Without the slightest hesitation, Elysia agreed to Setsuna's proposal.
Like a child, she propped up her chin with both hands and looked at him with sparkling eyes.
"Mr. Finality, do you have any plans?"
"Ah, no, before that... I'd like to understand you all a bit more. Mm... your ships are honestly a little frightening. The people of Earth probably think aliens are invading."
She had already developed a strong interest in this civilization from another world.
She could hardly wait to see what kind of dazzling civilization humanity had built fifty thousand years later.
And what exactly the Starsea Empire was like.
"'Mr. Finality' sounds too strange. Just call me Commander."
Setsuna cleared his throat.
He handed Elysia and Mobius a tablet terminal containing introductory materials about the Starsea Empire.
It was meant to help newly joined companions quickly familiarize themselves with the situation.
"Take a look first. If you have any questions, you can ask me or the others."
"Once I've gathered everyone we need to recruit, we'll go home."
"Eh?"
Elysia accepted the tablet, thought for a moment, then suddenly understood.
"Are we going to gather our future comrades?"
"Yes. You probably don't know them yet. Some of them are extremely outstanding. Due to the limitations and circumstances of the Previous Era, they were never able to fully realize their potential."
"In the Starsea Empire, they'll have a better platform."
Setsuna replied, glancing at Mobius in passing. Mei had already been lured aboard by the nanorobot and was now diligently absorbing Starsea Empire knowledge. As long as she could conduct research, nothing else mattered to her.
"Eh? Me?"
Mobius looked almost flattered.
"Yes. Your research on evolution is very interesting. In the future, there will be a place for you in the Life Sciences Division."
"Wow!"
For the first time, Mobius had encountered someone who fully supported her research. She was instantly energized.
"Oh..."
Elysia pondered for a moment.
"No wonder when I look at the others, I feel a sense of familiarity... Perhaps this is fate?"
Her gaze lingered on Fu Hua and Griseo.
"You two came directly from my era to the future as well, didn't you?"
"Yes."
Fu Hua nodded quietly.
"I carried out Project EMBER. Griseo was part of Project ARK. In terms of age... Elysia, you're still young right now. We're already over fifty thousand years old."
In Elysia's eyes at this moment, they were merely strangers. Through Setsuna, people from two different eras had been connected together.
The feeling was wonderfully strange.
"Oh... I knew it!"
Elysia clapped her hands and looked toward Setsuna.
"So we're going to gather more companions?"
"Yes."
Setsuna projected a list of names onto the holographic interface.
Some, like Vill-V and Eden, were people Elysia already knew or had heard of. Others—Sakura, Aponia, Pardofelis—were still unfamiliar to her.
"They're all girls?"
Elysia instantly noticed the key point.
"Commander, are your motives for coming to this world entirely proper?"
"... What's wrong with liking beautiful girls?"
Setsuna replied without the slightest shame.
"The rest can stay here and live out peaceful lives as ordinary people after we resolve the Honkai crisis."
"Oh?"
Elysia dragged out the sound meaningfully, giving him a teasing look.
"..."
"It's just a pity. Right now, they're all strangers."
Fu Hua sighed softly.
Former comrades who did not yet know her—or each other—left her with a faint sense of regret.
"I don't think that's a problem at all."
Elysia seemed completely unbothered.
"If what you said is true, Commander, then our original future was far too heavy. I don't like that ending."
"Mm... if we're starting a new life anyway, then we can simply build new bonds from the beginning, can't we? Look, we've just met and already know each other now."
Her smile was bright and playful, as though none of it weighed on her heart.
"... You really are the same as ever."
Fu Hua and Griseo both felt it—the familiar Elysia.
...
After brief introductions and mutual understanding,
Elysia regained her usual poised composure.
"Commander, what do you plan to do next?"
"Give me your hand."
Setsuna extended his hand toward her.
"Let me examine your body."
"Eh?"
Elysia raised an eyebrow.
"Commander, teasing girls in front of so many people right after meeting them isn't a good habit, you know~"
"... I need to confirm something."
Setsuna said calmly.
"Whether the power of Finality in the Current Era differs from that of the Previous Era."
"You're the only Herrscher here. You're highly valuable for reference."
"Oh!"
Elysia immediately grasped his uniqueness.
He was a Herrscher of Finality from the future—one who had completely mastered the Cocoon of Finality. In this era, that made him an extraordinarily special existence.
She gently placed her hand in his.
"Be gentle, Commander~"
"..."
Setsuna had the distinct feeling she was deliberately teasing him.
Flash—
Their Honkai energies intertwined.
A strange sensation surged through Elysia. The power within Setsuna was far too vast, as though it might swallow her whole.
The birth of the Herrscher of Origin had been a miracle. Yet she was still a part of the Cocoon of Finality.
Crack—!
The surrounding space distorted, refracting into bizarre and dazzling scenes.
"Mm... since we can both connect to the Cocoon of Finality, that makes things simpler."
Setsuna nodded.
"Ah?! Commander? What are you planning to do?!"
Elysia stared at him in shock.
"The Cocoon of Finality is a higher-dimensional construct. In the future, I completely mastered it. That means the Cocoon of Finality in the past and present is the same entity."
"After I control its true body, the Cocoons in other eras are merely projections across different spacetime planes. They remain under my authority."
Boom—
The authority of the Herrscher of the Void activated.
Everyone felt a brief distortion of space and time. Their bodies involuntarily dropped downward.
When they opened their eyes again,
The ship had arrived in a completely unfamiliar space.
Outside the window, the scenery had changed. The once-bustling city had been replaced by boundless emptiness.
Honkai energy permeated heaven and earth.
Not far below them floated an enormous sphere.
Its surface was covered in cracks. At its center was a purple rhombus-shaped emblem, while the surrounding space was twisted and shattered beyond recognition.
The sphere trembled slightly, as though it had sensed someone's arrival.
"This is... the Cocoon of Finality?!"
"Commander, did you move us into the depths of imaginary space?!"
Tesla and the others reacted at once.
"Yes. I can freely shift within imaginary space. Bringing the entire ship along isn't difficult."
Setsuna stood outside the bridge and extended his hand.
Vmmmm...
The Cocoon of Finality resonated with him, trembling faintly within the void.
"Can you equip two Cocoons at once?"
The nanorobot boldly asked.
"Of course not. Otherwise, with time travel, wouldn't we be able to mass-produce Cocoons of Finality?"
Setsuna laughed.
"It is a higher-dimensional construct. From beginning to end, there has only ever been one. After I took its true body, the Cocoon of this era is merely a projection."
"I can retract it—or have it do something else."
"Ah..."
Elysia still had not recovered from her shock.
"Wait. You're saying this thing... it's the source of Honkai and all Herrschers?"
"Mm."
"And it's under your control? With you here, the Honkai crisis is already solved?"
"Yes."
"... Isn't that a little too easy?!"
A powerful sense of disparity welled up inside Elysia.
She had thought she would fight side by side with companions from the future, battling Honkai through countless fierce clashes.
And now Setsuna was telling her that the Cocoon of Finality was essentially part of him—and that simply retracting it would end everything?
"Please. Do you think any Herrscher could truly contend with me? The difficulty of battle isn't even within my considerations. I'm here to retrieve people."
Setsuna pondered for a moment.
"That said, I can separate and summon the Herrscher of Finality of this era."
"Hm?"
Elysia instantly grew alert.
"Summon another Herrscher of Finality? What are you planning to do? Fight her?"
"No. I'll have her swear loyalty to me—and then bring her along to throw a party."
"Wha—what?!"
...
Thud—
The ship landed upon the mirror-like expanse before the Cocoon of Finality.
Everyone disembarked and gazed at the planet-sized Cocoon not far away.
It was no different from before. The surroundings were filled with vast quantities of Honkai energy condensed into a semi-physical state.
Elysia and Mobius had never seen such a thing. Mei, who had been reading moments ago, lifted her head in utter shock.
It had barely been any time at all, and she had already come face to face with the "truth" of the Honkai world.
In another timeline, the "god" she could only spend a lifetime analyzing in fragments now stood right before her.
"Mm... all Herrschers come from here?"
Elysia stepped closer. She could feel an immense pull from the Cocoon of Finality.
Though she had no memory from before her birth, instinct alone told her there was a connection between them.
"Yes. Herrschers are merely projections of the Cocoon of Finality across different dimensions. The Cocoon itself is the only true Herrscher Core."
Setsuna replied.
"Then... are there rules for the appearance of Herrschers?"
Mobius asked curiously.
"The first Herrscher possessed the power of creation—the Herrscher of Reason. The second controlled imaginary energy and space—the Herrscher of the Void. What about the third? The fourth? What authorities would they wield?"
"In this era, the birth of Herrschers is random. Before completely eradicating human civilization, the Cocoon of Finality will continue producing Herrschers with different authorities."
He paused briefly.
"However..."
"Now, whatever Herrscher I tell it to create—it will create."
"!?"
"Huh?"
Elysia froze, trying to process what he meant.
Setsuna stepped forward and placed a hand upon the Cocoon of Finality.
The Cocoon within his body resonated with the Cocoon of the Previous Era.
The two forces intertwined instantly, merging into one.
Across timelines, the existence of the Cocoon converged into "one."
The Cocoons of two timelines were drawn together and unified.
Whoosh—
A massive surge of Honkai energy erupted from the planetary body before them, stirring an energy tide across heaven and earth that nearly made them lose their footing.
Then—
Honkai energy condensed in the air not far ahead, forming a violet entity.
The energy mass grew larger, twisting and reshaping in midair until it assumed a human form.
Boom!!—
For a fleeting instant, time seemed to freeze.
As if some supreme existence or authority had interfered with the fabric of spacetime itself.
"..."
When they looked up again,
A white-haired girl with golden eyes had been born from the void.
She wore a dark blue sleeveless dress, simple in design. Strange golden symbols were engraved upon her arms.
Her face bore no expression whatsoever. Her features and skin were flawless in the way of a Herrscher—distinctly inhuman.
Most terrifying of all was the Honkai energy radiating from her.
So powerful it inspired despair.
The Previous Era had already fought the Herrscher of Reason and the Herrscher of the Void. They had some understanding of what Herrschers were capable of.
But even if the powers of those two were multiplied several times over, they would still pale in comparison to the one before them.
"!!!"
Elysia's breath halted.
Instinctively, she took two steps back, condensing Honkai energy into a weapon in her hand.
"She is...?!"
"She is the Herrscher of Finality of this era."
"The Herrscher who ended the Previous Era. The Thirteen Flame-Chasers fought her in a final battle on the moon. They exhausted every method, every ounce of strength, and could only make her cease moving for a short while."
"Her authority is time. She can reset the civilization of an entire planet."
Setsuna spoke calmly.
"Ah..."
If Elysia had harbored even the slightest doubt about Fire Moth's ultimate defeat before,
It vanished completely upon seeing the Herrscher of Finality.
This was not an opponent she—or humanity as it currently stood—could ever defeat.
No one understood more clearly than she did how terrifying the power of a Herrscher was.
To merely meet the Herrscher of Finality's gaze was to feel crushing pressure.
"Commander... you're not planning to release her onto Earth, are you?"
Elysia shivered.
"No, wait—even if you don't take her away, she must have the ability to break through space herself. Ah... this is such a headache!!"
Pfft—
Setsuna chuckled softly.
He looked at the Herrscher of Finality and uttered only two words:
"Come here."
"..."
The Herrscher of Finality, who had been hovering in midair and gazing down upon everyone, turned her attention toward him.
In an instant, she vanished from the void.
Reappearing directly before Setsuna.
She lowered her head slightly, expressionless—an unmistakable gesture of deference.
The Herrscher of Finality possessed no human emotions. She was a pure combat machine, born solely to fulfill the mission of ending civilization.
Yet from Setsuna, she sensed the exact same power as the Cocoon of Finality—the will that had birthed her. All Herrschers were bound to obey it.
"Good."
Setsuna gently patted her head.
"From now on, you are also a member of the Starsea Empire."
"..."
The Herrscher of Finality did not speak. She silently processed his words, then nodded in acknowledgment.
Setsuna added:
"Do not act without authorization. Do not attack others at will. Follow my commands."
"Yes."
Her reply was devoid of emotion.
It was the innate obedience of a Herrscher toward the Cocoon of Finality.
If Setsuna ordered her to reset Earth's civilization at this very moment, she would not hesitate. She would erase humanity without question.
If he commanded her to end her own existence, she would comply just as readily.
She stepped forward and stood slightly behind him at his side, gaze fixed ahead.
She ignored everyone else. Gudako and Mobius cautiously attempted to greet her, only to be met with silence.
"???"
"Huh?!"
Elysia was once again stunned.
"Commander, you're going to let her stay with us?!"
"Is there a problem?"
"There are problems everywhere!!!"
Elysia protested at length.
She was usually the one teasing others. Yet in front of Setsuna, whose actions were so outrageous she could barely keep up, she found herself completely overwhelmed.
"Y-you... the Herrscher of Finality is joining us? Joining the Starsea Empire?"
"Correct."
"What are you planning to have her do?"
"Form a Herrscher unit. In the future, they can go beat people up. Or throw parties."
Setsuna answered succinctly.
The idea had long existed. Now that he had integrated the authority of Finality across three eras, it could finally become reality.
"... A Herrscher unit?!"
Elysia felt as though she had just heard something absurdly outrageous.
"Mm."
"Speaking of which, the Herrscher unit might need a captain in the future. I think you'd be perfect."
Setsuna pinched Elysia's cheek and let out a whistle.
"Herrscher of Origin leading a Herrscher unit. Sounds reasonable."
"???"
For the first time in her life, Elysia found herself being teased.
Under the bombardment of overwhelming information, her mind was in complete disarray.
"Th-then... what about Earth? Will Honkai or other Herrschers still appear in the future?..."
"Do we still need to do anything?..."
"..."
Setsuna reached out once more and pressed his hand against the Cocoon of Finality.
Whoosh—
An immense quantity of Honkai energy was drawn out.
After a low hum—
Crack!—
The Cocoon of Finality before them twisted violently in space.
In an instant, it shattered into countless fragments of light.
They dispersed into the void like drifting stars.
The Cocoon of Finality of the Previous Era was completely retracted.
"That's all. Earth won't face another Honkai crisis from now on."
"Simple, isn't it?"