MGSFV?! Chapter 420. The Shipper; Just Whose Sacrifice Is Mei Supposed to Understand?
About Elysia's inner thoughts—
Namely, Hokuto being the CEO of HoYoverse and also the first to start memeing...
If at the beginning, Hokuto just wanted to see a few familiar jokes from his past life in this world, chasing after some sense of nostalgia...
Then now—
He just purely wanted to bring everyone more joy.
How… noble of him. (Heavy sarcasm)
…
Back to the plot.
Because the Herrscher of Reason's Core Bronya possessed was different from the other Herrscher cores—
This one held the will of the 300,000 who died in the Berlin Honkai Outbreak.
Which is why Mei asked about the state of Bronya's Herrscher core.
And Bronya didn't hide anything.
"Their voices have indeed disappeared—but their will is more distinct than ever."
"Sometimes, when making a decision, Bronya herself can't be certain whether her thoughts are her own... or theirs."
Just like earlier—when they were unknowingly led by the Herrscher of Sentience.
It's hard to say if a decision is truly your own or shaped by others.
After all, it's difficult to be entirely uninfluenced by others, isn't it?
That's just being human.
So it's only natural that Bronya, as the Herrscher of Reason, would be especially thoughtful about her situation.
In fact, that's exactly what makes her the Herrscher of Reason.
Because her origin was never just "power"—but also belief.
A belief that humans can fight against the Honkai as humans.
That they can challenge gods through sheer will.
She doesn't draw power solely from the Honkai—but from civilization.
From the moment of her birth, her very existence has been a contradiction, a crucible.
She is both the apostle of the Honkai and the vessel of a thousand human ideals.
All of these contradictions, tempered over time—
eventually forged a pure and blazing belief:
"Humanity will change the world with its own will."
This is the so-called Rationality of Civilization.
Which is why—
Bronya had deliberately sought out Mei, wanting to speak with her alone.
Because—
"Rather than 'Bronya' and 'Mei' standing here—what's more important is that we're both heirs of legacy."
She wasn't wrong.
Despite the unexpected journey, both of them had received the greatest legacy from their respective eras.
[Mei inherited from the Thirteen Flame-Chasers. Bronya from 300,000 humans.]
[Passing the Torch. Title drop. Honkai Impact 3rd's original theme still holds strong.]
["Healthy, Upbeat, and Full of Positive Energy."]*n
"..."
Mei gave a slight nod.
"True... I've never formally introduced the Flame-Chasers or the Elysian Realm to everyone—but Bronya really is Bronya."
"Kiana's not dumb either."
Bronya looked toward Mei.
"But from her perspective, she wouldn't rush you to share your story."
She paused for a moment—then chuckled softly.
"Pfft~ I mean... the two of you—who are you to each other, really?"
Mei: "..."
Mei fell into a very subtle silence.
But the players?
They were suddenly wide awake.
Bronya really knew what she was saying.
[So Bronya's the true Kiana x Mei ship captain.]
[Fake ship captains: Raiden Mei. Real ship captain: Bronya Zaychik.]
[Bronya: speaker of truths.]
[Bronya: Ph.D. in Shipperology.]
"Bronya said that so well~~!"
Elysia couldn't help clapping her hands.
No one but a hardcore shipper could deliver that line with such precision.
I get you, Bronya.
...
After a moment of silence, Mei pushed her hair behind her ear—
"Uh... haha..."
And gave a rather awkward chuckle.
But!!
She didn't refute it.
She did not deny it.
That was practically a confession!
Elysia, a certified expert in extracting crumbs of romance, couldn't help grinning like an auntie.
So sweet, so so sweet!!!
But... would Mihoyo really let you just blissfully enjoy the sweetness?
Of course not!
You must season the sugar with just a touch of pain.
That's what makes it complete. That's the Honkai 3rd way.
So in the story—
Mei steered the topic away.
"So... from Bronya's perspective—?"
Bronya didn't press the issue. After all, Kiana wasn't here.
Without her, this line of discussion wouldn't lead to anything entertaining.
She replied truthfully:
"Bronya only knows fragments of your time with World Serpent, Mei. Even with the intel Rita gathered, we can't fully understand your experience."
But—
Bronya still sensed something.
"After receiving that legacy, Mei... it seems like you're no longer unable to understand someone else's sacrifice."
That phrase—"someone else's sacrifice"—was especially pointed.
Because Mei had always been willing to sacrifice herself.
Even strapping a bomb to her own heart to avoid losing control.
If that's not extreme, what is?
And the players—
Weren't ready for this line.
It immediately triggered memories they had worked hard to bury.
[The knives that were dead have come back... but whatever, I'm numb to it now.]
[Mei couldn't understand sacrifice before—but she went to the Elysian Realm... and witnessed all thirteen farewells.]
[Don't say "thirteen farewells" in the chat, I can't handle that.]
[But seriously, doesn't Bronya's line feel like foreshadowing? Is Mei going to have to understand someone else's sacrifice again? Whose?]
[...I'm getting scared.]
"Foreshadowing..."
Elysia frowned slightly.
Yes—it really did feel like setup.
So the question is...
What is it setting up?
Honestly...
It wasn't entirely unguessable.
But...
"No way…"
No one wanted to consider the possibility.
[Isn't there a chance this isn't foreshadowing? Maybe we're overthinking it. Honkai Impact 3rd is a healthy, positive game, after all.]
[True, true. Let's not overthink.]
Hmm...
But it was foreshadowing.
Even if Honkai is healthy and full of sunshine.
["Healthy, Upbeat, and Full of Positive Energy."]*n
[Shield me, Bullet Chat.]
...
In-game—
Mei mulled over Bronya's words.
"Not like before... unable to understand, huh?"
"Bronya, I..."
She paused for a long while.
"I may not trust myself as much as you do. But from them, from the Flame-Chasers—I've come to understand something."
"Before that irreversible moment comes—none of us truly knows what kind of person we are."
Some might joke that Mei became numb from seeing too many deaths—
But that would just be banter.
In truth—
Mei had learned something from those who sacrificed themselves:
Don't just judge them by their end.
Don't reduce them to: "They died for their beliefs, that's sad."
Instead—
Understand why they made that choice.
See the moment they stepped forward.
"That said..."
Mei changed the topic again.
"Bronya, your tone just now... didn't sound like someone criticizing the past."
"Of course not."
Bronya replied.
"Even in the ruins of Chiyou Academy... Mei didn't truly do anything wrong."
"In terms of how you both view sacrifice—Mei and Kiana chose completely opposite paths."
Mei: "..."
Even though she knew where this was going—
Hearing it again, she couldn't help falling silent.
Everything from that time...
She still remembered vividly.
Because honestly, not that much time had passed.
But thinking about it now—it felt so far away.
Bronya continued:
"And because those two paths are opposites..."
She paused.
Then carefully crafted a meaningful phrase:
"It's only natural that two people as fundamentally different as Mei and Kiana... could truly connect—and complete each other."
[TL;DR: Duck says... Ship.]
[Bronya really is the ultimate shipper.]
[She says everything I want to say—and even things I didn't know I needed.]
[The more this story goes on, the more I realize Bronya understands Kiana and Mei better than Elysia does.]
"Hmm?"
Elysia's slight worry completely vanished.
"But I said those words before too."
"So Bronya can't surpass the Fairy Lady with just that~~"
Why does she always get competitive in such weird ways?
But…
Bronya wasn't done yet.
In-game, her voice continued:
"Mei, you've probably noticed too. In these past six months, Kiana's grown a lot."
"As your friend, Bronya is truly happy to see your convictions align once more."
"In Bronya's view—what you and Kiana need now is just that final, decisive step."
[Bronya's elegant use of idioms.]
[Are you planning to be the one to kick that final step, Bronya?]
The players thought it was just a joke—
But Bronya really did do the kicking.
Mei: "..."
She blinked—then smiled softly.
And said, half-joking:
"So that's why... huh. If someone overheard this conversation, they'd probably find it strange."
Strange?
Now that she said it—yeah, maybe a little?
But everyone in the know understood.
Because these kinds of things—if stated too plainly—might get censored.
So Mihoyo usually only lets them hint at it.
Surely they'd never actually spell it out.
No way, right?
Some players were even typing this sentiment in chat.
But...
This time, Mihoyo really did show it directly.
If he hadn't backfired the last few times he spoke up, Hokuto would've wanted to toss out a joke just now.
What a shame.
"Sigh~~"
"Otto-san, what are you sighing for all of a sudden?"
"...Nothing."
"Oh~?"
...
Back to the story.
Even though Mei joked about Bronya bringing up a "strange" topic, she understood it was meant to comfort her.
So she offered a heartfelt thanks.
"Thank you, Bronya."
"Don't mention it."
Bronya smiled.
Then, all of a sudden, summoned Heavy Bunny 19C and readied for battle.
"In that case—how about sparring with Bronya, who also feels she's grown stronger?"
Mei understood immediately.
She didn't refuse.
"Sure—but just so you know, I've never been one to hold back."
[Do you Herrschers greet people by fighting?!]
[Bronya, you've gotten cocky—did you forget what you are?!]
[What is she? Don't be cryptic in the chat!]
["The Unwinning Legend"]
[Bronya stans: rage intensifies!]
[Hmph, maybe she wins this time. PS: just let me play her for once.]
And the game—
Actually let players control the battle.
Hokuto often adds fresh content not found in the original Honkai 3.
This wasn't new.
As their dialogue ended—
A fight began.
The player controlled Mei to attack Bronya.
Naturally—
They pulled no punches.
Sure, the chat had been full of jokes—
But winning was still important…
Err, no—it was that they couldn't let Bronya's unbroken losing streak end here!
Thanks for teaching us how to be emotionally intelligent, Bronya.
Now we're returning the favor.
Bronya: ????
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