MGSFV?! Chapter 475: What? Schicksal's Gone?; Crossing... we...
Even Elysia felt like everything happening now was just flag after flag.
So naturally, other players didn't need to be told.
Hokuto: Actually, it's not that serious, y'know.
Everyone else: No, no—we know it's serious!
Hokuto: ?
Hokuto: Have you all been reading too many Chinese "self-aware character" novels? Why are you over-reading everything?
Hokuto: …Ah, right. That genre doesn't exist in this world.
Well…
The above conversation didn't actually take place in the stream chat, but…
There was this sort of unspoken, mutual understanding.
...
Does that kind of mutual understanding matter?
Not really.
It didn't stop everyone from continuing the story with eyes wide open.
After all, they'd come this far.
No matter what happens next, they have to face it head-on!
Just like when they're 9,600 crystals deep into a skin pull and out of currency—
At that point, even if it means grinding more or spending a bit…
They must see it through.
They're not stopping now.
Story resumes.
Now that the Moon segment of the arc had wrapped up…
The in-game camera began to pan—
Leaving the Moon, traveling across the vast vacuum…
Headed toward that dim, suspended blue dot in the distance.
At this point, driven by the STIGMA Plan, Earth was already transformed beyond recognition.
Dark purple runes flowed across its surface, turning the once blue planet murky and obscure.
Like Earth's ecosystem from a billion years ago—
Back when life relied on retinal pigments rather than chlorophyll.
(What a clever comparison.)
Mountains, oceans, rivers, cities…
Everything lay sunken in shadow and silence—
Like a child asleep in its mother's arms.
The land remained silent, and gentle.
It still held everything it could within its embrace.
Previously, many thought that seeing Earth from 380,000 kilometers away on the Moon would be a stunning sight, a breathtaking painting.
But now—
Even though they were only viewing it through CG on a screen—
The uncanny realism delivered a heavy pressure.
Was it thalassophobia?
Or perhaps…
An anxious realization that the Earth which birthed humanity is far more fragile than imagined?
Maybe it was both.
After all, in real life, returning astronauts have often remained tight-lipped when asked about staring at Earth from the Moon.
Just as the massive, mutated Earth consumed everyone's sight and thoughts…
Gray Serpent·1904 spoke slowly in the game:
"Raising children… in the end, it's more interesting than fighting."
He had said something similar before (during a Moon side story),
But now, the weight behind those words had changed.
Or rather—
Now their true meaning was finally revealed.
"The STIGMA Plan… can be carried out through others."
"But if you want a spark to ignite the whole planet…
That takes a bit more effort, my Lord."
[???]
Gray Serpent's words immediately snapped players out of their Earth-induced dread.
[Why do I feel like 1904's about to backstab someone?]
[The boss is holding back. Subordinates have their own agendas. This is World Serpent, huh? (makes sense)]
[Don't tell me 1904's got a secret seventeenth version of the STIGMA Plan?]
[Serpent: Why do you think I wrote fifteen drafts in the first place?]
[Of course—to be overthrown! That's the beauty of life. Endless possibility. Mobius wouldn't be mad. Don't project your logic onto her.]
[Doctor…]
Finally, as Gray Serpent's muttering faded,
The camera plunged into the mutated Earth.
Screen goes black—
Then begins to slowly light up again.
Warning: VOLUME SPIKE
"LILIYAAAAHHHH!!!"
A sudden high-pitched voice blasts into players' ears—
Causing a collective jump.
Wait—
Whose voice just now?? So loud—
They blinked at the screen—
Only to see Rozaliya and Liliya.
These two chaotic gremlins??
Whatever comments they were about to make—instantly retracted.
New commentary queued:
[Very spirited. Nice.]
[Why you yelling like that though? (dog emoji)]
[Sudden tonal shift.]
[Miss Fairy, one more time please!]
Realizing it was the twin sisters, some viewers started begging Elysia to replay the line.
Of course, Elysia was happy to oblige.
Not like she secretly wanted to replay it for herself or anything (definitely not).
Loop it thirty times!
AAAHHH ×30
Hokuto: ...
All he could say was—
This woman still had the soul of a child.
After indulging, Elysia collected herself and turned serious again.
"Hmm…" she mused.
"Rozaliya shouting like that—must be because of the STIGMA Plan?"
"But… her reaction delay is too much. Almost worse than Mobius in winter."
"Mobius in winter?"
"You know what I mean, right, 'Otto'-san?"
Elysia didn't want to say it too plainly.
Some surprises are better discovered on your own.
Give it up for Miss Fairy.
Back to the plot—
After Rozaliya's shout:
"Rozaliya, what's wrong?"
Liliya poked her head in from the kitchen, a dab of cream on her nose.
"It's bad, bad! Something terrible happened!"
Rozaliya was frantic.
But Liliya just…
"…Oh."
Flat voice.
Rozaliya: ?
"Liliya, did you even hear me? Something terrible happened!!"
Seeing Rozaliya repeat herself,
Liliya gave a tired sigh.
"The last time you said that, your hand got stuck in the cookie jar."
"And the time before that? You got bubblegum in your hair."
"And before that…"
"You ate too many Homu Pop Rocks and started rolling on the floor."
(Note: *That last line wasn't from the game—Elysia added it.)
"'Otto'-san, didn't this happen in real life just a while ago?"
"Art imitates life."
Back in-game—
Liliya clearly didn't believe Rozaliya's panic.
"If you don't want our dinner turning from cream cake into charcoal pudding,
Then don't go making things worse."
"This time is different, Liliya! We were attacked!!"
"Attacked? What kind of attack? Who? Where?"
"…Huh?"
Rozaliya looked around.
A sunlit bedroom, the smell of desserts from the kitchen…
Only then did she realize where she was.
A look of confusion overtook her face.
[Huh?]
[Something's not right. Really not right.]
Even players could tell—something about this was off.
Earth was already in ruins.
Even if the twins were a bit… ditzy,
There's no way they'd still be this carefree if they weren't in a dream.
[Are they trapped in the STIGMA Plan dreamscape?]
[The twins are at Schicksal HQ, right? If they got pulled into STIGMA, then… wait—Schicksal is gone?!]
[WHAT? OUR SCHICKSAL'S GONE??]
Elysia: ...
Knowing Rozaliya and Liliya's personalities,
She figured if they got pulled into the STIGMA Plan at HQ,
It was probably because they did something that made others want to perform a synchronized beatdown.
So, probably—Schicksal was fine.
The twins, however… not so much.
That was her guess, though—no hard proof.
So she kept quiet and clicked back into the story.
...
Rozaliya, after being reminded by Liliya,
Spent a while looking confused.
Something felt wrong… but she couldn't figure out what.
She thought and thought, and thought some more…
[Classic plot device? Is Rozaliya about to realize she's dreaming?]
[Rozaliya, you're the big sister! Step up!]
[Come on, Rozaliya!]
But…
Rozaliya clapped her hands and came to a conclusion:
"Ehehe~ It was just a dream…"
Yes, that's right.
"So there's nothing to worry about! Liliya, let's go play!!"
???
Rozaliya—are you okay??
Players watched in disbelief as the twins ran off to the beach.
Not only had they not realized they were in a dream—
They were fully enjoying it.
Time passed as they played.
The sunset turned the sea golden-orange like marmalade.
Suddenly, Rozaliya stopped.
"Liliya, it's getting dark… Let's go home for now?"
"Oh? Scared of the dark, Rozaliya?"
"Of course not! It's because when it hits 7 o'clock, you always… you always… um, what was it again?"
[Liliya falls asleep at 7 p.m. due to side effects from the MANTIS surgery.]
[Shutdown mode (she's a tech-type little sis)]
[Even in dreams, her big sister remembers that.]
But just when everyone thought Rozaliya might finally show some reliability—
Her comic timing kicked in again.
"I forgot… Whatever. Liliya, if we don't hurry, the sun's gonna vanish!"
"Let's go play more!"
"Time for a happy game of hide-and-seek!"
The two dashed across the beach.
The sea breeze carried their laughter far across the sunset.
It was a joyful, beautiful CG.
But the real highlight here was…
In that CG, Rozaliya and Liliya's tails intertwined.
[Let's stop there.]
Everyone in the stream who noticed it?
Said nothing.
They all silently murmured:
Well done, Honkai Impact 3rd.
And mashed their screenshot buttons.
Glorious.
...
"Zzrrt~~"
Just when everyone was the most emotionally invested—
The screen glitched.
Players: ???
Don't you DARE pull anything, writers!!
Plot twist?
Not quite.
The camera simply switched to another dream.
A young man walked along the beach—
If Mei were here, she'd recognize that his face looked just like the elderly man who merged with the STIGMA space.
But now, he bore no age on his face—
No dusty robes.
He wore what was fashionable in his youth.
He laughed, ran barefoot on the sand, carefree—
Savoring a life he never got to live.
In his real youth,
He never saw the sea.
[Mei would recognize him? Who is this man again? I forgot.]
[The old man Raven gave a phone to—he was featured during the STIGMA interlude.]
[Ohhh!]
Then—
The camera picked up speed—
Jumping between numerous scenes,
Showing the lives of those immersed in the STIGMA Plan's dreams.
How humans had forgotten the line between dream and reality.
In the shelter of STIGMA space,
They embraced new lives.
Life. Wealth. Emotion. Honor. Dreams…
All within reach—within the dream.
[Honestly? Mass euthanasia like this… isn't that kind of happiness?
Living in a dream, no fear, no death, perfect life forever—
What's the difference from reality?]
[Personally, I could accept it. But there will always be those who can't.]
[You think so?]
[Uh, maybe… read more books? Like Call to Arms?
If history gave us these thoughts, then surely someone must think that way.]
"Suppose there's an iron house without windows—unbreakable—and inside are people sound asleep, soon to suffocate.
They won't feel the sadness of dying in their sleep.
But now you come along, shouting to wake them.
These poor few who wake will suffer the pain of dying fully aware.
Can you say you're doing right by them?"
"But if shouting can wake even a few—
Then there is hope the iron house can be destroyed."
Subconsciously, someone recited that famous quote from Call to Arms.
And realized—
Wasn't that what this all was?
Not the same story.
But somehow, perfectly fitting.
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