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

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What truly caught Kevin's attention was Cang Luan beside Ana.

A Herrscher can share their perspective with their familiars, but not vice versa. To avoid appearing disinterested, Kevin infused a hint of Cang Luan's essence within the Ideal Fluid, which his Ciamay senses detected.

This connection allowed Kevin to perceive Ana.

However, Kevin still couldn't pinpoint Ana's exact location, as the Ideal Fluid had fully integrated into various parts of the world over time. From Kevin's perception, it felt like Ana was standing right next to him, yet he knew she wasn't physically present; otherwise, the Herrscher's distinctive Honkai Energy signature would have enabled him to locate her precisely.

Unaware of these developments, Gray Serpent remained blissfully ignorant.

Ana stared at Kevin with a hint of defiance, her will transmitted through the Ideal Fluid to him—The strongest human warrior, and yet, you're nothing special. It's time to step aside.

Regardless, Ana had ample confidence to challenge Kevin.

While her offensive capabilities might not match his, her self-defense was unparalleled, akin to Herrscher of the Void. If Sora were to enter Virtual Space without emerging, even Kevin would struggle to counter effectively.

Similarly, if Ana merged herself into the Ideal Fluid, she could disperse entirely, rendering Kevin's attacks futile unless he intended to destroy Earth itself.

One slight constraint for her was the Herrscher of Stars' gravity suppression. However, just like before, unless the Herrscher of Stars aimed to annihilate the world, it couldn't genuinely harm Ana. The catch was that employing such a tactic would force Ana to forfeit any chance of attacking.

Thus, this ability served primarily as her ultimate survival trump card.

After taunting Kevin, Ana promptly detonated the Ideal Fluid within the area he had been observing, catching the Gray Serpent momentarily off guard.

This showcased another application of Ideal Fluid: Ana could surreptitiously transport it anywhere undetected and then infuse it with Honkai Energy to cause an explosion. She referred to this technique as "Airburst."

However, most powerful beings wouldn't allow Ana to input excessive amounts of Honkai Energy, limiting its use primarily for essential demolition tasks or minor tricks.

Nevertheless, as a form of provocation, it was quite effective.

"Lord... is this..." Despite being taken aback, Gray Serpent remained composed, knowing that his Lord was present. He respectfully looked towards Kevin and whispered cautiously.

"Hmph, merely one of the Empress of Wind's pranks," Kevin responded dismissively. As an entity of his stature, such antics did not faze him. If the Empress of Wind intended to disrupt his focus with these methods, she was utterly mistaken.

To Kevin, confronting Ana directly would be far more preferable than dealing with such indirect tactics. Nonetheless, this did not diminish his acknowledgment of Ana's strength. Without exaggeration, the Herrscher of Wind was indeed significantly more powerful than the two Herrschers of Reason.

While Kevin remained unfazed, Gray Serpent's thoughts were stirred immensely by this display.

Although the Authorities of Herrschers were established during the previous civilization, those Herrschers perished too quickly, never reaching the Ascension level. Consequently, the World Serpent's understanding of Herrschers didn't greatly surpass that of the current era.

Ana's maneuver unequivocally elevated her status in Gray Serpent's eyes, placing her nearly on par with Kevin.

Perhaps Kevin could suppress her eventually, but before achieving that, with her demonstrated power, she could easily disrupt the World Serpent's Project Stigma. Moreover, considering Hare's crucial role in the project, Ana effectively held some leverage over it as well.

From a threat perspective alone, Gray Serpent now deemed Ana as their top priority.

"Then, Lord, regarding the Empress of Wind..."

"Let her be," Kevin replied mildly.

As the true Enforcer and linchpin of Project Stigma, even without Gray Serpent, Hare, or any other key players, he could still initiate the plan alone. The involvement of World Serpent's operatives merely allowed for its more comprehensive execution.

However, sacrifices were always necessary.

Additionally, Kevin hoped that this Herrscher of Human, the strongest among Honkai-affiliated beings, might surpass him and complete the Spark Project instead.

In truth, he genuinely did not wish to execute Project Stigma... but time was truly running out.

Thus, deep down, he yearned for Ana to confront him directly, engaging in a fair contest. Regardless of whether she could truly defeat him, it would at least provide a glimmer of hope from this era.

While the two Herrschers of Reason were commendable, they only elicited slight surprise; they couldn't be considered as sources of genuine hope. However, the Herrscher of Wind indeed held such potential.

Additionally...

"Kevin, don't always be so cold; try smiling more..."

The girl's voice echoed in Kevin's mind, vividly replaying events from fifty thousand years ago, deeply imprinted within his consciousness.

"Kevin... If you encounter a Herrscher like me in the new era, please remember to tell me, okay?"

Her final plea, as delicate as blossoming flowers, still resonated in Kevin's ears.

This stirred Kevin emotionally, but outwardly, he remained unresponsive. It wasn't that he had completely suppressed all emotions; rather, he understood their insignificance. The burden he carried required no room for such valueless sentiments.

However, fulfilling his late friend's wish was important to him.

Now, the kindred spirit she hoped for has emerged, perhaps able to carry on her aspirations and bring forth new possibilities for this world.

"Sigh..." With closed eyes, Kevin let out a long breath.

Gray Serpent couldn't discern what exactly Kevin was contemplating at this moment, but unsurprisingly, it likely involved the other Lords of the World Serpent.

While not all Heroic Spirits were honored as Lords by Gray Serpent, they indeed held the status within the World Serpent, regardless of their individual identity. This stemmed from the foundational legacy of the World Serpent itself.

"Gray Serpent."

Suddenly, the leader spoke up.

"At your service," Gray Serpent replied respectfully.

"Extend an invitation to the Empress of Wind. Even if she is unwilling to join the World Serpent... still invite her as our guest." A hint of melancholy lingered in Kevin's voice.

This sentiment echoed his original motivation for inviting Herrscher of Thunder to join the World Serpent in the previous storyline. Raiden Mei and Kiana never needed to be separated; the crux lay solely in transforming Raiden Mei into the Herrscher of Thunder, allowing her to alleviate the strain on Kiana's deteriorating body by sharing one core's burden.

Everything else was merely driven by Kevin's personal desires.

He simply wanted Elysia from the Elysian Realm to witness that he had fulfilled his promise, remained unchanged, and that humanity would ultimately triumph over Honkai.

Rather than personally entering the Elysian Realm, Kevin preferred to repay his former comrades through tangible actions.

Moreover—Kevin himself didn't wish to confront his past self again. He was well aware that compared to who he once was, he may have become somewhat more obsessive and deranged now.

"..."

The Gray Serpent fell silent for a moment, trying to gauge the Lord's thoughts. As someone who had survived from that era until now, he knew many secrets.

"As you command," he responded respectfully, understanding Kevin's perspective.

Just like him, if all settled down one day, Gray Serpent too would want to visit the Red Sakura Tree and offer a cup of fine wine to his departed friend, telling her that the world she envisioned has been achieved.

However, perhaps he might not live to see that day arrive.

Gray Serpent had indeed transcended worldly desires; he had experienced everything life could offer firsthand. Unlike Hare, whose observations were mediated through recordings, Gray Serpent possessed emotions.

Thus, Gray Serpent could calmly accept his own impending death, but Hare couldn't, as she believed it held no meaning. Once she ceased to exist, a new Hare would be born, just as hers had emerged before. Ultimately, she wasn't the original Hare with human compassion.

Ana was unaware of Kevin's thoughts, but even if she had known, it wouldn't have surprised her.

If pressed to say, Ana might have felt some regret as to why she was transported to this era instead of the previous one. That way, she could have experienced these events alongside the Heroic Spirits.

Compared to the warmth and simplicity of this generation, where she essentially played along with children's make-believe antics before being forced to confront reality, Ana preferred the challenges of the earlier civilization.

But then again, because I am Ana now, there's nothing to lament about that.

Yes, since I responded to Ana's will, I appeared here, but concerning the past civilization... As just an ordinary person from that time, what difference could I truly make?

Although the beginning did feel like child's play, my current progress owes much to Otto's influence. Without him, starting from scratch with only a bowl would have been far too daunting.

Ana genuinely didn't consider herself a chosen fate-bearer; the true protagonist is still sulking over at the World Serpent's side.

Her ability to seize control in this era, despite not being the central character, largely stems from the efforts of those in the previous civilization and certain actions taken by Otto.

Thus—despite hating Otto deeply, Ana would still assist him in achieving his long-held aspiration rather than sabotage it.

Regardless of her feelings, this is what Otto deserves. Moreover, it's not even the best outcome for him. After all, how could she let five centuries of his relentless struggle go unrewarded without securing at least some permanent benefits?

If that were to happen, Ana suspects Otto might haunt her dreams, which is quite a chilling thought... Wahh, Kallen, you must protect your junior!

With these considerations in mind, everything proceeds steadily.

However, both Rita and the World Serpent's arrival will take a few more days. While Raven has already reached Tianqiong City, Rita just departed from Schicksal Headquarters.

Under the guise of delivering vaccines and supplies, it will require one or two days for Rita and the Immortal Blades squad to arrive. As for Kiana, with Fu Hua by her side, there's nothing much to worry about.

Without direct intervention from either the World Serpent or Schicksal, Kiana reigns supreme in Tianqiong City, unthreatened by anyone.

As for Anti-Entropy, they pose no significant concern whatsoever.

Cocolia is likely about to exit the historical stage, and rightfully so. As they say, what goes around comes around. Moreover, with Welt's return, Anti-Entropy's situation should improve.

However, for Ana, Anti-Entropy has never held much significance. She didn't require their strength, primarily because Anti-Entropy focused heavily on machinery. But as everyone knows, in the later stages of Honkai, the role of mechs becomes virtually irrelevant.

Anti-Entropy only gained prominence due to Theresa's inadequacy. If Bianka had risen to power instead, the scenario would have been entirely different. Nevertheless, this was Otto's intention, and Ana saw no reason to interfere.

Besides—does anyone genuinely believe being Schicksal's bishop is desirable? Considering how Otto constantly slashed budgets during his tenure, just imagine what it would be like under Theresa!

In Schicksal, only Otto possesses such extensive control; any other person becoming the bishop would face similar challenges.

In any case, now that Ana found herself completely idle, she took some time to ponder her options. Eventually, she decided to use her one-time ability: Present World Descent.

Although she had only one chance currently, Ana believed the system would undoubtedly reward her with more opportunities in the future, making it unnecessary to hold onto it.

In the real world, with a flash of light, Ana materialized within it. Naturally, this wasn't her original world but rather a parallel one, where some names had also changed.

The only constant seemed to be mihoyo.

"Surprisingly, it's not renamed as MiHuYao..." Ana murmured, glancing at the nearby mihoyo building.

However, there was nothing particularly surprising about this. As expected, mihoyo likely serves as the anchor point for this parallel universe. One could apply the previous theories related to Honkai World's world bubbles here.

Of course, this is undoubtedly a real-world instance of a parallel universe, not a mere world bubble.

While muttering to herself, memories began flooding into Ana's mind, revealing her identity in this world - Su Ana, the daughter of a major shareholder in a large investment group. Her mother was Swiss, making her mixed-race.

Currently, both her parents were abroad, leaving her alone in Shanghai, studying at Shanghai University. Hmm, apparently utilizing a spot reserved for international students.

All Ana could say was, "Wow, talk about starting with some serious advantages."

However, it made sense considering her own memories; she already had Western roots, despite being accustomed to Eastern culture.

Most of her memories from her previous life were becoming hazy now.

Perhaps due to being an international student or possibly thanks to her father's wealth, regardless, although enrolled at Shanghai University, she rarely needed to attend classes. In fact, it seemed she held degrees from foreign universities...

"A Doctorate in Physics... How the hell did she obtain this degree? It feels too unrealistic! She's just an 18-year-old girl!"

Ana was certain that academic fraud was involved with this body, but it didn't matter. With the knowledge she gained from Jackal, she could convincingly fake it.

Maybe the system awarded the degree based on her extensive physics knowledge, converting it accordingly.

In reality, it's somewhat true, but perhaps the system didn't fully consider plausibility, as real-life scenarios can often be more absurd than fiction.