On the television, the story of Mei and Elysia continued.
In that final banquet, the first to appear was Vill-V, who even brought out a unique claw machine.
It was originally meant to deal with the toys of Fire Moth's upper echelons in the Previous Era.
But now it had truly become a toy for Mei and Elysia, and they played with it quite happily.
The second to appear was Aponia.
The former nun did not wear a veil but was dressed in very formal attire.
"I hate fate, because it will take you away."
"I am grateful to fate, because it allowed you and me to meet."
Aponia, who had come to attend the banquet, said so.
Elysia then smiled at Mei and said, "Very much her style, right?"
Mei nodded. After that, the scene shifted again, and Aponia's voice could be heard saying:
"In these final moments, I am willing to accompany you in doing anything you want to do."
Elysia readily agreed and took Mei and Aponia to play a girl's game together.
In plain terms, it was just a simple balloon-shooting mini-game.
However, Elysia played with great enthusiasm, while Mei was more like an accompanying parent.
Next came the third attendee, Eden, also dressed to the nines.
Already a big star to begin with, her splendid attire drew countless gasps of amazement from viewers.
On the television, Elysia cooperatively put on a stunned expression.
And finally, the tall boy who arrived last—Kevin Kaslana, cold on the outside but warm on the inside.
This segment had no knives; it felt like pure everyday life.
But before the viewers could fully enjoy it, the true banquet—the crusade against the Thirteenth Herrscher—
—was officially underway.
Only this time, it was Mei as both the crusader and the participant, accompanying the flawless girl to dance the final dance of the banquet.
It was also during this process that Mei witnessed Elysia's true power.
At the same time, she received help from the other Flame-Chasers.
When Kevin's power was also entrusted to Mei, she finally turned the tide.
"The power of the Signets, gathered together…"
Elysia said with a radiant smile, "As always, guiding you forward, right?"
"Look, they are all here, witnessing this banquet."
"Because Mei did it—because Mei is the one recognized by the Thirteen Flame-Chasers."
The battle between the two continued, with special effects burning through the budget.
Mei said earnestly, "This is the final farewell, the grandest finale."
"So I will leave no regrets behind."
"Show me everything you have, Elysia!"
Elysia replied without hesitation, "Mm, come, Mei."
Mei became completely serious, fully manifesting her Herrscher form in the clash.
At the same time, Elysia also unleashed the power belonging to a Herrscher—her divine side.
Countless viewers sat in front of their televisions, eyes unblinking, unwilling to miss a single detail.
Because this fight scene was simply too spectacular—more thrilling than many blockbuster movies.
"Herrscher of Origin—that's another name of mine."
"How does it feel?"
Elysia floated through the starry sea, her figure moving like a playful fish as she asked with a light smile.
"Herrscher of Origin?"
"Just an ordinary human girl, nothing more."
Thunder Mei in her Herrscher state spoke like a great villain.
The Herrscher of Thunder and the Herrscher of Origin—their battle was incredibly intense, with full special effects.
Yet if one observed carefully, it almost looked as though the two were dancing in a grand banquet.
In the end, they truly fought with all their might.
"Gale, submit to me!"
With Mei's shout, the figure of Kukikara instantly appeared.
Elysia was not to be outdone and summoned a manta ray–like Honkai beast.
After a clash of beams, they engaged once more.
Until the very last moment.
In the dreamlike starry sea world, only Mei's figure remained.
A pink star playfully drifted about.
Seeing Mei remain unmoved, it transformed back into Elysia's original appearance and landed behind her.
The two stood facing each other, just like their first meeting.
In the long silence, Mei took the initiative to ask, "So… is this the end?"
"Mm, it's over."
Accompanying Elysia's answer, the two sat together on a swing.
Elysia said nostalgically, "I never thought I could experience that original banquet again in this way."
"Thank you, Mei."
Mei said thoughtfully, "So this is how the Flame-Chasers saw… your final appearance."
"Mm."
Elysia nodded and said, "Those who left did so because they believed in Elysia and refused the crusade."
"Those who attended did so because they believed in Elysia."
"I originally hoped that crusading against a common enemy would unite everyone."
"But in the end, my wish was fulfilled in another way."
"To have met everyone like this, I really am very fortunate."
Mei said, "So Kevin, Eden, Aponia, Vill-V…"
"The owners of the four crystal flowers—did they already see through it from the beginning?"
Elysia replied, "After MEI finished examining me."
"I told Eden my entire story, every single detail."
"You know how it is—the romantic atmosphere under the moonlight always makes people say too much."
"And she happens to be an excellent listener."
"Aponia knew from the very start that I was special."
"After all, she has that ability and really can see certain things."
"But she never told anyone."
At this point, Elysia imitated Aponia's tone and said:
"Compared to the hazy threads of fate, I would rather believe in the you that I see."
"Ah, it's rare to see her so worked up."
"And our Vill-V—clever Vill-V—she's just like MEI."
"She figured it out purely through her own deductions."
"But she didn't say a word—after all, spoiling the magic trick ahead of time would be far too tactless…"
"Very much her style, isn't it?"
"As for Kevin, he had no idea about the truth. He came to the banquet simply to say one thing to me."
"—There is no Herrscher here, only a Flame-Chaser named after her true self."
Saying this, Elysia sighed as if helplessly,
"From a girl's perspective, he really is an idiot, right?"
"Just the same as always."
"So everyone trusted me this much—how could I not know?"
"It's just that what I had to do could not be changed, and there was no way to change it."
"Our civilization had already headed toward destruction. The only thing I could do"
"was to leave behind hope that belonged to the next era."
"I placed a bet with my own disappearance as the price."
"I hoped that the future—the destined fate that Aponia saw—could change, even just a little."
"I didn't know if I would succeed, or even what would happen afterward…"
"But I still wanted to believe that doing this would surely bear fruit."
"I wanted to believe that humans possess the power to change."
"And now, Mei, I finally know the answer."
Elysia kept pouring out her heart, while Mei listened as the perfect audience.
Outside the television screen, many viewers recalled the earlier plot and couldn't help bursting into tears.
"Elysia… why can she be so perfect, so wonderful!"
"Flawless true self—I wasn't into it before, but now that I think about it, I really fucking deserve to die!!"
"If there had been no Elysia, the story of the Current Era wouldn't have unfolded at all."
"Elysia… she truly is the origin of everything, yet she paid with her own disappearance…"
"…"
The more one understood Elysia, the more one realized how flawless her beauty truly was.
But when thinking that Elysia had already died—even died more than once—
Many viewers suddenly felt their hearts twist like knives.
Dog director, you really deserve to die!!
At the same time, in the plot, Mei listened to Elysia's self-narration and did not reply immediately.
Instead, she stood up from the swing and remained silent for a long time.
Until Mei turned around to face Elysia and introduced herself:
"I am the Herrscher of Thunder, and I am also Raiden Mei."
"The me standing here… is proof—the best proof!"
"Although saying this now seems a bit too late."
"But thank you, Elysia… thank you for giving us, at the very beginning, the chance to change fate."
"Carrying the entirety of one person is indeed a burden too heavy to imagine."
"But you—and all of you—made me feel that I must do it."
Elysia showed a breathtakingly beautiful smile, "Ah, the current Mei has become so straightforward and so understanding of me—it's totally foul play!"
"Saying things like that just makes it even harder to part, doesn't it?"
"…"
Mei fell silent.
Elysia then showed a playful smile and said, "So, Mei, guess what I still want to do right now?"
"…"
After another brief silence, Mei still answered, "You want to take one more look at the Elysian Realm, right?"
Elysia nodded, "Ah, correct!"
"But you missed one thing—it's together with Mei, you know?"
Hearing this, Mei couldn't help smiling, "Mm."
In the end, the two wandered through the entire Elysian Realm together and had many cheerful conversations.
Although there was a faint sadness, many viewers once again spammed the classic line.
Kiana got NTR'd.
And sure enough, even everyone in the company was amused by the fan group's spamming.
It diluted the sorrow before parting, though a certain white-haired bun was not very pleased.
Some people in the group were also cursing the dog director loudly, and Kalpas showed it to Hessian.
"Heh, just impotent rage."
With a faint smile on his face, Hessian directly hugged Elysia beside him and said.
Seeing this scene, forget the people present—
Even Kevin, who had his girlfriend right next to him, felt his fists harden at that moment.
The dog director deserves a beating!
On the television.
Besides the amusement park, the Elysian Realm also contained people from Elysia's past.
Her childhood playmates, the kind old grandfather, her close best friend…
In the end, the two returned to the very beginning.
Elysia sighed, "In the end, we still have to come back here."
"In the Elysian Realm, this is also my favorite place."
"As you can see, it is like the condensation of all beautiful things—a peaceful and eternal dreamlike fairyland."
"And it stands at the end of all ideals—the flawless paradise."
"Elysia's life should naturally be like this, right?"
"No matter how many times I see it, the Elysian Realm is always so perfect…"
"Even until the very end, it remains just as it was at first sight."
At this point, Elysia looked at Mei and smiled as she said:
"So, at the very starting point of everything, shall we put a perfect period on it?"
"…"
Mei silently lowered her head, as if unable to bear looking straight into Elysia's eyes.
Elysia quickly said, "Ah, I know—Mei must be very reluctant to part with me."
"Because I'm also very reluctant to part with Mei."
"We've only just reunited, and now we have to separate again…"
"This really is too unreasonable, right?"
Before the viewers could shout "Exactly!", Elysia's voice continued.
"But farewells always come, just as every story must have its own ending."
"So don't make that kind of expression… Mei, smile for me, okay?"
"…"
Mei looked at the playful and flawless girl before her and said somewhat sadly,
"Is it really… going to end?"
Elysia said slowly, "Yes, after all, everyone's efforts were all for this moment."
"Don't worry—I'll protect you and make sure Mei returns safely to reality."
"Congratulations—now Mei has officially graduated from the Elysian Realm."
"Then… lift your head and proudly walk toward your future!"
Mei hesitated, "I… I still haven't…"
Elysia smiled gently, "Still haven't… prepared to part?"
Mei nodded wordlessly.
Elysia still smiled and said, "Actually… me too."
The viewers outside the television were also in tears—they weren't prepared either.
They had only just seen Elysia return, and now they had to part already?
But the direction of the story would not change.
Before parting, Elysia invited Mei for one last ride on the roller coaster.
"Actually, I already guessed Mei's reaction."
"Look, am I getting better and better at understanding you?"
Sitting on the roller coaster, Elysia looked at Mei beside her and said.
Mei nodded, "You've always understood everyone around you very well."
Elysia said proudly, "That's right, because I've been watching everyone properly."
"Whether it's the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, the warriors of Fire Moth, or every ordinary person I've met."
"Everyone is an ordinary person, and everyone is a special person."
"I spent day after day with them, observing the trajectories of their lives, feeling their joys and sorrows, sharing their thoughts and feelings."
"Witnessing… their one-of-a-kind souls."
"It is precisely because of these beautiful accumulations that Elysia was able to be born, right?"
"I just love people like this, a world like this."
Mei said slowly, "Mm, now I believe every word you say comes from a heart with nothing held back."
The viewers agreed while also gritting their teeth.
Whether it was an illusion or not, they always felt the dog director's knife skills were becoming more and more refined.
Always managing to stab them when they least expected it!