Sapphire City.
The 20th minute of the Third Honkai Eruption.
"Why did it turn out like this..." A gray-haired, green-eyed girl stared blankly and hopelessly at the city before her.
It had all happened far too suddenly. She hadn't even had time to feel sorrow.
Just moments ago, the city had been peaceful and beautiful.
And in the blink of an eye, it had turned into a tragic hell.
She saw people disintegrate into ash in an instant, or transform into terrifying white zombies. Horrific white monsters appeared from thin air, rampaging and destroying everything around them.
The brightly lit city lost all of its light. Even the moon above was obscured by black clouds. Only the eerie purple glow from the monsters faintly illuminated the surroundings.
"I can't do anything..."
Hua curled up in despair in a corner of the city.
She had originally planned to return home during school break today. But the Honkai had descended without warning.
So unreasonable—so utterly cruel—it had destroyed her world.
Now, Hua sat with arms wrapped around her knees, hiding in the ruins.
The martial arts she had trained in up to now were useless against these white monsters. Just like how an ant, no matter how strong, could never defeat a human.
All she could do was run and hide.
So pitiful, so helpless.
Like a little mouse cowering in the corner of a dead city, praying the monsters wouldn't notice her.
If there was anything she could still do, it was to scream inwardly at the catastrophe—why had it turned out like this?
Rustle—
(I've been found!)
The monster's screech came from terrifyingly close. Hua didn't think—she instinctively dove forward, narrowly dodging a charge from a Chariot-class Honkai Beast. Thankfully, years of martial arts training had granted her that reflex.
But there wouldn't be a second time!
Those white, giant mosquito-like Chariot-class Honkai Beasts, though among the weakest, still struck with the force of bullets when charging.
And now, Hua had been completely exposed.
Rustle—!
Bzzz—!
Whirr—!
Roar—!
From all sides came Chariot-class, Templar-class, and even Emperor-level Honkai Beasts—completely surrounding the girl.
These creatures, driven by instinct to slaughter humans, automatically targeted any nearby life. And Hua was now one of the few living humans left in Sapphire City.
Hua stared at the encirclement in despair. In the face of such overwhelming violence, there was nothing she could do—only wait for death.
The beasts lunged at her, ready to tear her to pieces.
And just as Hua closed her eyes to accept her fate—
"By this fire, may the uncuttable be cleaved!"
Blazing flames descended from the sky.
Like a burning meteor.
It pierced the dark clouds that had shrouded the stars and fell into the city—right in front of Hua, incinerating every threat to her life in a flash.
"Ah..."
Hua stared, dazed, at the fire that had fallen from the heavens. With the dark clouds above burned away, gentle moonlight finally shone down upon the scarred city.
And under that light, she finally saw what had come to her rescue.
It was a flawless white-haired boy, his entire body wrapped in golden-red flames. In his hand was a blazing greatsword. With a single swing, he turned all the monsters to ash.
"It's okay now. I'm here to save you."
"Ah..."
Hua trembled slightly as she looked up at Elias.
Kneeling on the ground, she instinctively reached out toward Elias—like a tragic girl praying to the white angel who had finally appeared before her.
She managed to grab hold of his coat and, without caring about the flames surrounding the boy, dove straight into his arms.
Like a frozen moth finally finding the warmth of fire—even if it meant being burned to ashes, she would still throw herself forward.
"It's alright now. You're safe."
(So warm...)
That was the only thought running through Hua's mind.
The flames that had just annihilated every monster now wrapped gently around her, warming her instead of burning. They dispelled all her cold and despair.
Perhaps, just now, she truly was a moth chasing the flame.
But this flame—was so gentle.
"Please... who are you... really?"
"Just a passing savior, that's all."
"Elias! Did you save that girl? Thank goodness! Come back quickly! The Third Herrscher is heading toward Nagazora! And there's even a Judgment-level Honkai Beast with her!"
Elysia flew down from the sky in her aircraft.
Upon seeing that both of them were safe, she let out a breath of relief.
Elysia didn't mind that the girl was clinging to her beloved boyfriend. She understood—people in such situations needed something to rely on to keep going.
And Elias was a perfect source of support.
Even she was used to relying on Elias.
"Alright, I'll be right there... but we can't leave her here. Let's take her along in our transport."
"Of course. There's no such thing as a safe zone in this area now. Even the shelters aren't secure anymore."
Elysia nodded seriously.
"Only by eliminating the Herrscher and her Honkai Beast can this disaster be ended."
Elias turned to glance at Sapphire City, then pulled out a palm-sized detector—Vill-V's latest invention, capable of scanning for life signs within a certain range.
After confirming that Hua was the last surviving human in the city, he sighed.
The Honkai was simply too cruel.
Fire Moth's transport system was based on squad deployment, but their aircraft carried only Elias and Elysia. Over the past two years, Elias had never recruited any teammates.
Though many had applied to join their squad, no one could keep up with the combat pace of Elias and Elysia. In the end, they all chose to drop out.
Which meant the only partners they could rely on were each other.
And because their numbers were so small—and Elysia's piloting was chaotic but effective—they were able to arrive in Sapphire City in just 20 minutes, which was already impressively fast.
But against the Honkai, even a second's delay could mean no chance at all…
The Honkai Eruption that gave birth to a Herrscher could annihilate all life within its range in an instant!
Without sufficient Honkai resistance, humans caught in it would either be reduced to ash—or transformed into the dead.
As they flew in, Elias had kept his eyes locked on the detector. The moment he located a single life sign, he had jumped straight out of the aircraft.
And that life had turned out to be Hua.
"Thank you… But, what is happening here…?"
Elias draped a blanket over Hua's shoulders and handed her a bottle of heated water.
Hua immediately clutched it tightly. The warmth of the water gave her a sliver of peace.
Unlike the one known as "Guardian of Shenzhou" fifty millennia from now, she hadn't yet renamed herself Fu Hua. She wasn't the legendary Immortal Phoenix—just a normal girl named Hua.
"This is a disaster… a war between gods and humans. I'm sorry… you're the only one I was able to save."
Elias couldn't help but feel a tinge of sorrow.
Though he knew that, as one bearing the "Rewinder" trait, he could redo everything infinitely—that failing to prevent all tragedies in this "first run" was perfectly normal, and that he simply needed to record what happened and make use of it in the next loop—
Still, looking at the city destroyed by the Honkai, Elias couldn't suppress the bitterness in his heart.
He clenched his fists tightly.
He didn't look away. Instead, he engraved every inch of this ruined scene into his memory.
In that moment, the white-haired boy made a vow to everyone:
Humanity will defeat the Honkai. But we will never pay the price. Someday... I will save everyone.
Elias etched this tragedy into his heart—only by remembering it could he ensure that next time, he wouldn't forget to change it.
Hua stared blankly at the boy standing at the edge of the cabin. For some reason, she had the feeling… even though this boy had saved her, he himself had not yet been saved.
Someone as withdrawn as her never fit in with others, so she rarely spoke.
But now, Hua felt she had to say something. She reached out, gently tugging at Elias' coat, and with effort, said the most plain yet heartfelt words:
"Thank you… for saving me."
"...You're welcome, Hua."
Elias was momentarily stunned before forcing a faint smile.
"Eh? How do you know my name…?"
Faced with Hua's confused gaze, Elias merely shook his head. He couldn't exactly tell her, I've seen you fifty thousand years in the future, now could he?
And at that moment, they arrived at the true battlefield—
Nagazora City!
This city, as if entwined by fate—
The birthplace of the Herrscher of Thunder in the current era. And now, as if summoned by destiny, the Herrscher of Thunder of this era had come to this city, unleashing destructive lightning again and again.
"...It's already mostly destroyed. Ely, don't fly too close—the transport might malfunction..."
"O-Okay!"
Elias frowned as he looked at the burning city below. Within the electromagnetic field of the Herrscher of Thunder, ordinary machines behaved like they'd been hit by an EMP.
Nagazora City had lost all power. Only the fires ignited by the thunderbolts illuminated the city.
They calculated their approach and landed atop a rooftop. Looking into the distance, they could already see the Herrscher.
That figure—like a thunder god descending to earth—brought ruin to everything around her simply by existing.
A massive serpent-like shadow coiled around the Herrscher of Thunder, moving with her as they ravaged the world.
"Elias, we just received intel from HQ. The Third Herrscher's Honkai Eruption has affected all of East Asia! Nagazora and Sapphire Cities are the worst hit!"
Elysia's face turned pale.
The First and Second Herrschers' eruptions had each wiped out only a single city. But the Third Herrscher's eruption covered all of East Asia.
This went beyond everyone's expectations—except Elias'.
He shook his head, expression unchanged.
Based on the records from the Previous Era found in the Elysian Realm, this marked a turning point. The First and Second Herrschers were just appetizers. The Third through Sixth were on another level, and everything beyond the Seventh… were true world-ending Herrschers.
The current Herrscher of Thunder's eruption was already several times larger than those caused by the first two. That meant her Honkai energy also far exceeded theirs.
Without an individual strong enough to confront her, Fire Moth could only throw lives at the problem—and they might even be wiped out first.
Especially since the Herrscher of Thunder had a powerful shield.
Judgment-level Honkai Beast: Shesha!
"The local Fire Moth forces are nearly wiped out. We can't let the Herrscher escape this city. We're going in."
"You two… plan to take on that monster?"
Hua's face showed both fear and awe. Even from this distance, she could feel the overwhelming presence of the Herrscher.
Just as Elias had said earlier—this was a war between humans and gods. But how could humans possibly triumph over gods?
"...Stay hidden here. Don't run around. There are still Honkai Beasts nearby, but if you have this, you'll be fine."
Elias slit his wrist, letting his blood flow.
He poured his Holy Blood into the bottle Hua was holding. With his Schariac Holy Blood, any Honkai Beast below Emperor-level would instinctively avoid this area.
"Stay safe… and bear witness. Witness humanity triumph over the divine."
Elias gently patted her head.
Then he and Elysia dashed forward—racing toward the Herrscher of Thunder.
"Humans… defeating a god…"
Hua unconsciously tightened her grip on the bottle. Watching Elias and Elysia's backs, she suddenly heard cheers in the distance. Looking down, she spotted a group of soldiers.
"It's Captain Elias and Miss Elysia! Thank god—we're saved!!"
"Take down that Herrscher! If it's those two, they can do it for sure!"
"Finally, finally—they're here! Quick, let's take this chance to clear out the rest of the Honkai Beasts and find any survivors!"
"Please… Captain Elias, Miss Elysia—please win this!"
In the face of despair, heroes always rise. Seeing the two charging toward the Herrscher, what had been a hopeless morale now soared.
And just then—
"Let the show begin! Rejoice and cheer! The 'Helixcraft's' Vill-V officially enters the battlefield!"
Before anyone could react, a woman's voice rang out—followed by a rain of mechs falling from the sky. In the next instant, artillery roared and lasers fired.
Countless Honkai Beasts were wiped out in an instant.
Vill-V, both nervous and thrilled, sat inside her Strike Freedom, the command mech, coordinating the battle.
"I can't beat a Herrscher, but I can at least clear a path for you, Elias!"
Behind her, the blue mechanical wings of the mech transformed into massive shoulder cannons. High-density Honkai energy gathered and compressed inside.
Once the energy reached critical mass—
"Fire!"
Vill-V slammed the launch button.
A massive beam cannon shot forth, erasing all Honkai Beasts blocking Elias and Elysia's path.
"Nice work, Vill-V!"
"The stage is yours now, Elias."