MGSFV?! Chapter 555: Farewell, Little Theresa; Elysia, I Didn't Lie
A knife slicing flesh?
Hard to say how many players felt the same as Elysia.
But many characters in the game absolutely could empathize—physically, not just emotionally.
Even if Kevin let things go, the power of Finality wasn't his to command. The fact that he didn't reclaim it didn't mean Finality would obediently comply.
On the contrary, anyone who wished to bear the power of Finality would "enjoy" the same treatment Kevin currently endured:
Constant backlash from Finality.
In gameplay terms, it was like being afflicted with a bleeding debuff—
Just like being sliced again and again by tiny knives.
So accepting Finality's power could be described as a tug-of-war between healing speed and bleeding rate: if you heal faster, you can endure it; heal slower, and you're done for.
If you had zero healing skills, the moment you touched Finality… you might be vaporized on the spot.
The first group—Kevin and Fu Hua—survived it.
Only two? Hm?
Of course, of course, we can't forget the Herrscher of Sentience.
Both Fu Hua and the Herrscher of Sentience could endure a portion of the Finality backlash.
The second group…
After the team seized fragments of the "Shadow" from Kevin, Theresa was to use the power of Vishnu—related to the Chimera—to devour the remnant dreams of Honkai beasts within the Shadow.
This would help Kiana and the others locate the true position of the Cocoon of Finality.
Theresa had to purify the Shadow—to extract "pure" Finality from it.
Which meant the "Shadow" would inevitably pass through Theresa's hands.
If Theresa were in the second group…
That wouldn't happen.
Fu Hua said it earlier: while both Previous and Current Eras were prone to emotional decisions, they didn't act without some degree of certainty.
For example—
Serpent in Elysium only chose to save Klein because it was a choice between her and his own safety.
He never said he would ignore the Herrscher of Corruption for her.
So the plot wouldn't allow Theresa to simply vanish just because she touched Finality.
That would be… too much.
Even if Theresa fans in chat constantly led the charge in memeing…
Come on, didn't Theresa herself like… ahem never mind, you get it.
Anyway—this was called catering to "idol preferences," which is what made them true Theresa fans.
Better watch out or they might band together and blow up miHoYo from within.
...
"Hey! You two! Now's not the time to space out!"
A distant voice pierced the air.
Back to the story.
The Herrscher of Sentience hurriedly delivered the "Shadow" to Theresa and Seele, who had been waiting at the "Planetary Archive."
Theresa: "?!"
"Herrscher of Sentience! You succeeded?"
"Of course! Who do you think I am? Catch!"
[Herrscher of Sentience: Special delivery!]
[Senti Express—anything, anywhere!]
[Ship it!]
Hokuto: ...
These barrages are kind of clever. Might jot them down—could be useful someday.
Good input makes for good output.
Anyway.
In the story, after she spoke, the Herrscher of Sentience hurled the Shadow.
A burst of flame suddenly surged from the void, landing in Theresa's arms.
The fire danced silently, bright and seemingly harmless.
Yet—
At its core, a cold, twisted force—like countless invisible blades—pierced through her flesh and bones, nearly shattering her soul, threatening to dissolve her into the same dream-stuff as the Shadow.
"Ngh...!"
Theresa couldn't suppress a cry of pain.
The Herrscher of Sentience quickly expressed concern.
"Hah, this little pain? Can it even compare to Kevin going all-out? These kids nowadays, seriously..."
[Kids?]
[When a 3-year-old Herrscher calls a 50+ Valkyrie a "kid."]
[If I were doing a plot analysis, this would be the part to read closely. That "Shadow" looks too much like a fireseed… Passed from Kevin to Fu Hua, the guide of the Previous Era, then to Theresa—one of the Current Era's top leaders. The imagery is overwhelming.]
[The flame is passed on!]
[It works… But I'm looking forward to the video version. Just saying it in chat doesn't do it justice.]
[Exactly. Like if I just said... Dr. Bethune once saved a soldier named Yu Xinyuan, who later fought at Langshanya like those textbook heroes. He survived and trained a soldier named Lei Feng. A true story, strangely magical. But telling it plainly doesn't hit the same.]
[…I didn't know that. Haha, no matter. Now I've heard the story, and I'll pass it on—another way the flame is passed.]
Two comments.
Alone, each feels lacking. Together—they resonate.
Hmm…
[You can always count on livestream chat to contain absolute legends.]
[Netizens drop jaw-dropping knowledge like it's nothing.]
...
While some players joyfully discussed the symbolism of "passing the flame"—
Meanwhile, the Herrscher of Sentience's projection tried to get closer to check if Theresa could hold out.
Suddenly, a menacing voice echoed from all directions.
Without anyone noticing, Theresa and Seele had been surrounded by Honkai beasts.
"Tch—followed you all the way there? What a bunch of relentless pests!"
"What... What's happening?"
"They're after the fire! I thought we lost them when we split up. Didn't expect them to tail you instead!"
As the Herrscher of Sentience finished speaking—
Theresa was thrust into danger.
Real danger.
Because once combat mode began, players realized Theresa's condition…
[Theresa starts at critical HP? That's a detail, alright.]
[Hang in there, Theresa!]
"Seele… I'll have to count on you to take them down!"
Theresa dropped to one knee.
She couldn't hold on.
Barely exchanged a few blows—and the backlash of Finality already overwhelmed her.
The camera zoomed out from Theresa—
And shifted to Seele.
This cinematography—truly getting more flavorful.
[From seeing Theresa like this, one can only imagine Kevin's state. Even if he mastered Finality's power, the pain never left him.]
[Fu Hua and Kevin—two 50,000-year-old monsters.]
"Oh right! Those two from Anti-Entropy said if we don't clear the beasts fast enough, the fire will be filled with their dreams and disappear!"
"You could've said that earlier!"
Theresa painfully exchanged info with the Herrscher of Sentience.
Seele stepped in to replace her, fighting off waves of Honkai beasts.
But…
As the battle went on, the beasts didn't decrease—they grew in number.
Even later, when Veliona couldn't stand it anymore and emerged to help—
It was the same.
Things only got worse.
...
What now? What do we do?
That wasn't just a concern for players outside the game.
It was a real, urgent issue for Theresa.
She clutched herself tightly.
The fire flickered silently at her chest.
Its tongues licked her flesh, her spirit—and still, she did not let go.
But… even so, the flame dimmed.
"...What do I do."
Even if we couldn't see her face, Theresa's frustration was palpable.
Of course.
How could she accept this?
This was the torch cut down by her comrades—the hope they fought for.
What burned within it was the flesh of a hero, the will of a hero.
It was the remnants of Finality's embers.
It absolutely must not die in her hands.
But to both protect the fire—and devour the growing impurities within it—
She didn't have the strength for a "fight-to-survive" strategy.
Unless—she became stronger.
In other words, given Vishnu's traits—if she could consume something "tasty" and "digestible" to gain power…
But where would such "excellent" food come from?
We must obey the basic rules of reality.
——Silver light suddenly gathered near Theresa's hand.
???
What was this…?
Ordinary human dreams?
Something long overlooked came to mind.
This space, formed by countless human dreams, was—for Theresa—a boundless sea of treasure.
Those human dreams were the sweetest… food.
To consume them. Sacrifice the few. Save the many.
It was the lesser of two evils—but the most pragmatic, most advantageous choice.
[Another "lesser evil" decision… this brings up some grim memories.]
[I recall someone with the same fusion factor as Theresa once rejected such a decision.]
[Exactly. That's why it feels ominous—he made a different choice to avoid the lesser evil…]
Who shared the same fusion factor with Theresa?
You all remember.
And the choice he made—that wasn't easily forgotten either.
Self.
Sacrifice.
Correct!
Aside from human dreams, there was one other thing Vishnu could feed on.
Theresa.
...
She wanted to devour the Honkai beasts' lingering dreams and protect the fire.
But to protect meant to burn.
"To protect everyone really is… a difficult thing."
"I'm neither strong nor resolute. Not much of a leader, and hardly a soldier."
But that shouldn't be the world's dream.
"At humanity's crossroads, I didn't want to hurt anyone—but I also couldn't save them all."
"So I hesitated. I wavered."
"But even if I had to force myself to choose—it's still a decision, right?"
Clearly—
At this moment, Theresa had made up her mind.
"This is the choice I make—me, Theresa. Overseer of Schicksal."
"So—it's time to play my final card."
"This fire will not go out. I will give it everything I have—"
[???]*N
miHoYo, what are you doing???
You're having Theresa say this now, after all that foreshadowing—and the choice made by her fusion-factor predecessor?
No way. You're not seriously going to make Theresa…
Players' hands paused mid-fight.
Staring at the Honkai beasts still writhing on-screen, suddenly unwilling to continue.
No doubt—once they cleared them, Theresa would have a brief moment to carry out her plan.
But wouldn't that mean… they'd be the ones personally pushing Theresa toward…?
[miHoYo? Are you out of your mind? Pulling this stunt twice??!!]
Sure, chat was usually peaceful. Even heated debates stayed civil.
After all, Hokuto didn't pull any insane stunts.
But that was only because they hadn't crossed any unacceptable lines.
Killing Kosma by having players control the Herrscher of Corruption?
You trying to do it again??
That they tolerated it once…
Wait, no—they didn't tolerate it the first time either. Some players did rally in protest.
According to legend, the few who stormed miHoYo's front door that day still haven't recovered emotionally.
Naturally. At the time, Hokuto had already been apprenticed to the Taixu Sect for over a year.
When a group of guys in Kosma cosplay surrounded him after work—
He smiled with Otto's voice: "Hi~♬ Miss me?"
Then vanished in three seconds flat.
They chased him for eight streets—and still couldn't catch a whiff of his trail.
Sigh~~
The players missed their best chance to "find" him.
…That actually happened?
No wonder those old bros still feel like they're hallucinating.
Of course. Hokuto had mastered the "Taixu Sect's ultimate technique" (fog).
Wait—that's their ultimate technique? Running away?
No, no. Also—"no matter how strong your kung fu is, one brick solves everything."
...
Back to the point.
[I've had it! This time, we're taking miHoYo down!]
"Elysia, aren't you going to continue?"
Hokuto acted as though he hadn't seen the barrage. Instead, he turned to Elysia.
"..."
She couldn't say a word.
"'Otto'... Tell me the truth. What's going to happen to Theresa…?"
At that—
Hokuto lifted his hand, adjusted his mask, and let out a familiar Otto sigh.
"Sigh~~"
"?"
[???]Why the sigh??
Then, with Otto's voice, he said farewell to Theresa:
"Goodbye, my dear little Theresa."
"??"
[You're serious?!]
[Looks like we've got one more person to tie up tonight.]
[Agreed! And we're using extra-thick rope.]
[+1 +1 +1 +1]
That was one camp. Then came others—
[Damn, is this Otto replacing his bitter melon stamina drink pack?]
[You change your drink and kill a character to justify it? Figures. (angry)(angry)]
[STOP! Theresa doesn't even have her own short animation yet!!]
"'Otto'... Are you serious...?" Elysia asked hesitantly.
"Hehe. Elysia, I never lied."
"..."
Elysia scanned Hokuto.
Top to bottom. Side to side. Carefully.
Still—not a single crack in his expression.
Her face grew serious.
Until her gaze moved off Hokuto, to the others just off-camera.
Like—Kiana.
The others.
"Hmm?"
Something felt…
"Let's keep watching," Elysia said after a pause. "No matter what the outcome is."
...
Players finished off the Honkai beasts.
In the end, Theresa gave her answer through action.
She embraced the fire.
Turning everything she had into fuel.
"Blood Knight·Mooncradle—limit release."
"Please, take my bones—my flesh—consume them all… Vishnu!!"
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