Light Curtain Danmaku—
The audience was left with a sense of profound awe, though they couldn't quite grasp what the Flame-Chasers were thinking.
Had Elysia lied to the Flame-Chasers in the past? Why would they consider this "benevolent" lie to be a gift for her?
Furthermore, what exactly was Vill-V's plan? The light curtain had muted the audio, so they hadn't heard a thing. Could mere memory constructs, created from nothing, truly possess such astonishing power?
Conan Edogawa: "Elysia's lie was most likely hiding her identity as a Herrscher. After all, the relationship between Flame-Chasers and Herrschers was originally supposed to be one of hostility."
Yukino Yukinoshita: "A lie... even a well-intentioned one, is not always a good thing."
Hachiman Hikigaya: "Sigh, that's why someone like you can never fit in. I, for one, think that under the high-pressure circumstances of the Previous Era, Elysia's choice was the correct one."
Otto Apocalypse: "Correct... You are not of this world, so you do not understand the true terror of a civilizational disaster... of the Honkai. As far as I know, the fear and hatred for Herrschers in the Previous Era were ingrained to the bone. Even if the person who became a Herrscher was Elysia, those politicians would have ordered her execution without a moment's hesitation."
Eden: "That's right. They would indeed have made such a choice. The leader of the fight against the Honkai in a later era... it seems you understand us quite deeply."
Otto Apocalypse: "Not at all. I have merely made some bold assumptions based on the data provided by the Void Archives."
At Schicksal HQ, Otto's gaze shifted from the light curtain to another screen. On it was a white-haired girl with twin ponytails.
"K423, or rather, the Second Herrscher, Sirin. Then there's Walter Joyce, and the Herrscher of Thunder from Nagazora... Three examples laid right before me have finally allowed me to understand completely. Elysia... you are truly worthy of the name Flame-Chaser."
With a long sigh, Otto now possessed the truth he had sought. He had rarely experienced such a strong emotional surge since Kallen's death.
An unsung hero, a story unknown to the world? No... such deeds could not be allowed to fade with history. Elysia... she, like Kallen, should be forever known by the Valkyries of future generations.
It seemed a new chapter would have to be added to the Schicksal Valkyrie textbooks—
---o---
On the Light Curtain—
"Eden Aponia's little whisper session with you went on for quite a while. You left this adorable, beautiful girl waiting for so long" Elysia pouted cutely.
Aponia's ability to speak with Eden from so far away was truly enviable. Elysia's eyes were filled with admiration for her power.
"I'm sorry, Ely, for making you wait~" After receiving the message in her mind, Eden spoke to Elysia with a hint of apology.
She hadn't expected Vill-V to come up with a plan so quickly, and for it to be so flawless and perfect.
"It's alright. If it's for Eden, I can wait for as long as it takes~"
Elysia smiled. The time spent with Eden was truly intoxicating.
"Alright, Ely. Before we head back, let's stop by the tailor shop up ahead. Although time is limited, I think... we should be able to prepare a formal dress for you~"
A gentle smile graced Eden's face. While it was a way to stall for time, the thought of Elysia in a beautiful gown made her smile unconsciously.
"A formal dress? Is today some kind of special holiday?" Elysia asked, puzzled.
"I just want to see you in a gown, Ely. I'm sure it would be a beauty that would make the very stars grow dim," Eden said with a gentle, affectionate smile.
"Such praise will make even me blush, you know." A faint blush appeared on the girl's cheeks, but she quickly added, "Alright, if it's with Eden, I'd go anywhere But... it would be too boring if it's just me. Eden has to wear one too"
"Of course, Ely~" Eden chuckled.
---o---
Meanwhile, inside the church, which had been decorated to the point of being unrecognizable.
"Here are the balloons, these are the crystal gems Sister Eden gave me before, this is the drink I swiped from Sister Snake's lab, and here's Boss Kevin's instant noodles, Little Griseo's old drawings..."
Under the watchful eyes of ten Flame-Chasers, Pardofelis was in tears, continuously pulling out all sorts of strange and wonderful treasures from her personal stash.
These were all precious items she had collected over many years, priceless treasures she was saving to sell at a high price later. Now, she had to take them out one by one. How could she not cry?
And with every item she pulled out, another Flame-Chaser's expression darkened.
Pardofelis... she had really swiped quite a lot of good stuff over the years. Aside from Eden's crystal gems, the methods for acquiring the rest were probably not so above-board.
"Little Pardo, it seems your little stash has accumulated quite a few 'treasures' over the years~"
With a chillingly sweet smile, Mobius slowly approached Pardofelis, placing heavy emphasis on the word "treasures." Her serpentine pupils held a terrifying glint.
"Ahahaha, not at all, not at all. It's all just stuff nobody wanted..."
Beads of sweat formed on her forehead. Frightened by Mobius, the fur on Pardofelis's tail stood on end. She glanced at the other Flame-Chasers, only to be met with an even more horrifying sight.
Aside from the stoic Hua and the dazed Griseo, everyone else had complex expressions. Even Kevin's face darkened, his expression unreadable, when he saw his instant noodles had been swiped at some point.
It's over, it's over. I can't even count on Boss Kevin now. Sister Elysia, only you can protect me... Please get here soon. If you don't, they're really going to split me into Pardo and Felis!
Pardofelis thought in terror, recalling Vill-V's words from a few minutes ago. Weren't you all the ones who said we should throw a party? I just brought out my treasures to decorate the venue. Why are you all looking at me like that...
"Sigh, that's enough. We all have our own tasks to attend to. Let's leave the venue decoration to Pardo."
Just as Pardofelis was on pins and needles, Su's heavenly voice reached her ears. With a look of immense gratitude, Pardofelis stared at Su with shining eyes...
Su sighed, feeling a bit helpless. It was a good thing the situation was special; otherwise, not even he could save Pardofelis.
Of course, the most important thing was that Su didn't have any strange habits for Pardo to exploit. The things she had swiped from him were all insignificant. Otherwise... Su might have joined the grand plan to tear Pardo apart...
At Su's suggestion, the Flame-Chasers all dispersed.
Pardofelis let out a long sigh, looking at her "treasures" with a new wave of worry. "Sigh, I wonder if Sister Elysia will like these things."
"Hmm... Oh well, whatever. I'll just lay them all out and let Sister Elysia pick what she likes," the simple-minded Pardofelis muttered to herself.
"Hey, Little Pardo~" A sudden voice made her jump.
"Sis... Sister Vill-V? You haven't left yet." Patting her chest, Pardofelis calmed herself down. It seemed Sister Snake had given her quite a scare.
"What? Are you that eager for me to leave?" The Conductor, Vill-V, asked with a smile.
"Of course not, of course not! I was just a little surprised. Do you need something, Sister Vill-V? As long as I can do it, I'll do my best!"
In most situations, Sister Vill-V was safer than Sister Snake and Brother Kalpas... Most situations.
"The Magician needs some materials for her preparations. I was hoping to get some from you," the Conductor said with a helpless tone. Although the memory space was well-equipped, there were still some materials it lacked.
Especially the strange and bizarre items the Magician required; forget this space, even an entire world might not have them.
"Oh, so that's why! Come on, Sister Vill-V, pick whatever you want. Even if I don't have it, I guarantee I can find it before sunset. Since it's all for Sister Elysia, everything is on the house this time!"
Puffing out her chest, Pardofelis spoke generously. Though her heart ached a little, the thought that it was for Sister Elysia made the pain bearable.
Seeing this, the Conductor revealed a slight smile and said, "Then I won't be polite..."
As the luckiest member of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Pardofelis could always unexpectedly find anything she wanted.
In terms of strength, she was undoubtedly the weakest. She couldn't even defeat a child like Griseo. But when it came to finding things, not even Boss Kevin could necessarily compare to her.
Her heaven-defying luck was something that science still couldn't explain. Mobius had studied it for a long time without making any progress.
It was no exaggeration to say that as long as Pardofelis didn't actively seek death, she could survive until the Current Era, or even until the end of the world, with no difficulty whatsoever. As long as she followed her gut feelings, there was nothing she couldn't handle.
---o---
The Audience in the Light Curtain Danmaku: "..."
Seeing Pardofelis's timid and fearful demeanor, they had thought a normal person had finally appeared among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers.
But... it turned out she was another freak of nature!
Seriously, she could live until the end of the world just by wanting to? Was that the kind of luck a normal person could have?
No wonder such an ordinary person was chosen to be a Flame-Chaser. It seemed everything was predestined after all.
The audience sighed. If they were to find out that Pardofelis became a Flame-Chaser just by taking a nap on Mobius's operating table, they might just die from sheer indignation.
The legendary Euro-cat. Wasting such talent by not using it on gacha pulls was a crime.
---o---
On the Light Curtain—
"Kevin, are you nervous?"
With the help of Pardofelis, Vill-V, and the other Flame-Chasers, the banquet scene that would have taken ordinary people days to prepare was finished in less than an hour. Su looked at Kevin, whose expression was a bit unnatural, and asked.
"Su, there is no need for me to be nervous," Kevin said, schooling his features into a neutral expression, his tone flat.
"Really? Since when did you become as stubborn as Mobius?" Su said with a small smile.
Kevin didn't reply, simply turning his head to the side. As the person who understood him best in the world, Su knew what was on Kevin's mind.
Even after becoming Number One, the strongest, Kevin was still the same Kevin. He had never changed, from beginning to end.
"Su... I believe Elysia may have already found a solution. These preparations of ours, made without any regard for her wishes... aren't they perhaps a bit presumptuous?"
After a moment of contemplation, Kevin chose to confide his worries to the man he trusted most.
He never hid anything from Su or MEI. Not in the past, not now, and not ever in the future.
"Since when did you become so sentimental? That's not like you, Kevin..." Su said, rarely opening his eyes.
It wasn't because of some insurmountable problem, but simply because it had been so long since he had truly spoken with Kevin.
Since they became Flame-Chasers, how long had it been since the two of them could talk like this?
"Whether it's presumptuous or not is not for you or me to say. It depends on what Elysia thinks. Do you really not understand her?" Su said with a smile.
"I see. Was I overthinking things?" Hearing his best friend's reply, Kevin let out a sigh of relief.
That's right. How could he not understand Elysia? That young woman... had always shown her truest self, from beginning to end.
If she saw this scene, Elysia would definitely be very happy.
After all, she had always been a girl who loved surprises and romance.
"They're coming, they're coming! Sister Elysia and Sister Eden are less than five hundred meters away!"
Pardofelis's anxious voice came from outside the church.
"Our main character is about to take the stage, Kevin." A smile touched Su's lips, his voice filled with a hint of joy.
"Let's go. Mobius found the formal attire that Eden designed for the Flame-Chasers long ago. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Let's change."
Kevin turned around and spoke to Su beside him.
"Ah, a much-anticipated banquet. Is Vill-V's grand magic trick ready as well? When the time comes, let us open the path forward for Elysia," Su smiled.
"Are you ready as well, Kevin?"
"Of course. Before Vill-V's magic begins, let's enjoy ourselves, Su."
A hint of a smile appeared on Kevin's face as he continued, "Come, Elysia. Let me... let us, throw a grand ball for you!"
To Elysia.