Chapter 132: Beyond Finality: Ana's Honkai Cultivation Plan!

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Amidst the boundless starry expanse, He quietly traversed, slowly moving forward. As He journeyed, every inhabited world encountered faced selection and trials in His wake.

He had crossed numerous planets, yet none had surpassed or passed His scrutiny thus far. Soon, He would reach the destination of this voyage—Earth within the Solar System.

This was the final leg in the Solar System. Thousands of years ago, He had visited once before, and even several millennia prior, He had come, but Earth never succeeded in overcoming these tests. Whether Earth could now pass remained uncertain, at least from the perspective of the higher-dimensional being who created Him.

However, miracles do eventually occur, just as the stars and moon brought forth God's daughter across tens of thousands of years, traversing numerous parallel worlds. Before His arrival, those who passed the trial finally emerged.

In the starlit sea, Ana materialized out of thin air. Feeling somewhat bewildered, she looked around only to discover herself amidst a sea of stars. Nearby, a unique satellite orbited Earth—it was the Divine Key created by the previous civilization era, designed to improve Earth's climate.

Upon examining herself, Ana realized she remained in a purely spiritual and conscious state, devoid of a physical body. However, precisely because of this, she could freely traverse the starlit sea.

At the distant edge of the solar system, beyond the observable dimensions, an entity superior to dimensional perception quietly approached—the Cocoon of Finality.

A subtle sound resonated within Ana's mind, the call from the Cocoon of Finality itself.

Yes, without a doubt, she had now successfully overcome the trial of Finality. By embracing the Cocoon of Finality, she would become the first Herrscher of Finality for this era.

At first glance, the sequence and number of Herrschers seemed to be conditions for the birth of the Herrscher of Finality, but that was not entirely accurate.

These were merely some methods of trials.

By becoming the Herrscher of Finality and mastering the Cocoon of Finality, Ana could harness its power to directly bestow Honkai's authority upon others, transforming them into Herrschers.

In essence, once she controls the Cocoon of Finality, if she so desires, she could theoretically turn every person on Earth into a Herrscher. However, whether they can survive the process is another question altogether.

Indeed, the Cocoon of Finality can grant powers to others, but much like the emergence of Zombies, not everyone can withstand the strength of a Herrscher.

Thus, the notion of "everyone becoming a Herrscher" remains an extremely idealistic scenario at best.

For now, these concepts are still far too distant for Ana.

"Guh—"

The Cocoon of Finality continuously beckoned to Ana with a strangely intimate feeling, which puzzled her slightly. After brief contemplation, however, she began to understand.

Firstly, she had conquered Herrscher's Authoritative Powers, which originated from the Cocoon of Finality itself. This implies that she has already achieved a certain level of mastery over the Cocoon.

Secondly, her path did not follow the conventional selection process.

In other words, Project Stigma and gathering all Herrscher powers were methods for the higher-dimensional civilization to seek companions. However, Ana, chosen through Rationalism, represents the ally they truly desired.

For the entity behind the Cocoon of Finality, Ana is precisely who They need, hence why the Cocoon feels more intimate with her.

Perhaps, for the Cocoon of Finality, finding Ana signifies the completion of its own mission.

Nevertheless, this isn't detrimental to Ana. Regardless of the current state of the Honkai World, her priority lies in conquering the Cocoon of Finality and becoming the sole Herrscher of Finality.

With this thought, Ana takes one last look at Earth below before hurtling towards the Cocoon like a shooting star, embracing it fully.

As the Cocoon emits joyful sounds, Ana makes contact, experiencing a remarkably peculiar sensation.

It felt as though she was lying on lush green grass under the starlit sky, surrounded by the joyful sounds of insects and birds. Everything seemed so natural, so serene.

When Ana regained her senses, she had completed her transformation.

Gazing at the Cocoon of Finality before her, Ana experienced a peculiar sensation, as if she were also looking at herself. Having conquered the Cocoon, it now became an extension of her being.

However, within the Cocoon's memories, Ana did not find what she sought. The Cocoon indeed originated from a more powerful entity seeking companionship, but this creator left no records about itself, leaving everything for Ana to discover independently.

Perhaps all the answers lie with the Imaginary Tree.

With this thought, Ana's eyes sparkled, and her attire transformed. Her hair remained chestnut-colored, while lotus-like eye shadow adorned her gaze. Her ceremonial dress turned pure white, and ethereal wings emerged behind her, symbolizing rebirth.

At that moment, humanity truly transcended the Finality threshold.

If Ana willed it, Honkai would never again afflict Earth, and the selection process could cease entirely.

However, Ana didn't feel it was necessary.

She differed from Kiana. As Herrscher of Finality, Kiana would remain stationed on the moon for a long time, safeguarding Earth. But with all her newfound knowledge, Ana ultimately chose to embark on a distant journey.

After her departure, Earth must possess the capability to protect itself.

Apart from seeking answers, Ana had yet to fulfill another wish—to bring back Elysia and revive the departed Heroic Spirits. Currently, she couldn't achieve this herself or within this world.

Moreover, even in the original game's storyline, Earth remained far from peaceful. It's unclear what Kiana did at that time, but it led to the descent of the Celestial Being.

Although Welt Yang and Void Archives eventually resolved the crisis in the original plot, it did not guarantee Earth's complete safety.

With the end of Honkai, humanity's gaze will inevitably turn towards the vast cosmos, focusing on the Imaginary Tree. They will face numerous adversaries in the future.

Honkai and Honkai Energy serve as this world's unique treasures and most potent weapons.

Moreover, even Kiana from the original storyline only absorbed all the Honkai Energy with the intention of returning it someday when Earth could withstand its power.

However, to Ana, there seemed no longer any need for that approach.

As the Herrscher of Finality who conquered the Cocoon of Finality, she had direct control over the extent of Honkai on Earth. Furthermore, now, she possessed both the time and energy to undertake such endeavors.

Her goal was to accelerate Earth's adaptation to Honkai.

Only by enabling humanity to swiftly acclimate to Honkai Energy, creating more Herrschers, and advancing their technology significantly, could she leave this place with peace of mind, seeking the answers she desired.

At this moment, Ana couldn't help but envy Otto slightly.

She envied how Otto could focus solely on finding ways to resurrect Kallen without worrying about other matters.

Regarding sacrifices, they were inherently unavoidable.

With her personally orchestrating the Honkai, it would be far better than leaving it to Prometheus-led Will of Honkai. At least, she could manipulate outcomes extensively, achieving optimal results with minimal sacrifice.

Additionally, if she were to immediately absorb all Honkai Energy now, in a sense, it would cut off Otto's pursuit of reviving Kallen—a promise Ana herself made to him.

Moreover, Ana couldn't predict what Otto might do after losing his chance to pursue his dream. What? You suggest just killing him outright? Hmm...

With that, Ana made her decision firmly.

She would control the progression of Honkai according to her will. On the surface, Honkai has already reached the Fifth and Sixth Herrschers, but in reality, Earth will birth many more Herrschers, specifically more Herrschers of Humanity.

Without further ado, she could directly bestow Himeko with the power of the Herrscher of Flame—wouldn't that be reasonable?

Although it may seem somewhat impulsive, as the sole Herrscher of Finality, she can do whatever she desires...

As these thoughts crossed her mind, Ana's lips curved upwards, involuntarily scheming further.

To execute this plan, she decided not to reveal yet that the Herrscher of Finality would no longer descend upon humanity. Only under the pressure of impending doom would humans rise up, leading to the outcomes she seeks.

So, Kiana, Raiden Mei, Bronya, and all members of World Serpent, keep working hard for me! Ha ha ha ha—

Earth, Coral Island.

No entity on Earth noticed Ana's ascension to become the Herrscher of Finality, not even Kevin sensed any anomaly.

If anyone could detect it, it would only be Aponia, who had fused with the Elysian Realm, noticing the elevation at the consciousness level. After all, Ana essentially relinquished her original body and transformed herself solely through her consciousness into the Herrscher of Finality.

And what happened to her original body? Naturally, it was now inhabited by the Herrscher of Winter. However, that mattered little.

Despite the immense power of the Herrscher of Winter, her activities were strictly confined to Coral Island due to the Commandment set forth by Ana. Since Ana and the Herrscher of Winter are fundamentally the same person, this restriction held true.

An individual cannot defy their own Commandments, especially when additional binding authority is incorporated within them.

Indeed, although Ana could control the situation, considering her understanding of the Herrscher of Winter's Authority, she discreetly established a binding barrier to prevent any unforeseen complications.

As for the ultimate fate of the Herrscher of Winter, Ana intended to make her perish.

As her other half and inner demon, even if Ana did not intervene, Annihilation would likely have been its inevitable fate - a natural dissolution.

After all, for the present Ana, neither the Herrscher's persona nor Heart Demon could constrain her anymore.

When someone overcomes their inner demons, those demons naturally dissipate.

Unfortunately, the Herrscher of Winter possessing Ana's body was unaware of this situation, which is understandable. Throughout the entire Honkai World, only Elysia from the Elysian Realm knew about Ana's plan to become the Herrscher of Finality.

Moreover, considering Honkai Impact 3 as a game perspective, Ana Schariac, lacking any significant background or protagonist aura yet frequently serving as a shield for others, should indeed make her exit at this point.

The story could continue, but Ana remains just a supporting character after all. The Main trio are the true protagonists. Besides, even if she leaves the stage now, so what?

It's merely a staged death.

To assist Otto in assaulting the Imaginary Tree with Kevin's cooperation, Ana still needs to send a doppelgänger-a new character-to Earth, interact with them, and advance the plot.

The thought of potentially becoming the game's antagonist unexpectedly excited Ana.

Do you think your enemy is Kevin, executor of Project Stigma? No, it's my doppelgänger! And do you assume that who you believe to be your enemies truly are? Not at all, there actually aren't any real enemies left.

Unlike Sirin during the Second Honkai Eruption, these Pseudo-Herrschers didn't even receive simulated cores from her. In essence, both teams could have easily defeated them using simple attrition tactics and tag-team strategies.

Of course, if they had done so, they would have lost their qualification to confront the Herrscher of Winter herself.

Influenced by Ana's inherent nature, despite being the Herrscher Persona and Heart Demon, the Herrscher of Winter still held less negative views towards humans. After all, regardless of when or how, Ana has always been kind-hearted and proactive in saving others.

Towards these individuals before her, she primarily sought amusement rather than intending to bring about their demise.

This sentiment was also understood by Ana above the starry sky; the current Herrscher of Winter shared similarities with Senti's personality, making it unlikely for her to go all-out lethal.

However, immature brats like this have a penchant for self-destructive behavior. If provoked beyond their limits, they could potentially destroy the entire world—a scenario similar to that of the Herrscher of a Thousand People and the Herrscher of Corruption.

As a reincarnator, Ana had a deep understanding of such possibilities. Consequently, she established a binding barrier to ensure that if the Herrscher of Winter spiraled out of control, the impact would be confined to Coral Island alone.

Coral Island, after all, is already considered ruined. Should the Herrscher go berserk, completely demolishing it might even be preferable, as rebuilding from scratch on the same spot would present a fresh start—how convenient?

As for those previously deceased informants and stubborn fools who ignored warnings here, their ashes now serve as a reminder - saving Ana from even needing to pay compensation to such idiots.