My Game Studio is Full of Valkyries?!

After watching the triple-hit memory sequence—especially hearing the line "because she was afraid you'd get hurt"—Elysia's fingers instinctively loosened from the directional key.

She was stunned for a moment.

After a while, she resumed control of the character, following Himeko forward.

Kiana and Himeko arrived at the training ground.

"Ah, it's the old training field."

"This must've been one of the rare classes where you didn't fall asleep, huh?" Himeko asked with a smile.

"Well, back then I only liked combat training. Though... I never won once in partner sparring against the class rep and the others."

"And now?"

"That might be a different story."

Kiana answered with confidence.

Himeko smiled faintly but said no more.

The two wandered around St. Freya, reminiscing about many things. Himeko couldn't help but grow sentimental.

"It feels like just yesterday you all were still attending classes here... Tell me about everyone. How are they doing now?"

"Mm."

Kiana began recounting what had happened after the battle against Schicksal.

"Himeko-sensei, after you injected me with the Honkai suppression serum, I awoke and wandered through Arc City."

Just as Elysia was about to continue the cutscene, she heard Kiana's voice.

She paused her tapping on the dialogue box and turned toward Kiana and Himeko.

Kiana recalled aloud to Himeko:

"Back then, Honkai beasts and deadwalkers were hunting me. The Herrscher's whispers echoed in my mind. I brought misfortune to the world and those I loved. My heart was filled with sorrow."

She paused, then continued softly,

"So I started thinking... if I died, would the world—and myself—feel better?"

"Kiana."

Himeko looked at her with a gentle, concerned gaze.

"It was the class rep who stopped me. I think... I even saw you, Himeko-sensei. You were there, supporting me, encouraging me. I decided to answer your expectations—to fight back against fate."

Kiana's tone gradually firmed up.

Himeko's eyes remained soft:

"We really should thank Fu Hua. And Kiana, it's not good to give up so easily. We must never stop resisting, no matter what."

Her voice turned slightly stern, taking on the authority of a teacher.

"Mm."

Kiana nodded. "Himeko-sensei, I won't run away anymore."

She went on:

"Under the class rep's guidance, I slowly learned how to suppress the Herrscher's persona... and how to wield Herrscher power."

At that, Kiana lifted her head, speaking with a slight hint of paramecium energy:

"Back then, lots of people called me 'Void Drifter.' I even saved a city."

Her voice softened, uncertain:

"I did it... right, Himeko-sensei?"

"..."

"Mm."

Himeko answered sincerely:

"You did it. You did very well. But..."

She gently pinched Kiana's cheek, her voice full of pain:

"You didn't take care of yourself."

Meanwhile, outside the livestream zone—

"Was this your idea?" Rita asked Hokuto.

Hokuto nodded. "One of them."

"Hokuto..."

Rita hesitated. "I think I might need to go grab more tissues."

She walked over to the others.

Inside the stream zone—

"I still hadn't fully figured things out at the time,"

Kiana's voice grew a bit low.

"I knew I didn't have much time left. In those final days, I returned to Nagazora—the place where I first met everyone."

"But I quickly realized a massive Honkai outbreak was imminent in Arc City. Once again, I chose to stand up—to save everyone, to save the world, even if it cost me my life."

"And then Mei, she..."

"Mei?" Himeko asked.

Kiana didn't answer directly.

Instead, she said:

"I was enduring all that pain alone. I forgot that—to others—Kiana was the entirety of the world's beauty."

"In order to save me... Mei once again became the Herrscher of Thunder."

"..." Himeko blinked.

"Two of my students have become Herrschers now?"

"Well..."

Kiana looked a bit awkward.

"After Mei left, I went with Bronya—who'd become the Herrscher of Reason—to Mt. Taixu, searching for a way to control Herrscher powers that the class rep had left behind."

"But instead, we ran into the Herrscher of Sentience. In the illusion she created, I saw the class rep's lonely life, imprisoned by duty..."

Kiana described this in detail.

Himeko listened and nodded, then sighed:

"So Fu Hua's background runs that deep... Also—why are all of you becoming Herrschers?"

"..."

"What happened afterward with the Herrscher of Sentience and Fu Hua?"

Kiana took a deep breath:

"With the class rep's help, I barely managed to defeat her using Taixuan Swordmaster. But to seal the Herrscher of Sentience, the class rep was prepared to sacrifice herself again."

"At that moment, I finally understood Mei's feelings. That fate of self-sacrifice to save the world—I couldn't accept it."

"That's not the 'beauty' we wished for... I wanted to bring the class rep back."

"You did."

Himeko spoke warmly.

"Kiana has grown strong—strong enough to shelter others."

She paused and smiled gently:

"You've learned to keep walking, even without me."

Kiana: "..."

"Himeko... sensei... I will, I'll..."

She had more to say—but couldn't get the words out.

Himeko quickly pulled a tissue and handed it to Kiana.

Outside, Hokuto hurriedly shut off the live camera feed.

Elysia, seeing their conversation wrap up, took a deep breath.

She glanced at the stream chat—players were crying and frantically calling friends to join.

Missing this official stream today would be a massive loss!!

She gently tapped to advance the story.

...

Kiana and Himeko had finished talking.

Himeko was surprised that her whole class had turned into Herrschers—and even had a 50,000-year-old student.

Kiana, after calming down, confessed she was still worried.

Worried she hadn't done enough.

Worried she had let everyone down...

Himeko merely placed a hand gently on her head.

"Kiana, let me tell you a story."

"Eh... are we having a lesson now?" Kiana asked in confusion.

"What, you don't want to hear it?"

Himeko teased.

Kiana actually smiled.

And that smile—carried something deep.

"No, I do want to hear it."

Perhaps this was the real "final lesson."

As Himeko began her story, Elysia was surprised—she knew about the disaster in 2010.

She also knew that her captain, Ragna, had died at the hands of the Herrscher of the Void.

Kiana grew tense—but Himeko just gently stroked her head and began to explain.

"Kiana, the Herrscher of the Void always blamed you for the disasters and consequences. But that's wrong. She couldn't see people's own choices. She rejected the faint glimmers of beauty."

"——Now, here's the real story I want to tell you."

With a soft voice, Himeko spoke to Kiana about Captain Ragna's teachings.

Passing that belief on to her.

"We protect what is beautiful... what will become beautiful... what we hold dear."

"They may seem small, seem futile. But that's only because, right now, they're still seeds."

"These seeds of beauty—one day—they'll blossom across the hillsides in full bloom."

But what shocked everyone most was...

Ragna had realized all this after being inspired by Otto.

If they didn't already know what Otto was like, they'd have thought he was some kind of holy beacon guiding humanity's future.

Instead, they only felt how complex Otto truly was.

Conflicting. Contradictory.

Good and evil, entangled so deeply in him, they blurred into chaos.

Speaking of which—Otto's still missing, right?

When will he show up again?

Some of them even found themselves... looking forward to his return.

Back in the game, Himeko continued.

"It was Captain Ragna who encouraged me—to turn this imperfect world into the one you want to see."

"Kiana, I read that mission report—no one knows what really happened in that disaster. But the rampaging Herrscher was subdued, and Siegfried, wielder of Judgment of Shamash, survived."

"Someone who was there must've made the choice she believed was right."

"I think the captain must've seen something in you that she wanted to protect—just like I once did."

"She did. I did. We all did.

We believe you can do it—save more people—make the world more beautiful."

"And you have."

Himeko looked at Kiana with pride, joy, and deep warmth...

The in-game music swelled.

"What you did in Arc City...

What you did on Mt. Taixu...

What you're doing to stop the Herrscher of Dominance..."

"You've saved so many—and those people will save even more."

"This is humanity's legacy. The ever-burning flame."

...

As Himeko spoke, the music reached its climax—fierce, surging like flames.

Everyone watching the official stream got goosebumps.

This story—

Was one of inheritance.

Ragna passed her belief, inspired by the Overseer, to Himeko.

Himeko passed it to Kiana.

This is torch-bearing legacy.

This is humanity's legacy—an ever-burning flame!

A new emotion began to stir.

Kiana looked up, meeting Himeko's soft gaze.

"Thank you, Himeko-sensei. I do understand... it's just that sometimes, I can't..."

"I understand your anxiety, Kiana.

The more help you receive, the heavier the burden you'll feel."

Himeko gently patted her shoulder.

"So all the more—remember: you were never alone."

"Your fellow Anti-Entropy companions...

Academy Head Theresa, who always worries for you...

The ever-reliable class rep, Fu Hua..."

"Trust and rely on your companions, Kiana—because they surely trust and rely on you."

The story reached this point.

Elysia tapped forward—

And suddenly, the stage clear screen popped up.

Upon entering the next stage, the scene didn't resume.

Instead, the perspective shifted—

To Fu Hua and Bronya.

Kiana was facing off against the Herrscher of the Void.

Meanwhile, chaos was erupting in the Theater of Domination.

Fu Hua and Bronya were trapped in an enclosed space by the Herrscher of Dominance.

But... the puppets had underestimated Bronya.

Thanks to her calculations, she and Fu Hua broke free of the sealed space and found the unconscious Kiana.

Just as they were about to reach her, a puppet blocked their path.

"What now, class rep? There's no way around them right now."

"And... they're directly connected to their hosts.

If we destroy the puppets, their real-world hosts will die too..."

This situation was... highly difficult.

The puppets' hosts were living people—they couldn't just attack recklessly.

Fu Hua saw this and knew—it was time for her to act.

"Looks like there's no other choice."

"Bronya, I'll sever their link to the hosts."

She no longer had Fenghuang Down—so she couldn't do it on her own.

She had to borrow the power of the Herrscher of Sentience.

Fu Hua sank her consciousness deep within.

There was a heavy chain—

One end bound to her, the other to the Herrscher of Sentience.

To use that power, she needed to pull the chain.

But the other end was clutched tightly in the Herrscher's hand—

No matter how hard she pulled, it wouldn't budge.

So now... she had to persuade the Herrscher of Sentience.

And negotiation—was never Fu Hua's strong suit.

"..."

After a moment of silence, she tried:

"Listen. If you can hear me—"

No response from within.

"Kiana is in danger. I need your strength."

"..."

After a while, the chain stirred.

"Ugh! Old fossil, can you people stop bugging me for once? So annoying!"

As soon as the Herrscher of Sentience's voice appeared in-game—everyone started smiling.

Shibao had that strange magic—even in a collapsing world, she could still make people laugh.

They understood now why the devs shifted the tone here.

Give the players a moment of comedy before the next heartbreak.

What a kind scriptwriter—

Yeah right.

They were already mentally preparing for the worst.

But nothing could've prepared them for how hilarious the next scene would be.

Including Shibao's future spiral into chaos across every side story.

Ah, the importance of childhood education.

"Please—I really need your help," Fu Hua pleaded sincerely.

"Hah? You think I don't know?

If I use Herrscher power on them, it'll get stolen, right?"

Shibao snorted:

"You trying to 'kill with a borrowed blade' or pull off a 'double kill'?"

"Oh~~ I get it. You've turned into one of those wooden dolls, huh?"

Same old sharp-tongued Herrscher of Sentience.

Completely unchanged.

Fu Hua replied truthfully:

"I haven't joined them. They're threatening innocent lives. I need your help."

The Herrscher wasn't convinced.

"You say you haven't, and I'm just supposed to believe you?

Then what—let you waltz off with my power?"

Kids these days... always on high alert.

"No, it won't be taken if we win. The power will remain."

"Oh sure, yay~ applause for your future victory!

—And what does that have to do with me?"

"..."

Fu Hua's limited vocabulary had run dry.

She got to the point:

"Kiana needs you."

"She wants the 'class rep,' doesn't she?"

"I need you too."

Silence.

Fu Hua felt the tension on the chain ease a bit.

She went on:

"I know Kiana once rejected you. But after everything, you've seen—she's not a bad person."

"She said you weren't 'Fu Hua'—not because she hated you. On the contrary—

We both see you as your own person. A unique soul."

"You have your own thoughts, your own will.

You don't need to care who you were—only who you choose to be."

"I've always wanted to tell you this.

Kiana and I—we both want you back."

That line—

Was Fu Hua's emotional peak.

Even Elysia and the viewers wondered if she had taken emotional intelligence lessons.

Predictably, Shibao wavered.

She answered with some hesitation:

"But seriously, this is still your mess.

You broke it—you fix it.

Right? If you're so capable, then—"

Just when everyone thought Fu Hua could sweet-talk her way through—

"Sorry—!"

Fu Hua yanked the chain at the moment of hesitation—

And forcefully seized the power.

The Herrscher of Sentience was stunned.

She'd only relaxed a little—just a little.

And Fu Hua stole it.

"Old fossil! YOU—!!"

Shibao passed out from rage.

...

No one expected Fu Hua to pull something like this.

Not even the Herrscher of Sentience.

Not anyone.

The stream chat was dumbfounded.

This was... Mom-scam.

Comments rolled in:

[Beware of emotional scams from trusted moms.]

[Case study: Fu Hua's fraud ring used the "feelings" angle to scam Miss Herrscher of Sentience.]

[Shibao: It's all a con!!]

[Remember her bridge quote? "Nobody can fool me. So boring."]

Elysia was just as regretful.

"Sigh~~ Hua~ Shibao just wanted you to say a few more nice things~~

You should've kept coaxing her~~"

Then she saw chat mention Shibao's bridge voice lines.

Yes, she remembered—

There really was a line like that.

Elysia suddenly had a thought:

Could it be... Hokuto had this 'Mom-scam' planned all the way back when the Herrscher of Sentience debuted?

Tsk—