"How is this possible! You actually sliced open my simulated black hole! A-Are you even human?!"
Staring at the collapsing black hole, the Herrscher of Earth's face drained of color. That had been her ultimate technique, executed at full power.
And yet, it was undone so easily.
"Don't overreact. It's not a real black hole. Just needs a bit of strength to cut through," Elias said casually, swinging his sword twice more to dismantle the black hole's structure entirely. The motion was so effortless it looked as though he were slicing cake, not cleaving through an apocalyptic void.
He didn't even need to unleash Shamash Assault—if he did, the Herrscher of Earth and the surrounding ocean would both be burned to vapor in an instant.
"What's wrong? Is that all you've got? Oh? Trying to crush me with gravity now? I suggest using something else—this little trick is far too boring."
"My authority... doesn't affect you?!"
"It's not that it doesn't work. It simply can't influence me," Elias replied with a yawn, faint blue light shimmering from his body.
During his second cycle, he had discovered a power that completely countered the Herrscher of Earth—
Quantumization.
As long as he turned himself into a quantum ghost, no amount of gravity—whether tens or hundreds of times stronger—could touch him.
At that moment, his existence had shifted from the physical realm into the quantum dimension, beyond the reach of conventional forces.
Of course, that didn't make him invincible—pure Honkai energy beams could still strike him. The Honkai's power truly knew no limits.
"Rooooarrr!!"
Just then, a colossal Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast—an enormous elephant—charged at Elias. Its thunderous steps shook the sea, as if an entire mountain were barreling toward him.
Elias remembered this beast vividly.
It had been an anomaly in the first cycle—a Vipralopa-class beast that resisted both Shamash Assault and even his divine white-dragon form, with terrifying defense.
Unfortunately, it hadn't left even scraps behind when it finally fell, and the Chimera he forged afterward hadn't been able to absorb its power.
But this time was different.
"Now it seems you're not much after all."
Elias blocked the creature's charge with one hand.
"Rrrr... RROOAR!!"
"Your ability is to massively increase your body's density—roughly 153 times—to boost defense, right? But everything has a limit. And your limit is far too low for me."
As he spoke, the tail behind him swept out, swatting the enormous beast away as though it were nothing. Then he grabbed its long trunk, spun it twice in midair, and hurled it into the sky.
"Eat it, Heaven Devourer."
"ROOOOOOAR!!" ×9
From the endless sea, an immense shadow emerged, blotting out the sun.
Nine dragon-like heads roared in unison, shaking heaven and earth. Its overwhelming presence dwarfed even the Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast—the size difference between them was that of an adult and an infant.
"Human, w-what are you doing?!"
"Nothing much. Heaven Devourer needs to eat now and then. Your Honkai Beast makes a decent snack," Elias said with a gentle smile that made the Herrscher of Earth shiver.
She trembled as she looked toward where her companion had been thrown.
One of Heaven Devourer's nine heads opened wide and bit down.
"ROOOAR!!"
The Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast screamed—a sound between agony and a plea for its master's help. But the Herrscher of Earth could barely protect herself now.
The sight was absurd to her—her companion, once a massive creature, was nothing more than a morsel in Heaven Devourer's maw.
Crunch... crunch... crunch...
With several loud crunching sounds, the Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast was devoured whole. The other eight heads of Heaven Devourer watched jealously as the one lucky head enjoyed its meal.
But this wasn't mere feeding—it was the Chimera's devouring ability. The fallen Vipralopa-class elephant's powers and Honkai energy were now assimilated into Elias' own strength.
"Mm, not bad, not bad. This power raises my defense by thirty to forty percent. Thanks for the meal, my generous donor of a Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast. Heaven Devourer says it was delicious. Got any more?"
"You—you monster!!"
The Herrscher of Earth's composure shattered completely. That had been her bonded Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast, her companion—and it hadn't even been able to fight back. Before Elias, it was nothing more than food for his pet.
"Calling me a monster? How rude. I'm a bona fide human being."
"Lies! No human could be like you!"
"Heh~ If you're saying that, then you really don't understand humanity. Let me tell you—humans are terrifying. If that's all you've got, then this fight's over."
"Don't get cocky! I'll take you down with me!"
The Herrscher of Earth clenched her teeth and began compressing all of her Honkai energy into her Core, preparing to self-destruct.
"Ah~ Every cycle, it's the same move. So boring."
Elias sighed and shook his head. In an instant, he appeared before her, his mind already running through dozens of ways to counter a Herrscher's self-detonation.
After a moment's thought, he chose the simplest, most direct method.
"Simulated Elysion Pedion—activate."
"What?! What did you do?!"
"Without gunpowder, a fuse won't ignite. This may not be the real Elysion Pedion, but with your pitiful amount of Honkai energy, it won't even last a second."
Elias' Elysion Pedion, if at full strength, could make even Kevin last only two seconds. Though Elias hadn't yet obtained the Herrscher Core of Binding, the Herrscher of Earth couldn't withstand even one.
The Honkai energy within her drained completely. Even her Core no longer had enough energy to explode.
Elias wasted no time. With the authority of the Herrscher of the Void coursing through his right hand, he expertly reached into her chest and extracted a golden Core.
Truthfully, he could have done this from the start.
But because it was the Herrscher of Earth, Elias had wanted to beat her down properly—to vent the grudge from that first cycle.
"Try blowing yourself up again now, Herrscher of Earth. Anyway, congratulations—you're under arrest. Enjoy your stay in prison. Don't worry, you won't be alone."
"Human, you—"
Before she could finish her threat, Elias knocked her unconscious with a single blow. After twelve cycles, he had already heard all her hidden dialogue lines—he had no interest in listening again.
"Though it ended easily, two issues remain. Mu Continent didn't sink this time, and the Herrscher of Dominance probably won't appear tomorrow."
Elias muttered to himself. Because the Herrscher of Earth had been completely crushed, the Mu Continent remained intact.
That wasn't a problem, though. He planned to relocate the entire landmass into one of his own bubble worlds, preventing it from interfering with the Current Era's history.
That way, he could preserve more of the Previous Era's strength.
In the first cycle, Elias had been gravely injured while fighting the Herrscher of Earth. The Honkai, seizing the opportunity, immediately sent another assassin the next day—the Herrscher of Dominance.
But this time, Elias hadn't lost even a strand of hair. The Honkai had no reason to strike again so soon, meaning the Herrscher of Dominance's descent would be delayed.
Meanwhile, on the coast, Kevin and the others who had been watching couldn't help but be awed.
"Just how strong is Elias, really?"
"Kevin, aren't you a Chimera too?"
"Don't remind me. Compared to him, I feel like I got a counterfeit Chimera surgery."
Kevin shook his head. Though he had long vowed to chase after Elias' back—and to others, he was indeed the one closest to Elias in strength—
But only Kevin himself truly knew how insurmountable that gap was. Even if he activated his [Diabolic] state, he could easily crush the Herrscher of Earth—but never with the effortless ease Elias displayed.
Whenever they sparred, Kevin was defeated in an instant.
"Come to think of it, Elias has always been a strange one, even since we were kids. Who else at ten years old travels the world with a girl? And somehow, he always knows so many things, almost like he can see the future."
"Yeah... and that's why I owe him so much."
"Kalpas?"
"Hmph."
Kalpas didn't say another word. He turned away coolly, but before leaving, he cast one last look, burning the white-haired youth's figure deep into his memory.
When he had first awakened in this world, barely conscious, he'd been found by two small figures—one white-haired, one pink-haired. It was the young Elias and Elysia.
Kalpas had traveled with the two for a few days before Elias dropped him off at the sanatorium in Dusk Street, where he found what could be called his first true home.
As the Honkai worsened, many children there contracted Honkai disease. When Kalpas was at his wit's end, Elias sent over vials of Honkai energy serum.
Though he never said it aloud, Kalpas was deeply grateful. The white-haired boy had given him a place to belong—and saved the people he called family.
So, when Elias invited him to join the Fire Moth as one of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Kalpas didn't hesitate for a moment.
"Kevin, do you ever feel like... we've forgotten something really important?"
"Huh? Kalpas, you too?"
Kevin's eyes widened. He'd thought he was the only one feeling that strange emptiness—but Kalpas felt it too. Then Kosma raised his hand and quietly said he felt the same.
"..." ×3
The three fell silent.
If only one person had that feeling, it could be illusion. Two could be coincidence. But three? There had to be something more.
"My instincts aren't as sharp as those women's, but they're telling me... I need to remember what we've forgotten," Kalpas said seriously. He could feel it—something burning within him. A fire he couldn't explain.
That fire blazed whenever Elias was near.
But it wasn't the fire of battle.
It was anger. Not directed at Elias, but at himself.
Back in the sanatorium, when the children lay suffering from Honkai disease and Elias' serum had yet to arrive, Kalpas had felt that same burning fury—the rage of being powerless, unable to save those precious to him.
He didn't know why that emotion returned every time Elias was involved.
"Elias is definitely hiding something from us."
"That bastard... always carrying everything alone. Does he even think of us as brothers anymore?"
"Hmph. You should know his nature by now. The more important someone is to him, the less he'll tell them anything."
Their expressions grew grim.
Elias wasn't someone who refused to talk—he simply refused to share danger. He was more than willing to tell his secrets to those he trusted, like the time he revealed that he was actually a Herrscher from fifty thousand years in the future.
Kevin had been so shocked that he almost dropped his bowl of noodles, and Kalpas' mask nearly fell off.
But that was exactly what worried them.
If Elias was willing to share such a colossal secret, yet kept this one hidden, then whatever he was concealing had to be unimaginably dangerous.
"If he won't tell us, then we'll find the answers ourselves."
"Yeah." ×2
The three exchanged firm nods.
But unfortunately, by the time the Flame-Chasers uncovered the truth, it was already too late.
Because by then, the white-haired boy had already reached the end of his journey.
...
Shortly after, within the depths of the Deep End...
"You're despicable! You actually hid your strength!"
"Hiding strength isn't despicable. Who doesn't keep a few trump cards hidden? And besides, this final wager was your idea. If you lost, you've got no one to blame but yourselves."
After Elias finished playing the footage of his battle with the Herrscher of Earth, the gathered Herrschers were utterly devastated. None of them had expected him to have a second phase—his [Reverse God] form.
Though truthfully, they hadn't even made it past his first.
Watching the overwhelming fight, they saw that the Herrscher of Earth had been helpless from start to finish. She hadn't even managed to draw out a tenth of Elias' true strength.
The Herrschers' morale collapsed. In front of Elias, they felt as though the Honkai itself was fragile—utterly powerless.
"All right, then," Elias said smoothly. "According to our bet, everything you are now belongs to me—your bodies, your minds, your souls... even your lives and your futures."
As he spoke, Elias lifted the Herrscher of Reason's chin, his gaze sweeping slowly across the others.
"Guh... d-do whatever you want."
Some of them still wanted to protest, but after recalling the VCR, one by one, their defiance faded. They all remembered the simple truth—might makes right. And since they were the ones who had proposed the wager, backing out now would be shameful.
"Good~ From now on, you are no longer Herrschers of the Honkai. You are my Herrschers."
"For now, I won't demand that you live in harmony with humanity while still under Honkai's control. But one day, when I've cut the chains that bind you to it, I hope you'll be able to make that choice yourselves."
Elias patted their shoulders gently, then let his gaze linger, appreciating the beauty of each of them.
"As for other matters... we'll take our time. I'm not in a rush. They say a forced fruit isn't sweet—but it still quenches thirst. Fortunately, I'm not particularly thirsty right now."
He already had enough women with whom he shared that kind of bond. In that regard, Elias was... quite fulfilled.
Of course, the main reason was to avoid another chaotic harem war...