"This—is my strongest trump card!"
Elysia pulled a small red booklet from the innermost pocket of her clothing. In the eyes of this Pink Elf, it was a treasure more precious than her own life.
Over the years, she had always carried it close to her body, never once revealing it to anyone.
And now, for the very first time, Elysia displayed it before others. She raised the little red booklet high above her head, as if summoning the Three Phantom Gods with a divine card, radiating sacred authority.
"T-This is!"
Mei's eyes widened. She could not recognize the script from the Previous Era on the cover, yet an overwhelming sense of dread surged through her. It was not just her—everyone present felt the same.
Fu Hua suddenly swayed violently.
Then the Immortal Phoenix spat out a mouthful of blood. She stared at the red booklet in Elysia's hand in utter disbelief.
At this moment, even the near-immortal regenerative ability of the Garuda Honkai Beast could not heal the "heavy injury" Fu Hua had suffered.
"N-No, impossible! How could this be?! That's absolutely impossible! Back then, Elias was already gone! There's no way you could have obtained that, Elysia!"
"Class Monitor! What exactly is that?!"
"A marriage certificate, of course. Mine and Eli's."
Elysia revealed the truth with a blissful smile.
"Y-You said what?!!!!" xN
The thunderous cry of disbelief nearly blew the roof off the Valkyrie dormitory, as if a super nuclear bomb had detonated within.
Mei and the others felt as though they had been struck by heavenly lightning.
Something important shattered in the girls' hearts. A supernova exploded within the universe of their minds. In that instant, their worlds were destroyed and remade.
"Impossible! A marriage certificate? You have to be joking!"
"That's right! Even if Elias filled out the application form back then, he was already gone! You couldn't have registered it alone, Elysia! So this must be fake!"
"Mei, Hua, I know this is a big shock for you, but sometimes it's better to accept reality. Look—this is the official Fire Moth certification. The seal has already been stamped."
As she spoke, Elysia opened the little red booklet in her hand. Sure enough, it bore her name and Elias' name, along with the unmistakable official seal of Fire Moth.
At this moment, Miss Pink Elf sincerely thanked the staff of the Fire Moth Civil Affairs Bureau who had remained steadfast at their posts until the very last moment—even at the end of the world.
And although, according to regulation 597, marriage registration required both parties to be present, who was she? She was the beloved Elysia! Of course she had received special permission!
More importantly, one of the staff members at the Civil Affairs Bureau had been a hardcore shipper of Elias and Elysia. The moment they heard that Miss Pink Elf was there to register her marriage, all procedures were completed in under three minutes.
They had even waived the nine-credit registration fee.
Civil Affairs Staff A: (Rejoice! The great savior Elias, who saved civilization, has finally registered his marriage with the flawless Flame-Chaser of Ego, Lady Elysia!)
Civil Affairs Staff B: (Though today is the day the world ends, it is still a day worthy of universal celebration—Eli Gate! Ely Gate!!)
On the day of the apocalypse, the Civil Affairs Bureau staff had never imagined that the couple they shipped would actually come to register their marriage. They immediately worked overtime and fast-tracked the entire process for Elysia, even gifting her a potted plant as a wedding present.
"I—I refuse to accept this!!"
Fu Hua clutched her head with both hands. Her Dao heart, already cracked, shattered completely into fragments.
She had never imagined that before she could even rise in rank, Elysia had already secured the certificate fifty thousand years ago!
By the time those two had children in the future, would she even manage to confess successfully? Would she have to prepare a wedding gift money envelope as well?!
For a brief moment, Fu Hua felt that perhaps it would be better to let Honkai destroy the world after all. This ultimate broken game called reality was far too unfriendly to someone as unlucky as her! Delete account—quit game!!
"M-Married... Elias... is married..."
"Bronya must be dreaming."
"Y-Yeah, this can't be real!"
"Damn it! To actually pull out something like this!"
The chessboard had been completely overturned. All the previous maneuvering and competition now seemed laughably powerless before this marriage certificate.
Elysia's trump card was utterly unsolvable!
It instantly wiped out everyone present!
"N-No, wait! Elysia, this... marriage certificate of yours doesn't count! The Previous Era is already over. The laws of the Current Era won't recognize it!"
"That's not necessarily true. Our Era hasn't been destroyed, you know. Eli's body became the Noah's Ark of civilization. Once the Previous Era and the Current Era reconnect in the future, this marriage certificate of mine will be valid!"
Elysia carefully pressed the marriage certificate to her chest with both hands. Though it was currently only valid within the bubble world of the Previous Era, it would inevitably gain recognition in the Current Era as well.
And no matter how one tried to nitpick, she had undeniably obtained the little red booklet.
At this very moment, within the Fire Moth base of the Previous Era bubble world, her and Elias' identity status was officially registered as married!
On that fact alone, she had already surpassed everyone else. She had stepped into an entirely different tier. One could say that this Pink Elf was no longer running on the same track as the others!
"Wait! Your marriage certificate... isn't perfect!"
Mei suddenly discovered a blind spot.
Forcing herself to recall the image she would rather forget, Mei realized that Elysia's marriage certificate contained only names and the seal—there was no photo!
Marriage certificates in the Current Era required a joint photograph. Though she did not know whether the Previous Era required one, the inner page Elysia had displayed clearly had a designated space for a photo.
But there was no wedding photo of Elias and Elysia attached.
Which was only natural.
After Elias handed the completed application form to Elysia back then, he had died and returned to the Current Era. While Elysia could make an exception to collect the certificate alone, a wedding photo was impossible to take by herself.
And that—was the one and only flaw of this marriage certificate!
"That's true. But... so what?"
"..." xN
"Even without a photo, the relationship between Eli and me has already been acknowledged as husband and wife by the Previous Era. And besides, we can always make up for the photo later, right?"
Elysia placed her hands on her hips, basking in the jealous and envious gazes of everyone present. At this moment, she was truly proud!
This Pink Elf had long wanted to tell everyone—tell the whole world—about her marital relationship with Elias!!
Now, her wish had finally come true.
"Guh... I admit it. For now, you're stronger."
Mei clutched her chest, looking on unwillingly like a defeated queen watching her kingdom be seized.
But even so, there was no surrender in her eyes!
(It's not over yet! There's still a chance to turn this around!)
Mei bit down hard, swallowing her current defeat and turning it into fuel to push herself forward. She glanced at the clock hanging on the wall. It was already five in the evening.
(Seven hours left! All or nothing—I will overturn everything and reclaim what I've lost!)
But before that...
The girl's blade slid from its sheath.
She suddenly wanted to fight. Wanted to cut something.
"It's useless, Mei. Even if it's a duel, victory will still be mine. After all, I am the Herrscher of Origin."
"Perhaps. I can sense that your authority is very special. But sometimes, no matter how powerful an authority is, it can still fail. And right now, I want to see just how formidable the Herrscher of Origin truly is."
"Alright~ I also want to see how strong the Herrscher of the Current Era is. And fighting a beautiful girl is far more interesting than fighting Honkai Beasts."
Elysia summoned the Staff of Origin once more. She knew that stopping here would be the wisest option, but... in this Current Era, she had already missed far too much of the story!
To firmly establish her position as the rightful main wife, a marriage certificate alone was not enough. She needed to demonstrate absolute strength as well.
If it were anything else, she might hold back. But when it concerned the white-haired boy she loved most, Elysia would not go easy!
...
Inside St. Freya Academy's training grounds.
Mei: "Lightning Radiance: Thousand Sheaves!"
Ely: "Arrow of Flawlessness!"
Crimson lightning clashed against pink crystal arrows.
Rumble—!!
Crack—crack—!!
In an instant, the scarlet thunder dissolved into scattered arcs, while the crystal arrows shattered into fragments. The arena suffered catastrophic damage in the aftermath.
A full-force clash between two ascended Herrschers—alongside two Vipralopa-class Honkai Beasts tearing into each other. Had this training ground not been constructed by Bronya, the Herrscher of Reason, it would already have been reduced to rubble.
"So impressive..."
A thin sheen of sweat formed on Elysia's forehead.
To be honest, she was deeply shaken. Because Miss Pink Elf realized she was actually being suppressed by Mei.
She ranked among the top three in strength among the Flame-Chasers. Even though Mei was a dual-Core Herrscher who had undergone ascension, by all logic she should not have been able to defeat Elysia.
"Losing focus in battle is a grave mistake."
With a single slash, Mei forced Elysia back. Before the latter could steady herself, crimson lightning and Subspace Lances attacked from multiple angles. Miss Pink Elf hastily shifted to defense.
But in the next instant, Mei stepped through a portal and appeared behind Elysia, drawing her blade in another swift iaido strike.
Elysia's scalp tingled in alarm. She ducked instantly to avoid it, but a thin wound still appeared on the tip of her elf ear, and several strands of pink hair were scorched to ash by crimson lightning.
Before she could even catch her breath, 0.1 seconds later, Mei unleashed three more slashes in succession. Crimson lightning and Subspace Lances fired simultaneously. Elysia nearly lost outright.
"Wah—w-wait, hold on! I wasn't ready yet! Let me switch into serious mode!"
"No waiting. Continue taking my moves!"
As both the Herrscher of Thunder and the Herrscher of the Void, Mei had maximized her mobility. Her offense was as swift as lightning itself, leaving not even a moment's pause.
Caught off guard, Elysia suffered a heavy disadvantage.
Unlike the Previous Era Herrschers, who specialized in large-scale annihilation and brute-force skill spam, the Herrschers of the Current Era excelled at individual combat. The contrast far exceeded her expectations.
"Winds—submit to me!"
Roooaaar—!!
After finishing another combo, Mei recalled Gurikara, who had been entangled with Maheśvara. Standing atop the dragon's back, she commanded it to unleash a destructive lightning breath.
"Maheśvara! Hold on!"
Wuuuu—!!
The pink manta ray Honkai Beast transformed into a shield in front of Elysia. But Mei had already completed her charge.
"One slash to end it!"
Wuu—!!
Leaping from Gurikara's back, Mei delivered a lightning-infused iaido strike that completely shattered Maheśvara's defenses. The Vipralopa-class pink manta ray collapsed.
But it had fulfilled its mission.
"Brilliant radiance—illuminate the earth!"
Seizing the brief opening, Elysia finally played her field spell card—Stars of the Past.
In the next second, Mei and the observing girls found themselves transported into an incomparably beautiful space.
They stood upon a vast, boundless sea. Countless stars hung in the night sky like gemstones. This resplendent and dazzling inherent world was Elysia's home field!
"Hah~ I finally managed to use it..."
Elysia wiped the sweat from her forehead. If she had not activated Stars of the Past in time, she felt there was a high chance she would have been comboed to death by Mei's endless barrage.
But now—it was her turn.
Back then, Elysia had relied on this very field to hold her ground against the collective assault of Mobius and the others.
Within this Stars of the Past, as the Herrscher of Origin, she was an existence of absolute freedom.
She could roam freely across the sea of stars—soaring to the heavens, diving into the depths—capable of anything. Her attack, defense, agility, even her luck were significantly enhanced.
A mere dual-Core Mei would absolutely be unable to face her head-on within Stars of the Past.
"Mei, you're going to lose now."
"Heh~ not necessarily."
After admiring the scenery of Stars of the Past for a moment, Mei curved her lips slightly at Elysia.
"What?"
"Elysia, have you forgotten? I am the Herrscher of Thundervoid. Space... is my subordinate as well."
As she spoke, Mei pushed the output of the Gem of the Void within her body to its limit. In the next instant, her high heel seemed to pierce through the very fabric of space as she stomped down fiercely upon the sea.
Tap!Crack—!
Pure spatial authority shattered Elysia's Stars of the Past outright. With their strength difference no longer overwhelming, this was something only the Herrscher of the Void could accomplish.
Elysia's expression instantly turned grim.
Among the Flame-Chasers, there had never been a MANTIS capable of manipulating space. She had never faced such a counter before and had never imagined her exclusive domain could be broken so directly.
(Huh? Why do the Herrschers of this era seem harder to deal with than those of the Previous Era? Uh... at this rate, am I actually going to lose? Should I... activate a cheat?)
Watching the Thunder Queen charge at her once more after destroying the field, Miss Pink Elf hesitated.
Should she abandon fair play just this once?