MGSFV?! Chapter 558. Mei, Who Is Elysia?; This Isn't the First Time for Kiana and Mei
Since Seele met Theresa after she had returned to her original form…
She didn't witness the transformation into Big Theresa, and so of course didn't show any particular reaction.
What Seele saw was this—
Even unconscious, Theresa still carefully protected the spark of flame, ensuring it didn't extinguish.
She even went so far as to preserve a few human dreams that Seele hadn't been able to carry away from the battlefield.
She had done everything she could.
And that flame did not disappoint those who had fought so hard thus far.
It suddenly blazed to life, as if illuminating the entire dreamscape.
Bathed in its light, the long-waiting scientists outside the stigma space finally detected the coordinates of the Cocoon of Finality.
For the first time in countless cycles, ordinary humans now knew the Cocoon's location.
"Those higher-dimensional beings who observe the world from above without ever intervening—
What will they make of this unprecedented change, not seen in a million years?"
"…?"
Reading that subtitle aloud, something felt a little off.
"What do you think?"
"This is the result of two civilizations passing the baton."
[Sounds like it's wondering how the alien civilization that placed the Cocoon would react.]
[Or… maybe it's a double meaning.]
[Double meaning?]
[Yeah… Actually, this kind of text has been popping up since Elysian Realm.]
[Huh? Can you explain more clearly?]
…
Some of the comments remained vague, never explaining their speculation.
But the story clearly had reached a critical point.
"Hey, hey?"
"Can you hear me? My little standby cuties?"
Suddenly, a lively voice rang out in their minds, instantly rousing the girls from their sluggishness.
The scene shifted to the Herrscher of Sentience's side—where Kiana and the others were.
And with Little Senti present, even the serious moments weren't too tense.
"Little Senti!"
"Hey, don't shout, my head hurts."
There you go.
With just her arrival, the Herrscher of Sentience lightened the mood.
The fact that she could still be this optimistic after being KO'd by Kevin so many times—
It was… honestly, beyond impressive.
At this point...
You started to really believe that Little Senti was a person of great wisdom who pretended to be foolish—not that she didn't understand, she just didn't care.
Player: …Wait, did we just get brainwashed by the Herrscher of Sentience?
Strange thoughts started stirring. Existential doubt seeped in.
Meanwhile, the story continued smoothly.
After some casual lines, the Herrscher of Sentience reminded Kiana and the others they could now take action.
That is—
One among the three (Kiana, Mei, Bronya) could step forward, confront the Cocoon directly, and—before any random Herrscher selection or mechanism could occur—attempt to become an artificial Herrscher of Finality.
However, Kiana and the others chose not to do that.
Instead, they asked Little Senti to help connect their minds, achieving a state of "one is all, all is one."
That way, they could raise the chance of being selected while spreading the risk, rather than placing the burden on a single person.
"Uhh…"
Mental link? Deep fusion? Mutual synchronization?
After hearing their idea, Little Senti realized they were playing big.
But in the end, she gave in.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Do as you please."
"Time's short—who's going first?"
And so...
With the Herrscher of Sentience's help, Kiana began merging with Mei and Bronya...
Fusion?
With Mei, it went smoothly. After all, this wasn't their first time—well practiced.
Though it was a little different than the first time. After all, Mei was now the Herrscher of Origin.
Her powers had changed significantly.
Which made things… fresh? Every time with Mei felt like a brand-new experience. No complaints.
Only—
This time's "brand-new" feeling seemed to include... a special presence.
Three people together… maybe not so appropriate?
Then again, considering who the extra person was—it might not be so bad (just kidding).
Kiana stepped into a strange world.
Above her—an enchanting night sky, swaying stars.
Below her—a cool water surface, shimmering dreamlike reflections.
A sight she had never seen before.
Though Kiana hadn't seen it, the players definitely had.
The familiar Land of Origin.
Where once bloomed a girl like drifting petals...
As if embodying every ideal humanity ever longed for.
[...]*N
And strangely, even though this scene always stirred strong emotions, this time… their hearts were oddly calm.
It was a peculiar feeling.
"Let textbooks teach the cold, hard knowledge and technology."
"You, who come after—will witness the footprints of our lives, the Signetof our souls, and find your own answers within."
At this point in the journey, looking back—
What remained seemed only to be warmth and a gentle guide.
They couldn't help but gaze deeper into the stars.
Time felt frozen.
So long had passed before they even realized Kiana had already completed her glimpse into the Herrscher of Origin's realm.
Until the vision faded, and they snapped back to reality.
Then…
[Dang it, I didn't even notice what happened between Kiana, Mei, and Elysia.]
[Good news: Elysia didn't appear. You missed nothing. Bad news: Kiana didn't see her.]
[Buggy! Say the line again! You know, that one… "Mei, who is Elysia?" (doge emoji)]
Chat immediately exploded with activity.
[Jokes aside, I actually do want to know—has Kiana fallen for Elysia yet?]
"Of course she has!?"
"Really?"
"Hasn't she?"
"I…"
"Obviously, yes."
Before a certain someone could finish answering, she was cut off.
"..."
He had wanted to say: in terms of realism, Kiana and Elysia do share a strong bond.
But since he was cut off, never mind. No point saying more.
Back to the story.
Kiana and Mei completed their fusion.
Mei asked, "How does it feel?"
Like…
"Strange."
Kiana's answer was even more interesting: "It's like… walking through the path Mei walked, experiencing what Mei experienced."
"Like walking Mei's path and feeling everything Mei felt."
Wow. She really just says whatever comes to mind.
Brilliant.
Mei: "..."
"I meant—your current condition."
Mei gently reminded her this wasn't the time to discuss things that should be shared privately.
"It's great, of course!" Kiana, oblivious, placed hands on hips. "Now I've got the power of a hundred and one versions of me!"
[Flashback to Chapter 1.]
["As long as Mei's with me, it's like having the power of a hundred people!"]
Who could forget that moment at the start of Honkai, when Kiana said that to Mei?
Back then, everyone thought Honkai Impact 3rd was a lighthearted, cheerful magical girl slice-of-life game.
They sighed quietly in nostalgia.
Then the Herrscher of Sentience butted in.
"That's nothing. If it were me, Kiana would have at least a thousand and one of her own powers."
[Little Senti, seriously…]
[Did you just kill the mood?]
[A thousand and one?! Do you even get why Kiana and Mei said what they did?]
Her sudden line shattered the atmosphere.
[Little Senti can read minds—she definitely gets it.]
[Then why say that...?]
[Because Little Senti doesn't sugarcoat. She says exactly what she thinks. Honestly, that kind of bluntness can offend people—but she's loved because she's genuinely kind.]
Hearing a line like that—
The kind that makes people go "Classic Little Senti"—
Kiana and Mei hadn't yet responded.
But Bronya, who had been deliberately silent, facepalmed.
"Does it really matter how many Kianas we add… Herrscher of Sentience?"
The mood was great just now.
Now it's "a thousand and one"… What, are we going for a new "Herrscher of Thousands" now?
Captain Bronya could only sigh in quiet resignation.
Then again, time was short. Getting interrupted might not be a bad thing.
"Kiana, let's do this directly."
[Kiana actively entering others—truly Kiana 1.0 confirmed!]
[???]
[Justice is in the hearts of the people.jpg]
…
Calling it "entering others"…
Actually, the fusion between Kiana and Bronya was more like communication.
Normal communication.
You mean what happened with Mei wasn't normal?
I didn't say that ( ).
In any case, Kiana and Bronya's exchange was very simple—just like the Herrscher of Reason herself.
The Herrscher of Reason's powers are more conceptual.
They inherit the logic of civilization's evolution.
If civilization can do it—so can she.
Like mathematics.
If someone proves 1+1=2, others can use the result without redoing the proof.
But what if a civilization thought 1+1=3?
Well...
It only shows how miraculous natural numbers really are.
Natural numbers are called "natural" because they arise naturally from human cognition.
Even civilizations on Earth that developed independently all ended up agreeing on 1+1=2 before they could rigorously prove it.
Such a coincidence—
Makes you wonder: if alien civilizations exist, would they also make the same choice?
The Herrscher of Reason is built on this miracle of "unscientifically scientific certainty."
That's why—
To other Herrschers, integrating Reason's authority doesn't visibly do anything.
Because it is the miracle of mankind.
[Not even Finality can override it?]
[We'll only know once someone becomes Finality.]
Now—
They were walking the path toward becoming Finality.
The goal was close...
Once they fully integrated the Herrscher of Sentience's authority, over half the Herrscher powers would be interconnected.
Next, they'd just need to "convince"—or maybe beat up—the remaining less-friendly Herrscher powers...
And that'd be it?
But actually, things were easier than expected.
Thanks to the Herrscher of Origin, Kiana had made contact with all the scattered Herrscher powers.
They were now converging toward her on their own.
No more battles required.
Convenient, yes.
But let's be clear—only convenient.
These powers had all been defeated by them before.
If they lost once, they'd lose again. Better to just cooperate than get beaten again.
Everyone wins.
"So… we—or perhaps, one of us..."
Mei looked at Kiana:
"We're just one step away from becoming the Herrscher of Finality."
But that one step…
How to take it?
Like the quote: "Genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration—but that 1% is more important than the 99%."
Edison said that.
Tesla: I don't recall Edison saying anything like that.
In Honkai, Edison is Tesla's nemesis.
Once—
It's worth noting: when Einstein first appeared, Hokuto thought the Einstein of this world had been retconned, so he didn't bother looking for her—and just used synthesized AI voice lines instead.
Who would've thought she'd still be around—and even show up on her own?
So, even with the goal close at hand—
That final step might not be so simple.
Regardless.
Now that they had assembled all Herrscher powers, and located the Cocoon of Finality—
It was time to head there.
With that resolve—
They passed through the Stigma Plan's planetary directory.
And reached a brand-new area.
But—
Something unexpected happened.
Kiana, the one who linked all Herrscher powers, was separated from the rest.
In other words—she suddenly found herself alone.
As for why it was Kiana—
Perhaps because the others didn't carry as many Herrscher fragments?
Only Kiana had truly touched every single one.
[Cocoon: I woke up and boom—this era's little Finality is standing on my doorstep.]
[Will the Cocoon just let her walk in?]
[If not, break the door down ( )]
[What if… the Cocoon and civilization were never really enemies? Sure, everything it does looks bad, but from a higher-dimensional view, maybe it's just a gambler. The type that has a goal… but relies on blind luck.]
[Like a student who wants a perfect score but takes the test and just guesses: three long, one short—choose the short one. Three short, one long—pick the long one. Mixed? Just go with C. Ultimate strategy: if lucky, full score.]
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