MGSFV?! Chapter 481: Flamescion! Unsheath!; KPI Achieved
Forget it.
Let's get back on track first.
In the story, after Theresa bluntly criticized Siegfried for still thinking about some robot anime...
"Theresa makes a good point. Should Siegfried really be bringing up robot anime at a time like this?"
Clearly, someone agreed wholeheartedly with Theresa's opinion.
"If you replaced the finale of New Arhat: Theatrical Edition with Homu's Great Adventure: Theatrical Finale, maybe Theresa wouldn't have said that."
"Hmm…? I can sort of see why you'd say that..."
After all, Theresa's obsession with Homu is "known by all." She's indifferent to Arhat but certainly cares deeply about Homu.
If she were frozen like Siegfried for such a long time...
Then maybe the first thing she'd do upon escape would be—
"I must gulp down bitter melon juice while reading Homu manga?!" (not canon)
"Just..."
"...Let me give an analogy that's easier for everyone to understand. Suppose you were just about to watch The Story That Exists Because of You, but due to an accident, you were locked away for more than a year."
"..."
[We feel that deep in our souls!]
[Feels like ants crawling all over me.]
[Apologies—I used to think Siegfried's thought process was bizarre. I was wrong. This is a perfectly normal reaction.]
[Only 'love' must not be betrayed.]
"You're really good at metaphors." The "Master of Metaphors" chimed in with praise.
"Am I? Well then… is there someone even more metaphorical than the 'Master of Metaphors'?"
"Huh? That's a little shady of you~? Still, with just this level, you're a few hundred years too early to surpass the 'Master of Metaphors'!"
"Uh..."
A brief pause, then a soft chuckle.
"Hahaha... yes, yes..."
...
In short, thanks to someone's metaphor,
Players' attitudes shifted from thinking Siegfried had a strange brain circuit
—To empathizing with him intensely.
They questioned Siegfried, understood Siegfried...
Then they stopped ridiculing him and refocused on the plot.
Picking up from last time—
Siegfried and Theresa worked together to face off against numerous Imaginary constructs.
Of course, times have changed. This isn't the version where nihilism (Luo Zhixiang) could solo Valkyries.
Even if the enemies doubled and redoubled, Theresa and Siegfried casually and easily wiped them out amid light conversation.
After clearing all the Imaginary constructs from the scene...
Normally, what would follow—
Is them continuing to run into new Imaginary foes, gradually figuring out the pattern,
And then finding a way out of here.
Of course, given the narrative style of Honkai Impact 3rd—
Even if Siegfried and Theresa found a way out, at the end of the path,
There would certainly be a boss guarding the exit, refusing to let them leave.
Naturally, a fierce battle would ensue.
And with all the flags Siegfried has planted, he'd likely sacrifice himself during a stalemate,
Throwing Theresa out to help her escape.
He might even say something like—
"Theresa, tell Kiana… her old man had no choice... cough... also had very important business to finish..."
"Flamescion! Unsheath!"
Then, after a segment like that—sure to flood the screen with '乆乆乆' barrage—
Kiana and Durandal in the outside world would get Siegfried's message from the rescued Theresa,
Force their way into the Imaginary Space to support him, and fight their way to the true Stigma Space where Siegfried is imprisoned...
Yes.
That's how the story would go—if everything were normal.
But...
"Hmm???"
Currently, Elysia was actually watching the gameplay seriously.
Because right after the battle, the screen suddenly began flashing with sequential story segments.
Siegfried and Theresa found the path out, ran into danger,
Siegfried chose to stay behind, and left behind a very hot-blooded flag...
This...
Doesn't feel too good, does it?!
Wait—no—
Aren't Theresa and Siegfried both standing right here?
"What's... going on?" Elysia couldn't help but ask Hokuto.
"You can think of it as the special nature of this space, simulating a potential corner of the future..." (400 words omitted)
Hokuto gave a "slight" explanation.
Elysia: "...?"
"Ahem. If you don't get it, just know it's Honkai-related." Hokuto added.
"...Can Honkai explain everything?"
"Yup."
"..."
Does it have to be that blunt?
Elysia was speechless.
...Forget it. Better to see how the plot unfolds next.
Yes, time to return to the "but..."
Otherwise we'd digress too far.
So, why the "but"?
Because—
Siegfried and Theresa encountered an abnormal situation.
"...From a time-saving perspective, may I offer you both a bit of assistance?"
A special lifeform born from a Time Crystal—Ai Hyperion—appeared before the two.
[It's her!?]
[Support that shows up everywhere (]
Ai brought news from the future—
Ten minutes later, Kiana's plan would officially begin.
The Herrscher of the Void's power would drastically reshape this space's structure,
Exposing them to numerous Imaginary constructs.
Worst case:
They'd be forced into a life-or-death encounter with a giant enemy unit.
[The scenario Ai describes… it's kinda like that earlier flashforward?]
[Yeah, kinda…]
...
"Herrscher of the Void? Kiana?" Theresa asked right away.
"Yes. They don't know you've arrived in this place called [Planet Directory]—the [Main Stigma Plan Network];
So, they'll use Herrscher of the Void powers freely to take back St. Freya."
Ai nodded, but didn't explain things as long-windedly as a certain someone earlier in real life.
What?
Not even a "Honkai can explain everything" this time?!
Big Cabbage, is this really how you fulfill the KPI of "evoking players' emotions"?
"—The principles behind this are extremely complex. Just know this:
Due to Theresa's dream-eating experience,
St. Freya has become the optimal forward base for counterattacking the Stigma Plan."
"..."
"In other words." Theresa grasped it,
"Cooperating with Kiana's team from our side is the best course of action for the big picture."
"Yes. With my power, assisting Miss Theresa—the 'foreign object' in the Stigma Plan—is not difficult. But..."
Ai looked toward Siegfried.
Hold on, now she's going to evoke player emotions.
"Siegfried's situation... is extremely complicated."
Huh?
What about Siegfried?
He seems perfectly normal right now.
There better not be a death flag here, right?! (suspicious)
Siegfried heard Ai bring him up, thought for a moment, and guessed:
"You mean the Stigma power in my body?"
[Because Siegfried awakened the Stigma, unlike Theresa, he's not a 'foreign object'? So Ai can't take him out too?]
Players in the stream began speculating.
But Ai shook her head and asked a strange question instead:
"Do you still remember the exact experience of escaping from the depths of the Kaslana Stigma Space?"
The word "remember" was specifically bracketed with [] in the script.
This...
The "something's wrong" vibes are overflowing!
"?"
"Didn't I escape because Kevin fully took away Chimera's power... wait a second, this... can't be.
Why can't I recall any specifics of the escape?"
Siegfried tried to answer, but halfway through realized—he couldn't remember a thing.
And with how the dialogue had built up the ominous atmosphere...
Players were already moving their fingers to the keyboard, ready to protect themselves with some comments.
But—
Just as they were typing...
Siegfried's body... suddenly flickered.
This really shocked them.
[What's going on?!]
[Why is Siegfried flickering all of a sudden?]
[???]
[???]
[???]
She's doing a great job with her KPI, huh?
...
Ahem. Back to the main story.
So, what exactly is Siegfried's situation now?
He definitely doesn't know himself.
Theresa... forget it.
???
As always, it was our ever-competent Miss Ai Hyperion who gave everyone a clear explanation.
"Just like before—you never truly escaped the Stigma Space.
Kevin taking Chimera's power only stabilized your current form a bit more than before."
But that explanation... wasn't super clear?
And sure enough—
"...What are you even saying?" Theresa couldn't help but ask.
[Honestly, I was wondering too...]
[Oh no, I'm syncing up with Theresa!]
"Siegfried, what does she mean?"
"...She's likely saying that my current state is still akin to sleepwalking within the Imaginary Space."
Siegfried's explanation was much clearer than Ai's.
[So Siegfried's soul is detached from his body?]
[An out-of-body state?]
Players speculated about his current status.
But their speculation was quickly interrupted—
Because...
Siegfried suddenly brought up an old memory.
"For example, I once seemed to turn into a doll..."
"Forget it, that was probably just a dream."
Ai: ...
Players: ...
[Turned into a doll? Hmm… if I'm not mistaken, that refers to the Elysian Realm plotline?!]
[Siegfried, ever consider it wasn't a dream—that it was real!]
[That wasn't a dream. You met your real daughter.]
[Now I really want to see what Siegfried would do if he met Durandal...]
...
But clearly, Durandal had no reason to show up here.
Player expectations were bound to "fall through."
In the story,
After understanding what was happening with himself,
Siegfried decided to stay behind and fight alone—
After all, in his current state, he couldn't die. May as well go wild.
Theresa, meanwhile, left this section of the Imaginary Space per Ai's arrangement.
At the same time—on the other side.
In Abyss City—
Kiana withdrew her power.
She had already completed the first three steps of their four-step plan—
In just 37 minutes.
So smooth that even she herself found it suspicious.
Even made everyone a little paranoid.
Was it really supposed to go this smoothly?
No one could answer that.
So they silently prepared.
No matter what—
Having come this far,
There was no turning back.
"How should we arrange the combat teams going forward?"
"All those from St. Freya Academy should go together as much as possible."
As the highest-ranking officer here... and the one with the most command experience,
Durandal began assigning personnel.
Though much of that "extensive" experience was mostly...
"Immortal Blades stay put—I'll go solo,"
Charging in alone, hacking enemies left and right,
And returning victorious.
Still, experience is experience.
And also...
[Good job, Dudu! Let everyone from St. Freya return to St. Freya and take a look.]
[From me it began, and with me it shall end.]
"Yes, even just imagining that scene feels wonderful."
Elysia nodded in agreement and praised it aloud.
Once scattered due to an accident,
The girls of St. Freya now reunite before the final battle—
Very good. Very good indeed.
However...
"We also need to leave behind sufficient forces to defend Abyss City."
"So, after evaluating everything—let Susannah continue resting.
Have Fu Hua-senpai, the Herrscher of Sentience, and Susannah stay behind.
The rest will go."
Elysia: ?
Elysia: "Not letting Fu Hua go too?
Without one of them, the vibe's ruined."
Hokuto quickly reassured her:
"No worries. Everything you're supposed to have—you'll get."
"Really?"
"Of course."
And possibly... even beyond what you expect.
He struggled to hold back the second half.
"But..."
Elysia added,
"I honestly think it'd make more sense to leave Durandal behind.
After all, Susannah and the Herrscher of Sentience might argue."
"Hmm... why don't you try guessing the reason for this assignment?"
"Huh?"
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