Sweet, heartwarming story.
And Xiyue hadn’t lied.
There really was plenty of heartwarming story ahead, every bit of it ‘healing’ the player’s soul directly, right before making them want to curse out the ancestors of whoever wrote miHoYo’s script.
The instant Xiyue said it, the audience stirred again.
Kitty Snuggles: Wah, there’s this much more sweet story coming up?
Wonderful, wonderful.
Boss Yuexi, hurry and play it for me!
I want the sweet-enough-to-die story!
Miss Pink Elf♪: Is that so?
Then I suggest, little cutie Yuexi, that you stream 24 hours a day~
No Exams Thanks: I reckon that’d work!
I can’t wait to see Kiana go on a wild rampage!
Wants to Buy an Island: φ(￣∇￣o)
Chlorinated Kiana: Foolish humans.
No Exams Thanks: You up there, this young lady has put up with you long enough!
Kiana watched this so-called Chlorinated Kiana posting nonsensical remarks again and couldn’t take it anymore.
A snarling expression crossed her face, but the instant she sent that message, a flicker of sharp pain shot through her mind.
The Herrscher of the Void, hearing Kiana, felt offended.
Her eyes blazed with rage.
Right now she dearly wanted to wipe out this stinkbug.
Just you wait!
The Herrscher of the Void seethed.
Xiyue didn’t notice that Kiana and the Queen, these two old foes, had started brawling in the comments.
She was busy basking in the joy of hoodwinking her viewers.
“How could I, your streamer, ever lie to you?”
“The story up ahead, stuff like Final Lesson, Meteoric Salvation, Lament of the Fallen, Still With Me, Everlasting Flames, Thus Spoke Apocalypse, it’s all very, very sweet~”
“And the sweetest of all is the Elysian Realm.
That’s the sweetest story in this whole game~”
As she said it, Xiyue faintly felt a twinge in her conscience, but no harm done, really.
Only by going through the sting of these knives could these viewers change the things in reality they’d come to call regrets, right?
It absolutely was not that Xiyue wanted to see the looks on their faces when the knives landed, thereby indulging her own wicked little streak.
It really wasn’t!
She was a conscientious streamer.
Hearing Xiyue mention the Elysian Realm again, Elysia’s pink eyes narrowed.
She knew the Elysian Realm bore no small connection to herself, but by the looks of it, that part of the story came later.
She was terribly curious, and didn’t want to wait even a moment.
Miss Pink Elf♪: Cutie Yuexi, I keep hearing you mention the Elysian Realm.
Could you tell us in advance what it’s actually about~
Working through Chapter 1, Xiyue saw Elysia’s comment, thought it over, and decided to leak a little info to her god ahead of time.
After all, she was rather looking forward to the reactions of Elysia, Mobius, and that crowd when they saw all of this.
She cleared her throat and said softly.
“The Elysian Realm tells of the Previous Era.
Mainly, it tells the story of those thirteen who could never become heroes.”
Hearing Xiyue, Elysia reached out and pinched the thigh of the person dozing beside her.
Just as she’d guessed, it was their story.
But “the thirteen who could never become heroes,” what was that supposed to mean?
Just as Elysia sank into thought, a frost-cold face appeared before her, green eyes regarding her icily.
“Elysia, why are you in my laboratory again?”
“Get out!”
Elysia came back to herself and looked at Mobius in her white coat, one hand resting on the very thigh Elysia had just pinched.
Paying no mind to Mobius’s words, she leaned in close, wrapped Mobius up in a hug, and said with a grin.
“There, there, Dr.
Mobius.”
“Onee-san came all this way just for you~”
Then, ignoring Mobius’s struggles, she held Mobius tight and kept watching the stream.
Having said the above, Xiyue went on.
“I’ll leave a little suspense here.
This story is very, very sweet!”
“Once I stream up to Chapter 7 of the main story, I’ll start streaming the Elysian Realm arc~”
No Exams Thanks: Then hurry up and play it already!
Xiyue glanced at the comments, then carried on through the main story.
Honestly, Chapter 1 didn’t have much story; it mainly laid out the Type Countering mechanic, though, as a single-player version, she was destined never to need the Abyss.
No more agonizing waits for Abyss settlement, either.
One joy lost, you could say.
Beyond the Kiana-and-Mei snuggle set-piece, Chapter 1’s story also planted one important piece of information.
The scene cut: the Emperor-class Honkai Beast that had fled earlier reappeared before Kiana and Mei.
Seeing the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, as tall as a two-story building, Mei immediately threw herself in front of Kiana.
Into the game’s scene of Tuna and Mei battling the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Xiyue explained from the sidelines.
“This bit of story is actually a little rushed.
Normally, only an A-rank Valkyrie can handle an Emperor-class Honkai Beast; it’s not something Tuna and Mei can deal with.
Tuna had better be careful next time; she needs to be cautious.”
That line was also Xiyue reminding the watching bug: reality and the game are not the same.
Right now, watching this stretch of story, the bug looked tense, both hands clutching her textbook and gnawing on it.
She could see the problem this time.
She’d been too reckless.
No Exams Thanks: What do I do, what do I do?
No Exams Thanks: Kiana can’t let anything happen to Mei!
As the story advanced, the cheerful mood from before turned tense and grim.
Everyone watching, except the Queen, felt their hearts seize up.
“Damn it, why is it so strong?”
Kiana dropped to her knees.
Mei, katana in hand, held off the Emperor-class Honkai Beast’s assault, but from her strained expression you could tell her strength was gradually giving out.
Still, she gritted her teeth, thought of the Kiana behind her, and her purple eyes hardened with resolve.
“I can’t… I can’t fall here!”
“At the very least… I have to let Kiana…”
[Third Herrscher activity detected.]
[Restriction protocol initiated.]
Along with a cold mechanical voice, streaks of red blade-light flashed rapidly, then the view snapped around.
Wreathed head to toe in a red glow, eyes turned crimson, Mei spoke with bone-chilling cold.
“Go to hell, scum!”
Watching this, Kiana could no longer hold her emotions in.
Heedless of Himeko’s lesson, she threw her arms around the Mei diligently studying beside her, buried her little head against Mei’s chest, and shouted.
“Mei!!”
And the instant that scene played, the comments exploded again.
Miss Pink Elf♪: This lovely Miss Mei, she’s actually a Herrscher?
Kitty Snuggles: Ah, that’s impossible, impossible.
How could Miss Mei be a Herrscher?!
Wants to Buy an Island: Schicksal Valkyrie Mei is actually a Herrscher?
What is Schicksal even thinking?
Chlorinated Kiana: Such a fuss.
She’s nothing but a traitor.
Xiyue watched the lively comments and didn’t explain why Mei was a Herrscher.
The story would cover it later anyway.
If one Herrscher shocked them this much, then the all-Herrscher lineup coming up would leave them dumbstruck.
Aboard the entire Hyperion, which of the main cast wasn’t a Herrscher?
But Xiyue also knew the one most shaken was Elysia, because in Elysia’s era, Herrschers were true Apostles of Honkai, unlike the Current Era’s Herrschers, who were nearly all Honkai turncoats.
And the one to thank for that state of affairs was, of course, Elysia.
Elysia, my god!
Next came the appearance of the deadpan loli Bronya, nicknamed Duckling.
The instant Duckling showed up, Elysia, who loved cute girls to begin with, was overjoyed.
Miss Pink Elf♪: Within three seconds, I want all of this girl’s information!
Such a tiny, sweet voice.
Onee-san is head over heels~
Then Duckling displayed her sky-high computer skills, followed by the Main Trio’s sweet little interactions, especially the exchange between Kiana and Bronya, which drew a knowing smile.
“Dummy Kiana, please don’t put your IQ on display.”
With that, Duckling, now arrived in the main hall, intoned.
“No enemies on the bridge.
Project Bunny 19C, now beginning to hack the main control system.”
Chapter 1’s biggest piece of foreshadowing had begun.