Mei twitched at the corner of her mouth. She had lost all desire to continue talking to Takumi.
Destiny? That kind of destiny could just stay away. She definitely wasn't going to shout anything.
"Tch~! Judging by Mei's reaction, you're obviously up to no good!"
Mei was convinced Takumi had nothing but mischief on his mind.
"Since Mei won't do it… then how about Kiana?" "Just shout, 'Mobius, you've gained weight!' real loud!"
Takumi looked eager to see the chaos unfold.
Kevin, Gray Serpent, and Hua all glanced sideways at Takumi. Was he seriously trying to get Kiana sent straight to Mobius's operating table?
"Don't you dare!!"
Mei jumped at the idea, fully aware from "that series" what would happen if Kiana actually said such a thing.
Oh boy—Kiana would be doomed.
"I'm not doing it!! That sounds way too dangerous!!"
Kiana's danger sense flared instantly. Mobius? Elysia? Yeah, those were dangerous names. Her insect instincts screamed: these were people not to mess with! (Serious face)
...
People these days were so hard to fool. Takumi sighed.
Well, whatever. He wasn't going to press it further. Then, looking at Mei beside him, a thought struck him.
Mei noticed his gaze and tilted her head. "What is it?"
Takumi's expression was peculiar.
"The Herrscher of Corruption... I thought you'd dealt with her already." "To think she hid this well."
Takumi placed his hand on Mei's shoulder.
Just as she was about to speak, he made a slight movement—like crushing a bug. Effortlessly, he destroyed the presence clinging to her.
A core appeared in his hand.
Everyone was dumbfounded.
"Another Herrscher?" "Corruption?!" "What the hell?!" "Terrifying!"
Takumi removed his hand, looked at the core, then stored it away. A trophy. He wasn't giving it to anyone else.
"Can't deny it—Corruption's stealth is frightening." "I'll have to talk to Prometheus about it someday." "And Seele, she has potential too." "Might as well let her become a Herrscher." "Then we'd have a full Herrscher set."
Even if Takumi stopped playing Honkai later, he remembered Seele would eventually become one.
Seele, standing by Bronya, blinked. Become a Herrscher? Like Bronya? Well... maybe that wasn't so bad.
Kevin silently studied Takumi. This guy knew too much. He even knew Prometheus?
A visitor from another world… Maybe this era could finally resolve the Honkai crisis.
"I really thought it hadn't possessed me…" Mei was visibly annoyed. She had checked herself thoroughly after learning Corruption would follow her into the Elysian Realm.
But clearly, she lacked the ability to detect it. Takumi had noticed it only on a whim.
Truly, the Herrscher of Corruption was terrifying.
With that small detour resolved, the group finally arrived at the Elysian Realm's gate. Beyond this door was the inside.
"Honestly, they should've called it the Pure Land of Bliss." "And made everyone dance butterfly steps or something."
Takumi began nitpicking the name as he walked straight in.
Behind the door lay a vast, empty room. This was the heart of the Elysian Realm.
As for Takumi's rambling, everyone just ignored it.
Mei had slowly grown used to him saying weird things.
"Ms. Elysia! Your delivery's here!" Takumi shouted as soon as he stepped in.
Everyone blinked in confusion.
But a moment later, a cheerful voice responded: "Coming~! Where's the delivery?"
Soon, a pink-haired beauty appeared before them. Her wavy hair was tied in a side ponytail with neat bangs. She had fairy-like ears and a stunningly beautiful face.
God had clearly poured every ounce of cuteness into her.
It was Elysia! Her eyes sparkled with excitement.
"Here you go—your delivery~!"
Takumi, equally delighted, pulled out a cold bottle of milk tea from who knows where and handed it to her.
Elysia froze for a moment. "Eh? This is real~?"
"Thank you, handsome sir! You get a perfect score from this beautiful girl~!"
She was absolutely thrilled. Milk tea delivery? Today was amazing.
Then she turned her gaze to Takumi, sensing the power radiating from him. A brief pause—then her joy only deepened.
Her gaze swept over the rest.
"Oh~ Kevin! And two Hua?!" "Wait, Belobog? No, you're not Belobog." "Another beauty just like Mei?" "Waa~ So many beautiful girls!"
Her delight grew as she darted forward to greet everyone.
"Hello, I'm Elysia, a bashful beauty blooming like a flower~!" "May I ask for your names?" "What a lovely day! So many guests in the Elysian Realm~!"
Her beaming smile was infectious.
She could already feel it—most of them were Herrschers. But they had humanity within them.
It was wonderful.
"Hello! I'm Raiden Mei, the Herrscher of Thunder."
Mei introduced herself calmly, also revealing her title.
"I'm Kiana Kaslana, currently the Herrscher of Flamescion?" "I'm Bronya, the Herrscher of Reason." "Hmph. I'm Sirin, the Herrscher of the Void!" "I'm Himeko—not a Herrscher." "I'm Seele. Hello, beautiful one. Pleased to meet you!"
...
Everyone kindly introduced themselves to Elysia. Even Sirin, despite her tsundere attitude, gave her name.
As they spoke, Elysia's smile grew ever brighter.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Flame Chasers began to gather as well.