It's normal for Miss Pink Elf♪ to not understand.
Just like how Welt in this world was a bit flippant, in this world, Kevin was actually kind of a goof?
[What's wrong with Miss Pink Elf♪? Isn't it just a male character suddenly appearing?]
[Honestly, I think Kevin's kinda hot. White hair, hehe~ looks better than Welt.]
[Welt (holding Star of Eden): Say that again, I dare you.]
"Elysia, you're surprised?" Hokuto asked.
Hearing this, Elysia tried hard to suppress the excitement in her heart.
She stared carefully at that handsome CG on the screen.
It had Kevin's face, and Kevin's voice, but…
It just didn't really resemble the real Kevin at all!!
Elysia thus came to a conclusion.
"This is Kevin?"
"Yeah, see? His name's written right there in the dialogue box." Hokuto calmly pointed out.
"But… I thought Kevin would be the kind of guy who'd go, 'I have a dream! And you'll be shocked to hear it—I've decided to become a hero!'" Elysia reenacted dramatically.
"..." Hokuto was speechless.
[What kind of paramecium-like statement is that?]
[Wake up, Miss Pink Elf♪, that's Kevin, not Kiana.]
[It's over. I thought she had recovered, but she's still stunned from the last chapter's gut punch.]
In the end, Hokuto had no choice but to offer Elysia an artistically modified reply.
Elysia stared at it a while longer, took a screenshot, posted it to the group chat with the caption "Guys look, this is Kevin!", and continued the story.
The plot suddenly jumped to Abyss City.
This part was simple: Gray Serpent shot and wounded Cocolia, then devoured Liliya, transforming into the Honkai beast Aswapati·L.
To save Liliya, Theresa triggered Phase Four of the Vital Enhancer.
That is, she unleashed part of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast Vishnu's power, previously sealed by Bright Knight: Excelsis.
She then used Judah to restrain Gray Serpent.
And Rosaliya, whose heart was in sync with Liliya's, seized the chance to sever the link between Liliya and the alien Aswapati, successfully rescuing her.
Theresa looked like she'd gone all out, but in reality, it was just another round of support fire.
Still, viewers were excited about her future potential in fully unleashing her power.
It might turn out to be crazy strong!
Expectation.jpg
After that scene, the story returned to the bubble universe.
"Sakura! Stop! That's enough!" Kevin stood with sword drawn, blocking Sakura's path with a cold expression.
"Move, Kevin. I know what I'm doing!"
Intent on saving her sister, Sakura clearly wasn't backing down.
Kevin: "I know that too. That's why I have to stop you. Sakura, before things spiral beyond control, turn back. What you're doing amounts to betraying humanity."
But Sakura bit back, unwilling to yield: "Rin is innocent! She didn't do anything! You can't just decide she's a threat and imprison her like that!"
Their heated exchange made it clear to players:
This world was in a terrible state.
The next Herrscher's arrival might very well mark the end.
And so, they were planning to imprison—or, if necessary, kill—Sakura, someone who had once risked her life to save humanity…
Just for the sake of her only sister.
Players began to feel a persistent sense of despair settling in.
Neither Sakura nor Kevin could convince the other.
And just as they were about to fight, Sakura vanished with Seele.
Kevin considered chasing them down, but higher-ups called in an operation: a Herrscher had awakened.
Meanwhile, Sakura and Seele had reached a deeper section of the tunnel, only to find it teeming with reanimated soldiers—every guard and personnel had been turned into zombified Honkai deadwalkers.
[I've got a bad feeling—Sakura's sister is probably done for.]
[Heh, let me correct you—it's not 'probably,' it's a certainty. If she lives, I'll eat five industrial fans!]
[Who cares if someone dies? I've been through so many stabs already! (Please, no more knives, writer!)]
The story continued.
After calming down a berserk Seele, Sakura pressed forward and finally reached the 33rd underground level—where her sister Rin was imprisoned.
But something about the place felt deeply wrong.
The ground was soaked with blood, as if a massacre had just occurred.
Seeing the scene, Sakura clearly panicked. She told Seele to stay put and rushed ahead in desperation.
She darted down the hallway, flying past one steel door after another, the escalating alarms tightening her already frayed nerves.
"Faster, faster!"
"Rin, where are you?"
"Ah! Found it! 769… 767… Rin's room is just ahead!"
"Rin! I'm here to save you!"
With her tone rising,
Sakura flung open the unlocked door and hurriedly—
Peered into the room—
The air reeked of blood.
The sight seared itself into her brain, etching deep into her consciousness.
Sakura had lost her sister.
Though players were saddened, they had braced themselves.
But the story wasn't done yet.
At her lowest point, Sakura made a decision: she would seek out her now-Herrscher sister.
A death sentence, no doubt.
Everyone could tell she was resigned to die.
[Rin's dead, and now Sakura too? Everyone's gonna die—nobody understands miHoYo writers better than I do!]
[My sweet little sister, my warm big sister—why must they all die?!]
[Go ahead and stab us all. Let none survive. I feel nothing anymore. (Honkai face)]
As expected, things got worse—humanity sealed the Herrscher of Corruption, but at great cost.
Seele and Kevin found Sakura among the ruins of a metal battlefield, her eyes lifeless, like a lone flower in the rubble, about to wither.
But her next words shattered the numb emotional wall built by too many stabs:
She had fought for humanity, and still couldn't save her sister.
At the peak of tragedy, she encouraged Seele.
"Some things… some regrets… are beyond us… But you… still have people you want to protect…"
"When you and she… stand beneath the cherry blossoms… you'll see… this world is still beautiful…"
"You'll see… your world… still has hope…"
She uttered the words "hope" and "beauty."
Things she no longer possessed.
But she still said them so gently before dying.
Everyone had shared her despair… but never imagined such beautiful hope could bloom from it.
They fell silent.
Seele's quiet sobbing in the dark mirrored their own emotions.
[So sweet… so sweet it hurts.]
[Is this what they call a warm ending? Thank you… I really did feel that warmth.]
[Wait! This is just a bubble universe—it might all be fake!!]
One player noticed the story continued.
[Maybe it's like before—someone crafted this tragic world bubble just to shake Seele's spirit.]
[That makes sense!!]
Players suddenly felt they had figured it all out!
So that's it—miHoYo had been seen through!
Their hearts flickered with hope again.
It's fake! It must be fake!
Then, in the black screen of the game—
A voice broke the silence.
"Hector knew the kingdom would fall. Achilles also knew he was heading toward death. Yet both stepped onto the battlefield without hesitation."
"In this tragedy written from the start, not one of them ever faltered."
"As they were, so are we."
Seele recognized the story—it was the Trojan War.
The voice continued:
"I brought her body back to her homeland. But when I arrived… there was only scorched earth."
"The Herrscher took control of the silo and launched a nuclear strike that wiped out the last three human cities."
As the voice fell,
Everyone's hearts skipped a beat.
Wait—wasn't this supposed to be fake? This tone feels off!
The voice kept going: "I stood in the ruined square… and saw no cherry blossoms."
Then the scene changed.
Countless cherry blossoms swirled and converged in the Sea of Quanta into a radiant cherry tree—too beautiful for words.
Kevin stood beneath the tree.
"On this scorched land, I made a vow to her, to everyone: no matter the cost…"
The camera turned to Kevin's face—now devoid of all emotion.
He declared, with a firm and resounding voice: "Humanity will! Defeat! Honkai!"
Seele saw this and finally understood.
"You're the Serpent? You created this bubble universe!"
"That was my memory. The promise I never fulfilled… They are like fleeting illusions, constantly reminding me of one truth: that humanity was once wiped out by Honkai."
That statement crashed like thunder in the players' minds.
Everything they had just seen—was real?
Rin's death, Sakura's death, the Herrscher's nuclear strike that almost eradicated humanity…
All of it really happened?
Even worse than what they saw?
They had never been so clearly aware of the cruelty of humanity's fight against Honkai.
Humanity may win countless times.
But Honkai only needs to win once.
The flames of hope reignited moments ago—extinguished again, and turned into even deeper pain.
[So this is Honkai?]
[Pain! It hurts too much! I'm recommending Honkai Impact 3rd to all my friends and family! (distorted face) Let the world feel pain!]
[What's your deal?! Count me in—I'll recommend it to all my loved ones too!]
[Count me in +1]
[+2]
...