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

"Huh...."

After expending a bit of effort, Luo Mo finally managed to tear open the sack. Surviving the ordeal, he looked down at the blue fabric beneath his feet, then at Elysia, whose smile carried a trace of sorrow.

This time, Elysia finally let go of the sack's opening with both hands.

Luo Mo didn't understand—why was this sack so sturdy?

His physical abilities should be on par with an S-rank Valkyrie, yet it had still managed to trap him for a moment.

He suspiciously glanced at Vill-V and Mobius, certain that the problem lay with them. Was it specially designed just for him? Well, thanks a lot, you two!

But for the moment, he found himself speechless before Elysia's tear-streaked face. He could only offer a wry smile, feeling a bit awkward.

"So, was it really just a dream, Luo Mo?"

Elysia spoke softly, her voice still carrying a slight sob.

Even though she was the one who had stubbornly held onto the sack, Luo Mo still felt unreasonably like the one at fault.

His momentum weakened.

Although Elysia's teary expression was undeniably adorable, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt.

"It depends on how you interpret it."

He averted his gaze, looking toward the stars and the moonlit night, rather than meeting her eyes.

The stars closed their eyes, unwilling to witness the conflict. The moon, however, cast a worried gaze at Luo Mo, unconcerned with mere animations.

Luo Mo spoke slowly. "Animation and games are just different ways of presenting possibilities. Whether they are real or not doesn't really matter."

"Besides... the animation never explicitly stated whose dream it was. If we go by the Flame-Chasers depicted in it, then what they experienced in reality would be the real illusion."

"I never said the animation was just a dream."

Luo Mo murmured the last sentence under his breath, but Elysia still caught it.

"..."

Elysia furrowed her brows and stared at him, dissatisfied.

She scrunched up her nose in frustration, clearly unhappy with his explanation.

"Luo Mo, I truly, sincerely hope that this moment is not a dream."

"Look, they all once lived with such pride… Everyone had a good ending. Sure, life has its troubles, but—"

"That is what makes it their life, or maybe even our life."

Elysia's tone grew quiet.

It was precisely because she longed for a happy ending that she feared it was merely a fantasy.

Maybe it was selfish.

But deep down, she truly looked forward to a future where everyone was together, celebrating the New Year, bickering over a meal, sharing warmth.

She loved those things.

She wished they could become a real part of her life.

She wanted to experience a life like that.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Pardo cautiously approached Vill-V with a persuasive smile.

"Vill-V sis, can I ask for a favor? From now on, um, could you not do your magic performances at noon? Heh heh…"

Her expression turned hesitant, her tail flicking nervously in the air.

Clearly, she wasn't very confident in this request.

"Sure, Pardo, but… have you forgotten? I haven't done any magic performances at noon recently."

Vill-V looked at her in surprise, then sighed helplessly.

She wasn't really an animated character, how could she live so carefree?

Right now, she had piles of work waiting for her. Those endless demands from Party A… Ugh, such a headache!

She wasn't even in the mood to stir up trouble at noon.

But now that she thought about it, Pardo's words gave her an idea.

Maybe… today wouldn't be such a bad time?

Vill-V nodded slightly, confirming her thoughts.

"Maybe, but last night, I heard a loud boom, followed by a commotion. The noise kept echoing in my room, even when I covered my ears with a pillow, I could still hear it clearly..."

"Oh, by the way, are those stuffed animal onesies for sale? They look really cute. I'd love to wear one and transform into a cat along with my Can!"

Hua gestured dramatically to describe how she had been startled awake, then looked toward Luo Mo with curiosity—this big-shot game designer.

She had always wanted a onesie like that—it looked so cozy and safe!

Luo Mo, however, wasn't paying attention. He was still busy explaining things to Elysia.

"Oh, last night, huh?"

Vill-V drawled, then nodded as if everything suddenly made sense. She turned toward a certain someone who had been wearing a mask the whole time—Kalpas.

If she remembered correctly, the noise last night had come from him.

"So it was you causing trouble, Kalpas. What exactly were you doing last night?"

Vill-V asked with a knowing smile.

Kalpas shot her a cold glance, but before he could respond, Pardo quickly shook her head like a drumstick, clearly trying to defuse the situation.

"A-ha-ha, Brother Kalpas, yeah, last night was a bit noisy… Next time, could you pick a different time? You see, everyone was trying to nap, right?"

Her bright smile remained, but upon closer inspection, there was a hint of hidden struggle behind it.

Ugh… How was she supposed to negotiate with brother Kalpas?!

This was way too tricky. How did Ely's book suggest handling situations like this?

Maybe she should…

"Ah, just to clarify, it's not everyone who wants to nap, just Pardo… and Su."

Vill-V playfully wagged a finger, once again shutting down Pardo's excuse with a smile.

A bead of sweat slowly trickled down Pardo's face.

"Ahaha…"

She rubbed her hands together awkwardly, eager to change the subject.

"...It was just the TV breaking. I was trying to fix it… using a physical method."

Kalpas replied coolly. After saying that, he immediately turned his attention to Elysia and Luo Mo.

That sack was much more interesting to him.

Speaking of which…

Should he try something like that himself?

But after three times, Elysia's words were still just a joke.

Doing something like this himself... Well, no matter what, he wasn't someone who couldn't distinguish between his own comrades. Luo Mo... No one would let anything happen to him.

It was just—was he being too reckless himself?

And yet Aponia still called him a gentle, good child... Just thinking about it made him feel sick.

Kalpas crossed his arms, a fleeting thought passing through his mind.

On the other side, Luo Mo wiped the sweat from his forehead and advised:

"...I understand all the reasoning, Ellie. If I'm being completely honest with you, then I must have done something wrong."

"So, could you please take your hands out from behind your back? You're not actually planning to pull out a sack, are you?"

Luo Mo was deeply moved by Elysia's thoughts.

He was well aware of all the Flame-Chasers' longing for an ordinary life. This time, the animation had brought them a semblance of normalcy—not something they longed for but could never achieve. They, too, could live vibrant and colorful lives.

So...

He took a few steps back, distancing himself a little from Ellie.

The way she was rummaging around made him a bit scared—he really didn't dare to move.

"What's wrong? Luo Mo, I just prepared a New Year's gift for you."

Elysia widened her innocent eyes, blinking her left eye playfully, her gaze still holding a misty shimmer.

"Next time, don't do something like this, okay?"

She spoke with sincere earnestness.

Forced by the situation, Luo Mo heavily nodded in agreement.

Boom—

Outside, a magnificent firework bloomed in the sky, followed by more—blue, red, green... Various colors and shapes of fireworks exploded one after another.

In the short winter days, evening had already arrived.

Fireworks shot up into the sky, symbolizing the joy of the New Year.

Among them, there were occasional Homu-shaped fireworks, as well as depictions of specific Valkyrie characters like Durandal, Kiana, and her signature twin ponytails... It was obvious which company was responsible for these.

Everyone couldn't help but step into the courtyard, watching the fireworks light up the sky. The dazzling colors reflected in their eyes as they quietly enjoyed the New Year's greetings.

Looking at the people beside him—Elysia, under the moonlight, gazing at the stars...

Luo Mo suddenly realized just how much he had changed.

In just one year, the path he walked was not an easy one, nor was he spared from criticism. Yet he still hoped they could all reach the end together, never parting.

"Well then, let's all make a wish together. But, let's not say it out loud like in the game~"

Elysia cheerfully suggested to the group.

She didn't forget to glance at Luo Mo, as if warning him not to turn this into something tragic. Then, she clasped her hands together and lowered her eyes.

"I hope that in the new year, there won't be any tragedy in the script."

—Elysia

"I hope that in the new year, the players will shed even more tears."

—Luo Mo

A clear contradiction. Yet, no one spoke their true wishes out loud. Deep in their hearts, they all shared the same hope—to successfully defeat Honkai.

That was the ultimate goal.

------

A few days after the New Year, waves of news about the game update surfaced one after another. But most of it revolved around this particular animation, its popularity and reach making many companies envious.

"It finally paid off. Remember: You are an animation company."

"Mihoyo's storytelling has leveled up again, now using 'Musical Tragedy' to pull at heartstrings."

"I thought they had a change of heart this time, but in the end, the outcome was exactly as expected!"

"Can the Flame-Chasers really have a normal, peaceful life?"

These were the general headlines of the past few days.

In the final wish of Kevin, the third line contained a significant amount of white space. Yet even without being explicitly stated, it had been understood by more and more players.

Through media speculation, through deduction and interpretation—

And yet, the consensus still leaned toward the worst possible scenario.

There was no denying it: the "captain ship" fandom was an incredibly powerful and immersive species. It could rapidly snowball from a single idea, spreading endlessly across the entire virtual world.

And now, that was exactly what was happening.

One phrase, in the end, became the unanimous thought, Kevin's third wish: "I hope everything is real."

Ah, they were saying that the just-released animation was merely the last fleeting dream of a peaceful world. Or perhaps, in reality, Kevin had done something to create this illusion. They even dug up more evidence, analyzing every detail for the players.

A single, well-placed knife—simultaneously stabbing both the players and their hearts.

Such a move, hurting others without benefiting oneself...

Luo Mo could only shake his head at the situation. It had nothing to do with him, yet he couldn't help but wonder, just what had turned them into this state?

(T/C:😒)

A heartwarming New Year's animation, meant to bring happiness, yet after a moment of warmth, looking at the online reactions—hah, it had become another tragic knife!

Truly, what a delightful event.

But this time... there really wasn't an intentional hidden tragedy. And yet, they still refused to believe it.

-------

The New Year's event felt a bit packed. After all, in the final version update, they still had to squeeze in various New Year's activities and collaborations.

However, they couldn't harvest too much emotional value—if they ended the New Year event with another tragedy... how would the players even continue playing next year?

As a person, as a human being, one had to consider sustainable development. You couldn't just drain the pond to catch all the fish.

Luo Mo muttered to himself.

The New Year holiday lasted until the fifteenth, but not for everyone.

As the boss, of course, he had to set an example and show up at the company, which also meant that Su Lu, who had just finished her winter break, returned with a face full of resentment.

Her large eyes were filled with anger, but thankfully, she had already become the Herrscher of Dominance.

That way, there was no need to fear her turning into the Herrscher of Dominance.

Naturally, there was nothing to prepare for the Lunar New Year events. The battle against Honkai was still a long and arduous road ahead, and he wanted to focus his efforts where they mattered most. So, he chose to offer generous rewards to make players happy during this strategic planning period.

Yes, the Knife he had chosen was the third installment of the Captain's Storyline, along with a carefully selected event that required wielding a Knife.

The recent Everlasting Elysium scenario gave him a completely new experience. Perhaps it was because there were still many background elements he hadn't absorbed, or maybe it was simply because too many people were caught up in this "Knife" moment. Either way, after enduring it all, he found himself with over 40,000 crystals.

Last time, after drawing Herrscher Stigmata during the Silent Oath event, he had barely 3,000 crystals left. But now, he was back up to 40,000.

Understanding what players truly desired, he decided to be unexpectedly generous.

The Spring Fatigue Recovery event and newly released skins were given out freely. On top of that, he distributed many resources—ten supply cards each for both characters and weapons. Even after completing all the main storyline content, players could still choose an S-rank Valkyrie, with the only exception being the newest version of Elysia. Other than that, everything was available.

Without a doubt, this was a grand post-event gift.

Considering that he had been rushing this year to complete over half of Honkai's storyline, one that included an astonishing amount of knife content, this could be considered a form of compensation.

After all, next year, the journey would continue.

The guest room and various small-scale activities were also indispensable, especially in the online aspect, where considerable effort had been poured in.

What if players, lured in by these rewards, ended up dragging in the last few remaining non-players?

Thus, he set up a requirement that at least two accounts had to cooperate in coordination to receive the rewards... Forcing many players to create alt accounts was just a given.

In the real world, during the Lunar New Year, St. Freya Academy felt a little empty at this moment.

Most students had already left, so the academy was missing some of its usual liveliness. However, with Kallen and the Thirteen Flame-Chasers gathered together, it was still lively enough, wasn't it?

The atmosphere, in fact, felt just right.

During this time, he was also "fortunate" enough to taste Theresa's infamous bitter melon dumplings, though he outright refused when the Flame-Chasers tried to offer him more.

Even when Elysia tried to drag him along, he had no intention of going.

Why should he pull others down into suffering just because he had already experienced it?

He firmly refused to taste those multicolored "drugs."

Unless they were made by Master Kalpas!

As for the other New Year activities, he had tried them all, except for the red envelope exchange, which he absolutely refused under the moonlight...

When Theresa received a red envelope, she immediately regretted it, wanting to give it back, but there was no way to do so.

She furiously glared at Luo Mo, realizing that by accepting the red envelope, she had essentially acknowledged she was of a younger generation than him! Why hadn't she reacted sooner?!

Kongming and Luna had different thoughts, but it was clear they also didn't want to admit they were not of the same generation as him.

Luo Mo didn't see any problem with Luna accepting the red envelope, but when she scoffed coldly and transformed her outfit using a stigmata card, he immediately shut his mouth. Meanwhile, Kongming showed a momentary expression of envy... though it quickly disappeared.

With her actions, Luna made it clear—she was no child!

===

(T/Note)

We reached the End of Elysian Arc...

The translation will be stopped until here. Since it's too much for me and I am lazy to countine. Not too mention, I Too want to enjoy reading the story.

You can check the next chapter on the link that was in chapter 129.

And don't worry, I'm not ending it, but stopping it. After I finish reading the next Chapters myself (while also translating it, since of course, how else I can read Chinese) I will upload them All here later in the future.

If I Feel like Wanting Too.

When is that?

How knows. I have many stories that I saved and want to read like LOTM, so it can be a very long time. Unless the Link for the last chapters are all finally unlocked.

Anyway, bye for now👋

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The next chapter: The Descendant of the Herrscher of Binding

Who do you think will be the Herrscher of Binding?

Kallen? Theresa? Luo Mo?

I don't know yet, but I'm going to read it now~