The Herrscher of Rebirth's authority surged at full power—capable even of restoring someone who had been dead for ten seconds.
Eden's life was saved.
Elias exhaled deeply in relief, then used his Holy Blood to purge the traces of Finality's Honkai corruption from her body.
"Well done, Eden. If you hadn't held her off for those few seconds, I wouldn't have made it in time."
He pulled Eden into a firm embrace as he spoke.
He wasn't omnipotent. Facing a true god, not even he could predict everything. If Eden hadn't stepped forward at that moment, humanity would likely already have been wiped out.
"I'm just... glad I could help..."
Eden forced a faint smile. In a sense, she had indeed died once just moments ago—and even now, the body of the [Gold] Flame-Chaser trembled faintly.
Elias's heart ached. He opened a spatial portal.
"Eden, go rest in my imaginary space. Leave the rest to us."
"No... I can't."
Eden's brows furrowed as she shook her head stubbornly, refusing immediately.
She knew that if she entered Elias's imaginary space, she would be safe. She had already made a tremendous contribution—no one would blame her for stepping back now.
But...
"No, I can't withdraw yet. Elias, you've healed my body. I can still fight."
Gritting her teeth, Eden stepped away from Elias's arms.
Though the warmth of his embrace tempted her to stay there forever, she knew this was not the time for comfort. They still stood upon the battlefield against a god.
The war that would decide the fate of civilization was far from over.
Had she done enough? Could she rest now?
No. She refused to withdraw for such reasons. In this battle against Finality, no one had the right to retreat. As long as one could still pull a trigger, as long as one's heart still beat, as long as life had not yet burned out—
Then every person who still called themselves human would resist the god called Finality until their last breath.
They were Flame-Chasers. And this was the moment to ignite themselves—to illuminate civilization's darkest night.
"Elias, I'm fine. I can still fight!"
"...Good. That's my Eden." Elias took a deep breath and closed the spatial gate.
In the eyes of this [Gold] Flame-Chaser burned a light brighter than any gold.
He would never allow such brilliance to be dimmed.
With his authority, he completely healed Eden's injuries, and the two rejoined the fight against the Herrscher of Finality.
At the same time, Elias swallowed back the blood rising in his throat.
(Damn... I didn't have time to stack my armor...)
The attack had come too suddenly—he hadn't managed to layer his defenses fully.
Even with the armor and the Honkai Beast Asura shielding him, taking the Herrscher of Finality's area attack head-on had left Elias heavily injured, even in his [Reverse God] form.
But compared to this opponent, a serious wound was no different from a scratch. With a quick self-heal, and thanks to his Chimera physiology and the vitality of a Palatinus, Elias could keep fighting as long as he still drew breath.
And yet, in that moment, he felt something new within him.
(What is this? After taking that hit... something entered my body? Wait—don't tell me...)
Elias's eyes widened. A spark of realization flashed through his mind, and his heartbeat quickened.
(Alright then. At this rate, lasting another four hours might be impossible anyway. In that case... I'll take the gamble!!)
A wild grin spread across the [Reverse God]'s face.
He had discovered a path—a small, perilous chance at victory.
Without hesitation, he seized it.
Though the odds of success were infinitesimal, and the cost could very well be his blood, his body, even his life... this battlefield was one where everything had to be wagered.
"Everyone, listen! Don't let the Herrscher of Finality's attacks reach Earth. I'll keep her attention on me!"
"Understood!" ×15
Elias glanced once more at the blue planet behind him.
Then, without hesitation, he charged forward—his [Reverse God] form expanding in size, accelerating to its utmost limit before slamming full-force into the divine body of the Herrscher of Finality.
Even though she had locked her health bar, the collision forced the Herrscher back several steps.
"Abyss Flower—Zeroth Power! Holy Blood Liberation: Lilium Sanguineum!"
Elias unleashed his Holy Blood once again without hesitation.
The Abyss Flower, already covered in cracks, was now lined with countless fractures. As the bloodstained spear struck the Herrscher of Finality square in the chest, the sacred blood upon it erased part of her Honkai energy—just like the Moonlight Thrones before.
The Herrscher of Finality's golden eyes widened in shock.
But—
"It's useless. Even if you drain every drop of your blood, you cannot exhaust the power of a god."
"I know. This is just my payback for earlier. Herrscher of Finality—the battle's only just begun!"
"How foolish. Very well, moths of the flame—allow me to grant your wish, humans."
They still needed to hold out for over four more hours. Every Flame-Chaser pushed themselves to the absolute limit, entering a heightened state of battle awareness.
Elias, Kevin, and the others gradually fell into seamless coordination. Whenever the Herrscher of Finality prepared an unavoidable strike, the Flame-Chasers would act in unison to interrupt her.
Elias used the Herrscher of the Void's authority to teleport allies across the field, ensuring everyone stayed in optimal position—whether attacking or dodging.
He also frequently activated the Zeroth Power of the Seven Thunders of Retribution. Each time the Herrscher of Finality prepared to unleash her full-scale time-stop, Elias stunned her mid-cast, paralyzing her just long enough to teleport everyone outside the time-stopped zone.
"???"
The Herrscher of Finality was utterly bewildered.
Never before had she faced such troublesome opponents.
She possessed absolute power—any direct hit from her would instantly vaporize everyone except the white-haired boy. And even Elias would pay a steep price if struck head-on.
And yet, despite such overwhelming disparity—
She found herself unable to land a single decisive blow.
Against anyone else, such futility would have driven them to madness. But thankfully, the Herrscher of Finality lacked emotions such as frustration.
"...No matter. Let's see how long you can last. Unlike gods, humans have limits."
"Quit yapping and keep going!"
Elias flashed her an international gesture of defiance.
The Herrscher of Finality was indeed beautiful—but right now, Elias's opinion of her was negative ten thousand. As a seasoned gamer, he despised this kind of opponent: one that locked their health bar and cheated their way through.
If this Finality War were a game, Elias was certain—it would be the worst game ever made.
The opponent was an absurd stat monster—capable of one-shotting players, freezing time at will, while all your attacks did zero damage. And somehow, you had to survive for over three real-time days.
Completely unreasonable.
At this point, Elias seriously questioned whether Honkai truly sought to "embrace humanity." Supposedly, defeating the Herrscher of Finality would bring deliverance—but with her health bar locked and difficulty multiplied a thousandfold beyond any previous Herrscher combined, this was essentially an unwinnable boss fight.
An opponent who, by design, could not be defeated.
And yet—
Elias had found a sliver of possibility. A single thread of hope—a way to make even the Goddess of Honkai bleed, perhaps even fall.
Elias: (But it's still not enough. I need more power. I have to stall longer—gather even more!)
Thus, within the boundless sea of stars—
The tug-of-war between the Flame-Chasers and the Herrscher of Finality continued, every passing second stretching toward eternity.
One hour...
Two hours...
Three hours!!!
...
After three hours of unrelenting struggle—
Herrscher of Finality: "Humans... I admit, you've surpassed my expectations. This marks the longest resistance in all my records of resets. But... this ends now."
The goddess finally moved in earnest—her true power awakening. And yet, even now, she had not managed to erase a single Flame-Chaser.
But just as she had said before—
Humanity ultimately had its limits.
After three hours of relentless combat, the Flame-Chasers—including Elias himself—had reached their breaking point. Their Honkai energy reserves were nearly depleted, and their strength was fading fast.
Elias could barely maintain his [Reverse God] form. All of his Divine Keys were shattered. Kevin had exited his [Diabolic] form; the Judgment of Shamash in his hands had reverted to its original twin-pistol form. Elysia's bowstring was soaked in her own blood; Sakura's icy blade had broken apart.
Kalpas's flames had extinguished. Vill-V's weaponry was completely exhausted. Kosma's wings and horns were shattered. Pardo had fainted from exhaustion. Aponia could no longer move.
Hua's Honkai energy was utterly drained. Su's eyes bled profusely. Eden's twin guns had overheated to the point of explosion. Prometheus's frame was half destroyed. Misteln's body was beginning to fade into transparency.
The Herrscher of Finality's golden eyes swept over each of them—as though committing their forms to memory.
"I shall grant you a painless end. I will annihilate your civilization. This is the respect a god offers you."
Complete eradication—the highest form of respect a god could grant to a civilization.
As she spoke, the Herrscher of Finality raised her divine spear.
By instinct, the tip of the weapon pointed toward Elias.
The [Reverse God]'s eyes remained defiant. He still held the most strength among them—but with all his weapons destroyed, his Honkai energy nearly spent, and his body at its limit, dodging her next attack was impossible.
It was the perfect chance to strike down the so-called savior.
And yet—the Herrscher of Finality hesitated.
A strange emotion stirred within the Goddess of Honkai—something akin to reluctance.
"I... will leave you for last."
"What?"
"You are a special human. Thus, I will allow you to live until the very end."
Her voice was calm, almost indifferent. She had decided to kill the white-haired boy only after she had erased every other life on Earth—after civilization had been reset.
It was neither mercy nor admiration.
The Herrscher of Finality simply chose to do so.
"Then, let us begin with the others. This moment—marks the end!"
The energy wings behind her flared open, firing beams of pure Honkai destruction toward everyone except Elias.
Only Kevin, Elysia, Su, and Hua could barely move to dodge; the others were doomed.
"Do you think I'll allow that?!"
Elias gritted his teeth, forcefully invoking the Herrscher of the Void's authority.
In an instant, he teleported everyone to his side, spreading the six radiant wings of the [Reverse God] before them. The wings merged into a massive shield, while the colossal Honkai Beast Asura threw itself forward to block the blast.
The beams meant for the Flame-Chasers all converged on Elias and Asura, intent on piercing through them and killing those behind.
At that point, even if the Herrscher of Finality wished to stop, it was too late.
ROAAAAAR!!!
The nine-headed Chimera's body was torn apart in an instant. The Vipralopa-class beast let out one final cry before its massive form dissolved into light.
The remaining beams struck Elias's six wings and his divine body.
A moment later—Holy Blood scattered through the void. Wings were torn, horns shattered, and the [Reverse God]'s body was left mangled and bloodied.
But those he shielded—Elysia and the others—remained completely unharmed.
"Elias, no!!!"
"Stop! Please stop!!"
"Elias! This isn't right!"
"You'll die like this!!"
Their cries tore through the comms, filled with pain and disbelief. Watching him stand as their shield, taking the full wrath of Finality for their sake—it felt as if their own hearts were being crushed.
"It's fine... this is... enough..."
Elias's golden eyes dimmed, flickering like a dying flame—but his face bore a smile.
From the moment the Herrscher of Finality unleashed that attack, he knew this was the turning point.
Those unable to dodge—Vill-V, Eden, Pardo, Kalpas, Kosma, Sakura, Aponia—were the very same ones fated to die in the Previous Era's original history.
As for Prometheus, she possessed complete data backups—destruction of her frame did not constitute death. And Misteln, being Elias's Schariac Stigma, would never die so long as the Stigma itself endured.
(Because of my existence, all the Flame-Chasers survived. But now, fate seeks to correct itself—using the Herrscher of Finality as its instrument to make Sakura and the others return to their destined deaths... If I want to stop it, there's only one way!)
Like flashes of lightning, memories surged through Elias's mind—of the times he had changed the destinies of Sirin, Bronya, and Seele.
(Destined death will always occur. Even if one is saved once, fate's corrective force will endlessly attempt to bring about that same end—just like what happened with Bronya and Sheele.)
(To change such a destiny, the only way is... substitution.)
Death must happen.
If he wished for the Flame-Chasers to live—
Then he alone would have to bear that death.
To substitute was to rewrite destiny itself. Just as he once took Sirin's place as the Herrscher of the Void, and bore the X-10 Experiment in the stead of Seele and Bronya.
Thus, the white-haired boy smiled faintly, feeling the rhythm of his heart slow—the breath of life fading, death approaching. He knew that Sakura and the others had escaped their fated ends.
Yet, just as despair filled the hearts of the Flame-Chasers—
ROOOOOOAR!!! ×9
Nine earth-shaking roars echoed through the cosmos. The supposedly slain Asura stirred once more—revived.
And alongside it, so too did the [Reverse God].
"To know life, one must first know death!!"
Elias's eyes snapped open. His golden irises, once dimmed, now blazed brightly again. The torn and broken body began to knit itself back together before their eyes.
The Herrscher of Finality's expression froze in disbelief.
"Impossible! You should be dead!"
"Yeah, well—guess what? I can respawn. Didn't expect that, did you?"
Elias stood tall, hands on his hips, grinning smugly.
As the strongest Chimera fusion warrior in history, he possessed the abilities of tens of thousands of Honkai Beasts—including that of the Third Herrscher's companion beast: Shesha, the Judgment-class serpent capable of infinite resurrection.
Of course, it wasn't without cost—Shesha's revival ability caused the host's body and age to regress.
At that moment, Elias appeared no older than fifteen.
"A small issue. Herrscher of Finality—you can't kill me."
In truth, Shesha's ability wasn't his only safeguard. After all, he was also the Herrscher of Reason—whose greatest talent was, quite literally, getting back up again. He had danced on the edge of life and death so many times that the boundary itself no longer applied.
Elias lifted the Judgment of Shamash, which had reverted to its dual-pistol form, and restored it to its greatsword configuration—Might of An-Utu blazing in his hands.
He raised the weapon, its golden flames reflecting in his fierce eyes.
"Goddess of Honkai, let's continue. But before you kill me—don't you dare take your eyes off me."