There was no helping it—Mo Li could only sit close beside Bronya and watch Eden's livestream.
Still… weren't they sitting a little too close?
He turned his head to glance at Bronya, only to find her completely absorbed in the screen, eyes fixed on Eden's stream. She didn't seem to notice how intimate their position looked.
Forget it. If the ducky doesn't care, why should I?
With that, Mo Li focused his attention on the stream.
At that moment, the livestream chat was overflowing with messages.
["I'll turn this imperfect story into the ending we've all been longing for."]
That single line filled the entire screen.
Eden watched the scene unfold while quietly sobbing, dabbing at her tears with a tissue.
"Kiana…"
Himeko gently stroked Kiana's head.
"Of course I can see you. As long as you wish for it, I can see you…"
"Because… I'm right here, in your heart."
Watching Kiana cry so hard she could barely speak, Himeko comforted her softly:
"You remind me of when I was little… At my mother's funeral, I cried until the sky itself seemed to fall, clinging to my father, refusing to leave. In the end, it was just the two of us."
"After a long, long time, my father stroked my head and said—"
'It's alright, Himeko. Your mother will become a star, watching over us from the sky.'
At that, Himeko smiled faintly.
"My father was never good with words. Even when comforting someone… he was so terribly clumsy."
"But even now, I still believe what he said."
"Kiana, as long as you believe… I'll become a star too, guarding you from the night sky."
"Even if the torch burns out, even if the moon loses its light, this little glimmer will still guide your way forward."
"So don't be afraid, Kiana…"
"To become the strength that drives one's students forward—"
"That's the most romantic ending a teacher could ask for."
"When you lose your way, just look up at the stars. I'll be there, lighting up the darkness for you."
Even Mo Li couldn't help but click his tongue in awe.
Even jumping halfway, this scene still made one's eyes sting.
That line—"To become the strength that drives one's students forward—That's the most romantic ending a teacher could ask for."
It was just too moving.
Even after death, Himeko was still guiding Kiana onward.
"Take your step forward, Kiana. Just go—without fear."
"I will always bless you, watch over you. Because—"
"You are my student, Kiana Kaslana."
In the scene, Himeko's gentle smile appeared alongside The Last Lesson's BGM.
Bronya was crying her eyes out.
In this world, there was no Honkai—Bronya had never lived through what happened in the game.
But still, she was just a sensitive girl. Faced with such a story, how could she not cry?
Seeing this, Mo Li quickly pulled out a tissue to wipe the tears from her cheeks.
He didn't say anything comforting.
Because what could he say?
To them, after all, he was the one who wrote this story—
He was the culprit.
He was Otto the Villain.
In the game, Kiana had calmed down.
She turned to Himeko, ready to say her final farewell.
"Teacher Himeko…"
"I'm so happy I could be your student! Meeting you has been my greatest honor!"
Himeko smiled. "The honor was mine too. Now go, Kiana."
"…"
"Goodbye, Teacher Himeko."
The dialogue ended. The game returned to free movement mode.
The screen faded into a white, endless space.
At the end of the long corridor stood a door that looked like it was made of chocolate.
Once Kiana stepped through that door, she would be saying her final goodbye to Himeko.
Outside the game, Eden was already a complete wreck.
She hadn't expected it—
Even knowing how the story ended, even though it was just a few simple lines of dialogue, her emotions had still completely collapsed.
So this was what they meant by "sweetness shaped like a knife."
She understood now.
This was brutal.
Since The Last Lesson, she hadn't cried this hard.
Not even Elysia's comforting words could reach her.
In her mind, she could only hear Himeko's voice echoing again and again:
"To become the strength that drives one's students forward—That's the most romantic ending a teacher could ask for."
Yes… Himeko's final battle had been magnificent.
But ever since then, everyone has carried regret.
Regret that Kiana never got to say goodbye.
Now, this scene finally filled that hole in the story.
It healed Kiana's regret—and the players' as well.
After the storm of tears came a deep, satisfying calm.
Himeko's faith, her torch, had been passed to Kiana.
And now, those beautiful things were finally ready to blossom.
Thinking this, Eden let her tears blur her vision as her slender fingers tapped the keyboard.
In-game, Kiana began to move once more.
As she passed Himeko's side, Eden couldn't resist controlling her to walk up to her teacher.
A new dialogue prompt appeared.
She clicked it.
Himeko's gentle voice echoed once more:
"Go on, Kiana… everyone's waiting for you outside."
"I'll keep watching over you."
"This isn't goodbye forever."
"One morning, I threw away all my yesterdays—and from then on, my steps felt light again."
"What is it, Kiana? Want to hear me say more?"
"Don't stand still now, that's not like you."
The dialogue seemed endless, yet Eden never felt annoyed.
She kept clicking. Himeko kept talking.
Almost none of her lines repeated.
Each one was warm, encouraging…
And yet, to Eden, every word felt like a knife twisting in her chest.
Her fragile calm began to crumble again.
And she wasn't alone—players all over the world watching this were feeling the same.
"MiHoYo… they really went that far with the details."
"I'm not just a storybook character, Kiana."
"Go forward bravely. My heart will always be with you."
"If you don't hurry, you won't catch up to Mei~"
At that, though reluctant, Eden finally made Kiana walk toward the door.
She knew that if she didn't, she'd start sobbing again.
The camera was already off—Elysia had turned it off ages ago. Viewers could only see the game screen now.
But if Eden started bawling again, that'd just be embarrassing.
In-game, Kiana took one slow step after another toward the door.
Normally, walking sequences like this would be shortened for pacing.
But here… no one wanted it to end.
They wanted that corridor to last just a little longer—
So they could turn the camera and catch one more glimpse of Himeko's smile.
Eventually, the path ended.
Standing before the door, Eden hesitated for a long time before finally pressing forward.
"Kiana, you are my pride."
That final whisper broke the last wall inside her.
Eden completely broke down.
Seeing this, Elysia quickly hugged her.
Even the ever-cheerful Elysia couldn't keep her usual smile anymore.
"Eden… my dear Eden…"
"Honestly—how could Boss Mo Li make something this heartbreaking?"
"Even I can't take it anymore…"
[Uwahhh… Himeko-sensei…]
[She was gone years ago and she's still breaking our hearts! QAQ]
[MiHoYo, you monsters! You have no heart!]
[I can't sleep now… why did I watch this QAQ]
[The Last Lesson was a blade of regret—this one's a candy-shaped knife! QAQ]
[I won't cry alone. I've already told my whole group to play this! QAQ]
[Welcome to Honkai Impact 3rd! Bring tissues…]
[Never thought a game's story could make me cry this hard…]
[MiHoYo, just make an anime already! Stop making games, please! QAQ]
After a long while, the game lingered on the stage select screen.
Eden finally wiped her tears and steadied her breath.
"I'm okay now, Elysia. Let's keep going."
"Kiana still has to face the Herrscher of Domination."
With that, she clicked into the next chapter.
Now, the perspective shifted—to Bronya's viewpoint.
For some reason, seeing that made Eden both relieved and… strangely hollow.
Himeko's story had truly reached its end.
Wait… Mo Li wouldn't… bring her back for another heartbreak, would he?
That thought made Eden's heart flutter with a mix of dread and hope.
Not that she'd gone completely mad from all the emotional pain—
It's just that if Kiana could see Himeko once more… it would be such a warm, beautiful scene…
"What am I even thinking?"
Eden shook her head hard, forcing the thought away.
No, even if it was warm, it'd still make her bawl.
She couldn't take another round. If Mo Li did pull that trick again, she'd probably want to punch him.
"Whew…" She took a deep breath, cleared her mind, and pushed the story forward.
After selecting the next level, the game loaded quickly.
Bronya's adorable face appeared on the screen.
"Class monitor! Kiana's awake!"
"Kiana, are you okay?"
The scene shifted—Kiana slowly opened her eyes, waking up from her "dream."
"Mm… Class monitor? Bronya? Why are you here?"
"Idiot." Bronya's usually stoic face softened with a faint smile.
But that "idiot" carried warmth and concern.
"Of course we're here to save you."
"What happened?" Fu Hua asked.
Kiana paused for a moment, recalling what she'd seen in that "dream."
A dull pain rippled through her heart as Himeko's words and smile resurfaced in her mind.
Kiana closed her eyes gently, suppressing the ache.
"A lot happened…" she said hoarsely.
"Thank you for coming to save me. Once we're out of here, I'll tell you everything."
"For now, let's settle this first!"
Her gaze fell on the dolls in the distance.
But after Mei's fierce attack, those dolls looked even more grotesque than before.
"What happened to them?"
Fu Hua explained, "From what I saw, it's likely they were struck by the Herrscher of Thunder."
"After that, everything they built with the power of Reason began to collapse."
"Mei…"
Bronya nodded. "Yes. Mei must be somewhere nearby, fighting alongside us."
"Though faint, I can feel the power of Reason slowly returning to its core thanks to her."
After a brief moment of silence, Kiana gathered herself.
"So you mean… if we keep weakening their power, we can reclaim what was stolen?"
"Bronya thinks so too."
"Then it's simple." Kiana's eyes hardened.
"As long as we endure until that moment—victory will be ours!"
But Kiana's return shocked the Herrscher of Domination.
"Kiana, Kiana… You actually defeated the Herrscher of the Void?"
The doll's voice was full of venomous disbelief.
"Losing your teacher didn't crush you, the Void couldn't break you, and even the cores couldn't contain you…"
"Fine, fine! I admit it, Kiana—you might truly be a hero."
But Kiana's reply was calm.
"I'm not a hero."
"The ones who guided me, who taught me to protect what's beautiful with my own hands—they're the heroes."
"I'm just walking the path they left behind… to remember that they once lived."
"Let's go, Herrscher of Domination!"
Watching Kiana, Fu Hua, and Bronya step onto the "final stage," the chat exploded with excitement.
This was it—their final battle.
And afterward, the thing everyone looked forward to most:
MiHoYo's signature move—those lovingly crafted cinematic shorts that rivaled anime films.
The story so far had been a masterpiece, and the theme song was already amazing.
There was no doubt—the ending animation would be just as breathtaking.
On screen, as Kiana stepped onto the stage, a new enemy emerged.
A grotesque fusion of countless voices—
The embodiment of a thousand Herrschers' wills and malice.
"Arrogance. Envy. Apathy. Hatred. Greed. Despair. Surrender…"
Countless puppet strings descended from above.
[Herrscher of Domination – The Mob]
"So this is its true form?" Eden murmured in awe.
"Doesn't look that scary~ Kind of ugly, though," Elysia teased.
"With Kiana's current strength, this shouldn't be too hard~"
Before Eden could reply, the battle began.
She noticed something—Kiana's Celestial Hymn form now had both eyes blue.
And her Herrscher energy gauge… was gone.
Because the Queen's consciousness had faded away.
The detail was exquisite—heartbreakingly so.
Soon, Eden realized each doll on the field still had its own name.
The chat exploded again:
[MiHoYo's attention to detail is insane!]
And the gameplay was completely new.
Every time Kiana took a hit, Fu Hua's and Bronya's icons on the right would flash—
Clicking them would make them appear beside her, shielding her from harm.
As the Herrscher of Domination roared,
the sense of immersion peaked—
It truly felt like fighting alongside the Valkyries themselves.
It was flawless. Not a single thing to complain about.
Just as Eden was thinking that, the story took another turn—
Fu Hua and Bronya fell one by one, pulled upward by the Herrscher's threads.
And with that, the stage ended.
Eden looked at the screen—only one stage remained.
Beyond it… was the button to play the final cinematic short.
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