MGSFV?! Chapter 382. "I Don't Want to Let Her Down"
The players were sorting through their emotions, having just witnessed the grand curtain call of Elysian Realm. Their feelings were, without question, extraordinarily complex.
There was so much they wanted to say—and yet so much they didn't know how to express.
[I used to laugh until I cried during previous story chapters. This time, I cried until I smiled.]
[Honestly, after all the excitement and sorrow faded, I just felt warm inside. Deeply moved.]
[Maybe this was the perfect ending for Elysia. Not one where people weep for her, but where they smile and send her off.]
[I think Elysia would want to leave joy and laughter for the ones she loved—and for those who loved her.]
[Henceforth, stars will shine because you were here. Henceforth, flowers will bloom because you never left.]
[Goodbye, Thirteen Flame-Chasers. Goodbye, Elysia.]
Some players, after watching the short film, found peace.
Indeed, it was hard to deny that the Flame-Chasers' ending—Elysia's ending—was romantic.
So it was only natural they could let go.
But…
Not everyone could move on so easily.
It's not that simple to just say goodbye and walk away.
[Even though I know the ending was beautiful and romantic… I still feel so empty inside. A deep sense of loss.]
[Yeah, it was grand, glorious, everything was wrapped up—but I still don't want to say goodbye.]
[My mind keeps going back, wanting to return to Elysian Realm.]
[Hey, chin up. Story is story, the game is the game. We'll definitely be able to go back to Elysian Realm—there's no way MiHoYo would delete a map they spent so much time making, right? Doesn't that make you feel better?]
Some players even took it upon themselves to comfort others, highlighting a rare tenderness in the Honkai Impact 3rd community.
[Smile, okay? That's Elysia's final wish. Ai-men~♪]
[Ai-men~♪] n
The screen flooded with pink bullet comments.
In the past, players would usually joke after the emotional high had passed.
Like after Flamescion, someone joked: [It was touching and all, but once I remember one of the cores was stolen, I just burst out laughing.]
Or after Apocalypse's monologue: [Save the wine bottle—if Otto rises from the grave, I'm using it to knock him back in.]
But this time—
There were no jokes.
Just a sea of pink "Ai-men~♪" scrolling silently.
That emotion, that blessing…
Had truly found a place in everyone's heart.
Ai-men~♪
...
And while players were still reminiscing—
Elysia, under Hokuto's cue, logged into the official MiHoYo dev account.
She was about to play the last part of today's story.
There's more?
Noticing her movement, players grew curious and focused on the screen.
It showed a long, dark corridor.
Footsteps echoed faintly...
What is this?
Players blinked and quickly began speculating.
Was it a scene from Mei's side of the story? The real world?
In truth—it was.
Mei's figure soon entered the frame.
She took in the environment around her—
The damp air in her nose, the chill creeping along her skin…
She confirmed inwardly—
She had returned to the long-lost reality.
And yet, she couldn't help but murmur:
"I… am back, huh?"
There was a touch of hesitation, a trace of melancholy in her voice—
and many players could totally relate to it.
Yes.
Mei had prepared to say farewell and step bravely into her own future.
But—
Could one truly calm those emotions so quickly?
At least, players knew they couldn't.
As they reflected—
Mei continued walking down the corridor.
"…Hm?"
And at the end—
a figure appeared, just as she expected.
A man stood silently, judgment in hand, guarding the path.
Light passed over him, framing him like a final door.
So still. So resolute.
"Kevin?"
Even Elysia, watching the scene, paused in her motion.
"Why is he… here?"
A certain possibility surfaced in her mind.
Because she believed—
That boy had never changed.
"…Hmm…"
She suddenly realized—
That wasn't the real ending earlier, was it?
Meanwhile, the livestream chat had erupted.
[Kevin: Where's my Elysian Realm?]
[Mei: Humanity will defeat the Honkai!]
[Kevin: Cool~~]
[So Kevin really just stood there guarding the Elysian Realm servers with Dethroner in hand, huh? I almost thought he was still slurping noodles.]
[Why do I feel an inexplicable sense of comfort seeing Kevin now?]
Times had changed.
And now—
Players really did feel happy to see Kevin again.
And what Kevin did next—
did not disappoint.
Well… except for one thing.
Elysia, now slightly anxious, clicked forward to continue the cutscene.
In the game—
Mei also understood Kevin's presence here—
He was the final failsafe.
"You're the last safeguard," she said.
Kevin: "..."
Still as quiet as ever.
Just like Kosma—
Well, Kosma did learn from Kevin, after all. People even call him "Little Kevin."
Having learned so much about Kevin's past in Elysian Realm, Mei wasn't bothered by his silence.
She continued.
"You never made a move."
"...Looks like you have a lot of faith in your old companions."
Kevin simply replied:
"So do you."
Mei fell silent.
She wasn't sure what he meant.
Was he saying she had faith in the Flame-Chasers?
Or was he saying he had faith in her?
Maybe one.
Maybe both.
Mei didn't know.
Neither did the players.
They had imagined countless possible encounters between post-Elysian Realm Mei and real-world Kevin.
But they hadn't expected… this.
It wasn't heavy.
It was—
Indescribable.
Kevin, oh Kevin...
Even after everything, they still didn't fully understand what he was thinking.
They thought they finally understood him—
Only to realize how little they truly knew.
If Hokuto had heard their thoughts—
He'd probably just nod and say, "Exactly."
Back to the story.
After a pause—
Mei said, with a complicated expression:
"Kevin, they…"
But Kevin interrupted her.
"I know."
Of course he knew.
He knew Elysian Realm was fading away.
Mei: "..."
She fell silent again.
After a moment—
She lifted her head and asked solemnly:
"Even so… you don't want to see them one last time?"
It was a heavy question.
The corridor's mood instantly shifted—
and so did the livestream.
[Even so...]
[No no no, this kind of plot gives me stomach cramps.]
[Kevin, won't you see Elysia… see them… one last time?]
[Just one glance, Kevin… won't you go?]
Mei was thinking the same.
She thought he'd say it was meaningless.
But he didn't.
Kevin simply—
calmly, as always—
said something utterly uncalm.
"I don't want to let her down."
Just that.
Just that—
and the emotional weight crushed them.
["I don't want to let her down." Kevin… that must hurt so much to say.]
[If Kevin had replied coldly like Mei imagined, I might've been able to keep a straight face…]
[But Kevin… someone like him showing this kind of tenderness is the hardest to bear.]
So many players didn't expect it—
They survived the short film,
only to be undone by one simple line from Kevin.
But to those who'd walked this whole journey—
Who'd witnessed everything—
They understood the emotion surging beneath Kevin's cold exterior.
And it was almost impossible not to cry.
Elysia, too, visibly reacted.
But she said nothing.
...
In the cutscene—
Mei understood immediately.
This man, once the embodiment of strength, was not lamenting to anyone…
He was confessing his weakness.
Kevin wasn't just a final wall.
He was—
Remembering.
Saying goodbye.
"You…"
Mei wanted to speak.
But Kevin cut her off.
"Go."
He said it calmly.
No more emotion.
Or perhaps—
He had already shown enough.
Kevin was lonely.
Because no one had ever truly seen his loneliness.
"...Go where?" Mei asked.
"Stigma Plan." Kevin replied directly.
[Again?!]
[No wonder he said he didn't want to let Elysia down… She was the one who most believed in the fire's success—and least wanted the Stigma Plan.]
[So… the next arc will be about us stopping Kevin from carrying it out?]
[I think so. The question is, who's going to fight Kevin?]
…
Mei: "..."
She said nothing, but her silence spoke volumes.
She knew why Kevin was restarting the plan.
The Twelfth Herrscher was gone.
The Thirteenth was a lie.
The destined moment—
was here.
The end was near.
"Has the story already reached its endgame…?"
Elysia, absorbed in the scene, felt her heart blur.
And still, the story didn't pause.
"So the day… has finally come?"
Mei asked.
Kevin answered plainly:
"If you don't want to face it—then you have no reason to stay here."
"Kevin."
Mei said frankly,
"You know I've never agreed with this plan."
"It doesn't matter. You understand it now."
"..."
"Understand, maybe… agree? No."
Her time in Elysian Realm had taught her to see many things more clearly.
"Kevin—every person has the potential to become a hero."
"But you… shouldn't force everyone to be the kind of hero you've chosen to be."
What if Pardofelis's sacrifice hadn't been her own choice?
Then it would've been something else entirely.
"That's not what she would have wanted."
"Raiden Mei."
Kevin looked at her.
He understood what she meant.
He understood who "she" was.
He stated a fact:
"There will never be another Elysia."
He had no choice.
The current era—had no choice.
That's why—
He bet everything on the Stigma Plan, hoping it would carry them past the end.
Mei: "..."
Seeing his icy demeanor—
She realized persuasion was meaningless.
They were never going to reach consensus with words.
"A man's fate is his character."
"Even if the end is set, I want to choose how I reach it."
"At this point, I understand why the Stigma Plan may be necessary."
"In this era's context, it has its place. It's not about agreeing or denying—it's about new hope. Maybe there's even another layer to it we haven't seen yet."
...
Kevin remained 'cold.'
"What she hoped for… was never here.
It's in you."
Mei understood what he meant.
"So I've lost the last reason to stay in World Serpent, haven't I?"
She said plainly:
**"So—
the real reason you recruited a Herrscher into World Serpent…
I've already fulfilled it, haven't I?"**
"Mm."
To everyone's surprise—
Kevin answered softly.
So softly—
They wondered if they heard it at all.
But they had.
Check the logs—it was real.
Everyone's expression froze.
Kevin…
The true, the only reason he brought Mei into World Serpent—
Was to fulfill Elysia's wish.
Elysia had always hoped—
That another Herrscher like her could rise to fight for humanity.
Kevin brought Mei.
So she could witness it—herself.
He really…
"Kevin… he really never changed."
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