Chapter 41: I Am Queen Mei's Dog!! (Very Loudly)
After driving away the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Pardo controlled Kiana and successfully boarded the Selene. Upon landing on the deck, Kiana established communication with her superior, Murata Himeko. There were only thirty minutes left before the battleship's programmed self-destruction. They had to seize control of the vessel to protect Canghai City!
At that moment, Kiana's teammates also reached their designated positions! However, the conversation between Kiana and Himeko left the stream viewers somewhat dumbfounded. This cool-looking white-haired girl had "Mei" this and "Mei" that on her lips; her entire head was filled with nothing but Mei. She was even willing to abandon the original plan just to regroup with her.
"I can't stand it for even another minute! I haven't seen Mei for 2 hours, 27 minutes, and 38 seconds!"
She even uttered such shocking words!
[Pfft!]
[Is this Valkyrie named Kiana a dummy?]
[Confirmed, this hot-blooded, white-haired idiot girl is definitely our protagonist!]
[Indeed, this kind of setting screams 'protagonist' at first glance!]
Twenty minutes after the stream started, just as Su Mu had predicted, Kiana actually arrived on the scene. Under Bronya's nearly murderous gaze, Kiana walked into the studio while pressing her hands together in apology.
At this time, after the dialogue ended, Pardo controlled Kiana into the combat stage. But this stage shifted into a side-scrolling format, requiring the player to control Kiana as she jumped back and forth across the Selene to defeat enemies...
[Eh? Another white-haired girl has appeared? Did miHoYo really spend that much?]
[Wait, this white-haired girl looks so much like the Kiana in the game!]
[It's not just 'looks like,' she is the prototype for Kiana! Didn't you know?]
[No wonder they look so similar!]
Kiana enthusiastically greeted the viewers and joined the stream, but her gaze occasionally flickered toward a small slip of paper in her palm. Bronya had shoved it to her earlier.
"What does this mean? Bronya said to wait for her signal, then open the paper and shout the words on it..."
Pardo and Elysia didn't notice Kiana's odd behavior; both were focused on the broadcast. In the game, Kiana successfully regrouped with Raiden Mei, even saying shameful lines like, "With Mei here, it's like having the strength of a hundred people."
This made the real Kiana's eyes widen. "That guy Su Mu is talking pure nonsense! He's slandering me!" Although she and Mei had a great relationship in school, seeing their relationship portrayed so closely in the game made her happy, but... it was slander! Definitely!!
Once Kiana and Mei regrouped in-game, Pardo was able to control Mei's [Valkyrie: Crimson Impulse]. The biological-attribute battlesuit, with its high-tech armor and Mei's cool swordsmanship, drew waves of cheers from the audience.
At this point, the system explained the elemental counter system. Each attribute has a cycle of strengths and weaknesses, and damage values fluctuate accordingly. Furthermore, a team can consist of up to three Valkyries, and meeting specific conditions triggers flashy QTE skills!
As the gameplay progressed, some observant viewers noticed something interesting.
[Kiana is clearly using dual pistols as weapons, right? But I haven't seen her fire them once?]
[She's holding guns but mostly just punching and kicking, or summoning giant cat paws!]
[Wait, is this the legendary... Gun Kata?]
In reality, the design of Kiana's Gun Kata had deep meaning. Gun Kata was originally intended to complement the Shamash, but Kiana's incomplete style involved rushing in to punch and kick, only firing the guns occasionally for flair... well, it truly fit the "hot-blooded idiot" character archetype.
Elysia looked at Mei in the game, her eyes sparkling. "While Kiana's kitty paws are cute, Mei's swordsmanship is definitely cooler~"
Kiana raised her head proudly like a little peacock. "Of course! Mei is a master of the sword! With me holding guns and Mei holding a blade, it's the perfect combination!"
Elysia: "Mmm~ I wonder what weapons Pardo and I will use? I'm really looking forward to the day we debut!"
[Elysia and Pardo will also appear as characters?]
[Don't you know? Honkai Impact 3rd has obtained character licenses! Even Welt Yang from Anti-Entropy Entertainment will have a chance to appear!]
[Yes! According to reliable sources, Eden will also join the game as a playable character!]
Just as Su Mu had thought: if someone made a game featuring Jackie Chan, Louis Koo, and Nick Cheung all mixed together, regardless of the game's quality, that mash-up alone would be enough to make people download it. Honkai Impact 3rd was doing exactly that. By using real-life figures as prototypes, this point alone was enough to drive players wild!
In the stream, Pardo continued to control the characters. Kiana and Mei coordinated and soon reached the stern of the ship. At this moment, the plot triggered again.
An Emperor-class Honkai Beast suddenly manifested in the sky, surrounded by smaller minions. The "Emperor-class" represents the limit of lower Honkai Beasts; any beast with destructive power exceeding this line is categorized as Emperor-class or Judgment-class. The appearance of this Emperor-class beast brought a massive sense of pressure!
Outnumbered, Kiana was quickly defeated. Just as she was about to be struck by the beast, Mei stepped forward!
"I can't... fall here! At least I have to let Kiana..."
Mei, struggling to withstand the attack, suddenly erupted with a blinding light! Immediately following was the sound of a rapid siren!
"Detecting Third Herrscher activity. Restraint program, active."
In the next instant, Raiden Mei's eyes turned a sinister and eerie red. Her entire aura shifted from a gentle Yamato Nadeshiko to a Queen looking down upon all living beings!
"Go to hell! Scum!"
As Raiden Mei unleashed a blade-strike wreathed in lightning, the Honkai Beasts before her were sliced through like tofu. The surrounding enemies were reduced to fragments in an instant!
The plot was at its peak. Kiana, mesmerized by Mei's cool performance, almost cheered out loud. At that moment, Bronya tapped on the studio window to signal her. Kiana snapped back to her senses, hurriedly opened the slip of paper, and without reading it closely, shouted the words written on it.
"Mei is too cool! I can't take it! I want to be Queen Mei's dog!!"
Pardofelis: "???" Elysia: "~♫~ My, what a bold statement!" Stream Viewers: "??!"
In Arc City, at the ME Corp branch office, at Raiden Mei's workstation: Raiden Mei: "Pfft!!" She nearly sprayed her coffee across the desk. "Kiana, what on earth are you suddenly babbling about?!"
In the studio, Kiana realized something was wrong immediately after shouting! The comedic effect of the scene was dialed to the maximum.
Su Mu looked at Bronya beside him. "Regardless of anything else, Bronya, that was a bit..."
Bronya huffed. "Who told her to be late? This is her punishment. I am still very angry!"
"I don't mean that. What I mean is..." A helpless smile appeared on Su Mu's face. "Are you sure that was a punishment, and not a reward?"
Bronya: "Σ(O_O)?!"
END OF CHAPTER
Like this story Leave a review ; it would really help me out a lot.
Want to Read Ahead in Advance?
Join my Patreon!
+75 Chapters
Support me in
Patreon.com/BestElysium