The viewing space's luminous screen dimmed once more, then reignited in the cosmos—
This time revealing the scene of a battleship on the verge of crashing over a city.
[Two and a half years after the Third Collapse. In the bustling city of Canghai, a battleship suddenly appeared in the sky, destined to crash for unknown reasons.
The leaking Honkai energy attracted thousands of Honkai beasts, placing the entire city in imminent peril! Naturally, facing such a crisis, the Far East Branch of Schicksal dispatched its forces, striving to save the lives within this city!]
[A young girl wearing a specialized combat suit, her milky-white hair tied into two braids, began executing a plan to board the out-of-control battleship known as the Moonlight Throne. "Operation proceeding smoothly.
All units, cover the Valkyrie's landing. Kiana, hurry up."
"Yeah, yeah, easy for you to say," Kiana muttered under her breath at Himeko's urging, but she still put on her combat goggles as she faced the Honkai beasts fighting against their drones. "Neko charm!"
With Kiana's light shout, a massive cat paw—matching the color of her Valkyrie armor—materialized midair and promptly smacked into one of their own drones.]
[March 7th]: Dan Heng! Stelle! Look! Kiana is so cool!
[Stelle]: Saving a city in crisis? That's awesome! Almost half as cool as me, the Galaxy Batting Champion!
[Kiana]: Hehehe, see how amazing I am? Is this my future? I bet I'll become the strongest Valkyrie ever!
[Murata Himeko]: What a reckless mess.
[Honkai Star Rail - Welt]: Kiana, Himeko... To you, I should be from a parallel world similar to yours, yet in the future. This event matches my memories exactly. It seems this space speaks no falsehoods.
[Otto]: Long time no see, my old friend.
[Honkai Star Rail Welt]:.....I should have known. At this point in time, you're still alive! On the Astral Express— "Wait, so Mr. Yang is from another world too?! And he looks like the leader of some big organization!"
March 7th whispered excitedly to Stelle and Dan Heng as she glanced at Welt sitting on the sofa. After Otto's message appeared, Welt—who had been sitting with a nostalgic expression—instinctively furrowed his brows and tightened his grip on his cane, looking as if he wanted to summon a black hole right onto Otto's face. March 7th leaned toward Stelle with gossipy curiosity. "Hey, Stelle… You think there's some bad blood between Mr. Yang and this 'Otto' guy? He looks furious—like he just met his father's killer or something."
Leaving aside the Astral Express trio's curiosity (and the furious rants of a certain lobster-headed doctor from Anti-Entropy), many across the universe were intrigued by this video containing information from another world.
[Acheron]: This footage brings back memories. I've experienced something similar before. In a way, our worlds resemble each other… Though it's a shame… Acheron paused in her journey toward Penacony, her blade half-drawn as she gazed at the scenes on the screen, lost in reminiscence.
[Herta]: What exactly is Honkai energy? Is this 'Collapse' some kind of disaster? It seems to share properties with Imaginary energy, but Imaginary energy isn't this corrosive. What an interesting world! Just watching is boring—I want to study it firsthand! At Herta Space Station— Herta, who had been adjusting the Simulated Universe moments ago, now wore an intrigued expression as she observed this peculiar energy called "Honkai."
[Ruan Mei]: Indeed, these Honkai beasts are fascinating creatures too—silicon-based lifeforms that subsist on Honkai energy. Though perhaps it's not them that's remarkable, but rather the energy itself. Regardless of the discussions between these two universes, the viewing space continued playing its footage uninterrupted.
[Kiana fought her way forward, but none of the Honkai beasts below Emperor-class could hinder her progress. Through relentless combat, she successfully boarded the Moonlight Throne and established contact with Himeko.
Kiana: "I'm on the deck now.
Everything's going smoothly, Himeko."
Himeko: "How many times do I have to correct you? It's not 'Himeko'—it's Major Himeko..."
"Your teammates have reached their designated positions. They'll contact you shortly."
Upon hearing this, Kiana perked up excitedly: "Mei! You mean Mei, right?! I get to meet up with Mei soon?!"
Himeko sighed at Kiana's antics: "Calm down already. Must everything revolve around Mei?"
"That Emperor-class Honkai beast you fought earlier has disappeared. Stay alert."...
Mei: "Kiana, this is Mei. I've reached the target location."
Kiana immediately brightened at Mei's voice: "Mei! Awesome! I'm coming over right now!"
Forgetting all about the mission plan in her excitement, she declared: "We're the ultimate duo! Together, we can get half the results with twice the effort!"
Mei: "...You mean twice the results with half the effort...?"
On her way to Mei, Kiana seemed to have unlocked some hidden potential—effortlessly plowing through Honkai beasts like an unstoppable force before finally reuniting with Mei. Under Mei's precise blade work, the surrounding Honkai beasts were swiftly dealt with. "That should do it..."
Mei relaxed slightly upon confirming no more threats remained nearby. But just as she let her guard down—a Honkai beast lunged from behind in ambush! "Neko charm!"
Kiana arrived just in time, smacking the sneaky beast away with a giant cat paw before it could touch Mei. She then happily draped herself over Mei's back, wrapping her arms around Mei's neck with glee: "Mei! With you here, I feel like I have the strength of a hundred people!"
Mei flushed slightly in embarrassment: "A-A hundred people...? I-I'm not some kind of superhero..."]
Back at St. Freya Academy— Everyone who witnessed this scene burst into laughter, watching with amusement as a flustered Mei and an exuberant Kiana reacted to their past selves being displayed for all to see.
[Kiana]: Mei! Mei! See how awesome I am?!
[Himeko]: Kiana~ Looks like someone needs to hit the books again if she can't even use idioms right!
[Kiana]: Huh?! Nooo~ Auntie Himeko~!
[Sushang]: Uh… Xiao Gui? Isn't "half the results with twice the effort" correct? It sounds fine to me! On the Xianzhou Luofu— Sushang of the Cloud Knights paused mid-performance with Guinaifen and turned to her friend with innocent confusion in her eyes.
[Dr. Ratio]: Foolish! The ever-disapproving Dr. Ratio shook his head at both the chat log and Kiana's display before instinctively reaching for his plaster head mask.