Vill-V's true self appeared at the banquet and said softly: "Don't worry, Elysia. I'll use several lies to cover it up… to protect your secret."
"Deceiving the world, even deceiving history, isn't difficult for me. Let the Thirteenth Herrscher become nothing more than a blank page in the books."
"As for the Flame-Chasers who didn't attend today… I think their absence is the best proof."
"Those who left did so because they believed in Elysia and refused to hunt her down. Those who attended did so because they believed in Elysia and came to the banquet."
"Look… the people you believed in have always believed in you. The people you loved have always loved you in return."
"Mmm, thank you. I never expected…" Elysia was deeply moved, tears nearly spilling over: "I… I'm really so happy."
"It's a shame my dear Mobius isn't here. I still wanted to give her a green crystal flower."
Vill-V said: "After receiving Fire Moth's report on the Thirteenth Herrscher, she didn't even glance at it before throwing it into the shredder."
"That's just how Mobius is. Maybe she saw through everything long ago and didn't want to give you the satisfaction of a proper goodbye, so she deliberately refused to attend."
"Of course… it's also possible she simply didn't want anyone to see her crying."
Elysia smiled: "Yes, Mobius always has such a girlish side to her."
She turned her gaze to Aponia and handed her the carefully prepared crystal flower: "Then, Aponia…"
"Although the depths no longer exist, I know they still remain deep within your heart, right?"
"The threads of fate can no longer bind your steps, so… occasionally step out of that cage and take a look outside, okay?"
Aponia said softly: "For me, the depths were always outside the cage. But that no longer matters…"
"I have already stepped into the sunlight."
"Because… you are here."
"So I also don't want your story to become nothing more than dust-sealed history."
"I will engrave all of you in the Elysian Realm, carefully reread it through the long years, and wait for someone who shares the same will as you to arrive."
"And then… look forward to the day this page is turned open again by future generations."
Elysia nodded: "Mm, alright. I'm looking forward to it too… after all, it's my story."
With a heavy heart, she handed the golden crystal flower to her: "Eden… this time, we really have to say goodbye."
"I'm sorry for keeping it from you all this time. You won't hate me, will you?"
Eden gently shook her head: "How could I, Elysia."
"I understand you. Perhaps better than anyone else in this world."
"And besides… there's no need to say goodbye."
"You're still here, aren't you? You will exist forever… together with heaven and earth."
"So no matter where I am, no matter what form I take, I will sing for you…"
"Until the very last moment."
Elysia kept smiling, refusing to let anyone see her sadness: "Good, because that was our promise…"
"No matter what kind of finale we face, we have to see the ending together… okay?"
Finally…
Elysia came before Kevin.
She handed him the ice-blue crystal flower and spoke in a relaxed tone: "As for Kevin… actually, I don't have much left to say to you."
"You are a true Flame-Chaser. The rightful leader of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers."
"If there is one person who can carry humanity toward a tomorrow without Honkai… then that person must be you."
"But I do have one last request—the question you never answered for me…"
"I really want to know—Kevin, if you were to shed tears… would they freeze?"
Kevin: "…"
The strongest guardian of the Current Era, the mightiest warrior of the Previous Civilization, could no longer suppress the grief in his heart at this moment.
Tears fell uncontrollably.
He had experienced countless battles, witnessed countless farewells, endured countless pains.
But…
Never had he cried with such sorrow as he did in this moment.
This scene… did not feel out of place in the eyes of all the viewers. Instead, it tugged even harder at their hearts.
Their own tears fell uncontrollably.
Even someone as powerful as Kevin was crying—what did their own tears matter?
Elysia looked at Kevin crying like a child and felt a pang of heartache: "Ara…"
"I was just asking. Don't actually cry… try to act a little more like a boy, okay?"
"But thank you. Now… I know the answer."
"Look, they really do freeze…"
"…But they're so warm."
She looked at everyone, her voice gradually growing weaker: "Ah… I really wish this moment could last forever."
"But no performance lasts forever, right? So now, let's give it a perfect ending."
"If, in the distant future, everyone encounters a Herrscher like me…"
"You must find a way to tell me, okay? That way… I'll be very happy!"
"Because I'll know that the people of the future no longer have to face the difficult choices we did."
"Because I'll know that the footprints we left in this world eventually became a guiding light for someone else in the future."
"Tragedy is not the end—it is the beginning of hope."
"Only humanity thinks this way. Only humanity turns such belief into reality."
"So please tell me—at the end of this story…"
"Did I… become human?"
"Of course!"
Vill-V blurted out: "Isn't that the fact standing right in front of us?"
Aponia gave a gentle nod: "Tonight, there is no Herrscher here any longer."
Eden—this singer who always maintained her composure—was now speaking through tears: "Because what remains here, what will be sung through the ages, is the noble and proud warrior of Fire Moth, the founder of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers…"
Kevin finally said: "…the flawless one—Elysia."
"Thank you."
Elysia let out a soft sigh, filled with reluctance: "Finally… the time has come to say goodbye…"
"Because I am a Herrscher, perhaps I can do it."
"But because I am human, I definitely can do it."
"So, my friends, my confidants, my most important companions…"
"Elysia's curtain call must be dazzling and beautiful, so…"
"Please—for the last time—see me off!"
And then, the stars began to turn.
There, countless glowing threads had once gathered.
Those were the strings of fate that only Aponia could see.
And now, those strings were disappearing little by little into nothingness.
It was as though a pair of hands arranging the stars was erasing, one by one, the futures that had once been predetermined—
That was a story from a very, very long time ago…
One day, She fell from the sky.
People looked up and saw the starry sky.
The stars and moon sent down God's daughter. She wished to become humanity's companion.
The long wind became Her carriage; the four seas became Her garden.
Birds carried seeds of goodness; a hundred flowers wove songs of love.
Thus She was born into the world, walked upon the earth, grew up alongside humanity, and budded together with the world.
Now, the time of Finality draws near.
Now, the time to return has come.
Farewell, beautiful world.
From now on, there will be stars shining, because I have come here.
From now on, there will be a hundred flowers blooming, because I have never left.
Please take my arrows, my flowers, and my love, weave them into seeds of new life, and carry them to the withered earth.
Then let them blossom into eternal, flawless… humanity.
My name is Elysia…
The first Herrscher, the Herrscher of Human.
…
After watching this segment of the plot,
the audience's sorrow was mixed with even greater shock.
"Just because of one sentence from Elysia, Kevin remembered it for fifty thousand years? To the point that every time he met a Herrscher fighting for humanity, he wanted to bring them to World Serpent?"
"I can't believe it… this is Kevin, this is the guy I called deranged? He really is… I'm crying so hard."
"No no no, I completely lost it. Even Kevin cried like that—I really don't dare watch what comes next."
"I could hold it together earlier, but the moment Kevin shed tears, I really broke down. It hurts so much."
"You guys don't understand! Kevin actually never changed at all. He's still that silly boy."
"Yes yes, a tough guy crying—that hurts even more than when others cry."
"Elysia… she really was too good. Kevin too. I really understand Kevin now."
"I can't even imagine how happy Kevin must have been when he first saw Welt… but Welt didn't appreciate it and actually refused him."
"Kevin must have confirmed Elysia's success when he saw Welt, right? Then he waited for Kiana to fully awaken, let her go after meeting her the first time—actually just waiting for her to fully control her power so he could show her to Elysia. But then he found the even more stable Mei."
"…I can't imagine. This drama has been planting foreshadowing from the very beginning. The plot that used to seem utterly unforgivable—once you understand its purpose—becomes so touching."
"It hurts… this drama really hurts… but it's so good! As long as the damn director gives the Flame-Chasers a good ending, I won't kill him today."
"Wow! Damn director—this really makes me love and hate you at the same time. Sometimes I really want to devour you alive, but the plot you write makes me love it so much. I must be a masochist—getting stabbed every week and still showing up on time."
"…"
At this point, the actors were already in tears, but none of them spoke. They simply wanted to keep watching quietly.
The television continued.
Mei stepped through the door and saw scenes of the Elysian Realm, puzzled: "…Did it work?"
Fairy Ellie's voice came right after: "Of course! Now you've reached the deepest part of the memories!"
"Fairy Ellie…" Mei felt happy seeing her: "That's great—you're still here."
Fairy Ellie said: "Fairy Ellie won't disappear so easily. After all, I have to guide the cute human through the final stretch of the road!"
Mei asked: "The final stretch?"
Fairy Ellie nodded: "Mm! As you can see, this scattering Elysian Realm is the endpoint woven from the four crystal flowers—the reenactment of that night long ago."
"Right now, Elysia is waiting for you in the auditorium at the end of the Elysian Realm."
"What you need to do is fulfill your duty as a guest—attend this grand banquet in your most beautiful form, and let everything come to a perfect close!"
Mei asked: "My most beautiful form… how do I do that?"
Fairy Ellie said: "Although dressing up is important, this is a world of memories after all. You need to adorn yourself with even more memories related to her."
"Even though you're already very close to Elysia, there are still many things you don't know, right?"
"Now that other people's memories have merged into yours, what the cute human needs to do is turn them into part of yourself too."
"You have to experience her life, feel her emotions, witness her choices, resonate deeply with her heart, and finally… understand everything she did."
"Only by giving your true heart will you not disappoint the princess in the castle!"
"But… bearing someone's entire life is hard and difficult work—especially hers."
"From earlier until now, the cute human has been forcing herself, hasn't she? I'm really sorry for making you carry all this alone… If you want to rest for a while, that's okay too, you know?"
"After all, this is inside your mind. You still have plenty and plenty of time!"
Mei gently shook her head in refusal: "Thank you, Fairy Ellie. But… it's fine."
"Since Elysia has already taken the stage, as a guest, of course I can't keep the protagonist waiting too long, right?"
Fairy Ellie said in pleasant surprise: "Wow! That was such a romantic line!"
"But I already knew the cute human would say that. Now it's time for me to shine!"
"Cute human, are you ready to open the storybook titled 'Elysia'?"
Mei said: "Anytime."
Fairy Ellie said: "Then—let the fairy's magic bloom magnificently for the very last time!"