Seeing the flash of lightning, Elysia knew the Herrscher had been defeated.
Satisfied, she closed her eyes and leaned forward gently.
At that moment, she felt a warm embrace.
"Elysia, don't be so reckless next time. Couldn't you have waited for me? I'm strong enough now to stand by your side and protect you."
"Yuan..."
With a trembling voice, Elysia called his name one last time before completely passing out.
Seeing this, Chang Yuan immediately carried Elysia on his back and quickly left the city.
Although Elysia, as a MANTIS soldier, wouldn't freeze to death in this state, Chang Yuan's heart ached to see her like this.
As for the Herrscher, no body would be found—only the indestructible Herrscher core.
But that was a task for the logistics team. Right now, Chang Yuan just wanted to find a medical team as quickly as possible.
After locating the medical team, Chang Yuan accompanied Elysia into the medical room.
After a diagnosis, it was determined that she was fine. Her body had entered a hibernation-like state due to the extreme cold, and she would wake up once her temperature returned to normal.
However, this was a privilege of being a MANTIS soldier. An ordinary person in this state would have no chance of survival.
The recovery abilities of ordinary humans couldn't compare to those of MANTIS soldiers.
After hearing the doctor's explanation, Chang Yuan took Elysia to a hospital room.
He cranked the heater to its maximum setting and added a series of UV lights.
Eventually, even Chang Yuan, as a MANTIS soldier, began to feel the heat.
Meanwhile, Elysia's eyelids fluttered slightly.
Then, she opened her eyes.
"Yuan, is the Herrscher... dead?"
Seeing the figure by her bedside, even though she was weak and couldn't fully open her eyes or see clearly, Elysia could still recognize that it was Chang Yuan.
"It's been dealt with. Just rest now. Once your body warms up, your MANTIS healing abilities will slowly restore you."
As he spoke, he handed her a cup of hot ginger tea.
"Drink this. I made it to help you warm up."
"Mmm~ I don't feel like moving right now. Yuan, feed me."
Lying in bed, Elysia squinted her eyes and opened her mouth, looking pitiful.
Hearing this, Chang Yuan paused for a moment before shaking his head helplessly. He then found a spoon.
After scooping up some ginger tea, Chang Yuan tested the temperature himself. It was hot enough to make him wince, but for Elysia, it should be just right.
After all, she needed to warm up.
Bringing the spoon to Elysia's lips, she felt the warmth and happily sipped the tea.
Sip~
"It's good. More, please."
"Alright, alright. You're the patient, so I'll listen to you."
Slowly, the ginger tea was finished, and Elysia felt much better.
She then propped herself up on the bed and sat up.
"Phew, the Pink Elf is back at full health~?"
But before Elysia could celebrate for long, a hand appeared on her forehead.
Thump!
"Ow!"
Elysia, who had been flicked on the forehead, instinctively cried out in pain.
She then covered her forehead with both hands, puffing out her cheeks as she glared at the culprit.
"Yuan, even if you flick me for no reason, I'll still get mad."
At this moment, Elysia looked like a pufferfish, her cheeks puffed out in anger.
"You're not happy about me teaching you a lesson? If I hadn't arrived in time, you'd be the Ice Sculpture Elf right now."
Seeing Elysia's displeasure, Chang Yuan immediately began to lecture her.
"Mmm, I was just overwhelmed by anger at the time. Besides, I believe Yuan will always save me in time."
By the end, Elysia was grinning at Chang Yuan.
Her smile instantly deflated Chang Yuan's frustration.
"You... sigh, fine. Just this once. Don't be so reckless in the future. Otherwise, I'll have Vill-V and the others hide the location of the next Herrscher from you and not let you participate in any Herrscher hunts."
"Mm-hmm, I'll remember. Don't worry, Yuan."
Seeing that Chang Yuan had forgiven her, Elysia happily grabbed his hand with both of hers, speaking earnestly.
This time, she had seen countless cities turned to ice, countless lives lost, and countless families torn apart.
Now she realized that the damage caused by previous Herrschers was nothing compared to this.
She had underestimated Herrschers because she had easily defeated them before.
Only now did she understand—Herrschers were still Herrschers, a natural disaster for humanity. Such disasters couldn't be easily overcome.
"Ouch, Elysia, your hands are a bit cold."
"Huh? Are they?"
Hearing this, Elysia thought her hands were too cold and reached up to touch her face to test their temperature.
But the next moment, a warm hand touched her face.
"Yeah, your hands are cold. See?"
Cupping Elysia's face with both hands, Chang Yuan tilted his head and smiled at her.
At this point, Elysia realized Chang Yuan was teasing her.
Her previously anxious expression immediately turned into a pout.
"Yuan, you're mean."
"Hmm~? Consider it your punishment."
Pinching Elysia's fair cheeks, Chang Yuan chuckled.
Elysia didn't resist. As her cheeks were being pinched, her eyes remained fixed on Chang Yuan's.
Time passed minute by minute. Finally, after three minutes, Chang Yuan reluctantly let go of Elysia's face.
"Not going to continue?"
"No, this is enough for now."
"Then it's my turn to pinch your face."
"Huh? This was my punishment for you. I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I be punished?"
"Hmph, I don't care. As a girl, I get to have a little privilege."
"Alright, alright. You're impossible."
Meanwhile, elsewhere...
"Phew, Prometheus, test if this AI is qualified. If it is, then your sister is about to be born."
"...After testing, this AI is on par with me, so it's fully functional. So, Dr. Vill-V, what do you plan to name her?"
"You were created to fight against Honkai as a Herrscher, so you're named Prometheus. She's meant to house the Fifth Herrscher's core, so let's call her Skadi."