The next morning.
Meow~ meow~ meow~
Elias raised his hand and gently stroked the adorable cat beside him, a healed and contented smile on his face.
Last night's bliss still replayed over and over in his mind. His feelings toward the girl before him had stepped into an entirely new realm.
If before, it had merely been affection for a pet or love for family, then now Pardofelis had finally surged far ahead of a certain flat immortal and stepped onto a brand-new track.
"Boss Elias, hehe... hehe~"
"Alright, stop grinning like an idiot and lazing in bed. I already treated you with my authority. It doesn't hurt anymore, right?"
"Mm-hmm! Now I can die without regrets!"
"???"
Pardofelis nodded with a blissful expression. Her cat tail was still tightly wrapped around Elias' arm, as though begging the white-haired boy not to leave her.
Even now, she still felt like she was dreaming. She had actually taken that step.
The little cat couldn't help but fall into a daze, unconsciously looking back on her past, wondering what kind of miracle had brought her this far.
Then she realized in surprise—
Somehow, she had already lived a life so extraordinary that even she found it unbelievable.
She had originally just been a small cat living on Dusk Street in the Previous Era—somewhat lucky, but busy surviving day by day.
She should have remained an ordinary, unremarkable person.
But her fate had changed because she met Elias.
She had become a MANTIS, a Flame-Chaser, and lived all the way to fifty thousand years later.
And now, she had finally ended up together with him.
"It really feels like a dream..."
"Pardofelis?"
"Ever since I met you, Boss Elias, even someone as ordinary as me made it this far. Hehe... my luck really is amazing. To meet you in this lifetime."
Pardofelis rubbed her face against Elias' chest, her tail tightening further around him.
To her, being able to meet him was the greatest fortune of her entire life.
A small, ordinary cat who should have lived a plain life had been picked up by a hero and brought aboard the ship (the Argos). From that moment on, her destiny changed, and she was granted a life far too dazzling.
"You silly cat, it's not like that at all!"
Elias rolled his eyes and flicked her lightly on the forehead. Immediately afterward, he felt bad and gently rubbed the spot instead.
"Pardofelis, maybe you don't think you're anything special, but that's not true. The moment you chose to step onto the Finality battlefield with us, you were already worthy of the title of the Flame-Chaser of [Reverie]."
It was true that she had been a cat brought aboard by a hero.
But in the end, that cat had become a remarkable hero herself.
Elias recalled the twelfth cycle of the Previous Era. No matter what happened, Pardofelis had ultimately chosen to walk onto the battlefield of Finality.
Pardofelis deserved the name of Flame-Chaser.
Anyone who dared say otherwise would have to answer to him—and the other twelve Flame-Chasers—with blades in hand.
Pardofelis was instantly moved to tears.
"Wuuu... Boss Elias, I like you!"
"Mm. I like you too, Pardofelis. You're the cutest."
Elias kissed the girl's cheek, then lifted the slender cat in a princess carry. She weighed a full five kilograms less than a certain pink elf.
The two left the memory domain to get breakfast. Along the way, every Flame-Chaser they met greeted the little cat with unusual enthusiasm, making Elias sigh inwardly.
Pardofelis and Griseo truly were the group's cherished mascots.
"B-B-Boss Elias... I feel like something's not right!"
She had completely puffed up with fear.
Trembling, she hid carefully behind Elias. Even the cat ears atop her head drooped down.
Recalling the "enthusiastic greetings" from earlier—
Eden: "Pardofelis, would you like to visit my memory domain? I have many gemstones there."
Mobius: "Little Pardo, how about dropping by my lab sometime? Here, have a cup of coffee—nothing added at all."
Aponia: "Come to my church and pray in repentance with me, Pardofelis. Stealing is not a good habit. I don't need to say 'please,' do I?"
Griseo: "Sister Pardo~ can I paint you into my picture... using all of you as pigment?"
Pardofelis: "..."
The weak, pitiful, helpless cat felt as though her time had come. Today really might be the end. She didn't know whether her mere nine lives would be enough to survive this catastrophe.
And just then, a pink elf suddenly sprang out.
"Hi~ Elias, how was Pardofelis last night?"
"Mm. She was amazing!"
Elias gave an honest thumbs-up.
"Is that so~ Pardofelis is such a good girl. Then today, come join your dear Miss Elysia for a grand adventure in the Realm. I'm so curious how good your luck really is. Let's open some treasure chests together."
Elysia wore her usual gentle smile.
Pardofelis almost believed her.
But looking at the enormous lump still on top of Elysia's head—one that hadn't faded even after a night of healing by the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth—the cat felt she really should have destroyed that baseball bat.
"Cough... Sister Elysia, are these treasure chests legitimate? Are they safe?" Pardofelis asked from behind Elias.
"Of course they're legitimate! Don't worry, Pardofelis. There are huge surprises inside. I specially prepared six treasure chests last night. Inside them are a Seraph-class, a Chariot-class, a Templar-class, an Emperor-class, and a Judgment-class Honkai Beast!"
Elysia beamed brightly.
"But our Pardofelis is so lucky, she'll definitely draw the hidden grand prize—a Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast! And since you can even defeat the Herrscher of Origin—me—then surely you can defeat whatever pops out too, right?"
"...What kind of Honkai mimic chest is that?!" Elias couldn't help but complain.
"Sister Elysia, I was wrong! Please forgive me!"
Pardofelis dropped to her knees with flawless, fluid motion and clung tearfully to Elysia's right leg.
"..." x2
Elias and Elysia both fell silent at the same time.
Looking at the cat who surrendered at lightning speed as always, Elias couldn't help thinking that if this were his previous life, Pardofelis' spawn point would have been one thousand percent somewhere in France.
"E-Even if you look at me like that, it's still not allowed." Elysia turned her head away. That blow from last night still left her with a faint throbbing ache.
"Ely, you're wavering," Elias said calmly.
"Please, Sister Elysia! Oh right—here, I'll give you this! So please let me off!" Pardofelis suddenly pulled out a book from who-knows-where and handed it over.
The moment Elysia saw it, her eyes widened.
"What?! Isn't this the out-of-print fanbook that was completely destroyed by Elias fifty thousand years ago?! I don't even have a copy! Pardofelis, where did you find this?!"
"Hehe... I secretly hid one back then. I was planning to sell it after it appreciated in value," Pardofelis said sheepishly, scratching her head.
"What the hell! That thing wasn't completely destroyed?! Ely, give it to me so I can burn it! Damn it! It should not exist in this world!!"
The moment he realized a piece of forbidden knowledge had resurfaced, embarrassment and fury flashed across Elias' face. He quite literally burst into flames. The authority of the Herrscher of Fire activated at full power, scorching flames surging toward the fanbook in Elysia's hands.
Even among the many fanworks about him, this one belonged to the category he absolutely could not tolerate.
Because Griseo had turned him into a women.
Looking at the cover—white hair, golden eyes, an unparalleled beauty who even surpassed Elysia in appearance—Elias refused to acknowledge that the girl was him. He would never admit it. Nor would he allow such an existence to remain.
Back then, the moment he discovered it, he had immediately destroyed every copy he could find.
And yet one had slipped through the net.
"Damn it! Why is this thing harder to kill than the Herrscher of Dominance?! Ely, give me the book!" Elias was truly flustered now.
"No! Absolutely not! This fanbook is no longer just a fanbook—it's a cultural relic of our Previous Era! Cultural relics must be preserved properly!"
Elysia instantly constructed a crystalline shield, barely blocking the flames.
Then she lifted her clothes slightly and hid the book against her body.
"Cultural relic my ass! This is the dregs of civilization!"
Elias rolled his eyes. His fingers cracked audibly, and his golden pupils grew fierce.
He did not mind tearing the pink elf's outfit apart on the spot and burning that accursed book until not even ashes remained.
"It has fifty thousand years of history! It would be such a waste to burn it! Elias, just let this one go, please~" Elysia pleaded cutely.
"No!"
Elias refused without hesitation. Not even Elysia acting cute would work this time.
He moved decisively.
Before absolute strength—
All resistance was futile.
The Herrscher of Origin, who had endured a siege from nine Flame-Chasers last night, could not even struggle now. Elysia's wrists were pinned against the wall by one of Elias' hands.
No matter how she activated her authority, his other hand did not slow in the slightest.
Rip—!
In the end, the Herrscher of Human · Ego's battlesuit was easily torn apart. Under Elysia's despairing gaze, the sinful fanbook slipped from her clothes and fell to the ground.
Elysia: "P-Pardofelis, pick it up!"
Elias: [Pardofelis, do not move!]
Just as she was about to reach for it, Pardofelis froze completely. It wasn't that she didn't want to move—she simply couldn't move at all. The familiar binding sensation shocked her instantly.
"Th-This is Sister Aponia's Discipline?! Boss Elias, when did you learn this move?!"
"Hmph. This time I'll destroy it thoroughly."
Elias' voice was cold and merciless. With telekinesis, he drew the fanbook into his hand and ignited it with a small flame.
"No—!!!"
Elysia's eyes filled with tears.
"At least—at least let me read it one more time! I only managed to read it once before it was discovered and burned! I've already forgotten so many details! Please, Elias!"
"Right. That's true... there are still memories. I'll have to erase your memories too."
"Waaah! Boss Elias is so scary!"
"That's too ruthless! Not even our memories are safe?!"
Elysia and Pardofelis trembled, staring at the boy before them. The golden pupils in his eyes had lost their light, and the authority of the Herrscher of Sentience was gradually activating.
If Elias were their ally, they would feel incomparable reassurance.
But if he were their enemy... the terror was so overwhelming it crushed even the thought of resistance.
After all, bearing every authority except Origin and Finality, along with tens of thousands of Honkai Beast abilities—
Elias truly could do anything.
He was an all-powerful hexagon with no blind spots and no weaknesses.
"Be good~ Don't resist. It'll be over soon." Elias smiled gently as he placed a hand on each of their heads.
"Waaah~ someone save us~" x2
"Not saving you!"
A certain pink fox spirit passing by turned and fled without hesitation, pushing the speed worthy of the Signet of [Setsuna] to its absolute limit. She had no intention of having her own memories erased along with the others.
"Oh? Looks like Sakura needs a little brainwashing too."
No matter how fast Setsuna's speed was, it could not outpace a Herrscher who could manipulate space itself. Moreover, Elias was several times faster than Sakura to begin with.
Calculating the distance precisely, he opened a portal. Sakura failed to brake in time and plunged straight through—only to reappear directly in front of him.
"You're not running, Sakura."
"Can you at least grab me somewhere else?"
"Heh. No."
At this moment, Elias was holding her by the fox ears. Sakura struggled twice, only to realize resistance was useless.
In the end, all three of their memories regarding that fanbook were completely erased.
And the physical book itself was reduced to nothing under the flames of the Herrscher of Fire—not even ashes remained.
Unless the Herrscher of Finality descended and reversed time itself, there would be no way in this world to restore it.
"I feel like I just lost something important..." Elysia sat on the ground in a dazed duck-like pose.
"What a coincidence. Me too," Sakura muttered.
"Mm... same here," Pardofelis added, scratching her head.
The three tried to recall what they had forgotten, but ultimately failed.
"Good. The world feels clean again." Elias nodded in satisfaction.
However, since he had not examined the rest of their memories—
He had no idea how much other forbidden knowledge still lurked inside their minds.
Some of it was even more outrageous than the fanbook just destroyed.
If he ever found out, Elias might seriously consider restoring Elysia and the others' slightly yellowed brains to factory settings.
Elias: "Alright, deletion complete. Next up is my date with Cecilia. I really am a busy man~"