MGSFV?! Chapter 436. Will I Be Stabbed?; I Don't Understand!
[So this is Kevin x MEI? I'm shipping it.]
[Kevin x MEI, mutual yearning. So sweet. So sweet. But it also hurts—why is that?]
[They both kept that promise for 50,000 years, but might never see each other again. Of course it's painful.]
[I hope... Kevin and MEI get a chance.]
[Reminds me of a quote I saw in a sci-fi novel once: "Love can transcend dimensions." I hope it's true for Kevin x MEI too.]
Players were caught off guard by the romantic expression of Kevin and MEI's bond.
That Kevin would agree to such a promise with MEI didn't surprise them.
But MEI, always rational, faithfully keeping that promise and taking real action...
That gave them pause.
For someone like MEI to do something like this...
It had a certain sense of contradiction.
In the story—
Prometheus directly voiced her confusion.
"Dr. MEI, you made such a fundamentally crucial decision based purely on this irrational promise—"
"You want to let Kevin from the intrinsic world see you one last time before your disappearance? Even though the success rate is almost zero?"
"—Logically speaking, this borders on blindness."
She also pointed out that this might all be unnecessary.
Kevin had the Samsara Terminal.
If he truly wanted to see MEI, he could've come here any time.
He never had to merely gaze from afar.
But here's the real question—
Kevin never once came to find MEI in 50,000 years.
So Prometheus used this fact to reasonably infer: Kevin has changed.
Of course, that's just Prometheus's conclusion.
Has Kevin really changed?
If he had—
why would he still go to that place on their anniversary every year and quietly wait?
In fact...
Back when Mei had just returned from Elysium Everlasting, she asked Kevin a similar question:
"Aren't you going to see them one last time?"
Kevin's answer—
Was silence.
He didn't even dare to see Elysia...
How could he face MEI?
If he did, he might collapse, waver, lose resolve.
But now, he could not afford to falter.
He could not step back.
If he did, would everyone's efforts be wasted?
He didn't know.
He didn't dare test it.
So, Kevin wasn't avoiding MEI out of unwillingness.
...
"I've realized something," Elysia suddenly said.
"Hm?" Hokuto showed interest. "Elysia, what are you thinking?"
"Based on the previous events, it seems MEI couldn't actively make this bubble world connect to the intrinsic world. It was Kiana and the others arriving that gave her the opportunity."
Elysia—rarely serious—began analyzing carefully:
"So... what if—Kevin deliberately threw Kiana and the others into this bubble world?"
"So it could approach the intrinsic world and help MEI return?
I mean, Kevin wanted to lock up the Herrschers. With the Samsara Terminal, he could've tossed Kiana into any bubble world. Why this one?"
[Fairy Miss's theory... kinda checks out?!]
[Isn't this just like when he invited Mei to World Serpent?]
Given Kevin's "record," it really wasn't that far-fetched.
"Hmm..." Hokuto considered it and responded based on the recent story:
"Didn't Prometheus say it already?
If Kevin wanted to enter this bubble world, he could've done it himself.
The fact that he didn't means he doesn't 'want to'."
"But... wanting MEI to return, and wanting to go see MEI, aren't quite the same, right?"
Elysia had her own thoughts now:
"Human emotion is complex and delicate...
Isn't it one-sided to explain it from just one angle?"
"Just because Kevin won't go to the bubble world doesn't mean he doesn't want to see MEI."
"Afraid to meet, yet longing to—
That's probably more in line with human nature?"
There's a saying... "closer to home, the more timid the heart."
Doesn't fit perfectly here, but the feeling was close.
"Uh..." Hokuto seemed hesitant.
"Well? What do you think, 'Otto'-san?" Elysia pressed.
"If you ask me, it feels like you've fully grasped the writer's mindset."
"So that means... I guessed right?"
"Let's keep watching."
Hokuto didn't answer—he just suggested that.
"...Fine."
...
Back in the story—
Though Prometheus doubted Kevin's motives due to her limited reasoning,
MEI, who knew Kevin better than anyone, harbored no such doubts.
"I see.
This really is your way of thinking—you don't question the meaning of an action, only its efficiency."
"To you, I should've maintained absolute rationality from start to finish, is that it?"
"Yes," Prometheus nodded without hesitation.
MEI continued:
"Indeed, many have described us like this—
If Prometheus is the collection of all worldly knowledge, then MEI is the framework a god would use to process it."
"But thought is not the same as knowledge...
It must serve a purpose."
"That's why I've always hoped you would understand me using your own strength."
Prometheus fell into thought.
"You mean... you've always been emotional? And what people call absolute rationality—was only used as a means?"
Players: Huh?
Wait...
Don't tell me—
Some were confused.
Some... were starting to suspect something.
"No, that's not it—"
Prometheus entered another near-unresponsive state.
"You mean... you maintain rationality for the purpose of making room for emotion to survive?"
[HUH???] *n
At last—MEI smiled with satisfaction.
"Correct.
Though the Flame-Chasers would never admit it—
the reason they followed me so resolutely was because—"
"I am a thoroughly romantic idealist!"
[WHAT?! I thought she was the ultimate realist! Now you're telling me she's a romantic?!]
[Only by fully understanding reality can one be truly romantic. Otherwise it's just shallow fantasy.]
["True heroism is seeing the world clearly... and still loving it."]
The moment the truth was revealed, players couldn't hide their shock.
Everyone had believed Dr. MEI was the epitome of logic—
But suddenly, she was revealed to be... a romantic idealist.
What a twist.
Suddenly, everything made sense.
Why so many wild, hopeful plans?
Why never give up, even when facing annihilation?
Because...
She chose to believe in things that seemed impossible.
She poured ideals into reality.
That's romance.
[I thought by this point Honkai couldn't pull off any more twists—but the writer really went and did it again... incredible work, HoYoverse!]
[Elysia and Eden already set the bar for "romantic to the end," but Kevin and MEI just took emotional storytelling to the next level.]
...
As the story grew more profound—
After confirming Prometheus's conclusion, MEI spoke again of the true Flame-Chaser Plan.
"Explaining it in full would take too long—
but for a plan that's not even really a plan, what matters most is a firm dream and an unwavering self."
If you really think about it...
Maybe—
The Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Himeko, and all who passed on the brilliance of humanity...
They were all part of the Flame-Chaser Plan.
Whether it was the growth for the sake of everything beautiful in this world,
or the freedom to live one's life by one's own will and values—
All of it was a seed of hope.
Remember what Elysia once said?
"Please—take my arrows, my flowers, and my love.
Weave them into the seeds of rebirth.
Send them into the withered earth.
And let them bloom... into a flawless, eternal blossom of humanity."
Elysia believed that those in the future would inherit their dreams and unwavering selves—
To let the "Flame" blossom.
MEI chose to believe too.
So she established the unplanned Flame-Chaser Plan.
Faith is the miracle's magic.
So many tokusatsu, anime, even Honkai...
They've all carried this same theme.
And so—HoYoverse's "purity" level shot through the roof again.
Hokuto, writing this chapter, couldn't help but wonder—
"Was watching Evangelion 100 times a requirement to get hired by HoYoverse in a past life?"
...
"..."
Prometheus asked another key question:
"But why not just tell them this directly?
I don't think they'll grasp the deeper meanings we've just discussed."
"Because... just like now..."
MEI looked at the still-confused Prometheus.
"If one only speaks in doctrines, the other party will never truly comprehend."
Too true.
Want a simple example?
Take someone unfamiliar with Honkai Impact 3rd.
How would they react?
"Stabbed? I'll get stabbed??"
"It's all tragedy?"
"For the sake of everything beautiful in the world? I don't get it."
But...
If they're genuinely convinced to start playing—
and sincerely go through all of Honkai's story up to now—
Then to shout "For the sake of everything beautiful!" would feel... completely natural.
That's the difference.
Between hearing a summary—
And experiencing it yourself.
That's why Honkai Impact 3rd is worth savoring.
So when long-time players try to bring others into the game—
They're simply trying to share something beautiful.
All out of kindness.
Seriously.jpg
...
"Let me point out another of your misunderstandings," MEI continued.
"The truth is... betraying the world I belong to—
precisely because that's something Kevin would inevitably do—
is something I now feel the same compulsion toward."
"This action, chosen of my own will—
holds meaning not just for me,
but for our respective identities."
"After all—ever since I chose to accept that clumsy but earnest boy,
our relationship has never once been fair to him."
Kevin walked this path—
Yes, partly because of destiny.
But if you trace it back—
It all started the moment he chose to follow MEI.
MEI sought to pursue all the truths of the world.
She aimed to lead humanity's war against the Honkai.
So Kevin, in following MEI—
Had to keep moving forward.
And keep pushing forward.
And surpass everything—
Until he reached his very limits.
In doing so...
Things became complicated.
Kevin bore more and more.
So—
"Let me, too... try to do something for that lonely boy."
[I never thought Kevin x MEI would be such a heart-wrenching ship. Sweet, but so heavy.]
[I shall dub this... bitter melon candy.]
[Bitter melon? Theresa is alarmed.]
[Speaking of which... we're this far in the story and Theresa still hasn't shown up. Looks like the writer put her on the bench again.]
[Searching Aunt Flow status.jpg]
From her VIP seat at the Candy Feast—
Prometheus asked one more vital question:
"But... he won't even know."
Everything MEI was doing—
Kevin would never be aware of.
Did that still matter?
A hard question.
But MEI answered without hesitation.
"It doesn't matter."
"Prometheus.
The essence of humanity... is giving one's life for something that isn't even yours."
That is—what Confucius said:
"To do what is right, regardless of whether it's possible."
Do not ask can it be done—
Ask should it be done.
Of course, that kind of philosophy might be too advanced for an AI.
"I don't understand..."
Prometheus said blankly.
And then—
MEI's figure began to flicker.
Players: ????
This again?
Why did this feel so familiar?
She's flickering? Again?
Are we about to get some corrupted "colored" isomer of MEI, like with the Erosion arc?
They don't understand either!!
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