"Aponia, can you tell us—if Elias didn't exist, what would our original fate have been like? How much worse would our losses have been in the fight against the Honkai?"
Mei asked curiously.
The other Flame-Chasers all turned their attention toward Aponia as well. Everyone knew that this great moth could see through a person's destiny—and even the fate of the entire world.
At present, the entire Previous Era practically ran on Elias' influence. Every Herrscher battle they had won had been, more or less, thanks to him.
Naturally, everyone wanted to know: without Elias, how far could they have made it against the Honkai?
However—
"In the fate without Elias… over ninety percent of our world's population had already perished."
Aponia shook her head and sighed.
"W-what?!"
Everyone's composure shattered at once.
"In the futures I've seen without him, each of our victories came at an enormous price, while the rewards were pitiful. From the Seventh Herrscher onward, the world fell completely into chaos. Although everyone fought valiantly..."
Aponia's eyes softened with sorrow as she looked toward Kevin and the others.
She clasped her hands together, as if praying for and mourning the Thirteen Flame-Chasers of another timeline.
In that destiny where there was no [Deliverance]—
[Ego] was nameless.
[Preservation] could not accomplish [Salvation].
[Erudition] was heartless, [Discipline] meaningless,
[Gold] useless, [Helix] futile,
[Decimation] endless, [Bodhi] ignorant,
[Setsuna] thoughtless, [Daybreak] powerless,
[Infinity] tasteless, [Stars] dim,
[Vicissitude] fragile, [Reverie] void.
That Previous Era would have become a total tragedy. Only Elysia would have brought a fleeting ray of hope—but it was a hope for the future, not one that could save the present.
"..." ×12
The twelve Flame-Chasers stared blankly at Aponia, listening in stunned silence. Their hands grew cold; their bodies trembled uncontrollably.
"I see now... Without Elias, I would have lost the self of a songstress. And yes, as Aponia said, in that dying era, art would have long since become meaningless."
Eden let out a small, bittersweet laugh as she walked over to Elias' side and leaned against him gently, as though silently thanking him for arriving in this era.
"So without Brother Eli, Papa and Mama would've died… Griseo's scared..."
The small girl's tiny frame trembled.
"That's terrifying! To think that in another timeline, I went completely mad! Wait—did you just say I became Mei's simp? What the hell?! That's the one thing I can't accept!"
Kevin shuddered violently, realizing his alternate self must've had very questionable taste.
What's so great about cold, heartless Mei anyway? She can't even cook properly! Well, actually—she could turn a simple fried rice into something unspeakable.
"Kevin, if you can't say anything nice, don't speak!"
Mei glared sharply at him, her eyes clearly saying, you think I'd ever go for a mutt like you?
She couldn't help but admit, though—Elias had spoiled them all far too much. That "delusional" Kevin from the other timeline actually sounded quite dependable, bearing the mark of [Deliverance] in Elias' stead…
Even if, in the end, he hadn't saved a thing.
After digesting Aponia's revelation, everyone collectively exhaled. Then they looked at the white-haired boy beside them—their eyes filled with awe and gratitude.
The difference came down to the existence of just one person.
But the result was like night and day.
Without Elias, the Previous Era was a world of despair—a hopeless wasteland where beauty and hope had both perished.
But with Elias here, everyone lived on. Even as the Finality approached closer than ever, they all held steadfast faith that this white savior would lead them beyond the end itself.
"Thank you, Elias. Thank you for choosing to come to our era, and thank you for choosing to save us. On behalf of everyone in the Dusk Era, I offer you our sincerest gratitude."
"No need for that, Mei. I've lived in this era for more than ten years now. It's just as much my time as it is yours. And now that you all know the premise, it's time I share my plan with you."
Elias spoke solemnly.
He had never been one to accept limited options.
A true adult didn't pick just one—he chose everything.
He would save the Previous Era—but he wouldn't allow the Current Era to perish either. And recently, he had finally found a way to turn this single-choice problem into a multiple-choice solution.
"The [Dual Civilizations Coexistence Plan]—this is the best method I've found. I hope you'll help me."
"Alright, we'll help you!"
"Uh… I haven't even explained it yet."
"Doesn't matter. Whatever you want to do, Elias, both we and this era will fully support you. We owe you far too much already. Without you, our civilization would have long become a dying ember in the wind."
Mei shook her head with a gentle smile. Everyone in this age owed Elias their lives.
So no matter what he wanted of them, they would obey without hesitation—not because of law or morality, but because it was simply their duty.
"Thank you, everyone. To put it simply… my plan is to transfer every living person in this era into a bubble world."
"!!!"
"Since the time of the Seventh Herrscher, I've been searching the Sea of Quanta for an uninhabited, sufficiently large bubble world. Now, I've finally found a suitable one. Though it's a destroyed bubble world, that won't be a problem."
Elias' eyes shone with excitement, but Mei and the others trembled from head to toe, speechless in shock.
They had expected his [Dual Civilizations Coexistence Plan] to be grand and audacious—but this went beyond anything they could have imagined.
Bubble worlds existed within the Sea of Quanta, formed naturally from fluctuations as thin membranes—reflections of the true world. Within these bubbles, one could often find counterparts identical to those in the main world—alternate versions of people and events.
If the Sea of Quanta were compared to a colossal bathtub filled with water, then each bubble would represent a separate bubble world—a miniature world filled with endless possibilities.
However, those referred to as "naturally born" bubble worlds were different from collapsed parallel worlds. When a parallel world on the Imaginary Tree failed its Honkai test, it would fall into the Sea of Quanta and become a bubble world.
Regardless of their origin, though, bubble worlds were far inferior to the true world.
They were far too unstable, always at risk of total collapse. And the mere existence of an uninhabited bubble world large enough to host billions of people from the Previous Era was almost inconceivable.
"Elias, you know as well as I do that the scale of a bubble world is nowhere near that of a full world—and if it's a collapsed one, the environment must be completely uninhabitable…"
"Here, these are the data readings from the bubble I selected."
Before Mei could finish, Elias summoned a holographic projector, displaying the environmental data of the chosen bubble world in the air.
"T-this… this can't be real!"
"You're saying this is a destroyed bubble world?!"
Mei and Mobius both shot to their feet, rushing to the hologram with wide eyes, as if they were staring at a miracle.
"It's almost identical in size to Earth—and the environmental stability is incredible! What kind of premium-grade bubble is this?!"
"If such a bubble world truly exists and can remain stable, then yes, it's a perfect candidate for migration! But… how is this even possible?"
The two turned toward Elias in unison.
Then Mei remembered something from earlier—Elias had said he possessed multiple Herrscher Authorities, including those of Reason and Death.
Her scalp tingled as she swallowed hard.
"Elias… don't tell me you—"
"Mhm. This bubble world was reconstructed by me. Originally, it was only a third the size you see now—and it was a scorched wasteland, completely devoid of life. But…"
Multiple Herrscher Authorities flared to life around Elias at once.
"I used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to create pseudo-landmasses, and the power of the Herrscher of Death to generate vast forests."
"Then, I used the Herrscher of Wind's authority to simulate and regulate the climate. As for the polar regions—the North and South Poles you see there—I froze them myself using the Herrscher of Ice's ability."
"The oceans were honestly the hardest part. I had to 'borrow a little' from over a dozen different bubble worlds—patching them together bit by bit until I made a few large seas."
"In short—don't worry. This bubble world is perfectly livable."
The white-haired boy smiled like a real estate agent presenting a new property, completely unaware that the Flame-Chasers were all staring at him in speechless awe.
The title of Savior was already exaggerated enough—but at this point, Elias had gone beyond that.
He had become a Creator… a God.
While it was true that the power of the Herrscher of Reason was fundamentally one of creation—at least in theory—constructing an entire world was supposed to be impossible. Theoretically, if one's level as a Herrscher of Reason was high enough, and if their Honkai energy output were sufficient, even building a world might be within reach.
But that was purely theoretical. Elias had yet to even reach the realm of True Reason—and to craft a stable, life-sustaining Earth-like bubble world capable of hosting billions of people went far beyond what even two generations of Welts could achieve.
Everyone: "..."
Elias: "Don't look at me like that. It wasn't easy, you know. I spent years building this. Oh, and don't worry about housing—I've already constructed dozens of massive cities. If we squeeze a little, there'll be enough room for everyone."
Everyone: "Is there anything in this world you can't do, Elias?!"
Elias: "Sure. I still can't defeat Finality—not yet, anyway. Facing her head-on wouldn't end well."
Everyone: "..."
For a long moment, Kevin and the others fell completely silent.
They suddenly felt… inadequate.
Who were they, really? How could they be called Flame-Chasers alongside him? Compared to Elias, they were nothing. They didn't deserve to stand beside this white-haired god of creation.
Elias, meanwhile, looked at the projection of the reconstructed bubble world with a quiet sense of relief.
(Honestly, I thought I wouldn't make it in time. Reconstructing an entire planet required far more Honkai energy than I'd expected. If not for becoming a Chimera and achieving Palatinus authority, even seven Herrscher Cores wouldn't have provided enough efficiency.)
At the same time, he couldn't help but feel proud.
(To analyze the world and rebuild it from scratch—for a Herrscher of Reason, nothing is impossible. Old Yang, Bronya… time to feel the pressure.)
In truth, the bubble world Elias had created was even more suitable for human life than the real world. Every terrain, environment, and climate condition had been carefully designed—resulting in a colossal, perfectly balanced greenhouse of a planet.
"Even if the goal weren't to let the two eras coexist, the people of the Dusk Era would still have to migrate sooner or later."
Elias pointed up toward the bright moon hanging in the sky.
"When the Herrscher of Finality descends to cleanse the earth and reset civilization, even with the Fifth Divine Key, Echo of the Sky, working to purify Honkai energy and restore the environment, Earth will remain uninhabitable for at least ten thousand years."
It was as though the Herrscher of Finality had sprayed the entire planet with a cosmic disinfectant. If humanity were to return immediately after the reset, the high concentration of Honkai energy would either kill them outright—or worse, trigger a new Honkai Eruption.
Elias certainly had no intention of surviving one apocalypse just to immediately deal with the birth of a new First Herrscher of Reason.
"..." ×14
Mei and the others fell into speechless silence.
They realized that even setting aside Elias' personal wish to preserve both civilizations, emigration was something they would have had to do regardless.
And since this Savior had already built an entirely new world—a brand-new home—it would've been wasteful not to move in.
"One last question—how do we ensure the stability of this bubble world? Elias, no matter how perfect the environment you created is, a bubble is still a bubble. It could collapse at any time. It's nowhere near as stable as the real world."
That was the only remaining concern.
Otherwise, Mei herself had long entertained the idea of migrating into a bubble world. But even if they managed to move everyone successfully, an unstable bubble world could collapse one day without warning—wiping out billions instantly before anyone could even react.
That wasn't something they could afford to gamble on.
"Oh, small problem, small problem."
Elias waved his hand dismissively, as though the matter were trivial.
"..."
Mei's eye twitched violently. For a moment, her intellect—the peak of human reasoning—felt completely crushed. Was she stupid? No, definitely not… but next to Elias, she might as well be!
She took a deep breath, forcing down her frustration.
"Alright, Elias. Go on, I'm listening…"
"We'll use the Holy Blade Durandal. When I ordered its creation, it wasn't just meant to be another weapon for myself."
"!!!"
Mei's entire body trembled as realization struck.
The Holy Blade Durandal had been forged under Elias' directive as part of Fire Moth's research into manipulating microscopic particles to alter macroscopic reality.
"By harnessing the sword's ability, I can invert the entire bubble world into my body—essentially embedding it within me. From there, I'll protect its structural integrity from the outside world."
"I'm certain it'll work. And once it does, theoretically, as long as I remain alive, the bubble world inside me will never collapse."
"And since I'm from 50,000 years in the future, that means this bubble world will exist for at least another 50,000 years."
Elias patted his chest confidently.
The reason he was so sure this would work… was because Durandal herself had once accomplished such a feat.
That golden goose carried a bubble world within her body—stabilized and protected by her very existence.
To bear a world within oneself.
Elias, too, was a Palatinus. Naturally, he could do it.
Of course, the size of this new bubble world far exceeded the one Durandal had carried—but its scale didn't affect the feasibility of the operation.
As the Savior who would shoulder an entire world, Elias would in turn be acknowledged by that very world. As long as he lived, the bubble world within him would persist—and as long as that bubble world endured, it would ceaselessly feed him power.
That was the same mechanism behind Durandal's Godsbane Suit—Dea Anchora.
Elias: (Heh~ I've been waiting for the day I could finally say this line: 'This strike shall pierce the stars!' Looks like the time's almost here.)