Elysia: The Eleventh Herrscher Eruption / Elysia: Predetermined Trajectory

"What are dreams like? Can you tell me about them?"

Lin picked up his coffee, blew on it, and realized that something was definitely wrong. Lately, it felt like there was an unseen undercurrent surging around him, yet it was also moving silently. He had to find out what was going on.

"In my dream... we had a very good relationship, it looked like we were comrades-in-arms who had fought side by side for many years."

When Elysia thought of the intimacy between her and Lin in her dream, she couldn't help but smile.

But then, her smile faded somewhat.

"But... sometimes I dream of holding you, covered in wounds, and sometimes I dream of being held by you, covered in blood."

The dreams filled with death and blood were more numerous than the beautiful dreams they had together.

Nightmares and nightmares followed closely behind them until... Lin embraced them.

"A dream is just a dream. I am me, and the Lin in your dream is the Lin in your dream. Don't confuse the two." Lin simply expressed his opinion, his eyes lowered, making it impossible to see his emotions. "But if the dream is real, then are we now just a dream?"

"How could this be!"

Elysia denied it loudly; her smile, anytime and anywhere, was like a spring breeze, caressing everyone's face.

She was given warmth and a peace that belonged only to her.

"Human emotions are never fake."

"..."

"Lin, do you want to know about my experiences before I came to Changkong City?"

"I know."

"Um?"

Elysia looked at Lin, who was calmly drinking his coffee, with a puzzled expression. He paused for a moment and said, "Before this, you were traveling."

"How did you know?" Elysia, quite surprised.

"Maybe it's because...we may have known each other for a long time." Lin couldn't explain it either; his feelings were complex and indescribable. "We were probably friends in a past life."

"So our dreams are memories from our past lives?"

Elysia giggled, a blush rising on her pretty cheeks.

"... Maybe."

Lin answered with unusual seriousness.

"..."

"..."

Elysia looked at the silent Lin. What was he thinking? If he was the one in her dream, tormented by fate yet unwilling to submit, what kind of person would she be?

I didn't think about this question for long before I had an answer.

She is... Elysia.

That's right, that's enough. She's not anyone, she's just Elysia.

This beautiful name is a gift from the world to her, and she will use this name to embrace the magnificent world and the people she loves.

"So, Lin, do you know where I come from?"

"..."

At this moment, Lin felt a sense of familiarity.

But this familiar feeling didn't make him feel at ease; instead, it was a kind of... fear?

He was afraid of what Elysia was about to say.

Even though he had no memory of it, the fear etched deep in his soul—the fear of not getting an answer and the fear of avoiding the answer he had actually sensed—was surging within him.

"I come from a magnificent place, which you may not have heard of, but it was the people there who created Elysia."

"If possible, I hope that one day I can go back there with you and let you see my beloved 'hometown'."

Lin gripped the cup tightly, his other hand quietly placed on his chest, the rapid heartbeat making him somewhat uncomfortable.

"... Where is your hometown?"

He spoke haltingly, asking a question he didn't want to ask.

"My hometown...it's called 'Svatogor 51'."

"————————"

Lin's mind went blank.

"..."

"..."

"...Forest?"

"... Never heard of it."

He raised his head and replied calmly.

Chapter 56 Elysia: The Eleventh Honkai War

Lin left, Elysia felt exceptionally relaxed during the time she spent with him. They didn't talk much; most of the time it was just as Lin had said—that he simply wanted to see her.

After her conversation with Lin, Elysia had made up her mind.

"Then... I'll do it."

She took the red syringe out of the envelope, placed it on the table, and rolled up her sleeves.

In the dimly lit room, a pale red liquid flowed inside the syringe. From a distance, it looked like thick chili sauce, but up close, it resembled diluted blood. Probably no one would want to inject this stuff into their body.

She couldn't guarantee what the consequences would be after injecting these things, so the best way to verify it was for her to try it herself first.

Although we still can't be 100% sure if Lin's syringe was faulty, at least... we've managed to rule out any danger as much as possible.

"Speaking of which, we shouldn't need to find a vein for injection, right?"

Elysia picked up the syringe. Fortunately, this type of syringe did not have a needle; she could inject the medication into her body simply by pressing a button.

Should I record my last words?

She muttered to herself jokingly, then took a deep breath of cold air, letting it swirl in her lungs, before pressing the syringe against her skin and leaving her finger on the button.

"..."

The sounds of bustling activity outside the window echoed in my ears.

Who is this for?

For her own sake? Or for Lin's sake?

I guess... both are true.

If it were for the people she loved, Elysia would be willing to give everything without hesitation.

So...

"Smack."

The liquid from the syringe entered her body, and a stinging and icy sensation spread across her wrist. Elysia slowly closed her eyes and leaned back on the sofa.

Three seconds after the injection, she felt her head become very heavy and she couldn't lift it at all, followed by her eyelids.

The syringe rolled from my palm to the ground.

"The affected area is expanding and has now exceeded a radius of 30 kilometers."

"All energy entering the range will be suppressed, including bioenergy. All Flame-Chaser who entered the range died within one minute, and ordinary people will also die from the loss of bioelectricity."

"What a joke... Why would something like this even exist... Herrscher created specifically to fight against Honkai..."

Elysia sat in her seat, silently listening to her subordinates discussing the disaster. Their faces were ashen, and their eyes betrayed an uncontrollable fear, as if they were about to face death.

It's not their fault; anyone would have done the same after learning about the form of the Eleventh Honkai War outbreak.

Because that enormous barrier and the pure white cross brought humanity only death and despair.

An "immortal" who cannot be confronted, nor even allowed to take a step closer, whose mere existence and slow movement silence all living beings around him.

"The Eleventh Herrscher is a monster born from that guy's body, isn't it..."

A busy signal rang in Elysia's ears. She looked up, searching for who had said it.

But no one noticed her, and she didn't know who was talking.

"That guy"...

That's right. Based on the appearance of the Eleventh Herrscher and the information he reported, it can be basically confirmed that the Herrscher was born from his body.

"You guys get ready first."

Elysia left the meeting room after saying those words, no longer knowing whether those words were actually spoken by someone or just her imagination.

She stood motionless in the empty corridor, seemingly lost in thought.

Should I go find him...?

In the past, Elysia would have gone to him without hesitation, since he didn't care about other people's rumors and opinions, and she was happy to find some joy in these misery situations with him.

But this time, she hesitated.

Because she was afraid to see his face.

There is such a person.

He was given the mission to protect humanity from birth, and even after he broke free from that mission, he still fought for the love he had for humanity. It can be said that his life was one of constant loss in order to protect humanity.

But what if the monsters that harm humans originated from him?

Elysia couldn't imagine what he would feel. A man who had never hated anyone in his life might even hate himself for it.

"The Herrscher of Binding... What's the point of naming it now?"

A familiar voice drifted over from around the corner. Elysia paused for a second, then tiptoed over and leaned against the corner to listen to the conversation on the other side.

Vill-V, and May.

Vill-V's expression was not the cheerful one she usually displayed as a "magician" and "conductor," but rather serious and rigid, suggesting that she was an "expert" who rarely appeared in front of others.

"The radius was thirty kilometers, and it increased to thirty-one and twenty-six kilometers three minutes and fourteen seconds ago. Such a rate of expansion and its destructive power to living beings far exceeds the current capabilities of the Fire-Chasing Moths," Vill-V said coldly to Mei, who was adjusting her glasses with her fingers. "Even long-range attacks are ineffective. All energy will be suppressed within the barrier, and Honkai Energy will be nullified upon entering it. Doctor Mei, we lacked precautions against the Eleventh Herrscher. Even when Lin brought back the core of the Herrscher of Binding, we didn't consider how to deal with Herrscher of Binding. Humanity lost to our arrogance."

"... This was indeed my mistake. When Lin reported the relevant information about the Herrscher of Binding and the Pseudo-Herrscher Core in his body, we did not pay enough attention to it. When I had the sea area searched but did not find the Pseudo-Herrscher Core, I also thought that it was impossible for it to survive under the excessive power of the Phoenix. It can be said that the current situation was caused by my own hand."

"No, it's not your fault." Even though Vill-V had just said that the crisis was caused by their arrogance, she denied May's claim that she bore the entire burden. "According to calculations, at that distance, all Herrscher Core would be shattered, with no possibility of survival. In other words, there is another reason why the Eleventh Herrscher survived and became a true Herrscher."

"Because of... 'Honkai'?"

"Yes, I think the birth of the Eleventh Herrscher was inevitable. So at that time, it was very likely that he did not survive the attack of the Phoenix by blocking or luck, but that the 'Honkai' itself made him survive."

"..."

Their discussion about the Herrscher ended there; the reasons for their argument were no longer relevant. What they needed to do now was to think about how to end this disaster.

"We could try starting with the core of another Herrscher of Binding, or... with the Herrscher of Reason."

Those Herrscher of Reason...

That special Herrscher was captured by humans and is still alive.

Will she be the key to ending this disaster?

Chapter 57 Elysia: The Predetermined Trajectory

"Consciousness..."

Is there a problem?

"..."

Elysia stood behind the black-haired man. He looked perfectly normal, showing no signs of anything amiss. To be honest Elysia breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that he was completely calm.

I won't blame myself too much; I'll just accept the facts, and that's enough.

A thoughtful look flowed through the man's eyes. He pinched his chin with his fingers and said in a slightly hoarse voice, "A simple mental attack might not work on him."

Mei, sitting opposite, pushed up her glasses, seemingly pondering what the man had said.