DHI3SV? Chapter 234 Animated Short: "Rebirth"! I Shall Reverse All Creations!!!
The next morning, when Su Mu arrived at the company, Senti was already waiting. Upon seeing him, she was so excited she nearly jumped off her chair, rushing forward to give him a hug. Under Seele's smile and Bronya's slightly narrowed eyes... Su Mu instinctively took a step back in fright.
"Stop! STOP! Let's talk like civilized people, don't just start grabbing!"
Senti's eyes widened: "Are you serious with that half-step back? Such a small move, yet the emotional damage is so great?"
Su Mu rolled his eyes: "We're all on the same side, don't start singing."
Senti scratched her head and laughed: "I'm just happy, haha! I'm telling you, I didn't sleep at all last night. I stayed up the whole time just to wait for you here!"
Then, she leaned in and whispered, "By the way, Brother Jie looks really terrifying. Does your staff actually dare to go to the canteen?"
Kalpas was usually among the first to arrive, as breakfast prep started early, so he naturally had a set of keys. Su Mu realized that Senti, in her excitement, had come to the MiHoYo building early and run straight into Kalpas.
"But he's actually quite nice. He took me to the kitchen and made me a bowl of noodles... I heard from the Old Antique that he looks fierce but is a good person; turns out it's true."
Su Mu shrugged noncommittally. Everyone in the company shared that sentiment about Master Kalpas. He looked like a demon but had the soul of a "den mother"... being able to raise an entire company to be well-fed and healthy was a testament to Kalpas's skill.
"Don't worry, Brother Jie is very popular here... By the way, did you come alone? Where's Fu Hua?"
"Hah, you know the Old Antique. She has to work; she doesn't have time to wander around... especially since Otto came to Arc City recently. As the security captain, she has to be extra vigilant. If Otto were kidnapped in Arc City, the reputation of Mount Taixuan would be ruined." Senti waved her hand dismissively. "I wanted to meet Otto too, but the Old Antique wouldn't let me. She said if I met Otto, her career as security captain would be over..."
Su Mu rubbed his temples. Fu Hua was right. Knowing Senti's "problem child" nature, if she saw Otto, she really might give him a punch for the hell of it.
"Let's not talk about such disappointing things. My character? Where is my character? That's the most important thing! Do you know how long I've waited for this day!" Senti held out her hands impatiently. "It's been almost a year since the Old Antique's character debuted! A year is 365 days, 8,760 hours, 525,600 minutes! Do you know how I lived through those days? Do you?!"
Su Mu was surprised: "I never realized you were such a great mathematician."
However, the poor child was too early; Carole hadn't even arrived yet. So Su Mu suggested going to the canteen for breakfast. He always arrived early, and since moving into MiHoYo's own building, the early hours were perfect for a meal before starting work the moment the clock hit nine. In reality, the staff was given an hour for breakfast even after work started, but everyone was used to Su Mu's "inhumane" overachiever behavior.
At the canteen, breakfast was braised beef noodles—literally massive chunks of beef in a bone broth simmered for a day. The amount of beef would make the cow on a Master Kong packet cry... Aside from noodles, there were various pastries; a total carb bomb. For a Shenzhou person, a morning without carbs isn't a morning. And for those afraid of morning drowsiness, free coffee was provided.
Su Mu ordered three bowls of noodles and some water chestnut cakes. Senti was already deep in conversation with Bronya and Seele, gesticulating wildly in her excitement.
"I'm telling you, it's so interesting..."
Su Mu brought the noodles back and a cup of soy milk for Senti, then started slurping his meal. They were discussing a fun little game Senti had recently discovered on the Interastral Gaming Platform.
"I think this developer called '4399' is a genius! This 'Hobo' game is too funny! I've wanted to beat up bratty kids for a long time..." Senti pulled out her phone, ready to demonstrate her kid-beating skills to Bronya and Seele on the spot.
Su Mu choked on his noodles, his expression turning bizarre. Bronya and Seele's expressions also became subtle, as if they were holding back laughter.
"Even though he's just a personal user and hasn't signed with Interastral, trust my vision! In time, he'll go viral! I'm saying it now: this guy is Su Mu's ultimate rival! You should recruit him before he blows up! Trust me, he's a growth stock!"
Listening to Senti's flowery praise, Su Mu found it hard to keep a straight face. Me being my own rival? He had to admit the girl had a good eye. His "4399" pseudonym didn't have many followers yet, and the downloads weren't huge, yet Senti had found it.
However, this was a company secret known only to Bronya, Seele, and Eden. Su Mu couldn't tell Senti it was him. He shot Bronya a look.
"Mhm, we will consider it," Bronya put on a serious face, appearing to deeply weigh Senti's advice.
"Really? Want me to help you contact him? Hehe, not to brag, but I'm a veteran fan of 4399! I followed him when he only had dozens of followers! If a veteran fan like me makes a move..."
Su Mu was about to burst. She was even more impressive than he thought—following him when he had double-digit fans? Are you cheating? Fate was truly a magical thing.
After breakfast, Carole messaged Su Mu saying she had arrived. He bid farewell to Bronya and Seele and led the impatient Senti to the Honkai 3rd project floor. The reason he wasn't personally handling Senti was that he was no longer the primary project manager; that role belonged to the "Post-Honkai" trio. One person couldn't do everything; training talent meant knowing when to let go. Of course, Su Mu remained the scriptwriter; asking Carole to write scripts would be cruel.
Looking at recent versions, Carole and her team were doing great. With the experience of following Su Mu, they were more than capable of managing the project. Su Mu was gratified; his efforts hadn't been wasted.
When Senti saw the concept art and model of the Herrscher of Sentience on Carole's computer, she almost hit the ceiling.
"If my lord does not abandon me, I wish to call you 'Godfather'—no, 'Godmother'!!"
Carole was cracked up by Senti's antics. "I didn't expect my character to be this boss! Su Mu, you really are my best bro! This is too good!"
Satisfied with the Herrscher of Sentience's design, Senti punched Su Mu in the chest—luckily she held back, or she might have sent him through the wall. Then Carole discussed collaboration, requesting Senti to stream in a Herrscher of Sentience cosplay on update day.
"No problem, leave it to me! By the way, is this character hard to play?"
Su Mu thought for a moment: "Just act like your usual self."
Senti blinked: "Eh? No need to memorize lines? I think this line, 'I shall reverse all creations,' is pretty good. Very domineering!"
Su Mu nodded: "Feel free to improvise."
Senti was like that; she could do anything without being out of character (OOC). She could wear sunglasses and play the erhu on the street, be a fortune teller, or become a Taoist priest on Mount Mao... that was the value of the Herrscher of Sentience! High EQ: she's never OOC. Low EQ: she does whatever she finds fun.
"Alright, leave it to me! Speaking of which, who should I invite as guests? Since it's my debut, the Old Antique has to come. Who else would be good?"
Looking at the pondering Senti, Su Mu suddenly suggested, "How about inviting Otto?"
Otto had said he would stay in Arc City for a while. He claimed that since Theresa wanted to be a proper heir, he would help her at the branch and audit the books while he was at it... effectively a working vacation.
Over at Theresa's mansion, Otto—who was currently using his granddaughter's computer to grind scores in the Memory Battlefield against the MHT-3B Nirvana tank—suddenly sneezed. He felt a mysterious chill down his spine.
"I have an ill omen." Otto looked around the room. "I feel like eyes are watching me... what is this feeling of being plotted against?"
The day of the "Millennium Feather" version preview stream arrived. Countless Honkai 3rd players were already camped in front of their computers. The video site, now experienced with monthly traffic spikes, had opened several extra servers, so there were no crashes this time.
Master Fu Hua, having finished a busy day, was dragged to the computer by her sister.
"Old Antique, today is the version preview! Hehe, Su Mu said there's a big surprise for me!"
Looking at her sister's enthusiasm, Fu Hua just smiled gently. This girl was truly a child who never grew up.
At 8:00 PM sharp, the stream officially began. However, this time, there was no routine intro from Elysia.
[Mhm? Where's my Ellie?]
[Ellie! Ellie! Ellie!]
[I want to see Ellie!!]
Just as the audience was getting restless, after about ten seconds of a black screen—the visuals began.
["In the depths of this endless dream... gazing at my unrecognizable... self..."]
As if falling into a deep sea of dreams, Fu Hua's silhouette continued to sink. Following her monologue, the scene shifted to Schicksal's HQ. A skyscraper was hit by a massive explosion, dust filling the air. Durandal, in her Bright Knight: Excelsis armor, appeared to have been attacked, her body shot toward the ground like a cannonball. The moment she stabilized using her lance—a stranger enveloped in black aura appeared beside her.
Durandal, facing a grave threat, summoned her King and Queen phantoms. The shield collided with the stranger's fist, a terrifying force rippling outward.
In the boundless Imaginary Space, Kevin Kaslana held the Might of An-Utu, staring at the figure before him. ["Friend or foe? Choose!"]
He swung An-Utu, flames engulfing the space. Amidst the inferno, a figure slowly emerged.
["The past... resulted only in failure."]
["Those I wanted to protect... have all..."]
["Vanished—"]
The black silhouette emerging from the fire wore a wicked smile. The camera shifted to Durandal's perspective. Countless black feathers surrounded her. The figure wrestling with her phantoms vanished instantly. The familiar yet strange feathers made Durandal's expression one of disbelief. The next second, the feathers turned into a storm of sword shadows, engulfing her!
Kevin was similarly surrounded by black feathers. Atop his raised Greatsword, a black silhouette carrying a massive blade stared back at him.
["only through soul-piercing regret can one foster life-changing growth..."]
Under the sword shadows, the phantoms behind Durandal were instantly crushed. Kevin's pupils shrank as he stared at the familiar yet foreign figure.
After a brief blackout: A rainy highway bridge. Bronya was speeding through the storm on Project Bunny. Suddenly, she looked to her side—outside the bridge, keeping pace with her motorcycle, was a missile possessed by Honkai markings! Atop it, the dark figure wore a manic grin.
As the missile hit the bridge, the shockwave knocked Bronya into the sea. Project Bunny deployed a shield, mitigating the impact. However, the manic figure appeared before her instantly, hands clawing at the barrier, breaking through! To protect Bronya, Project Bunny grabbed the figure and threw Bronya away. A massive explosion sent a water pillar into the sky; Bronya was caught in the blast, her fate unknown...
["Now, I shall turn this world into what I want it to be!!" ]
As if the apocalypse had arrived, Honkai energy dyed the sky red. Outside a roaring tornado... Kiana knelt on the ground, resisting the force. She looked toward the figure inside the red storm.
["What? you don't even recognize me anymore..."]
The figure inside turned slowly, looking at Kiana with a side profile. A terrifying pressure swept over Kiana.
["—Kiana-chan?"]
The soaring music reached its climax and went black.
["I shall... REVERSE ALL CREATIONS!"]
That arrogant, unbridled tone sent the chat into a fever pitch!
[HOLY CRAP? What is this? A trailer for a new animated short?]
[Leading with a big bomb?]
[Wait, what??]
The sudden short left many viewers in a state of confusion. What is this? Where am I? Is this still the Honkai 3rd preview room? Going this hard from the start?!
A moment later, the question marks flooded in.
[???]
[Is that the Class Monitor?]
[Wait, didn't she die? She turned into a feather with Kevin, didn't she?]
[Did she win her gulag match (respawn)?]
[When I saw the name 'Millennium Feather,' I knew it was about Fu Hua. Now it's confirmed!]
[Monitor really won her gulag? I can only say the Honkai 3rd 'Kings of Staying Dead' are Welt and Fu Hua!]
[The legendary 'Welt-situps' and 'Fu-pushups'?]
Many assumed Fu Hua had made a grand return. But soon, some noticed the discrepancies.
[Is that really Fu Hua? The start was her in Shadow Knight: Moon armor, but...]
[If it's Fu Hua, why is she fighting Durandal and the Duck?]
[I can understand fighting Kevin, since the Immortal doesn't agree with his methods... but why attack Bronya?]
[And look at her fighting style... that laugh... I can't reconcile her with our Class Monitor at all.]
People began to realize something was off. Fu Hua was always prim and proper, an "Old Antique." This dark Fu Hua was too explosive—riding missiles, clawing shields, that arrogant side-profile... it didn't look like her at all. Did Fu Hua get lobotomized by Otto's Shamash shot and go on a rampage? How else do you explain this 'unpure' flavor?
Just as everyone was baffled, the camera finally shifted to the familiar studio. Elysia made her grand entrance!
"Tada! Good evening, everyone! It's your favorite host, Elysia~ ♪ Hehe, it seems everyone is very curious about our new version!"
"The short you just saw is titled 'Rebirth.' As many Captains have noticed, the Fu Hua in this short is completely different from the one in your memories! As for her identity, let Ellie keep that a tiny secret for now..."
"I'm sure you're all familiar with Fu Hua. On the surface, she's the Class Monitor, a Schicksal A-rank Valkyrie, a model student. In reality, she was the Protector of Shenzhou, the Celestial, and a MANTIS from the previous civilization. To fight the Honkai, she spent eons alone. because she experienced too much, her memories have gaps, even forgetting where she came from... despite that, she fought in her own way. she's a warrior with a tragic past yet incredible resolve."
"By the way, Ellie loves Fu Hua too~ ♪ but she's just so pitiful. Guarding Shenzhou for so long, forgetting her partners, then being tricked into facilitating Otto's Herrscher of the Void plan... then binding her spirit to Kiana via Fenghuang Down. But thanks to her, Kiana stood up and found her path—leading to the story of 'Meteoric Salvation.' Unfortunately, all good things must end. To let Kiana escape, she stayed to stall Kevin, losing her power and becoming a feather in his hand..."
Elysia recounted Fu Hua's story with deep emotion.
"She has spent her life fighting the Honkai, a brave and strong warrior. Our scriptwriter, Su Mu, also says she is a character he loves dearly. He saw the fans' love for her and the regret over her departure... however, Su Mu felt a simple, ordinary resurrection would be too dull."
"Everyone was thinking: since St. Freya has produced so many Herrschers it's basically the 'Far East Demon Lair'—ehe, Ellie watches your fan-made videos too! I love the memes and jokes you Captains come up with! your passion makes Ellie so happy! Oh, keep this a secret, okay? If Su Mu hears I'm watching fan videos at work, my bonus will be docked for slacking off!!"
Elysia's banter amused the audience.
"Back to the point: I suggested at the meeting, why not let our favorite Monitor return as a Herrscher? It would cement the 'Demon Lair' title! But Su Mu said very seriously: 'Fu Hua is a warrior against Honkai, the Protector of Shenzhou, a MANTIS. Her will is second only to Kevin. To make such a brave warrior a Herrscher would be a sign of fall—the dragon slayer becoming the dragon. It's wrong!'"
Elysia mimicked Su Mu's tone perfectly, drawing more laughter.
"Ellie was confused then! I asked, 'Director Su, Director Su, if she can't be a Herrscher, how do we bring her back? Onegai, Director Su, Ellie will be so sad if I don't see Fu Hua!' Director Su looked at me and replied seriously—"
"Oh dear, if I say more, it'll be a spoiler! Hehe~ find out for yourselves in the new version, 'Millennium Feather.' It wouldn't be fun to reveal the mystery now~"
Elysia's abrupt cut-off made the viewers want to spit blood. Bad Ellie! Finish your sentence! If she's not a Herrscher, how did she revive? And what's with the crazy Fu Hua? The unknown was driving the Captains crazy!
"Director Su strictly ordered me to keep it a secret, so don't blame Ellie! Blame Director Su for loving a good tease, hee-hee~"
[Evil Old Thief! you love your riddles, don't you?]
[I can't take it, if I don't play 'Millennium Feather' I'm going to die!]
[What happened to Fu Hua? I'm the King of Impatience!]
[Wait? have you noticed... this Fu Hua looks like someone...]
[Hold on, isn't that Senti, Fu Hua's sister? The Honkai 3rd streamer?]
[Eh? So this isn't Fu Hua, but her sister?]
[Is that it? But Kiana and Sirin are sisters too, but it's not like that in the game.]
[Whoa, I followed Senti because of Fu Hua. She said she'd get a character one day; I didn't think it was for real!]
At this moment, a massive wave of players flooded into Senti's stream, trying to fish for intel.
"What's the next sentence after 'she won't be a Herrscher'? even if you ask me, I don't know~ ♪"
Senti replied with a grin. she wasn't lying; Carole had only shown her the art and combat animations. The plot was a total secret. Sigh, Senti felt a bit sad. Why treat me like a thief? Is my mouth really that loose?
END OF CHAPTER