Inside the Valkyrie dorms, in Elias' bedroom.
Elias looked seriously at the two women before him. Elysia and Raiden Mei gazed back at him with longing in their eyes.
Although neither of them spoke.
From their eyes, he could read the silent question—[Elias/Eli, who do you like more?]
This was the legendary death question!
Elias took a quiet breath to steady himself.
He felt like a bomb disposal expert, defusing a super bomb capable of destroying the world.
After all, the battlefield between people was just that terrifying. At worst, it could even affect the fate of the entire world.
So the question now was...
Should he cut the purple wire and choose the pink elf?
Or cut the pink wire and choose the Queen of Thunder?
Elias: "Seriously, this is like that hell-level dilemma back at the end of the Previous Era, when fate forced me to choose between saving the Current Era or Elysia!"
But no matter what, there was one option he would never choose—and that was choosing nothing. And... his answer had always been the same.
With one arm each, Elias pulled Elysia and Mei into his embrace at the same time, then spoke those classic words.
"Ely, Mei—you, just like everyone else, are more important to me than my authority, my power, my freedom, even my life. You... are both my wings!"
Choose? Why choose?
A savior's answer had always been to take everything!
"Eli..."
"Elias..."
Held tightly in the white-haired boy's embrace, Elysia and Mei could neither struggle nor did they want to.
They both revealed bitter smiles. In truth, they had long expected this answer.
However, Elias had misunderstood something important.
The reason for their conflict was not to prove [who Elias liked most in this world], but to prove [who loved Elias the most in this world].
The two goals looked similar, but were fundamentally different. And regardless of whether it was Mei or Elysia, neither of them wanted to make the boy they loved feel troubled.
Even so, seeing him take their matter so seriously and struggle like this made them feel both touched and happy.
However, declaring that "you are both my wings" was only the first step. In the very next moment, neither Elysia nor Mei could find him cute anymore.
Elias unbuttoned his shirt with one hand.
"E-Eli, wait, I'm not ready yet!"
"M-me too... give me a little more time."
"Too late, Ely, Mei. Do you know the best way to stop a war?"
A fierce light burst from Elias' heterochromatic eyes, like a ferocious lion king about to begin his conquest. Blue and gold reflected the two women before him as he licked his lips.
"It's to strike first—crush you both completely, so you no longer have such thoughts, nor the strength for them. So prepare yourselves. The me right now... might not be as gentle as usual."
(We're doomed...) ×2
Elysia and Mei's hearts skipped a beat.
Looking at the white-haired boy radiating dangerous charm before them, they felt both drawn to him and slightly afraid.
And so, the two girls who had just been competing moments ago unconsciously reached out and held each other's hands.
It could only be said—this was human nature. When facing a greater threat, even rivals would unite. Elias looked at this scene with satisfaction.
Since that was the case, he would become the "absolute evil" and engrave true fear into their hearts—so that the two of them would forever remain united.
...
Thus, five hours passed...
"Haa... that should be about enough. Whether it's Mei or Ely, you're both pretty weak."
"From now on, in the Previous Era, Ely will be the older sister, and in the Current Era, Mei will be the older sister. Don't worry—I'll finish clearing Honkai soon. Then the bubble world of the Previous Era will connect with the Current Era before long."
Elias looked at the first rays of dawn outside the window, entering a sage-like calm as he thought about the future of the two civilizations.
For example—one Earth probably wouldn't be able to hold that many people.
Should he construct a new Earth? With his current authority, it didn't seem impossible.
Although constructing a planet was far more difficult than creating a bubble world, and there was still a risk he couldn't handle it alone, if he teamed up with the Herrscher of Finality and spent enough time, the success rate would be at least ninety percent.
At that point, he could also have Bronya help out...
Elias: (I just don't know if adding another Earth to the solar system would cause any problems. I'll have Vill-V, Mobius, MEI, Einstein, and Tesla run some simulations later.)
If that didn't work, he would have no choice but to hang the Previous Era's bubble world back onto the Imaginary Tree, turning it into an independent parallel world.
But in that case, meeting those old acquaintances from the Previous Era would become much more troublesome.
After all, even if it wasn't impossible, traveling between parallel worlds was far less convenient than existing within the same world.
"Hmm... I feel like I've been getting more and more ridiculous lately. Becoming a dual pseudo god of imaginary and quantum, devouring hundreds of bubble worlds, and now even thinking about constructing a planet and dealing with parallel worlds."
Elias couldn't help but show a complicated expression.
"Ah... the pressure's huge. I suddenly kind of miss my weaker self from before... whatever, sleep!"
He muttered to himself, then sighed, pulled the blanket over his face, and quickly fell asleep.
"..."
"..."
Elysia and Mei lay curled within his arms without saying a word. They weren't actually asleep—their consciousness barely clung to clarity, but...
They no longer had the strength to speak. Even thinking was difficult to maintain. The cook and the pink elf's chests rose and fell unevenly, proving they were still alive.
But at this moment, the two of them had already turned into cream puffs.
Mei/Ely: (...!! ...!!)
This fierce battle had actually ended within half an hour. After that, Elias mercilessly pursued the defeated Queen of Thunder and the pink elf for a full five and a half hours.
As a side note, both of them had only lasted fifteen minutes each. Elysia, as the Herrscher of Origin and a Vipralopa-class MANTIS, could have endured longer, but...
This pink shut-in elf of the Elysian Realm had gone far too long without any "sparring" with Elias, and her strength had declined significantly.
Mei and Elysia barely forced their eyes open, taking in each other's miserable states. Strangely, a sense of mutual sympathy arose between them, and both silently came to the same conclusion.
(Ah... from now on, I will never compete in front of Elias/Eli again. Otherwise... I really might ascend on the spot.)
...
The three of them slept until noon. More precisely, Elias slept until noon, then used the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth to heal and restore Elysia and Mei.
Otherwise, relying on their own recovery alone, they probably wouldn't have been able to get out of bed until the next day. Even though their condition was fully restored, their legs were still trembling slightly.
But those were only minor issues.
"Ahem! Everyone, look over here. I have something very important to announce."
At the Valkyries' dining table, Mei cleared her throat and spoke.
"Hm? What is it, Mei?"
The next moment, the Queen of Thunder proudly took out a small red booklet and opened it in front of everyone—especially revealing the marriage certificate, still missing Elysia's photo.
"Pff—!!!" ×N
In that instant, everyone exploded.
Kiana nearly choked on her food, Bronya fell off her chair, Eden and Himeko dropped their glasses, Theresa's mouth hung wide open, Seele and Sheele shot to their feet, and even Fu Hua's mental composure shattered once more.
"Whaaaaaaat?!" ×N
Elysia's move yesterday had already caused a massive uproar, yet before the first bomb had even settled, Mei dropped a second one.
Directly wiping everyone out again.
(Yes... this is exactly the reaction I wanted to see!)
The corners of Mei's lips curled upward. Though it might have been a bit too smug, she couldn't resist sharing the "good news" of her marriage with Elias.
Seeing everyone frozen as if turned to stone by Medusa's gaze, Mei's modest sense of pride was thoroughly satisfied.
Elias had no objections.
After all, something as important as marriage should naturally be announced. However, sensing the delicate atmosphere, he decided it was best to excuse himself for now.
After all, there were still so many bubble worlds in the Sea of Quanta waiting for him to save... this definitely wasn't an excuse to avoid the chaos. Definitely not.
(With Mei wearing the Godsbane Suit now, nothing serious should happen. So I'll slip away... time to go save the world!)
He quickly finished his lunch, opened a spatial portal, and vanished. The very next second after he left—
"Mei—!!!" ×N
After Elysia had already snatched Elias' first marriage certificate, everyone had begun to panic. Even so, they had still held onto a sliver of hope, thinking that was only a Previous Era marriage, and that in the Current Era, Elias was still technically unmarried.
So they all believed they still had time. They hadn't lost yet. They still had a chance...
But now, before they could even plan their next move, Mei directly revealed that she had already succeeded.
Everyone refused to accept it. Mei's efficiency was simply too outrageous! At the very least, they wanted to beat her up a little—otherwise they really couldn't take it!
A certain pink elf quietly raised her Staff of Origin, wearing a serious expression as she prepared to join the "punishment squad."
However—
"Elysia, you too!"
"Ow!"
The pink elf was kicked over to Mei's side by someone, instantly reclassified as one of the targets.
Everyone: (These two shameless traitors who cut ahead have severely violated the shared Elias agreement. Capital punishment! Immediate execution!)
Everyone's eyes glowed red. If they eliminated the cook and the pink elf, Elias would become a widower... and then...
Everyone: (Elysia, Raiden Mei—your husband shall be raised by us. Do not worry!)
Mei: "Hmph. Then I'll use all of you to test my blade."
Elysia: "Looks like this time Miss Pink Elf will have to fight side by side with Mei. Wait—hold on! Mei, what is that armor you're wearing?"
Everyone: "!!!"
Seeing the Queen of Thunder clad in the Godsbane Suit, everyone was stunned. No one expected Mei to obtain such power so quickly.
They couldn't help but marvel—truly worthy of being top-tier in the Current Era. Just yesterday she suffered a setback, and today she was already buffed.
Not far away, MEI—her alternate self from another spacetime—stared wide-eyed, feeling deeply wronged.
Same face, yet why was the Current Era Mei so powerful while she herself was so miserable?
Prometheus: (Could it be... because Dr. MEI, you can't cook?)
MEI: (...)
Another one crying injustice was Kiana.
Kiana stared at Mei. Bronya had become the Herrscher of Reason, Mei had obtained the Godsbane Suit, and only she remained an ordinary Herrscher of Flamescion.
Kiana: "Weren't the three of us supposed to advance together? Mei, Bronya—you actually powered up behind my back! I want new power too!"
Kiana immediately decided she would go find Elias later to demand an upgrade. Among the trio from Nagazora, she was now the only one left behind—how could that be acceptable?!
But that was for later.
Right now, the flames of battle had already been ignited.
Herrscher of Origin + empowered Mei vs everyone.
The Valkyrie dorms would likely need to be rebuilt afterward.
...
Meanwhile, elsewhere.
After teleporting away, Elias didn't head straight to the Sea of Quanta. Instead, he first went to retrieve the snake that Elysia had thrown into the trash can the day before.
After all, if it got taken away by a garbage truck and incinerated as non-recyclable waste, that would be a problem. There was also the risk of some bat-wielding galactic drifter digging it out...
However, afterward, the snake tried to drag him to the civil affairs bureau to register their marriage, but Elias temporarily refused.
He had just learned yesterday that he was already married to Elysia, then immediately got dragged by Mei to register another marriage.
Doing it again now...
Elias: "Let me catch my breath... let me catch my breath. Also, the atmosphere isn't romantic enough yet. I haven't even prepared a ring. Next time for sure—so just wait a bit, Snake."
Mobius: "Hmph~ I'm next, no matter what!"
Elias: "Alright, alright... we'll see. For now, I'll take you to Anti-Entropy. There's a new project that needs you to work with Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla."
Mobius: "???"
Elias then brought Mobius to Anti-Entropy, planning to have the top scientists study his planet-construction idea from last night.
But that was only a secondary objective.
His real purpose was to inform Raiden Ryoma of the good news—that he and Mei had officially registered their marriage.