Chapter 1: Rebirth Beneath the Rubble
"Kevin... I'm leaving the rest to you all."
"Silas—"
"Black Abyss and White Flower. Rated Power Zero. Abyss — Annihilate!"
"..."
...
He awoke in chaos.
He tried to move his body—only to realize that something heavy was pressing down on him. Only a few of his limbs could move slightly. His thoughts were still hazy. His left eye wouldn't open, sealed shut by some kind of liquid, and his right eye could only make out faint traces of light.
A warm liquid trickled into his mouth.
The taste… it was blood.
"Reporting in! We found a survivor over here! Hurry, give me a hand!"
A survivor? Were they talking about him?
Wait… this scene—it was familiar. He remembered now.
Wasn't this what happened when he first transmigrated into the Honkai world? That unforgettable experience of being crushed under rubble the moment he arrived—like a monkey pinned beneath Five Elements Mountain. He'd never forget that feeling, not even in another lifetime.
So that meant… he was reborn?
That's right. Which meant… he had another chance.
A chance to save her.
To save them.
He—Silas—had once been nothing more than an ordinary Honkai Impact 3rd player. After finishing the Flame-Chasers arc, he had inexplicably found himself transported into the game's world. And to make things worse? He was crushed beneath ruins the moment he arrived.
What's more, he didn't even get a system!
Seriously, where was the promised cheat that every isekai protagonist gets?
In his previous life, after personally experiencing the joys and tragedies of the Previous Era, he had changed—a lot.
The weight on top of him was finally lifted. He raised his head… and saw the first person he had met in this world.
The one who would entangle herself with his life ever since.
The one who had once been his light—his reason to fight—
Elysia.
He was losing too much blood. He knew he'd pass out again, just like before.
That's fine. Everything else… could wait.
What he didn't know was that, as he drifted into unconsciousness, Elysia cradled him gently in her arms, her voice soft and trembling:
"We've finally met again, Silas… This time… don't leave me again, okay?"
...
"Tell me… do you think he'd cry for me?"
"..."
"…He wouldn't, right? I know that. He wouldn't cry for someone like me. After all, I was the one who got Lilith and the others killed… I'm a Herrscher."
"But still… when did he start drifting away from me? Wasn't I the one he met first? The one he liked first?"
"…Elysia…"
"…And after that… we never really saw each other again. What a shame…"
...
"Captain… don't mourn our deaths. You saved us. You made us into heroes. So please, let us die as heroes. And in our place… please, guard this world. Witness its future for us."
"To die alongside the one I love… isn't that a kind of romance, too? Silas… But if even one of us has a chance to live, I hope it's you. Because before I was a hero… I was just a selfish woman."
"Captain, come on now. You don't have to carry everything alone. You've still got us, haven't you?"
"Hahaha, Captain! You gave me a life worth living. Before I met you, my life meant nothing. If I could trade my life for yours, I'd do it without hesitation!"
"Look, Captain! Even Aponia's so-called 'fate' isn't invincible! Even if I fall here… you'll break that cursed destiny and survive!"
...
Silas awoke from a dream he hadn't had in what felt like an eternity.
After the tragedies he'd witnessed in his past life, he hadn't truly slept in years. But now, he sat up—and for the first time, the pain in his body was gone. That bone-deep agony he'd come to know so well was absent.
Well… it made sense.
After all, he hadn't become a fusion warrior yet.
As he sat in reflection, a familiar voice rang in his ears—one he hadn't heard in a long time:
"Hi~ You're awake. How are you feeling?"
That voice—Elysia's.
He turned toward it.
Sure enough, it was Elysia, sitting right by his bedside.
But something was wrong.
He remembered clearly—when he first woke up in the hospital in his previous life, Elysia hadn't been there. They'd only met later, when he was wandering around trying to clear his head.
Had his rebirth caused some small changes to the timeline?
Seeing the confusion in his eyes, Elysia let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Thank goodness… he didn't remember his past life.
Smiling, she leaned in and waved, "Hi Nice to meet you! I'm Elysia, the one who saved you"
Yeah. He knew that part already.
"Thank you, Miss Elysia," he said with a soft smile.
"No need to thank me~ It's only natural to help someone in need, isn't it?" Elysia beamed, clearly delighted. Silas, however, didn't think much of it.
He knew Elysia wouldn't fall for him—wait, no, she wouldn't fall for only him. She loved everyone. He'd figured that out in his last life.
That's why he eventually let go of his feelings for her.
Unrequited love only made things awkward for her—and painful for him.
While thinking about all that, Silas said softly, "It might have been a small gesture for you, but for me… it was the start of a second life. Thank you, Miss Elysia—truly."
And that's when Elysia thought to herself: Then why not repay me with your life, hmm?
She didn't just think it—she said it:
"Oh? If you really think it was a life-saving favor… does that mean you're going to offer yourself to me in return~?"
Even though she knew Silas would confess to her eventually—after the Sixth Herrscher incident—that moment hadn't arrived yet. The Third Eruption hadn't even happened. She was getting a little impatient.
Besides, rebirth could mean things would play out differently this time. What if he didn't confess?
Their time together was limited.
Soon, she'd have to return to the MOTH headquarters. The next time they met… would be during the Fourth Herrscher's appearance.
In other words, she wouldn't see Silas again for over a year.
What if, during that time, another girl snatched him away?
That was how it went last time, wasn't it?
After he left her squad, he met Lilith…
And then—
Silas froze.
Wait—what?
Okay, no, there was no way Elysia was being serious. She was definitely joking. After all, as far as this world was concerned, he was a nobody with no attachments.
She was probably just trying to lift his spirits.
As for the possibility that Elysia was being genuinely serious?
Yeah… no.
He wasn't even going to consider it.
She was the daughter of a god—the Herrscher of Humanity!
And he had just met her for the first time!
Within just a few seconds, Silas ran through countless ways to respond. But it was Ato who stepped in to defuse the situation.
"Elysia, he's still a patient and needs to rest. Maybe don't tease him so much right now."
Elysia blinked innocently and turned to Silas. "Was I bothering you?"
"To be interrupted by such a dazzling beauty, as radiant as falling flower petals—how could that possibly be a bother? It's an honor, really. This is just a pleasant conversation." Silas smiled.
Elysia froze for a second. Then her pale cheeks turned a light rose pink. With a bashful smile, she replied, "Oh my It's true I'm quite beautiful, but hearing it from you like that… makes me a little shy"
Ato looked at Elysia in speechless disbelief, then glanced toward Silas with an expression full of pity.
Another poor boy, hopelessly enchanted by Elysia…
Silas, of course, understood what that look meant. But he didn't care.
He hadn't said anything wrong—Elysia really was as beautiful as drifting petals in the wind.
As for liking Elysia?
Who didn't like Elysia?
If anyone dared say they hated her, Silas would be the first to stand up and tear them apart.
What, you're gonna bring up Mobius?
Please, that woman was the definition of tsundere. No one had a harder shell than Dr. Mobius.
But contrary to what Elysia had expected, Silas had never once hated her—not even in the previous life. It's just that… the feelings he had for her, he had long buried deep in his heart.
There were many reasons why he stopped seeing her after the tragedy of Restraint. Lilith and the others' sacrifice was only one part of it.
He had confessed to Elysia once.
But after she gently responded with, "I don't really have that kind of feeling… at least not right now," Silas had spent a long time thinking things through alone—before deciding to bury those emotions forever.
The confession itself had been impulsive.
He'd been emotionally stirred after seeing that infamous scene in the game where Elysia asks Kevin to choose between her and his ideals. Back then, he wanted to be Kevin. To stand in his place.
He'd wanted Elysia to ask him that question—and he knew exactly how he would answer.
His answer would have been her. Always her.
But unfortunately, the him back then couldn't even hold a candle to Kevin, that walking cheat code...
Later, during the Seventh Herrscher incident, in a moment of spite, he applied to join the Fusion Warrior project with Kevin. The two of them became the very first Fusion Warriors.
Kevin received extreme low-temperature adaptation. As for Silas? His surgery resulted in far worse side effects.
From that day on, he could only fall asleep with the help of powerful sedatives. Without them, the pain was like his entire body being torn apart.
Mobius had developed a special drug to suppress the symptoms temporarily, but eventually even that stopped working. After the tragedy of Restraint, and after Lilith and the others completed the Chimera Project and sacrificed themselves—there was no longer anything that could ease the pain.
Only a few people knew about his condition: Klein, Mobius… and Lilith.
After the tragedy, only Mobius knew.
Silas had never told anyone else. He didn't want to be a burden—especially not to Elysia.
But life always has a way of ruining expectations.
After the Twelfth Herrscher incident, every Flame-Chaser except Griseo found out about his condition. They just chose to hide it from Silas.
And the one most devastated by the truth… was Elysia.
Silas, of course, had no idea.
Following the same course of events as his last life, Ato soon had him sign a confidentiality agreement and recruited him into MOTH for training.
Since Elysia was already an official combatant and Silas was still a "greenhorn with zero battle experience," they wouldn't be seeing each other for a while.
According to his memory, they'd reunite as comrades in the Fourth Herrscher incident, fighting side by side under Elysia's command.
Then, after the Sixth Herrscher incident, he'd leave the squad.
Because he'd confessed—gotten rejected—and figured there was no point in sticking around.
Silas looked out the window.
In the past, he had fought only for Elysia's dream. That hadn't changed—but now, he had more reasons to protect this world.
He thought of someone else.
His second-in-command—the one who had once confessed to him so boldly.
The one whose memory filled him with guilt, sorrow, and regret.
This time… please don't fall in love with me.
I'm not someone worth loving.
Elysia was about to speak again, noticing how silent Silas had become, but Ato stepped in.
"All right, Elysia. Give him a little space. Right now, what he probably needs most… is to be alone."
It was simple logic.
To Ato, Silas had just lost everything in the latest Honkai disaster.
Best not to bother him.
What Ato didn't know… was that Silas had arrived in this world with nothing to begin with.
Elysia trembled slightly.
She had heard those words before.
Back when Lilith and the others died… Kevin had said something similar.
And after that—
She never saw Silas again.
Even though it was Silas himself who had said it… "Let me be alone for a while."
Her long lashes lowered ever so slightly. Before Ato left, Elysia turned back to Silas and said with her usual warmth:
"If you ever need anything, you can come find me anytime, anywhere Elysia will always answer when you call"
Silas smiled and nodded in return.
But truthfully… he probably wouldn't need anything.
He had been reborn.
And with everything he remembered about MOTH, its structure, and operations—he knew the organization inside and out. There was no need to trouble others for answers anymore.
Right now, what he did need… was to start building a proper training regimen.
His body was still extremely weak at this point. Even taking on a Vanguard-class Honkai Beast was a struggle. He needed more training—fast.
Then there was the question of whether to join Elysia's squad again after becoming a full-fledged soldier…
Maybe this time, he'd join Kevin's squad instead.
After all, in his previous life, he only officially passed the MOTH evaluation after the Fourth Herrscher incident.
Outside, Elysia hadn't gone far. She was just standing a short distance from Silas's hospital room, leaning against the wall as memories from the previous timeline flooded her mind.
Before the final banquet, she had written thirteen invitations.
In the end… she only sent one.
Because in that moment, all she wanted—more than anything—was to see Silas one last time. To tell him what she truly felt. To turn back time, even for a moment.
But he didn't come.
Instead, Kevin arrived on his behalf—returning the invitation.
No, no! Elysia shook her head fiercely.
That was the past. This was now.
She had been reborn. And she would not let the same regrets play out again.
This time, she wouldn't let Silas walk away.
"Let's go, Elysia!" she whispered to herself, pumping her fist in determination.
If Silas doesn't confess this time… then I will.
There's no way she'd let Lilith beat her to it again.
What neither of them realized… was that they weren't the only ones who had been reborn.
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