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Chapter 240 - Aponia’s Sanatorium, Divine Key—Abyss Flower

After the Herrscher of Ice was brutally slain by Elias and Kalpas—

The village lay in ruins, and Kalpas, with no place left to go, became a wanderer. He didn't know where he was heading; he simply kept walking.

Eventually, after who knew how far, Kalpas arrived at this place known as Dusk Street.

Exhausted, he sat by the roadside, where children from Aponia's sanatorium discovered him. Perhaps because of the Tiga mask on his face, they weren't afraid of him—instead, they approached him without hesitation.

With nowhere else to go, Kalpas was taken in by the sanatorium, where he became a porter… as well as its gatekeeper and bodyguard.

And so, after a long journey, he found a new place of belonging. But peace never lasted long.

At this very moment—

Kalpas once again faced the torment of loss.

"APO—NIA!!"

Inside the sanatorium, Kalpas roared furiously at the nun before him, his wrath so fierce it seemed he might erupt into violence at any second.

But Aponia showed no fear—hardly even an emotional ripple. Her gaze upon him was like that of an adult looking at a child throwing a tantrum.

"Kalpas, please calm down."

"Calm down? How am I supposed to calm down?! Tch!"

Kalpas clicked his tongue in frustration. Aponia's words carried a strange power, one that made people subconsciously obey. His raging flames of anger did indeed wane somewhat.

But that only made him feel even more stifled and furious. His fists clenched tight—if he struck with full force, he could destroy the streets, even slay a Herrscher.

Yet brute force could not solve this problem.

"Three more brats are about to die today. At this rate, it won't be long before they all die."

"…I know."

Aponia's eyes brimmed with compassion.

When Honkai first erupted in Dusk Street, she had founded this sanatorium to shelter the infected. But all she could do was provide a place to stay.

Though she possessed the ability to "persuade" others, and to see the threads of fate, she could not alter destiny nor cure Honkai disease.

And after the Sixth Eruption, global Honkai concentration had surged. The young patients who once could endure a while longer… were now at their limits.

"You know—yet you still won't find a way to save them?! What good is praying every day?! That damn Moth already made a cure, didn't they?!"

Kalpas growled. Though he rudely called them brats, the sight of children writhing in pain from Honkai infection drove him into uncontrollable agitation.

"Thank you for caring about them, Kalpas."

Aponia smiled gently.

"Hah?! Who said I care about them?! I just—damn it! Don't look at me like that! If you've got time for useless prayers, then hurry up and buy that serum! Their screaming is driving me insane!"

Kalpas gritted his teeth, nearly overturning the table. Everything in this sanatorium soothed him—everything except Aponia herself!

"…I'm sorry. I am powerless."

"What?"

"Kalpas, Fire Moth never distributed Honkai serum to Dusk Street. We can't buy medicine here. And…"

Her gaze dimmed.

She had confirmed it countless times—their threads of fate were nearing their ends. Which meant inevitable death was already approaching.

"Enough! I already know your uselessness. In that case, I'll do things my way!"

Kalpas could stand no more of her fatalism. Like an enraged lion, he turned to leave.

But Aponia, knowing exactly what he intended, furrowed her brow.

"You cannot do that, Kalpas."

"Hmph! What I do is none of your concern!"

Kalpas' idea was simple.

Since there was no medicine in Dusk Street, Kalpas resolved to go elsewhere. He didn't mind robbing Fire Moth by force. The word "consequences" meant nothing to him.

But deep inside, a feeling of regret gnawed at him.

Back then, Elias had given him a communicator to stay in touch. Kalpas had smashed it without a word.

Now, thinking back on that, he wanted nothing more than to travel to the past and break the hand that had crushed it.

(If I could contact him now… I could get the serum. Damn it! Damn it! Bastard!)

Behind the mask, Kalpas' face twisted, torn between rage and pain.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the fire inside.

His decision was made. He would storm the nearest Fire Moth base and seize the serum, no matter the price. The children of the sanatorium would be saved first.

This was the second home he had finally found.

These were the family he had finally gained.

This time, no matter the cost, Kalpas would not repeat the past. He would protect what he cherished!

"Kalpas, you will not make it in time."

Aponia spoke as if stating an inevitable fact. Even with his resolve, the fate of the children had not shifted an inch.

Though she did not yet possess the ability to foresee the future, she could already imagine it clearly. By the time Kalpas returned from robbing Fire Moth, they would already be dead.

"Aponia—shut your mouth!"

Kalpas finally snapped. His fist punched through the wall of the sanatorium—half the building nearly collapsing in an instant.

And just then, a panicked voice cried out.

"Uwaaaah! Scared me to death!"

"Hm?"

"That voice…"

Both Kalpas and Aponia turned toward the entrance. They recognized the scream. Pardofelis—the petty thief who occasionally brought donations and supplies to the sanatorium.

"Uh… h-hey there, Brother Kalpas, hey there, Sister Nia."

Pardo waved awkwardly.

"It's you, Pardo. Welcome to the sanatorium. Sorry, but I don't have time to entertain you right now."

"No worries! I'm just leading someone here. Brother Kalpas, your friend came to see you."

"Eh? Kalpas… you have a friend?"

Even Aponia looked surprised. Though still stricken with sorrow for her patients, she was astonished to hear that Kalpas had a friend.

"Who?"

Behind the mask, Kalpas frowned. A friend? He didn't even know how to write the word, let alone have one.

At that moment, a figure in white appeared.

"Hey, Kalpas. Long time no see."

Elias waved casually.

"You?!"

Kalpas' eyes widened. Even with a mask covering his face, that voice and that striking white hair—he could never forget.

"Elias… why are you here?"

"Just came to check on you. And by the looks of it, I came at the perfect time."

He gestured to Sakura.

Understanding at once, the fox-eared girl stepped forward and unlocked the case. When the box full of Honkai serum was revealed, both Aponia and Kalpas froze in shock.

"Save the chatter. Let's heal them first."

"…Fine. Follow me."

Kalpas hesitated only a second before grabbing Elias and leading him toward the isolation ward.

Meanwhile, Aponia was utterly shaken.

Her eyes could always see the threads of fate. Not once had her ability failed—not even for an alien like Kalpas.

But just now… she could not see Elias' fate at all.

What Aponia saw was like a blank white canvas—signifying the boy's infinite possibilities.

(What is this? Why can't I see his thread of fate? And this girl's fate…)

She had already been shaken speechless by Elias, but when her eyes fell on Elysia, she was startled again. Her blue eyes widened in shock.

"My, being stared at like that makes me shy too. Hi there, beautiful lady. Hmm… I suppose I should take off this mask. Even if it's pink, a gas mask really doesn't suit me at all."

Elysia removed her pink gas mask, revealing a face as beautiful as fluttering blossoms.

"Hello, my name is Elysia. And you are?"

"Greetings, Miss Elysia. My name is Aponia. May I ask… what exactly are you and that boy?"

She couldn't hold back her question.

A boy with no fate.

A girl whose fate shone dazzlingly bright.

It was beyond Aponia's understanding, and without a doubt the anomaly she had long awaited.

"Such a direct question, hmm. Let me think. As for me… I'm nothing more than a radiant, love-struck maiden. And Elias… he is like the sun itself—the most beautiful boy in this world."

Elysia smiled as she spoke, her eyes sparkling.

"I don't know what exactly is happening here, but since Elias is here, there's no need to worry. Everything will turn out fine soon enough."

"…I hope so too."

Aponia took a deep breath, then quickly followed into the sanatorium's isolation ward. Her instincts told her she must not miss what was about to happen.

Inside, Elias and Kalpas were already hard at work, injecting serum into patients ravaged by Honkai disease.

"Ely, Sakura, come help!"

"Aponia, what are you waiting for?!"

At their call, the three women snapped out of it, grabbing vials of serum and administering them to patients.

The serum, made from Schariac Holy Blood provided by Elias, worked miracles. Those who had been in the final stages of infection—mere minutes from death—were visibly cured after the injection. The Honkai energy markings on their bodies faded rapidly until they disappeared entirely. However…

"There are way too many patients here. How many are there?! And you even dared gather them all together? Do you have a death wish?!"

Elias couldn't help but complain.

Gathering so many infected in one place was like concentrating a high-density Honkai energy source. A single misstep could have caused a localized Honkai Eruption.

Even if a new Herrscher wouldn't appear, powerful Honkai Beasts certainly would. And in such an event, all of Dusk Street would likely have been consumed.

Honkai patients couldn't just be quarantined. Before the serum existed, the only method was to kill them outright. That had always been the most effective solution.

"There are seventy-three patients in the sanatorium…"

"That many?! Then the serum we brought isn't nearly enough."

Both Sakura and Elysia were taken aback. The case contained only twenty vials, and even Elias hadn't expected Aponia to be sheltering so many.

So many patients gathered together—the outbreak risk could easily produce an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

"I'll have more serum delivered immediately."

Sakura reached for her terminal to contact Fire Moth, but Elias stopped her.

"No need for all that trouble, Sakura. Leave this to me."

"What are you planning, Elias?"

"Well, this is a perfect chance to test Vill-V's craftsmanship again."

Elias reached into Imaginary Space and drew out a black-and-white knight's lance. Its spiral body gleamed with pure white, like a flawless blossom—yet within, a pitch-black spear was concealed.

This was the Divine Key forged from the Herrscher of Death's Core—Abyss Flower!

After extracting Sheele's Core, Elias had immediately instructed Vill-V to craft this Divine Key.

"I am the Black from the abyss, I am the White descending from the heavens. Born before Creation, existing beyond Oblivion, I shall grant the fountain of life freely to those who thirst."

Elias gripped the lance with both hands, chanting.

This chant had been designed by a certain grand magician. To unleash the Divine Key's true power, one had to recite this chuunibyou-styled incantation as a voiceprint password.

"Divine Key—Abyss Flower, Zeroth Power—Sacred Lance of the Orchid!"

He thrust the lance into the ground.

The next instant, beautiful white blossoms bloomed across every corner of the sanatorium… or so it should have been! But one must not forget—Elias himself was already the Herrscher of Rebirth.

The Core within Abyss Flower resonated with the Core inside Elias, triggering a burst of power several times stronger than normal. Even at Zeroth Power—designed to repair life at the genetic level and restore those near death—the synergy with his Schariac Holy Blood made curing late-stage Honkai disease effortless.

Elias: "This is… the moment of Creation!"

In an instant, the entire Dusk Street was transformed.

Beautiful white flowers, the symbol of Creation, blossomed across every corner of the district. Every living being within was healed—body and soul alike.

And this was with Elias deliberately holding back. Otherwise, not just Dusk Street, but the entire nation would have been enveloped in his authority.

"Uh… maybe that was a bit of overkill?"

Elias blinked. He had used only one-thousandth of the output, yet the effect far exceeded expectations. The dual-Core resonance amplified it too greatly.

Inside the sanatorium, every Honkai patient was cured—without even experiencing the usual period of weakness. Those who had been at death's door leapt from their beds, lively and strong.

"This… this is real…"

Aponia felt her very soul trembling.

"Fate… has been changed!"

She gazed in awe at the patients. Their threads of fate, once cut short, now stretched further ahead—their destined deaths overturned.

This was the first time Aponia had ever witnessed fate itself being altered. She was moved almost to tears.

Meanwhile, outside, countless gasps of astonishment rose up.

Lifting her eyes, Aponia saw it too.

The filthy, dim Dusk Street, once a den of sinners, was now blanketed in pure white blossoms. It was so beautiful, so clean, it was unrecognizable.

"Waaah… it's gorgeous…"

Elysia couldn't help but sigh in wonder.

The Pink Elf's eyes shone brilliantly as she looked upon the flawless paradise Elias had created. For a moment, she felt she had finally found the utopia of her dreams.

Or perhaps, Elias himself was her paradise.

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