"Very good! That's it! My adorable audience/Elias, you're starting to get scared!"
Vill-V sat in the luxurious control room located at the deepest part of Armament Model 007 designed for Elias, watching with glee through night vision surveillance as the boy's expression gradually lost its calm.
Even though all those bizarre contraptions—Gatling zombies, chainsaw puppets, skeleton machine-gunners—were being obliterated by Elias, this level of destruction was well within Vill-V's expectations.
What truly mattered was never physical attack. After these two months, she had fully understood that with the maximum firepower she could currently produce, there was simply no way to threaten Elias.
Unless, of course, she had enough materials to build a nuclear bomb—maybe then there'd be a slight chance.
This Armament Model 007 wasn't about brute force.
The key was mental assault!
Vill-V's personally crafted horror-themed mechanical dolls!
They were her infernal masterpieces, born from binge-watching fifty horror movies. These things could scare someone half to death even in broad daylight.
"Come now~ Stop resisting, my adorable audience. Let me hear your soul-shaking screams already!"
Vill-V watched the monitors with boundless anticipation.
Just imagining that usually calm, composed, and smooth-talking boy letting out a terrified shriek made her giddy with excitement.
However...
"Hm? Where is he? Where did he go?"
Suddenly, Elias vanished from the monitors.
Vill-V blinked and began switching between cameras frantically, but no matter which one she checked, Elias was nowhere to be seen.
And in the very next second—
A pair of ice-cold hands reached from behind her, brushing her neck and cheek as a teasing voice whispered into her ear:
"Got you~"
"Aaaaaaahhhhhh—GHOST!!"
Vill-V let out a shriek, her eyes brimming with tears.
Because she had watched too many horror movies, she had ironically become terrified of ghosts. Like someone diving for their last refuge, she scrambled into the nearest closet on her knees and hands.
"Huff~ Huff~ I'm safe now. It's fine, I'm okay. In movies, this always works. As long as I hide in the closet, nothing bad happens. Uuu, I'm staying in here forever!"
Just as she was starting to relax—
"You thought~ hiding in a closet~ would keep you safe~?"
Elias's ghostly voice echoed, and a pair of pale hands reached through the slightly ajar closet door.
"Aaaaahhhhh—! This isn't how it's supposed to go in the movies!! Somebody help me! I won't do it again, I swear!"
Vill-V clutched her shoulders and trembled in despair. Just as she was about to pass out from fear—
Pfft, puhaha, hahahaha! Elias finally couldn't hold it in.
He opened the closet door and looked at the thoroughly spooked Vill-V, his heart brimming with satisfaction. That earlier fright he'd gotten from her zombie skeletons? Completely avenged.
Vill-V's engineering skills were undoubtedly top-notch. Those infernal mechanical dolls had genuinely scared Elias a little—he'd never had strong resistance to horror in the first place.
So he quickly decided to cheat and skip ahead.
Using the Herrscher of the Void's authority, he teleported straight into the deepest room Vill-V had mentioned.
Then, seeing her reclining comfortably on a sofa, watching the monitors to enjoy his potential embarrassment—his desire for revenge instantly kicked in. He decided to play a small prank on Vill-V.
What he didn't expect was such a priceless reaction.
"Ah? Elias? It was you..."
"Mhm~ Disappointed? Or were you actually hoping a real ghost would show up?"
"No, no! Uuu, I was scared to death..."
Vill-V shook her head like a rattle.
Her pitiful, curled-up appearance only made Elias want to bully her more!
(Right... I really can turn into a ghost. Haha, next time I should morph into a quantum specter and give her a real surprise. Hehehe~)
At that moment, imaginary little devil horns popped up on Elias' head, and Vill-V shivered instinctively.
"Why did it suddenly get so cold? Uuu, don't tell me this place is actually haunted? No, no! I can't stay here anymore—I need sunlight!"
"Eh, we're only just getting started. What you just experienced was Western horror—not scary enough. Next time, I'll show you what true Eastern horror is. That'll chill you to your soul."
Elias thought about the few horror movies he'd seen in his previous life. Western ones were still bearable, but Eastern horror? Just thinking about them made him shudder—he couldn't sleep with the lights off after watching one.
Elias: "Thank goodness the first thing I saw in that building was a Gatling Pea zombie. If it had been a pair of embroidered shoes, I would've surrendered on the spot!"
Vill-V: "???"
After that, Elias accompanied Vill-V in watching two episodes of Makka Pakka, and she finally calmed down.
"That's seven rounds done. I win."
Elias crossed his arms and declared. According to their original agreement, Vill-V now officially belonged to him.
"Alright, alright, a bet's a bet. But I won't stop developing the Armament Model for you. Next time I come up with something new, you better come test it."
"Gladly. Your inventions are always fascinating. I'd actually be disappointed if they ended here."
"How could I let down my adorable audience? But Elias, what exactly do you want me to do? Serve Fire Moth?"
Vill-V scratched her head and asked curiously.
"Of course not. Vill-V, I don't intend to—nor will I allow—those foolish bureaucrats to squander your once-in-a-millennium genius."
"So, Vill-V, from now on, you only need to serve me—or rather... serve this era."
Elias extended a hand to her. His resolute tone made Vill-V's heart race.
What an arrogant boy! It was as if he were saying: serving him was the same as serving the entire world!
"Very well, it would be my honor!"
Vill-V grasped Elias' hand without hesitation.
In that instant, she felt as if the gears of fate had realigned and her future had changed.
"Don't worry. I won't let you get bored."
Elias suddenly grinned.
He had no plans to make Vill-V build prisons. Things like the Deep End and Divine Keys might be necessary, but the rest would just waste her talent.
Besides, he had plans of his own.
Elias took out a projector and pressed a button. Instantly, several 3D projections of mechas appeared in glowing blue light.
"This is the Titan mecha, this one's from the Aesir series, and that's an Arahato-class robot. Vill-V, help me improve them. I don't ask for much—just upgrade them to where they can take on a Templar-class Honkai Beast. Should be easy for you."
"Ooooh~! Now this is interesting. Elias, I didn't expect you to understand mecha as well. You've got taste!"
Vill-V's eyes lit up. Though she usually built weapons and gadgets, when it came to mechs—she was all in.
She was just as much of a pro in this field!
The 3D projections Elias provided were incredibly high-tech—similar to the touch-interactive holograms seen in Iron Man.
When Vill-V tapped the Arahato-class robot projection, it instantly scaled up to a full 1:1 size. Every part of the machine could be disassembled, with even the smallest screw labeled and annotated in detail.
"Oho? Now this mech is interesting. I can tell the designer prioritized romance over performance. Not bad, not bad. But the aesthetics aren't flashy enough, the specs aren't extreme enough, and it doesn't even have basics like armor burst or transformation. Clearly, this designer lacks soul~"
Vill-V shook her head as she critiqued the Arahato.
If Tesla and Bronya had been present, their reactions would've been priceless—especially Tesla, who either designed the Arahato or was its most loyal fan.
"The rest of these... Well, they're just standard-issue, mass-production practicality mechs. No romance whatsoever. Pretty average. Kind of boring. But they do have potential. Leave them to me, and making them capable of soloing a Templar-class Honkai Beast won't be a problem."
Vill-V spoke with full confidence.
In just a short amount of time, she had already come up with multiple upgrade plans for both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy's high-tech mechs.
"I guarantee a firepower boost of at least 200%, performance boost of 50%, and an aesthetic enhancement of 1000%!"
As she said this, Vill-V smacked her chest proudly—and those two large, soft "front-mounted armors" of hers jiggled like overinflated balloons.
Elias felt his heart skip a beat. Just from Vill-V's earlier critique, he knew he'd found the right person.
Quietly, he activated the Herrscher of Reason's authority and passed a stack of schematics to this green-hooded powerhouse.
"Ahem, Miss Vill-V, my dearest master inventor—take a look at these. Think they're doable?"
"Hm? Let me see? Are these blueprints?"
"Yes. More precisely, just exterior design blueprints. They contain zero technical data. What do you think?"
What Elias handed over were none other than mechs from the two-dimensional world of his previous life—Strike Freedom, RX-0 Full Armor Unicorn Gundam Plan B, ASW-G-08 Gundam Barbatos Lupus Rex, Gipsy Danger, Divine Arsenal AA-ZEUS, and more.
"Cool~!"
Vill-V's eyes sparkled. To her, the white-haired boy in front of her was a genius. Never mind practicality—these mock-ups were insanely stylish just from an aesthetic standpoint alone!
Now this—this was romance. Humanoid mechs were the ultimate dream!
"Leave it to me! Totally doable! Absolutely!"
Vill-V gave a big thumbs-up. Her hands were already itching to get started. It would take time, sure, but with her skills? She could definitely make it happen.
After all, she was known as the woman who could do anything—as long as she wanted to!
"Ahem, but... mechs of this scale will require a massive research and development budget. And right now, I'm flat broke~~~"
In the next second, Vill-V deflated. She rubbed her fingers together awkwardly.
Even the greatest inventor of the century couldn't escape the eternal curse known as "insufficient funding." And right now, Vill-V was literally penniless.
She'd spent every last coin she had on creating Armament Models 001 through 007 for Elias over the past two months.
Take Model 007, for example. She'd bought a whole three-story building just to convert it. Without external support, she'd be eating dirt for the next six months.
"When you say funding, you really just mean resources, right?"
Elias rubbed his chin.
"Mhm mhm mhm! Elias, the mechs you're asking for will require astronomical amounts of resources. Some of them might not even be purchasable with money. Sure, I can handcraft what can't be bought, but no matter how you look at it, it'll cost an astronomical figure within an astronomical figure."
Vill-V replied a bit sheepishly.
Looking at those dazzling, romantic mechs, Vill-V could only hate that she wasn't rich enough to rival a nation. How could something as trivial as money block the path to her dreams?
She turned her head and gazed longingly at a perfume ad on a nearby wall—endorsed by none other than the superstar Eden.
Thinking about Eden, who was rumored to be wealthy enough to buy a small country just for fun, who tossed diamonds to beggars as pocket change—Vill-V's tears of envy practically flowed from her mouth.
And just as a string of dangerous money-making schemes started forming in her mind—
"It's fine. Resources aren't a problem."
The boy beside her suddenly radiated pure extravagance. Vill-V's eyes widened, not quite able to process what she'd heard.
"E-Elias?"
"From now on, whatever you need, I'll provide. Build to your heart's content! Let your creativity go wild! Don't hold anything back. Push it to the limit! Whatever you need, just make a list, and I'll make it appear."
"Daddy aaaahhhh!!!"
Vill-V's knees gave out, and she dropped to the ground in worship.
Clinging tightly to Elias's thigh, she shouted "Daddy" with such sincere, hysterical fervor it nearly pierced the sky.
Listen! Just listen!
Was that even human speech?!
Elias, you're my eternal god!
This was the client she'd never dared dream of!
At that moment, the way Vill-V looked at Elias completely changed. If he asked her to warm his bed tonight, she probably wouldn't hesitate for even a second.
Vill-V: "I, V, have wandered half my life, only to regret never meeting a true sovereign. If you'll have me, I'll call you father. If not, I'll settle for being your leg accessory!"
Elias: "Rise, my daughter. There's no need for such formality."
In that moment, Elias once again gave heartfelt thanks for the Herrscher of Reason's authority—and for the limitless might of Honkai energy!
With his current reserve of 19,000HW of Honkai energy, combined with the power of the Herrscher of Reason, he could literally construct an entire city from scratch!
If Vill-V needed any materials or resources, all Elias had to do was analyze them—and then he could handcraft as many as needed.
Together, they were a terrifying duo indeed.
Elias could provide Vill-V with unlimited resources.
And to Vill-V, unlimited resources meant her greatest limiter was gone.
With Elias as her ultimate support plug-in—
Who knew just how far this "Helix"-branded genius could advance the tech tree!
"But let's not worry about the future mechs just yet. First, focus on improving the ones I gave you. They're higher priority and will be useful soon."
Elias reminded her seriously.
As much as he wanted to bring the dreams of his previous life into reality, the Third Eruption was looming.
If they could prepare a reliable mech army in advance, it would definitely reduce casualties when the time came.
He remembered the Fourth Eruption at St. Freya Academy—it was only thanks to the nearly one thousand Titan mechs he had constructed that the Valkyries only suffered single-digit losses.
In the Current Era, both mechanical and biological development were advancing side by side. The Previous Era, however, had focused almost entirely on the biological.
Elias had already made up his mind. If he and Vill-V could develop the mech technology the Previous Era lacked, they could drastically reduce the death toll among regular soldiers.
After all, Honkai didn't only bring Herrschers.
The unending hordes of Honkai Beasts roaming the world were just as dangerous. And they couldn't all be handled by a handful of elites. Ordinary troops had to fight with their lives.
"Roger that, boss! Three days, tops!"
Vill-V gave a sharp salute and once again patted her towering, heart-stopping "front display."
A client this rare—no, this miraculous—came once in a millennium. Vill-V was now fully devoted. Whatever Elias requested, she would give her all!
No helping it—he offered too much!
But that wasn't the only reason.
Back when she grasped Elias's hand and agreed to his offer—
Vill-V felt something. In that moment, she sensed she had stepped onto a different plane alongside Elias. She had become part of the immense, crushing burden the boy carried.
Elias hadn't recruited her for fun.
He did it because he needed her.
And as someone chosen by this boy—she had to live up to that expectation!
"Vill-V, you're wearing a great expression right now."
Elias smiled with satisfaction at the girl now burning with passion. Once again, he extended his hand toward her.
"Now then, come with me and let's save the world, master inventor."