MGSFV?! Chapter 477: Negotiations Failed Three Times, Thus Called Honkai III; Senti's Sharp Critique of the Thirteen Old Relics
Of course…
Thinking about the Abyss from that era was amusing.
But to actually play it? No thanks.
Top-tier pain.
So Hokuto never actually intended to bring that sort of thing back.
Otherwise, even if he posted Fu Hua at the front of miHoYo headquarters as a bouncer,
He probably still wouldn't be able to stop players from unleashing their "heartfelt enthusiasm."
That might be the one true test to see if Fu Hua really could fight a hundred players at once (not serious).
Cough cough...
Maybe Hokuto would get internal bleeding from a Dim Mak before he could even send her out.
After all, everyone here played Honkai Impact 3rd.
They definitely shared the same deep feelings about the evolution of Abyss mode as the players.
As Hokuto was thinking about all the unspeakable things...
Someone actually voiced one of them aloud while reading the stream chat.
"Actually... 'Otto'-san probably plays Honkai III better than all of us."
[Really now...]
Just as a few comments floated by,
Hokuto confidently declared:
"You don't need to be so cautious—don't say 'probably,' just say 'definitely.'"
[...]*n
"..."
"Well, fine then."
Faced with Hokuto's boldness, even Elysia was a little helpless.
She gave in and then, seriously asked:
"So, since you 'definitely' know Honkai III best, 'Otto'-san... can you give some tips on how to use Herrscher of Truth?"
"That's easy."
Hokuto didn't even hesitate.
He recited the flow like the back of his hand:
"Basic attack string, weapon skill, three normal attacks, ultimate, weapon skill again, long press attack, then another ultimate."
"Ah... got it."
Following his instructions,
Elysia tried out Herrscher of Truth for the first time and had a great time.
Piloting a mech, crushing quantum enemies with a counter-elemental advantage—
She breezed through the mobs and reached a lift.
"The lift seems to be waterlogged and won't operate."
Originally, this setup required players to backtrack and activate a mechanism.
But Hokuto had tweaked it slightly—
He let Bronya use her Herrscher of Truth powers to directly reconfigure the device.
On one hand, this removed a time-wasting detour.
On the other, it gave Bronya another chance to show off—
A true Herrscher of Reason is super powerful.
"The power of the Herrscher of Truth is just too convenient."
"Bronya really can do anything now!"
As expected,
Elysia couldn't help but marvel at the scene.
Duck Duck is awesome~~
Cool~!
...
After Bronya used her powers, the lift resumed function.
She then led Seele and Fu Hua onto it and activated the platform.
Creak~~ creak~~
The lift rose slowly.
As it ascended,
The group began preparing for the next phase.
A moment of silence descended.
Seele: "..."
She suddenly looked deep in thought.
[What's Seele thinking about?]
"What's wrong, Seele?"
Bronya was the first to notice and ask what players were wondering.
"Ah, I was just wondering... what kind of person is Kevin, really?"
Back when Seele was still trapped in the Sea of Quanta,
Kevin had approached her in his serpent form.
[Very cool guy.]
[His face literally says "invincible."]
[If you ask Bronya, she'd probably just say: "Traffic Cop" (dog emoji)]
[Bronya: Now that I'm truly the Herrscher of Truth, no one can revoke my license again.]
[Thanks, random commenter—you just helped her set a flag again.]
While chat was memeing,
Bronya turned to look at Fu Hua.
It was obvious Fu Hua would be the best one to answer.
"..."
"It's true that, to you all, he's only ever shown his hostile side. But..."
Fu Hua began to respond, only to be interrupted by Senti.
"Hah! I knew it—you're just gonna talk him up again, old fossil."
[Lmao]
[Senti's sharp critique of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers: "All old relics."]
[Wait, so Elysia's an old relic too?]
"Hey, Elysia—you're one of the old relics now too~"
Clearly Hokuto was just stirring the pot.
Elysia: "???"
"In anime, what matters is mindset.
As long as your mentality is youthful, you'll always be a beautiful girl."
"Hmm..." Hokuto blinked.
"You saying I'm wrong?"
"...Very true. If you want to endure the passing of time, having a good mindset really is essential."
"Mm-hmm, like Senti here."
"Senti? I wouldn't call her mindset just 'good' anymore."
In Hokuto's objective opinion,
Senti's mindset could only be described as invincible.
...
"If all of you had my level of straight-shooting,
None of this would've happened in the first place."
As Hokuto finished chatting,
Senti chimed in again inside the game, showing just how "invincible" her mentality was.
Openly saying "I surrendered in advance" as if it were a point of pride—
Only Senti could do that without breaking down.
"A test? A duty?
If we're all pioneers from the Previous Era,
Then what can't be resolved by just talking it out?"
"Can't work it out the first time?
Then try a second time.
Still not working? Try a third.
Kevin should just come visit Shenzhou and learn what it means to cherish peace."
[So you tried to negotiate three times and failed—thus called "Honkai III," right?]
[...]
[Realization: That's what the III stands for?! Thanks to whoever finally solved this years-long mystery for me.]
[Thanks indeed (dog emoji)]
Though the chat was going wild with clever connections,
Fu Hua remained sincere.
"But... over time, people tend to lose their ability to communicate."
Just like in the Inheritance Arc—
When Kevin, Su, and Fu Hua first awoke from the shelters,
They kept in regular contact.
But gradually, those meetings turned into once every few months,
Then once a year,
Then once a decade...
[This is literally how post-grad friend groups go.]
[Painfully relatable metaphor.]
"But... why does that happen?"
Because all the extroverts disappeared first.
No one was left to break the ice.
Some people wanted to say—
"If Elysia had been around, it wouldn't have ended up like this..."
But they felt that was a bit heavy.
So they held back.
Backspaced the line.
Most of those vibrant personalities didn't disappear by choice.
They were taken—by forces beyond control.
Behind how things ended up,
Were painful truths that no one wanted to speak.
"..."
The mood grew quietly somber.
Until—
"Bronya and Kiana saw this fossil at Taixu Mountain, right?
The guy's raising kids and still doesn't know how to play with them!"
Senti burst back in.
That line—
Overflowing with resentment.
Like, "This old fossil didn't even play with me!"
Hahahahaha.
No one believed that line was just about Kevin.
Clearly Senti was inserting her own complaints.
But it worked—
The gloom lifted in an instant.
Senti truly was...
A master of comedic timing.
"As expected of Senti. Only she could lighten the mood when no one else could."
"After all, she is the youngest person here—technically speaking."
Hokuto caught himself before calling her "Senti One-Year-Old."
"What's that got to do with age?" asked Elysia.
"When you're young, your thoughts are simpler. You see things more directly."
That's why she could say things like
"Sit down and talk it out."
"Cherish peace."
"...You're right. But that's exactly what makes Senti so lovable."
"Lovable, huh... can't argue with that."
...
Having just dropped her "grievance,"
Senti was completely ignored by Fu Hua, who continued the conversation as if nothing had happened.
Senti: "?????"
See?
She wasn't wrong.
"In these long millennia,
We pioneers thought we were bearing all the burdens…
But in doing so, we also became part of the problem—
Just like Kevin now."
"Nobody wants to be annihilated by the Finality.
That's exactly why Kevin lost hope in the STIGMA Plan."
"..."
"That's not necessarily true."
Senti, in a hard-to-read tone, continued:
"Kevin's attitude… rather than despair,
It's more like he's placing his hopes on you."
"If he sees what he's been waiting for…
Then he'll probably go all out and fight you to the death."
Classic Senti. She really does understand Kevin.
Or perhaps—
Because of her simplicity,
She wasn't clouded by other influences.
Her conclusions might be closest to the truth.
Even the players could feel it.
Senti's words weren't nonsense.
[Is Senti about to become the story's prophet?]
[Does this mean the MC team is fighting to live… but Kevin is fighting to die?]
[Senti seems like a goofball, but she's really sharp.]
[There's a word for people like her—childlike heart.]
"Kevin… probably wants Kiana and the others to defeat—and kill—him."
Usually, Elysia didn't join in serious story debates.
Not because she didn't care—
But because she cared too much.
This time, though, she voiced her thoughts.
Why?
[But Kevin won't hold back when the time comes, right?]
[Agreed.]
[We'll have to surpass him.]
[Feels like it's gonna be painful.]
It's… complicated.
...
In the story—
As they talked, the lift finally reached the top.
The group instinctively dropped the topic.
Bronya took the lead again, with others following.
Plenty of dumb quantum mobs tried to stop them.
Jellyfish, crabs, lobsters…
All native to the Sea of Quanta.
Maybe they thought they had an elemental advantage?
Clearly no one told them that
"I can turn this around" is one of the three great delusions in life.
They marched in confidently—
And were promptly blown up by Bronya's heavy artillery.
After clearing the mobs,
They reached a fork in the road.
"According to plan, we split up here."
Fu Hua stated.
"Alrighty then!"
"There's a terrace up ahead—should be good signal."
That was Veliona speaking—
Easily distinguished by her echo effect.
Bronya: "...?" (noticing it)
"Really? Thanks. We'll go on ahead."
Senti thanked her on behalf of Fu Hua.
Then, Fu Hua left the team.
[By the way—do only we players hear Veliona's voice with reverb? Or do the others hear it too?]
[Probably just us, right?]
"Elysia..."
"Hm?"
"You've got nothing to say about this part?"
This scene practically screamed for commentary—
Hokuto felt something was missing.
"Mm..."
Elysia was still thinking about the earlier plot.
"I was just…"
"Just? Oh, I know!
You're thinking: 'Why give Veliona echo effects in the game, when in reality both Seele and Veliona talk normally,' right?"
Hokuto acted like he had a revelation.
"...Huh?"
To be honest, Elysia hadn't been thinking that at all.
But Hokuto's question sparked her curiosity.
She set aside her earlier thoughts for a moment.
"Why is that?"
"Because… Veliona lives inside Seele's body.
So whenever she speaks, it echoes with Seele's voice layered on top."
"?"
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