"This impact... really packs a punch!"
Elias gritted his teeth and applied more force. The Herrscher of the Void's authority and the Second Divine Key, Hand of the Void, were pushed to their limits. Finally, the once-closed Gate was forced open once more.
BOOM!
The next instant, an even greater torrent of Honkai energy surged out, crashing against Elias's body. The sheer force of it exceeded even the self-destruction of the Herrscher of Earth.
He felt endless waves of Honkai energy flooding his entire being—so vast that even he, a Chimera of unmatched endurance, felt as though he might burst apart.
(Pardo... so this is the Gate you once approached at the cost of your life, in the original timeline. Incredible. This level of Honkai impact would annihilate even high-tier fusion warriors in an instant—nothing would remain.)
But what others could not endure—Elias could.
The Holy Blood in his veins was the greatest natural countermeasure to Honkai energy. Combined with the Palatinus's trait of growing stronger the more Honkai he absorbed, and the innate adaptability of a Chimera and Herrscher hybrid—
If a normal warrior had a resistance level of 50, and Kevin's was 1,000, then Elias's resistance easily exceeded 100,000.
He alone could open the Gate of God.
Amid the roaring storm of Honkai energy, the white-haired youth stood firm—a flame that could never be extinguished, a pure lotus blooming untainted even when drowned in the blackest mire.
"Prometheus (Replica)... go!"
Elias took a deep breath and hurled the golden cube into the Gate.
Then, without hesitation, he withdrew.
He stepped back and allowed the Gate to close.
"Haa... haa... that should do it." Elias dropped to the ground, gasping for breath.
He glanced at his now-empty hand, then clenched it into a fist.
Prometheus's AI had successfully entered the Imaginary passage. From here, she would infiltrate the Cocoon of Finality and become the Will of Honkai for the Current Era—ensuring that Honkai would continue manifesting as Herrschers in the next age, and laying the groundwork for Elias's eventual ascension to Finality.
"Come to think of it... what if I had jumped into the Gate myself? If I truly can't die, maybe I could've reached the Cocoon of Finality directly."
His breathing quickened at the thought.
But a second later, he chuckled wryly and shook his head. Elias knew better—reaching the Cocoon now would be meaningless. There was nothing he could accomplish there.
If he had reached it before the Herrscher of Finality's descent—then perhaps, with his body already so close to a perfect Finality vessel and his integration of multiple Herrscher powers—
Perhaps, one in ten million odds... he could have been acknowledged by the Cocoon itself, and become the Previous Era's Herrscher of Finality.
But now that the Herrscher had already descended—
With the throne occupied, even if he reached the Cocoon, it would be pointless. At best, he'd just be introducing himself to it. As for destroying the Cocoon of Finality...
Elias wasn't nearly arrogant enough to think he could do that.
"In the end, the only reason we can even access the Gate to the Cocoon of Finality is because she descended. Reaching it beforehand to become Finality ourselves... that was always a paradox."
He shook his head and stood up.
He glanced down at his smoking hands—or rather, the glowing, overheated Second Divine Key: the Hand of the Void. Then he drew out the Codex of Truth and began repairs.
The First Divine Key—the Codex of Truth—was not only capable of constructing all things, but also served as a repair tool for other Divine Keys.
As long as the Herrscher Core inside remained intact, the outer frame could be rebuilt with enough Honkai energy.
"Come on, quickly now—you've still got work to do," Elias murmured softly, running a hand over the Hand of the Void.
Under the Codex of Truth's restoration, the gauntlet-like Divine Key returned to pristine condition within moments. After a few tests confirmed everything was functioning properly, Elias gave a satisfied nod.
"Alright, moving on to the next phase. Vill-V, what's the status of the Moonlight Throne fleet?"
"No issues. Although the simultaneous full-power barrage from all fifty Moonlight Thrones caused some wear on the barrels, it's nothing serious—no repairs needed."
Vill-V's voice came through the comms. Even now, the Flame-Chaser bearing the [Helix] Signet felt her legs trembling slightly, but her mind was ablaze with excitement. Her design—the Moonlight Thrones—had truly worked against the Herrscher of Finality.
Even if they hadn't wounded her, dispersing her entire Honkai energy reserve was a monumental achievement.
(Still... that defense stat is insane! There's definitely something broken with her numbers! This was a fifty-ship main cannon barrage! Plus Elias's Stellar Excelsis, and Kevin's Shamash Assault on top of that—and not even a scratch?!)
Her exhilaration was tinged with dread.
To withstand the combined full-strength attack of two Chimeras, without any Honkai energy shield, using sheer physical durability alone—only to end up momentarily unconscious—was terrifying.
"Elias, I'm detecting Honkai energy readings from the Herrscher of Finality again. Should we have the Moonlight Thrones fire intermittently to disrupt her recovery?"
Vill-V's hand was already hovering over the firing control. A single Moonlight Throne might not keep up with the god's recovery rate—but they had fifty.
If they fired one after another, continuously disrupting her energy regeneration, could they not keep her in an endless loop of dormancy?
"What do you think?" Elias asked.
"Uh... forget it. Probably not possible," Vill-V admitted after a pause.
She knew the Moonlight Thrones' main cannons couldn't actually injure the Herrscher of Finality—they could only scatter her Honkai reserves.
Putting herself in the god's position, she thought—if someone kept dispersing the MP she worked so hard to restore, how would she feel?
She'd be furious, of course.
If that happened, the Herrscher of Finality would probably awaken early, abandon her recovery, and instead physically obliterate every single Moonlight Throne in orbit.
This wasn't some game boss whose AI could be cheesed with infinite stuns and chip damage. The Goddess of Honkai wouldn't tolerate such tricks.
"Vill-V, charge all Moonlight Thrones."
"Huh? Now? She won't wake up for another two days, right? If we keep the barrels charged that long, even soulium plating won't hold—the cannons will melt."
Vill-V froze for a moment, but her hands obeyed instinctively. She began rerouting energy to all ships.
"I'm going to make a rather bold attempt," Elias said calmly. "Be ready for anything."
"Oh? A bold attempt? Now you've got me curious! What kind of attempt?" Vill-V's voice practically sparkled with anticipation.
Given everything Elias had already done, hearing him call something a "bold attempt" made her brace herself for something that might defy reason itself.
"Nothing much," Elias replied with a faint grin. "I just want to see if I can pull the Herrscher of Finality's Core out."
He turned his gaze toward the sleeping Goddess of Honkai, a wild, fearless smile tugging at his lips. His fingers curled slowly into a fist.
"!!!" ×15
Vill-V and every other Flame-Chaser on comms froze in shock, their hearts skipping a beat.
Extract... the Herrscher of Finality's Core?!
Was there anything left that Elias wouldn't dare to do?!
"Good! Great! I'll prepare right away!" Vill-V said, voice trembling with both awe and excitement. She maxed out the fleet's charging efficiency.
"Kevin, how's your recovery?" Elias asked.
"Still need about half an hour..."
"Too slow! I'll help you."
Elias placed his hand on Kevin's shoulder and directly injected a surge of his own Honkai energy. It was a rough method, but one that a Chimera fusion warrior could handle.
"Sss—! That's fast! I'm good to go!" Kevin exclaimed, eyes lighting up.
Kevin was stunned. He clenched his fists, feeling the immense Honkai energy surging through his body. He hadn't expected Elias to be this good at... mana refilling.
He gripped the Judgment of Shamash at his waist once more. The dual pistols reformed into the blazing greatsword—Might of An-Utu.
"I'm ready."
"Good."
After recharging Kevin, Elias's own Honkai energy reserves had dropped noticeably—but with his regeneration speed, they refilled within seconds.
Meanwhile, Elysia, Sakura, Aponia, and the others returned from the Herrscher of Finality's resting place, all wearing equally frustrated expressions. Clearly, their attempts had failed.
"Unbelievable... we really can't hurt her? That's beyond broken—how is anyone supposed to beat this thing?" Elysia sighed, visibly dejected.
"Yeah. It's not even that her body feels hard, but our attacks just... don't work at all," Sakura said, staring at her Frozen Naraka in disbelief.
Aponia exhaled deeply.
They had already suspected as much after seeing both Elias's Stellar Excelsis and Kevin's Shamash Assault fail to wound her. Still, they had to try—just in case.
But as expected, the results were disappointing.
Neither Elysia's crystalline blossoms, Sakura's time-freezing blade strike, Kalpas's infernal flames, Kosma's Vishnu devour, Prometheus's simulated black hole, nor Misteln's psychic projection had any effect.
If the Herrscher of Finality were a game boss, the Flame-Chasers would've sworn her HP bar was locked.
"It seems pure force can't harm her at all. In that case... Elias's idea might actually work. If we can extract the Herrscher of Finality's Core..." Aponia murmured, her tone filled with cautious hope.
"Do it, Elias! Even if she wakes up halfway, we'll just knock her out again!" Kalpas shouted, his body already blazing with renewed fire.
"Alright, I'll count on everyone, then."
Elias flexed his right hand.
Extracting a Herrscher Core was delicate work—he would need complete focus. If the Herrscher of Finality woke up during the process, he wouldn't be able to defend himself.
But he wasn't worried. Elias knew he wasn't fighting alone. Even if he couldn't deliver another Stellar Excelsis, his comrades would have his back.
"Everyone, be ready. The moment she shows signs of awakening—strike with everything you've got."
"Understood!!" ×15
"Good. Then let's pray for a miracle—or better yet, let's make one."
Elias took a step toward the Herrscher of Finality.
He activated Artificial Cascade once more, transforming into the [Reverse God].
Then he invoked the gigantification power of the Chiyou Honkai Beast.
Everyone blinked in disbelief as the towering form of [Reverse God] Elias grew larger and larger—until he matched the Herrscher of Finality's divine scale.
The six white wings behind him unfurled, gently stirring the void. Crown-like dragon horns glowed faintly upon his head, shimmering like a halo of light.
Though they stood as mortal enemies, no one could deny it—both beings were breathtakingly beautiful, divine in presence. Yet while Finality radiated a cold, inhuman divinity, Elias's Reverse God form shone with humanity's brilliance.
Even Eden, the greatest artist among them, found herself at a loss for words to describe the sight of these two angelic gods standing face-to-face.
(Well, there's no helping it. If I don't match her size, it'll be really inconvenient to dig. Thankfully, the Hand of the Void is made from nanite soulium—it can reshape with me.)
Elias glanced down at the gleaming gauntlets of the Hand of the Void. Its nanite soulium composition allowed it to adapt perfectly to its wielder's form. Now, both of his colossal hands gleamed like ornate white gloves.
"Hand of the Void—Zeroth Power! Herrscher of the Void authority, full release!"
In his [Reverse God] state, Elias poured hundreds of thousands of HW worth of Honkai energy into the Herrscher of the Void's Core, instantly pushing the Gem of the Void beyond its operational limits.
The Second Divine Key—the Hand of the Void—unleashed a cascade of radiant gold particles, trailing behind him like a stream of meteor light. At the same time, several kilometer-long Subspace Lances—symbols of the Herrscher of the Void's authority—materialized, hovering behind [Reverse God] Elias like divine sentinels.
Elias took a deep breath and steeled himself.
He grasped the unconscious Herrscher of Finality's hand, pulling her closer. His right hand, brimming with the concentrated power of the Void, reached toward the goddess's chest.
Such an act was nothing short of blasphemy.
Elias knew full well that what he was about to do was an unthinkable sin—one that defied every divine law in existence.
But—
Elias: "So what?!"
He was the [Reverse God], the one who rebelled against divinity itself.
The moment he wielded the Divine Keys—tools forged from Herrscher Cores—he had already committed blasphemy.
After all, a Herrscher Core was the very heart of a Herrscher. To use the heart of a god's envoy as a weapon—there was no greater heresy.
Many found exhilaration in doing the forbidden—and Elias was no exception.
He knew he was stealing the authority of Finality itself, and that knowledge sent his adrenaline surging. Yet above that thrill was a sense of... surprise.
(Huh... softer than I expected.)
He wasn't attacking—merely making contact.
Elias was surprised by how soft the Herrscher of Finality felt. The same divine body that had effortlessly endured the Moonlight Thrones' barrage, Kevin's Judgment of Shamash, and his own Stellar Excelsis—
Felt as smooth and delicate as that of an ordinary human girl. And now that he was her size, he noticed something else—the Goddess of Honkai had a single ahoge swaying atop her head.
(Fair evaluation: full marks.)
If he didn't count emotional bias toward Elysia and the others, she'd rank first in his mind. But if he factored in affection points... she'd come dead last.
"Nggh... huff... finally—got in."
Sweat beaded upon [Reverse God] Elias's forehead. Compared to all other Herrschers, the Herrscher of Finality's defense mechanisms were overwhelmingly powerful.
Extracting other Cores had been like reaching into an open bag—but this was like breaching an impregnable fortress.
Yet under the overclocked might of the Herrscher of the Void's authority—
The [Reverse God]'s right hand finally breached the imaginary-space layer within the goddess's chest. Seeing that her eyes remained closed, with no sign of awakening, he allowed himself a brief exhale of relief.
"The energy drain's insane... gotta hurry and find that Core!"
Feeling his Honkai reserves plummeting rapidly, Elias knew he didn't have much time. His hand, now buried within the Herrscher of Finality's chest, began searching frantically for her Core.
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