"What a disgusting tactic. This bastard deliberately claimed that countless sacrifices happened because of you, Cecilia. The whole point is to make you drown in guilt so you'll obediently listen to him. The kinder and gentler a person is, the better this trick works on them."
Elias shot Otto a look of open disgust.
Even through the crystalline visor of his mask, his gaze made Otto feel threatened.
The boy who had defied fate through countless cruel trials had already surpassed the fool who had clung to a five-hundred-year obsession.
Otto instinctively sensed that the man before him was likely far more dangerous than Welt—an enemy who had to be eliminated.
On the other side, Elias was troubled as well. He knew perfectly well that even exposing Otto's lies would be useless.
"...I'm sorry, Elias. I have to go," Cecilia said guiltily.
"So this is how it ends."
Cecilia was a good girl. Still unawakened, she was gentle by nature and accustomed to obedience. If no one came to stop her, she really would have followed Elias to wander the world.
But now that her "family" had come to take her back, no matter what, she would choose to return. In her eyes, her journey had already come to an end.
Cecilia forced a smile.
She was grateful for Elias' companionship these past days.
Grateful that he had shown her the world.
Grateful that he had given her the most beautiful three days of her life.
But now the journey was over. She had to go home and shoulder her mission once more.
In truth, if she did not return now, Cecilia would be treated as a traitor.
"Looks like there's nothing I can say anymore."
"I'm sorry."
"Heh..."
Elias let out a quiet sigh. Promises, affection—none of it could sway Cecilia, who was capable of restraining her own emotions.
From a certain perspective, she was probably the most difficult girl Elias had ever tried to win over.
Cecilia revealed a guilty, bitter smile. She felt certain she must be hated now. She had failed to keep her promise to Elias, and... she had never done anything for him.
In these three days, Elias had let her experience countless wonders. Those memories would become her most precious treasure, something she would cherish for the rest of her life.
But what had she done for him?
Cecilia felt ashamed. She had done nothing.
She had only received from Elias, never given anything in return. And now she was about to be taken back to Schicksal. Someone like her... was simply awful.
Her heart was filled with indebted guilt.
"I'm sorry, Elias. I can't do anything for you," Cecilia said apologetically.
"...Password correct, but wrong account," Elias replied expressionlessly.
"Huh?"
"Just kidding. Heh... forget it. Since I can't persuade you, Cecilia, I'll give up. What a shame. In the end, I still couldn't get you to join World Serpent."
Behind the mask, Elias showed a wry smile. He reached out and gently patted the girl's head. On his shoulder, the cat nearly lost her footing and almost fell off in shock.
W-What did I just hear?! Boss Elias said he's giving up? Am I dreaming? Since when does this guy ever "give up"? Sister Ely, Sister Eden, you've got to hear this! Boss Elias actually said the word "give up"!
At that moment, Pardofelis even suspected Elias had been possessed. She cautiously sniffed him, and after confirming it was truly him, felt even more incredulous.
Was "giving up" even a word this man could say?
The same stubborn person who, for the sake of a vague perfect ending, had never once given up—even after eleven cycles of reincarnation.
Could he really say something like that?
The cat genuinely felt like she was dreaming. Maybe if someone stabbed her right now, she'd wake up and find herself inside some dream pool back in Penacony.
Otto said, "So you were trying to poach our future S-rank Valkyrie. What a pity. The Valkyries of Schicksal are all loyal and devoted girls."
Elias replied, "Mm-hm. I know. A bunch of loyal, devoted girls who can't find boyfriends no matter how hard they try."
Valkyries: "Pffft—!" xN
That single sentence was a critical hit, shattering the composure of every Valkyrie present. The young women clutched their chests as if coughing up blood.
Elias looked at these girls in the prime of youth with pity, thinking how ironic and tragic it was.
These blooming young women offered up their youth to protect the world, yet ninety-nine point nine nine nine percent of them had never even experienced something as beautiful as love.
Speaking of which, how did that Lewis Valkyrie even manage to find a boyfriend? For that human-shaped Mount Tai of a "female" Valkyrie to get a boyfriend—honestly, it might be the greatest miracle in modern Schicksal history.
It practically belonged in a sci-fi inspirational film.
Otto cleared his throat. "There's no need for you to concern yourself with the romantic affairs of Schicksal's Valkyries. Since you failed to persuade Cecilia to join your side, please return her to us."
Cecilia bit her red lip and lowered her head. The caged bird was preparing to return to her cage.
She did not dare look back at the white-haired boy behind her, afraid she might lose the strength to leave.
Cecilia was good at restraining her feelings, but there was a limit. Suppressed emotions did not disappear—they accumulated. And at this moment, that restraint had reached its breaking point.
Yet just as she took a step forward—
Her hand was suddenly seized.
"Since I can't persuade you, I've changed my mind."
"Elias? Ah!"
Cecilia's eyes widened in shock. She was roughly pulled back. Elias wrapped an arm around her fragrant shoulders, holding her firmly against his chest.
In that instant, the elegant gentleman transformed into a greedy tyrant.
"I've decided. I'm taking Cecilia away."
"What?"
"Her will is irrelevant. Your thoughts are irrelevant. From this moment on, until the day I grow tired of her, she belongs to me. The contract we made will never change!"
At that moment, Elias released an aura of absolute dominance. He seized the bird that had been about to fly back into its cage.
Pardofelis' fur stood on end, her tail swishing rapidly behind her.
Yes! That's more like it!
"And you, Otto Apocalypse—your part in this play ends here!"
"You... who exactly are you?!"
"You don't get to question me. Die, you scum!"
A blade crackling with lightning materialized before Elias. The instant he grasped it, it transformed into a dark violet war scythe.
Otto's eyes widened in shock. He had seen this weapon in the database of Void Archives.
"The Third Divine Key—Seven Thunders of Retribution?!"
The moment his words fell, Elias was already upon him in a flash of lightning. The war scythe descended in a straight arc, cleaving Otto from head to toe in a single stroke.
But that wasn't the end.
"Might as well chop you into a thousand pieces first."
With one hand, Elias swung the massive scythe at a speed no one present could follow. This was divine velocity that even [Setsuna] could not rival.
Before Otto's consciousness could escape from the soulium body, he had already been sliced into over a thousand fragments. Pain no longer frightened this fool.
Yet the agony—far beyond what "excruciating" could describe—nearly shattered Otto's mind in an instant.
"Well, Otto? Using a Key of Judgment against someone like you—don't you think it's fitting?"
Elias' voice carried unrestrained pleasure.
Behind the mask, his lips curled high.
The joy of cutting Otto down was indescribable. For a moment, Elias even considered whether, after returning to the original timeline, he should kill one Otto a day just to maintain a good mood.
"B-Bishop?!" xN
The Valkyries of Schicksal were utterly stunned.
They stared at their Bishop—now scattered across the ground in pieces so fine they could hardly be reassembled—and thought, It's over. There's no saving him. Sliced into a thousand pieces—he's beyond dead.
"Relax. He's not that easy to kill."
"Damn you, unidentified individual! In the name of attempted assassination of the Bishop and kidnapping of a Valkyrie, you are under arrest! Surrender at once!"
The Valkyries aimed their weapons at Elias.
He didn't even bother taking them seriously. He yawned.
"Yaaawn~ such courage. Unfortunately, you're not qualified to make me move. And I don't really feel like hitting cute girls, so I'll leave this to you, Pardofelis."
With that, he lifted the cat off his shoulder and set her on the ground.
"W-Wait, Boss Elias, what did you just say?!"
"The cat talked?!"
Both sides shouted in shock. Pardofelis tried scrambling back up onto Elias' shoulder, but failed. The Valkyries stared in disbelief at the cat that had suddenly begun speaking.
At the same time, anger rose within them. So what if he had instantly killed their Bishop? Sending a cat to fight them—wasn't that far too insulting?
"Be good~ Take care of them, Pardofelis. When we get home, I'll cook you a nice fish feast. Don't chicken out. You can do it."
"No, no, no, Boss Elias! I'm the weakest among us!"
"Yeah, yeah, I know you can't even beat Griseo. But don't measure ordinary people by Flame-Chaser standards. Anyway, that's settled. We're leaving. Hurry up and finish, then catch up."
Before Pardofelis could protest again, the kidnapper Elias hoisted the "hostage" Cecilia over his shoulder and flew off into the distance, leaving his accomplice cat behind as rearguard.
"Boooss Eliiiias!"
Pardofelis raised a paw, staring at the white-haired boy until even his silhouette disappeared.
Finally, she let out a pitiful sigh.
"It's not about whether I can win. I just don't want to fight... sigh. Oh well. Boss Elias is always so good to me. I guess I'll help him out this once."
As she spoke, Pardofelis canceled her Artificial Cascade, transforming back into a brown-haired, heterochromatic-eyed catgirl.
"Th-The cat turned into a person?!"
The sudden transformation left the surrounding Valkyries dumbfounded once more. Several of them rubbed their eyes, thinking they were hallucinating.
The next second, the hairs on their bodies stood on end.
An overwhelming aura radiated from the catgirl.
It was the presence of a true powerhouse—far beyond them, someone even A-rank Valkyries could not contend with.
"Can't drag this out too long," Pardofelis muttered. "One, two, three, four... twenty people. Three minutes should do it!"
...
Several minutes later, Schicksal's Floating Island Headquarters.
With a hiss, a preservation chamber opened. Otto stepped out in a newly activated body, trembling.
It was the first time he had experienced such horrifying pain. Each strike of the Seven Thunders of Retribution, infused with lightning, had maximized the sensation of suffering—true to its name.
A blade of judgment that existed to punish sinners.
"Hah... hah... what an astonishing gift. I never expected that man to possess the Third Divine Key. It seems this mysterious faction is more threatening than I imagined. But..."
Otto narrowed his eyes, showing no trace of retreat.
"Whether it's Holy Blood or a Divine Key, both are immensely valuable assets. They may prove useful in the future. In that case, I must attempt to reclaim them."
"Amber! Notify the Valkyries on site—no matter the casualties, they must stall them! I will calibrate my strongest soulium body at once. Prepare all Valkyries for deployment!"
Otto did not fear death. In his eyes, Elias was not an invincible enemy. Schicksal also possessed Divine Keys—and plenty of them.
Void Archives. Judgment of Shamash. Abyss Flower. Oath of Judah. Fenghuang Down. And several Swords of Domination.
Combined with overwhelming numerical superiority.
"The advantage is mine. Capture that man and Cecilia—bring them both back!"
"Bishop," Amber's voice replied calmly, "all Valkyries at the scene have lost contact."
Otto paused.
"...What?"
"Their combat suits are still transmitting vital signs, but no responses can be obtained despite repeated attempts to establish communication. It is estimated that all personnel have lost consciousness."
Otto frowned. "It's only been three minutes. Even an S-rank Valkyrie shouldn't be able to defeat that elite squad so quickly. It seems that man is stronger than I anticipated... or should I praise the overwhelming power of the Third Divine Key?"
At this moment, the foolish Otto still did not know.
Elias had not lifted a finger against that Valkyrie squad.
The one who acted was merely an adorable, harmless little cat.
...
Exactly three minutes later, the battle ended cleanly.
Pardofelis stretched lazily, her body tracing an elegant curve. There was not even a speck of dust on her.
"Ahh~ I'm exhausted, I'm exhausted. I'm really the worst at fighting. Boss Elias better praise me properly later. Hehe... but now it's time for the harvest!"
Looking at the Valkyries lying unconscious all over the ground, the catgirl extended her "evil" little hands, her face full of anticipation.
Then she began looting.
Weapons, of course, were all taken. Compared to weapons, however, Pardofelis preferred shiny objects. Even so, she wasn't picky.
When these Valkyries woke up later, they would be pleasantly surprised to find themselves feeling a chilly breeze—and from that day forward, they would never again consider cats to be cute creatures.
Pardofelis was indeed the weakest among the Fifteen Flame-Chasers.
Most of her battle records involved lower-tier Honkai Beasts, with the highest being Emperor-class. Even so, if placed in the Current Era, she would not lose to a certain S-rank "freezer owner."
After all, she was still a MANTIS. Her basic physical capabilities were far beyond those of ordinary Valkyries. On top of that, she was equipped with an S-rank battlesuit from the Previous Era and soulium weapons.
As for this Valkyrie squad, not only did they lack a single S-rank combatant, Schicksal had not even developed true Valkyrie battlesuit yet. Their weapons were merely standard Honkai energy armaments made from conventional materials.
But most importantly—
They had never experienced a true baptism of Honkai.
These Valkyries were not born into the Previous Era, where Honkai intensity was more than ten times that of the Current Era. They lacked sufficient combat experience and had never faced Finality itself.
The gap between their tiers was simply too vast.
No matter how weak the cat might be, she was still a Flame-Chaser of Fire Moth—combined with her absurd, heaven-defying luck.
Take Rita as an example. To defeat Pardofelis, she would at minimum need to equip the Godsbane Suit, perhaps even wield a Divine Key. And even then, the most likely outcome would be an upset or a draw.
Of course, among S-rank Valkyries, Durandal was a different story. Even without equipment, she could easily defeat Pardofelis. That only proved that the gap between people could be greater than the gap between a person and a cat.
"Hehe~ My general store hasn't restocked in ages. Today's a bumper harvest~" Pardofelis hummed happily.