MGSFV?! Chapter 462. The Blade Descends; You're Truly Unwell, miHoYo!
In Hokuto's previous life, this story had even birthed a widely circulated meme…
Because a female executive had been parachuted into the Russian branch and squeezed the team too hard, a lead artist jumped on a train and rage-quit, leading to the game's "death."
Spanning characters like Bronya, Heavy Bunny, Old Yang… and two entire games.
Of course, from the perspective of this world's reality, Hokuto believed calling it a "game death" wasn't exactly accurate—just poor sales, that's all.
For example, one of the games developed by the miHoYo studio prior to Hokuto's arrival—"Homu's Grand Adventure", produced by Bronya—sold over 100,000 copies and had as many as 14 players beat it to the end.
Elysia: Marketing is hard~♪
Elysia: Mm… Beating it is even harder…
Bronya's game was, indeed, a little bit difficult.
Bronya was a genius programmer. Her code was solid, bug-free at a low level. Game-breaking issues? Rare.
And as a hardcore gamer herself, while the gameplay might not have been particularly "fun," the core mechanics were competent enough to play.
Plus, the miHoYo studio's art and modeling were both industry standard.
However…
The level design of Homu's Grand Adventure made everyone feel like the level designer was genuinely unwell.
Like a rhythm game where a player with impeccable musical sense and lightning-fast reflexes wrote a brutal chart, then said: "It's on the beat! Just hit the notes!"
Brain: "???"; Hands: "???"
Now imagine if the story writer (Kiana) added… bizarre plot points.
Boss battles you couldn't beat. Soul-crushing story beats. And by the time you rage-quit and tried to refund—you were already past the two-hour mark.
Your blood pressure: through the roof.
Off to the forums, warning everyone: Stay away.
Yeah.
But—times change. If that same game were released today?
Players' first reaction might not be to post angry reviews, but to recommend it to streamers just to watch them suffer.
Building joy from others' misery.
It might even go a bit viral.
Just goes to show—a game's fate relies not just on hard work, but also historical timing.
Different internet climate, different result.
...
Anyway.
That's more or less why Bronya's game had such poor sales.
And why miHoYo studio was struggling before Hokuto showed up.
But let's return to the main story for now.
When Elysia asked, "Isn't this exactly like real-life Bronya?", Hokuto had replied with meaningful intent: "It's exactly the same."
Referring to the mirrored fates of the in-game and real-world Bronya.
If Elysia had picked up on it, things might've gone somewhere interesting. Unfortunately…
"Ah, as I thought~~"
She responded casually, then shifted her attention back to the game screen and tapped it.
The story continued.
Duck Mom and Mistelin had just given their respective "prophecies," effectively summarizing most of Bronya's life.
But Duck Mom had said all that just to make one point:
"...Mistelin, I know this argument is meaningless. No one can predict this child's future."
No, no.
You two prophets basically just mapped out Bronya's entire life in advance.
"But at the very least, I know—that should be her life. Even if it's just a nebulous, uncertain future, it still holds its own meaning."
"Yes, just as you said… I can't do much more for her. That's my fault."
"But… how could I not give her even the chance to have a future?"
["The future... is the last form of 'infinity' I can offer you."]
[Profound parallels.]
"All right… let's begin, Mistelin. No matter what, you haven't denied that you can undo everything."
Alexandra paused here.
Then smiled gently and continued:
"If we keep stalling like this, I might start to regret it."
"...Regret?"
"Of course! Do you think I'm some old lady at the end of her life, with no unfinished business? I still have tons of things I want to do, things I want to have…"
Players: ...
This part felt painfully real.
Who doesn't want to live?
Especially when Duck Mom was still young and full of life. With the power of the Stigma, she could've had an almost eternal life… She could've done so much…
"A garden where I can pick fresh flowers year-round… A trip across half the world to Machu Picchu… A diamond necklace… A different dress for every day…"
So many regrets.
So many dreams still waiting to bloom.
She hadn't given up on the future.
She knew the world's beauty—and wanted to keep living in it.
But…
"..."
Alexandra took a deep breath, her inhale trembling uncontrollably.
The joy, hope, and love she felt while carrying this child… now turned to despair, pain, and desperate prayer.
"Mistelin, hurry, please."
[How can she possibly hurry??]
[That voice acting just made my soul ascend. The sobs, the tremble…]
[And the writing—same old writer, never strays from form. I'm crying (angrily).]
[Wait—wasn't the writer's vision all about "hope, light, and positivity"?]
[A mother's love is the purest thing there is. You can't call that anything but beautiful.]
...
Mistelin: "..."
She couldn't understand—and presented her reasoning.
"Do you remember what you told me the first time we met?"
'Only by surviving can one find a turning point.'
Duck Mom herself had once said that to Mistelin.
Why couldn't she…
"That was a truth I offered to you and this child. Of course I can't take it back."
Mistelin: "..."
She fell into a deep silence.
[She wanted to survive and find a turning point… because she wanted her child to see the world.]
[I understand. I really do. But Mistelin—Mistelin, come on, think of something. You're the one who said 'I can't do anything,' remember? Save them!]
[She's not a Herrscher. Account error (sad).]
[We have no other choice.]
[Time to call Grey Serpent? He'd show up, right? An eligible candidate is so rare. There's no way he'd turn that down.]
[Then… Grey Serpent would ensure the child doesn't jeopardize the compatible candidate.]
[...]*n
Mistelin's silence continued.
Alexandra softly called her name again.
"Mistelin…"
It pulled her out of her thoughts.
"Let me tell you one more story about Aleksei, all right?"
Before they were married, her husband had taken her to a military cemetery to honor fallen soldiers.
Judging by the timeline, it was likely those who had died in the Great Patriotic War or the Chechen War.
That is to say…
But Duck Mom wasn't trying to spark a political discussion.
She just shared what she saw.
A military cemetery… rows upon rows of graves. Thousands buried together. Each had a small marker. They all shared a single, massive monument inscribed with a few solemn lines.
We lie here not because we chose to die—but because choosing to live would've brought shame to the land that bore us.
Life must not be discarded lightly. But youth knows no fear—and we were young.
[...]*n
Hearing this, Elysia didn't speak.
She simply stopped at that moment, letting the silence settle for a long time.
It was the kind of silence that felt… necessary.
...
Time passed.
The story continued.
Mistelin understood what Alexandra was trying to convey with that story.
But…
"Alexandra, what I'm about to say might upset you, make you hate me more…"
"But… you must know—your survival itself is a miracle. Your life… is immeasurably precious."
"Precious?" Alexandra shook her head. "Don't say that… Life is equally precious to everyone."
"Then…"
"Even the most precious things must serve a purpose—otherwise, they lose their value."
"..."
Mistelin had nothing more to say.
Convincing her clearly wasn't going to work.
And if she forced Alexandra to live…
Then it wouldn't be for the mother or the child—it would be to justify her own choices, to make herself feel "right."
That would be the most meaningless act of all.
She understood that now.
If she were just an ordinary, selfish human—if she hadn't been born of ideals…
She might've chosen selfishly.
But…
"Sadly, that's just a hypothetical. If I were like that, I wouldn't be suffering like this to begin with."
Even burdened by her curse…
As a Shaniat, Mistelin couldn't say no to such a beautiful request.
She reached out her hand.
The Stigma she had once awakened herself—the only hope she'd found in the depths of hell—
Began to dim.
"Ah…"
"It's over."
What she felt in that moment—
Might be akin to Otto killing Kallen with his own hands…
Emphasis on Honkai Impact 3rd's Otto—because HI2's Otto was a different man entirely.
HI3 Otto: would do anything to revive Kallen.
HI2 Otto: would do anything to stop the Honkai—even if it meant sacrificing Kallen.
...
Back on track.
While Mistelin's thoughts spiraled into chaos—
Alexandra noticed something odd.
"…Strange. I don't feel any different?"
The Stigma's power had been withdrawn. But physically, she felt no change.
She had braced herself for searing pain or total collapse.
But instead…
"The effects of the Stigma on your body won't disappear so quickly," Mistelin explained. Then she turned to leave.
"I'm sorry. Before Maxim comes to pick you up… I must go. Otherwise… regardless of your condition, anyone he brings along will die because of me."
But Alexandra raised a hand to stop her.
"Before you go—can we talk about one more thing?"
"…?"
"Venice has long since changed, and Greece's finest is sinking fast. But it is not preservation—but possession that makes something precious."
"…What's that?"
"It was going to be my epitaph."
[...]*n
[We're already at the "epitaph" stage? I…]
[What a shame. You've just appeared—we're just getting to know you—and now it's over.]
[Duck Mom's life is too short. It hurts.]
"But… now that I think about it, probably no one will remember me. Those words seem too self-important… so maybe I'll pass on that."
"Still—I just had a new idea. Want to hear it?"
Since these were Duck Mom's final words, Mistelin naturally didn't refuse.
She even replied gently: "Sure… go ahead."
BUT—
Darkness suddenly, without warning, erased everything.
It had been mentioned before—Mistelin's unstable existence could pull her back into the Stigma space at any time.
However…
[Why NOW?!]
[At least let Alexandra finish her sentence!!]
[I… miHoYo, what the hell?!]
[Writer, you absolute monster—come here and I'll slap a buff on your head.]
The livestream exploded.
All players furiously typed the same line:
To condemn the writer's utter lack of humanity.
And if the players were like this…
Mistelin was even worse.
"...?"
"Alexandra?"
At first, she called her name instinctively. Then—
"ALEXANDRA!!!"
She shouted, desperately.
But the darkness around her remained silent and still. It gave her no reply.
This place—
Once the haven she craved, where she could exist without harming others—
Now became her prison.
[You're really not going to let Mistelin hear Duck Mom's last words??]
[Classic Mistelin-style chapter cut.]
It's truly… unbearable.
Too cruel.
Why leave us like this?
Alexandra's dying wish—cut short.
As if they intentionally didn't want Mistelin—or the players—to know it.
You're seriously unwell, miHoYo!
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