In truth, just like the girls from the Current Era group, the Flame-Chasers had established an unspoken rule long ago.
Competition between them could be completely ruthless. As long as someone had the ability, anyone could try to sneak ahead and steal a bite first.
Of course, if they were discovered, they would definitely be beaten up by everyone else. But if you managed to succeed before getting caught, that was simply your own skill.
However, if an actual fight broke out, there was one absolute rule.
They could not fight in front of Elias.
Not only would Elias feel troubled, but none of them wanted him to see their rough and violent side.
Simply put, this was a war between women.
Gentlemen, please leave the battlefield!
Elias only needed to obediently play the role of the Holy Grail. After they determined the final victor, he could then give the reward.
"Eli, go find Cecilia first. Don't worry. I'll defeat everyone here and catch up with you soon!"
Elysia declared confidently.
Indeed, the power of the Herrscher of Origin was extremely strong. But facing so many Flame-Chasers at once, there was obviously no way she could win in a direct confrontation.
And yet the pink elf remained completely confident.
If one had to ask why...
Elysia said proudly, "Because of love! I believe the true love between us will definitely defeat these later sneaky cats!"
"You really dare to say that!!"
Elias: "...That's incredibly idealistic! But thinking about it carefully... maybe, possibly, perhaps it actually isn't impossible."
After all, if one thought about it carefully, the Herrscher of Origin—who could "make wishes to the world"—had always been the most idealistic Herrscher from the very beginning, especially after breaking free from the restraints of Honkai.
Elysia had successfully taken another step forward. Now, as long as she carried emotions such as love, courage, and belief in her heart, she could truly grant herself enormous amplification.
Even so, her chances of victory were still quite small.
After all, which of the Flame-Chasers from Fire Moth were weaklings?
In a one-on-one fight, Elysia could undoubtedly win easily. Facing two opponents would still be manageable. But once she faced three or more, the chances of her being overturned became quite high.
"Kalpas, Su, Kosma, help me—"
"What's ahead is hell. Don't get involved," Kosma said, shaking his head like a rattle drum. Even as a powerful Vipralopa-class Vishnu fusion warrior, he had the feeling that interfering here would definitely get him killed.
"Give up, Elias. No one can stop these crazy women now," Kalpas said, shaking his head as well while dragging Elias away. "At least no one will die... well, actually, Mobius might die a few times."
"Yes. Sometimes escaping is also a solution. We should retreat first," Su agreed with a nod.
If it were anything else, given Elias' relationship with the three of them, they would not hesitate for even a moment whether it meant climbing a mountain of blades or plunging into a sea of fire.
But if the topic was stopping a war between women...
They would rather fight the Herrscher of Finality or battle a Planet-class Honkai Beast. At least those deaths would be quick.
In the end, after everyone pushed Elias away...
The atmosphere within Elysian Realm instantly became extremely dangerous.
After all, the person whom the girls wished to show their beauty and gentleness to—Elias, the brake that restrained them—was no longer present.
Which meant they could finally act without restraint.
Their enemy was not just Elysia.
It was everyone present.
Because the Holy Grail—Elias—existed in only one copy.
"Radiant brilliance, illuminate the earth!!"
Elysia immediately unleashed her ultimate move.
It was as if she had played a Field Spell Card: [Whisper of the Past].
In an instant, a strange space unfolded.
Countless stars hung high in the night sky like dazzling gemstones. Meanwhile, the ground transformed into a vast ocean that one could stand upon. The sea reflected the starry sky above, making the entire scene shine with breathtaking beauty.
"Wooooooo—!!"
A gigantic pink-and-white manta ray burst from the sea and circled around Elysia.
Although it was far inferior to the Planet-class Honkai Beast that had appeared in the past, it was still a formidable Vipralopa-class existence.
This was the companion Honkai Beast of the Herrscher of Origin—Maheśvara.
Elysia's aura had already reached its peak.
The daughter of stars and moon appeared incomparably noble and beautiful. But when she looked toward her former friends, not a trace of friendship remained in her eyes.
"So you've finally become serious, Elysia!"
"But I'd still advise you to stop struggling. A mere Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast won't change the outcome."
"Today we'll decide the victor. Don't think you're the only one who has improved over the past fifty thousand years. Elias will belong to me."
"Full armament release! Let me show you the power of my newest Elias weapon No. 666!"
"Come then—let our war begin!"
This was a battle of the century.
Also known as the "Subjugation of the Herrscher of Origin."
The women's weapons were already drawn.
Compared to ordinary Herrscher subjugation battles, facing the Herrscher of Origin before them instead made their fighting spirit burn even hotter.
"You want to be hunters? Everyone seems quite confident," Elysia said with a smile.
She waved the Staff of Origin in her hand.
Countless crystal flowers bloomed across the sea.
At this moment, the Herrscher girl with flawless humanity seemed to possess a hint of divinity within her eyes.
"Ah... but I originally created this ability so Eli and I could watch the stars together. Since you've forced me to use it now... don't blame me for showing no mercy!"
"That's our line to say!"
"You greedy elf who relies on your luck for being born in the same starting point as Elias and then selfishly hogging him every single cycle!"
Thinking about Elysia's unbelievably perfect starting position, the women couldn't help grinding their teeth in jealousy.
Countless times they had wished they could replace this pink elf.
Every single time, before they even met Elias, Elysia had already spent such a long time with him—monopolizing his "childhood" and repeatedly maxing out his affection meter.
And even after that, she was still never satisfied.
She always stole their spotlight.
The women gripped their weapons so tightly their hands trembled.
Together, they roared from the depths of their souls:
"Elysia—give back our screen time!!"
"If you want it... then you'll have to take it!"
Elysia lifted her chin proudly and thrust out her chest.
If she were capable of giving up her screen time, then she wouldn't be Elysia.
A certain famous actress once said: never surrender the right to speak to your opponent. Spotlight is something you seize.
And if anyone had grievances, she had plenty herself.
Originally, it had been a journey meant for just her and Elias.
Yet the moment she wasn't paying attention, so many rivals had suddenly appeared.
Just thinking about how many times she had suffered through those agonizing "who does he choose" scenarios made her chest tighten.
Elysia took a deep breath.
Without mercy, she swung the staff in her hand toward the women and let out a cry from the depths of her soul:
"I was the one who came first! I will never give him to anyone! Eli belongs to me alone—my wife!"
The battle erupted instantly.
Brilliant crystal flowers shot toward the others and exploded the moment they made contact.
At the same time, Maheśvara unleashed a terrifying beam of Honkai energy.
"Since when did anyone agree to that!!" xN
Though slightly injured, Mobius and the others immediately launched a counterattack.
The enormous claw of the Infinite Ouroboros tore viciously toward Elysia.
Countless slashes and bullets followed.
Yet all of them were blocked by Maheśvara's incredibly thick health pool.
"Hehe~ Is that all your attacks amount to?"
"You only blocked some basic attacks! The real show starts now, Elysia!"
Unwilling to let the pink elf continue showing off, Eden and the others decisively activated their Artificial Cascade.
In an instant, the Stars of the Past became crowded.
Eden transformed into a colossal star-sea whale that swam through the sky.
Aponia unfurled enormous butterfly wings behind her.
Vill-V turned into a massive spider maiden.
Griseo sprouted two beautiful birdlike wings.
"None of you are as pretty as I am!!"
Elysia placed her hands on her hips and proudly displayed her Herrscher of Origin form.
"Then activate your Artificial Cascade and try it! Won't you just turn into a pink manta ray?!"
Veins popped on everyone's foreheads.
A barrage of attacks immediately descended upon her, forcing the pink elf to dodge left and right in panic.
No matter how thick Maheśvara's health pool was, it couldn't withstand that level of concentrated firepower.
"Wuuu—"
After blocking another wave of attacks for Elysia, Maheśvara let out a wronged cry.
Then—smack!—it collapsed flat onto the sea like a sheet of pink-and-white fabric, completely defeated.
"Not bad! But don't think that means you've won! From me as the beginning, to me as the end—Waltz of the Stars!"
Elysia lightly tapped the surface of the Stars of the Past with her staff.
Instantly, the footing beneath the others shattered like crystal.
If Maheśvara hadn't already fallen, she could have followed up with a devastating pursuit.
The women frowned.
As a field, the Stars of the Past was extremely troublesome.
Within this space, Elysia could roam freely—soaring into the sky or diving beneath the sea at will.
Even without Maheśvara as a shield, most of their attacks still missed.
"Annoying. We need to restrict her movement first. MEI, Sakura, can you freeze the sea?" Mobius asked.
Sakura, holding Frozen Naraka, and MEI, who had mounted the Herrscher Core of Ice onto the Key of Blankness, both twitched at the corners of their eyes.
If they went all out, they might be able to freeze the Stars of the Past.
But in doing so, they would likely exhaust their Honkai energy and eliminate themselves from the battle.
There was no way they would make such a bad trade.
After all, they weren't truly teammates.
"No need. Leave it to me," Eden said calmly.
"Eden?" xN
Eden immediately withdrew from her Artificial Cascade and reverted from the massive star-sea whale.
Although the whale form was enormous and could roam the Stars of the Past like Elysia, it wasn't truly advantageous.
Its huge body made it an easy target—and her own attacks risked hitting allies.
"My dear Eden, what are you planning?"
Elysia looked puzzled.
As long as Elias wasn't involved, her relationship with Eden had always been excellent.
She knew clearly that Eden did not possess the ability to break her domain.
Yet Eden now looked completely confident—almost smug.
That alone made Elysia instinctively wary.
"Elysia, you'll find out soon enough," Eden said.
She took out a golden Herrscher Core.
Before anyone could react, the scenery before them changed completely.
A grand theater built entirely of gold rose into existence.
Countless roses drifted down from above.
Passionate music echoed through the air.
The Golden Theater had replaced the Stars of the Past—
Or rather, that wasn't entirely accurate.
The Stars of the Past still existed.
But now, within that sea, another stage had appeared.
If the Stars of the Past was a cage, then the Golden Theater was a second cage placed inside it.
Technically, everyone was still within the Stars of the Past.
But Elysia no longer possessed the advantage of the field.
"How is that possible?! Isn't this Eli's stage?! Eden, how can you use it?!"
Elysia's eyes widened in shock.
She would never forget this theater.
On the final day of the Previous Era, Elias had saved her here.
"Hehe~ Perhaps in the future, Elias gave it to me," Eden said with a playful smile. "How does it feel now, Elysia?"
When Elias had dispatched his thousand clones to awaken everyone from The Great Hibernation, those clones had automatically dissipated after completing their mission—
Except for the one sent to Eden.
The clone that awakened Eden did not disappear.
Instead, it handed over the Core of Dominance within its body to the golden songstress.
In the future, Elias had already gifted the Golden Theater to Eden.
Through the Core of Dominance, she could freely enter and exit this stage.
To prevent even the smallest possibility of Eden losing the Core, Elias had given all his clones a command.
If they detected that Eden no longer possessed a Core, they were to offer up their own.
Thus, the gift meant for the future crossed twenty-four years of time and space—and arrived in her hands in this era.
"I'm envious... no, I'm jealous!"
Elysia's eye twitched.
Looking at the resplendent golden theater before her, she felt as though her hair color had grown just a little greener.
This had been the very place where Elias proposed to her.
In her heart, its importance was second only to Elysian Realm.
It was Miss Pink Elf's absolute sacred ground.
And now it had been seized by her closest friend—used to suppress her own domain.
Elysia stomped her feet like a certain emergency food mascot throwing a tantrum.
"That's wonderful news, Elysia. I've decided—when Elias and I get married, we'll hold the wedding here~" Eden said leisurely.
"Eden, that's going too far!!"
Elysia instantly shattered.
She swung the Staff of Origin with all her strength, and a storm of crystal arrows shot forth, mercilessly firing toward her dearest friend.
Yet what left her speechless was that within the Golden Theater, her authority was being suppressed.
The power of her crystal arrows dropped by twenty to thirty percent.
"Hehe~ It feels as though Elias himself is protecting me. How lovely~" Eden said with a smile.
"My once closest friend... I will personally bury you right here—eh?"
Pfft!
"How... is this possible..."
Just as the pink elf was about to unleash her ultimate move and eliminate Eden at all costs—
Eden suddenly collapsed.
Elysia blinked and noticed a needle embedded in Eden's backside.
"Mobius... what are you doing!"
Eden glared angrily at the snake behind her.
"Sorry, Eden. What you just said made me jealous," Mobius replied with a standard villainous smile. "Don't worry. It's only a paralytic toxin."
"Mobius, you bastard!"
Caught completely off guard by betrayal from a "teammate," Eden's entire body went numb.
She lost all combat ability and became the first to be eliminated.
Elysia burst into laughter. "Hahaha! I'm dying of laughter!"
"You're next, Elysia," Mobius hissed. "Now that your annoying field advantage is gone, let's see how you dodge."
"Hmph! Then let me show you once more what the authority of Origin truly means!"
Elysia tossed aside the staff in her hand.
Her form began to change.
The star-and-moon gown vanished, replaced by a silver-white battlesuit.
Behind her, the halo of Origin manifested, while five wing-like blades floated at her side.
This was the armor once obtained when Mei became the Herrscher of Origin in the original timeline.
It was also a form Elias had once displayed.
"Eli once said—an archer who doesn't want to be a swordsman isn't a good mage!"
She smiled brightly.
"Let me try using blades instead!"
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