Making Honkai Impact lll In A World Where Kallen Exists [Continuation]

The Golden Courtyard was beginning to take shape, with the overall structure and divisions of rooms and floors mostly completed.

Vill-V followed up with more meticulous adjustments.

For example... She assigned Mobius's quarters to the lower levels, even giving her the basement.

It perfectly matched that snake's dark, creeping nature and her fusion with a Honkai beast.

Not that there was any personal grudge or unresolved conflict between them, it was just a harmless joke! As colleagues within the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, betrayal would require proper compensation, right?

Cough cough. Truthfully, she did install a direct elevator to the basement for Mobius; it's better to keep such dangerous items far from everyone else.

As for the other Flame-Chasers, their rooms remained mostly the same, even retaining much of their original decor. Still, Vill-V incorporated quite a few modern conveniences from the previous era into the structure, ensuring no repeat of the previous collapses.

The only issue was... it seemed they had permanently lost two of their members.

Why hadn't those two returned yet?

Vill-V crossed her arms, a sharp glint in her eyes. Could it be they were too enamored with the outside world to return to the Golden Courtyard?

Most irritatingly, why hadn't they invited her to join in on the fun?!

Elysia claimed there were many beautiful girls she rarely encountered there, and it was incredibly easy to chat them up. She even said she'd seen the Herrscher of Ice during one outing!

Meanwhile, Mobius believed she needed to gather more personal belongings from everyone for research. Many of them had significant value, even Theresa, whom Mobius once considered useless. After seeing the Ring Project, her opinion had shifted entirely.

After all, even if she wanted to destroy the world, she wouldn't choose her targets at random, right?

There had to be some reason for it!

That world's version of her must've had her reasons for doing what she did!

In summary, the building was mostly finished, but the two who had left had no intention of returning.

Sakura and RIN, on the other hand, had finally ended their wandering stay at Cecilia's home and even met some familiar faces from the game there... Though by now, everyone seemed to have appeared in the game, making it less remarkable.

...

"Although I don't want to say it, a confident Mei is really amazing~"

Elysia patted Mei's shoulder and smiled.

As for Mei's comment that Kevin was on par with Herrschers, she still needed some time to grow into such confidence~

"...Then, let me ask directly: how big is the gap between us and that Flame-Chaser?"

Mei wasn't affected by Elysia's teasing and asked in a deep voice.

Kiana, however, felt annoyed at the hand resting on Mei's shoulder. That was her spot! Hers! And now Mei was dirtied by that hand...

The little green bug lowered her head, feeling a pang of sadness.

But Mei was more curious about the strength of that former leader of the previous civilization. What kind of power could command such faith from so many people?

Discussions about Kevin's strength often came from second-hand accounts and vague comments from others.

"The gap? Hmm, that's hard to say. Evaluating Kevin's power isn't something just anyone can do."

Elysia furrowed her brow thoughtfully before shaking her head helplessly.

How could she explain it? She was just a beautiful girl, not someone skilled in combat~

Yes, exactly like that.

"Ha, what's so difficult? Just compare him to me. Kevin and I are evenly matched!"

At this moment, the Herrscher of Sentience strode in confidently from the doorway, making her bold declaration. She even puffed out her chest with pride.

"Oh? Little Senti, where have you been these past few days? I haven't seen you in a while!"

Elysia greeted her with curiosity.

It had been a while since she'd seen her, and she missed her quite a bit.

"Oh, I went out recently and revisited Mount Daixu. Just some casual traveling…"

The Herrscher of Sentience waved her hand dismissively, responding indifferently to Elysia's enthusiasm.

That enthusiasm always seemed misplaced. If only the old Timer had even half as much interest... What a pity…

Still, there was a certain charm to it. Just look at how much Kiana had been struggling lately. Mei, being both a Herrscher and someone resembling Mobius, had an irresistible allure for Kiana. The combination was... well...

The Herrscher of Sentience sighed, glancing at Kiana with a hint of pity in her eyes.

"It's Taixu Mountain."

Fu Hua corrected from behind.

"Heh—well, when I went there, the sign said 'Daixu Mountain.' Probably weathered and eroded with age."

The Herrscher of Sentience shrugged nonchalantly.

"But that's not the point. Mei, if you want to understand Kevin's power, why not spar with me? There's nothing more straightforward than a fight!"

The Herrscher of Sentience spoke enthusiastically.

"But you're ultimately not Kevin, are you?"

"But I'm also someone from that era. Who here understands him better than I do...? Oh, Elysia, why don't you say something?"

The Herrscher of Sentience faltered halfway through her sentence, realizing Elysia was smiling subtly at her.

Alright, perhaps compared to her former self, Elysia— who had once stood side by side with Kevin, might indeed understand him better.

Although she was proud, she wasn't entirely unreasonable.

"Hmm… do I really have to say something? Oh dear, why must a person like me, who isn't skilled in combat, explain this?"

"Not skilled in combat?"

Mobius scoffed coldly, but under the weight of Elysia's presence, refrained from saying more.

Still, she seemed to have heard a particularly ridiculous joke just now.

Second place? Not skilled in combat? Then what was she doing as the second-ranked member?

"Ah-hah! But indeed, the Herrscher of Sentience is strong enough to contend with Kevin. That much can be experienced firsthand, right, Hua? At least, when it comes to raw strength, she's made significant progress~"

Elysia smiled, giving the Herrscher of Sentience some well-deserved praise.

She's still young and shouldn't be discouraged too much, after all~

"Hmph!"

The Herrscher of Sentience raised her chin proudly, gazing down at the others as if to say, "Am I wrong? Do you really think I'd lie?"

Her demeanor was far more obvious than Elysia's subtle expressions. She was practically begging for compliments.

"Hmm… yes, the Herrscher of Sentience is indeed quite strong."

Fu Hua hesitated for a moment, perhaps recalling her lessons, and gave an unconvincing compliment.

------

Suddenly, Elysia from the game asked this question:

"And since you already know all this... I assume you're aware of the fates of most of the MANTIS right?"

"Are you referring to the heavy losses suffered by the fusion warriors in the battle against the 11th Herrscher? World Serpent's records on this are vague…"

Mei recalled the ancient texts she had read in World Serpent.

"Heavy losses? Those records were really downplayed. It seems even Kevin doesn't want to recall that day."

Elysia's ears twitched slightly, and a trace of melancholy flickered across her expression.

But she still spoke of that horrifying event,

"The Thirteen Flame-Chasers… refers to the only 13 fusion warriors who survived that catastrophe."

The birth of the Flame-Chasers wasn't as glorious as it seemed. On the contrary, it was soaked in the stench of blood and tragedy, memories even the strongest among them would rather not revisit.

"...And after the devastating incident with the Herrscher of Binding, even the most defiant among us finally realized—"

"If we couldn't unite, humanity would be utterly destroyed by the Honkai."

"..."

Mei remained silent, digesting the heavy knowledge she had just learned.

"It was then that a beautiful, warm-hearted, and extraordinarily capable girl stepped forward. Under her guidance, the Flame-Chaser system was born."

Elysia's face lit up with a faint, indescribable smile as she brushed a lock of hair behind her ear. Her expression all but said, "Guess who that girl was? Come on, praise her."

"I think I've already guessed who that is."

Mei's mouth twitched as her deep violet eyes gazed at the lively girl before her. She already had a pretty good idea of who would be praised so extravagantly.

...It could only be Elysia herself, right?

"Mm-hmm!"

Elysia chuckled in satisfaction. As expected... Mei thought the same!

"But in the end, you still failed."

"Don't put it so bluntly! That was our greatest sorrow. Didn't I just say? Victory required unity."

"But the result is obvious."

Elysia spread her hands helplessly, letting out a soft sigh. Her brows furrowed slightly, revealing traces of sadness about the past.

Unity wasn't so easy to achieve. Under repeated internal and external pressures, collapse was inevitable.

She had often wondered if there was more she could have done at that time... but there were no "what-ifs." That outcome was already written.

Mei pondered Elysia's words, slightly shaken by the concept of unity. However, she wasn't overly worried; instead, it served as a reminder.

At least in this era, humanity was united in its fight against the Honkai.

As for Eden, the true master of the Elysian Realm and Elysia's close friend, Mei had yet to meet her.

To this, Elysia explained,

"I prefer to take the initiative and meet cute visitors like you for a wonderful encounter. My companions, however, are still waiting deeper within for your arrival."

With that, she playfully winked, her vibrant expression like a mischievous sprite flitting through a forest.

---

[She's so good at this~ Why didn't Mei compliment her just now? Compliment her!]

[Heavy losses… and that's downplaying it? Only 13 survivors out of how many?]

[In that sense, wouldn't Otto have technically united everyone in this era under one cause?]

[The most defiant one?]

Vill-V stopped typing, her gaze slyly drifting to the others behind her. Her lips curved into a smirk as she arched her brow and feigned curiosity,

"So… who was it? De-fi-ant?"

The others exchanged glances before finally settling their eyes on the white-haired, masked figure of Kalpas.

"Hmm?"

He snorted in response, his expression darkening as he glared coldly at Vill-V.

"What's wrong? Are you saying this isn't about you? The so-called 'genius' who looks down on everyone?"

"Instead of saying who's unruly, why not ask... who is willing to follow orders?"

Kalpas retorted.

...

"See? Kalpas really does cause trouble. Look, even Elysia thinks so~"

Mobius nodded in satisfaction, inwardly agreeing—it was criticism of Kalpas, after all.

She was always happy to charge into the fray first.

As for her and him, forget about cooperation or unity; it wouldn't be surprising if they ended up fighting.

"What do you think, Kiana? Care to share your thoughts?"

Seeing Elysia frowning and unwilling to respond, Luo Mo turned to the leader of this century, Kiana. Although her leadership seemed temporary and rather hasty, tied to the game's design, it wasn't completely unfair.

After all... didn't she propose forming a Herrscher organization? It wasn't a bad idea to start thinking about such questions early, good practice for the future.

With issues like Fire MOTH's, how could it be just one or two people causing problems?

"I think the issue of unity should be the responsibility of everyone in an organization... If it's truly just one or two people causing problems, why not kick them out?"

After hesitating for a moment, Kiana shared her deepest thoughts, having been put on the spot.

"So, it's clear, you're all somewhat unruly."

Kiana muttered under her breath, delivering her final judgment.

"Well, that's..."

Elysia hesitated, sighing at last, resigned. "I can't argue with that. Everyone has their own issues, but it's also why we've come together."

"But, bringing everyone together isn't an easy task."

She didn't elaborate on many other issues, for example, the fact that the Flame-Chasers was founded by a Herrscher, or how the appearance of the final Herrscher shattered the trust they had built, or that the Fire Moth organization wasn't recognized by contemporary human society.

So... unity truly wasn't something that could be achieved simply by saying so.

-----

At this moment, the pink-haired girl was actively guiding the Herrscher of Thunder deeper into the Elysian Realm, exploring its secrets.

In this chaotic and intricately connected digital space, it was built by the consciousness of thirteen individuals, their thoughts even clashing with one another.

"For instance, if reality is a blank sheet of paper, then this place is like an elaborate piece of origami art,"

"Interwoven and folded pages imprinted with different people's perceptions, meshing together intricately."

The girl's eyebrows danced as she smiled and explained.

"You've never been good at using proper metaphors, have you? The kind that actually helps people understand things."

Mei replied coldly, gently rubbing her restless temples.

She felt her previously constructed mental framework disrupted by the other's words. The imagery of folded paper and pages now flitted chaotically in her mind, disturbing her train of thought, what an awful metaphor.

"I'm as cute as a flower. Isn't that a good metaphor?"

Elysia responded with a light laugh, raising her eyebrows, offering a perfect metaphor for Mei to judge.

"..."

Mei was at a loss for words.

What could she say in response?

How could a flower compare to your charm? Or perhaps... no flower in the world could match your beauty.

That would only make Elysia more pleased with herself, wouldn't it?

"Alright, don't worry so much. The Elysian Realm truly is a labyrinth beyond the imagination of most people."

"But I will always be here, lighting the path ahead for you."

Elysia spoke softly, her smile subtly seductive and captivating, encouraging the visitor to delve deeper, uncovering the mysteries hidden within.

From here, Mei's exploration would truly begin.

"Phantom Shadow,"

"Moonlit Mirage,"

"Thunderous God."

With her blessings, accompanied by the power named "■■" engraved nearby.

Mei began her choices.

Elysia leaned in, whispering softly, as if curious about the path Mei would take.

"To walk further in history, following the path I've left behind isn't a bad option. After all, I've witnessed the beginning and end of this era."

"But that being said... revealing one's true self to others is always a bit embarrassing, isn't it?"

Though Elysia said this, there wasn't a hint of embarrassment in her expression. As for the little details in her words... would Mei feel a sudden revelation about them later?