In the space near the Moon.
The Herrscher of Finality was quietly sleeping.
Before her injuries were fully healed, this Goddess of Honkai would not awaken no matter what. In other words, until the end of tomorrow, Elias and Elysia could do whatever they pleased!
"Ely, are you ready?"
"Of course! We can start anytime!"
"Good. Then, are you ready to repent, Herrscher of Finality?"
Elias and Elysia each held a massive black marker, thick as a rocket launcher.
After learning what they planned to do, a certain great inventor had spent exactly five minutes creating these for them.
Their effect was simple.
Any line drawn with these two pens would never wash off unless the skin itself was peeled away~!
Elias: "Now is the time for vengeance!"
Elysia: "Haha~ Eli, maybe we should invite Griseo too."
Elias: "No way. Griseo's drawings are too pretty. This time, we need to make it as ugly as possible! Hehehe!"
The two of them grinned mischievously as they walked toward the dormant Herrscher of Finality. The goddess's brows furrowed slightly, as if she were having a nightmare.
After quite some time—
The goddess, whose beauty could not be described even with the words 'nation-toppling,' had been completely ruined by the mischievous couple.
On her left cheek was an ugly little turtle, while her right cheek displayed a tic-tac-toe board. Her temples, forehead, and nose were also not spared—every possible inch of skin had been covered in doodles.
And it wasn't just her face. Because Elias's Finality An-Utu had sliced through the Herrscher's divine body, it had also torn open her blue-and-white ceremonial gown. Now, the so-called sacred body of this Goddess of Honkai was somewhat exposed.
If there had been a third person present, they would have seen that even her flawless legs had several tally marks drawn upon them.
"Uh... did we go too far?"
"How could we, Ely? This is already mild. She's our enemy, remember? Whatever we do to an enemy is totally fine—the more overboard, the better!"
Elias spoke as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Looking at the Herrscher of Finality—now turned into a giant canvas for their mischief—he felt no guilt at all. Instead, his heart was filled with joy and satisfaction.
Elysia rubbed her eyes, thinking she might be hallucinating. She could almost see little devil horns sprouting from Elias's head and a tail swaying behind him.
Elias: "After everything she's done to me, even if I stripped off her divine robe and let her float naked in space, that would still be a tiny bit of revenge. But I didn't. Ah~ I'm just too merciful."
Elysia: "Wow~ being your enemy must be terrifying. But you're right—you're the most merciful man alive!"
"Hehe~"
Elias chuckled softly, then his expression shifted. Placing a hand over his chest, he felt a faint pang of regret. Though brief, he had once held the power of Finality.
Recalling that absolute might, Elias felt as though he had tasted a delicious cake he could never have again. His face betrayed a hint of longing.
The reason the Herrscher of Finality failed to defeat him and the Flame-Chasers was because she was too much of a god.
She was too strong. Too invincible.
For her, every enemy in the past could be crushed head-on with sheer strength and authority.
But that very fact became the key to why Elias and the Flame-Chasers managed to fight her for so long during that final battle.
If this Goddess of Honkai—who only knew how to brute-force everything—had learned even a little human combat skill, she could have ended all the Flame-Chasers in less than ten minutes.
Yet because all she did was throw divine might around, Elias was able to absorb her power of Finality and defeat her in one strike!
However...
"I never considered that a true victory."
Elias stared blankly at the sleeping Herrscher of Finality.
"Eli?" Elysia blinked in surprise.
"That can't be called a victory. Perhaps at that moment, I did have the chance to kill you... but in the end, we retreated. Civilization retreated. Humanity retreated. And now, I no longer have any means to hurt you."
Elias's golden eyes dimmed.
Elysia showed a helpless expression.
(Ah~ Eli, you're always like this. You set your standards too high. It's admirable... but it also hurts to watch.)
Suddenly, the corners of Elias's lips curved upward again.
"Forget it. Even if I didn't defeat you, making you faint three times is enough to regain some pride. Besides... at least right now, I can do whatever I want to you."
"W-What, Eli?!"
Elysia's eyes widened. She watched as the white-haired boy revealed a devilish grin and pulled out a massive collar with chains attached from who-knows-where.
Under the astonished gaze of Miss Pink Elf, Elias clasped the collar around the Herrscher of Finality's neck, holding the other end of the chain in his hand—as if turning a god into his slave.
Such arrogance! Such blasphemy! Such madness!
Yet, it was also an act of pure, fearless defiance.
"Remember this, Herrscher of Finality. Next time, we won't retreat! One day..."
The boy of [Reverse God] released a boundless aura.
"I will break your wings, take your crown, and drag you down from your throne of divinity!"
"I will seize your authority, devour your power, and turn you into a lowly, foolish slave!"
"I will conquer your divine body, destroy your pride, and make you repent your sins for eternity!"
"I will command your will, decide your fate, and make you the cornerstone of civilization's evolution!"
"In the future—fifty thousand years from now..."
The human named Elias made a declaration beneath the starlit sky that could make even gods tremble.
"Humanity will defeat Honkai!"
In that moment, under the brilliant sea of stars, the positions of god and man seemed to have reversed.
This oath—worthy of being recorded in the history of mankind—was witnessed only by the stars and a single Origin herself.
...
When Elias and Elysia returned to Earth—
Miss Pink Elf still felt her legs trembling. The boy's declaration continued to echo in her mind, her heartbeat spinning out of control.
Elysia had been deceived by Elias's current appearance. Only now did she realize—no matter how small or cute he looked—this person was still the great savior who had led humanity through the Honkai.
Elias always showed her his best self—his boundless tenderness and affection—making Elysia often forget that he was the Chimera bearing the Signet of [Deliverance].
Thinking of this, her gaze softened even more.
"What's wrong, Ely?"
Feeling that gentle, too-gentle look upon him, Elias tilted his head in confusion. He couldn't figure out what he had done to make Miss Pink Elf's affection spike so suddenly.
"It's nothing," Elysia said with a soft smile. "I just feel... so spoiled."
"...Spoiled?"
"Yes~ Eli, you're the savior who led everyone to resist the Honkai. You're so handsome, strong, dignified, and full of power. But because of that..."
Elysia smiled and pulled Elias tightly into her arms.
"This side of you—the one that no one else sees, the smile, the tenderness, the love you only show me—it makes me feel proud, happy, and so spoiled."
The boy before her had a smile as beautiful as her own. If her smile bloomed like petals in flight, his was radiant like the sun.
Both of them shared their smiles freely. Many within the Fire Moth had said that just seeing Elias's and Elysia's smiles had healed or even saved them.
But that was only how they were with others. When they looked at each other—
Their smiles became hundreds of times gentler.
Elysia even felt a strange guilt, gazing upon the boy's too-beautiful smile—as if she were monopolizing the greatest treasure in existence.
However...
"You're such a fool, Ely. I feel the same way. I'm the one who's truly spoiled." Elias held Elysia tightly, pressing his face into her stomach as he spoke.
"Eh?" Elysia blinked in surprise.
"To be able to have such a wonderful girl all to myself—tell me, is there anyone in the world more fortunate than I am?"
"...Pff~ haha~ We really do think alike, Eli. That makes me so happy." Elysia wiped at the corners of her eyes, which were glistening with warmth.
Her stomach felt pleasantly warm.
Because of Elias's childlike form, his height barely reached 1.3 meters—just enough for his head to rest against her belly.
Elysia gently held his head, though her arms tightened as if she wanted to pull him even closer into herself.
(I wish... I could stay with you forever.)
"Hmm? Ely, what's wrong?"
Elias sensed something was off.
He knew Elysia too well. That was why he could instinctively detect even the faintest change—the strength of her embrace, the emotion in her voice, the look in her eyes...
It was as sweet and full of love as always.
But this time, there was a trace of sorrow... and reluctance.
"!!!"
Elysia trembled slightly, then immediately began to tousle Elias's white hair roughly, messing it up completely.
"Ahem! Nothing's wrong! It's just that you look so adorable right now, Eli. I want to hug you tight, but I'm afraid I'll break you. I guess that weird contrast is making me act strange."
"Ah, I see..."
Elias scratched his head, half laughing, half exasperated.
"Don't worry, Ely. I won't break."
"Mm, I know. My Eli's the strongest—nothing can ever defeat you..."
Elysia nuzzled his cheek affectionately before taking his hand and tugging him along toward The Deep.
"Come on, come on! Sweet talk can wait until tonight in bed. Daytime's precious—we've got to make the most of it. As the savior of the world, Eli, you can't forget to visit the people you've saved!"
"Yeah, that was my plan anyway."
Since the Herrscher of the Void's authority had yet to recover, Holy Blade Durandal remained dormant, and his Honkai energy was depleted, Elias couldn't open the path to the internal bubble world by himself.
Fortunately, the teleportation gate in The Deep could take them there directly. After a short trip, Elias and Elysia arrived within the bubble world that housed the survivors of the Previous Era.
As the creator of this bubble world, Elias immediately felt the world's will welcoming him. Wounds that would have taken a long time to heal began to mend at several times their normal speed.
(I've never been this injured before, so I didn't know this effect existed. Nice, nice~)
Elias and Elysia landed on the rooftop of a tall building.
With their popularity, if they appeared on the streets, they'd be recognized instantly—and chaos would follow.
After all, aside from being the Savior and the [Ego] Flame-Chaser, they were also the High Priests of the Eli Gate and Ely Gate... And if the current version of Elias were to be seen, it would spell serious trouble.
By the next day, rumors that "Elysia and Elias already have a child" would probably sweep across the entire bubble world.
"Eli, look over there—it's so lively!"
"Yeah, looks like they're celebrating."
...
To ease public anxiety, Fire Moth had already spread word two days earlier that the Herrscher of Finality had been stopped three times.
Now, the entire bubble world was filled with song and dance, celebrating the survival of civilization.
Some sang, some embraced, some confessed their love—everyone was rejoicing. After all, there were few joys greater than overcoming the fate of extinction.
"Honestly, Mei was surprised," Elysia said softly. "She thought there'd be more negative emotions, maybe even riots. After all, this is a brand new world where everything has to start over. But..."
"People aren't foolish. Everyone understands that they've already preserved what matters most—their own lives, and the lives of those important to them. That alone is enough."
"And maybe... maybe it's because so many people deep down wanted a chance to start over. So... everyone's actually adapting pretty quickly."
Elysia spoke with a helpless smile.
That last part was a little difficult for her to fully grasp.
After all, the life of Origin had been radiant and perfect, like her crystal flower—beautiful and flawless. Elysia had no reason to wish for anything to begin anew.
She only wanted this journey—this life—to go on forever.
"Ah..."
Elias stared blankly at the scenery within the bubble world.
Vibrant, peaceful, and full of life.
He suddenly remembered the fairy tale he had once given to Elysia when they were young, and he began to recite softly without thinking.
"They cheered and embraced one another, singing for the realization of their dreams."
"They finally reached paradise. It was there, at the end of their journey. The people rejoiced, calling out her name—Elysia."
Elias's golden eyes lit up. A thought struck him, and he tugged gently on the girl's hand beside him.
"Elysia—how about naming it Elysia?"
"Eli?"
"This bubble world's name! Let's call it Elysia—the Paradise! A flawless Eden, an eternal sanctuary. I want this world to become everyone's everlasting paradise!" Elias said with excitement.
The boy spread his arms wide, as though embracing the entire world. As its creator, he felt he had the right to give it a name.
He wanted it to be a world like the [Elysian Realm]—a paradise born of his blessing.
Though, perhaps... it carried a touch of romantic favoritism.
"In my name... you name the world..."
Elysia stood frozen, staring at Elias. Her vision blurred as two clear tears rolled down her cheeks.
In her mind resurfaced the very first birthday gift the boy had ever given her—that fairy tale she had treasured ever since.
"If paradise doesn't exist... then I'll create one myself."
"That line was supposed to be from a fairy tale, but Eli—you always find a way to turn fairytales and beauty into reality," Elysia whispered softly.
"Oh? Ely, you still remember the lines from that book?" Elias asked in pleasant surprise.
"Of course. That was the very first birthday present you ever gave me," Elysia replied with a gentle smile. Even now, that storybook remained one of her most cherished treasures.