Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players

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As Ana gazed at Otto, a sense of elation stirred within her. She now understood how the Herrscher of the Void must feel when facing others.

The feeling of supreme indifference, watching Otto, the King of Humanity, rendered powerless before her. To comprehend Sirin, to become Sirin, albeit only to some extent.

However, Ana's fundamental nature hadn't changed; she was still just a MANTIS infused with the Key of Blankness.

This wasn't merely a joke.

After her Schariac lineage awakened as the First Generation Holy Blood, Ana effectively became a unique Stigma Awakener. Additionally, she possessed a trace of Kaslana bloodline, which the system rewarded by purifying during their departure from the Elysian Realm.

With pure Kaslana blood, Ana is akin to a descendant of Kevin, the original MANTIS. Not only can she awaken the Kaslana family's Stigmata, but she also inherits the traits and abilities of a MANTIS.

The inherited genes go beyond Parvati's simplicity; they encompass Brahma's Hundred Beasts, Ciamay. This explains why Otto felt fear when Siegfried manually triggered his Honkai transformation during the Second Honkai Eruption.

Although following this path, even if reaching its ultimate end, could only match Kevin's level, consider the power of Brahma's Hundred Beasts: In the previous civilization, using the Moonlight Throne and Judgment of Shamash, Kevin could crash the Herrscher of Finality's systems.

In terms of strength, such prowess ranks just below the two Herrschers of Finality.

Of course, if Ana chose this path, she might not reach Siegfried's level, but that held no appeal for her.

As the chosen one by the Cocoon and future Herrscher of Ice, pursuing the talent tree specific to Herrschers would undoubtedly grant her greater advantages than becoming a MANTIS fusion warrior.

As Ana entered her unrestricted half-Herrscher transformation state, Li Sushang, Rita, and Durandal's Godslayer Armors also issued warnings and activated their own unrestricted modes.

However, these enhancements meant little to Ana.

Li Sushang's Jade Knight specialized in speed. With ease, Ana created multiple barriers, manipulating fluid dynamics to negate Li Sushang's velocity boost entirely.

Rita's Argent Knight excelled in particle dispersion, yet even with such advantage, it remained constrained by the laws governing Ideal Fluid - highlighting both the true strength and limitation of the Herrscher of Wind. As a fundamental natural principle ability, mastering the Power of Wind, akin to the Power of Reason, requires continuous learning and research.

Wendy, previously, suffered from this drawback. Being an ordinary Valkyrie, although educated, Saint Freya Academy primarily trained Valkyries, not scientists.

Originally, Ana would have faced similar limitations. However, having set her sights on the Gem of Desire early on, she persistently pestered Jackal during her investigations at Divine City Pharmaceuticals to teach her relevant knowledge.

If not for her being the primary investor in Divine City Pharmaceuticals, such relentless harassment would have undoubtedly led to Jackal's outburst.

Fortunately, her efforts paid off, allowing Ana to significantly enhance her mastery over the Gem of Desire's power.

The only one relatively unaffected was Bianka with her Glorious Knight armor. As a full-domain suit, lifting its restrictions unleashed its full potential akin to its game counterpart, albeit slightly cumbersome.

Despite this, the combined attacks of the three Valkyries could not breach the barrier constructed by Ana using Ideal Fluid. Instead, they found themselves trapped, as if ensnared in quicksand.

With just a single thought, Ana could easily claim their lives.

Although wind blades formed from Ideal Fluid lacked the additional effects of Divine Keys like Abyss Flower, their greatest advantage lay in their razor-sharpness! Sharpness defined them—nothing but sheer cutting prowess!

Recalling her time at ME Corp, slicing through the MSR-7 Wotan felt like chopping vegetables effortlessly. Now, even cleaving the Godslayer Armor worn by the Valkyries posed no significant challenge.

In fact, Ana believed that if she were to target Otto directly, she could potentially eliminate the Soulium from his body by compressing her wind blades as much as possible and systematically destroying the Soulium components.

However, such an approach would still consume too much of her energy.

Ana couldn't sustain control over the Gem of Desire for extended periods, especially when lifting its restrictions to enter this semi-Herrscher transformation state. Thanks to her holy blood and the Abyss Flower, she wouldn't suffer severe backlash or injury, but she had to endure unimaginable pain.

The Honkai Energy from the gemstone clashed with the holy blood flowing through her veins, almost causing it to boil. During these collisions, portions of her blood fused, creating a new type of blood surpassing even the holy essence.

Once all of Ana's blood transformed into this unique substance, she would fully achieve Herrscher ascension.

Despite appearing nonchalant and smiling on the surface, beneath her composed facade, every part of her body was wracked with strain, masked only by the surrounding Honkai Energy and radiant glow.

"That's enough!"

With a sudden palm strike, Li Sushang, Rita, and Bianka inside the barrier felt as if they had been hit squarely in their chests, sending them flying away. Ana carefully controlled her force to render them unconscious without causing serious harm.

Why did she do this? Simply put, if these three truly fought with all their might—considering only Li Sushang's capabilities, let alone Rita and Bianka—Ana would have faced significant challenges.

The Taixuan Sword Goddess was not someone Ana could easily contend with. Although she possessed gifts from Su, each use depleted those resources, and she still needed to rely on this power for upcoming confrontations with Herrscher of Sentience.

To avoid being outmatched against Herrscher of Sentience later, Ana opted to incapacitate Li Sushang temporarily.

Poor Li Sushang, who had intended to stand up for the Rakshas she once secretly admired, witnessing their love story unfold, found herself defeated in her first encounter—a bitter setback indeed.

However, there was no real shame in it.

Combined with her existing abilities, Ana now equaled the full strength of the Herrscher of the Void. Moreover, she held no fear of Otto's Gun of God.

Apart from slightly weaker endurance, she became virtually invincible, akin to a flawless Queen.

Regarding her lack of endurance, unless Ana revealed it herself, Otto wouldn't have noticed, so it couldn't be considered a true weakness. Of course, this was also a gamble on Ana's part, betting that Otto would remain oblivious.

Honestly, if she could endure longer, there would undoubtedly be significant benefits for her. Unfortunately, as time passed, the pain inevitably increased.

"Do you have any more tricks up your sleeve, Lord Bishop?" Ana looked at Otto with a hint of mockery in her gaze.

"Ha ha ha, my friend, you jest. What an extraordinary battle!" As he spoke, Otto began to clap earnestly, his eyes reflecting a trace of regret—likely remorseful about creating such powerful Godslayer Armor for Ana.

However, this encounter, reminiscent of the Second Honkai Eruption, reaffirmed his decision to deploy the Honkai Fission Bomb back then as entirely correct. The consequences of Cecilia losing control were no less severe than those of Siegfried. Thankfully, Cecilia remained bound by her sense of duty and morality...

But isn't Ana similarly constrained by the responsibility and moral code of the House of Schariac?

Hadn't she mentioned that her activation of Unnamed Locomotive was to save Murata Himeko, the Valkyrie? Recalling how earlier, Ana obtained the Abyss Flower from him to rescue this very same Valkyrie, Otto felt he had once again uncovered the truth.

Well, as long as she could still be restrained, it meant she could be controlled and thus collaborate with Schicksal.

As for the current situation? No, no, no, that's insignificant!

What did Otto see? He perceived only four S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal engaging in friendly sparring, ultimately determining who among them is the strongest!

Indeed, Otto shamelessly maintained his flexible standards.

"From today onwards, you are officially recognized as Schicksal's mightiest Valkyrie! I grant you equal authority to mine; you may command any resources within Schicksal!"

"Oh?"

Ana regarded Otto with a faintly amused expression. Internally, she relished seeing him like this, but outwardly, she feigned dissatisfaction.

"No conditions required?"

"Not at all, my friend! You deserve this honor!"

"You are a trusted confidant and dear friend of Otto Apocalypse..."

Otto's words conjured unpleasant associations for Ana. The last person he addressed similarly was Fu Hua, and everyone knows how that ended.

Now, Otto bestows the same title upon her. Hmmph—

However, she is not like Fu Hua; Ana no longer stands alone and possesses immense power, far surpassing what Fu Hua could achieve.

Fu Hua's current fate can be traced back to the Second Honkai Eruption when she placed too much trust in Otto, allowing him to manipulate events leading to their ultimate defeat.

This time, Ana would never grant Otto such an opportunity again.

"And what about the Unnamed Locomotive?"

"Of course, it will be entrusted to you, my friend. Only in your hands can its true potential be unleashed," Otto replied with a smile.

"Hmm, quite the flattering response." Ana nodded, choosing not to press further. Time waits for no one, and tormenting Otto served little purpose as he still had his uses later on.

"Well then, I'll take my leave now. This place is yours to manage, old friend."

As she spoke, Ana patted Otto on the shoulder, relishing the moment. She had longed to offload such burdens onto him, giving him a taste of what she endured before.

However, there were still connections between the Shanijat Financial Group and Divine City Pharmaceuticals that concerned Ana. Worried Otto might uncover something, she chose not to mention it.

Otherwise, she would have insisted on making him work diligently at that desk for several months—just to spite him!

With her final words delivered, Ana leisurely turned and boarded the Unnamed Locomotive's engine compartment.

Inside the locomotive, ELF Heaven's Fire had everything prepared. As a gate of light materialized before them, the Unnamed Locomotive surged forward, disappearing through it.

Otto remained standing, his face filled with reverence as he gazed in the direction where the Unnamed Locomotive vanished. Only after some time did he withdraw his respectful expression.

"My friend, you truly are exceptional. It seems you've always been positioned for victory, ahahaha—"

Unaware that ELF Heaven's Fire was operating the Unnamed Locomotive, Otto nonetheless knew that during their confrontation—even amidst battle—Ana had readied herself for departure, ensuring an escape route.

In other words, regardless of what he attempted, nothing could have altered the fact that Ana would leave. For Otto, losing both Ana and the Unnamed Locomotive represented an irreparable setback.

Fortunately, Otto was shameless enough to compromise with Ana, offering her additional concessions so that she would stay within Schicksal. This way, Schicksal wouldn't truly lose anything.

His various plans were never crucial; his sole purpose and lifelong aspiration had always been to resurrect Kallen. For this dream, he was willing to do anything, rendering Schicksal's interests utterly insignificant.

Once Ana genuinely revealed how to revive Kallen and shared it with him, he would have no further attachment to this world or Schicksal.

Hatred, power, fame - none of these mattered to him anymore. He only yearned to see the girl who once called him "the great inventor" again, hoping fervently for her survival.

"I hope you won't disappoint me, Ana..." Otto murmured softly.

Standing behind Otto, Amber remained motionless, too afraid even to speak. The events of today felt surreal to her, and she never anticipated that Lord Bishop would capitulate so easily.

But now, what should she do next? It truly seemed like a battle between gods.

"Amber." Otto's voice suddenly broke through Amber's wandering thoughts.

"Lord Bishop," Amber responded respectfully, keeping her head bowed.

With her head bowed, Amber cautiously expressed her deference.

"Remember everything you've just heard," Otto said calmly and serenely, yet it sent shivers down Amber's spine. Perhaps... if this information leaked out, she would...

After all, Otto couldn't directly confront Lady Ana or these three distinguished figures before him. Consequently, his frustration could only be vented on Amber, the least useful secretary.

In that moment, Amber unexpectedly found herself missing Theresa. Her survival as Otto's trusted secretary until now was solely due to Theresa's mercy years ago. As a result, she held herself with little esteem.

"Additionally, arrange for Valkyries to take them for treatment, then clean up this place."

Without waiting for Amber's acknowledgment, Otto turned and departed.

Staring at Otto's departing figure, Amber momentarily stood dumbfounded. Then, with utmost respect, she bowed and swiftly began coordinating the necessary actions.

Soon, two patrol mechs arrived, transporting the unconscious Valkyries away while the remaining mechs commenced cleanup operations.

The materials once deemed invaluable by Otto were now utterly worthless, having perished amidst the barrage of artillery fire.

The vast laboratory crumbled, burying its sins within...