Making Honkai Impact lll In A World Where Kallen Exists [Continuation]

In the Golden Courtyard,

Griseo, who had just taken control of the game, fumbled with the options, pressing them one by one. Yet, all she could do was watch the plot unfold, unable to intervene or save anyone. She could only watch as Kalpas faded away before her eyes.

"Huh? Brother Kalpas is gone?"

Pardo scratched her head, her wide eyes showing a pure and naive confusion. She hadn't yet processed the events of the story.

She had thought her story was the only one filled with tragedy…

But it turned out that Brother Kalpas's story had its own flawlessly honed blade.

Brother Kalpas, who always seemed unwilling to associate with anyone, had ultimately given everything just to prove his comrade's innocence.

Comrades…

He valued them more than anyone else.

"Hmph—only in the end did Aponia take the final stage. That doesn't sit well with me…"

Kalpas snorted coldly. From his mask, one couldn't discern much of his emotion.

"Why… didn't he accept the dream Aponia offered? Reality is already cruel enough, isn't it?"

Kiana asked, somewhat puzzled.

If nothing could be changed before death, wouldn't ending it with a beautiful dream be better? Well, she couldn't decide right from wrong in this case.

False happiness and true suffering, she had no right to make decisions on behalf of others.

"First of all, I wouldn't take anything from that person. Filthy... And a dream? Happiness? Joy? Haha—"

Kalpas sneered, dismissing Kiana's question with a mocking tone.

Aponia was unworthy, and so was he.

Just as he thought before his death, he hadn't managed to protect anything. Perhaps, in the Simulated Universe, he had at least proven Sakura's innocence.

That wasn't too bad.

He let out a quiet breath and closed his eyes.

"...Thank you, Kalpas. I didn't expect that, if something like this happened, you'd be the one willing to stand firm to the end," Sakura said gratefully. She wasn't good with words, so she simply bowed her head slightly to show respect.

They were comrades, yet she never expected him to go this far for her.

"..."

Kalpas turned his head away, speaking in a low voice.

"Although that pink-haired person, like you, would have done the same, she died in the first round, didn't she?"

"I was merely watching, wondering if the trust in comrades she always talked about would hold up when faced with crises, betrayal, and suspicion. And the result... how laughable!"

Elysia blinked innocently, unsure how she got dragged into this.

Soon, realization dawned on her. She raised an eyebrow with a knowing expression.

"So... were you trying to shift the credit onto me just now, Kalpas? Come on, you made that decision yourself, don't be shy."

Her gentle tone unveiled the truth behind Kalpas's actions. Sacrificing his life wasn't just a test of trust.

"Sigh~ No wonder people say Kalpas's words can be stubborn sometimes," the pink-haired fairy remarked with a feigned look of frustration.

"Hah? Stubborn? I only know my fists are hard. What, who said that? Want to try them out?"

He turned around, sneering coldly, his gaze locked on Elysia's face. His clenched fists seemed to radiate an indomitable power.

He had faced the Herrscher of Corruption head-on and even claimed the opponent fled. In every sense, his resilience was undeniable.

Luo Mo froze in silence.

Wait... wasn't me, was it? Strange, why did I instinctively take the blame again? Even if I mentioned something like that online, why would it relate to me here?

"Hey, hey, Mobius, aren't you curious about that... issue?"

Ignoring Kalpas's taunt, Elysia turned to Mobius with a curious expression, as if she'd stumbled upon something intriguing.

To Mobius, this seemed like a provocation. She replied bluntly, "Not interested. Go away."

Mobius's cold demeanor did nothing to dampen Elysia's enthusiasm; instead, it made her more eager to press on.

"Tsk, Dr. Mobius is shy too, huh? Well then... Griseo, what do you think?" Luo Mo click his tongue and turn to the mature Griseo.

"I knew it! Luo Mo must've had bad intentions, letting you take control only to see your Brother Kalpas... um, Kalpas die. By the way, isn't the relationship hierarchy a bit strange? Griseo, when Kalpas and Mobius are around, what do you call them?"

Elysia's mind jumped unpredictably as usual. She loved teasing one person and poking fun at another.

She resembled a "sea king" in a novel, a heartbreaker.

Except, her love extended to everyone.

Though she did have a slight preference for cute girls.

"Uh... I call them the same way I do when Grandma Mobius and Sister Elysia are here. Don't you think it's weird?"

Griseo put down the controller and rubbed her temples. She had been worried about pacing the story too fast or too slow earlier.

Disrupting everyone's mood would be terrible.

As for Elysia's question, Griseo had long wanted to voice her thoughts. But why had she agreed to that suggestion in the first place?

Grandma Mobius's expression was terrible.

Griseo's lips curled into a smile. Perhaps she liked this warmth, the familiar feeling of bickering that brought back old memories.

"But from the story's perspective, even Mom Aponia was infected by the Herrscher of Corruption. I can hardly imagine who else could survive."

"Sister Elysia... could you, could you survive an encounter with the Herrscher of Corruption in reality?" Griseo asked hesitantly.

She was worried that the Herrscher of Corruption might also appear in reality. Based on records from the Ark and the game, it seemed the Herrscher of Corruption might exist now or in the near future. What then?

"Well, that's something for the professionals to answer."

Elysia slyly pushed Mobius forward.

"Go on, Mobius!"

"...Elysia, stop bothering me and just leave me alone," Mobius shot her a glare but still answered Griseo's question seriously.

"No hope. To be precise, most ordinary people have no hope against the Herrscher of Corruption. It won't be as lethal as in the game, where a single touch means death, but unless you have compatibility like Elysia, you'll still die. As for Kalpas? He'd die regardless."

"..."

Kalpas, furious, retorted, "Mobius, do you want to shrink even smaller recently? Oh-, I forgot, don't you already lack that ability now?"

"Heh, not impossible. I've modified my Stigmata to suit me perfectly... Death? Still far from me," Mobius said with a sly smile, narrowing her eyes at him.

Big Griseo could only sigh quietly. They always found something to argue about, no matter the topic...

How should she put it? Same old story.

It felt like the days of Moth of the Fire again.

Outsiders disliked them, but they disliked each other even more.

---------------

The perspective shifted back to Raven, or, more precisely, to the Herrscher of Corruption.

At first, whether it was the Honkai god or the Herrscher of Thunder, it could not complete backups of them, though it could attach itself.

It sensed the abundant nutrients in the Elysian Realm and decided to take root there peacefully.

Purple joy, blue anticipation, green curiosity...

It followed Mei as she experienced the world, continuously copying itself into the traces left along the way, an instinctual behavior.

Until... fear struck.

It had yet to comprehend death. Death was an alien concept, but Aponia's prophecy of a ten-day death was not baseless, filling it with terror.

And when Kalpas's punch came for Mei, it began to regret, had it made the wrong choice?

Or...

Should it have stayed entirely outside the Realm?

Then, it felt the horrifying reality, the backups it left outside were rapidly vanishing, the number falling to... zero!

No more movement.

No more recovery.

This signified that it had no other escape. Death... Death!

Thus, anticipation turned into a desire to survive, curiosity morphed into longing, and countless joys enveloped it, culminating in its sole desire—

To live.

Thus, under the harsh lessons of reality, the nascent Herrscher found its purpose: survival.

From then on, it would no longer make wrong choices.

Everything was for survival.

So, when the hidden personality (evil Vill-V) extended an olive branch, calling it a friend, seeking trust, it was reluctant to trust so easily.

Until... she helped it trick that incredibly powerful man into his death.

The Evil Vill-V displayed her plan to Kevin and... allowed the Herrscher of Corruption to listen in on the entire conversation.

Of course, she assured Kevin that the Herrscher could not eavesdrop and explained that she intended to surrender temporarily to the Herrscher of Corruption to investigate Elysia's condition and disable her temporarily.

"Alright, I understand your plan."

The white-haired, blue-eyed man nodded coldly, seemingly unaware of anything unusual.

"But one more question... who are you?"

He posed this question, staring at the Vill-V before him.

"Who... am I? Is this the joy of victory?"

Vill-V (?) gazed at the massive mirror before her and gave a bitter smile. Her head throbbed painfully.

She felt an inexplicable unfamiliarity toward the memories of her past.

Why?

Wasn't she Vill-V ?

Her hand involuntarily reached out to touch the mirror, which reflected another memory.

Under the Herrscher's gaze, she had targeted another tricky individual—Mobius.

With the clever, she had a clever approach. Through a series of discussions, she convinced Mobius of her surrender to the Herrscher of Corruption, claiming to have a plan to resolve everything smoothly.

But Mobius was unmoved, staring coldly at her.

Finally, she uttered an icy remark:

"Who... are you?"

Mobius's frosty eyes seemed to pierce through her as she silently questioned Vill-V before her.

A warning? Or a reminder?

Vill-V (?) didn't know. She clutched her head with both hands, screaming in agony.

Then... she gradually transformed into Raiden Mei, holding her head as she stood before the mirror. What she had just experienced were two memories of the sinister Vill-V, those involving Kevin and Mobius's deaths. These inexplicably appeared in her mind.

She had even mistakenly believed herself to be Vill-V.

But why?

Hadn't she just been locked in a deadly battle with her?

------

[A plot within a plot, Vill-V belongs to no side!]

[Using Vill-V's appearance to trick Kevin into death—a declaration of allegiance?]

[But didn't Mobius notice anything? …Wait, was that last remark directed at Mei or just a memory?]