[Otto, having lost his combat ability, hid in the ruins with the unconscious Fu Hua. The Feather of Xuanyuan had been taken by the Herrscher, and both of them had reached their limits.
Otto replayed the scene of the god's suicide in his mind over and over. He knew it was an incredibly important revelation, yet he couldn't decipher even a shred of its meaning. "This feeling of being powerless to do anything but run... It's truly hateful."
...
After a bitter struggle, Cheng Lixue was slain on the spot.
As Sirin recovered, the few remaining Honkai Beasts that had been nearly exterminated reappeared across the Siberian plains. Sirin, brimming with amusement, toyed with the feather in her hand. "...Next, let's try out this new toy. Hmm, who should I use it on~?"
Within the spatial rift summoned by the Herrscher, the figures of Cecilia and Siegfried emerged. Cecilia fought desperately alongside her squad, but the Honkai Beasts only grew in number. Then, a massive hand summoned by Sirin snatched Cecilia away. Similarly, even after unleashing the Judgement of Shamash, Siegfriel could only fight Bela to a standstill—before he too was captured. Back at headquarters, Amber stared helplessly at the control panel, overwhelmed by the chaotic state of the battlefield. Just then, a petite figure appeared before the Overseer's office. It was her—yes, her—our Valkyrie, the Judah Launcher.]
[Kiana]: "Wait, is Aunt Theresa going to join the battle too?"
[Bronya Rand]: "What a complete waste of a good hand."
[Herta]: "For Otto, this has already achieved his goal."
[March 7th]: "Uh... I'm starting to think Sirin is like a pufferfish—swelling up at the slightest bit of power."
[Stelle]: "Hehehe~ Baby, you're just a little inflatable pufferfish~"
[Herrscher of the Void]: "You bastards!"
[Mobius]: "Not bad, not bad. Though not ideal, at least in terms of summoning Honkai Beasts, she qualifies as a proper Herrscher."
[Vill-V]: "Still, her mastery over Herrscher authority leaves much to be desired."
["Without unleashing the Judgement of Shamash's power, I stand no chance."
Faced with the enormous lightning sphere in the sky, Siegfried broke into a cold sweat.
He couldn't afford to hesitate any longer. But just as he prepared to activate it, his own body—already corrupted by Honkai—began to dissipate. Siegfried jolted awake in bed. It had all been a dream. Ever since defeating the Second Herrscher, the world had known peace.
Honkai gradually faded from existence, leaving countless Valkyries unemployed. To make ends meet, Overseer Otto led Schicksal into a second entrepreneurial venture. Siegfried arrived at his office to find that all the Valkyries who had supposedly perished were alive and well—enthusiastically slacking off at work.
Similarly rebranded, Anti-Entropy established Anti-Entropy Entertainment and began producing video games. Their game Alahato even became a bestseller, giving Otto so much stress that he lost chunks of hair. Truly, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy never change—even in peacetime, they find ways to keep fighting. As a game designer, Siegfried strolled leisurely into Schicksal's headquarters. Confidently pulling out a flash drive, he presented his month's work: a 3D action game about battling Honkai. After a fierce debate with the executives, Siegfried successfully secured Otto's approval—the project was greenlit. ...
Inside a clothing store, Cecilia helped Kiana—now grown into a fine young woman—try on new outfits. The whole world seemed bathed in warmth and joy. "Hmph! How infuriating."
"I originally wanted to trap them in a nightmare."
Sirin sat on the ground, watching their happiness through surveillance feeds with bitter resentment—and envy. "A normal, happy family..."
"If I'd never encountered Honkai... If Mom hadn't died... Could I have had this kind of happiness too?"]
[Kiana]: "Eww~ What a weird dream... but so beautiful! Everyone's there..."
[Murata Himeko]: "I wonder if I'll ever live to see such a scene become reality."
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]: "We'll win!"
[Wendy]: "If Honkai never existed... would my future have been different?"
The sky-loving bird remained trapped in her wheelchair—now Wendy deeply empathized with Sirin's pain.
[Kiana]: "Mei! Mei! Why are you bleeding from your nose?!"
[Raiden Mei]: "Kiana in that new dress... is just too cute."
(PS: One wonders how Mei would react upon realizing she's thirsting over her own sister-in-law.)
[Bronya Zaychik]: "I wonder what that Alahato game in the dream was like..."
[Silver Wolf]: "Now that you mention it, I'm kinda curious too."
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]: "After the Great Collapse ended, Bronya... you chose to make games. You developed Alahato yourself."
[Bronya Zaychik]: "Really? Teacher Yang... how was it?"
[Honkai Star Rail·Welt]: "...It bombed spectacularly."
[Kiana]: "Pffft—HAHAHAHA! Bronya, you loser!"
[Siegfried's Residence — Kiana's Birthday Night] "Kiana! Happy sixteenth birthday!"
Gathered in the cozy room, everyone celebrated Kiana's special day. "Hehe~ Thanks, everyone!"
Clutching her birthday cake, Kiana beamed with pure joy. "Ugh! This is so maddening!"
"Hmph! You thieves who stole my happiness... I'll make sure to destroy yours too!"
The happier the illusions became, the angrier Sirin—controlling them from outside—grew. Why did they get to be happy while she suffered? Like a wounded animal, she bared her fangs to hide her pain. "...But that birthday cake... reminds me of Mom..."
Whether on impulse or something deeper, Sirin found herself reaching out through the Feather of Xuanyuan—stepping into the illusion herself.]
[Kiana]: "Mom... I've never had a birthday like that in real life..."
[Raiden Mei]: "Kiana..."
[March 7th]: "Seeing Sirin like this... it's just heartbreaking."
[Stelle]: "She's just a child starved for love... If she hadn't been misled by the Will of Honkai, would things have turned out differently?"
[Boothill]: "Damn it all—Schicksal and those cute corporate bastards deserve each other!"
[Herrscher of the Void]: "Silence! Humans—I don't need your pity!"
[Elysia]: "@Herrscher of the Void Don't be sad~ Pink Elf-chan will always be here for you!"
[Herrscher of the Void]: "Y-You... You don't understand anything!"
Hidden deep within Kiana's consciousness, the Herrscher of the Void wanted to lash out—but facing Elysia, the words died in her throat. It felt just like... just like when she faced Cecilia.