Compared to the other battlefields—
The clash between Elias and the Kevin puppet operated on an entirely different level.
If the others' fights could still be considered within the realm of human combat, then this one had stepped into the domain of monsters.
One firestorm after another burned across the sky, turning it a fiery red. The scorching temperature made the battlefield feel like a massive microwave oven.
Clang—!
The miniature Judgment of Shamash: Might of An-Utu—and the Godslayer: Surtr clashed, producing a sound louder than distant thunder.
Though they appeared evenly matched—
Elias fought dual-wielding. His real Might of An-Utu slipped through the opening, aiming straight for the Kevin puppet's head.
The latter immediately gave up the blade lock and tried to dodge—
Only to be struck by a whip kick from Elias, sending it flying like a cannonball.
But credit where credit is due—the puppet, infused with Kevin's combat data, never missed an opening.
Even while being blown away, it fired a Shamash Assault back at Elias.
"Useless!"
Elias instantly countered with his own Shamash Assault.
The sky flared even redder.
In the next second, the puppet's flames were engulfed and pushed back, melting part of its body before it crashed onto the ocean's surface.
"Your Might of An-Utu is just a replica. Without a Herrscher Core, its output is significantly weaker. Mine isn't just the real deal—I'm also the current-era Herrscher of Fire."
Elias spoke expressionlessly. In terms of raw power, they weren't even in the same league.
The opponent wielded a degraded imitation.
He, on the other hand, was a dual-core enhanced version.
Not to mention, he no longer had to worry about energy consumption.
Ever since becoming a five-core Herrscher once again—now in his ascended form—Elias' Honkai energy reserves had broken through 15,000HW, with recovery speed multiplied several times over.
Right now, energy surged endlessly from his cores, recovering most of the Shamash Assault expenditure in the blink of an eye.
So far, Elias had used less than 10% of his reserves—his stamina seemingly limitless.
He glanced at the Might of An-Utu in his hand.
"Hmm... Not quite at the point where I can spam Shamash Assault like a normal attack, but it's basically a small skill now. And one without a cooldown at that—so satisfying~"
Elias closed his eyes in enjoyment. He loved this style of dual-wielding greatswords and charging in to hack away without restraint.
But even in a one-sided battle, he remained cautious.
Before the Kevin puppet hit the water, Elias had already dispatched his Moonlight Throne-type floating cannons for a follow-up strike.
At the same time, he had attention to spare for other battlefields.
Such as deploying dozens of Titan mechs to support Kiana and the others, replenishing front-line forces.
"...System damage exceeds 50%. Remaining Honkai energy below 10%. Calculating win rate... current victory probability under 5%. Recommend retreat."
After narrowly blasting apart several floating cannons, the Kevin puppet assessed its condition.
It concluded that Elias, even against the Flame-Chasers, would not be at a disadvantage.
Only those specialized in combat among the Flame-Chasers might match him. Even Kevin himself, without going full berserk, would have trouble suppressing Elias.
The puppet looked at its own replica Might of An-Utu.
The blade was covered in cracks.
Just as Elias had said—it was only a copy of the Divine Key. While its design specialized in mid- and close-range combat, Elias was an all-rounder.
Like now—the floating cannons the puppet had just managed to destroy reappeared, this time in multiples.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
"...Troublesome."
The Kevin puppet struggled to dodge.
If these were ordinary floating cannons, it wouldn't bother, but these were Moonlight Throne-type cannons capable of converting Honkai energy into conventional energy.
Each time it was hit, a large chunk of Honkai energy inside it was depleted.
Energy reserves originally sufficient to keep the machine running for 1,500 years—
Now, less than 20 minutes into the battle, had dropped below 10%.
"No retreat order received. Combat will continue."
"Hmm? Still not giving up, huh."
Elias raised an eyebrow. The puppet was already battered and broken, yet still assumed a combat stance. Even though it was just machinery and programming, he couldn't help but feel a tinge of respect.
"Hope I get to spar with the real Kevin someday."
"...Activating backup hidden energy source."
"Damn! Trying to self-destruct?"
Elias quickly pulled away. Backup energy source? Sounded nice, but it was clearly a setup for a self-detonation.
Though he wouldn't take much damage even if he tanked it, Elias still opted to maintain distance and destroy the puppet with ranged fire.
But just then—
"Kevin puppet, hold that guy off for me!"
A remote command from Otto came through, immediately shifting the puppet's tactics.
"Understood."
"...What the hell."
Elias blinked, realizing the puppet's behavior had changed. Its suddenly surging Honkai energy had stabilized, and its attacks became more conservative.
Just then, an urgent voice came through his headset.
"Bad news, Elias! Look up! The sky!"
"Hm? What about the sky?"
Kiana's voice made him instinctively glance upward. The next second, Elias' eyes widened in shock and fury.
"Otto, you absolute bastard!"
Three missiles were falling from the sky.
That purple glow—he'd never forget it.
Honkai Fissile Bombs!!
...
"Honkai Fissile Bombs launched successfully. Fifteen seconds until impact."
Otto gazed at the three growing violet lights in the sky. His expression was devoid of joy or sorrow—only cold indifference. This was the true face beneath his usual smiling mask.
Perhaps he had worn it so long, it had fused with his features. A few seconds later, he once again donned that elegant smile.
Then he spread his arms—
Like a host announcing the start of a tragic play.
"Now, let us reenact history."
This clown was opening the curtain on a tragedy.
(Ah, such a familiar sight. Fifteen years ago, the previous Herrscher of the Void also faced this kind of despair. Now it's your turn, K423. Struggle with all you've got under the shadow of these three Honkai Fissile Bombs.)
(Back then, I emptied Schicksal's entire arsenal of missiles and fission bombs, yet your predecessor blocked every single one.)
(I'm not expecting you to achieve the same. Not everyone can become a hero.)
(You don't need to protect everyone. Just protect yourself.)
Otto's gaze toward St. Freya Academy was ruthless and unfeeling.
If he had a choice, he wouldn't resort to such measures.
But now, he had no other option but to forcibly awaken the Herrscher consciousness within the Gem of the Void inside Kiana.
According to his research, in life-threatening situations, the Herrscher persona within the Gem had a chance of awakening and using incomplete authority for self-preservation.
Moreover, Honkai Fissile Bombs were among the greatest crises faced by the Herrscher of the Void during the Second Eruption—an experience so profound, it would surely stir the latent personality.
"Before the fission bombs land, even a partial awakening of your powers would be enough to teleport you to safety. Then, as the bombs strike, St. Freya Academy will be reduced to rubble."
"When you witness your home annihilated and the corpses of your closest friends—such despair will surely push you into Herrscher transformation."
Otto spoke with utter confidence.
"What a shame..."
He lowered his eyes, watching the Valkyries of Schicksal still fighting St. Freya under his command.
When the bombs hit, they too would be obliterated. And now, it was too late for them to escape.
"Oh well. Dead is dead."
He gave a second of silent mourning for his Valkyries before returning to his anticipation of destruction.
With over a decade of development, today's Honkai Fissile Bombs were far more powerful than those of the past. And this time, interception was impossible. Even St. Freya's powerful barriers wouldn't be able to withstand it.
Just as Otto was preparing to pop the champagne—
To celebrate the birth of the second Herrscher of the Void and the near-success of his long-held dream—
"Report: target failed to delay the enemy."
"Hm?"
The Kevin puppet's transmission made Otto freeze.
He immediately turned to look toward the direction of their fight.
A streak of teal light shot toward St. Freya with unimaginable speed, closing what should have been an unreachable distance in the blink of an eye.
(That's Elias?! Impossible. How did he suddenly get so fast? Even if he made it back in time, he shouldn't have a way to block the fission bombs. Shamash Assault won't work—the bombs are already too close...)
Suddenly, Otto's train of thought was interrupted.
He watched Elias hovering above St. Freya Academy, directly facing the three descending fission bombs.
Otto lost his composure and lunged at the screen in front of him.
Fifteen years of memories flashed through his mind.
"Exactly like back then..."
His eyes widened in disbelief.
Meanwhile, inside St. Freya Academy—
Every A-rank Valkyrie who had experienced the Second Eruption was frozen in shock, their gazes locked onto Elias' silhouette.
"Just like back then."
"Why is this happening again?"
"No, please, get out of there!"
Facing destruction from above—
Once again, the boy chose to shield them with his body!
They could hardly accept the sight of Elias' back, standing firm before certain death. At that moment, the image of the white-haired boy overlapped with the Herrscher of the Void from fifteen years ago—as if they were the same person!
To the Valkyries, it felt like they had returned to the Second Eruption, once again witnessing that heroic figure protecting everything. And now, they feared they would once again witness his fall...
But—
"There's no way I'm letting it end like last time!!!"
Elias roared.
The flames on his body extinguished, replaced by a rushing teal wind.
A pair of wind-forged wings spread wide behind him, and countless streams of wind rallied like his soldiers.
A cyclone burst upward from below, aimed directly at the falling Honkai Fissile Bombs.
"Herrscher of... Wind?!"
Otto shouted in disbelief.
Elias clenched his teeth, glaring at the three incoming bombs. He shut off the Herrscher of Fire and Reason's powers, focusing all his Honkai energy into the authority of the Herrscher of Wind.
A storm strong enough to lift land into the sky surged.
The three fission bombs, about to strike, were halted by the violent wind—unable to advance, even slowly pushed back!
"Find a weak spot... calculate the angle... then push—Get UP!!!"
Elias recalled the combat techniques Fu Hua had taught him. The immortal once said every attack had a weak point—if you found the right angle, even a gentle push could divert its trajectory.
With proper control, one could even redirect a punch back into the attacker's own face.
Now, Elias applied this principle to his manipulation of the wind, using it to shift the trajectory of the Honkai Fissile Bombs—sending them flying toward the Schicksal warships.
At the same time, he shouted a girl's name:
"Mei—!!"
"Understood. Electromagnetic field, maximum range!"
From afar, amidst battle, Mei instantly expanded her power's domain. Her electromagnetic field disrupted all electronic equipment in range—including the fission bombs.
Onboard the warship, Otto tried to manually override the bombs' controls—but it was too late. All he could do was watch his own weapons of destruction fly straight back at him.
A wave of fear surged within Otto.
But before he could even process it, the fission bomb struck the warship's bridge—more precisely, directly hit Otto's soulium face.
BOOM—!!!
BOOM—!!!
Two Schicksal warships were obliterated on the spot. Due to the sheer blast radius, five nearby ships were caught in the explosion. In total, seven warships were destroyed in an instant.
"Huff~! Huff~! Huff~!"
Elias gasped, heart pounding wildly.
He stared unblinking at the massive firework show, a wide, cathartic smile blooming across his face.
"Pffft-haha... hahahahahah—!!"
A tragedy that had once unfolded fifteen years ago—
There was no way he would let it repeat.
This time, Elias didn't play the role of the moth flying into the flame. He didn't shield the world with his body.
Instead, he gave Otto a taste of his own medicine.
And now, Elias was certain—he had finally surpassed the person he used to be.
"Hahaha~ Otto, you really have a knack for becoming fireworks! How's it feel? Your fission bombs taste good, don't they? Hahahaha~!!"
He gently touched the Herrscher Core of Wind embedded in the Key of Blankness.
Elias felt nothing but immense relief.
If he weren't the Herrscher of Wind with both the Current Era and Previous Era's Gem of Desire, he might've had to pay a serious price to handle those three fission bombs.
"Two Wind Herrscher Cores resonating with each other— even if a super rocket flew at me, I could blow it right back with a gust! Hah! This feels amazing!!"
The boy's hearty laughter echoed across the sky.
Down below, the Valkyries stood dazed. Staring at his back, they were entranced, their hearts racing.
Even the Schicksal Valkyries lowered their weapons.
They realized they had been abandoned by Otto Apocalypse. If not for Elias' intervention, they would've already perished under those fission bombs.
How could they possibly raise arms against St. Freya Academy after this?
"Too much output is hard to control... tch, looks like one of the bombs went off-course. But it's flying toward the ocean, so... phew, no big deal."
Elias exhaled slightly, relieved.
The move he'd just pulled was a first for him. All three fission bombs were successfully deflected—
But only two struck the Schicksal fleet. The last one veered off and vanished into the distance.
He estimated its landing point should be somewhere in the ocean.
As long as it didn't hit a populated area, he couldn't care less.
Even if it hit some random island and blew it sky-high—it wasn't his problem.
...
Some time later—
One Honkai Fissile Bomb drifted aimlessly through the sky. It had crossed mountains and oceans, forests and cities. Until its fuel ran out, it was a missile of freedom.
Now, it had found its final destination—
An uninhabited island.
Atop the island stood a brand-new villa.
Honkai Fissile Bomb: "Hmm~ Surrounded by ocean, totally deserted, beautiful view... yeah, this'll do!"
And then—
BOOM—!!
It exploded.
On that day—
An island villa soared into the sky.
It briefly blocked out the sun.
The burning heat of the fission bomb melted and disintegrated it.
Eventually... it fell into the sea and sank beneath the waves.
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