"Human, you may be proud now."
The Herrscher of Finality gazed directly at Elias.
In those dazzling golden eyes was reflected the figure of the white-haired boy. Yet, instead of anger or arrogance, what flickered there at this moment was seriousness—and surprise.
She was a god who had brought countless civilizations to ruin, the incarnation of Honkai, the end of all things.
Unlike other Herrschers, the Herrscher of Finality did not need a Core to descend upon humanity, for she herself was the embodiment of authority—she was born as a Herrscher.
Every Herrscher that had ever appeared—
Could be called nothing more than her shadow.
Even if the powers of those twelve Herrschers were combined, they would not amount to a ten-thousandth of her own.
It was unknown how much time had passed since this Honkai Goddess first gained consciousness—perhaps something even longer than the word eternity could describe. Her origin stretched back beyond even the fall of Mars—an extinction event that took place over a billion years ago.
And throughout that inconceivable span of time, the number of civilizations she had personally brought to an end was as innumerable as the stars scattered across the night sky.
She was already an expert in destruction.
And yet…
This time, she had suffered repeated humiliation.
The Herrscher of Finality looked deeply at Elias, her heart filled with astonishment.
No one had ever knocked her unconscious twice.
No one had ever dared to reach inside her divine form.
No one had ever broken through her shield.
No one had ever resisted her for so long.
It had already been three days since she descended upon this world, and yet the blue planet below still remained intact.
It wasn't because the Herrscher of Finality was slacking off—it was because this civilization had an unbelievable protector.
"Human, I will remember you."
The Herrscher of Finality etched Elias' image into her eyes. Compared to the countless civilizations she had destroyed before, this young man who defied gods was worth remembering far more.
What shocked her even more was the realization that Elias was a "qualified one"—a being capable of withstanding the power of Finality itself.
Humans viewed Honkai as the enemy of civilization, but in truth, it was also an embrace. Everything Honkai did to civilization was, in essence, an attempt to create its own kind.
However, that embrace was something civilization could not endure.
It was like a giant trying to embrace an ant—no matter how gentle the attempt, it would always crush the ant by accident. Thus, to learn the right way to embrace, the Herrscher of Finality existed.
This Herrscher, who could reset time itself, allowed Honkai to repeatedly embrace civilization again and again, seeking the optimal answer.
Now, the Herrscher of Finality believed she had finally found a human capable of enduring that embrace.
But unfortunately, Elias was the only one.
This era still failed to meet Honkai's expectations.
Therefore—
Herrscher of Finality: "I shall make everything begin anew. I hope the next era will have more humans like you."
After speaking, she opened her own imaginary space, and a strange long spear descended into her hand. Its body was purple, and its tip gleamed gold. Though it lacked the beauty of Elias' Abyss Flower, it carried an aura capable of piercing worlds.
This was her weapon—and her scepter.
The Herrscher of Finality had decided: no more stalemates.
Though the Goddess of Honkai knew no such thing as embarrassment, she had no intention of being forced into shutdown for a third time, even if the chance of that happening was infinitesimally small.
"This is... divine judgment."
The tip of her spear aimed at Elias, and an overwhelming beam of Honkai energy burst forth.
BOOM—!
"Damn! Spatial Gate—transfer!"
Elias' expression changed drastically. He hastily opened a spatial gate before the oncoming beam, attempting to divert it elsewhere. However—
"It's useless. Divine Judgment cannot be evaded."
The Herrscher of Finality spoke calmly.
She was like a great tree, while the other Herrschers' powers were but small branches from her being. Thus, using their authorities against her was futile—let alone trying to block her attack.
The beam of Divine Judgment entered the portal, yet it was not transferred away. Instead, it pierced straight through the spatial gate itself—the very manifestation of the Herrscher of the Void's authority.
"Elias!!" ×15
The light-speed strike could neither be dodged nor blocked. The Flame-Chasers watched in horror as the Divine Judgment struck the white-haired boy.
"It's over."
The Herrscher of Finality spoke without emotion.
The Divine Judgment released from her weapon possessed over a thousand times the power that had previously sunk the Moonlight Throne fleet. Containing the power of Finality itself, it was an attack no human could possibly withstand.
And yet…
"Oath of Judah—Zeroth Power!"
"What?!"
The lunar dust raised by the beam had yet to settle when thirteen radiant spears linked by golden chains erupted forth at the Savior's command, wrapping tightly around the Herrscher of Finality's divine body.
Too shocked to react at first, the Herrscher of Finality did not immediately break free. Her golden eyes fixed upon the figure of the white-haired boy through the haze, filled with disbelief.
"Impossible… how could a human withstand an attack imbued with Finality's power? You should not still exist."
"Hah! Gods really are arrogant. If all deities are like you, then I'd rather remain human," Elias shot back, glaring fiercely at the Herrscher.
To be honest, even he found himself impressive.
He had taken a strike imbued with Finality's power head-on—and survived.
Elias, in his Artificial Cascade state, wore triple armor layers: Key of Blankness, the Chimera Armor, and the Dea Anchora. Beyond that, he had activated every defensive technique at his disposal.
Imaginary barrier, quantum shield, electromagnetic shield, ideal fluid barrier, Elysion Pedion, molecular field—and hundreds of defensive abilities borrowed from various Honkai Beasts.
Elias had stacked every layer of armor possible.
Thus, though the Herrscher of Finality's Divine Judgment was powerful enough to pierce the moon itself, it failed to penetrate his body.
(Still, that was barely enough... tch! Even with all that layering, I still got hurt...)
Without showing it on his face, Elias invoked the Herrscher of Rebirth's authority, healing the bloodied body beneath his armor.
Cracks marred his Key of Blankness, Chimera Armor, and Dea Anchora.
That earlier strike from the Herrscher—if anyone else had taken it, they would have died instantly. Even Kevin in his [Diabolic] state would have been obliterated.
"Human, you are truly extraordinary... but it is futile. No matter how many miracles you create, this civilization will perish. You shall all be buried with it."
The Herrscher of Finality gave a mere flick of her arm, shattering Judah's chains as though they were nothing. She raised her spear again, its tip pointing toward Elias, gathering even greater energy.
However, Elias moved first.
"Sword of Domination—Self-Destruct Mode, activate!!"
Nine hundred and ninety-nine golden swords flew out—some wreathed in flame, others encased in frost, some invisible, some crackling with lightning. Each Sword of Domination possessed a unique ability.
Elias poured excessive Honkai energy into each of the thousand Herrscher Cores embedded within them—and sent them all flying toward the Herrscher of Finality.
Then, he detonated them.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Herrscher of Finality: "Useless against me!"
Elias: "Sore wa do kana."
The self-destruction of the thousand Cores, even when fueled by the immense energy of the Chimera, could not harm the Herrscher of Finality. Yet the force of the explosions was enough to stagger her.
The spear she aimed at Elias wavered under the impact, and the beam of Divine Judgment barely grazed his hair as it veered off course.
"Goddess of Honkai, you were right earlier—one day, there will come an era capable of withstanding Honkai's embrace. This endless cycle will end. But..."
Elias drew from his chest the golden holy sword, Holy Blade Durandal, and pointed it at the Herrscher of Finality.
"This story's ending will be written by me. I will not let you destroy this era! I will create an age where two civilizations coexist! What do you say—will you try believing in me, just once?"
"Unbelievable. The probability of two eras coexisting is less than one in ten million. The chance of the next era enduring the embrace is less than one in a hundred million. Infinite reset is the only solution."
"Alright then. In that case... let's continue."
Elias shrugged, then once again clashed head-on with the Herrscher of Finality. With him as the primary target drawing her full wrath, Kevin and the other Flame-Chasers only needed to focus on interference.
...
The battlefield shifted into outer space.
Not because the moon was unsuitable—but because if they continued fighting on its surface, there was a real fear that the satellite might shatter before Earth itself was even touched.
"Vill-V, what do we do?! We can't fly!" Pardo cried, watching Elias's figure drift farther and farther away.
Not every fusion warrior's Artificial Cascade allowed flight. Sakura, Kalpas, Pardo, and Vill-V, when activating their cascades, turned into a fox, a being of flame, a cat, and a spider-woman respectively.
Watching the battle move farther out of reach, the four grew increasingly anxious—but thankfully, one inventive genius had already prepared.
"Don't worry, I planned ahead. Put on these space mobility assist units. They won't make you as agile as Elias, but we're just here to interfere—our risk is much lower."
As Vill-V spoke, she handed out several small propulsion devices.
"Alright! Let's go! We can't let Elias take this on alone!" Pardo accepted without hesitation.
Though she said the risk was small, stepping into the battlefield of Finality itself was already like walking a tightrope across the abyss.
Still, none of them hesitated or turned back.
They knew only one thing—they could not stop here.
They could not allow that white-haired boy to bear everything alone.
Vill-V: "We may not be able to make Finality bleed, but just like the Sword of Domination's self-detonation earlier—if our attacks are strong enough, the resulting shockwaves can disrupt her movements."
Kalpas: "Got it! So basically, just hit her as hard as we can, right? I'm going in!"
Sakura: "Don't rush in recklessly, Kalpas. Wait for the right moment. Attack when the Herrscher of Finality is about to strike—maybe we can interrupt her attacks and reduce Elias's danger."
Mobius: "I've analyzed the Herrscher of Finality's attack pattern. She seems to rely solely on brute force and large-scale energy bursts. We'll monitor her Honkai energy fluctuations and send you alerts in advance!"
Mei: "Four more hours! We need four hours until the evacuation is complete!"
Griseo: "Everyone, please hang in there! We're doing our part down here too!"
The crushing pressure of facing the Herrscher of Finality alone fell upon Elias.
But the remaining Flame-Chasers were not mere spectators.
On this battlefield that determined the survival of civilization—everyone gave everything they had.
...
In the vast expanse between Earth and Moon—
"Human, will you do nothing but run?"
The Herrscher of Finality's spear released beam after beam of Divine Judgment, while the Honkai energy wings at her back acted like twin cannons, firing continuously with terrifying force.
"Hmph! Try turning off your damage lock! If your health bar wasn't fixed, we'd have already whittled you down to nothing!"
Elias scoffed coldly. The six wings of his [Reverse God] form granted unmatched mobility, letting him narrowly dodge and weave between her endless bombardments—but even so, every moment was perilous.
More than once, the Herrscher shamelessly used time-stop. Had Elias not instantly warped away with the Herrscher of the Void's authority, escaping beyond the range, he would have died two or three times already.
Knowing that her health couldn't be reduced, Elias avoided direct confrontation. Though the bubble world within him continually supplied him with Honkai energy, facing the Herrscher of Finality meant not wasting even the tiniest fraction of power.
After realizing that even a full-power strike from the Holy Blade Durandal—capable of slicing through a continent—had no effect, Elias stopped wasting Honkai energy on grand attacks.
At most, he used the Seven Thunders of Retribution to paralyze her for a few seconds at a time.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
"No matter how strong your attacks are, they're useless if they can't hit."
Three beams—each strong enough to vaporize Kevin instantly—came for him once more. Elias adjusted his posture slightly, slipping through the narrow gaps between them with perfect precision.
He had grown accustomed to the Herrscher of Finality's attacks.
As Mobius had noted, despite being a terrifying enemy who had annihilated countless civilizations, she fought like a brute—hurling massive blasts with no finesse or technique whatsoever.
"Human, you cannot run forever!"
"Oh, so you're about to cast an AoE, huh?"
Elias rolled his eyes.
The Herrscher of Finality's repertoire barely exceeded a dozen moves. If she hadn't locked her health bar, Elias thought, not even he—Kevin's idiotic grin and all—could probably chip her down to death with Might of An-Utu.
"..."
The Herrscher of Finality's eye twitched slightly. By now, the Flame-Chasers had spread out to her blind zones.
Her AoE was indeed a map-wide bombardment, but after witnessing it once, Elias and the others had already identified its weaker areas. Still, the Herrscher had already begun the casting—there was no stopping it now.
However…
"You idiot! Where are you aiming that?!"
Elias and everyone else felt their hearts skip a beat.
The Herrscher's attack wasn't aimed at them—
It was heading straight toward Earth.
"Quick! Intercept it!!" ×2
Mobius and Mei's voices trembled with panic.
If the Herrscher of Finality's Honkai energy shockwave reached Earth, the remaining hundreds of millions would be instantly eroded and killed by the overwhelming surge of Honkai radiation.
Though the distance between Earth and Moon was nearly 400,000 kilometers, the future Herrscher Kiana could fire a single shot from the Moon to the very edge of the solar system.
That alone proved that for the Herrscher of Finality, Earth had always been within striking range.
And now, as the world-ending blast sped toward the planet—
A colossal whale emerged to block it.
It was Eden's Artificial Cascade form.
Elias: "Eden!!"
If Elias's [Reverse God] form was the most sacred sight in existence, then Eden's [Sky Whale] form was the most magnificent and radiant.
Though the Emperor-class Honkai Beast she had fused with, Varuna, lacked overwhelming offensive power, it possessed the largest body of all Honkai Beasts.
Eden: "I can stop it... I will stop it!"
Her [Sky Whale] form glowed with golden skin, and in that moment, she activated her ability—transforming her entire body into crystalline brilliance.
Excluding the two outliers—Elias and Kevin—the Artificial Cascade of Eden boasted the greatest defense among all the Flame-Chasers. And with Varuna's crystallization ability, her defense multiplied severalfold.
At that moment, the [Sky Whale] became the shield standing before Earth. Or perhaps, more accurately—it became an enormous, resplendent jewel.
But the next instant—
Crack!
Eden: "!!!"
The gem-like surface of the [Sky Whale] splintered.
Cracks spread rapidly across her crystalline body under the onslaught of Finality's energy. The attack, imbued with the power of Finality, was far beyond what even an Emperor-class Honkai Beast could withstand.
The beloved star of the Previous Era—the seventh Flame-Chaser, the radiant artist—was about to perish, and Finality's blast was still racing toward Earth.
ROOOOOAR!!! ×9
A furious roar echoed across the void.
Nine-headed Chimera.
A beast even larger than the Sky Whale interposed itself before the blast, its massive frame absorbing the brunt of the impact. At the same time, Elias warped in, joining his Chimera in taking the strike together.
The explosion shook the cosmos.
When the light finally faded, Eden had reverted from her Sky Whale form—her human body frail and trembling as she collapsed into Elias's arms.
"I'm sorry, Elias... I still couldn't—"
"You did perfectly, Eden! Without you holding her off, I'd never have made it in time. It's alright now. I'll heal you."
Elias held Eden's delicate body tightly, the Herrscher of Rebirth's authority surging within him—desperately pulling her back from the brink of death.