"Ely, you were willing to become human for me—then I am willing, for you... to fall and become a god!"
Elias gazed tenderly at Elysia as he spoke.
Among everyone present, only Mobius understood the true weight of those words.
For Elias had always taken pride in his humanity. No matter how powerful he became, he saw himself as a man—never a god.
Yet now, to save the girl he loved, he willingly cast away that pride, abandoning his identity as a human being.
He chose instead to fall—and become divine.
But did Elias feel sorrow? No!
In that moment, his heart brimmed only with joy and exhilaration.
(Hahaha! I did it! I finally did it! Hahahahaha~ This time, I've truly obtained your power of Origin—your curse. Now, I can finally save you!)
Elias gently brushed his fingers along the hovering Origin Blades beside him, his heart alight with laughter.
After eleven cycles of reincarnation, he had finally reached this point—the perfect moment he had envisioned countless times. And now, it had become reality.
But Elysia was utterly panicked.
"No... my Authority... how could this happen? Eli, how did you do this? No, that doesn't matter right now—please, give it back! I'm begging you, Eli! Anything but this!"
She had believed her plan was flawless, yet fate still found a way to turn against her. The pink elf clutched the white-haired boy's hand in desperation, trying to make him return what he had taken.
But deep down, Elysia knew—it was already impossible. And she also knew what Elias intended to do next. It was the one thing she could not bear to witness—the same self-sacrifice she had planned herself.
"Ely, you're being unfair, you know? When I begged you before, you didn't listen... and now you're the one begging me. But... because it's you, Ely, I'll forgive you~"
Elias even found room for humor, teasing her gently. Seeing Elysia's tearful face as she pleaded with him not to activate the Authority, he couldn't help but feel a small, bittersweet satisfaction. After all, he had once stood in that same position.
"Everyone, stop Elias! Don't let him use my Authority! If he does, he'll die!!" Elysia cried out, her voice trembling, eyes red with desperation.
At her words, the thirteen Flame-Chasers paled in shock and immediately rushed toward Elias to restrain him.
But the next instant—Elysion Pedion was unleashed.
"I won't die~ And besides, none of you can stop me now," Elias said with a soft smile. In this moment, no one could stop him—not even the Herrscher of Finality herself.
A golden barrier spread, enveloping the entire Golden Theater. In an instant, everyone's Honkai energy vanished without a trace.
It was Elias' divine barrier—the Elysion Pedion.
Its might was at least a hundred times stronger than that of the Herrscher of Binding.
Yet this was perhaps the gentlest version of the barrier ever cast, for it merely drained away their Honkai energy and stripped them of the power to stop him—without causing them even the slightest pain.
"Alright... it's time to end this."
"No... Elias... please, stop..."
"In the name of Elias, Herrscher of Origin, I command—Honkai, restore the humanity of all Herrschers from past to future, and return to us the freedom that was always ours!"
The radiance of Origin burst forth from the halo behind Elias.
The Authority of Fate was invoked.
But this was not a wish—it was a command.
And in that moment, the [Cocoon of Finality] upon the moon heard Elias' decree—and it chose to obey.
The shackles of destiny shattered. Whether it was the Herrschers born in the Previous Era or those yet to come in the Current Era—all were granted the right to choose their own paths.
Within the bubble world that resided inside Elias, the one thousand and eleven Herrschers felt a change deep within. The ceaseless hatred toward humanity that once surged in their hearts... was gone.
Tears streamed down their faces before they even realized it.
And not just them—at that same moment, in the void near the moon, the awakening Herrscher of Finality felt it too.
"No—!!"
Elysia let out a cry of anguish.
Bathed in the radiance of Origin, she understood—the Authority had already been activated. That dazzling brilliance was beautiful, but its light was fueled by the user's life itself.
Elysia had held on to a faint glimmer of hope—one in ten thousand—that she could at least take the burden upon herself.
But the fact that she still stood unscathed left her powerless and despondent.
The Herrscher of Dominance could indeed transfer the price of using an Authority onto another, but since Elias had completely taken the Authority of Origin for himself—leaving not even a fragment behind—the link between the Authority and Elysia was now severed. Thus, the price could only fall upon Elias alone.
Yet that was exactly what he intended.
"So this... is the true nature of the Authority of Origin?"
Elias looked down at his body, which was slowly breaking apart, and smiled faintly.
The Authority of Origin was not a power of destruction—it was the power to alter destiny, to reshape the rules themselves. And because of that, the cost of using it was also bound by those very rules.
Unless one's existence transcended the Honkai, any attempt to invoke such an immense wish would result in one's life being claimed as the price—no matter how powerful they were.
However, as Elias had already ascended into a false godhood—an apostle of the Imaginary Tree, though still beneath the level of the Honkai itself—his demise would be slower.
And he would still have time to act.
"Eli... you fool! Why do you always take everything upon yourself?! Please, I'm begging you, don't die! Without you... I can't live!"
Elysia clung to his battle suit, pleading desperately.
"Ely, death isn't something to fear—it's just an unknown adventure. Besides, I won't truly die. Even if this body fades away, I'll still be waiting for you... in the distant future."
Elias smiled with deep contentment—the happiest, most peaceful smile he had shown since the day he arrived in the Previous Era.
He had succeeded.
A perfect ending had finally been achieved.
Every tragedy, every regret, had been rewritten.
Everyone he loved would now be able to walk into the future.
"Don't cry, my dear Ely. Your tears... they're the most painful thing in the world for me to see. This Authority that belongs to you—I'll return it now. It truly is the most romantic power I've ever witnessed."
Elias released his control over the Authority of Origin.
If he were to perish while still holding it, the Authority would merely return to the Honkai—a waste, in his eyes. So he decided to give it back to Elysia.
Yet, when the Authority of Origin flowed back into her, something unexpected happened.
A pair of pure white angelic wings unfurled behind Elysia, while a golden laurel wreath materialized above her head. Even her Herrscher gown of Origin transformed—becoming more elegant, more divine.
"Ah... I see now..."
Elias stared in awe, but soon realized what had occurred.
Every Herrscher in the Previous Era was bound by the constraints of the Honkai. Though the Herrscher of Origin could release others from that bondage, she herself was also one of those bound.
Now, Elias' command had freed all Herrschers—including the Herrscher of Origin herself. And as the Authority returned to her, Elysia had attained a new, liberated form.
Those wings were proof of her freedom.
(Then let this freedom be blessed.)
A memory from a past life flickered through Elias' mind, and he smiled faintly. His voice echoed through the Golden Theater, as he offered his blessing to the reborn girl he loved.
"Let the unsung hymn begin anew.
Let the vanished tale be written once more.
Let the noble and pure soul be reborn.
May the Beast of Gathering bless her with the freedom of [Reverie]!
May the Feather of Dust bless her with the endurance of [Vicissitude]!
May the Painter of Worlds bless her with the innocence of [Stars]!
May the Serpent of Worlds bless her with the desire of [Infinity]!
May the Sentinel of Dawn bless her with the will of [Daybreak]!
May the Blade of Severance bless her with the resolve of [Setsuna]!"
May the Eye of Virtue bless her with the wisdom of [Bodhi]!
May the Flame of Cataclysm bless her with the sincerity of [Decimation]!
May the Fool's Box bless her with the miracle of [Helix]!
May the Radiant Song bless her with the brilliance of [Gold]!
May the Gate of Sin bless her with the compassion of [Discipline]!
May the Summit of Humanity bless her with the insight of [Erudition]!
May the Undying Sword bless her with the ideal of [Preservation]!
May the Flawless One bless her with the return of [Ego]!
May the Lord of Samsara bless her with the glory of [Deliverance]!
May the Pure White bless her with the vow of eternal love!
I hereby sing praises—of the Herrscher of Origin's rebirth!"
"With me as the end... and you— as the beginning."
Elias cupped Elysia's face gently, pressing a deep, tender kiss to her lips, passing on his blessing to her.
Elysia felt that blessing in every heartbeat.
Tears soaked through her newly reborn ceremonial gown as her sobs echoed throughout the theater. The girl who had always worn the brightest smile was crying harder than she ever had before.
She kept trying to invoke the Authority—to pull the white-haired boy before her back—but it was futile.
Elias' life had already reached an irreversible end. Even the power of Finality could not intervene.
"Don't leave me... please... don't leave me..."
"Ely, take my blessing—and go toward the future."
The time to return home had come.
Elias glanced at the system interface floating before his eyes—it showed that preparations to transfer him back to the Current Era were complete. And that also meant... his life had truly entered its final countdown.
But somehow, it seemed he wasn't quite willing to go quietly.
Clink~
Elias' Fenghuang Down suddenly slipped from his grasp.
Cracks began to spread across the Divine Key's surface, and in the next moment, it shattered completely.
And as Fenghuang Down broke apart—
All the memories sealed within it were released!
Elysia, Kevin, Mei, Aponia, Sakura, Kalpas, Hua, Mobius—all of them—everyone present witnessed the memories that Elias had hidden away.
Everyone froze in shock.
Eleven cycles of reincarnation. Twelve attempts at salvation.
In that instant, they finally understood why, in his earlier blessing, Elias had referred to himself as the Lord of Samsara.
To create the perfect ending, he had chosen to shoulder the sorrow of an entire era—resetting everything, again and again—until even miracles could no longer describe the salvation he achieved.
"How... how could this be... the Imaginary Tree... False God... fifty thousand years of the road of time... Ah—ahh! Why?! Why are you such a fool, Elias?! I'm not worth it!"
Elysia's heart shattered. Her body trembled violently as the memories surged through her mind, unlocking the sealed recollections of countless cycles she herself had forgotten—
Each reunion.
Each journey.
Each love.
Each sacrifice.
Each rebirth.
Elysia could hardly imagine what Elias must have felt—carrying all those memories alone while falling in love with her again and again.
Yet, looking at the white-haired boy before her—the one who had reset his own salvation time after time just to save her—she knew she owed him far more than she could ever repay.
"Eh~ System, you did something unnecessary again."
Elias smiled wryly at the sky as his memories projected above, shimmering like mirages.
Although he had used Fenghuang Down regularly to clear his mind, he had never once deleted those memories.
After all, whether pain, joy, or boredom—they were all part of his story. How could Elias ever bear to erase them?
But there were too many for his mind to contain, so he had stored them within Fenghuang Down instead.
Now, they were laid bare for all to see... something he had intended to keep secret forever.
But at this point, secrecy no longer mattered.
Elias gave a small, bittersweet smile and reached out to gently pat Elysia's head.
"So, that's how the story goes. I traveled far—into a future so distant it nearly faded into myth. There, I found the hope to save you, and I brought it back—so your future could continue."
"This... is the most selfish thing a person can do. I forced the world to accompany my stubbornness, to start over again and again. Because, Ely, you mean that much to me."
"But now, my time is running short. I can't let you keep me all to yourself, Ely. So, let me say goodbye to everyone. After all, just as I love you... I also love each and every one of our Flame-Chasers."
Elias gently patted Elysia's trembling back as she clung tightly to him.
Then, he turned his gaze toward the Flame-Chasers—each of whom had now awakened their memories of countless cycles. All were crying uncontrollably.
"Elias! You and Elysia are both hopeless idiots! Don't die! I won't let you! Come to my lab right now, I'll find a way to keep you alive!"
Mobius' eyes were bloodshot, filled with tears. She wanted to drag Elias to her lab, but seeing his body—fragile and crystalline, fracturing before her eyes—she didn't dare to even touch him.
And she wasn't the only one.
Every Flame-Chaser felt the same unbearable pain watching his body crumble away. They couldn't accept it. How could this be? Of all people, he shouldn't meet such an end!
"Boss Elias, don't die! Please, don't leave us! I'll listen to you from now on, I swear! I'll never cause trouble again! So please... don't go!"
"It's okay, it'll be okay! Use your Authority to build yourself a new body! If that doesn't work, we'll find another way! There must be another way!"
"Elias, live! You... you gave me strength to protect others! I still haven't caught up to you, I've never once beaten you... I haven't repaid you yet!"
Only when someone stands at the edge of being lost forever does one truly understand how important they are.
The Flame-Chasers, battle-hardened veterans who had faced countless trials, now wept openly. Watching Elias' body crumble piece by piece, they felt their hearts shattering alongside him.
Just as Elias loved them—
They loved him too.
The fifteen Flame-Chasers had never been merely comrades or allies—they were family. Their personalities clashed, their ideals differed, but to each other, they were irreplaceable.
And the one who had bound all their hearts together—the one they trusted and relied on most—was Elias.
Now, as they watched him fade away before their eyes, the helplessness crushed them. The pain of being unable to save the one who saved them was unbearable.
"Everyone, don't make such faces. I'm not going to die—I'm just going back to my original time."
"But truly, I'm glad... glad I met all of you on this journey. To have become family with you all... the memories I've made with you are the greatest treasures of my life."
"So, may I ask for a hug? That road of tens of thousands years was far too long... I've missed you all so, so much."
Tears welled in Elias' eyes.
The cracks across his body spread faster, but still, he refused to leave just yet. Compared to the endless march along that fifty-thousand-year road of time... this reunion was far too short.