"Elias, stop right there!!"
Kalpas' face beneath the mask changed drastically. He immediately dropped the large bag he was holding and reached out, trying to snatch Elias' phone.
If this got reported to Elysia, it would be the same as the entire Fire Moth knowing about it.
Lately, Elysia had somehow obtained a small pink loudspeaker. Even Kalpas dared not imagine what would happen if that pink elf found out.
Though he didn't care much about his reputation, if this sort of thing spread around, Kalpas felt he might as well silence everyone who knew—or simply die of embarrassment.
However, even though his strength was unmatched, the white-haired boy before him was one of the few people in the world even stronger than he was. Elias effortlessly dodged all of Kalpas' movements.
"Hehe~ That's all you've got?"
"Damn it!"
"Alright, alright, no need to get so worked up. Hm? Kalpas, when did you change your mask? What happened to the Ultraman Tiga mask I made for you before?"
Elias raised an eyebrow, only now realizing that Kalpas had replaced his mask with the Mad King mask from the original story. He couldn't help but wonder if this was some sort of correction by fate itself.
Seeing that the white-haired boy (temporarily) had no intention of telling Elysia, Kalpas finally let out a small sigh of relief.
"It's broken. That mask turned to ash when my flames touched it. What, you got a problem with that?"
"Of course not. It's just a pity. But yeah, ordinary materials can't withstand your fire anyway. Never mind. By the way, what's in that big bag you're carrying?"
Elias curiously looked toward the large bag Kalpas had been holding earlier and was just about to open it when Kalpas stopped him.
"Nothing. Just trash."
"Uh-huh. Has Fire Moth's budget gotten so bad that even fusion warriors have to pick up garbage to survive now?"
"You… mind your own business, Elias. It's got nothing to do with you."
Kalpas said as he shifted the bag behind him, which only made Elias even more suspicious. Knowing how his hot-headed comrade actually had a secretly gentle and tsundere personality, Elias made up his mind instantly.
(I must check! As Fire Moth's supreme leader and Kalpas' captain, it's my duty to ensure my subordinates' quality of life! Therefore… I have to see what's inside!)
With that thought, Elias opened a small portal connected to the inside of the bag and reached in. To his surprise, he pulled out a pair of puppets, dolls, and other toys.
"Ah… Kalpas, you're…"
"Elias, forget what you just saw!"
Seeing his secret exposed, Kalpas panicked immediately.
"Ah~ oh~ I get it, I get it."
Elias, being sharp as ever, instantly understood what Kalpas was up to. With a mischievous grin, he placed the toys back in the bag and closed the portal.
"If they're gifts for the kids, you should just give them away. Carrying them around all the time must be tiring."
Elias patted Kalpas on the shoulder as he spoke.
Anyone who knew the trio of Fire Moth's wild cards would know—despite Kalpas' violent exterior, he was one of the gentlest souls alive, fiercely protective of his comrades and family.
Back when they were in the sanatorium, Kalpas used to carve wooden dolls as toys for the children. Now that the school exams had ended, it was only natural for him to prepare gifts for the kids again.
Elias could easily imagine it—the man pretending to be indifferent, cold, and dismissive, but still going out to buy a bunch of presents in secret.
The problem was, even after buying them, Kalpas clearly didn't know how to hand them over, and so he had been wandering around with the bag ever since.
"..."
Behind the mask, the corner of Kalpas' eye twitched, and his fist clenched tightly.
The people he struggled with most were exactly those like Elias and Elysia—ones who could see through his thoughts so easily. Of course, Aponia didn't count; she belonged to the category he utterly despised.
If his feelings toward Elias were a blue line (trust), then toward Aponia, it was an absolute red line (hate).
"Hmph!"
Kalpas snorted coldly and walked toward the trash bin.
Elias blinked in confusion.
"Uh, Kalpas, what are you doing?"
"Throwing these away."
"Wait, what? Don't! Giving gifts to children isn't something to be ashamed of. Just hand them over properly."
Elias quickly grabbed the bag, afraid that the easily embarrassed man would actually throw the gifts away.
Because he was now running the Ely Gate, Elias had become much more conscious about finances—he couldn't stand seeing anything wasted.
"Elias, not everyone in this world is like you and Elysia (a pair of social terrors)," Kalpas said stiffly, turning to glance at Elias with a faint expression beneath his mask.
"To be fair, I think Elysia's social awkwardness is worse than mine. But seriously, it's just giving gifts—that's something any normal person can do."
Elias sighed. He figured that even when he eventually proposed to Elysia, he wouldn't make such a big deal out of it. Kalpas' tsundere personality really was a pain sometimes.
"Also, don't stay so far away from everyone. Anyone who doesn't know better might think you're some kind of stalker. Come closer—it's not like it'll kill you. You like those kids, don't you?"
"…Elias, I'm not like you. There are some things I know I don't have the right to have."
As Kalpas spoke, his gaze drifted toward the children not far away. His fist clenched slowly, yet the flames in his heart gradually calmed.
Though his fighting style was as savage as a beast, as if he were always seething with rage, the thing this man truly longed for deep down wasn't endless war or destruction.
It was something completely opposite—something so simple most people would never believe it.
A home. Nothing more.
And where there's a home, there must be family.
Back when the Herrscher of Ice had slaughtered everyone in Kalpas' village, he had been freed in one sense—but he had also lost his first "home." Though that village didn't deserve to be called one in Elias' eyes, for Kalpas, it was still the first place he could call his own.
After wandering for who knows how long, Kalpas eventually arrived at Dusk Street, where he found his second "home." The children in the sanatorium there became his family.
Yet even so, Kalpas still felt unworthy.
"Elias, do you think a man who constantly seeks battle and lives in madness deserves peace? Everyone in Fire Moth only sees me as something to fear."
"I don't."
"…You're an exception."
Kalpas was momentarily at a loss for words.
"What about Elysia, Aponia, Mobius, Misteln, Prometheus, Kevin, Su, and Kosma? None of them are afraid of you either."
Elias crossed his arms with a calm smile as he listed them one by one.
"..."
Kalpas went completely silent. This battle maniac wasn't built for verbal sparring, and it was obvious who'd win such a match. After a long pause, he finally muttered—
"That's because none of you are weak."
Kalpas saw himself as a mad beast. In his eyes, only the strong—or those insane enough—would ever dare approach him.
Many warriors who'd fought alongside him had been terrified just by his combat style.
From their reactions, Kalpas understood that he was a fearsome existence. And if someone like him were to approach children, he thought, it would only scare them.
With that thought, he looked again toward the children in the distance—automatically filtering out Aponia, of course.
Because he cherished the kids from the sanatorium so much, Kalpas chose to stay away.
"Uh… Kalpas, could it be that you're misunderstanding something?"
"Hm? What are you getting at, Elias?"
"I mean, do you really not know that you're actually super popular?"
Elias blinked, genuinely confused.
"???"
Kalpas' head might as well have been covered in question marks. After a long silence, he finally managed to ask—
"…Who's popular?"
"You."
"Me?"
"Yup! You're insanely popular, Kalpas."
Elias pointed at him with full confidence.
The man beneath the mask stood frozen in utter disbelief.
Kalpas instinctively thought Elias was joking, but seeing the boy's utterly serious expression, he found himself unable to argue back.
"Let me ask you something first, Kalpas—do you even know how to use the internet?"
Elias asked cautiously.
"No. Don't care to learn."
Kalpas replied matter-of-factly.
He had never bothered with online surfing, only ever using his mission terminal when necessary. To him, the internet was a chaotic mess.
Once, Kalpas had accidentally clicked into a shady website. After witnessing certain indescribable ads and videos, he swore he'd never touch the internet again for the rest of his life.
After all, on the web—a vast and disordered realm of data—people could interact while hiding behind screens, ignoring distance and identity. Those who were socially anxious in real life could be absolute extroverts online. Most users seemed to enjoy being absurd just for fun.
In short, Kalpas was not suited to survive in humanity's online world. His risk of dying from anger was far too high.
But the internet was humanity's main channel for sharing information. Refusing to use it was practically the same as living in isolation.
Which was why Kalpas was unaware of many things.
For example…
"Here, take a look for yourself. This is your fan website. It already has over twenty million registered members."
Elias handed over his phone, displaying a website filled with Kalpas' photos, personal info, and combat records—along with countless fan comments.
"W-What the hell is this?!"
Kalpas snatched the phone and stared at the screen in disbelief.
"Remember when Ely suggested we release information about the fusion warriors to the public? You agreed to it at the time. After that, we uploaded a few of your battle recordings. They got a great response—people were calling you the masked berserker, and your popularity skyrocketed overnight."
Elias scrolled through several of the videos. They were undeniably violent and gory, but Kalpas' battles possessed a raw, savage beauty. With intense background music playing over the footage, the scenes became pure, exhilarating power.
"There are even companies that want you as their spokesperson. Look—this jeans brand literally mailed a sponsorship proposal to our base. You probably didn't even know about it, huh…"
"How the hell would I know?!"
Kalpas growled through gritted teeth.
He had no recollection of any of it. Maybe someone had approached him about permission before, but since he never cared about such things, he'd likely just brushed it off without thinking.
Now, his eyes—behind the mask—were glued to the comments section. Contrary to what he expected, the messages weren't full of fear or hatred. They were overflowing with praise and excitement.
"Brother Kal is the real deal! That fight was insane!"
"I'm a guy, but I'd still say YES!!"
"Ahh! I want to see what's under that mask!"
"Such brutal elegance—this is art!!"
"Anyone got Kalpas' contact info? Our boss wants him as our brand ambassador! Fire Moth, you there? Please connect us!"
Kalpas stared blankly at the screen.
He could hardly believe it—the outside world saw him in a completely different light. Instead of fearing his flames and fists, people were excited by them.
His worldview cracked at the seams. After a long silence, he finally muttered—
"These people… are insane."
"That's normal. Internet folks are all a bit crazy," Elias said, patting him on the shoulder reassuringly.
At the same time, he quickly snatched his phone back—Kalpas had squeezed the screen so hard it had cracked.
"See now, Kalpas? You've misunderstood yourself. Sure, there are people who fear you, but far more who admire you. Be proud, brother—you're a hero who fights against the Honkai."
"I… a hero?" Kalpas' voice wavered. The word felt foreign to him.
"Of course. You're a hero. And heroes don't run away from battle."
"Wait a second, Elias—what are you planning?"
Seeing the sly smile suddenly appear on Elias' face, Kalpas felt his stomach drop. A bad premonition crept up his spine.
"Nothing much," Elias said with an innocent tone that fooled no one. "I just want you to get along with the kids and give them those gifts. Relax—it's easy. All you need to do is take off your mask."
He pointed to the mask on Kalpas' face.
"No. I'm not taking it off. This mask is—"
"Aha~ Kalpas, you might as well stop resisting."
"Elias! Don't you dare!"
Kalpas' face stiffened. He immediately backed away to create distance—but before he could react, a portal opened above his blind spot.
A hand reached through and snatched his mask.
"Elias, give that back—!"
"Off you go!"
Before Kalpas could finish, Elias opened another portal under his feet, teleporting him—along with the bag of gifts—right in front of the children.
"Ahem! Kids! Your big brother Kalpas has brought you lots of presents! Go on, don't be shy—take them!"
"Elias, you bastard!!"
"..." ×N
The children in the sanatorium stared blankly at the white-haired, green-eyed man before them. For a moment, none of them recognized him.
It wasn't until they heard that familiar angry shout that realization hit—they finally understood that this man was their big brother Kalpas. Every jaw dropped in shock.
"A-Am I dreaming?"
"Oh my gosh, Brother Kalpas actually took off his mask…"
"And he brought us gifts, too?!"
"Wait—he's actually really handsome?!"
The kids' eyes sparkled like stars. A few brave ones even stretched out their hands, expectantly waiting for their gifts.
"I-I… it's not—uh—well…"
Kalpas, who could laugh in the face of a Judgment-level Honkai Beast, found himself in a panic like never before. For the first time in his life, he genuinely considered running away.
But before he could move, a smiling nun appeared before him, her words imbued with gentle [Discipline].
"Kalpas, please be honest."
"APONIA!!!"
Kalpas roared in fury, flames bursting across his body.
And then—
"Brother Kalpas, we want our gifts!"
"…Fine. I—I'll give them to you."
As if doused by a bucket of cold water, the flames around him vanished instantly. His voice softened, almost tender.
With trembling hands, Kalpas took out the gifts one by one, passing them to the children. Without the mask to hide behind, his nervous expression was completely exposed.
The children, clutching their presents, beamed with joy and gratitude.
"Thank you, Brother Kalpas! I love it!"
"Yay! I've wanted a new doll for so long!"
"Hehe, Brother Kalpas, you're the best!"
...
Watching those smiling faces, Kalpas' lips finally curved upward.
"…Hmph~"