"It really is as flashy as ever."
Elias stared at the enormous structure before him, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
The research building at St. Freya Academy simply could not satisfy the needs of Vill-V, MEI, and Mobius all at once.
As the extraordinarily capable Master Vill-V, this Flame-Chaser of [Helix] had begun rebuilding Helixcraft long ago.
However, although it was supposedly a reconstruction, what she had built was clearly even more outrageous than its Previous Era incarnation.
Elias was currently standing inside a colossal transforming labyrinth. This was probably the most complex and dangerous maze in the world.
Any unauthorized intruder who entered could be trapped even if they were a Herrscher. The labyrinth's structure changed every three minutes, and it contained countless trial mechanisms. Any ordinary Herrscher with fewer than three Cores would have virtually no chance of survival.
Moreover, several boss monsters inhabited the labyrinth.
They were the Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast Vishnu, the Imaginary Construct Husk: Nihilius, and Tonatiuh: Sunshade.
This design ensured that any intruder would experience what it felt like to enter a Demon King's castle in a real-life RPG.
And naturally, the difficulty was the most torturous level of hell.
As an aside, the entire labyrinth and base had been constructed from a new type of metal Elias created with the authority of the Herrscher of Reason. As a result, neither nuclear weapons nor the Zeroth Power of a Divine Key could damage it.
"...Have I been treating Vill-V too well?"
Elias stared at the new Helixcraft, which had absolutely nothing to do with restraint or moderation. It possessed very little practical value, maximized entertainment, and was extravagantly wasteful.
Clearly, without his limitless supply of resources, Vill-V could never have built such a thing.
Vill-V was an indisputable genius. When such an astonishing genius encountered a patron willing to spare no effort in providing every form of support she needed, that genius would only become increasingly outrageous.
In the end, Elias shook his head. Looking at Vill-V's 666 percent affection rating as judged by the Herrscher of Good and Evil, he felt that he could support her even more enthusiastically.
As an aside, Master Vill-V currently possessed a full nine personalities, and each personality had a different affection rating. The three highest at present were Yandere, Self, and Expert.
After hesitating for a moment, Elias decided to keep this information sealed within his heart. He could already foresee that if he revealed it, a war would probably erupt inside Vill-V's mind.
Nine personalities fighting one another... They had better not damage that brain, which was precious enough to be considered a treasure of humanity!
"I've played around enough. Let's clear this directly."
Elias glanced at the mechanisms and numerous mecha guards behind him that he had forcibly dismantled, then took an elegant, antique mechanical pocket watch from Imaginary Space.
It could be considered the highest level of control authority over all Vill-V's inventions. As long as Elias held this pocket watch, every creation made by the great inventor would obey his commands absolutely.
Yes, even the great inventor herself was no exception.
The instant Elias took out the pocket watch, the labyrinth transformed once again. A doorway leading directly to the end appeared, and an epic piece of background music even began playing over the broadcast system.
"Dear audience member, how would you rate your experience with Elias Armament No. 888, the Infinite Labyrinth? It's a shame you didn't make it to the end. I prepared a grand treasure-chest prize at the finish line. But since it's you, Elias... I'll bring the treasure chest directly to you~"
"Hehe, thank you, my dear great inventor. Your inventions grow more outrageous and innovative by the day. Normally, I'd look forward to whatever new tricks you devised because they're quite entertaining, but please restrain yourself this time."
After Elias walked through the workshop entrance, he saw Vill-V standing beneath a spotlight as numerous ceremonial cannons fired around her.
He could not help feeling slightly uneasy and worried about his new battleship. He hoped Vill-V had not made it too extravagant, since Elias wanted the Hyperion to retain as much of its original appearance as possible.
"My ship is finished, right~?"
"Of course~ I guarantee it with my personalities. It perfectly fulfills every one of your requirements, Elias. Now, let us unveil it immediately and witness the greatest invention of the greatest inventor of this century. Ta-da!"
Vill-V snapped her fingers as she spoke. The next instant, the spotlight turned toward an enormous object completely concealed beneath a red curtain.
"Reverse [Meaning], overturn [Common Sense], create [Illusion] through reality, and forge [Miracles] from the unknown. Raise the curtain and listen to the applause of interlocking gears... Now behold this contradictory, inverted [Helix]!!"
Vill-V made an inviting gesture. Elias stepped forward, grabbed the thousand-meter-long red curtain, and tore it away with a powerful swing.
An enormous battleship appeared before Elias.
Its primary color was white, accented with gold and blue. At a glance, its design matched Elias' image perfectly, giving everyone the impression that this was a battleship made specifically for him.
Its swordlike hull was exceptionally sharp, as though it could break through every obstacle. Numerous super mechas and fighter aircraft were stationed along its lengthy deck.
Perhaps Elias needed to recruit a janitor capable of doing the splits in midair to clean the deck regularly.
At the front of the battleship was an enormous, thick cannon barrel. Clearly, this was the vessel's main cannon.
Elias was utterly astonished. His instincts told him that this terrifying weapon might even be capable of breaking through his defenses!
"Ahem! Allow me to introduce it formally. This is the planet-destroying battleship Hyperion: Moonlight Throne ARK. Following the modifications and upgrades performed by the great inventor Vill-V, this eternally unsinkable vessel has received the ultimate enhancement!"
"First, its total length has increased from the original 278.5 meters to 1,865.9 meters, while its maximum crew capacity has risen from two hundred to two thousand."
"It possesses five antigravity engines, one imaginary engine, one quantum engine, ten super Honkai energy reactors, thirty five-hundred-millimeter hyper-electromagnetic railguns, thirty close-in weapon systems, a thousand-meter anti-ship blade, ten deployment hatches, and much, much more. Most importantly, it carries a planet-destroying Moonlight Throne main cannon!"
"Of course, I followed your request carefully, Elias, and did not drastically alter the battleship's exterior. The total change to its appearance is less than eight percent. It is essentially the original battleship Hyperion enlarged proportionally in all three dimensions."
Vill-V spoke without pause.
Even so, these functions represented only the tip of the iceberg for the Hyperion: Moonlight Throne ARK. A complete introduction would probably take three days and three nights.
The great magician slapped a battleship instruction manual thicker than a dictionary into Elias' hands. The book was substantial enough to serve as a blunt weapon or brick, and she told him to read it when he had time.
She had installed every function she could possibly imagine.
"Vill-V, you're amazing!"
Stars had already appeared in Elias' eyes. His heart pounded uncontrollably. Master Vill-V was truly the greatest!!
"Haha~ Of course. I incorporated every usable function from the Hyperion, the Moonlight Throne, a planet-destroying warship, and the exploration vessel ARK, whose construction was canceled in the Previous Era. Naturally, I also added several new technologies of my own design."
"I see. The ARK exploration vessel. No wonder this battleship has ARK in its name."
Elias nodded in understanding.
During the Previous Era, Elias had been far too capable. Under his leadership, humanity had beaten the Honkai into submission from beginning to end.
As a result, Project STIGMA, Project EMBER, Project VALUKA, and Project ARK—the four major plans from the original storyline—were deemed unnecessary by Fire Moth and nearly canceled outright.
Ultimately, at Elias' insistence, Project STIGMA was successfully adopted after several revisions. Project EMBER was also retained as a precautionary measure. At the time, many people had even claimed that their savior was being far too cautious...
However, Project ARK and Project VALUKA were completely abandoned. The latter involved using the Cosmic Juggernaut to observe other civilizations upon the Imaginary Tree in search of a method to defeat the Honkai.
But with Elias as their savior, it should have been other civilizations ravaged by the Honkai observing and learning from them. Since when did the top student need to copy answers from the worst students~
As for the former, it was even less necessary.
The idea involved having a Flame-Chaser carry a genetic archive aboard a spacecraft, leave Earth, and venture into the universe in search of a suitable new home for humanity. Compared with Elias' Bubble World Plan, Project ARK could only be described as utterly insignificant.
Thus, the space exploration vessel ARK designed by Vill-V remained nothing more than a ship on a blueprint and was never physically constructed. However, its technology and name had now been incorporated into the reborn Hyperion.
In a sense, it had finally been born in another form.
With ARK's technology incorporated into it, the Hyperion had completely evolved from an airborne battleship into a spacecraft. Its interior was also equipped with a top-tier ecological system.
"The battleship's ecological system can support one hundred people in permanent, completely self-sufficient living conditions. Even if Earth accidentally explodes one day, we'll be perfectly safe aboard this Hyperion bearing the name ARK~"
Vill-V spoke with immense pride.
Although this function was not particularly important, Earth was unlikely to explode in the first place. Even if it did, as long as Elias and the Herrscher of Finality were present, they could simply reconstruct it.
After all, even if all eight billion humans died, the Herrscher of Finality's time reversal and Elias' [Miracle] ability could bring every last one of them back.
And in the worst-case scenario, Elias could simply charge at the Imaginary Tree.
Therefore, although Vill-V's self-sufficient ecological system was excellent, it truly was not very necessary.
Nevertheless, the emotionally intelligent Elias raised his thumb in approval.
"Mm, not bad~ It seems the Hyperion is now capable of interstellar voyages. As expected of you, Vill-V."
"Hehe~ As long as you like it, Elias. Come on, hurry aboard and take a look inside. I guarantee you'll be astonished! Oh, right. I almost forgot this. A new battleship naturally requires a new outfit."
Using the Magician's methods, Vill-V conjured a handsome white military uniform from thin air. She truly deserved to be called the greatest magician in history. Even with Elias' eyesight, he could not see how she had produced the clothing.
When he accepted it in surprise, Elias knew the instant it touched his hands that Eden had undoubtedly tailored it.
"You put a great deal of thought into this. I like it very much."
Elias snapped the white military uniform open, then activated his quantum transformation and spatial authority, changing clothes in a single second.
Vill-V immediately revealed a disappointed expression and casually discarded an ultra-high-performance camera she had somehow produced from nowhere.
Elias smiled faintly and placed the military cap on his head. He also draped a cape bearing golden epaulets and the emblem of [Deliverance] over his shoulders.
A pair of black metal combat boots covered his feet, producing a crisp sound with every step he took.
The Yandere personality had already gone insane inside Vill-V's mind and was screaming, Elias, step on me! Meanwhile, the Magician personality currently in control picked up the camera she had just thrown away.
She began taking pictures of Elias in his captain's uniform without pause.
"Vill-V, my great inventor, may I ask you to accompany me aboard?"
Having finished changing, Elias extended a hand toward Vill-V. She stared blankly at the white-haired youth before her for a moment, then unhesitatingly took his white-gloved right hand.
"...It would be my honor, my savior."