Beneath the cherry blossom tree swaying in the breeze, a beautiful pink-haired girl stood quietly, as if waiting for someone to arrive.
Though her face was breathtaking, what drew the most attention was the pair of pink ears atop her head. They looked like donkey ears at first glance, but were in fact fox ears.
They twitched gently in the wind.
They were so adorable that Elias felt his hands itch instinctively.
"Heh. When you think of a pink-haired girl, who comes to mind first? At least at this moment, my answer is Sakura."
"Elias… you're back."
"Mm. I'm back."
The atmosphere was more natural than expected.
Elias walked over and sat down beside Sakura. It felt almost like a husband returning home after a long day's work, greeting his beautiful wife.
He wasn't surprised by that feeling.
Whenever he was with Sakura, he always felt an incomparable sense of peace, as though all worries had melted away, leaving only comfort and ease.
"Hehe… Even though it's been fifty thousand years since we last met, I had more things to say to you than there are blossoms on this tree. But now that we've truly reunited… I can't seem to say anything at all."
"Emmm… maybe it's because between us, Sakura, we don't need to say that much. You know, whenever I see you, I always feel like nothing else matters anymore."
Elias lifted a hand and gently stroked her cheek. His fingers accidentally slid upward—
And landed on her pink fox ears.
"Mm… this feeling."
A look of nostalgia appeared in his eyes.
Sakura's cheeks flushed instantly.
After fifty thousand years, the familiar ear-touching play made her shy… and yet, just as nostalgic.
As if the fox ears themselves remembered his touch, they curled around his fingers like two soft pink ribbons.
"Oh? Looks like you've learned a new trick, Sakura?"
"Cough… Elias, don't say it like that…"
"All right, all right~ Your skin has always been thin."
Elias smiled and wrapped his arms around the soft, fragrant fox-eared shrine maiden who belonged to him.
Though technically a fox spirit, Sakura was almost the purest among the seven female Flame-Chasers.
Hua didn't count. Comparing her wooden head to anyone else was unfair.
"By the way, did you leave the Elysian Realm to avoid MEI's dark cooking too?"
"Hm? You know about that?"
"Yeah. I ran into Kevin and the others today. Unfortunately, they managed to escape in the end. Next time I see that husky, I'll make sure he pays for it!"
Elias had no idea that the white-haired husky he mentioned was currently lying peacefully on Mobius' operating table.
No matter how powerful a Chimera was, it couldn't withstand dark cuisine capable of terrifying even the Herrscher of Finality—especially not after falling into the hands of a certain snake.
Kevin: (x﹃x)
It could only be said that the odds were grim. The chance of Elias seeing Kevin again in this lifetime had become exceedingly slim.
"Then… how did you know I was here?"
"I didn't. I just kept thinking about a pink-haired girl. Then I walked… and walked… and ran into you. Doesn't that feel a little like fate?"
"A pink-haired girl, huh? Then were you thinking of me… or Elysia?"
The corners of Sakura's lips curved upward as she asked the mischievous question.
"Heh~ I knew if I really ran into you, I'd be asked that. So I thought of both of you at once!"
Elias gently bit one of her fox ears, looking proud.
(What a shame… a certain pink elf didn't respond. I really miss you, Elysia… No, wait. Thinking about another girl while holding one is pretty rude. Fine. I won't think about you for now.)
Elysia: ヽ(≧□≦)ノ
The reason she hadn't responded was, in truth, due to certain Flame-Chasers stabbing her in the back.
Fifty thousand years of plastic sisterhood had become the greatest obstacle preventing Miss Pink Elf from stepping onto the stage of the Current Era.
With concealment from [Vicissitude] and cover from [Gold] and [Discipline], the innocent Elias still believed his pink elf was traveling somewhere in the world.
Though he had used the authority of the Herrscher of Corruption to hack into global networks, forcing surveillance systems everywhere to search for Elysia, it was naturally futile.
After all, she was still inside the Elysian Realm.
Even the authority of Corruption couldn't invade the Realm's independent system from the outside—and Elias would never think of attacking the Realm itself.
As long as a certain pink elf didn't step out, their reunion would remain distant indeed.
But what Elias didn't know was that although he couldn't find Elysia… he would soon find someone unexpected.
"All right. I shouldn't have asked that. But… after all this time apart, this is how you're playing with me?"
"Hehe~ If you don't like it, I'll stop."
"…There's really nothing I can do about you. Do as you please."
Sakura looked at the additional feature that had appeared behind her and couldn't help but smile helplessly.
Elias had developed a new trick.
As the ultimate Chimera, he could even stimulate the Meta-Morph factors within other fusion warriors, inducing changes. Even Kevin in the original timeline had never achieved such a feat.
This meant that as long as someone was a fusion warrior, resisting Elias in the future would be nearly impossible.
At this moment, he manipulated the Yaksha Honkai Beast factor within Sakura, causing a fluffy pink fox tail to grow.
"So fluffy… this is amazing~"
Elias hugged the large pink tail and rubbed it repeatedly, feeling completely healed.
How could a fox spirit not have a big tail? A fox without one had no soul.
Did you hear that, miHoYo?
"This feels… so embarrassing…"
Sakura's tail swayed unconsciously. She sat perfectly upright like a model student, dignified and proper despite being a fox spirit.
And yet, the expression on her face—was she enjoying it, or enduring it?—gave her an inexplicable sensual charm.
"Hehehe~ Sakura's texture really is the best."
Elias wore a thoroughly satisfied smile. There were many things in this world he liked—but Sakura's fox ears, Mei's horns, and a certain cat's tail had always ranked near the top.
"It feels a little unfair. I want to touch them too… N-no, that's not what I meant."
Having accidentally blurted out her true thoughts, Sakura quickly turned her head away, no longer daring to meet Elias' gaze.
Elias blinked, glanced at the pink fox ears now marked with faint bite impressions, and the tail he had nearly rubbed bald. He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed.
As a certain rebellious emperor once said—if you want to rub someone else, you must be prepared to be rubbed in return.
After a brief hesitation, Elias activated the Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast: Nine-Tails Meta-Morph factor within his body.
In the next instant, a pair of snow-white fox ears sprouted from his head—followed by nine magnificent white tails.
"E-Elias… what is this?!"
Sakura's eyes widened as she swallowed unconsciously.
"Ahem. Nothing strange about it, right? Since I can manipulate your Meta-Morph factors, of course I can manipulate my own. I can even freely alter my [Reverse God] form. So far I've only manifested the parts most useful for combat."
Elias conjured a mirror and examined himself with a complicated expression.
One glance was enough to know—the texture would be incredible.
I absolutely cannot let Elysia see this form in the future.
Otherwise, he might be rubbed bald in a single night.
Click click click click—!
A rapid burst of camera sounds suddenly rang out.
Elias turned his head—
Only to see Sakura, living up to her Signet of [Setsuna], snapping dozens of photos in the blink of an eye. Even a certain pink elf would have to admit defeat before that hand speed.
"Sakura, photos require payment, you know."
"Any amount is fine. I'll borrow money from Eden."
"Ah—just kidding. This form is a little embarrassing. As long as you don't show anyone else, it's fine."
"Of course! I wouldn't dream of sharing this version of you with anyone."
Her breathing had grown uneven. The Yaksha Meta-Morph factor inside her stirred restlessly.
At that moment, it felt as though Yaksha itself had been bewitched by Nine-Tails.
She couldn't stop her hand from rising and settling onto the white fox's ears.
Instantly—
Sakura: (I'm ascending!!!)
Elias: (Hiss—sensory dampening activated. That was close! So this is what it feels like to be rubbed? This is way too stimulating! How has Sakura managed not to cry out all this time?!)
After that, beneath the cherry blossom tree, one white fox spirit and one pink fox spirit rubbed each other freely.
Fortunately, no one happened to pass by.
Because the scene was both breathtakingly beautiful… and utterly sinful.
...
"Let's save things like this for home next time."
"Mm… sorry, Elias. I couldn't hold back."
"It's fine. But I'm probably never using that form again. I was this close to going bald."
Elias twitched as he looked at the ground littered with white fur. The once-fluffy nine tails had nearly been plucked clean.
"Ah…"
Sakura's expression filled with regret. She had just opened the door to a whole new world of joy.
"That look won't work on me. Ah… suddenly I feel tired. Let me lie down for a bit."
Elias laid his head in Sakura's lap without ceremony. After all, he had already paid the price earlier.
"It would be nice if Rin were here too. I wonder how she's been these past years."
Sakura began thinking of her younger sister.
Before the final battle against Finality in the Previous Era, Elias had used the Yaksha Meta-Morph factor to perform MANTIS surgery on Rin as well.
Afterward, she entered a bubble world. Even after fifty thousand years, she should undoubtedly still be alive.
"Not that long, actually. From Rin's perspective, it's probably only been about two months—same as me," Elias said.
"Eh?"
"Because the Previous Era's bubble world is inside my body right now. It came with me when I crossed into the Current Era. For the people inside, the final battle only ended two months ago."
He patted his chest.
Otherwise, even rebuilding from scratch with all technology preserved, fifty thousand years would have been enough for the Previous Era to evolve into something unimaginable.
They might already have become an interstellar civilization.
"Wait for me a moment, Sakura. I'll bring Rin out right now. Heh… without you keeping watch, she's probably been living quite comfortably lately."
Elias opened a spatial gate leading to the Previous Era's bubble world.
As expected, reconstruction was still underway.
Though the Flame-Chasers had been absent for two months, Fire Moth continued operating normally. The absolute authority Elias had established wasn't something that could be overturned so easily.
With Prometheus' duplicate system assisting in management, there were no major issues.
Maybe in the future I can connect the two civilizations.
If they cooperated, development would accelerate dramatically.
But that would have to wait until the Current Era's Honkai was fully resolved.
Otherwise, the difficulty might spike uncontrollably, placing immense pressure on St. Freya Academy, Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent.
Not that Elias would let anything catastrophic happen—but unnecessary trouble was best avoided.
...
An hour later.
"Elias, what took you so long—huh? What happened to you?"
Sakura stared in astonishment at the white-haired boy emerging from the spatial gate, holding Rin's hand.
His clothes were disheveled, and faint kiss marks dotted his skin.
"N-nothing. They were just… overly enthusiastic. I didn't expect that after freeing them from Honkai's control, the contrast would be so extreme… But I guess it's a good thing?"
"You mean… those Herrschers?"
Sakura immediately understood.
The one thousand and eleven Herrschers of the Previous Era.
After Elias used the Authority of Origin to make his wish, they had all defected from Honkai to humanity's side. They had entered the bubble world and followed him into the Current Era.
With the Previous Era scenario complete, their reincarnation memories fully returned—and their favorability toward Elias instantly maxed out.
When they saw him earlier, more than a thousand former Herrschers—now Core-less—had greeted him with overwhelming enthusiasm.
Rin: (I sneaked in a few kisses during the chaos. Brother Elias probably didn't notice, right? Hehe~)
Elias: (Rin snuck in a few bites too. I'll just pretend I didn't notice… Wait.)
A sudden thought struck him.
Because he had pushed his authorities to the limit so often—and had come into contact with the powers of Finality and Origin—they had fused completely with his being.
Now, like Elysia and the Herrscher of Finality, he no longer required a Herrscher Core to wield his powers.
Meanwhile, the Herrscher Cores of the Previous Era had all been forged into Divine Keys.
But if he were to return those Cores from the Divine Keys back to their original owners—
Wouldn't he instantly gain one thousand and eleven Herrschers standing on humanity's side?
"Good grief… that's practically an entire legion!"
The more he thought about it, the more tempted he became.
No matter how powerful a Divine Key was, it still required someone to wield it.
Naturally, that couldn't compare to the Herrscher herself.