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

With the support of the [Pathfinder Memory] time-stop field activated at the same time, he accurately seized this most crucial moment!

Saber's slash missed its mark, and then a series of True Stinging Insects, charging like falcons, crashed into the lean mech, exploding into clouds of blood mist amidst the latter's sword light!

In the distance, as night fell, a black mist with a diameter of one kilometer enveloped a third of the mechs and swarms, with more mechs and swarms rushing wildly into the mist.

From within the black mist, a series of explosions rang out—the sounds of mechs being destroyed and the booming of True Stinger insects being killed!

[Roaring Coffin] cannot lock onto the target at all, because in [Nightfall], the opponent's figure is completely hidden, and there is surging [Magic] everywhere, making it difficult to catch the opponent's Demi-Servant who has fused with the power of Caster!

“Caster!” The voice output of the Roaring Coffin no longer emitted the voice of the Rider [Stone Boss], but instead came out with the mechanical voice of the mech itself.

"Cease the attack, gather and disperse!" the caster [Eat Manager], his face covered in black mud, commanded.

All the mechs stopped attacking, and their heads began to twist and deform as if programmed, eventually turning into a giant searchlight shape.

The next second, tens of thousands of searchlights, carrying intense light imbued with [magic], dispelled the [black mist] and revealed Meng Weiyu's figure as she moved at great speed on her flying sword.

The mechs, their weapons already deactivated, fired at Meng Weiyu without reservation. The True Stinger swarm locked onto its target once more, swooping down from the sky towards Meng Weiyu!

The bullets and swarms of insects stopped abruptly when they approached within twenty meters of him. Meng Weiyu had no intention of lingering in the fight. He piloted the [Escape Sword] and continued to rush higher into the sky, using the constantly reversing barrier to smash through the swarm of insects in front of him!

Two streaks of light chased after him from the ground, one after the other; they were the Roaring Coffin and a slightly slender new mecha called Saber.

"It's too late to catch up now!"

Meng Weiyu sensed their [magic] and turned around, her eyes gleaming with bright firelight!

Chapter 95 Deathmatch (Part 2)

"I am the bone of my sword."

In the gloomy sky above [Dream Reef], Meng Weiyu, riding a flying sword soaring upwards, turned to the two Servant-level mechs that were rushing towards him and began chanting [Unlimited Blade Works].

Although he is still unable to use the full version of Unlimited Blade Works under the suppression of the [Anti-Star Noble Phantasm - Pinocchio], he can summon a large number of counterfeit Noble Phantasms with low consumption, just like in the First Holy Grail War.

At the same time, Caster [Xi Lian] appeared behind Meng Weiyu, holding a phantom transparent ritual sword, preparing to use her ability, which can only be used once in each Holy Grail War—to rewind to the moment when Meng Weiyu and the others went to [Chao Lu Mansion]!

"Partner, I can't use some of the abilities of [Demigod of Time] anymore! But this isn't the ability of my Noble Phantasm..." [Xi Lian's] voice was filled with disbelief.

"It's okay, I knew this would happen," Meng Weiyu said expressionlessly.

What a convenient phrase: "The final interpretation right belongs to Lord Chang Letian!"

Thinking back to the details of the incantation he recited when summoning Caster [Xi Lian] when he first arrived here, Meng Weiyu couldn't help but twitch at the corner of his mouth.

"Watch out!" [Xi Lian] suddenly warned.

Before Meng Weiyu could react, a huge shadow loomed over them—the Berserker [Star-Shattering King Insect]!

In Pinocchio's history, it was this guy who led the swarm that wiped out the Lantern Moth family. If it weren't for the rescue by the Sea Rangers, Tiernan would have died at their hands.

At this moment, the mountain-like [Star-Shattering King Insect] crashed into Meng Weiyu with the momentum of a blue whale pouncing on a salmon and a speed far exceeding that of a bullet. The instant it came into contact with the twenty-meter diameter time-stopping domain, it only slowed down by a fraction of its speed!

It easily smashed the real insects along the way, and from the remains and pus of those insects that died because of it, new and more insects were bred!

They don't need any fancy attacks; [breeding] and the simplest charge are their strongest weapons!

Berserker's attack was sudden and swift. Meng Weiyu only had time to use a Command Spell to make Caster hide in his memory before losing consciousness under the irresistible impact.

The barrier shattered, and Meng Weiyu shot towards the ground like a cannonball, creating a bottomless crater as deep as a meteorite.

Berserker, seemingly defying the laws of physics, went from high-speed motion to a standstill, as if it had transferred all its kinetic energy to the young man in the deep pit who was oblivious to his fate.

The impact site only suffered a minor abrasion, accounting for less than one percent of the total volume. From the abrasion, one true gnat insect after another tore open the wound and continuously reproduced from there.

Meng Weiyu didn't get to see his sanity plummet like this. This collision directly consumed his purple skill [Battle Continuation], which he could only use once per Holy Grail War!

Fortunately, this entry had been used before, which boosted his level and turned him from someone who should have been reduced to a bloodied, severely injured state.

He struggled to project the Sevenfold Ring of Blazing Sky and layers of barriers using Projection Magic. The next second, Roaring Coffin fired cannonballs as dazzling as fireworks, imbued with magical power. The cannonballs were only slightly delayed by the Time Stop Domain before they all blasted into the defense.

Unbeknownst to anyone, the caster [Xi Lian] had already appeared. This girl with pink hair and a purple dress, or rather, the caster whose true form is [Phlia093], held a ritual sword and stood in front of Meng Weiyu.

Even though she and Meng Weiyu tried their best, the barrier shattered faster than the speed at which it could be restored and a new barrier could be projected.

As Meng Weiyu watched the barrier crumble and the petals fall from the Sevenfold Ring of Blazing Sky, as the Saber mech wielding a lightsaber strolled in, as the Berserker [Star-Shattering King Worm] in the sky watched him struggle and the [Roaring Coffin] kept firing its cannons, the light in Meng Weiyu's eyes went out, leaving only a deathly silence.

"So, we've finally reached the point where all our strategies have failed..." he murmured to himself.

“I’m sorry, I’m such a useless servant.” Caster [Xi Lian] didn’t turn around to look at him, but instead used all her strength to use the power of [Demigod of Time] to trace back the crumbling barrier.

"But he'll be there for you, fighting to the very last moment!" she whispered, mimicking his past actions.

Meng Weiyu's eyes were somewhat dazed as she recalled the scene when they first met, when the other person was still confused, and Lancer [Silver Branch] unleashed her finishing move...

That's what he said back then.

But now, severely injured, he can't even stand up, let alone have any means or ability to resolve the current situation.

Unless someone is willing to help him...

When Ruler [Gopher Wood] disappeared at [Dream Reef], Ruler [Mikhail] also appeared on the flagship of the planetary warship, standing next to Rider [Stone Boss]'s main body.

"I didn't expect you to be another Ruler. Are you here to kill me?" Rider [Stone Boss] revealed a complicated expression.

“I actually prefer to kill your true form rather than you,” Mikhail said calmly.

"Just leave it to them to handle; that's the best way to deal with it." On the monitor screen, [Hanunu] and the others appeared out of thin air on the starship!

"As expected of the ruler, one side lost its caster and the other lost its rider. That's fair," the Stone Boss quipped.

Upon hearing the word "fairness," Mikhail paused slightly, as if something within him had been touched.

"Hey, I know you've been watching. Come out, I have something to say to you." Meng Weiyu said these words with some difficulty, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth.

In the next instant, the entire world of [Dream Reef], including all the Servants, turned black and white, as if time itself had been frozen in that moment!

Only two people still retained their vibrant colors: one was Meng Weiyu, lying on the ground in his Pioneer outfit, and the other was another version of himself who appeared out of nowhere, dressed in white and wearing half of the Fool's Mask!

How did you figure out I'd been watching you all this time?

“Aha said he wouldn’t interfere, and He admires your ideals so much, so of course you’ll be in charge of these Holy Grail Wars.” Meng Weiyu, lying on the ground, wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth.

So what do you want to say to me?

"I want to say that if I really lose next, you'll be the one leaving last. Please take care of my parents, and also let Caster [Xi Lian] leave this place and live the life she wants..."

"A very reasonable request." [Meng Weiyu] looked down at her other self lying on the ground and commented seriously.

"But I refuse."

Chapter 96 The Story of the Outer Territory Pioneers

Upon hearing her other self's explicit refusal, Meng Weiyu looked at the figure in white before her and revealed a deeply mocking smile:

"You wanted to replace me, get out of here, and then you painstakingly orchestrated this whole scheme."

"But you know perfectly well what I care about most, yet you can't even grant me this small favor. You fantasize about changing the world, Mr. Ling?"

"It turns out that I, who have been blessed with a max-level system, have become such a disgusting hypocrite."

"Fortunately, even if you really leave, there are still some star gods and messengers who can kill you."

Meng Weiyu struggled to get up from the ground, her dark eyes flashing with a deep-seated hatred.

Looking down at him, Meng Weiyu removed the Fool's Mask, which only covered the upper half of his face, and stared blankly at his other self with the same eyes.

The world around them was still black and white, except for the two of them who had vibrant colors.

After several breaths of silence, Meng Weiyu put the Fool's Mask back on and sighed slowly.

"Is this some kind of hint?" Meng Weiyu realized the deeper meaning behind the other party's actions, but she couldn't figure it out no matter what she did.

“He seems to be saying that he has no choice in the matter…” Caster [Xi Lian] said softly beside the system panel deep in his mind.

At this moment, Meng Weiyu suddenly realized that in this frozen world, Xi Lian, who existed in the form of [memory], was unaffected!

In the conference room-like screening room, Ruler [Mikhail] appeared out of nowhere. He looked around and was somewhat surprised to find that he was the only one there.

The young man in white who claimed to be another "Meng Weiyu" was now appearing on the screen, confronting his true self.

Not long ago, after the script was messed up by its provider—the Fictional Historian, a friend of the Deceitful Grail and another familiar with the history of Pinocchio—he and the Ruler Gopher, as Ruler class (arbitrators), had to maintain the rules and order of this Holy Grail War.

For Gopher, who possesses the Holy Grail, has already abandoned the "Concordance," and believes in "Order," all of this seems even more effortless and easy.

But [Gopher Wood] is not here!

Looking at the empty seats around him, Mikhail inexplicably thought of himself, old and frail, after the victory of the War of Independence, parting ways with many old friends, and now living on Dream Reef.

Back then, he had Gallagher and Mikaela among his companions, and a successor willing to take over the responsibilities of the "watchmaker." Meanwhile, a notorious liar spread the lie of the "watchmaker's legacy" throughout the galaxy in an attempt to reveal the true history of Pinocchio…

At this moment, he was completely alone, or rather, utterly alone.

A beautifully covered book sits in the center of the long table; if Meng Weiyu were present, she would recognize it immediately.

As I wrote!

[Mikhail] Open the book, and there is the story of the pioneers written on it.

The ruler's abilities told him that the book belonged to the young man in white.

It was placed on the table in the position closest to the owner, making the book owner's intention quite clear.

Mikhail gently turned the book's title page, where the story of the pioneers was recorded.

He began to read intently, from the Black Tower Space Station to Beloborg, from the Luofu Immortal Ship to Pinocone, and now to the still unfinished Onfaros, a brand new story written by the later [Nameless Guest]...

Later in the story of Onfaros, Mikhail noticed that it was a biography of another person who looked exactly like Meng Weiyu and was called the "Outer Territory Pioneer".

With a touch of curiosity, he began to learn about Meng Weiyu's story:

He was just an ordinary person. His parents didn't have the so-called "iron rice bowl" jobs; on the contrary, they were among those who lost their jobs decades ago.

He grew up in a compound similar to those of state-owned enterprises. He should have gone to a regular school for children of state-owned enterprise employees, like other children of parents who lost their secure jobs. However, his parents were people who valued the education of their children very much. Even if they had to suffer a little, they relied on their child's good grades in the primary school exams and spent a lot of money to send him to the best private middle school in the city.

In the early days of private schools, the children who went there all came from well-off families.

His poor clothes and honest, unassuming nature led him to face discrimination and bullying shortly after entering the school. To make matters worse, he chose to live in the dormitory because it was far from home. The intense studies in the top class did not allow him to make new friends, and he even almost completely lost contact with his childhood friends from the neighborhood.

In an era when changing seats was not widely practiced, he was assigned to the back of the classroom by the teacher because of his height. The students sitting there were all considered "bad kids" by the teachers to be "mischievous, unruly, and disruptive to others' learning."

Meng Weiyu and most of the students in the back row of this top class were not "bad kids." It was just that his parents, who taught him to be honest, did not understand the homeroom teacher's subtle hints. They had neither the money to join expensive tutoring classes nor the money to give the teacher what he wanted. So, for more than half of his junior high school years, he never left the back row of the classroom.

As a precocious child, he studied very hard, wanting to repay his parents. However, in this elite class where students were either exceptionally gifted and recruited by the school with high salaries, or whose families could buy their way into good grades, his grades were always among the lowest.

He struggled frantically on the verge of being expelled from the honors class time and time again, narrowly escaping being expelled and transferred to a regular class each time.

But the homeroom teacher doesn't care about these trivial matters. This class can only have 50 students. This kind of student who affects the average score will either be completely eliminated or replaced by a student from a wealthy family who is better than him.

In order to accept more children from wealthy or powerful parents, the homeroom teacher expanded the scope of those excluded from the elite classes in the subsequent monthly exams, and Meng Weiyu was finally selected.

In despair, after being humiliated by his teacher, he went to the principal's office with the courage of facing death. After a conversation, the principal easily learned about Meng Weiyu's family background. Then, the principal was surprised to find that his father was actually his college classmate who had gone his separate ways after graduation and lost contact in that era of poor communication. He was also the second-ranked student in his department!

In an era when university graduates, mostly born in the late 60s and early 70s, were scarce and guaranteed job placements, high-achieving students were assigned to state-owned enterprises and central government-affiliated companies, while those with lower grades went to government schools. By a twist of fate, two former university classmates who had lost contact ended up in different situations: one became a university principal, while the other, as a low-level manager, was laid off along with the factory workers…

From then on, Meng Weiyu's academic career in middle school became smooth sailing. Without the influence of the external environment and with the principal's overt favoritism, he was able to enter those tutoring classes at a low price. His grades finally reached the middle to upper range of the class, and he eventually got into a good university with a terrible major. After graduation, he went to work for a private company, working 996 hours a day and earning a decent salary. Then he came across a game called "Honkai Impact: Star Railway"...

This is all the past of Meng Weiyu, the "Outer Realm Pioneer," before she transmigrated.

Mihai gently closed "As I Have Written," his mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

"Ragwalker, have you thought about your next move?" [Gopher Wood] appeared out of nowhere, as if it had been waiting for a long time.

Chapter 97 Variables

"Plans? What do you think my plans are?" Ruler [Mikhail] chuckled.

“I know you too well, Ragwalker. You, so impulsive, will definitely go to help that little guy, after all, he's a junior in a sense to you [Pioneers].” [Gopher Wood] said softly, looking at Meng Weiyu lying on the ground on the screen, unable to get up.

"Will you still stop me? Just like before?" Mikhail stared intently at the black-clad, black-haired priest before him.

"Back then, it was because we had different ideals." [Gopher Wood] shrugged. "Now, our duty is to be the rulers. Don't forget, maintaining the rules of this Holy Grail War is our mission."

“It seems our current philosophies have changed…” Mikhail slowly shook his head.

"Ragwalker, what made you make such a rash, reckless, and reckless choice? Are you pitying that young man trapped in the Holy Grail?"

“It’s not pity, it’s admiration. He’s already come a long way, so why shouldn’t I use this illusory body to help him?” Mikhail said softly.

He closed his eyes slightly, recalling the scene of his last meeting with the train's "navigator":

[Navigator] Granholm: "Ragwalker, where are you going? We should head to the next stop."