Chapter 124: The Arrival of Winter!

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In the original storyline's conclusion, Otto observed the results of the Tenfold Multiplication Experiment. However, now, those outcomes have been replaced with this new revelation, signaling a shift in Otto's intentions.

Initially, he had resigned himself to fate, believing Kallen could only be revived through the Imaginary Tree. At that time, he already harbored the early outlines of his future plans. But now, everything has changed...

He is no longer content with such a predetermined future.

Instead, he begins hoping to revive Kallen within reality itself.

From the Captains' perspective, these underlying motivations remain hidden, as they involve much undisclosed information. Yet, Otto's appearance and his conversation with Kevin undeniably provoke deep contemplation.

In Brother Cake's live stream room,

The viewers were still basking in the exhilaration of the Herrscher of Thunder's awakening. Meanwhile, Brother Cake found himself pondering deeply over Otto's final words.

Even Brother Cake had to admit that the Herrscher of Thunder's awakening made for quite an exhilarating plot development. Although upon reflection, it seemed somewhat illogical for the Herrscher of Thunder to depart so abruptly when communication was clearly possible.

However, considering their respective personalities, this outcome was inevitable from the start.

Moreover, fans of Raiden Mei had long awaited her transformation into a Herrscher. No one wants to see their favorite character constantly struggling, despite the numerous jokes poking fun at her misfortunes.

Ultimately, players hoped for their beloved characters to become stronger, and with the debut of the Herrscher of Thunder, Kiana's defeat felt satisfyingly swift. While it was evident that Raiden Mei held back, everyone understood it as playful banter between the couple—just enough to make a point.

There was, however, one aspect that left some Captains slightly disappointed: the final impression theme used the track from Honkai Academy 2 instead of creating a new one specifically for the Herrscher of Thunder.

It wasn't that the chosen theme didn't fit or was poor; rather, it might have simply reflected the players' insatiable desire for more content.

However, people always enjoy comparisons and often settle for compromises. Compared to a certain character who still hasn't received her own animated short, Raiden Mei clearly comes out on top.

With this perspective, not having a new theme song becomes more acceptable. After all, the chosen track fits perfectly here.

In Brother Cake's live stream chatroom, viewers were actively discussing these topics.

After pondering for a while, Brother Cake finally spoke up:

"I find Otto's actions and words quite intriguing."

Addressing the thousands of viewers in his live stream, he continued slowly.

[Otto's words? Hmmmm, I was too focused on Mei; didn't notice.]

[What? That bastard Otto said something else?]

[He did, but it made no sense.]

Most viewers' attention had been captivated by the battle between Raiden Mei and Kiana, remaining engrossed even after the animation ended. They missed subsequent details—a common occurrence among fans.

Of course, they would eventually encounter those moments when progressing through their game accounts later.

Quickly, thanks to several enthusiastic fans' explanations, most Captains in the live stream became aware of the relevant background.

When it came to Otto, while they enjoyed poking fun at him, every Captain harbored hostility and caution towards this character. He was undeniably a true villain, despite his complex nature, which didn't diminish his antagonistic role.

Moreover, his manner of speaking often gave off a punch-worthy vibe, though unfortunately, no one could actually land a hit on him. This time, facing Kevin, Otto seemed to maintain his usual style, albeit slightly more restrained due to Kevin's calm demeanor.

However, the crucial question remained: What exactly did Otto inquire about from Kevin, leading someone as selfless as Kevin to bluntly state that Otto had neither the right nor capability to possess or control it?

The live chat instantly buzzed with activity again.

Facing their common enemy across all fandoms, the Captains virtually united. Wait, you're an Otto fan? Are you crazy? Have you seen what kind of despicable character he is now? Still a fan?

Various analyses flooded the bullet comments.

Brother Cake also skimmed through these bullet comments. How to put it? Each viewpoint had its merits, but somehow, something seemed amiss.

However, by categorizing them, one common consensus emerged:

Firstly, this item is crucial for Kallen's resurrection. Kevin knows about it intimately and believes it can truly fulfill Otto's long-standing wish, yet it isn't suitable for Otto himself.

In the end, after much discussion, there was still no definitive conclusion or breakthrough.

This question appeared genuinely unsolvable.

Ultimately, the viewers reached a unanimous agreement: The scriptwriters must have introduced something new, and this addition holds significant importance, possibly even relating to Ana in some way.

But another question lingered—what exactly was Ana up to?

The Captains couldn't observe any direct connection between Ana and the Herrscher of Ice, making her departure somewhat puzzling. However, as Brother Cake mentioned earlier,

"Ana doesn't engage in ordinary tasks; when she acts, it's always on a grand scale."

Whether saving Wendy or Himeko, honestly, the Captains were now eagerly anticipating the moment when Himeko meets the leaders of the three great factions and their reactions upon learning that Ana orchestrated these events.

Unfortunately, no matter how much the viewers discussed and analyzed in the live chat, they couldn't reach a satisfying conclusion. To unravel this mystery, they would have to wait for the next update in the game's main storyline.

Nevertheless, players found their overall experience with this version quite enjoyable, with Zhuge Kongming's arrival on the ship being the most significant highlight.

"Assassin, I want that; buy it for me!" When Zhuge Kongming acted cute, even seasoned Captains struggled to resist her charm.

Of course, Brother Cake's live stream content about this version wasn't over yet, as his fan count had just surpassed one million.

Brother Cake's rise to becoming a millionaire blogger wasn't solely due to Honkai Impact 3. Frankly, streaming only Abyss runs and storylines from the game wouldn't achieve such success. A more crucial factor was likely Brother Cake's frequent "splurging" giveaways.

Regardless, Brother Cake now boasted a million subscribers, and on certain platforms, reaching milestones like 100k or 1m followers typically involves traditional celebratory challenges.

Since Brother Cake hadn't started playing Honkai Impact 3 when he hit 100k fans, the first challenge became irrelevant. However, hitting one million fans demanded a celebration, adhering to tradition—a cosplay cross-dressing challenge.

As the top bishop of Ana's fandom, there was no doubt who Brother Cake would cosplay: Ana.

"Alright, vote for which armor you want me to cosplay, or even fan-made outfits are fine."

Without wasting any time, Brother Cake swiftly set up a poll.

"No matter which one wins, I'll put my full effort into it. I'll consult professionals, so rest assured, it won't be an eyesore."

[I believe you on this, Brother Cake.]

[Uh, Brother Cake, hypothetically speaking, can I...you know, fap to your cosplay?]

[Lol, that's quite bold, but I'm down with it, hehehe...]

[Girls, let's be honest here—given Brother Cake's looks, it's definitely going to be stunning!]

[Whoa, does Brother Cake actually have female fans?]

[Hey, hey, stay focused people! Shouldn't we be paying attention to Brother Cake right now?]

[Ah, my dear Brother Cake, hehehe...]

The announcement of Brother Cake's cross-dressing cosplay triggered an explosion of outrageous comments in the live stream chat—a typical internet phenomenon. Unable to act crazily in real life, some found solace in letting loose online, knowing they wouldn't directly offend anyone.

However, overall, it was just a minor incident, gaining slight notoriety within the Honkai community. After all, Brother Cake was considered the most famous streamer among them.

In due course, version 4.0 passed swiftly amidst player anticipation, and finally, version 4.1 arrived. This time, unlike previous versions, its name was significant: "The Arrival of Winter's Chill!"

The last version with such a noteworthy title was "Will of the Herrscher."

The importance of the "Will of the Herrscher" update to the entire Honkai Impact 3 narrative goes without saying.

This clearly indicated that even for the game developers and writers, this version held high expectations. In the pre-release showcase, alongside introducing Raiden Mei's new armor, Herrscher of Thunder, Da Wei made a rare appearance in the live broadcast. Nevertheless, despite their presence, the official reveal only included a few screenshots from the upcoming main storyline, withholding actual content details.

This further reinforced players' belief that this version would be exceptionally crucial, potentially impacting Honkai Impact 3's destiny...

The opening sequence of the new storyline closely mirrored the original plot: Raiden Mei recuperates and trains at World Serpent, enhancing her abilities. Meanwhile, World Serpent detects signs of an impending Major Honkai Eruption, confirming that the next Honkai will occur on Coral Island in the Pacific Ocean.

This time, Raiden Mei takes center stage as the primary force leading the assault against the Herrscher of Ice on Coral Island.

On the other side, at Schicksal's floating island:

Otto examined the intelligence before him, gently tapping his fingers on the armrest. With Schicksal's advanced technology, they too had observed the unusual activity around Coral Island, detecting it several days earlier.

In other words, the true Herrscher of Ice was born many days ago, which reminded Otto of Ana's previous order—to evacuate Coral Island's residents ahead of schedule.

Ana knew much, including information he held dear, yet she chose to withhold it from him instead of revealing it. Through Kevin, Otto also gained additional insights.

From his perspective, Ana's ability to foresee events with uncanny accuracy likely stemmed from possessing such unique power.

If he could seize this power, wouldn't it be possible...

Otto's eyes flashed momentarily before quickly dimming.

Currently, he lacked the capability to directly confront her, but... perhaps this time, he might leverage the World Serpent for some probing. He didn't expect much from them, though.

After all, if she possessed precognition, his actions would undoubtedly fall within her foresight, including those of the World Serpent.

However, Otto also sensed that something seemed amiss with Ana.

Her communication signal indicated she was currently at Coral Island, the location where the Herrscher of Ice awakened. Could it be possible that she herself has become the Herrscher of Ice?

While unusual, considering the precedent set by the Second Herrscher, the emergence of another multi-core Herrscher wouldn't be entirely unexpected, albeit the awakening circumstances were indeed peculiar.

Of course, this hypothesis could be incorrect, but given Ana's presence at Coral Island, it suggested that the Herrscher of Ice held some value to her. This realization made it imperative for Otto to intervene.

Considering Ana's subsequent actions, she wouldn't engage in anything without purpose. Therefore, if Otto chose to intervene, he would undoubtedly gain something significant.

What if... this could provide him with access to Ana's power?

The thought alone stirred excitement within Otto.

Although the World Serpent demanded full control over confronting the Herrscher during this expedition against the Herrscher of Ice, due to Ana's orders, Schicksal had secured a strategic advantage around Coral Island.

If they directly deployed their Valkyrie forces, the World Serpent couldn't object, and Otto could attribute it to miscommunication timing.

Regardless, there were secrets within Coral Island that Otto desperately sought, and evidently, these were crucial for the World Serpent as well; otherwise, they wouldn't have insisted on handling the entire Herrscher elimination operation.

Having set his course, Otto discreetly issued commands while routing another directive through Amber, following the formal bishop procedures.

On Coral Island's central platform, amidst endless solid ice, Ana's eyebrows twitched slightly, hinting at signs of awakening. However, the surrounding ice remained unchanged, indicating that this was not a genuine awakening but rather—

Suddenly, a massive surge of energy erupted from Ana, rapidly spreading outward with her as the center. At that moment, snow and ice had already enveloped the entire Coral Island.

Harnessing the conductivity and concealment provided by the ice, this energy dispersed throughout Coral Island, completely shrouding it under its influence...

Within the icy landscape, Herrscher's ceremonial attire gradually formed around Ana. It was uniquely associated with the Herrscher of Ice. Simultaneously, a black-and-white mask covered her face. Now, unless someone could remove the mask, there would be no definitive proof that this Herrscher of Ice was indeed Ana.

Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Coral Island, Schicksal's Valkyrie forces were prepared for action. The Immortal Blades squad, led by Durandal and Rita, stood ready to defend their position.

Shortly after, Durandal received Otto's message to initiate their assault.

"Rita, remain here with the Immortal Blades and hold your position while awaiting World Serpent's support. I'll scout Coral Island first."

"Yes, Lady Durandal."