"Alright, brothers, joke time's over."
Fallen was scrolling through the new patch notes while asking chat, "So what do we do first—Durandal's new side story, or we go straight into the Elysian Realm?"
Bullet comments flooded in.
Most of them: [Go to Elysian Realm!!]
[Go see the Previous Era!!]
[I want to see the Thirteen!!]
"Okay then—Elysian Realm first. Let's go see how glorious the Previous Era really was!"
Fallen quickly found the Elysian Realm tab.
What surprised him was that Elysian Realm wasn't listed under the usual main story chapters—it had its own entry.
The moment he clicked in, the game dropped him straight into story.
The screen showed a dreamlike space.
Some of the buildings looked… odd. Like they belonged to a civilization that didn't care about right angles.
In the narration, Mei was clearly intrigued by the surroundings.
Suddenly, a bright, springy voice chimed in.
"Hi~"
"How does it feel?"
The second that voice came on, Fallen—and everyone in chat—recognized it.
[ELYSIA!!]
In the dialogue box, everything "she" said was in pink text.
Too detailed. Too on-brand.
But sadly, in-game Elysia still didn't show her face.
Mei: "Such a strange sight… Is this an architectural style from the first civilization era? What was it used for?"
???: "How is it? Pretty avant-garde for you, right? But in my time, this was just a super ordinary building. You'd see one on any street corner~"
"This kind of timeshift mismatch is one of the joys of exploring the Elysian Realm. Before you run into something even more unbelievable, you should enjoy looking forward to it~"
"Anyway, back to business. You look to be in pretty good shape right now, so we can try the next step."
"Remember, okay? This counts as a first attempt. No need to feel pressured~"
"Even if you fail, nothing bad will happen. And if you don't do that well, no one's going to blame you."
"Don't worry~ I'll always be by your side~"
"But… surrendering right where you stand? I don't really recommend that~"
Even though the name box only said [???], every player knew—that was definitely Elysia.
That bubbly, teasing rhythm, with a tint of excitement—she was happy to see Mei. Really happy.
Players might not notice it at this point.
But later—after they finish the whole Elysian Realm storyline and look back—they'll realize…
When Elysia saw Mei, a Herrscher who still had her humanity, she really was delighted.
That tone wasn't forced.
After listening to Elysia's spiel, Mei asked the natural question:
"The next step… then what is my objective? Defeat someone, or find some key item?"
Elysia giggled: "No objective at all. This is just a test run—or maybe… a tutorial?"
"No Herrscher has ever stepped into this place. And I've never guided a Herrscher before. So for you and me, this is… how should I put it…"
"Our first time?"
"Anyway, just follow your heart and explore. I'm also curious how far you can go~"
At that, chat cracked up.
["Our first time"]
["Go deeper"]
[Elysia's driving skills are great, lol…]
[Poor serious Mei, getting teased again hahaha]
[Elysia really is a little menace]
Fallen laughed too. "Yup, that's exactly how Elysia talks."
"When she streamed before, she'd flirt with Eden using this exact tone, hahaha…"
"You think… did Elysia actually write this in-game script herself?"
Chat spammed: [Very possible][It's too in-character]
Meanwhile in-game, Mei started asking who Elysia actually was.
And only then did the audience realize—
This scene was directly after the Herrscher of Domination arc.
Mei had entered the Elysian Realm… to search for the truth about the Honkai God.
Mei: "I roughly understand the situation. But I have one more crucial question… who are you?"
At Mei's question, Elysia pretended to be hurt.
"Are you kidding? I introduced myself just a few minutes ago~"
Then she giggled again: "Don't tell me… you were doing it on purpose? Trying to tease me?"
"How could you do that to a girl you just met?"
"You have such a cute face, but your little thoughts are surprisingly naughty~ hee~"
Mei: "…"
"…Alright. I don't have any more questions."
"Good, then let's set off~" Elysia said brightly.
"I'll give you my blessing, and your soul will shine even brighter~"
"Raiden Mei's Elysian Realm Grand Adventure—begins now!"
…
As soon as Elysia finished, the game went to a loading screen.
When the screen lit up again—Mei was already in a battle instance.
Through her narration, players learned:
This was a memory-constructed world.
"The Previous Era… humanity once reached a height I can hardly imagine."
"This scenery belongs to that age that has already fallen… Kevin once stood here, and watched the world end…"
"In the past, there were people who fought against Honkai until the very last moment."
"Fusion warriors… their power was on par with Herrschers. But in the end, humanity still lost…"
Just a few lines from Mei, and the epic weight of the Elysian Realm came crashing down.
Even Fallen, who was busy mashing buttons, straightened up a bit.
This new Elysian Realm mode made his eyes light up.
It was a bit like a rogue/tower climb—each floor allowed you to pick a special buff.
In today's market, that was a fresh take.
"As expected of Mihuyou…" Fallen smacked his lips.
Elysia's Signets directly changed how a character's kit played.
Different signet combos could make an old, overplayed battlesuit feel brand new.
"I have a feeling this Elysian Realm isn't just for Herrscher of Thunder."
"If other characters can also come in, and they each have unique signets… this is gonna be a really fun mode."
"Let me clear the tutorial first, then I'll check if there are other character-specific signets."
To be fair, Fallen was a gameplay nerd.
Just from the tutorial, he'd already sniffed out the best parts of the mode.
Chat, hearing him, also "ohhhh'd" in unison—hype for Elysian Realm went up another level.
Very soon, Fallen cleared the tutorial.
The screen cut—and Mei returned to the Realm's ready room.
"Hi~ welcome back~"
Elysia's lively voice rang out—and then, like a real sprite, the adorable, charming Elysia finally showed up.
She was lounging on a sofa, smiling at Mei.
"Feeling okay?"
"Ah~ looks like not quite. That's fine, first times are always like that. You'll get used to it~"
"Relax~~ we'll take it slow. Still remember where you are?"
…
[ELYSIA!!]
[That outfit looks SO good on her]
[Mihuyou's art team never misses]
[She's driving again, guys hahaha]
[Elysia only flirts with cute girls, I'm crying, I'm not a cute girl…]
[Too cute. Too cute. Too cute.]
Fallen sighed.
"Man… if only Elysia herself was streaming Elysian Realm."
"I really wanna see her reaction to seeing her in-game model…"
He kept playing while grumbling.
After Mei calmed down, she remembered why she'd come.
Kevin had pointed her toward the Elysian Realm, to find the truth about the Honkai God.
And here—she'd met this pink-haired, incredibly cute girl.
"If you stare at me like that, I'll get embarrassed too~"
"…Sorry." Mei turned her gaze away, a little flustered.
"It's okay, I forgive you~ Feeling better now?"
"More or less…"
"Then… do you remember who I am?"
The game popped up three dialogue choices:
[Keep silent]
[Feathered Bunny]
[Pink Fairy Lady]
Fallen burst out laughing.
In "Otto's Special Lecture", Elysia had introduced herself as [Pink Fairy Lady].
So of course he clicked the third one.
Mei then said, a bit hesitant, "If I'm not wrong… you should be… the Pink Fairy Lady?"
"I am NOT!" Elysia refuted instantly.
"What even is that? A nickname you made up? Are you always this frivolous?"
"…Sorry." Mei was really embarrassed. "I don't know why… there was a voice in my head telling me to say it."
"That's dangerous, you know~ Maybe it was your true feelings~" Elysia mock-scolded for a moment, then bounced back to her usual brightness:
"Although I don't dislike naughty girls, that joke was a bit sudden. Next time pick a better time, okay~"
"Alright, I'll introduce myself again."
"This time you have to remember. If you forget again, I'll get a little moody~"
"My name is Elysia. As you can see, I am a beautiful girl who lives up to her name~"
"In the common tongue of MOTH, 'Elysia' has the meaning of 'paradise' or 'elysium.'"
"My friends call me Ely. You can too—it sounds cute, like me~"
"As for my identity… in your words, I should be a fusion warrior of the Previous Era, right? A comrade of that hero, Kevin~"
"Of course, the real Elysia wouldn't waste her youth thousands of meters underground."
"I'm just a copy she left behind—an echo that inherited her personality and memories."
"But that's fine. You can still see me, talk to me… even share some friendly physical contact~"
At this point, players suddenly remembered:
During the preview stream, Mihuyou's boss had already said—out of the thirteen, only Kevin and Fu Hua were still around.
(Griseo and Su got glossed over. That's on me.)
And now, hearing this, players finally processed it:
Elysia… was already dead.
[Damn you, Otto, wuwuwu…]
[My Elysia—she just showed up and you knifed her already QAQ]
[How could you stab such a cute girl in the back, Ottoooo…]
The chat turned into an anti-Otto crusade.
Fallen also yelled, super dissatisfied: "OTTO—TASTE MY SWORD!"
What followed was a long stretch of dialogue.
Through Elysia's words, a lot of info was dropped.
For example [the Thirteen Flame-Chasers], and [the Tragedy of Restraint].
The "Thirteen Flame-Chasers" referred to the thirteen fusion warriors who remained after defeating eleven Herrschers.
Because of Mo Li's earlier "leaks," this didn't spark too much brand-new debate—players had already chewed on it while they waited for the patch.
What remained now… was expectation.
Expectation that Elysian Realm would give them a complete, detailed answer.
And during this whole long talk, players were actually reading. Nobody wanted to skip.
The second reason?
Elysia's speaking style.
That occasional sly grin, the way she'd poke fun at Mei…
Just. Too. Cute.
After the talk, the game went back into combat.
Same tower-climb format as before.
But this time, the adorable Elysia would butt in often to chat with Mei.
"As you can see, Elysian Realm is a complicated data space. It's being constructed by thirteen flowing consciousnesses—who are even colliding with each other."
"For example…"
Then Elysia used an… extremely unhelpful metaphor to explain it.
Her vague answer didn't clear up Mei's confusion at all.
Even Mei couldn't help complaining: "You've never actually used an appropriate metaphor, have you? The kind that actually helps people understand things."
Elysia pondered, then chirped, "I'm as cute as a flower—does that work~?"
Mei: "…"
Chat was losing it again.
[Aaaahhhh Elysia is TOO CUTE!!]
[I must disagree—Elysia is cuter than any flower!!!]
…
At the same time, inside Mihuyou's studio, Elysia and Kiana were also sitting together, playing through the Elysian Realm story.
Seeing that flirty, adorable in-game Elysia, the real Elysia couldn't hold back a gasp.
"I really am too cute~"
"Right, my dear Eden~?"