"Benares, let's go—to the Moon."
"Roar—!"
Elias did not choose to use the Herrscher of the Void's power to teleport directly to the Moon over an extreme distance.
After all, as a newly born Herrscher who had just experienced a great battle and transported so many children to different locations, Elias' Honkai energy was already running low.
As a Judgment-class Honkai Beast, Benares could fly at speeds far surpassing supersonic jets just with ordinary flight. In no time, it carried Elias beyond the atmosphere.
"...It's truly beautiful."
Turning around to gaze at the blue planet, Elias couldn't help but sigh in admiration.
It was a pity that he didn't have a phone on him. Otherwise, he would have definitely taken a picture to keep as a memento.
"I've heard there's a Divine Key in satellite form floating in outer space. What was its name again...? Forget it. I can't extract the Herrscher core inside anyway. I might as well ask the Will of Honkai for a new one."
Before long, the man and the dragon reached the Moon.
Although humans could see the Moon every night, due to factors such as its rotation, revolution cycle, and inclination angle, 82% of its surface is never directly visible from Earth.
This unseen portion is known as the Far Side of the Moon.
In truth, the far side of the Moon contains a vast amount of Honkai energy as well as remnants of the previous civilization's lunar base.
During the Finality War, the previous civilization managed to seal a portion of the Final Herrscher's power within this base.
"Finally found it."
Riding atop Benares, Elias circled around before finally locating his target destination.
He did not need a spacesuit—his Herrscher body allowed him to move freely even in the vacuum of space.
Curiously surveying his surroundings, Elias felt as if his eyes had been opened to a new world.
The previous civilization's technology was truly formidable. While modern civilization could reach the Moon without much difficulty, the former had already constructed a massive base there long ago.
Elias soon found his objective.
At a location resembling an altar.
A golden-orange crystalline structure hovered in mid-air.
The moment Elias' hand made contact with it, his consciousness was drawn into a pure white space. Within this space, a similarly pure white figure took on Elias' appearance, sitting upon a white throne.
Elias knew that this was the Will of Honkai.
At that moment, the Will of Honkai pointed a finger at him.
"Guh! Don't dump so much on me all at once!"
A splitting headache wracked his mind—too much information was being poured into his brain all at once, making it difficult to process. Most of it consisted of memories from the previous civilization.
Dr. Mei of the previous civilization had overseen the construction of this lunar base. Though they had failed to use it to defeat Finality, they had succeeded in sealing a portion of its power.
Now that the chosen apostle/Herrscher had arrived, the Will of Honkai had no reservations about bestowing this power upon Elias.
"Tsk, so this is the sealed power of Honkai? Good. Now it belongs to me!"
Sensing four new authorities within his grasp, Elias unhesitatingly devoured them.
A total of four Herrscher cores!
A purple core, a green core, a black core, and a red core entered Elias' body.
The god grants me a robe—the silence of death, bestowing the wine of demise, sweetly leading into slumber.
The god grants me a sword—the plague of flames, an immortal fire consuming all, burning mountains and boiling seas.
The god grants me a crown—the lightning of conquest, summoning ten thousand bolts as arrows to shatter all things.
The god grants me authority—the storm of yearning, commanding endless gales, bridging distances in an instant.
The Herrscher Core of Thunder, the Herrscher Core of Wind, the Herrscher Core of Death, the Herrscher Core of Fire, and the initial Herrscher Core of the Void—at this moment, Elias now possessed a total of five Herrscher Cores!
"Hahaha, so strong, too strong! I am invincible now!" he exclaimed, clenching his fists in excitement.
The unprecedented surge of power thrilled the once-ordinary boy.
With a mere gesture, he could destroy worlds. The beautiful blue planet seemed to rest within his palm.
"Roar—!"
Benares also let out a triumphant dragon's roar, celebrating its master's newfound strength.
However, in the next instant, the loyal dragon was startled. Just moments ago, Elias had been standing with hands on his hips, laughing to the sky, believing himself invincible… only to suddenly slap himself.
Smack!
Though no sound could be heard in space, Benares could tell that the slap had been quite forceful.
"Hiss, that was close! I almost got carried away. I can't be arrogant, especially as a Herrscher. There are still plenty of monsters out there who could kill me. I must never let my ego lead me to my demise."
Elias rubbed his face in self-reflection.
Not to mention a certain flat-chested immortal—no, the Immortal Phoenix.
Elias was well aware that even with five cores, he might not be able to defeat her… even in her current weakened state.
Among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era, none were simple opponents. Fifty thousand years of accumulated experience—no matter how strong a five-core Herrscher was, he couldn't withstand that.
But!
Aside from Fu Hua, Elias feared no one else.
As long as he avoided arrogance and fully utilized the long-range casting abilities of the Herrscher, he would have the upper hand against Siegfried, Cecilia, Theresa, or even Otto in terms of raw power.
"Forget it. Instead of considering these battles, it's better to avoid fighting them in the first place. What bad intentions could a Herrscher have? I just want to live a peaceful life. Destroying the world? Even a dog wouldn't do that."
The Will of Honkai: "..."
Elias, having just acquired his newfound strength, immediately 'resigned'—completely ignoring the will of Honkai urging him to destroy the world.
Nevertheless, the feeling of getting stronger was still exhilarating. Elias raised his hand and beckoned Benares, who obediently approached and lowered its head.
"It's time for you to become a Pseudo-Herrscher, Benares. Since I have grown stronger, as my companion, you must also become stronger."
"Roar!"
"Good. This time, we will ensure a happy ending—not just for Sirin, but for you as well."
Elias infused Benares' dragon body with vast amounts of Honkai energy. Unlike in the original timeline, where Sirin created four Pseudo-Herrscher Cores to form four Pseudo-Herrschers…
Elias gave all the Pseudo-Cores to Benares.
The Pseudo-Core of Fire, the Pseudo-Core of Death, the Pseudo-Core of Wind, the Pseudo-Core of Thunder.
Created by the Five-Core Herrscher Elias himself, the Four-Core Pseudo-Herrscher Benares had now reached a level almost on par with a true Herrscher.
Most importantly, during this process…
Benares transformed from a beast into a human.
Using the Authority of the Herrscher of Death, Elias crafted a human body for Benares.
Flowing azure hair, gemstone-like deep blue eyes, delicate and well-proportioned features, a golden-ratio figure—Elias had excellent taste. Benares had now become an unparalleled beauty.
And as the power of the Pseudo-Herrscher merged with her Judgment-class Honkai Beast strength…
A pair of blue-white dragon wings unfurled from her back, and a dragon horn sprouted on the right side of her head. These distinct Honkai characteristics had also manifested.
Elias: "…Because it looks cool, so it's fine! From now on, your name is Bella. Pleased to meet you, my Bella~"
Bella: "…Yes, Master. I swear upon my life and honor, as lightning incarnate, to stand by your side even in the darkest night. No matter how far you fall, Bella will always protect you."
Even though she now had independent consciousness, her loyalty to Elias remained unwavering.
This was not the forced servitude of a Honkai Beast to a Herrscher—it was Bella's own devotion to Elias.
"Alright~ Time to head back. We can't keep Sirin and the others waiting too long."