Mobius said she wanted to eat sweet pepper curry today, and naturally, Klein had no objections. She quickly got to work.
Mobius, standing to the side, watched Klein bustling about for a while, only to realize she couldn't really help with anything.
Then, she finally remembered she hadn't finished the main story of Honkai Impact 3rd yet.
"The final chapter... Let's finish it early so I can eat Klein's homemade sweet pepper curry~~"
Mobius probably only spoke in that kind of strangely soft tone when she was with Klein.
Whether Mobius herself realized this or not—
Well, it didn't seem like a particularly important matter?
Mobius returned to Elysia's room and sat back down in front of the computer.
She glanced at the chat and noticed that while she was gone, Elysia had been happily chatting with viewers in the stream.
"Elysia, you don't seem busy at all today. Could it be... you planned this on purpose?"
Mobius began to suspect that Elysia had ulterior motives when asking her to take over the stream.
['My dear Elysia♪': Not at all! I really had urgent business today~~ I'm at miHoYo now, about to do an interview with Mei and Kiana~♪]
"Interviewing Kiana and Mei?" Mobius sounded a little doubtful.
['My dear Elysia♪': Yep, an interview with the real-life Kiana and Mei! We'll post the video on pilipili's official account.]
['My dear Elysia♪': Ahhh, I might have said too much.]
Elysia didn't say any more, but the audience grew increasingly curious.
[You already spilled it, Miss Pink Elf♪, might as well spill more—tell us everything!]
[Miss Pink Elf♪ has always had a great relationship with miHoYo. Back when they were in a slump, she kept promoting their games. When Honkai Impact 3rd launched, she was the first to stream it.]
[Now that you mention it, Honkai owes a lot of its popularity to Miss Pink Elf♪.]
[LMAO, at this rate, Miss Pink Elf♪ is practically the official mascot of miHoYo.]
As the chat derailed further, Mobius decided to stop blaming Elysia for any intentional sabotage.
Saying nothing more, she directly opened Chapter 17: Thunders Over Nagazora.
A quick scan revealed it didn't have many stages.
Unlike previous chapters, this one seemed to feature several shorts.
Even before the first stage, there was a play button.
Mobius clicked on it and saw Otto and Kevin sitting face-to-face inside a realm created by Void Archives.
Since she knew the Kevin from reality, her first thought when seeing this scene was...
It felt like Kevin would say:
Kevin: Otto, want some noodles?
Of course, such a parody wouldn't appear in the main story.
In the scene, the two men—representing two civilizations—looked each other straight in the eye.
Otto showed respect to the hero of the Previous Era and asked his purpose.
Kevin simply wanted Schicksal to assist him with the Stigma Project.
Otto chuckled softly: "If you want something, you must pay a price. What will you offer for my promise?"
"..."
Kevin paused for a moment, then coldly replied, "I don't need your promise."
"Obey or be destroyed. Those are your only two options."
In that brief exchange, Kevin's total disregard for Otto and Otto's rare display of inner pressure left viewers—who were increasingly fed up with Otto—feeling strangely satisfied.
Good job, Grandpa Kevin!
As long as you're roasting Otto, we support you! Smash that dog-tto's smug face!
Dog-tto needs to suffer for his sins!
Though players wished Otto would just drop dead, he was never someone easily cornered.
Otto argued that even if World Serpent would ultimately win, they'd waste precious time defeating Schicksal.
So, he tried to get Kevin to accept a condition:
"I need something. Something that's in your possession, but is no longer of value to you. With it, my five-hundred-year wish will be fulfilled."
"In exchange... Otto Apocalypse will vanish from your world—and from World Serpent—forever."
What Otto wanted was the beacon from the 2nd Divine Key, Cosmic Juggernaut.
He needed it to activate its Zero Output Mode and reach the Imaginary Tree.
To achieve this, he was even willing to give Kevin the Void Archives...
"You'll get a perfect puppet—one that can still control Schicksal even after I'm gone."
After watching this conversation, players could feel Otto's determination to fulfill his "wish" at any cost.
Everything was a chip on his table.
Anything could be sacrificed.
[I can't take it! miHoYo, explain what the hell Otto is trying to do!!]
[He's trading, scheming, planning to reach the Imaginary Tree… If you told me Otto wants to create a new world, I'd believe it.]
[Otto wants to become God of the New World!?]
[Classic Dog-tto behavior. Please, miHoYo, give him the ending he deserves! DOG-TTO MUST PERISH!!]
As discussions raged, the main story resumed.
Back to Mei.
Learning that Kiana had woken up from Dr. Tesla, Mei finally saw her again in the infirmary.
Mei ran to the bedside and tightly embraced her.
They poured their hearts out.
Kiana's voice had returned to that silly, goofy tone of the past.
And Mei, just like before, pampered her with helpless affection.
Everything seemed normal—like the old days at St. Freya Academy. As if nothing had changed.
Kiana seized the mood and said she wanted to go out for a walk. Mei, unable to refuse her, eventually agreed.
The two of them left the room, bickering playfully. The unease and fear in the air quietly vanished.
With Tesla's permission, Kiana and Mei went to the ruins of Nagazora.
In the original game, this would be where they fought wild Honkai Beasts. But Hokuto had removed all combat sequences here.
If it's a walk, let it be a walk. Don't ruin the mood with random fights.
The game's tone instantly softened—even became a little romantic.
Two girls, walking in the rain in Nagazora, reminiscing about the past.
Watching them, players felt both sweetness and sorrow.
They could clearly sense the deep bond between Kiana and Mei.
Until Mei asked: Why did Kiana choose to return to Nagazora?
Kiana's expression suddenly dimmed.
And the air grew heavy with silence.
The story stabbed everyone in the heart without warning.
"...I still remember what happened that day."
There was no doubt what she referred to—Himeko.
That person... was a shared wound in their hearts.
Silence...
After a pause, Kiana continued:
"These past four months, I've wandered through many cities, seeing countless people suffer because of the Honkai. I kept running away—but I could never escape that nightmare."
"In the end, I realized—I can't just run. There's something more important I have to do."
"I must face the world... face everyone... face my destiny."
"I'm not Kiana Kaslana, not Dad's real daughter... I'm Experiment K423, a vessel for the Herrscher of the Void."
"No, you're not...!" Hearing this, Mei's heart clenched.
But Kiana remained calm: "It's okay, Mei…"
"Maybe my birth was a farce, but I can turn it into something meaningful."
"Maybe... my story isn't a happy one, but I can still make the world a better place."
"This... is my promise to her…"
...
Watching Kiana comfort Mei.
Watching her admit she was the Herrscher's vessel.
Watching her still choose to fight for all the beauty in the world.
Players were overwhelmed. Their eyes turned misty.
Kiana had changed—she'd grown up. But she hadn't changed—she was still that beautiful girl.
Players outside the story understood. Mei within the story understood even more.
...
Overflowing with bittersweet emotion, players felt a mix of joy, sorrow, and pain.
Then, in the story, Kiana and Mei encountered a severely injured Benares on their way back to the Helios.
Under Mei's worried gaze, Kiana gently touched Benares' wounds and began healing it.
In the warm glow, the dragon slowly stood up.
Healed, Benares did not attack.
Instead, it just... followed them.
It kept following them all the way back to the Helios.
Shortly after, aboard the Helios—
Tesla: "..."
"I mean, stray cats and dogs are one thing, but who brings home a Honkai Beast!?"
Dr. Tesla's signature fiery temper couldn't be held back.
"First it's a cyborg, then a refugee girl, now an Emperor-class Honkai Beast... What next, bring a World Serpent executive to the party!?"
Players burst out laughing.
The emotional gloom from earlier was suddenly lifted.
At the same time, players couldn't help feeling frustrated at miHoYo's writers—why stab us when you're so good at writing wholesome scenes?!
What trauma are you projecting?!
As the audience's thoughts spun, Elysia, who was watching the stream, gently nudged Hokuto.
"Hokuto."
"What is it, Elysia?"
"I know a really amazing doctor. Do you... want to see them...?"
Hokuto: "..."
This is all miHoYo's fault in the first place.
He just... brought Honkai Impact 3rd to this world.
Okay, maybe he added a bit of extra flair—
Just to make it more immersive for the players.
Was that... really so wrong?