The flames imbued with the power of Finality burned upon the Herrscher of Finality's divine body, searing through her magnificent blue-and-white ceremonial gown, scorching both fabric and the flesh of god beneath.
"Oh? Your blood is golden?"
Elias looked in mild astonishment at the torrent of golden blood pouring from the Herrscher of Finality's wounds. It shimmered like molten gold—holy, regal, and filled with unimaginable energy.
The Herrscher of Finality felt her consciousness slowly fading. This sword, blazing bright enough to ignite the sea of stars, brought her pain for the first time in her existence—and allowed her to see, for the first time, the color of her own blood.
This was her first injury since birth.
As the Herrscher of Finality, she was supposed to be invincible.
As long as her opponent relied on Honkai energy just like her, they could never defeat her—for she was Honkai itself.
Even if others wielded the powers of different Herrschers, what of it? Every Herrscher's authority on Earth was nothing more than a fragment of her own—a shadow. And how could a shadow ever surpass the original?
Yet Elias had absorbed her power of Finality.
The white-haired youth had turned his countless wounds, his repeated brushes with death, into strength for counterattack.
He was the vessel of Finality from fifty thousand years in the future—thus able to draw power from this divine Herrscher's blows.
He was the perfect Chimera and bearer of [Palatinus]; his body could withstand the power of Finality itself.
"You've lost, Herrscher of Finality!"
The boy of [Reverse God] had stolen a fragment of divine might. His sword now pressed against the goddess's heart.
One swing—if he severed and burned that divine core—the Herrscher of Finality might truly die. And in that moment, the god herself knew fear.
Yet Elias withdrew his sword.
"God, remember this day well. I—mortal that I am—spare the life of you, the divine."
The white-haired youth spoke softly. The flames of his Judgment of Shamash—Might of An-Utu—had yet to fade.
Though he had gathered power for but a single strike, the divine sword had been tainted by her golden blood, and Elias realized he could swing it once more.
Without hesitation, he raised it—
And brought it down hard on the Herrscher of Finality's forehead.
CLANG!
The Herrscher of Finality: "!!!"
The sound rang loud and clear—a solid, satisfying hit.
The divine halo above the Honkai Goddess's head shattered instantly. Her golden eyes locked onto the white-haired boy before her. In the final flicker of consciousness before darkness claimed her once more, she cried out—
"Herr—ELIAS!!"
With her last ounce of strength, she swung a fist.
BOOM!
If this goddess of Honkai had appeared in human form, her hands would have been flawless—delicate as any mortal girl's.
But one must not forget: this was the body that had withstood the Sagittarius Astra, the unleashed Shamash Assault, and even the bombardment of the Moonlight Thrones.
Thus, when her fist struck the [Reverse God] youth, Elias was sent flying.
Her eyes dimmed again as the Herrscher of Finality fell unconscious—yet again.
"Ugh... damn... that hurt..."
The power of Finality within Elias dissipated. His [Reverse God] form faded.
But the goddess's final punch had sent him hurtling through space—like a white shooting star. From the Moon's orbit, he was blasted all the way toward Earth's atmosphere.
"Gotta stop... or this'll be bad..."
Elias twitched at the corner of his eye, desperately trying to slow himself.
But his wings were gone, his powers spent, his armaments destroyed. His body refused to obey his will.
"Not good! At this rate, he'll crash!" Kevin's voice rang out, alarmed.
"Someone—someone catch Eli!" Elysia's face had gone pale.
"Damn it! Move, move, come on!!" Sakura gritted her teeth, slamming her hand against the malfunctioning thrusters on her back.
"We can't let Elias fall! MOVE!!" Vill-V shouted, panic filling her voice.
...
The Flame-Chasers panicked. Desperation surged as they considered forcefully triggering Artificial Cascade. Their savior's strength was spent, and now Elias was caught in Earth's gravity.
To cross the night called Finality—
The boy had ascended to the heavens, becoming the light that illuminated the world.
But now his body was dissolving.
He was about to fall into the sea below.
True death was closing in on him.
"Ah... this time, I might really... die..."
A helpless smile appeared on Elias's face.
Even Shesha's resurrection ability required Honkai energy to function—but he had none left. His Dea Anchora armor was shattered, and even the bubble world within him could no longer supply energy.
As for imitating Welt's technique—preserving his consciousness within a Herrscher Core to reconstruct a body later—
All of Elias's Cores were cracked beyond use.
The only remaining option, the Divine Key Fenghuang Down, capable of storing consciousness, had already shattered in the earlier battles. It drifted somewhere in space, unrecovered and beyond repair.
A parade of life-saving options flashed through his mind, yet he quickly realized—none of them could save him now.
At this rate, he would become a meteor, crash into the surface, and die completely.
"Damn it... I don't wanna die... Someone... anyone... please save me..."
For someone who had died dozens of times without letting his will falter, those words sounded almost ironic.
But growing accustomed to death didn't mean he accepted it. On the contrary—he understood the value of life all the more.
Instinctively, Elias reached out a trembling hand toward Elysia's direction. The moment Miss Pink Elf saw it, her heart clenched tight.
"!!!"
Elysia knew she had to respond.
The boy she loved had already saved the world—now it was someone else's turn to save him.
"Eli, don't be afraid. I'm coming for you..."
Just as Elysia was about to burn her remaining authority and force herself into her Herrscher of Origin form—
A sky-blue silhouette shot up from the Earth, catching the falling white-haired boy before he entered the atmosphere.
"Brother Elias, I'm here to help!"
"Eh? Gr... Griseo?!"
Elias's eyes widened in disbelief. The Flame-Chasers below reacted the same way.
Before their eyes appeared a girl with delicate blue wings—like a tiny, celestial angel.
Griseo flapped her azure feathers, her eyes widening in horror as she saw Elias's battered body. Tears welled up immediately.
"Brother Elias, I'm sorry... Griseo's late."
"No, you're right on time."
Elias smiled softly. Looking at the little [Stars] Signet holder, he immediately understood—Griseo had triggered her own Artificial Cascade.
In the past, out of favoritism and affection, Elias had chosen a Judgment-level Honkai Beast for Griseo's Meta-Morph surgery. That beast had taken the form of a small, azure bird.
Its attack power was no greater than that of an Emperor-class beast, but it could adapt to any environment and ignore all restrictions, capable of unmatched flight speed.
The Fire Moth task force had once pursued that Honkai Beast for three full months before finally catching it.
Elias hadn't chosen it for its compatibility ratio—but because he wanted the sweet, gentle girl to be like that bird: unbound, free to soar anywhere in the world.
Now, Griseo had not let him down.
This twelve-year-old girl had flown into the sea of stars under her own power—and caught him as he fell.
"When did Griseo get there?!"
"Such incredible initiative... but thank goodness she did!"
Mei and Mobius were both stunned.
They had assigned Griseo to assist in evacuation—not out of lack of manpower, but because she insisted she, too, was a Flame-Chaser, and she wanted to do what she could.
None of them had expected that this little girl would actually fly into space on her own!
"Sorry, Grandma Mobius, Grandma Mei... but Griseo wants to fight alongside Brother Elias too."
Griseo apologized softly. The moment she had that thought, wings sprouted from her back—and without hesitation, she had taken to the skies.
"It's alright, Griseo. You did wonderfully."
"Yes, you really did save the day this time."
If not for this [Stars] girl's timely rescue, Elias would have already crashed to Earth. Whether he hit land or sea, death would have been certain.
Elias had always thought Griseo was adorable—but right now, she looked a hundred times more so.
"Thank you, Griseo. You're amazing."
"I'm just happy I could help Brother Elias. Huh? But... why did Brother Elias get smaller than me?"
Griseo blinked in surprise. Due to excessive use of Shesha's resurrection ability, Elias now looked like an eight-year-old boy—slightly younger than her.
"Ah... a little accident, I suppose. But now... I might have to start calling you Sister Griseo."
"S-Sister... Griseo?!"
The eyes of the little painter sparkled instantly. She hugged Elias tighter, her lips curling into a radiant smile that shone like starlight.
"My, my... looks like I'm no longer needed," Elysia said with a teasing sigh, though the relief on her face was unmistakable.
The other Flame-Chasers felt the same. To each of them, Elias was irreplaceable.
"So... does this mean we've won?"
"Mei, what's the status of the Herrscher of Finality?"
"Oh, right—Unit 17, send me the data."
"Yes."
Prometheus nodded. Her soulium frame had been destroyed during the battle—half her body vaporized when grazed by the Herrscher of Finality's attack. Now, she appeared no larger than a small doll—tinier even than the ELF units.
"Uh... kind of cute, actually," Elias commented.
"Thank you. I reconstructed this temporary frame using recoverable parts from my original body. Such is the advantage of nano-soulium."
Prometheus spoke while scanning the Herrscher of Finality, transmitting the data of the unconscious goddess back to the Fire Moth's command hub.
Mei and Mobius immediately began analyzing.
"Confirmed—Herrscher of Finality's activity has ceased! Unlike the previous two times, though her Honkai energy remains nearly unchanged, her biological response has dropped by two-thirds. She's seriously injured—no, heavily damaged!!"
Mobius's voice trembled with excitement. This invincible enemy, who had taken every blow without losing a fraction of health, was now practically on the verge of collapse.
"However, her regeneration has already begun, albeit very slowly. Still, factoring in the final strike Elias dealt to her head, this level of trauma and unconsciousness should keep her in stasis... for at least five days!!"
"Wonderful!!!" ×N
Everyone burst into joyous cheers. The bubble world migration project was already 98% complete. Even at a relaxed pace, the final phase would be done in thirty minutes.
Five whole days—more than enough.
"Excellent. That means... it's finally over," Elias exhaled in relief.
As the architect of this miracle, he gazed at the unconscious Herrscher of Finality. The tension that had gripped his heart at last began to fade.
Then, a wave of exhaustion overwhelmed him. His chin fell onto Griseo's shoulder—he no longer had the strength to move even a finger.
"Brother Elias, are you alright?"
"Maybe not... Sister Griseo... take me home, will you? I just... want to... sleep for a bit..."
As Elias finished speaking, his eyes slowly closed. The soft rhythm of his breathing followed soon after. At that moment, he looked nothing like the savior who, just a minute ago, had wielded Shamash to defeat Finality. Now, he was merely an ordinary boy—peaceful and unguarded.
"Alright then. Sister Griseo will take Brother Elias home. You rest well, okay?"
The little painter's embrace grew even gentler. Holding him close, she turned toward Earth. She knew that what Elias needed now wasn't praise or applause—but a warm, soft bed to rest in.
"Wait, Griseo! We're still up here!"
"Sorry, Sister Elysia, Sister Eden, Sister Sakura... Uncle Kevin. Griseo's too small and weak—she can only carry Brother Elias this time. So, goodbye!"
And with that, Griseo flew off without looking back.
"..." ×N
Elysia and the others twitched at the corners of their eyes.
Watching the girl cradle the white-haired boy and disappear toward the blue planet below, each of them felt a strange, indescribable emotion.
Meanwhile, back at the Fire Moth base—
Dr. Mei: "Finally... it's over. I'm taking a break."
Mobius: "Agreed. Klein—where's Klein? You handle the rest. I'm going to prepare medical support for Elias."
In the command room, the two scientists removed their headsets and slumped back in their chairs, utterly spent.
They completely ignored the fact that Elysia and the others were still floating helplessly in orbit, their Honkai energy depleted.
Kevin: "Could someone come pick us up, please?!"
Elysia: "No! I've gotta recharge and head back—Eli's still waiting for me!"
Vill-V: "Prometheus, lend me some parts! I'll cobble together a spacecraft right here!"
Sakura: "Can we reopen the lunar gate? If it's operational, hurry and teleport us back!"
...
In the end, the group drifted in space for several hours. The lunar teleportation gate had been damaged by the Herrscher of Finality's last shockwave, leaving them stranded until Eden forcibly triggered Artificial Cascade—transforming herself into a massive cosmic whale to ferry everyone home.
By the time they finally returned to Earth—
Elysia: "Little Griseo! Where are Mei and Mobius? Don't tell me they just left us behind right after the battle?! That's so mean! Miss Pink Elf is furious!"
Griseo: "Grandma Mei and Grandma Mobius said they were going to sleep with Brother Elias... Mm, I'm going too."
Elysia: "!!!"
And thus, barely had the battle of Finality ended—
When the war between the women began anew.