Chapter 122: Old Mi's Familiar Tropes! Players' Heated Discussions!

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And so, Ana departed without revealing her Herrscher form to Raiden Mei, mindful of her own concerns.

If Kiana truly lost control and failed to become the Herrscher of Human everyone hoped for, at least as her teacher, the Herrscher of Thunder, Raiden Mei, would not hesitate to take decisive action.

Raiden Mei watched Ana depart, feeling somewhat dazed. Strangely, she couldn't shake off the sensation that her teacher's departing figure seemed final, reminiscent of Teacher Himeko's fate long ago.

Yet, there was nothing Raiden Mei could say or do to stop it.

Up until now, she had been too weak. Due to her inadequacy, she could only watch Kiana bear the burden while being powerless herself, merely observing from behind as their teachers stepped forward to protect them.

This feeling deeply troubled Raiden Mei.

Moreover, Teacher Ana's words left her perplexed. There must be a reason behind what her teacher said; both Raiden Mei and Theresa were certain of this.

However, these remarks felt vague and uncertain.

Ana mentioned that Raiden Mei is the key to saving Kiana? But what does she need to do? Could it involve the 3rd Herrscher, or perhaps the Gem of Conquest?

Raiden Mei was a clever girl; eventually, she discerned the crux of the matter.

However, exactly what needed to be done remained unclear to her. Nonetheless, it didn't matter as Raven's arrival would soon unlock this potential.

Once outside Tesla's device detection range, Ana reverted to her Herrscher form and vanished from the spot using her wind authority.

In the next instant, she materialized above Coral Island through Ideal Fluid manipulation.

Following Ana's earlier directive, Otto had taken decisive action. Consequently, despite Schicksal evacuating most residents, some fearless individuals chose to remain on Coral Island.

There was little that could be done about them. While Schicksal had facilitated the evacuation, this place had historically been untouched by Honkai, seemingly a haven beyond worldly troubles.

Naturally, many inhabitants refused to believe in the impending threat of Honkai. All Ana could do was delay the spread of Honkai Energy as much as possible, providing these reckless souls with a slim chance to escape.

If they still chose not to leave, their fate would be sealed, and blame could not be placed solely on Ana for such deaths.

After all, the Honkai engulfing Coral Island was not directly caused by Ana. Even without the birth of the Herrscher of Ice here, this region would have inevitably experienced a catastrophic event capable of spawning an Archon Honkai Beast.

In such circumstances, remaining within the city would be a guaranteed death sentence.

Soon, Ana arrived at the city's center, where a central platform stood. Leveraging its unique location on the equator line, a grand aerospace project was vigorously underway nearby. The towering orbital elevator reaching for the skies became Coral Island's most awe-inspiring sight and its distinctive landmark.

However, this ambitious space endeavor had been abruptly halted, with the central platform now sealed off, inaccessible to anyone, including those still clinging to hope or opportunistic individuals.

As the Herrscher of Wind, Ana effortlessly reached this restricted area.

True to its significance as Coral Island's symbol, ascending and awakening here allowed her to maximize the absorption of power from the Cocoon, accelerating the Ascension process while simultaneously hastening the spread of Honkai in the vicinity.

Without the emergence of the Herrscher of Ice, based on Ana's assessment, this region had a high likelihood of giving birth to a Dharma End Rank Honkai Beast—a terrifying prospect indeed.

Even in the pre-Civilization era, such a beast would require formidable Fusion Warriors to subdue. In the present time, even Durandal, Schicksal's strongest Valkyrie, would face a grueling battle against a Dharma End Rank Honkai Beast and likely necessitate support from squads like the Immortal Blades.

Such is the power of a Dharma End Rank Honkai Beast; they were exceedingly rare even during the pre-Civilization era.

"In that case, those people truly owe Ana their gratitude," Ana murmured to herself, referring to her counterpart from the original storyline. There, Ana simultaneously fought the Will of Honkai while forcefully locking away Honkai Energy using her Authority, essentially imprisoning herself within this struggle.

Unfortunately, due to flaws in Ana's resolve, she ultimately failed to overcome the Will of Honkai. In essence, before Chen Tianwu became the Herrscher of Stars, the true Ana had already perished.

Thus, Chen Tianwu's subsequent actions could only be described as utterly misguided.

Instead of honoring Ana's intentions, he burdened her with unwarranted guilt, tarnishing her Valkyrie legacy.

Reflecting on this, Ana still felt a surge of anger within her.

Now, history has once again reached a pivotal moment. Ana must confront her missing emotions head-on while dealing with Owl, aka Chen Tianwu, who is proving to be more hindrance than help.

For Chen Tianwu, Ana was his unattainable ideal; for Ana, Chen Tianwu represented a stain on her reputation and served as an unreliable ally—a liability indeed.

This dynamic remains unchanged even now.

Whenever Ana thinks about it, she can't help but lament why the System didn't allow her to directly appear during the Manila Honkai outbreak. Had she been there, saving Chen Tianwen would have been effortless, potentially preventing all that followed.

"Ah well, complaining now serves no purpose."

Closing her eyes, Ana took a deep breath and sat cross-legged. She then connected with the Herrscher Core within her, subsequently communicating with the Will of Honkai—a technique that Raiden Mei would employ in the future.

Now, Ana's objective was to directly request the Herrscher of Ice Core from the Will of Honkai, aiming to accelerate the awakening of the Herrscher of Ice. She could sense that the Honkai Energy here had not yet reached the threshold for a full-scale outbreak.

For Ana, however, her own awakening might require more time. By initiating the Ascension process prematurely, even with insufficient Honkai Energy, it could potentially lead to a smoother initial awakening phase.

As for how this action might affect the predetermined fate, Ana no longer cared. She had already done everything within her control to maintain the original variables as closely as possible. Now, her primary goal was to complete the Herrscher Awakening and Ascension. Regardless of any deviations that may occur, they would become meaningless once she achieved these milestones.

All that mattered was her survival - living on as the Herrscher of Human. If she couldn't exist, discussing anything else would be futile. Clearly, there is no need for further contemplation.

As Ana infused her consciousness into the Herrscher Core, she finally encountered the entity known as the Will of Honkai. However, it wasn't particularly surprising.

From appearance alone, the so-called Will of Honkai resembled a pure-white figure identical to Ana herself. This form did not astonish her, as she had already witnessed a similar entity resembling Raiden Mei in the original storyline.

In response to Ana's plea, the Will of Honkai simply nodded gently.

Instantaneously, an immense surge of Honkai Energy erupted from within Ana, accompanied by a terrifying wave of chilling coldness. The energy and frigid air spread rapidly, quickly enveloping the entire central platform.

Despite being located near the equator in a tropical climate, the central platform was now covered with thick layers of frost. Ana's body itself became completely encased in ice, and the entire platform was blanketed under a substantial coat of frozen crystals.

This icy chill continued to slowly expand outward, gradually spreading across the entirety of Coral Island.

Naturally, the chill at the periphery couldn't compare to that on the central platform. Beyond the overflowing Honkai Energy, the ice enveloping it also served as eternal protection for their Emperor.

Under this icy mantle, no one could harm the Emperor's revered body. Any would-be assassin would be deterred by the thick layer of frost upon gazing upon it.

With this, the Ice Emperor began her awakening, commencing Ascension.

Captains couldn't actually witness this part of the storyline, as it was evident that Raiden Mei served as the chapter's protagonist. The only scene they could experience firsthand involved Ana and Raiden Mei's encounter; not even the segment where Ana took Himeko away appeared.

However, with some deductive reasoning, considering Ana and Himeko's previous relationship, it became clear that Ana should never have been present in Nagazora City. Thus, her actions leading up to this point were self-evident.

In subsequent events, as expected, Raiden Mei encountered Raven. She expressed her determination to Raven and demonstrated through her actions the hope for Kiana's Ascension.

With Raven exiting the scene, Raiden Mei finally laid eyes on Kiana.

Compared to the original plotline, the current Kiana looked distinctly different—there were no visible signs of Honkai corruption on her body, and her expression remained serene. However, what deeply troubled Raiden Mei were the numerous injuries and bloodstains on Kiana, causing her immense distress.

Upon bringing Kiana back to the Heliopolis, Dr. Tesla conducted a preliminary examination of her wounds. He concluded that the blood found was not Kiana's but rather from another individual, possessing a power known as Schariac Holy Blood.

At present, there is only one person endowed with Schariac Holy Blood: the Valkyrie of Schicksal, Ana.

In the real world, Brother Cake's live stream was abuzz with activity. As one of Honkai Impact 3rd's top influencers, he promptly dove into the game following the update to progress through the new storyline.

However, his progression speed wasn't particularly high. Naturally, it was no surprise given that Ana appeared prominently during the early stages of this chapter.

The previous installment had revealed little about the plot: Ana struck a deal with Gray Serpent and arrived at a secret World Serpent base, but what transpired afterward remained undisclosed as the chapter abruptly ended.

This left various streamers speculating wildly, while clickbait accounts seized the opportunity to stir up hype. However, due to Genshin Impact's rising popularity, Honkai Impact 3rd's audience had significantly dwindled, resulting in fewer such opportunistic posts.

Of course, none of these streamers guessed correctly. At the time, the scriptwriters hadn't yet hinted at anything related to the Elysian Realm. Nonetheless, these discussions and speculations were undoubtedly beneficial for the game.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have a feeling our Young Lady Ana is planning something truly monumental," concluded Brother Cake after meticulously reviewing the dialogue between Ana and Raiden Mei.

After thoroughly examining the dialogue between Ana and Raiden Mei, Brother Cake reached this conclusion. Naturally, any discerning observer could see it as well.

In the previous chapter, Ana had secretly made a deal with Gray Serpent at World Serpent, unbeknownst to Kevin. Now, she appears in Nagazora City, perhaps intending for Himeko's involvement. However, if that were all, there would be no need for her presence or conversation with Raiden Mei.

Especially intriguing was Ana's final remark: "Next time we meet, we might be enemies."

Such a cliffhanger left much room for speculation.

Captains could clearly tell that Ana is undeniably a good character—rescuing Wendy, saving Himeko, and helping Kiana break free from the Queen's influence. Given these actions, it seemed utterly impossible for Ana to suddenly turn traitor.

Likewise, it was inconceivable for Raiden Mei to become a villain.

Thus, the notion of becoming enemies upon their next encounter became quite fascinating, indicating that Ana undoubtedly has something significant planned.

Unfortunately, Captains viewed the story from an omniscient perspective, limited by the game's narrative scope. They couldn't foresee Ana's knowledge of her future, knowing she would eventually become the Herrscher of Ice.

Moreover, up to this point, there was no indication whatsoever that Ana would become the Herrscher of Ice; the Stigmata for her hadn't even been introduced yet.

["Ha ha ha, Brother Cake, aren't you just stating the obvious?"]

[Exactly, exactly!]

[Instead, why not analyze what Ana might do that would put her at odds with Raiden Mei?]

Watching the scrolling bullet comments, Brother Cake's expression showed his helplessness. He couldn't possibly know everything. In his opinion, this part of the storyline was genuinely well-crafted, especially Ana's dialogue, which created suspense and left him eager to see how it unfolds.

However, knowing MiHoYo's tendencies, Brother Cake understood that the next chapter likely wouldn't resolve this cliffhanger. Moreover, the upcoming events were undoubtedly centered around Raiden Mei and Kiana.

"I really can't speculate on this one, as everyone knows, MiHoYo loves throwing out red herrings," Brother Cake said, shrugging helplessly. "To simplify it, if Schicksal collaborates with World Serpent, Ana, being one of Schicksal's key figures, could naturally find herself opposing Raiden Mei."

This was typical of Old Mi—intentionally creating false conflicts to pique interest, only to gradually debunk them later.

"Therefore, I won't delve further into this topic."