Chapter 19: The Player

Golden eyes slowly opened, reflecting the bustling scene of the forest park.

On the clean, tidy lawn, families gathered for outdoor meals and barbecues.

Slowly lifting his head, the sky was clear blue, the clouds vast and pristine—too pristine…

Even the decay energy was absent from the air?

As an S-class Valkyrie, Mihoshi Ryojou had spent nearly her entire life surrounded by decay energy; that familiar sensation was etched into her very bones.

Even the faintest trace of decay energy, if inhaled, would be instantly detected by her.

“How is this possible…”

Mihoshi Ryojou slowly came to, murmuring to herself, blood dripping from her already crimson hair onto the grass.

So real…

So… peaceful!

So peaceful that Mihoshi Ryojou faintly smiled, reaching out as if to touch the students right before her…

Yet at that moment, Mihoshi Ryojou, whose final wish had been entrusted to this place, suddenly awakened—her entire being enveloped in a green radiance.

Quickly, the decay energy that had corroded her body was suppressed and eased; visible wounds on her skin began healing at a rapid, naked-eye pace…

“Mastering the essence of energy truly allows one to wield it as one pleases—just a slight shift, and virtual energy can directly manifest healing arts of this caliber…”

A deep, resonant male voice reached Mihoshi Ryojou as she teetered on the edge of unconsciousness.

But before she could force herself awake to see who spoke, she slipped back into sleep.

Watching the unconscious girl, Hermes’ expression softened slightly.

Seeing the 95% resemblance to Mihoshi and the shattered Valkyrie armor on her body, he already knew her identity.

“Sleep peacefully, Mihoshi Ryojou.”

Hermes said gently: “When Itachi awaken again, Itachi will begin your new life.”

“No more fighting to the death against the Hollows. No more forcing your broken body to struggle, watching your students die one by one.”

“And Itachi won’t have to keep desperately trying to save your students, because…”

“Your students are all safe—they’ve grown into legendary Valkyries worthy of your pride!”

As if hearing these words in her dreams, Mihoshi Ryojou’s tense expression gradually relaxed, her lips curling slightly as she drifted into a sweet slumber…

“Hermes, your emotions seem strange. Do Itachi know this person?”

Gunqiushou widened its eyes, glancing around, unable to grasp the nature of this complex emotion.

Though Digital Beings appear entirely composed of data, in truth, they react with extreme sensitivity to emotional energy, exhibiting traits of idealistic lifeforms.

Certain human emotions can even grant Digital Beings astonishing power!

At this moment, Gunqiushou faintly sensed it was drawing some potent energy from Hermes.

It could barely suppress the urge to evolve…

Hermes gently stroked the pink dumpling in his arms, then extended his hand, temporarily sealing away Gunqiushou ’s evolutionary energy.

He had already planned for Gunqiushou ’s evolution—randomly evolving into a WarGreymon or similar form would not satisfy him.

“ Gunqiushou , Itachi’re still young. When Itachi grow up, Itachi’ll begin to understand how I feel now.”

A simple Digital Being could never comprehend emotions tangled with regret, pity… and the quiet joy of mending a past loss.

Mihoshi Ryojou—she was the one person who, even after arriving in this world, still stirred within him a complex emotion whenever he thought of her.

Especially when she was someone he had once believed he would never meet again, yet now stood alive before him?

After all, that final lesson of hers didn’t just teach her students—it left an unforgettable mark on someone from another dimension!

…

After retrieving her, Hermes, his emotions still tangled, no longer wandered outside.

“Lord Tianli, Itachi’re back?”

Buer, busy with work, looked up at Hermes’ return and smiled warmly.

“Who is this?”

“This is Mihoshi Ryojou. My Shouhuo from this outing.”

Gently placing Mihoshi Ryojou on the soft grass, Hermes explained: “She’s a familiar stranger. When she wakes, if she wishes to stay, let her work here; if not, arrange her identity and let her go.”

Buer sensed the Lord Tianli’s inner turmoil and did not press further, nodding in agreement.

Watching the Lord Tianli’s retreating back, Buer’s gaze returned curiously to the girl before him.

Fascinating—a familiar stranger?

At that moment, Buer’s curiosity surged: what kind of person could stir such complex, indescribable emotions in the Lord Tianli, who normally remained untouched by all things?

…

Slightly setting aside his current tasks, Hermes did not continue—he sank into the chat group.

The Wisdom of the Expander: “@AllAnimeBigFemaleLead, look who this is?”

The Wisdom of the Expander: “Image.jpg”

AllAnimeBigFemaleLead: “???

AllAnimeBigFemaleLead: “Is this Mihoshi? No! That broken Valkyrie armor?! This is Mihoshi Ryojou!”

AllAnimeBigFemaleLead: “I’m seeing Mihoshi Ryojou in Honkai: Star Rail—how could I dream this?!”

Luo Qianqiu’s mind was hazy; that final lesson had left her with an unforgettable memory, and now seeing Mihoshi Ryojou truly rescued from the Quantum Sea…

Like Hermes, the feeling of mending a past regret filled her soul with sudden contentment.

The Wisdom of the Expander: “Itachi’re not dreaming, and neither am I… Mihoshi Ryojou was pulled from the Quantum Sea by the Quantum Authority existing on Blue Planet.”

Hermes briefly explained what he had been occupied with recently.

AllAnimeBigFemaleLead: “I’m already looking forward to the moment when Mihoshi Ryojou meets the Star Rail Mihoshi face-to-face—this might be the very scene we former players most longed to see.”

AllAnimeBigFemaleLead: “Hmm, holding sovereignty over a world, becoming the embodiment of cosmic law, and independently retrieving entities from other worlds via Quantum Authority…”

AllAnimeBigFemaleLead: “Why does this setup feel so familiar?”

Luo Qianqiu racked her brain—this plotline felt increasingly like something she’d seen before.