"This Kevin… he really feels a lot like Kiana…"
Inside the ramen shop.
Mei sized up the white-haired husky in front of her, and couldn't help thinking of the white-haired little paramecium back at home.
So silly, so dense, so full of boundless energy—and with that white hair and blue eyes, the humanoid paramecium traits were practically identical. She immediately guessed there had to be some kind of connection between the two.
And the moment she heard the surname Kaslana, her suspicion turned into certainty. She couldn't help but feel astonished that this sunny, cheerful young man before her was actually the origin of the Kaslana family.
"I only borrowed a bit of Kevin's DNA. In reality, this guy is still single even now. Heh—this husky doesn't have time for romance. He's only interested in wrecking houses and slurping noodles."
Elias glanced at the stack of empty ramen bowls piled up like a small mountain and thought that after fifty thousand years, the only thing that had changed was the appetite.
"I see. I understand now."
"Uh… Mei, what exactly do you understand?"
"In that case, I just need to deal with him the same way I deal with Kiana, right? He looks very easy to handle."
Mei said confidently.
As the caretaker of the Valkyrie dormitory, she knew very well how to handle the Kaslana-brand cats and dogs.
Even the newly added Eliana Kaslana had already been firmly handled by her this morning—and of course, the method she relied on was her cooking skill, worthy of the nickname Herrscher of Cooking.
"Uh…"
Elias' expression turned subtle. Although the storyline had already diverged from the original, he realized that many things still hadn't changed.
For example—Mei was still super effective against Kaslanas!
"Oh? Herrscher of Thunder, you're quite arrogant. Don't think I'll go easy on you just because you look exactly like MEI. Let me make this clear in advance. As the third Flame-Chaser of Fire Moth, bearing the Signet of [Preservation], my strength is only slightly below Elias."
Kevin stood with his hands on his hips and declared proudly.
"No matter how strong you are, the moment you are a Kaslana, Kevin, you are destined not to be my opponent. I will make you tell me all the information I want."
With her arms folded, the regal queen looked down at the white-haired husky as if she were about to start a fight.
However, not long afterward…
Kevin: Slurp~ slurp~ slurp~ You want to know about Elias? Easy, easy. I'll tell you everything right now. By the way, Herrscher of Thunder, would you like to join World Serpent? Join the Elysian Realm? We urgently need a rare talent like you!
"As expected, Mei is super effective against Kaslanas. Slurp~"
Elias slurped the clearly more luxurious bowl of noodles in front of him and sighed as he looked at Kevin, who had already been completely handled.
When it came to dealing with Kaslanas, there was no problem that couldn't be solved with a delicious bowl of food. And if one wasn't enough, then two.
Mei had briefly borrowed the ramen shop's kitchen and demonstrated her cooking skills, immediately proving to everyone that the only thing she shared with MEI was her face.
Kevin: "I'll contact Gray Serpent right now and make sure he recruits this master chef into World Serpent. Then I'll let MEI see what real cooking looks like!"
Mei: "Joining World Serpent… isn't impossible to consider. But first, tell me everything you know. About the other Flame-Chasers, and about Elias' experiences in the Previous Era."
Elias: "Kevin, if you dare talk nonsense—"
Kevin: "Elias, don't blame your brother. If you must blame someone, blame these noodles for being too good. Besides, you know me—I've always been an honest person."
Easily bribed, Kevin began spilling out a mountain of information about Elias in the Previous Era, including the parts Elias had deliberately concealed. It was truly a case of holding nothing back.
(Kevin… sometimes I really think turning you into a fanatic might not be such a bad idea.)
Elias' eyes glowed red as killing intent slowly rose within him.
However, Mei's reaction was even stronger.
When she heard that the boy she loved had stopped every Honkai Eruption with his own blood, endured eleven cycles of reincarnation, and ultimately walked alone on the road of time for more than ten thousand years—
Mei's emotions fluctuated so violently that she could no longer suppress the Honkai energy within her body. Amid thunder that echoed across the entire city of Nagazora, the girl transformed into her Herrscher form.
The dignified queen shed a single tear.
Then she grabbed the boy by the collar and declared in a tone that allowed no refusal.
"Elias, come to my room tonight. I need to have a proper talk with you. You really are… far too careless with your own life!"
Mei had long guessed that Elias' journey in the Previous Era could not possibly have been as smooth as he described.
But she truly hadn't expected the hidden parts to be this… explosive.
Just listening to it made her feel like her heart was about to shatter.
"Continue! Whatever else there is, say it all."
"…Why does this feel even scarier than MEI?"
Kevin subconsciously shrank his neck. Sometimes, regardless of strength, one person was simply born to restrain another. And clearly, the cook was naturally the bane of all Kaslanas.
But Kevin was also doing this deliberately.
Although he acted like a fool, he wasn't actually stupid.
And Kevin understood very clearly that with Elias' personality, he would never honestly confess everything about himself.
This was someone who always showed only the relaxed, carefree side of himself to those close to him, while hiding his bleeding wounds behind his back.
But Kevin couldn't accept that.
He looked directly at Mei before him and thought that since she loved Elias, she should understand everything about him.
This was the selfish wish of a comrade who had once pursued the flame alongside Elias.
So…
(Raiden Mei, I will tell you every injury Elias has ever suffered. Since you are loved by him, then… go and heal those wounds. If you cannot even do that, then we Flame-Chasers who once fought beside him will never acknowledge you.)
Thus, very quickly, Mei learned the true version of "Elias' Grand Adventure in the Previous Era" from Kevin's mouth—and lightning began flashing over Nagazora as if a storm were about to arrive.
Cold sweat dripped down Elias' forehead as he shot Kevin a fierce glare.
This guy really didn't add a single sweet detail. He talked only about the blades.
Mei had already been stabbed senseless.
(It's over. Tonight is going to be rough.)
Looking at the cook whose eyes had turned pitch black, red arcs of lightning flickering across her body, Elias couldn't help but tremble slightly.
"Mei, I'm perfectly fine now, aren't I? It's not as exaggerated as Kevin made it sound. Don't worry about it."
"…How am I supposed not to worry?"
Mei nearly bit her lip until it bled.
She hugged Elias tightly, her entire body trembling nonstop. Kevin's words had been like blades, each one stabbing straight into her heart.
It hurt so much she could barely breathe. She had never imagined that the true version of the Previous Era would be this painful.
At that moment, the girl made a vow.
No matter what happened in the future, she would never allow Elias to act recklessly alone again. Any blade that reached toward him—she would shatter it with lightning.
"I need to tell the others about this too."
"Huh? N-no, that won't be necessary!"
Elias trembled all over, thinking that everyone seemed to have picked up a bad habit somewhere—why were they all suddenly so fond of handing out knives?
He couldn't even imagine what kind of scene would await him once the others learned the true version of the Previous Era.
For a brief moment, he even considered using time travel to escape.
"Although I hate to admit it, if it's only me, I probably can't stand in front of every danger for you."
Mei said this seriously and resolutely. Just hearing Kevin's account had made her realize how small the power she possessed truly was. It might not be enough to protect Elias at all.
Therefore, she absolutely needed to feed this blade to everyone in the dormitory.
They might argue with one another on ordinary days, but they had to understand the seriousness of the situation.
They could not remain nothing more than flowers being protected.
Because just as Elias grew stronger in order to protect them, the true purpose of their own pursuit of power was to become his strength at the critical moment.
"Mm. A very correct decision, Raiden Mei. It seems your purity is quite high."
"Because I'm the first girl Elias ever liked. Kevin, perhaps you've spent more time with him now, and perhaps you Flame-Chasers are stronger… but—"
Mei pulled Elias firmly into her arms. At that moment, she resembled a queen who had conquered the world.
"When it comes to this love, I won't lose to anyone. To me, Elias is more important than the entire world!"
"Mei… what am I supposed to say to that?"
Elias felt his heart pounding fiercely. Little hearts almost seemed to pop out of his golden eyes as his affection for Mei skyrocketed like a rocket.
He hugged the girl back and planted a kiss on the cook's cheek.
"Not bad. Well said, Raiden Mei. Perhaps you truly have the qualifications to challenge Elysia," Kevin said approvingly.
"Elysia? The one you mentioned earlier—the person who was first together with Elias in the Previous Era? Interesting. But don't get one thing wrong. I'm the one who came first. If anyone is challenging someone, it should be her challenging me."
"Excellent. Without this level of confidence, you wouldn't be able to compete with Elysia. I'm looking forward more and more to the moment you two meet. It's bound to be spectacular."
Now it wasn't just Kevin. Even Kalpas and Su revealed expressions of anticipation, while Kosma trembled slightly, feeling that the scene at that time might rival the final battle against Finality.
Elysia's strength was unquestionable—the absolute Tier 0 of the entire Previous Era's grand version update. The eternal goddess.
However, Mei was no weakling either. As she had just said, she was the first to be together with Elias. She was the one who taught this pure white boy what love meant.
(Right… I remember Griseo once said that although Elias' color is immaculate white, part of it seemed to have been painted purple by someone. I see… It looks like Elysia has truly met a worthy opponent this time.)
The Herrscher of Thunder before them was the first person to dye Elias in her own color. With such a special position, combined with her dual attributes of regal queen and virtuous wife—
Raiden Mei was undoubtedly eternal Tier 0 as well.
Elias: "The great way endures—Mei is eternal!"
"Su, what do you think? Among the four of us, you've got the best brain. Hurry up and analyze it."
Kevin nudged the good buddy beside him who, like him, could no longer suppress his inner love for drama.
"Emmm… hard to say, truly hard to say. Originally, I thought no matter who existed in the Current Era, it would definitely be Elysia's overwhelming victory."
Su narrowed his eyes, the corners of his lips curling upward.
"But now I'm increasingly convinced that Miss Raiden Mei's win rate isn't low. After all, she's Elias' first love. From a certain angle, her only disadvantage lies in the difference in time they've spent together."
"Furthermore, she's this assertive. This queen-like personality is something Elysia doesn't quite possess. She isn't this aggressive—and Elias seems to respond very well to this type."
"Indeed." x3
The three nodded in unison.
If Elysia was an adorable and flawless princess, then Mei was an unrivaled queen. And Elias' role was undoubtedly that of the prince.
This would be a love war between a princess and a queen fighting over the prince. Both sides had their own advantages and characteristics. It was difficult to say who would win or lose—though the highest probability was a draw.
Elysia's advantage lay in the accumulation of twelve full cycles in the Previous Era, in a bond with Elias that far surpassed what the word "love" could describe.
Mei's advantage lay in being the first girl to win Elias' heart. Even if the time they shared was shorter, she had already left an eternal imprint within him.
If the former was compared to an infinitely vast ocean—
Then the latter was a blade capable of severing everything.
"Kalpas, what do you think?"
"Hmph! Boring… call me when it starts."
"You say it's boring, but you're already fired up!" x2
Listening to the three of them, Elias suddenly felt he might have made some questionable friends.
Elias: "Are you three really that excited about my two girlfriends fighting? Can't you learn something from Kosma?!"
Kosma: "I vote for Griseo."
Elias: "Pfft—!"
Pressing a hand to his chest and taking a deep breath to steady himself, Elias drew out Judgment of Shamash, its blade already ignited, preparing to unsheathe it and eliminate these four drama-loving spectators first.
At the same time, alarm bells rang wildly in his mind.
If Miss Pink Elf and the red lightning dragon really faced off—
Elias sucked in a sharp breath, not daring to imagine it.
"Haa… can I really handle this kind of battlefield? It feels like fighting Finality would be easier. System, when are you finishing your upgrade? Hurry up and let me enter Cecilia's instance so I can hide for a while!"