Inside the Deep End's prison.
Elias was comforting the still-disheartened Sheele, holding the girl close and gently patting her back.
At the same time, he cast a reproachful look at the surveillance camera, thinking that certain people had gone way too far earlier, using such high-pressure psychological tactics to scare her.
"I'm sorry, Elias. It's all because of me that your reputation was damaged. If only I weren't a Herrscher…"
"Sheele, don't say that. It's not as exaggerated as Mei and the others made it sound. Besides, reputation doesn't matter to me. I don't care what others think. So please, smile for me, okay? You've been frowning for so long, my dear Sheele."
Elias patted her head. Sure, raising prestige and being admired felt good, but…
Things that didn't affect his actual strength weren't worth much to him. Elias never hoped for the whole world to like him. What truly mattered to him had always been the few people by his side.
At the very least, compared to the girl named Sheele before him, prestige didn't seem important at all.
Besides, among those he loved were Herrschers—and Elias himself was a Herrscher too. He had long since been prepared for the possibility of standing against the world.
"Elias, you big idiot… I'm not worth all this!"
Sheele was overwhelmed with emotion. Because of Dr. Mei's words, she now faced her own heart head-on.
If it was for Elias, then forget the Honkai! Forget destroying the world! All Sheele wanted now was to stay with the boy before her forever.
The Herrscher girl wrapped her arms around the white-haired boy's neck, rubbing her face against his chest, then moved upward to rest her cheek on his shoulder.
Like a black cat that had finally been tamed, lowering its guard and showing its cute side to its master.
"Elias, why are you so good to me?"
Suddenly, Sheele asked nervously, confused.
Even she could see that Elias held an especially deep affection toward her. She wanted to know—what was it about her that made this angelic boy so partial to her?
No matter how she thought about it, Sheele couldn't find an answer. The more she thought, the more unworthy she felt.
"Well… the first reason was simply because, Sheele, you look a lot like someone very important to me."
Elias hesitated a moment before saying it.
He had been time-traveling in this Previous Era for a long while now. Thanks to the effect of the [Eternal Heart] trait, no matter how much time passed, he would forever remain that same boy, unchanged.
Especially in mindset—his heart would never age or wear down with time.
But even so, he often missed the women of the Current Era—such as a certain twin girl.
Because of the stigmata, Sheele and Seele were deeply connected.
Elias had already investigated thoroughly through many means. He was certain that Sheele and Seele were alternate-timeline counterparts. From a certain perspective, they could even be considered the same person!
Though born into two different civilizations, if Sheele and Seele underwent DNA testing, the results might very well show identical bloodlines.
In fact, from the intel Elias had gathered, he discovered that before becoming the Herrscher of Death, Sheele's personality had been just as pure, kind, and angelic as White Seele's.
Considering the Herrscher of Finality's power over time—
The answer was already clear.
The Sheele of the Previous Era, and the Seele of the Current Era, were both versions of Seele born separately in the two civilizations due to Finality's reset of time, each walking down a different fate.
(It's hard to describe. In the Previous Era, after Sheele became a Herrscher, her gentle nature was blackened into what she is now. In the Current Era, Seele only developed her darker side after her stigmata awakened.)
It seemed like coincidence—but in truth, it was not.
The stigmata that appeared on Seele of the Current Era was created from the memories of Sheele, the Herrscher of Death of the Previous Era. On this, Elias—who also bore the Herrscher of Death's stigmata—could personally vouch.
So the Dark Seele of the Current Era wasn't born simply from absorbing White Seele's negative emotions.
Rather, she was the copied consciousness of the Previous Era's Herrscher of Death, Sheele, residing within the stigmata. However…
"Even though you two are identical in almost every way, you are ultimately just two flowers resembling each other to the extreme—still different, independent individuals. To me now, Sheele is Sheele. You are not anyone's substitute."
Elias pinched Sheele's cheek as he spoke. Even if nearly everything was the same, having walked different lives meant they were two different people.
It was like the Captain and the Ferryman in a game.
Still, Elias felt regret.
He hadn't managed to save the pre-Herrscher Sheele—the kind, friendly, tearful girl whose personality matched White Seele's. The Herrscher persona had completely erased her the moment it descended.
But that was only a regret for this time. Elias had countless opportunities to make up for it.
He decided that in the next cycle, he would adopt that girl directly—just as he had done for Seele in the Current Era.
In short, whether human consciousness or Herrscher persona, Elias would save them all!
He was already imagining the scene: if he could rescue both consciousnesses of the Previous Era Sheele and let them live together in the Current Era…
Elias: (Oh wow—Seele fanatic ecstasy! Four Seeles! No, this regret must be corrected no matter what!)
On the other side, Sheele thought to herself that it made sense why she was treated so specially—it was because she resembled someone important to Elias. She felt grateful, yet also a little downhearted.
"If it makes you happy, Elias, even if I must be that person's substitute, I would…"
"Stop! Enough!"
Elias knocked on the Herrscher girl's head to cut off her foolish thoughts, then kissed her on the forehead.
"I don't need you to do that, Sheele. Though that was the initial reason, now I treat you well because I truly like you. I want you to have a beautiful ending."
The more time Elias spent with Sheele, the more he felt she didn't deserve such a tragic fate. If that was her destiny, then he would crush it himself!
"Don't worry, Sheele. Though what we did this time wasn't perfect, next time I'll save the complete you. Just like with Himiko, I won't let a single life's burden fall on you."
Elias' words rang with conviction. He would erase the sins the Honkai had forced onto her.
…
At that moment, Sheele sat in stunned silence.
She didn't know what Elias intended, but she knew this white-haired boy was a man of his word—and that he truly could create miracles.
After becoming a Herrscher, Sheele had believed herself beyond saving. Yet now, hope stirred within her heart. Perhaps there really was a way for her sins to disappear.
"You've always been like this, Elias—forever chasing perfection we don't even dare to imagine. But because it's you, I feel I really might be saved."
Sheele's red eyes fixed on Elias, as if to carve his figure into her heart forever.
Silently, she vowed: no matter what happened, no matter how much time passed, even if one day she lost her body and became nothing more than an imprint, as long as her consciousness remained, she would never forget him.
Sheele closed her eyes and recalled her past.
Once, she had lost her true self to the Honkai. The consciousness now occupying her body was just a puppet created by the gods to slaughter humanity and destroy the world.
But now, even as a puppet, because of the white-haired boy before her, new humanity had been born within her. Given that…
She was willing to give everything she had in return.
The next second, Sheele's eyes opened wide. She pressed herself fully against Elias, her crimson gaze overflowing with love and obsession, tinged even with a yandere-like gleam.
"…Sheele, what are you trying to do?"
"Who knows~ After all, Sheele is such a troublesome bad girl. Today I even caused Elias trouble. So, Elias… please punish bad girl Sheele harshly."
Her scarlet eyes shone brilliantly, her aura in that instant like that of a mischievous little demon.
Sheele licked her lips, slipping off her gloves and unbuttoning her shirt. Her intentions were clear.
Elias swallowed hard, a flame igniting in his chest. With a flick of his hand, a wind blade shattered the surveillance camera, and he pulled the girl's waist into his arms.
"You're right. Bad children must be punished properly. So, Sheele, are you ready?"
"Mm. Ah—wait, I almost forgot this."
As if remembering something, Sheele pulled the black Soulium collar from Elias' pocket and fastened it around her own neck with practiced ease. Only then did she smile in satisfaction.
This collar, she no longer intended to take off.
"Shall I add a leash too?"
"You really are a bad girl, Sheele."
...
Inside the Deep End's monitoring room.
"Mei, cheer up. Your plan worked."
"Mobius, for the sake of your funding next month, I suggest you shut up! No one would mistake you for mute if you stopped talking. Damn it—I only said to win her over, not to let him take her all the way! Why, why is it like this?!"
Mei stared at the snow-filled monitor, gnawing on her fingernails in frustration, her composure shattered.
Though Vil-V's mechanical creations were top quality and the image was gone, the audio still worked. For a moment, all the women present found their breathing turn rough.
Their expressions grew complicated as they glanced at the indignant Mei, thinking: What do you mean, why? Isn't this unfolding exactly according to your plan, Dr. Mei~?
First, she had stormed in with Mobius and Sakura, piling immense pressure on Sheele to deepen her sense of guilt toward Elias, forcing her to face reality and resolve to turn away from the Honkai, choosing humanity for Elias' sake.
Then, before her emotions could recover, Elias had been pushed to her side—completely winning Sheele over.
"How strange. The plan was so clear, so thorough. If you're this capable, why haven't you managed to move up yourself, Mei? Could it be the old saying—strategists never enter the battlefield, only good at plotting for others?"
"Mo! Bi! Us! Looks like you really don't want your funding next month. I—"
Mei almost coughed up blood in rage. Just as she was about to unleash a fierce threat—
"Tch. My funding for the year's already been cut by you. I haven't even paid Klein's wages in half a year. At this point, what do I have to fear?"
The snake stood with arms akimbo, utterly fearless now that her funds were gone, and mocked without mercy.
"Still, who would've thought, Mei—you're actually only suited to being a wingman. Haha, how pathetic. What do you think? Want to be my strategist too, give me some schemes?"
Mobius taunted, eyes full of derision, as if looking at a beaten dog. She even considered exposing that time when Elysia impersonated Mei, just to see what face Mei would make then—it would be priceless.
Aside from Mobius, the others also looked at Mei with pitying eyes.
(At this rate, even if Prometheus—your creation—moved up, Mei herself might never rise. Who knew she had such loser traits?) xN
The group watched the snowy screen a while longer. But since it wasn't their turn this time, it was boring. They dispersed—if they kept listening, they might combust entirely.
...
Meanwhile, in the room next to Sheele's, someone else was losing her mind. For a single woman of advanced age, this blow was too much.
Himiko: "Arghhhh! What the hell is wrong with you two? Keep it down—no, wait! Can't you let me join too? Sheele! Elias! I can do it too!"
...
After that, Sheele received dozens of [Disciplines] from Aponia. Coupled with the restraining suit crafted by Vil-V, even if she were influenced by Herrscher urges, she could no longer hurt anyone.
Thus, after her three-month confinement ended, Sheele was released from the Deep End under Elias' lead.
To many, this seemed a dangerous move. But in truth, no one could control Elias.
And Sheele proved her stance through her actions—she began accompanying Elias on missions.
When the girl personally slew several Emperor-level Honkai Beasts, the people within the Fire Moth base couldn't help but look at her differently. Their views of her had changed. But in Sheele's own words…
Sheele: "Don't get the wrong idea. I'm not helping you humans. I'm only doing this because Elias wanted me to."
Soldiers: "…Amazing! Lord Elias can even win over a Herrscher? Please, teach us your secrets!"
Elias: "Uh… heart for heart?"
But peaceful days did not last long.
Suddenly, one day, bizarre incidents of mass slumber began occurring all over the world. According to Fire Moth's investigations, all the victims had fallen asleep while using the internet.
And before anyone else could even grasp the seriousness of it, the great savior Elias had already made his judgment.
"The Eighth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Sentience—has descended!"