"Boy, what exactly are you planning?"
Vill-V asked curiously over the phone.
This young man—who had arrested her and thrown her in prison, yet believed more than anyone that she could escape—had seriously piqued the great magician's curiosity.
While twirling the phone cord with her fingers, Vill-V speculated about Elias' intentions.
Maybe he was a devoted fan of hers.
Or perhaps a clairvoyant who could see the future.
Or maybe...
"Vill-V, I need you."
Crack!!
"To help in the great mission of fighting against the Honkai."
Just as Elias said the first half of his sentence, a burst of static crackled through the terminal, like some kind of technical issue. Whether or not Vill-V heard the rest was anyone's guess.
By the way, Elysia was also wearing a startled expression. When Elias said the first part, the pink elf genuinely thought she was about to get "green-tagged" again.
Hmm? Why "again"? Elysia's eyes slowly drifted toward a certain snake who was slurping her cup noodles.
A dozen seconds later—
"Ahem! Sorry about that. There was a slight technical hiccup on my end. It's fixed now—we can continue chatting."
Vill-V's voice returned on the terminal. Since it was only a voice call, Elias couldn't see the flustered look on her face.
Back in the Dusk Street phone booth, Vill-V had accidentally yanked the cord loose while playing with it, her fingers twitching the moment she heard that first sentence.
The genius girl then blushed furiously, scrambled to fix the phone, and called Elias back.
"Ahem ahem! My dear audience, you're certainly bold—but unfortunately, we're not on the same team. However, if you'd like to leave a wicked organization like Fire Moth, I might consider letting you join my—'Helixcraft'~"
"Heh! He's part of Mobius' Lab now, latecomer. Don't even think about stealing him from me!"
"Hmm? That voice—isn't it the green-haired auntie from that day? She has no chance of competing with this genius. My dear audience saw her horrifying behavior too, right? She tried putting computer parts in cup noodles!"
"Vill! V! Looks like my neurotoxin was far too mild. Next time, I'll make one that keeps you paralyzed for three whole days and nights—and if I hit the lower half, you won't even be able to control your own bodily functions!"
"Ah?! So that cursed neurotoxin was your doing, you green-haired auntie?! How evil! Absolutely wicked! My dear audience, I urge you to renounce darkness and return to the light!"
As Mobius and Vill-V began bickering over the call, Elias felt a headache coming on.
Meanwhile, Elysia puffed up her cheeks and joined the fray, firmly asserting her claim.
"Hey! You two! Elias belongs to me—the Miss Pink Elf! I won't let you have him!"
"Aaaah! All of you, SHUT UP! We're not getting anywhere like this!"
Elias facepalmed with one hand, while the hand gripping the terminal subconsciously tightened—cracking the device.
"First, let me clarify something. Vill-V, you've misunderstood. The Honkai wasn't caused by Fire Moth. While I won't say they're a righteous organization, their mission is to stop the Honkai. As for their information control… well, some things simply aren't meant for the public just yet."
"Huh? Is that for real?"
"I've posted a detailed explanation on the account 'xxxxxxxx'. Go check it out when you have time. And now, I'm officially inviting you to join us—to fight against the Honkai together… Great Magician, believe me. This is a crisis for all of humanity."
On the other end of the call, Vill-V looked genuinely surprised. She pulled out a makeshift mini-computer from her backpack and logged into the account Elias mentioned.
Though it wasn't impossible the info could be fabricated, the detailed parameters, Herrscher descriptions, Honkai Beast illustrations—and combined with Elias' tone and that mysterious feminine intuition—
Vill-V fell silent for a moment, then continued:
"Alright, I believe you're telling the truth. But joining your crew or whatever? Kotowaru!! For starters, I have zero fondness for organizations that mess around with human experimentation. This genius prefers to act solo ¨〃!"
"As expected. In that case, Vill-V, I propose a wager."
"…My dear audience, what are you talking about? I don't understand a word you're saying."
Vill-V blinked.
"Heh, really now? You truly don't understand, Vill-V? That day—when you watched your prized mechanical creations be effortlessly dismantled by me—are you sure you didn't feel frustrated? That you didn't crave… revenge?"
Elias' eyes narrowed, smiling like a white fox. And his words hit Vill-V right where it hurt.
As a high priestess of mechanical worship and a believer in technological ascension, how could Vill-V not want to challenge a man who had achieved physical transcendence?
Just recalling Elias smashing her machines to pieces with his bare hands made her grind her teeth.
Even if Elias didn't give her a chance—
She knew she'd eventually come back, fuming, to settle the score herself.
"Vill-V, I'll give you seven chances to challenge me. You may use your inventions to face me. If I lose, I'll join your 'Helixcraft.' But if I win all seven times—then you'll become mine."
Elias crossed one arm over his chest, eyes gleaming with challenge.
"Of course, you're free to decline. But I doubt the youngest master of the Helixcraft, the Magician King of the Dusk Era, the most brilliant mind in engineering, would back down from a challenge."
"Haha… Hahaha! Interesting! Truly interesting! What a rare and delightful audience! Not only are you willing to challenge the magician—you're letting the magician challenge you!"
Vill-V laughed in pure excitement.
Such a blatant provocation was impossible to ignore. For someone who prided herself on being a genius, this was a challenge she simply couldn't turn down.
"I accept the wager! My dear audience, please—tell me your name."
"Elias."
"What an elegant name! Then consider yourself honored—for the sake of such an amusing audience, I shall name my next genius invention after you: Elias-Armament Model 001!"
Vill-V declared with full flair.
"Heh~ I look forward to your work."
Elias smirked. The two hung up at the same time.
Then he couldn't help but laugh aloud. Who would've thought—Vill-V, who was supposed to design gear to counter Kevin, had now shifted focus to designing Elias-specific armaments thanks to his meddling.
And just imagining Vill-V's wild ideas made Elias' face light up with anticipation. Looks like the future's going to get a whole lot more fun.
"Elias, your ambitions aren't small."
"Mobius..."
"You're trying to win that woman over, aren't you? No—more than that. Considering how you treat me, too… You greedy little thing. Don't tell me you're planning to undergo both genetic and mechanical ascension?"
Mobius leaned on the table with folded arms, those serpent-like eyes staring intently at Elias.
"I have no interest in mechanical or genetic ascension. It's just that… Dr. Mobius, Vill-V is like you—a rare, one-of-a-kind genius. If humanity is to overcome the Honkai, your strengths are indispensable."
"Defeat the Honkai, defeat the Honkai—are you that obsessed with it?"
Mobius asked curiously.
"It's not an obsession—it's a mission. Defeating the Honkai and saving this era—that's the reason I was born."
Elias shook his head and answered seriously.
"Is that so? Fine then… Elias, I will uncover every one of your secrets. Not a single one will be left hidden."
Mobius raised her right hand, slowly curling her slender fingers into a fist. The curiosity and desire to dissect every facet of this white-haired boy were practically overflowing from her eyes.
Elias smiled, arms open wide as if welcoming her pursuit.
(Emmm, this won't do. My dear Elias is just too mysterious. That kind of allure is way too strong for research girls. I really need to keep an eye on him!)
Elysia propped up her chin, reminding herself.
To science-types, looks, personality, and even strength paled in comparison to the allure of a single word: "mystery." And Elias… was shrouded in mystery.
Secrets shimmered around him like stars in the night sky.
Elysia felt like she was starting to understand why people like Mei and Mobius were so captivated by him.
(Things are about to get even more fun. Great! If possible, I hope to recruit Vill-V, our SSR-tier character, before the Third Eruption arrives.)
Elias licked his lips and muttered to himself.
Among the Flame-Chasers, the one he looked forward to the most was Vill-V—because in this 'Helix'-branded genius, Elias saw the possibility of true romance.
Gundams! He wanted to pilot a Gundam!
And besides—
Although Vill-V's creations often came with tons of unnecessary functions or seemed absurd in concept—many labeled her masterpieces as "brilliant little pieces of junk"—
Elias didn't mind that at all!
In fact, he found it extremely interesting!
Elias loved flashy, over-the-top designs! Whether practical or not didn't matter—as long as it was fun and looked cool, it was in his strike zone!
As for her multiple personalities potentially complicating their interactions? Please, Elias had met plenty of such cases already. Seele, Mei, Kiana… Vill-V was just on another level of complexity.
Elias found it totally cool!
...
After that, Elias' daily routine expanded.
In addition to regularly performing Flame-Chaser missions to hunt down Honkai Beasts, going on frequent dates with Elysia (three-day minor dates, five-day major ones), assisting Mobius with her experiments, and playing with the adorable Griseo—
He now had a new duty: accepting Vill-V's invention challenges!
And two months after that fateful wager—
Elias-Armament Model 001 had evolved into Elias-Armament Model 007.
Which meant today was the final round.
"The thrilling moment has arrived! Don't hold back your applause and gasps! Presenting Elias-Armament Model 007—developed over two full weeks by your one and only genius magician!"
In a deserted area, Vill-V stood proudly beside a massive creation veiled in red fabric. As her voice fell, fireworks launched, and streamers rained down.
"Ooooh~ Amazing! You're awesome!"
Elias cheered and clapped with full enthusiasm. Even though this was a weapon made to defeat him, he had enjoyed every round thoroughly, and each one had him looking forward to the next.
Vill-V puffed up her chest with pride, then yanked at the red cloth… several times—before finally pulling it off.
The structure was so massive that it took multiple attempts. It was as tall as a three- or four-story building. Or rather, Elias-Armament Model 007—
Was literally a small building.
"Oh great inventor, give us the breakdown!"
"No explanations this time—just know there's a big surprise inside! I'll be hiding in the deepest part of Model 007. If you can make it all the way to me, you win!"
"Oh? That sounds easy."
"Of course not! Model 007 is the most dedicated masterpiece I've created so far! Built jointly by the Magician and the Expert! I even put in my food money for the next six months—ahem! Anyway, this time I'm definitely going to win, Elias!"
With that, Vill-V turned and ran straight into the structure without looking back.
Elias curiously took in the sight.
Technically, he had already won. No matter what traps or mechanisms were inside this building, he could level it from the outside with ease.
"But that'd be too boring. This is the combined effort of Vill-V's Magician and Expert personas. I might as well see what kind of surprises they've prepared."
Saying this, Elias stepped inside.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the light vanished, and everything went pitch black.
With a clank, the iron doors slammed shut, sealing off all light. The small building instantly transformed into a sealed, pitch-dark chamber. Elias raised an eyebrow and prepared to restore lighting.
"Awooooo—!!"
"What the hell?!"
Suddenly, ghostly blue flames flickered to life, accompanied by creepy music. A grotesque, bloodied creature appeared out of nowhere, letting out a grating roar as it charged at Elias—
Wielding a Honkai-powered gatling gun.
RATATATATATA—!
"Screw this! DIE!"
Even startled, Elias reacted swiftly. Dodging the bullets with ease, he dashed forward and kicked the monstrosity into pieces.
Illuminating the area with his communicator, he discovered it was an animatronic zombie mech.
Elias began to understand what was going on.
"…Vill-V, really? This your plan?"
He took a deep breath and continued forward.
Soon, more monstrosities emerged one after another:
Chainsaw-wielding mummies, laser-eyed skeletons, plasma-scythe-toting grim reapers, full-body chainsaw Frankensteins—you name it.
Although defeating these high-tech horror-themed machines wasn't hard, Elias' breathing had become slightly ragged.
"Okay, okay… psychological warfare stacked on top of physical traps, huh? So that's how you want to play it, Vill-V!"
With a wave of his hand, he shattered a swarm of drones disguised as flaming skulls that had been rushing at him.
Honestly, watching those skeleton heads open their jaws to reveal machine gun barrels was… quite the experience.
Elias muttered, "Tch! I'm done playing around with you!"