On the streets of Kolosten.
"Requesting reinforcements! Hurry! Mobilize everyone!"
"You're overestimating yourselves. Come on—bring it on if you dare!"
Elias casually sent all the attacking Schicksal knights and Valkyries flying. He let the rest flee in panic, then, as if nothing had happened, continued strolling around the streets with Kallen.
At this moment, the two of them were being hunted citywide as five-star most-wanted criminals.
Yet they were brazen to the extreme—making no attempt whatsoever to hide their whereabouts, openly wandering through the streets in broad daylight.
Schicksal, naturally, sent people to capture them.
But in this era, the Valkyries didn't even have battle armor.
Elias couldn't even be bothered to lift a hand—throwing out a few [Discipline] commands was more than enough.
Kallen, standing beside him, was completely stunned.
"Elias, you're way too strong, aren't you? You've basically wiped out most of Schicksal's fighting force. Are people from five hundred years later all this terrifying?"
In the past, it wasn't like she'd never opposed all of Schicksal during her cycles—but she had never once thought of confronting them head-on.
The gap in power was simply too great.
This Kaslana who usually preferred charging in headfirst had been forced to learn all thirty-six stratagems instead.
But now, watching Elias crush every enemy with absolute strength, Kallen couldn't help but start questioning her life.
"It's not that people five hundred years later are stronger," Elias shrugged. "It's that you people right now are just too weak. The strongest ones earlier could barely pass as B-rank Valkyries. I'd feel embarrassed even fighting them seriously."
At this point, Schicksal had completely lost any means of dealing with the two of them.
Unable to fight, the Valkyries and knights could only watch from afar—forced to swallow mouthfuls of Elias and Kallen's public displays of affection.
"Mm~ Medieval food does have its own charm," Elias commented as he ate. "Though it's still nowhere near as good as what my Mei and Rita make."
"Who are those two? Friends?" Kallen asked curiously.
"Family," Elias replied. "Once I take you to the real world, I'll introduce you to them. By the way, Kallen—your reputation is really something."
At the moment, Elias and Kallen were sitting inside a cake shop, enjoying a carefully prepared afternoon tea.
Just like every other shop they had visited earlier, this one didn't charge them a single coin.
Only now did Elias recall that while Schicksal's reputation had completely rotted thanks to forcing people to buy indulgence certificates, Kallen herself enjoyed an excellent reputation among the common folk.
She had even played the role of a phantom thief for a time—robbing corrupt Schicksal officials and returning the money to the people.
Although her identity as the phantom thief had never been publicly revealed, and she'd worn a mask back then, once people saw that moonlight-like white hair, nine out of ten could guess who she was.
That was why, even with Schicksal placing them on a citywide wanted list, the civilians were still more than happy to host them.
"Hehe~ I never thought I'd one day be able to stroll around so leisurely," Kallen said with a smile. "At times like this, I should usually be waiting in a dungeon to be executed the next day. Thank you, my angel. Here—try this cake. It's my top recommendation."
As she spoke, this white-haired Kaslana—a miracle in itself—actually pushed her cake toward Elias.
She was letting him eat it.
This scene caused Otto, who was spying from the outside, to instantly crush the corner of his desk.
Five hundred years ago, every time he invited Kallen out to eat, he was the one who went home hungry.
After all, every Kaslana possessed the innate trait of being a bottomless pit.
Otto always had to obediently hand over his portion of food—at best, he could only save the bitter coffee Kallen didn't like.
"By the way, just shopping is getting a bit boring," Elias suddenly said. "Let's do something more interesting. I want to experience being a phantom thief too. And medieval times and all that... Assassin's Creed, let's go."
"No problem! I know a few nobles who got filthy rich selling indulgence certificates. I'll take you there right now!"
Kallen's eyes lit up.
She stuffed the rest of the cake into her mouth, grabbed Elias, and prepared to return to her old profession—robbing the rich.
Both of them knew it was meaningless.
After all, this was just a virtual world.
But some things don't need meaning—having fun is enough.
And so, the great nobles of Kolosten were utterly doomed.
The two white-haired phantom thieves openly "infiltrated" their mansions, knocked them out, emptied their gold vaults, then Elias carried Kallen into the sky and rained gold coins down upon the common people.
"Uh... didn't you say we were sneaking in? Elias, this isn't assassin or phantom thief behavior at all," Kallen said blankly.
"Who says it isn't?" Elias crossed his arms proudly. "Didn't I take care of everyone who saw me?"
Kallen felt as if an entirely new world had opened before her eyes.
Compared to the cautious infiltration methods in her memories, people five hundred years later were truly ferocious.
The nobles' guards, of course, stood no chance whatsoever.
Even calling Schicksal for help was useless—their knights and Valkyries were already close to being wiped out by Elias.
Since the execution dictated by fate was set for the next day, the two still needed to spend a night.
So Elias and Kallen directly occupied a grand noble's mansion.
In the real world, Otto's eyes nearly popped out when he saw Elias and Kallen lying on the same bed.
Otto: (Fake. Fake! It's all fake! Calm down! Stay calm! This is all just happening in a virtual world! The real Kallen died five hundred years ago—puh—cough!)
He accidentally aggravated his own injuries.
For the sake of maximizing combat effectiveness, Otto didn't immediately deploy the Valkyrie, Honkai Beast, and Herrscher data he had prepared to attack Elias.
Instead, he planned to release everything at once when the Honkai Beast riot erupted the next day.
But right now, he desperately wanted to launch a full assault—just to stop Elias and Kallen from sharing a bed.
Otto: (Endure! I can endure it! For the sake of killing Elias for good, this much is nothing! It's not the real Kallen anyway... you two, get farther apart, damn it!)
Elias: "I feel like I just heard the wail of some loser dog. My mood suddenly improved. Heh~ I really wish Mr. Green Otto Apocalypse could see this."
Moonlight spilled down like silver, shining through the window onto the luxurious bed.
Elias and Kallen's white hair gleamed softly in that light—pure and beautiful.
"Um... aren't we moving a bit too fast? Do we really have to sleep together tonight?" Kallen asked, her cheeks red enough to drip.
She glanced at the double bed, then at the white-haired少年 beside her.
She had zero confidence she'd be able to fall asleep.
"Of course not," Elias replied lazily.
He stretched, then reached under the bed and yanked out a female assassin Valkyrie.
Amid her shrill screams, he casually tossed her out the window—where she crashed into another Valkyrie in the distance who was aiming a musket from atop a tree.
A clean double kill.
"It's just so I can protect you more easily," Elias continued calmly. "If you're confident you can handle Schicksal's night raids on your own, there's another clean bed next door. If not, that's fine too—I can always pick you up from Schicksal's dungeon tomorrow."
"...I'll pass," Kallen said decisively.
Recalling those past cycles—sleeping on cold dungeon floors with rats for company—she chose without hesitation to lie down on the bed and pulled the blanket over her face.
"No funny business, Elias. I only like you a little right now."
"How little is 'a little'?"
"About... as tall as the tree you just smashed."
"That sounds pretty tall. Don't worry—I won't do anything bad. If I do, it'll be after I take you out of here and create a real body for you. Haa~ good night."
Elias yawned.
He could feel that the time flow between this virtual world and the outside world was different.
Although subjectively both experienced twenty-four hours, ten hours here only equaled one hour outside.
(That means I don't have to worry about spending too long and making Bronya and the others panic and yank my helmet off. Today was really fun. Time to sleep~)
Elias wasn't worried about being ambushed in his sleep.
Aside from the girls he trusted, if anyone dared attack him while he slept, his body would instinctively counterkill them—even unconscious.
Elias: (I kill in my dreams. Anyone brave enough, come.)
Thus, Kallen stared in shock as the sleeping Elias effortlessly dealt with several Schicksal assassins.
This overwhelming sense of security was something she had never experienced in tens of thousands of cycles.
To be honest, she had already given up.
At some point—she didn't know whether it was the hundredth or the thousandth cycle—after trying every possible path, Kallen had stopped struggling.
Because she understood that no matter what she did, she could never escape this world that existed solely to kill her.
No matter how much she prepared, that Honkai Beast's claws would always pierce her in the end.
Since death was inevitable, she chose to simply follow the script to the end and conserve her strength.
Yet now—the candle of hope she thought had long been extinguished was lit once more.
"Ah... my angel. If only you'd come a little earlier," Kallen whispered softly.
Gazing at that sleeping face so close to her, she felt unprecedented peace.
Unconsciously, she moved closer—until she even shifted from her own pillow onto Elias'.
She suddenly didn't want to fall asleep so soon.
She wanted to spend the whole night watching his sleeping face.
Her gaze grew hazy.
Without realizing it, she moved even closer.
When the distance closed to the point where Elias' lips were about to brush her cheek—close enough to feel each other's breath...
"W-what am I doing..."
Realizing something was wrong, Kallen flushed and hurriedly pulled back.
Looking at that completely defenseless sleeping face, she felt an indescribable attraction drawing her in.
She couldn't help but ask herself why.
They had only just met today.
She didn't even know Elias that well yet.
So why was she unconsciously drawn to him?
Why was she unable to resist being attracted to Elias?
She was a Kaslana, not a Schariac—there was no setting that made her give herself away at first sight.
The quiet night was perfect for thinking.
Before long, Kallen arrived at the answer—and her eyes widened slightly in realization.
Kallen: "So that's how it is... because Elias, you are the only truth in this world."
This was a false world.
The sky, the land, the people living in it—even Kallen herself—were all false.
But Elias was different.
He was the only truth in this false world.
As someone who knew the truth of this world, as a fellow false existence, Kallen instinctively yearned for that truth—and was unconsciously drawn to him.
Moreover, Elias was the only turning point she had encountered in tens of thousands of cycles.
The only hope that could free her from this hell of recurrence.
That naturally gave rise to intimacy.
If Elias were a candle of hope, then Kallen was the moth drawn to the flame—even knowing she might be burned, she would still pursue it instinctively.
"In that case... there's nothing I can do," Kallen smiled helplessly. "You'll have to take responsibility for me, Angel. And remember to give me a nice name later."
After understanding herself, she no longer resisted this instinct and moved closer once more.
Sensing a soft "body pillow" nearby, the sleeping Elias wrapped an arm around her.
Kallen trembled—but ultimately did not resist.
"Only for tonight, Angel~"
...
When the next day arrived.
Elias opened his eyes—and froze in shock.
"What the hell is going on?!"
He checked the situation.
His arms were wrapped around Kallen's slender waist.
And Kallen's arms were hooked around his neck.
Her sleeping posture was terrible—just like Kiana's. When she slept, she clung to him like a sloth, even wrapping her legs around him.
There were also several Schicksal assassins both on and under the bed, all unconscious.
"...Maybe I'm dreaming. If I close my eyes and open them again, I should wake up, right?"
Muttering to himself, Elias closed his eyes—then opened them again.
This time, Kallen was also opening her eyes.
Their reflections were mirrored in each other's pupils.
"Uh... Kallen. G-good morning?"
"Mm... good morning, E-Elias."
Their faces flushed simultaneously.
At this distance—where they could even hear each other's heartbeats—nothing could be hidden.
"Ahem. It's still early... want to sleep a bit more?"
"S-sure... I am still a little sleepy..."
After speaking, they awkwardly closed their eyes again.
Yet neither of them let go of the other.
...
Meanwhile, in the real world.
"Wake up already!!"
Otto grabbed the screen and shook it violently, nearly smashing it to the ground.
His mentality had completely collapsed.
He now regretted creating this hidden data more than anything.
Elias had done everything Otto had only ever dreamed of—while Otto himself could do nothing but watch.
Originally, Otto could have directly tampered with the virtual world using his authority.
But for some reason, Elias was protected by a strange power.
Unless Elias was defeated inside the virtual world itself, external interference had no effect.
Otherwise, Otto would've deleted him long ago.
"It's fine... it's fine. This suffering will end soon. Today isn't just the day of Kallen's execution—it will also be the day of your execution, Elias!"
Otto comforted himself internally.
Yet he had no idea what kind of surprise awaited him next.
"Hm? Is it just me, or does Lord Otto's hair look a little... green today?"
Amber, who happened to be passing by, murmured quietly.
Looking at Otto's usual golden hair, she somehow felt it had taken on a greenish hue.