Mobius simply said a couple of lines and shifted her attention back to Honkai Impact 3rd.
On screen, the story continued.
To Durandal, an enemy like the "Quantum Shadow" was not even worth calling an enemy. She had conducted experiments testing the performance of the 2nd Divine Key numerous times. The entire process was second nature to her.
Beneath the city, ten "Hyperion"-grade Honkai energy reactors were running at full capacity. These reactors powered the continuous operation of the 2nd Divine Key, which would "shatter" space and open a tunnel linking to the Sea of Quanta.
At this level, due to the unstable immersion of the Quantum Layer, Quantum Shadows would begin to appear.
And to ensure the experiment ran smoothly, Durandal had to stand guard over the 2nd Divine Key.
—But the Sea of Quanta was by no means the goal of this experiment.
As the energy level increased, the power of the Divine Key would reach its functional threshold, pushing the experiment into its second stage. The tunnel would then surpass the Quantum Layer and jump into a deeper, unknown space: the Imaginary Tree—the source of all things, the laws of cosmic motion, the secrets of life cycles, the foundation of essence and origin.
Seeing the purpose of this experiment—especially with this new term "Imaginary Tree"—players felt a bit lost.
Was the worldview… expanding again?
As for those industry veterans who were casually observing Honkai Impact 3rd's latest gimmicks, only one thought remained in their minds: "Does miHoYo not experience creative slumps?"
After all, many ambitious game studios had been biding their time, hoping to release new titles once Honkai Impact 3rd entered a lull.
But the updates came so fast, the worldbuilding expanded so vastly, and the new gameplay kept rolling out.
They assumed miHoYo's creative well had to run dry soon.
Yet this latest story update was like a slap in the face.
Introducing a new term or concept in Honkai Impact 3rd wasn't just about dropping a few flashy words. Especially when it was presented with such gravitas, it clearly signaled a massive amount of related story to follow.
This meant Honkai Impact 3rd's intense update cadence would continue for a long time.
To those major studios eyeing the anime game market, they now had two choices: wait longer… or engage Honkai Impact 3rd in direct combat.
But then again, if they really had the confidence to win, would they have waited in the first place?
miHoYo! We dare you to keep updating like this for a few more years!
Leaving aside the grievances of those big-name developers…
The plot continued.
At Schicksal HQ, Overseer Otto was analyzing data from the 2nd Divine Key's experiment using the most advanced Soulium computers. Yet even with all of Schicksal's existing technology and resources, they could only sustain the connection to the "Imaginary Tree" for a few dozen seconds.
Such a resource-draining experiment was only permitted because Otto wanted to obtain a particular string of digits.
Although they observed 186,940,000 nodes, it was still off by 54 from the target node value—barely any progress.
According to Otto's calculations, using current observation methods, it would take over 80,000 hours of sustained tunnel connection to reach the answer he sought.
Unlike the many "fakes" found in other bubble universes, his target must be achieved before the Honkai destroyed human civilization.
This part of the story was extremely mysterious.
Especially the use of the word "wish" ("夙愿")—so evocative.
What sort of "wish" could drive Otto to give everything, even challenge the gods, just to achieve it?
Players were deeply curious.
[Based on this segment, and considering how the miHoYo writer once said Otto will never be redeemed, it's reasonable to deduce Otto's wish isn't about saving the world.]
[I suspect Otto's wish is incredibly selfish—so selfish that only he would go to such lengths to fulfill it.]
[If that's the case, I want to see just how selfish Otto can be. How far miHoYo will push his character.]
[You guys are analyzing so seriously, I almost feel bad posting "Die Otto die pop champagne."]
...
Elsewhere, after the experiment ended, Durandal received Rita's report in the lounge. After reading it, she muttered Rita's name with concern and immediately set out for Arc City, ignoring the fact that she hadn't rested since the battle.
Here, the plot connected to the previous chapter.
Durandal caught and rescued Kiana, and came face-to-face with the hastily arriving Raiden Mei.
"Nice to meet you, Raiden Mei."
"You're… Valkyrie Durandal!"
Holder of the Divine Key Black Abyss White Flower, the strongest S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal. As a Valkyrie herself, Mei knew all too well Durandal's name and combat record—stories passed around Schicksal by word of mouth. Even so, she had to fight her.
"I'm here under orders to take Kiana Kaslana."
Durandal plainly stated her mission.
Mei took a deep breath and gripped her weapon.
"Not a chance!"
Battle was inevitable!
Players entered combat, controlling Raiden Mei to fight Durandal.
Mobius, who had been watching the story intently, squinted her eyes.
Although she wanted to see Mei get crushed, she disliked losing even more.
So, just this once, she'd reluctantly help Mei win...
"Durandal's got a fixed HP lock? miHoYo, are you serious—ah, never mind, of course. Hmph, classic miHoYo scripted loss."
Mobius would never admit she was so engrossed in the story that she forgot fights like this were usually plot devices.
[Even Miss Pink Elf can't tolerate this forced loss!]
[So unfair! If you're so brave, remove the HP lock!]
[Why do I feel like the Pink Elf is being really sarcastic today?]
...
The story continued. In the cutscene, Raiden Mei was defeated by Durandal.
"It's over, Raiden Mei. You can't win."
"It's not... over yet... I won't let you take Kiana...!"
Even though she could barely stand…
Mei clenched her teeth, used Thunderflash to prop herself up, and prepared to fight again.
But…
The difference in power was too vast.
She was no match for Durandal.
"You have a good look in your eyes. But right now, you don't have the strength to match that resolve."
With those words, Durandal leapt into the sky with Kiana in her arms, streaking through the air like a flash of light.
Before Mei could react, the flash had already vanished into the distance, leaving her alone on an empty street.
Mei ran desperately, chasing into the hazy night with everything she had. But no matter how hard she tried, she could never catch up to that streak of light.
No one knows how far she ran. Eventually, she collapsed from exhaustion.
She clutched the coat Kiana left behind and sobbed, her body shaking uncontrollably. Regret, frustration, guilt—every emotion surged forth in that moment.
"I couldn't do anything…"
Durandal's calm words and effortless actions were like daggers lodged in her heart, suffocating her.
Each memory replayed only made it worse—she had watched the most important person to her be taken away so easily.
But Mei couldn't stop thinking of Kiana.
The peaceful days at St. Freya Academy felt like yesterday, yet in the blink of an eye, Kiana had become the Queen of Honkai, baring a vicious smile.
Now they finally met again—only for Durandal to take her away.
Everything had changed… except for the weak self she left behind.
She knew now—Kiana was drifting further and further away from her.
The image froze.
Countless players stared at the screen of Mei clutching Kiana's coat, sobbing. Each sob, each monologue stabbed deep into their hearts.
They didn't expect the story to hurt this much so early on.
What else was coming? They didn't even dare imagine.
What would happen to Mei and Kiana?
[That coat... it's Kiana's coat...]
[This kind of plot doesn't make you cry, but it hurts. Like being cut by a dull blade (Damn, that's a brutal knife).]
[Mei's actually the most tragic—Kiana turned Herrscher, Far East Branch rebelled, Himeko died… all she could do was watch helplessly… No wonder she said, "I couldn't do anything."]
"Don't be so gloomy, everyone. Based on my analysis…"
Mobius noticed the livestream's atmosphere had turned completely somber. To avoid being scolded by Elysia for "not taking the stream seriously," she decided—reluctantly—to comfort the viewers.
Yes. Purely to avoid Elysia's nitpicking. Totally.
"Look at the next two chapter titles: Chapter 16 is Imminent Storm, and Chapter 17 is Thunders Over Nagazora. 'Storm,' 'Thunder'—that gives us more than enough to go on."
"Not to mention, Mei just said, 'I couldn't do anything.' The last person who said that blew through the Sea of Quanta. If Mei, one of the main trio, doesn't rise up now, that'd be weird."
"I believe that even the dumbest person should be able to..."
Mobius almost slipped up. She quickly cleared her throat and mimicked Elysia's tone.
"Ahem, everyone~ You're all so smart, I'm sure you can guess what's going to happen next~"
"Without a doubt, our Big Sister Mei~~ is about to become the Herrscher of Thunder~~!"
"Big Sister Mei~~ is going to show us something truly amazing~~"
But Mobius might've gone a bit too far.
[Big Sister Mei?]
[Is Miss Pink Elf doing some kind of character roleplay today?]
[Honestly, she's extra sarcastic today, but also kinda funny?]
Sarcastic? Snide?
Mobius: (＃￣︿￣)