After Sheele was taken into custody, a long time passed before the aftermath of the Sixth Honkai Eruption was finally dealt with. Half of the Honkai trials were now behind them, and the Previous Era still held the advantage.
But Elias dared not relax in the slightest.
He knew very well that everything so far had been nothing more than appetizers.
From the Seventh Herrscher onward, the difficulty of the Honkai's trials would increase exponentially! Even he would find it hard to remain calm.
After all, the Herrschers to come were all "abnormal" in some respect.
Elias was already considering that it was almost time to gather the remaining Flame-Chasers.
Though the road ahead was dangerous, there was no need to be overly tense. For now, peace still held.
Under his and Mei's command, Fire Moth was making preparations for the future. With the successful development of soulium, many plans could finally be put into motion.
The Divine Key Project, the ELF Project, the Moonlight Throne Project, the Chimera Project, and the Stigmata…
Of course, none of these things could be conjured up all at once, but progress bars were slowly filling.
And now, Elias had one more daily task besides subjugating high-level Honkai Beasts.
Inside the Deep End.
"Hi, Sheele. I came to keep you company."
"Elias, why are you here again?! I don't welcome you! Go away!!"
"Hm? Sounds like someone wants another spanking."
"You—!"
In Sheele's private room within the Deep End, the Herrscher girl wore an adorable pink dress, hugging a Homu doll Elias had conjured for her with his Authority.
At the mention of spanking, Sheele flinched instinctively, clutching her backside while her face flushed with embarrassment and anger.
"Hehe~ how cute. Anyway, let's eat first. Without your Core, you can't afford to skip meals."
"I don't need human food!"
"Oh? Then are you saying you'd prefer non-human food? Very brave. Next time, I'll have Mei cook for you."
The image flashed in his mind of Mei, whose face looked every bit the housewife, yet couldn't cook at all.
The last time she had whimsically invited Elias to dinner, cooking personally, she had nearly poisoned the Seven-Core Herrscher + MANTIS right to death.
That had been food unfit for humans—culinary skills rivaling those of a certain lightning Archon from Teyvat!
"Let's see if you're still so haughty after eating Mei's cooking. But don't worry, with me here, I'll at least make sure you survive it."
Elias placed a tray of food from the cafeteria in front of her, but the girl just turned her head away with tsundere defiance.
"Hmph! I'd rather starve to death than eat a single bite!" Sheele declared with hands on her hips, full of confidence.
Gurgleeee~
No sooner had she spoken than her stomach gave a pitiful growl.
Elias: "Pfft~ Nice ventriloquism."
Sheele: "…It's all that snake-like woman's fault! Otherwise, I wouldn't be like this!"
Mobius had certainly not gone easy on her lately. Though Sheele hadn't been put on the operating table, she had endured just about everything else possible.
And so, a minute later—
"Nom nom nom nom! Mmmph!"
"Slow down. No one's stealing your food. If you choke and die eating, you'll become an even more disgraceful Herrscher than the Herrscher of Ice."
"I don't actually want to eat it! Leaving it there was just an eyesore, so I forced myself to take care of it!"
"Ah, yes yes~ of course."
Elias thought to himself: in the end, no one escaped the law of 'smells too good.'
Sheele devoured the lunch like a true food warrior. Elias, practiced by now, took a napkin and gently wiped her mouth, then the two sat on the bed, grabbed controllers, and started up a co-op game.
"Today I'll definitely beat you!"
"Heh~ if I lose even a sliver of health, I'll count it as your win."
Glancing at his record of over a hundred consecutive victories, Elias had no intention of holding back. And though Sheele was crushed into despair every time, the next day she always came back to challenge him again… only to be crushed once more.
According to Fire Moth's investigation, before becoming a Herrscher, Sheele had also been a pitiful child.
Her parents died, her relatives seized the inheritance, and afterward Sheele was sent to an orphanage. But the orphanage's owner was no good person either—secretly trafficking children.
That person was already dead now, the very first victim Sheele killed after becoming a Herrscher.
Putting himself in her place, Elias felt it was natural she would become a Herrscher bent on destroying the world. After all, Sheele had never experienced the beauty of this world—only its malice.
And now, though she was his prisoner…
Elias had not harmed her aside from extracting her Core. Instead, he brought her many things she had never had before: pretty clothes, delicious food, fun games, entertaining movies, and more.
"Sheele, I understand your resentment toward the world. But not everything in it is awful. If you destroy it, you'll never taste happy water again, never play games, never see how novels end."
Elias spoke as he guided her, hoping that anime, games, and junk food might save the girl's despairing heart.
"...Hmph! I-I don't care about any of that!"
Sheele clenched her teeth stubbornly, but the flicker in her eyes betrayed her wavering feelings.
That moment of hesitation cost her—her character in the game was swiftly defeated by Elias' seamless combo.
"Ahhh! Elias, you cheated! That was a sneak attack! Too underhanded! I don't want to play anymore, this game sucks!"
"Stop making excuses. If you're bad, just practice more."
"Hmph!"
Sheele puffed out her cheeks, but Elias only ruffled her hair and handed her several small bags.
"Here. Elysia asked me to deliver these clothes to you. She also said next time she's coming to the Deep End to play with you."
"Don't let that woman come near me!"
At the mention of Elysia's name, Sheele flinched all over, her face filled with disgust and dread.
She instinctively hugged her chest and shivered, recalling the recent trauma of being dominated by the Pink Elf—
Being treated like a dress-up doll, forced to watch pink movies, force-fed and made to chat… Sheele gnashed her teeth at the clothing bag Elias held out.
She hated pink dresses! But the last time Elysia visited, she had stolen all of Sheele's other clothes, leaving only several pink skirts, forcing Sheele to choose between wearing pink or going bare.
If Elias hadn't been visiting her every day…
Sheele felt she likely would have chosen to go without.
"Uh… I thought you two got along pretty well."
Elias scratched his head awkwardly. He had noticed that Elysia's interest in Sheele was even higher than her usual tormenting of Mobius.
"As if! That hateful pink devil! And I hate all other humans too!"
Sheele vented her anger by squeezing the Homu doll in her arms.
Elias sighed helplessly at her appearance.
Despite how well they seemed to get along now—enough to feed her, pat her head, and play games together—Sheele only treated him that way.
If anyone else approached her, her first instinct was to lash out with the remnants of her Herrscher of Death Authority. Killing intent was practically ingrained.
"By the way… why don't I feel that same hatred toward you, Elias? Are you really human?" Sheele asked with a suspicious expression.
She bore an instinctive loathing and resentment toward humanity. This was the mission branded into her soul as a Herrscher—to annihilate humanity and destroy civilization.
Perhaps her lost humanity could be cultivated again, but this curse would never disappear.
Like the core programming of a machine, it was an absolute, unbreakable command. Even now, without her Core, Sheele could not defy that mission.
And yet, strangely, she did not feel it toward Elias. Though she still "hated" him for capturing her and stealing her Core, she had no urge to kill the white-haired boy.
"Of course I'm human—or at least, that's what I believe. But, eh~ looks like getting you to turn away from the darkness won't be easy." Elias gave a bitter smile.
He knew exactly why. Though he considered himself human, objectively he was a Herrscher—an extremely Herrscher, a seven-Core Herrscher—the same kind of being as the girl before him.
The mission Honkai had given her targeted only humanity. Elias was not included, and so Sheele felt no urge to kill him.
(It really does seem the Herrschers of the Previous Era are fundamentally different from those of the Current Era. On that side, Herrschers can maintain their humanity, and once they decide to betray the Honkai, they truly can defy its will. It's almost like someone in the future rewrote the base code, removing the restriction on Herrschers…)
Elias frowned. By now it was nearly certain that Sheele could never truly stand on humanity's side. It wasn't about her willingness—it was that Honkai bound her.
Anyone else would likely have given up and focused on how to wring out her remaining value. But…
"Forget it. No need to rush. I'll think of a way to free you from Honkai's restraints. But for now… let me show you more of the world's beauty."
"Hmph, I never asked you to."
"Mm. But this is something I want to do."
Elias smiled lightly, unconcerned by Sheele's cold words.
Though it sounded similar to something Otto might say, Elias believed in the power of emotions. He believed emotions could create miracles, that love could transcend everything, and that nothing was truly impossible.
From here on, he would teach Sheele—so full of resentment for the world—what love was, what warmth was, what happiness was.
He had no proof at all.
But Elias believed that if he could accomplish this, then one day those beautiful emotions would transform into a sword, and in unimaginable ways, cut through the curse of the Honkai.
After all, humanity's specialty was exploiting loopholes.
Even if Honkai had branded the Herrschers of the Previous Era with the absolute mission of killing humanity and destroying civilization…
If a loophole could be found, if the rules could be twisted and reversed, then perhaps they could still fight for humanity. To most, that was impossible—but to Elias, it was not. After all…
He possessed a power called [Miracle].
From the bottom of his heart, Elias longed for that ability, hoping it could overturn everything and rewrite fate at the crucial moment.
"Looks like you two have been bonding quite well."
Just then, a jealous female voice sounded.
Elias instinctively pulled Sheele closer, and as expected, the girl instinctively tried to attack.
"Mei? What are you doing here?"
"I came to deliver your approval notice. Your application has been granted. But honestly—you could've decided this on your own. Why did you bother submitting a request?" Mei asked curiously.
"Because this isn't just about me." Elias shook his head, at the same time stroking Sheele's head again.
"Hey, what are you talking about?"
Sheele restrained the killing intent Mei provoked in her and asked coldly.
"...Herrscher of Death, you've been granted permission to go outside."
"Eh? What? You're letting me leave?!" Sheele's eyes widened in shock.
"Of course, it's not like you can go wherever you want. You're only allowed to leave the Deep End and make contact with the outside under restrictions. Treasure this chance—it wasn't easy for Elias to secure it for you."
Mei's tone carried a trace of jealousy as she pulled a black soulium collar from her pocket and held it out to Sheele.
"Your permitted range of activity is within five meters of Elias. And don't forget to wear this collar. It has a transmitter and a listening device. Plus, if you wander too far, it'll 'remind' you with a certain shocking method."
Arms crossed, Mei explained coldly. In truth, she didn't think Sheele deserved this. Many others opposed her being allowed out.
It was only because Elias' prestige was so high that the request had been approved.
After all, even without her Core, Sheele still possessed physical abilities far beyond normal humans. She wasn't completely harmless. And combined with humanity's instinctive rejection of Herrschers…
If not for Elias' guarantee, Sheele would likely never have set foot outside the Deep End for the rest of her life. Even so, her permitted range of activity was only by Elias' side.
"Human, do you really think I'll accept this treatment? You think you can restrain a Herrscher? Ridiculous! Whoever wants to wear this collar can wear it—it won't be me. It's like being a dog."
Sheele sneered at the collar. Why would she even want to go outside? Wasn't her current life just fine? She had food, drink, and entertainment.
"Oh? Is that so?"
Mei pushed up her glasses, eyes full of mockery. A Herrscher? Without her Authority, what kind of Herrscher was she? And what was wrong with being a dog? Countless people would love to be Elias' dog.
"Herrscher of Death, it seems Elias has been too kind to you. He hasn't taught you that a prisoner ought to remain humble and obedient."
"Y-you—what are you trying to do?!"
"Nothing. Just letting you stretch your legs."
Mei twirled the collar around a finger, laughing softly.
Minutes later—
"This hateful woman!!!"
Sheele raged, tugging desperately at the collar around her neck. She had been forced out of prison.
"Uh… they even included a leash."
Elias' expression was complicated as he looked at the leash in his hand.
One end was in his grip, the other connected to Sheele's collar. With the girl fuming in rage, she looked just like a black cat bristling and yowling.
"Damn it! Why won't this thing break?!"
"Well, it's soulium, after all."
"Damn, damn it! Fine! Since you've let me out, don't blame me if I go on a rampage! I'll wreak havoc, I'll destroy the world, I'll escape!"
"Sheele, I advise you not to."
Elias, already knowing what would happen next, kindly offered a warning. But expecting her to listen obediently was wishful thinking.
Sheele stormed forward—one step, two, three, four, five, six…
Bzzzzzzzzzt!!
"Ababababa—!"
High-voltage current surged from the collar, dropping Sheele to her knees as black smoke rose from her body.
Elias shook his head. He knew it would end like this.
He was willing to be gentle with Sheele, but that didn't mean others would be. Once she tasted the cruelty of the outside world, she would finally realize how good Elias truly was.
"Take this thing off me."
Sheele staggered to her feet and demanded.
"No. Even if Mei went a little overboard, this is necessary. As long as you behave and listen, you won't have any problems."
Elias shook his head. The electric collar was unpleasant, sure, but the girl was still a dangerous individual. It was a necessary safety measure.
"Damn it!"
Sheele scowled, kicking a stone away before shrinking back close to Elias' side.
Her hand brushed the collar nervously, and she swore that once her power returned, she would put one of these on that hateful woman as well.
"Let's go. We're out now, might as well look around."
"I don't want to."
"How about I take you to eat something good, and maybe buy a few new outfits?"
"…Well, I suppose that wouldn't be so bad."