Elysia's brief appearance completely ignited everyone's curiosity.
The barrage of comments on the stream was filled with questions about the Elysian Realm, but Elysia had no intention of revealing even the slightest detail.
She kept saying all sorts of adorable things—none of which had anything to do with the Realm itself.
That only made the audience even more impatient, like cats scratching at their hearts.
Seeing this, Eden quickly clicked open the gacha interface, hoping to divert their attention.
Sure enough—no one could resist the thrill of gacha pulls.
Even Elysia immediately perked up with excitement.
"Ah~ It's time for the gacha again~"
"Eden, do you want me to share some of my luck with you~?"
Eden smiled gently. "Sure~ How about… we let Elysia do the pulling this time~?"
For Eden, the money spent on gacha was nothing—barely a drizzle.
So she simply handed the mouse to Elysia.
After all, the only rule was: pull till you win.
A few minutes later, Herrscher of Flamescion reached SSS rank.
After exiting the gacha screen, Eden immediately opened the character's skill panel.
There, she found the skills' names filled with exquisite detail.
Basic attack, branch attack, ultimate, dodge…
Six skills in total—each corresponding to someone from St. Freya Academy.
The tone of the chat quickly changed.
Many players who had already drawn Flamescion began flooding the chat with quotes:
"With this wheel of flame, I command the heavens—thus turns the cycle of truth."
"With this burning flame, I become the torch—into the eternal crimson blaze."
"With this swordlight I wield, the dawn breaks, thunder sings."
"With these lingering embers, I carry a thousand years, awakening rebirth."
"With this hymn I guard the stars—may twilight bloom in prayer."
Eden stared at the screen, her emotions a tangled mess.
Not only did the lyrics echo the previous anime short, even the skills felt like messages from the past.
Countless viewers who hadn't pulled Flamescion yet were already moved to tears by the skill names alone.
"Pulling!! Damn it, HoYoverse, you win QAQ!"
"Stop stabbing me already, I'm begging you!"
Almost everyone agreed—any character made with such sincerity was worth pulling.
Eden quickly calmed down and entered the character tutorial stage.
But this tutorial was unlike any other.
The moment Kiana landed, her first line was:
"I'll fight—for all the beauty in this world!"
And then—the background music started.
It was the BGM from The Final Lesson!
Eden: "…"
"Even the tutorial's out to stab me now, huh?"
Countless players cursed under their breath:
"Otto! You heartless bastard, QAQ!"
Eden pressed her lips together and began following the tutorial:
Basic attack, dodge—
"My turn now, got any objections?"
Branch attack—
"It's time for the final battle!"
The animations were breathtakingly smooth, every strike carrying weight.
Then came the aerial combat.
When idle, Kiana would softly murmur to herself:
"All my most beautiful memories… are here, in my heart."
"I'll walk this path with everyone—so don't worry about me."
"The sword on my back… isn't heavy. It's warm…"
Those calm, gentle words—paired with The Final Lesson's BGM—stabbed straight into the heart.
Kiana's lines used to be bright and confident.
Now… HoYoverse's emotional knife cut deeper than ever.
Finally, when Eden pressed the ultimate button—
a brilliant animation flared across the screen.
"With these blazing flames—nothing shall remain uncut!"
Kiana swung her greatsword.
A few frames of sketch-like explosion flashed—
"Boom!"
The effects were jaw-droppingly gorgeous.
But then Eden's mind flashed back to The Final Lesson's animation.
She immediately exited the game, opened HoYoverse's official site, and found the short film.
Under the viewers' curious eyes, she dragged the video bar—
pausing at the scene where Himeko swung her sword to shatter the Queen's Spear of the Void.
Same sketch-style explosion.
Same upward sword swing.
Same silhouette from behind.
Eden captured the Flamescion ultimate frame and compared it to that moment in The Final Lesson.
Everyone watching felt their hearts skip a beat.
Kiana's ultimate… mirrored Himeko's.
No—
Not "mirrored."
In two exact frames of Flamescion's animation—
It was literally Himeko's silhouette.
Eden's eyes grew misty.
She switched back to the game, staring silently at Kiana's figure on-screen.
A moment later, she cast the ultimate again.
"Flamescion—draw the blade!"
"Boom—!"
The enemies fell. The results screen appeared.
Kiana's voice softly followed:
"Another victory… You saw it too, didn't you…?"
Eden: "…"
Viewers: "…"
"Just the skill names made me tear up… now I'm bawling QAQ"
"It's the final battle all over again QAQ"
"She's carrying Himeko-sensei's legacy…"
"Even the explosion showed Himeko's back QAQ"
"You didn't have to go this hard, HoYoverse, please QAQ"
"Fine! I'm pulling, I'm pulling!! QAQ"
Eden equipped Kiana with her Stigmata—
and even that was Murata Himeko.
This Herrscher of Flamescion was a walking blade of emotions.
In truth, those two frames of Himeko weren't in the original animation.
Mo Li had added them on a whim.
But he had to admit—the nostalgia hit like a truck.
He never expected Eden to notice so quickly.
The effect was beyond perfect.
The chat exploded with sobs and "emotional damage" memes.
Eden's livestream ended amidst reluctant farewells.
Mo Li turned to look at Bronya.
She was still holding his arm tightly.
"Feeling better now, Bronya?"
As the screen faded to black, Bronya finally came to her senses.
She quickly released him, coughed lightly, and tried to sound calm:
"…I'm fine now."
"That's good. Let's go check on Eden."
Before Mo Li could stand, Eden and Elysia were already walking over.
Mo Li smiled.
"Looks like Eden doesn't need my comfort after all~"
"You've got some nerve to say that," Bronya glared at him.
"If there's another story like that again, I'm not watching it."
Elysia tilted her head curiously.
"Oh~ speaking of which, Boss Mo Li~ will Auntie Himeko appear again later?"
Mo Li shook his head. "Not for now."
At that, everyone let out a sigh of relief.
Himeko's scenes were emotional landmines—
if she wasn't coming back, maybe things wouldn't hurt as much.
Just then, Himeko herself happened to walk by—
and felt an arrow straight to the heart.
Was it just a habit now? Or was she really getting old?
Why was everyone calling her "Auntie Himeko" already…?
"Elysia… I'm not that much older than you, you know."
Sensing danger, Elysia quickly deflected.
"Ehe~ Himeko-sis, it's not my fault! Your scenes in the game were just so moving~"
"Even I almost cried~ So don't be mad, okay~?"
"As an apology… how about a big hug~?"
Himeko chuckled, shaking her head.
She was only teasing anyway—not truly angry.
Mo Li suddenly joked,
"Miss Pink Elf, how come I never get a 'big hug' as an apology option from you?"
All the girls immediately turned their gazes on him.
Mo Li: "…"
"Kidding! Just kidding, haha~"
Elysia giggled.
"So that's what you want, Boss Mo Li~ Just a hug from Elysia~?"
"Well, I don't mind~ But I can't say the same for everyone else here~~"
"Ahem." Rita cleared her throat just in time.
"Dinner's ready, everyone. I imagine you're all quite hungry."
"Yay~!" Hu Tao and Kiana cheered.
"What's for dinner?"
"Bell pepper curry."
"Ugh—Boss Mo Li, I told you not to mention that word again!!"
"Klee wants braised fish~!"
Meanwhile, the new version of Honkai Impact 3rd was still blowing up online.
From the tear-jerking story, to the meticulous character design,
to Elysia's surprise appearance—
everything sparked heated discussion.
Not only did it dominate the gaming world,
it even rippled into the entertainment industry.
The Valkyries had become cultural icons,
each with massive fanbases.
And the songs?
They outshone ninety percent of commercial music on the charts.
In just half a day, Everlasting Flames had rocketed to the top of the music sites,
while The Final Lesson's theme song found new life.
Countless actresses dreamed of playing a role in Honkai Impact 3rd or Genshin Impact,
and countless singers wanted Mo Li to compose for them.
But Mo Li had no interest.
Why bother, when bantering with his studio girls was so much more fun?
At the HoYoverse Studio, after Kiana and Hu Tao changed into their uniforms,
Mo Li drove them to school.
Although they were technically on leave,
They still had to take their monthly exams.
With their personalities, though… no one expected good grades.
Normally, Durandal handled their transport.
But since she had tons of voice lines to record for the new update,
Mo Li took over the duty.
Once the girls were in the car, he followed the GPS toward the school.
Kiana sighed nonstop along the way.
Mo Li couldn't help but laugh.
"What's wrong, Kiana? Why the long face?"
"Sigh…" Kiana groaned. "Just thinking about exams gives me a headache…"
"Boss Mo Li, should I just drop out?"
"I don't care," Mo Li shrugged. "If you're not afraid of Durandal teaching you a lesson, go ahead~"
"...Never mind then."
Just then, Hu Tao spotted something outside.
She opened the window and shouted,
"Griseo~~!!"
The sudden yell startled both Kiana and Mo Li.
"Griseo?? Could it be Griseo?"
He slowed the car and followed her gaze.
There stood a petite girl in a white dress,
short light-blue hair fluttering softly—
fragile, gentle, like a painting come to life.
"It really is her!"
Mo Li sighed inwardly.
If Griseo existed in real life too…
then he'd have to convince her to voice her in the game.
What a hassle…
"That girl's your classmate?"
Hu Tao nodded eagerly. "Mhm! She's a good friend!"
The school gates were already up ahead.
Since there was a parking spot nearby, Mo Li pulled over.
Kiana and Hu Tao immediately hopped out and ran toward Griseo.
By the time Mo Li caught up,
The two had already been surrounded by a crowd of students.
"It's the Hall Master Hu Tao!! She's really from our school!"
"Ahhh—it's Kiana! The real Kiana!!"
"Kiana, will Eden show up in the next chapter?"
"Hall Master, when will you enter the gacha pool?"
Kiana and Hu Tao looked embarrassed,
completely overwhelmed by the barrage of questions.
Before they could think of what to say, Mo Li finally stepped in.
"Alright, everyone, don't crowd around here—it's dangerous near the road. Back to school, please."
He used Otto's voice this time.
Instant effect—every head turned his way.
"Otto!!"
"Holy crap, it's Otto himself!!"
Even Mo Li was a bit taken aback by the reaction.
"Okay okay, everyone. Exams are coming up, you don't want to get in trouble, right?"
He handed Kiana and Hu Tao a pair of masks and caps.
"You two are hopeless… I told you to disguise yourselves."
Hu Tao stuck her tongue out.
"I forgot~" Kiana mumbled, cheeks red.
Just then, someone in the crowd yelled—
"Otto, watch the sword!!"
And then another.
And another.
"OTTO WATCH THE SWORD!! OTTO WATCH THE SWORD!!"
Their shouts echoed down the street,
sounding more like a cult ritual than a fan chant.
Mo Li felt a black line crawl up his forehead.
"Alright, alright, I get it. You want to stab Otto again. Don't worry—he'll have an HP bar in the next version."
That caused an uproar.
"Really?! When's the update coming?!"
"Isn't Elysia and Eden's banner next?!"
"Boss, come on, just a tiny leak!"
As the crowd grew, Mo Li sighed.
"Fine. I'll tell you—if you all head back to class. Deal?"
They nodded eagerly.
"Not enough! We want 300 Crystals!" someone shouted.
The rest immediately agreed.
Mo Li: "…"
"Fine. You'll get a 300-crystal redeem code."
"And I'll announce the teaser soon—add another 600 crystals on top. Now no more questions—back to your exams!"
He read out a code,
and the students quickly scribbled it down, delighted.
True to their word, they dispersed soon after.
Of course, the entire incident was filmed and shared in every class group.
When the crowd was gone, Mo Li finally looked at Griseo.
She blinked those clear, gentle eyes at him—
and softly whispered four words:
"Otto… watch the sword…"
Mo Li: "…"
["Brush, submit to me."]
Cha
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