Chapter 281

Unbeknownst to her, Elysia realized that she seemed to have truly become irreplaceable. If she were to disappear, the Fire Moth might have to return to its previous state.

With Kevin not yet back and the Flame-Chasers unwilling to intervene, the plan to sacrifice themselves was impossible to achieve.

Elysia nodded and decisively threw this impossible plan into the trash can.

In the scene, Elysia stands under the night sky, with rolling black clouds overhead that obscure the sun, moon, and stars.

The Herrscher of humanity, the Herrscher of human nature.

She faced her identity and her destiny squarely, and decided where she would go next.

"Since I am the Herrscher of Humanity, then I shall also do some things that only humans can do!"

The girl's mood was as unpredictable as the clouds in the sky; in just a few breaths, she had adjusted her mood and put on a smile again.

Elysia returned to her room and started fixing her hair at her vanity, where a large pile of makeup products were casually laid out in front of her.

Clearly, Elysia had been violently colliding with these bottles and jars just now.

I still feel somewhat dissatisfied.

Elysia pouted and placed her hands on her lap.

"Is it because the eyeshadow on both sides is different shades? Oh, and the blush seems a bit asymmetrical too. I should have asked Vill-V to teach me more about makeup. I didn't expect it to be this difficult."

In front of cosmetics and the mirror, the girl always felt tired and powerless.

"After all, I'm so pretty, I never needed to wear makeup before."

This banquet, however, will be the most important event of her life, and she must dress up in her finest attire to face those who are willing to accompany her onto the stage.

Elysia thought to herself, then turned her attention back to the vanity, staring intently at her reflection in the mirror, and engaging in a fierce battle with the bottles and jars on the table.

"Nailed it!"

Elysia smiled gently. After finishing her makeup, she turned her gaze to the twelve invitations on the dressing table.

She prepared twelve envelopes, including one for Sakura, but ultimately didn't send them.

"After all, I told a huge lie. Once a crystal flower breaks, it can never be restored, and so can human sincerity."

"It is something so dazzling, yet so fragile."

But it is precisely because it is so fragile that Elysia wants to take good care of it.

Afterwards, she will attend a banquet she has prepared, the program of which will end with humanity's victory over the Herrscher, becoming known to the world and forever etched in history.

If the absence of Herrscher means farewell forever, and if every Herrscher has the potential to regain their humanity, then humanity will no longer face such difficult choices, and humanity... will have a chance to find hope.

"If humanity is my power, then let me plant flowers on this parched earth, and let them bloom into pure, flawless crystal flowers!"

Elysia sat before her dressing table, rejoicing in her own beauty and celebrating the radiance of her humanity.

Raiden Mei: "None of the twelve invitations were sent out. Why do I remember the Flame-Chasers saying that only four Flame-Chasers attended that banquet?"

Pardofelis: "Because defeating Sister Elysia is simply impossible."

At the Thirteenth Herrscher's banquet, only four people truly participated and witnessed Elysia's fate.

The other Flame-Chasers were absent because they refused to launch the attack.

Sakura: "No matter how you look at it, there's no way I'd attend a banquet like this."

Pardofelis: "I found it unbelievable at the time. Sister Elysia such a good person, she's so kind to everyone, how could she become our enemy?"

Apponia: "The power of the Herrscher of Humanity, the destiny of being born Herrscher, and the result of sacrifice... is this the fate of the Herrscher of Humanity?"

From the moment she was born, Elysia's life as Herrscher was already heartbreaking enough.

But the power of the Herrscher of Humanity is precisely [humanity]. Because she loves humanity so much, she is almost inevitably headed down a path that involves sacrificing herself to save the majority.

Elysia, the fate she bears is truly too bitter!

Raiden Mei: "Those four participants must have had compelling reasons for attending this banquet, right?"

Theresa: "Elysia has already suffered so much, what reason is there for them to attend the banquet?"

Elysia: "You've got it wrong. Actually, the one who's really suffering isn't me, it's Kevin!"

Suddenly, everyone's attention turned to the cold-faced man.

He always remained silent, blending into the crowd like an outsider, radiating a cold aura from his body temperature to his eyes.

Elysia: "Remember what I said, Kevin? If one day all you had to do was pull the trigger on me and save most people, what would you do?"

Kevin: "..."

Kevin remained silent, but the events that had unfolded proved the choice he made under the pressure of the storm.

Kiana: "I'm actually starting to understand Kevin a little."

Just how badly did the Honkai ravage the people of the Previous Era?

He knew the truth, and that the people he was facing actually loved everyone deeply and were willing to sacrifice themselves for humanity.

Yet he was forced to attend the banquet, becoming her enemy, and even pulled the trigger on Elysia, ending her life.

Elysia: "Kevin, stop being so quiet. Nobody's blaming you, we all understand."

Elysia: "Compared to me, you, who bore everything alone and suffered for Fifty Thousand Years, are the one who sacrificed the most among the Flame-Chasers."

Pardofelis: "Sister Elysia, now that you mention it, I suddenly miss Boss Kevin!"

Chapter 458 In fact, the Honkai Consciousness does not exist

Kevin: "..."

Kevin remained silent. Perhaps at this moment, he didn't know what to say, or what emotions his already frozen heart could express.

Fifty Thousand Years have passed, and everything has changed beyond recognition. Now, he has witnessed the reunion of Flame-Chasers, but he can only be separated by the heavens.

Pardofelis: "Waaaah, Boss Kevin, I missed you so much!"

Before long, Pardofelis's tears were streaming down her face again; she couldn't hold them back.

It's so hard. Even Sister Elysia and Boss Kevin have done so much and sacrificed so much, only she... only she can't do anything or change anything.

Pardofelis: "I should have known sooner, Sister Elysia, Boss Kevin, you also wanted to cry, you were the ones who suffered the most, you just didn't say it."

Pardofelis: "But, but you always keep it from me! How am I supposed to know if you don't tell me? I really don't know! Sister Elysia, Boss Kevin, waaaaah..."

The Flame-Chasers watched as Pardofelis squatted on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably, and even Elysia could only stand by, unsure how to comfort her.

Pardofelis was brave; during her battle on the moon, she opened that door without hesitation, creating an opportunity for others.

Before this, they all hoped that Pardofelis could stay out of it.

Elysia: "Oh... Kevin, we think we made Pardofelis cry."

Kevin: "..."

Even if you say that, Kevin doesn't know what to do. You can't expect him to comfort Pardofelis, can you?

[In the scene, Raiden Mei holds up an invitation to the banquet hosted by Elysia. Of the twelve letters, another one has now fallen into Raiden Mei's hands.]

"The invitations that were never sent out were never a banquet from the beginning; it was a mission—the subjugation of the Thirteenth Herrscher."

Raiden Mei stood there, muttering to herself.

The Fairy Elysia chimed in, "But Elysia turned it into a banquet because she wanted her ending to be beautiful and dazzling."

She feared that the truth about her would not be accepted, and that her only lie would hurt those she cherished.

She was willing to leave this world bearing the name of the Thirteenth Herrscher, simply because she didn't want to see everything she loved vanish into nothingness.

Will you be disappointed in her?

"How could that be? Aren't I a Herrscher too?"

Raiden Mei shook her head, looking down at the envelope in her hand. It shimmered like a poem, a confession, waiting for someone to open it.

But she didn't open it; instead, she let it dissipate.

"Lovely human, why are you like this?"

"Since the sender never existed in the first place, what is the point of this letter? Didn't the Flame-Chasers make the same decision as me?"

"Oh, so that's what you meant! You gave me quite a fright."

The Fairy Elysia breathed a sigh of relief.

Raiden Mei continued, "Wouldn't walking to the finish line surrounded by everyone be more in line with Elysia's aesthetic?"

"My dear human, do you intend to use your memories to create something that never happened in history? To create a perfect banquet for her?"

Fairy Elysia understood Raiden Mei's meaning, but it wasn't something that could be done easily.

"Is this really possible?"

"I don't know, but we have to try," Raiden Mei said. "I promised Vill-V I would achieve the best outcome for everyone."

"But the clones of the Flame-Chasers no longer exist. Are you going to recreate all twelve of them by yourself?" the Fairy Elysia asked.

"That's impossible, but since it's within my own mind, it wouldn't hurt to add a bit of my own memory as embellishment."

Traces of the past can transform into hope in the distant future.

"The future she created can, of course, be offered in return to the hopes of the past."

Raiden Mei's gaze was firm as she turned to look at Fairy Elysia.

"You agree, right, Elysia?"

Fairy Elysia's eyes widened. "Mei, when did you find out?"

"From the moment you started calling yourself Elysia, instead of 'mature'," Raiden Mei replied.

"..."

Isn't that what it was all about at the beginning?

The real Fairy Elysia, had long since vanished along with Eden, becoming part of countless memories.

Along the way, a part of Elysia, in the form of the Fairy Elysia, accompanied her, who valued Elysia's life and was like an ordinary girl, anxiously watching from the sidelines.

"Honestly, Mei saw right through me. But I'm only a small part of Elysia, so let's say goodbye first, and then go awaken the real Elysia, okay?"

"Yes, I will." Mei nodded. "Thank you for opening your heart to me and for coming this far with me."

"I should be the one thanking you, but if we're going to say goodbye, isn't there a more appropriate way to say it?"

The Fairy Elysia was implying something.

Raiden Mei understood immediately; it was the word Elysia had once told her—the word to awaken the fairy administrator.

"Okay, goodbye, dear Elysia."

Goodbye.

The Fairy Elysia disappeared completely as part of her memories, and the last door appeared in front of Raiden Mei.

Once she steps through that door, she will no longer be just an observer; she will walk through Elysia's entire life and uncover the truth behind the scenes.

Raiden Mei slowly closed her eyes, and memories flooded into her mind like a tide.

Two people stood beneath the starry sky: Elysia, who looked like Pink Fairy, and Dr. Mei beside her.

"To be honest, I'm not entirely confident about what's going to happen next."

Elysia gazes up at the starry sky.

"Although I've always maintained that beautiful girls are omnipotent, changing the Herrscher is still too far beyond my imagination, isn't it?"

Perhaps she will succeed, and from now on, all Herrscher will become Herrscher of Humanity like her.

Perhaps she could have done better; in the next second, the Honkai would have completely disappeared.

But it's also possible that nothing will happen, and her sacrifice will simply be letting her life drift away into the dust of time.

"Even so, I still want to try. Those who fought so hard, all of you whom I love so deeply, deserve a better ending."

"Perhaps I was born just for this moment."

"If even you need to guess, then we truly know nothing about the Honkai."

Dr. Mei looked up at the Stars sky and couldn't help but sigh.