Only when true despair arrives do people realize how unreasonable and absolute it is.
On this day, Australia was shrouded in the radiance of the Honkai Eruption. Everyone living on this land—whether young or old, good or bad—was struck by equal despair.
"No… I don't want to die yet…"
"Anyone… please… save me!"
"God, why must you treat me this way!"
"Mom… it hurts so much… I'm scared!"
"My child, my child, who will save you?"
Men howled in grief and unwillingness, children wailed in fear, women clutched their husbands or children tightly, and priests fell to their knees praying for salvation.
Those with Honkai resistance who could survive were far too few—not even one in a thousand. Thus, at this moment, despair filled the land of Australia.
No matter how strong the will, it could not stop the erosion of the body. Those who understood the Honkai knew: once a Honkai Eruption appeared, it would mercilessly annihilate all within range without resistance.
But how could they accept this? How could they resign themselves to having their lives trampled so easily?
Yet as ordinary people, they were powerless. Even their fate wasn't theirs to control. At this life-or-death moment, they realized the only thing they could do was pray for a miracle.
And in the very next second—
A miracle truly appeared.
"Look, what's that?!"
Someone exclaimed in shock. Above them, the dark clouds were pierced by a white knight's lance, letting sunlight shine down upon the earth.
Then, blood-red petals drifted down like rain.
When people touched the petals, they discovered in disbelief that the Honkai energy eroding them had dissipated.
"This… this is…!"
Very soon, everyone understood what was happening.
Because Eden's concert was broadcast worldwide, all they had to do was look up to see the live feed—there, they saw the boy dyeing the white flowers red with his own blood to save them.
"I know him, he's Elias, a hero!"
"But he's clearly just a boy…"
"Thank you, thank you for saving all of us."
"Mom, I like this big brother!"
Countless people looked up at the screen with tears of gratitude. Some knelt and kowtowed, some held the blood flowers preciously, some cried as they gave thanks again and again.
The clergy in the churches fixed their eyes on the boy's figure. Suddenly, one bishop tore off the cross from his neck—
Then, with utmost devotion, he looked toward Elias.
...
Inside Fire Moth's base—
"The Honkai concentration in Australia is dropping rapidly! It's back to normal levels! The Honkai Eruption has been stopped—Captain Elias stopped it!!"
"Uoooooohhhhhh!!!" xN
Every Fire Moth base erupted in deafening cheers. People hugged one another, shouting and unleashing the joy in their hearts.
"He did it, he really did it!!"
Mei suddenly stood, staring at the screen's data, so excited she nearly screamed.
"Ah… you truly saved everyone."
In the counseling room, Aponia knelt on the ground with her hands clasped in prayer, tears spilling from her eyes.
She saw it—the severed threads of fate of over thirty-five million people, now once again extending toward the future. Their destinies had all been changed by Elias!
Indescribable emotions surged through Aponia's entire being.
...
"Wait, he… he's still going to fight!"
Suddenly, someone shouted in shock.
On the live screen, Elias drew a thunder-wreathed battle scythe and aimed it at the Herrscher of Fire before him.
The whole world was struck speechless in shock.
He had already saved so many lives. He could have stepped back, taken a rest, and left the rest to others. Yet he still stood at the very front, facing the Herrscher directly.
Seeing the boy's lofty and towering figure, countless tears streamed down faces at that moment. They all thought of one word: Hero.
Thus, in this moment, a belief was born.
...
Inside Sydney's Super Dome in Australia—
"Impossible! How could you do such a thing! My Honkai Eruption was meant to be the sacred sacrifice celebrating my birth! You—you dare ruin it?!"
The Herrscher of Fire roared in fury, losing composure.
Elias' Lilium Sanguineum had dissolved all Honkai energy across Australia. She had not absorbed enough Honkai energy yet. Now, she was merely a Herrscher with less than 2000 HW.
And that was only because the scope of her Honkai Eruption was vast—though diluted, the sheer amount had accumulated. If it had been like the Herrscher of Reason or the Herrscher of the Void with just a single city's range, she might have barely reached 200 HW.
But what shocked her most was that not a single person had died. Even if just one person had perished, she would have gained at least some increase in Honkai energy.
Yet she felt nothing.
This meant Elias' blood flowers had truly reached every single person in Australia, without missing anyone.
By all logic, this should have been impossible.
"Good… everything went according to plan, phew~"
Elias let out a breath of relief. Just now, he hadn't simply used Holy Blood Unleashed and Abyss Flower's Zeroth Output.
He had also added the Herrscher of Wind's authority.
After all, wind could reach everywhere.
Elias used countless streams of wind as eyes, locating every person's position. Then, he guided the blood flowers of creation with those winds, delivering them to each individual.
Otherwise, if the petals had simply floated down on their own, who knew how many would have been missed—especially those indoors, who would surely have been doomed.
"Now, it's your turn, Herrscher of Fire. Tell me, how does it feel to be the weakest Herrscher in history? With only 2000 HW of Honkai energy, you're hardly even qualified to be my opponent."
Elias mocked, staring at the pitifully weak Herrscher of Fire.
Still, he took a battle stance. Though Abyss Flower had been thrown elsewhere, Elias had more than one Divine Key.
A thunder-wreathed battle scythe appeared in his hand—this was the Divine Key forged from the Third Herrscher Core: Key of Judgment—Seven Thunders of Retribution!
"Surrender quietly, and you'll suffer less."
"You damnable human!!"
The Herrscher of Fire seethed with hatred, wishing nothing more than to tear Elias to pieces. But in the next second, several figures radiating terrifying power gathered at the white-haired boy's side.
"Eli, are you alright? Let me check you quickly!"
"Elias, you were far too reckless!"
"Hmph! And you call this 'not letting anyone die'? Compared to me, you're the real madman!"
"Rest properly now. Leave the rest to us."
Elysia, Sakura, Kalpas, and Kevin surrounded Elias, worriedly looking at the pale-faced boy. The girls felt such heartache they could hardly breathe, while the men were filled with admiration.
Elias had truly saved everyone.
But the way he did it was too painful to watch.
Seeing his sacrifice, how could the four of them bear to let him continue fighting?
"No, it's not over yet. I must keep going."
Yet the boy stubbornly shook his head, tightening his grip on the scythe.
"Elias!" Elysia clasped his hand tightly, her face full of worry and unwillingness.
"There's still one person left to save, isn't there? Ah, don't look at me like that. I'm already much better now."
Facing the three's deeply concerned gazes (Kalpas' was hidden by his mask), Elias gave a dry laugh as he spoke.
It was only the near-total consumption of his Holy Blood. Don't forget—he was the Herrscher of Rebirth. The regeneration of mere blood, after just half a minute, had already recovered.
And he wasn't wrong.
There was still one person left to save in order to achieve the goal of "saving everyone." That was Himeko, whose body was occupied by the Herrscher of Fire. Since that target had not yet been reached, Elias felt he could not rest.
"I'm the captain. Listen to my command. If your hands are itching, go deal with that big bird over there. In terms of power, it's much stronger than the Herrscher of Fire."
Elias pointed to the Honkai Beast descending through the dome's ceiling—a massive flaming bird.
Its entire crimson body was wreathed in flames, and the Honkai energy and pressure it radiated far surpassed that of the Herrscher of Fire herself.
(This is too obvious… it's Garuda, isn't it? No wonder I couldn't find it after searching everywhere. So you really are the Herrscher's companion Honkai Beast.)
Elias raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself.
"That's… the Herrscher of Fire's companion Honkai Beast?!"
"This pressure… looks Judgment-level."
"Oh? It really does look stronger than that Herrscher. None of you steal it from me! Elias, can I slaughter it?!"
"Kalpas, calm down."
The four were shocked at the appearance of Garuda—this was only the second companion Honkai Beast to appear besides Shesha.
Though the Herrscher of Fire was weak due to her interrupted Eruption, this Judgment-level Garuda was at full strength, truly formidable.
"Go ahead, do as you like. Just leave some of its body behind. I think it's perfect as material for Hua's Meta-Morph surgery. That girl has been waiting a long time…"
Thinking of Hua's increasingly resentful gaze, Elias felt a little embarrassed.
He had promised to find her a suitable Honkai Beast long ago. Yet somehow, that promise had been delayed from the Fourth Eruption all the way until the Seventh—nearly two years had passed.
No wonder Hua thought he had forgotten about her. Her mood had been low for some time.
"Alright, no problem! I'll leave a few feathers for her! Die, stupid bird!!"
Screee!!
Kalpas charged fiercely, clashing with Garuda. Soon after, Elias sent the remaining three to assist—after all, a Judgment-class Honkai Beast was no easy kill.
He remembered: in the original setting, Garuda had absurdly thick HP and terrifying regeneration. Though not endlessly reviving like Shesha, it was close. Its health bar was over ten times longer, and its regen speed dozens of times faster!
"All of you, go. I'm almost fully recovered. Compared to the companion Honkai Beast, this Herrscher is much easier to handle. And in the end, only I can save Himeko."
Elias spoke with utmost seriousness.
Elysia and Sakura were helpless. They both knew—though the boy was usually easy to talk to, once he decided on something, no one could change his mind.
"…Be careful, Elias."
"We'll finish off that bird quickly."
With those words, the two girls also chased after Kalpas and Kevin, as Garuda had already been driven out of the dome.
Elias then turned his gaze back to the Herrscher of Fire. The Seven Thunders of Retribution in his hand flared with lightning.
As its name suggested, this Divine Key had seven forms: sniper rifle, katana, scythe, whip, lipstick, kitchen knife, and slingshot…
The last three clearly clashed with the tone of the first four. But given that its designer was Vill-V, the "genius of little junk," this was entirely within expectations.
Others could only use one form depending on compatibility. But Elias, as Vill-V's financial backer, could wield all seven freely. Among them, the scythe was his exclusive form—no one else could use it.
"Have you prepared to repent? To dare occupy the body of my comrade—unforgivable!"
Elias twirled the scythe. Even a casual swing roared with thunder and tore the air. The Herrscher of Fire's expression turned dark as iron.
Without hesitation, she unleashed her authority. A raging sea of flames erupted, the alloys of the dome beginning to melt under the sheer heat.
"Human, don't underestimate me—I am a Herrscher!"
The Herrscher of Fire declared as she released her inferno. The ordinary people within the dome trembled in fear.
Yes, she was a Herrscher.
Even with less than 2000 HW, she was still a true Herrscher—an apostle of the Honkai meant to destroy the world. To ordinary humans, she was no different from the god of death.
Flames descended from above.
But this time, people did not cower.
Because their savior stood beside them.
"Ice and snow forge this will—eternal, unending!"
Elias shifted the scythe into his left hand. With his free right hand, he clenched his fist and slammed it into the ground, summoning the power of ice and snow.
A mighty glacier rose, shielding everyone from the descending fire.
"What?! That ability!"
"Surprised? Unexpected?"
Elias freely wielded the Herrscher of Ice's authority. As the Seven-Core Herrscher, his Honkai energy recovery far surpassed that of the Herrscher of Fire. By now, he had already recovered to around 20,000 HW.
A tenfold difference!
Though he knew her flames could never overcome his ice, Elias still glanced back, making sure Eden was unharmed before easing his heart.
But the Herrscher of Fire acted decisively.
Realizing she was completely suppressed, she spread fire in all directions while turning to flee.
"Tch! What a nuisance!"
Elias casually extinguished the flames and even formed a dress of ice and snow for Eden, a protective gown capable of withstanding heat up to 1000 degrees. For the others, however, he only conjured simple ice shields as a precaution.
"Herrscher of Fire, you won't escape!"
Without hesitation, Elias pursued. He would never let prey he had locked onto escape.
...
Eden glanced at the ice gown covering her body, then looked at Elias' departing back with complicated eyes.
(Am I… only able to watch like this?)
The diva, whose wealth could buy nearly anything in the world, now felt deeply unwilling. She tightened her grip on the microphone in her hand.
How she wished it were a gun or a sword.
"It seems that if I remain just a singer, I'll never have the right to stand at your side, Elias. If that's the case…"
Eden closed her eyes, then opened them again with renewed determination.
Once this Honkai Eruption ended, she too would undergo a Meta-Morph surgery—to gain the power to fight side by side with Elias!
But for now, she refused to remain still.
"Haah!!"
Eden leapt down from the high stage. Frowning at her high heels, she quickly kicked them off and dashed in Elias' direction.
Even if she was just an ordinary human—
There were still things she could do right now!