Vill-V's tone was neither forceful nor resolute, yet it compelled unquestioning conviction.
The insignia of [Helix] flashed briefly—before the true, complete form of Vill-V, The Villain was utterly powerless.
The Villain's war chariot shattered. She collapsed to the ground in disbelief.
While players were still immersed in the stylish performance and the voice actor's stunning delivery—
—the game screen suddenly shifted.
Because The True Self defeated The Villain through an unusual method, their minds had collided, allowing for a brief exchange between them.
The Villain, unwilling to accept it, demanded, "How did you do it?"
Clearly, she found her defeat completely unjustified.
After all, she possessed one-half of Vill-V's cognitive partition.
Even if The True Self had recovered the other personalities through means even she didn't fully understand, in theory, the two sides should've been equally matched.
And yet...
She was crushed in a single blow. Without even a chance to resist.
How could someone as supremely confident as her accept that?
The True Self, hearing her confusion and seeing the bewilderment on her face, knew what she meant—and answered honestly.
"I simply… collided everything I have with everything you have. The most direct kind of clash."
"I wanted to weigh the two sides… and that's no lie."
"So." The truth made The Villain recoil even further. "That's the outcome? That I'm… completely powerless?"
The True Self only shook her head softly, still sincere: "I don't know."
The Villain fell silent, then calmly asked another question.
"Back then… we died on the Moon, didn't we?"
The True Self shook her head again: "I don't know either, but… probably, we did."
[Wait—Vill-V fought Finality on the Moon?!]
[The True Self doesn't even know whether Vill-V participated in the battle against Finality. Don't tell me she was still asleep when Vill-V died?!]
[…If death was instant, then maybe The True Self didn't even have time to awaken?]
"We?"
Hearing that, The Villain couldn't help but sneer sarcastically. "Hmph. Don't lump yourself in with us. We're just the limbs of a spider… unlike you, you're the—"
Come to think of it, Vill-V's man-made Honkai form does resemble a spider.
This was mentioned in her recollection-focused [exclusive response].
[Weapon System Type V for Kevin] was a personality created specifically to master man-made Honkai collapse. Vill-V even tested its power directly on Kevin.
Well, maybe the word "even" isn't needed—Vill-V did test every [Weapon System for Kevin] on Kevin.
After all, Kevin was the sole designated user of her research.
Ahem.
In short, perhaps that's why The True Self remained so quiet.
It couldn't possibly be because… she was self-conscious about emerging as a massive eight-legged spider and became shy, right?
What's there to be shy about? Don't underestimate the internet's preferences!
For instance, plenty of players think Mobius's collapse form looks really good.
…
Back to the story.
As The Villain faced death, she gave one last unwilling glare at The True Self.
But then, she noticed something she couldn't comprehend.
"…Huh? You…"
"You noticed?" said The True Self. "After all, you're half of Vill-V's mind… to beat you, I had to do this."
"Seems like splitting myself too many times… now even I am a limb just like the rest."
Players' expressions changed the moment she said this.
???
No way.
They had just finally started liking Vill-V again.
They'd just met this calm and gentle Miss The True Self.
Shouldn't this have been double the joy?
[MiHoYo! Vill-V hasn't even boarded the ship yet!]
[Exactly! Did the planners not coordinate with the writers? Vill-V hasn't boarded yet! MiHoYo, are you sure you want to do this?!]
[Or maybe… they did coordinate, and that's why it hurts this much?]
[You guys… whatever, I'm done pretending! MiHoYo, give me a chance—I'm pulling for Vill-V!!]
Players in the stream began showing their ever-changing faces.
Completely forgetting their previous oaths.
"I won't spend a single crystal on Vill-V."
"I won't pull, no amount of redemption can save her."
"She has no screen time in my game."
"I'm not falling for that."
…
And soon, someone pointed it out.
[Hey, did you all forget that just an hour ago, you were swearing in chat that you were done with Vill-V?]
[Was I? Look at Vill-V's steampunk outfit, look at that little braid, that ribbon, those gear accessories—I've always liked her!]
[I've… I've severed ties with my past self. The me right now is a brand-new me!]
[Is it possible that my former self was just a "limb," and now I'm the The True Self?]
[Pulling one equals pulling eight. You're really not gonna? As for me, I'm pulling to the limit!]
[...]
…
As the viewers "expressed their thoughts" in various ways—
In the game, The Villain was still questioning what she couldn't understand about The True Self.
"Why??"
She couldn't comprehend why The True Self would go this far.
Because The True Self could've survived.
"I just wanted to say goodbye properly to everyone… and to…" The True Self looked calmly at The Villain, "the remaining versions of myself."
At the end of her life—
She wanted to resolve a regret that had always remained.
To reconcile with herself.
To no longer evade her own confidence and pride—but to embrace them instead.
A dilemma that truly belonged to Vill-V alone.
"You… know what will happen, don't you?"
"Mm. Soon… I'll completely disappear like you. But before that, I've done enough to complete my plan."
"Same question… why her? She's not us. What gives her the right?"
The True Self simply responded with a smile.
As she smiled radiantly on screen—adorable and bright—
All the players who were just now "arguing" in the chat suddenly stopped typing.
They joined Elysia.
And took a screenshot for wallpaper.
Written by MiHoYo's writers — Vill-V: Reversal.
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