Inside St. Freya Academy, the place once again welcomed a moment of brilliance, as an unknown number of Herrschers gathered in the same hall.
It was hard to say—was this a strategic meeting for Herrschers plotting to destroy Earth, or a Schicksal branch Valkyrie training conference?
Days passed in a flurry. But for everyone at St. Freya, daily life didn't change much. Even with the chaos, nothing truly disruptive could happen—at least not here, on the most dangerous island in the world.
For Luo Mo, not only had he seen Theresa's shocked expression, but the long-awaited singer Shigure Kira had finally appeared. And now, every morning, the first thing he heard was Elysia's familiar voice—just like long ago.
Even if it was a fake Elysia.
Even if it was the Herrscher of Corruption.
Even if his own system had now taken on Elysia's form…
["Good morning, Host! No oversleeping today ♬"]
["Ah~ you're being too mean! Fake Elysia? If she weren't here, I'd accept her completely! But since she is here, just call me your little Miss Corruption ♬"]
…Wasn't this just the same kind of personality as that pink fairy?
["I can help you make games, too! Look—I have so many great ideas ♬"]
So… how should he even respond to that?
Now, Luo Mo truly understood what it was like to have another person living inside his head. Before, his system would only respond when needed—or sometimes not even then. But this one? She never stopped talking.
But, well… this was the reality now.
So he could only try to get along with her.
And honestly—it wasn't so bad.
Compared to the tragic memories of the heroic Herrscher she had once been—one who had absorbed feelings from games and players rather than the real world—this version seemed more balanced. Her belief in fighting for a better world might not be strong, but her desire for peaceful coexistence was very real.
Over the past few days, their collaboration had gone quite smoothly…
That is, except for her obsession with making him try on the fading-pink fairy's outfits.
Luo Mo refused. Firmly.
Because what if… it really did teleport him somewhere?
---
At Mihoyo Company
After the Herrscher of Corruption was officially confirmed eliminated, Mihoyo became the center of attention.
A flood of new discussions broke out surrounding the Honkai Impact 3rd universe, and countless old academic predictions were unearthed and re-examined—because no one could look at the game the same way anymore.
It was no longer just a game.
It now symbolized the safety and survival of every individual in the real world.
Ironically, the number of trolls had dropped.
Now, everyone coming to work here had their own ambitions and motives.
Everyone wanted to place their people inside.
Recently, the Mihoyo office had turned from days of eerie silence into full-blown chaos.
All night long, the lights never went out.
And that was understandable—because, though the Herrscher of Corruption didn't cause massive destruction, she still created global panic.
Compared to the previous Herrscher of a Domination, who brought havoc everywhere she went, this one had seemed much more harmless…
But "harmless" didn't mean "no impact."
In fact, the emotional shock she caused came from her overwhelming presence.
And following that were pockets of unrest and civil disturbances across the world.
Whenever the worldview people rely on suddenly collapses, it becomes extremely difficult to control public reaction.
Human nature is complicated, and to handle global-scale disasters, there must be a powerful, centralized force that can suppress all dissent.
That's why Rita, Durandal, and many other Valkyries had been constantly on the move.
It wasn't that they hadn't considered sending in Kiana and the others, but…
They were Herrschers too.
In real combat, they weren't entirely trusted.
People worried that if they used their powers too freely, the collateral damage might end up being worse than the original chaos.
The reason for the office lights being on all night was naturally due to overtime work. After the Herrscher of Corruption was dealt with, she left behind numerous corrupted bases and data files. Even resources that hadn't seemed important before had been shaken loose and corrupted.
Now, no one even knew what direction the next game update would take—it was all up in the air.
Apparently, the main storyline accidentally revealed parts of the plot in the event stages. And because it couldn't be changed, the only option left was to extend work hours and accelerate content development.
Meanwhile, the Corruption arc had pressed hard against Luo Mo's original script, so the production team had to speed things up.
One week after the defeat of the Herrscher of Corruption, thanks to everyone's efforts, the main story chapter was finally ready to be released.
----
In-Game
Just like the countless silent nights that had come before it, a cold starry sky was silently observed by an equally cold man.
The stars were vast and unfathomable.
And so was he.
He showed no emotion—neither joy nor sorrow—and seemed outside the cycle of Samsara. To those who followed him, it was as if he were a being whose will had been forged straight out of the void itself: unyielding, unreachable, indescribable.
At the exact moment a cloud covered the moonlight, a hooded figure stepped out from the darkness, cloaked completely in shadow.
She scanned her surroundings, then approached the man cautiously.
"My Lord."
"Jackal instructed me to report: the Project has passed its experimental tests. Awaiting your directive."
Though Raven was by no means a kind person—she had always known that—standing before this legendary white-haired man, rumored to be the leader of the supreme faction, she couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
It wasn't just fear—it was something deeper, something that gripped her soul.
After a long silence, the man spoke without shifting his gaze from the stars:
"...Raven. In your opinion, Why does a bird fly?"
"...?"
Raven hesitated.
Had she spoken too softly earlier because of fear?
Had he not heard her report?
Or… did he simply not care?
She was still considering whether to repeat herself when the man's strange, seemingly unrelated question completely threw her off.
Her mind spun. The man's frozen gaze made her immediately discard any obvious answers.
Even if the question was absurd—she knew she had to respond.
"In my eyes… birds fly simply because they are born to fly. There is no deeper reason."
"And what would you say to the children?"
"I'd tell them... birds fly because they choose to fly. It's their way of taking control of their own fate."
Raven thought for a moment, then gave her answer seriously.
The man said nothing—he just continued gazing into the star-filled void.
Perhaps… he had never cared about her answer in the first place.
----
Back at the Studio – Voice Acting Room
"An island… Why does it fly? Obviously, it's Kiana's fault!"
Luo Mo declared boldly, with a face full of sincerity.
Even surrounded by the disbelieving stares of multiple Herrschers, he still stood his ground.
This—this was true courage, standing up to authority!
For a moment, the room fell into stunned silence.
Then… everyone burst into laughter.
Nearby, someone instinctively covered their face with a round fan, shoulders trembling from trying to stifle their laughter. The soft, bell-like chuckles couldn't be completely hidden.
"Huh?! What do you mean it's my fault?"
"He clearly said bird, not island!"
Kiana, grinding her teeth in frustration, clapped a hand firmly onto Luo Mo's shoulder to express her strong dissatisfaction.
Even though she still wasn't sure what he meant, she knew this stinky boss was messing with her again.
"Pfft—seriously, this is your fault, Kiana!"
"Didn't you give Raven the nickname 'exploding-island crow'?"
Bronya laughed so hard she had tears in her eyes, quickly wiping them away with her finger.
She wasn't used to laughing so spontaneously—it took her by surprise.
Since her core had been restored through the Herrscher of Reason and the Stigmata of Truth, her emotions were no longer suppressed.
The calm, detached demeanor was just her usual mask—she no longer needed it.
She also had a good idea why Kiana had made such a big move lately.
Under Luo Mo's recommendation, the three girls had started intensive training, even inviting several heroes to help increase the difficulty.
They'd been very busy.
Still, despite all the training, Bronya couldn't figure out this so-called "fusion technique" their boss kept mentioning.
At first, Kiana was all fired up, claiming she would shoulder the burden of the world.
But after several solo matches against the veteran fighters, her face began to look more and more like she'd swallowed a lemon.
It's worth noting: whether in simulations or in real life, these trainings had blown up more than a few islands.
"...?"
Just at that moment, Raven pushed open the door, walking in with a few trays of fruit. Seeing everyone inside covering their mouths and secretly glancing at her, she couldn't help but find it strange.
"What are you all... performing some kind of skit? Is my department really that funny?"
She looked at the screen, curiosity growing.
Kiana and the others shook their heads quickly, not daring to reveal the topic they had just been discussing. After all, the person in question was standing right there—it was hard to keep a straight face. Still, the fact that they were all holding back laughter made Raven even more confused.
It was suspicious, and clearly related to her somehow, but… well, she decided not to ask too much. Speaking less and asking less was her working principle. For example, even during the Herrscher Subjugation event, no one ever called her up.
That said... there really were a lot of Herrschers around here...
Raven glanced around the room, looking at everyone present, then sighed and turned back around, leaving through the door.
As soon as she was gone, the dubbing studio erupted into laughter again. Luo Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead, internally sighing in relief.
Phew, that was close. Way too close...
----
In the game.
Schicksal and Anti-Entropy naturally weren't idle during this time. Ever since Principal Theresa took office, relations with Anti-Entropy had significantly improved.
Right now, they were conducting a joint military drill. Theresa was piloting the Hyperion through autonomous flight outside the atmosphere. There was something on the moon that had caught their attention.
That was the original plan—but now, Theresa found herself in the middle of an inexplicable storm.
Clearly, the ship's systems had never encountered a single error, yet the flight path kept showing small anomalies, as if... some strange signal in space was constantly interfering with the ship's navigation systems.
The repeated disruptions during auto-piloting had turned into a cascading failure—what started as a simple drill had now become a dense fog of confusion.
In contact with Dr. Einstein back on Earth, Theresa couldn't help but frown even deeper. Things were getting weirder and weirder.
Still, no matter what, she would not allow the slightest carelessness. If an abnormal situation arose and she couldn't deal with it properly, then her only choice was to immediately return to the starting point, and continue the drill only after confirming the issue.
She wasn't a child anymore.
-Ding—
Theresa's consciousness flickered and dimmed. A wave of confusion washed over her—her whole body unsteady, her thoughts a mess. A warm, gentle force pulled her deeper—
Into a dreamscape.
----
Meanwhile, on Cecilia's side, things were getting lively—because the famous idol Shigure Kira had shown up.
"Schicksal's Overseer, huh... Such an old-fashioned title. I didn't expect Theresa to actually take the position in-game. Honestly, it's kinda fresh."
Shigure Kira spoke openly, scratching her head as she sat properly on the sofa inside Cecilia's home. That scary blue-haired girl was there too—she remembered her name was Bella, right? Why was she staring so intently?
It was giving her a headache.
It had been a long time since they met. The world seemed to have changed a lot—but the biggest surprise was that there were two Cecilias here. Although they were easy to tell apart, still...
"Can someone explain what's going on with this extra captain...?"
She didn't get it. And she wasn't too fond of the mysterious-looking Valkyrie Like Cecilia, even if she looked like her favorite version of the captain.
"I left for a bit, not that long, and now I'm supposed to call you senpai? Please~"
Theresa rolled her eyes at her, but then waved generously. Judging by her smirk, she was clearly happy to see an old friend again.
"Ahem. And who's... this other version of the captain's little sister?"
Shigure Kira looked curiously at the mysterious, smiling Valkyrie Hare, and the floating figure beside her—Prometheus, with one hand over her head.
"Ah, even though I wish that were the case, I'm sorry—it's nothing like that. Just call me Misteln. Miss Kira, the rumors say you're a superstar with an angelic singing voice. Is that true?"
Misteln chuckled lightly, not bothered by the casual introduction. She seemed genuinely interested in Kira—otherwise, she wouldn't have gone out of her way to meet her like this.
Shigure Kira froze a little, her eyes filled with suspicion. Who had been spreading her name all the way out here? And judging by the way Misteln said it, the rumors were still growing?
She glanced at Cecilia, who was smirking evilly nearby. Now she really wasn't sure.
'Ugh. How embarrassing. Being called an idol is bad enough—but they even emphasized the singing part?'
'Idols are more than just singing, okay?!'
At that moment, Kira's mood took a nosedive.
---
Meanwhile in the Game.
The long-prepared World Serpent's plan—the Stigmata Project—had finally reached its opening act.
After reporting to the Sovereign, Raven made her way to Mei, to complete a mission together.
Within the Elysian Realm, Mei already had some knowledge of the Stigmata Project. In fact, her very reason for coming to this place had something to do with it. However… her understanding was limited.
But now, Raven was the one who brought it up, not letting her miss any detail.
"You're saying... we're currently walking through that old man's dreamscape. And the core of the Stigmata Project is—turning people into Stigmata?"
"You mean World Serpent intends to follow the path left by Mobius, and redefine humanity?"
Old humanity would be gradually linked through dreams, and eventually transformed into a new human species—Stigmata.
That was Raven's firm answer, and Grey Serpent's plan.
In reality, the project had long since changed from its original bloody ritual. The sacrifice had become a gentle dream.
A dream that was both tender and cruel.
"I don't fully understand the technical side of it. But at the very least, one thing is certain:"
"It allows people to disappear into their dreams—where reality and illusion begin to swap places. Spirit becomes matter, matter becomes spirit."
"『After all normal people disappear, World Serpent will reshape the world into one suitable for the new humans. Honkai Energy will flow freely within everyone, and Herrschers... will never appear again.』"
"That's the original theory of Grey Serpent. But as I see it… this is, in another sense, what the Elysian Realm truly is."
Raven raised her crimson claws slightly, her face unreadable—somewhere between joy and sorrow.
She looked up at the twilight sky and sea within the old man's dream. Scenes he would never see in his lifetime now appeared again, replaying in memory.
She spoke softly.
"Connecting the dreams of all people into one enormous illusionary being. Like the angels described in myth... the collective spirit known as Adam."
"Their dreams link together, and create a miraculous transcendence beyond this world."
"...Why are you telling me all this?" Mei asked.
"Because whether or not I do, the Stigmata Project is already near completion. It won't be stopped just because of this level of intel."
"You could go ask Grey Serpent. He'd tell you the same thing."
Raven chuckled lightly, her tone relaxed.
She stared Mei straight in the eyes—waiting for her reaction.
When the Sovereign assigned this task to both her and Mei, Raven already understood: This might be the moment Mei leaves.
And as for that... Raven had no objections. Deep down—
She wished for it.