MGSFV?! Chapter 425. A Scene Mei Can't Bear to Watch; Disrespecting the Immortal Master
"A person does not die when they should, but when they can."
This is a line from One Hundred Years of Solitude.
It was also quoted by Otto during the "Kolosten" era, as an explanation to Void Archives for the seemingly contradictory things he did at the time.
And now—
It feels just right to describe Kevin with this line.
Let's not get into how iconic the quote is—concise yet profound.
Kevin and Otto were always alike.
Both yearned for something better and placed themselves firmly in the role of the sinner.
Both believed human emotion could create miracles, and both hoped those miracles would surpass everything else.
And such miracles...
Weren't impossible.
Be it Kiana, Elysia... or even Otto (?), he had witnessed them too many times to count.
So of course—
He chose to believe.
To try believing.
In that power everyone was willing to fight for, no matter what.
[Otto the Overseer has gone ahead. Kevin, it seems, will soon follow. Only Welt is left doing sit-ups in Nagazora (serious)]
After Fu Hua mentioned Kevin was searching for a "burial place,"
the previously solemn stream...
Was broken by a floating comment.
[I was just working up the mood for a heartfelt monologue... and then your joke completely killed it. ()]
Of course, even though some viewers were interrupted—
Others shared more sincere reflections.
[The composition of Kevin and Fu Hua here is so symbolic. The Skyfire Greatsword standing between them, Kevin facing away from its light—symbolizing his era has ended. Fu Hua, facing it head-on, represents her journey toward the future.]
[You guys really are the kings of literary analysis (serious)]
[Literary analysis? Wasn't that the obvious intended meaning?]
[That might be the story's message, but the CG's layout probably just looked cool.]
"Mr. Otto... is that what it meant?" Elysia asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Well..." Hokuto considered it seriously.
"I also lean toward the idea that, like some players said, the CG carries symbolic meaning."
He paused, then added:
"But if you really want to know for sure, you'd have to ask the artist personally."
"Hmm..." Elysia acknowledged, blinking before offering a suggestion.
"In that case, why don't you go get Mei, Mr. Otto?"
"That... might not be possible," Hokuto hesitated before answering.
"Huh? Why not?" Elysia pressed.
Hokuto answered truthfully:
"Mei... just said she felt a little embarrassed watching the upcoming scenes with everyone... so she stepped out for a bit. She's not in the office right now."
"Huh??? Mei... what's going on with her?"
"And... 'embarrassed' to watch the upcoming scenes...?
Could the scenes ahead be that... special?"
Elysia's curiosity was clearly triggered.
What's going to happen next?
She just had to know.
And so—
She quickly clicked to continue the game.
...
The scene shifted.
Subtitles appeared:
[The last time she saw her... was just a few hours ago.]
Was this Mei's inner monologue?
[The girl remembered clearly—at the time, the other had just arrived at the training field, waving and greeting her.]
Maybe... not Mei?
[Then came the sudden twist of fate. In a single moment, she was on the Moon—completely alone.]
Who...?
[The girl couldn't activate her spatial treasure, "Sumeru Seed."
She could only confirm via faint signals that her adjutant had not been swallowed by the anomaly.
Thankfully, the world within her body remained intact.]
Sumeru Seed?
That keyword gave it away—
It was Durandal!
And she was about to reunite with Kiana, wasn't she!?
Everyone's spirits lifted.
[But—aside from that, everything else became an 'unknown' to the girl.]
[And it was precisely because of this that, when someone repaired the broken bridge across time and space—
she immediately caught the signal and seized the chance to establish this miraculous connection.]
[...No. It wasn't a miracle.]
[After all, the other was her 'sister'—
Even though, at this moment, they were still unable to recognize each other.]
Unable to recognize each other?
Why!?
Say it already! Just say it!
Before, they didn't because of Otto—didn't want to distract Kiana.
But now? There's no reason!
So come on, now's the perfect time!
As the players fidgeted in anticipation—
The screen slowly lit up.
Durandal and Kiana met at last, face to face in a space of pure white.
"...In short, we're currently trapped on the Moon.
And it seems the Earth is being restructured by the Stigma Project.
World Serpent believes this is the only way to defeat the Honkai."
"Kiana, how are things on your end in the Sea of Quanta?"
Kiana immediately replied:
"After going through some things, Mei, Bronya, the Herrscher of Reason, and I ended up in a Moon-like World Bubble...
We met a Pre-Civilization Dr. Mei and the AI Prometheus..."
She, too, concisely explained everything she'd just experienced.
The two girls—so genetically similar they could almost be the same person—
used the moment to exchange information.
Durandal quickly noticed something odd—
There was a flaw in Dr. Mei's plan!
If the goal was to reconnect the World Bubble to the Imaginary Tree,
then it needed a stable anchor in the Real World.
But Mei had never once mentioned such an anchor.
It became obvious:
Mei never intended to reconnect the bubble at all.
The whole plan was a cover—
meant to mask her true objective.
[Dudu, you're smart!]
[The Kaslana genes are expressing themselves in recessive form!]
[Recessive form... ohhh I get it now.]
At the same time, through Genius, Dr. Schrödinger gave further clarification to Kiana—
Yes... this part of the explanation was a bit obscure.
So let's summarize it quickly:
The gist was—
Dr. Mei claimed the Imaginary Husk could be used to upload their World Bubble to the Real World.
But that was totally unrealistic.
It was like trying to herd a bunch of antelopes across a tightrope over a canyon.
Eventually, Kiana realized Mei was hiding something.
She ended the call with Durandal—
And prepared to talk things over with Mei and Bronya.
And that concluded the short "sisters" exchange.
[I feel like I'm listening to locals talk in a regional dialect.
I think I understand the gist of the story...
But when it comes to specifics, I'm totally lost.]
[So real.]
[Reminds me of my first time hearing the "demon language" on a business trip.]
...
On the other side—
Our favorite Herrscher, Hokuto, was deep in conversation with Mei.
From 50,000 years ago... all the way to now.
With vivid tone and expression, Hokuto said:
"...And then, that old fossil got badly injured again and passed out."
[Is this storytelling or stand-up comedy?]
[Hokuto, how could you joke about your Immortal Master like that? That's disrespectful (serious)(dog emoji)]
[Don't disrespect the Immortal Master!!! (Hokuto-pointing.jpg)]
[Wait—was this the part where Hokuto just finished telling Mei about the Seven Students Slaying the Master arc?]
Nothing from the viewers could faze Hokuto.
She continued:
"Tell me she's not dumb—
She even got tricked into going to Europe by some guy named Otto."
Poor Otto...
Head crushed and nearly forgotten.
Mei, on the other hand, was listening with great interest.
She occasionally even chimed in:
"I imagine this Otto... must've been someone exceptional."
That got Hokuto riled up:
"If only!"
"..."
"...Forget it, let's not mention him. It's bad luck.
That guy spent his whole life as a global leader, yet all he ever cared about was a woman who died 500 years ago."
"And get this—
In the end, he actually traded his life for hers and brought her back in another world.
Can you believe that?"
[Hokuto's spicy Otto review.jpg]
[Hokuto is my mouthpiece! Say more! Hahahaha]
[It's clearly tragic and epic, yet coming from Hokuto it somehow sounds hilarious.]
[That's the power of the Official Joy-Bringer™ of Honkai Impact 3rd (witty emoji)]
However—
Unlike Hokuto's extremely biased commentary—
Mei's thoughts on Otto were... quite neutral.
And she even revealed a critical piece of information:
"..."
"I see.
No wonder Prometheus detected a spike in planetary-scale energy,
even without the Herrscher of the End descending."
"After all, the dead can't truly return to life.
If he really did accomplish that—
the only possibility would be... a so-called 'World Reversal.'"
Otto's pseudo-god status officially confirmed by Dr. Mei.
Naturally, Hokuto wasn't pleased.
"Hey... why are you praising him?
You've never even met him!
You have no idea how repulsive that guy really is!"
Hokuto continued her roast.
Which made sense—
Otto tricked her more than once in their brief interactions.
Hmm...
[What would happen if Mei and Otto actually met? Now I'm curious!]
[Honestly, I'm more curious what would happen if Elysia met Otto. That would be wild.]
[Bro, are you looking for the fairy girl's stream?]
[Yeah, haven't we been listening to it for a while now?]
"Ah..."
Seeing those comments, Elysia couldn't help musing about it herself.
If she and that person had a conversation...
"Interesting???"
That was the word that first popped into her head.
Which made her expression... extremely complicated.
All those unspeakable memories rushed in at once.
"..."
"..."
No words.
Only silence.
Just this—
A pretty girl can do anything.
But that doesn't mean she can redeem Otto.
Click—
The game continued.
Right at that moment—
Kiana and the others returned.
Kiana greeted them:
"—Dr. Mei, Herrscher of Reason. We're back."
[Wait, why didn't she call her "Hokuto"?]
[Yeah! That sounded way too formal! Call her Hokuto! (dog emoji)]
Hokuto yawned lazily:
"Oh? You're finally back.
We were about to finish reviewing 50,000 years of history over here."
Hokuto: "Hurry up already! I've been waiting forever!"
"Sorry to keep you waiting,"
Bronya replied with a deliberately calm tone, clearly trying to tease Hokuto.
"In any case—"
Mei interrupted with her usual calm:
"I assume you've completed all necessary preparations before activating the Imaginary Husk?"
"Step one... yes." Mei continued.
"However... it seems you still have more questions for me?"
Hokuto: "?"
Ever perceptive, Hokuto picked up on the shift in atmosphere (literally, through her Herrscher authority).
She typed out a giant mental question mark.
Hmm?
Everything was fine just now.
Why the sudden change in tone?
Despite being able to read minds—
Hokuto still didn't quite understand hearts.
But that's what made her so lovable.
More sincere than anyone.
More passionate than anyone.
Detested roundabout nonsense more than anyone.
Unrestrained and alive.
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