Honkai Impact: Become Their Hero

Chapter 511: Elysia’s Hunting Moment!

"Pardofelis, when you stabbed me in the back back then, I didn’t see you acting this cowardly." Elysia glared at the cat clutching her long legs and whimpering for mercy, veins bulging on her forehead.

Back then, in order to climb higher, Pardofelis had knocked her unconscious with a single blow.

The bump on her head had taken several days to go down. Miss Black Elf still remembered that grudge vividly.

"E-Elysia, but didn’t you get your revenge afterward? And that was over twenty years ago! This time I really didn’t stab you in the back!!"

"Really?"

"Really, really! In the end, being able to meet Boss Elias this time was completely an accident!"

Pardofelis nodded so hard her head almost left afterimages.

She honestly confessed everything.

Back then, she had been so hungry in Elysian Realm that she got dizzy.

Then, in a daze, she wandered out of Elysian Realm to look for food.

After that, still in a daze, she somehow got lost and ended up at St. Freya Academy.

Then, still muddleheaded, she ran into the Valkyrie dormitories.

And finally, in utter confusion, she ran into Elias.

From start to finish, it had all been a coincidence! Not a single bit of premeditation!

"..."

The corner of Elysia’s eye twitched violently. She was speechless. If anyone else had said something like that, she would have already brought her staff down on their head. But Pardofelis was a special case.

As a (former) companion, Elysia knew just how outrageously lucky Pardofelis was. Back then, she could casually point at a world map and accurately indicate the landing spot of the Herrscher of Binding.

For her to have found Elias purely by luck...

That was simply too normal!

So normal that Elysia found it completely reasonable!

After all, although the cat seemed to be the weakest among the Flame-Chasers, she was the chosen child of luck! With luck that absurd, it might not even be inferior to her Authority of Origin!

The key was that it was a passive ability that was constantly active!

Whereas using her Authority of Origin required paying a price.

Compared like that, Elysia even felt a tiny bit dissatisfied with her own authority.

"...But since that’s the case, why didn’t you notify me so I could come see Eli?" Elysia asked.

"Elysia, you know me. Of course I’m on your side! But... do you think the others would allow me to tip you off? To be honest, I still have Sister Aponia’s Discipline on me."

Pardofelis spoke guiltily. At this moment, she was immensely grateful that she had been clever enough to voluntarily receive a Discipline from Aponia back then—just so she could have an excuse at times like this!

The cat might be simple, but she was very shrewd!

Elysia narrowed her eyes. After a moment of silence, she revealed a radiant smile like flying petals. She moved the Staff of Origin aside and gave Pardofelis a big hug.

"So that’s how it is. In that case, I really can’t blame you. I’ve always believed in you, you know. Our Pardofelis is the most obedient one—different from the others."

This hug made the cat break out in cold sweat, but for the sake of her life, she forced herself to return it.

"O-Of course! Elysia, I’m absolutely loyal to you! I swear to the heavens, I definitely didn’t stab you in the back this time!"

Rumble—!!

Suddenly, a deafening thunderclap rang out.

"..." x2

That bolt from a clear sky left both Elysia and Pardofelis in silence.

At that very moment, Raiden Mei, who was training her authority at the training grounds, found that she had accidentally failed to control the power of thunder—miraculously committing a mistake whose probability was less than one in ten thousand.

(Mei, you’ve doomed me!!)

"Pardofelis~ Confess honestly. Otherwise, those treasures you’ve stored in Elysian Realm might very well vanish without a trace later."

"E-Elysia, feudal superstition can’t be trusted. We have to believe in science."

Rumble—!!

(Mei: "Ah... my hand slipped again.")

Watching the crimson lightning slice across the sky and strike not far from them as if guided by fate, Elysia tapped the Staff of Origin against her palm and revealed a benevolent smile.

"Pardofelis, I’ve heard cats have nine lives. I wonder if that’s true. Why don’t you let me test it?"

The heavens were practically announcing that she was lying!

"S-Sorry, Elysia, I was wrong! I don’t want to test it! I don’t want to die! I admit it, I confess! Earlier, I accepted Sister Eden’s bracelet and gemstones, and then told Boss Elias that you’d gone traveling the world and wouldn’t be back for the time being!"

"Pardofelis!!!"

Elysia trembled with rage.

Miss Black Elf mercilessly grabbed the cat’s cheeks and tugged them back and forth, thinking to herself that no wonder Elias hadn’t come to Elysian Realm to see her for so long—so this was what they had been plotting!

Too much! This was far too much! I treated you all as good sisters, and every single one of you stabbed me in the back!

We’re done! Completely done! As of today, the Fifteen Flame-Chasers are disbanded! From now on, there will only be the Duo of Elias and Elysia! Everyone else is expelled!

"Pardofelis, have you prepared yourself for repentance?"

"W-Wuu... Elysia, can’t you spare me just this once for being cute?"

"No! Because I’m cuter!"

If cuteness was justice, then Elysia declared herself absolute justice! As she spoke, she grabbed Pardofelis’ cat tail and began ruthlessly stroking it up and down.

A few minutes later, Pardofelis tearfully stared at her tail—half of the fur gone, completely bald—and felt utterly devastated.

"My tail... wuu..."

"Hmph~ Serves you right! Now come with me."

"E-Elysia, haven’t I already finished accepting my punishment? Please, be magnanimous and let me go, wuu~"

Pardofelis spoke weakly and pitifully. The moment she finished, she tried to run away—but unfortunately, Elysia immediately seized her now-bare cat tail.

"No. This much isn’t nearly enough. And there are others who haven’t been punished yet. Pardofelis, lead the way."

"Elysia, you’re asking me to betray the others!"

"That’s right. Are you unwilling?"

Elysia narrowed her eyes and once again raised the Staff of Origin with a benevolent smile. Then she swung it twice like a golf club, producing sharp whoosh whoosh! sounds as it cut through the air.

"No, no, no! I’m willing! Very willing! I’ll lead the way for you right now, Elysia! Sister Sakura and little Rin are cooking in the dorm, Sister Eden is teaching music class, Griseo is painting, Sister Aponia is resting in Boss Elias’ bedroom, Sister Hua is training in the practice room, and Sister Snake and the others are—"

In less than ten seconds, Pardofelis had already confessed—betrayed—every single person.

Her overwhelming survival instinct, driven by the desperate need to stay alive at all costs, even impressed Elysia.

"Very good~ Then from now on, Pardofelis, you must never betray me again. Otherwise... I’ll tell everyone that it was you who gave me the information today."

"Eh? Elysia, nooo~~"

Pardofelis went completely blank. But Elysia had already turned and left without sparing the cat another glance.

Miss Black Elf’s hunting time had begun.

Her next target—

A certain nun.

(Resting in Eli’s bedroom? Good, very good! My dear Aponia, don’t think that just because you’re well-endowed you can do whatever you want. I hope gravity catches up with you soon!)

Miss Black Elf imagined the scene of her beloved white-haired boy enjoying himself last night with a certain large fluttering moth. Instantly, jealousy and envy ground against her molars so hard they nearly shattered.

She, the legitimate main wife of the Previous Era, could only make do with Eli’s doujinshi.

And these wicked women had already enjoyed the real Eli himself?

Was there no justice in this world?! No law?!

If this kept up, wouldn’t she end up like... Hua—well, not quite that bad—but like MEI back then, a defeated heroine!

(Fu Hua: "Elysia, do you have any manners?!")

"No! Today, everyone must understand who the true main wife is! Who is the eternal number one heroine in Eli’s heart! Elysia—attack!"

With that declaration, Miss Black Elf flew toward the Valkyrie dormitories and proceeded to defeat her former best friends one by one, completing her magnificent revenge.

First—

A certain large fluttering moth.

Inside the Valkyrie dormitory, within Elias’ bedroom.

Because last night’s pleasure had been far too intense, the terrifying impact of a Planet-class MANTIS had sent Aponia to paradise—at a considerable cost. Even now, she was unable to get out of bed.

This left Aponia, whose strength was already inferior to Elysia’s, without the slightest chance of resistance.

"Aponia, you truly disappoint me. And you still call yourself a nun? How can there be a nun in this world who tempts others into depravity? You even betrayed me, your closest friend. Repent immediately!"

Elysia sat astride Aponia, arms folded as she looked down at the "deeply sinful" moth.

The overwhelming scent of Elias lingering on Aponia’s body only intensified Miss Black Elf’s jealousy.

For Elysia, everything else could be negotiated.

But not Elias.

He was the one selfish thing in this lifetime she never intended to yield to anyone.

"..."

After struggling twice and realizing it was futile, Aponia folded her hands together in a nun’s prayer gesture.

"I know I have sinned. I am willing to repent. Forgive me, dear Elysia. I deceived an important friend—you—and betrayed my own vocation. I am not a qualified nun, but an unforgivable sinner steeped in grave transgression..."

"Aponia, you..."

"But I have no intention of changing."

"???"

"Punish me however you wish, Elysia. There are some things I will do even knowing they are forbidden. If you must blame someone, blame Elias for being far too tempting. He is like the forbidden fruit in Eden—I simply cannot resist tasting him."

Recalling last night’s pleasure, Aponia’s cheeks flushed faintly. Her expression grew dazed and entranced, as though she had ascended to Valhalla amid both pain and ecstasy.

"Then change, you shamelessly lustful nun! Eli is mine! I was here first! And stop describing it so vividly—I don’t want to hear it!!"

Elysia completely broke down. She slapped Aponia’s softness, and for the first time, the usually selfless Goddess of Love experienced what it meant to be driven nearly mad by jealousy.

In the end, although Aponia received her punishment, Miss Black Elf still felt extremely dissatisfied.

Next to face judgment were Griseo and Sakura.

Although Griseo was normally the adorable darling whom Elysia doted on—

Once a girl stepped onto the battlefield called love, there was no such thing as mercy.

Especially when Elysia discovered that Griseo was not painting in her bedroom, but seriously selecting pajamas and formulating a battle plan to captivate a certain someone tonight.

"No, Griseo! That’s too early for you! Absolutely not!"

"Elysia... sister, you’ve come out of Elysian Realm? Also, I’m over fifty thousand years old."

"But in my heart, Griseo is still the same twelve-year-old little girl. You’re not old enough for that kind of thing. These revealing pajamas are beyond your control, so I’ll take care of them instead... I happen to need them tonight."

"..."

In the end, considering that Griseo had given her many treasured Eli doujinshi before leaving—and had supplied tonight’s equipment—Elysia reduced her punishment.

From now on, providing one Eli doujinshi per week would settle the matter.

Sakura also received a reduced sentence. After all, just like Pardofelis, she had encountered Elias by chance.

But—

She still hadn’t told her.

"Sakura, meeting Eli wasn’t your fault. But not informing me was."

Elysia sighed deeply, lamenting that times had truly changed. No matter how serious she appeared on the surface, the Sakura of Setsuna was still, in the end, a fox spirit.

"Eh~ You’re a pink-haired girl, and I’m a pink-haired girl. I always treated you like a sister. But you’ve truly disappointed me, Sakura."

"W-Wait, Elysia, what are you doing? We can talk this out—Rin is still here!"

Using her "weight advantage," Elysia easily pinned Sakura to the ground. Then her black-elf fingers tangled themselves in the fox’s pink ears and began toying with them.

The strange sensation transmitted through her fox ears was unbearable. Though Sakura tried her best to suppress her voice, occasional shameful whimpers still escaped.

And that was precisely Elysia’s goal.

To make Sakura, who deeply valued her dignity as an elder sister, utterly embarrassed in front of her younger sibling.

(Sakura: This—this is such a cruel form of revenge!)

(Rin: Wow~ Is this really that stimulating?! My usually pure and serious sister making that kind of expression... this is... amazing! Sister Elysia, please go harder! Also, can I record this?)

In the end, Sakura’s authority as the eldest sister shattered completely.

Her fox ears drooped as she fell into self-imposed isolation.

She declared that if she weren’t unable to defeat this pink—no, black—elf, she would have fought to the bitter end.

After finishing with Sakura, Elysia turned her gaze toward the diva who had just returned from music class.

Eden wore an expression as though she had seen a ghost.

"Elysia! Why are you here?!"

"Finally arrived, my dearest friend, Eden~ Then without further ado, let’s enumerate your sins."