A few minutes ago, at the Fire Moth headquarters—
"Honkai Eruption range confirmed. The entire East Asia region is affected! Cities like Nagazora, Sapphire, and six other major urban centers have taken catastrophic damage! Estimated casualties in the millions!"
"Missiles failed to make an impact! All our missiles became non-functional within three kilometers of the Herrscher of Thunder's location! Not a single one hit the target!"
"Analysis of the Herrscher's displayed authority suggests she possesses a specialized electromagnetic field! Our current equipment lacks protection against this, rendering them ineffective within her domain. All chips have been fried!"
"Ten elite squads have all been wiped out! The Honkai Beast born alongside the Herrscher of Thunder devoured every unit that got close! Even though a mini-nuke was successfully detonated inside it... it came back to life!"
Endless bad news poured in, drowning the operations command room in despair. On the screen, the Herrscher of Thunder could be seen calmly laying waste to everything—every heart sank with powerlessness.
Thud!
The man seated at the head of the command room slammed his fist onto the table, trembling from head to toe.
"How did this happen?! Weren't we told her power would be at most 1.5 times that of the Second Herrscher?!"
The gap was far beyond expectations.
Fire Moth had predicted that even if the Third Herrscher was stronger than the Second, the difference wouldn't be astronomical. After all, the Herrscher of the Void's increase in raw Honkai output compared to the Herrscher of Reason had only been around thirty percent.
With that forecast in mind—and with their recent success integrating Honkai energy into weaponry—Fire Moth had brimmed with confidence.
They believed that even if the Third Herrscher's strength doubled or tripled the Second's, they could still eliminate her at a controlled cost.
But now the disparity was tenfold!
The scope of the Honkai Eruption had expanded from a single city to all of East Asia! The Herrscher of Thunder's Honkai energy output was many times greater than that of the Herrscher of the Void.
And to make matters worse, descending alongside her was a never-before-seen Judgment-level Honkai Beast: Shesha.
This already dire situation had gone from bad to nightmarish.
Humanity had been completely caught off guard by the Honkai.
"Do we still have any cards to play?" the man asked, clinging to his final shred of hope.
"...Commander, we may not have any current means to defeat the Third Herrscher. Our best option is to request aid from the United Nations—call upon all seventeen nations in the East Asia region to launch a coordinated assault. If we resort to carpet-bombing with nukes... we might win."
A strategy officer's voice grew quieter and quieter.
If they truly chose such a desperate tactic, the collateral damage to surrounding regions would be catastrophic. And even then...
No one could guarantee that even such madness would be enough to defeat the Third Herrscher.
The terror brought by the Herrscher of Thunder had shown them that the threat of the Honkai was far greater than they had ever imagined.
In truth—humanity understood nothing about the Honkai.
And the Honkai was evolving again and again.
Against the Herrscher of Reason, humanity had won with nuclear weapons. But against the Herrscher of the Void, their ace—nukes—were shut down in a single move!
All ranged firepower was turned into fuel for their enemy.
Yet even so, with two warriors engaging in close-quarters combat against the Herrscher, humanity scraped out what could only be called a miracle.
Since then, Fire Moth had been training elite close-combat squads, turning countless elite soldiers into melee specialists using exoskeleton armor to create super soldiers—all to counter situations where ranged firepower would fail.
But the Honkai once again exceeded their expectations.
It gave its apostle... a bodyguard!
For the first time, a Herrscher was accompanied by a born Honkai Beast. While it lacked the vast destructive power of a Herrscher's authority, it compensated for the Herrscher's vulnerability to physical attacks.
Humanity's so-called elite soldiers—those clad in exoskeleton armor and dubbed super warriors—were utterly powerless against a Judgment-level Honkai Beast. They couldn't even approach the Herrscher.
"And even if we manage to defeat the Third Herrscher, what then? What if more Herrschers emerge in the future? Can we truly hold out?"
"The Honkai... it's far beyond our comprehension. Every weapon we have is slowly being nullified."
"There's no hope left. Long-range weapons can't reach her. Close-range combat is impossible with that Honkai Beast guarding her. We can't even drain her Honkai energy…"
"Is this... the end of the world?"
Some let go of their weapons. Others hung their heads in despair. A crushing sense of helplessness flooded the command room.
Even the upper echelons of Fire Moth, monitoring the Eruption from the safety of their bunkers, slumped in defeat and hopelessness.
Until today, they had believed the Honkai could be controlled. But reality was now brutally revealing their ignorance. While they schemed and fought among themselves, precious time had been wasted.
The Herrscher of Thunder seemed like an apostle sent by the gods—to wipe out those too foolish to comprehend their insignificance.
Yet, just as some were about to abandon all hope—
ROOOOOOAAAR!!
"!!!"
A shriek tore through the feed. It was the Judgment-level Honkai Beast—Shesha—screaming in agony.
Someone looked up, startled, and those once-empty, hollow eyes were suddenly filled with light.
"Those two... haven't given up."
More people raised their heads at those words, and then they saw—
Two figures still fighting!
One wielded a greatsword, unleashing slashes of flame.
The other held a crystal bow, firing arrow after arrow of pink brilliance.
While the adults had given in to despair, a boy and a girl stood at the front lines, facing hopelessness head-on, risking their lives to protect the world.
And some of these very same people—just recently—had tried to manipulate, threaten, or even betray those two.
Now, watching Elias and Elysia fight, even the most shameless, power-hungry among them felt their cheeks flush with shame and guilt.
Someone clenched their teeth and stood up suddenly.
"Win. Please, you have to win!"
"It's not over yet! We can still fight!"
"Cancel Vill-V's wanted status immediately!"
"Bring out everything we've got that could help! Be ready to provide support at any moment—we still have hope!"
In that moment, the will of thousands united and was placed upon the backs of Elias and Elysia. They didn't know they had rekindled the courage to resist in everyone's hearts.
But that's what heroes are.
Just watching their backs as they move forward is enough to inspire countless others to follow.
...
On the battlefield, under the eyes of all—
"By this flame—let all be reduced to ash!"
"This arrow—will pierce the stars!"
Crimson flames and crystalline pink arrows fired in unison, the fire swirling around the arrow as it shot forward toward the Judgment-level Honkai Beast—Shesha.
BOOM—!
Even Shesha's formidable defenses crumbled under their combined assault.
Extreme flame damage paired with devastating physical impact—no being in the world right now could withstand a joint attack from Elias and Elysia.
Shesha collapsed like a lifeless marionette, slamming heavily into the ground. Dead.
"Elias, we have to win!" Elysia suddenly flared with determination.
"Elysia?"
"I don't know why, but my blood's boiling right now. It feels like... like I can hear people cheering us on. Miss Pink Elf absolutely has to live up to everyone's expectations!"
Elysia exclaimed, high-spirited. Elias blinked, surprised for a second, but then nodded in agreement.
He knew that Elysia's "magic" was sometimes very intuitive. She herself was special—always able to sense things others couldn't.
"In that case, I guess we should stop holding back and go all-out to take down this Herrscher once and for all… Though I wish I could say that."
ROOOOOAAAR!!
Before Elias could finish, a deafening roar erupted. Shesha, the Judgment-level Honkai Beast they had just killed, resurrected yet again—completely healed from all the damage they'd dealt.
"This is the fourth time already!"
Elysia complained, visibly frustrated.
They had slain Shesha four times now—each time cleanly—but within seconds, the colossal serpent came back.
Even in video games, replaying the same boss gets old fast. Elysia was clearly growing annoyed, and Elias felt the same.
"Looks like this thing's revival ability has no real limit unless we completely drain its Honkai energy."
"Huh~? Who knows how many times we'd have to kill it for that!"
"With the Herrscher of Thunder powering it, probably infinite."
"That's so unfair!"
Elysia stomped her foot in protest.
More than the Herrscher of Thunder herself, it was this nearly kilometer-long snake Honkai Beast that was giving them the biggest headache.
Shesha wasn't just tanky—it had the passive ability: Resurrection.
No matter how many times they killed it, the enemy simply spent a bit of Honkai energy and brought it back. And every revival healed it completely, like a reset button.
Even if they ignored the beast and went straight for the Herrscher, Shesha, loyal as a hound, would always block their path and intercept every attack aimed at its master.
And the Herrscher of Thunder wasn't just going to sit idly by either—
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE!!
"Look out! More lightning incoming!"
"Again with this move?!"
Streaks of deep violet thunder rained down on them. Elias swiftly grabbed Elysia and dashed away with erratic footwork. She quickly summoned a pink crystal flower shield to block the aftershock.
They were still holding up—for now. But the enemy lineup was maddening: an endlessly reviving tank paired with a long-range spellcaster whose energy bar had no end in sight.
Anyone would be frustrated in this situation.
"Lightning—yield to my will!"
The Herrscher of Thunder raised her hand, summoning another thunderstorm that raged down like a torrential downpour toward Elias and Elysia.
"Tch. This is getting real annoying."
"My hair! It's singed!"
Dodging through the lightning storm, Elias and Elysia emerged from the barrage covered in crackling arcs of electricity. Both of their hair had curled into fried messes.
Zap!
"Oww!"
Elysia winced as her finger got shocked when it touched her bowstring.
Elias frowned and looked up toward the moon.
If not for that damn thing watching overhead, he'd have gone all out long ago and obliterated the Herrscher and Shesha in a flash.
If the Honkai was a test for civilization, then the Cocoon of Finality on the moon was the examiner.
And not just any examiner—but the kind who would constantly make the test harder based on your performance.
Every time humanity proudly unveiled a new countermeasure, the next Herrscher would be tailor-made to counter it—like how the Herrscher of the Void completely nullified all long-range firepower.
Elias didn't want to expose all his cards just yet.
Elias now possessed five different Herrscher powers. And so, he had set a rule for himself: resolve this Honkai Eruption using only one. He had no desire to draw the attention of the Cocoon of Finality.
However, in situations hidden from its watchful gaze, using some subtle powers for support was acceptable.
Just like when he faced the Herrscher of the Void—in the unobservable Imaginary Space—he had unleashed everything.
"Elias, let's split up. I'll keep Shesha busy, and you handle the Herrscher," Elysia suggested after a brief pause.
"...No, there's another way. Though it might look a little risky." Elias gently patted her head—then suddenly hurled her into the air!
"Elias?!"
"A serpent that rises from death, is it? Then let me show you... what true death means!"
"What are you doing?!"
Under Elysia's shocked gaze, Elias charged straight toward Shesha—running head-on into its gaping maw.
The scene made countless hearts skip a beat.
Even the Herrscher of Thunder blinked, stunned for a second, before sneering:
"Driven mad by hopelessness, is he? So desperate he threw his life away."
"..."
"Well? Will you follow him to the grave too? I'll admit you're stronger than ordinary humans—but now that your other half is gone, you're no longer a threat."
She stroked Shesha's head with mocking disdain.
Elysia stood frozen for a moment. Then she staggered to her feet, inhaled deeply, and slapped her cheeks to refocus.
"Throw his life away? Not a chance. Elias isn't the type to do something meaningless. If he did this… he must have a reason. I believe in him!"
"Still deluded from the shock of losing him, are you? How pitiful. Well then—join him! Shesha, eat her too!"
ROOOOOAARRRR!!
Shesha opened its massive jaws and lunged for Elysia, who—without Elias—seemed to have lost her wings.
But just as it was about to swallow her—
It froze.
"Hm? What's wrong? Hurry up!" the Herrscher of Thunder barked.
"..."
No matter how many times she ordered, Shesha didn't move. But it wasn't rebellion—Honkai Beasts were incapable of betraying their Herrscher.
It simply... was dead.
"Impossible!!"
Realization struck the Herrscher of Thunder like lightning.
In the next instant, Shesha's entire body ignited, turning crimson. Blazing heat erupted from within, and within seconds, the kilometer-long serpent carbonized completely.
From the center of the flames, a white figure emerged—returning to Elysia's side.
"I'm back, Ely. Thirty seconds apart, and I already missed you."
"Elias!!"
She had expected this outcome—but that didn't stop the overwhelming joy from flooding her heart as she leapt into his arms.
The Herrscher of Thunder, on the other hand, was reeling—her prized Honkai Beast had truly died. She stared at Elias with rage and disbelief.
"Human! What did you do?!"
"Nothing much. Just taught it the meaning of true death. And now... it's your turn."
Even a resurrecting Judgment-level Honkai Beast meant nothing—he was the Herrscher of Death and Rebirth!
No matter how high Shesha's potential was, it could never defy the authority of a six-core Herrscher. Inside its body, Elias had subtly activated his power—rewriting every cell of the beast.
He turned the infinitely reviving monstrosity... into an ordinary serpent. So ordinary, in fact, that its roasted meat could probably be served to common folk.
"My sweet Ely..."
Elias suddenly looked at Elysia with soft, affectionate eyes.
"Wh-what are you doing, Elias?"
She blushed instantly, heart racing like a startled deer. Now wasn't the time to flirt—especially not in front of a Herrscher!
But... she still shyly closed her eyes in anticipation.
Only for Elias to lean in and whisper—
"This Herrscher... the kill is mine."
"Eh?"
"By this blaze—no blade shall go unbroken!!!"
Elias raised his greatsword and delivered the finishing blow.
"ELIAS!!!"
Miss Pink Elf suffered instant emotional damage on the spot.