This was a storm — an unprecedented storm.
To suddenly be told that your world is the same as the dangerous one in the game — the one where Honkai can randomly devastate the world, and where Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are the exact same organizations as in the game — what is one supposed to do?
No matter how mentally prepared they were beforehand, in this moment, everyone's hearts inevitably froze. The impact brought by this truth left them dazed and overwhelmed, unable to focus on what they were doing. Instead, they flooded forums and social media platforms, frantically questioning the truth of what was happening.
Unfortunately, today was not April Fool's Day, and this was not some delusional prank by fools.
The truth, long hidden, was now laid bare. It wasn't a matter of disbelief. If it had only been Schicksal and Anti-Entropy making the announcement, perhaps people would have doubted it. But when official documents with seals from various world governments began appearing in support of the claim, no matter how absurd it all seemed — it could only be real.
In fact, even the official Mihoyo game team issued a similar statement.
However, lacking the authoritative backing of government-issued documentation, it was largely dismissed by the majority of people.
In an instant, everyone understood why Schicksal had been pouring all their effort into pushing this game recently.
What does it mean for fantasy to bleed into reality?
This is exactly that.
If the world you fantasize about — the one you yearn to explore and risk everything in — turns out to be the very reality you live in, how would you feel knowing all of it is true?
Would you act recklessly? Calmly accept it? Or tremble uncontrollably in fear?
Luo Mo didn't know. Kallen didn't know. Schicksal and Anti-Entropy didn't know either.
All they could do was try to make the truth easier for people to accept — to provide a concrete goal to strive toward.
He wanted to use the game — to use the existence of Valkyries — to prove that this world isn't entirely lost. That there are still those who persist and fight bravely for the beauty of the world.
Just like Rita and Durandal, who had recently gone out on a mission, fighting Honkai beasts in an uninhabited wasteland.
World Serpent still lurked in the shadows, silently observing all that was happening. They made no attempt to stop it, nor did they issue any statements.
But no one had forgotten they existed.
And the people of Heavenly Dome and Nagazora City...
---
[Ah? I was that close to disaster? So the gas explosion… Mihoyo's "demo" was fake after all?]
[Excuse me, I live near campus, in Heavenly Dome. What's the survival rate now?]
[Assessment: Normal. Seriously though, do you even know how dangerous my company is? How many Herrschers are near your area? Shame I can't even make it out.]
[Dammit, why doesn't our Shenzhou City have any Herrschers?!]
[Wait a sec, I wanna know if Himeko-sensei is... ah, she's actually on the Academy's site? Still alive!]
[Corruption is real? Watching live right now, Elloe beating up fake Elloe!]
----
In the neighboring villa, Cecilia had already prepared to take Bella over to Theresa's place. Sirin kept saying "just a moment, just a moment" — she just needed to clear this one last stage.
Of course, they were aware of the official announcement.
Sirin, however, was more focused on the livestream. She had hesitated only briefly, but once she saw how popular her younger sister had become, she couldn't resist. Without any hesitation, she seized Bella's streaming room to go live herself.
Cecilia, naturally, had more on her mind. She was able to distinguish between what was important and what wasn't.
Earlier, she had been delayed because Shigure Kira had come with urgent news. Apparently, the other side had pinpointed the location of this world, and could return at any time.
As for Sirin occupying her livestream room... well, Bella could only say:
"Well done, Your Majesty!"
Of course she had no complaints. Everything she had belonged to her Queen. And if it was for Her Majesty, then…
She would do anything!
As the Queen's follower, her fans too had to be of the loyal, queen-loving kind!
She was simply overjoyed — finally, all her hard work might actually help Her Majesty.
Only…
Sirin was having some difficulty wrapping her head around the game's plot. It seemed like she appeared in the story… and also somehow didn't.
She frowned, feeling a bit annoyed as she looked at the harsh comments in the game.
---
[The Herrscher of Thunder returned to the place she had always yearned for — St. Freya Academy. But the life of the past was now nothing more than dust in her memory. The days spent with her fellow girls could now only shine within her recollections.]
[At a turning point, she met someone completely unexpected.]
["You... you're the Herrscher of the Void? What did you do to Kiana?"]
[The Herrscher of Thunder spoke coldly, her hand instinctively reaching for the hilt at her waist. A faint lightning flickered in her eyes as she stared at the other party with a sharp expression.]
[Still slurping her instant noodles, the Spirit of the Spring Water was momentarily stunned. Looking around and seeing no one else, she realized the girl was speaking to her.]
[But the thing is — she had no clue who the two people in that girl's mouth were supposed to be.]
["Did you mistake me for someone else?"]
["Don't play dumb. You think I won't recognize you just because you changed clothes?"]
[The Herrscher of Thunder drew her blade — lightning coursed across its edge. The unsuspecting Spring Spirit, in the middle of eating, choked from surprise and quickly teleported to the side, glaring angrily.]
["Don't think I'm scared of you!"]
[Mei said nothing. Watching the fading afterimage left by her opponent, her eyes grew colder. "Still claiming you're not her?"]
---
And then the player interface took over.
Looking at it calmly, the Herrscher of Void and the Herrscher of Thunder clearly had significant power gaps, but the overall difficulty wasn't too high — actually a good match for someone like Sirin.
But… why was there a storyline like this?
So full of negative public opinion against her…
"The Spring Water Spirit obviously isn't me! That's just an in-game character from the event. What's it got to do with me?"
Sirin pouted in frustration, trying to speed up her hand movements. But still, she ended up taking every attack directly — her HP bar quickly dropped to the danger zone.
"My Lady Queen…" Bella called softly from the side, worriedly watching the battle play out on screen.
Even she could tell that things were not looking good. Despite inwardly hoping the Queen would win, win or lose — to her, Sirin was still the best.
"Sirin, hurry up already! What are you dawdling for?"
Cecilia finally lost patience and urged her to move. Meanwhile, in the bullet comments flying across the screen, what had previously been mockery of Sirin's skills had now turned into warm welcomes for the "mother-in-law."
The viewers' attitude shift was swift, revealing just how emotionally flexible gamers can be. The moment the official announcement dropped, no one treated these lookalike characters as just cosplayers anymore.
Some sharp-eyed viewers even went digging into Siberian history records, noticing uncanny details — which made them feel an extra layer of emotional connection to Sirin and Cecilia.
"Let's go"
"Ugh... I lost..." Sirin muttered with a dull gaze, reluctantly following behind Cecilia toward Theresa's house.
---
At Theresa's mansion
Luo Mo presented yet another strange but clever idea — all for the sake of defeating the Herrscher of Corruption and saving the world of Honkai Impact 3.
"Huh?! You seriously want to do that?" Theresa widened her eyes at him.
Even Bronie, who had been intensely focused on her game, twitched her brows in surprise upon hearing the suggestion. Her expression tensed up.
She had to admit — this guy really knew how to appeal to players' mindsets.
"Of course. You know Honkai Impact 3 players — they live for a little text-based encouragement."
Luo Mo waved nonchalantly, not minding the attention.
"It just had to be you again, always scheming something."
Theresa sighed.
"So what — we're adding leaderboards now? Divided by country, city, and even towns? And based solely on stage-clear count?"
Bronie clicked her tongue as she paused her game. Despite the eyebrow raise, she didn't object.
After all, she knew this idea would greatly benefit their side in the long run.
"Exactly. And on top of that… we can spice up the leaderboards a little with Honkai's signature features."
Luo Mo smiled, offering what he claimed was just a "humble suggestion."
Because, truly, Honkai players loved min-maxing.
Wherever there's a leaderboard, there'll be players grinding day and night to climb it.
Maybe even sweeten the deal with some additional rewards?
He wasn't short on resources anyway.
Adding autographed cards from Valkyries to the reward pool — he knew well enough that any true fan would do whatever it took to earn one of those.
If they could transform this global-scale disruption caused by the Herrscher of Corruption into a full-blown Honkai Impact 3 crossover event, why not give it a shot?
(T/N: Honaki' hardcore fans IRL are really crazy)
"...'Only one stage away downstairs, not a whale?' 'Downstairs' system, huh? Not a bad idea at all~"
Cecilia extended her fingers, counting with ease. Her long silver-white hair swayed gently as she glanced around the room with an amused smile in her blue eyes.
As for why she was so familiar with this concept?
Naturally, because she had plenty of firsthand experience in such matters.
For example, she often did things like that. While enjoying herself, it really motivated others to push harder.
"With everyone sweating buckets, they must win. So... shouldn't St. Freya consider expanding that credits-based level-clearing system?" Luo Mo asked hesitantly, wanting to bring benefits to more students.
What's called "playing under orders"? Who wouldn't be inspired by such diligent, late-night studying students?
"That would depend on the local government's policy. But you really care about this group, don't you? On the other hand, the past few days turning into a break has given everyone more time to focus on important things... Everyone playing the same game—it's truly a bizarre scenario."
Kallen sighed softly, her eyes filled with helplessness.
If this had happened under Theresa's administration, a global gaming movement might have seemed like a fantasy from One Thousand and One Nights, but now it's a clearly necessary action, almost a historical miracle.
"Every day being a holiday—shouldn't the players thank me for that?" Luo Mo joked.
He was doing all he could for now, just waiting for results.
"You're right, but it's also because you're making us do the work," came a sarcastic jab.
"What do you mean 'because of me'? This is a fight for the beauty of the world!"
"With firm resolve, the corrosion level can stabilize and even recover. Everything is moving in a good direction. But what matters most now is: if we defeat the enemy in the game, is that the same as defeating the Corruption Herrscher in real life?"
Cecilia sat elegantly nearby, helping Kallen plan. But when her gaze swept across Sirin and Kiana's direction, a smile still played on her lips.
Fighting for the beauty of the world… not bad at all.
"This time, we have to get first place in the St. Freya region ranking. Healthy competition can inspire fighting spirit."
Cecilia tucked her hair back to avoid distractions. She straightened up, both hands placed neatly in front of her, her eyes glowing as she prepared for battle.
Even though it was just a game, as a mother of three children, she was no less passionate than anyone else. Especially if it was related to saving the world, her fighting spirit flared even more.
Now then... what should her in-game ID be? She needed to give that some serious thought.
---
Golden Pavilion Courtyard, underground laboratory.
Mobius, dressed in a long white lab coat, was still busy at the experiment table, carefully dripping a dark green reagent into a liquid in a vial.
After her task, she didn't forget to glance at the screen in front of her, which showed a live feed of Elysia smiling brightly, interacting with fans. Within the level, someone had even quietly changed Mobius's outfit without her knowing...
This only made Mobius more suspicious of the Corruption Herrscher's taste. Her expression grew more stern.
"Doctor... if you don't like watching, should we just lock her up?"
Klein walked in carrying a stack of documents. Her slightly oversized lab coat seemed like it might trip her up at any moment, and the long sleeves emphasized her delicate hands. She looked up slightly and asked with concern.
"Hmph—how could I not watch how she mocks me? Otherwise, how will I settle scores with her later?"
"But... this has already been making you unhappy for quite a while."
"I'm not upset because of that. It's because the virus, when delivered directly, isn't directional. The Corrupted Herrscher's soul might once have been able to control it... but I'm wondering if there's a better way."
Mobius paused her work and sighed softly. She was trying to reduce the virus's activity. When she created it, she had considered letting it run wild or even accepting the corruption herself to embrace a new beginning.
But now, it had become a choice. Logically, there were better candidates... but the soul...
In the end, she could only trust the other person.
Duy Tien—you certainly had more plans. But it didn't matter.
"Klein, do you think the levels in the game are randomized for everyone?"
"If it were truly random, it'd be too coincidental. I suspect the Corruption Herrscher tweaked it, but I can't tell which part exactly..."
Klein replied softly, her gaze clear. She figured it was best to leave such unknowns to the Herrscher of Corruption.
"Ah... I think so too. But I don't believe she did it."
Mobius smirked. "If it were me, I'd assign the hardest combat levels to Kiana, and the most frustrating puzzles to Bronya and the others..."
"So, could it be someone else is watching us?"
Mobius's eyes gleamed as she stared into the green reagent with a profound gaze.
She'd had a brief conversation with Luo Mo, and some of the anomalies in the game weren't attributable to him or the Corruption Herrscher. He hadn't mentioned any hidden players either. And yet... she couldn't figure it out.
That was strange.
"..."
Klein didn't answer. She simply continued her work in silence. She knew the doctor wasn't really asking for her opinion—she was just thinking aloud, testing her ideas.
But if there was someone else watching… were they similar to those who shaped the outside world?
That thought lingered in Klein's mind.
---
In another distant location, on the edge of the solar system.
"Aww... why did the game suddenly stop? Ugh... I can't play at all. Why?"
Older Griseo shook her phone in confusion, her face innocent and puzzled, with a faint ring of paint still on her finger.
She had just finished a painting of many, many people. When she tried to relax by watching Ely-sis's stream, she found that the game—which was usually always accessible—suddenly wouldn't open.
[Something's gone a little wrong over there. Wait a few days, and they'll get back to you, Griseo.]
Su's gentle voice echoed from who-knows-where, directly into her mind.
[Maybe, before long, you'll return to your starting point... or maybe even in a better way.]
The narrator's voice added.
"Aww... is it broken? I wanted to see you play a bit more..."
A girl, who had appeared without warning, now squatted nearby. She seemed familiar with Griseo, speaking gently as if comforting her.
It was Vita. She gently tapped Griseo's cheek and looked at her sincerely.
"Why don't I fix it for you? Don't look at me like that. I'm not just some relic from a bygone era—I still know a few tricks."
"...Sister Ellie told me to stay away from you."
Griseo tilted her head slightly to look at Vita. Lately, Vita had been appearing around her more often. Though she hadn't done anything bad, her intentions were still unclear.
Griseo nodded lightly, politely refusing the outstretched hand.
"In that case, let sister Vita move a little closer to you."
Vita put her hands on her hips, not discouraged at all. She smiled gently, a bit playfully, as if they were already old friends.