MGSFV?! Chapter 399. Kevin: Nice to meet you, Theresa—I'm your ancestor. (Fog)
Was it just an illusion…
Or did it feel like Theresa's fans were even better at playing with her memes than other characters' fans?
So sharp. So professional.
Well, with a character like Theresa, how could it be otherwise?
After all, Theresa's own meme-literacy is basically top-tier across all of MiHoYo…
(…Well, except for one particular person.)
Ahem—back to the story.
Honestly, it was pretty normal that Theresa couldn't fully grasp everything at this point.
Not only was she missing loads of information,
Even Mobius, who looked like she was just trying to say something like "every child walks their own path,"
Was so cryptic (perhaps due to her mouthiness) that her point was impossible to pin down.
Sensing Theresa's confusion,
The Will of the Stigma continued building on the memory just shown.
"Stigmata record their knowledge, as well as your history.
Using the previous metaphor—for civilization—"
"Humans may be the shadows on the wall,
But the Stigmata are the 'reality' outside the cave."
[So humans are the shadows after all… That's even more despairing.]
[Congrats to the earlier prophet—wait, no, it's not worth celebrating.]
[So 'civilization' is the 'person,' humans are 'shadows,' and Stigmata are the 'outside world'?]
[Looking at it that way, in the context of the Stigma Plan, humanity really is disposable. Just shadows—change the light, and the shadow changes shape.]
[Previously, civilization was carried by humans (a form of shadow). Now it's carried by Stigmata (another form). Either way, just different shadows.]
So then—
The Will of the Stigma put it this way:
"We could 'translate' the Stigma Plan like this—
Abandon the humanity cursed by Herrschers,
And redefine civilization with a new foundation."
That "new foundation" refers to the Ideal Form:
The shared endpoint of humanity and Stigmata—
A kind of ultimate opposite to Herrschers.
Sounds powerful.jpg
Of course, some players immediately latched onto that term: 理型 (Ideal Form).
Even if most weren't familiar with it,
The idea has ancient roots in history.
[Welp, it's really Plato now—we've brought out Ideal Forms.]
[Ideal Forms?]
[An Ideal Form is the perfect state of a thing. It could be a perfect person, perfect marriage, perfect government, perfect education system… anything.]
[But isn't the Stigma Plan the opposite of Ideal Form theory? Plato wanted people to strive toward the ideal, to pursue it through effort—not replace themselves with it!]
[From what I understand, the problem with Ideal Forms isn't that it's unrealistic—it's that it's too idealistic. It forces you to think harder and try more, lol.]
Some players came up with their own interpretations:
Ideal Forms.
It's like this—
You think your dream is too far away, completely out of reach.
But maybe the real problem isn't that your dream is "delusional."
Maybe you never even defined what your dream's ultimate form—your Ideal—is.
And that's why you feel lost.
[I think I get it now… The chat's full of geniuses.]
...
Back to the plot.
"...Redefine civilization?"
The more Theresa learned about the Stigma Plan, the more stunned she became.
She opened her mouth to ask more.
But the Will of the Stigma stopped her.
"Theresa Apocalypse. You've always wanted to leave this place, haven't you?
Then start by facing your fate head-on."
A passageway opened ahead as Theresa blinked in surprise.
"Go, Theresa Apocalypse.
That's the trial you must face sooner or later."
"Pass my trial. Become a true Stigma Awakener.
Then, the chains the Stigma Plan has placed on you—will vanish."
[Awaken Stigmata? Is Theresa getting a new battlesuit? "Theresa: Stellar Ascension"?]
[No, be bold. Maybe she's getting a short animation.]
[Yay!]
A short?
Hmm… if we're being optimistic, at least she'll appear in a short. (bushi)
[Got it. Theresa's about to receive her new ride (BMW).]
[Horseback riding? If she rides anything, it'll be Vishnu! "Awaken now, beast of the Stigma—bring forth a new age!"]
[Kosma: ?????]
[My opinion: she should ride Judah instead.]
[Judah, end him.]
Elysia: "..."
She wasn't exactly surprised.
How the livestream could be full of intense philosophical debate one second, and back to memes the next…
Well, there were tons of viewers.
Each person paid attention to different things.
Some liked analysis.
Some liked banter…
So it's not even the same group of people in the chat every time.
Those discussing Ideal Forms just now?
Probably off reading philosophy articles now.
...
Refocusing on the game,
Elysia looked at the portal ahead, paused, then moved Theresa forward.
Clicked [Enter].
Theresa vanished into the portal.
But this time, the screen didn't immediately transition.
Instead, it popped up a familiar prompt:
Please select combat difficulty:
[Easy]
[Normal]
[Hard]
Familiar UI. Familiar style.
Knowing what was coming, Elysia wasn't fooled.
Using the "Rolling Knight"…
Ahem, using Moonbeam for battle?
So… what difficulty should she pick?
With some hesitation, Elysia glanced at the chat.
At that moment, the livestream was flooded with identical messages:
[No one's gonna NOT pick Hard, right?]
[Has to be Hard!]
[Miss Fairy, trust me—this one's easy. Pick Hard.]
"…?"
"Easy, you say?"
Come on—
Whenever someone says "super easy," that's always suspicious, right?
Elysia turned to Mei:
"Mei, have you playtested this level before? How hard is it?"
"…Not really."
Mei replied, paused, then glanced beside her.
At that moment, Hokuto had wandered over to Theresa's side.
So Mei added,
"But he did tell us… it's best to pick Hard Mode."
"…Is there some secret to it?" Elysia asked curiously.
"Well…"
Mei recalled what Hokuto said at the time.
"Apparently, Hard Mode has better immersion."
Hokuto: You'll really feel the oppressive weight of Demon Kevin.
"Better immersion… huh?"
"Elysia, just follow your heart."
Sensing her uncertainty, Mei gently encouraged her.
"Then…"
Elysia followed her heart and selected:
[Hard Mode]
She was curious.
What did Hokuto mean by "better immersion"?
She'd find out soon.
After all…
Though Theresa's "Rolling Knight" battlesuit was often teased, it was an old suit.
Elysia had used it plenty—it shouldn't be hard to control.
So it should be fine.
...
The game screen unfolded.
The surrounding darkness finally vanished, replaced by a new world.
Theresa looked around.
"This is… all frozen over… Is this Kevin's dream?"
The Will of the Stigma walked beside her and explained:
"This is the deepest part of the Kaslana Stigma Space.
In terms of the 'Chimera Project,' yes—it's his dream."
"Chimera Project?"
"You probably know—the Kaslana bloodline originates from the fusion of Honkai Beast genes implanted into Kevin's body.
Multiple types of Honkai powers converged within him—hence the name 'Chimera.'"
As the two walked deeper into the icy world,
There was no immediate tension.
Clearly, there was more story before the coming battle.
The players also observed the area closely.
[Wait, Kevin doesn't have just one Honkai Beast gene? I never knew that.]
[Does this place… look familiar to anyone else?]
[Yeah. I think it's where Siegfried was kept.]
[What? Auntie T's about to slice open a mountain to save… someone?]
[I thought it'd be Durandal and Kiana. Didn't expect it to be Theresa.]
"But what few people know—
This was also the starting point of the Stigma Space itself."
The Chimera Project's fusion of Honkai genes birthed the Kaslana bloodline,
Which became the foundation of the Stigma Space.
Under certain conditions, this Stigma Space could even connect with dreams.
Because dreams are how Honkai Beasts think.
A Stigma Space based on their genes naturally has strong affinity with dreams.
In this system—
Even someone who can't synchronize with Stigma powers can still swap their body with a dream construct.
Let the Stigma exist in their place as the foundation of civilization.
Eventually, the entire Earth could be overwritten by the Stigma Space—
And civilization would begin a new journey from there.
[Huh?]
[Kevin becomes Finality, and all of humanity lives on the back of his Stigma?]
[Not humanity—civilization continues.]
[Did Theresa understand that?]
One strange comment slipped by in the chat:
[teriri doesn't know~~ (Eyes of Wisdom.jpg)]
[Otto, come save your granddaughter.]
[???]
Honestly, whether Theresa understood didn't matter.
What mattered was: What would she do now?
After all—
She'd arrived at this crucial node in the Stigma Plan,
Wielded Vishnu's Devourer ability,
Had time, place, and power on her side…
So then…
"So—what will you do, new Overseer of Schicksal?"
"You could give up and return to your dream.
Or challenge yourself, awaken your Stigma…"
[Kinda curious what others would choose.]
[Give up. Go to bed.]
[I'm not interested in sleep.]
[Just charge in. If Kevin kills me, so be it. (zero thoughts)]
[Can't I just enjoy the dream first, then fight later? (lol)]
[Bro, you're literally trying to exploit a bug.]
[Wanting everything only leads to ruin.]
Aside from a few joke comments, most players were pragmatic.
[Theoretically, there's no choice.]
[I can't do anything.jpg]
Theresa also voiced her thoughts:
"If this space connects to dreams—
Then I'll just devour the endpoint and shut the whole Stigma Plan down."
She clenched her fists, eyes filled with determination.
[Theresa, you're so brave.]
The Will of the Stigma praised her:
"…Your courage is admirable, Theresa Apocalypse."
Though he did pause mysteriously before saying that.
"But I wouldn't recommend it."
"You think I lack the strength?" she asked.
"No. I meant something more… external."
Whether Theresa realized it was unclear—
But the players, with their godlike perspective, got it immediately.
[Will of the Stigma: I meant you can't beat Kevin lol]
[Kevin: I'll be right there.]
[Ancestor Kevin might be en route with Shamash in hand.]
Just as players pieced it together—
The Will of the Stigma's figure suddenly dissolved.
And he left a faint message:
"Ah, you see, he's arrived after all."
Theresa: ??? Who!?
Tap—tap—tap—
"Nice to meet you."
A clear voice came with crisp footsteps—
And powerful background music kicked in.
Kevin appeared, approaching Theresa step by step.
"New Overseer of Schicksal—
I'm Kevin. Or you may call me… Kevin Kaslana."
[Nice to meet you. I'm your ancestor.]
But unlike the joking players,
In-game Theresa had no time to react like that.
Facing Kevin,
She felt an overwhelming, terrifying pressure.
Her skin prickled.
Kevin stared coldly at her, and stated facts.
"Ever since leaving the Sea of Quanta, I've been watching all of you.
Through Void Archives, I've learned your history."
"So far, you've worked hard—
Achieved far more than we ever did."
But in the end…
"…Against Finality, you remain powerless."
"Finality… Herrscher of Finality?!"
Theresa's eyes widened.
She knew about the Herrscher of Corruption—
(Rita had sought Raven's help to suppress its remnants.)
But she was still waiting for the fictional "Thirteenth Herrscher" created by Vill-V's record rewrite to appear.
Suddenly hearing this—
She was stunned.
Kevin, breaking from his usual silence, began to speak at length.
He explained the situation clearly:
World Serpent could delay the Herrscher of Finality's arrival.
But doing so would render all their knowledge obsolete.
Finality would become unpredictable again.
That would—
Make the Stigma Plan impossible to carry out.
So, Kevin would never allow that.
"This is the only chance—"
His voice was as cold as ever.
"Before it appears, World Serpent has done everything possible to minimize the side effects of the Stigma Plan."
"But as far as I know—
You've only turned a death sentence into a life sentence."
[What a translation—I finally understood it.]
[Theresa's metaphors are tiers above Miss Fairy.]
[???]
Some players reflected seriously:
[So should I say… a life sentence is still better than death?]
[Well… theoretically, yeah (wiggles finger)]
[The Stigma Plan is undeniably the best fallback plan.]
[Wait—you guys were against the plan earlier?]
[Yeah, we still oppose it. But now it's like: either the plan works, or something better shows up.
But if everyone accepts the plan, who's left to even think about surpassing it?
So I think resistance is necessary.
Besides, Kevin seems solid. He'll hold the line. What's there to fear?]
[I'm… not quite following.]
[Basically: we trust Kevin to succeed no matter what.
So if some people rebel and try new paths—it's win-win. If someone pulls it off? Jackpot. If not? Kevin's still there.]
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium