[Ehe~]
Guess what~
As for whether this counts as social suicide, well, that depends on what video I show, right?
But hey, since you all said so, if I don't post a fan-made video, wouldn't I lose face?
So—please enjoy the VCR!
[Kiana]: It's here! It's here! Who's this video about?
When the video no longer concerned the fate of two worlds but was purely for entertainment, most people relaxed.
After all, they no longer had to agonize over matters that decided the future of the universe.
For many, it was a welcome break.
Soon, the video began playing:
"Vanish into the black hole along with the past, Otto Apocalypse!"
[Honkai: Star Rail · Seele]: Huh?
[Theresa]: Looks like this video is related to Grandpa!
[Honkai: Star Rail · Welt]: Oh, I have to see Otto's "glorious moments" in a video like this!
Welt aboard the Astral Express made no effort to hide his hostility toward Otto.
Back on Earth, Dr. Tesla (aka "Lobster Doctor") gleefully slammed the table, ready to laugh at Otto's misfortune.
After all, when it came to messing with Otto, Anti-Entropy was always happy to lend a hand.
[Tesla]: HAHAHAHA! Otto deserves nothing but a one-way trip into a black hole! You *******! On Earth, you'd only ****!
[In the parlor car of the Astral Express, Welt sat with his chin propped on his hands in an odd posture, silent.
Stelle, standing nearby, tilted her head in confusion. "Uncle Yang's been looking really gloomy lately.
Hmm… seems like he's in a bad mood?"
Suddenly, a boy who looked strikingly similar to Stelle walked over and shrugged. "Isn't it obvious?
Someone must've pissed off Uncle Yang."]
[March 7th]: What the—? Stelle, you have a brother?!
March was utterly shocked and instinctively turned to stare at Stelle, who blinked back at her with innocent confusion.
[Silver Wolf]: "Tch. Now this feels more like a game. Story-driven RPGs always give you a choice between protagonists."
[Stelle]: Heheh, as expected—the Galaxy Bat-wielding Hero is the true protagonist of this world!
[March 7th]: So… that boy in the video is just a gender-swapped version of Stelle? Gotta admit, he looks pretty cool!
[Let me clarify—that male Trailblazer's name is Caelus!]
[Kiana]: Protagonist? Then I'm definitely the protagonist of our world!
[The two Trailblazers immediately turned their heads in unison to stare at March, who was enjoying the show.
Under their scrutiny, March broke into a cold sweat before defiantly planting her hands on her hips.
[March 7th]: "What're you looking at me for? Trailblazer, you know me—I'd never do anything to make Uncle Yang mad!"
But as she spoke, her confidence wavered, and she scratched her head sheepishly.
"Uh… okay, if I did… I'd totally apologize!"
[March 7th]: "Hahaha! See? I knew it wasn't me who upset Uncle Yang… probably?"
Thinking back on her past antics, March wasn't so sure anymore.
[Raiden Mei]: "It seems like your Astral Express crew is just like one big family."
[Honkai: Star Rail · Himeko]: Indeed. The Astral Express is very much like a family.
[The accusatory gazes then shifted to Dan Heng, who sighed helplessly.]
[Dan Heng]: "Trailblazer, you know me—the High-Cloud Quintet arc hasn't even started yet. Besides, I'm usually the one dealing with headaches around here."
[Blade]: "Dan Feng! Five people bear the sin—three must pay the price! You can't escape! A thousand deaths won't be enough!"
The already unstable Blade completely lost his composure upon seeing Dan Heng of the Astral Express.
[Huaiyan]: Sigh… what a tragedy.
[Dan Heng]: …I'm not him. I'm just Dan Heng.
[Vita]: Ahh~ What a dazzling tale of love and vengeance!
Back on the Astral Express, March stared at Dan Heng with newfound curiosity.
[March 7th]: "Wait… was I right? Does Dan Heng really have some hidden power?"
[Dan Heng]: "..."
[After Dan Heng was cleared of suspicion, the next target was Silver Wolf—who had somehow snuck onto the train and was now glued to her game console. Without even looking up, she muttered:]
[Silver Wolf]: "Trailblazer, you know me—if I were behind this, the one sulking right now would be Herta."
[Herta]: "?? What's that supposed to mean? Guess you don't want your gaming accounts anymore!"
[Silver Wolf]: "Pfft. Maybe you should worry about how I speedran your space station first."
[Herta]: "You—!"
[After interrogating everyone aboard the train, only one impossible suspect remained—the truth had to be accepted.]
[March 7th]: "So it's crystal clear now! The culprit is none other than—Pom-Pom!"
Pom-Pom, who had been sweeping the floor nearby, froze in confusion.
[Pom-Pom]: "?? Passengers should refrain from joking. He's upset because—"
Before Pom-Pom could finish, a golden-haired man approached with a gentle smile and greeted the Trailblazers:
[???]: "Greetings. I am O—"
"Hm?" Before he could even finish introducing himself, Welt shot him a glare so intense his eyes practically glowed red!
The man quickly corrected himself:
[Luocha]: "Ahem… I am Luocha, a humble merchant traveling the cosmos."
"Pfft—!" Welt, who had been in decent spirits until then, spat out his tea at the sight of Otto's doppelgänger.
[Honkai: Star Rail · Welt]: "WHY DOES THIS UNIVERSE HAVE AN OTTO TOO?!"
[Luocha]: "It seems fate has intertwined my path with the Astral Express in the future. However, I assure you—I am merely a merchant, not this 'Otto' you speak of."
[Otto]: "How fascinating. It seems I have an alternate self in another universe."
[Theresa]: "Wow! This 'Luocha' merchant looks almost identical to Grandpa—just with a slightly different vibe!"
By now, the cosmic spectators had realized this was the main event and eagerly settled in for the show.
[Old Yang adjusted his glasses and stood up slowly.]
[Welt]: "Are you Otto?"
Sweating bullets, Luocha replied:
[Luocha]: "I have no idea who that is."
[Stelle]: "Ooooh! You're also Imaginary-aligned? Perfect! You and Uncle Yang can team up for elemental resonance!"
[March 7th]: "What are you talking about?"
Welt took a deep breath to steady himself.
[Welt]: "Honestly… I'd rather not team up with him."
[Stelle]: "But he's a healer!"
Just then, Caelus walked over and said:
[Caelus]: "No need to force Uncle Yang. I can heal too."
[Welt]: "But we don't have an Imaginary DPS—we can't run a mono-element team."
[Luocha]: "True, there's no Imaginary DPS… but you have me! I can totally build ATK and function as a carry!"
Welt, who had just started calming down, short-circuited at Luocha's words.
His mind seemed to drift into the cosmos before rebooting post-Honkai impact—and when his gaze returned to Luocha, it had changed.
Without another word, he summoned a black hole and hurled it straight at Luocha's face!
Not just in the video—whether they were still drifting in the Sea of Quanta or sitting aboard the Astral Express—every Welt variant nearly lost control of their expressions, black holes trembling in their hands.
[Honkai: Star Rail · Welt]: "OTTO! YOU DESERVE TO DIE! VANISH INTO THE BLACK HOLE ALONG WITH THE PAST!"
[Luocha]: "I assure you, Mr. Welt—I am but a simple merchant. Doppelgängers exist across the universe; surely you understand?"
"Uh… not just in the video—our Uncle Yang looks like he's about to overheat too," Stelle and March exchanged uneasy glances.
[Tesla]: ***************
Naturally, Anti-Entropy was hit hardest by this uncanny Otto impression—especially Tesla.
[Silver Wolf]: "Uh… so no one's gonna talk about the gameplay mechanics hinted at here? Kinda interesting if you ask me."
[Bronya Zaychik]: "Bronya will stay out of this… Bronya has no interest in high-level organizational feuds."
[Silver Wolf]: "Yeah. Games are way more fun anyway."
Though worlds apart, the two seemed to have found kindred spirits in each other.