Is This Chat Group Serious? — by Yilao Yizhi
Updated: 2026-02-13 21:00:02
Silver Wolf—having finally cleared Arahato—sighed and gave her verdict on the game her counterpart had made.
"Ugh. A lot of the details in Arahato really hit my tastes… but it also completely ignores market laws. No wonder the sales tanked."
Her gaze drifted past the cabin window to the black square mirror outside—like a grave marker nailed into the universe.
She tilted her head toward Kafka.
"So, Kafka. What the hell is your group leader up to?"
Kafka set her coffee cup down on its delicate saucer with a soft clink, composed as ever.
"Mm… do you remember the group item made by extracting a concept from me—those Word-Speech pantyhose?"
"The group leader wants to improve them. To better match each member's personal style… he's trying to make a pair of pantyhose that can freely change color and design according to the wearer's wishes."
"…Hah?"
Silver Wolf covered her face with her palm, voice muffled through her fingers.
"Did I hear that right? He's… making a Star God… for a pair of pantyhose?"
She dropped her hand and stared at Kafka's perpetually unruffled face, eyes wide.
"I don't even know what to say."
At that moment, Sam—silent the entire time—finally spoke.
"It's about to end."
And Sam was right.
Across the Milky Way, the last batch of sapient beings still immersed in the Heart-Question Illusion snapped back to reality.
At the exact instant the final lifeform severed its link to the illusion—
A hand, so vast it shattered the very notion of comprehension, tore open the universe's curtain without warning and thrust out of the void beyond the world.
Ignoring physical distance and dimensional rules alike, it crossed light-years in a blink. Its shadow blotted out the whole galaxy as it reached for the enormous black square mirror spanning the stars.
Unwilling to fall, Mirror's pitch-black surface—deep as congealed starlight—swelled abruptly, as if the universe itself were opening a single enormous eye.
From the mirror's center, a second hand shot out—identical in shape to the one descending, but made entirely of pure black crystal.
The two colossal hands clashed as though in some parallel dimension.
No star was struck. No planet was torn apart.
And yet, their sheer scale alone was enough to make any mind watching feel the soul-deep suffocation of utter insignificance.
One white. One black.
Two palms about to meet.
In the next instant—
Fingertips touched.
No cataclysmic explosion.
No roar that shattered star rivers.
Not even the faintest ripple of escaping energy.
The moment contact was made, the black mirrored hand—carrying Mirror's last stubborn will—began to collapse from the fingertips onward, following the outline of the palm, silently disintegrating into nothing.
It was effortless. Inevitable.
Like crushing a speck of dust.
The white hand didn't pause. It closed at once, precise beyond belief, and seized the part of the black square mirror's upper frame—the segment shaped like an eerie helmet.
Crack.
A crisp fracture echoed directly inside the skulls of every observer, as if sound itself had bypassed space.
The five fingers tightened slightly.
The mirror surface that bore Star-God might—like cheap glasswork—shattered. The helmeted portion was crushed into fragments, a full third of it reduced in an instant.
The hand opened a fraction, presenting that broken third of Mirror's remains on its palm.
Then, another hand of equal majesty appeared out of nowhere.
Two hands faced each other, and between their palms hovered the severed third of Mirror's carcass.
It spun rapidly, morphing through countless strange configurations.
A soul-smelting technique that had never once appeared in the history of the Honkai: Star Rail universe unfolded in full view of every civilization capable of observing it.
Countless master artisans held their breath, entranced by the godlike craftsmanship.
Countless scientists drove their brains into overload—sparks of inspiration detonating one after another, as though they had glimpsed a corner of truth.
A near–Star God's soul had become the rarest possible demonstration material.
Before the eyes of untold living beings across the sea of stars, Mirror's vast, furious soul was refined within an invisible furnace between those palms—until it became, compared to the hands themselves, a crystal wardrobe no larger than a mote of dust.
The cabinet was crystalline and pure, starshine flowing quietly through it.
A flash of light.
The crystal wardrobe vanished.
The giant hand extended a single index finger and casually aimed it at Mirror's remaining husk…
Then the fingertip stopped, suspended in midair.
And as mysteriously as it had arrived, both hands—along with that unfinished gesture—faded away, as if they had never existed.
Kafka closed the group chat interface in front of her.
Just now, under Elio's instruction, she had asked the group leader to stop.
Silver Wolf blew a bubble, watching the hands vanish and the remnants of Mirror collapse inward—shrinking and disappearing into the universe.
She raised an eyebrow.
"What did Elio foresee?"
"Nothing special," Kafka said. "He just wanted to see what kind of future this enormous variable would steer the galaxy toward."
Click.
As if invisible gears had meshed again, time resumed its flow.
Everything that existed—like a film fast-forwarding—snapped back in an instant to the moment time had been frozen.
A corner pavilion on the Xianzhou Luofu.
The black stone hovering above the board in Jing Yuan's hand fell with a soft tap, landing precisely where it should.
Steam rose from the tea cup as if it had never changed course.
Across from him, Yanqing still wore the same faint frown, mind utterly sunk in the mirrored trial conjured by the Heart-Reflecting Heavenly Lord.
By his side on the floor, several shards of the Hunt's divine arrow lay scattered, radiating a dense aura of the Path of The Hunt.
Jing Yuan lifted his warm cup and took a sip. The tea was still fragrant.
But inside him, gravity settled like stone.
Time looked as though it had rewound—yet some things were altered beyond repair.
The Heart-Reflecting Heavenly Lord had indeed left behind a corpse, and its destination was unknown.
The Xianzhou Alliance had been stripped even of the chance to pre-deploy and prevent the Suiyang from coveting it.
Worse still, the mirror-trial space—capable of producing precious Path materials—still remained in the world…
This turmoil… who knew how large a wave it would throw across the cosmos in the days to come.
The closed-eye general set his cup down.
At the corner of his lips rose that habitual, serene smile—as if everything were still within his grasp.
Worry was worry.
But the Xianzhou Alliance had endured countless calamities and feared no challenge.
If soldiers come, meet them with soldiers.
If floods come, meet them with earth.
That was all.
With time flowing again, Kafka blinked once—and found herself back in the quiet corner where she had been speaking with Eisen.
Almost the moment she steadied herself, a group prompt popped up before her.
[The Group Leader requests to teleport to your current location.]
Kafka tapped Agree.
Light and shadow twisted.
Eisen's figure condensed into being.
His face held obvious confusion. He opened with a question.
"Kafka? Why did you suddenly tell me to stop? I was just a little bit away from wiping it out completely. Aren't you worried leaving traces will affect your script?"
He scratched his head, like his approach had been the most reasonable thing in the world.
Kafka looked at him and sighed, helpless.
"Even if you destroy it now, the script has already gone badly off the rails."
Her voice was still gentle, but the content made Eisen freeze.
"No way?" He gaped.
"I specifically controlled the impact radius. It shouldn't affect the galaxy-wide situation that much… right?"
He instinctively tried to apply the logic of the nearly-destroyed Primordial Flame world to the Star Rail universe.
Kafka shook her head, and began to lay out the original script—and the consequences of what he'd done.
The script for Jarilo-VI had been designed to be very forgiving.
That snowbound world, for the naïve Stellaron-born "Star," was essentially a tutorial.
The core objective was simple:
After experiencing the struggle and suffering of the Underworld, after witnessing the immense price people paid just to survive—and their unyielding will—
Star would finally understand, and deeply feel, the essence of Preservation.
And then awaken the Path of Preservation.
As long as that result was achieved, the process didn't matter.
But now the problem was—
Star likely couldn't awaken Preservation on Jarilo-VI anymore.
Because Mirror's Heart-Question Illusion had drastically affected Cocolia, the Supreme Guardian of Belobog.
She had been bewitched by the Stellaron for years, her mind completely twisted.
Yet inside Mirror's illusion, she faced her true heart—fully realizing the stubbornness and errors of her past—and broke free of the Stellaron's mental control.
Not only that: once her shackles fell away, her Preservation power didn't fade.
It surged—strengthened by purity of belief.
Even more unexpectedly, she brushed against the makeshift Path of "Human Hearts" that Mirror had stitched together… and stepped into it, if only at the threshold.
From this point on, Jarilo-VI would be guided by a fully lucid Cocolia—greatly empowered—who would actively cooperate with the Nameless to peacefully retrieve the Stellaron.
The rift between the Overworld and Underworld would be torn down and mended at an unprecedented speed under her forceful push.
Then she would voluntarily pass authority to Bronya—and guide her adopted daughter into a fair trial for her own past crimes.
Yes.
"Suicide."
That was the optimal solution she reached after her first grasp of the Path of Human Hearts.
She would arrange a perfect suicide to atone.
She would use her death to completely end the shadow of the Eternal Freeze era—clearing the way for the new leader.
At the same time, she would shape her death into a symbol: Jarilo-VI united, stepping toward rebirth.
And that… was only the beginning of the butterfly effect.
Phantylia—the Lord Ravager.
According to Elio's script, she was supposed to attack and perfectly impersonate Tingyun, the Xianzhou Luofu's receiving envoy, infiltrating the Luofu.
Then she would use the Stellaron to activate the remains of the Ambrosial Arbor that the Hunt's Aeon Lan had severed—
And by possessing that Abundance creation, obtain an almost indestructible avatar with endless lifespan…
During that crisis, Star would gain Dan Heng's friendship, and inadvertently disrupt the hidden plans Jingliu and Luocha were carrying out.
But now Phantylia had thrown herself wholeheartedly into the hastily assembled Path of Human Hearts.
In her eyes, the original plan—attacking the Luofu and possessing the Arbor—had become dull and tasteless.
Penacony's Sunday…
Amphoreus…
The Twofold Paradise…
All those scripts had been struck by unpredictable chain reactions and variables because of Mirror's appearance.
Eisen listened, and the more he heard, the more he broke into a cold sweat.
"Uh… sorry, sorry! Then—should I just use the Primordial Flame to rewind the world? The item's already made. Once it's placed in my world, rewinding yours won't make it disappear."
Kafka shook her head. There was no blame in her eyes.
"The huge variable you brought this time—what kind of chain reactions it causes, and where it drives the galaxy—will also be a necessary reference for Elio as he interprets the script of the end."
"Maybe…"
A trace of anticipation flashed through her gaze.
"It might even lead to a brand-new future."
She looked at Eisen.
"As for rewinding the world… we'll consider it only after we're sure everything is sliding into an irrecoverable abyss."
Eisen exhaled, relieved, and nodded.
"Got it. If you need me, call anytime."
Then he flipped his palm.
An object appeared out of thin air on the floor: a crystal wardrobe forged from Mirror's soul-smelting.
The cabinet was entirely translucent crystal, its surface flowing with a gentle halo. The interior space was deep—like it connected to another dimension.
"In theory, this wardrobe contains the clothing-style data of every civilization across the galaxy," Eisen said. "And it can make real-time micro-adjustments according to the wearer's wishes."
"Most importantly—"
He pointed at a separate small compartment on the lower level.
"Inside here, it will always auto-generate and preserve a pair of purple pantyhose identical in style and texture to the pair you're wearing right now."
"Once you put them on, the color, cut, pattern, and even the material's surface texture can change instantly with the wearer's thoughts."
"And no matter how you test it—from macro structure to micro particle level—whether with tech instruments or Path-sense…"
"It's just a normal pair of pantyhose."
Kafka walked a slow circle around the wardrobe. The crisp tap of her heels on the floor sounded bright in the quiet corridor.
Her fingertips brushed the cold, smooth crystal surface.
Open admiration glittered in her eyes.
For Kafka—who loved collecting rare garments and exquisite accessories—this gift landed with surgical precision.
A pure smile bloomed on her face, visibly brightening the air around her.
"A wonderful gift."
Her voice carried a pleased lilt as she turned her head toward Eisen.
"Could you help me move it into my room?"
"Of course," Eisen said immediately. "My pleasure."
He lifted the crystal wardrobe easily with one hand and followed Kafka through several silent passageways to her personal cabin.
The room was neat and elegant, carrying her distinctive fragrance.
Under Kafka's direction, Eisen carefully shifted a delicate vintage cabinet from the corner and set the crystal wardrobe firmly against the wall.
"All set."
Task done, Eisen patted his hands and, seeing Kafka admiring the wardrobe in profile, prepared to excuse himself—
"Then I'll—"
He turned to leave, intending to give the lady private space to change.
"You're leaving?"
Kafka's voice rose behind him, holding a faint note of invitation.
Her violet eyes curved with a smile as she looked at Eisen.
"You won't watch the pantyhose's effect with your own eyes?"
Leaning beside the crystal wardrobe, her posture was languid and elegant, she gave the cabinet door a light pat.
"If you're here, any issues can be asked directly. It's your creation—you know it best."
Eisen clearly froze for a beat, scratching his head.
Kafka's reason sounded perfectly reasonable…
…and yet it carried an unmistakable ambiguity.
In the end, he didn't leave. He sat down on the nearby sofa, openly watching Kafka with disarming frankness.
With his seniority, what hadn't he seen?
Kafka's lips curved into a satisfied arc.
She said nothing more, and walked straight to the bed, sitting down.
Her right leg crossed elegantly over her left knee. Slender fingers reached to the inner side of her thigh-high boot.
The soft rasp of metal in the quiet cabin—
"Zzzip…"
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
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