"Silas..." Pardofelis looked up at him with a faint, reluctant smile. "In the end, I still can't do it. After all, you're the chosen hero…"
The chosen hero? No, no, no—if you had to put that title on someone, it would be Kevin. Silas thought to himself. But even Kevin was originally just an ordinary person. It was only because the era needed him—because the world needed him—that he became the hero who would save it.
So Silas met her gaze and said, "No, Pardofelis. You're wrong. I've never been a chosen hero. I'm just a normal man. In fact, when I first started, I might not have even been able to beat you."
"That's impossible!" Pardofelis shook her head. She was someone who slacked off whenever she could—there was no way Silas couldn't beat her.
The truth was, back when Silas first arrived in this world, he really might have lost to her. Say what you will about Pardofelis, but growing up in the chaos of Sundown Alley meant she could still hold her own in a fight—at least compared to others from that environment. Silas, on the other hand… before crossing over, he had just been a student.
"If you don't believe me, go ask Elysia," Silas shrugged and glanced her way. "She pulled me out of the ruins before the Third Eruption, but it wasn't until the Fourth Eruption that I could barely keep up with her and Kevin on the battlefield. Isn't that right?"
Since Pardofelis only joined Flame-Chasers after the Tenth Herrscher incident, she didn't really know much about his past.
Elysia nodded. "Yes, back then… you definitely weren't like Kevin. You joined my squad during the Fourth Herrscher incident, but it wasn't until the Seventh Herrscher incident that you truly started to shine." Even then, his light was still overshadowed by Kevin's. It was true—when Felis joined Flame-Chasers, that was when Silas finally stepped onto the stage.
Seventh Herrscher incident: taking down the Herrscher's companion Honkai Beast, Surya, solo. Ninth Herrscher incident: single-handedly killing the companion beast, Ravana, and later leading the Fallen Angel squad to slay the strongest Honkai Beast ever recorded—a Vipralopa-Class named Brahma of the end. Eleventh Herrscher incident: killing the Herrscher. Twelfth Herrscher incident: sealing the Herrscher alongside Sakura.
Before all that, most people had probably never even heard of him.
"Indeed, the first time I met Silas was when he was part of Elysia's squad…" Sakura recalled. "At that time… sorry, you didn't leave a deep impression on me."
She truly got to know him during the Ninth Herrscher incident, when he covered her retreat after she was wounded—and later killed Brahma. The thought suddenly left her feeling heavy. Why had she only noticed him so late?
"Hmph." Kalpas snorted. He had known Silas much earlier than Sakura. After being released from the Deep, Kalpas had been assigned as Silas's sparring partner. He had watched with his own eyes as that impossible-to-knock-down man slowly, step by step, finally defeated him.
Silas spread his hands toward Pardofelis. "Compared to me, your boss Kevin is more like the chosen hero. But even for him, when he first joined Flame-Chasers, it was all for Mei. And even after all this time, that's never changed. Do you think… that makes him a hero?"
Pardofelis fell silent.
She actually knew most of the Fallen Angel squad members. She was even on good terms with Sariel… until that time, when she fell ill, and then—
"Hey, Brother Silas…"
"Hm?"
"If I start training now… it's not too late, right?"
"Of course. But…" Silas sized her up, "I suggest you work on your nutrition first."
She was too light! The food in Sundown Alley was terrible—the poor cat had been raised skinny. Even in the game model, she was on the slim side. This wouldn't do. According to the records, she was about the same height and weight as Elysia, but only 50 kg…
"Silas, what are you thinking now?" Elysia asked, smiling dangerously at him.
"…I was just thinking that Pardofelis is too thin. She needs to eat better," Silas replied.
Elysia seemed to understand. So that's why he was so gentle toward Felis—he saw her as a little sister, didn't he? That was fine, then.
Pardofelis, on the other hand, was completely lost. She glanced at herself, then at Elysia. Come to think of it, wasn't Sakura older than her too? …Wait. Did Silas like older women?
But wait—wasn't Lilith not that much older either…? And what did this have to do with nutrition?
Since she'd roped Kevin and the others into the Fire Moth before, Elysia was already an expert at this. She reported Pardo and Kalpas as intruders, which naturally led to the usual choice: "become a prisoner" or "join us."
Fire Moth was easy to get into—but getting out? Not so much. The one who lived the longest after betraying the organization was Kosma, and that was only because he was strong enough to hold his own against the collapse.
Silas, meanwhile, gave a brief report on his and Sakura's purge operation in Zone B4, and then went to visit his good buddy Kevin.
Only to find said buddy slumped in a chair alongside Kosma, both unmoving. That was odd. He asked Su, who was standing nearby: "Su, what happened here? I can understand Kevin collapsing after Elysia amped up his training, but what's Kosma's excuse?"
Su was silent for a moment, then said, "Dystopia told him about Kevin's training intensity, so he asked to match it… and collapsed faster than Kevin."
When Silas arrived, Kevin lifted his eyes slightly. "How's your coordination with Sakura?"
Silas thought for a moment. "Not bad. Overall, our teamwork had no major mistakes. Given a little more time…"
"You should go find Lilith." Kevin suddenly perked up. "Even Sakura's specialty lies in assassination. You're better at frontal combat, so you need a partner who can fight head-on like you. And you know Lilith—she's not only excellent at direct combat, she's also great at analyzing enemies mid-battle."
In other words—go find Lilith!
Silas was speechless. You make a good point… If only there wasn't a Mobius standing right next to you, I might even agree.
"Kevin," Mobius's voice was soft, "it seems your training hasn't pushed you to your limit yet, if you still have the energy to chat."
"Mobius? What are you doing here?" Kevin looked surprised. Su had already quietly pulled out a handkerchief, ready to shove it in Kevin's mouth if needed.
"Silas said he had something interesting to show me, and officially I need to analyze the remains of Śeṣa's body. Is there a problem?" Mobius glanced at Kevin. Before coming, she'd already heard from Vill-V that Kevin was trying to push Silas toward Lilith. If Lilith came over, wouldn't that ruin her plans? That's flipping the table outright!
One Elysia was already more than enough trouble.
"I see." Kevin nodded, then looked at Silas. "Silas, if you truly want to defeat the Honkai, you must understand—the power of the Fallen Angels squad is necessary."
Mobius: "…"
Oh, so you're not going to stop, huh?!
Silas: "…"
The Kaslana family's emotional IQ strikes again.
Su: "…"
What now? I don't think we can save him this time…
"Ah, Kevin, you have to understand—Lilith originally had a fiancé, but he died in a Honkai incident." Silas spoke with a hint of subtlety, trying to signal Kevin to drop the subject—otherwise, he feared either not seeing Kevin alive tomorrow, or one day finding Kevin suddenly got gender-swapped and turned into 'Kevinna.'
"What?!" Kevin's brow furrowed. Someone dared to cuckold his bro? Where was his Judgment of Shamash—oh right, not forged yet...
Mobius raised an eyebrow. She'd never heard that piece of intel before—better keep it in mind. But for now, the priority was shutting Kevin up before he kept pushing Silas toward Lilith.
She just opened her mouth: "Silas, about what you said earlier—"
Kevin spoke up again: "That's indeed a problem, but it's nothing difficult. As long as you have the will…" If Lilith liked you in the last life, she'll still like you in this one!
Su acted instantly, shoving a handkerchief into Kevin's mouth. "Kevin, you're already exhausted. Save your strength by saying less. I used to be a doctor for several years in the last life—you should trust me on this."
Kosma had already scooted away, because now it wasn't just Mobius standing there. Elysia had just arrived with Vill-V after finishing the paperwork for Pardo and the others.
Naturally, Pardo, Sakura, and Kalpas had also come over.
Silas: "…"
At this point, he was terrified that even if the Elysian Realm itself collapsed, there would still be one last mouth inside shouting, 'Go find Lilith!'
Kalpas mocked: "Kevin, what's with the handkerchief in your mouth? Oh, and look at you, blind man—turns out you can open your eyes."
Just as Su let out a sigh of relief, Kevin rebelled. Taking advantage of Su's moment of inattention, he spat out the handkerchief and calmly said, "We're talking about Lilith."
The air instantly went silent.
Surprisingly, Kalpas was the first to react. He froze for a moment, then looked at Silas: "Your girlfriend's not here right now?"
Silas: "…"
How had he never noticed these two were idiots in their past life?
Meanwhile, in a Luxurious Lounge
"Miss Eden, is this your new composition?" Her agent's eyes lit up at the manuscript by Eden's side.
"A new song… ah, yes. This is a melody from the future—composed solely for a lonely traveler, a movement that belongs only to him." Eden gently stroked the sheet music, the young man's image appearing in her mind.
"Belongs only to him? Miss Eden, who exactly is he?" The agent drew in a sharp breath. Someone had actually inspired Miss Eden to write a piece solely for him? She wanted in on this gossip—wait, no, she had to keep Miss Eden's secret. She was a professional, after all!
Eden didn't answer. She only let out a soft sigh, a hint of unspoken melancholy in her gaze as she looked toward the direction of Changkong City.
Her agent was even more astonished. Who was this man? She felt it was absolutely necessary to meet him in person, to screen him for Miss Eden's sake—and if he didn't pass… well, then they'd just bury him.
________________________________________
15+ advanced chapters available on Pat/NoobyIdiotka