ensemble writing, everyone was the protagonist of their own story.

Details determined success or failure.

It was precisely these seemingly insignificant little details that gave Welt an unexpected surprise once he noticed them.

Most works could not withstand close scrutiny.

But Su Nian's work had ruled that possibility out.

There was an enduring ancient palace-intrigue drama in Shenzhou called "Empresses in the Palace," and people never tired of praising its excellence.

Even after countless bored viewers dug deeply into it, they found very few flaws.

Whenever new interpretations emerged, some would still claim that humanity's exploration of Empresses in the Palace was less than one percent complete.

That drama was merely one example, but many classic literary masterpieces possessed this same quality.

Some people could even become scholars of Dream of the Red Chamber, one of Shenzhou's Four Great Classical Novels, and make a living for the rest of their lives by giving lectures based on that book...

If Su Nian could maintain his current standard and ensure that the story of "The Past's Paradise" remained outstanding after time and public scrutiny had tested it...

Then, even if it did not become exactly like those masterpieces or nationally beloved works...

It would at least have no problem becoming a phenomenon among young people.

Everything depended on how Su Nian performed from here on out.

"The Eighth Herrscher's power can no longer affect me. Let's begin the counterattack."

"Honestly, Kevin... do you know what I dislike most about you?"

"You don't have to carry everything on your shoulders, really. Even if you don't trust Mobius, you should have a little more faith in your old classmates."

"Su...?"

"The counterattack began a long time ago, you know?"

This was not Kevin's personal showcase, so Su Nian chose to give the others more characterization.

At this point, most of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers had already joined Moth of the Fire.

In this incident, Mobius led the operation, Su fused with a psychic Honkai Beast, and Elysia kept everything in perfect order while Kevin was away.

These words seemed to come alive, revealing hints of Elysia's lively and mischievous personality.

And there was that uniquely distinctive...?

But none of it was as easy as Elysia made it appear.

The Eighth Herrscher had caused no small number of casualties, and the cunning Herrscher would never simply wait to die.

The Honkai Beast Su fused with was Moyuli, an Emperor-class Honkai Beast that had accompanied the Eighth Herrscher throughout her life. This was how Su became a Psychic Flame Chaser.

In the final moments before the drug called "Mental Lock" was about to lose its effect, all sensory Flame Chasers used the Observation Hub to infiltrate the Eighth Herrscher's dream and search for her location.

Su's mentor, Dr. Spacy, the founder of the Fifth Science Department, along with most of the researchers, would never hear news of victory.

When Su sent his consciousness into the Herrscher's dream to trace her whereabouts, he had not anticipated that the cunning Herrscher would attack him.

Before that man could take Mental Lock, the Eighth Herrscher had already taken control of his body and sabotaged everything from within.

But at the very end of his life, he still used every ounce of strength to restart the Observation Hub. Only then could Su return to reality, allowing Candle Moth to locate and capture her.

Honkai, Herrschers...

Words that had once been unfamiliar to Su were now devouring the civilization of this era whole.

Honkai was not a setting created solely to provide enemies.

Every instance of growth... seemed to demand a price.

Although hope still remained, sacrifice was inevitable. Because of those sacrifices, Su fell into a depressed state.

Kevin did not offer comfort. He merely stated the threat Honkai posed to civilization, and on the face of his former close friend was an icy expression Su had never seen before.

They did not have that much time to wallow in grief. Honkai would continue to appear and threaten the civilization of this era.

By then, Kevin had gradually frozen over his heart for all manner of reasons.

He was no longer the immature boy who had attended Senba Academy.

He had become a warrior.

"If you don't want his sacrifice to be in vain, get up and keep fighting."

"Humanity will definitely defeat Honkai... no matter the cost."

Su took over his mentor's responsibilities and assumed control of the Fifth Science Department.

Only then, after the Herrscher had been eliminated, did Moth of the Fire officially name this disaster.

The Eighth Honkai Outbreak had ended.

Su Nian stretched. He had more or less finished introducing the course of the Eighth Honkai Outbreak.

If anyone was watching, they would never have imagined what consequences the Eighth Herrscher had brought besides destruction.

This outline contained far too much information—so much that everyone present needed time to process it.

Everything Su Nian had written before had been based solely on Kevin's perspective.

The characters' roles had also been simplified, and even if there were problems, he could revise and refine them at any time.

But in this segment, because Kevin was not the protagonist, Su Nian described the others in great detail.

Their charm had only just begun to show.

Yet these character archetypes were exceptionally distinct.

Not a single character setting overlapped, nor had anyone been sidelined.

"If this section were a little more detailed, it could count as the main text unfolding through an ensemble cast." Otto mentally mapped out the relationships among the characters who had appeared.

Each of them became more vivid in his mind.

The somewhat aloof Kevin, Elysia as beautiful as a flower, Su encountering Honkai's cruelty for the first time, the mysterious Aponia...

And Dr. Spacy, Su's mentor and an important figure behind the success of this operation.

Even though he still knew nothing of these characters' faces or appearances, he had not become confused even once.

Part of the credit went to his genius mind, while the rest came from the story itself.

"An ensemble cast..."

Otto seemed to have thought of something.

Chapter 18, ensemble writing, everyone was the protagonist of their own story.

This story had never explicitly stated who the protagonist was. Kevin had many scenes.

But this incident showed that the others had contributed just as much.

Although Su Nian had not described much about what happened in the dream or Su's mental state, the omission was noticeable.

It was the portion concerning Su that had been concealed.

Many other details had surely been selectively shown as well.

"Su Nian's description of the Honkai Outbreaks is vast, yet relatively few characters appear. There are probably two possibilities. One, there are too many characters, making the length difficult to control. The other is that those people did not have particularly deep connections with Kevin, so they were omitted from Kevin's character profile."

As Otto analyzed it, he sensed that something was wrong.

They had all subconsciously overlooked the most important question.

Who said Kevin was the protagonist?

Or rather... who said Kevin was the only protagonist?

Only when the words "ensemble cast" left his mouth did Otto suddenly understand Su Nian's writing method.

This story was dedicated to the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, so it could absolutely construct its world through an ensemble cast!

That would completely solve the problem of a world setting becoming too vast without enough content to support it.

It also matched the description's statement that it was dedicated to the Thirteen Flame-Chasers.

"A story sealed away by history... that brilliant, dazzling era..."

If it were written as an ensemble cast with multiple protagonists, then there would be no problem at all.

The program team had not restricted the genre or format.

A genius!

To possess such control at such a young age—if that was not genius, then what was?!

The overwhelming majority of works did not use an ensemble format.

Otto had fallen into a mental trap from the start. While watching Kevin's story, he had subconsciously treated him as the sole protagonist and never remembered that this method existed.

"If it is an ensemble story, then everything makes sense."

"What did you think of this time?"

Welt leaned closer. Seeing Otto so excited, he knew the man must have discovered something again.

Although Otto was full of bad intentions, his intelligence and talent were beyond doubt.

The other judge, Eden, immediately understood what Otto meant when she heard him. "Indeed, we let our first impression mislead us. This is not a story presented in an ordinary format."

Now it seemed Welt was the only one who did not quite understand.

Ensemble writing was not uncommon, but Welt had never encountered it before.

"Allow me to explain. Ensemble characterization does not focus solely on one or a few characters. It reflects the worldview and life from different angles, depicting the choices and destinies of individuals against the backdrop of a great era."

"The difficulty of an ensemble cast does not lie in the individual characters, but in the collision between individuals and their background."

"Kevin's initial identity as shaped by Su Nian was simply that of ordinary people like us in a vast world. An ensemble cast is an artistic form of expression, and clues to all of this had been present from the very beginning."

Once this point was exposed, the story's brilliance instantly rose several levels.

Su Nian's intentions became clear as day. He truly had ambition.

This writing method had also been used in another historical masterpiece from Shenzhou.

What made Su Nian frightening now was not merely his genius.

Nor was it his rapid conception, exciting stories, seamless transitions... the qualities that demonstrated Su Nian's literary skill.

He also possessed an exceptionally strong literary foundation.

Just as Eden had said, the difficulty of this subject lay in the deeper collision between individuals and their background.

Applied to this story, it meant countless human individuals endangered by Honkai in a world ravaged by Honkai.

And the protagonists of the story could very well be the Thirteen Flame-Chasers!

"Huh?"

Upon hearing their analysis, Welt understood immediately.

Then, thinking back on all of Su Nian's previous settings, cold sweat began to pour down his back.

Were young people these days really this monstrous? Old-timers like them were about to get their gold coins exploded!

Everything about Savior Kevin was not merely meant to flesh out his life.

His student years were also a portrayal of ordinary people under Honkai—a collision between ordinary people and Honkai. Yet before Honkai, they were all lambs awaiting slaughter.

Every stroke Su Nian wrote carried a corresponding meaning. He had not merely arranged a character setting.

The conjecture of ensemble writing held true.

After carefully dissecting it, they could not find a single flaw.

Just how many more surprises did Su Nian have waiting for them to uncover?!

Thinking of this, Welt and Otto turned toward Eden in perfect unspoken agreement. The meaning in their eyes was obvious.

One line from Eden's earlier evaluation of Su Nian had been: "Although his work lacks detail..."

I'm dying, their expressions... they've got all their thoughts written on their faces?

A psychology student here. They must be thinking: So this is what you meant by lacking detail?! Because that's exactly what I'm thinking.

Hahaha, maybe it's because her standards really are that high.