"i, another bowl!"
"Mm, okay, no problem."
Elias handed his empty bowl to i, the dedicated chef, who skillfully refilled it with fresh rice before he eagerly resud his feast.
His ravenous eating, wild and unrestrained, almost made i fail to recognize him. For a mont, she even suspected that this might be a certain paracium in disguise.
But no matter what, seeing the person she liked enjoy her cooking so much was sothing that would make any girl with a budding crush happy.
i: (Eat, eat as much as you want! If it's for you, I'll cook as much as needed. I'll take on the kitchen just to make sure you're full!)
On the other hand, after months of not having i's homade cooking—especially proper Shenzhou cuisine—Elias' appetite had completely opened up.
He ended up eating nearly as much as Kiana.
(So good… i's cooking really is the best. Speaking of which… I wonder how Sirin and the others are doing right now? Have they been eating properly?)
This worry only lasted a few seconds before Elias shook his head, realizing he was overthinking it.
With Cecilia, the ultimate mom, around, there was no doubt that Sirin and the others were living a good life, even in his absence.
Elias made a ntal note to visit them at so point. After all, he had made a promise.
But thinking of Cecilia naturally led him to think about Kiana—or rather, both Kianas.
The real Kiana, Durandal.
He wasn't sure what her situation was like now, but considering his final words before 'dying,' Otto wouldn't dare lay a hand on her.
That was one thing Elias truly wasn't worried about. After all, even in the original story, Otto had always treated Durandal as a student.
Then there was the other Kiana—the one sitting right in front of him.
(I completely shattered the storyline of the Second Eruption… so how exactly was this Kiana even born?)
According to the system, no matter how much he changed the past, as long as it wasn't completely erased, these 'destined' key characters would always find a way to exist.
In other words, K423 Kiana's birth was inevitable. Even though the past had changed, the world's corrective force would still ensure her existence.
The process may have been different, but there was no doubt—this girl was still Kiana.
To give another example, the Schariac Stigmata Crystal, Misteltein Schariac, was originally supposed to be created due to Cecilia's death. But in this worldline, where Cecilia was alive, it would still co into existence—just in a different way.
The process changed, but the outco remained the sa. Unless… Elias had gone back and killed absolutely everyone, completely erasing the Honkai Impact 3rd storyline from existence.
But right now, he had only one burning question.
(According to the original plot, Kiana was created from Durandal and Sirin's fused genes. But in this altered tiline, Sirin never beca the Herrscher of the Void… So what exactly was used to create this Kiana…?)
Wait.
Hold on.
Wait just a damn minute.
Elias suddenly froze.
A terrifying possibility ca to mind.
His hands trembled so much that his chopsticks slipped from his fingers.
In the original story, Otto used Sirin's Herrscher genes and Durandal's DNA to create Kiana. But was Sirin truly the important factor here?
No. Obviously not.
The key component was—
The Herrscher of the Void!
Now that Elias had taken Sirin's place as the Herrscher of the Void, that ant…
The Kiana in front of him had been created using his genes fused with Durandal's!!
"..."
Elias was speechless. Upon realizing this, he suddenly lost all interest in his al. His gaze subtly shifted toward Kiana, his emotions tangled in an indescribable ss.
Noticing his intense stare, Kiana grew flustered. She instinctively picked up i's cookbook and used it to shield her face. "W-Why are you staring at like that, Elias?"
Because of the Herrscher of the Void's core inside her, Elias' presence was as irresistible to Kiana as catnip was to a cat.
Her instincts scread at her to pounce and snuggle against him.
Elias crossed his arms and remained silent for a mont. Then, without warning, he stood up, lood over Kiana, and said with an overwhelming presence—
"Call Dad."
"Huh? W-What?!"
"Hurry up. Call Dad."
"D-Dad…?"
Under the sheer weight of his sudden authority, combined with the core inside her compelling her to obey him instinctively, Kiana blurted it out without thinking.
Of course, the real culprit here was the Kaslana bloodline's infamous external brain dependency. The mont Elias spoke with confidence, Kiana subconsciously considered him her external brain and followed his command without hesitation.
"Hissss~ This is kinda surreal. Kiana, say it again?" Elias smirked, sucking in a deep breath as if savoring the mont.
But as soon as Kiana realized what had just happened—
"Elias! You tricked ! I'll fight you to the death!"
"Whoa, whoa, don't get violent! Alright, alright, I apologize. But seriously, what's the big deal? Back in the dorms, everyone had at least a couple of 'good sons' and 'good dads' at the sa ti."
"What kind of nonsense is that?! I don't care! You're getting a beating today!"
"Oh? Then show what you've got."
Elias grinned and curled his finger, beckoning her forward.
"Hmph! Elias, you're done for!"
"Co on then. If you lose, you have to call Dad again."
"Fine! But if I win… wait, why would I make you call Dad? Uh… If I win, I get to eat i's homade dinner tonight!"
"Deal."
…Ten minutes later…
Kiana collapsed in defeat, kneeling on the floor in a dramatic orz pose.
Elias, with a triumphant smile, squatted down beside her and poked her with a chopstick.
"No way! How did I lose to Elias?! Aaaaah, I can't accept this!"
"Hmph~ A re Kiana dares to challenge ? You're fifty thousand years too early! Now, co on, say it. A knight of the noble Kaslana family must keep their word."
"Guh… D-Dad…"
"Ah~ Good girl. Pfft—Hahaha!"
Elias laughed heartily as he ruffled the white-haired girl's head.
Back when he was just an ordinary person, he never stood a chance against Kiana—not surprising, given her Kaslana heritage.
But now? He possessed the residual powers of five Herrscher cores, a dual-fusion stigmata, and Kiana had underestimated him.
If he couldn't even defeat this paracium now, he might as well find a rock to smash his head against.
As for the 'Dad' thing—it was just a joke. Even if his DNA technically played a role in her creation, it was rely a trivial technicality.
Because no matter how she was born—
She was still the girl who would fight for all the good in the world.
She was Kiana Kaslana.
And Elias knew that better than anyone.
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