Honkai Star Rail: Saving the World with a Mobile Game — Chapter 53

Chapter 53: The Seed of Strife Returns to Its Place

“Behind the tenth thoracic vertebra?”

A soft murmur echoed in the pristine, brightly lit office. “So, he can be killed after all.”

Pier Point, Interstellar Peace Corporation Headquarters.

Following the abrupt and absolute cancellation of the mission to track down the elusive author of Honkai: Star Rail, Topaz found herself inexplicably granted several days of paid leave.

The entire situation was bizarre. The Strategic Investment Department’s upper management had aggressively demanded the investigation, only to completely pull the plug mere days later. The specifics were buried under so much red tape that even Jade couldn’t—or wouldn’t—reveal much.

With unexpected free time on her hands, Topaz had created a new account to experience the game for herself. However, bogged down by her careful, slow-paced exploration habits, she ended up catching up on the main story by watching livestreams instead.

Coincidentally, the broadcast hosted by Guinaifen was currently dominating the trending charts across the Xianzhou Luofu.

The energetic street performer was likely completely unaware that a multitude of high-profile figures—people who could shake the galactic economy with a single signature—were quietly lurking in her chat.

As she watched the story unfold, Topaz felt a genuine tightness in her chest. Perhaps it was just her naturally empathetic nature, but Tribios’s tragic sacrifice and Trianne’s noble, self-destructive end had left a heavy impression on her.

The game truly possessed a magnetic pull. And amidst the sea of scrolling comments, she spotted a rather familiar face.

[Aventurine: The Trailblazer’s approach is rather unexpected…]

Topaz would never mistake that username. Aventurine used the exact same handle across all his private social circles. She decisively opened a secure channel and pinged him.

“Is this you?”

[Screenshot.jpg]

“The company gave you time off too, huh?” she typed, her fingers flying across the holographic keyboard. “Even though management banned the investigation, you still showed up here. Don’t tell me you’re digging into this privately?”

A few seconds later, a reply popped up.

“Boring. I should’ve known better than to leave a comment.”

“That’s not my intention,” Topaz replied, leaning back in her chair. “You know how it is. When the Board gives a direct, sweeping order like that, even if they offered me a promotion on a silver platter, I wouldn’t touch the case—let alone conduct a private investigation.”

It was the absolute truth. The Ten Stonehearts weren’t eager to throw themselves at every scrap of danger. Initially, their reluctance stemmed from the fact that it was just a video game—a low-stakes anomaly with little financial reward.

Now, the reluctance came from a primal sense of self-preservation. The risks far outweighed any potential gains.

Management had personally ordered a total blackout on the subject, a decision almost certainly backed by a major IPC partner—that particular Genius Society member residing on the space station.

At this level, investigating a mere ‘game developer’ was a death sentence. Weren’t they afraid the trail might eventually lead straight to an Emanator? Even a P45-level executive couldn’t handle that kind of heat.

“I’m just here to gather more information,” Aventurine finally replied, his tone bleeding through the text. “To stack some chips for myself against any future upheavals.”

“Aren’t you doing the exact same thing?”

Topaz smiled faintly. Despite their vastly different ideologies and methods, the two had reached a silent consensus. When matters escalated to the Board of Directors and the upper echelons of the cosmos, it was no longer a game they could play by their own rules. They had to carefully weigh the consequences of every glance.

So, they both chose to simply observe. That was enough.

On the screen, the narrative pressed forward. The quiet, heavy conversation between Mydei and Phainon struck a chord with the audience.

Mydei stepped into the trial, while Phainon departed to rally the Chrysos Heirs, preparing to face the Fire Thief together.

The chat was boiling over with anticipation. If they couldn’t save Trianne, they were damn well going to make the monster who hurt her pay in blood!

handling through the jagged, stubborn rock formations of Kremnos, the former Lone Army of Suspended Edge—those who had patiently waited for Mydei to ascend as king—spontaneously organized a desperate defensive line to hold off the Fire Thief and the encroaching Black Tide Creations.

Along the way, Guinaifen’s character ran past too many fallen soldiers. The atmosphere was suffocating.

Finally, they reached the center of the Kremnos arena. It was a desolate wasteland surrounded by a ring of roaring bonfires, scattered ruins, and a pitch-black, oppressive sky.

The Fire Thief was already locked in a brutal, devastating duel with Anaxa.

“We’re finally here,” Guinaifen muttered, leaning closer to her screen.

Anaxa shifted his stance, the two titans exchanging blows that shook the very foundations of the city. Following the original plan, Mem suddenly flew outward. In a blinding burst of radiant light, the eternal night of Kremnos was instantly scorched away, transforming into brilliant day!

The screen fractured into dynamic shards.

[Battle Start]

“What? We can control the fight now?!” Guinaifen’s eyes lit up with predatory glee.

Having hacked her way through waves of minor mobs, her blood was pumping. She had been itching for a real fight. Besides, if it weren’t for this bastard, Trianne wouldn’t have suffered.

She had been saving her fully built E6 Herta specifically to torture this boss!

“Family, our chance for revenge is finally here!” Guinaifen shouted to her audience, her fingers dancing over the controls. “Watch my E6 Herta drop the hammer and twirl this guy into dust!”

[You go, Little Gui! Avenge Trianne!]

[Time to twirl! Break his kneecaps!]

[If it weren’t for this Fire Thief, Trianne would still be smiling…]

The second encounter with the Fire Thief proved manageable, especially against the overwhelming follow-up attacks of an E6 Herta. Guinaifen ruthlessly depleted his first two health bars in a flurry of ice and diamonds.

But the encounter wasn’t over.

As the battle UI faded, a cinematic took over. The Fire Thief, battered but enraged, raised his Moonblade, preparing to cleave Anaxa in two.

Unfortunately for him, he played right into their trap. Anaxa violently restrained the monster, plunging a hand forward to rip the Seed of Time directly from his grasp. Seizing the momentary opening, Tribios activated the Gate of a Hundred Worlds, a swirling vortex of spatial energy meant to teleport everyone to safety.

But the Fire Thief was a creature of pure, tenacious malice. He tore his way through the closing Gate, desperate to pursue them into the void.

At that critical, breathless second, a pristine red crystal bloomed in the darkness.

“How pathetic, Deliverer.”

A familiar, chillingly calm voice echoed across the ruins.

“It’s Mydei!” Guinaifen gasped.

The camera whipped around. Beneath the looming shadow of the Heaven’s Scourge, Mydei walked forward. His steps were slow, measured, and accompanied by clusters of jagged red crystals erupting from the earth.

With every step he took, the crimson crystals shot forward like guided missiles, violently piercing the Fire Thief’s already-sealed form, pinning him in mid-air.

Mydei had completely transformed. The raw authority radiating from him was suffocating.

It was cool.

It was unbelievably, undeniably cool.

The visual effects alone—completely ignoring the emotional weight of the story—screamed must-pull.

As the game transitioned back into a final combat phase against the pinned Fire Thief, Guinaifen noticed a new, glowing icon on the right side of her screen.

“Wait, what’s this?” she asked, blinking. “It looks like… a throne made of crystal?”

Every time her characters landed a hit, the unique skill button absorbed a fraction of energy. The anticipation in the chat skyrocketed.

The moment the gauge maxed out, Mydei’s portrait flashed across the screen.

[Let my dynasty burn, in tribute to ‘strife’—]

Without hesitation, Guinaifen slammed the button.

A low, rushing hum vibrated through her headset, like the sound of a collapsing star. Mydei appeared, sitting high above the battlefield upon a towering throne of crimson crystal. Layers of jagged, bloody quartz spread like a plague from beneath his feet, thrusting upward to impale the sky.

The moment the crystals pierced the Fire Thief, Mydei slowly closed his hand, crushing a small crystal in his palm.

The giant red pillar skewering the boss violently detonated, tearing the heavens apart in a shockwave of red light!

[Oh my god, the scaling on this skill is insane! It just casually dropped hundreds of thousands of damage!]

[Strife God indeed! These visuals are absolutely stunning, easily on par with Aglaea!]

[My wallet is crying, but I have to pull for him! Look at that drip!]

Empowered by Mydei’s overwhelming assistance, Guinaifen speedran the final phase of the Fire Thief.

Immediately after the victory screen, the final cinematic rolled. Dark, corrupted souls burst from the Fire Thief’s dying form, swooping down from the sky in a desperate final clash against Mydei, Phainon, and the remaining survivors.

In a split second of danger, Phainon threw himself forward, blocking a lethal sword strike meant for Mydei.

Mydei didn’t flinch. He countered with a devastating backhand punch. The surging force of a lion’s roar enveloped his fist, encased in blazing red crystals, slamming the Fire Thief so hard he shattered the ancient city wall.

Lightning crackled across the sky, descending upon Mydei like a divine mantle.

“Heroic souls of strife, heed my call…”

As his deep voice chanted, the surrounding crystals violently converged, fusing into a colossal, blinding spear that rivaled the legendary weapon of Nikador.

“I am the Spear of Heaven’s Scourge.”

Mydei’s eyes glowed with absolute authority.

“The necessary pain of this world—!!!”

Massive, terrifying wings of pure strife unfurled from his back. The colossal spear erupted in a blinding flash of kinetic energy, galloping forward like a falling meteor. It engulfed the Fire Thief and completely vaporized half of Kremnos in a single, apocalyptic strike.

The explosion scattered into the night sky like a dying firework—dazzling, violent, and absolute.

[Holy mother of—!]

[The sheer kinetic impact! I felt that in my bones!]

[Witness! Kremnos welcomes a new god!]

[Beyond cool! The VR feedback is so intense, it feels like I’m actually standing in the blast zone!]

[Reality… I feel like this is reality!]