Inside the Fire Moth base that day.
"No, this won't do. I really have to rethink this, huh? Hm? It's already this late without me noticing. Damn, why does this feel harder than revising the [Project STIGMA]…"
Elias sat back in his chair, frowning.
Even Eden's music couldn't ease his frustration. He thought the last time he'd been this troubled was back when he had to come up with a name for Elysia.
By now, in the Previous Era, Elias held many identities. The most well-known, of course, was the Savior. But there was also Eden's musician, the Helixcraft's master, the true leader of Fire Moth, and so on.
Aside from these, Elias also had an unknown identity. And it was this hidden identity that was now troubling him. He had been wrestling with it for hours.
The floor was covered with crumpled-up drafts. No matter how he revised them, he couldn't come up with something that satisfied him.
"Elias, what are you working on?"
At that moment, Sakura walked in.
The fox-eared girl stared at the white-haired boy in surprise. To see him looking like a researcher stuck at a bottleneck—this was truly unexpected.
As Sakura was about to help tidy up the mess and throw the crumpled papers away, she suddenly heard a snap of Elias' fingers. In the next second, flames engulfed the paper balls, reducing them to ash instantly.
"Don't trouble yourself with such small things, Sakura."
Elias smiled as he closed his notebook, then beckoned to the fox-eared girl to come closer.
"What impressive control… but it doesn't feel like your usual style, Elias. Is there something in those papers you don't want me to see?"
Sakura asked with some curiosity. She felt his act wasn't so much about sparing her work as it was about preventing her from seeing the contents.
Still, despite her thoughts, Sakura responded to Elias' gesture and obediently sat beside the white-haired boy.
She flicked her fox ears slightly, signaling she was ready.
Seeing her so practiced at this, Elias couldn't help but curl his lips into a smile and reach out to rua.
Sakura closed her eyes, letting the boy toy with her fox ears while trying to suppress any strange sounds. Watching her struggle like this…
"Hehe, how long can you hold out this time, Sakura?"
"Elias, you're always like this."
"Sorry, I do reflect on it, but I don't plan to stop. After all, Sakura, your reactions are so enticing… and it's not like I'm the only one enjoying this, am I?"
Elias spoke as his fingers nimbly flipped open the inner side of Sakura's fox ear, sliding inside but stopping just before reaching the deepest point.
"Guuh!"
Sakura's eyes widened as she quickly covered her mouth.
"Ahaha~"
Elias looked at Sakura's flushed cheeks with delight, feeling his earlier worries begin to fade away.
"Sakura, let's continue."
"Mmph—!"
Sakura trembled all over, curling up pitifully. Every time he saw her looking so helpless and adorable, Elias' mischievous streak would flare up, making him play with her fox ears in an even more wicked way.
Because Elias loved to hear this reserved, serious, pure girl let out that enticing sound when she reached her limit. In truth, every time after hearing it, the two of them would naturally go all the way.
…Several hours later…
"Thank you, Sakura, for always indulging me."
Elias patted the girl's head gratefully. Seeing his teeth marks left on the fox ears atop her head, he felt a little embarrassed.
"It's fine, I don't mind. And like you said earlier, Elias… perhaps I also enjoy it."
Sakura smiled as she put her armored suit back on. Looking at the marks left on her fox ears, she felt deeply grateful to the Honkai Beast named Yaksha that had once fused with her.
What elf ears of Miss Pink Elf? Before her pink fox ears, there was no competition!
At the same time, Sakura was glad she had decided to take a bath before coming to Elias. Just in case, that decision had paid off—while Elysia and the others were busy with who knows what, she had successfully "stolen a march."
However…
"Sakura, what are you doing? Why haven't you finished the task I gave you yet? Strange, your efficiency is unusually low this time. That's not like you."
A certain woman who had been suffering setback after setback lately—her progress bar slower than even her own bionic robot—contacted Sakura. Mei's voice carried clear suspicion.
"Uh, sorry, Dr. Mei. An emergency just happened here, and I only just finished dealing with it. Please give me a little more time on the task you assigned. I'll carry it out right away."
Sakura's fox ears twitched as she remembered the mission she had forgotten. Her voice betrayed a trace of guilt.
"An emergency? You just finished a battle? Did you run into a Honkai Beast? If that's the case, then don't rush. Take your time. Just finish the mission before the day ends."
Mei suspected nothing, only gave a few words of caution before cutting the transmission. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief.
Though she carried "loser heroine" attributes, everyone knew Dr. Mei was actually a frightening woman. Not only was she highly skilled, but when it came time to be ruthless, she never hesitated.
In the past, Fire Moth had its share of parasites, but all of them had been eliminated through Mei's methods.
So if Mei were to learn that Sakura had spent her mission time doing that kind of thing with Elias, her punishment would be severe. Sakura might be eliminated the very next day for something as trivial as "leading with the right foot through the door."
"Looks like I need to finish this mission quickly and report back."
Sakura reminded herself firmly.
"Mm, sounds troublesome. In that case, let me help. After all, Sakura, your delay is at least half my fault—and I could use a change of pace too."
Elias scratched his head as he spoke, inwardly admitting the other half of the blame lay with Sakura's charm.
He also thought that since he had spent hours today struggling with "that matter" to no avail, perhaps tackling a side mission would help clear his mind and spark inspiration.
"Really? That's wonderful!"
Sakura's face lit up with joy. She thought to herself this was an absolute win—not only had she succeeded in her "secret mission," she also got to team up with Elias for an actual one.
For those of their caliber, missions were trivial. With the right approach, such missions could even double as dates. Sakura recalled her little sister's advice.
(Rin: "When it's time to act, act! Don't let any chance slip away! Sis, you're a speed-type who wins in a single strike—use your advantage and capture brother-in-law Elias quick!")
Sakura: "Rin, I'll do my best!"
In truth, this pink fox girl was not skilled in the art of romance. She couldn't match the highest-tier player, Miss Pink Elf, and was even below a certain snake's level.
Though Sakura was beautiful, her personality made it hard for her to play to her charms. Luckily, she had a little sister well-versed in love novels, manga, and even doujinshi.
Though the "strategist" was just an elementary schooler with no real battlefield experience—
She still provided her big sister with sound counsel!
(Rin: "Sis, even if you, a silver-rank, accidentally entered a king-level ranked match, don't despair! With our teamwork, we can still get the chicken dinner. The key is to play it safe and wait for the right moment. Elysia may be far ahead, but she's made too many enemies. When they're all fighting each other, tower-dive straight for the crystal! With your speed, you'll surely land the winning strike! Believe in yourself—you're a kitsune, after all!")
Recalling her sister's words before school that morning, Sakura was moved to the core.
Sakura: "How lucky I am to have such a wonderful little sister! Without Rin's guidance, I might have ended up on Dr. Mei's level. To be Rin's big sister in this lifetime is my greatest fortune."
(Rin: "You're welcome, my dear sister. But if I can't find a boyfriend in the future, don't mind if I borrow brother-in-law from time to time, okay? Sigh~ the boys in my class are so childish. After all, brother-in-law is the most handsome.")
"What are you thinking about, Sakura? Snap out of it. Tell me the details of your mission. Since Mei sent you, it shouldn't be some brainless hack-and-slash task. Those are for Kevin and Kalpas."
Elias waved a hand in front of the fox-eared girl, bringing her back to reality.
"Ah, yes, you're right. Dr. Mei assigned me to investigate several suspicious religious groups. If deemed necessary, I'm to capture their leaders and bring them back for interrogation."
Sakura displayed the mission intel for Elias to see.
"Religions? Ah… that's indeed troublesome."
Elias raised his brows, his mood turning a little complicated.
After Fire Moth had made Honkai information public worldwide, most people vowed to fight Honkai to the bitter end. But there were always some oddballs with twisted logic.
For example, certain cults emerged that worshipped the Honkai as gods. They called Honkai Beasts "Divine Beasts," Herrschers "Apostles of God," and preached surrender instead of resistance.
They claimed that as long as humanity repented for its sins, God would forgive them and Honkai would vanish.
Absurd as it was, Elias wasn't surprised. He thought back to his past life—during the pandemic, some in India had even worshipped the coronavirus as a goddess.
Sure enough, he had checked where these Honkai cults first emerged, and found they originated in the Indus region.
Of course, Fire Moth had zero tolerance for such behavior. Dr. Mei directly sent Kalpas to deal with them.
Mei: "Convincing humans to surrender to Honkai? Very well. Convince Kalpas first."
Elias: "Wow, ruthless~"
Back then, Kalpas had been tossed into the cultists' stronghold without knowing anything. Then…
The flames of the Mad King, with his roars and curses, burned and destroyed the entire cult stronghold. Sakura had been assigned to monitor and clean up, ensuring few if any survived.
Though violent, the method was… effective.
Mei: "What a tragedy. Due to an unknown fire-type Honkai Beast attack, all global Honkai-worshipping groups were annihilated in a single day. Fire Moth has successfully suppressed and contained this fire-type Honkai Beast. Citizens, please rest assured, and continue maintaining your faith in Honkai~"
Remaining cultists: "We don't believe in Honkai anymore, damn it!"
Just like that, most Honkai religions were eliminated. For Fire Moth, which controlled global media and wielded overwhelming violence, this wasn't something worth expending extra effort on. Appeasement policies simply didn't exist.
Still, even after the big ones were dealt with, small remnants always survived. And with every Honkai Eruption, new ones would pop up.
Sakura's mission this time was to infiltrate several newly-emerged groups. If they were just harmless religions, they could be left alone. But if they were tied to Honkai…
Then wiping them out on the spot was fine.
"This mission targets a group that emerged after the Seventh Honkai Eruption. They've always been very secretive. Fire Moth's repeated searches found no traces of wrongdoing, and they seem to know a lot about us."
By now, Sakura had entered mission mode. Her aura was as sharp as a blade.
"But recently, intelligence finally discovered one of their bases. We'll disguise ourselves as believers and infiltrate. Whether they're clean or corrupt, we'll find out."
"Interesting~ After fighting Honkai Beasts nonstop, this sounds like a refreshing change. A covert infiltration mission could be fun. Alright then, let me change my face first."
Elias spoke as he activated the authority of the Herrscher of Rebirth, altering his face and hair. After all, he was far too famous now—without disguise, he'd be recognized instantly.
Elias also disguised Sakura's appearance, especially her distinctive pink fox ears. By now, the identities of many fusion warriors had already been made public.
Incidentally, this had been the idea of a certain Miss Pink Elf. It turned many fusion warriors into idol-like figures, adored by countless fans. Unlike in the original history, where their inhuman traits led to discrimination, this time the opposite had happened. Elias welcomed this change and even had Eden help promote it.
"By the way, since this is a covert mission, should we set up cover identities?"
"Oh? Didn't expect you to know that, Elias. Yes, usually that makes things easier. And since we're acting as a team, the personas should share a close relationship so we're less likely to be doubted."
Sakura carefully explained the details, reminding Elias of when Raven had once taught him the tricks of the mercenary trade.
"Elias, to minimize suspicion, I suggest we pose as lovers or… n-newlyweds. What do you think?"
Sakura spoke as though summoning every ounce of courage. After saying it, she dared not meet his eyes, instead sneaking glances—hoping he'd agree, but nervous he might reject the idea.
Elias smiled softly, seeing right through her thoughts.
"Then newlyweds it is. But in that case, we'll need proper props. All for the mission's success, of course. Sakura, give me your left hand."
"Eh? O-okay."
Still caught up in the joy of his agreement, Sakura instinctively extended her hand. In the next second, she found a ring materialized on her left ring finger.
Her eyes widened, pupils trembling.
"T-this is?!"
"I crafted it with my power. Sorry, Sakura, this is just a simple stand-in for now. I'm not fully prepared yet. Just treat it as a mission prop for the time being."
Elias patted her head. Ever since the Herrscher of Sentience incident, he had been making preparations—because he truly wished to turn that dream into reality.
But his standards were high, and the custom ring-making process was taking time. It wasn't ready yet.
"..."
Sakura stared blankly at the ring on her finger, wondering if this was all a dream.
She pinched her cheek—and the sharp pain brought tears of joy streaming down her face.
"Elias, after the mission… may I keep this prop? I-I really like it…"
"Mm. If you like it, then it's yours."
"Thank you! I-I'm so happy!"
Sakura's heart pounded furiously as tears overflowed uncontrollably. No matter how she wiped, they wouldn't stop.
She knew this wasn't official—but even so, it was enough to make her ecstatic. Overcome with emotion, the fox-eared girl threw herself into the white-haired boy's embrace.
Elias held her close, returning her feelings.