Talk? You've already said everything — what else is there to say?
Luo Mo's expression was momentarily complicated as he looked at Durandal's confused expression.
Did he jump in too fast? Was he acting out of place? This guy clearly came with good intentions.
Indeed, he shouldn't have tried to compete with this ditz.
Then, he shifted slightly toward Kiana, moving one step further away from the "Goddess of Luck" trying to sneak closer to good fortune.
He had sacrificed 40,000 crystals for the peace event storyline.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Luo Mo really did something stupid — he didn't prioritize pulling the necessary Stigmata first.
As a result, the Binding Herrscher dropped the very next day, catching him completely off guard and leaving him unable to fully unleash his strength.
If he failed to counter her, he feared he'd regret it to death.
Time control was one factor — but primarily, it was the Stigmata issue he didn't want to face.
It felt... genuinely painful.
But this time...
He rubbed his hands together and looked at Kiana's back with a glint in his eyes.
Silently, he muttered:
"Please, share some of that Divine luck with me!"
It had been a long while since he was stuck in a 3-missing-2 setup — the Finality had already been gathered, leaving only Mei's Herrscher of Origin.
Although Kiana might have a vague connection to it...
In his heart, he called out to the system, planning to force his way to obtain a Raiden Mei Stigmata.
He remembered hearing that the "power of Finality" wasn't something Kiana could handle alone — Truth and Origin both helped shoulder part of it.
He couldn't confirm if that was true, but it felt plausible.
Otherwise, why would the three have a combo technique?
Surely it wasn't just created for a Kevin fight, right?
----
[Ding — Your system is now online]
[Current Crystal Count: 42,754]
[Current Featured Stigmata Set: Shakespeare · Adventure]
In another world, a girl gained a new kind of power. She met many people, experienced many interesting stories… and ultimately saved that world. This is the tale of Durandal.
As much as he didn't want to admit it, Luo Mo felt his luck was indeed a little cursed.
This Stigmata was undeniably powerful — but Durandal already had one.
As for Rita... he'd deal with that later.
Eventually, he'd pull hers out too — no rush.
'Refresh.'
-1,000 crystals.
[Refresh successful]
[New Featured Stigmata Set: Alexandra]
She was a great mother who gave everything for the life growing inside her.
Luo Mo cast a side glance at Bronya — silently muttering to himself — but didn't overthink it.
Another "mother-type" Stigmata set.
Right now, he only wanted Mei.
[New Featured Stigmata Set: Seele · Herrscher of Rebirth]
".....!"
Luo Mo hesitated for a moment.
He glanced past Bronya toward Seele, frowned, and still clicked the refresh button.
As long as he could draw the final Stigmata for the Tri-Herrscher set, he'd start working on the others.
It wasn't that individual Herrscher power mattered most now — what he needed was a fast way to train the Herrscher of Truth.
Because the Herrscher of Ice and Herrscher of Flame hadn't erupted yet, and the Herrscher of Dominance had been dormant for a long time,
he hadn't noticed how quickly real-world Herrscher awakenings were speeding up.
But based on the Binding Herrscher's arrival, this timeline might be accelerating faster than the original game.
Luo Mo wondered — was it his pulling of Stigmata that caused this?
Or… was it the game?
At this point, Schicksal's strength was also way higher than it used to be.
Even without mentioning the widespread use of 2-star and 3-star Stigmata, there were now hundreds of usable sets.
The fact that Honkai was being so effectively suppressed proved it.
Except… for the Herrschers.
Mid-tier disasters were now largely under control.
Schicksal's Valkyries had been greatly strengthened.
In fact, if you took old Rita and brought her into the current calculations, she wouldn't even make it to S-rank.
Except Durandal — she's just broken.
Still feeling a bit cursed, Luo Mo kept refreshing.
And then, he truly experienced what bad luck looked like — he cycled through countless featured Stigmata.
Even though several good Mei-compatible sets appeared,
he learned a crucial piece of information this time:
–Turns out that Stigmata you haven't pulled yet… can repeat.
He even came across a Stigmata that was only supposed to appear in the second phase of Honkai — Himeko's-compatible Stigmata.
"Great," he muttered, and immediately refreshed it.
Luo Mo's expression was tense, his face filled with deep frustration.
He had already dumped 13,000 crystals into this — far too much.
He was drowning in the high cost.
"Boss, boss! You're spacing out like you're asleep. Can't you hear me talking? Hey, hey——!"
Kiana's voice pulled him back to reality. Luo Mo jolted, raised his head, and looked at her.
He saw Kiana's face full of concern — and the same worry on everyone else's faces around him.
"Uh… Can you hear me now, boss?" Kiana took a step closer and asked in a low voice.
Luo Mo nodded, his heart feeling bitter.
This… this is all hard-earned stuff. All generously contributed by the players…
And yet, he'd hit a complete Waterloo right at the final Stigmata.
"Why do you look so sad? I just wanted to ask if there's any way to make Mei stronger… Lately, her cooking… hasn't been tasting very good."
Kiana said this with a sorrowful expression.
"Kiana! What are you even saying?! I—this… what does that have to do with my cooking?"
Mei's face flushed red as she stepped forward and dragged Kiana away, clearly annoyed, then turned to Luo Mo.
"Boss, don't mind what Kiana says. She's just talking nonsense. I've just been in a weird state lately, that's all."
"Wait… so the stronger Mei gets, the better her cooking becomes?"
Theresa's eyes lit up, her imagination running wild.
She had tasted Mei's cooking before — and it was worthy of the title "Herrscher of Rice".
If her cooking could improve alongside her power…
That would be amazing.
"Principal… You too?" Mei sighed helplessly.
She hadn't expected that — besides Kiana — there would be others causing her this kind of embarrassment.
Wasn't this the kind of thing people were supposed to not encourage?
"If I remember correctly… Kiana and Bronya both have Stigmata, right?"
Kallen, sitting nearby, spoke slowly, a look of understanding dawning on her face.
She seemed to realize what was bothering Mei lately, and understood what Kiana meant.
Until now, everything had seemed peaceful — everyone thought they had plenty of time.
But the Binding Herrscher erupting while still in school had made everyone a bit more cautious.
No matter how much you talk, experiencing it firsthand is the best teacher.
And because the in-game images weren't all sunshine and roses, the girls had all been secretly worried.
"Yeah yeah, Saintess—uh, I mean Boss! Do you still have that… thing?"
"It's not just about Mei. When I'm training, I noticed that working with Bronya boosts things more — but something still feels off. Like something's missing..."
"I think… since Mei's also basically a protagonist, the problem might be on her side."
"I tried pairing with others who also had Stigmata… even Herrschers. But it didn't help."
Kiana mumbled, rubbing her small hands together, and looked toward Luo Mo with a hopeful face.
"Do you think maybe… there's something we can try?"
"...Are you sure you and Bronya were speeding up training together?"
Luo Mo frowned, asking cautiously.
"To be precise — when it comes to dealing with Herrscher's authority, both of us improved a lot."
Kiana replied firmly.
"Then… have you tried working with Elysia?"
"...Nope."
She shook her head, clearly not wanting anything to do with that woman.
(T/C: is it because Ellie Origin is still there?)
"You should've told me this earlier."
Luo Mo sighed deeply, feeling like he'd wasted a lot of time.
Still, part of it was because he didn't have crystals until recently — it wasn't a problem he could've solved in a day.
"Before the Binding Herrscher showed up, I couldn't even utilize the Stigmata's power properly. So… what now?"
Her eyes were full of hope as she looked at him.
The others also turned toward Luo Mo, anticipation in their eyes — especially Theresa and Kallen.
He had told them before: the main strategy to overcome the Core of Truth involved Kiana and her team, and they needed to train harder.
"..."
"...Ever played a slot machine, Kiana?"
Luo Mo fell silent for a moment, then spoke with a complicated look in his eyes.
"Stigmata needs luck. Let me borrow some of yours."
He looked at Kiana — someone who could consistently pull 10x rolls with gold.
His feelings were… extremely mixed.
It wasn't that he didn't want to succeed —
Kiana's words just intensified his thirst to get Mei's Stigmata.
"Ah—! So I just need to give you some luck? Sure!"
"Here, take some of mine — just make sure I don't need luck on my next exam, and that Big Sis doesn't need luck on hers either. I'll take all the bad luck today and tomorrow!"
She tugged on his sleeve, completely serious.
The others had complicated looks on their faces.
Clearly, none of them believed that luck could be transferred...
The others showed mixed expressions at her statement, clearly not convinced that luck could be shared between people…
Kallen, however, gave Luo Mo a deep, meaningful look.
Luck… She herself probably couldn't help him improve it. Hopefully, his luck wasn't too bad.
Then, Luo Mo drew again.
Still no results.
By the third attempt—having now spent 19,000 crystals—Kiana's luck finally kicked in.
---
[Special Stigmata Compilation Updated: Lightning Raiden Mei]
[Surpassing the graves of the fallen Heros, facing a future that cannot be welcomed. I did it. So, can we still meet again? — The True Heroine, Elysia]
[Equip Requirement: Honkai Energy Resistance 150; Special Requirement: Raiden Mei, Elysia]
---
Luo Mo looked toward Kiana—she was still speaking her oath aloud.
"If I actually pull something good, even if I get a zero on the next exam, fail miserably, and draw multiple times with nothing to show for it… even if I run into my second sister outside… I'll still do it."
She made her vow.
And then—success. The drop came.
Luo Mo reached out to stop her, saying nothing more.
[Crystals remaining: 23,754]
He gestured for her to go ahead and watch the in-game scenario first—there was no rush.
As for Kiana, who'd basically become his lucky charm, he decided to wait until after the cutscene to tell her the "good news."
And as for those vows… well, who knows what will come of them.
(T/C: tsk. I wanted him to lose more)
-------
After obtaining the second secret key, Bronie and Theresa both turned their gaze toward Tai Xu Gate—the final location of a hidden key.
For Bronie, Tai Xu Gate was the most difficult of them all.
In the past, part of that difficulty was personal history. But Tai Xu Gate also had its own unique way of doing things—completely different from the organization she knew. A wholly different system.
But she never expected that this different place would feel so different.
She came face to face with the Sect Master of Tai Xu Gate — Fu Hua.
White hair, red eyes, a few black strands mixed in, and a small black fat bird displayed before hands. Compared to her image as the Crimson Flame Immortal, this Fu Hua looked even more like a Herrscher of Sentience.
She closed her eyes gently, inviting the two to tea—calm and slow, filled with quiet meaning.
Fu Hua, naturally, understood Bronie's request clearly.
But still—
"This is Tai Xu Gate's domain. Naturally, everything here follows Tai Xu Gate's rules."
She spoke plainly, meeting Bronie's eyes for the first time.
This child, once from Tai Xu Gate, had returned—again, for the same reason: freedom.
Fu Hua didn't care who was right or wrong—only one thing mattered: Rules.
Without rules, there is no foundation.
"I know, Sister Hua. Of course, coming here, I understand the rules."
"Life-or-death duel on the arena. Winner gets their wish. Loser loses everything. That's Tai Xu Gate's law—and it applies even to outsiders."
That was how Natasha had once taken her away from Tai Xu Gate.
Fu Hua gave her a long look, then sighed softly.
"Eight years… You're still that same girl from back then. You haven't changed."
"No! I've grown up."
"I… I'll defeat you!"
Bronie raised her chin, stood tall, and met her opponent's gaze seriously.
She had made up her mind.
But Fu Hua shook her head.
"No. I won't be the one dueling you."
She gestured to the door.
The opponent was already waiting inside the arena.
When Bronie stepped in and saw who stood there—she was shocked.
She never expected it to be her.
Dressed in pitch-black light armor, a tall, slender silhouette outlined by faint accents—
Just like Fu Hua had said—Bronie's opponent was waiting for her.
A black cloak, crimson inner lining, red eyes under a wide-brimmed hat, and short gray hair framing her face—nothing hid those eyes.
Bronie instinctively took a step back, her emotions a storm inside.
"Why… Why is it you?"
"Natasha ?"
She had never imagined this.
The very person who helped her leave Tai Xu Gate, to seek freedom, now stood in her way.
The one who dispelled her darkness, who once gave her warmth like family—was now her obstacle.
Only now did she understand the cruel truth: not everyone you once considered a companion will walk the path with you.
"Your opponent… is Raven."
From above, Fu Hua sat upright at the high platform, announcing this harsh truth.
-----
Inside the MiHoyo company,
"Raven, huh… Looks like even in another world, you ended up with the same nickname."
"I guess it's true—you can pick your code name, but you can't change your image."
Su Lu chuckled, teasing Raven, who sat nearby.
After spending so much time with this World Serpent operative, she'd come to understand Raven's character.
How to describe her?
Well… probably a decent person, actually.
Just… very serious about work.
No overtime, no unnecessary burden, no underpaid labor.
Every coin earned was calculated down to the decimal.
In that regard, Su Lu felt she had a lot to learn from Raven.
Raven let out a quiet sigh:
"Haven't you read my personnel file? My real name actually is Natasha. It's just that very few people ever call me that."
"As for Raven—mercenaries never use their real names. So maybe… it's just a coincidence."
"Ah, is that so…"
"Or maybe not. Who knows how the rules work between worlds? Maybe my counterpart in that other world just liked the name too."
Raven shot her a side glance and shrugged.
"As long as it's not tied to that mansion, I'm good."
"Ahaha…"
Su Lu sipped her drink with an awkward chuckle.
Even if everyone immediately thought of a certain "island-exploding crow" at the nickname, no one would dare say it out loud in front of the real Raven.