"Heave-ho~ There, all hidden."
The blue-haired girl looked at the island that had vanished beneath the sea and nodded in satisfaction. At this moment, only fragments of villa materials floated upon the ocean's surface. In a short while, even those would drift away with the currents to some unknown corner of the sea.
By then, the island villa someone had painstakingly built would leave behind no trace of its existence whatsoever.
The blue-haired girl recalled a gray-haired, red-eyed human woman who had visited the island multiple times—Raven. From her, she had learned quite a bit about human knowledge and emotions.
Thinking that she might never see her again, she actually felt a faint trace of regret.
"Mm... It still feels uncomfortable. Hey~ Finality, help me create a Herrscher Core."
The blue-haired girl suddenly spoke to the Herrscher of Finality.
"...Fine."
The latter frowned slightly but did not refuse.
After all, since the other party possessed the authority to complain directly to the Cocoon of Finality, refusing would only result in being threatened into agreeing anyway. In that case, she might as well comply. Of course, she had no intention of obediently indulging her companion Honkai Beast either.
With a wave of her hand, the Herrscher of Finality constructed a deep-blue gem, its color resembling the darkest depths of the ocean.
The gem floated forward and sank into the blue-haired girl's chest.
"...You're stingy. It's only a pseudo-Core."
"Take it or leave it. I've attached the authority to manipulate liquids to it. You could be called the Herrscher of Water now... No, the Herrscher of the Sea would be more fitting," the Herrscher of Finality said calmly.
The authorities of the Thirteen Herrschers were merely a portion of her power, not its entirety. As the ultimate apostle of Honkai, though she appeared to wield only the authority over time, her true power was all-encompassing.
While creating a true Herrscher required the consent of the Cocoon of Finality, pseudo-Herrschers were different. Most were born naturally, but they could also be created by a genuine Herrscher.
For example, during the Second Eruption, Elias had once divided his power to create four pseudo-Herrscher Cores, allowing Benares to become the pseudo-Herrscher known as Bella.
What the Herrscher of Finality had just done was much the same—turning her companion Honkai Beast into a pseudo-Herrscher.
"Yes, yes~ Fine. I still profited either way."
The blue-haired girl casually experimented with her new power. Instantly, more than a dozen massive whirlpools formed on the ocean's surface.
By unfortunate coincidence, a blue whale happened to swim past nearby. It was dragged straight into the vortex. Compared to the enormous whirlpools, even the largest creature in the ocean seemed no bigger than an ant.
She manipulated the entire sea at will—splitting the waters apart to reveal the seabed one moment, summoning towering water spouts that pierced the sky the next. The ocean became a toy for her to play with as she pleased.
If an ordinary person witnessed this spectacle, they would undoubtedly believe the girl to be a goddess who ruled the sea. And anyone knowledgeable about Honkai would find it impossible to believe this was merely the power of a pseudo-Herrscher.
The strength she displayed at this moment likely surpassed that of many true Herrschers.
But that was only natural.
Her true body was a Planet-class Honkai Beast comparable to Finality itself. Even at only sixty percent of her strength, she was far beyond the level of an ordinary Herrscher.
Though the abilities of a pseudo-Herrscher were inferior to genuine Herrscher authorities, her existence stood at such a high tier that she forcibly elevated the power to the level of a true authority.
"Heyah!"
The blue-haired girl stretched lazily. In response, a colossal tidal wave surged upward from the sea.
In the end, however, the massive wave—capable of drowning an entire continent—gradually subsided. The only price paid was the sinking of two nearby islands.
Incidentally, those two islands also belonged to Raven.
Back then, aside from the system-gifted island villa, Elias had purchased two additional islands for the little island-loving Raven.
Raven had been quite delighted, but since she couldn't possibly live on that many islands, she had simply left them unattended.
From this day forward, however, she would no longer need to worry about having too many islands.
Of her three islands, one had always been a Planet-class Honkai Beast in disguise. The other two had now sunk beneath the sea.
Adding in the very first island that had once been obliterated by a Honkai Fissile Bomb, Raven had now lost four island villas in total.
Truly worthy of the nickname "Island-Destroyer Raven." It had not been given in vain.
"Have you had enough fun? If you're done, take me to him already."
"Don't be so impatient, Finality~ For you, isn't anywhere just a single step away? You've already waited fifty thousand years. What's a few more moments? Besides... I'm quite curious. Why do you have a 'mortal object' on you?"
The blue-haired girl's gaze drifted toward Finality's head.
There, upon her hair, rested a sparkling crystal tiara. Though undeniably beautiful in appearance, it was truly nothing more than an ordinary crystal crown.
Such an ornament did not suit the Herrscher of Finality. Compared to her divine identity, it was far too mundane.
"He gave it to me back then."
"What?!"
"He said it was an apology gift. Hmph! Elias, do you truly think something like this can atone for your sins? Just wait. You will pay the price for what you did."
The Herrscher of Finality removed the crystal tiara from her head with haughty pride.
It had been Elias' apology after blaspheming her divine body. Otherwise, the Goddess of Honkai would never have worn something as ordinary—albeit pretty—as a crystal crown.
"...I want one too."
The blue-haired girl said longingly. She rose onto her toes and reached for it, but the Herrscher of Finality frowned and refused.
"Hmph~ Then I'll just ask Elias for one later. He's over in that direction."
"So you've finally found him."
The Herrscher of Finality opened a spatial portal. The two stepped through it. The sea finally returned to calm—and in the next instant, they appeared at the gates of St. Freya Academy.
What greeted them left both the Herrscher of Finality and the blue-haired girl stunned.
Everywhere they looked—Herrschers.
"Everyone line up for enrollment registration! Regular Valkyries to this side! Herrschers from the Previous Era over here! Don't forget to take back your Herrscher Cores! Durandal, please help me—I'm about to be overwhelmed!"
"Coming! I still can't believe there are really this many Herrschers enrolling. This is unbelievable."
"Elias!!" x2
The gazes of the Herrscher of Finality and the blue-haired girl simultaneously locked onto the white-haired boy.
As for the golden goose standing beside him—they instinctively ignored her entirely.
The blue-haired girl revealed an excited smile. For fifty thousand years, she had been anticipating this reunion. In terms of waiting time alone, she had endured even longer than the Flame-Chasers.
However, due to the overwhelming number of new students enrolling at St. Freya Academy, many people stood between her and Elias.
"Annoying insects. Let's eliminate them all."
"Stop."
The one who stopped her was none other than the Herrscher of Finality.
"Finality, why are you stopping me?"
"If you attack now, what do you think his reaction will be? Do you want to repeat the past?"
"...Fine, you're right. But it's hard to believe. I thought you would choose to kill them too."
"Hmph! I'm not like you."
The Goddess of Honkai crossed her arms proudly.
Though the blue-haired girl was more lively in personality, she was the truly inhuman one between them.
Meanwhile, Finality possessed Elias' memories. It could be said she was one of the people in this world who understood him best.
Coupled with the humanity she had gained after breaking free from Honkai, the Herrscher of Finality now had enough emotional intelligence and rationality to analyze situations. She was no longer the being who resolved everything with absolute strength.
After all, her "absolute strength" had already lost twelve times.
"Wait a little," Finality said calmly. "Like you just said, we've already waited fifty thousand years. A few more moments won't matter. At least he's right in front of us now."
"True. Just looking at Elias makes me so happy already. I'm getting in line at the front~!"
"...Maybe I should just kill you after all."
Watching the blue-haired girl squeeze ahead in line, Finality sincerely felt that this companion Honkai Beast of hers might truly be beyond saving.
...
Because of the massive number of new students registering—and the need to specially guide the Herrschers from the Previous Era—Elias, who had originally planned to laze around in the dormitory, was dragged out to help.
And since he and Durandal could not be separated by more than five meters, she naturally had to come assist as well. Not that this warm-hearted goose minded in the slightest.
At this moment, Elias had already removed all the Herrscher Cores from the Divine Keys and was returning them one by one to the Herrschers of the Previous Era.
With each new Herrscher enrolling, the combat strength of St. Freya Academy was skyrocketing.
Though as a consequence, they might truly never shake off the nickname "Herrscher Academy."
"This is wonderful! With so much combat strength, we'll be able to fight Honkai even better!" Durandal said excitedly.
"Yeah. But don't celebrate too early. The annoying examiner above our heads won't let us off that easily. The later questions—or rather, Herrschers—will definitely be more difficult."
Elias' expression remained calm, but his eyes were filled with vigilance. At times like this, arrogance was the greatest taboo. The more inflated one became, the more spectacular the crash would be.
And more importantly...
I can already see it—the future where the Herrscher of Dominance gets a ridiculous, epic-level buff.
If there was any Herrscher most effective against other Herrschers, it was undoubtedly the Herrscher of Dominance of the Current Era.
Now that so many Herrschers had joined the human side, if Honkai had even a shred of intelligence, it would massively strengthen the Herrscher of Dominance.
After all, among the exceedingly rare exceptions in the Current Era, the Herrscher of Dominance had never betrayed Honkai.
Just as Elias was considering what precautions he should take in advance—
"Sheele has finally seen you again, Brother Elias!"
"So this is your era? It looks quite interesting. Hurry up and process our enrollment."
Two girls with identical appearances walked over and immediately threw their arms around Elias in a tight embrace.
Their looks caused Bronya and Seele, who were helping nearby, to stare in shock.
One had shoulder-length black hair with a faint blue sheen, blue eyes, and the temperament of a little angel. The other had long black-and-red hair, crimson eyes, and the aura of a little devil.
They looked exactly like a certain quantum girl.
"Sheele? It's really been a long time!"
"Hmph! I thought you'd forgotten about us."
"Nonsense. How could I forget my adorable girls?"
Elias pulled both of them into his arms and affectionately rubbed his cheek against White Sheele and Dark Sheele.
"What's going on? There are two—no, four Seeles! Has Bronya ascended to heaven?"
Bronya was trembling with excitement. She looked at the Sheele hugging Elias, then at the Seele standing beside her. She rubbed her eyes hard and even pinched herself.
After confirming it was not a dream, Bronya immediately shoved her work into Kiana's hands and ran over.
"Bronya! Come back!!" Kiana shouted.
"Seele has multiplied—how wonderful! Ahem... This must be an anomaly! As Seele's older sister, Bronya must investigate thoroughly!"
What are you standing around for, Seele?! Let's go too! Ugh, watching two girls who look exactly like us hugging Big Brother is seriously weird! Dark Seele urged internally.
"Mm! Mei-sis, sorry—please cover for Seele for a moment. I'll be right back!"
And so, in what could only be described as a historic scene, the Seele of the Previous Era and the Seele of the Current Era gathered together.
The resident Seele enthusiasts—Elias and Bronya—were in absolute ecstasy.
"Happiness!"
"Bliss!"
"H-Hello. My name is Seele," White Seele said shyly.
"Hello to you too. My name Sheele." the other White Sheele replied gently.
The two angelic versions got along harmoniously. After all, both possessed the temperament of little angels. One Seele alone was already enough to heal the heart—two together doubled the restorative effect.
But on the other side, the Dark Seele duo was far less harmonious.
Although she usually existed within White Seele as a natural [Idea], Elias had once constructed a physical body for Dark Seele. At this moment, she could exist independently.
"..."
"..."
The two Dark Seeles silently sized each other up. Curiosity filled their gazes, but there was no friendliness—like two black wildcats eyeing the same fish, both dangerous in their own way.
The winner was decided quickly.
"How's your progress over there?" the Dark Sheele from the Previous Era asked.
"What progress?"
"Isn't it obvious? Your progress with Elias. Have you and that Seele secured your position yet?"
A direct strike from the Previous Era Dark Sheele.
"Not yet—but we've already kissed! What about you? Don't tell me it's the same over there?" the Current Era Dark Seele replied, frowning.
Unlike the mutual attraction between the two White Seeles, this was clearly a case of like repelling like. She could distinctly sense that this identical girl before her was no ally.
The Previous Era Dark Sheele chuckled and planted her hands on her hips smugly.
"Just that? We've already secured our position. Looks like the Current Era version of us isn't very capable."
"What?! You've already—"
Dark Seele was once again stunned.
This time, she had to admit they were behind.
Casting a jealous glance at her alternate self from another era, Dark Seele immediately grabbed the White Sheele beside her—who had been chatting happily—and dragged her away.
"Seele, let's go! We need to speed things up. We need a plan—let's aim to take down Big Brother tonight!"
"Um... y-you've got the wrong person."
"Huh?"
Dark Seele froze.
Hearing the exact same soft, cute-like voice from her memories, she turned her head in shock—only to realize she had moved too quickly and grabbed the wrong White Seele.
"The other me... that one isn't me," White Sheele said helplessly.
"...I actually mistook the Seeles."
Dark Seele was deeply shaken.
"So chaotic! But so interesting! This is amazing!"
Elias and Bronya declared in unison.