The Honkai Impact 3rd anniversary celebration came to a perfect close.
Everyone was satisfied.
The players were satisfied.
Elysia and the others were satisfied.
The team at miHoYo was also satisfied.
But Hokuto wouldn't settle for just that.
So, after the livestream ended, he stopped everyone who was packing up—including Elysia and her group.
"I have something... it's about the future production of Honkai Impact 3rd."
Searing Flames, Everlasting was almost here. It was time to officially begin preparations for Elysian Realm.
Hokuto swept his gaze across each of them.
Fortunately, most of them were already onboard.
Kevin and Sakura had joined long ago—if Kevin was in, Su would be fine too.
He had already convinced Elysia and Eden by persuading Mobius.
Thanks to that stargazing event, Kalpas was taken care of as well.
Griseo had joined miHoYo. With her, Kosma and Aponia should also agree.
Hua was naturally not a problem.
The only ones left were Pardofelis and Vill-V.
Pardofelis would be easy.
So—
Hokuto's gaze stopped on Vill-V.
Before he could say a word, Vill-V spoke.
"You want me to join Honkai Impact 3rd, don't you?"
"You saw through me." Hokuto didn't dodge the topic, nor did he hide anything.
Vill-V spoke frankly, "Because the look in your eyes made it very obvious."
"Was it that obvious?"
Hokuto was a little surprised, but quickly dropped the matter. "So, Vill-V, what do you think?"
"Ah~~"
Vill-V crossed her arms and pondered for a moment.
"For me, joining or not joining Honkai Impact 3rd—either is fine."
"But I do want to know—what will my first appearance before the players be like?"
"Your first appearance?" Hokuto didn't quite get it.
Vill-V explained, "I mean, will it surprise people?"
"I'll do my best to achieve the effect you want." Hokuto promised.
"You must really want me in the game, Hokuto."
"It's a story about thirteen people. None can be missing."
"Thirteen?"
Vill-V looked around at the others.
That really was a rather suggestive number.
If it wasn't a coincidence, then... it could only mean them.
Not just Vill-V—many others realized it too.
Elysia was the first to speak:
"Hokuto, when you say thirteen people... could it be—"
She raised her hand and drew a circle, encompassing herself and the others within it.
"—like this?"
"Exactly." Hokuto nodded without hesitation.
"Aiya."
Elysia's eyes lit up.
"So your idea and mine were the same all along. I've always thought, if everyone could enter the game, it'd be amazing!"
She eagerly linked arms with Vill-V.
"Vill-V, come on—say yes!
Let's make our debut in a way that's grand and glamorous!"
"Grand and glamorous?"
Others might not think much of Elysia's phrasing, but it clearly inspired Vill-V.
You could almost hear the gears in her mind start turning.
...
With Elysia's encouragement, Vill-V—who hadn't really been against it—agreed in the end.
Thus, the Elysian Realm project could proceed without obstacles.
As for how it would begin?
Hokuto asked for everyone's input.
Elysia excitedly proposed:
"I want to ride a giant whale made of clouds, swimming through the galaxy—and we'll all be on top of it... Isn't the image just breathtaking?"
"...Elysia, this isn't a fairy tale." Hokuto said, exasperated.
"Ehh~~ A fairy-tale girl deserves a fairy-tale entrance~~"
Elysia clasped her hands to her chest and lifted her chin with a gentle smile.
Hokuto didn't reply.
Instead, Eden chuckled softly from the side.
"While we can't put Elysia on a flying whale... a whale under the sea might be possible. I could lend my Goldfish-class submersible yacht."
Hokuto: "..."
Sure, go on and spoil her.
He shook his head slightly.
"No need for such an extravagant setup. That'd be overkill."
Elysia's idea was rejected.
Next came Vill-V.
"Easy! I'll host a world-class magic show! Guaranteed to amaze everyone!"
"That would give you too much spotlight. It's not appropriate." Hokuto rejected that too.
Elysian Realm was the stage for all thirteen Flame-Chasers—not Vill-V's personal show.
Next was Kevin.
"I think we need something... cool—"
"Kevin, stop talking."
"?"
And so it went.
True to their nature, they either didn't bother to think or came up with totally bizarre ideas.
Not a single normal one.
"Sigh... I'll do it myself—"
"Let's hold a concert," Eden suddenly suggested.
"There are so many wonderful songs in Honkai Impact 3rd. It would be such a waste not to have a concert."
"Hmm?"
Hokuto paused.
Then thought carefully.
Actually, Eden's suggestion was excellent.
Because it would fulfill two goals at once.
First, to commemorate the iconic transition from Herrscher of Human: Ego to Searing Flames, Everlasting.
Second, to introduce Elysian Realm with the grand and glamorous flair it deserved.
In fact, in the previous iteration of Honkai Impact 3rd, there had been a concert shortly after Searing Flames concluded.
Borrowing a proven success—nothing wrong with that.
"I think we can do it." Hokuto nodded.
"A concert~~"
Elysia tapped her cheek in thought. Then smiled.
"That sounds pretty great too~~"
"As long as it's lively enough, you'll be happy either way."
"Haha~~ Eden, you really understand me~~"
...
While Hokuto led the team in planning the Elysian Realm project...
The storm stirred up by Honkai Impact 3rd's anniversary was only just beginning.
Many players had exited the official miHoYo livestream planning to take a break—
But instead, found themselves overwhelmed by emotion and itching to express it somehow.
If nothing else, [Dust Walker] deserved to be immortalized!
Some players immediately began writing short essays:
"Honkai Impact 3rd: Fu Hua's Return, Kiana's Bittersweet Moment! Dust Walker Analysis"
"Honkai Impact 3rd: Topping the Charts Within an Hour—Why Did Dust Walker Drive Players Wild?"
"On Fu Hua: The Lonely Guardian of Shenzhou Who Finally Found Her Warmth"
Others with stronger technical skills stayed up all night editing videos.
And so, the following scene occurred—
The morning after the anniversary, at 8:00 AM—
"Finally finished it."
A certain pilipili content creator, Guozi, was among those who couldn't contain their excitement and pulled an all-nighter editing.
He looked at the completed video on his PC and exhaled in satisfaction.
Knock knock knock~~
"Wanna grab breakfast?"
Someone knocked, then cracked the door open—
Only to see Guozi sitting at his desk, looking exhausted but utterly fulfilled.
"Don't tell me... you stayed up all night again?"
"Yup, video grind." Guozi replied casually.
"Again with Honkai Impact 3rd? How many times is this now?"
"What can I say? Honkai Impact 3rd has done it again. Insane! miHoYo's amazing!"
He slapped his thigh.
"Kiana, you nailed it!"
"..."
The other person, seeing Guozi so fired up, stepped in and glanced at his screen.
The video just happened to be showing the chain-run segment from the Herrscher of Sentience battle.
"Wait, isn't this Honkai Impact 3rd? This doesn't look like Honkai Impact 3rd."
"This is Honkai Impact 3rd!"
"Huh? You're not pulling my leg, right? This can't be—"
Guozi rolled his eyes.
"Why would I lie?"
He paused, then waved his hand.
"Alright, nothing to be surprised about. This is Honkai Impact 3rd.
Unexpected gameplay mechanics are totally normal here."
He stood up, patted his friend's shoulder, and spoke with conviction.
The friend stood there confused.
He'd always heard Honkai Impact 3rd was amazing... but it was clearly even more amazing than he'd imagined.
Later, Guozi uploaded the video titled:
"Nothing Sweeter Than Honkai Impact 3rd" to pilipili.
...
This year's anniversary event was undoubtedly a massive success.
miHoYo's revenue hit another new high. Other developers could only look on with envy.
As for Hokuto, he was already used to this.
He simply smiled, issued the girls a bonus, and gave them a few days off to rest.
Especially Kiana and Himeko—
He hoped the two of them could take time to recover.
And why such special instructions?
Well...
Sometime after the anniversary—
Inside Hokuto's office at the miHoYo studio—
He casually opened a random Honkai Impact 3rd livestream.
What he saw—
A torrential downpour beneath a full moon.
Someone gazing upward through the gaps in the ruined structure.
The rain fell mercilessly, yet embers still clung stubbornly to the wreckage.
That building once called home—
Was now a burnt and broken silhouette.
Only the moon above remained unchanged—
Cold, cruel, and alone.
Then came the sound of a girl's labored breathing.
And the faint echo of a foreign nursery rhyme:
"London Bridge is falling down~..."
...
This was from the newly released event "The Language of Rosemary".
Though some time had passed since the anniversary, Honkai Impact 3rd had yet to update the main story.
Instead, it launched several events—
As if the main story was suffering delays.
The reason wasn't complicated.
The final part of Set Tomorrow Ablaze wasn't ready yet.
Because—every time Kiana tried to record her lines, she'd break down in tears.
Before the players even got emotional, Kiana had already been wrecked.
Of course, maybe it also had to do with how personally she related to the script.
Hokuto thought of this as he left the office—
He arrived at the recording room, already surrounded by a crowd.
Theresa saw him.
"You've got nerve showing up."
"Why wouldn't I?"
"Do you even realize what your script has done to Kiana lately?"
"Uh..."
Hokuto looked embarrassed and quickly changed the subject.
"How's it going now?"
"See for yourself. Kiana should be finishing that scene right about now."
Theresa stepped aside.
Hokuto squeezed into the front, just in time to hear Kiana's choked voice—
"Ms. Himeko... I'm so happy to have been your student.
Meeting you has been the greatest honor of my life!"
"Goodbye, Ms. Himeko."
After finishing her line—
Kiana quietly set down the script, then suddenly turned and threw her arms around Himeko.
"Ms. Himeko, I'll never call you 'Aunt Himeko' again!"
Himeko: "..."
"Kiana... oh, forget it."
Himeko wanted to say something, but thinking of how Kiana had just performed, she held her tongue.
Smiling gently, she sighed.
"You'd better keep your word, Kiana."
"Mm, mm, mm."
Some time passed—
Kiana's emotions settled down.
"I'm okay now."
"That's good." Himeko lovingly pinched her cheek.
Then Hokuto's voice cut in:
"Now that that scene is done, we can move on with the next phase of the plan."
"Hokuto?"
Kiana finally noticed he was there.
She frowned, clearly on edge due to the school chapter in Set Tomorrow Ablaze.
"The next phase? What are you planning now, Hokuto?"
"I just want to convey your emotions perfectly to the players. That's all." Hokuto said sincerely.
"Really?"
"Kiana, I have no reason to lie."