A boundless expanse of white.
Even the buildings of St. Freya Academy were pure white.
In this game segment, the only spots of color were Himeko and Kiana.
The holy, dreamlike scene—bathed in soft piano music—felt serene and impossibly warm.
"Eden, look—it's Himeko~"
Eden nodded softly. "This must be… the final interlude, right?"
"Yeah… huh? The game wants us to catch up with Himeko?" Elysia thought for a moment, then pushed the keyboard toward Eden.
"I remember you're a total Himeko fan, right~? Why don't you take the controls?"
Eden didn't refuse. She immediately began guiding Kiana toward Himeko, who was walking slowly toward St. Freya Academy.
Eden grew anxious—afraid she wouldn't catch up, that this long-lost figure would vanish once more.
Finally, Kiana reached her.
The screen shifted into a cutscene.
Kiana's eyes trembled, her voice low and trembling in disbelief.
"Himeko… sensei…"
Then came that gentle, radiant smile.
"Long time no see, Kiana~"
The moment it appeared, the live chat exploded.
[Himeko-sensei!! QAQ]
[Ahhhh… I'm gonna cry!]
[That smile… oh my god~~]
[Wait—is this… a chance for revival?]
[Ugh, I want Himeko to come back too, but… this is just her lingering consciousness…]
[Damn you, miHoYo!]
…
Eden's chest tightened as she was completely drawn into the story.
On screen, Himeko looked at Kiana tenderly, her voice as soft as a breeze.
"Did I… show up too suddenly?"
Kiana could no longer speak—she shook her head over and over, trying desperately to hold back her tears.
"That's good then~"
"You've changed so much."
After taking a moment to compose herself, Kiana finally managed to answer, voice trembling but steady:
"Himeko-sensei… you haven't changed at all."
"Really? That makes me happy~"
Silence fell between them for a long while.
Then Kiana finally asked the question she already knew the answer to.
"This is just… a remnant of your consciousness, isn't it?" Her voice was hoarse, heavy.
Himeko's expression dimmed slightly, tinged with regret.
"I suppose so… but here, time doesn't flow."
"Still, we can talk like this…"
"I'm sorry… that I couldn't stay by your side."
At that moment, hearing Himeko's warm voice, Eden's composure finally broke.
She bit her lip, tears trembling at the corners of her eyes, her brows twitching as she tried not to let them fall.
Himeko-sensei was just… too gentle.
And in that instant, Eden finally understood what the girls had meant earlier—
This is the kind of sweetness that makes you cry.
…
In-game, Himeko led Kiana into the pristine, white-walled St. Freya Academy.
"Kiana, let's enjoy a little time that doesn't flow~"
As soon as she finished speaking, color slowly returned to the world.
"The scenery changed?"
The walls of St. Freya regained their hues.
"After being a teacher here for so many years, I remember every corner of this academy like the back of my hand~"
Himeko stretched lazily, looking around with a wistful smile.
"I really miss it—the youth and energy of this place."
"Yeah… back then, I couldn't wait to grow up. But I didn't realize that growing up could hurt this much…"
"If you could do it all over again, would you choose differently?"
Kiana shook her head. "Probably not… that wouldn't be me, would it?"
Kiana had calmed down by now. Eden wiped away her tears, regaining her composure too.
The story that followed really was sweet as sugar.
The two of them strolled through the campus, reminiscing about old times—
Himeko sneaking drinks, Kiana skipping classes…
It was as if they were back in those carefree days once more.
Then Kiana told Himeko about everything that had happened since.
In short: she'd fallen asleep as a student, and woken up as a Herrscher.
Oh, and one of her classmates was five thousand years old now.
After a brief moment of shock, Himeko smiled again and began teaching—her true final lesson.
As Himeko spoke, Eden was stunned to realize that she knew about the 2010 disaster—
and that her captain, Ragna, had died at the hands of the Herrscher of the Void.
Kiana tensed, guilt welling up inside her. But Himeko gently placed a hand on her head, her voice soothing and firm.
"Kiana, the Herrscher of the Void blames you for that tragedy and its aftermath—but that's wrong."
"She can't see the choices people make for themselves, nor the beauty that still shines through."
"And what I really wanted to tell you is this…"
Then Himeko began recounting Ragna's teachings to her—words that had once guided her.
"We protect what is beautiful,
what will one day become beautiful,
and what we believe to be important.
They may seem small, even futile now—
but that's only because they're still seeds.
One day, those seeds will bloom into fields of flowers."
Eden was stunned—not because the words were poetic,
but because those very lines had once been spoken by Otto to Ragna!
Otto—of all people—had said that!
She wasn't the only one shocked. The entire livestream chat was in disbelief.
It was like rediscovering who Otto really was.
Himeko's voice continued.
"It was Captain Ragna who first encouraged me—to change this imperfect world into the one I wished to see."
"Kiana, I've read that mission report—"
'No one knows exactly what happened that day,
but the rampaging Herrscher was subdued,
and Siegfried, who unleashed the Heavenly Fire, survived.'
'That must mean someone present made the choice she believed was right.'
Himeko looked softly at Kiana.
"I think the Captain saw something in you—something she wanted to protect, something… I once saw too."
"She did, and so do I. We all believe in you."
"You can save others. You can make the world better."
"And you have, Kiana."
Her smile was full of pride and warmth.
"What you did in Sky City, in Mount Taixu, and now against the Herrscher of Domination…"
"You've saved so many lives—and those people will go on to help others."
"That is humanity's legacy—the eternal flame of hope!"
…
The moment she finished, the music swelled into a full symphonic chorus—
a melody bursting with hope.
The millions watching the stream all felt chills run down their spines.
Eden trembled, covering her mouth as tears blurred her vision.
This—this was the theme of the chapter: the torch of humanity, the flame that never dies.
The writing was magnificent.
With that soaring, radiant soundtrack, it was simply overwhelming.
[miHoYo! My god! QAQ]
[Whoever wrote this—get them out here, I'm kneeling!!]
[This is a game? Most anime don't even reach this level!]
["Light tomorrow's torch…" Now I understand… uwah~~]
[So that's why the theme song is called Everlasting Flame!]
[I'm listening to it right now… miHoYo, you absolute genius!]
[The path once shrouded in pain now burns bright with starlight.]
[This is humanity's legacy—the eternal flame!]
[This is humanity's legacy—the eternal flame!]
[The flame passes on, and virtue never dies~]
The chat completely flooded the screen.
The entire Bilibili tech team panicked, terrified the servers would crash.
They'd been watching Eden's stream closely—and were just as overwhelmed by Honkai Impact 3rd's story.
A game's narrative had moved even non-gamers to tears.
If the system crashed now, they didn't even want to imagine the chaos that would follow.
"Quick! Cut off a few other streams! Divert bandwidth! Add more servers!"
…
Meanwhile, tears still in her eyes, Eden continued clicking through the story.
Even Elysia—normally all smiles—was silent now, completely absorbed.
As the hopeful music played, Himeko's gentle voice returned once more.
"I understand your anxiety, Kiana."
"The more help you receive, the heavier the weight feels."
"So you must remember—you've never been alone."
"Your allies in Anti-Entropy, Principal Theresa who always watches over you, your reliable class monitor Fu Hua…"
"Kiana, trust and rely on your friends. They believe in you just as you believe in them."
…
By now, Kiana had broken free from her confusion.
All that was left… was saying goodbye to Himeko-sensei.
But before she could speak, the space trembled violently.
Kiana steadied herself. "Outside… is that everyone?"
Himeko sighed. "It seems they're fighting the Herrscher. That means… time here has finally started to move again."
The screen switched to Bronya and Fu Hua's perspective.
They were trapped in a sealed space, unable to locate Kiana.
After some discussion, they deduced the true nature of the Herrscher of Domination.
Thanks to Bronya's calculations, they finally broke through the barrier and found Kiana unconscious.
But as they rushed to rescue her, rows of puppets blocked their way.
"What now, Class Monitor? We can't find another path."
"And these puppets are directly linked to their hosts—if we destroy them, their hosts in the real world will die…"
It was a dire situation.
The puppets' hosts weren't Herrschers, but living humans—innocent lives.
Neither Bronya nor Fu Hua could bring themselves to attack.
"It seems… we have no other choice," Fu Hua murmured.
"Bronya, I'll sever their link to the hosts."
"Sever the link?" Bronya frowned. "How?"
"I once cut the connection between Sirin and the Honkai Will during the Second Eruption. The principle's similar."
"But you no longer have Feather of the Void."
Fu Hua nodded. "True. I can't do it alone anymore. That's why I need to borrow the power of the Herrscher of Sentience."
"That's dangerous!"
"I know. But I have to try."
Closing her eyes, Fu Hua sank into her consciousness.
"…If you can hear me—listen."
No response came from the darkness.
"Kiana's in danger. I need your power."
…
After a long pause, a lazy, exasperated sigh echoed.
"Ugh… old fossil, can't you people stop bothering me?"
"First Kevin, then a bunch of weird wooden dolls, and now you?"
Everyone watching couldn't help but laugh.
Somehow, just hearing the Herrscher of Sentience's voice always brought a smile.
But they'd also caught on to something important—
the Herrscher of Domination had tried to contact her too.
And judging from this conversation… she hadn't joined them.
She was still Honkai Will's lovable little traitor.
…
In-game, Fu Hua pleaded, "Please. I truly need your help."
"Oh? You think I don't know that using Herrscher power on them means it'll get stolen?"
"Are you trying to play 'Kill with a Borrowed Knife' or 'Two Birds with One Stone'?"
"Oh, I get it—you're one of those wooden dolls now, aren't you?"
"Figures. With how much your life sucks, I'm not surprised they broke you."
Fu Hua: "…"
After a pause, she sighed. "I haven't joined them. They're threatening innocent lives. I need your strength to stop them."
"Oh sure, and I'm just supposed to believe you? You want me to hand over my power just like that?"
"No, not hand it over. As long as we win, the power won't be taken. We can win this~"
"Mmhm, great! Good luck with that. And what's that got to do with me?"
Her cute, teasing tone even made Eden chuckle.
Still, Fu Hua kept trying. "Kiana needs you."
"Hah. Doesn't she want her Class Monitor?"
"I need you too."
"…"
After a long silence, Fu Hua could feel her resolve softening ever so slightly.
"Hmph… you're better at talking than those other wooden heads."
"But in the end, this is your mess. You made it, you fix it. If you've got the guts, then—"
Before she could finish, time ran out.
Apologetically, Fu Hua grasped the spectral chain and pulled, seizing the power.
"I'm sorry!"
The Herrscher of Sentience gasped, betrayed.
"Old fossil! You—!"
She'd been tricked.
…
Eden sighed.
The chat burst into laughter.
Even Elysia looked regretful.
"Ah~ if only she'd coaxed her a little longer! The Herrscher just wanted a bit more sweet talk…"
"Really though, she's adorable. Didn't she once say in her bridge voice line that no one could fool her? Haha…"
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