May 27, 2015.
The Third Honkai Eruption of the Current Era occurred.
Location: St. Freya Academy in the Far East.
Kiana Kaslana transformed into the Herrscher of the Void.
Thanks to a joint operation involving Valkyries of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and St. Freya Academy, the Herrscher did not cause large-scale damage to human civilization.
Moreover, persuaded by the five-core Herrscher Elias, the Herrscher of the Void chose to join humanity's side.
Due to the unique nature of her awakening, all responsibility for this Honkai incident was shouldered by Otto Apocalypse alone!
It's all that guy's fault!
Following the battle, over 80% of the Valkyries from this operation chose to join St. Freya Academy, while the remaining 20% opted for retirement and returned to civilian life.
"That's about it... ah~ I'm exhausted."
Elias slumped on a bench, mentally and physically drained, leaning over onto Mei's lap. Too much had happened today, so much that he felt completely worn out.
"You worked hard, Elias. If not for you, who knows how many Valkyries would have suffered."
Standing before him, Theresa gently patted his white hair with gratitude.
"No big deal... er, actually, yeah, it was a big deal. I really did put in a ton of effort this time."
Elias gave a wry smile and shrugged.
The Third Honkai Eruption broke out inside St. Freya Academy. Fortunately, since the Valkyries had Honkai resistance, none of them turned into zombies or died on the spot.
And during the battle, the mech army Elias had previously constructed played an enormous role.
At the cost of over 90% destruction of the mech army, miraculously fewer than ten personnel were killed.
His custom mech army had become a shield for life, saving countless people. Just thinking about it made Elias feel fulfilled—like he could sleep well tonight.
Although the death toll was incredibly low—
The number of wounded was massive!
There were over a hundred Valkyries missing arms or legs, and many more suffering fatal Honkai energy corrosion.
But—!
"I've almost used up all my five-core Herrscher's Honkai energy, but I managed to save every single one of them."
Elias stood up and proudly put his hands on his hips.
The miraculous power of the Herrscher of Rebirth was once again on full display.
Where the Herrscher of Death of the Previous Era brought about the deaths of millions, Elias brought salvation—every survivor in this battle was healed by him.
Even the cumulative Honkai corruption the Valkyries had suffered up to now was completely cured. From this day forward, being a Valkyrie would no longer be a profession that shortened one's lifespan.
They no longer had to endure immense pain and suffering while fighting to protect the world.
"Mei, I've got to warn you—in the coming days, you'd better keep a close eye on Elias. Right now, who knows how many hundreds or thousands of Valkyries want to offer themselves to him."
Theresa playfully elbowed Mei.
Elias had become the savior of all Valkyries.
Those who once lay in despair on hospital beds, awaiting death in fear—
When they saw white flowers blooming across their bodies as Elias passed by, when all their pain vanished and death was driven away by his presence—at that moment, countless Valkyries looked at him as if they were seeing a god.
That was also why most of the Schicksal Valkyries willingly joined St. Freya Academy after the battle—
Because they had all fallen for the boy named Elias.
Just the fact that he had saved their lives—
Their loyalty and adoration for Elias skyrocketed. Many wished to offer themselves to him—well, no, they were practically ready to become his worshipful followers!
As for Otto—he was now completely irrelevant. Let him roll off somewhere and stop bothering them.
"Mm, I'll be careful," Mei replied seriously, nodding her head.
Though proud of her boyfriend, the girl couldn't help but feel a little troubled.
(Ah~ As expected of my Elias. He really is the best. I feel like I'm falling in love with him all over again. But… if possible, I wish he wasn't so amazing. As his girlfriend, the pressure is killing me.)
Her resentment toward the scheming dog Otto deepened even further, because during the post-battle summary, she had made a painful discovery—
A sudden influx of powerful rivals!
Sirin, Bella, Durandal, Li Sushang, the Herrscher of the Void… although two of them hadn't made any moves yet, Mei had a feeling they would become serious threats in the future.
And not to mention the hundreds—maybe thousands—of Valkyries whose names she didn't even know!
Right now, Mei felt like coughing up blood. She cast a resentful glance at the white-haired boy beside her.
(Why does being Elias' girlfriend feel like I'm going up against the entire world…)
"Speaking of which, among those Schicksal Valkyries who joined us... Elias, did any girl catch your eye?"
Theresa crossed her arms and looked curiously at Elias. Thinking back to something she saw earlier in the infirmary, she strongly suspected Mei's metaphorical horns might be growing even longer.
"Elias..."
"Slander! Theresa, that's pure slander!"
Mei gave him a very meaningful look, and Elias coughed lightly, trying to deny the accusation outright.
"Hmph~ You're panicking! It's obvious there's one Valkyrie you gave extra attention to. As headmistress, I have serious doubts about your intentions—especially since you even brought her aboard the Hyperion."
"Don't say another word! I had special reasons for that!"
Feeling Mei's gaze grow increasingly dangerous—as if she might draw her blade at any moment—Elias broke into a cold sweat, hurriedly covering Theresa's mouth.
He couldn't believe this Judas was trying to sabotage him. Did she forget who helped her recruit all those Valkyries into the academy? Who smuggled so much equipment from Schicksal? Who kept quiet about her midnight kitchen raids?
"Elias, who exactly is this Valkyrie you took special care of? What's so special about her?"
Mei asked with a bright smile, the very picture of curiosity... though her horns were still nudging his neck.
"Alright, alright, calm down, Mei. I'll tell you."
Elias, both amused and helpless, grabbed the girl's horns and began playing with them as usual. His expert touch made Mei's cheeks instantly flush with red.
By the way, he found her horns very convenient—especially at night, they made great handles...
"Ahem! The Valkyrie I've been keeping an eye on is named Ana Schariac. And what makes her special… let's just say, she'll become a Herrscher in the future. Do you believe me?"
"What?!"
"Seriously?!"
Theresa and Mei immediately widened their eyes in shock. Though they had anticipated Elias wouldn't randomly give someone special attention, hearing she would become a Herrscher was still startling.
As for whether they believed him—
It never even crossed their minds to doubt it. These days, if Elias claimed the end of the world would come tomorrow, they'd probably believe that too.
Elias spread his hands, fully expecting that reaction.
Ana Schariac—Schicksal's promising Valkyrie cadet, participant in this battle, and scion of one of Schicksal's Three Great Houses. Gifted and capable.
And... she would one day become the Herrscher of Ice!
(During today's healing session with the Valkyries, I stumbled upon a pleasant surprise—never thought I'd meet the future Herrscher of Ice at this point in time… and yet—)
Elias narrowed his eyes slightly. He had once asked the system:
If the present changes, will the future Herrscher candidates change as well?
The answer was no.
That meant that even though Ana Schariac had veered off her original path—leaving Schicksal and joining St. Freya Academy—she would still become the Herrscher of Ice in the future.
Unless Elias killed her, or like he did with Sirin, replaced her as the Herrscher of Ice himself—only then would her destined fate transform into something new.
Though whether it would change for better or worse was unknown.
"There are two ways to handle a bomb. One, drop it in the middle of nowhere. Two, hand it to a bomb disposal expert."
Elias confidently patted his chest.
"That's why I'm keeping her close. If anything happens, I can handle it immediately."
"Well… that does make sense."
"If she's destined to become a Herrscher, then it can't be helped."
Theresa and Mei exchanged glances and accepted Elias' reasoning. After all, there was no one in the world more reliable when it came to dealing with Herrschers.
Still, Elias didn't have much choice in the matter.
Although according to the original timeline, Ana Schariac would awaken as a Herrscher in 2017—two years later—her fate had already been affected the moment she came into contact with him.
Elias didn't know if that meant she'd become a Herrscher sooner or later.
Just like Kiana—her original awakening as the Herrscher of the Void was supposed to happen a year from now.
But due to Elias' influence, it had been accelerated by a year. And Himeko hadn't even given her final lesson this time.
"Ehhh~ Looks like you've got another rival in the future, Mei. Elias might not realize it, but that girl was absolutely glowing when he invited her today—she's definitely fallen for him."
"Heh, typical of a Schariac."
Elias chuckled, shaking his head. If it had been anyone else, he might've been surprised. But with someone from the pure-blooded Schariac line… it was like the "freebie" attribute was etched into their DNA.
Still, he really had saved Ana Schariac's life today.
The poor girl had a rough day—
First, her arm was severed by the Herrscher of the Void's Subspace Lance, then her leg was crushed by a Templar-class Honkai Beast. Such a beautiful young lady… if Elias hadn't regenerated her limbs, she'd have spent the rest of her life in a wheelchair.
And as everyone knew, the Schariac clan wasn't just inherently generous—they were also fatally weak to the classic "hero saves beauty" scenario. They were the easiest to win over among the Three Great Houses.
Elias recalled treating Ana earlier.
He had merely regenerated her arms and legs, but she'd reacted as if he had saved her soul.
Ana: "Ahh~ Lord Elias, thank you so much for healing me! From now on, if there's anything I can do for you—anything at all—just say the word! I'll do it!"
Elias: "Uh… well, would you like to join my battleship crew as part of my elite Valkyrie unit? The current benefits are..."
Ana: "I-I'd love to! Please let me join! From now on, I'll fight for you! Ahh, I'm so lucky~"
Elias: "..."
Ana was so easy to recruit it left Elias embarrassed. But in a way, it was a good thing.
If she was that easy to win over, then when she did awaken as the Herrscher of Ice, he wouldn't have to worry about not having enough emotional connection to reach her human side.
Being a freebie might be low-effort—but it had its perks.
And Ana's strength was actually quite decent. Being a Schariac, her innate configuration even surpassed Rita's. With proper training from Elias, becoming S-rank one day wasn't just a dream.
"And technically, she's Kiana's cousin and Durandal's younger cousin. In the original timeline, if she had the support of something like the God-Killing Spear and Fu Hua, maybe she could've become the Herrscher of Humanity like Kiana did…"
As Elias pondered this—
"Master, dinner is ready."
The dorm door opened, and Bella walked in affectionately, letting him know it was time to eat.
Bella and Sirin had officially joined St. Freya Academy—plus, a bonus gift: Cecilia.
Which made Welt's face go completely dark.
Welt Yang: "Can we still be friends, Elias? You're being way too greedy. You already poached all of Schicksal's elite Valkyries, and now you're digging into Anti-Entropy's top talent too?!"
And not just one or two—he had taken half their top brass. Herrscher-level Bella, S-rank Sirin, Cecilia... not to mention the Divine Key, Abyss Flower.
Elias: "Honestly, I've got my eyes on Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla too. St. Freya really needs some research personnel. I hope they'll consider switching over."
Welt Yang: "You've gone too far. If you keep this up, there'll be no one left in Anti-Entropy."
Elias: "Heh~ And you think you have room to talk? Don't forget—didn't a certain Anti-Entropy leader recently moonlight as a history teacher at St. Freya?"
Welt Yang: "..."
By the way, Siegfried and Raiden Ryoma also came to St. Freya, originally to watch Elias suffer in his romantic mess.
But instead, they saw Elias with Kiana on one arm and Mei on the other, and the sheer frustration made both old men cough up three liters of blood.
Elias: "Defeating both my father-in-laws like this feels amazing."
Sirin and Bella's arrival had Mei feeling a massive sense of danger. New rivals had appeared—and they were incredibly strong!
Especially Bella—she was just too much.
"Miss Bella... this outfit of yours?"
Mei's eye twitched as she looked at the dragon maid in front of her.
"It seems to be a popular trend lately. Please don't mind, Miss Mei. As Master's companion Honkai Beast and eternal servant, I naturally had to assume a fitting form… the outfit is on loan from Miss Rita."
"Rita! We are so not done!" (quietly)
Mei gritted her teeth, feeling the urge to entomb a certain maid inside a shrine.
Bella was currently dressed in a maid outfit—not the skimpy, revealing kind, but a very proper black-and-white uniform that covered a lot of skin.
It wasn't sexy, but it was divine.
Paired with Bella's pure, ethereal beauty, the look transcended sexuality and became something sacred and lovely.
In short—pure beauty! Beauty forever!
(A pure and beautiful knight passed by...)
And Bella wasn't just stunning—she was a master of housework, an excellent cook, and a naturally caring, wife-material type of girl. Most importantly... she had a pair of artistic dragon horns!
Mei: "Is this even fair?! Weren't you hornless in your Benares form? Why do you have horns in human form?! And you're a Judgment-class Honkai Beast—why the heck can you cook?!"
Bella: "Master once asked me to take care of Lady Sirin and the others while he was away, so I learned. As for the horns—they're constructed from Honkai energy."
Honkai energy could do anything.
Mei: "..."
Dragon maid, housework expert, great cook, horned, powerful, super attentive, and a loyal dog-type personality.
Mei's eye twitched wildly. She could feel the malice of the world. This girl was clearly designed specifically to counter her!
"Master, do you like this version of Bella?"
"Absolutely. I love it!"
Elias gave her a big thumbs up—full marks. As expected of his Bella, the girl born for him.
He figured that if he were suddenly transported into a certain card-dueling anime, he'd be the Kaiba of that world.
And Bella would be his ultimate soul card—Blue-Eyes White Dragon! Guaranteed triple-draw at opening hand with Fusion. He'd even sacrifice a god just to summon her!
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