Mu Continent.
As the most technologically advanced region of the Previous Era, it was undoubtedly the most important land of its time—and naturally, lacked nothing in every aspect.
Slurp~! "As expected of the Mu Continent—even the noodles here taste amazing. Totally worth the trip."
"Kevin, we didn't travel thousands of miles to Mu Continent just to eat noodles. Can't you have a bit more ambition?"
"Eli, I want to visit that future-tech amusement park again. Will you come with me?"
"Of course. If Ely wants to go, I'll always have time."
At that moment, inside a ramen shop, Elias sat together with the Flame-Chasers, slurping noodles for lunch.
The other customers couldn't help but stare at the group in awe—after all, their looks were simply too dazzling. Each one of them was either a strikingly handsome man or a breathtaking beauty.
And beyond appearance, they were world-famous.
"No way! Am I dreaming? I just came to eat noodles and ran into the Savior himself?!"
"OMG! Are the heroes of Fire Moth actually vacationing on Mu Continent?!"
"Look—it's Miss Eden! And Dr. Mobius! And Kalpas too! My idols!"
"If I could just get their autographs… if every one of them signed for me, I could die happy!"
"Bro, go for it! When you die, I'll inherit those signatures as family heirlooms!"
"Eli Gate! Ely Gate!"
"Holy crap, even the upstairs crowd are believers of both Gates?!"
As the world-recognized Savior, Elias naturally attracted attention wherever he went—and so did the team he led, composed of the most powerful Flame-Chasers. Everywhere they appeared, they caused a sensation.
As for why they were here…
It wasn't purely for vacation. The true purpose was to await the arrival of the Ninth Herrscher.
Since they didn't know the exact time of her descent, waiting until the Honkai Eruption began before deploying would've been too late—by the time they arrived, Mu Continent might already have been devoured by the Herrscher of Earth's pseudo–black hole.
So Elias decided they might as well wait here.
Using the pretense of a holiday trip, he brought the strongest forces directly to this land to "wait by the rabbit hole." Though he was certain this Herrscher's manifestation would be far more extreme than in the original timeline, the likelihood of the Eruption's location changing was low.
After all, this was Mu Continent—the most prosperous and densely populated region of the Previous Era. From the perspective of the Honkai, it was only natural for destruction to fall here first.
...
After lunch, everyone continued sightseeing.
"They say there'll be a meteor shower tonight! I can't wait~ When it comes, we should all make a wish together!" The pink elf's eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Elysia, we didn't really come to Mu Continent to play… I—I'm still nervous."
Hua's face was tense. This would be her first time stepping onto a battlefield against a Herrscher, and she hadn't been able to sleep for days.
"Hua, don't look like that. It'll ruin your pretty face. Besides, so what if a Herrscher appears? We've got everyone here—what's there to worry about?"
Elysia patted Hua on the shoulder comfortingly.
At the same time, the pink elf's enormous E+ grade "slime chest" pressed directly against the immortal's flat front, causing Hua's entire body to freeze from the sudden impact.
To be fair, Hua was quite popular at base—she often received confessions. Unfortunately, every single one came from… other girls.
At several celebration parties, her qipao had even been secretly swapped for a men's suit by her fangirls.
(Hua's fans: "Sister Hua looks way better in a suit! Dresses just don't suit her!")
"And most importantly," Elysia said, gazing tenderly toward the white-haired boy nearby, "Elias is here too."
"…Mm!"
Hua nodded firmly, her nerves easing ever so slightly.
Those few words comforted Hua far more than any speech could. Her eyes turned toward the white-haired boy walking at the front of the group, and a deep, indescribable sense of safety filled her heart.
She thought to herself, Yeah… with Elias here, what am I even nervous about?
When it came to dealing with Herrschers, he was the expert.
If something unexpected happened, she could panic once Elias did. And if even Elias panicked… well, then someone like her panicking or not wouldn't make a difference.
"But still, we shouldn't rely on him too much," Elysia added softly.
"Eh? Why?"
"Because Eli's human too. He gets tired."
Elysia looked at the white-haired boy with eyes full of tenderness.
Then she released Hua and ran ahead to the front of the group. There, she wrapped her arms around the neck of the boy who was gazing at the sky, clinging to him like a pendant.
Elias blinked, then smiled and gently pinched the pink elf's small nose. "Ely, you're being mischievous again."
"Ehehe~ Eli, that's the seventh time you've looked at the sky today. I don't think you're waiting for the meteor shower, are you? You're worrying about the Herrscher again, right?"
"…No, of course not."
Elias averted his gaze, his tone unconvincing.
The next second, Elysia grabbed his face and turned it back toward her, sniffing playfully along his neck.
Sniff sniff~ "That's the scent of a lie~ You can fool others, but not me, Eli. I know you best, remember?"
"Alright, alright, I give up. You got me again, Ely."
Elias chuckled helplessly, raising his hand to ruffle her hair. Elysia's smile blossomed like a flower as she tightened her embrace around his neck.
"Hey, Eli… let's come back to Mu Continent again someday. Next time, you won't have to worry about anything—just relax and enjoy yourself, okay? It's a promise."
"…Yeah. It's a promise, Ely."
Elias paused for a moment, then hugged the adorable girl in return.
He realized he'd been under quite a bit of pressure lately, and Elysia was just trying to help him unwind.
Meanwhile, the others could only sigh collectively.
They thought to themselves, Seriously, are these two ever going to stop? Do they not know that flaunting affection in public like this is basically a crime?
Every time Elias and Elysia stood together, a five-meter radius around them instantly turned into a scene straight out of a shoujo romance manga—so sweet that everyone nearby risked losing their teeth.
"Su, what do I do? Watching Elias and Elysia like that makes me want to fall in love too," Kevin said with an unusually serious expression.
"Give it up, Kevin. Those two are… special. And honestly, you're not exactly the most emotionally intelligent person."
"Come to my room tonight—I'll show you something good!"
"In Kalpas' words—screw off!"
Su's eye twitched as he looked at the white-haired husky, whose gaze seemed… disturbingly suggestive. Sure, Su looked great in women's clothing, but that didn't mean he had those tendencies!
Kevin's eyes sparkled with what he considered pure brotherly intent. He just wanted to bond with his comrade. Honest.
"Oh my gosh, brother-in-law and Elysia-sis are always like this? They're so sweet it's unfair!"
"Rin, what do you think—"
"No chance! We can't break them up at all. Those two will stay like this forever. Sis, let's stay well-behaved and just aim for mistress-tier positions instead."
"Uh… I don't think 'mistress' and 'well-behaved' belong in the same sentence. And remember—not to cause Elias trouble, okay? If anything happens, stay at the hotel with Griseo."
"Mm-hmm! Got it!"
Although their mission was to lie in wait for the Herrscher's appearance, it was still a rare extended trip together. Sakura, unwilling to leave her little sister home alone, had brought Rin along.
The contrasting personalities of the two sisters turned heads everywhere they went—though most of that attention was aimed at Sakura's fox ears…
And so, just like that, Elias and the Flame-Chasers continued their "team-building trip" across Mu Continent. Though everyone felt the tension of the coming battle, they still played, ate, and laughed together.
After all—they weren't just heroes who saved the world.
They weren't just heroes—they were still a group of young men and women.
But just as everyone was starting to relax, thinking the Herrscher wouldn't appear—at least, not yet…
BOOM—!!
[Alert! Alert! Honkai Eruption detected! The Ninth Herrscher is about to manifest! All citizens of Mu Continent, please proceed immediately to underground shelters! Repeating—Honkai Eruption detected, the Ninth Herrscher is about to appear…]
The piercing alarm echoed across all of Mu Continent.
The Honkai Eruption had begun!
In an instant, the peaceful lives of countless people were shattered. Panic spread through the cities as citizens rushed toward the nearest shelters in terror.
Elias and the Flame-Chasers checked their portable scanners—and when they saw the readings of 26,000 HW of Honkai energy, everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
"Tch! Figures. One of the later Herrschers, and the output's skyrocketed this much? Don't tell me it's making up for the lack of power the Herrscher of Sentience used when she appeared."
Elias' eye twitched as he gripped his terminal tightly.
Then, a wave of Honkai energy erupted across the entire continent, engulfing everything in its path. In that single instant, hundreds of millions of people—one-sixth of humanity—began showing signs of Honkai corruption.
Death was about to descend.
But the Savior had already raised his holy spear.
"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."
Without hesitation, Elias began chanting the incantation of Abyss Flower, slicing open his own wrist to let his blood flow.
"With my blood, I shall save all living beings—Holy Blood Liberation: Lilium Sanguineum! Abyss Flower—Zeroth Power!"
The white, sacred flower instantly turned crimson.
Then, Elias hurled the holy spear skyward.
Whoosh!!
The clouds above Mu Continent split open as a golden-red sunset pierced through the storm. Scarlet petals rained down from the heavens, saving everyone below.
Before the people of Mu Continent could even process the despair of the Eruption, they realized—they had already been saved.
They stood frozen, gazing at the blood-colored petals drifting through the air, and tears welled in their eyes as understanding dawned.
"Elias, are you alright?"
Elysia immediately caught him as he staggered, worry filling her eyes.
"I'm fine. The Honkai energy cost was heavy, but it doesn't affect combat. Let's go—the Ninth Herrscher's location is confirmed. Everyone, move out!"
Elias took a deep breath and steadied himself.
He then activated the Herrscher of the Void's power, opening a portal leading directly to the Herrscher of Earth's location.
In truth, Elias had been constantly using the Herrscher of Wind's power, turning the flowing winds into his eyes and ears to monitor every corner of Mu Continent. The moment the Eruption began, he already knew exactly where the Herrscher was.
The crimson petals of the Abyss Flower had been carried by those very winds to every person's side—just like during the Seventh Eruption.
(Thank goodness my Holy Blood evolved once already—the purity's increased severalfold. Otherwise, even draining every drop wouldn't be enough to cover all of Mu Continent.)
Elias let out a small sigh of relief.
With the continent's massive population, Anti-Honkai serum reserves were nowhere near enough to supply everyone. His Holy Blood remained the most reliable solution.
However, that single technique had consumed four-fifths of his Holy Blood and 25,000 HW of Honkai energy.
Inside him, eight Herrscher Cores were operating at maximum capacity, continuously drawing Honkai energy from the imaginary space to replenish his losses.
At the same time, the Herrscher of Rebirth's power activated, regenerating the blood he had lost.
"Elias, leave the rest to us. You've done enough," Kevin said firmly.
"Yeah. Since you already stopped the Eruption, this Herrscher can't be that strong. We'll handle the fight," Sakura added, already drawing her blade from her waist.
"Damn Herrscher—no matter what power you have, I'll burn you to ashes!" Kalpas roared.
The Flame-Chasers gripped their weapons tightly. It wasn't just Elysia—everyone who had witnessed the life-saving rain born from the white-haired boy's blood felt their hearts ache.
Each of them swore silently that this time, they wouldn't let Elias overexert himself again. The Herrscher would fall by their hands.
But when Kevin and the others stepped through the portal to the Herrscher's location…
"Humans—you arrived faster than expected."
"What?! Impossible!!"
A faintly golden figure stood atop a colossal platinum war elephant, towering a hundred meters high.
The woman's body radiated terrifying Honkai energy, and her gaze—lofty, disdainful, as though all life beneath her was dust—overflowed with divine arrogance.
There was no doubt. This was the Ninth Herrscher.
ROOOAAAR!!
Like a war horn signaling destruction, the giant elephant beneath her bellowed with deafening fury.
"Ah—!"
Sakura clenched her teeth but still let out a cry. Blood dripped from her foxlike ears; the roar was more than just sound—it was a weaponized shockwave. Caught off guard, her acute hearing had betrayed her.
The others, with less sensitive hearing, fared slightly better—but dizziness still washed over them all.
"Vipralopa-class Companion Honkai Beast?! And the Ninth Herrscher already has full Honkai reserves?! How's that possible!?" Hua exclaimed in disbelief.
"Hmph! Pitiful humans. Did you think the same tricks would work twice? The Honkai far exceeds your imagination. Those insects who survived the Eruption will only live a little longer—but in the end, death is absolute!"
The Herrscher of Earth's voice was dripping with contempt. She raised her hand, releasing a crushing wave of gravity—dozens of times normal force pressed down upon the squad, strong enough to crush ordinary people into paste.
But to her shock, not one of the Flame-Chasers fell. Their knees didn't even bend. Instead, every one of them stood tall, eyes blazing with defiance.
"Heh~ That arrogance… such a classic Herrscher trait. Guess we won't be getting any rest this time either."
A white-haired boy stepped forward, holding a uniquely designed sniper rifle.
There was no reverence in his eyes—only the calm focus of a hunter gazing at his prey.
"Just like the others, I'm looking forward to crafting a Divine Key from your Herrscher Core. I do hope when I carve it out, you'll still have that same proud expression."
As Elias spoke, he summoned several divine weapons one by one—
Seven Thunders of Retribution, Judgment of Shamash, Fenghuang Down,
—and finally, Abyss Flower, freshly returned to his hand thanks to Vill-V's auto-recall mechanism.
"You dare forge weapons from the hearts of gods?! Such blasphemy! I'll crush you into dust!"
Sensing the Herrscher Cores within the Divine Keys, the Herrscher of Earth erupted in fury. Her killing intent pierced the air like a blade.
She unleashed her power again—
A massive pseudo–black hole appeared in the sky above.
In an instant, trees, buildings, and even people began being pulled toward it. The gravitational pull was so immense it devoured even light itself.
If left unchecked, it would soon consume the entire Mu Continent.
But—
"Herrscher of Earth, you won't have your way! This time—the ending of the story will be written by me!"
The white-haired boy roared and charged straight toward the apostle of the gods.