Chapter 160: Kiana and Mei's Reunion! Why is this sugar coated in blades?
[? I was just talking about Teacher Rita flipping her car, and now Kiana flips too?]
[Tuna, you're so confused! Didn't Fu Hua just remind you that World Serpent likes to play dirty? Now you're captured too?]
[No, is this a rotation? Rita gets in trouble and Tuna saves the day, and next, Tuna gets in trouble and Rita saves the day?]
[Tuna, where is your spatial teleportation? Why didn't you just warp away the moment you realized something was wrong!]
[Did your brain experience a lag and revert back to a paramecium??]
The viewers in the stream watched Kiana lose to Raven, only to be tied up and taken back to serve as Jackal's experimental subject, causing a wave of collective frustration!
What happened to the Void Drifter showing off her divine might? Kiana, you're the Kiana! If you're being kidnapped by the writer, blink your eyes!
"Kiana is way too funny! She acted cool for half a second and then got immediately defeated by Raven, I'm dying!!" Senti, being her authentic self, did not hesitate to laugh at Kiana's defeat.
"Something feels off," Fu Hua remarked from the side, seemingly sensing something. "Kiana should have anticipated the existence of the serum gas. Getting caught in Raven's trap like this... it feels like she lost to Raven on purpose."
"On purpose? Don't be ridiculous, Old Timer! Look at when Rita Rossweisse sneaked into Heliopolis—everyone said she was a Schicksal S-rank and would have a backup plan or a secret weapon, right? And you saw how that turned out! If Kiana hadn't shown up, Rita and her team would be in hell by now!"
Senti was dismissive of Fu Hua's theory. With Rita's "car flip" fresh in her mind, it was too hard to believe Kiana hadn't simply failed as well. After all, Kiana's current power was that of an incomplete Herrscher, weaker than the original Herrscher of the Void. In Senti's eyes, her strength was likely on par with Rita's. If Rita could flip, why couldn't Kiana?
[I think the Class Monitor has a point. The current Tuna is different from the old one.... would she really be so reckless?]
[If it were the old Kiana, acting without thinking would be normal.... but current Kiana is clearly isolated and helpless. She must know Rita can't help her right now—Rita has lost her Honkai energy and is just an ordinary person!]
[Exactly. Kiana must know that being captured means the city falls entirely into World Serpent's hands. I feel like she might actually have a plan!]
"A plan? What, are you trying to tell me Kiana deliberately pretended to lose to Raven to get captured, just so she could play the victim while gathering intel from World Serpent? Then, after getting what she needs, she'll suddenly show off her power, beat Raven to a pulp, get to the heart of the matter, and save the whole city?"
Senti widened her eyes, retorting against the comments supporting Fu Hua. She was talking nonsense, completely unaware that she was inadvertently predicting the future.
In the game, the scene of Kiana being taken away was seen clearly by Rita. Rita met up with the remaining members of the Immortal Blades in the industrial zone. She declared they had to take action and couldn't just sit and wait. Alvitr was worried; with Rita having lost her power, a solo mission wasn't just a risk—it was a suicide mission!
["Alvitr, you are right. Poor command and misjudgment led to the loss of the team; as the leader, I should bear full responsibility."]
["But before this operation ends, I, standing here, still have the responsibility to thwart World Serpent's plan."]
In Rita's view, if Durandal arrived, they could easily win. But what if she didn't arrive in time? Or if World Serpent completed their plan before she arrived? What would happen to the city then?
["If victory means defeating the enemy in a city filled with the corpses of thousands of innocents.... as a Valkyrie, I do not need such a victory."]
This speech from Rita earned looks of admiration and respect from the viewers. Two chapters ago, many thought Rita was just Otto's accomplice, but now... it seemed that wasn't the case. Although this maid appeared to hide a blade behind her smile and was quite "black-bellied," she was not a cold-blooded person. On the contrary, Rita Rossweisse, like any other Valkyrie, wanted to do her best to protect those caught in the crossfire of Honkai disasters.
[Sigh, it seems Rita isn't a bad person after all.]
[But I don't get it, why does Rita work for Otto?]
[Who knows, maybe Otto is deceiving them? It's not impossible.]
[True. Otto is the Overseer of Schicksal on the surface, and he is leading the Valkyries against the Honkai.... honestly, from the protagonist's perspective, Otto is an irredeemable bastard. But to those Valkyries, they might actually see him as a great hero.]
[Sigh, true. Even if Otto is a bad seed, the Schicksal Valkyries really do step up when things go down!]
[Earlier people said the Valkyries were just pawns for Otto, but I think that's a narrow view. These Valkyries are actually fighting for their faith. Because they want to protect the weak and fulfill their mission against the Honkai, they charge forward one after another....]
Teacher Rita had indeed flipped her car, but you could call her "unskilled"—you certainly couldn't call her a coward. Choosing to act alone despite losing her power, rather than waiting for Durandal's support, showed a rare level of courage.
Moved by Rita's words, Alvitr proved her title as the "Strongest Tool" by directly modifying Rita's armor. Even though Rita couldn't use Honkai energy, the armor could still function for a limited time. This was a huge help. After evading the guards, Rita reached the research institute in the industrial zone, hoping to find info on the serum gas antidote. However, she found that the wreckage of the Eos had vanished at some point, giving her an ominous feeling.
While Rita was infiltrating the lab, deep within the industrial zone.... Raven was resting in a dark hibernation pod to repair damage from previous battles. On the screen, a scene appeared of a boy crying and waving in front of a raging forest fire. He was calling Raven's name, telling her to leave quickly.
Raven, Ciora's dream. She often had this dream—of her brother and the day they said goodbye. After the Second Eruption, Raven was forced to leave her home. Gray Snake took the young Ciora away, despite her crying and pleading for him to take her brother too. But Gray Snake told her a cold reality: her brother had no such value. After taking Ciora, Gray Snake trained her into a skilled World Serpent warrior, but to this day, she still dreamed of her brother.
This bit of lore fleshed out Raven's character, finally letting the audience understand why she harbored such hatred and hostility toward Herrschers!
Raven was woken from her sleep by Jackal. The plan was to be executed in "two hours." After flipping the switch, the people of Arc City would welcome a "new life"! On the other side, Rita had successfully infiltrated the institute and was searching for serum info. But no one expected that while she was focused on the search, a figure appeared silently behind her.
In the next moment, a cold blade was held against Rita's neck. Raiden Mei gazed at Rita with a frigid stare; she naturally had zero goodwill for this Valkyrie.
[Holy crap! Mei!]
[OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD!]
[Mei's gaze is too 'A' (Alpha/cool)! I'm dying!]
[Tears in my eyes, brothers! Mei has been offline for so long, she's finally reconnected!]
[I thought the Old Thief had put Mei in storage! I haven't seen her for several chapters; I was so restless!]
[Mei-senpai, I finally waited for you!!]
[I'm just a passerby, I don't know—is this a new character?]
Watching the cool entrance of Mei in the game, her cold profile was different from Kiana's memory, but... "Wow! Mei also came to Arc City! Is she here to save me?!" Kiana's eyes sparkled. Her disappointment over being captured vanished in an instant!
"Mhm, it seems Miss Mei is the reinforcement this time. At least she hasn't lost her Honkai power, so there's a better chance against World Serpent."
Rita didn't seem surprised by Mei's appearance. She had previously noticed that a message had been left for Kiana's companions in the game; for her to arrive now was truly "sending charcoal in the snow."
["You received the message sent through that child."]
["It seems luck is on my side.... the 'helping hand' I hoped for. Did Dr. Tesla not come with you?"]
["After receiving your message, we prepared for the worst." Mei's tone remained icy. "Now, give me a reason to believe you aren't up to something."]
["When a blade is at your neck, lying is not a wise choice."]
Rita honestly revealed the entire situation to Mei, proposing that Mei help get the antidote while she told Mei Kiana's location. Mei eventually agreed. After everything was completed, Rita told her where Kiana was. Simultaneously, at Mei's request, Rita handed over Gray Snake's eye.
While Mei was rushing to the underground lab, Kiana was suffering under Jackal's torture. When Kiana snapped back to consciousness at Fu Hua's reminder, Jackal was watching the lab through a nearby monitor.
["Good, Herrscher of the Void. In that last test, you only blacked out for a third of a second."]
["Your body is practically a miracle. Heh, it seems no matter how I mess with it, it returns to its original state...."]
["Can you speak yet?"]
Jackal marveled at Kiana, who was locked in a container. Kiana "weakly" asked Jackal how many people would survive this experiment.
["Are you really concerned about the numbers? I thought for a Herrscher, the death count would be as meaningless as breadcrumbs after dinner."]
["I will certainly tell you the answer. If you can still hear my voice then...."]
["Next project: The reaction between the Herrscher Core and biological tissue connections."]
Jackal continued to torture Kiana with various methods. The girl's screams caused Jackal to let out a series of delighted laughs behind her mask. Seeing Jackal's cruelty, the viewers were filled with rage, wanting nothing more than to reach into the screen and punch her!
"I can't stand it! Torturing Kiana like that! Hateful Jackal, I'm going to punch her until her face is like a pig's!!" Senti was the first to lose her cool. Mocking Kiana's car flip was one thing, but seeing her comrade tortured like this was another! Touch her friend, and you're dead, Jackal!!
Even the good-tempered Fu Hua showed a flash of anger. But soon, Kiana kept asking Jackal questions, and a discovery made her pause, realizing her hunch might be correct. Just as the audience and Senti were denouncing Jackal:
In the game, as Jackal was about to begin a dissection, Kiana's mouth curled into a smirk.
["Spent so much time with you just for a tiny bit of an answer...."]
[The girl trapped in the experimental pod suddenly laughed, as if she had been tolerating a clumsy comedy and finally lost her patience.]
["Well, I guess I won't get any more intel out of you."]
[The trembling weakling in Jackal's eyes, the helpless "subject," suddenly showed the smile of a hunter.]
["Impossible! You were clearly just...."]
[Facing Jackal's shock, Kiana's face showed mockery: "Oh, learning to scream and fake-cry is a basic skill for girls. Those tricks of yours... they didn't really hurt that much."]
The girl raised her fist. One punch, two... the reinforced glass, as hard as steel, shattered like thin ice under her rage.
["Remember, what is being crushed today isn't just a few pieces of glass—it's your stupid Project Stigma!"]
["Watch your head!"]
After smashing the pod, Kiana stepped out and breathed in the fresh air. A giant insectoid monster blocked her path, and a battle began.
This plot twist left Senti looking like a Monster Hunter player who missed a "True Charged Slash" on a Rathalos—completely stunned.
[Holy crap, LMAO!]
[Streamer is a true prophet! It happened exactly like she said!]
[Streamer, are you really the Old Thief's brother? How did you guess so accurately?]
[Wait, did you read the script early? How else would you know?]
[Kiana really used a 'bitter meat' (self-harm) trick for intel? Prophet! Kill her!]
Seeing Senti's face, the viewers burst into laughter. Senti's face was turning shades of blue and purple; she had mocked Kiana's "failure" and then made up some nonsense she didn't believe, only for it to be true! So... was this a face-slap?
"Ahem! Of course! Of course! This streamer is a legendary Werewolf player, my predictions are top-tier! Don't you know I was just creating 'program effects'? Haha!" Senti coughed, desperately trying to save face, while the chat became even more joyful.
In Guinaifen's stream, Kiana literally jumped for joy. She wiped her nose with a smug look. "Hell yeah! I told you, this lady won't be defeated that easily!!" "It turns out this lady is pretty awesome! Using a trick to make Jackal lower her guard to get intel.... Hehe, I was just preserving my strength, get it!!"
Rita smiled and praised her: "Truly impressive, Lady Kiana.... Your will is indeed worthy of praise, to endure such torture is quite something." "Hum-hum! Exactly!" With Rita's praise, Kiana's "tail" was practically wagging in the air!
The game entered the combat stage. As Void Drifter fought the monster, Fu Hua's worried voice rang out.
["It's strange.... that person's torture didn't hurt at all."]
Kiana's line made Guinaifen wear a concerned look. "So those screams really were acting? She wasn't just holding it in?" Kiana giggled: "Maybe the Herrscher power strengthened my body, so that torture was nothing to me!" Rita shook her head: "But Lady Kiana is still affected by the serum gas.... Jackal was right; Lady Kiana is a Herrscher, but she is still flesh and blood... to be tortured like that and feel no pain is strange in itself." Kiana didn't think too much of it: "Who cares! Not feeling pain is a good thing! After all, I hate pain!"
[As Kiana holstered her guns, the glowing purple beast fell to the ground, decomposing into small black fragments before being sucked into a black hole and vanishing.]
[At the same time, the lab doors behind her trembled violently and fell open.]
[Kiana turned, ready for a new enemy.]
[....But the person before her caught her completely off guard.]
["Kiana....?"]
[Kiana Kaslana had imagined ten thousand ways to reunite with Raiden Mei.]
[But none were like this. At this time, in this place....]
[Her heart held no joy, only panic.]
Kiana felt at a loss, even struggling to speak properly. After so much, she thought she was strong enough—strong enough to face an old friend. But the moment she saw Mei, her confidence shattered. She became that lost, wandering girl in Arc City again. The lingering guilt and the fear of losing control... the demons of the past whispered in her ear.
Mei remained silent, hugging Kiana tightly. She gripped Kiana's clothes, as if the girl would vanish if she let go. Mei wanted to take Kiana back to the Hyperion. Her voice carried a sob; seeing the battered girl in her arms, her heart nearly broke.
But. Kiana could not go back. She couldn't go back. She had committed heinous crimes, hurting her most important companions... even if it was the Herrscher's doing, the Herrscher slept within her. Kiana was unwilling and afraid to return to Mei and the others. she was afraid that one day, she would lose control again and history would repeat itself....
Clearly, Kiana and Mei's reunion should have been a happy occasion. But now, the chat was a mess of chaos.
[Haha! Sugar! This is all sugar!]
[I'm eating it all! Pure sugar! Hey streamer, why aren't you laughing? Isn't it sweet?!]
[After all the hardships, Mei and Kiana finally reunite! It's too sweet....]
[No, brother, you clearly have a sugar-coated blade in your mouth!]
[Is it really sweet? Brother, your mental state is so gone that your taste buds are inverted (Sadness).]
[Haha! Who said Honkai 3rd isn't healing? This is so healing!]
[Sugar is precious; everyone should eat first.... Dammit, eat, eat it for me, why aren't you eating!!!]
At this moment. In Su Mu's office, watching the mentally unstable Captains in the two streams, he sighed, recalling the past. In his previous life, he felt the same way. A bloody blade is painful, but a sugar-coated one is a heavyweight champion! The evil writer didn't even hide it. Didn't you want to see Kiana and Mei reunite? Reunited! Satisfied?
Whenever this happened, a group of "Old Veterans" would appear, "tricking" the newbies into the trap. Watching the newbies get stabbed into a daze and questioning if the game actually had sugar...
[? Your sugar tastes weird? Child, that just means you haven't eaten sugar in Honkai 3rd for too long; sugar is supposed to taste like this!]
[I'm a patient of 'Down Syndrome' (Pun on 'Sugar'), it's sugar! (Chaos)]
[I removed the depression from the plot, but I kept a part of it, because I think a bit of depression is how you know you're playing Honkai 3rd....]
[Was it an intentional accident?]
[Need you ask? It was an intentional accident!!]
Now, seeing the players in the streams wailing, Su Mu felt as if he were back in that afternoon. Pure little newbies, tricked by veterans into downloading the game, only to become one of them, constantly expanding the ranks of the "traumatized."
A "relieved" smile appeared on his face. Sigh. Children, welcome to the world of the traumatized.
END OF CHAPTER
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