To entice players to spend money on gacha pulls, games often split character mechanics into constellations, similar to how characters in Honkai Impact 3 upgrade from S to SSS rank.
In reality, such game mechanics don't exist, let alone the concept of splitting them.
For characters produced by the system, it's less about unlocking constellations and more about illuminating them—creating something from nothing.
The effect is simple and straightforward: stat boosts!
Physical fitness, strength, speed, Honkai energy level, energy adaptability, basic control, and more—comprehensive numerical improvements.
The "stats" gained aren't fixed; they depend on the order in which character cards are obtained and the character's inherent strength.
For example, if Caelus first draws "Illusory Sea Butterfly" and then "Dual-Bank Nirvana," aside from immediately gaining full mastery over the Stigmata of Death, the constellation boost would increase Seele's overall attributes by 120–130%.
If the order were reversed, the constellation boost would only be around 50–60%.
Each character card provides different stat bonuses, with higher-tier constellations offering exponential growth.
[Understood. Anything else?]
[A-Anything else?]
The system seemed momentarily confused, unsure of what was being asked.
[Anything related to character cards. Anything at all.]
Caelus was genuinely overwhelmed by the system's constant surprises.
[Enmmm…]
After flipping through its work log, the system seemed to recall something.
[Ah, right! The issue with Honkai energy!]
Huh?
Caelus was stunned. He had only asked on a whim, not expecting there to actually be an issue—and one as fundamental as Honkai energy!
He clenched his fists.
His knuckles tightened!
A vein throbbed on his forehead as Caelus stared at the system screen with a strained smile.
[…Ahem, the Honkai energy possessed by the host's character cards does not originate from the Cocoon of Finality.]
Sensing the "friendly" gaze, the system quickly changed the subject to serious matters.
In the Honkai Impact 3 universe, the Cocoon of Finality governs the rules of Honkai.
Earth, including its solar system—whether it's the Honkai energy used by humans, the portion intertwined with civilization that merges into other dimensions as a fundamental physical parameter, or the additional wandering entropy generated when the imaginary anchors to the real—all of it, every bit of Honkai energy, is converted from imaginary energy on the Imaginary Tree by the Cocoon of Finality, which occupies the imaginary tendrils of the solar system.
Without the Cocoon of Finality, there would be no Honkai energy!
[So, where did you get the Honkai energy from?]
Caelus's right eyelid twitched slightly. The system obviously couldn't be connected to the Cocoon of Finality.
Recalling that the system could summon badges, the answer seemed obvious. Caelus's expression instantly turned incredibly vivid.
[You didn't… get it from the Will of the Honkai, did you?]
[Uh, no, but it shouldn't make a difference.]
Caelus's expression froze.
[What do you mean?]
[The Will of the Honkai isn't the source of Honkai energy. In fact, I don't even know where Honkai energy originally comes from. I just captured it from the void and used it.]
The system's tone was filled with a "why fix what isn't broken" attitude.
If the program runs, don't touch the code—no one understood this better than it did.
In the multiverse dominated by the Will of the Honkai, neither it nor the civilizations from distant eras knew where the very first strand of Honkai energy came from.
It just appeared out of thin air.
[What's the difference between these two types of Honkai energy?]
Caelus furrowed his brow in contemplation.
[The fundamental properties of the energy are nearly 99% identical. As for the meaning behind the remaining less-than-one-percent difference... I don't know.]
The system was remarkably honest.
[Host, rest assured, the Honkai energy is definitely fine. As you are now... Seele is the sole source of Honkai energy in the Star Rail universe, aside from the Cocoon of Finality.]
Caelus fell into stunned silence.
This title... If Welt heard it, he'd probably get to witness stars being shattered, wouldn't he?
But, thinking about it carefully...
With the strongest Finality Herrscher card as the foundation, maxing out Kiana's stellar soul, combined with the hyper-fusion synchronization of Honkai Impact 2's Honkai energy levels...
Damn!
He was the second ruler of the Honkai Will!
Lost in his daydreams, Caelus continued questioning the system in his mind while answering the two Seele's inquiries in the team channel, all while verbally sparring with Stelle.
Fortunately, Caelus now had two CPUs and was wirelessly connected to an idle one (Stelle's brain).
Otherwise, even with the mask's assistance, he wouldn't be able to manage three tasks simultaneously.
Arriving at the central elevator, it felt like a replay of a classic scene from every movie—the elevator wouldn't start.
Although the "Omnipotent Teacher Dan Heng" arrived promptly, even he was at a loss.
But Arlan, the head of the Defense Department whom Dan Heng had rescued, could fix it.
So, in essence, Dan Heng had solved the problem.
"So that's how it was resolved? As expected of the omnipotent Teacher Dan Heng!"
Stelle nodded with exaggerated seriousness, her gaze toward Dan Heng filled with a bit more admiration, like a struggling student looking up at a top performer.
"..."
Dan Heng remained expressionless, holding back for a long moment before finally speaking: "I'm not."
If he didn't refute it, he felt like he'd be saddled with a bunch of unnecessary troubles in the future.
And the current troubles were already significant enough.
Dan Heng's gaze toward Caelus was even more peculiar than before he left the Curio Room.
He had found Aelan from the Defense Department in the monitoring room and happened to witness the group's battle in the corridor through the cameras.
When he saw Stelle and March 7th being surrounded by the squad led by the Trampler, Dan Heng immediately prepared to go assist, but before he could even step out of the room...
He heard that "Vanish with the butterflies!"
With the help of the blue-haired girl, the two escaped danger, and Dan Heng breathed a sigh of relief. But then, on another monitor, he saw Caelus.
As if the four-finger control module had malfunctioned, Caelus was spinning and jumping on the spot, shaking his head and wagging his tail, crashing into walls like a vehicle with failed brakes, grabbing at the air erratically, dog-paddling.
—This was Caelus resisting the brain commands from controlling Seele's body.
But to an outsider, it looked completely like a psychiatric patient having an episode!
Dan Heng thought it would be best for these two to spend some time in the space station's psychiatric ward before joining the Express.
Reminded by Arlan, March 7th finally remembered the mission item she had forgotten.
"The keycard... the keycard..."
March 7th rummaged through her skirt pockets, but the empty bottoms made her expression gradually stiffen: "Seems like... I lost it in the previous battle."
Arlan: "..."
Dan Heng: "..."
Just as the two were rendered speechless, the severe psychiatric patient in Dan Heng's eyes stepped forward.
"Hmm, is it in here?"
Caelus pulled out a stack of variously colored cards from his pocket, fanning them out like a deck of playing cards.
"I picked these up on the way back."
Secret Technique: Pilfering on the Sly~!
"So many cards? Did you pick all of these up?"
March 7th's eyes widened in disbelief.
The corridor of the floor was in complete disarray, with various items scattered all over the ground, likely a result of the staff's hasty evacuation.
While she was busy explaining "common sense" to Seele, she hadn't even noticed that Caelus was rummaging through the trash!
"I've got some too~!"
Stelle chimed in, proudly pulling out a few cards from her chest.
Though she hadn't initially understood why she was picking up trash, since Caelus was doing it, she figured she should too!
However, the moment she fished a crystal out of a pile of garbage, Stelle instantly understood everything!
Watching the two gray-haired individuals and the assortment of cards in their hands, Arlan and Dan Heng's expressions were even more bewildered than when they heard March 7th had lost the keycard.
Especially Arlan.
If the space station weren't under invasion by the Antimatter Legion, he would have gladly presented each of them with a pair of silver bracelets as a "welcoming gift."
"They... have suffered brain injuries and have some mental issues. Please try to understand."
Considering that these two would eventually join the Express, Dan Heng ultimately stepped forward to explain on their behalf.
Arlan nodded silently, then picked out the token and keycard given by Asta from the stack of cards in Caelus's hand.
Along the way, Arlan's expression remained grim.
The floors and walls were stained with obvious traces of blood and human remains, suggesting that the owners of these bloodstains and fragments had likely met with unfortunate fates...
The gruesome and brutal scene left Seele trembling in fear, her eyes shut tight as she dared not look.
Using the access card Caelus had picked up, Arlan deactivated the repulsion bridge to cut off the mobility of the Antimatter Legion.
After a brief cleanup, the group took the elevator down and arrived at the secure area of the space station.
Standing at the elevator exit was a figure all too familiar to Caelus.
Her vibrant crimson hair bloomed like an enchanting rose, adorned with golden rose accessories. She wore a modified gray-black military-style short coat, slipped off one shoulder to reveal a glimpse of skin.
Beneath it, she wore a pristine white high-slit gown, with glimpses of fair skin peeking through the skirt. The outfit exuded elegance without giving off an impression of overt flirtation to onlookers.
As soon as the elevator doors opened, March 7th's face lit up with delight. She bounced excitedly and exclaimed loudly:
"Himeko!!"