"ROOOAAARRR!"
A deafening dragon's roar echoed across the frozen wasteland.
Before the battered Titan mechs and wounded Valkyries could react, a massive blue-white figure descended upon the battlefield.
Its enormous black-and-white body, razor-sharp claws capable of rending through armor, and massive wings adorned with shimmering blue membranes painted an imposing figure against the sky.
This was a being known only in human mythology—an ancient and powerful white dragon. Even among Honkai beasts, it was an apex predator.
"The Second Herrscher's accompanying Honkai beast?!"
"This Honkai energy level… it's at Judgement-class!!"
The Valkyries, whose morale had already been shattered by Elias' overwhelming power, now found themselves unable to even grip their weapons. A Second Herrscher, accompanied by a Judgement-class Honkai beast…
They weren't just outmatched—they had no hope at all.
None of them were above A-rank, and with their current injuries, escape wasn't even an option.
All they could do was wait for death.
And Elias showed no hesitation.
"Benares, go."
"ROOOAAARRR!"
A Herrscher's Honkai beast was absolutely loyal to its master. Without the slightest hesitation, Benares obeyed Elias' command.
A massive surge of Honkai energy gathered within its maw.
Dragons in myths could breathe fire—but Benares was far beyond that. A single Honkai-infused breath obliterated the remaining Titan mechs and Valkyries, carving a massive hole straight through the Babylon Tower.
"Good work, Benares."
Elias reached up and patted Benares' head.
Yet he knew the time to grant it its true name had not yet come—Benares would have to wait a little longer.
To those who understood the Honkai, a Judgement-class dragon was nearly as terrifying as a Herrscher. A single one could wipe out a city, even threaten an entire nation.
Though Benares had been unimpressive in the original timeline, that was only because it had faced overwhelming opponents.
Yet here and now, the children standing behind Elias showed no fear of the dragon. If anything, their eyes sparkled with admiration.
"Roooaaar~"
Lacking full intelligence, Benares still sensed their curious gazes.
As a being born to destroy human civilization, it was momentarily puzzled—why were these human children unafraid of it?
Elias, however, wasted no time. With a satisfied grin, he sat atop Benares' head. After all, what boy hadn't dreamed of riding a dragon?
But there was little time to indulge—Schicksal was undoubtedly aware of the situation by now.
"Everyone, I'm going to send you to a safer place nearby. From here on, you must find your own path forward."
"Angel big brother, aren't you coming with us?"
"I have something else to do—I need to make them pay, both for you and for myself. Remember, the road ahead will be tough, but you must fight to survive. I hope each of you finds your own path to the future."
With that, Elias activated the Herrscher of the Void's authority, teleporting the children to various towns across Siberia. He could not protect them forever.
In truth, the greatest danger now lay ahead for him.
Schicksal and Anti-Entropy's top forces—
Soon, they would all be coming for him.
Elias had to be ready.
"Sirin, take care of everyone."
"You're going to do something dangerous again, aren't you?"
The violet-haired girl clung tightly to Elias' Herrscher attire, refusing to let him go. Her sharp gaze bore into him, and the other three girls mirrored her concern.
Elias chuckled helplessly and shook his head.
"Not this time… for now. I'm just going to teach those bastard scientists a lesson. It won't take long. Just wait here for me."
"…Alright, but you have to promise. If you don't come back, we'll stay here and wait—until you do."
"I promise."
He reached out and linked pinkies with Sirin, then used his Herrscher authority to teleport the four girls to a secure cave nearby, shielding it with an Imaginary Barrier.
Only after ensuring their absolute safety did Elias feel at ease.
"Alright… now it's time to settle accounts with those old fools. After all the suffering I've endured, it's only fair to return the favor."
Elias cracked his knuckles and set his sights on Babylon Labs.
The researchers, who had sighed in relief thinking he had left, nearly fainted when he reappeared before them.
With no Valkyries or Titan mechs left in Babylon, and Schicksal's reinforcements estimated to arrive in at least four hours—
Elias had more than enough time to exact his revenge.
"Are you ready to repent, scum? It's time to atone for your sins."
"No, stay back! You monster!"
"Ha? Compared to you lot, I hardly qualify as a monster. Weren't you so fond of injecting me with Honkai energy? Now, why don't you try experiencing it for yourselves?"
As a Herrscher, Elias' body was a condensed Honkai energy source. Under his control, a surge of destructive power flooded into the researchers.
In the most agonizing, brutal way possible.
"Aaaaaahhh! AAAAHHHHHH!"
"Not enough… nowhere near enough. You think this is suffering? What you did to me, to those children, was far worse! This doesn't even amount to a fraction of our pain!"
He grabbed one of the researchers by the few strands of hair still left on his head, his divine golden eyes burning into the man's very soul.
Then Elias indulged himself in retribution.
Every experiment inflicted upon him, every torment he had suffered, he repaid in full. Unlike him, these cowards lacked [Pain Resistance] and [Extreme Pain Resistance]—many of them blacked out after just a few moments.
"Tch. Weak trash."
With time running short, Elias forced them to conduct experiments on one another, promising that whoever endured the longest would be granted mercy.
The so-called beauty of humanity cherished by a certain pink-haired elf had no place in the Babylon Laboratory.
Driven by desperation, the researchers turned on each other without hesitation, inflicting horrors upon their own comrades just to secure their own survival.
To Elias, it was like watching an absurdly terrible film. These people had long since lost the right to be called human. Their agonized screams and guttural wails filled the air as they tore each other apart.
For someone as sensitive to sound as Elias, their cries were nothing but noise—pure pollution to his ears.
…One hour later…
"I did it! I survived! Haha! You promised—let me go!"
"Sure, sure. I'll let you go… but whether they will is another matter entirely."
Due to the high concentration of Honkai energy, a swarm of low-level Honkai beasts had already gathered in the area.
Elias casually tossed the last researcher into the horde. Within seconds, the creatures tore him apart.
There was no way he would let him live.
Every single researcher in Babylon Labs had blood on their hands—each had condemned dozens, if not hundreds, of innocent children to die on cold, unfeeling operating tables.
To spare even one of them would be a sin.
"Alright, that's enough garbage disposal. Now, it's time to upgrade myself."
He turned his gaze toward the sky.
The moon hung high above, and for a moment, Elias thought of a certain foolish girl—after all, Kiana's name meant "Goddess of the Moon."
"It's been months since I last saw them. I really miss those two. Ugh, I want Mei's homemade bento, Mei's lap pillow, and to squish Kiana's cheeks~"
"Ah, whatever. Focus! The real challenge starts now. I've already altered the course of events—who knows what changes will unfold?"
For now, his top priority was increasing his power—heading to the Moon to collect the remaining four Herrscher Cores.
Only by becoming a five-core Herrscher would he feel truly secure.
At the same time, Elias reminded himself:
"I can't get cocky. No arrogance. Stay cautious—one mistake and I'm done for!"