Elias had originally thought that the final battle against Finality would leave no chance for the Moonlight Throne to take the stage. Due to a certain "reason," he couldn't use that trump card against the Herrscher of Finality.
But he never expected the Honkai to send forth a Planet-class Honkai Beast. Against such a monstrosity capable of releasing beams that could pierce through entire planets—
the Flame-Chasers' weapons alone were utterly insufficient. Fighting it head-on would be no different from throwing eggs at a boulder.
Even a single misstep—a direct hit from one of its light cannons—would kill even Kevin instantly.
If that happened, Elias would have no choice but to restart the loop with tears in his eyes.
In truth, the only reason they'd managed to survive this long was that the Planet-class Honkai Beast's focus had never once left Elias.
It had all but ignored the Flame-Chasers' attacks, directing its every effort toward capturing him. And because Honkai's command had been to capture him alive, it refrained from using its full destructive power.
The result—was a deadlock.
The Planet-class Honkai Beast was indeed a being on par with the Herrscher of Finality. Yet Elias, with fifteen Herrscher Cores, the Palatinus' authority, and his ultimate Chimera form, stood on an even higher level.
Within his body, the supreme nine-headed Chimera—formed from countless lower Honkai Beasts, thousands of Emperor-class, hundreds of Judgment-level, and dozens of Vipralopa-class—had already evolved into a creature capable of surpassing its limits.
That monstrous being, the Heaven Devourer Honkai Beast, possessed the potential to reach Planet-class itself.
And beyond that...
Compared to the "beasts" that were Honkai Beasts, humanity's greatest advantage lay in its ability to create—to craft weapons capable of overturning any disadvantage.
Thus—
"Moonlight Throne main cannons fully charged. Target: Planet-class Honkai Beast. All batteries focus fire—FIRE!"
From within the Herrscher of the Void's portals, over a hundred Moonlight Throne battleships aimed their cannons at a single point on the colossal creature's body.
It took only fifty to completely vaporize Finality's Honkai energy before.
Now—one hundred were firing simultaneously.
BOOOOOOM——!!! ×100
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH——!!!"
Even the Planet-class Honkai Beast suffered real damage! Its previously immeasurable Honkai energy levels dropped drastically as the devastating barrage scorched through its armor.
The 5,000-kilometer monstrosity crashed down onto the lunar surface, draping the moon in red like a massive shroud. A gaping hole now marred its once-impenetrable body.
"Kevin! Misteln! Prometheus!"
"Understood!" ×3
Elias, Kevin, Misteln, and Prometheus charged toward the wound in unison—
And successfully entered the creature's body.
"...This thing's at least a few thousand times bigger than Chiyou," Elias muttered, sucking in a sharp breath.
It wasn't his first time inside a Honkai Beast. During the Current Era, he had once entered the body of Chiyou, a Judgment-level Honkai Beast said to be capable of devouring continents.
That beast's internal space was vast, but at least finite. Here, within this Planet-class creature, it felt as though an entire world existed inside.
"If anyone else tried this, it'd be pure suicide," Prometheus remarked while scanning their surroundings.
The interior was flooded with ultra-high-density Honkai energy. It wasn't as intense as the Gate of Finality, but strong enough to instantly vaporize even a MANTIS.
But Elias and Kevin were beyond such limits.
Prometheus' body was forged entirely from soulium—impervious to Honkai energy—and Misteln, being a Stigma [Idea], was naturally immune.
Thus, only these four could survive within the Planet-class Honkai Beast.
"I don't need to say what we're here to do, right?" Elias asked.
"Wreck everything and find its core," Kevin replied flatly.
"No matter how tough its shell is, the inside won't be the same!"
"Then let's begin."
The corners of all four mouths curved into identical, confident smiles.
Kevin took up the Judgment of Shamash—Might of An-Utu—and began using Shamash Assault as if it were a simple melee strike, wildly unleashing waves of destructive fire while in his [Diabolic] state.
Though no longer the berserker he once was, one must not forget—this was Kevin Kaslana, the man who would one day become the final boss. Every type of Honkai Beast Elias had fused with, Kevin had also absorbed once.
His strength had always been at Tier 0.
Misteln and Prometheus, while lacking in raw offensive power, compensated with their unmatched detection abilities.
Within this 5,000-kilometer-wide monstrosity, finding its core was like searching for a needle in a cosmic haystack—but with those two acting as sonar radars, the impossible became possible.
As for Elias himself—he was far less subtle.
"Emperor-class Honkai Beasts can't handle even a drop, Judgment- and Vipralopa-class collapse in seconds... so what happens if I use this against a Planet-class?"
Without hesitation, Elias slit open his wrist, letting the sacred Schariac Holy Blood flow freely. The reaction was immediate—the Planet-class Honkai Beast let out a resonant, agonized roar.
The Schariac Holy Blood was the purest anti-Honkai substance known to humanity, even more potent than the Moonlight Throne's energy or the Elysion Pedion barrier.
By flooding the beast's body with it, Elias had effectively injected a lethal toxin straight into its veins.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH——!!!"
The Planet-class Honkai Beast screamed—a raw, piercing cry that shook the lunar crust.
If it had a humanoid form, it would likely be clutching its stomach and rolling on the ground, sobbing in pain.
Of course, the Holy Blood alone could only weaken it—but Elias wasn't finished. He activated Elysion Pedion, amplifying its purifying power, while commanding the Moonlight Throne fleet to resume bombardment.
Even a Planet-class Honkai Beast could not withstand such a combined assault.
The outcome had been decided the moment it failed to kill Elias in its first strike. Its mercy—born from Honkai's order to capture him alive—had sealed its fate.
After a long bombardment—
Prometheus spoke first: "Core location confirmed!"
Misteln added, "It's near its head, isn't it?"
Upon hearing the coordinates, Elias immediately moved.
No matter how vast the internal space of the creature was, to one wielding the Authorities of both Wind and Void, the distance was trivial—a blink, nothing more.
"Hmm? Beautiful, actually."
Suspended before him was a massive azure crystal.
Elias studied it closely.
Though it contained no Authority, its structure was nearly identical to a Herrscher Core—and in terms of pure Honkai energy, this one alone rivaled his fifteen combined.
Kevin hefted his sword. "If we destroy this, will the beast die?"
Elias shook his head. "Not necessarily. A core is vital, yes—but just like the Herrschers I captured, losing it doesn't mean instant death."
He reached out and touched the crystal—and immediately, the Planet-class Honkai Beast screamed again, realizing its heart had been found.
Before it could react, Elias acted first.
Gripping the core, he opened a portal and teleported out through the entry wound.
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHH——!!!"
"So it's not that simple, huh? Even without your core, you won't die—but this should weaken you greatly. And without it, your Honkai regeneration is gone."
Elias raised the Planet-class Honkai Core in his hand.
"AAAA—AA…"
The beast's cry changed in tone—it almost sounded... sorrowful, as if asking 'why he rejected it—why he rejected the Honkai itself.'
Of course, Elias couldn't understand the language of Honkai Beasts.
To him, whatever its intentions had been, the moment it descended alongside the Herrscher of Finality, it had become his undeniable enemy.
"Mei, status update?"
"Significant weakening confirmed," Mei reported. "Defeating it is now possible—but killing it outright... probably isn't."
"Fair enough. I mean, with a body that massive..." Elias sighed.
A Planet-class Honkai Beast was far beyond the definition of a mere giant creature. Size didn't always equate to strength—but when that size reached this level, its vitality alone made it the apex of all living beings.
Its health bar was likely longer than the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Even if they attacked endlessly, it would take an unimaginable amount of time to finish it off.
"Then let's just neutralize it for now," Elias said. "We still have time. We can figure out a permanent solution later."
"AAAAAAAHHHHH——!!"
Even without its core, the Planet-class Honkai Beast still possessed power rivaling the Herrscher of Finality.
But unlike Finality—it didn't have an immortality lock.
Had it been protected by Finality's authority—rendering it immune to harm without her power—Elias might have been forced to reset the cycle again, searching endlessly for a way to destroy it.
But since that wasn't the case, there was no need. After all, for a Crisis player from the previous life, as long as something had a visible health bar—even a god could be slain.
...
Twenty-four hours later.
When the concentrated beam from the Moonlight Throne struck once more, the Planet-class Honkai Beast's remaining Honkai energy was completely drained. Their battle had moved from the Moon to the very edge of Earth's orbit.
Now devoid of energy and without its core, the Planet-class Honkai Beast did not die—but it ceased all movement. Eventually, Earth's gravity began to pull it down toward the ocean below.
As it fell, the massive crimson manta-like creature kept its eyes locked on Elias, a faint trace of confusion in its dying gaze.
(Why... did you reject me?)
Though they had fought fiercely, in truth, it bore no malice—only a kind of "benevolent intent."
But that benevolence, like the Honkai's toward civilization, was a twisted one. It sought to embrace humanity—but such an embrace could only end in destruction.
To it, only Elias mattered. The other Flame-Chasers were like insects, insignificant. Humanity itself, even the Earth, was beneath its concern. With a thought, it could annihilate everything.
Its secondary directive from Honkai, after capturing Elias, was as always—to destroy civilization.
Had it succeeded in taking him, it would have immediately fired upon Earth, and the Herrscher of Finality would have reset the world's timeline.
(Is it because of them...?)
The Planet-class Honkai Beast looked at the Flame-Chasers standing beside Elias—Elysia, Kevin, Misteln, and the others. For the first time, it truly saw them.
And in that moment—it understood.
(It's because... I am not human.)
(Then... if I become human, will that be enough?)
That thought lingered in its fading consciousness. It didn't understand what it meant to be human—but it didn't matter.
It would have time to learn.
(I'll start with form... though I feel myself slipping into sleep... but it's fine. He's strong. He'll live forever.)
Its core now rested in Elias' hands.
As long as that core remained within his possession, the Planet-class Honkai Beast would always sense him—no matter where he was.
(Elias... I'll come find you again.)
...
The group watched as the massive creature plummeted toward Earth.
It crashed into the Pacific Ocean, its enormous body the size of a continent, raising waves that rocked the entire world.
From their vantage point, it looked like a red manta ray had fallen into a fishbowl named Earth.
The "splash" alone submerged nearby continents—and the Far East, being closest, barely avoided being struck directly, or it would have sunk entirely.
"Good thing we finished the evacuations," Elias said with a weary smile. "Otherwise, that one move would've made all my earlier efforts pointless."
The tsunami caused by the Planet-class Honkai Beast's fall was a cataclysm of flood-myth-level proportions. If it had become a Herrscher, it might well have been called—the Herrscher of the Sea.
"Um... are we really just leaving it there? It's still alive. What if it wakes up later?" Elysia asked, worry clouding her expression as she looked toward the ocean where the creature had fallen. The thought alone made her shiver.
"I doubt it'll be a problem for a long time," Elias replied calmly. "Its core's with me. Without it, it can't regenerate Honkai energy. Other than raising the Earth's sea level a little, it won't be able to do much of anything."
"Besides, we don't have the means to fish it out of the ocean right now. But if it ever does wake up—then I'll just grind down its health bar, even if it takes forever."
Elias tossed the massive, glowing core lightly in his hand as he spoke.
The Heaven Devourer Honkai Beast within him was the closest existing lifeform to the Planet-class creature. As its master, Elias knew well how much energy such titans consumed simply by moving.
Without its core, recovering enough energy to awaken would take at least fifty thousand years—and regaining mobility, even longer.
As for returning to full strength—that was simply impossible.
(Hmm... once I seize Finality's authority, I should be able to handle it easily. By then, it'll still be asleep—or at least too weak to move.)
"Next, I'll study how to use this core," Elias murmured. "And I'll need some time to absorb its power."
He placed his hand over his abdomen.
To a Chimera MANTIS, a Planet-class Honkai Beast was nothing short of an enormous feast. How could he possibly resist taking a bite?
So... Elias took one.
And that single taste was more potent than devouring every Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast he'd ever consumed combined. He could feel his Chimera body undergoing a fundamental transformation.
Inside him, the Heaven Devourer roared in ecstasy.
The Planet-class genetic code was breaking the boundaries of the Vipralopa level—the Heaven Devourer was beginning its evolution toward the Planet-class.
Elias had been about to share his excitement with Kevin—but one glance at the man's dumbfounded expression told him everything. Kevin had forgotten to eat.
Now the gap between them had grown even wider. Even if given fifty thousand years, Kevin probably wouldn't catch up to Elias.
(Alright, the Planet-class Honkai Beast is dealt with. Now it's your turn... Herrscher of Finality.)
Elias turned his gaze toward the lunar surface, where the Herrscher of Finality still lay unconscious.
His expression, however, grew a little complicated.
What he was about to do next—was something none of the girls could ever see. Because it would be even more blasphemous than what he'd done in the first cycle—when he tried to extract Finality's Herrscher Core by hand.