Elysia's stunning appearance instantly piqued every player's curiosity.
For fans of Miss Pink Elf, it was nothing short of a celebration.
Seeing your favorite Miss Pink Elf in your favorite game Honkai Impact 3rd—that's double the joy.
How to put it... they felt this inexplicable sense of happiness...?
And that's just now—if they knew Eden was coming, and then Kalpas, and Miss Mobius...
They all joined Honkai Impact 3rd too.
Then one by one, they all made their appearances, leaving lasting impressions...
"..."
Hokuto declared he had already learned "thirty-six techniques of slinking away" from the Fu Shibao and wasn't panicking.
Not at all...
When he saw Elysia saying all sorts of cute things, happily envisioning the future of Honkai Impact 3rd, painting a dreamlike fairytale in her mind—
The not-panicking Hokuto quickly raised his hand toward Kiana to signal it was time for the next segment.
Kiana was about to demo Herrscher of Flamescion.
"Elysia."
Seeing Hokuto's signal, Kiana took the initiative to interrupt Elysia's daydream.
"Let's move on to the next segment."
"Oh? Is it time? The official demo of Herrscher of Flamescion—what will the design be like, I wonder?"
As she spoke, Elysia handed the device in her hand to Kiana.
Kiana switched to the internal test build of Honkai Impact 3rd. Upon logging into the bridge, she saw the red-and-white-themed Herrscher of Flamescion.
That high ponytail especially... so cool and dashing!
She first opened the skill panel.
Herrscher of Flamescion's skill names were packed with details.
Basic attack, combo attack, ultimate, evasion...
Each one corresponded to a member of St. Freya Academy. It was also a callback to the Herrscher of Flamescion short.
Herrscher of Flamescion advanced with the support of everyone.
"With this Wheel of Flames to drive my will,
Let flame steer Heaven's path,
Revolve the ring of truth...
With this Flamescion blazing bright..."
Kiana read each line aloud in Firefly's voice.
Gradually—
Not just the viewers, even Elysia fell silent.
She didn't know whether to praise miHoYo's attention to detail... or lament the countless hidden blades.
She made up her mind—she would pull for Herrscher of Flamescion right after the stream.
Amid the silence—
Kiana moved on to show off Herrscher of Flamescion's stigmata...
All of them were Himeko Murata.
Unintentionally delivering yet another emotional blow, she tapped into the character tutorial stage.
The first line Herrscher of Flamescion spoke upon entry was:
"I will fight for all that is beautiful in this world!"
And while idle, she would murmur:
"All my precious memories are here... in my heart."
"I'll walk the path ahead with everyone, so... don't worry about me."
"The sword on my back isn't heavy at all... it's warm..."
Players' faces were beginning to twist in pain.
They knew this had to be a deliberate move by that person at miHoYo.
Time to put them on the hit list.
Kiana remained unaware of the rising tension, simply continuing with the tutorial.
Basic attack, evasion.
"My turn! No objections, right?"
Combo attack.
"It's time for the final battle!"
The skill animations retained the familiar flashiness of Honkai Impact 3rd, with impactful hits that didn't fall short.
And of course, the emotionally resonant lines that could moisten one's eyes.
Still, the players could just about hold it together—they were seasoned veterans after all.
Finally, the ultimate.
When Kiana held the ultimate key, a stunning animation burst forth.
"With this blaze—cleave the unbreakable!"
Herrscher of Flamescion swung her greatsword upward, releasing a slash.
A few frames of sketch-style explosions followed.
Like a freeze-frame in slow motion—combined with the sound effects, the visual impact was overwhelming.
But more importantly—many players, including Elysia, instantly recognized the source of those frames.
Wasn't that the same slash Himeko delivered to the Queen in Final Lesson?
"Kiana~?" Elysia couldn't help but speak.
As if knowing what Elysia wanted to ask, Kiana nodded gently:
"It's exactly as you think, Elysia. It was deliberately designed that way."
She paused, her voice softening:
"Every time Kiana swings that blade... it might be a moment she overlaps with Miss Himeko. The moment she can most truly feel Miss Himeko's warmth and presence."
"It's like Miss Himeko is still fighting alongside Kiana."
"..."
Elysia's expression stiffened. The viewers clutched their chests—emotions rising again and again.
All that could be said was—miHoYo's emotional daggers hit hard.
And this... still wasn't the end.
Kiana, controlling Herrscher of Flamescion, unleashed a flawless combo and defeated all the enemies.
The results screen appeared.
Herrscher of Flamescion slowly spoke her victory line:
"Another victory. You... must have seen it too..."
Elysia: "..."
Stream chat: "..."
[...I'm scared. I haven't even started playing Flamescion and I'm already crying.]
[Himeko becoming a stigmata and always staying by Kiana's side—isn't that its own kind of romance?]
[Romantic to death. Romantic enough... to make me cry out loud.]
[Stop it, miHoYo! I have no tears left to cry!]
What kind of Herrscher of Flamescion was this? It's clearly the Herrscher of Knives!
They just wanted... to pull gacha right now!
...
After Kiana finished showcasing Herrscher of Flamescion,
The official stream continued. Mei, Bronya, and a few others joined the stream to chat about what happened during Flamescion Everlasting's development.
Their insights on the design of Herrscher of Flamescion (though Hokuto took the lead, they'd contributed plenty of ideas), how Kiana really cried during her voice recording session... and more.
Of all the behind-the-scenes stories, what delighted players the most was...
The "funny story" of the scriptwriter being surrounded and berated in the recording room.
Good job! That's our girls!
The Valkyries crushed "Otto"!
Just imagining it was exciting enough.
As miHoYo staff and viewers continued chatting face-to-face, time flew by.
At 4.00 p.m., Elysia once again mentioned the upcoming official online concert, and the stream came to a reluctant end.
"Ahhh~~"
Elysia stretched with a long yawn, then grabbed Kiana with one hand and Himeko with the other.
"The stream's over~~ Next up~ we're doing what girls are supposed to do."
"What girls are supposed to do?"
Before Kiana could react, Mei walked in from outside and said to Elysia:
"Kevin invited us to a team outing. Hokuto already agreed. Are you coming?"
"Of course I am~!"
Elysia answered without hesitation. Then a beat later, she realized something.
"Kevin invited everyone for a group outing?"
She paused, letting go of Kiana's hand, tapping her cheek in thought.
"Could it be... he wants to treat us to his long-hoarded limited edition ramen bowls?"
Everyone: "..."
So many things wrong with that sentence.
"Elysia, your thoughts are really synchronized with Hokuto's," Mei said dryly.
"Hokuto just gets me so well..."
Elysia said this without thinking, then let go of Himeko's hand, brushed her hair aside, and added,
"He's always understood everyone really well."
The girls' eyes flickered, their gazes drifting toward someone.
Hokuto noticed the attention, blinked, and began:
"Well, I just know that..."
"Kiana may seem unserious, but she's actually very thoughtful. Himeko acts carefree, but deep down, she's gentle. Fu Hua may not talk much, but you can always count on her at critical moments..."
He wrapped it up with, "That's all there is to it."
Everyone: "..."
"Sigh~~ Hokuto, you sound like you like everyone at miHoYo."
"Of course." Hokuto nodded without hesitation.
Elysia suddenly raised an eyebrow, a mischievous smile appearing:
"Then here's the question—if someone asked you who you like the most, what would you say?"
"???"
Now that was a classic death trap.
Hokuto could only respond:
"Whoever asks me that question—that's who I like the most."
"That kind of answer~ is way too sneaky~~"
"Mm-hmm."
"Huh...?"
Elysia didn't expect to get "mm-hmmed" in return.
But before she could react, Kiana suddenly clapped her hands like she'd made a huge discovery.
"By Hokuto's logic, since Elysia just asked him that... that means Hokuto likes Elysia the most?"
"..."*N
Paramecium Kiana's stunning revelation made the atmosphere in miHoYo suddenly... odd.
"Kiana... that's just... a figure of speech..."
Before anyone could explain—
Clap clap clap~~
Elysia clapped her hands and forcibly changed the subject with all the subtlety of a sledgehammer.
"Weren't we going on a team outing? Let's get moving! Don't keep Kevin waiting!"
With that, she rushed out the door.
The others at miHoYo looked on—some smiling, some confused, some lost...
"Huh? Why did Elysia suddenly leave?" Kiana didn't understand.
"Kiana..."
Mei opened her mouth, hesitated, and said,
"Never mind. She's probably just in a hurry to see Eden. You do know Elysia likes Eden the most."
"Ohhh." Kiana accepted that explanation easily.
"You're not leaving yet~?"
Elysia's voice came from outside, completely normal.
"Coming, coming!"*N