To carry on the players' excitement,
the story did not cut off with miHoYo's infamous cliffhanger style.
Instead, the perspective shifted to Kalpas, who had just stormed off, intending to tear apart the entire Elysian Realm.
In the boundless darkness, Kalpas encountered something incomprehensible.
The players, too, found it baffling.
Because…
Kalpas ran into another him?
[Kalpas really took Sun Wukong's script—now we even have 'True vs. False Kalpas'?]
[Kalpas: I'm shattered.]
[The mastermind really got forced out by Kalpas!]
[The enemy can even take Kalpas' form? Don't tell me it can copy others' powers?!]
The players speculated wildly as the story unfolded.
In-game—
"Who are you?" Kalpas demanded of the other him.
"Kalpas," the figure replied with a strange tone.
"Ridiculous!"
Kalpas flatly rejected the imposter's claim.
"Oh? That line should've been mine." The false Kalpas retorted calmly: "Then who are you?"
Kalpas: "..."
The imposter continued: "Do you think you understand yourself more than I do?"
"…Fine. Before your consciousness completely disperses, let's have a good look at this place."
As the fake Kalpas finished, the pitch-black screen began to brighten—
as if about to reveal a familiar scene.
But before the scene appeared, we first glimpsed Kalpas' inner thoughts.
Kalpas: "..."
For some reason, the man felt the tone was familiar—it reminded him of someone.
And with those words coming from his own likeness, the dissonance was unnerving.
Players: ... Don't just say "someone." Why not name names?
As the only iron-willed man of the Flame-Chasers, Kalpas, you'd better not start "riddling."
After Hua's sudden turn to riddles earlier, players were nervous Kalpas would start doing it too.
But their fears were unnecessary. Kalpas was still Kalpas—always direct.
He immediately revealed the truth to himself.
That way of speaking… Could it be Elysia?
Impossible.
He quickly denied it.
After all—
every action Kalpas had taken so far was to prove—
Among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, there was no traitor.
...
Kalpas' doubt naturally stirred debate in the livestream chat.
[What? The fake Kalpas is connected to Elysia?]
[Is miHoYo about to pull a pink-to-black betrayal twist??]
[I feel like a thousand Kalpases are raging inside my head, buzzing nonstop.]
[This must be what they call… "A Thousandfold Kalpas in the Heart." (滑稽)]
[LMAO, stop dropping puns in such serious moments—you're gonna kill me laughing!]
"Pfft~~"
Even Elysia laughed aloud, impressed by how fast the audience came up with memes.
Or perhaps—such is the richness of language.
A tiny twist of words, and one phrase could take on double meanings.
…Well, best not dwell on that now.
She did, however, have her own thought.
"I think the other Kalpas sounds less like me… and more like Otto, don't you think?"
[Exactly! That infuriating tone screams a certain blond man!]
[Otto, Herrscher of Sentience, the Queen, Void Archives—all of them have that smug way of speaking.]
[Tragic—Kalpas got 'infected' by Otto.]
[Now I'm curious what goes on in the recording booth.]
The chat's remark jogged Elysia's mind.
She was genuinely curious—how had Kalpas recorded that line?
Did he, like her, absorb a bit of "scummy energy" from Otto himself?
Or was it another method?
She made a mental note: maybe ask about it sometime.
As she pondered, the false Kalpas spoke again.
"If I'm not mistaken, you also find this place unfamiliar, don't you?"
"Just like most people—until the day death arrives, they never see their true heart."
"Hmph. Think of it as a gift. I'll make sure you die… without regrets."
With those words, the darkness peeled away—
Revealing a familiar scene.
A corridor.
The players froze.
Because… this corridor…
Hadn't it already appeared in the main story, multiple times?
Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void, Mei and the Herrscher of Thunder, Dea Anchora and the Herrscher of Thunder…
This was one of Honkai Impact 3rd's most famous "landmarks."
[Wait, isn't this the Herrscher Corridor?!]
[Oh no, did the Elysian Realm actually fall to a Herrscher? Is the next one Corruption?]
[Scene reuse is normal, doesn't mean it's really Herrscher-related.]
[Hmph, reminder: this is miHoYo.]
Indeed.
If it weren't truly Herrscher-related, Hokuto wouldn't reuse the Corridor. He'd just make a new area.
[So everything happening in Elysian Realm is really because of the Herrscher of Corruption? I get it now! The Flame-Chasers were never traitors!!]
[But… Mei kept getting wrecked in the Realm. Can one Herrscher really cause so much chaos?]
"True…"
Elysia frowned: "Even if the Flame-Chasers are only memories, could a Herrscher really cause this much disturbance inside the Realm?"
"If it's Corruption, yes."
The voice of Mobius cut in yet again.
"Though official descriptions are sparse, we can infer the basics. The Herrscher of Corruption's form should be a super-virus—able to infect both organisms and electronics."
"And what's easiest for a virus to target? Data. The Elysian Realm's memories… are all data."
"So the Realm really has been infiltrated by a Herrscher?" Elysia asked.
"Possibly," Mobius replied. "You'll just have to keep watching."
"…Alright."
Elysia thought for a moment, then returned her focus to the game.
She moved Kalpas forward. Not far ahead, they found the shattered remains of the 10th Divine Key.
The fake Kalpas spoke again.
"Oh… are these the 10th Keys you broke, before your augmentation surgery?"
He eyed the broken blades as if examining corpses.
The players, seeing the text, understood instantly now—though in the past they might not have.
The 10th Key was forged from the Herrscher of Corruption's core.
And those chosen by the Honkai, forced into that Herrscher…
Names came to mind—Mobius' assistant Klein, Kalpas' adjutant Imor…
And countless nameless others.
Each Key had once been a life, with its own story, its own future.
...
The fake Kalpas went on:
"So Imor's death was truly extraordinary."
"In Kalpas' heart, this is already the deepest place—yet his memory remains preserved here."
Constantly bringing up Imor enraged Kalpas.
"You're not worthy to speak his name!"
But the fake Kalpas only wore the grin of a sadist.
"Ha ha ha ha…"
"Kalpas, you mock others for 'failing to save the ones they truly wanted to'…"
"The truth is—you couldn't save the one you wanted either."
"Kalpas, I think I finally understand the source of your rage."
"You're no different from them, are you?"
"…Enough. Let's keep going."
The imposter abruptly stopped, leading Kalpas further—
beyond Imor, to Sakura's frozen Hell.
He brought up Sakura.
Once, on orders, she went to the Twilight Orphanage, slaying those infected with Honkai. Just as she was leaving, the Kalpas she'd pierced through the heart awakened—
and they fought, leveling the institution.
"I don't understand. You not only spared Sakura your hatred, but even…"
"…You'd destroy the Realm itself—for her."
The fake Kalpas paused, feigning realization.
"Ah… I see now. No wonder you feel no grudge against her."
"Whether that day at the Orphanage, or every time since you failed, the only one you hated…"
"…was yourself, wasn't it?"
"That fury will never extinguish—unless you die. Isn't that right?"
Kalpas' hatred… was only ever for himself?
What did that mean?
The players paused—then gradually understood.
So the root of Kalpas' constant rage wasn't mindless tantrums.
Nor aimless venting.
The one he could never forgive wasn't the hypocrite who failed to save others—
It was the self who failed to save them.
Such a thought…
Kalpas… you're far too gentle.
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