"Please don't worry. In this world, there are two people who need not fear my [Discipline]."
Aponia's gentle gaze fell upon Elias and Elysia, and everyone instantly understood who she meant.
Since becoming a psychic-type MANTIS, her ability to perceive the threads of fate had grown even sharper. At this moment, she had already learned Elysia's true identity—the Herrscher of Origin.
And when facing this girl blessed by the world itself, her [Discipline] could not take effect.
(No wonder her fate is so unique. This really is a miracle… a Herrscher, yet possessing a stronger, purer humanity than anyone else.)
Aponia couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
For the Herrscher of Origin, there would never exist any shackles. Her [Discipline] could collar anyone, but not Elysia.
As for Elias…
(Hm. Though something has changed, even if I devote my full attention, I can only glimpse a single possibility.)
Before, she had only ever seen pure white when gazing upon Elias. But now, that pure white had taken the form of threads before her eyes. And even then, with all her strength, she could only perceive one possibility among his endless futures—a vision of him becoming a god and saving the world.
Aponia's heart filled with satisfaction. She was convinced—the white-haired boy before her was the one who could transcend Finality.
And though it was only a fleeting image, the overwhelming majesty of that figure made her feel as though she had found the very god she was destined to serve.
She did not know whether her [Discipline] could affect Elias. But as a nun, how could she ever defy her god?
"Hmph. Words mean nothing. If your [Discipline] truly doesn't affect Elias or Elysia, why not test it out?" Mobius said coolly.
"Mm. I'm curious too. Try it on me, Aponia." Elias patted his chest.
"This… very well. But let me think carefully what kind of [Discipline] I should use on you."
Aponia hesitated, her eyes showing a trace of curiosity as well. Could her ability truly affect this boy who defied destiny?
Even though it was only an experiment, she was cautious. She did not want her power to bring Elias any harm.
But then, a mischievous snake spoke up.
"If you're going to test it, test it thoroughly. To see the limits of your [Discipline], you should order him to do something Elias would absolutely never do."
"Eh? Isn't that going too far?"
"Mobius, you're not allowed to use this as an excuse to take advantage of Eli! No lewd stuff!"
Elysia crossed her arms in an X. She knew this snake too well—clearly, Mobius wanted to use this as a chance to try something Elias normally wouldn't agree to. That was absolutely unacceptable. If anything like that were to happen, it had to be with her first!
"Hmph, relax, Elysia. I won't take advantage this time. Aponia, just say this for me…"
Mobius whispered something in Aponia's ear. At once, Aponia looked surprised, tilting her head as if to say, is that really enough?
"Mobius, are you sure this will work?"
"Just say it. Hmph, though it annoys me, that's something Elias would never do."
"…Alright then."
Aponia nodded hesitantly. On the other side, Elias felt a spark of anticipation.
(Elias: "Something I'd never do? Hisss! Why does that sound kind of exciting?!")
Aponia stepped before him. The nun with the vast heart looked straight into the white-haired boy's golden eyes.
"Now then… please repeat after me."
"Hm?"
Elias froze, feeling a little disappointed.
He thought it would be something more intense. And now it turned out he just had to repeat after her? How boring. He feared nothing—what words could he possibly be afraid to say?
But in the next moment, Aponia spoke.
"Please say: I hate Elysia the most."
"I hate Elysia the most—wait! No, this can't be right, Ely?!"
[Discipline] had taken effect. Just now, his mouth had almost uncontrollably repeated Aponia's words. But the moment Elias spoke them aloud, his face changed drastically.
He whipped his head around toward the Pink Elf, only to see her completely frozen. And in the next second…
"Cough… pff!"
Elysia spat out blood. Her rosy face instantly turned pale as she staggered, collapsing to the ground. Her whole body trembled.
"Eli… hates me…? How could this happen… ah… suddenly, I feel like dying… no… I don't want Elias to hate me… uuuhhh…"
Miss Pink Elf broke down crying.
Even though she knew this was the effect of [Discipline], and that Elias hadn't meant it, hearing him say with his own mouth that he hated her shattered her heart.
Elysia had lived so many years, and this was the very first time Elias had ever said he hated her! That single sentence hurt far worse than taking a Herrscher's ultimate attack head-on!
The girl as radiant as fluttering blossoms was now completely withered—about to wither and cry to death.
"Nooo, don't! Don't hate me, Elias! How could I live without you?!"
"Ely, don't believe it! How could I ever hate you? Impossible, absolutely impossible! That was [Discipline] talking, not my true heart!"
Elias immediately knelt and hugged her tight. Holding the Pink Elf who had regressed into a weeping little girl, his heart ached unbearably.
Mobius, this time you went too far!
To make me say something that cruel!
"Eli… you don't hate me, right?"
"Of course not, never, not even in death! No matter the parallel universe, no matter the timeline, that would never happen! I could hate anyone else, but never you, Ely. I love you the most!"
"Say it a hundred times…"
Elysia sniffled as she wiped her tears.
"Huh?"
Elias froze, not quite following.
"Only if you say 'I love Elysia the most' a hundred times will I feel better. My dear Elias, you wouldn't just stand by and watch me die heartbroken, would you?"
She blinked her watery eyes, looking utterly pitiful.
(Where did this Far Eastern elf come from?!)
"No problem. A hundred times, a thousand times, ten thousand times—I'll say it! I love Elysia the most, I love Elysia the most, I love Elysia the most…"
Without the slightest hesitation, Elias fulfilled Miss Pink Elf's demand.
Meanwhile, Mobius, who had been smirking, could no longer laugh in the face of this nonstop stream of confessions.
The snake thought to herself—even though she had just dealt Elysia massive emotional damage, somehow it felt like this pink piglet had come out ahead!
"That's enough, you two. You should know when to sto—"
"Don't interrupt, Mobius."
"Ughh!"
Without even looking back, Elysia tossed a few pink crystal-flower bombs, blasting the snake away—well, blasting one of her lives away.
And when Elias declared, "I will love Elysia forever and ever!" the flower-like girl, who had nearly withered, finally regained her spirit.
Elysia sealed his lips with a sudden kiss.
Elias: "!!!"
Ely: "Mmm! Mmm! Mmm!"
After a kiss so heated even Griseo wouldn't be allowed to watch, the two nearly fainted from lack of oxygen. At last, Elysia pulled away reluctantly, her smile blooming once more.
"Thank you, Eli. I'm all better now. Here, drink some milk tea to soothe your throat. Next, it's my turn."
"Hm? Ely, you mean…?"
"How could I let you be the only one confessing? We're each other's lovers. So—"
"I love Elias the most, I love Elias the most, I love…"
After Elysia finished confessing a hundred times, Elias felt dizzy. No wine had ever managed to make him drunk, but right now he truly felt intoxicated.
On the side, everyone else was already overwhelmed by the lethal dose of sugary dog food the two had just force-fed them.
Cangxuan and Danzhu, who usually only drank milk tea, now poured themselves bitter black coffee. Klein's goosebumps had all but fallen off. Mobius had died of anger yet again. Even Kalpas had stepped several paces back, the face behind his mask twitching violently.
Only Aponia remained calm, though her eyes showed envy. She was indeed a compassionate nun, with no desire for ordinary human romance. But…
The pure love between Elias and Elysia, sweeter than anything, was something anyone would envy.
"Please… you two should get married."
The words slipped from her lips before she realized.
"My, seems Miss Pink Elf is about to fall under Discipline too."
"Mm, this is one command I wouldn't mind obeying. A ring… damn, I should've prepared one."
Elysia and Elias agreed immediately.
Elias even reached into his pocket, regretting not having a proposal ring ready.
Aponia: "Uh… I wasn't even using [Discipline] just now…"
Elias & Elysia: "No—you were!"
Mobius: "Enough! Both of you, stop already!"
The snake was already breaking down. Though she knew she had brought this on herself, the thought of dying twice over such a matter left her fuming!
For reference, the first time she had been blown up by Elysia's crystal-flower bombs. The second time, she had been choked to death by their dog food.
But at least this confirmed it—Elias truly was affected by [Discipline]. Otherwise, he would never, under any circumstances, say he hated Elysia. Not even with a blade at his throat.
"Hmph! What a boring farce. A complete waste of time."
Having had enough, Kalpas turned to leave.
He had already gained new strength. Now, he only wanted to find a good fight. That white-haired husky slurping noodles at the door looked like a good target!
But in the next instant, a hand pressed down on his shoulder. Turning, he saw it was Aponia.
"You want to die, Aponia?!"
"Kalpas, I'm not sure whether [Discipline] will work on you. I suspect it will, but to be certain, let me try."
Her tone was serious. She only knew her power worked on all "humans." But whether it would affect the alien Kalpas could only be determined by testing.
Behind his mask, Kalpas' face changed drastically.
After watching the indescribable farce just now, the last thing he wanted was to be subjected to Aponia's [Discipline].
After all, even if Mobius had dug her own grave, the tool used was still this moth's [Discipline]!
"No way! Get lost!"
"Kalpas, please be polite."
"…Fine! Please get lost!"
Kalpas ground his teeth, humiliated.
But Aponia nodded in satisfaction. Her [Discipline] had indeed taken effect. Look—wasn't Kalpas much more polite already?
"…"
Everyone else fell speechless. This is polite to you?
"Arghhh! Enough! Aponia, you die—"
"Kalpas, now please leave and continue what you intended to do before."
"Damn it! You'll regret this, Aponia!!"
Though his mouth spat threats, Kalpas' body obediently walked toward the door. [Discipline] rendered him unable to control his own movements—its effect was undeniable.
"You there, brat—come fight me!!"
"???"
Kevin, busy slurping noodles, froze in shock. The furious Kalpas charged at him, and in his surprise, Kevin dropped his bowl. His face darkened instantly.
Kalpas: "Let me vent properly, kid!"
Kevin: "This guy's insane. No way—I must avenge my noodles! Turn into an ice sculpture!"
And so, the two began to fight. Another section of Fire Moth's training room was destroyed that day.
...
After Kalpas left, everyone resumed analyzing Aponia's abilities—though there wasn't much point.
"Forget it, don't think too hard. Mitra the Honkai Beast never had [Discipline] or [Foresight], but sometimes the Meta-Morph surgery just produces oddities like this, strengthening the user's innate gifts," Elias said.
"So you mean, this woman could already see fate and command people before the surgery? Hmph, completely unscientific."
Mobius frowned. As a scientist, she had no fondness for this nun with her pseudo-theology.
(Mobius: Seriously, why does this nun's figure have to be so indecent? Too lewd!)
"Well, there's a saying—the end of science is theology. Mobius, you're witnessing it firsthand. And next time, maybe try not to dig your own grave." Elias' expression was wry.
"Mobius, I'll remember this grudge!" Elysia stood with hands on her hips.
"Tch! Don't talk, Elysia. You're the one who benefited here!"
Hearing herself put on the blacklist, the snake hissed with frustration. That pink glutton had gotten away with too much already.
In fact, Elysia should've been thanking her! After all, those hundred confessions had nearly killed Mobius with jealousy.
"Ahem, enough. Let's drop the subject. Pardo, hurry up and show us your ability."
Elias quickly changed the topic. The anchor cat, busy stuffing her bag with supplies from Mobius' lab, stiffened in surprise.
"Eh? M-my ability? It's nothing big, really. I just feel like I can run faster, jump higher… nothing flashy like Sister Nia or Brother Kalpas."
"Oh, that's fine. At least on the surface, you're the cutest. Can I pet you?" Elias' eyes lit up.
After undergoing the Meta-Morph surgery, Pardo's side effects were obvious—and adorable. A pair of cat ears now perched atop her head, and a silver-spiked cat tail swished behind her.
Blushing from the compliment, Pardo scratched her head shyly, then lowered it before Elias.
"Mm… go ahead, Boss Elias. I don't mind."
"Thanks! Oh? The texture's amazing. Even better than Kiana's. Not bad, not bad at all."
Elias closed his eyes in bliss, finally able to put his ultra-advanced cat-petting technique—unused since arriving in the Previous Era—to work once more.
"Ahhh, ohhh, this feels so good… a little lower, a little lower—meow~"
Pardo's eyes also closed in contentment. Her tail wagged instinctively, and she felt as though a new world had opened to her. She might even get addicted.
"By the way, Pardo, you should be able to trigger artificial cascade now, right? Show me what it looks like."
Elias' curiosity flared. He still didn't know what Pardo's collapse form would be.
"Alright. Since Boss Elias wants to see, I'll give it a try. Uh, but how exactly do I do it?"
"Silly cat, let me teach you."
Though clumsy at first, under Mobius' guidance Pardo quickly learned the trick.
Pardo: "Okay… transforming!"
As she entered artificial cascade, dazzling white light burst from her body. And then…
Pardo turned into an actual cat!