Honkai Impact: Dreams and the Holy Grail, but the Servant is Rei.

The violent explosion did not cause any obvious damage to the monster not far away; instead, it enraged it! A crack spread from its head to nearly half of its body, and then the crack suddenly opened up, as if it was about to unleash a deafening roar!

Under the control of the [Escape Sword], several [Pseudo-Spiral Swords] rushed into the crack at high speed, and then produced an extremely violent explosion!

But the monster's body didn't shatter into pieces; although it didn't have time to roar, a great deal of destructive energy was still released in the instant before the explosion! At the same time, countless blackish-purple, two-person-high thorn spikes rushed towards them at near-sonic speed like giant pythons, reaching the three of them in an instant within a hundred meters!

The energy fluctuations were once again blocked by the Sevenfold Ring of Blazing Sky empowered by [Xi Lian]. At the same time, the giant thorns that were about to reach them could not go any further; they were reversed by [Xi Lian]!

"It can actually be reversed?!" Meng Weiyu looked surprised. Just now, in a very short time, he subconsciously felt that this kind of thing with [magic] attached to it was like before, impossible to reverse.

“This guy’s existence is very special. Although it contains powerful magic, its essence is more like a collection of certain memories and emotions. Under certain conditions, I can even trace back to its original form!” [Xi Lian] said to Meng Weiyu.

“It’s not alive, so Word of Power won’t work on it. I’ll go buy you some time.” As soon as she finished speaking, Assassin [Kafka] disappeared and reappeared on the other side not far away. She used her gun to fire at the monster, successfully attracting its attention.

"Partner, use a powerful attack on its lower abdomen. I can feel something there." [Xi Lian] watched as the magic-infused bullets left countless bullet holes in the monster's body, which then rapidly healed under the surge of dark [magic].

"Hmm." Meng Weiyu nodded. He also noticed that the monster's lower body hadn't split open when it attacked!

He used the ability of [Pathfinder Memory] to almost exhaust all of Archer Emiya's magic power during his transformation, rewinding all the [Pseudo-Spiral Swords] he had previously launched!

The next second, he used his last bit of magic to activate [Escape Sword] once again!

The monster sensed the danger, and its hands, which resembled human forelimbs, swelled up to dozens of times their original size. They continued to extend and quickly reached out to grab Meng Weiyu and Xi Lian!

Several [Pseudo-Spiral Swords] arrived first, blasting the ends of the arms, which were far from the main body, to smithereens. Then, the remaining dozens of [Pseudo-Spiral Swords], which had paused mid-flight, rushed toward the monster's lower body at extremely high speed, causing a rapid explosion the moment they approached!

"That's real micro-management, kid!" Meng Weiyu watched the monster that had been hit, controlling his own mouth to constantly turn upwards, almost turning into a crooked dragon king's mouth.

"Partner, the opportunity has arrived! Let's embark on a wonderful adventure." [Xi Lian] laughed at this moment, winking at Meng Weiyu, and the ritual sword emitted a dazzling light.

In the dazzling white light, the two of them transformed into a swift rainbow and rushed towards the monster. As the firelight dissipated, a huge dark purple crystal appeared on the monster's lower abdomen, which had been continuously covered and healed by black mud. Within the crystal, Saber [Yun Li]'s body was faintly visible!

Chapter 30 What is hidden in the mirror?

In the void of darkness, the figures of Meng Weiyu and [Xi Lian] suddenly appeared...

"Where is this?" Meng Weiyu felt like she was reciting a cliché but unavoidable opening line.

"This is the world inside that monster, a world formed from fragments of subconsciousness. From the moment it appeared, I could vaguely guess that it was an entity composed of memories, emotions, and the strangely corrupted cognition of the Holy Grail." As [Xi Lian] answered, she emitted slight fluctuations of [magic] from her hands, as if probing or searching for something. "Its existence is very special, allowing me to use the power of [memory] to bring us here, and the key to completely defeating it lies hidden here."

"What about [Kafka]? She's still outside. I'm afraid she can't hold on for long by herself," Meng Weiyu said with some concern.

"Don't worry, even if we stay here for millions of years, less than a ten-thousandth of a second will have passed in the outside world." [Xi Lian] turned her head to look at him, revealing a smug and mischievous smile that said, "Oh, you really care about her."

Looking at Xi Lian's smile, Meng Weiyu felt a little awkward. To change the subject, he picked up on the second half of her sentence, pretending to be serious as he recounted the allegory about eternity:

The emperor asked the shepherd, "How many seconds are in eternity?" The shepherd replied, "There was once a diamond mountain. It took an hour to climb over it and an hour to go around it. Every hundred years, a little bird would fly over and sharpen its beak on the diamond mountain. By the time the diamond mountain was completely worn down, that one second of eternity would have just passed."

Xi Lian's smile vanished. She listened blankly for a long while before slowly speaking:

"I only inherited part of her memories, so why do I always feel so sad whenever I think about her and her companions' experiences?" Her voice trembled slightly.

At this moment, Meng Weiyu, who was engrossed in using the projector's "back, left, right, up, and down mirrors" to guard against potential dangers around her, only then noticed that tears were welling up in her eyes.

Having just experienced the Iron Collapse 3.4 version before transmigrating, Meng Weiyu suddenly understood and cursed herself inwardly.

He didn't know how much of her memories Caster [Xi Lian] had regained, but judging from her current appearance and the online illustration of "Big Xi Lian," her memories and abilities were still incomplete. The worst possibility was that she didn't know more than he did.

She might have just been recalling the saddest part of Onphalus's journey to the fire!

“The original owner of your memories also said: ‘This will be a romantic story unlike any other.’ From what I understand, Onfaros will definitely have a happy ending.” Meng Weiyu awkwardly comforted him. Being all alone, he really didn’t know how to comfort others, especially this quirky and beautiful girl he had only recently met.

"Damn it! Seeing me like this, He says I'm destined for a life of 'joy'? Could it be that He's treating me like some kind of special 'mourning actor'?" Meng Weiyu thought indignantly.

Standing nearly 1.8 meters tall, he wanted to reach out and put his hand on Xi Lian's shoulder to comfort her, but hesitated halfway through, afraid of offending the girl.

The next moment, a fair and delicate hand reached out from below and gently grasped the hand that was suspended in the air.

“I am [Xi Lian], but Xi Lian is not me. You are that pioneer, but that pioneer is not you, is it?” Caster [Xi Lian] wiped away the tears from the corner of her eye with her other hand, and gave him a bright smile. “From the moment you erected the barrier and told me to fight to the last moment, we were prepared to defy fate, weren’t we?”

“Yes, even if fate has already been decided, we must still raise the flag of rebellion against it.” Meng Weiyu nodded firmly to her.

In Xi Lian's other hand, a phantom-transparent ritual sword slowly took shape. As it formed, the ritual sword emitted an increasingly dazzling white light!

As the ceremonial sword grew brighter, she raised it high, as if a tiny mortal were using her hands to hold up the light that illuminated the world!

Meng Weiyu wanted to remind the girl beside him that this might awaken all the dangerous things lurking in this eerie illusion, but he immediately realized that this might be the true purpose of [Xi Lian].

Not to mention that in this world constructed from memories, he is accompanied by a genuine Demigod of Time who can use the power of [Memory], even his current state is such that because real time has not passed, he can maintain the state of [Archer Emiya] in the outside world, which has not yet ended!

When he projected the "back, left, right, up, and down mirrors," he noticed that his strength, agility, and even his magic power remained unchanged from when he entered the room, without any fluctuation or decline!

Is it because they both have memories that they don't consume magic power? Meng Weiyu wondered.

Then, a surge of mist rose in the darkness, and all sorts of monsters emerged from the black mist: some were puppets with thick arms, some were one-eyed ghosts wearing crowns, some had limbs that looked like makeup mirrors, and some were simply dinosaurs covered in armor... Their only common feature was that their color was mainly dark purple!

Memories of the Realm! Meng Weiyu recognized the monster before her and instantly realized that the indescribable four-story-tall thing outside was just a collection of these things pieced together.

The youth version of Unlimited Blade Works is unusable, but so what if he and Xi Lian don't consume any magic power?

During the countless days away from home facing difficulties, Meng Weiyu often recalled a sentence she saw when she was still a rebellious teenager:

Bring your thousands of troops, though in the end you will inevitably fight alone!

Now, facing the surging "thousands of troops", he was no longer alone!

Inside the tavern, the scene playing on the Holy Grail had recently switched to the location of Meng Weiyu and [Xi Lian]. From a high vantage point, Meng Weiyu and [Xi Lian] were now surrounded by tens of thousands of monsters.

"As expected, they are memory realm memes." [Meng Weiyu] sipped the wine in her glass, seemingly unconcerned.

"From what I know, many famous figures didn't die in the struggle for independence from the [Company] during the creation of Pinocene, but rather perished in the monsters they encountered while exploring and building Pinocene." Giovanni, the [Masked Fool], recalled the history he had learned through clandestine channels and which was now deeply buried by Pinocene's top management, and a look of reminiscence appeared on his face.

The next moment, a huge explosion on the screen interrupted his thoughts, and even Meng Weiyu, who was drinking at the moment, stopped what he was doing.

Explosions continued to ring out in the scene. With the constant projection, rewinding, and firing of the [Escape Sword], the number of explosions increased, and the frequency and number of counterfeit Noble Phantasms being fired became more and more intense!

This is nothing like Xiang Yu's farewell to his concubine when he was besieged at Gaixia and his lone battle. On the contrary, it is a one-sided purge and elimination of the horde of monsters!

Chapter 31 Feasibility Study of Mass-Produced Servants

Meng Weiyu and Xi Lian stood hand in hand, or rather, floated in the boundless dark void. Here, the concepts of time and space seemed to disappear, and all sorts of alien memes appeared in all directions.

The projected [Pseudo-Spiral Sword] was continuously launched with the help of the system's blue entry [Escape Sword]. The new projections, along with the constantly retracing [Pseudo-Spiral Sword], made the number of counterfeit treasures that could be launched around Meng Weiyu increase.

In just two or three minutes, the blue attribute [Escape Sword] level broke through to [Escape Sword - Level 2 (25/200)]!

【投影魔术】和【开拓者·记忆】则是由于先前的战斗分别达到了11级（199/1000）和11级（266/1000）。

In the increasingly intense explosions, these exotic memes were shattered into pieces, their fragments emitting wisps of black mist. Then, under the dazzling light of the ritual sword, these fragments, along with the black mist, were evaporated and disappeared by the white light.

Is this how you use a ritual sword? This is a special attack against [Memory] type creatures! Seeing this, Meng Weiyu didn't forget to mentally complain while constantly projecting and using the [Escape Sword] to attack.

However, it makes sense, as most of the Black Tide's creations probably do not possess the characteristics or substance related to [memory] in the virtual world of Onfaros.

Whether it's him or the caster [Xi Lian] who is retracing the counterfeit Noble Phantasm while repairing the [Sevenfold Ring of Blazing Heaven] which is only occasionally affected by ranged attacks, they seem to have a firm advantage with their highly complementary abilities without consuming [Magic Power].

So what is the price? Meng Weiyu turned her head to look at Xi Lian, a faint unease creeping into her heart.

As if sensing Meng Weiyu's state of mind, the two hands clasped together tightened their grip slightly.

[Xi Lian] closed her eyes slightly, her long eyelashes trembling slightly. She was doing her best to maintain the rewind of the projected artifact and the light emanating from the ritual sword, but she still managed to speak:

"Partner, don't worry. When we met for the second time, the being who controls the destiny of memories cast a glance my way..."

"By the God of Joy, the Lord of No Leaks (the Star God of Memory) was not looking at the Holy Grail at that time, but at her!" Inside the "Tavern," Giovanni, the Masked Fool, suddenly narrowed his eyes upon hearing this. At this moment, even he himself could not tell whether his emotions after hearing this were more due to the shock of this explosive news or the lingering fear of sensing the extremely powerful potential of the Holy Grail.

He was about to speak again when he heard Meng Weiyu's voice from the side: "In Onpharos, Xi Lian was also watched by Him, and here, the caster Xi Lian, who has the same memories and similar abilities, can also be watched. This is very interesting."

"This means that if the Holy Grail summons powerful Fate Walkers or Commanders, they could potentially be glimpsed again during the Holy Grail War!" Giovanni then stated his earlier conjecture, "And if such Fate Walkers or Commanders could be continuously replicated and mass-produced..."

"The Holy Grail will inevitably become a treasure fought over by all forces in the world," Meng Weiyu concluded, then gently shook his head. "However, what you described is unlikely to happen."

"First of all, as far as I know, the Holy Grail probably cannot mass-produce Servants."

"Secondly, these destiny travelers or messengers all have their own distinct personalities and are difficult to control."

"Finally, even if there were some means to control them, how much of their destiny's power could they wield? Would those beings even bother to glance at them?"

“That being said, it does have terrifying potential,” Giovanni said earnestly. “But it’s really fun (a lot of fun), worth the risk. He even gave me some ideas for creating a large-scale event…”

“If it can be of great help to you, that would be the best thing.” [Meng Weiyu] said, “Just as you said, the potential of this Holy Grail will indeed attract many people or forces. If they are numerous and powerful at that time, Mr. Giovanni should protect himself first.”

Giovanni was about to speak when Meng Weiyu raised her hand to interrupt him:

"Based on my current speculation, the Holy Grail in front of us is not only a replica (projection) with a projection function, but it can also make all the phenomena that would have appeared on the real Holy Grail on the Hueco Marble appear here."

"It has attracted the attention of everyone and all forces on the surface. If someone or some force really goes to great lengths to get it, it will only end up being a complete waste of effort."

“By God of Joy, praise our Lord,” Meng Weiyu said devoutly.

“Praise be to my Lord,” echoed the invited “Masked Fool.”

Giovanni understood that Meng Weiyu's revelation of these secrets indicated a high level of trust in him. Of course, his intuition also told him that Meng Weiyu might have a powerful backup plan.

However, upon hearing his last sentence, he also realized who had been spreading those strange rumors among the Masked Fools these past two days...

"In your Earthly terms, 'A scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days' absence.' In the time it takes to travel through more than seventy systems, your humanity has already grown to this extent." Giovanni looked at the other Meng Weiyu and Xi Lian in the Holy Grail, who were like missile launchers with built-in shields, and changed the subject.

“No matter how strong you are in the simulated universe, it’s all fake. It’s pretty much the same in this place where [Memory Matter] is mixed in,” Meng Weiyu said calmly.

"No wonder he's an extraterrestrial explorer capable of testing the simulated universes created by geniuses; ordinary people don't have the qualifications or ability to make such a comparison," Giovanni thought to himself. Then he spoke:

“But I can clearly sense that your human side is becoming more and more proficient at projection and launching Noble Phantasms. He even has the energy to abandon the joint effort with [Xi Lian] to rewind time, where he draws his bow and arrows, and then projects some strange and unusual sword-like weapons.” Giovanni turned to look at Meng Weiyu beside him.

"Perhaps for him, it's a special game that requires one life to complete," Meng Weiyu said in a slightly self-deprecating tone.

He probably felt that his [Pioneer Memory] and [Sword Escape] levels were too high and wanted to level up his [Projection Magic]. At this moment, [he] made a rare mental complaint.

圣杯内，当孟唯瑜把【伶人的词条盒】里的【投影魔术】、【开拓者·记忆】和【遁剑】词条的技能等级推进到15级（128/1000）和15级（666/1000）以及15级（555/1000）时，这片虚幻的空间里再也看不到一只怪物。

What a great place to grind monsters! Meng Weiyu was even a little reluctant to leave.

The power of the Noble Phantasm replica projected by his [Projection Magic] is nearly 30% higher than the similar damage he could project at level 11!

Although the range of 【Pioneer Memory】 is still 20 meters, the distance that can be used to recall ordinary things without magic has increased from the original 300 meters to a full 500 meters!

Because Meng Weiyu used the [Escape Sword] to throw and control all the counterfeit Noble Phantasms, this blue attribute leveled up the fastest! It increased almost five times faster than when it was at level 1! It was also much easier to control, and could even make slight turns!

Once [Projection Magic] and [Sword Escape] reach level 100, will I be able to project a water droplet from "The Three-Body Problem" and wreak havoc? Imagining this scene, Meng Weiyu's heart was filled with longing...

"Is that all? Can we leave now?" He collected his thoughts and turned to look at [Xi Lian] beside him.

Xi Lian shook her head, still holding Meng Weiyu's hand, while in her other hand, the dazzling light of the crescent moon ritual sword did not fade.

Chapter 32 My Heart Is Shattered

The crescent-shaped ritual sword emitted a bright yet soft light in Xi Lian's hand. After clearing away all the monsters, the light began to blend with the surrounding environment, causing a dramatic change in the scene where Meng Weiyu and Xi Lian were located.

As if entering a dream, Meng Weiyu and [Xi Lian] appeared in a strange yet familiar alley.

"This is... the [Zhu Ming] Immortal Ship?!" Meng Weiyu looked at the distinctive buildings around her that were somewhat similar to the [Luo Fu] Immortal Ship but incorporated forging style, and subconsciously guessed.

He vaguely guessed the purpose of his and [Xi Lian]'s arrival here. Not long ago, when he held hands with [Xi Lian], he used his hand as a bond to convey to her all the memories he knew about Yun Li and Yan Qing. However, the [Zhu Ming] Immortal Ship was not implemented in "Honkai Impact: Star Railway", and it was unlikely that Xi Lian, far away in Onfaros, could depict its details so clearly.

“Yes, we are in Saber [Yun Li]’s shattered memory fragments.” Xi Lian, standing beside him, nodded and continued to gently hold his hand.

“These fragments of memory are the pillars that hold this space together, and the very foundation upon which that monster outside can exist.” Xi Lian, her other hand lightly gripping the now-deprived ritual sword, continued solemnly:

"It is not merely a collection of [Otherworldly Memes] as you know it, partner. It comes along with the corruption of the Holy Grail, eroding and corrupting the emotions and memories of the Servants like a feeding frenzy."

"So those monsters from earlier were the manifestations and symbols of the Holy Grail's corruption at the inner level?" Meng Weiyu asked thoughtfully.

No wonder neither I nor [Xi Lian] consumed any so-called [magic power]. In the end, the most crucial factor in the battle just now was that Caster [Xi Lian] skillfully used the power of the [Demigod of Time] to completely eliminate these contaminants.

“Hmm. The little TV said that Berserker severed his connection with the Holy Grail, while Assassin seems to be able to control his own corruption. The Servant most severely corrupted is Saber [Yunli]. With her frequent use of the power provided by the Holy Grail and the strong fluctuations in her emotions and memories, she finally attracted them.” [Xilian] lowered her eyes, seemingly deep in thought.

After a few seconds of silence, she said as if she had made up her mind, "What we need to do now is to retrieve these fragments of memory, end Saber [Yun Li's] suffering, and let what is hidden within truly surface!"

Sure enough... Meng Weiyu took a deep breath and then nodded heavily to [Xi Lian].

"Don't be too nervous, buddy. Once we take this step, we'll see the light at the end of the tunnel!" she comforted him with a sweet smile.

Looking at the smiling caster [Xi Lian], Meng Weiyu thought that if the King You of Zhou experience card were also an entry in the [Actor's Entry Box], it would probably have been greatly upgraded by now.

The chaotic thoughts lingered in her mind for less than a moment before Meng Weiyu began to gather her thoughts and look around...

At this moment, they seemed to be in the world of a golden lotus lantern, with huge, glowing lotus leaves (glowing foil leaves) gradually unfolding around the lantern pillar (central city), creating a magnificent scene under the artificial sky.

Meng Weiyu and Caster [Xi Lian] were bathed in the pale blue light of the [Lotus Lantern], standing in a street next to a huge building.

"As expected of the [Zhu Ming] Immortal Ship, which is most skilled in craftsmanship, its manufacturing capabilities are truly terrifying." Meng Weiyu, whose major in university was materials forming and control, couldn't help but sigh upon seeing this scene.

His gaze fell on the Starship Ferry Platform not far away. Just as the game had described, it was carved from a single piece of moonstone that was astonishingly large, and the supporting beams and framework of the platform were even more ingenious.