[I will ↗always ↘love Elysia♪ Love you!][A bashful girl like a blooming flower? Why can't I argue with that? Damn it!!][What's Miss Elysia playing today?]
"I'll be playing a game a friend recommended to me."
Elysia's soft, gentle voice floated through the stream as the screen switched to her desktop.
Veteran viewers began to type in the chat.
[Looks like it's time for another hypnosis session. I'll go to sleep first, respectfully.][Zzzz~~][Why are you all reacting like this?][Replying to the guy above: because every game recommended by Miss Pink Fairy's 'old friend' is boring. And once her voice kicks in, sorry—I'm already drowsy.]
As the chat roasted miHoYo's previous games with zero mercy, Elysia sat behind the screen, unsure how to defend Mei's past work.
Truth be told, even she had used those games to get through many sleepless nights.
"This time is different, though."
"This game—you've probably heard of it. It's been trending lately. It's Honkai Impact 3rd~~"
As she downloaded the game, Elysia continued chatting with her audience.
"That trailer, especially the remake—wasn't it stunning? I was completely blown away. The twilight, the adorable girls, the battleships—it was all so romantic."
But instead of being reassured, her viewers grew more nervous.
Many of them, especially the mobile gaming enthusiasts, had initially looked forward to Honkai Impact 3rd.
Now that the Pink Fairy herself was endorsing it… they were afraid the game might flop.
Ding!
Despite their doubts, Elysia finished the download and officially launched the game.
Her stream began showing real-time gameplay to the audience.
"Does it pick up where the CG left off?"
On-screen, Kiana had already landed on the ground.
A massive airship was under siege by countless Honkai Beasts.
One drone charged at her—she flipped through the air, launched upward, and stomped down hard.
A giant cat paw materialized beneath her and slammed into the drone's head with crushing force.
"Why destroy one of our own drones first?" Elysia muttered, trying to interpret the narrative.
But before she could dig deeper, combat began.
The stream instantly exploded.
[It actually looks just like the trailer?! Is this really a 3D mobile game?!][This isn't the low-quality cash grab I was expecting—it looks detailed!][I'm still skeptical. What if the combat has no weight? Or what if it's buggy? Don't forget—it didn't even have a closed beta.][Miss Fairy, start playing already!!]
Viewers who had initially mocked the game were now seriously paying attention.
Even those who were still skeptical couldn't deny their curiosity had been piqued.
And soon, Honkai Impact 3rd would blow them away completely.
"Mmm, I'm excited too!"
Elysia couldn't wait any longer. She guided Kiana into battle against the Honkai Beasts. Every movement flowed seamlessly, with zero lag or stiffness.
Despite only having four action buttons aside from movement, Honkai Impact 3rd remained highly engaging.
Just a few minutes in, and she was completely hooked.
Most importantly… she could control an adorable girl in combat♪♪
It had to be said—the models in this version of Honkai Impact 3rd were even more polished than the one in her original world. Combined with the perfect combat feedback…
It was love at first sight.
[Hard to believe this is the first 3D real-time mobile game on the market. Did miHoYo discover alien tech?][Replying to the guy above: miHoYo's tech has always been solid. It's just that their game design used to be… really outdated.][I really want to play it—but I also want to keep watching Miss Fairy stream. I'm torn!]
Meanwhile, Kiana defeated a Honkai Emperor, pushing the story into its next phase.
When Himeko mentioned that Kiana's companion, Mei, had arrived on the battlefield—
"Mei? She's in the game too?"
Even with Elysia's quick reflexes, she couldn't stop herself from muttering in surprise.
So Mei… had put herself in the game?
She blinked, suddenly imagining what her own character would be like if she were ever added to the game.
That thought…
"No way, right? There's no reason for miHoYo to include me."
After all, she was just a virtual streamer.
At most, a flower-like, sweet, virtual streamer♪♪
[Streamer, please click the dialogue already—I'm begging you!][Did Kiana just misuse an idiom again? So cute♪][Don't rush her—she's the Queen of PiliPili. Getting excited over anime girls is just what she does.][Queen of PiliPili? LOL I'm dying.]
"Dear viewer, please don't give me strange nicknames~~"
Amidst the chaos, Elysia found a moment to send a message to a private group chat.
There were thirteen of them in total.
Elysia: [Everyone, try Mei's new game! It's super fun!!]Mobius: [Fresh off the operating table. Is it nap time again already?]Aponia: [Thank you. Zzz.]Elysia: [I'm gonna cry! I just wanted to recommend something fun to you all… Because I love you all the most.]Eden: [Download complete.]Elysia: [You're the best, Eden♪ Love you~~]Eden: [I love you too, Ely.]Elysia: [Really? I'm so happy♪]Elysia: [If only Mei were as honest as you. Hmph.]
Thanks to Elysia's enthusiastic pitch, the others eventually downloaded Honkai Impact 3rd too.
She then returned her attention to the unfolding story.
And she wasn't the only one. Nor were her fellow Flame-Chasers the only ones affected.
Across the internet, countless players were now captivated—immersed in their first missions.
Inside miHoYo Studio.
The team was utterly swamped.
"It blew up! Mei, tell me I'm not dreaming! This isn't one of those 'steamed bun for a dream' things, right?"
"…Kiana, it's 'yellow millet dream.'"
Clap clap clap—
Hokuto clapped to get everyone's attention.
"Bronya, with player traffic growing this fast, can our servers handle it?"
"Himeko, make sure the launch rewards and pre-reg bonuses go out. Some players are already on Chapter 2."
"Everyone, stay sharp. Don't let anything go wrong at this critical moment."
"Got it!" N
Even with mental prep, Hokuto hadn't expected the game to blow up this much.
In this world, Honkai Impact 3rd wasn't a bomb. It was a nuclear warhead.
At this rate, the four main chapters available at launch were going to be cleared in no time.
To keep players engaged, he'd need to fast-track development of the next part of the story—
The true turning point of Honkai Impact 3rd.