Chapter 513: Elysia vs. Mei, The Battle for the Throne
"S-So terrifying... what an aura!"
"Mei is getting serious!"
"That Elysia is so strong too!"
Inside the Valkyrie dormitory, a silent battle was unfolding. Elysia wore a gentle smile as she clasped hands with the solemn-faced Mei in a "friendly" handshake.
Yet neither of them restrained their presence in the slightest. The immense Honkai energy of the Herrscher of Origin and the Herrscher of Thundervoid collided freely, and Bronya and the others nearby swallowed nervously.
"Is it just Bronya’s imagination, or does Bronya seem to see a massive pink manta ray and a crimson flying dragon behind them? The pressure is overwhelming!"
"N-No, it’s not an illusion! There really are two Honkai Beasts there! And they’re both Vipralopa-class!"
The Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast Maheśvara, and Gurikara—who had likewise been elevated to Vipralopa-class after being infused with power by Elias—manifested behind their respective masters.
The pink manta ray and the red dragon loomed in silent opposition, as though they would charge at each other in the next instant.
"Oh? Isn’t that Gurikara?"
Elysia blinked, somewhat surprised as she looked at the red-and-black dragon before her. She remembered this Honkai Beast.
Originally, Gurikara had merely been an unremarkable Judgment-class Honkai Beast, but Elias had deliberately preserved it and personally infused it with power, raising it to the Vipralopa level.
Unlike her own defense-specialized Maheśvara, Gurikara was a pure, violent assault-type Honkai Beast, and not a weak one either.
However...
"Hi there~ Gurikara, do you remember me?"
"Roar—?!"
Elysia greeted the thunder dragon enthusiastically, but its entire body trembled. The next second, it used its wings to cover its face and began to shake in fear.
At that moment, the Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast Gurikara recalled the memories of being dominated by the pink fairy.
Because it had received special attention from Elias, it had aroused Elysia’s curiosity. Unfortunately, Gurikara’s red-and-black color scheme did not suit the Pink Elf’s aesthetic.
So one day, Elysia had arrived carrying a bucket of pink paint and proceeded to coat the poor thunder dragon into a pink electric dragon.
Gurikara: (Mistress Mei, why did you end up facing this pink fairy? We can’t win against her—let’s run!)
Seeing her mount utterly lose its momentum before the battle had even begun, Mei frowned slightly. How could it show fear before fighting? It seemed she would have to dock a few meals of dragon feed later.
"Alright~ no need to be nervous. Let’s get along peacefully and have a proper chat. I’m quite curious about you, Mei. Besides, don’t we share a very big topic in common?"
Miss Pink Elf smiled as she spoke.
Her meaning was obvious. What was the point of simply comparing strength? If they were to compete, they should compare whose favorability with Elias was higher.
Mei narrowed her eyes. She released Elysia’s hand at the same moment Elysia did, then nodded in agreement.
"Very well. Rita, serve the tea and receive our guest."
"Lady Mei, I am Lord Elias’ maid, not yours..."
Rita shot Mei a displeased glance, silently reminding her not to assume the posture of the lady of the house. That seat had yet to be truly claimed by anyone.
"Oh my~ so you’re Rita. How lovely. I adore cute and alluring maids. I’m suddenly a little jealous of Eli. But since you’re Eli’s maid, that means you’re mine as well, right? After all, marital property is shared."
"...Very well. For today only, Rita is willing to form a united front with Lady Mei."
The corner of Rita’s eye twitched. Another woman treating herself as the mistress of the house had appeared. Though one should settle internal matters before facing external threats, when the enemy was already right at the doorstep, how could she endure it?
At the same time, everyone realized just how terrifyingly powerful Elysia was. Although she had defeated them one by one, she had indeed single-handedly swept through this entire group of female Flame-Chasers.
Then there was the ring on Elysia’s left ring finger.
A dazzling, exquisite ring—so beautiful that it would make every girl in the world burn with envy—rested there.
From its design to its materials, every detail was crafted with utmost care. One glance was enough to make it unforgettable for a lifetime, and it perfectly matched Elysia’s style.
As for who had given it to her, and what it signified—
There was no need to explain.
Such a formidable opponent could only be matched by Queen Raiden Mei, who likewise had already received a ring.
Ready—Fight!!
"How did you meet Elias, Elysia? Could you tell us? As for me, I met him at school. When I was bullied and targeted by everyone around me, Elias stood by my side like a knightly hero and protected me."
Mei proudly straightened her ample chest. Though it sounded like a question, it was in fact a display.
The others’ eyes twitched as envy rose in their hearts. The classic hero-saving-the-beauty scenario—overused perhaps, yet irresistibly romantic.
Imagining themselves in Mei’s place, feeling as though the entire world stood against you while he alone remained unwaveringly at your side—it was simply too moving.
In that instant alone, any girl could fall in love with Elias.
No wonder Mei had once declared, "Compared to this world, you are more important." When the Thunder Queen stood opposed to the world, only the white knight had stood beside her.
Elysia could never experience that feeling.
After all, she was the Herrscher of Origin loved by the world itself. Even so, a trace of yearning flickered in her heart.
But that was one matter—this was another!
She immediately launched her counterattack.
"Wow~ Mei’s first meeting was so romantic. Mine was different. Eli and I met beneath a great tree in a forest, surrounded by countless blooming flowers."
"At the time, I had just arrived in this world and couldn’t even speak. The first person I saw when I opened my eyes was Eli—who had likewise just descended into the Previous Era and become a child. Ah~ we were both unbelievably adorable back then."
The moment Elysia said this, the girls were stunned.
What an absurdly perfect opening!
Just imagining Elysia’s starting point made their breathing grow ragged. They wanted to shout, "Switch with me!"
And in the very next second, Elysia launched a combo attack.
"After that, Eli and I grew up together in an orphanage. Then we traveled the world together, saved the world together. Oh, and by the way, the name Elysia was given to me by Eli. It was the very first victory gift I ever received."
"!!!" xN
Isn’t that a bit too much?!
Her spawn point was directly beside Elias. The moment she opened her eyes, their encounter was complete. Such an enviable childhood-friends opening—her initial favorability was maxed out from the very start!
And if one insisted on being precise, this childhood-friend setup even carried the aura of a destined encounter. It was practically flawless.
Even her name had been given by Elias.
And traveling the world, saving the world together...
Isn’t that already unbeatable?!
"Oh right, I suppose none of you know this, but Eli actually has another name~ A name paired with mine. And it’s a name only I know~"
Elysia dropped another ultimate move. This time, not only the Current Era group, even Fu Hua widened her eyes.
Because even she had never heard of such a thing.
The Immortal Phoenix’s fists unconsciously clenched.
(Elysia, just how enviable do you intend to be before you’re satisfied? If fate truly exists in this world, then it favors you far too much!!)
With such a dreamlike opening, even someone as wooden as Fu Hua would have secured her position by now!
Just as the Pink Elf believed she had already won and secured this round, Mei suddenly took a deep breath and somehow managed to lock her HP bar in place.
The cook clenched her fists. Lightning flickered within her violet eyes, declaring that she had not surrendered.
"Haa... I see. In that case, could you tell me what Elias’ other name is?" Mei pressed a hand to her chest, steadying her breathing as she asked.
"Hm? Sorry, Mei. A girl in love tends to be possessive. I have secrets about Eli that I want to keep all to myself, so I can’t tell you that name~"
Elysia crossed two fingers in front of her.
"Very well. You’re right," Mei curled her lips upward. "In that case, I’ll keep the secret I know as well."
"What?" Elysia blinked.
"I mean, I also know something about Elias that you don’t."
"...I find that unlikely," Elysia replied lightly. "Perhaps you think I don’t know, but in fact I do. After all, if I add up all the time across every cycle, I’ve spent more than a hundred years with Eli."
"No. This secret is very special." Mei spoke with complete confidence. "Elias once lived out an entire lifetime as an ordinary person... You probably don’t know that."
"W-Wait! What did you just say?!"
Elysia’s eyes widened in shock.
Ordinary? Who? Elias?
Impossible!!
Elysia was utterly shaken. Even if she searched through every second of the century she had spent with the white-haired boy, she could not find a single moment that could be described as "ordinary."
In her memory, even during the period when his powers had yet to fully recover due to his young body, the boy she loved had always been extraordinary.
To Elysia—
Elias had always been like the sun.
But perhaps it was only natural that she did not know.
After all, Elysia herself was just as extraordinary.
She had been born a Herrscher, a girl as radiant as flying petals, one who loved the world and all people—a near-perfect goddess among humanity. In Elias’ heart, Elysia was almost a symbol of beauty itself.
Thus, he would never show her his ordinary side. To her, he displayed only his most brilliant, most handsome, most extraordinary self.
But Mei was different.
Elias had witnessed this girl’s most fragile, most mundane, most sorrowful moments. And so he had willingly shared his previous life with her.
"Guh... What a surprise. I never imagined there would be secrets about Eli that I don’t know."
"Elysia, no matter how many years you once spent with him, you’ve already missed too much of the story. You probably don’t even know that his appearance has changed now."
"W-What?! Eli’s appearance changed? His hair—it’s still whiter than first snow, right? And his eyes, brighter than gold—they’re still there, aren’t they?!"
For a moment, Elysia felt her heart stop.
An immense fear seized her.
What if—just what if—Elias had become someone she could no longer recognize...?
No, please don’t let that be true—!!
The Pink Elf’s heart cried out in panic.
"Ahem! You can rest assured about that. He has only become a better version of himself. His personality remains the same."
"Phew~ That’s good."
Elysia let out a long breath. The fear in her heart transformed into anticipation. She could hardly wait to see the improved form of the boy she loved.
"Mei, I think I understand now why Eli likes you. A girl who is cool, gentle, and beautiful—those are rare in any era."
"Oh? Are you planning to admit defeat?"
"Of course not. The real show is just beginning."
"Hmph. Then bring it on."
A dense but not particularly dangerous smell of gunpowder filled the air. Under the stunned gazes of the others, the strongest of the Previous Era and the strongest of the Current Era began comparing achievements.
...
They talked from noon all the way until nightfall.
Mei and Elysia’s ranks were simply too high. The others’ HP bars had long been wiped out by the aftershocks of their exchanges. It even felt as though the very Dao itself had been erased by the two of them.
"Haa... haa... you’re impressive, Elysia."
"Hehe... Mei, you’re... quite formidable as well... But how much longer can you last? Even if we’re the same level, our ammunition reserves are on entirely different scales."
"...Don’t celebrate too early."
Mei stubbornly shot back. By now, both she and Elysia had already finished three full pots of water. Though they appeared evenly matched, just as Elysia had said—
Their ammunition reserves were vastly different.
Mei’s greatest disadvantage against Elysia was not favorability, but time. The Pink Elf had accumulated far too many memories across twelve cycles.
She possessed twelve entire photo albums, and she had not even finished boasting about the first one. Meanwhile, the cook was nearly out of ammunition.
And Mei had also realized something.
It was not only herself who had dyed Elias’ soul with her color.
The Pink Elf before her had done the same.
(Mei: Ever since Elias returned from traveling to the Previous Era, I felt that his personality had changed slightly—he became more proactive and passionate than before. So it was her influence.)
The cook’s gaze shifted subtly. She acknowledged that this Pink Elf was indeed a formidable rival. Her feelings for Elias were no less than Mei’s own.
But she would never surrender here.
Because this was a battle she absolutely could not lose.
On the other side, Elysia sensed Mei’s resolve. Her expression grew serious as well.
"Very well, Mei. I admit you’re even stronger than I imagined. So out of respect, I’ll use my strongest attack next. You... should prepare yourself mentally!"
"What?"
A terrible premonition rose in Mei’s heart.
The next second, Elysia reached into the inner pocket of her close-fitting clothes and took out a small red booklet.
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