The four were invited aboard the Hyperion by Theresa.
"This is amazing, cool~!"
Elias looked around excitedly, feeling like he must be dreaming.
The elevator was exactly the same as in the game.
Probably to make maintenance faster during emergencies, the elevator's inner walls weren't covered with panels—instead, the wiring, screws, and armor plating were all exposed.
Elias was overwhelmed with emotion. He'd entered this elevator who knows how many times in Honkai Impact 3rd, but this was his first time truly standing inside it—not just staring at it through a screen.
He couldn't help but reach out and touch everything, like a curious child.
"Captain on the bridge!"
As the elevator arrived at the command deck, a familiar voice rang out.
For a moment, Elias thought it was calling out to him.
But that wasn't the case—Himeko was still the acting captain of the Hyperion for now. At least... for now.
"Looks like you really love the Hyperion."
Theresa blinked as she spoke, noticing how Elias hadn't stopped smiling since boarding. His golden eyes practically sparkled.
"Of course. I mean, come on—what guy wouldn't love a high-tech flying battleship? But actually, you might not believe this... I can feel threads of fate connecting me to this ship."
"Uh-huh, seems like you really do love it. Alright then, after our discussion, I'll give you temporary access. You can explore all non-classified areas of the Hyperion."
"Sweet, thanks."
Elias shrugged, as if to say, I was half-expecting you to just gift the whole ship to me.
"Oh, and Theresa Apocalypse, I have a question for you."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Don't you... recognize me?"
Elias pointed to his face. In his memory, this wasn't their first meeting. They had already encountered each other during the time-travel arc involving the Second Eruption.
Sure, his body was still that of a 14-year-old boy back then, but he'd given his name—and it had only been four years since. It's not like he'd had plastic surgery.
Theresa had no reason not to recognize him.
"Umm... Have we met before? Now that I look at you, you do seem kind of familiar. Are we acquaintances?"
"Ah—no, I must be mistaken. Please forget I said anything, Theresa Apocalypse."
Elias shook his head slightly. The system had already explained everything, so he wasn't bothered anymore.
[This is a memory safeguard implemented for your protection. Apologies for the late explanation.]
(It's fine. But what exactly do you mean by 'memory restriction'? You didn't actually erase me from their memories, did you?)
Elias asked internally. Based on what he knew of his system, it wouldn't use such crude methods.
[Of course not. This system has not altered, fabricated, or deleted any of Theresa Apocalypse's memories. In fact, this system has no such capability. She didn't recognize you simply because the thought didn't occur to her.]
Though she retained her memories of the Second Eruption, she hadn't mentally connected the boy in front of her with the Herrscher of the Void from that time. It was like a mental block prevented the association.
[Only those who have formed a deep enough bond with you in the time-space simulation can bypass this restriction.]
(Nice. That's a huge help.)
Elias let out a quiet sigh of relief.
Elias thought to himself—this memory restriction mechanism from the system was a real lifesaver. Objectively speaking, he really had died during the Second Eruption.
And yet, here he was, appearing again years later. If nothing else, a certain resurrection-obsessed green-robed bishop definitely wouldn't have let that slide if he remembered him.
Without this kind of protection, Elias might already be sitting across from Otto, drinking tea.
"No need to be so formal. Just call me Theresa—or Principal."
Hearing Elias address her by her full name so seriously made her a bit flustered, and she quickly corrected him.
"Hmm? Principal? Ah, I see—you're planning to invite us into this so-called St. Freya Academy, the Valkyrie training institution?"
"Hehe, that's right. Just as you said."
Theresa was a little surprised.
She didn't expect Elias to guess her intention just from a single title. This white-haired boy is sharper than I thought, she mused.
Soon, the group arrived at a lounge aboard the Hyperion. Kiana and Bronya looked around curiously.
Herrscher Mei, on the other hand, looked bored as she sat beside Elias with her eyes closed—her posture practically said, Why look at a pile of metal when I could be looking at Elias?
"Ahem. Now I'll make it official—I'd like to invite the four of you to join my St. Freya Academy. Our academy has a complete system and strong faculty. As a Valkyrie training institution, we believe all of you are rare talents, and I hope you'll join us to protect this world and all its beauty."
Theresa spoke earnestly.
Elias raised a brow. He could tell she wasn't great at negotiations. This wasn't a sales pitch—it was just raw sincerity.
And while it sounded like an invitation, it was basically her pleading for them to enroll.
"Ahem, let's talk practical terms. 'Fighting for all that is beautiful' sounds great and all, but... you're not one of those people who makes employees work for free or even pay to work, right?"
Elias gave her a skeptical look.
Wasn't that the truth? Back in his previous life as a Captain, he was literally paying to work—constantly pouring crystals into the game. The developers were absolute fiends.
He wasn't about to pay to work again in this life!
"W-What?! Of course not!!"
Theresa slammed the table with both hands, firmly denying it.
Valkyries were a high-risk, high-reward profession! Sure, she might occasionally misuse academy funds to buy Homu merch, but she'd never touch the Valkyrie payroll.
"How about this: if you agree to join, I'll give you all third-generation Valkyrie armor and weapons. Plus, we offer expert-level education on Honkai-related topics. You definitely won't be at a loss, so..."
"Well, it's not a bad offer. Sounds reasonable. After all, those three aren't exactly suited to attend normal schools anymore. St. Freya Academy might actually be a good fit."
Elias nodded slightly in approval.
"Yes yes yes! Totally!"
Theresa was so excited her little head was practically vibrating. No matter how she looked at it, she had to recruit these four.
A Kaslana, a Herrscher, a loli with a unique quantum robot, and a boy who made a Herrscher fall in love with him and had power on par with S-rank Valkyries.
How could they possibly be allowed to blend back into normal society? Especially Mei, as a Herrscher.
Out of the four, her current situation was by far the most concerning.
If something unpleasant were to happen—if Mei grew disillusioned with the world and embraced a mission to destroy it again... that would be a nightmare.
And even if they set all that aside, from a pure combat standpoint alone, Theresa desperately wanted them to join.
While St. Freya Academy was mostly independent from Schicksal now, its strength still didn't compare.
S-rank Valkyrie-wise, they barely had Theresa holding the line. But if Elias and Mei joined, St. Freya would truly have a solid foothold.
At the very least, they'd no longer fall behind Anti-Entropy or Schicksal in terms of surface-level military power.
"Alright. I agree to the three girls joining St. Freya Academy."
Elias smiled as he spoke.
"That's great! Wait—just the three of them? Elias, you're not joining?"
Theresa's happy expression froze.
"Don't call me a student. And no, I don't plan to join. I mean, this is an all-girls school, right? What would it look like if a guy joined? I'd be the one green leaf among a field of flowers."
"T-That's not necessarily a problem! You're special—we can make an exception for you! Come on, please!"
Theresa's smile was clearly strained. Sure, she had Kaslana blood, but she still had enough functioning brain cells to think for herself.
What did he mean by just the three of them? If Elias didn't join, there was no way the other three would agree to join either!
In truth, from the beginning, Theresa's plan had always revolved around recruiting Elias alone. She knew that if he joined, Kiana, Mei, and Bronya would naturally follow.
But the opposite was also true—if Elias didn't join, none of the girls would.
"Come on, just join us! We've got great benefits!"
"Heh. Empty promises."
"Uwaaah! Nooo! Please join us! I'll get you a [Divine Key] and the latest [Valkyrie Armor] too! These are top-tier weapons! Don't leave! Just name your price!"
"Valkyrie armor? I'm a guy—you think I can even wear that stuff? Wouldn't that be cross-dressing? No thanks."
Elias said with disdain. All he could picture were the flashy, girly suits from the game. Sure, they looked great on the girls—but on him? No way.
"We'll design a male version! How about Godsbane Suit? I'll try to get you the fourth-generation model!"
Theresa's face turned red as she clung to Elias' leg to stop him from walking away. With no subordinates around, she completely dropped the act of trying to appear dignified.
Although St. Freya was mostly independent, thanks to her status in Schicksal and Otto's favor, she just might be able to requisition a Gen-4 Godsbane Suit.
After all, Theresa was the only person Otto Apocalypse had ever truly cared about.
To the rest of the world, Otto might be a monster—but to Theresa, he really was a good grandfather.
That was why she chose to separate from Schicksal rather than join Anti-Entropy like Cecilia and the others.
Everyone else could curse, hate, and betray Otto—but she alone had no right to.
"Fourth-generation Godsbane Suit, huh? Sounds cool, but... I'm not that interested."
"Then—what do you want?!"
Theresa was on the verge of tears.
She could practically see the future of St. Freya slipping away before her eyes. If these four didn't join, how could they live up to the nickname "Eastern Demon Den" or "Herrscher Academy"?
Elias smirked, then patted the wall beside him.
"I want this."
"...Oh, I see—you just want a wall? That's an easy request! As Principal, I'll give it to you no problem—wait, you don't mean this entire Hyperion ship, do you?"
"Yep, I want the Hyperion."
"...Absolutely not! No way!"
Theresa immediately let go of Elias' leg, forming a big X with her arms.
The fourth-gen Godsbane Suit might technically be more valuable than the Hyperion, and you could argue it's worth exchanging for a combatant stronger than an S-rank Valkyrie or even a Herrscher.
If this were Schicksal, they might've offered not just one Hyperion—but five—or even let Elias design his own personal warship. Otto would have been more than thrilled.
But St. Freya wasn't some massive powerhouse. The Hyperion was their only ship. Regardless of the cost-benefit ratio, giving it away was out of the question.
How would they deploy in the future? Without a ship, were they supposed to take a bus to fight Honkai Beasts? That'd be way too low-budget.
"C-Can you please pick something else? I really can't give you the Hyperion."
"Nope, I want it. I told you—I felt a thread of fate from this ship. I might've even been its captain in a past life. You believe in that, right?"
"...No, and that's still not happening."
Theresa shook her head like a bobblehead. No matter how high the price, she wasn't giving away their only ride.
Elias shrugged with a dramatic sigh, then pretended to consider deeply before relenting.
"Okay, fine. I won't ask you to give me the ship outright. But—after I enroll, you have to arrange command training for me. Once I prove I'm capable of piloting her, you'll officially make me the Hyperion's captain."
"That... actually sounds reasonable. Alright, deal!"
Theresa hesitated for a moment, then nodded.
As long as they didn't lose the Hyperion, she could live with it. Elias' compromise was perfect—if he became the Hyperion's captain while part of St. Freya, he'd still be one of them!
"Oh, and I still want everything you promised earlier—Divine Key, the Gen-4 Godsbane Suit, all of it."
"...You—you're way too greedy!"
"Mei, Kiana, Bronya—let's go."
"I agree! I agree! I accept, okay?!" Theresa cried, changing her tune.
She collapsed onto the floor, drawing circles in despair.
It's fine... it's fine... she consoled herself. From a combat perspective, this is a great deal.
This was just an early investment. They'd all be members of the Academy soon anyway.
"Hehe, thank you to the world's cutest Principal Theresa for your generosity. Got that enrollment form? I'll fill it out now."
Elias grinned brightly. In truth, he had planned to join St. Freya all along. Refusing? Ridiculous. Who wouldn't want to attend an academy full of beautiful girls?
"Alright, I'm off to explore the Hyperion. Tour guide—eh, forget it. Exploring alone sounds more fun."
"Tch. Why go through the hassle? I could just take the ship by force for you."
"Bronya is also interested in this warship. Please issue Bronya a temporary access pass."
"Auntie, Auntie! When are you going to tell me about my stupid dad?!"
"..."
Theresa's face twitched.
She had a very bad feeling about this. Did I make a huge mistake?
She couldn't shake the sense that she had just recruited four incredibly problematic children.
But it was too late to regret it now.
"Uwahh, help me, Oath of Judah! What should I do?!"
"..."
The Oath of Judah remained silent.
Despite its vast arsenal of functions, it couldn't save her from this mess.
After all, Theresa—you really are too easy to scam.
But hey, at least it wasn't a total loss in terms of combat strength... You'll just have to live with it.
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