MGSFV?! Chapter 571. Hokuto: He's Taking the Fall Now; Vil-V's First Sponsor
[So the current situation is… whoever shows a weakness first gets broken through instantly?]
[In-game, that would depend on our gameplay. In-story, maybe it's about how well Kiana, Mei, and Bronya coordinate?]
[Honestly, I'm not worried about the OG Trio's teamwork.]
After realizing the final battle's difficulty had increased dramatically, players couldn't help but complain.
Hokuto: Increased dramatically? That's not fair to say, right?
Here, he didn't force players to pick Hard Mode and torture themselves, right?
There's still Easy and Normal.
He merely offered a Hard option. They chose it themselves—how could they possibly blame him?（）
Clearly they couldn't. (certain.jpg)
Player: "..."
...
Anyway.
Players who'd just experienced an unexpected instant death now had the chance to choose again.
Upon re-entering the stage—
Those familiar three options returned as expected.
This time…
Come on. If they didn't want to suffer, they wouldn't have picked Hard from the start. Once they decide, who gives up just because things get tough?
Besides!
They were just caught off guard earlier—it didn't really feel that hard.
Watch them play seriously this time—
They'll clear it in one go!
With that momentum, the battle restarted.
And they quickly reached the same move that had wiped them before:
Omen of the Great Extinction.
This time, fully prepared, they easily dodged Kevin's opening strike summoned through the "Beast That Manifests This World."
Next came the attempt to break through.
Now that the OG Trio had power equal to Kevin, finding a chance to take it down wasn't that hard.
As long as...
The players didn't fumble dodging attacks that these canonically battle-hardened characters should easily avoid...
Put simply—the players just needed not to drag them down.
Player: ???
Now, let's not talk about the others—Kevin himself...
Hokuto watched Kevin, who had completely immersed himself in the battle, focusing on each dodge made with precision or each timely counterattack.
With steady form, he crossed the "Primordial Era" of the planet—
And entered the "Mesozoic Era."
In-game, Kiana and Mei were also able to regroup.
And the Mesozoic Era's attacks—considering the Primordial phase—weren't that hard to guess...
You could even say they were... household knowledge?
After all, the iconic species of the Mesozoic Era was the dinosaur—and the event that wiped them out...
Under the enemy's summoning—
Dark, terrifying meteors filled the sky, their shadows blanketing the earth, evoking helplessness from those who looked up.
They were meteors—but clearly not ordinary ones.
Easy and Normal mode: getting hit doesn't kill.
Hard Mode...
No one wants to "experience" that firsthand.
"DPS race? Interrupting a charged attack?"
Kevin's hyper-focus helped him quickly figure out the mechanics for this phase.
It was the game giving players a choice.
In the story, Kiana and the others might counter with something flashier—like a frontal beam clash?
Though, perhaps experienced warriors using the least costly, most effective tactics would make more sense?
"..."
You're always overthinking things—no wonder...
You're about to wipe again in phase two.
Just focus.
Didn't you say you'd one-shot it this time?
Ridiculous—cough, I mean, such high expectations... wasted.
Player: "..."
The players, staring at another darkened screen, were speechless.
However...
Unlike the ones who got wrecked again because they spaced out—
Kevin remained completely focused. Though he was still unfamiliar with Finality's combos, he had practiced Origin enough to be competent.
With that mastery, he cleared phase two.
And entered the "Cenozoic Era."
The OG Trio, recently separated, reunited once more.
And the enemy they now faced...
[Great Extinction, Meteors… What will the Cenozoic's attack be?]
Players who just wiped during phase two hurried to restart while also watching Kevin's progress in the livestream.
[Hmm, in real-world terms, the most likely extinction scenario for the Cenozoic would be nuclear war?]
[So then...?]
Of course, it wouldn't make sense for the boss to start launching nukes everywhere.
Also—weren't they forgetting something?
In Honkai Impact 3rd's world view, what's the most likely force to destroy—or rather, what has already repeatedly destroyed the Cenozoic?
That would be the Honkai.
So...
They would now face—
Crystalline Honkai matter, savage Honkai Beasts, and gradually humanoid Deadwalkers.
Perfectly mirroring the stages of Honkai disaster evolution.
It felt like—if the boss were stronger—it might even summon Herrschers.
But even so, the overwhelming beast tide was already close to flooding the OG Trio.
[No way they expect us to fight every single one? We'll be here forever.]
[Don't put it like that—mowing down mobs is satisfying.]
Let's just say—phase three was satisfying, but not fully satisfying.
Yes, mowing down hordes was fun.
But then they realized—why weren't the hordes thinning?
[So many mobs. It's filling the whole screen!]
[Yikes.]
Now what?
Players were thinking.
Kevin simply continued his loops. Though no breakthrough had appeared, he showed no panic, no frustration—only quiet persistence.
And within that persistence—a turning point appeared.
"Mei. Bronya."
Kiana realized that if this kept up, it'd never end—so she decided to go all in.
Mei and Bronya instantly understood, providing cover for her.
Their synchronized teamwork felt seamless.
"Now!"
With help from Mei and Bronya, Kiana leapt high into the air.
At that exact moment, the game gave Kiana a shot of herself floating between Earth and the Moon.
Earth and Moon, shining together.
A deep purple light erupted from her eyes and transformed in an instant into wings of light like flame, engulfing the shattered "Between Thrones."
"Finality."
"Be with me."
The wings folded inward in a gesture resembling a hug.
But that hug radiated nothing but destruction.
In Honkai Impact 3rd's lore—when it comes to obliterating everything, it's the Herrscher of Finality.
Even the pinnacle of Herrscher form, the "Beast That Manifests This World," capable of drawing ancient planetary cataclysms—
Still crumbled completely under the force of Finality.
"Kevin—how's that?!"
"..."
Kevin looked down at the disintegrated beast at his feet.
It had no power to resist Finality's force.
It reminded him of the faraway era he once lived in...
But no sadness remained on his face.
Had he forgotten how to express emotion?
Or was it...
...
In reality—
The LED screen behind the host transitioned from the full-body image of the beast to a new scene.
On a desolate land, someone once swung their final sword to ignite a dying age.
And—
The flames pierced galaxies.
The barren earth burned.
Yet no miracle came.
In the end—
On a throne forged from all the era's sacrifices—
Only one figure remained.
"The stars dimmed, the wine dried, my king—why do you remain in this desolate land?"
Suddenly—
Eden's melodic voice echoed through the venue.
Hokuto: ...?
He didn't recall scheduling Eden's song here.
And it sounded so real—like she was nearby.
He also didn't recall inviting her today.
(Then again, who built this venue? He's only Vil-V's second sponsor.)
Although this performance wasn't in Hokuto's plan, he had to admit—the song fit surprisingly well here...
"To await the triumph's arrival."
In a song like a hymn—
She described the king's resolve to remain in the desolate land.
"To find the truth once more."
My king—
Are you waiting for someone to step upon your throne?
To pull a god from their high place?
"Kevin."
Should we expect anything less from a superstar vocalist?
Just a few notes of this aria stirred everyone's emotions.
They could almost picture Eden in the ruins of the apocalypse, facing the vast sky, delivering her final performance.
[So beautiful~ So tragic~]
[Come to think of it, Eden hasn't released a new song in a long time.]
[I just remember she posted after Elysian Realm saying... she wanted to experience more of this era. Maybe that meant finding inspiration?]
[I thought this aria was about in-game Eden, but I didn't expect it to fit Kevin too.]
[What I really didn't expect was... someone intentionally played this now to make sure we made the connection. Nice move. (gritted teeth)]
Hokuto: ?
This time, he was the one taking the fall.
[I rose to the skies to steal your light. I melted and fell into the sea—but to take it back, you must fly higher than I ever did.]
[This is the logic that comes after childhood—the logic of adulthood.]
[And now is the moment Kevin—long 'stuck' in the Previous Era—has awaited. This is: The Time of Godhood!]
"No."
"Hmm?"
Hokuto suddenly spoke, causing blinking eyes to turn.
"He chose to follow—because he recognized his weakness. He bears it all—because he already knows how cruel the end will be. He chose to fly—because... he longs to fall."
"So I believe—he hasn't remained in the Previous Era. Rather... he has truly moved forward."
The last king of the desolate world, standing in place of that long-lost nation, walks on to this day.
He bears. He reflects. He... chooses.
Death is his release.
Finding his burial ground is his hope.
But none of this stems from "already being tired."
He simply knows, with clarity, that walking this path to the end—his death will bring rebirth.
He was never a puppet of obsession, nor a prisoner of duty.
But a hero—one who, even with just a baseball bat, would charge the Honkai.
Insignia of Salvation.
Engraved.
That is his true self. His will.
...
Back to the game.
"Very good."
Kevin waited until the beast completely dissolved into Honkai energy.
Then poured even more power into his Judgment of Shamash.
So much power—it caused the weapon to groan under strain for the first time.
"You've passed the trial of the Herrscher."
He then raised the Judgment of Shamash—burning more intensely than ever.
It tore space apart.
But this excessive output caused it to quickly burn to destruction, leaving only a core.
Still—irrelevant.
Because...
He and it were about to reveal a brand new form.
From the cracks surged a luminous darkness.
It was the power of Finality he bore.
It was everything he carried.
And now, at last, he could truly—
Take it upon himself.
In this moment, he could go all out.
Let's go!
"This isn't about choice. It's not about life or death."
"Now, the ideals of all converge into one grand desire."
In everyone's eyes—
"Brahma's Hundred Beasts, bestowed upon this body."
Honkai Beasts of all shapes surrounded Kevin, burning with strange star-like sparks, forming radiant armor that enveloped him completely.
The divine scene made time seem frozen.
Until Kevin spread his arms wide—
Dispersing the light, revealing his new form.
He seemed overjoyed.
Perhaps—he truly was.
After all, he had always yearned for this day.
"Karma Demon into the Abyss."
A new weapon appeared at his left.
Forged from all his sins and karma.
All the ideals he trampled. All the lives lost because of him.
A symbol of his past as a hero who crushed others' dreams.
"Sword of Salvation drawn."
Another new weapon appeared at his right.
A sword—his most-used weapon.
This moment, he drew it to save the world.
To become the final step toward godhood.
So someone could one day surpass it.
A future where he becomes the second kind of hero.
"Step forward."
Kevin raised his arms—not suppressing anything, fully displaying his power.
And with regal solemnity, announced his name to the three before him:
"This is—the Insignia of Salvation."
And more mercilessly, declared his unwavering resolve:
"If you cannot defeat it, you are unworthy to bear the dream called the Flame-Chasers."
"Come—this time, I load my life into the chamber..."
"And hope that you—surpass everything."
[...]*N
The necessity of this battle—
Had always been obvious.
Kevin regarded himself as the final examiner of the current era. Only if they surpassed him would he admit they were more qualified to transcend Finality.
Nothing less would do.
Because that was the most reliable answer.
But...
[Damn, why am I suddenly overthinking and getting hesitant before fighting Salvation Kevin?]
[You're asking me? How would I know.]
Someone offered their thoughts:
[Maybe it's because we've never come up with our own answer like Kiana and the others did.]
[When facing Kevin, I always feel like I must give him a clear answer—tell him what I want.]
[But in reality, I can only say "what it shouldn't be" or "what it might be," and that lack of certainty... makes it hard to keep fighting him.]
It's just a game—why so philosophical?
But considering the difficulty of Hard Mode...
Salvation Kevin was clearly not an easy opponent.
At that point, inner resolve truly mattered.
Why keep retrying a boss after dying repeatedly?
They needed to answer that question.
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