It was Saturday, 8:30 AM—the day of Honkai Impact 3rd's anniversary celebration.
Location: the miHoYo studio.
Hokuto and the girls were preparing for an ultra-endurance livestream event.
The stream would run from morning all the way into the night.
Compared to the previous official livestream, this one held special meaning.
It was the first anniversary celebration of Honkai Impact 3rd.
Aside from Theresa placing a few life-sized HoYo dolls like last time,
each of the girls had put up something personal as decoration.
"Hokuto, Hokuto, you should place something you like too, to liven things up!"
Kiana tugged at him excitedly.
"No need for me."
"How can you say that!"
Kiana gripped him tightly with one hand and pointed to the decorated space with the other, serious as ever.
"This is Theresa's HoYo doll, this is Bronya's Arahato, and this is Mei's..."
"Today is miHoYo's first anniversary celebration. Everyone's put their beloved items here—it symbolizes our bond with miHoYo."
"So of course, we can't be without you, Hokuto! Without you, miHoYo wouldn't be complete!"
Hokuto: "..."
He looked at Kiana's earnest face, then turned to the others.
Some were smiling, some nodding. Each expressed their affirmation in their own way.
Kiana's thoughts were theirs too.
"Everyone..."
"Come on, Hokuto, hurry and get something you like. I'm really curious what it'll be!"
"So that's what this is really about..." Hokuto's gratitude faded into mild exasperation.
Called out like that, Kiana awkwardly scratched her neck with her free hand and gave a sheepish smile:
"Of course I meant what I said earlier! I am curious what you like, but I was serious about everything else too, hehehe~~"
"...You're impossible."
Hokuto shook his head, amused. Then he said softly:
"If I had to say what I like most in this world..."
He paused, then smiled:
"It would be Honkai Impact 3rd that we created together... and all of you."
"I don't need to place anything here.
Just seeing you all play Honkai Impact 3rd is more than enough."
"..."*N
The girls fell silent, their eyes glimmering.
Tap—tap—
At that moment, someone walked in from outside.
"What's up with you all? Why are you just standing there?" Fu Shibao asked in surprise.
"Wait... is this some kind of pre-livestream warm-up exercise?"
She immediately refuted herself:
"No, no, today it's me and that fossil doing the stream. What would you be warming up for?"
"Ah..."
Fu Shibao thought a bit but couldn't make sense of it.
"Whatever, not important. Let's get started—"
She glanced around and frowned.
"Where's that fossil?"
"Fu Hua?" Hokuto looked around and realized she really wasn't there.
"Where'd she go?"
"She went to change into her cosplay outfit. She should be back soon," Kiana answered.
"Cosplay?"
"Yup! Each of us prepared a cosplay today. We were planning to film a short private skit during our afternoon break to celebrate Honkai Impact 3rd's birthday."
Kiana explained in detail.
"You guys even prepared content on your own?" Hokuto blinked.
Ever since miHoYo announced the anniversary event, tons of player-made celebration videos had surfaced online—
many of them brilliant and creative.
In some ways, they helped reignite hype for the game itself.
"Hmph, of course! We may be developers, but we're also fans of Honkai Impact 3rd!"
Kiana gave a confident huff.
When it came to love for Honkai, they considered themselves second to none.
Maybe even way beyond.
Meanwhile—
Fu Hua, dressed in her Azure Empyrea cosplay after being pestered into it for the stream,
stood at a hallway corner, looking down at her phone.
Vill-V: [Now is the appointed hour!]
Kevin: [cool~]
Elysia: [Vill-V, are you going to act now?]
Vill-V: [You got it.]
Just as Fu Hua moved her finger to type, Elysia sent her a private message.
Elysia: [Hua~~ You haven't forgotten what I asked you about earlier, right?]
Hua: [...]
Hua: [I remember.]
Elysia: [Great, I'm looking forward to seeing you soon at miHoYo.]
Hua: [...]
Elysia: [Aiya, it's almost time! The anniversary stream's about to start, so I'll stop here.]
Fu Hua glanced at the time. 8:59.
She quickly shoved the phone into her jacket lining and hurried toward the studio.
Just as she arrived, Fu Shibao, who'd been anxiously pacing, grabbed her and dragged her into place.
9:00 sharp. The stream went live.
Viewers who poured in were immediately bewildered by the sight of two Fu Huas.
[Why are there two Fu Huas?]
[Did Fu Hua undergo mitosis?]
[This... this is "Double Fu from the Far Shore"!]
Barrage after barrage of comments rolled in.
Viewers were genuinely shocked—
miHoYo had opened the stream with a massive surprise.
Off-camera, Hokuto spoke up to clarify:
"That's Azure Empyrea—our beloved class monitor Fu Hua. And the other is our special guest today, Miss Herrscher of Sentience. She's Fu Hua's younger sister."
[Ah, so it's the class monitor and her little sister. No wonder they look so alike.]
[Got it. But... why invite Miss Herrscher of Sentience to co-host? Could this mean there's a new 'Fu Hua's sister' character coming?]
Actually, she's a daughter.
Hokuto snarked in his mind.
But while some focused on Fu Hua and Fu Shibao, more viewers were caught by another voice.
[Hey miHoYo writer, why won't you show your face?]
[Don't worry, we Honkai players are the kindest people. We won't do anything to you.]
[Explain yourself! Why did you make Fu Hua turn into a Herrscher?!]
Return had been out for a while now, and some players had figured out that Fu Hua had likely "Herrscherized" in it.
Fu Hua fans weren't pleased.
Their immortal warrior who fought the Honkai her whole life ends up becoming a Herrscher?
That's way too ironic.
miHoYo, be merciful!! (angry)
"Everyone, relax."
Hokuto calmly reassured them:
"Fu Hua will not become a Herrscher."
But he never said a Herrscher couldn't be Fu Hua.
With the audience now mulling over how the Return animation fits if Fu Hua doesn't Herrscherize,
Hokuto signaled Fu Hua to start the game.
She nodded and recalled the lines Hokuto had asked her to memorize—lines meant to steer attention away.
Fu Hua, ever the disciplined type, followed through perfectly.
Being rigid had its advantages.
Used properly, her streams wouldn't be dull.
She recited one line:
"Boss said Otto's getting a proper beatdown next chapter."
At once, question marks flooded the screen.
And then—the chat exploded.
Were they finally going to see Otto get wrecked?!
At last, a long-awaited moment?!
Players were moved.
Maybe miHoYo did understand them after all.
A canon story beatdown? Truly satisfying.
Meanwhile, Fu Hua had launched the game.
She tapped into the latest main story: Feathers of a Millennium.
As usual, the chapter started with a CG.
A tradition in Honkai Impact 3rd—to help immerse players from the get-go.
This time, the opening CG dropped bombshells immediately.
In endless darkness, a dead immortal awakens...
Then, a lively voice echoed out:
"Hey! Wake up! You've slept too long!"
Two dialogue choices appeared:
[...I...who...?]
[...you...what?]
Fu Hua picked the first.
The voice returned:
"Ugh, not this again! Look, your brain's totally fine. No damage."
"Hurry up and check your memory bank. We've got things to do."
Then came another question:
"Who are you?"
The lively voice said:
"I'm your id, okay? The raw, original, truest you."
A second, ethereal voice joined in:
"I'm the superego. Don't worry—you're not insane or delusional. We're just you."
"The ego hasn't awakened yet, because you don't know who you are."
"Hurry and remember—without any of us, you're incomplete."
Two voices.
One called itself id, the other superego.
Watching this bizarre exchange, Fu Shibao was filled with question marks.
Though she voiced the Herrscher of Sentience, her scripts only included her own lines.
Understanding the whole story from just those was basically asking her to perform miracles.
She only knew one thing:
She'd be super strong later—going toe-to-toe with Kevin, wrecking the Herrscher of Reason and Herrscher of the Void,
punching Schicksal, kicking World Serpent—
unstoppable! So satisfying!!
Though there was a late-game reversal...
In her view, that was just to give the fossil some face.
Didn't affect her unbeatable image.
As for why she was so strong?
Was that important? Not at all!
"Fossil..."
She wanted to ask Fu Hua for an explanation, but her pride made her stop.
"What's wrong?" Fu Hua paused and turned.
"Nothing," Fu Shibao replied, shaking her head.
"Oh."
Fu Hua thought she truly had nothing to say, and calmly resumed playing.
She selected the choice: "Who am I?"
"Focus. You are..." prompted the id.
And with that, memories surged forth like a tsunami.
They'd always been dormant, waiting for her command.
Countless images flashed—
A girl alone in the freezing wind.
A warrior clad in golden armor.
A cold-blooded killer.
A secluded immortal...
After the flashback, the ego appeared.
Ego: "They're all you."
Superego: "They were you."
Id: "They're parts of you. Got it? We've got no time. If your brainwave activity leaks out—he'll find you..."
"He?"
The id explained at once:
"Otto Apocalypse. Read all the memories. He's at the very end."
Ego: "He's the Overseer of Schicksal—your old friend, and the only one who knows you're still alive!"
Superego: "A liar... a murderer!"
Narration kicked in.
'Fu Hua' was inside a life-sustaining pod.
Its fluid had healed all her injuries.
She was at her absolute peak.
The chat lit up.
Peak Immortal Fu Hua?!
Blood began to boil.
Time for a returning king arc? Revenge against Otto? Satisfying to the core?
The plot advanced.
Urged by the id and superego, 'Fu Hua' chose violence.
She slammed her fist into the pod's wall—
Bang!
The chamber shattered. The liquid receded. Pressure was gone.
'Fu Hua' stepped out calmly.
Right then, a familiar voice—
A blonde man stood at the doorway, smiling.
"My old friend... you're finally awake."
Otto, as smug as ever:
"No hello? That's fine. You just woke up—you still need observation."
"Though tests say you're fully recovered, I worried something went wrong since you hadn't regained consciousness."
"You don't blame me, do you? Old friend... are you alright? Do you remember me?"
'Fu Hua' didn't answer.
But in her mind, voices exploded.
Condemning Otto's lies, betrayal, danger.
She remembered it—
Otto aiming Void Archives at her head, calmly saying:
"Phoenix Immortal —I never lied."
And then, shooting her point-blank.
Id: "That's it! That pain... make him feel it!"
Superego: "He's the most dangerous man alive. Stop his twisted plot."
Ego: "Now is the best chance."
"He killed Himeko. If not for him, that Captain wouldn't have had to give everything."
Just hearing Himeko's name fired up everyone—
Even Fu Shibao outside the game wanted to snatch the controls.
Facing the finished version had way more impact.
Superego: "Nothing can stop you now. You can become... whole again."
Id: "Kill him!!"
Fu Shibao: "Kill him, fossil!!"
At this point, players were shaking with excitement.
They thought Miss Herrscher's voice sounded like the id—but no time to dwell on that.
Otto was about to get wrecked.
Even imagining it was cathartic.
Now it was real.
In-game, narration now used "you" to refer to the amnesiac 'Fu Hua'.
You walked toward Otto Apocalypse.
"Wait, old friend, I..."
Otto began. But you didn't let him finish.
Lightning-quick, your hand gripped his face—
His smile hadn't even had time to shift to confusion.
Slam!!
You hurled Otto into the wall, his face contorted.
He looked at you, as if to speak—
but all that came from his crushed mouth were meaningless syllables.
"Guh... ahh... wuh..."
Otto was utterly humiliated—
and everyone felt liberated.
Satisfying!
Superego: "How pitiful..."
Ego: "It's what he deserves."
Id: "Hehehe~ la~ lalala~"
As the id hummed cheerfully,
you kept pounding Otto's face.
The players lost it.
Some cried tears of joy.
The script used "you" intentionally—
to fully immerse players, to let them vent.
miHoYo... you nailed it!!
[So cathartic! This was so satisfying to watch!]
[YES YES YES! Beat the crap out of Otto! Smash him!]
[Never felt joy like this playing Honkai before!]
[Otto, you had this coming. Hahaha!]
[Righteousness shines upon the earth! Well done!]
So many comments poured in, the stream lagged.
Not even pilipili's hottest streamers saw traffic like this.
That's how deep the resentment ran.
And the devs delivered vengeance on a silver platter.
Even after the screen went black, the crack of fists on face echoed.
Utter joy.
Then—
The screen returned.
Schicksal HQ was in flames.
Buildings ruined. Alarms blaring.
Durandal arrived, but the enemy was gone.
Only Otto Apocalypse's corpse remained—twisted, bleeding, lifeless.
BANG!!
Fu Shibao slapped the table:
"Satisfying!! This is peak Honkai content!!"
"Who agrees?! Who objects?!"
Players were ecstatic.
Some laughed aloud.
Some pounded their desks.
Nearly everyone celebrated.
All their bottled-up emotions finally released—
minds clear, bodies lighter.