After the live broadcast by Interastral Peace News.
The death of Duke Inferno caused a huge sensation across the universe!
At Herta space station.
A group of researchers and Asta sat in a spacious conference room.
The screen was playing the entire coverage from Interastral Peace News.
After the live broadcast.
Interastral Peace Corporation sent multiple experts for verification.
Finally reaching a clear conclusion—
Duke Inferno is really dead!
At this moment.
Asta and the researchers were deep in thought.
After an unknown period.
Asta let out a long sigh.
She spoke, "So... we were too late?"
"We thought Duke Inferno was extremely arrogant, not putting any of us in his eyes."
"But it turns out he died prematurely on his own?"
The researchers also lamented, "In the recent version of Honkai: Star Rail, Duke Inferno had a strong presence, seemingly set to become a major boss... yet he died so abruptly?"
"In that scene from A Night of Ever-Flame: Scene 33, the grandeur Duke Inferno and his descendants created was so impressive! But now... sigh..."
"We were all prepared for a desperate battle, gathering so many advanced weapons from our space station, only for the big boss to fall prematurely."
"Honestly, it's kind of... Elation!"
A staff member raised their hand and asked, "Miss Asta, can we consider this a victory?"
Asta pondered for a moment.
Then nodded.
"After all, the purpose of this battle was to confront Duke Inferno. Although the outcome was unexpected, it still counts as a victory for our space station."
Hearing this, a few staff members let out brief cheers.
But the excitement wasn't as intense as one might expect.
If Duke Inferno had been defeated after a hard-fought battle with the space station's assistance, it would've felt more satisfying.
At least there would've been a sense of participation!
Now, it all feels a bit... anticlimactic.
It's hard to force a celebration.
Moreover, this raises another question—
How did Duke Inferno die?
At that moment, a new interstellar peace news alert appeared on the split screen in the meeting room.
Asta immediately switched it to the main screen.
The anchor's voice echoed: "...After our technical team conducted sampling and investigation at the Ever-Flame Manor..."
"We have sufficient reason to conclude—"
"Duke Inferno died following an attack!"
As soon as the conclusion was announced, the meeting room erupted in murmurs!
Although this result was somewhat expected, hearing it confirmed still sent a shock through everyone.
A new question arose—
Who killed Duke Inferno?
...
Meanwhile, in Little Gui's livestream.
After watching the news, Guinaifen was so stunned she couldn't close her mouth for a while.
"Duke Inferno died from an attack!?"
She had never paid much attention to cosmic affairs before.
It all felt too distant.
She'd rather worry about what to have for dinner than care about such impractical things.
But after playing Honkai: Star Rail, that sense of Distance had shrunk dramatically!
It felt as if she had become one of the Nameless aboard the Astral Express, carrying the will to Trailblaze through the universe, station by station.
Besides, Duke Inferno was highly relevant to the game's storyline, so she naturally paid close attention.
After calming down, Guinaifen decided to rewatch A Night of Ever-Flame: Scene 33.
But as soon as she opened the video...
The tone of the bullet comments has completely changed!
Previously, players were commenting on how Duke Inferno was too stylish, too arrogant, or too overbearing.
Now.
It's all turned into a sea of mourning messages!
...
""His voice and image remain with us""
"Rest in peace."
"In memory of the Duke!"
"Precious footage from his lifetime."
"Who would have thought that Duke Inferno would be the first to arrive in Penacony, albeit in the form of fragments (Relics)."
"I thought this PV was a declaration of war, but it turned out to be his last words."
"Duke Inferno: Kids, this isn't funny."
"Stop looking for Destruction, Duke. If you seek Aha, you might at least become an Emanator."
...
Guinaifen was utterly stunned.
If you didn't know better.
You'd think this was a funeral hall!
Why are all the bullet comments filled with eulogies!
"What on earth is going on!"
"What will happen to the storyline in Penacony now?"
"Will Duke Inferno still make an appearance in Penacony?"
"Will Yu Ling modify the plot because of what happened in real life?"
As she spoke.
Guinaifen's eyes lit up.
She started stirring things up!
"Can Duke Inferno win the resurrection match in Penacony?"
"A grand documentary, "The Legend of Duke Inferno", Little Gui will continue to bring you updates!"
...
Penacony.
Hotel Lobby.
At this moment.
Neither tourists nor staff were in the mood to carry out their usual tasks.
Everyone gathered in small groups.
Discussing the recent attack on Duke Inferno!
It felt less like a hotel lobby.
And more like a gathering of the universe's greatest detectives!
"Duke Inferno met a tragic end, and his heirs are nowhere to be found. I suspect his death is related to his heirs…"
"I think it was that Constance from The Dahlia! You can tell from the PV, she's full of betrayal vibes!"
"Use your brain, friend! Why would Duke Inferno's heirs betray him?"
"And judging from the scene, the killer used an almost miraculous method to slay Duke Inferno, which means the killer's strength far exceeds normal logic!"
"...Is it possible that Yu Ling was behind it?"
"After all, Yu Ling had already implemented Duke Inferno's Relic in the game while he was still alive!"
"Holy crap?"
"Genius! Case solved!"
"Yu Ling is too much! To make Duke Inferno's Relic plausible, he resorted to such cruel means to kill him!"
"May Duke Inferno's spirit bless me with a god-tier double crit pursuit set!"
...
Xianzhou Luofu.
Exalting Sanctum.
Numerous players gathered at the Exalting Sanctum square, excitedly discussing the events surrounding Duke Inferno.
"If you think about it, this really could be the case!"
"If it's Yu Ling, he could indeed have killed Duke Inferno in such a miraculous way!"
"Yu Ling is just too OP, isn't he?"
"From a feng shui perspective, Yu Ling preemptively implementing Duke Inferno's Relic in the game was like severing his lifeline. His death was already destined."
"Case closed! Yu Ling jinxed Duke Inferno!"
"It's no use just talking here. Let's go directly to Yu Ling's official account and tag him!"
"Exactly!"
"Yu Ling, come out and take responsibility!"
"Across the entire universe, there are only a handful of people capable of such a feat, and those big shots have no direct connection with Duke Inferno. But Yu Ling... you're not one of them!"
Soon.
The Interstellar Peace News Network, breaking news sites of various planets, and the Cosmic Gaming Forum...
All pointed the blame for this attack at Yu Ling!
Under Yu Ling's official account.
Countless players had already flocked to leave comments!
In just half a day.
The comment section was completely overrun!
"Who killed Duke Inferno? Yu Ling, come out and take the blame!"
"Yu Ling, just admit it already!"
"Though it's not exactly honorable, since Duke Inferno is a universal enemy, killing him could be seen as doing the world a favor."
"I'm siding with Yu Ling on this one!"
"Even if it's Yu Ling, he can't just execute someone at will. He must be punished—at least make him release a self-selectable 5-star character!"
"Your scheming is so obvious it's hitting me in the face!"
"???"
"Dr. Ratio: Are you thinking about me?"
"That day, Yu Ling found Duke Inferno and showed him the PV for A Night of Ever-Flame: Scene 33. The Duke asked, 'You've made such a stunning promotional video for our Ever-Flame Manor. What do you need in return?' Yu Ling replied, 'Your life, Your Grace.'"