"So this is the Xuanyuan Sword from Shenzhou legend? The 10th Divine Key that sealed Chiyou? It's... extravagant!"
Elias stared at the Xuanyuan Sword for a moment, finally settling on a somewhat ill-fitting adjective.
But there was no denying it—this golden sword, untouched by time over thousands of years, encrusted with multiple red gemstones, looked absurdly luxurious.
Gripping the hilt, Elias pulled the sword from the stone wall.
In that instant, an enormous surge of Honkai energy erupted from the blade and surged into Elias' body. It was the kind of energy that would overwhelm even A-rank Valkyries—but for him, it was just a sip of mana.
Elias: "In the original timeline, Himeko was overtaken by this overwhelming Honkai energy after pulling out Xuanyuan. But for me? This amount is just a light snack."
He had dove into the sea a bit hastily, and even after absorbing all the Honkai crystals from Anti-Entropy, he hadn't fully refilled his energy.
Now, thanks to the Xuanyuan Sword, he was back to around 7,000 HW—almost topped off.
"Finally... Finally, I have escaped this long imprisonment. I am free!"
A voice echoed in Elias' ears.
Suddenly, the seabed began to quake violently. Beneath him, the ground split apart as a colossal shadow began to rise, as though it filled the entire ocean.
"ROOOOOAR—!"
Though still underwater, the deafening roar echoed across the sea. In an instant, every fish in the vicinity died. Elias quickly used the Herrscher of the Void's power to teleport away.
Surfacing, he saw the enormous black shadow begin to break through the water.
"So this is... Chiyou!!"
Elias' eyes widened in awe.
This overwhelming size went far beyond what the games had depicted.
It was as if a black island had suddenly surfaced from the depths. In its presence, even battleships looked like ants.
Its massive maw roared open—and it was big enough to swallow the Anti-Entropy warship whole without a trace.
Everyone now realized the truth: the legendary Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Chiyou, had been unsealed!
"So, the next development should be..."
Rather than rushing to face Chiyou, Elias looked down at the Xuanyuan Sword in his hand.
The final boss had arrived. It was the perfect time for a mysterious NPC to show up and hand over a legendary item.
"Greetings, young warrior."
"Knew it."
The Xuanyuan Sword floated from Elias' grasp, hovering in front of him. A golden light flared—and a beautiful figure emerged from the ancient blade.
Long black hair, crimson eyes, a golden phoenix crown upon her head. She wore a traditional orange-gold robe adorned with jade ornaments, and a golden band wrapped around her right thigh.
Though petite—about the same size as Theresa—there was an undeniable aura about her: timeless, ancient, noble, even divine.
"One of the founding heroes of Shenzhou legend... Ji Xuanyuan."
"Hmm? Young warrior, you know of me?"
She was surprised at how unsurprised Elias seemed by her appearance, almost as if he had expected her all along.
This puzzled the lingering spirit of the hero known as Ji Xuanyuan.
"Of course I know you. Five thousand years ago—you, Jingwei (Fu Hua), Fuxi, and Nuwa were companions. One of the founders of Shenzhou. The hero who sealed Chiyou by sacrificing herself."
In the early days of the current era, after the collapse of the pevious civilization, Honkai returned swiftly.
Ji Xuanyuan had awakened her Stigmata, and with the Key of Domination, fought against the Honkai in ancient Shenzhou as humanity's protector.
When the Judgment-class Honkai Beast Chiyou appeared, she sealed it away at the cost of her own life—five thousand years ago.
Elias thought to himself that he knew her quite well—he'd collected all three of Ji Xuanyuan's stigmata sets in the game.
"...I didn't expect anyone to remember me in this era. Thank you for telling me all that. I'm very happy—but this isn't the time for that. After thousands of years, Chiyou has returned. Young warrior, I need your help."
Ji Xuanyuan apologized as she spoke. In her eyes, this was her battle—it shouldn't involve outsiders.
But after five thousand years, her remaining strength was meager. She had no choice but to rely on the boy before her.
"Forgive me for dragging you into what should have been my fight. The last of my strength can enhance your weapon. Please... seal Chiyou once more."
"I appreciate the offer—but I don't need it."
Elias reached out, grabbing the Xuanyuan Sword as it floated. He stopped Ji Xuanyuan from dispersing the sword to empower him.
"Eh...?"
Ji Xuanyuan looked stunned. The sword, which should have been under her complete control, was completely overtaken by the boy the moment he grasped it.
"If I accept your power, the Xuanyuan Sword will be destroyed. And with it, your consciousness. Right? In that case, forget it. Besides... I can handle Chiyou just fine without it."
Elias sheathed the Xuanyuan Sword at his waist and drew the Judgment of Shamash and the Godslayer: Surtr.
The dual Herrscher cores within him flared with overwhelming might.
The Vermilion Knight: Eclipse armor shimmered like a flaming battle dress.
"..."
Ji Xuanyuan was stunned.
Only now did she realize she had vastly underestimated Elias.
This youth was far stronger than she had imagined. Even without her help, he could seal—no, perhaps even kill—Chiyou.
"For such a powerful young warrior to emerge in Shenzhou after five thousand years… It's truly heartening."
"Indeed. So, Founder Ji Xuanyuan—I'll handle that beast. You don't need to sacrifice yourself."
"Thank you for your kindness. But I'm merely a lingering remnant. Even if I don't give myself to you—without a vessel like the Xuanyuan Sword, I can't remain much longer."
Ji Xuanyuan gave a bittersweet smile and shook her head.
She was grateful that Elias wanted to preserve her will—but like a candle flickering in the wind, her time was nearly up.
And this wasn't her true soul.
The real Ji Xuanyuan had entered Chiyou's body five thousand years ago to seal it. What Elias saw was merely a sliver of her will tied to the Xuanyuan Sword.
"I know. But please—believe in me."
Elias' gaze was unwavering as he looked into her spirit's eyes, refusing to give up on saving her.
"...Very well."
Moved by his resolve, Ji Xuanyuan's spirit hesitated for a moment, then nodded and returned to the Xuanyuan Sword.
...
Meanwhile, on Chiyou's end—
"All units, open fire!!"
"Let lightning and thunder fall!!"
Chiyou had barely surfaced when it was promptly introduced to modern warfare by two Herrschers.
Welt conjured an entire cutting-edge military force—Titan mechs, rocket trucks, fighter jets, even an aircraft carrier!
This, frankly, was the proper way for the Herrscher of Reason to fight—not just flinging Star of Eden around.
"ROOAAAAR!!"
Countless projectiles rained down on Chiyou, forcing a pained roar from the beast.
Due to its colossal size, Welt's firepower only managed to cover less than one-tenth of its body.
But he wasn't the only Herrscher on the field.
The Queen of Thunder descended—summoning a storm of divine thunder.
RUMBLE RUMBLE RUMBLE—!
BOOM BOOM BOOM—!
Scarlet lightning covered over 30% of Chiyou's body, charring it black and sending smoke billowing into the air.
Unlike Welt, whose bombardments mostly struck Chiyou's thick hide to minimal effect, Mei's lightning had a piercing property that allowed it to damage the beast internally.
"Huh... This is easier than I thought."
"Chiyou seems... kinda weak?"
In Anti-Entropy's warship control room, Tesla and Einstein were both stunned. They'd braced for a grueling battle, but things were going surprisingly smoothly.
Chiyou did try to fight back, but its massive size severely limited its mobility.
Welt and Mei had it completely outpaced in agility.
As a result, the beast had been stuck in a defensive state since the fight began—getting pummeled nonstop.
At this rate, even without forcing it into the Sea of Quanta, they could probably wear it down and kill it. No matter how thick its HP bar, if it had no effective counterattack, it was just a punching bag.
"Come on, I thought this would be hard! Chiyou's a total pushover."
Tesla stood with her hands on her hips, cocky and smug. She even began wondering if they should just shut down the portal. Keeping it open was consuming a lot of resources.
Einstein, ever the rational one, shook her head. Though she was relieved, she wasn't about to let her guard down.
"I don't think Chiyou is weak. I think we're too strong."
"Huh? What do you mean by that, Messy Hair?"
"Chiyou is powerful. Its continent-sized body can trigger massive tsunamis just by moving. It could swallow an island whole with one bite. If a modern warship got hit by its claws, it'd be obliterated. But... even so, we are stronger."
Because standing on their side were Herrschers.
Chiyou might be a Judgment-class Honkai Beast capable of devouring entire nations—but a Herrscher's power? That could destroy worlds.
There was a fundamental gap in authority between the two. No matter how strong a beast was, it couldn't rival the absolute powers of a Herrscher.
"So should we stick to the original plan? Or just finish Chiyou here and now?"
"We follow the plan. Sure, we could win if we kept at it, but the collateral damage would be immense. Nearby coastal cities have already been hit by tsunamis."
"Wait—what? It's only been a minute!"
"That's the scale of a clash between a Judgment-class Honkai Beast and Herrschers. The aftershocks alone are devastating. Anyway, keep pushing it toward the portal."
Einstein exhaled as she spoke.
There had been some unavoidable damage, but it was still within acceptable limits. The cities had already issued evacuation orders, so there were no casualties.
"Speaking of which—where's Elias? It's been a minute since the fight started."
"No worries. He's here."
"Oho? Let me take a look. I've got to record his combat data. A dual-core Herrscher like him is a treasure trove for research."
Tesla eagerly dragged over the most advanced recording device and aimed it toward Elias' location.
Meanwhile, having convinced Ji Xuanyuan's spirit to remain, Elias was finally en route to the battlefield.
"Crap, did I miss the whole fight?"
He was honestly shocked by the sheer scale of the conflict. He hadn't expected Welt and Mei to completely suppress Chiyou like this.
It was far beyond his expectations—but Elias wasn't about to shoulder the blame. This had to be Mihoyo's fault!!
(Tch. I messed up bringing game logic into reality. Such a rookie mistake… But Uncle Jackie was right—no matter how strong someone is in a game, it's all fake. On the flip side… no matter how weak they seem in-game, that's fake too!)
True Herrschers weren't just about melee combat—their specialty was massive area-of-effect destruction.
And even in close combat, aside from a few exceptions, most strikes were lethal one-shots.
Game portrayals seriously undersold their capabilities. Compared to the real power of a Herrscher, the versions in-game were thousands of times weaker.
So yes, this was all Mihoyo's fault!
(Why can't the Herrscher of Reason in-game construct a modern army for saturation fire? Why does Herrscher Mei only get sword strikes and dragon rides, instead of dropping hundreds of lightning bolts per second? Can we please get some realism?)
Elias sped toward the battlefield.
"Save some damage for me too!"
In his left hand, he held the Judgment of Shamash: Might of An-Utu.
In his right, the Godslayer: Surtr.
Both were blades of absolute annihilation—and he wielded them as though they were simple one-handers.
Then, without delay, he unleashed two long-charged ultimates straight at Chiyou's massive form.
"Flames—ENGULF!!"
"Judgment—DRAWN!!"
First, the Godslayer: Surtr in his right hand unleashed a vertical slash. Then, the Might of An-Utu in his left hand swept in a horizontal arc. Together, the two formed a blazing cross-shaped strike that roared toward Chiyou.
(Crap, that's way too strong!)
Elias' heart sank.
He had underestimated not only Welt and Mei's strength, but also his own.
A dual-core Herrscher's might wasn't just one plus one. The synergy between the Herrscher Core of Fire and the Might of An-Utu was exceptional, and Vermilion Knight: Eclipse's amplification was simply absurd.
This strike turned the entire sky crimson.
Tens of thousands of tons of seawater instantly evaporated.
Chiyou's enormous body was completely engulfed.
If someone had been watching from orbit, they would've seen it:
Two blinding beams of light streaking across Earth in an X-pattern.
BOOM!
The high-spec observation equipment Tesla had set up exploded on the spot. Elias' twin slashes had far exceeded its detection limits.
"Holy crap!! That's insane! HOT HOT HOT! Messy Hair, are you okay?!"
"I'm fine... I didn't expect Elias' combat power to be so overwhelming. Far beyond Welt... Honestly, we're lucky."
"Lucky my butt! We nearly got roasted!"
"I meant—we're lucky he's fighting for humanity."
"...True."
Hearing Einstein's words, Tesla nodded gravely.
A Herrscher with this level of destructive power—if aligned against humanity—would spell the end.
Elias could flatten an entire city with a single slash, turning it into a sea of hellfire.
Anti-Entropy's warship had raised its shields to full power, but even then, just being near those slashes almost melted the hull.
"What about Chiyou? Did that finish it?!"
"It has to be! Either cooked or completely vaporized."
There was no way anything could survive that blazing cross-slash. Not even a Judgment-class Honkai Beast.
Even the lingering heat was terrifying—being struck directly would've guaranteed annihilation.
Tesla and Einstein checked the data: the Pacific Ocean's water level had dropped by nearly a meter—evidence that Elias had just evaporated an enormous amount of seawater.
The sea surface still burned with raging flames, steam obscuring Chiyou's body entirely.
Suddenly, Tesla shouted:
"WHAT THE—Honkai energy detected?! That thing's not dead?!"
"What?! That's impossible!"
Even the normally calm Einstein was stunned. She'd bet Tesla's entire reputation that nothing could've survived that strike.
Chiyou's size made dodging impossible. Unless Elias deliberately missed...
…Meanwhile, on the battlefield…
"Whew~ Scared me for a second. Good thing it's still alive!"
Elias let out a sigh of relief. Yes—he had intentionally missed.
Surtur's vertical slash had landed.
But realizing the power was too much, Elias had adjusted the Might of An-Utu's horizontal slash just in time—skimming over Chiyou's head and avoiding a fatal blow.
"Haven't rescued her yet. Can't kill it."
He muttered under his breath.
After all, Ji Xuanyuan's true self was still trapped inside Chiyou. He had to get her out first.
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