The chaotic scene continued for a while.
In the end, it was Kiana who brought the topic back to the main issue.
"Let's prioritize dealing with Otto for now."
"Mm."
Under Kiana's lead, everyone began analyzing Otto's current situation.
They ultimately concluded that Otto was now inside some sort of Imaginary Space.
And to find Otto, the power of the Herrscher of the Void was required.
In other words, anyone could choose not to fight Otto—but Kiana had to go.
The players suddenly realized something.
They couldn't help recalling earlier events.
Exhausting the stamina of Bronya and the others, indirectly triggering Durandal's Stigma awakening…
Was Otto's goal in doing all this simply to remove other obstacles, forcing Durandal and Kiana—these two "sisters"—to face him directly?
He really had been playing a long game.
Only… this also made Otto's final plan even more mysterious.
How exactly was he planning to revive Kallen?
Even players with an omniscient viewpoint felt they had been completely outplayed by Otto.
In the game—
Kiana informed the Hyperion's doctors of the current situation, and from Elizabeth McSmith learned that in order to defeat Otto, they would have to use the Herrscher of the Void's Authority to turn "Infinity" into "Finite."
After learning what they needed to know, Durandal and Kiana once again set out for Otto's location.
However, because of the earlier influence of Divine Prayer's barrier, Kiana's power had not fully recovered.
She was unable to tear open a spatial rift to catch up to Otto.
Just as Kiana was about to go all out in her incomplete state, she heard a familiar voice.
"Hang in there, Kiana."
"...!!"
Just those six simple words were enough to shake the now battle-hardened Kiana to her core.
In truth, not just Kiana—Elysia and the players were equally moved.
Mei!!!
[Kiana x Mei moment!!!]
[This is the first real conversation they've had since their separation! I'm going feral!]
[I thought Mei was going to look for Otto back in the Elysian Realm arc, but we were near the end and she still hadn't appeared—finally, she's here!]
As for Mei's current situation—
Previously, when she learned about Kiana's situation, she had been completely absorbed in her "Elysian Realm dives," but she immediately went to find Kevin.
Kevin told her it was already too late to rush there.
Mei, however, said she had her own way of helping her partner.
Though… it looked more like she was threatening to wreck the place.
A powerful magnetic field instantly covered every corner of the World Serpent base.
The ancient walls flickered with strange light, and those beyond-era machines all froze in place.
Considering the World Serpent's already limited budget (big fog), Kevin chose to compromise.
He brought Mei into the Sea of Quanta so she could unleash her power freely.
The scene shifted back to Kiana.
Her consciousness had entered a strange, deep crimson space.
This unusual place sparked several memories among the players.
In Interlude Chapter 11, when the Queen created illusions to guide the Bug's negative emotions, this exact setting was used.
In Chapter 17, before Mei became a Herrscher, when she was chasing the falling Baby Dragon, this place also appeared.
...
[This place should just be renamed "Herrscher Corridor."]
[True, Herrschers really seem to love using this scene.]
[At this rate, I wouldn't be surprised if another Herrscher used it later.]
While some viewers' attention wandered, most—including Elysia—were fully focused on the story.
"This is…"
"Right, I think I just heard Mei's voice… she was encouraging me to hang on…"
Just then, an unusual energy fluctuation came from afar, making Kiana feel as if her blood was boiling.
"——!"
"Mei—she's just ahead!"
Kiana's voice carried a hint of excitement.
Hearing this line, the players also felt a jolt in their hearts.
Now that it had come to this moment, they weren't even sure they dared believe it.
Really? Kiana and Mei were about to meet?
Or was this just a tease?
Of course, doubts aside, they still hurried to control Kiana and run forward.
Perhaps because of the "closer to home, the more hesitant" effect, the closer Kiana got to the destination, the more complicated her feelings became, and memories of the past involuntarily surfaced in her mind.
A faintly bittersweet BGM began to play.
"Mei! If you're here, that's like having the strength of a hundred people!"
"O-One hundred people's worth… I'm not some kind of superhuman…"
"No, just having you by my side makes me feel a hundred times stronger!"
In the grayscale memory, Mei and Kiana were clearing Honkai beasts on the deck of a battleship—just like at the very beginning, when both were still so inexperienced.
But…
They couldn't go back anymore.
The audience suddenly felt a lump in their throats.
Especially since back in Chapter 17, before Mei became the Herrscher of Thunder, she had recalled an identical scene with Kiana.
At moments like this, Kiana and Mei's hearts were always in sync…
[Sweet · Sweet · Sweet · Sweet · Sweet.]
[Why aren't you smiling?]
The viewers were already feeling emotionally overwhelmed.
But Elysia, with a certain feeling still stuck in her chest, was able to keep her composure and kept controlling Kiana forward.
A second memory surfaced.
The BGM changed again—still extremely familiar.
The scene shifted to the familiar rooftop.
"Mei… what's wrong?… What did he do to you?"
On one side stood White Comet Kiana, and on the other stood Herrscher of Thunder Mei.
Elysia: ???
Back then, she had conveniently asked Mobius to stream Honkai Impact 3rd for her, so she hadn't played Sinner's Elegy herself.
She had even been rather glad about that…
But she never expected…
A recreation???
"'Otto'-san, you've set me up…"
She stared intently at the screen, dodging Mei's attacks repeatedly, completely unable to bring herself to strike back. No matter how she thought about it, she just couldn't.
"If you don't attack, the dialogue won't trigger and the story won't continue," Hokuto reminded from the side.
A small, insignificant adjustment.
"?"
You can dodge the first day, but not the fifteenth.
Elysia hadn't expected that she would still have to land a hit herself in the end.
After darting around for quite a while and confirming Hokuto's words were true, she gritted her teeth.
She controlled Kiana and entered combat.
"Kiana, I'm fully aware right now… this is my own decision, don't worry about me."
"Don't joke around… I won't accept that!"
Elysia: "Mei! I'm not letting you go!"