the little Flame-Chaser's lips. His mind went blank, utterly unable to process what had just happened.
This was, once again, undeniable proof of the difference between Elias and the Herrscher of Finality. After all, to crash the Herrscher of Finality's brain, you needed a Moonlight Throne battleship running at 200% output, plus one Judgment of Shamash strike in Might of An-Utu mode.
But to make Elias crash, all it took was one kiss from Griseo.
"My dear little Griseo, you're way too bold! If Uncle Ato finds out, even as the Savior, I'll probably have to fight for my life. Not that I'm afraid of him, of course."
Elias finally recovered, smiling helplessly.
"It's okay. Brother Eli belongs to me. I won't let anyone else have you. There's only one victor in this war of love, and that's me—Griseo!"
The starlit girl put her hands on her hips, speaking with adorable confidence.
"...Who! Stand up right now! Whoever it was that taught my little Griseo bad things—come take a Shamash Assault to the face!!"
Elias' expression darkened. He immediately sensed that Griseo had been influenced by someone's color, and turned toward the group behind him to find the culprit.
However…
"Whistle~ whistle~ whistle~" ×N
The girls all turned away, awkwardly whistling in unison.
It was obvious—they all had such thoughts. In other words, Griseo had been influenced by all of them.
"..."
Elias' eyelid twitched. For a moment, he didn't even know what to say.
"Ah~ Little Griseo, you must grow up fast, and awaken a color of your own. You're too easily influenced by others—it's not a good thing. You'll pick up bad habits too easily."
Elias remembered something from his past life.
If one day, everyone in the world awakened a superpower based on their innermost desire, then… over 95% of people would awaken powers related to lewdness.
From that, it could be said that the human heart wasn't red—but yellow.
This indecently colorful world was far too dangerous for someone as pure and adorable as Griseo. The great dye vat of society posed too much of a threat to a blank sheet like her. Elias resolved to protect her no matter what.
"If Brother Eli says so, then I'll grow up fast. I'll drink two bottles of milk every day."
"Little Griseo, are you sure you didn't grow up eating pure cuteness instead? You're already this adorable now—if you grow up even more, I'll probably end up completely bewitched by you."
Elias beamed, nuzzling the little cutie in his arms.
At the same time, he thought to himself, Theresa, you'd better hand over your 'World's Cutest' title to my Griseo soon. Otherwise, don't blame me if I use Judah on you.
(Completely bewitched... by Brother Eli?)
Griseo's eyes lit up.
(Then I'll change from two bottles to three! And I'll eat more foods that help me grow tall! I'll become as big as Sister Eden—no, as big as Mother Aponia! I'll make Brother Eli completely bewitched!)
The starlit girl was truly innocent.
But she also knew a lot.
After all, how else could she draw those kinds of books~
Meanwhile, the other girls watching couldn't help but look worried.
"Uh, no way, no way—don't tell me little Griseo's really going to join the battlefield of love one day."
"...I think she already counts as a rival."
"Strange, what kind of 'Painter of Worlds' is this? Why do I feel like I can't even win against Griseo?"
"Funny, I was just thinking the same thing."
"Also, isn't Eli's guard way too low?! He actually let little Griseo sneak in a kiss! The Savior's title is crying right now. What are all those Herrschers you defeated supposed to think?!"
Elysia bit her finger in helplessness.
She knew her boyfriend all too well—once he decided to trust someone, he would drop every ounce of his guard. While that made Miss Pink Elf's heart flutter with warmth…
It was also incredibly dangerous!
(Elias, you really need to be more cautious!)
(You couldn't even dodge Griseo's 'attack'—that's way too much of a nerf! You don't even show one ten-thousandth of the vigilance you do against Herrschers!)
Eden, Mobius, Vill-V, and Aponia all wore strange expressions as they imagined what it would look like if Griseo ever became their rival for Elias' affection.
They all reached the same conclusion—this tiny [Stars] Flame-Chaser would be a far tougher opponent than any of them.
After all, they could trip each other up or pull some dirty tricks without hesitation—but Griseo was everyone's darling. Who could possibly bear to go against that sweet little girl?
Not to mention how much Elias doted on her. Once she grew up, she'd be a terrifyingly strong contender—one who could even threaten the position of a certain Miss Pink Elf!
Still, that wasn't the worst of it.
The one who was most mentally broken at the moment was none other than a certain Shenzhou Tablet whose progress bar hadn't moved in ages.
Hua: (H-how could this be… even Griseo got ahead of me? Uh, wait, maybe I'm not the last one yet? There must be someone slower than me, right?)
Having debuted as far back as the Third Eruption of the Previous Era—and yet still not having advanced even to the hand-holding stage—the blockheaded martial saint was completely dumbfounded.
Hua quickly turned her head to look back down her metaphorical track.
Only to see a gust of wind scatter a few fallen leaves.
She was dead last.
Not only Griseo—even Pardofelis, whose role was practically that of a pet, had already overtaken her.
The dignified Shenzhou Tablet, the future Immortal Phoenix—was now being outpaced by a cat and a little loli.
Hua: (I've fallen so low, my friends! Wait, no… actually, I've never even been glorious to begin with… No way! Elias has basically cleared Honkai itself, and it's still not my turn? Does that even make sense?!)
Mei: (Hehe~ Everyone thinks I'm the loser, but actually, Hua's the true defeat dog. Haa~ Thank you, Hua. It feels so good having someone to cushion the fall.)
Aponia: (Poor Hua. According to the future I've seen, your turn will come in about… 45,000 years? Such a long wait~ Please be patient.)
...
A long while later.
The once elegant and luxurious Golden Courtyard had turned into a complete mess.
In terms of strength and ability, the Flame-Chasers were undoubtedly formidable. But judging by the fact that countless Captains in the future called the Elysian Realm the "Psych Ward of the Previous Era," it was clear that very few of them could be considered mentally normal.
Lesbian artist, alcoholic singer, yandere scientist, multi-personality inventor, rage addict, humanoid husky—if they all applied for mental illness certifications, every one of them would qualify.
But right now, the biggest contrast of all came from—
"Haha~ ha! Drink up! Come on, one more! Hahaha! Elias, let's play rock-paper-scissors for another round!"
"Elysia, record this."
"Don't worry, not missing a single second~ Ah~ my dear Mobius, who knew you'd be this cute when you're drunk?"
Right now, the green-haired snake scientist was standing on the table, holding two bottles of liquor—singing, dancing, and challenging Elias to drinking games.
Elysia's eyes didn't even blink as she watched the scene, her phone already recording everything.
"Mobius, I can't wait to see your face when you wake up and watch this video~ It's going to be priceless! Hehe~"
"My dear Elysia, you're so bad, and I love it—but… you're not exactly innocent yourself, you know."
"Eh?"
"Here, take a look at your own video. Tsk, tsk… It really reminds me of your childhood—the crazy, adorable little pink-haired girl you once were. Nostalgic, isn't it?"
As the only one in the room who couldn't get drunk, Elias had already gathered an entire collection of embarrassing drunk videos featuring all thirteen Flame-Chasers. If those clips ever got leaked…
Elias was willing to bet that Elysia and the others would dive straight into cryosleep pods and escape from the Previous Era to the Current one overnight!
Elysia: "!!!"
Seeing her own drunken antics on video, Miss Pink Elf's face turned completely red.
Sure, she loved acting cute with Elias—but the way she had behaved in that footage was so shameless that even someone with skin as thick as soulium couldn't bear to watch!
"Uuuh~ Just kill me already, I can't live like this!"
Elysia buried her face in her hands, despair written all over her.
"Hehe~ Relax, relax. I won't let a third person see it."
Elias patted her shoulder comfortingly.
"Just you seeing it is already the worst possible outcome! Uuuh, the perfect image of Miss Pink Elf in your heart is completely ruined now!"
"Alright, here's some consolation—you're not the only one who embarrassed herself. Aside from me and Griseo, everyone here's in the same boat. So, hehe~ if you don't want these videos leaked, you'd better behave and listen to me, understood?"
"Eep~ W-what are you going to do to me, Eli?"
Seeing Elias' expression turn sly and wolfish—no, white-wolfish—Elysia blinked innocently, then playfully posed as a trembling Little Red Riding Hood.
However, just as Elias was about to "devour" her—
Stare— (blink blink)
Griseo looked over curiously. As the only one who hadn't drunk, she now stood there holding her drawing board, clearly planning to sketch a live portrait of whatever was about to happen.
"G-Griseo, this, um..."
"W-we weren't planning to do anything, okay?"
Elias and Elysia froze in place, then quickly sat up straight again, awkwardly trying to explain themselves.
"Brother Eli, Sister Elysia, please don't mind me. Pretend Griseo doesn't exist."
(How could we possibly pretend you don't exist?!) ×2
Both Elias and Elysia twitched at the corners of their eyes and silently decided to postpone everything until nighttime. When they didn't continue, Griseo sighed softly, looking disappointed.
"Ahem, Eli, I think it's time."
"Yeah, it's about time to get serious."
Elias nodded thoughtfully.
They had eaten, drunk, and played enough. Now, it was time for the main event of the evening.
He took out the Abyss Flower and thrust it into the floor. In an instant, the Herrscher of Death's creative energy flared to life, rebooting the drunken minds of all thirteen Flame-Chasers.
Kevin: "W-what happened?"
Kalpas: "Ugh… my head hurts."
Eden: "Elias, what are you doing..."
Mobius: "What… what was I just doing?"
...
The energy didn't harm anyone; it simply burned away the alcohol in their systems and forcibly restored their consciousness. Still, their minds were hazy, like people suddenly shaken awake from deep sleep.
DONG! DONG! DONG!
Elias conjured a large bronze gong and struck it, drawing everyone's attention.
"Everyone, eyes on me! I have an announcement to make!"
"???" ×13
The Flame-Chasers raised their eyebrows in confusion, unaware that a massive bombshell was about to drop.
"Wake up, everyone! Brace yourselves properly, or you might actually die of shock."
Elysia smiled sweetly in warning—though her eyes gleamed with the same mischievous light that usually preceded trouble.
(What are these two up to again...) ×13
Seeing the identical grins on Elias and Elysia's faces, everyone instinctively leaned back in tactical unison. Whenever those two looked like this, it never meant anything good.
Kevin, Kalpas, Kosma, and Su all swallowed hard, shaking their still-dizzy heads. Could it be—were Elias and Elysia about to announce their marriage?
If that were true... then oh no. Humanity wouldn't even need the next two tests from the Honkai—the Flame-Chasers themselves would collapse into chaos first.
The Fifteen Flame-Chasers would disband on the spot.
Operation: Subjugation of the Herrscher of Origin / Elysia would begin immediately.
But… they guessed wrong.
But what he said next struck even harder than anything they'd imagined.
Elias: "Alright, I'm coming clean! I'm a Herrscher! And also… I'm from 50,000 years in the future!"
Everyone: "?????"
It was as if a nuclear bomb had detonated inside each of their minds. Any traces of drunkenness vanished instantly.
Eden's golden wine glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor. Mei's glasses cracked right down the middle. Pardofelis accidentally stuck her tail into the fireplace. Vill-V's nine personalities collectively crashed. Kevin's jaw hung open in total dislocation. Kalpas' mask even shifted sideways.
Clap!
Elias and Elysia high-fived.
That was exactly the reaction they wanted. The pink elf had already captured everyone's exaggerated faces on camera, but no one cared about that right now.
"W-w-wait, Elias, what did you just say?! You're a Herrscher—and a future person?!"
"Mhm. Since there are only two trials left, I figured it's about time I came clean. After all, this concerns my [Twin Civilizations Coexistence Project]. It'll be easier for you to understand once I explain things clearly. Also… nice expressions~"
"Explain it properly, now!!!"
Everyone shouted in perfect unison, loud enough to nearly blow the roof off the Golden Courtyard.
Elias smiled, clearly pleased by their reactions.
He began explaining his story, selectively revealing the key points. He didn't go into the same level of detail he had with Elysia—otherwise, the remaining hours of the day wouldn't have been nearly enough.
...Some time later...
Kevin: "Gimme a sec… my brave heart just skipped a beat."
Mei: "Hold on, my genius brain suddenly feels like it's malfunctioning."
Eden: "Wait a moment, my heavenly voice just went dry and hoarse."
Pardofelis: "M-me-me, my God! Boss Elias—you're actually from the next era?!"
Even though Elias had left out plenty of details, the story still sounded absolutely absurd.
The Herrscher of Finality who could reset time, the Previous Era that should've been destroyed, the rebellion of all Herrschers in the next era, and the white-haired boy who crossed fifty thousand years of space and time to arrive in this age—
It all sounded impossible.
Yet no one thought Elias was lying.
If he had made it all up, then Elias shouldn't be a savior—he should've been a novelist.
Besides, Kevin and the others had long since accepted a certain truth: no matter how unbelievable something sounded, if it involved Elias, it stopped being strange altogether.
And then, one person finally spoke.
Aponia: "So that's how it is… I understand now. The ruinous futures I've seen—all of them are timelines where Elias didn't exist. The moment he arrived, everything changed."