Elias felt the power of [Infinity] flowing within him.
After linking with the Imaginary Tree, he had truly reached this realm.
The endless and boundless imaginary stream coursed through his body, making even parts of the world itself seem within his control.
Although he had paid the price for such might—for at this moment, the Imaginary Tree had fastened an invisible collar around his neck—
He still retained his complete sense of self. His movements were restrained, yes, but if such a price could grant him power enough to be called a [False God], then surely countless people would long for it.
Elias looked at the thousand and one versions of himself before him.
"Annihilation ends here, and from it, a new star is born. This power belongs neither to mortals nor to Herrschers. It is the primal form of the Imaginary Authority, the embodiment of truth in the grand cosmos. So be wary—for in this moment, I have ascended to godhood!"
Black divine wings unfurled behind him. His black, imaginary hands were capable of tearing space itself apart, while the Imaginary Seed transformed into a golden halo floating at his back, endlessly radiating False God's power.
Then, a strange material—half metal, half bone—covered his body, forming his False God's body.
Like an angel fallen into hell, his mere existence seemed to become the world's core. At the same time, a golden mask descended upon his face, concealing that beautiful visage.
This was the [False God]—Elias.
The thousand Eliases twitched at the corners of their eyes. That familiar sense of oppression reminded them of the Herrscher of Finality.
"Hey, the space around us just changed!"
The thousand Eliases, who were studying and observing the [False God] form, realized that their surroundings had transformed—they were no longer on Schicksal's floating island.
Instead, they now stood within a space similar to the Elysian Realm. Everyone quickly understood that this was an imaginary domain created by the False God's power—a landscape shaped by Elias' own mind.
His divine realm.
Drawn into it as well were Otto, Durandal, and Gray Serpent. The three could only marvel at the sight—an ethereal, dreamlike paradise resembling eternal heaven.
But there was no time for wonder. Under the control of the Imaginary Tree, though Elias was trying his best to hold back, the battle had already begun with his preemptive strike.
"Careful! I'm starting now!"
"Damn it! Everyone, move!"
As the black divine wings flapped, the False God Elias hovered in midair. In the next instant, the immense Imaginary Authority condensed into a sharp blade in his hand. With a single horizontal slash, he unleashed power beyond measure at the thousand Eliases below.
BOOM—!!!
Had this been the Herrscher of Dominance's subspace, the Theater of Domination, this one strike would have torn it apart entirely. If it had occurred in the real world, Schicksal's floating island would already be gone.
The thousand Eliases reacted instantly, yet even after evading, dread gripped their hearts.
"We've lost one hundred and fifteen clones!"
"Tch! And that was just one strike!"
"Everyone, coordinate and observe! Evading his attacks takes top priority—total annihilation is not an option!"
"Hey, you golden dumbhead over there, stay out of this! This isn't your fight! Get back!"
Though controlled by the Imaginary Tree, the False God Elias restrained himself as much as possible. Yet even such a casual swing produced catastrophic results.
After all, though the clones varied in configuration, they each possessed his memories and combat instincts—every one of them strong enough to surpass an S-rank Valkyrie.
In fact, among the one hundred and fifteen clones destroyed just now, some had even exceeded Durandal in power.
"Careful, the next attack's incoming—it's ranged!"
Sensing his own next move, the False God Elias immediately warned the others. After all, no one could predict his actions better than he himself.
A moment later, the Imaginary Authority transformed into a storm of countless arrows. Each arrow was imbued with enough Imaginary Energy to instantly annihilate a Judgment-level Honkai Beast—and there were tens of thousands of them.
Thanks to his warning, the clones' casualties this time were much lower... only seventy-five were eliminated.
"Damn it! This is nothing like the game!"
One of the thousand Eliases voiced what everyone was thinking.
In the game, the False God Otto had been completely suppressed when facing Herrscher of Flamescion Kiana and Palatinus Equinox Durandal.
If that was the normal Honkai Impact 3rd, then what they were playing now was Souls-like Honkai 3rd! Without a dodge button, they would all be one-shotted!
So far, among the destroyed clones were those even stronger than Herrscher of Flamescion Kiana or Palatinus Equinox Durandal—but False God Elias cut through them like slicing vegetables.
"Hey, are you really holding back? Try learning from game Otto, will you?!"
"But I'm not the one controlling my body right now—the Imaginary Tree is! I'm already suppressing myself as much as I can!"
Behind the golden mask, the False God Elias clenched his teeth, struggling desperately against his own body. Only now, having truly become a False God, did he understand just how defiant this power was against all reason.
In the game, Otto's False God Authority was practically meaningless—aside from infinite regeneration at the end, it didn't seem to do much. But now, Elias personally experienced its sheer horror.
Connected directly to the Imaginary Tree, he wielded the totality of the Imaginary Authority—all potential extensions of Honkai itself. Countless powers lay within his reach, manifesting at his whim. So he forced himself not to think of anything at all!
Yet this essentially infinite power granted him not only immortality and inexhaustible Honkai energy but also ensured that every one of his strikes hit his maximum possible output.
Game Otto's body had been made of soulium; even with the False God's infinite power, the output he could unleash in one go was limited by his vessel's endurance.
But Elias was different! Even after distributing many of his abilities among the clones, his foundation remained the same—an ultimate Chimera body, and a Palatinus of mankind!
His upper limit was thousands of times greater than Otto's. False God Elias and False God Otto were beings on entirely different scales!
However, the thousand Eliases weren't pushovers either.
"Moonlight Throne—300%! Fire!!"
The clone possessing the Herrscher of Reason's authority instantly materialized three Moonlight Thrones. Their pure-white cannon fire struck the False God's body with perfect accuracy.
Then, a storm of abilities rained down from every direction—Honkai Beast powers, Herrscher authorities, Divine Keys, and more. Each one was deadly and devastating.
Even Durandal, watching from afar, trembled. If she had been the one standing there, she would've been obliterated instantly.
However...
"This won't work! Herrscher of the Void! You hear me? Use the Herrscher of the Void's authority to seal my power first!" Elias shouted through gritted teeth, his voice barely audible beneath the chaos.
Despite the onslaught, he was almost entirely unscathed. His health bar might have appeared, but no matter how the clones attacked, they could barely scratch him.
Even if his HP was driven to zero or even negative in an instant, it would instantly refill to maximum the next second!
His False God body could regenerate completely no matter how severe the damage.
"Watch out, the next move is an area-wide attack!"
False God Elias urgently warned them as the golden Imaginary halo behind him began to spin, radiating destructive energy powerful enough to erase everything in an instant.
This time, the clones were ready. They immediately retreated into portals created by the Herrscher of the Void clone. Even so, more than ten slower clones were caught and erased.
But their sacrifice wasn't in vain—they had successfully analyzed the False God's area-of-effect attack mechanism.
The thousand Eliases were gradually adapting to the battle. Once they memorized the False God's melee, ranged, and area attacks, they began to strategize and counterattack.
"Taixuan Eminence!!"
"Shamash Assault!!"
"Domain of the Void!!"
"Elysion Pedion!!"
...
From afar, Otto, Durandal, and Gray Serpent watched this literal battle of gods unfold.
They all felt like mere ants who had accidentally stepped onto the battlefield of gods.
They were witnessing a war of terrifying magnitude—one that could shake heaven and earth.
The three spectators were certain that even the residual shockwaves alone could obliterate them completely.
Durandal widened her eyes. She had already been briefed about the situation; she was here mainly as backup—perhaps, if the moment came, she could lend even a single blow.
As the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, she knew that each of the thousand Elias clones represented a fragment of the Deliverer's power.
And that realization was almost impossible to comprehend.
Durandal: "If even the clones wield such might, then just how terrifying would it be if all those powers were united within a single body?"
Gray Serpent: "Durandal, do not attempt to imagine our lord's limits—for such a thing does not exist."
Otto: "Hahaha, so this is the Deliverer of the Previous Era? Truly far beyond anything I could have imagined. I can't help but wonder how he acquired such immense and varied power."
Finally, after an intense exchange, one of the attacks—a Void Unleashed from the Herrscher of the Void clone—struck the False God's divine body, dealing actual damage at last.
A relentless barrage followed, like a storm of divine fury, and once again, the False God's health bar shattered completely.
At this point, only 351 of the thousand Elias clones remained, all wounded and exhausted—but upon seeing the cracked form of the False God, they couldn't help but show excitement.
"Success!" xN
"No... not yet."
The False God Elias shook his head in denial.
The Herrscher of the Void's Void Unleashed had indeed disrupted his Authority for an instant.
But... that instant was far too brief.
For a moment, his Authority had shifted to [Finite].
But before they could destroy it, it reverted back to [Infinite].
And sensing the threat, the Imaginary Tree tightened its control over him, further releasing his power.
Thus...
"Above and below the heavens, I alone am supreme... Now begins the second phase. Do your best, everyone."
Elias' False God body began to change.
The once black, fallen-angel-like form turned pure white. The dark divine wings behind him turned white as well, and a smaller pair sprouted from his waist.
An overwhelming imaginary pressure radiated outward, nearly forcing the three spectators to their knees. His divine figure now resembled a holy king descending from the heavens.
Thousandfold Elias: "Oh, crap!!"
False God Elias: "I can no longer suppress the False God Authority... but I'll do my best to restrain the Artificial Cascade! Hurry, attack now!"
At the extreme limit of the False God Authority, each of Elias' strikes now exceeded his physical boundaries—and by how much, even he didn't know. He felt that he could even clash head-on with Finality itself.
All he could do now was suppress his instincts and resist using the Artificial Cascade.
Because even though he had distributed many of his powers among the clones, the Artificial Cascade remained his innate ability—his second form. As long as he remained a Chimera MANTIS, this power would exist within him.
Fortunately, because this ability was intrinsic to himself and not granted by the Imaginary Tree, Elias could barely suppress it through sheer willpower.
Thousandfold Elias: "You better hold it in! If you trigger Artificial Cascade, we'll have no way to fight you!"
Even as a [False God], he was already nearly unbeatable. If he layered the [Reverse God] state of Artificial Cascade atop that, his physical capabilities would reach an unimaginable level, allowing him to wield even more of the Imaginary Authority.
At that point, destroying the world would be as easy for him as breathing. Not even Elias himself could stop it. And given his unique nature...
The Imaginary Tree would surely seize full control of Elias, turning him into its most powerful apostle—one destined to wage war against the Sea of Quanta for eternity.
False God Elias (thinking): (Like hell I'll let that happen!)
Thousandfold Elias: "Then we'll just have to stop you ourselves!"
And with that declaration, the two sides clashed once more in a battle that shook heaven and earth.
...
Although the number of clones continued to dwindle, the rate of loss slowed dramatically—for even as a clone perished, the power it held did not vanish.
Instead, it transferred to another.
Now, the remaining clones had inherited the fallen ones' strength. Combined with their complete understanding of the False God's attack patterns, the battle grew fiercer and more balanced with every passing moment.
Thousandfold Elias: "So that's how it is. The me controlled by the Imaginary Tree can't use combat techniques. My behavior patterns are fixed. If that weren't the case, we'd all be done for!"
The higher a being stood, the simpler its battle style became—overwhelming force over finesse, like the Herrscher of Finality herself.
It was only natural. After all, skill and strategy were the weapons of the weak used to defy the strong. The Elias under the Tree's control lacked such finesse—he simply spammed abilities with brute power.
If it weren't so, then with his combat mastery combined with False God authority, the thousand clones would have no chance of victory, no matter how hard they struggled.
False God Elias (thinking): (Heh... I really became what I hate most. And seriously, Imaginary Tree—your control handling is worse than a grade-schooler's video game skills!)
Though his combat technique was atrocious, his stats were monstrous beyond reason. Now, even his basic attacks were impossible for anyone to endure.
The number of clones continued to fall.
If the last one were destroyed, all their dispersed powers would return to his body—and then, no one in existence could defeat him.
Elias would become the true god of this world—but also the Imaginary Tree's eternal slave, gaining infinite, everlasting power at the cost of his freedom.
However…
Thousandfold Elias: "No one will take our freedom! This is the moment to shatter our chains!"
When their numbers fell below a hundred, they had fully mastered and adapted to the False God's patterns.
Their minds connected as one, the thousand Elias no longer needed to speak tactics aloud. Each knew instinctively what to do and how to act in perfect coordination.
Their counterattack erupted instantly.
"Oath of Judah—Zeroth Power!"
"Herrscher of Earth—Ultimate Gravitational Suppression!"
"Edge of Taixuan—Divine Zenith!"
"Fenghuang Down—Zeroth Power!"
Every control and stun-type ability activated at once, seizing the False God for a precious few seconds.
"Tenfold Moonlight Throne, fire!!"
"Herrscher of the Void—maximum output!"
As the Moonlight Thrones' cannons drained Elias' Honkai energy in an instant, his defense faltered for a brief moment—allowing the Herrscher of the Void's authority to take full effect.
With no restraint left, their combined full-power attack unleashed a spatial black hole that completely engulfed the False God. In that moment, Imaginary Reformat activated—his [Infinity] became [Finite].
His health bar finally stopped regenerating.
And then—
"Judgment of Shamash—Shamash Assault!"
"Seven Thunders of Retribution—Zeroth Power!"
"Sword of Domination—Zeroth Power!"
"Star of Eden—Zeroth Power!"
Their strongest attacks struck as one. A blinding cascade of ultimate power obliterated the False God's health bar and shattered both his Imaginary Authority and the Imaginary Tree's control.
As his divine body crumbled and the golden halo fell away—
In that instant, Elias... regained his freedom.