Honkai Impact 3rd: Yumeji Satsuki's lies

Yumeji closed his eyes for a few seconds, taking a deep breath to steady his heart rate. Since Bronya had finished setting up the skill protocol, the optics had switched to support mode, turning his eyes into tiny movie projectors, reproducing all the data into a three-dimensional image right before his eyes.

A large hologram screen opened before Yumeji's eyes, displaying an anatomical model of the human body in incredible detail. The layers of skin, muscles, blood vessels, nervous system, bio-energy glands – all were built into separate layers, able to be rotated at will. If it weren't for the urgency of the situation, he would have spent hours just studying all this information.

"Let's begin."

Bronya spoke, her silver-gray eyes focused on the minicomputer screen in Mecha Project Bunny's hand. The lines of code were still running, constantly refining and optimizing the data. To Bronya, the process was like programming a software – but instead of writing code on a computer, she was directly manipulating the human energy flow.

At the same time, Yumeji reached out, gently flipping open the projection layer by layer. He zoomed in on the bio-energy flow diagram, focusing on the area around the heart.

A faint, almost transparent light flowed in a strange orbit. Instead of concentrating at the center of the heart like normal energy circuits, this light was slightly off to the right – a location that, according to conventional medicine, did not have any special organs.

"The emotional energy line… is this what it is?"

He muttered, observing closely.

The light flow did not follow a fixed pattern. Instead, it was constantly changing, sometimes flowing like water, sometimes undulating like a flickering flame. Its color also changed from moment to moment—from pale blue to fiery orange, then to a mysterious deep purple.

"This speed of change…"

Yumeji frowned.

It was too fast.

Compared to the body's normal energy channels—like the meridians or the motor nervous system—this emotional energy line was completely irregular. If he didn't have the support of the scope, he would have missed this phenomenon long ago.

Bronya quickly entered another command into the system, causing the image on the hologram to become clearer.

"Yumeji, try to check the intersection of this energy line with other parts of the body."

He nodded, converted the image to a three-dimensional diagram, and expanded the scanning range. Immediately, a small glowing point appeared in the neck area, near the third vertebra.

"This is it."

He focused on that bright spot, adjusting the resolution of the hologram.

A small but complex energy network was displayed, like a special neural signal chain. It was not only connected to the emotional energy line near the heart, but also extended throughout the central nervous system, forming a separate transmission branch—almost a communication system independent of the brain.

"What role does this point play?"

He muttered, trying to reason.

Normally, the central nervous system controlled emotions through neurotransmitters in the brain. But this energy line was not directly related to the brain, but operated independently, creating a reaction much faster than conscious thought.

"If this is a reflex mechanism…"

A thought flashed through his mind.

Emotional energy was not simply a psychological factor. It actually had its own operating system, allowing the body to react almost instantly to a mental state without having to go through logical thinking.

"In other words… it's what controls unconscious reactions—fear, anger, excitement."

He clenched his fists.

If this energy line could be tapped, Boost wouldn't just be a simple power-up skill. It could become a combat state adjustment tool, allowing him to react instinctively before the enemy could strike.

Bronya realized this as well. She quickly opened a sub-interface on the computer, entering a new set of commands.

"Yumeji, if this hypothesis is correct, then the emotional energy line can be reprogrammed. We can set the reactions according to a specific mental state—like setting the mode for a battle suit."

He swallowed.

"You mean… I can create different forms of Boost, depending on my emotions?"

Bronya nodded.

"Not only that. If we can fully synchronize this energy with the Boost system, then Yumeji will be able to activate powers in a way never before possible—a form of reflexive enhancement directly from emotions."

He squinted, looking back at the hologram in front of him.

This emotional energy line had always existed in his body, but had never been properly tapped. He had used his emotions to increase his power before, but it had only been a temporary outburst, without any control system.

If Bronya could reprogram it…

No, not if.

They had to do it.

Because this was the winning equation they were looking for.

Yumeji smiled sharply.

"So, what should we do next?"

Bronya quickly typed on the minicomputer keyboard, the light from the screen reflecting off her calm face.

"The next step… is to rewrite the operating rules of Boost."

She paused for a moment, glancing at him.

"We'll reprogram your power system from scratch."

Yumeji crossed her arms, looking at Bronya with a serious gaze.

"Rewrite the rules of Boost? No way."

Bronya frowned slightly at his blunt rejection. But Yumeji did not stop, continuing to explain:

"I don't need a stronger version of Boost. What I need is a sure-kill move—a move that can penetrate Chiyou's Black Armor."

The hologram image immediately changed, reproducing the jet-black armor that Xi You wore. It was a layer of armor that covered his entire body, densely covered with faintly glowing ancient lines, creating a powerful energy field that covered the surface.

"Chiyou not only has superior elemental power, but his armor is also a variant of the Xuan Yuan Sword."

Yumeji knew this, he knew that elemental attacks at their level were like stainless steel needles to Chiyou

Bronya quickly entered more data, a series of parameters appeared on the minicomputer screen of Mecha Project Bunny.

"Not only that." She said, her voice cold.

"Based on Bronya's analysis from observing Chiyou from the beginning of the match until now, the hardness of this Black Armor is at least three times that of a large battleship's hull."

Yumeji was momentarily stunned.

A battleship already had a hull strong enough to withstand large-scale attacks from gunships or even Honkai-level firepower. If the Black Armor was three times as hard—

"Boost's power alone isn't enough to penetrate it." Bronya concluded.

He bit his lip, feeling a sense of unease rising in his heart. If Boost wasn't strong enough, then what was the solution?

He gripped the Wind Xuanyuan Sword at his waist tightly, a glimmer of hope in his eyes.

"In that case… what if I program Boost to strengthen this sword?"

The Wind Xuanyuan Sword was a weapon with a Wind Gem core, allowing it to absorb and convert energy at a higher efficiency than a normal weapon. If Boost could focus all of its energy into this sword, perhaps…

But Bronya immediately rejected it:

"No way."

She quickly gave a series of parameters and calculations, her voice without any hesitation.

"In Bronya's opinion, although the Wind Xuanyuan Sword has good energy absorption capabilities thanks to the Wind Gem core, Boost itself does not have enough energy output efficiency to reach the required standard."

Yumeji frowned.

"That means…"

"Even if you push Boost to its maximum, this sword still won't be strong enough to pierce through the Black Armor."

The air suddenly became quiet.

He thought he had found a way, but reality was too cruel.

---

Yumeji was silent for a long time, his hands clenched.

A cold wind blew by, carrying a heavy feeling of impasse. But then, a thought flashed through his mind.

"…If Boost isn't strong enough, then why don't we calibrate another skill?"

Bronya paused for a moment, his silver-gray eyes slightly swaying.

"What skill are you thinking about?"

Yumeji took a deep breath, then spoke firmly:

"Fire Cloud."

I put on my goggles and turned on the power so that my visual information data would be uploaded to Bronya's Mecha Project Bunny, which would then be projected through the camera lens that acted as the Mecha's eyes.

The hologram in front of me immediately switched to the Fire Cloud's data interface – Yun Yan.

--

Skill: Fire Cloud (unlock limit )

Lv: 5 (Limit: 6 minutes – Cooldown: 15 minutes)

Creates small clouds of fire that act as a protective shield against attacks.

Slightly increases heat resistance (+30%).

Detonator: Can turn inanimate objects into bombs (size limit: fist).

Note:

After unlocking the limit, Fire Cloud will be free from System control, removing the level limit and becoming customizable.

Like Boost, Fire Cloud currently lacks any streamlined protocols, making it a mess of information, with twice the complexity of Boost.

---

I then activated the skill for about 10 seconds before disabling it afterwards, although I still felt like I had just come back from a roller coaster, making my head extremely dizzy. If I were to describe it…

The data on Fire Cloud was dense, filled with complicated algorithms about light polarization, spectrum, digital data, multidimensional geometry, twisted structures of energy, structural information particles, universality of energy wave frequencies, etc…

This wasn't just a simple skill.

Fire Cloud was an information dump, a giant data warehouse that I just wanted to stay away from

But this time… I had to deal with it.

"Bronya understands." Bronya silently typed a command line onto the minicomputer screen.

"Yumeji wants to use Fire Cloud to create a weapon to replace Boost?"

I shook my head.

"No. I just came up with a better idea, I plan to use both skills as a terminal in transmitting energy. One will absorb the surrounding energy while the other will charge the core, and that energy will be used to strengthen the blade."

Bronya raised her eyebrows slightly, then said in a calm voice:

"However, this is not simple."

She typed a few more commands, and a simulation of the Fire Cloud's energy structure appeared before them.

"Not only do we need to adjust the protocol of this skill, but we also need to fine-tune the energy supply so that it is enough to break Xi You's Black Armor without causing the sword to explode in the process."

Yumeji narrowed his eyes.

"Hmm, maybe we should set up a system to discharge the excess energy for the skill."

"Hmm, Bronya thinks this is difficult because it will cause a shortage of supply and it is too much for one person to do at one time, we will need an intermediary for this process. Ahh!"

""Project Bunny!!"" - Bronya and I said at the same time.

Bronya glanced at him for a moment, then said firmly:

"But first—Bronya has to clean up the information dump of this damn skill."

"Swearing" - I chuckled at the rare sign of Bronya losing control of her emotions.

"....."

Bronya just kept silent without responding, but I had a feeling that she was a little angry, Haha.

******

It was a splitting headache. No matter how many times I went through similar incidents, I still couldn't adapt.

I almost felt like my skull was about to split open as the barrage of data flooded into my brain. Strings of numbers, codes, and strange algorithms swarmed into my consciousness like a swarm of rabid fire ants. Everything was chaotic, confusing, and honestly—I had no idea what the hell was going on in my head.

"Fuck… what the hell is this?!"

I cursed under my breath, feeling like I had just plunged into a pile of doctoral-level research papers without even passing basic algebra.

Beside me, Bronya was still working on the control screen of Mecha Project Bunny, her gaze cold and focused. A second later, a series of data windows opened, the confusing coded images appearing like a surreal painting that no one wanted to look at.

"Fire Cloud's situation is worse than Bronya predicted."

"Worse than Boost?" I forced a smile, but my mind was about to explode.

Bronya glanced at me, then silently typed commands on the keyboard. The hologram space in front of him changed, and layers of data gradually appeared as three-dimensional images.

"Boost still has a basic framework from the System, but Fire Cloud…"

The data in front of us was distorted, distorted, like a wall of meaningless words twisted to the point of being unreadable.

"It's just a mess without structure."

I swallowed.

There must be someone out there responsible for this mess. A skill that could create bombs from inanimate objects, yet the way it operated was no different from a philosophical essay written in ten different languages ​​and mixed together without any rules.

Bronya didn't say anything more, just kept typing commands.

Instantly, a series of redundant data were erased. Command lines poured down like rain, each paragraph was removed from the system, meaningless algorithms were cut off without mercy.

I stared at the process, feeling a strange feeling rising in my heart.

"…So fast."

Bronya frowned slightly. "Do you think cleaning up information garbage is child's play?"

"I'm just surprised. Boost was bad before, but Fire Cloud is like a nuclear waste dump."

Bronya stopped, glanced at me, and said coldly:

"That's why I feel uncomfortable."

I laughed. She rarely showed her emotions, but at this moment, I could feel Bronya's frustration very clearly.

We continued working in silence.

Every time Bronya deleted a piece of garbage data, I felt a little more relieved. It was as if the thick fog was gradually clearing away, revealing light ahead.

Then finally, after what felt like an eternity—

"…Done."

The data before us shrank, rearranging into a clearer system. Although it was still complicated, at least it was no longer the mess it had been before.

Fire Cloud, finally had a usable framework.

I let out a sigh of relief, but before I could relax, Bronya turned to me, her gaze serious.

"Next, we have to restructure the energy."

…There really was no time to rest.