"I'm not surprised that Dark Sheele joined me, but I didn't expect you to enroll as well. That's truly a huge surprise."
Elias said as he raised a hand to gently pat White Sheele's head.
This girl, as docile and clingy as a kitten, had been just like Griseo in the Previous Era—one of the adorable darlings who repeatedly healed his exhausted heart.
Many times, Elias had wondered whether what allowed him to endure twelve loops wasn't merely his feelings for Elysia. Perhaps it was also the comfort brought by these healing girls.
"Mm! I don't want to be a coward who can't do anything anymore. I want to be like the other me—to have the power to protect you, Elias... to protect everyone!"
"Why change your tone, Sheele? Aren't we fighting for Elias in the first place? As for anyone else, it doesn't matter. Hurry up and give us the Core."
"Sure. Though it might be a little late to ask this now, how are you planning to split the Core?"
"Uh..." x2
The two girls froze instantly.
They stared at the Herrscher Core of Death that Elias had taken out from the Abyss Flower. After exchanging glances, both immediately insisted the other should take it.
"Sheele, you should accept it."
"No, it originally belonged to you."
"I don't need it anymore. I can fight on my own. In your hands, it will surely heal more people. The authority of [Creation] suits gentle Sheele the best."
"I-I'm not as amazing as you say... And doesn't this Core also carry the authority of [Withering]? That's a power I don't have the courage to use. And I know... the other me is actually gentler than anyone."
"Sheele..."
Watching Dark Sheele grow flustered from White Sheele's praise, Elias and Bronya exchanged knowing looks.
Sure enough, whether in the Previous Era or the Current Era, the one who could always restrain Dark Seele was White Seele. After all, the former was her number one fan.
"Alright, alright. Stop arguing. I'll handle it!"
Though he would have liked to watch the two continue their little performance, he couldn't keep the other Herrschers waiting too long. Elias quickly came up with a solution.
From somewhere, he produced a soulium kitchen knife and brought it down toward the Herrscher Core of Death.
"!!!" xN
Everyone was stunned.
With a loud sound, the Core was split cleanly in half. Elias handed one half to White Sheele and the other to Dark Sheele.
"C-Can you really do that?"
"Heh~ Why not?"
Of course, that exaggerated display had been merely for show.
What Elias had divided was not just the Core itself, but the authorities within it. The half he gave to White Sheele contained the authority of [Creation], while the half given to Dark Sheele held the authority of [Withering].
Ordinary people could never accomplish such a feat. But for Elias—who possessed the analytical authority of the Herrscher of Reason and the residual wish-granting authority of the Herrscher of Origin—it posed no difficulty.
White Sheele and Dark Sheele exchanged excited glances before merging their respective halves into their bodies. As surging Honkai energy erupted around them, both ascended to become Herrschers.
"Dark Sheele remains the Herrscher of Death. As for White Sheele—she should be called the Herrscher of Life, right? Not bad. You can tell just by the names that they're a pair."
Elias applauded lightly.
Looking at the two Sheeles dressed in black and white Herrscher attire, he felt increasingly grateful that he had stubbornly insisted on saving them back then.
That was how he obtained double the happiness!
No, wait.
Quadruple the happiness!
"Bronya, I'll leave it to you to show Sheele around the academy. The dorm will definitely prepare a celebratory feast tonight. You two must come."
"Mm! Since it's Sheele, leave it to Bronya!" Bronya patted her still-modest chest and gave Elias a confident thumbs-up.
"We'll definitely be there tonight. And please take care of us, Bronya-senpai," White Sheele said politely.
"Fine. I should also ask this shorty what enemies exist in this era... Hopefully there isn't someone as outrageous as Elysia," Dark Sheele added.
After finishing their enrollment paperwork, the three left.
"Next! Sorry to keep you waiting—hm?"
"It's alright. I'm used to waiting. And just being able to look at you already makes me very satisfied."
"...And you are?"
Elias frowned slightly.
The blue-haired girl before him felt completely unfamiliar. That shouldn't be possible—he had memorized the appearances of every Herrscher from the Previous Era.
Yet he could say with certainty that she was not among them.
And yet... the immense Honkai energy radiating from her—and the fluctuation of a Herrscher Core—proved without doubt that she was indeed a Herrscher.
"Who am I? That's a difficult question. If I show you my true form directly, you'd probably hate me. Let me think... A few hundred years ago, some shipwreck survivors landed on my island. I believe they called me... Cthulhu?"
"C-Cthulhu? Who gave you that name? It doesn't suit you at all..."
Elias raised an eyebrow.
Just mentioning that name made one's sanity drop slightly. It utterly failed to match the delicate girl before him, who looked like the daughter of the sea itself.
Though he did not know who she truly was, the affection in her eyes caused Elias to lower his guard.
He had seen such a gaze many times before—from Raiden Mei and the others.
It was the look of someone with extraordinarily high favorability toward him.
Who would stay wary of a girl who likes them? And besides, she didn't look like a yandere.
"That's wonderful. You've finally started seeing me that way too. It seems choosing to create a human body was the right decision."
The blue-haired girl smiled brightly.
She recalled the final battle fifty thousand years ago, when the white-haired boy had looked at her with sharp rejection and intense hostility.
Compared to that... his current gentleness felt like a dream.
"Since birth... I've always loved you."
She felt that she had made tremendous progress.
"...To be honest, who exactly are you? I don't recall a Herrscher like you in the Previous Era. Still, as long as you behave yourself and don't do anything foolish like destroying the world, I won't pry too deeply into your identity. And besides..."
Elias narrowed his eyes slightly. For some reason, he felt an instinctive closeness toward the blue-haired girl before him. His body seemed to resonate with hers in an inexplicable way.
Strange... Why does she feel so familiar? Have I really met her somewhere before? Could Fenghuang Down have erased my memories?
What Elias did not yet know was that the resonance came from the fact that he had once devoured the flesh and blood of that Planet-class manta ray Honkai Beast—and its Core was still in his possession.
"You may call me the Herrscher of the Sea. Oh right, I just thought of something good."
"Something good?"
"Elias, why don't you give me a name~? I don't really like the name Cthulhu either. If you agree, I'll tell you my purpose."
The blue-haired girl spoke playfully as she subtly shortened the distance between them, adjusting her angle so that his figure filled her entire field of vision.
"Then forget it. You don't have to tell me."
Elias rolled his eyes and flatly refused.
"I'm terrible at naming things. I always hesitate forever, and if I don't have inspiration, even a whole day won't be enough. Besides, you're neither my daughter nor my pet. I don't want the headache of coming up with a name for you."
Elias, who was practically traumatized by naming things at this point, firmly declined. As long as she harbored no ill intent, it didn't matter if her identity remained unclear.
After all... it wasn't like she was after his body.
"And most importantly, you're so cute that I don't have the confidence to give you a name worthy of you."
"Cute? What does that mean?"
"You don't even know that? When someone becomes a Herrscher, don't they automatically inherit the host body's memories? Unless your host had amnesia too? You're full of mysteries."
Elias studied the increasingly enigmatic girl again. A subtle sense of incongruity flickered through him, but he didn't dwell on it.
After all, cute was justice.
"Ahem! Cute describes someone who looks good and is charming and endearing. And more importantly, cute is the absolute and eternal justice of this world! A certain Miss Pink Elf once said so—cute girls can do anything!"
Elias declared with utmost seriousness.
"I see~ So that's what cute means. I still don't fully understand, but I'll remember it. Hehe... It really is better to communicate directly. There's only so much one can learn by observing."
The blue-haired girl smiled, pleased with her new knowledge.
Over the years, in order to understand humanity, she had observed many people who drifted onto her island. She had learned quite a few things—trade, threats, smiles.
But because her knowledge was fragmented, she lacked even the most basic common sense.
"Hey~ Elias, I still want you to give me a name. Same deal as before. If you do, I'll tell you my purpose. But if you refuse..."
"What will you do?"
"I'll let the waves drown this island."
She said it with a radiant smile, her expression utterly mismatched with her words, making one wonder whether she even knew how to make any other face.
Elias frowned.
He couldn't read her through microexpressions, but instinct told him she wasn't joking.
"Let me clarify first. When you say 'this island,' you mean...?"
"The place we're standing on. And just so you know, I really can do it."
For a Planet-class Honkai Beast whose body length exceeded the moon, calling the Far East a 'small island' was already generous.
"Is that so? Then take this—Elysion Pedion!"
Elias showed no mercy.
He immediately unleashed the ultimate move of the Herrscher of Binding. The moment she mentioned drowning the Far East, her intentions—good or bad—ceased to matter. He had to temporarily seal her authority.
The land had been purchased by Eden, which made it his property as well. He certainly couldn't let it vanish like Raven's island villas.
And yet...
"Hmm? The Binding field. I didn't expect you to use it so skillfully. This body had its Honkai energy drained in an instant. But..."
Splash—!
A light rain suddenly began to fall from the sky.
"Hm? That's seawater. What did you do?"
Elias stared in shock.
He had clearly drained her Honkai energy.
"That's a secret. So... will you give me a name now?"
The blue-haired girl smiled faintly.
Most of the Honkai energy the Herrscher of Finality had given her was stored within her true body—the Planet-class manta ray Honkai Beast. The human body before Elias contained only a small fraction.
Just now, she had simply ordered her true body to spray some seawater in this direction as proof that she had not lost her power.
In truth, flooding the Far East would be no more than casually stirring a few waves for her true body.
"Sigh..."
Elias let out a deep sigh.
Though he didn't understand how she had done it, for the sake of saving the Far East, he had no choice but to obediently think of a name.
"How about... Little Blue?"
"That sounds too simple. I don't like it. Try again."
She crossed her arms in refusal. Though she lacked any real aesthetic sense for names, she instinctively rejected it.
Operation Take Advantage of Her Lack of Common Sense had failed.
Reluctantly, Elias began thinking seriously. Fortunately, inspiration struck quickly this time.
"Herrscher of the Sea... the ocean... In that case, how about Jyahnar?"
"Jyahnar?"
"In the Previous Era, it symbolized the sea. In the Current Era, it represents a guardian. What do you think?"
Elias felt quite satisfied with himself. This was probably the fastest he had ever come up with a name.
"Jyahnar... Jyahnar~ How interesting. It sounds nice too. Then it's decided. From now on, my name is Jyahnar."
The blue-haired girl—Jyahnar—clasped her hands together and engraved the name deep into her soul. She had never imagined she would receive a name from Elias. The joy she felt came from the bottom of her heart.
"As long as you like it. Now hurry and abandon that dangerous idea of flooding the Far East. And tell me your purpose while you're at it," Elias said, relieved.
"...Even though the latter is far more important. Compared to my purpose—my mission—this tiny, fragile island is like a pebble on the roadside, hardly worth mentioning."
Jyahnar reached out gently and caressed the white-haired boy's cheek.
"Actually, I was created for you. To obtain you. To fulfill your wish. And to make you become Honkai. If I were to describe it in human language..."
"Elias, from the moment I was born, I have loved you."