MGSFV?! Chapter 476: Whose Maiden Heart; No One Understands Honkai III Better Than Me
"Inside the STIGMA Plan… are everyone's dreams separate? Or are they interconnected?"
That's actually a pretty important question.
"Even though dreams can contain anything… even dreams can't make everyone's ideal world coexist in one."
"So, the people inside a dream—aside from the dreamer—are fake? NPCs?"
"That depends on how you look at it. At the very least, the information making up those NPCs is real. Their reactions also come infinitely close to being real."
Of course, the keyword is "infinitely close"—
Meaning they still contain some elements of fantasy.
After all…
If it were too realistic, the dreamer's wishes might not come true.
Like… a goddess and—
Never mind. No need to bring that up.
Anyway… it's very real. (Indeed.)
"I see…"
...
With the power of the STIGMA Plan,
Humanity's most beautiful memories are linked together and shared, frozen in dream.
The mechanism that lets everyone dream happy dreams under the STIGMA Plan…
It's actually simpler than one would think.
"You want to dream of being a billionaire?"
"Alright, I'll just copy a billionaire's experience into your dream. 100% satisfaction, 100% realism."
This largely prevents nonsense like "the emperor's golden shoulder pole."
"Ha—"
In this world where everyone had beautiful dreams and universal happiness…
A discordant voice suddenly cut in.
And with it,
The game's camera pulled away from the dreamscape—
Returning to the real world, twisted by the STIGMA Plan.
Amid this warped land stood a unique structure called the Planetary Archive.
And inside it—
A face that was… surprisingly surprising.
Who was it?
Gray Serpent.
Huh? Gray Serpent's face isn't exactly new.
Unless… he's not holding that umbrella of his?
Even then—not too shocking.
But wait—look again.
Take a closer look at this version of Gray Serpent onscreen…
[Why is this Gray Serpent so sparkly?!]
Yes.
This Gray Serpent was no longer shrouded in gloom and gray.
He had a new skin, shining gold!!
[Good lord—Gray Serpent turned into Gold Serpent?!]
[VIP premium golden special-effect edition.]
[Craziest thing? His thumb and index fingers are pink!]
[Shocking! Gray Serpent does nail art?! Does this confirm that theory that his gender is… a mystery?]
[???]
[Or maybe… Mobius designed the skin that way? Never underestimate the Doctor's maiden heart!]
Yet the golden Gray Serpent didn't sound very polite.
"Even after tens of thousands of years of evolution, humanity's desires remain confined to the world they can touch."
"In that case, I have no need to add more.
I trust the memories and histories you already possess will provide enough nourishment to sustain your dreams."
[Wait—so all humanity dreams about is wealth, power, and status?]
Plenty of players understood what Gray Serpent was implying.
Some couldn't help but speak up.
If we're dreaming anyway, can't we be a little bolder?
[What, you wanna go cultivate immortality or something?]
[No—I just want to dream that I proved Goldbach's Conjecture.]
[??? You might as well go dream about flying swords.]
It was such a wild thought,
Like hearing someone summoned a spirit… just to invent nuclear fusion.
[You know, someone like that would probably realize they were dreaming pretty quickly.
But such people are rare. Me? I just want to enjoy a better life than I usually get.]
[Wish the STIGMA Plan let you log in and out at will.]
[You think it's an MMO? Log-in, log-out at will… Even if you could exit, you wouldn't be solving theoretical math before Endbringer hits.]
[Still worth a try.]
But obviously—
The STIGMA Plan wasn't some MMO you could hop in and out of.
"Seems it's not just sugar-hungry ants drawn in by sweet dreams."
"If we have new guests arriving…
Then as the humble security guard of the STIGMA Plan, allow me to give them a proper… welcome."
If anyone interferes with the STIGMA Plan,
They'll be facing Gray Serpent's full counterattack.
[Are we gonna fight Gray Serpent next?]
[He might be the next boss?]
[Of course. Why else would he get a new skin?]
[…Fair.]
...
Of course, the fight between Gold Serpent and the "disruptors" wasn't happening just yet.
The game camera followed his gaze, panning away from the distorted land…
Up high, a blue pillar of light descended from the sky.
Camera zoomed in.
Location: Abyssal City.
In the Previous Era, this was called Atra.
"Wow, it really was just a blink and we're back from the Moon."
[Meanwhile, two pretty ladies are still running back to Earth.]
[No-prize quiz: which is faster—elevator or sprinting?]
[My vote: elevator.]
[Mine too.]
[No one thinks running's faster?]
[Would you choose the guaranteed loser? (dog emoji)]
Back in the story—
Unlike the players, the girls weren't focused on the runners.
They were busy discussing what to do next.
"We're now at the deepest part of the Mariana Trench.
If we plan to reach other places on Earth, it'll take some clever planning."
"Yeah, if this area's been distorted like the Moon, then Void powers won't work well."
Kiana glanced toward Bronya:
"This is where the Eye of the Abyss used to be, right?"
"Mm." Bronya nodded.
"In the past, it directly connected to the Sea of Quanta. The environment here was heavily influenced by it."
"But now…"
She slowly turned to Seele.
"…Mm."
Seele sensed Bronya's intent, and carefully felt out the surrounding space before replying hesitantly:
"There's barely any trace of the Sea of Quanta left.
When Anti-Entropy first shut down the Eye, it wasn't like this."
[Seele?]
[Why surprised? She's the Daughter of the Sea (Quantum).]
[More like… marinated in it (not really).]
[I suddenly feel like Seele's gonna get a new battlesuit.]
[Be bold—everyone in this scene is getting new suits. I'm calling it: five new suits!]
[Senti: 6. Am I not worthy?]
"Hmm?"
Elysia's eyes swept across the on-screen characters—Kiana, Mei, Fu Hua, Seele…
And her mind began ticking.
By HoYoverse logic, new suits always have related story events.
So if it's happening…
What kind of story would each girl get?
Take Seele, for example.
Her situation is unique. She coexists with Veliona, making any new suit automatically more complex.
She couldn't imagine…
That the intro would be twisted enough to crown the most yandere queen of Honkai III once more.
And only Hokuto knew—
It was too sweet.
...
Back to the plot.
Based on Seele's intel, Bronya deduced that Abyssal City was only barely resisting the STIGMA Plan's erosion via remnants of Quantum energy.
But this won't hold forever.
Time was short.
The girls quickly split up to maximize efficiency:
Kiana + Mei
Fu Hua + Senti
Bronya + Seele
[Bronya's team choices are a little too on point.]
[CP squads? That's blatant favoritism (dog emoji)]
[Bronya: No one understands CP dynamics better than me.]
[Accurate. Reasonable. Direct. Spot-on.]
With the pairings finalized, they were about to set off—
But Fu Hua suddenly stopped, thoughtful.
"What's wrong?" the others asked.
"She says…"
(Awkward phrasing, Fu Hua. You were just calling her Senti earlier.)
"Although we're already 6,000 meters deep, she wants a higher vantage point—
It might help her spot more clues."
[Senti: The ancients say, 'Take the high ground; become unstoppable.']
[Why doesn't Senti just say it herself?]
[This is whisper logic. It shows how close Fu Hua and Senti have gotten.]
Oh?
But wait…
Didn't Fu Hua just share their secret chat publicly?
Is that okay?
Of course not—
"Hey!! You old fossil, must you broadcast everything I say?!"
Senti popped out!
She definitely wasn't okay with it.
"I say it in private for a reason, y'know?! Don't just forward it to the group!!"
Fu Hua's emotional intelligence strikes again.
"Ahem. Anyway. Just remember—
All the benefits you're enjoying right now?
They all come from your one and only benefactor: the great Senti."
"I don't want fame. I don't want reward.
But just remember—what I gave you, no one else could."
[Every time Senti speaks, I can't help but laugh.]
[Senti: No lunar overtime! But if it's not the Moon… guess I'll work.]
[Senti's bragging is totally for fame though.]
[Top-tier glory hog.]
She definitely seemed to be waiting for someone to praise her.
So then…
Would anyone do it?
Mei? Bronya? Seele? Or…
"Mm. Thank you, Lady Herrscher of Sentience."
Kiana!?
Even the players froze in surprise.
In-game—
Senti, trapped in a superposition between shameless and bashful,
Actually typed a question mark.
"?"
Being praised by Kiana…
Felt… weird.
Like she was really just a little kid. (Isn't she?)
She was at a complete loss.
Only when Fu Hua said:
"Enough, Senti. Now's not the time for banter."
High EQ: "Thank you, Lady Herrscher of Sentience."
Low EQ: "Senti, stop messing around."
[Fu Hua still doesn't know how to comfort children.]
...
Senti didn't even know how to express her emotional rollercoaster.
So she just… stayed silent.
With that, the teams set off.
Kiana and Mei remained in the lower levels—
Soon, Kiana sensed a familiar "Saint Freya-like" space.
Bronya, not wanting to bother them, led Seele and Fu Hua upward.
At this point, the game switched to Free Movement Mode.
Players could now control:
Herrscher of Truth
Jade Knight (Fu Hua)
Stygian Nymph (Seele)
[Truth!]
[So soon? We get to play her already? Awesome.]
[She's supposed to be an elemental support, right?]
[Two elemental supports and a physical DPS… This setup… whoever designed this doesn't play Honkai (definitely).]
[Fu Hua: Call me a support again and I'll give you a divine slap!]
Hokuto: ?
Did someone just say I don't play Honkai properly?
Sigh~~
Seems he was too soft.
He should've let the players truly experience the cutthroat Abyss meta—
Sabotaging others to avoid demotion
Sharing invisibility potions
Logging in every 25 minutes
Timing buffs to the exact second…
That was the hardcore Abyss of his past life.
No one understands Honkai III better than him.
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