Chapter 128
[Returning to reality, the angel had already removed her makeup, but the angel was being lazy. "Angel-sama, if you keep being this lazy, your other wing might also turn into a bare thorn."
The Captain kindly reminded her. "It's fine!
Starting tomorrow, I'll definitely go to bed early, wake up early, exercise daily, do one good deed a day, and turn over a new leaf!"
But Fu Hua had been secretly watching all along—always there, never leaving. "Speaking of which, Angel-sama, when did you get the illusion that I ever left this place?"
The Captain and the other two mercilessly watched as Wang Fu Hua and Kiana chased each other around, with no intention of helping. They simply left to rest and prepare for the real battle tomorrow! Meanwhile, only Raiden Mei was being fed Stargazy Pie by Kallen.]
[Raiden Mei]:"Stargazy Pie is absolutely not meant for human consumption!"
[March 7th]:"I knew something felt missing—it was Raiden Mei!"
[Elysia]:"At least Mei has Kallen looking after her. What about my Sakura? Still stuck in the forest, hasn't come out yet♪"
[Stelle]:"Now that's truly being forgotten."
[Kiana]:"Why do I have to relive being chased by the class monitor in this video?!"
[Murata Himeko]:"If not for the setting, I'd really think this was our Kiana!"
[Theresa]:"Just as mischievous and troublesome as ever!"
[The next day, under the Hero King's leadership, they quickly arrived at the undersea altar. The earth trembled—the undersea altar had emerged. According to existing intel, the teleportation gate would only appear three days after the altar's emergence, and only the first person to enter would be granted a wish.
Three days of chaotic battles passed swiftly. Only a handful remained before the gate:
The millennia-old Prime Minister of the Huang Empire—Rita! The ruler of the seas—Pirate Queen Himeko! The Hero of Xical—Wang Fu Hua! And our Captain and the Vodka Girls! In the midst of battle, everyone placed their hands on the gate simultaneously.
A mechanical female voice echoed:
As the voice glitched, the Captain recalled the past before returning to the original space.]
[March 7th]:"Did this wishing machine just crash?"
[Fu Xuan]:"Gremory's comprehension was already questionable. With so many people making wishes at once, crashing is only natural!"
[Guinaifen]:"My brain is overloaded! Why did Rita and Himeko appear in the Captain's memories?!"
[Stelle]:"Did the Captain just go back in time again?"
[Silver Wolf]:"Isn't that obvious? Our beloved Guan Xing hasn't even shown up yet!"
[Herta]:"Fascinating. Truly fascinating."
[???]:"Give us a successful 'if' route for the Celestial Destiny timeline!"
[Now playing: Hero King, you tricked me!]
[After three days of brutal warfare and heavy sacrifices, the Hero King was the first to reach the deity. Without a doubt—this was a victory for the Xical Theocracy! "...It's finally over."
The Captain relaxed. "Yes… It's finally over.
Thank you, Captain."
The Hero King—Wang Fu Hua—also sighed in relief and laughed freely. The Captain joked: "If you're thanking me, you'd better show some sincerity."
"If that's the custom in your homeland…"
Without hesitation, Fu Hua began removing her armor. "Don't just start stripping out of nowhere! I was joking!"
Seeing her actually undoing her armor, the Captain hurriedly stopped her. (Seriously… Not just her looks, but even this earnestness is exactly like Fu Hua…) ]
[Stelle]:"The bare minimum when apologizing is to show your chest~"
[March 7th]:"Whose customs are like that?!"
[Herrscher of Sentience]:"Just as stubborn as that old fossil! That rigid attitude."
[Fu Hua]:"...I would never do that!"
Fu Hua believed her common sense was perfectly intact.
[Elysia]:"Hua~ You must take care of yourself when you're out there alone♪" ["Well… The most important thing now is to make a wish to the deity..."
The Captain tried steering the conversation back on track: "Deity, my wish is—to return to my own world!"
At his call, an azure portal materialized in midair.
To the Captain, it led straight home. "Well then… It's time to say goodbye, Hero King."
"Yes… It is time."
Her voice tinged with reluctance yet unable to suppress her joy: "Goodbye, Captain."
Then—without warning—a stab in the back. The Hero King struck him down from behind. As he plummeted from the deity's altar, the Captain barely caught its edge. "Hero King… You tricked me?!"
He couldn't believe it.]
[Herrscher of Sentience]:"Huh? The old fossil learned how to lie? Since when did she have brains for that?"
[March 7th]:"What kind of twist is this?! Did the Captain wrong Fu Hua somehow?"
[March 7th]:"Fu Hua herself wouldn't do this."
[Yanqing]:"Exactly! There must be some misunderstanding!"
[Gazing down at him coldly, Fu Hua responded: "Tricked you? No… This is just a small act of vengeance."
Seeing his confusion, she continued: "Captain… You once said you and your comrades redeemed an evil queen and lifted an eternal winter curse in another world, correct?"
"Do you remember having a companion who was a Grand Sage?"
"Ah… Of course you don't.
Because you defeated the evil witch with your own strength and returned home."
"But that sage… was left behind in the cracks of time. When she reached the final altar—there was nothing." "No allies. No enemies. No way back… Nothing at all."
The Captain froze as realization struck: "You mean… you're—?"
Ignoring him, she spoke softly: "So she wandered through that world alone—clinging to her original wish: to return home."
"She tried again and again… Failed again and again… Until she found her last hope—this deity."
"And today… Her wish will finally come true."
"So you really are—" "Shh… Captain, do you remember that spell I taught you?"
Instinctively, he recited: "[The Phoenix… I did not lie.]"
She smiled faintly: "Yes… But I'm sorry, Captain."
"This time… The Phoenix lied."]
[Stelle]:"I get it now! The Captain abandoned her after leading her on! You monster!"
[March 7th]:"That's not how you use that phrase!"
[Silver Wolf]:"Honestly, Fu Hua showing mercy by not killing him immediately is impressive."
[Elysia]:"Hua just wanted to go home—what's wrong with that♪ This time, it's really the Captain's fault."
[Kiana]:"No wonder he dumped unconscious Mei in the forest—he's done this before!"
[Honkai Star Rail - Void Archives]:"In a way… I actually relate to her."
(Thrown into imaginary space, barely made it back only to find everything resolved without him…) Now wandering the cosmos freely—still better off than Fu Hua.
[Fu Hua]:"I don't know."
[Otto]:"Perhaps someone deceived my old friend?"