Honkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 100

Chapter 100: Looking Back, a Long Road Traveled

Several options materialized on the screen, one after another.

Guinaifen leaned forward, her fingers moving deliberately as she clicked through the lingering echoes of the past.

After the Spear of Heavenly Punishment, representing the path of “Strife,” was finally terminated, Mydmos reclaimed the title of Suspended Edge. He returned to his homeland for The Crowning, ultimately standing tall as the final, unyielding line of defense for the Holy City.

“Mydei, may you be invincible in battle.”

After the incarnation of “Time” entrusted Mem to the care of others, the lively red-haired girl finally completed her arduous mission, bidding a premature farewell to everyone she held dear.

Time never spoke of fairness, but Time never stopped its relentless march forward.

“See you tomorrow, Trianne.”

The unrestrained scholar who had mastered the essence of “Reason” delivered a grand, stunning performance. Then, at the ultimate cost of his own life, he tore away the veil, allowing everyone to catch a fleeting glimpse of a corner of this world’s absolute truth.

Incarnation of Reason, at the absolute end of existence, have you finally found the answer you sought?

“Anaxa, may Cerces defend your thoughts.”

The Hand of Duskhaze, representing the cold finality of “Death,” had once ruthlessly bestowed the fate of demise upon the twins. Yet, with their hearts beating in perfect synchronicity, they each continued to weave a long, poignantly beautiful chapter of poetry against the dark.

In the very end, the half-body of death chose to remain in the boundless sea, searching the horizon for a future that had yet to be written.

“Let’s meet again at The End of the West Wind, Castorice.”

Browsing through these heavy, lingering memories, a deep melancholy settled over Stelle. Guinaifen and the countless viewers watching the livestream could only sigh, a collective breath heavy with unspeakable emotion.

It truly had been a long, arduous road.

The path of the Trailblaze was forever accompanied by the bitter sting of partings and the hollow ache of loss.

After organizing the fragmented pieces of the past, the perspective smoothly shifted back to the main screen. The era of Re-creation officially commenced from this very second.

Stelle’s in-game communicator chimed. It was a brief, urgent message from Cipher claiming she had discovered a hidden treasure, demanding they meet immediately in the shadowy depths of Styxia.

Shaking off the lingering sadness that clung to her shoulders, Guinaifen mirrored Stelle’s digital urgency and hurried her avatar toward the designated coordinates.

Who could have possibly anticipated the scene that awaited them upon arrival?

The moment their boots touched the ground, they picked up a torn piece of black cloth. Before they could even inspect it, a terrifying Flame Reaver materialized right in their path.

[Mem, prepare for battle—]

[That pink puppy is your target!]

[Is it finally my turn to exit the stage…]

The sudden, imposing appearance of the Flame Reaver gave Guinaifen a genuine jolt of adrenaline. She gripped her controls tightly.

However, as her eyes darted to the dialogue options popping up on the right side of the screen, the heavy, sentimental atmosphere instantly evaporated. A bubble of laughter threatened to burst from her throat.

She could only imagine where the real Stelle was right now. If the Trailblazer saw these ridiculous dialogue choices, she would absolutely sue Ash sooner or later for character defamation!

But the surprises were far from over.

Just as Guinaifen braced herself for a grueling, high-stakes combat encounter, the terrifying Flame Reaver suddenly let out a soft, high-pitched meow, followed by a distinctly foolish giggle.

[Ah? Wait, you scared me. This isn’t a Flame Reaver, it’s Cipher in disguise?]

[Gosh! How can this cat be so bad! It’s one thing to bully Castorice on a daily basis, but she even dared to deceive my Trailblazer?!]

[It really is Cipher? Her ability is actually quite impressive if she can disguise herself as other objects so flawlessly.]

[No, wait. If this isn’t a physical disguise, what exactly is it? Is there such a thing as mass psychological suggestion?]

Both Stelle and Mem were visibly startled on the screen, their tense postures only relaxing into heavy sighs of relief once they realized it was merely Cipher playing a trick.

Cipher, however, spent a few moments laughing and mercilessly teasing the duo before adopting a slightly more serious tone. She specifically emphasized that her unique ability was not a mere physical disguise.

It was achieved through a complex web of auditory inducements and subtle visual suggestions—like the specific rustle of sound and the placement of torn black cloth. She manipulated the environment to make others genuinely believe in something entirely non-existent, convincing their own minds that a deadly Flame Reaver had descended upon them.

“Lies are the absolute hallmark of Zagreus. As long as everyone firmly believes it to be true, a simple illusion can smoothly turn into breathing reality!”

“What an incredibly abstract ability.” Guinaifen frowned slightly, her eyes tracking the text. “But this doesn’t seem very practical in a real fight, does it? What is the actual difference between this and a standard disguise?”

Before Guinaifen could explore any deeper into the mechanics of divine illusions, her avatar was unceremoniously dragged along by the mischievous cat-girl to hunt for the promised treasure.

As they walked, their conversation naturally deepened.

It turned out that Cipher did not simply harbor a superficial love for money. The core reason behind her obsessive hoarding was tied to a grim oracle.

“Do not forget that I am also a demigod. I have a personal stake in that foolish prophecy: ‘Thou shalt walk with greed, and thou shalt die penniless’…”

“But this lady absolutely refuses to believe in such nonsense. As long as I continuously amass wealth and hoard every treasure I can get my hands on, I will never end up penniless.”

“Wait, you can actually exploit a loophole like that?”

Hearing this logic, Guinaifen rubbed her chin thoughtfully.

She suddenly felt that Cipher made a surprisingly compelling point.

While others in Amphoreus either passively accepted their tragic fates or found themselves entirely imprisoned by divine decree, Cipher was actively, stubbornly brainstorming ways to resist the inevitable.

No wonder Aglaea had previously criticized her, claiming she was merely shirking her responsibilities and fleeing from her destined fate.

Looking at it from this angle, hoarding gold to outrun a prophecy really did look like fleeing.

Following that enlightening encounter, several days passed within the game’s internal timeline.

After Stelle and Dan Heng temporarily separated to cover more ground, both encountered drastically different events.

Dan Heng, accompanied by Lygus, the enigmatic Divine Ceremony Spectator, arrived at the desolate site of the crashed Astral Express carriage.

Lygus maintained a particularly mysterious, almost aloof attitude. He calmly stated that he possessed the means to help the two outworlders repair their beloved carriage, and could even provide them safe passage out of Amphoreus while entirely avoiding Aegle’s devastating divine punishment.

The price for this salvation was simple: they had to completely abandon their support for the Chrysos Heirs of Fire Chasing.

The answer was obvious.

This was not a deal Dan Heng could ever easily trust, nor was it one he would accept. He rejected the offer without a second thought.

Even without Mem present to sway his emotions, he and Stelle had already come to view the Chrysos Heirs of Fire Chasing as genuine companions. For the Nameless, turning a blind eye to companions in need was fundamentally impossible.

But because of his unwavering refusal, the atmosphere instantly shifted. Dan Heng and Lygus were abruptly surrounded by a menacing group of men clad in black, their faces obscured by featureless masks.

[Lygus’s identity is definitely not simple. He doesn’t seem to be completely on the same side as that Caenis from the Senate.]

[I knew it! He can actually repair the carriage. The hidden easter egg really confirmed it—the Automaton that originally helped Stelle leave Amphoreus in the alternate timeline was Lygus all along.]

[As expected of Dan Heng-laoshi, he provides such an overwhelming sense of security!]

The bullet chat area immediately exploded with frantic comments.

[Himeko: This Lygus… I always feel he isn’t strictly aligned with the Senate, but he is clearly at odds with the Chrysos Heirs as well.]

[Welt: He claims he is neutral and only follows the will of the citizens of Okhema, but looking at the reality of his actions, I don’t believe that is entirely the case.]

On the other side of the screen, Himeko and Mr. Yang were actively analyzing the unfolding political web for the younger members of the crew.

As experienced adults, their perspective was naturally more mature and subtle than Stelle’s, allowing them to dissect the situation from multiple strategic angles.

Meanwhile, back with the Trailblazer.

For the sake of Amphoreus’s uncertain tomorrow, and to adequately prepare themselves to face the powerful enemies lurking in the shadows, Phainon and Stelle engaged in a rigorous session of self-tempering.

After pushing their physical limits, they decided to take Mem along and visit the Hall of Friendship—the grand repository of books nestled within the Tree Court—to relax their tense nerves.

The shelves were lined with an array of bizarre literature. Titles like “Forbidden Love: The Tree and the Butterfly,” “My Professor Can’t Be That Bashful,” and “One-Punch God King: Aegle Volume” populated the ancient archives. All sorts of messy, highly questionable books appeared before the players’ incredulous eyes.

Phainon, completely ignoring the scandalous fiction, was deeply engrossed in a heavy tome titled “Antique Appraisal: How to Strike It Rich.”

As for Mem, Stelle had followed the little creature the entire way just to peek at what she was reading.

She finally discovered that Mem was diligently studying the “Amphoreus Complete Book of Divination,” desperately wanting to master the complex art just to give Stelle a pleasant surprise.

However, the sight of that particular divination book triggered a sudden, heavy memory within Phainon. He slowly looked up, his eyes distant.

“Cyrene… She could describe abnormal, thorough dreams so vividly that the childhood version of me would be completely immersed in them.”

The previously cheerful atmosphere in the livestream abruptly flatlined.

“What on earth are these ridiculous books? I absolutely must recommend them to Castorice!” Guinaifen had just been saying with a bright smile, only for the mood to violently shift.

[So Phainon actually likes antiques? But why does the atmosphere get so unbelievably heavy the second Phainon opens his mouth, haha.]

[It’s always either his hometown being brutally destroyed or his childhood playmates being killed off. That’s way too dark, man.]

[Speaking of which, this Cyrene… she’s the girl who appeared at the very end of the first PV, right?]

[Has she actually died? And if she’s been dead for over a decade, why would she suddenly appear in the Chrysos Heirs’ promotional video?]

[Welt:…]

Some viewers tried to keep the mood light, while others fell into a stunned, contemplative silence.

Unfortunately, this quiet moment of reflection did not last long.

When Stelle and Phainon turned around to leave the archives, three strange, imposing figures silently materialized from the shadows, completely surrounding them. It was an exact mirror of Dan Heng’s dire situation.

They wore pitch-black clothing, their faces hidden behind porcelain masks decorated with streaks of golden blood.

“It’s the Purifiers!” Phainon hissed, his posture instantly shifting into a combat stance.

A brand-new hostile force had officially entered the stage.

Through the lore they had gathered, the Purifiers were a ruthless assassin organization formed specifically to oppose the Chrysos Heirs, aiming to eradicate them through the most extreme, violent means necessary.

“There’s a crazy faction like this too?!”

Guinaifen was genuinely startled, her hands flying back to her keyboard as the battle interface shattered the screen.