At the moment the hourglass of time was turned upside down.
Everything returned to the very beginning, whether it was a tragedy or a comedy.
Everything returned to its original starting point. This time, Elias no longer regarded saving the world as his mission but placed saving a single girl at the very center of his heart.
However...
Sometimes, saving one person
is harder than saving an entire world!
The hourglass of time was turned again and again.
Once, twice, three times, four times... ten times!!
When the cycle of reincarnation had increased to the tenth time, the white-haired boy's eyes revealed deep exhaustion. Almost numb, he once again flipped the hourglass in his hand, wishing for everything to return once more to the beginning.
[Warning! Warning! Host, your mental state has reached its limit. Please take a temporary rest!]
"Why? System, tell me—why can I save the world, but not Elysia?"
Elias clenched his fists so tightly that his nails pierced his flesh. Holy Blood dripped from between his fingers, and with it seemed to fall the shattered fragments of his already broken heart.
The result of ten reincarnations—
Almost every time, Elysia sacrificed herself to alter the rules of Honkai, allowing the Herrschers to gain humanity and no longer bear the mission of annihilating mankind and destroying civilization.
No matter how Elias tried to intervene, that flawless girl never changed her decision. Time after time, she offered herself for Elias's future and for the future of the Current Era.
He had tried countless methods, attempting to seize the power (curse) of the Herrscher of Origin from Elysia, yet all ended in failure without exception.
In the seventh reincarnation—
The boy who hated lies turned himself into a deceiver more cunning than Vill-V. He could deceive anyone in this world—even history, even the Honkai itself.
He hoped to deceive Elysia too, to make her hand over the power of the Herrscher of Origin to him. Yet before the girl who bore the [Ego] Signet, Elias's lies—lies powerful enough to deceive the world—were effortlessly seen through.
In the eighth reincarnation—
Elias simply stopped involving himself with Elysia, hoping that this flawless girl would not fall in love with him.
He didn't let Elysia join the Fire Moth but sent her back to the small town of Vostok, arranging for her a safe and peaceful ordinary life, while he went alone to save the world.
But even though they had little contact, that flawless girl still admired and fell in love with Elias from afar—and eventually used the power of Origin to wishfully change the future.
In the ninth reincarnation—
After so many cycles, Elias was completely exhausted, both body and soul. He adopted an extreme method, imprisoning Elysia directly in a dark room.
Yet the result was still unsatisfactory.
No matter how many times he repeated it, the flawless girl always made the same choice in the end.
However, Elias had not never succeeded in stopping her.
Just like the tenth reincarnation just now—
Elias successfully prevented Elysia from using the power of the Herrscher of Origin. But as a result, everything in the Current Era changed—Welt, Mei, Kiana, and Elias himself.
All the Herrschers were once again completely controlled by the Honkai, becoming enemies standing against humanity.
"This shouldn't have happened! System, you once said that all the pasts I've changed would be fixed and no longer shaken—so why did it turn out like this?!"
"Because Elysia didn't sacrifice herself, the pasts you changed began to shift again. Everything is moving toward an even worse direction!"
Elias yanked at his white hair in despair. At this moment, he looked utterly wretched. The boy who had once shone like the sun, warm and dazzling, seemed to have forgotten how to smile.
Through the system's ability, Elias saw the future of the Current Era in which Elysia did not use her power.
And the result was this—the first Honkai Eruption birthed the Herrscher of Reason, Welt Joyce became humanity's enemy and was eventually defeated by Schicksal.
However, in the Second Eruption, the Herrscher of the Void was still Elias... but this time, he destroyed the world.
Destruction had always been far easier than salvation.
Elias had always possessed the power to destroy the world.
When his humanity was erased by the Honkai and he stood against mankind, the pure-white boy wore a crazed smile as he annihilated Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent alike.
Human civilization of the Current Era met its apocalypse in the Second Honkai Eruption.
After becoming the Herrscher of the Void, Elias also obtained the Cores of Fire, Death, Wind, and Thunder upon the moon, becoming a Five-Core Herrscher.
No one could stop him.
He summoned countless meteors from space, bombarding the Earth until it was utterly devastated.
By wielding the Herrscher of the Void's authority, Elias could ignore distance—launching other Herrscher powers from outer space directly onto the planet.
Thus, his flames ignited the oceans.
His thunder pierced the earth.
His deathly mists drowned the cities.
His gales tore the sky apart.
Billions of lives, wiped out in a single day.
[Master, you've already done enough... why not just stop here?] the system urged softly.
"Tell me why. Why can Elysia change the pasts that I've already changed?" Elias growled.
As a traveler through time, the pasts he had shaped should have been immutable.
Those were his chess pieces—and once placed, even he could not retract them.
Yet Elysia had managed it. She was that unique—whether or not she used the power of the Herrscher of Origin determined two entirely opposite fates for the Current Era.
If she activated the power of Origin, the Herrschers would retain their humanity, and Elias would become the savior who led humanity beyond the Honkai.
If she did not, the Herrschers would lose their humanity, and Elias would become the destroyer of worlds, bringing ruin during the Second Eruption.
[Master, that's because Elysia is a being similar to you. You both possess the power to alter destiny itself.]
"What?"
[The pasts you've changed become fixed destinies that cannot be altered by anyone. But... to the Previous Era, the Current Era is not the past—it's the future.]
[And Elysia, bearing the power of Origin, holds the same ability to change fate as you do.]
[Your reincarnation was a one-in-a-billion miracle—and her birth was the same, a one-in-a-billion miracle.]
[Even if one were to search through all the bubble worlds, they would never find another you—or another Elysia. For both of you to appear in the same space-time is beyond miraculous—it transcends the very concept of miracles.]
At this point, even the system couldn't help but sigh.
The two of them together could indeed create a future that defied imagination—but the outcome would always demand the death of one. If the bond between Elias and Elysia were shallow, it might have been easier.
But the two of them loved each other too deeply.
Neither would ever accept the other's death.
Even if they had to repeat everything countless times, they would still try to save each other.
But fate was merciless.
If Elysia didn't use her power, the Current Era would be destroyed.
If she did, she herself would vanish.
In the past ten reincarnations, Elias had tried every method imaginable, yet he still could not escape these two endings—nor could he find the perfect third one.
He wanted to replace Elysia and activate the power of Origin himself, but Elysia, who possessed no Core, could not be deprived of her power.
[Master, perhaps that perfect ending never existed at all. In my calculations, the probability approaches zero...]
"Shut up! You useless system that can't even make me omnipotent—'approaches zero' means it's not zero, right? Then I'll find the answer no matter what." Elias said stubbornly.
[...]
The system fell silent. After ten cycles of reincarnation, its host's temper had grown volatile—and besides, it had been activated late and didn't come with an invincibility starter pack.
The fact that Elias hadn't yet found its uninstall button was already an act of mercy.
"Give me some time... let me think again. There must be a way. There has to be! I refuse to believe this is our ending—I... I will not give up!"
[...Master, you seem to be losing your mind.]
"Shut up."
[...]
The ideal ending Elias sought was one that even the Imaginary Tree itself could not realize, because he didn't want to create a new world or a parallel one where Elysia survived—he wanted that flawless girl to live on in this world.
So, in the darkness, time passed—he did not know how long. The white-haired boy stood still like a statue, endlessly contemplating how to change fate.
"The power of Origin... the Imaginary Tree... the Previous Era... the Current Era... to replace destiny... where is hope... I've tried every possibility in the Previous Era. No! No, I must have overlooked something—there has to be something I missed!"
Then, suddenly, inspiration struck.
He hadn't missed anything—he really had tried every possible path in the Previous Era. But he had overlooked one thing.
"Wait... I've tried every possibility in the Previous Era. There's no hope of saving Elysia in the past. But... what about the future? I haven't tried the future yet."
Elias's eyes widened as information flashed through his mind.
Gradually, those once-dim golden eyes began to shine again—like a flame rekindled from dying embers. The darkness around him was illuminated by a spark of light.
Following this new thread of thought, he continued to reason—and then...
"Ha... hahaha! I see it! I found it! I finally—finally found the way!"
Elias raised both hands to cover his face, laughing until tears streamed down his cheeks. His whole body trembled with excitement, like a prisoner who had finally walked out of a maze called despair.
[?!]
Even the system was stunned.
Its host had... actually found a solution?
The ending Elias sought was so perfect, it bordered on the impossible. When the system said the probability approached zero, it meant that mathematically, zero didn't exist—but practically, it was no different.
Yet somehow, this man seemed to have found a way. Those golden eyes once filled with despair now shone with icy, almost maddened clarity.
"System, initiate the eleventh reincarnation! This time—it really will be the last!"
[Understood, Master.]
Time reversed once again. Everything returned to the very beginning. But this time, the white-haired boy's eyes no longer held numb sorrow—they burned with hope.
...
In the forest near Vostok Town.
Elias opened his eyes and turned his head.
Beside him lay a pink-haired girl—the daughter of the stars and moon, a gift from the gods to humanity, and the lover he cherished most.
"This time... everything will end, Ely."
"Waaa... ahhh... ahhhhh!"
"You always cry like this at birth."
Watching the girl announce her arrival to the world with loud wails, Elias couldn't help but smile through tears. He gently wiped the tears from her cheeks, and the newborn noticed his presence.
Incredibly, she stopped crying.
The girl opened her sapphire-blue eyes and gazed at Elias. An indescribable feeling filled her heart. Instinctively, she raised her tiny hand toward him—and grasped his finger.
"Giggle... giggle~!"
The newly born Herrscher of Origin laughed.
Elias smiled as well. Reincarnation was exhausting, and he had thought about giving up more than once. But... whenever he saw that radiant smile, bright as falling petals, he found the strength to continue.
Soon after, the two were found by a gardener and brought to the town's orphanage. Just like in the ten previous reincarnations, they grew up together, side by side.
And as always, this was the most peaceful period of Elias's cycle.
The Honkai had not yet fully arrived.
He did not yet need to bear the burden of salvation.
Each day, he simply spent his time with Elysia, playing to his heart's content. These carefree days gently healed his weary soul.
However...
"Elias, will you marry me when we grow up?"
One day, the young Elysia—still a flat-chested little girl, far from becoming the alluring Miss Pink Elf of the future—looked up at him with sparkling eyes.
"Sure, no problem. We'll get married when we grow up."
Elias smiled and patted little Ely's head, agreeing without hesitation.
Each reincarnation brought small differences, but Elias noticed something curious—Elysia seemed easier and easier to "capture." No, actually, "easier to capture" didn't even begin to describe it.
Starting from the fifth reincarnation, Elysia had fallen for him at first sight—and began her wholehearted devotion early on.
And with each cycle, that devotion deepened. By the tenth reincarnation, she had only confessed her love... but now, she was outright proposing marriage.
And to think—they hadn't even left the beginner's village, Vostok Town. Their journey hadn't even begun.
Elias muttered, "Strange... Elysia shouldn't have any memories of the previous reincarnations, so why does her affection rise this fast?"
System: (The Master didn't ask, so I didn't say anything. But in truth, the memories from every reincarnation have never vanished—they're all still there. Anyone deeply connected to the Master retains them.)
It had never been only Elias who reincarnated.
It was the entire Previous Era.
Those deeply bonded with him—the Flame-Chasers—had retained their memories across all ten cycles of reincarnation.
Though these memories were sealed for now, they still existed within their minds, lying dormant in an unawakened state.
However, the influence was undeniable. Those memories subconsciously affected their emotions toward Elias. Even if they couldn't consciously recall them, their bodies remembered—their hearts responded instinctively.
Simply put, they were unconsciously drawn to him, loving him by instinct alone.
And as the cycles continued to stack, that subconscious affection—their instinct to "devote themselves" to him—grew more and more exaggerated.
(But one day, those sealed memories will break free. When all ten cycles of memories and emotions awaken, overlap, and merge—just how deeply will Miss Elysia, and the others, fall for the Master then?)
The system couldn't help but look forward to it.
After all, this would mean falling in love with Elias eleven times over—and counting this cycle, it would make twelve.
And when one remembered Elias's unique method of changing fate—by replacing others' destinies with his own...
The reason he could never change the fate of the Herrscher of Origin before was that he hadn't yet found a way to take her place. But now, this pure-white boy seemed to finally have an idea.
As the true witness to Elias's long journey, the system understood one thing clearly—his vision of a perfect ending had never included a happy ending for himself.
And when the Flame-Chasers—bearing the emotions and memories accumulated over ten reincarnations—finally witnessed the conclusion of this pure-white boy's story...
What kind of reaction would they have?