MGSFV?! Chapter 512. Employee Livestream Guidelines; Who Else Hasn't Won Their Redemption Match?
Oops, went off-topic again.
Back to the point.
In the beginning of the story, Mei was undoubtedly written with a "gentle" personality trait.
Then why did she turn from "Raiden Queen" into the so-called "Rice Cooker Wife" after becoming a Herrscher?
Having gained the power of the Herrscher of Thunder—a power that suits the "Raiden Queen" persona so well—shouldn't she have become even more queenly?
Like the version of herself who fully embraced the Herrscher of Thunder's power after Lament of the Fallen?
But the truth was completely the opposite...
Yet, thinking back to her first Herrscher awakening, it wasn't really hard to understand, was it?
Becoming a Herrscher was not a good thing. The time Raiden Mei awakened as a Herrscher directly led to a catastrophic disaster, causing countless deaths and injuries.
That day, three years ago.
In that endless darkness... some cried, some wailed, some were silent, some fell.
In the end, only silence remained.
The entire world, because of her, seemed to die all at once.
And she could only watch it all unfold, fully conscious—yet powerless.
After such an experience, any morally sound human being would undergo serious inner reflection.
The young girl back then (even though she's only 20 now) was no exception.
And clearly, the Mei of that time couldn't possibly bear such intense guilt.
That's why she intended to destroy herself—if Kiana hadn't fought desperately to pull her back.
But even after Kiana saved her, the guilt didn't just vanish on its own.
To suppress that guilt, Mei chose to become gentle.
On one hand, treating the world gently was how Mei hoped the world, and everyone in it, would treat one another.
On the other hand, the casualties from the Herrscher awakening were her "sins." Carrying those sins, Mei tried her best to avoid causing harm again—and strove to do more good for the world around her.
Installing a bomb in her own heart, becoming a Valkyrie to fight against the Honkai... these were all reflections of that mindset.
In other words, the Raiden Mei often described as "gentle" was more like... a protective personality formed after tremendous trauma.
"..."
From this angle, the Mei in Chapter 34's Stigmata Project simulation—who escaped the Honkai and lived a peaceful life—acting more like the "Raiden Queen" was actually a return to her most original state.
Unexpectedly, the Stigmata Project's simulation abilities were quite impressive—not even out-of-character.
But was it really just due to the simulation's capabilities?
Perhaps... not necessarily?
Maybe someone very familiar with Mei was (secretly?) helping drive the simulation.
Whether Mei had considered this at the time...
Even the players outside the game likely couldn't tell.
After all, they could only see Mei watching the illusion play out—one that held no actual meaning—while pondering.
Is this...
what she truly wants?
The conclusion, for the "current" her, was actually... obvious.
...
Back to the story.
The Stigmata Project finished simulating a warm daily life where Mei and Kiana "escaped the Honkai."
Then...
The never-realized scene gradually faded.
To be fair, the two of them had grown so much through their journey— even if the Honkai were truly gone, they would no longer speak in such innocent tones.
Just like how Mei now showed no attachment to this warm, beautiful illusion.
Because she was no longer the person she used to be.
The Queen's descent, Lament of the Fallen, the Rimestar Herrscher, Elysian Realm...
All of it made her grow—again and again.
But growth—though comforting in others' eyes—whether it's in body, bones, or soul, always comes with excruciating pain.
And pain, contrary to the optimist's belief, isn't always meaningful.
If people don't have to face future pain, don't have to reflect and grow from it—then why must they grow at all?
Mei couldn't help but recall a phrase she encountered in the Elysian Realm while helping a certain sage trace data—
This was when Elysia had just disappeared, Kalpas hadn't wrecked everything yet, and Su had asked Mei to clean up redundant Elysian Realm data while investigating potential traitors among the Flame-Chasers.
Sometimes that data contained memory fragments from ordinary MOTH members.
One of them had said this—
"I don't care about the truth of the world or final victory—I just want someone to hold me when I die."
In a story, when readers identify with characters, they naturally want to experience things they normally couldn't—something grand, tear-jerking, dramatic.
But in real life...
Turbulence, tragedy—forget it, really?
The cost of growth is clearly best avoided if possible.
"..."
"Yeah..."
Mei sighed softly.
If she truly had a choice, perhaps she wouldn't want to go through all this either. But... since she had already walked this long path, she wouldn't deny it.
Because the lights she encountered along the way were not meaningless.
So...
If she looked up at those lights, she had no reason to hesitate.
Especially when everything before her was an illusion, and... a certain "old acquaintance" was secretly watching.
"This act... you've seen enough."
With that thought, Mei raised her hand and slashed down hard!!
[General Mei is so cool!]
[Why do I feel like Mei's words here had a double meaning?]
["Seen enough of the act"—is she saying she's seen enough of this fake dream? Or... is she saying that to someone else?]
[What? What do you mean?]
[I mean—maybe someone's been peeping on General Mei, and she's noticed.]
[Someone's watching? Who?!]
"Peeping? Could it be that golden Gold Serpent?"
Upon seeing the barrage confidently analyze that someone was watching Mei—
Elysia's first reaction was, naturally, Gold Serpent.
"Mm..." Mei let out a soft hum at the sound.
"Mm~?"
Elysia immediately turned to her, letting out a curious little hum.
"Did I guess right?"
"...That should be one of the questions explicitly prohibited in the boss's 'Employee Livestream Guidelines,'" Mei replied after a moment's thought.
"Employee Livestream Guidelines? I didn't expect 'Otto' to write something like that!"
Compared to Mei's tactful refusal to answer, Elysia was more curious about the so-called livestream guidelines she had just mentioned.
"Umm... well, that's just how the boss is... You should understand, Elysia..."
"I understand, I understand. 'Otto' does like to do strange things out of nowhere sometimes," Elysia nodded repeatedly.
"Yes, just like you, Elysia. Exactly the same."
But even before the words fully left her lips, Mei immediately followed up with that line.
Elysia: "?"
...
Continuing the plot.
In-game.
Though Mei had slashed through the space in a flourish, breaking space isn't something the Herrscher of Thunder can actually do.
Besides, whether this illusion could even be considered a "space" remained unknown.
If it could be broken so easily, she wouldn't have needed help escaping earlier.
But in truth, the girl had overwhelming control over this space...
Because of the "other party's" presence.
[So someone really was peeking—but apparently, it wasn't the Gold Serpent like Miss Fairy guessed?]
After all, if it were Gold Serpent, Mei wouldn't have gained dominion over the space just because he was around.
[Then who? Mei seems very familiar with them...]
The more speculation flew, the more desperate they became to know who "that person" really was.
Curiosity stirred deeper and deeper, and their attention instinctively sharpened.
Right on cue, Mei declared decisively after slicing through the illusion:
"You should come out now!"
The game screen shifted.
The white void, now severed, revealed a hidden dark abyss—and within that abyss, a striking purple halo glowed.
[That halo looks... familiar??]
Some viewers began realizing something.
And then...
"So, you've finally figured it out."
A voice with a tone similar to Mei's echoed—giving away a very obvious clue.
By now, could they really still not guess?
After all...
Mei once stood under that same dark backdrop and purple halo and said the now-iconic line:
"I can't do anything."
A scene clipped into countless fan edits.
[Wait, isn't that also Mei's voice...?]
[No—it's her! It's that woman!]
[Never thought that woman would actually win the revival match.]
[Honkai's #1 Kiana×Mei shipper has entered the stage!]
[Says who? Bronya objects!]
[Focus! Stop going off-topic!!]
As for who it was...
The voice continued: "...After all this time, is this how you greet me?"
Mei didn't wait for her to finish, cutting her off instantly.
"We know each other. No need for pleasantries. Besides, your past greetings weren't very... friendly."
She paused, finally voicing the name that had already reached countless players' tongues.
"The Herrscher of Thunder. Or rather..."
"Heh." With a laugh, another Raiden Mei appeared on screen. "At least you're not a complete fool."
"I have the Stigmata Project to thank for this insight. Given how it functions, the personalities it can awaken are extremely limited."
The Stigmata Project cannot awaken something that never existed.
So if it was going to awaken something from Mei, it could only be the personality that had once faded.
But that was fine.
She had questions—questions she wouldn't otherwise get the chance to ask.
"By the way, you're very different from the other 'Herrscher personas' I've seen..."
Was she referring to the Queen?
"We don't have some kind of traumatizing past that would cause dissociation. And if you are a 'Herrscher persona,' why is your obsession limited to Kiana? Compared to you, the Herrscher of Sentience looks like an absolute maniac."
...
[Little Senti: Why drag me into this?!]
[Mei's saying the 'Herrscher persona' is surprisingly safe? Little Sentience doesn't feel threatening at all now.]
[True. Aside from smashing Otto at birth, she's never hurt anyone.]
[Correction! Hurting Otto doesn't count—that was justice.]
[Now I feel comforted when I see Little Senti. She's my emotional support Herrscher.]
As players debated Little Senti's newfound "safety," the Thunder Herrscher replied flatly with a brutal line:
"Don't get the wrong idea. I just couldn't stand your pathetic weakness."
That didn't seem... too harsh?
But don't worry.
She wasn't done yet.
"Besides, you've met an 'Elysia' now, haven't you?"
Immediately, an undefinable, complex feeling swelled up.
[The sole Kiana×Mei shipper is furious at the rise of new Elysia×Mei content? Why did that line pop into my head?]
[Why be mad? Give Elysia a chance and she'll win over the Thunder Herrscher too. Then the Thunder Herrscher will understand: shipping Kiana×Mei and liking Elysia are not mutually exclusive. Double the joy!]
[...You guys really think a lot. But maybe the Herrscher just meant that—like Elysia—she's not interested in destruction.]
[I get it. Not interested in destruction—just really, really into shipping Kiana×Mei. Big sis Thunder is the ultimate shipper.]
But Big Sis Thunder's strange commentary wasn't over yet.
In response to Mei's brief silence, she offered a rebuttal.
Mei: "..."
"You and Elysia are probably very different... Even after all this time together, I've never truly understood you."
"And you're no different."
Thunder Mei snorted coldly, her tone icy.
"Hmph. What nonsense. Think your wings are strong enough to defy me now?"
[This is... badass.]
[Mei versus herself—full power.]
[Looks like a mom scolding her daughter (lol). The voice booth must've been a blast (just imagining Mei yelling at herself is already hilarious).]
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