"I can understand how you feel. A fate that makes no sense—one that you can never change no matter what you do, even if you repeat it over and over again—is the most painful thing there is."
Elias raised his hand and gently patted Kallen's head. Thinking back to his own experiences in the Previous Era, his movements unconsciously grew even softer.
Perhaps no one in this world understood this girl's pain better than he did.
But even so, his understanding was probably less than one percent of hers.
After all, Elias had only gone through eleven cycles.
And the Kallen before him had already experienced tens of thousands.
At least back then, Elias still had hope.
But Kallen did not have even a sliver of it.
She was like someone wandering alone through a labyrinth of despair, desperately searching for an exit—only to discover that the maze had no exit at all.
"…I've tried many things," Kallen said softly. "Escaping from prison, using the Kaslana family's influence to negotiate with the Archbishop, even inciting a popular uprising and overthrowing the entire Schicksal organization in a single day."
Kallen's body trembled slightly, but she didn't stop Elias from touching her head. Instead, she unconsciously leaned a little closer to him.
"That's truly impressive. If this were real history, you'd definitely be the smartest Kaslana," Elias praised sincerely. "But I guess that's only natural—after all, you've gone through the cycle tens of thousands of times."
He could completely understand her.
"Yes… tens of thousands of times," Kallen said with a faint smile. "Even though I die every time on the second night, I've already done everything I possibly could to try and sever this loop."
"Everyone in this city—I know them all. Their personalities, their pasts. Every knight and Valkyrie in Schicksal, their strengths and weaknesses. The despicable, greedy power struggles among the higher-ups."
She pointed into the distance.
"See that little bird over there? I even know that it will take off… three seconds from now."
Elias followed her finger and silently counted to three.
Sure enough, the bird flapped its wings and flew away.
"I see," Elias said calmly. "It looks like you've already mastered all the information in this world."
"But even so, it's useless. No matter how I struggle, in the end that Honkai Beast will still appear before me—and use its claws to pierce through my body while I'm unable to move."
Kallen's eyes were hollow.
That was the nightmare she could never escape.
A fate that made absolutely no sense.
Elias understood this all too well.
No matter how real this place felt, it was still ultimately a virtual world.
And that ending… was simply part of the program's design.
As part of the program itself, Kallen could never escape on her own, no matter how hard she tried.
It could even be said that this was a world created for the sole purpose of killing her.
"I don't know just how much pain you've accumulated," Elias said gently. "It's probably far beyond anything I can imagine. But… after saying all of this out loud, do you feel even a little lighter?"
"..."
"Kallen. I can understand it, at least a little—the suffering of having to bear a cycle like this all on your own. If there's no one you can talk to… it becomes unbearably lonely and painful."
Elias placed a hand over his own chest.
Back then, if he hadn't had Misteln by his side… if he hadn't had the Eternal Heart trait… he didn't think he would've made it to the end.
"Yes… saying it out loud really does make me feel a lot better," Kallen said quietly. "Thank you, outsider. This is the first time I've ever confided in someone."
She wiped her tear-streaked face.
The sorrow she had accumulated over tens of thousands of cycles was finally released—if only a small part of it.
Her heartbeat felt lighter.
"By the way… can you tell me something?" Kallen asked hesitantly. "How long has the real Kallen Kaslana been dead?"
"It's been over five hundred years," Elias replied.
"Is that so…" Kallen murmured. "Then tell me—do you think 'I' am alive right now, or dead? No… maybe I don't even count as life at all. After all, I'm not the real Kallen Kaslana—just a virtual personality, a false existence bound to the day of her death."
She stared down at her own hands, utterly lost.
"You are alive," Elias said firmly. "And you are life. Even if it's a short life. Even if this world is fake. At this very moment, you undeniably exist here."
"At the very least… the fact that I am standing here, talking with you right now—that itself is proof that you are alive."
He patted his chest as he spoke.
Kallen froze for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh softly.
"Thank you. But… maybe because I've died too many times already, I don't really have any sense of what 'being alive' feels like anymore."
"Is that so?" Elias tilted his head. "Then… would you like a hug?"
He opened his arms toward her.
"Eh? W-why all of a sudden?" Kallen's eyes widened as she instinctively shrank back.
"A soldier under my command once said this," Elias recalled nostalgically. "He didn't care whether humanity could defeat Honkai or not. He just wanted someone to hold him when he died—because that would let him know he had truly lived in this world."
He had heard those words twelve times.
The first time, that Fire Moth soldier had died on the battlefield.
The next eleven times, Elias had saved him.
Now, that man was still alive and well in a bubble world.
"There was a time when I felt the same way," Elias continued. "In a hopeless cycle, only by holding tightly to the person I wanted to protect could I be sure that my heart hadn't died yet."
"Then… I'll try it too," Kallen said softly.
She took a deep breath, as if mustering her courage, and slowly stepped closer to Elias.
She opened her arms and pressed herself against his white-clad body, resting her chin on his shoulder.
"This feeling…"
Her eyes widened in shock.
At this distance, she could clearly hear his breathing—and even feel the steady beating of his heart.
Coupled with his warmth, which felt even warmer than the sun itself…
It was as if something inside her was melting.
That heart which had nearly stopped from endless despair now felt as if it had been wound up again.
"Can we… stay like this a little longer?" she asked quietly.
"Of course. This hug is free," Elias replied with a smile.
"Thank you… outsider."
Tears glistened in Kallen's eyes.
This embrace pulled her out of her numb acceptance of death and allowed her to rediscover what it felt like to be alive.
And yet—this was only the beginning.
Elias gently patted her back and spoke seriously.
"There's no need for despair anymore. Because this tragedy is about to end. Kallen Kaslana—I will help you sever this endless cycle. I will take you to the real world."
"..."
Kallen stared blankly into those magnificent golden eyes at point-blank range.
They were dazzling, sincere—and impossible to doubt.
She couldn't help but think:
If even the words of this white-haired youth were lies… then perhaps nothing in this world was real anymore.
And yet, precisely because of that, she felt confused.
"Why are you helping me? Outsider—we've only just met. D-don't tell me… you've fallen for me already? I need to think about that!"
Kallen's cheeks flushed red.
After hesitating for a long while, she pulled herself out of Elias' embrace, crossed her arms, and looked at him warily.
Elias rolled his eyes.
"You completely ruined the mood. And that's something I should be saying to you. Don't go falling for me by accident. Besides, since you're a virtual personality with Kallen Kaslana's memories, shouldn't the one you like be Yae Sakura?"
"Nope," Kallen shook her head. "The one who likes Yae Sakura is the real Kallen Kaslana. I only inherited her memories—not her feelings."
"Oh, that makes sense…" Elias nodded. "It's like watching an opera. You might be moved by the story, but you wouldn't fall in love with the characters inside it."
"Exactly. So—can you tell me now why you want to save me?"
Elias sighed.
Looking at that face—so similar to his own tuna-brained girl—he suddenly had the urge to flick her forehead.
"There's no big reason. I just happened to run into this, so I decided to help you. If I didn't know about it, fine—but once I do, ignoring it would keep me up at night. I won't let any knife get away with stabbing me."
"I see! Outsider, you're really a good person!"
"Pfft—! Save the good-person card for Otto. Actually, no—he doesn't even deserve that."
The image of a certain dog Otto's punchable face flashed through Elias' mind, making his hands itch.
This whole thing was that dog Otto's fault anyway.
After all, only someone who had personally witnessed Kallen's death five hundred years ago could recreate that day with such accuracy.
"But that's not the only reason," Elias continued. "I told you before—I can understand your pain. Explaining it is a bit hard… so I'll just show you."
As he spoke, Elias activated the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience and shared part of his memories from the Previous Era with Kallen.
"This is—?!"
Kallen's eyes widened in shock.
She hadn't expected Elias to have gone through something so similar to her own experience.
The biggest difference wasn't the number of cycles.
It was that Elias had chosen to loop.
While she had been forced into it.
Kallen's lips curved slightly upward as she looked at the white-haired youth.
She felt closer to him now.
And more importantly… she finally saw hope.
Even if it was only a fragment of his memories, it was enough for her to understand his strength—to know that Elias was a savior who had rescued entire eras multiple times.
She couldn't help but feel expectation welling up inside her.
If it was him… maybe he really could break this endless cycle.
"Outsider… so your name is Elias," Kallen said suddenly. "That's a really nice name. Then… could you give me a name too?"
At that moment, a gentle breeze blew past, lifting the hoods from both of their cloaks.
Their beautiful faces and snow-white hair were exposed beneath the sunlight.
Elias froze for a moment—then immediately understood.
The woman before him possessed all of Kallen Kaslana's memories.
But she was not the real Kallen.
At the moment she awakened her self, it was equivalent to being reborn.
She deserved a name of her own.
"…Alright," Elias said slowly. "But don't get your hopes up. I'm not confident in my naming sense."
"I'll look forward to it. But until then, I'll keep borrowing the name Kallen Kaslana," she replied.
She smiled brightly.
It was a smile she had nearly forgotten over tens of thousands of cycles—so beautiful it was breathtaking.
Even Elias was stunned for a brief moment.
But then—
"Found them! They're over here!"
"Get the Schicksal knights and Valkyries over here!"
"Kallen Kaslana! And that so-called Flame-Chaser—don't even think about running!"
The patrolling guards discovered them.
Without their hoods, Elias and Kallen stood out far too much.
In no time, numerous Schicksal knights and Valkyries surrounded them.
Kallen: "What do we do? Run?"
Elias: "Run? Why would a mighty lion fear ants? All of you… [Kneel]."
Thud—!!
The moment Elias issued his [Discipline], the knights and Valkyries who had been charging at them obediently bent their knees and prostrated themselves.
"Let's go," Elias said casually. "No need to let even this final cycle be filled with sorrow. Take me around this era, guide."
"Mm~ leave it to me! I'll use my tens of thousands of cycles of experience to give you the best medieval tour ever—though the area's limited to this city," Kallen replied cheerfully.
"That's more than enough. I'll visit the real era myself someday anyway. By the way—we don't need the cloaks anymore."
...
Elias untied his cloak as he spoke, then tugged off Kallen's as well, letting both of them stand fully beneath the sunlight.
"No more hiding~ If anyone dares get in the way, I'll just knock them flying!"
"Then I'll leave it to you, A~n~g~e~l~," Kallen said playfully.
...
Meanwhile, inside Schicksal's base.
"Hm? This reaction—someone accessed my hidden database? What?! It's him?!"
Otto stared at the screen in shock, feeling as though something heavy had been placed on top of his head.
Ever since Elias had cleaved Schicksal's floating island headquarters in half from 9,700 kilometers away with a single Shamash Assault, Otto had moved the headquarters back to the ground—to Kolosten.
He was currently lying low, trying to recover his strength.
"…Should I make a move?"
Otto narrowed his eyes as he stared at Elias on the screen.
Although Bronya had connected to St. Freya Academy's database, that system was originally just a partial copy of Schicksal's database.
Otto had countless backdoors.
At this moment, he was hesitating.
(If I can find a way to kill Elias inside this virtual world, then his consciousness will never be able to return to reality. But if I fail…)
The consequences were something Schicksal in its current state could not bear.
If Elias launched another Shamash Assault, Kolosten itself would probably be wiped off the map.
But—
"As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity cannot be missed! I'm all in!"
A dangerous gleam flashed in Otto's eyes.
In the real world, he could no longer contend with Elias.
That absolute power would crush all his schemes head-on.
But this was a virtual world.
"No matter how strong you are in reality, you can't use your authorities here, can you? As long as I kill your mind, what's left of your body will just be a living corpse. Elias—this is the opportunity you delivered to me yourself!"
Otto's gaze locked tightly onto the screen.
He would never admit it—but the biggest reason he'd made up his mind was jealousy.
(Bastard! That's clearly a date! I've never even gone on a date with Kallen—wait! What are you two doing?! Damn it! They're already holding hands!!)
(Calm down… calm down, Otto Apocalypse. That's just a virtual personality, not the real Kallen. There's no reason to be jealous. Right… none at all…)
(Damn it! Just die already, Elias!)
Otto's eyes were bloodshot as he stared at the two figures strolling hand-in-hand through the marketplace.
He nearly crushed his soulium teeth.
Sometimes, even knowing something is fake doesn't make it any easier to endure.
In every other matter, Otto was never lacking in composure.
But when it came to Kallen… he always lost control.
"Deploy all Valkyrie virtual data—no, that's still not enough! Add all Honkai Beast data, and all Herrscher data as well! We must kill Elias inside the virtual world!"
Otto ground his teeth as he stared at Elias and Kallen's intertwined hands, viciously ramping up the difficulty.