The Game Goes Live

"Hyperion here, dutifully transmitting the status of our mission!" Himeko's voice rang out from the dark screen. A small caption appeared, showing how long it's been since the Third Honkai Eruption started: 2 years, 5 months, 16 days, 2 hours, 34 minutes and 22 seconds.

"Major, we can't find the target with our scanners. Things are getting dangerous out here – it's a Level A risk now. Please confirm your orders!" The message was sent at exactly 5:13 PM, from somewhere 34 kilometers southeast of Shanghai City.

Suddenly, a young girl appeared on the screen, with the battleship and countless stars behind her. Her snow-white pigtails danced in the cosmic breeze as she walked gracefully towards an open hatch. Stepping out into space, her face filled the screen – her blue eyes filled with determination.

Without hesitation, she jumped into the empty darkness. From the ship, she fell through a sea of stars and clouds, the wind screaming past her ears. As she broke through the clouds, a beautiful sunset appeared on the horizon – the line where the sky met the sea, glowing orange and red.

The girl fell like a shooting star, her white hair lit up by the sun, her goggles flashing with colors. Her eyes were focused, never wavering.

A huge metal ship appeared below her, sunlight bouncing off its giant body, making shadows that danced between light and dark. It felt like she could almost reach out and touch it.

The scene fades, replaced by the Honkai Impact 3 logo as the girl reaches her target. This opening sequence throws players into a world where pretty girls and robots fight among stars and clouds. The sight of a young girl leaping fearlessly into the unknown - could there be anything more romantic?

One exciting part of the opening animation shows a girl with white braided hair controlling a drone over a Neko-Charm. Suddenly, giant cat claws appear out of thin air and kick the drone away. A loud "Boom" sounds as the drone flies off and explodes in a fiery mess.

The scene then shifts to the game's tutorial, set in a modern city full of tall skyscrapers. Airplanes fly overhead as players control Kiana, wearing her field suit and piloting a white training robot, jumping between platforms. She leaps from one platform to another, switching to different areas and fighting enemies.

As she moves through the platforms, she battles different enemies, like the pale Zombie with a scythe or the huge purple and white Wrecking honkai Beast. Each enemy has unique looks and ways of attacking. The Valkyrie, controlled by the player, attacks and dodges smoothly. Every move feels powerful, and the cat claws that pop up add a feminine touch to the action.

True to its roots in ACG (Anime, Comic and Games) action, the game delivers an exhilarating experience. The tactile sensation it provides is indicative of a next-generation action game – it's nothing short of perfection.

-----

Inside the bishop's office at Schicksal headquarters, a scene plays out.

"It's not exactly accurate, but this recreation is pretty impressive," Kallen said, staring at the screen. Her brow furrowed as her fingers tapped away at the keyboard.

"Could this be from Kiana's perspective? She seems to hold significant importance in this world. Perhaps she fits into the 'protagonist' archetype often seen in manga?"

"Bishop, would you like some coffee?" Rita entered the room gracefully, carrying a tray with a cup of coffee. She stood respectfully beside Kallen.

"What about this game?" Rita's eyes glanced at the screen, where a white-haired Valkyrie with braided hair was battling Honkai Beasts and Deathstalkers.

"You haven't heard of it? I made sure it was well-advertised within Schicksal!" Kallen sounded surprised.

"Ah, Bishop, Lord Durandal has been training me hard in the training room lately. I knew Lord Theresa was working on a game, but I haven't had a chance to play it yet," Rita confessed, a bit of bitterness in her voice.

Her eyes sparkled with joy, though. It was rare to see Lord Durandal so excited! Despite the inevitable sweat from their training sessions, Rita cherished these rare moments of closeness. She made sure to take advantage of every chance, even if it meant gently wiping away Lord Durandal's sweat with a towel...

However, her joy is tinged with disappointment at the prospect of an impending mission. Such a pity! Rita was a little disappointed.

"The Honkai Beasts in this game are noticeably smaller, which certainly enhances the gaming experience. However, the flexibility of the Honkai-infested ones is simply astounding!" Kallen's lips twitched as she watched a Zombie with a knife dart in front of her and strike quickly. The game's Kiana lost some health and scrambled to fight back against the attacking Zombie.

"Even with those little differences, the game does a pretty good job of showing how things really are," Kallen concluded.

Rita, remembering the drone from the game's opening, couldn't shake a feeling of recognition. "Bishop, let me go back to that drone from the beginning. I was right, it's our latest drone model from R&D Department, still being tested. It even has the Schicksal logo on it."

"It looks a bit strange, but there's no doubt it's from Schicksal."

"This raises a question: Is she really a Valkyrie from Schicksal? And if so, why would she attack Schicksal's drones?" Rita and Kallen looked at each other in disbelief. Kallen could only offer a wry smile.

"Maybe she didn't see it?" she suggested.

...

"So, Kiana, why did you destroy our drones?" Bronya's robotic voice echoed through the room. She hovered to the left of Mei, who was absorbed in the game, while Kiana snuggled comfortably in Mei's arms on the right. Bronya was the only one of the three who had noticed the opening scene and immediately questioned it, using the opportunity to tease Kiana.

Mainly, it was Kiana's obvious excitement about the star-jumping scene that annoyed Bronya. Kiana had been showing it off everywhere, her pride seemingly inflated to a level Bronya found unhealthy.

"Haha... I must have missed it in the heat of the battle! Can't blame me!" Kiana's cheeks turned pink as she quickly replied, "Plus, that was just my character in the game. I would never do that in real life!"

Bronya counters with a calculated analysis, "If Kiana were to enter the battlefield, there's an eighty-five-point six percent chance she'd end up thrashing our side."

Surprised, Kiana protested, "I wouldn't... Hey, where did you get that number? Explain yourself!" But Bronya simply replied with a dismissive, "Bronya won't answer."

Mei, meanwhile, was still lost in the game, paying no attention to the teasing between Kiana and Bronya. She continued exploring the game world, hoping to learn more about it. Based on the voice lines she had heard so far, she thought the game might hold clues about her father's current location and the details of his accident.

The tutorial level ended quickly under Mei's and Noisy's focused play. As Mei moved to the main menu, Bronya and Kiana joined her. They found themselves in a ship's control room, looking out at the ever-changing night sky. Above, stars twinkled, while below, a sea of clouds moved and shifted. The scene changed constantly as the ship sailed forward, consuming the clouds beneath it.

The ship looked sleek and well-made, its black metal surface shining faintly. But the most eye-catching sight was Kiana, the young girl with braided hair standing on the left side of the screen. Her bright smile lit up her face as she put one hand on her hip and said, "Ah, is it finally my turn!"

"Kiana is as energetic as always!" Mei chuckled softly, causing Kiana to grumble a little.Mei then checked her mail and collected some rewards. One of them was a special S-rank box that let her choose a character.

Kiana exclaimed, "Of course I'm the chosen one! Look at these amazing wings on White Knight-Moonlight, Mei. They're nothing like Bronya's boring old look!"

Bronya retorted, "A character should be judged by their power. Dimensional Boundary Break looks strong! Choose Bronya, Mei. Bronya won't disappoint you."

Mei finds herself at a loss for words amidst this friendly rivalry. Taking a closer look at the third outfit, she realized how skimpy it was. An unexpected wave of embarrassment washed over her, making her cheeks a little pink.

"Wow, this outfit is amazing! Let's pick Mei. Though the name is a bit weird - something about the Battle Suit of General Raiden," Kiana exclaimed, her eyes wide with excitement as she stared at Mei's special outfit. She pointed at the screen, her enthusiasm so intense it almost brought tears to her eyes.

Bronya, however, corrected her with a sigh, "It's actually the Ghost Battle Suit of the Queen of Thunder and Lightning. Kiana, you really need to pay more attention." She rubbed her forehead, feeling like arguing with Kiana was probably pointless.

After all, she still had to save Seele! Counting on Kiana to understand quantum mechanics seemed like a hopeless task.

Feeling a shiver she couldn't explain, Kiana leaned in to whisper to Mei, "Mei, let's try making an outfit like that tonight. It looks so cute." Mei blushed and gently pushed Kiana away.

Then Mei picked her character and jumped into the special level called 'Escape from Nagazora City', eager to explore the game.

....

"Himeko, who did you choose?""Hmm, me? I picked myself, of course. I wouldn't send my own students into battle," Himeko answered."Right, that makes sense. But why isn't there a principal at this school now?"

"Well, you weren't content when Luo Mo included your image, and now you're not satisfied when he didn't," Himeko replies with a hint of helplessness.

"But everyone else is there! I'm the only one left out. He must be doing this to annoy me," Theresa retorted, her hands clenching in frustration and her cheeks puffing up with indignation.

From a distance, Luo Mo snorts. If he were privy to this conversation, he would have pointed at Theresa and revealed something even more outrageous. There's a protagonist who consistently appears but never has an exclusive PV.

Theresa, can you guess who that might be?

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edited, thank you for reading this fanfiction. 

φ(゜▽゜*)♪