The chat in Miss Pink Elf's livestream was like a drop of water falling into hot oil, triggering an explosive reaction. Elysia glanced at the comments and, as expected, they had completely taken over the screen.
"Oh my god, these effects! Even if the plot was complete crap, I'd still pay to watch it!"
"As expected of a collaboration between Destiny Group and Anti-Entropy Entertainment. The effects budget had to start at a million, right?!"
"That's conservative. At least ten million."
The promotional video continued.
A soul-shaking dragon roar rang out. The purple-haired girl brushed aside her hair, revealing her arrogant golden eyes. Opposite her, a man floated in the air as blue quantum energy began to form behind him.
"Second Herrscher, are you ready—"
"To face the First Herrscher..."
"To face Walter's power?!"
"Is that Walter? He actually looks pretty handsome." Red-haired Tesla could not help exclaiming as she nudged the languid blue-haired beauty beside her. "Chicken Nest, what do you think?"
"Me? I'm watching while sitting down." Einstein frowned deeply. She did not know Yaqing Schariac.
Why was Walter from a rival company a hero fighting for humanity in his script?
Yet the president of her own company was an antagonist the audience would despise?
Even Dr. Einstein, with an IQ of 160, could not understand what Yaqing was trying to do. People like that were the ones she found most frightening.
Unless he intended to redeem Otto later? But that did not make sense either. If Otto was redeemed, his character would completely fall apart and turn him into a true clown.
Or perhaps he would introduce one of his own characters later and believe that character could minimize Otto's negative impact as a villain?
"Ein, don't overthink it."
A gentle male voice sounded. Einstein felt someone softly rub her forehead, and it was so comfortable that she could not help letting out a quiet hum.
Einstein did not need to turn around to know it was Joyce. Walter Yang was still immersed in the video, after all.
Glancing at Tesla, who was equally absorbed in the video, Einstein could not help sighing.
"Kill the Honkai! Kill the Honkai! Kill the Honkai!"
Amid countless chaotic male voices, within the endless spiraling flames soaring into the sky, the man whose left side had already transformed into a Honkai Beast turned sideways. His figure was obscured by the flames; only the blazing greatsword in his hand could be seen.
The camera suddenly zoomed in on his eyes.
The whites of his eyes had been completely consumed by gray. His golden vertical pupils brimmed with savagery, devoid of even a trace of human emotion.
"Kill the Honkai!!!"
The white-haired beauty standing on the cliff looked toward the distant Honkai fission bomb. A few tears fell from her eyes, but her expression immediately hardened. She raised the enormous blue-and-white lance in her hand high, blood gathering around its tip and splashing across the white flower.
"Abyss Flower, Sacred Blood Release!"
The image fell into darkness once more, and several lines of text suddenly appeared in the center of the screen.
"Do not forget their battle."
"Every warrior who fought the Honkai to the death deserved respect."
At the end of the video, images began flashing by.
Theresa leaping high into the air while carrying a massive golden cross.
Walter Yang removing his glasses, a trace of blood at the corner of his mouth, yet still standing proudly.
Fu Hua in her Crimson Kite form.
A group photo of the Snow Wolf Squad.
After the promotional video ended, everyone remained unable to recover for a long while.
"Awesome! That was so awesome!"
"When is it coming out? I can't wait to see it already."
"Who's that man wielding the greatsword?! He's so handsome! I want all his information in three minutes!!!"
After Elysia came back to her senses, she discovered that Yaqing had ended their call. She puffed out her cheeks in irritation.
It was not because of the story, but because a certain little shorty had been bombarding him with calls.
"Yaqing! Why wasn't there a scene in the promotional video of me showing off my great power?!!!!!"
Yaqing hurriedly moved the phone farther from his ear and said with an apologetic smile, "Of course there will be, little Theresa. I just wanted your appearance in the movie itself to be more surprising for everyone."
"It'd better be!" Theresa warned in a cute but fierce voice.
(Female lead, choose one of three. I'll let the readers decide because I'm also struggling to choose.)
(a, Shigure Kira, b, Rita, c, Bronya, d, Mobius)
(Some people may be asking why Elysia isn't included. Personally, I think Elysia's love is equal and universal, not something focused on one person. As for why Bronya is included, don't you want to see Kitty reluctantly calling Bronya Auntie?)
Screen Premiere
Before a movie was released, there was usually a premiere. As the screenwriter and chief director, Yaqing naturally could not be absent—but how could industry rules restrain someone who did not follow rules?
Yaqing tossed everything to Rita. He even had the pretty girls under him appear at the premiere while he stayed curled up in Golden Courtyard with everyone else, watching it in the home theater on the first floor.
"Make way, make way~?" For some reason, Elysia had put on a maid outfit. She held a huge bucket of popcorn in each hand, her cheeks stuffed full.
Kevin was seated beside Yaqing.
Because Yaqing's movie was being released, Dr. Mei, Mobius, and Vill-V had held a meeting and decided to give all World Serpent employees a paid day off. That was how a certain overworked employee found the time to watch a movie properly with Mei.
"Mei, let me tell you, this movie..."
"Cough, cough!"
Before Kevin could finish his excited words, Yaqing's coughing cut him off.
"Kevin, what about this movie?" Mei, seated on Kevin's other side, was biting a straw. Hearing him stop halfway through, she tilted her head and asked in confusion.
Seeing Mei's adorable head tilt, Kevin blushed. College-era Kevin would probably have been too flustered to say a word, but now he only gave an awkward smile and gently wiped popcorn crumbs from Mei's face.
Mei blushed.
"Ehh~? Yaqing, did you catch a cold?" Elysia asked with concern.
"I'm fine, Elysia." Yaqing took a piece of popcorn from the bucket in her arms.
Elysia was not as protective of food as Kiana.
Dr. Mobius, seated in the row behind Yaqing, glanced at Mei and snorted inwardly. Just as expected of a woman in love. What a waste of such a smart brain.
Mobius had long guessed that the movie would involve Kevin.
When it came to romance, Mobius had never believed anyone in the world was worthy of her, except...
Yaqing suddenly felt a chill down his back.
"The movie's starting."
Kosma still spoke as little as ever, but everyone had grown used to it.
Midnight, February 1, 2000. Siberian Snowfield.
A white meteor streaked across the star-filled night sky. Within the snow-covered pine forest, an incongruous towering spire rose from the snowfield and pierced the heavens.
The scene pulled back. On a cliff in the distance, a brownish-gray deer gazed ahead. Strange sparks filled its eyes, and beneath its enormous antlers was a pair of small purplish-red horns.
Suddenly, the deer was startled, and its legs began mutating.
The sound of the deer stepping across the snowfield overlapped with the sound of leather shoes striking metal. The scene shifted inside the Tower of Babylon. Under dim blue light, two researchers fled in panic, only to die beneath several beams of light.
The view shifted to one researcher's perspective. Through the blurred vision, the ghostly figure bathed in white light finally revealed its true appearance. Amid a terrifying shriek of laughter, the screen went black.
"So scary! Brother Yaqing, this is totally a horror movie!" Pardo hugged Canned Food tightly. The previous scene had frightened her into closing her eyes, and only after it ended did she turn to complain to Yaqing.
Yaqing merely smiled and even gestured toward the big screen with his chin.
Pardo looked back in confusion.
The pitch-black screen was suddenly torn open by a pair of white hands. The ghost's purple circular pupils seemed to stare straight at the audience before the screen.
"Found you!"
"Ah!" Pardo let out a miserable scream. She was so frightened that she threw both the popcorn bucket in her hands and Canned Food from her arms.
Fortunately, Kalpas, seated beside her, caught them with quick reflexes. Only a few pieces fell. He said coldly, "Don't waste food."
"Sorry, Brother Kalpas." Pardo blushed in embarrassment and took the popcorn bucket back from him.
Canned Food looked at her owner with humanlike disdain, then strutted over to the empty seat beside them and lay down to sleep.
Pardo was not the only one frightened.
At different locations.
Kiana had been so scared that she hid in Mei's arms, but Bronya clearly saw the amusement in Kitty's eyes. There was not the slightest trace of fear there, and Bronya could not help sighing.
Theresa was even more frightened, clutching Himeko's arm tightly.
Himeko sucked in a sharp breath. Her fair arm had already turned blue and purple.
Sirin, however, was not frightened at all because she knew it was her role. She ground her teeth in anger like an enraged female beast, leaving Bella completely confused. Bella thought Sirin was hungry again.
"At midnight on February 1, 2000, in the Destiny Babylon Laboratory in Siberia, a total of 322 researchers suddenly vanished overnight." A deep male voice sounded as an image of an empty laboratory appeared on the screen.
"Surveillance footage showed that before vanishing into thin air, the researchers seemed to have seen something terrifying. But aside from some white light, the cameras captured nothing."
The scene shifted to a blond man in an office, making an oral record. "I ordered a thorough investigation into this 'mysterious' incident."
The screen went dark once again, making the audience tense up—but this time, only a line of white text appeared.
Thus began the Second Honkai Eruption.
"Crunch, crunch." Kallen kept stuffing potato chips into her mouth.
As the president of Destiny, Otto naturally did not need to buy tickets and watch it in a theater. He projected the movie onto the wall. Curled up in bed with Kallen, he had even named the room: Otto and Kallen's Little House of Love.
"Otto, that was your voice, right? It sounds pretty nice."
Kallen's casual remark warmed Otto's heart for the entire day.
Against the azure sky, the setting, time, and location were introduced: noon on February 2, somewhere in Europe, the Destiny Headquarters Floating Island Cluster, First Airport.
Theresa had changed into a short cheongsam embroidered with auspicious cloud patterns, her hair tied into twin buns. Holding little Kiana in her arms, she asked shyly, "Do I really have to take photos dressed like this?"
After the photoshoot, Theresa talked with Cecilia.
Cecilia's entrance in a flowing white dress was stunning, especially the blue flower at her chest, which added a touch of purity.
Looking at little Kiana waving to her from the grass, Theresa felt wistful. She truly hoped such peaceful days could last a little longer.
But the next second, she received an urgent order from the Bishop.
"Hmm, it didn't perfectly capture my little Theresa's cuteness, but the model is very detailed. I'll give it ninety points." Otto rated it to himself, then muttered quietly, "That outfit is really cute. Should I buy one for little Theresa too?"
Kallen rolled her eyes at him.
The scene shifted elsewhere.
Noon, February 2. Arizona military base, United States.
Beneath a formation of massive fighter jets, a brown-haired man wearing a suit jacket stood with both hands in his pockets. An invincible aura radiated from him, while the reflection off his black-framed glasses obscured his eyes.
He slightly raised one hand and gave the order to attack the massive mecha before him. Six missiles instantly launched toward him. The man lifted his gaze, red light flashing in his eyes, and the six missiles gradually disintegrated into components that clattered to the ground at his feet.
"No, this power still isn't enough..."
Before the man could finish speaking, a blue-haired beauty walked to his side and told him about the recent events on the Siberian Snowfield, reminding him that Destiny's Bishop Otto would discover "her" sooner or later.
The man did not panic in the slightest. He told Einstein to notify Tesla and mobilize the Titan Units to the Siberian Snowfield.
"We may not be able to persuade her..." Walter looked at his palm, then clenched his right fist. In an extremely serious tone, he said, "We need to be prepared to eliminate her."
Before you continue