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

They had recently felt as if they had awakened from a great dream, and then, at the invitation of a young man in white wearing the upper half of the "Fool's Mask" who was standing not far away at the entrance of the auditorium, they came here to watch the final performance of this Holy Grail War.

Given Yun Li's and Yan Qing's intelligence, they should have been suspicious of their surroundings and the invitation. However, the masked fool in white patiently and sincerely explained the whole story to them:

As Servants shaped by [Memory], they participated in a game called "Dreams and the Holy Grail," and after leaving the game, they returned to their [Memory] in the form of dreams, where they were truly alive in the outside world.

This performance was the viewing experience provided to them by the white-clad "Masked Fool" before they left the stage, which was also what he called "the payment for the performance."

As for why Lancer, Assassin, and Berserker didn't appear here, it's because they will have roles later on...

As for why they didn't ask Rider [Scott], it was because he was also not seated in the audience, maintaining the furthest diagonal distance from the white-clad [Masked Fool], as if the former had left him with extremely serious psychological trauma.

At this moment, Scott was watching the battle on the screen with a slightly tense expression, while occasionally stealing glances at Meng Weiyu in the distance, seemingly quite surprised that he could appear on the screen and in this audience hall at the same time.

Saber [Yun Li] and Archer [Yan Qing] sat side by side. Various Xianzhou snacks were placed on Yun Li's side, while a script was placed on Yan Qing's side.

The first page of the script reads: "Listen! Revelry on the blessed mountaintop!"

Next to the script was a sheet of white paper covered with names:

Meng Weiyu plays the role of "Iron Curtain".

Meng Weiyu plays the role of Fenfeng.

Meng Weiyu plays Bai E

[Xi Lian] plays Ong Faros

Ahan, Nanuk

The same blank sheet of paper and script also appeared in the hands of Meng Weiyu, the white-clad figure standing at the entrance of the screening room.

However, the next moment, Meng Weiyu's pupils behind his mask suddenly contracted, and the figure of caster Xi Lian appeared behind him without warning.

“That’s true of any play…” she said softly.

“Once you step onto the stage, it’s hard to go back to the audience.” Caster [Xi Lian] suddenly disappeared from one side and then appeared out of thin air on the other side next to [Meng Weiyu].

"How do you feel in this story that's slightly different from the script?" She smiled and winked at Meng Weiyu.

Chapter 56 The Bearded Envoy

Dressed in white, Meng Weiyu stared at the pink-haired girl in the purple dress not far away, and for a few seconds, he had a dazed expression on his face.

“【Xi Lian】…” His voice carried the vicissitudes and loneliness washed away by the years, as if even the ginkgo tree had aged in the long time he had been waiting, and the immortals playing chess under the tree had turned white-haired.

“I didn’t expect you to actually find this place.” [Meng Weiyu] sighed, then quickly regained her calm tone and expression. “Unfortunately, even though you are both [Xi Lian], you are not her.”

“Just as others have guessed, as another ‘me’s’ partner, you are actually the one who reincarnates in the Holy Grail, aren’t you?” Caster [Xi Lian] looked into his eyes.

"As expected of you." [Meng Weiyu] looked directly into her eyes. "Unfortunately, even I... am not in control of my own destiny."

"Is the price you pay for your status and power that you have to do these things (the script) and can't go back to your beloved hometown?" [Xi Lian] asked seriously.

“That was not joyful at all. What restricted me was just some unfinished business. It had nothing to do with my lord; it was just some of my obsessions.” Meng Weiyu emphasized the word “obsessions.”

"Can you tell me what this obsession is?" [Xi Lian] stopped looking at [Meng Weiyu] and instead looked around.

After she appeared in the auditorium, everything around her seemed to be under an illusion, and neither Yun Li, Yan Qing, nor Scott noticed her presence.

"Just some ridiculous, trivial reasons, which have little to do with you or the other [Xi Lian]," [Meng Weiyu] said calmly.

He noticed that [Xi Lian] was listening intently. After a few seconds of silence, seeing the other's persistence, [Meng Weiyu] shook his head and continued helplessly:

"After I glimpsed the memories of Servants through the Holy Grail, and after I left the Holy Grail and came to this world with the name 'Collapse,' I truly understood how desperate the lives and experiences of those people in those worlds that were only briefly mentioned in the game were..."

“Therefore, I must become the most powerful messenger so that I can save more people!” Meng Weiyu’s expression was serious and earnest, her eyes shining brightly. “The pleasure I seek is to eliminate those instigators (the Star God and the messengers) and bring smiles to the faces of those who have suffered so much.”

If a child saying they want to save the world is childish, then for someone who has witnessed the cold cruelty of this world, and who clearly understands the power of the Star God and other top envoys, to still say such a thing, can only be described as admirable.

"But is the price to sacrifice (the merger) ourselves?" At this moment, even Xi Lian, who was the "enemy," was moved.

“If he were a partner, knowing him as I do, even if he beat you, he would do the same thing after learning all this. So you didn’t tell him any of this, right?” she said softly.

"Well, I don't care who merged with whom in the end, because in the end, whether it's him or me, what we're doing will actually be the same thing," Meng Weiyu said calmly.

“【Xi Lian】, I know all your trump cards. You can’t defeat me here. Why don’t we just stay here and witness the ending of the script?” He greeted the girl in front of him, seemingly inviting her to sit down.

"Sure, but I think that as another 'me's' partner, you can't guess my true trump card~" At this moment, the pink-haired girl covered her mouth and laughed.

"So strong... Such reaction speed and agility surpass most martial arts masters and even those who have achieved the Path of Destiny." Saber [Yun Li] couldn't help but exclaim in admiration as she watched the figures on the big screen fight and separate like two streaks of light.

As a key figure being groomed by the general, Yanqing wouldn't do something like making a scene in a movie theater. However, Scott's presence was so weak, Meng Weiyu in her white clothes looked like a waiter, and Xi Lian was practically invisible, giving him the illusion that he and Yun Li had the theater to themselves and there were no other viewers.

“The one in white is stronger. He’s been completely unharmed after all these collisions, but the one in the Pioneer outfit has been injured several times.” Saber [Yun Li] watched the big screen while keeping a wary eye on [The Masked Fool] who seemed to be communicating with the air not far away.

Although the Fool's Mask altered some of the appearance and physique, Yunli always felt that the two white-clad "Masked Fools" were actually the same person.

"The match is about to end..." Saber [Yun Li] and Archer [Yan Qing] were slightly excited, as if a match they had been following had finally reached its climax.

The illusory, transparent sword was shattered completely by the same weapon, its blade turning into shimmering fragments that tore through Meng Weiyu's clothes and skin.

In fact, it should have shattered long ago. In the previous impacts, the blade of this illusory and transparent [Slaying Illusion] sword had gradually become like cracked porcelain.

Meng Weiyu knew that the destructive power of the [Slaying Illusions] sword was related to the level of the attribute, but the strength of the sword itself came from the belief.

Someone once gave an example: if A's ideal is "to establish a moral compass for heaven and earth, to establish a destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in an era of peace for all generations," and B's ideal is "to eat well, drink well, and sleep well," then for the vast majority of people, the latter's belief is often much stronger than the former's, which remains merely a slogan.

What kind of obsession could be stronger than the one that had sustained him all along: "to leave this place alive and return to my hometown"?

Meng Weiyu had very little time to think, because the sword had pierced his heart in the next moment.

"Your obsession can't be stronger than mine, because all lofty ideals are curses until they are realized!" Another version of himself, dressed in white, was watching him, his indifferent eyes also flickering with bright flames.

“For new life to sprout, its seed must be dead. Farewell, my true self.” He delivered his judgment-like pronouncement.

What does this mean... Could it be that he's making this up? Meng Weiyu pondered this with difficulty.

The sword [Slaying Illusion] piercing through the heart was emitting a dazzling white light, seemingly about to completely engulf the young man dressed in the pioneer's attire before he could activate [Battle Continuation].

But in that instant, something unexpected happened!

Xi Lian, with pink hair and a purple dress, emerged from behind Meng Weiyu. She stretched out her arms and embraced the dying Meng Weiyu, holding a crystal of memories in her hands.

That was a crystal that Berserker [Mirror Flow] gave to [Xi Lian]!

The next moment, [Memory Spirit], which has the same appearance as Mirror Flow, appeared from the crystal like smoke. At the same time, she launched the most ferocious attack with the most powerful killing aura!

Caught off guard, Meng Weiyu instinctively tried to use the Sevenfold Blazing Heaven Ring to defend himself, but as soon as he projected it, it was canceled by his severely injured self.

With an incredulous expression on Meng Weiyu's face, the Tanhua Sword, along with his spotless white robes, pierced through his heart!

Chapter 57 The Face That Refuses to Accept Fate

Solid ice, accompanied by the [Ephemeral Flower Sword], swept over the white-clad [Masked Fool], but in the next moment, the entire world was reduced to only black and white.

[Pioneers - Memories - Level 999 (1000/1000)]!

The golden phrase that should have been part of a time-stopping field with a radius of only 20 meters now enveloped this entire area, covering the stage of this dramatic scene!

Dressed in white, Meng Weiyu slowly turned to the side, creating distance between himself and the still spirit Jingliu and her Tanhua Sword. He then broke free from the solid ice, calmly brushing off the ice shards with his hands. The hole in his white robe and the wound he had sustained were also restored at that moment.

Like his counterpart who also possesses a system, he also has the unused [Battle Continuation] skill!

He summoned the [Slaying Illusion] sword again, which had slipped from his grasp and disappeared when it was covered by solid ice, and stared directly at Meng Weiyu and Caster [Xi Lian], who also possessed colors and were dressed in pioneer clothes.

"Interesting, it's a story that's slightly different from the script," he commented casually.

"Is this the new ability you gained after the Celestial Lord of Flowing Light glanced at you?" he asked [Xi Lian] in a manner as if inquiring about the weather.

“Hmm.” [Xi Lian] nodded slowly. Even as a caster, she was noticeably slowed down in this time-stopped realm.

After all, the essence of this power comes from pleasure, not memory...

"So what specific effects do you think this ability of theirs will have?" she asked another question.

The Masked Fool, floating in the air, fell silent. After a while, he snapped his fingers with his empty hand, and Caster Xilian vanished into thin air.

"The audience should not try to be clever, but should stay in the audience quietly," he said quietly.

In the distance, in a world of black and white, Aha's projection still displays vibrant colors.

Meng Weiyu, dressed in the Trail Blazers uniform, took a deep breath and began to quickly consider the possibility of winning:

After being freed from the [Slaying Illusion] sword, the fatal wound to the heart healed rapidly under the effects of [Past Ripple]'s retrospective healing and [Battle Continuation].

At this moment, facing his other self, he already has the strength to fight.

Even with [Xi Lian] still beside him, and even though he could also cancel the opponent's projection, he still felt that his chances of winning were extremely slim...

But there is still a sliver of hope!

The next second, another version of himself in white suddenly appeared in front of him, and the sword [Slaying Illusion] once again pierced towards his heart.

The swift attack came so suddenly that Meng Weiyu didn't even have time to summon the same weapon before the sword tip pierced the skin on his chest!

"What?!" Upon seeing this scene, Meng Weiyu, dressed in white, widened her eyes in surprise.

Wearing the pioneer's attire, he found himself gripping the blade of the [Delusion-Slaying] sword with both hands!

His hands were cut by the sword blade, bleeding profusely, but no matter how hard Meng Weiyu tried, she couldn't cut off his fingers.

With her body enhanced to level "33550337" and the powerful rewind ability left to her by Caster [Xi Lian] before she disappeared, Meng Weiyu's constantly rewinding hand injuries became a prison that trapped the [Zhan Wang] sword!

Even though both of them can interfere with each other's projections, if it comes to interfering with the casting of the rewind spell, Meng Weiyu, as the Masked Fool, is far inferior to Xi Lian, who was once again glanced at by the Flowing Light Heavenly Lord, even though he has "As I Write," his memories are still far inferior.

Meng Weiyu forcibly stopped the sword attack, but he did not give up. Instead, he roared and stomped a huge crater in the ground. Using the powerful recoil, he charged towards Aha's figure in front of him, pushing against another version of himself in white!

His hands at this moment were less gripping the sharp blade and more embedded in the sword [Slaying Illusion] because of the constant backtracking!

"This madman?! What is he doing such a pointless thing for?!" Meng Weiyu cursed inwardly.

Compared to Meng Weiyu, who only experienced one cycle of reincarnation, he, as the "Masked Fool," has experienced far too many cycles. However, compared to his other self, whose power has been enhanced "33550337" times, his "Super Strength - Level 999 (1000/1000)" is still considerably inferior.

The reason he was able to gain the upper hand in previous clashes and exchanges was simply because he had more combat experience, while his speed, strength, and agility were slightly inferior.

Meng Weiyu, dressed in white, hesitated for a moment, wondering whether he should withdraw the Sword of Delusion and project another one, but he felt that doing so might play right into the opponent's hands:

Another version of himself might seize the opportunity during the summoning to turn the battle into a brutal melee, entering the territory where he has the upper hand!

Thinking of this, Meng Weiyu sneered inwardly, knowing she wouldn't be foolish enough to give the other party such an opportunity.

He canceled the time-stop field. After [Xi Lian] disappeared, the memory spirit [Jing Liu] also disappeared. In a state where another version of himself possessed the same ability and was unaffected, this field had lost its meaning.

But really not? The moment he canceled the time stop, he noticed another version of himself, dressed in Trail Blazers attire, curling the corners of his mouth!

The next moment, the latter snapped his [Delusion-Slaying] sword in two!

Even the most powerful and sharpest one-handed sword, made of the finest materials, can be broken if subjected to immense force within a very small cross-sectional area. Even though the yield strength of the [Slaying Illusion] sword's material surpasses that of all other materials in the mortal world, it can still be broken!

Laughing, Meng Weiyu raised the shattered blade of the [Slaying Illusion] sword with his blood-soaked hands. He stared at Chang Letianjun, who was observing from afar, his eyes flashing with mockery and madness!

What's going on? Meng Weiyu was shocked. Her other self hadn't seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fight her in close combat, but instead wasted it?

It's like in a Soulslike game you finally dodge a boss's fatal combo with a perfect dodge, but you didn't do anything except for that one instant when you smoothed your hair and made a cool gesture...

This scene left Meng Weiyu completely bewildered, causing her to hesitate for less than a second.

However, the next moment, Meng Weiyu, dressed in white, felt herself being controlled by a tremendous force, frozen in place and unable to move.

Meng Weiyu was not only raising fragments of the Sword of Delusion, but also holding a crystal with the power of memory that Xi Lian had given him before she disappeared!

The Immortal Ship General Rider [Jing Yuan], appearing in the form of a spirit, and the golden-armored warrior phantom [Shen Jun] appeared high in the sky behind the two.

"Radiant and mighty spirit! Obey my decree! Slay without mercy!"

The previous attack from the Memory Spirit [Mirror Flow] was merely to counteract [Battle Continuation], while the Rider [Kagegen] level power hidden within the crystal was the real killing move!

Inside the theater, Meng Weiyu, who witnessed this scene, sighed and looked at the caster Xi Lian beside her, saying:

"It seems I've lost."

Chapter 58 (Unfinished)

The tips of the Spirit Rider [Jingyuan]'s hair moved without wind, and the figure of the white-clad [Masked Fool] was reflected in his golden eyes. His robes fluttered as [magic] gathered.

He held the long-handled array sword called "Stone Fire Dream Body" horizontally, and the tip of the sword was now bursting with blazing golden lightning, forming an electric field in the shape of a tree crown.

Behind him emerged a semi-transparent, gigantic [Divine Lord] wielding a battle blade. The [Divine Lord]'s body seemed to be constructed from streams of golden energy particles, and the patterns on its armor were outlined by leaping crimson-gold electric arcs. Its face was shrouded in a mask made of golden lightning.

"Radiant and mighty spirit! Obey my command! Slay without mercy!"

The instant Jing Yuan swung his sword, the Divine Lord simultaneously swept his own blade in a sweeping motion. The crimson-gold blade advanced with an unparalleled momentum, distorting space in its path and causing glass to shatter!