"This person's growth is always so rapid. It hasn't even been that long since we last met, and Elias has already grown so strong that even the data can't be extracted?"
Inside Schicksal Headquarters, Kolosten.
Otto observed the high-speed pursuit through satellite feed. While he found it amusing, he also felt a deep melancholy. Elias now gave him a sense of power that was beyond words.
Compared to the past, his presence felt far more "vast" and far more "sacred." On top of that, when the satellite's Honkai energy detection system locked onto Elias, it directly short-circuited and crashed.
Habitually swirling his wine glass, Otto gave a bitter smile and shook his head. He truly regretted provoking that white-haired boy in the past. Because of it, his grand plan to revive his Saint now seemed more distant than ever.
Even if he wanted to ask Elias about information regarding the Imaginary Tree, given their respective positions, he did not even know how to begin the conversation. And Elias was no longer someone that Otto Apocalypse could handle with petty schemes and conspiracies.
"Speaking of which, the global outbreaks of quantum power and imaginary energy yesterday... could that also be related to him? Uh... the possibility does seem quite high."
Thinking this, Otto let out another bitter sigh. For the first time, he genuinely felt a sense of helplessness.
After all, in the face of absolute power, a clown's tricks were utterly meaningless.
The high-speed chase occurring in the Far East region had been observed by quite a few people. If it were someone else, various nations might have said something. But once they realized it was St. Freya Academy—and Elias and the others—everyone immediately fell silent.
Ever since the incidents of the Herrscher of Ice and the Herrscher of Earth, Honkai had already been made public in the Current Era. After all, no matter how much they tried to suppress it, they could not silence the millions who had returned from the dead.
Furthermore, during yesterday's large-scale invasion of Imaginary Constructs and Quantum Shadows, as well as the global natural disasters that followed, St. Freya Academy had displayed... strength that could only be described as monstrous!
Leaders of various nations: "Can't provoke them, can't provoke them. Let the big shots play however they want. Do whatever they like."
...
Meanwhile, on the sky racetrack.
The girls serving as pursuers wore grim expressions. They realized that although they had not underestimated Elias, his current strength had still far exceeded their imagination.
Originally, they had thought that since Elias would inevitably hold back against them, their chances of winning were quite high.
But reality proved that they had absolutely no chance!
The first to be eliminated was Mobius. From a certain perspective, she could be considered the instigator of this entire pursuit race. Yet she was the first one out. (How ironic.)
The reason was simple. After her levitator was blasted apart by a single shot from Bronya, Mobius had no choice but to activate Artificial Cascade to continue chasing. However, before she had even gone very far, she exhausted herself and collapsed onto the racetrack, unable to move.
Elias: "Oh my~ Looks like you've spent too long in the lab, Snake. You're seriously lacking in exercise."
Snake: "Damn it! I should've taken stimulants beforehand!"
Big Duck: "Eliminated! Disqualified!"
This pursuit race allowed heavy firepower, high-ranking Honkai Beasts, Artificial Cascade, and similar methods. But in any competition, stimulants were considered a violation.
Without even a moment to mourn Mobius' fall, the next to drop out were the girls riding Honkai Beasts.
For example, Durandal riding Krishna, Raiden Mei riding Gurikara, Ji Xuanyuan riding a thunder-flame warhorse, and Sirin riding Benares.
They were all instantly defeated by a single command from Elias.
Elias: "Stop right there!"
The Honkai Beasts: "ROOOAR!" xN
For someone like Elias, who possessed the hypermutation factors of a Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast—Nine-Tailed—and the Planet-class Honkai Beast Jyahnar, nearly all Honkai Beasts in this world were compelled to obey his commands.
The girls: "Elias, you fox-faced heartthrob!!"
Fortunately, Jyahnar and the Herrscher of Finality had not participated in this pursuit race. Otherwise, Elias would have had to construct the racetrack all the way into outer space.
After all, just the sheer size of a Planet-class Honkai Beast alone would have been impossible to contain on the surface.
As a side note, the reason Benares—Bella—stopped was not because she had been charmed. As Elias' companion Honkai Beast, she instinctively obeyed his command.
Sirin: "Move! Bella, move!"
Bella: "...Master said to stop."
Vill-V: "Fine then. Looks like it'll have to be up to us in the end!"
In the end, Vill-V, piloting Special Armament Model No. 9, along with Prometheus and Rita, managed to put up quite a fight. Countless lasers and tracking missiles rained down in succession.
If not for Project Bunny's astonishing driving skills—or rather, its overwhelming survival instinct—it would have already been blown to pieces.
Bronya: "Now this is finally starting to look normal. But if we're talking firepower, we won't lose!"
Elias: "Heh. I'll return all of it to you."
Big Duck curled her lips upward in excitement and instantly constructed one hundred and eight heavy cannons, using absolute firepower to suppress Prometheus' Peacekeeper and Rita's EOS battleship.
The two girls had originally intended to make a last stand. But when they fired every remaining round in a desperate all-out attack, Elias used spatial portals to redirect all incoming attacks straight back at them, striking their own vehicles.
In truth, against Elias—who possessed the authority of the Herrscher of the Void—using long-range weapons like missiles and lasers was a complete mistake. Just think of the original "Queen's Descent" scenario. With a single snap, the Herrscher of the Void had bankrupted Anti-Entropy.
Vill-V: "In the end, it'll still come down to me! Charge!"
Vill-V's Special Armament Model No. 9 was a battle tank constructed entirely of soulium, making it extraordinarily durable. It forcefully endured the barrage of artillery fire.
Then Vill-V pressed a button. Instantly, two massive high-speed rotating chainsaws extended from the front of the vehicle. Flames erupted violently from the rear thrusters, and in the blink of an eye, she caught up.
Project Bunny 19C: (Waaahhh! Lord Elias! Boss Bronya! Do something quick! I don't want to get rear-ended—or sliced in the butt—by chainsaws!)
Elias: "No, wait! That's not it! Vill-V's goal isn't to ram us. Considering that the personality currently online is the Magician, that wouldn't be flashy enough!"
Vill-V: "Welcome the grand finale! Backup hidden energy activated! Explosion is art!!"
Bronya: "Sh-She's going to self-destruct?!"
As everyone knew, among the Fifteen Flame-Chasers of Fire Moth, Mobius was the most ruthless—and Vill-V was the craziest.
People often said that on the left stood the madman, and on the right stood the genius.
She was the ultimate embodiment of both.
If this self-destruction succeeded, Elias, Bronya, and Vill-V herself would naturally be unharmed. Vill-V had deliberately reduced the amount of explosives inside the tank and replaced most of it with fireworks.
But Project Bunny's motorcycle would undoubtedly perish together with the opposing vehicle in a dazzling blaze of explosive fireworks.
Project Bunny 19C: (Help meeeeee!!)
Elias: "Don't panic~ Watch this!"
Watching Vill-V rapidly close in, ready to self-destruct, Elias decided to summon the "pet" he had only recently acquired.
A gate of imaginary space opened, and in the next instant, a massive black-and-gold mechanical being descended.
Its name was Imaginary Constructs: Nihilius. It resembled a gigantic clockwork humanoid, wielding two golden blades shaped like the hour and minute hands of a clock. It blocked Vill-V's path.
Elias: "Nihilius—time stop!"
Vill-V: "???"
Although far inferior to the Herrscher of Finality, Imaginary Constructs: Nihilius also possessed the ability to manipulate time. At this moment, it froze Vill-V's time in place.
Though the duration would not last long, it was more than enough for Elias and Bronya to disappear into the distance.
In the end, Vill-V could only watch unwillingly as the cooked pigeon flew away. Worse still, she forgot to cancel the self-destruct sequence.
BOOM!
With a loud explosion, she launched herself into the sky in a brilliant burst of fireworks.
Looking at the only remaining teammate on the racetrack, Vill-V shouted at the top of her lungs:
"Hua! You're everyone's last hope now! Go get them!!"
Who would have thought that Fu Hua would be the one to remain until the very end?
This flat immortal pedaling a bicycle was the only one in the entire pursuit race who had not launched a single attack. Stubborn, awkward, yet admirable, she relied purely on her own strength to chase them down.
The sight moved both Otto and Welt, who were watching from afar. They applauded and cheered for the immortal.
"Class Monitor... what a formidable opponent!"
Bronya returned to the driver's seat, ending auto-pilot mode. Looking at Fu Hua in the rearview mirror—who was already about to catch up—she felt the situation was utterly ridiculous.
Elias nodded in agreement.
Moreover, since Fu Hua had not used any attacks and was purely relying on leg power to chase them, it would feel disrespectful to interfere with her using offensive methods. This was their respect for the flat immortal.
But honestly, this was bad.
In terms of pure speed...
Project Bunny's motorcycle was actually losing to Fu Hua's bicycle.
One could only say that true experts never blame their equipment. The flat immortal was forever the GOAT!
Fu Hua: "It is time to use my ultimate move. Exterminate illusion, illuminate the origin. If one cannot comprehend death, how can one speak of life!"
Elias: "Holy—she's activating cascade!"
Crimson flames engulfed the flat immortal's body. Her black hair transformed into a white-to-red gradient, and her candle-like eyes burned with unwavering resolve.
Having transformed into a phoenix-like state, Fu Hua's physique was further enhanced. Her feet pedaled faster and faster.
Bronya: "Not good! She's going to catch us!"
Fu Hua: "This victory belongs to me!"
Without interfering, neither Elias nor Bronya had any solution left. Watching the flat immortal—no, the Immortal Phoenix—rapidly close the distance, the two could only sigh.
Though unwilling, it seemed they could only admit defeat this time.
"Hua, you're incredible!"
"Although Bronya is reluctant, she admits that right now, Class Monitor, you are stronger. But next time, Bronya absolutely will not lose again!!"
Bronya secretly resolved that once she returned, she would modify Project Bunny into a supersonic motorcycle!
(I finally... did it!)
Fu Hua herself had not expected that not only would she last until the end—she might even win this pursuit race.
At this moment, the Immortal Phoenix's heart surged with excitement. Today might be the day she defied fate and rose to the top!
Ten meters. Eight meters. Six meters. Five meters!
Elias and Bronya were within reach...
"Ki—step on the pedals!"
Fu Hua took a deep breath, gathering power into her feet. In her Artificial Cascade state, she unleashed this move once more. Surely this would erase the remaining distance in an instant.
However, at that very moment...
Crack!Snap!
Fu Hua: "Eh?"
Elias: "Uh..."
Bronya: "Ah..."
Fu Hua's bicycle simply could not withstand the immortal's immense leg strength. The frame, already at its limit, completely disintegrated under that "Ki—step on the pedals."
She stared blankly at the suddenly collapsing bicycle. The front wheel and handlebars separated entirely. The two-wheeled bicycle instantly became a unicycle.
Although the Immortal Phoenix managed to forcibly maintain balance with her skills, her speed plummeted. In an instant, the motorcycle pulled ahead by an irrecoverable distance.
Fu Hua: "How did this happen?!"
Elias/Bronya: "..."
Though they were currently opponents, the two still cast sympathetic glances at the flat immortal. Her luck was truly terrible. It almost felt as though she had been cursed by the will of the universe.
In the end, Fu Hua was defeated due to her vehicle's disintegration.
The victors: Elias and Bronya.
"Class Monitor, although you lost, in Bronya's heart, you have already won."
"The duck is right. I'll prepare a proper runner-up prize, Hua. See you in the dorm tonight."
...
After returning to the ground, Elias and Bronya felt that today's date had already been worth it. Such a thrilling pursuit race was far more exciting than shopping or watching a movie.
However, before the two could decide where to celebrate their victory—
"You two, stop right there! Pull over immediately!"
"???" x2
Suddenly, a man wearing sunglasses, with white hair, dressed in a blue uniform and green jacket, appeared before them.
Elias widened his eyes. Bronya immediately tensed.
The latter recognized the man's identity as a traffic officer.
The former recognized who he actually was.
"K-Kevin? What are you doing here?!"
"Hm? Oh? Isn't this Elias?"
Elias was completely stunned. He had never expected to run into this husky-like guy here. For a split second, he even thought this was some Current Era parallel counterpart.
But it was actually the real Kevin.
"What exactly is... going on with you?"
The mighty Flame-Chaser bearing the [Preservation] Signet was currently working as a traffic officer. Elias did not know what to say.
"Ah~ I've been a little short on cash lately. Couldn't even afford instant noodles, so I found a job. Besides, I wanted to learn from Kalpas and Su—find something to do in the Current Era and experience life."
Kevin removed his sunglasses with a smile.
After fighting for so long in the Previous Era, they had finally arrived in a time that no longer required their protection. Naturally, they wanted to experience ordinary life.
Su was currently working as a doctor. Kalpas had taken on part-time jobs. Kosma was traveling. Kevin, as always, was still chasing noodles—but now he was also a traffic officer.
Money was not truly important. If they wanted funds, the loyal Gray Serpent could transfer tens or hundreds of billions into each Flame-Chaser's account without issue.
The key was that Kevin and the others wanted to experience life as normal people.
"Uh... well, have fun then. Bronya and I still have a date, so we'll be going now."
"Hold it. You were severely speeding, ran red lights, engaged in illegal racing, and violated over a dozen traffic laws. Hand over your license immediately. And... the motorcycle will be impounded."
Kevin crossed his arms.
Though they were comrades who had fought side by side through life and death, he was now a strict, impartial traffic officer. He could not ignore such an obvious performance opportunity.
He extended his hand toward Bronya.
"..."
Bronya's expression immediately turned bitter. She had just gotten her license last week. And now—once again—it was gone.
Meanwhile, Project Bunny was utterly speechless. Following such a boss was truly unfortunate. And if it remembered correctly, this was already the seventh time Bronya's license had been revoked.
"Sigh~ Who would've thought fate would converge in this way? Just like how Raven's island could not escape the destiny of sinking... the duck also cannot escape the destiny of having her license revoked."
Even Elias could not help but sigh afterward. This was a destiny even he could not overturn.