"Now this is rare—why aren't you clinging to Elias today? Elysia, did you finally get dumped?"
"That kind of thing could never happen, not even in a dream, my dear Mobius! There's no way my Elias would ever dump me—impossible, absolutely impossible!"
Elysia waved her hand with full confidence.
But the next second, something seemed to occur to her.
Her expression changed. She lowered her head and began drawing circles on the ground, her dejected demeanor so out of place that even Mobius was surprised.
"No way… you two actually hit a rough patch?!"
"Not at all! Elias and I are doing great! It's just… today he went on a mission with Sakura and said I couldn't come."
Elysia pouted, vigorously squishing Mobius' face beneath her in frustration.
"Hahaha, finally! You got a taste of your own medicine!"
Even though she was still pinned down, that didn't stop Mobius from slapping the floor in triumph.
Mobius was thrilled. She'd lived long enough to see this—Miss Pink Elf, finally taking an L.
Elias went on a mission with Sakura… but not Elysia.
Who knew what the two of them were doing right now?
Elysia, looks like you're getting greened again~
(…Wait a second, what am I even celebrating?! Doesn't this mean Sakura's threat level is dangerously high? If she can threaten the pink elf's position, then what about mine…)
Mobius belatedly broke out in a cold sweat.
Now wasn't the time to be enjoying the show.
If Sakura could threaten Elysia's place, then naturally she could threaten Mobius' too. Sure, Elysia might be more affected due to their matching pink aesthetics, but Mobius wasn't exactly safe either!
"Elysia, tell me carefully—just how dangerous is this Sakura girl?"
Mobius had already pulled out her little notebook.
"Ugh! Sakura's really capable. Good thing I met Elias first, or I'd already be in big trouble…"
"Th-that scary? I thought her figure wasn't as good as yours."
Actually, that wasn't entirely true—it was just that Elysia had a softer, curvier build, perfect for hugging.
Sakura, being a highly disciplined assassin, had a slender and tight figure—but hugging her still felt great in its own way.
"The real issue is that Sakura's too good at everything. She can do literally anything. She takes amazing care of people, her cooking is ridiculously good—ever since she moved in, Elias doesn't even eat with me at the cafeteria anymore. And those unfairly fluffy pink fox ears—I really want to touch them again!"
Elysia made a clawing motion with her hands.
She had only gotten to touch Sakura's fox ears once—on the night Sakura first appeared—and the sensation was outrageously pleasant.
As much as Elysia hated to admit it, compared to her own elf ears, Sakura's fox ears were softer.
Even though Elias' favorite person was still Elysia, his favorite ears were undeniably Sakura's.
It was just a small defeat—but for someone as used to total victory as Miss Pink Elf, it still stung!
"My dearest Mobius, you can totally help me grow a pair of pink fox ears too, right? Please, help me~ I'm begging you!"
Still sitting atop Mobius, Elysia pleaded sincerely.
If you can't beat 'em—join 'em. Miss Pink Elf had decided she wanted her own pair of cute pink fox ears too. That way, not only could Elias touch hers, but she could touch them herself to satisfy her ear addiction!
Mobius sneered coldly. She pulled out a drill from who-knows-where, revving it up with a menacing zzzzzz, and gave Elysia a dangerous smile.
"Sure. I can help you. I'll drill two holes into your head and attach ears from a Yaksha Honkai Beast. Sound good to you, Elysia?"
"I think that sounds terrible!"
Elysia was covered in black lines. There was always some evil snake trying to sabotage the adorable Miss Pink Elf.
Mobius, you really don't understand the situation. Sakura had barely debuted and was already posing a threat to Elysia—didn't that mean she could obliterate you too?
Now was not the time to emulate upper-level infighting. They needed to unite and suppress the newcomer! That was the real priority!
(This pink elf is such a baby.)
"Hmph! Oh right, did you say Sakura can cook?"
"Yup. Slurp~ She's amazing. I heard she used to cook every day for her little sister."
Elysia wiped her lips as she spoke. These days, all of Elias' meals were handled by Sakura—he didn't even need to visit the Fire Moth cafeteria anymore.
And Miss Pink Piggy herself had, of course, snuck some bites. The result? Utter shock. She never expected Sakura's cooking to be on par with Elias'!
Simply put, this girl totally lived up to her title as a star of the Elysian Realm—someone who once dared claim she could teach the Herrscher of Cooking (Raiden Mei) how to cook. A classic pampering-wife archetype who could spoil someone into uselessness!
"Elysia, then why not fight back?"
"Eh? But I can't cook."
"Huh? Weren't you and Elias travelers before? Shouldn't you be one of those people who can just pick up ingredients off the ground and whip up a gourmet meal anywhere?"
Mobius stared at her with deep suspicion.
How had this pink glutton traveled the world without knowing how to cook? Even cooking idiots would normally learn out of necessity during travel.
The next moment, Elysia puffed up proudly with her hands on her hips.
"That's because I had Elias~ Mobius, let me tell you: even though Sakura is an amazing cook, she's still not as good as Elias~ Back when we traveled together, he could find random ingredients in the forest and cook up something better than a five-star restaurant."
"Tch! Stop bragging already!!"
Mobius' lips twitched violently. She was dying of envy.
Elias was perfect in every way—but his biggest flaw was spoiling his own people too much. Especially when it came to Elysia. This pink elf had been pampered by Elias since forever!
Mobius strongly recommended confiscating all of Elysia's equipment and tossing her into the wilderness to survive on her own. No—better yet, force her into a few days of outdoor survival training.
Elysia: (Hmph~ In that case, I guarantee I'd starve to death on the very first night! And Mobius, you don't get to talk—you're just as hopeless in daily life!)
Mobius: (...)
Granted, she had left home young and struggled through society for a while… but now that she was wealthy, most of those survival skills had faded.
These days, all Mobius could make was instant noodles.
Compared to that, Sakura's wifely abilities absolutely blew both of them out of the water.
Maybe she wasn't as cute and optimistic as Elysia, or as sultry and seductive as Mobius—but Sakura was an undeniably beautiful girl, with a unique set of strengths.
Fox ears. Loyal dog personality. Ideal wife material. And she even came with a super adorable little sister bonus.
Elysia: "Oh right! I almost forgot—Sakura's little sister is also a huge threat!"
Mobius: "Huh? How bad could she be? Wasn't her sister just a grade-schooler?"
Elysia: "Grade-schooler? That's Sakura's ace wingman!"
Sakura might be the straightforward, sincere type who didn't play petty tricks—despite being a fox girl, she was ridiculously pure. She had no schemes and simply served Elias with her whole heart… which, honestly, made her even more dangerous in its own way.
But Rin? Rin was a very competent little sister.
Sakura might not know how to play games—but Rin totally did!
Just like the Valkyries back at St. Freya Academy in the future—who loved shipping Elias with all the girls—the soldiers and staff at this Fire Moth base were also deeply into CP party drama!
Currently in the absolute lead, with unmatched popularity, was the Elias x Elysia pairing. The Elias Faction and the Ely Faction were vast, mighty, and seemingly unshakable.
Second place had been the Elias x Mobius pairing… but that faction had already dropped to third.
Because the new Elias x Sakura pairing had exploded onto the scene with shocking force.
Their current supporter count was already nearly equal to Elias x Elysia. And the mastermind behind this sudden boom? Rin!
The news of the Fire Moth councilors being executed by Elias wasn't exactly classified. By the next day, everyone knew. Countless people speculated on what the councilors had done to earn his wrath.
Just as speculation was at its peak—
Rin stepped forward as an "insider," offering herself for an interview by the Fire Moth news division. And she declared…
"Of course my brother-in-law did it for my sister! Ahem, here's what happened: my poor, kind big sister was being threatened by those awful people. They said if she didn't kill Big Brother Elias, they'd kill me."
"She had no choice but to accept the mission and come here. But then, she accidentally fell in love with Big Brother Elias. And when he found out the truth, he saved me right away—and then, in a righteous rage, eliminated all the villains who threatened her!"
"That's it! And I didn't lie—not a single word."
Though Rin hadn't told the whole truth…
She hadn't exactly lied either.
Even Elias himself couldn't really find fault with it. After all, while he'd long planned to deal with the councilors, part of his reason for acting when he did was indeed to stand up for Sakura.
And the result—
"Shocking! Captain Elias Slaughters Council for Love!"
"Too Handsome! Oh God~ Give Me a Boyfriend Like Captain Elias!"
"Fire Moth's Strongest Hero Saves the Beauty—Envy! Sakura-san, Switch With Me!"
"Rejoice~ A New Faction Has Risen! The Dazzling Hero and the Tragic Assassin—Welcome to the Elias x Sakura Faction!"
The entire Fire Moth internal network was set ablaze by the topic. The Elias x Sakura Faction's popularity skyrocketed, immediately overtaking Mobius' ship and surpassing it.
Even Elysia was so startled she briefly panicked.
Fortunately, her CP with Elias had an overwhelming amount of delicious content—sweet moments, abundant scenes—and her large, loyal fanbase ensured she remained undefeated.
Mobius: "Damn it! Why am I the only one taking a loss?! I knew it—anyone with pink hair is bad news! Cut them open and they're all black-hearted!"
Vill-V: "Congratulations, Dr. Mobius! You've unlocked the achievement: 'The Only One Who Got Hurt in This World!' Haha~"
Mobius: "Vill-V! Start preparing to spend the night on the operating table!"
Still, though the Elysia stock remained strong…
If no new sweet moments were added soon…
It was only a matter of time before the newcomer replaced the veteran, just like Mobius' poor, dwindling faction—now basically sustained by Klein alone.
"Elysia, I hope you fall out of favor soon!"
"As if! Miss Pink Elf never goes out of style! The Elias Faction and Ely Faction will last forever! Once Elias gets back, we're going on a date! I'm already prepared—ta-da~!"
As she spoke, Elysia reached into her chest, and to Mobius' horror-stricken expression, pulled two beautiful concert tickets and a promotional flyer from her fourth-dimensional cleavage.
"The Star of the Era, Diva of Sacred Music, Classical Artist EDEN—The Valerna Concert is About to Begin!"
On the flyer was a regal, stunningly elegant red-haired woman—so beautiful that at first glance, one could only think of art and music.
She was none other than the Previous Era's top artist and ultra-wealthy superstar: Eden.
"Eden's concert tickets? Aren't those ultra-rare? How'd you even get them?"
"I just happened to snag two! Elias loves music—he'll definitely be happy."
"Hmph. You'd better be careful. What if he accidentally seduces the diva herself? Then you'll have a new rival."
"Haha~ As if, Mobius. This is Eden we're talking about. Didn't that magazine interview say she's in love with the current era and with art? A superstar like her wouldn't compete with cute little me for Elias~"
Miss Pink Elf spoke with full confidence and ease.
She was already picturing it—
In the dimly lit concert hall, sitting beside Elias while they listened to the singer's ethereal voice. A romantic atmosphere blossoming… slowly drawing closer… gazing into each other's eyes… and then—a kiss…
Elysia: "Sluuurp~! Looks like just buying tickets isn't enough. I should check nearby hotels and book a nice couple's suite… just in case."
Next to her, Mobius and Vill-V twitched violently at the corners of their mouths. They now strongly suspected that this pink-haired elf hadn't come here to complain about Sakura's threat level—but to show off!
Damn it! This shameless pink piglet—does she not realize that flaunting her love life like this invites karmic retribution?! Heaven will punish you!
And just then—
[ALERT! ALERT! Honkai Eruption Detected! Honkai Eruption Detected! Fifth Herrscher identified. All squads prepare for deployment. Proceed to the Arctic Zone at coordinates xxxxx!]
Heaven's punishment arrived.
The sudden eruption left the three women stunned.
Mobius immediately linked to satellite feed to assess the Fifth Herrscher's condition. Vill-V pulled up her terminal and activated all nearby mech forces.
"My my~ Interrupting a girls' chat like this… what a tactless Herrscher."
Elysia had already drawn her bow, Whisper of the Past, and was dashing toward the transport craft.
"Oh well~ Elias did say the Fifth Herrscher would be mine to hunt. Time for Miss Pink Elf to fire up!"
But just as she reached the doorway—
[...All units, cancel deployment. Herrscher signal lost. Honkai energy levels in the target zone are dropping. The Fifth Herrscher… appears to have been eliminated.]
THUD!
The pink elf tripped over her own feet and faceplanted on the floor. But she didn't even care—clutching her sore nose with tear-filled eyes, she stared at the intercom in disbelief.
Elysia: "My kill… it's gone AGAIN?!"
Vill-V: "Uh… that Herrscher lasted, what, a few seconds?"
Mobius: "Not even thirty. That's a new record. And I'm betting a cup of instant noodles it was Elias who did it."