MGSFV?! Chapter 572: I Don't Want to Die; Watching Others Suffer Is the Greatest Joy
This question rarely comes up, and it's not something people tend to think about.
But upon closer reflection, playing games is supposed to be fun—that's a general consensus.
So deliberately going for retries clearly deviates from the point of playing?
Hmm… Didn't they also retry that battle on the Hyperion yesterday?
But... at that time, they had a clear objective.
"Otto" explicitly said that if they were willing, they could change something.
Yet this battle… the story doesn't change with difficulty.
Doing multiple retries just means getting smacked by Kevin more often. It doesn't seem to offer anything else.
So might as well give yourself a break.
No need—really, there's no need.
"..."
Not entirely unexpected.
Considering the current circumstances...
After experiencing the opening battle that was clearly designed just to ease players into the mood...
Seeing the death count exceed the limits of what two hands could count...
Thinking it over, gauging one's own skill, someone began to feel that maybe it was better to stop tormenting themselves.
And so... this made others curious—why did the rest choose to keep going?
[If you all give up, I'll upload a video after I clear it. Imagine how badass that'll look!]
Okay, that's a pretty realistic reason.
[This difficulty is within my acceptable range.]
Said someone with high hand dexterity.
[I... just want to try again. I've got nothing better to do anyway.]
Hmm, wasn't really seeing that kind of statement?
Well, it wasn't that none existed—
It's just that...
While the players were chatting, this group had already...
"Let's go."
A calm voice, just like Kevin's in the game.
The real-life Kevin was already controlling his character, entering battle.
Some were still pondering.
Some had already decided.
They didn't view this story like the average player.
Their perception of Kevin had always differed.
For instance, just before the battle against Salvation Kevin started, Kevin's view of Kevin had already diverged from the others'.
So when it came to the reason for fighting Kevin, they each had their own understanding.
Because of Kevin's expectations?
No, not just that.
"Kiana..."
Elysia leaned down and pulled two devices from under the coffee table. She held one and handed the other to Kiana.
"We should also..."
She didn't finish the sentence, but the meaning was clear.
"Elysia, are you... sure about this?"
Kiana accepted the device and then asked hesitantly.
"You see, once upon a time, Elysia's ball ended with a final dance with Kevin..."
Elysia paused briefly, lowered her head to start the game, but her tone remained unchanged.
"Then now... the reverse is fine too~~"
"...Mm."
Though Kiana didn't share the same sentiment as Elysia, she still nodded.
And so...
What was previously a solo battle with Kevin in the livestream, suddenly turned into three people operating with serious expressions.
Which made Hokuto watching from the side...
Reach up to adjust the mask on his face.
Come to think of it, perhaps in other places, the people he knew were also joining in with different feelings of their own.
...
Back to the fight.
What's the difference between Salvation Kevin and Finality Kevin?
Most obviously, Finality's time stop has no effect on Salvation Kevin.
It's the same type of Stand—
Cough cough, that's a reference players outside this world probably wouldn't get.
From a gameplay standpoint, the immunity to time stop clearly increases the difficulty.
The players who realized this immediately tensed up.
But...
It's fine. No problem. If they lose "power," they'll make up for it with their skills.
Even though many had already been defeated multiple times in the previous Finality phase, they still showed this much confidence now against Salvation Kevin.
Then again, if they weren't confident, they wouldn't have continued challenging the difficult mode.
And so, players confident in their hand dexterity decisively switched from Finality to Herrscher of Truth, circling the field to chip away at Salvation Kevin's HP with ranged attacks.
"..."
Something feels off.
Where's that confidence? Where's that hand dexterity? This is it? Shouldn't you be boldly engaging Kevin in close combat?
Player: I... don't want to die...
Alright, alright.
Then...
Let Kevin come to you.
Player: ???
Clearly, Hokuto had anticipated that players would try to cheese the boss with long-range attrition. Or rather, any properly designed boss would account for this.
Designers typically give the boss either dashes, ranged AoEs, or regeneration... In short, skills that force the player into melee range.
And here...
Salvation Kevin possesses...
A fragment of Finality's authority.
"All life is but a bird in a cage."
The moment Kevin's tone dropped, players knew he was about to unleash something big.
So, they immediately prepared to dodge.
But...
Before Kevin's strike even landed, Finality's authority activated first—freezing their characters in place, unable to move, forced to watch as Kevin delivered a fatal blow.
"Switch to Kiana."
Just like how Kiana's time stop couldn't bind Kevin, Kevin's authority also couldn't affect Kiana.
She would counter with her own power to neutralize Kevin's skill.
However...
In the story, even if there were sudden changes, the trio could react calmly—without needing to communicate.
Once Kiana and Kevin neutralized each other's abilities, Mei and Bronya could seize the moment and launch a coordinated strike.
Perfect synergy, seamless teamwork.
But in gameplay...
Now, players could only control Kiana. Otherwise, Kevin would one-shot them. In other words, they were forced into close-range combat—well, semi-close range considering Kiana's fighting style?
Player: ...
At this moment, they could almost see the face of a certain someone who designed this mechanic.
"I just wanted to see the look on your faces when your cheese strategy failed.".jpg
Hahaha... cough cough cough.
Player: ...
Inhale~~ exhale~~ inhale~~ exhale~~
Illusion. Just your imagination. That person sitting in the livestream seems pretty calm right now, right?
Must be overthinking.
Hokuto: ...
He adjusted his mask again, silently. As if just to avoid disturbing the three locked in battle with Kevin.
Definitely not holding anything back.
...
Since that's the case—bring it on.
Finality versus Finality! It begins here!
Players reinvigorated themselves.
However...
"Humanity built civilization, believing they ruled the planet."
Kevin's twin weapons on either side morphed into forms more suited for brutal combat.
"But that was merely their childhood."
With those words...
The two weapons merged briefly, transforming into a meteor-like warhammer.
A sweeping slash, followed by a slam, then an explosive shockwave upon hitting the ground.
A smooth chain of attacks that shattered the players' newfound resolve instantly.
Kevin's big stick is so huge... can't do it anymore... can't go on...
Of course, while some cried out that they couldn't take it, others fought Kevin head-on.
Clang clang clang~~
Perfect guard!
That's it? This big stick's no big deal, Kevin—are you even trying?
"Childhood must come to an end. The paths forward are few."
As if he heard their internal mutterings.
Above Kevin appeared countless dark "wormholes," storing overwhelming energy, pouring down in a flood.
Player: ...Yeah, with attacks like these, safe paths really are few.
[Is this... the Herrscher of the Void's authority?]
[Now that you mention it, Kevin's used quite a few odd abilities—Stellar, Reason, Binding, Void...]
Meanwhile, the players who'd earlier chosen to give up were now spectating comfortably from the sidelines.
As expected, watching others suffer really is the greatest joy.
[But seriously, every one of Kevin's attacks is massive—is he treating former ultimates like basic skills now?]
[Suddenly makes my characters feel inadequate.]
[My take is: not enough spending (lol). Whale numbers can out-blast even Kevin's.]
[Still, even if you spend, you can't use it in the story anyway (lol). According to someone, that's to preserve immersion. Otherwise, why would I feel so euphorically tortured on hard mode?]
Well...
That's true...
...
Back to the battle.
The fight between Kevin and the core trio was heating up.
At times, Kevin raised the warhammer...
That move was called "Judgment of the Worthy"—Kevin's rules?
Forged from all that he had endured.
Previous Era, sacrifice, destruction, chasing the flame...
Doubt, denial, hesitation...
Everything one could imagine—these were the paths he'd walked...
Imbued into the hammer, forming its true weight.
Anyone facing that blow—no matter how strong their exterior—if there was even a trace of uncertainty inside, they'd be crushed.
Like Mei during her Herrscher of Thunder era.
Unable to even solidify her own path—yet wanted to shoulder everything?
Other times, Kevin would swing his sword in a triple strike that couldn't be dodged...
Striking down was also a way to express resolve.
"End of the Giver."
To pass him meant reaching a brand-new world, a path with no supports and no retreat—you must become "omnipotent."
This was good. Humanity had bravely stepped forward, bidding farewell to childhood.
But... were they truly ready?
And so...
Kevin pushed his power to the limit, briefly binding the entire field. He ascended to the highest point, entering the ultimate skill charge phase.
The skill was called "Constraint of the Pioneer." As the name implies, it pointed to the omnipresent traces of the Previous Era in the current civilization.
Not shameful, but not worth pride either.
The key is...
Break free from shackles. Stay resolute. Say goodbye to childhood.
Only by doing all this could humanity earn the right to succeed him and surpass Finality.
"Civilization created Honkai. Honkai destroyed civilization."
"A new era is upon us—this is the beginning of everything, and the end of everything."
Kevin's calm yet majestic voice echoed throughout the arena.
"..." ×3
The trio looked up. The expressions on their faces made it clear—this was the moment to give it everything they had.
Here.
Hokuto didn't mind his past arrangements much, but considering the previous revisions, doing this a third time might be excessive?
So—
"Bronya."
As the Herrscher of Truth, she would show Kevin the power of this era.
That is... the potential of civilization.
The imaginary maximum of all real numbers.
A sky filled with "stars" replaced the stars of the deep space.
Azure flames tore through constraints.
Kevin used power to question them, and Bronya used firepower to deliver their answer.
It's not terrifying that giants once held up an era—what's terrifying is giving up the leap forward entirely.
If one cannot accept loss, one is not qualified to inherit.
To her, this wasn't subversion—but letting this inheritance march into the future.
"Mei."
Sacrifice, destruction, doubt, denial, hesitation...
She too had walked through all of that...
She knew the weight Kevin carried—and how unbearable it was.
She also knew the frailty of humankind.
Maybe humans really couldn't inherit such a burden...
No.
She believed more in human strength.
Because she had once seen a miracle shine before her. People trapped in "quagmire" once became moths flying into flame without hesitation.
So this time—
Violet lightning tore through the sky.
A boiling power of destruction shone with a hopeful light.
The girl and her companions would become the blade that carved the future.
"Kiana."
Mei threw her blade toward Kevin.
A weapon constructed by the Origin Authority, forged from her wish to sever everything.
Kiana followed close behind.
And at the moment she caught the blade, she rose to Kevin's height.
The first and final Kaslanas—seemed to share a brief gaze.
Ready.
They both had the same thought and infused all their strength into their blades.
Then, without hesitation, slashed at one another.
No room for doubt.
Both had the courage to leave childhood behind.
They gave it their all.
Both had reasons to hold nothing back—this was their will, their resolve, the path they had walked.
Clang~~~
The classic beam clash.
At this moment, some players—who thought they'd hesitate—found themselves strangely calm?
Kevin had already asked the three most important questions in his own way.
And the trio had answered in theirs.
Civilization has no limits. Humanity will not stop.
Farewell to childhood. Surpass Finality.
And then—toward tomorrow.
Tap tap tap~~~
Rapid tapping.
They felt their fingers had never moved this fast before.
Watching Kiana's blade slowly push back Kevin's—
They felt... a bit relieved?
It's over...
Crack~~
But the weapons in their hands suddenly cracked at the same time.
?
A burst of violet light exploded, engulfing the entire screen.
??
After a long while, the light faded...
And revealed—
A familiar Finality's End.
[???] ×N
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