MGSFV?! Chapter 394: Raven Imitating Elysia?; Hare and Cecilia?
In a sense, the players weren't wrong.
Raven really was a woman full of flags.
And yet...
Nothing ever actually happened to her.
Maybe... it's because Raven has a sort of anti-flag?
Something like... the island.
If we don't get to see Raven rebuilding her island villa, Honkai Impact 3rd's story would feel incomplete!
So, before that happens, how could Miss Cioara possibly meet any misfortune?
Makes sense, doesn't it? ()
Ahem. Back to the story.
In the plot—
After answering Raven's question, Mei asked in return:
"And you? These past six months..."
"Me?"
Raven responded with a light smile.
"Of course I've been happy."
Even within an organization like World Serpent, their bond was something undeniably pure.
As for proof...
Do nicknames count?
The Red Zappy Dragon × the Black Dodo Bird.
That has to count as a sign of 'friendship', right?
Naturally...
Their farewell couldn't just end on such a plain note.
"But, since you put it like that—then of course, I have to give you a proper parting gift."
"No problem."
Mei was already fully prepared for battle.
She unleashed the full might of the Herrscher of Thunder without hesitation.
Terrifying bolts of lightning engulfed the dream version of Tianshou City, turning it into a scene of apocalyptic disaster.
Raven, seeing this, didn't seem flustered in the least. Instead, she said—perhaps intentionally, perhaps not—
"Heey~~ I've been waiting forever."
Elysia: "..."
Ah, Raven's a cheeky girl, too.
No wonder she wields such an interesting weapon like the Seven Thunders of Retribution.
Yes.
To Elysia, the Divine Key she found most intriguing had always been the Seven Thunders of Retribution.
She was really curious—if she touched it, what would it become?
Though once that curiosity was satisfied, whether she'd still be interested in it... well, who knows.
After all, weapons that become 'cute'... that's a serious challenge to anyone's aesthetic.
Anyway, enough rambling.
Elysia muttered to herself, wondering whether Raven was copying her tone, then focused intently on controlling Mei to unleash her Herrscher powers against Raven.
Though it was a type-disadvantaged battle (boss Raven being BIO-type), the first phase wasn't that hard.
More like a warm-up, just testing the waters.
But realistically, neither of them could keep things low-intensity for long.
Time to bring out the real skills.
To put it plainly... Raven was about to enter her next phase.
...
"Raiden Mei, the path you've chosen has always commanded respect."
As Raven spoke, she transformed into a black crow, reappearing behind Mei to create distance.
"But you also need to understand—ever since the moment you left World Serpent—"
"Every member of the organization has become your enemy in name."
Her words showed, once again, that subtly conflicted stance Raven held.
But... she didn't seem to be holding back at all.
"Hide and seek begins now."
Raven's figure vanished once more.
Countless black crows flew out from her.
Then, those crows—each bearing Raven's signature arrows—swarmed from all directions, launching a barrage at Mei.
The game's camera zoomed out, shifting into a bullet-dodging minigame.
Seeing this, Elysia immediately focused, expertly controlling Mei to dodge everything perfectly—not a single hit landed.
And then...
Raven's sigh echoed.
"Sigh~~ can't you humor me a little?"
Elysia: "..."
Even she was starting to find it strange.
[Why is Raven acting like this now?]
The viewers in the stream were also baffled.
["Can't you humor me???" Raven, you've changed!]
[Wait—Elyven? ()]
[That name just killed me—Elyven??? Hahahaha]
[Raven: If we keep fighting, I'll cry.]
[Stop, please stop—this is too weird]
Thankfully, Raven didn't say anything else outrageous. Maybe she realized Mei was getting annoyed.
After letting Mei play along with her bizarre moves for a while...
She reappeared, standing directly in the lightning's path.
She even curled her finger provocatively, daring Mei to come.
In-game Mei didn't hesitate, and the players certainly weren't going to humor Raven's "quirky antics".
They charged straight in and pummeled her.
And just like that...
The battle ended.
[That's it? Raven's getting cocky, huh.]
The outcome was clear.
Even in someone else's dream...
The gap between the two remained vast.
"I surrender, I surrender."
Raven raised her hands, panting.
Side note: the voice acting here really nailed the breathless exhaustion.
"You're even stronger now than in Elysian Realm."
"Is that so?"
Mei neither confirmed nor denied it—her tone remained calm and in control.
"I just feel like my opponents are holding back more and more."
"Heh, can't say that's wrong~"
[Here they go again, barely a few lines in and already teasing each other]
[This must be Mei and Raven's brand of 'friendship']
[Plastic sisterhood.jpg]
Plastic sisterhood?
Well, the players were actually spot-on this time.
Because...
The very next moment.
A dangerous-looking short staff appeared in Raven's hand.
It was called the Staff of Yomi—once, it had severely wounded the very Herrscher standing before her.
(Sorry... Miss Mei.)
Raven silently apologized.
...
"Hm?"
At this point in the story, Elysia let out a surprised sound.
Raven was trying to ambush Mei again?
So surprising that she didn't even care that Raven had just said "my Miss Mei."
Mei...
Boom!
A thunderous crash rang out from the game, interrupting Elysia's concern.
Mei suddenly accelerated, and in a flash, snatched the Staff of Yomi from Raven's hand with one arm, while pinning her down with the other.
"Sorry. A successor of the Hokuto Iai School doesn't get hit by the same move twice."
She even delivered a stylish line.
[...Cool!]
[That look in Mei's eyes—so cool! Boss Mei!!]
[World-famous artwork moment—what are you waiting for? Screenshot it now!]
"Mei..."
"I'll send you the original pic in a bit."
"Aww, I didn't even say anything yet, and you already know what I was going to ask."
Elysia's voice held a soft laugh. "That kind of understanding... doesn't it make your heart race a little?"
Faced with Elysia's teasing, Mei responded coolly, "It's just that... you always ask the devs for the original screenshot around this time, so it was easy to guess."
"Ah~~ Hmm..."
Elysia mused, "Then, maybe I should react more unexpectedly next time?"
She paused, then asked: "Mei, what do you think I could say... that would surprise you?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because... the person I most want to see surprised is you~!"
"..."
...
In the plot—
Despite being restrained, Raven didn't show any disappointment on her face.
Truthfully, she probably never intended to win.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have warned Mei before the battle not to trust any member of World Serpent.
So why fight seriously at all? That... was likely Miss Cioara's professional ethics.
And her professional ethics weren't something you needed to understand in depth.
In short—
Raven spread her arms in surrender, mimicking a certain someone's future iconic pose against Kevin.
"Alright, alright. This time, I really have no cards left."
"I was still clinging to the hope of whisking you off to New Atra, you know."
"New Atra?" That name was completely unfamiliar to Mei.
Raven quickly explained.
New Atra was a place created for people to live in during the execution of the Stigma Plan.
It was a sanctuary untouched by the plan's effects.
"But World Serpent wouldn't be so kind as to move everyone there, would they?"
"Heh, of course not. Ordinary people... would likely just be trapped in a dream spun by Serpent, and fall into eternal sleep."
It sounded like a better option in some ways.
No need to be part of the Stigma Plan, and you could peacefully wait for it to cross the End...
But, unfortunately, not everyone was qualified to be part of that "better option".
The conditions were harsh.
So, Mei still had her own ideas.
Yet...
Before she could say anything...
"At the very least... I want to rely on my own strength..."
Mei's voice suddenly turned strange.
Even the subtitles glitched into a mess of gibberish.
Players had to rely on the voice acting alone to figure out what was going on.
[???]
What's happening? A crash?
Why did the mood suddenly shift again?
"Mei, are you okay?"
Raven noticed something was wrong with Mei too.
"Huh? This power... is it Hare?"
At the same time, a wave of dizziness overwhelmed Mei.
She realized something was wrong.
There was a second assailant besides Raven.
She had no idea World Serpent had so much... "honor."
Seems like, even after spending half a year with them, she hadn't fully grasped World Serpent's corporate culture.
Just like how not every disciple from Mount Taixu could comprehend the essence of Greater Void Mountain.
For example, back then, Li Sushang had only learned thanks to the personal tutelage of the sect's founder.
Ahem.
Anyway, with all sorts of thoughts swirling in her mind, Mei passed out.
The game screen dimmed.
The final frame showed Raven reaching out to catch her.
"It's alright, Raven."
Hare's voice came after the screen went completely black.
"In the end, you and her are even now—neither of you owes the other anything. Isn't that a good thing?"
Her voice seemed to echo directly in the player's mind.
Soft, pleasant, like being wrapped in warm arms—her gentle embrace stirred cozy memories.
But...
Something about that voice felt oddly familiar to many players.
Hiss~
Had they heard Hare's voice somewhere before?
While the stream chat pondered, Hare's gentle voice continued:
"I'm sorry... little lost one. In this forced dream, you'll drift far away, toward the other shore, where you'll meet a version of 'yourself'—both familiar and strange."
"But don't be afraid. There, you'll reunite with the one you hold most dear, and together, you'll strive to create a brand-new tomorrow... one that once existed only in dreams."
"Good night, Raiden Mei. Sweet dreams to you and your companions."
[Hare's voice sounds more and more familiar, but I just can't place it]
[Same here]
[But this should be the first time we've heard Hare speak, right?]
[Something's off here...]
While the viewers puzzled over it...
Elysia, after a brief thought, gave a guess.
"That's... Cecilia's voice, right?"
"Mei, I'm not wrong, am I?"
"Um... you're asking me?" Mei hesitated.
"Of course. You see Cecilia with Kiana all the time, right? You should be familiar with her voice."
Elysia replied.
"I..."
Mei trailed off.
Something about Elysia's logic felt... weird.
After all, she only saw Cecilia with Bronya and Kiana because—
They lived together, and when Cecilia came to visit her daughter, they'd chat a bit.
It's not like she was intentionally visiting with Kiana...
"Forget it..."
Mei finally answered Elysia's earlier question.
"It really does sound like Cecilia's voice."
"Well, if Mei says so, then I guess that settles it."
One mystery solved, another arose in Elysia's heart.
"Then... why does Hare sound like Cecilia?"
"That... maybe the upcoming story will tell us?" Mei guessed.
"Hmm... yeah, guess I'll keep watching for now."
Elysia nodded in agreement.
"And now that I think of it, since this interlude is called 'The Stigma Plan', how come Kevin hasn't shown up yet?"
She muttered softly as she tapped ahead.
The screen transitioned.
The next section—
Was the Kevin arc.
Speak of the devil, and he shall appear.
Elysia immediately focused.
The stream chat's discussion over Hare and Cecilia's voice actor slowly died down.
Everyone was now far more focused on Kevin than ever before.
They could put the rest aside—for now.
The Kevin arc officially began.
Lines of text appeared on screen.
A dimly lit place.
A man walked through time, the night crystallizing in his dream, leaving behind a faint starlight.
He remembered what she once said:
In the dark night, every faint glimmer of starlight originates from a stellar core's reaction. It first escapes to the surface after millions of years of random wandering—
—Then crosses a cold, lonely journey through the cosmos to land, precisely in this moment, in our eyes.
[This passage... feels like science-student romance. Love it.]
[Reading this in a game feels like brushing your fingers over a ruler, catching the space between 3 and 4... that surreal π-like beauty.]
[You get it, fellow nerd.]
Indeed, this paragraph had a peculiar kind of beauty.
A kind of... romance.
And maybe a metaphor too.
Because in Honkai Impact 3rd, when it comes to rationality, that woman is inescapable.
And so—
Could she also have her own kind of scientific romance?
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