hapter 308. The Seasoned Old Captain Has Already Prepared the Tissues
[Aaaaahhh why did it suddenly jump back to the present?!!]
[The game screen changed in an instant, and the smile that had just appeared on my face vanished at once.]
[Nine nine nine nine nine!]
[Let's return to the present! (waves) (sad)]
[We should've known—it was only a memory... and memories always end.]
...
Although the players already knew the plot just now was only a memory.
But this kind of heaven-to-hell switch, so fast, so sudden, still left them struggling to hold it together.
In an instant, their hearts filled with an "abnormal" ripple.
They fired off danmaku to vent their feelings, while the story continued on.
For some reason, Eden suddenly recalled her first encounter with Elysia.
It was precisely that conversation that made the two of them friends, carrying on to this very day.
Only now...
Eden looked to Aponia not far ahead of her; Aponia's body… had also been tainted by that dark-green substance.
"Aponia, your body..."
Before Eden could ask, she saw an expression of release on Aponia's face.
"Mm. I'm sorry. Kalpas… used his own life to reveal the enemy's location to us, and also allowed me… to complete [Touch]."
"As for the [anomaly] on me..."
"[Please], by all means, do not make contact with the other side—this precept is the last gift I can leave you."
Aponia's physical condition was clearly already terrible.
It wouldn't be impossible for her to drop dead in the very next second.
On top of that, the collapse of the Elysian Realm—
It let everyone feel that this story might truly be approaching its end...
[Should I go get some tissues? Make preparations?]
[Don't overthink it—just go. Rather than wondering whether you'll need tissues, think about how many packs you should prepare. That's more practical.]
[The one upstairs is obviously an old Captain—experienced.]
Some players, alarmed by Aponia's words, felt unsafe without tissues at hand.
In fact, even Elysia, seeing the danmaku, felt a similar worry rise in her heart.
Her gaze drifted slightly to the space beneath the coffee table in front of her, wanting to see if a certain someone had made preparations.
"Elysia, don't worry. I've prepared plenty for you. We won't have a repeat of last time."
Hokuto noticed Elysia's little movement and quietly reassured her.
"..."
"That's good then… cough, cough. I already know a lot of what comes next this time, so I'm mentally prepared. I definitely won't need that many..." Elysia acted tough, but she didn't deny she'd be needing tissues.
Seeing this, Hokuto didn't point out her words were at odds with her heart. He simply adjusted the mask on his face and chose to say nothing.
It counted as leaving Elysia some room.
Seeing his response, Elysia naturally got the message.
In tacit understanding, she continued tapping the screen lightly, dropping the topic.
...
In the story.
Hearing Aponia speak words akin to a last testament, Eden couldn't help showing a sorrowful expression.
Seeing this, Aponia quickly took the initiative to comfort her.
She told her not to grieve for her—that she was merely "stepping onto the path that was already destined for her a little earlier."
And she entrusted Eden to find Su and Griseo, and gather all the Crystal Flowers.
Eden's expression immediately grew solemn as she gave her promise.
"I will find Su and Griseo before the Herrscher does, gather all the [Crystal Flowers], and then… let them fulfill their original purpose."
The original purpose of the Crystal Flowers?
As for what the Crystal Flowers are for—
By this point, players could already form quite a few reliable guesses.
For example...
Could it be that the data of the Thirteenth Herrscher is stored within the Crystal Flowers?
Back to the point.
Hearing Eden's promise, Aponia nodded.
"Mm, Eden… go."
"Let the [Secret] of that night… see the light of day once more."
A soft sigh drifted out from the silence, like a final blessing for the one who suffers.
In that blessing, in that "go," the players all tasted the flavor of a parting.
They fell silent.
Eden in the game naturally also understood that parting from Aponia now might mean never meeting again.
This was...
Her last farewell to a friend.
Thus, she too fell into silence.
After a good while.
Eden finally spoke, slowly: "...Then this is farewell, Aponia."
"Thank you for your final [precept]. Please watch over me… until I have completed all my unfinished tasks."
"May [you all]… be able to walk toward a better future." Hearing Eden's words, Aponia pressed her hands together.
"...Mm."
With the blessing upon her, Eden turned and stepped into the darkness.
To carry out the mission that belonged to her.
At this point, the atmosphere had been rendered quite thoroughly.
[So... Aponia is next, huh? Everything's lined up in order, is it?]
[A-po-ni-a!!!]
[Honestly, I feel… okay? Not totally devastated? Probably because I'd long expected Aponia's ending?]
Some players were a bit agitated, while others were relatively steady.
To this—
Hokuto could only say: we're still just getting started. The plot's only just begun.
There's plenty more that's both thrilling and spectacular still to come.
For example...
After Eden's chapter ended, the Elysian Realm's unique scene transition played—
That animation where the character portraits slide.
The screen flashed.
Eden's icon switched to "Elysia."
At the very sight of Elysia's silhouette and the title of the "Elysia" chapter, the players nearly got excited.
But...
Looking closely, they found something off about that silhouette of Elysia.
Why were there traces of erosion on it?
What's going on here?
However, before they could figure it out,
the game had already cut to the Elysian Realm Amusement Park.
At this moment, for some reason, the sky above the park had become especially overcast.
The background music also sounded extremely eerie, entirely different from before.
One could say it had none of the previous romantic air—if anything, it felt like a haunted house.
In a sense, that was indeed the case, because there were "restless spirits" at work.
Seeing this gloomy CG of the Elysian Realm Amusement Park, the players were startled for a moment, then gradually began to catch on.
Could the "Elysia" of the "Elysia" chapter be referring to that "Elysia"?
This...
Seemed highly possible.
After all, miHoYo even put quotation marks around it on purpose.
Given miHoYo's "habit" of obsessing over details, it was unlikely to be a stray, meaningless choice.
Thinking of this, some players furrowed their brows at once.
They sensed things were not simple.
[Don't tell me… something big is coming?]
[I can feel my blood pressure already getting unstable.]
[Something's off—very off. Danmaku, protect me.]
[Nine nine nine nine nine nine nine nine]*N
As expected of the Captains—their protective danmaku had their own [distinctive] flair.
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