To escape an enraged Theresa, Hokuto could only retreat to his office and ask Rita to pour him a cup of tea.
With the tea Rita brought in hand, he sat back down in front of his computer. He saw that many viewers in the stream had already settled their emotions and were now urging Elysia to continue with the main story.
"Elysia, everyone's waiting to see Bronya reunite with Seele," he reminded her.
"Okay~♪"
Elysia cheerfully replied and closed the group chat.
She clicked into the next chapter of the main story: Beyond the Light and Shadow.
"Seele~~ Elysia's coming for you~~"
Upon hearing this energetic line, the viewers—who had just recovered—burst into laughter.
Getting stabbed by miHoYo again? It's not even the first time. Whatever…
Hmph, just don't let them find the scriptwriters' office.
If they did, hehehe…
[Duck: Draw your blade! Seele belongs to me!!]
[Motorbike Duck: Behold my newly modded scooter! Elysia thinks she can take Seele from me? I'm the Herrscher of Reason, unmatched on two wheels!]
[Tsk tsk, y'all talk big—careful Miss Elf convinces Otto-san to revoke Duck's license. You're just a game character—watch me pull some strings from outside, 233333]
[LMAO, revoked license? After Duck's rise to fame, we're just gonna watch him crash?]
[Bronya: Impossible! Absolutely impossible!]
Amid the fervent discussion, Chapter 12 of the main story officially began.
The first part of the story took place several days before the riot at Sea of Quanta's Eye.
It depicted a deal between Cocolia and Gray Serpent.
This segment showcased Gray Serpent's manipulative plans and subtly revealed that Cocolia had always had her eyes on Seele.
Once that narrative wrapped up...
The timeline jumped to when Bronya, now the Herrscher of Reason, had entered the Sea of Quanta.
She was already navigating the quantum realm, aiming to find Seele and the Gem of Desire before the Serpent.
Both to strengthen the core of Reason and to locate Seele, Bronya began riding the motorbike transformed from Project Bunny, traveling through countless bubble universes.
The scene shifted.
Seele found herself locked in a cell.
Beside her was a pink-haired woman with fox ears, calling herself Sakura, who watched her with concern.
This was the first appearance of the fox-eared girl.
And yet, her model instantly captured the hearts of countless players.
Including Elysia, who practically drooled: "Sakura? With fox ears? Hee~~ I really wanna touch those ears."
Unfortunately, in real life, while Sakura looked identical to her in-game counterpart, she didn't have fox ears.
Just like how Miss Elf in reality didn't have pointed ears either.
"Wonder if Eden could make a pair of fox ears for Sakura…" she muttered quietly.
Don't underestimate Eden—despite being a rich lady, her craftsmanship was quite impressive.
She often made Elysia beautiful outfits, though Elysia sometimes felt they were too snug. "One size fits all" wasn't exactly friendly to a grown woman like her.
When Hokuto heard Elysia's musings about touching Sakura's ears, he chuckled.
"Elysia, you're spacing out."
"Sigh~~ It's just, I really want Sakura~~ Otto-san, when can Sakura join the Hyperion?" Elysia asked.
"Hmm…"
Hokuto hesitated right there on stream, then replied, "Not for now."
If Sakura were to board the Hyperion, he was planning to wait for the Elysian Realm arc to finish.
Family reunions must be complete, after all.
"Sigh~~ really not even considering it?" Elysia pressed.
"Elysia, I don't get it. Sakura just showed up in the story. Why are you already so obsessed?"
Hokuto honestly didn't understand players' 'XPs'. It's just a pair of fox ears, right?
At that, Elysia's voice turned coy: "Mmm... Otto-san, you don't understand... this is what we call after a girl's heart~~"
"Fox ears~ fluffy~ and it's Sakura~~ just can't resist… hee~~"
"...Heh~ That's so you, Elysia." Hokuto fell silent for a beat before "praising" her.
Elysia seemed to pick up on the fact that Hokuto really wasn't planning to let Sakura on board just yet.
While she was disappointed she couldn't roll for Sakura, she turned her focus back to the main story.
After asking Seele for her name, Sakura took out a photo of her younger sister Bell and asked if Seele had seen her.
When Seele said she hadn't, Sakura planned to break her out.
Seele realized she was trapped in a bubble universe. Knowing Bronya must be looking for her, she decided to actively find a way out.
Together, they broke past guards and took an elevator to the archive room. Along the way, they deepened their understanding of each other.
This arc introduced several new terms:
Like Fusion Warriors, and the "Chimera" project.
Also, Seele discovered files on the annihilation of the 11th Herrscher.
Keep in mind—in the current world, we've only seen the Herrscher of Reason, the Void, Thunder, and Wind.
[I'm a little confused. Waiting for someone to sort this out.]
[Same here. Where'd the 11th Herrscher come from?]
[If you read the lore novels serialized on the official forum, you'd know:
(raises finger) In Honkai Impact 3rd's universe, at least 50,000 years ago, there was a Previous Era.
And by Honkai logic, if a present era exists, it means the previous one was already destroyed by the Honkai.
If the Previous Era fought Honkai for that long, having gone through more than 11 Herrschers would be totally normal.]
[So this bubble universe is a remnant from that era?]
[Haha, likely. We'll have to see how the story unfolds.]
When needed, the stream audience was just as reliable.
"Thanks for the analysis, everyone~~ Really helped me out~~"
Elysia blinked. These archive documents… only Mobius would actually enjoy reading them.
Kalpas wouldn't even look at them.
As for Elysia, she was more interested in the story.
Like when Seele and Bronya would finally reunite, or whether Sakura could find her sister.
The plot moved forward.
Seele finished reading the archives and continued talking to Sakura.
At this point…
One was a girl searching for her sister—Seele.
The other was a sister looking for her own—Sakura.
Even though they weren't truly related, Sakura took care of Seele like an older sister, soothing her anxiety and shielding her from danger.
Seele, too, saw Bronya's shadow in Sakura and subconsciously treated her like a sister.
Their emotions resonated, and their bond grew.
Eventually, Sakura received a search result—the records said Bell had been transferred to Basement Level 33.
Together, the two infiltrated their way downward.
Until! Someone blocked their path!
"!!!"
"...Seele, wait a second."
"Damn, trouble's here."
As Sakura finished speaking, a white-haired man wielding a flaming blade stood in their way.
That overwhelming aura, the burning Heaven's Flame sword, and Sakura's rare display of tension despite her strength—
The whole setup screamed peak presentation value.
"THAT'S Kevin? I can't accept this!!"
Elysia suddenly cried out in anguish.