[???]
[Impossible! How could Brother Kalpas fall so easily?!]
[Brother Kalpas! He's not shattered yet! That's why—I don't believe it!!]
[Say what you want, but if MiHoYo were going to write him off, there'd definitely be a dramatic arc. There's no way it'd just be tossed out in a single line!]
[Exactly! Exactly.]
The audience clearly couldn't accept the idea that Kalpas had been taken down.
They flooded the livestream with bullet chats to vent their emotions.
Elysia paused for a long moment to digest the sudden tragic news.
She took a deep breath, struggling to calm her emotions—
Then tapped the screen to resume the story.
In the game.
"The Villain" Vill-V had just dropped the bomb about Kalpas, then shrugged.
"Well, I've played along with you for long enough. It's like babysitting—I'm tired."
Mei realized something: "You were waiting for that power all along?"
"Is that surprising?" "The Villain" replied flatly. "I've already told you—it's a power that renders any memory insignificant."
"And if I can become its spokesperson, gaining power to stand against you—or any of the Flame-Chasers—what's so strange about that?"
The players' brows furrowed as they watched.
Of course… a traitor is always worse than an enemy.
"We spent so long solving riddles, yet failed to see that the truth we uncovered was just another lie."
"From the moment you stepped in here, my objective was complete."
It turned out "The Villain" had been stalling for time—
Waiting for her ally to return.
[Who was it that flagged Mei as the real "Herrscher of Sentience"? Even Shikigami said it—Herrscher of Sentience is ominous. Now look at her.]
[The cursed power of Sentience is terrifying.]
[This confidence from "The Villain" actually looks kind of cool. No, no, she killed Cat Cat—I must stand firm.]
Even though viewers joked around, Mei wasn't discouraged by her misjudgment.
"You seem overly confident that this power can defeat me. But if it's something I've never encountered before—how can it be deemed invincible?"
"Never encountered?"
"The Villain" denied Mei's claim.
She reminded her once more: "You brought it in yourself. How are you still this slow?"
"...??"
Following her gaze, Mei looked down slightly.
A dark green mist had somehow appeared around her.
To her—it felt fleeting, but also all too familiar. The strange sensation grew clearer with the mist's encroachment.
It was...
The same feeling she experienced when she met the Will of Honkai.
"That time... it was then...?"
Just before completely losing consciousness, she finally understood who the mastermind was behind this entire conspiracy.
"Vill-V... this 'it' you spoke of..."
"...is another Herrscher?"
[Finally, the real cause of the chaos in Elysian Realm is revealed.]
[So Mei really did bring the Corruption into the realm.]
[Mei: The culprit was... me?!]
[Another "Elysian Realm Inferno Gag."]
The players were both shocked and unsurprised to learn that the Corruption had been brought in by Mei.
Many had already guessed it through the previous chapters.
Now it was simply official.
But their surprise, confusion, and disbelief didn't have much time to build—
Because after Mei fainted, the game suddenly shifted perspective—
To Aponia.
This part followed the earlier scene where Aponia encountered Kalpas.
With Kalpas's arrival, the entire sanctum turned dark and lifeless.
The screen went pitch black, with lines of narrative text flashing by.
As usual, Elysia read them softly:
"To him, death battles are all too familiar."
"Therefore, he knows very well—in what order one's senses fade away when a person is about to lose consciousness... or life."
At this point, Elysia's voice suddenly paused.
She realized what this part of the story might lead to.
And, suddenly, she didn't want to keep watching.
Should she end the stream now? Escapism may be shameful—but it's useful, right?
That fleeting thought crossed her mind—
Though in the end, she didn't actually leave out of shame.
Taking a deep breath, she continued reading softly.
"First is sight, as he is now—sunken in shadow, unable to see a thing."
"Next is touch, as he is now—numb all over, as if plunged into an icy abyss."
But after reading just two lines, she stopped again.
Her brows drew tight.
Why do the writers always write so damn vividly at times like this?!
Another deep breath, then a slow exhale.
"Whoo~~"
"And the last sense to fade... is hearing—the only sense he still clings to."
"Only through hearing can he make out faint voices in the dark—and know…"
"He has, indeed, reached the end of his path."
The screen brightened.
And a scene appeared before them all.
In the distance, Kalpas was stumbling forward.
The shot slowly moved from his feet upward.
And when it reached his torso—
Every viewer's heart clenched.
Kalpas's appearance in that moment stunned Aponia and Eden inside the game—
And left players completely shell-shocked.
Because…
What stood before them was a mutilated body—
Only half remained. His right arm, abdomen… all gone.
If it had been anyone else, they would've long since died.
But Kalpas still dragged what was left of himself toward the sanctum.
One couldn't help but wonder—what was it that sustained him? What drove someone who should've already collapsed to stand before Aponia?
Of course, more than contemplation, what players felt was disbelief and horror.
[Half of his body is gone?! Brother Kalpas, nooo!!]
[Kalpas mains have officially lost it.]
[Everything went dark—can't believe the dramatic arc is really happening. Writer, you're not even human!!]
[He's literally CARRYING with his life... sob sob sob.]
[The cold wind rustles, the river runs deep. A hero departs, never to return. Farewell, Brother Kalpas!!]
Just moments ago, players had firmly refused to believe "The Villain" Vill-V's claims.
But now, with the truth laid bare—and seeing Kalpas's broken body—they couldn't fool themselves anymore.
Brother Kalpas had likely truly reached the end.
…
Eden in the game, like the players, was both stunned and heartbroken.
She tentatively called out, "Kalpas…?!"
Kalpas stopped in place.
Eden tried to step forward—only for Aponia to stop her.
"Wait, Eden. Don't touch him. In fact... don't even get close."
"Hmm?" Eden halted instantly.
Aponia scrutinized Kalpas carefully: "As I suspected, his memory body is riddled with wounds—he's only a step away from total collapse."
"..."
To learn what had happened to him,
Aponia asked Eden to protect her physical body—then entered Kalpas's mind.
His inner world resembled a ruined battlefield—
And monsters still lingered throughout the withered space.
But they didn't trouble Aponia much. She advanced, clearing them as she went.
Eventually, deep within the mindscape, she found Kalpas.
Unlike his external form, the Kalpas inside was still whole—and just as irritable as ever.
"You're too slow… Aponia."
That line gave players a glimmer of hope.
Could Brother Kalpas still be saved?
Aponia was just as relieved: "Kalpas, thank goodness… you didn't disappear after all."
"Don't butt in…"
His attitude was unchanged. He told Aponia to cut the chatter and check his memories.
She complied.
And through his memories, Aponia finally discovered who the true enemy was.
"So it's that… the one that's been evading my detection all along?"
"And it's the one…"
"That tramples their final echoes in this world?"
Her last line trembled slightly.
That phrase—final echoes in this world—struck a chord of grief and rage in players.
Yeah!
They're just memory constructs! Why won't you leave them alone?
Elysia, Kevin, Cat Cat, Snake-sis…
How is anyone supposed to stand this?!
"You've always been the one who inspires fear, haven't you?" Kalpas raised his voice. "This time, make sure it tastes every second of it. Against something so inhuman… don't hold back."
[Well said, Brother Kalpas!!]
[Preach, Brother Kalpas!!]
But just as emotions were rising—
Kalpas's form suddenly began to flicker on-screen.
Even within the mindscape, his body had begun to fade.
Players felt their hearts seize up.
The hope that had just started to bloom was instantly shattered.
They felt once again that the writers had them in a vice grip.
First show them a ruined body—to make them think Kalpas was done for.
Then present a full, intact version of him in the mental realm—to make them hope.
And just as hope returned—
Snatch it away.
Writer! You really are despicable!!
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