We'll set the catgirl's little thoughts aside for now.
The battle between Su and Kevin ended with Kevin voluntarily sealing himself within the Sea of Quanta.
Later, Kevin admitted that both he and Su had lost a certain degree of composure during their fight.
After returning to the outside world, before continuing with the Sands of Eternity Project, Su took a moment to teach a boy named Arthur how to use Stigmata.
Once that was done, he sealed himself back into the Second Divine Key to resume his infinite observations.
Thus ended Su's memory fragments.
He had delivered the final trial in Bianca's dream—
A reenactment of his battle with Kevin, but this time with Bianca and Rita facing off.
He wanted to see what choice Bianca would make.
At this point, players sat up straight. They hadn't been allowed to control the earlier Su vs Kevin fight—probably because it'd be tough to portray a triple–Divine Key wielder like Su face-planting at lightspeed.
But now with veteran characters like Rita and Bianca, surely miHoYo would grant some actual gameplay, right?
Or was Bianca going to get wiped by Rita in three moves too?
In truth…
After Rita quoted Kevin's iconic line,
"No matter the cost, humanity must defeat the Honkai,"
—Su even cued in the doomsday theme music for dramatic effect.
Su looked on expectantly, hoping Bianca would seal Rita into the Sea of Quanta.
But instead, Bianca stepped forward—
And hugged Rita.
The BGM cut off instantly.
"I'll always stand with you. I won't let you bear this sin alone."
"Even if I don't agree with the 'Stigmata Project'... just... just—do you know? I've never seen Rita in as much pain as she is now! Never before!"
"I won't let you shoulder all this alone anymore."
At that moment, not just Su, even the players were stunned.
What kind of development was this?
[Su: ? This isn't in my script.]
[So startled Su opened his eyes.]
[Su: There was another solution all along?]
[A reflection of gendered logic—what to do when your teammate disobeys? Boys: fight it out. Girls: give a warm hug.]
...
Everyone was floored by Bianca's move.
In the story, Su was just as baffled.
He couldn't understand why Bianca, who had passed the first two trials so smoothly, would make such a choice now.
Until—
An abrupt turn of events.
Bianca, at some unknown point, had broken free of the illusion created by Su, and struck him with a whipping kick.
Player focus snapped back into place.
After repelling Su, Bianca—having seen his life's journey—chose not to attack further.
Instead, she spoke to him calmly:
"If I did the same as you, I'd be nothing but a puppet."
"What's right, what's wrong, what's justice, what's evil—those aren't things we can define so simply."
"Even if some being claims to be god, claiming the authority to define everything—
I'd treat it as a suggestion.
Then decide for myself what to do."
"At least to me, that is the responsibility we must bear as humans."
Su: "..."
Su: "Heh… checkmate."
True to her lead role aura, Bianca won Su over with sheer philosophical force.
Of course, that's because her words happened to resolve two knots in Su's heart:
—One, blindly obeying Dr. MEI's commands without considering better alternatives.
—Two, failing to notice the pain buried deep in his dear friend Kevin's heart.
In the end, Su entrusted the Second Divine Key to Bianca.
By now, the livestream had drawn a massive audience, all busy sharing their thoughts.
Though Su, Kevin, and Bianca held opposing views,
Each had a solid logic that could stand on its own.
[From Bianca's perspective, her answer was flawless. For Su, it brought peace. If only Su had acted like Bianca back then—would things have turned out differently?]
[Acted like Bianca? You mean hug Kevin and shout "My friend! I won't let you suffer alone!"? Uh, I mean, maybe, but it's a weird mental image.]
[What even was that reply just now—I'm speechless.]
[I often feel out of place here because my imagination just isn't big enough.jpg]
[Can we please talk about something normal?]
...
Pardofelis watched the increasingly lively livestream chat and couldn't help but start pondering.
Surely, she wouldn't agree with Boss Kevin's Stigmata Project—after all, she sees herself as part of the countless who should've died.
But to be like Miss Bianca, pressing onward with such resolve, just like she once said in the official novel—
"For the people I love, for the people they love, for all those who make us truly human—I was moved by them. And I'm willing to offer everything to protect them."
Saving herself, saving others, being a hero—
She didn't think she could do that.
So who would she support?
Probably whoever helped her live a little longer.
As for defeating the Honkai, changing the end of the world—that felt far too distant.
"What do you think, Kalpas?" Pardofelis once again asked for Kalpas's opinion.
"If there are enemies, kill them. Kill until all enemies are dead. Defeat the Honkai, or die trying."
Kalpas's answer was simple and direct.
"Uh... haha, haha... That's totally you, Kalpas."
Pardofelis scratched her head. "But... is that really enough? Endless slaughter?"
Whether it was Durandal, Kiana, or Boss Kevin—
Though they constantly fought, it was always to protect what they believed in.
Fighting was just one way they safeguarded that belief.
"Slaughter is meaningless," Kalpas paused.
"But the people who died to the Honkai can't be meaningless."
"Mm..."
There was something oddly profound in Kalpas's words.
Pardofelis gently stroked Can's fur, unsure what to say.
She stared silently at the screen.
The story was nearing its end.
Before their final farewell, Su gave Bianca the Sumeru Mustard Seed to stabilize her unstable imaginary bubble within.
He also entrusted her with a leaf that held his observational data, asking her to pass it to Otto.
Later, Bianca returned to Schicksal HQ.
After receiving Su's data, Otto appeared on screen with a cryptic subtitle:
[The answer Otto Apocalypse seeks may lie on the other side of the Imaginary Tree.]
No one yet understood what that line truly meant.
Instead, the players' attention was drawn to what followed.
As Su lay dying, he took one last look at his friend Kevin in the Sea of Quanta—
Then gently closed his eyes beneath the tree.
Everyone thought the story had ended.
They were just about to send off a respectful barrage of comments.
Fingers were already halfway through typing:
"Farewell, Brother Su…"
But then—
Su's voice suddenly echoed through the game.
"There's still one more question. I must seek the answer in the world beyond death."
His inner monologue drifted outward.
The story… wasn't over yet.
The screen turned pitch black, serene and deep.
Lines of text began to appear, one by one:
When you gaze into the abyss, the abyss gazes back into you.
In the unreachable depths of the void, all things stir and flow.
That is…
An existence beyond human comprehension…
"This place… really exists."
Su opened his eyes once more.
And what he saw—was a vision beyond the universe itself.
An unknown being congratulated him on reaching this realm,
Called him humanity's Awakened One,
And invited him to a game of chess.
If Su could win,
That being would tell him the truth of the universe,
—A truth that surpasses even the Honkai.
Only then did the story truly end.
But everyone still felt a little dazed.
Wasn't that ending... a lot to take in all at once?
Pardofelis, previously grooming Can, was now frozen in shock—
Her fingers clenched too hard and pulled out several tufts of fur.
"...So Brother Su didn't ascend peacefully—he transcended?"
"And then got challenged to chess."
Pardofelis paused, blinked repeatedly.
"Or... maybe it's Go... cough cough."
[Lmao, not Go.]
[So basically—beat me in five-in-a-row, and I'll reveal the truth beyond the Honkai? Is this a gag anime now?]
[You all forget—comedic characters are always the strongest!]
[I get it now. This is all build-up for miHoYo's next big project: a chess game!]