Fujiwara Chika: "Eh? Mr. Tarnished, are you an adventurer?"
Trying to Save My Wife Tarnished: "An adventurer? I suppose so."
Clearing obstacles while sightseeing, progressing the main route at a leisurely pace—surely that counted.
Fujiwara Chika: "Hey, hey, Mr. Tarnished! Could you start a livestream so I can watch? I've never seen a real adventurer before."
Trying to Save My Wife Tarnished: "A livestream?"
Fujiwara Chika: "Yes! Tap the three lines in the upper right corner. You'll see the group features that are currently unlocked. Just select 'Livestream'."
Following her instructions, he located the button and pressed it.
[System Notice: Group livestream has begun. Other members may now enter to watch.]
Trying to Save My Wife Tarnished: "Is that all?"
For some reason, it felt like starting a new game while Fujiwara Chika acted as the tutorial guide.
Fujiwara Chika: "Yes! Thank you, Mr. Tarnished!"
One by one, the members entered the stream.
Fujiwara Chika was eager to witness another world's adventure firsthand. The others were either curious about the newcomer or simply there for entertainment.
Forever Seventeen: "Ara, ara. What a ruinous sight."
A church was sacred to humans. Even in war, it would not normally fall into such complete decay.
What kind of cataclysm had occurred outside?
Fujiwara Chika: "Mm-hmm, it's very worn down. But Mr. Tarnished looks so cool!"
On screen, the Tarnished stood beneath the chapel's dim light.
A golden helm shaped like twin wings covered half his face. A crimson cape draped from his left shoulder, concealing his arm. His right arm gleamed in gold—a prosthetic limb forged of the same metal as his helm.
Below, a dark gray skirt-like garment layered over visible chainmail.
The ensemble resembled medieval light armor—except for the staff in his hand, embedded with a purple gemstone. That part felt slightly mismatched.
Was it a staff?
And somehow… the outfit leaned faintly feminine in design.
Was that just her imagination?
Trying to Save My Wife Tarnished: "Do you like it? If you do, I can send you a set."
As he spoke, he retrieved an identical outfit from his inventory.
Among the newly unlocked group functions, he had noticed something called "Red Packet." If memory served, it allowed items to be sent across worlds.
And he didn't dislike someone as warmhearted as Fujiwara Chika.
She reminded him of Sorceress Sellen—one of the few people in the Lands Between who had treated him kindly.
Though in the end, Sellen had transformed into a grotesque sphere due to Primeval Sorcery.
Forever Seventeen: "Hehe, what about mine? Mr. Tarnished is being awfully biased."
Trying to Save My Wife Tarnished: "If you agree to become kindling, I'll send you one as well."
Forever Seventeen: "..."
Yukari felt her unease deepen.
This "kindling" definitely carried a hidden catch.
Fujiwara Chika: "Ah… maybe not…"
Trying to Save My Wife Tarnished: "? Don't worry. That condition was only for her. It doesn't apply to you. Besides, this outfit originally belonged to Malenia."
After so many cycles, his sense of clothing boundaries had long blurred. As long as it wasn't the Deathbed Dress, he could wear anything.
Full nudity probably wouldn't bother him either.
Fujiwara Chika: "I see… Eh?!"
—
Inside a classroom at Shuchiin Academy, Fujiwara Chika had been openly browsing the chat during class, confident that no one else could see the interface.
It had been delightful—until just now.
She wasn't entirely certain what a "valkyrie" meant in the Tarnished's world compared to Otto's, but one thing was clear.
That outfit had belonged to a woman.
Her smile stiffened.
Struggling for words, she hastily changed the subject.
Fujiwara Chika: "Ah, right! I haven't introduced everyone properly yet, have I?"
Fujiwara Chika: "@Otto Apocalypse This is the Overseer of the organization called Schicksal."
Fujiwara Chika: "@Aizen Mr. Aizen is a captain in the Soul Society. A very gentle uncle."
Fujiwara Chika: "@Northern Northern Northern Her full name is Northern Princess. She seems to live around the era of World War II."
Fujiwara Chika: "@Forever Seventeen Lady Yukari appears to be from the era of Fujiwara-kyō. She's a powerful youkai."
Fujiwara Chika: "@Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor This is Miss Hu Tao, the seventy-seventh Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor in Liyue Harbor."
Fujiwara Chika: "@King of Heroes This is Uncle Gil—full name Gilgamesh, King of Uruk. A great hero, a demigod, and the oldest king of humanity."
Fujiwara Chika: "As for me, I'm a second-year high school student in 21st-century Japan. That should be everything. Did I get anything wrong?"
Northern Northern Northern: "Correct.jpg (Northern exclusive)"
Forever Seventeen: "My, Chika's memory is impressive."
Otto Apocalypse: "@Trying to Save My Wife Tarnished Greetings. I am Otto Apocalypse, Overseer of Schicksal, devoted to combating the Honkai. Once again, welcome."
The sudden round of introductions made him tilt his head slightly.
But one name caught his interest.
Gilgamesh.
Though from a different world, words like "king," "demigod," and "hero" were familiar to him.
The hundreds of Hero's Runes, Lord's Runes, and Remembrance of the Starscourge filling his inventory bore witness.
Since they had introduced themselves, it was only proper that he do the same.
After a moment's thought, he typed:
Trying to Save My Wife Tarnished: "Greetings. I come from a place called the Lands Between. I am merely a nameless Tarnished."
Fujiwara Chika: "The Lands Between? What a strange name."
Even though other worlds were now commonplace to them, the name still sparked curiosity.
He did not answer.
Truthfully, he didn't know why it was called that either. It simply was.
He dragged the chat window aside.
Picking up the Tarnished's Furled Finger from the corpse, he walked to the great doors at the chapel's end and pressed both hands against them.
Rumble—
The heavy, decaying doors creaked open.
Blinding light flooded in.
For a moment, the viewers' vision washed white.
Then—
The sight beyond stunned them.
Fujiwara Chika: "Wow… what a magnificent tree!"
Northern Northern Northern: "Agree.jpg"
Aizen: "Your world is truly fascinating, Mr. Tarnished."
There it stood—
The Erdtree.
A colossal, translucent tree of gold piercing the heavens.
Beneath it, a vast castle shrouded in gray-green mist.
Even from this distance, its grandeur was overwhelming.
Golden leaves drifted down like glowing embers, scattering across the land.
Yet surrounding the divine spectacle were ruins—clear signs of a devastating war.
He moved with practiced ease.
Down the crumbling stairs.
Across broken stone steps.
Over the familiar hanging bridge.
Into the square.
A towering statue of Marika came into view.
"That should be about time."
The ground trembled.
A dark shape leapt from behind the statue and crashed into the plaza.
He clicked his tongue.
There it was—the grotesque horror stitched together from human limbs.
The Grafted Scion.
A nightmare from his earliest days, servant of Godrick.
It roared.
A health bar flared to life.
With a thunderous leap, it lunged.
He rolled aside effortlessly.
With a flick of his Meteorite Staff, several stones rose into the air, cloaked in violet gravity.
They shot forward like meteors.
Boom. Boom.
The monster collapsed in seconds.
"Hmm."
He couldn't help sighing.
Once, this creature had tormented him endlessly.
Now it died to a single spell.
Though in the previous cycle, it had at least survived two hits.
Still—the Meteorite Staff was reliable.
It had accompanied him through hundreds of cycles. Since acquiring it in his first journey, he had never set it down.
He glanced at the staff.
Then at the corpse dissolving into ash.
After brief contemplation, he stepped toward the cliff's edge.
And performed a three-and-a-half spin before diving off.