Kiana was reborn from the flames, the Herrscher of Domination was defeated, and the suspense around the [Golden] thread was left hanging.
This felt like the perfect ending point for the main story.
However...
miHoYo's follow-up CG this time was unusually long.
The screen faded to black.
Several words slowly appeared.
"A few weeks later—"
Elysia reflexively read along: "A few weeks later?"
The screen lit up again, and more text unfolded in the top right corner.
"Drifting through the sky..."
Elysia continued reading along for a few words, but then abruptly froze.
She couldn't utter another word.
Because she saw a broken sword, surrounded by flowers.
It lay atop a white cloth on a marble pedestal, encircled by white and yellow chrysanthemums, clearly indicating this was a funeral.
And the owner of this funeral—upon seeing the sword, everyone could already mouth the name:
Murata... Himeko.
"Today we gather here to remember a friend we all shared. An eternal hero."
Theresa stood at the front, solemnly facing the gathered attendees.
"I will not recite her biography, nor list her contributions."
"Because we all witnessed those things... I simply want to share a piece of time I spent with her."
"..."
"As a teacher, she was sometimes late to class, sometimes didn't return at night, sometimes passed out from a hangover."
"I confiscated so many of her things, they filled an entire storage room."
"Even though the students all liked her, I often sighed—there was no one less like a teacher than her."
Theresa closed her eyes, as those moments still played out before her.
"But that very teacher... saved her students."
"She taught us what it means to have companions, what it means to fight, what it means to hold ideals."
"She also taught us... the meaning of beauty."
"There was no better teacher than her."
...
The wind had ceased its prayers, and all was silent.
One by one, everyone stepped forward to place their memories on the marble.
Theresa left a fine bottle of confiscated wine,
Kiana left a syringe,
Fu Hua left a class photo...
People were immersed in memories of what was lost.
Kiana wanted to smell that faint wine scent in Himeko's fiery red hair one more time.
Bronya wept quietly.
Theresa poured a glass of red wine and raised it to Himeko...
Almost nothing was said until the end.
Night fell.
The final student, who had not arrived earlier—
Mei slipped in quietly, avoiding the others.
She bowed slightly and approached the pedestal.
"I'm sorry, Teacher Himeko."
"Forgive me for coming to see you alone at a time like this."
Mei stood silently for a moment, as if weighing her words.
There was much she wanted to say,
but some things lose their meaning the moment they are spoken.
"Rather than words, perhaps it's better to prove it through actions."
She offered a bouquet of lilies.
"Thank you, Teacher Himeko."
"Being your student... was my honor."
The emotions people had just managed to collect now threatened to shatter all over again.
They thought the heartbreak ended with the battle.
They never expected the scriptwriter had saved one last stab for them.
Softly, yet brutally.
[If I'd known, I would've bought red wine instead of champagne. I could've toasted Teacher Himeko.]
[Same here. Bought champagne for Otto, haven't even popped it yet.]
[Same +1]
[Same +2]
There was no shortage of viewers now full of regret.
Even Hokuto was dumbfounded.
Wait... you guys actually bought champagne for Otto's ending?!
He thought the players were just joking.
"..."
The story didn't give players time to linger.
The scene changed.
Mei returned to World Serpent and approached Kevin.
Still in his usual posture, seated on a stone throne, Kevin—for once—spoke first.
"What is it?"
"The Herrscher of Domination has been eliminated."
"I know."
"Its core has vanished—whereabouts unknown."
"..."
"But that's not why I came today." Mei shifted the topic.
"What do you want to ask?"
Kevin's voice remained utterly devoid of emotion.
Mei plainly explained:
She had collided with a puppet using Herrscher power and was drawn into an indescribable space—
There, she encountered what was called a [Honkai god].
But this god had absolutely no influence over its apostle—the Herrscher.
This puzzled Mei—
And it puzzled the players.
Wasn't this so-called Honkai god... kind of underwhelming?
Didn't feel very godlike.
"You've fought since the last era, the final hero of the Previous Civilization.
There's no way you know nothing.
How many secrets are you still hiding from this generation of humanity?"
Kevin remained silent, deep in thought.
Perhaps it was time for a Herrscher with humanity
to set foot in the Elysian Realm...
He made his decision.
"You now possess the qualifications."
Kevin raised his hand, pointing toward a direction—
A lightless corridor, snaking out from one corner of the ceremonial grounds.
At its end, in the depths of darkness—
lay the origin of the world.
"The qualifications to seek answers."
Mei didn't hesitate.
She walked into the corridor alone.
Who knew how long she walked for.
From that moment, everything around her was pitch-black.
It was as though this passage extended endlessly—
Extending into another world.
In the boundless darkness—
Mei sensed something strange.
A particularly light-hearted voice echoed:
"Hmm... Kevin, Kevin... you really love creating problems for people."
She spoke as though complaining,
but her tone was not at all annoyed—
In fact, it sounded vaguely... excited.
What stunned the audience even more—
was how familiar that voice sounded.
It felt like something they'd heard many, many times...
The thought flashed across their minds.
And with it came an uncontrollable shiver.
A burst of realization.
!!!
Wasn't that... Miss Pink Elf's voice?!
And as if to confirm their suspicions—
The darkness vanished.
A pink-haired girl in a violet-white outfit with elf-like ears
appeared before everyone.
She looked exactly like Elysia.
Exactly like Miss Pink Elf!
At that moment, the bullet screen exploded.
[Miss Pink Elf!!]
[I totally forgot! Miss Pink Elf said ages ago that miHoYo would add her to Honkai Impact 3rd.]
[Next chapter is her story?!]
[I'm suddenly super hyped! Wherever Miss Pink Elf is... paradise must follow!!]
...
Elysia's appearance in the past timeline had already caused a sensation.
This time, it stirred the audience even more.
A flood of bullet comments.
The livestream was practically bursting apart.
And the real Elysia, watching the story progress, lit up at her own appearance.
"Aiya~~ who would've thought, adorable and charming me,
would suddenly show up at a moment like this."
"Did I surprise you all~~?"
Kiana nodded gently.
"Didn't expect it.
So you and Kevin are on the same side, Elysia."
She paused, then curiously asked:
"Do you know what happens next?"
"Hmm... to be honest, I don't.
'Mr. Otto' keeps his mouth very shut."
Elysia shook her head lightly, then added:
"But I do remember—he told me long ago,
that it would be a story that exists because of me.
I wonder if he still plans to keep that promise."
"A story that exists because of you?
That sounds... amazing." Kiana was impressed.
Elysia smiled:
"Right? I think so too."
...
The two exchanged a few more words.
Elysia soon resumed her hosting duties with professional flair.
Amid the waves of [Elysia] comments filling the screen,
many questions and curiosities emerged.
Elysia only smiled playfully.
"Everyone, please look forward to the upcoming online concert.
At that time... there'll be promo for the next version."
"Mm, according to 'Mr. Otto,'
it will be the first appearance of thirteen [Those Who Could Not Become Heroes]."
She smartly left it at that.
No mention of Eden and the others being added to Honkai Impact 3rd.
After all, revealing it now would just steal the spotlight from [Flamescion: Everlasting].
"As for what kind of story it'll be—
please look forward to it~♪"
"But I think... it'll definitely be a truly, truly romantic story."
"After all... it has Elysia.
And... all of you."
Translator's Note
Hey everyone,
Just wanted to give you all a quick heads-up. From now on, I'll be posting 1 chapter a day instead of 2.
I recently graduated, and as much as I'd love to keep up the double uploads, I need to start looking for a full-time job to help with the bills. Translation is something I really enjoy doing, and having Patreon support has definitely helped a bit, but it's not quite enough to make ends meet right now.
That said, I'm still committed to finishing this story and putting out regular updates. The pace might slow down a little, but the passion behind it won't change.
Thanks for sticking with me and for all your support so far. Really appreciate it.