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

In the Golden Courtyard,

Many were surprised by the dialogue between Kevin and the mysterious figure. Even the Flame-Chasers themselves were no exception. Although they had participated in voice-overs and were familiar with their individual endings, that didn't mean they were aware of every detail about others' stories.

What's more, given the nature of the enemy that appeared later… it was true that a ten percent chance wasn't wrong.

However, they were even more curious about which of them had been speaking with Kevin.

Many cast their gaze toward Vill-V.

Compared to the others who had taken action one after another, the only one who remained still was the one constantly proclaiming she'd cause a huge commotion, Vill-V.

"Kevin, Kevin… I really didn't expect you to take such an action."

Vill-V leaned half-reclined on the sofa, speaking to herself. She shrugged her shoulders. Of course, as someone who had voiced that segment, she knew the full context. She was just wondering, should she let the Malevolent Vill-V out to face judgment soon?

If all her personalities were blamed together, wouldn't that be bad?

Vill-V thought to herself, but she wasn't particularly worried. After all, whether hero or villain, the one doing all the work was still her.

"It's quite normal. As stated, there were no better options, others were even worse."

Kevin responded indifferently.

"But you could suspect the mysterious person, their motives, or… Sakura after reviewing the information."

Vill-V kindly pointed out alternatives, each seemingly better than the "ten percent chance" option.

Yet Kevin merely shook his head, refraining from commenting.

"We're all in this together. Show a little more trust in your companions, okay?~"

Elysia smiled as she patted Kevin's shoulder. She found his behavior somewhat novel, though… she didn't expect it to be influenced by her.

"Hah—"

All she got in response was a cold laugh. However, under someone's oppressive gaze, Mobius refrained from mocking further in Elysia's presence.

She wasn't a masochist, after all. Why invite trouble?

Did they really think she cared about Elysia? No way. Her concern for Elysia was less than half of what she felt for Klein.

It was no big deal.

Mobius turned her head toward Luo Mo, her serpent-like eyes faintly gleaming.

"Was it really you, sister?"

Rin's eyes widened as she gazed up at her sister, Sakura.

Sakura merely patted her head, her gaze calm but tinged with a faint chill. She neither confirmed nor denied it.

Those who should know already knew, and those who shouldn't… it didn't matter. She had made a promise and would keep that secret.

She just couldn't understand why they thought she had only realized it then. Sakura scanned her companions, pursing her lips slightly.

She had suspected Rin's situation for a long time. Concealment, after all, was itself an attitude.

Otherwise, she wouldn't have appeared in the bright world without much surprise or doubt when searching for Rin. Though she didn't know the exact process, the result was evident.

She wouldn't have lashed out and killed upon learning the truth, nor would she ever attribute it to Elysia.

---

"A ten percent chance… even Kevin only had a ten percent chance. Could it mean the End has descended upon the Elysian Realm?"

The Herrscher of sentience's gaze turned heavy, her remaining options dwindling.

Sakura couldn't limit Kevin to a mere ten percent chance.

Even she could barely manage a fifty-fifty chance… no, considering her recent battle with the Will of Honkai, though passed down only through oral tradition, she was willing to believe it was true.

So… seventy-thirty, perhaps.

"Does that mean Kevin is 70% confident in himself? And only 10% confident in that traitor or outsider inside?"

"Hey, what could possibly compare to seven of me, huh?"

Senti was a bit annoyed, scratching her head and feeling even more frustrated.

"If it's about Finality, then there's no chance at all. With the environment in the Elysian Realm, even if all thirteen of us worked together, it wouldn't work."

Vill-Vi kindly reminded her, denying the other's assumption.

"But is the Herrscher of Corruption really that strong? I'm not stupid… it's just a little strange, that's all."

The Herrscher of sentience said helplessly, looking at the person opposite her.

In the game, the main storyline is still clearly visible. After progressing through the Herrscher of Thousands and the Herrscher of Binding, it was finally time to face the last Herrscher.

Although its appearance and methods were still completely unknown, it was its turn to take the stage. After all, there were only so many actors.

Did they really think she was just some victim to be pitied, and everything else was conveniently patched together?

Uh… well, maybe not that far off. She didn't even have evidence. Thinking about this, the Herrscher of sentience grew even more frustrated.

----

At the World Serpent Base,

Kevin gazed at the projected storyline developments ahead of him, his expression calm, though a ripple stirred in his heart.

"One percent probability, huh…"

He murmured to himself, a vague and indescribable feeling surfacing within.

Indeed, he couldn't take this gamble, not with so many people watching him, waiting for him.

The version of himself in the memory… seemed to gradually overlap with the man he used to be.

That was before he became a heroic figure of salvation. Before he bore the fate of humanity on his shoulders. Back then, he had no burdens, no obligations—facing the world unencumbered, there was nothing to fear in a gamble.

But… people always change, don't they?

Just like how, in the past, he would never have agreed to the Stigmata Plan.

Still, some things don't change, for example, now, he has abandoned that plan.

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

In the Elysian Realm,

After failing to find an exit through the external pathway and falling unconscious, Mei was rescued by Hua.

Hua stared at the unconscious girl, momentarily lost in thought.

It reminded her of herself, always falling unconscious for one reason or another… though those were not particularly pleasant memories.

Whatever she needed to say could wait until Mei woke up, Hua thought to herself.

Though, given Mei's current situation… it might already be too late.

Half an hour later, Mei woke up groggily from her slumber. Her memory lingered on the faded monsters from her last battle and… the image of a dark green lifeform.

It must have done something, but Mei didn't notice anything unusual.

Then she saw the class monitor. She blurted out the name but quickly regretted it, realizing Fu Hua couldn't possibly be here. Judging from the familiar surroundings, it was undoubtedly the hall of the Elysian Realm.

Hua pursed her lips. She didn't know why Mei always seemed to trust her. Was it simply because of the relationship between her counterpart outside and them? Or perhaps… the Amber Project had indeed won her some friends and expectations of trust.

But that wasn't important right now. What mattered was—

"Visitor, you must leave the Elysian Realm immediately!" Hua said urgently.

Mei was silent. She looked up at Hua, then gave a helpless smile. "Hua, I was just trying to leave, but as you saw, the pathway seems sealed. I can't get out."

She then asked curiously, "Hua, what's happened to make you so anxious to warn me?"

Hua fell silent, processing Mei's information. After a moment, she sighed and decided it would be better to show her the current state of the Elysian Realm.

Indeed, something unimaginable had happened.

Something so massive that everyone felt their lives were at constant risk, overshadowed by the threat of destruction.

With no hope of leaving, Mei could only follow Hua to the Everlasting Elysium—the space representing Elysia's heart. However, the scenery inside was vastly different from what she remembered.

Falling meteors and the flames they carried burned everything without mercy.

The fire raged unchecked, with no sign of control.

As someone who had fought him before, Mei immediately recognized the chaos—it was Kalpas's doing, the Flame-Chaser who had vanished after Elysia's death.

But now, why was he causing such a commotion?

It was even more intense and furious than when she had fought him, his power exceeding that time.

Was there something more provoking to his anger than her calling out, "Kalpas, get over here"?

As they advanced toward the chaos, Hua explained quickly, "If it were just Kalpas's rampage, it wouldn't be that dangerous. The real problem is that the only person capable of properly dealing with this… is gone."

Ahead were several Flame-Chasers, including Kosma, Griseo, and Eden. Su was confronting Kalpas.

Unlike Kalpas's furious assault, Su held his ground steadily, even though he was at a disadvantage.

Wave after wave of Kalpas's fiery wrath crashed against him, but Su did not crumble under the full-force assault.

The reason for Kalpas's anger became clear through their shouting, it was about Sakura. Su tried to question him about Sakura and anything else he might have seen.

But Kalpas firmly defended her, yelling,

"You… are not worthy of mentioning her name. And don't think… you can use my anger as a tool!"

"She is not a traitor—neither in the past nor the present!!"

Su was troubled. Kalpas hadn't revealed anything of value, only repeating those words over and over. Su wanted to clarify that he didn't distrust Sakura, but all the clues pointed toward her. Under Kalpas's glare, he couldn't bring himself to say it outright.

Kalpas gathered his strength, preparing a massive blow imbued with endless flames. This was a full-power strike that no one could take lightly.

Ripples in the air distorted the space around them, signaling the immense force of his attack.

Finally, Su sighed and used the Sumeru Keyston to temporarily seal Kalpas… though it wouldn't last long.

-----------

[Is Kalpas Sakura's number-one fan?]

[Bro is mad because they doubted Sakura~]

[Kalpas is reliable. When there's trouble, he really shows up!]

---

"Ha, Kalpas is still the same—brash and rushing straight to his death," Mobius mocked.

This time, Kalpas wasn't entirely wrong, but his impulsive, chaotic actions meant he had already lost the upper hand.

Most people believed that resolving misunderstandings with proper communication was the way to go, rather than relying on brute force. Kalpas was the perfect counterexample.

Naturally, those unaware of the situation were curious why Kevin, the one person who could stop him, hadn't shown up.

"Yeah, ice beats fire—Kevin should've just stepped in to stop him," they said.

Kiana seemed to recall some of the basic elemental theories she had studied before and nodded as she spoke.

To be fair, she had a natural advantage in channeling Kevin—it was her ancestor, after all. Even though he didn't seem to acknowledge it, this didn't stop Kiana from admiring him.

With Heavenly Fire drawn, casually taking on gods like Vishnu, and even overpowering the First Herrscher in Sky City, if she wanted to become the strongest Valkyrie, Kevin was undeniably her clearest source of inspiration.

A specific, vivid goal. All she needed to do was "retrace her lineage."

"He's struggling to protect himself. Do you think he doesn't want to show up?" Kalpas said disdainfully.

"Then why don't you explain things properly? Elysia and Kevin both trust their companions, and the other Flame-Chasers probably wouldn't want to doubt each other either," Kiana asked in confusion.

"..." Kalpas glanced at the screen, then glared at Mobius. "You'll all understand soon enough. Don't worry, I'm neither stupid nor ignorant."

"At least I'm more useful than someone who hides in the shadows and achieves nothing in the end."

"Hmph—" Mobius gritted her teeth, narrowing her eyes.

Kalpas might not have guessed her intentions, but the latest part of the story was clear to everyone: Elysia was the focus of the short film, and defeating the mastermind obviously wasn't Mobius. That much was apparent.

Still, how could she accept being mocked by him? "It's better than someone who was the first to cause division."

"Hah—haha—division? Talking about being companions? Isn't it always you who never saw us as such in the first place?"

The tension thickened.

Mobius and Kalpas always clashed, but since Kalpas couldn't properly utilize his Stigmata, he refrained from escalating the conflict physically.

"Haha, Grandma Mobius and Brother Kalpas still have such a great relationship!" exclaimed mature Griseo.

"Huh?" Kiana and Luo Mo turned to her with puzzled expressions.

"Eh? Isn't that right? They both dislike talking to others, but when they face each other, they can't stop talking," Griseo explained innocently, noticing the surprised looks from others.

-----------

Regarding Kalpas's earlier antics, Mei was momentarily speechless.

After all, this involved the Flame-Chasers themselves, and she wasn't their comrade, so it wasn't her place to judge.

Still, Kalpas's behavior seemed a bit unreasonable.

While it aligned with his usual impulsive reputation, it seemed unnecessarily explosive at a time like this.

Eden stepped forward to take charge of the situation. With so many people present, someone had to command, regardless of whether it was ideal.

Su analyzed the situation: there must be one or even several traitors among the Flame-Chasers. Right now, the enemy was systematically erasing memory cores—completely destroying them.

After discussing their plans, they decided on an order of operations and prepared to continue searching for clues.

But in the distance, an anomaly, or perhaps, an obituary—descended from the sky.

It was the message they had been waiting for since earlier. It pressed down on everyone's hearts like a final cold iron plate.

And it succeeded.

Countless white papers fluttered from the sky without reason or warning, like pure white snowflakes. Yet, they were covered with small black letters.

This scene felt oddly familiar to Mei. With a trace of doubt, she reached out to catch one. The moment she saw its contents, her eyes widened in shock.

Genuine horror surged within her, waves of disbelief crashed through her heart.

"This can't be true!"

She couldn't help but exclaim.

Yet the black and white letters left no room for doubt. Still… the typewriter was broken and nonfunctional, making it impossible for such papers to appear here.

But deep down, she couldn't shake the thought… what if it was real?

On the paper, devoid of lies—only one sentence repeated endlessly:

Kevin is dead.

"I must... load my life (data) into the chamber for this," he had once said.

The page was filled with the four characters, tiny as flies, covering every inch and delivering an eerie truth.

The strongest Flame-Chaser, the one least likely to fall, had died the day after Elysia's incident. It was as if they were falling in the order of their initial ranks… dying one after another.

The screen automatically returned to the main page, and among the cards of the remaining twelve Flame-Chasers, Kevin's card expanded in front of them.

Then came a crisp, familiar sound.

The same emptiness, the same cracks, and the same stark white light, two cards shattered in succession.

It was silent yet undeniable proof of Kevin's death.

---