Help! My Honkai Impact 3rd Livestream Attracted the Actual Characters!

Chapter 101: Elysia – I Didn't Expect Kevin to Be This Good at Persuading Girls?!

This man's words were calm and concise, yet they carried a heavy weight—like laws inscribed upon an ancient stone pillar, immutable and absolute.

But Mei had to face the full weight of those words.

[.....I need to know the exact method and see for myself that she is truly safe. If you can really save her... then I'll do whatever it takes.]

"!!!"

[Because of your livestream content, 『Pink Fairy Miss』 is shocked. You have gained 1,420 crystals!]

"???"

[Because of your livestream content, 『Today's Performance Wasn't Perfect』 is...]

"Ahhh, did we just mishear something... Does Kevin even realize what he just said?"

[Because of your livestream content...]

As Kevin stated his terms, a flurry of comments flooded the livestream chat, and system notifications chimed one after another.

However, the one with the most complicated feelings at this moment wasn't the viewers...

It was Kevin himself.

He had just finalized a deal with Otto not long ago, thinking he could leverage the infamous Schicksal overseer to bring Raiden Mei into World Serpent.

After all, Otto had already successfully created conscious Herrschers. That alone was proof that this era's Herrschers... at the very least, had the potential to be reasoned with.

A small possibility, but one worth investigating.

And yet, why did it feel like his plan was being exposed in real-time? Would Elysia... keep her mouth shut after knowing about this?

Kevin wasn't too concerned about Hua or—likely—Mobius.

One was quiet and reserved, the other was indifferent to such minor matters.

But Elysia... she was the real problem here.

Fortunately, in the game, Kevin wasn't making the kind of reckless mistakes that the livestream chat had anticipated.

On the contrary, he was being far too serious... almost to the point of frustration.

[That girl, Kiana, is at the brink of death. The core's erosion has exceeded what her body can withstand.]

[If you want her to live, you must remove the excess cores from her body immediately. And there is only one way to do it.]

[I will make you the Herrscher of Thunder once more.]

"...What?"

As Kevin laid out his plan, both Otto in the livestream chat and Mei in the game reacted at almost the exact same moment.

For Otto, it was the realization that World Serpent was actively attempting to create and control Herrschers.

For Mei, it was the shock of learning that she still had the possibility of becoming a Herrscher again...

[You were chosen as a Herrscher. Your body will forever be marked with a gateway connected to the Imaginary Tree.]

[When the residual energy from the Third Eruption is absorbed by that gateway, you will awaken once more—taking back the power of the Herrscher of Thunder from Kiana.]

[A new Herrscher core will form within you, while the Gem of Conquest will disintegrate and disappear. With one less core inside her, her condition will stabilize.]

Kevin's cold, unwavering words struck Mei like thunder, triggering memories from the past few days.

Tesla's diagnosis, her sudden dizziness, Raven's unexpected change in attitude...

She suddenly understood everything.

[So... if I become a Herrscher again, Kiana will be saved?]

[That's right.] Kevin responded without hesitation.

And upon hearing his confirmation, Mei made up her mind.

[...Then I have nothing to hesitate about.]

[Three years ago, she pulled me out of the darkness. Without Kiana, I wouldn't be who I am today. For her, I am more than willing to return to that darkness.]

[But if I lose myself to Honkai again... I want you to—]

At this moment, Mei carried the same conviction as Kiana. She was prepared to sacrifice everything—if things truly spiraled out of control.

She hoped that the man before her could handle everything. She believed that the man before her had the power to handle everything...

But it seemed that Kevin himself had no such concerns.

[You don't need to worry. That won't happen. What you should truly be concerned about is what comes after you become a Herrscher.]

Hearing this, Mei remained silent, choosing instead to listen to the leader of World Serpent's judgment.

[This time, you might save Kiana. But next time, she will still put herself in danger. She will keep using the power of the Herrscher of the Void—again and again—for the people around her, for this world. As long as Honkai exists, as long as Herrschers continue to emerge, she will continue to step forward...]

[...Until she gives her life.]

Kevin's words were heavy with certainty. Though Mei knew little about him, she could tell—he wasn't lying.

[I have seen countless people like her. Even when faced with death and fear, they steadfastly pursued what they believed to be right. They walked the path they believed in.]

[...And none of them returned.]

His words struck Mei like ice-cold daggers, piercing deep into her heart.

She wanted to refute him, to say something—anything.

But she couldn't.

Because this was her deepest fear.

Because this was something no amount of sacrifice could ever change.

[...No... I won't let that happen...!]

[You cannot stop her. Otherwise, you wouldn't have come here.]

Kevin's calm, unwavering voice cut through Mei's frantic denial, grounding her like an immovable mountain that she had no choice but to face.

She hated this.

But she couldn't deny the truth in his words.

[But you do have another choice.]

[You can choose to walk with World Serpent.]

It was only now that Kevin truly extended his offer to Mei.

[...What are you saying?]

[Very soon, more Herrschers will emerge. The war between humanity and Honkai will enter its next phase. You can choose to stand with World Serpent—to eliminate Honkai, to capture Herrschers, to seal away their powers... so that the Herrscher of the Void can never grow stronger.]

[Only by leaving Kiana's side can you truly protect her from danger. And when the Stigmata Project is complete, you and she will be able to return to being 'human.']

—!

A sudden explosion. A pillar of light. The sky shattered under the radiance, splintering like glass.

[...What just happened!?]

Mei gasped in shock.

The CG cutscene panned upward, capturing the colossal structure that had appeared in the sky.

Amidst this breathtaking sight, Kevin's voice calmly echoed—

[The time has come. The gate has been opened. Soon, the Imaginary Tree will manifest in this city.]

[The dormant Honkai energy within the leylines will be released. Absorb it, and you will become the Herrscher of Thunder once more—buying her more time.]

[But if you truly wish to save her life, there is only one path forward. Whether or not you trust me, whether or not you trust World Serpent, I will give you time to decide. Raiden Mei, Kiana's fate rests in your hands. I do not need to convince you, because you already understand better than anyone...]

As if he were an omniscient observer, Kevin calmly spoke of this city's future... and of the reality that Mei could not escape.

[—Her ideals can save the world, but they cannot save herself.]

With Kevin's final words, the game transitioned into real-time combat.

What had once been the 'safe zone' of the Nest was now swarming with quantum-type Honkai creatures.

Faced with these sudden intruders, Mei had no choice but to fight.

These monsters moved with unnatural speed, vanishing and reappearing unpredictably.

It took everything she had to eliminate them all.

As the last quantum creature fell, the stage finally neared its conclusion.

[Ugh...!]

A fierce wind roared through the fissures, sending tremors through the collapsing skyscrapers, forcing Mei to brace herself against the ground.

She lifted her head—only to witness an unbelievable sight.

The seawater that had once flooded Nagazora City was now receding rapidly.

[The water... it's lowering? No, wait... that's not it... The Nest is rising! The buildings... they're ascending into the sky!]

A deafening roar echoed in the distance, followed by the thunderous sound of an explosion, then the heavy crash of collapsing structures.

And finally—light.

Endless white light flooded her vision, engulfing the entire world before her.

As the blinding radiance subsided, a new scene was unveiled to the players—a massive, glowing violet cross standing tall amidst the ruined city, with structures being pulled upwards into the sky...

Purple lightning streaked across the heavens, announcing a single, undeniable truth—

The Queen of Thunder was about to return.

『Your Great Inventor:』"I never would've expected it—turns out that guy is actually good at sweet-talking girls?"

A green chat bubble drifted across the livestream screen.

The sender was none other than Otto Apocalypse, the infamous Schicksal Overseer.

Not long ago, he had struck a deal with Kevin, fully expecting the man to be nothing more than a silent powerhouse.

And yet, reality seemed to prove otherwise...

So, he just doesn't like talking to me? Hah. That almost feels like an insult.

Of course, Otto didn't let his thoughts show.

All that mattered to him was achieving his goals.

Compared to his composed reaction, the other viewers were far more animated—

『Pink Fairy Miss:』 "Ehh~? Did we completely misjudge him? That Kevin, that cold and expressionless Kevin—who would've thought he'd learned how to charm a girl with words?!"

『No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai:』"???"

『Hard Work Always Pays Off:』 "I can't imagine these words coming out of Kevin's mouth. He... seems particularly invested in making Mei his ally. Why is that?"

『where did the little lab rats hide?:』 "Hehe~ Things are getting more and more interesting. I can't wait to crack open that icy brain of his and see what's inside!"

As the former Flame-Chasers each voiced their own opinions, the person at the center of it all—Kevin—remained completely silent.

It was obvious from the chat alone... that he hadn't expected his actions to be exposed in real-time to his old comrades.

Let alone the fact that recruiting a Herrscher was the part that got revealed.

Meanwhile, Hokuto sighed dramatically at the screen.

『Hokuto:』 "Unfortunate. Truly unfortunate."

Perhaps the only way to shift the chat's focus was to play the skipped prelude scenes.

And so, he did just that.

The screen transitioned back to an earlier moment—one that explained the nature of the Imaginary Tree, and why Nagazora City was experiencing a Void invasion of this scale.

As the narrative unfolded, a single line of text appeared:

"What exactly is Honkai?"

For centuries, Otto had sought the answer to this question.

He had spent five hundred years in pursuit of knowledge.

He had combed through documents spanning two entire civilizations.

He had accumulated more understanding of Honkai than anyone among the seven billion people of Earth.

And yet—

The more he learned, the less he understood.

At last, Otto came to a realization—he knew nothing about Honkai at all.

Where did it come from, and where was it going?

What force drove it, and toward what end?

Why was it born, why did it end, why did it persist, why did it stop, why did it erupt, why did it fall silent—

Was Honkai an entity with will, or merely an eternal law of the universe?

Doubt. Doubt… Doubt churned like a raging tide, drowning Otto, sweeping him, dragging him into the deepest, most terrifying abyss—an abyss named "The Unknown."

He wanted to move forward, but he could not find the path.

He wanted to set out, but he did not know the destination.

He explored, he questioned, he failed, he wandered.

He struggled, he experimented, he suffered, he despaired.

Five hundred years passed. The number of hypotheses he proposed was beyond count, and the number of theories he disproved was immeasurable.

One answer after another surfaced in his mind, aligning, shifting, interweaving, and forming blueprint after blueprint—

They were drawn, then torn apart. Reassembled, only to be shattered again…

『where did the little lab rats hide?:』 "…He really is a madman. But with this, his attempt to control Herrschers makes complete sense—"

A golden chat bubble drifted across the screen…

The sender was none other than Mebius, one of the greatest scientists of the Previous Era.

Her judgment carried weight. Whether or not it was meant as a compliment was another matter entirely.

『where did the little lab rats hide?:』 "No worldly notion can restrain him… If I had the time, I'd love to discuss academic theories with him. But, alas, I have more pressing matters to attend to."

As Mebius's commentary floated past the chat—

The text narration on the screen presented a new revelation:

"Now, let us imagine a tree—the Imaginary Tree."

"A massive tree, its crown unseen, its branches stretching to blot out the sky."

"Below the tree, an endless sea, its depths unfathomable, its borders unreachable."

"Between them, only the tree and the sea existed. And so, they began an eternal struggle."

"The sea surged, expanding, while the tree extended its roots deeper and deeper. One sought to drown the other, while the other sought to absorb it."

"Through the countless eons the tree spent submerged in the sea, its branches diverged endlessly, bearing leaves and flowers without number."

"And amidst this infinite cycle, within an insignificant corner, upon a newly sprouted leaf—"

"A civilization called humanity was born."

As Otto Apocalypse's voice narrated this truth, the fundamental nature of the world of Honkai was laid bare before the viewers…

The Imaginary Tree—at the moment that term was uttered, Otto had reached his own Eureka.

This was not only an explanation of the foundational setting of the world but also a testament to Otto's unparalleled understanding—an insight he had achieved through five centuries of learning without a guide.

Without the tutelage of the Previous Era, this so-called "Fool" of the Current Era had reached the peak of science…

He knew that the research of those before him had reached its limit—

But he? He would step beyond the path they had left behind, into an abyss even darker, into the unseen depths—

End of Chapter 101