The third memory grid.
Leon did not pilot any spaceship. Alone, he spread his wings and shuttled through the starry sky, skimming past star systems one after another, past individual stars.
In the background footage of his flight, the landscapes he had seen were displayed like a fleeting slideshow, revealing only the tip of the iceberg.
"Your child will surely return safely. I guarantee it."
"No need to worry, little friend. Your mother will wake up tomorrow."
"Old one, is gently stepping into the long night your wish… I understand…"
"The Jailwolf race is exterminated. From this moment on, you regain your freedom."
"Reunion transformation technology development complete. This planet has 127 years left. From now on, your fate is in your own hands."
"The ancient beast calamity is over. No need to detain me; I have a mission I must complete. May the day come when we meet again."
"The instant you turn tail into legs, you will lose all abilities and become an ordinary human. Even so, are you willing to pay the price for him, never to regret?"
"All insect nests destroyed. The world steps into rebirth. May we meet again if fate allows."
"Duty calls. I do not need those rewards. If you insist, then leave a single page for me in your history."
Beneath Leon's calm words, countless days, nights, and seasons passed.
At some unknown point, he became increasingly insensitive to the passage of time.
He began stepping into reincarnation, possessing many different identities, experiencing different lives.
…
The fourth memory grid.
Before the game screen even brightened, the violent sound of breaking wind drilled into the ears first.
Then came the scene of Leon plummeting from high altitude.
Finally, he fell into the vast ocean.
Seeing the splashing waves, countless players instantly felt unwell.
Eating a few small pencil knives earlier was one thing.
But this scene—everyone had just experienced it in the previous version.
Who would have thought the writers would do it again.
Leon slowly opened his eyes, numbly turning his eyeballs to gather information about the unfamiliar place.
"You're awake."
A man with long tied-back hair and two horns on his head, appearing to be in his thirties or forties, entered Leon's view.
A trace of concern flickered in those pale purple pupils.
Memories surged like a tide.
Leon remembered why he had come to this world and why he had fainted and fallen; he sighed silently in his heart.
"No rush, take it slow. It's safe here."
Noticing Leon trying to sit up, the man supported him, then turned his head toward his side.
"Mei, go pour a glass of water."
"???"
Hearing this name and meeting the gaze that looked toward the camera, Ah Xian's body instantly froze like a statue, her eyes filled with disbelief.
At the same time, there was a hint of delight.
[Holy shit?!]
[What Mei?]
[It's the rice-cooking wife! Heavens, I didn't react earlier—now that I look, this man looks sixty percent like the rice-cooking wife's father.]
"(…Mei?)"
Stelle's gaze shifted helplessly, suddenly stopping at a mirror not far away.
There, her current appearance was reflected.
An unfamiliar girl in a kneeling seated posture.
Wearing a kendo uniform, long hair tied into a refreshing and neat ponytail, a small braided strand hanging in front of her chest by her right ear.
Two red horns on her head—one short, one long. The shadow in her purple pupils was identical to the man's.
"(This time I've become someone from Leon's memory again…)"
Not just Ah Xian's stream—any player who knew this name was overwhelmingly excited.
From the game's launch, there had been many counterpart characters from Mihoyo's previous Honkai series.
Seele, Bronya, Natasha, Silver Wolf, Luocha, Sushang.
And Himeko, even Welt who came straight from Honkai 3.
Players had long guessed and looked forward to the counterparts that hadn't appeared yet.
Mei's popularity in the previous work wasn't number one, but she could steadily sit in the front row.
Now that she had finally appeared, old players who had played the Honkai series were beyond excited.
But then they thought—the plot might carry knives—and the burning heat and anticipation in their hearts instantly plunged into an ice cellar, rapidly cooling.
[Rice-cooking wife, my rice-cooking wife!]
[Stop calling her rice-cooking wife—what if she has the same attributes as the Genshin counterpart? Dare you eat?]
[Impossible to be the same—didn't you notice she already had horns when young? Some character traits are definitely different.]
"What are you spacing out for, Mei?"
① "…Ah, okay, Father…"
② "Where should I pour the water from?"
Ah Xian calmed her racing heart, looked at the two options, thought for a moment, and chose one.
She hadn't forgotten Sparkle's warning.
Not knowing where the water was poured from in her own home would obviously be a problem no matter how you looked at it.
Choosing one should give quest guidance.
Unfortunately, there was guidance—it only marked the area, not the exact location. She had to circle the house herself to find it.
"Good thing there are interactable sparkle prompts."
Ah Xian quickly found the place to pour water, completed the quest instruction, and returned to her previous spot.
"Young man, my surname is Raiden, given name Ryoma. I'm the swordsmith here. No need to be formal—call me Ryoma."
"…Call me Leon."
"Father, the water is here."
A flash of surprise passed through Stelle's heart—she clearly hadn't spoken.
Only when she tried controlling the body did she realize she had entered spectator mode again.
That was fine; she wouldn't expose any flaws.
Having experienced it several times, she understood that only when the past memory scene reached a crucial turning point would she have the chance to control the body in the memory and complete the original mission.
Generally, the turning point would be at the very end of the memory segment, right before it concluded.
Leon silently took the cup, held it to feel the warmth from the body of the cup, and lightly sipped half.
Raiden Ryoma: "This is my daughter, Mei. She found you on the coast and brought you back."
Leon had visited countless worlds, many of which had similar yet different cultures and customs.
Like here.
When not familiar, unless the other party had special requests, directly calling someone by name could easily cause discomfort.
"Thank you, Miss Raiden."
Raiden Mei: "You're welcome."
Raiden Ryoma's face was kind.
"Leon, where is your home? It's getting late—rest here tonight. Tomorrow I'll have someone send you back."
"…"
Leon fell silent.
Whether it was an illusion or not, Raiden Ryoma felt that a trace of pity seemed to flash across the depths of Leon's eyes.
"Mr. Ryoma, I am not from this world."
Leon told the truth.
Though Raiden Ryoma was somewhat shocked, he quickly accepted the explanation.
After all—
The style of clothes Leon wore had never been seen in Izumo; the language sounded like the common tongue but had slight differences in accent.
"I see. Then what do you plan to do?"
"I will stay on this land until my mission is complete."
This land needed salvation.
Even if…
It was doomed to be futile.
He was already walking two paths that had long been accepted as futile.
One: the mission and duty of the descendants of heavenly mercy.
Two: the path of over a thousand Amber Eras that had yielded nothing.
"Your… mission…?"
Leon: "That world in the sky—there should be lives descending upon Izumo, carrying out indiscriminate slaughter."
Raiden Ryoma's pupils contracted sharply.
Before he could speak, Leon added the rest.
"My mission is to save you all."