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

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In the live broadcast, Brother Cake erupted once more, slamming his bowl onto the table like Mr. Cao in a fit of rage. During their trip to Shanghai, he had engaged in deep discussions with the scriptwriter, gaining insights into future plans and receiving repeated assurances from them.

But damn it, is this your way of honoring those assurances by repeatedly flogging her memory? Even Murata Himeko didn't receive such treatment initially.

Well, actually, what Brother Cake didn't know was that in the original storyline, Murata Himeko received similar recognition as Ana, including a funeral scene later on—just with the roles reversed, making today specifically Ana's funeral.

While many players enjoy witnessing these moments, taking a different perspective reveals it indeed exploits the deceased character excessively, potentially disheartening fans.

["Patting Brother Cake, take it easy."]

["MiHoYo's scriptwriters, just get used to it."]

["Wahh, Ana, my Ana! And our OTP, how could this happen..."]

In the live broadcast chat, some users comforted Brother Cake, while others expressed their own lamentations. Another source of dissatisfaction among fans was the ship pairings involving Ana, Durandal, and Rita.

With death marking the end, isn't this forcing them into lifelong widowhood? It feels utterly unreasonable. To make matters worse, not long ago, during the Honkai Impact 3 collaboration event in Shanghai, the blood donation campaign poster featured Ana and Durandal together. This sudden twist left many perplexed.

It seemed... something wasn't right, yet at the same time, too much felt off-kilter. As if the writers were building up towards a significant reveal. They say unusual events often indicate hidden reasons, but with Ana genuinely dead, how would they reconcile this?

However, relatively speaking, these players constituted a minority. Over time, as different scriptwriters took over, there had been a noticeable trend in Honkai Impact 3 to downplay yuri relationships. Additionally, due to the tragic nature of Ana's demise, only a small number of players had so far focused on this issue.

However, as time progresses, more players will inevitably come to realize this discrepancy, and it remains to be seen how MiHoYo will wrap up the storyline.

Even Brother Cake, Ana's biggest fan, hasn't yet picked up on this aspect for now. Nevertheless, during his private conversation with the scriptwriter earlier, he did receive some insider information. For instance, Ana's story was far from over; it hadn't even reached a significant turning point.

But the scriptwriter's words were vague, and they explicitly requested that Brother Cake not disclose this information.

Now, Brother Cake feels somewhat deceived, wondering if this funeral scene indeed signifies that Ana's story is not concluded.

Yet, the apparition of Ana does hold intrigue, along with Rita's expression—it all suggests there might still be more to unfold.

Of course, it's understandable.

Even Otto, known for his cunning, sensed that Ana's demise couldn't be so straightforward. Perhaps, it truly isn't that simple.

While this part undeniably caught both viewers and streamers off guard again, thankfully, MiHoYo didn't continue their shameless antics. Instead, they finally commenced the arc centered around the Herrscher of Sentience—or rather, Fu Hua—titled "Immortal Phoenix."

In the Honkai World, atop Taixuan Mountain, a figure leisurely traversed its slopes. Clad in a white cloak resembling that of a Western nun but with an even purer and more saintly appearance, her face remained hidden beneath the hood, unseen by anyone.

A faint glow emanated from her body; upon closer inspection, one would realize she was not corporeal but merely a consciousness. As for the visage under the cloak, if visible, it would be identical to Ana's.

Indeed, she represented Ana's contingency plan left behind on Taixuan Mountain.

Ana had prepared for failure long ago, as any prudent reincarnator would do, ensuring multiple safeguards were in place.

Similar to Fu Hua, she stored part of her consciousness within the feathers of Fenghuang Down. However, this fragment was less complete than Fu Hua's, confining it to slumber indefinitely on Taixuan Mountain.

Waiting for someone capable of awakening her, whenever they arrived.

Ultimately, these fragments did not encounter the anticipated awakener, but instead, a mysterious presence recently visited Taixuan Mountain. Yes, the recent arrival aimed to gather and awaken these scattered fragments of consciousness.

However, since Ana has become the Herrscher of Finality, this residual consciousness fragment now serves as her avatar, possessing the Authority of Sentience. Consequently, she can also be considered another Herrscher of Sentience. Moreover, compared to the black-robed figure from World Serpent's timeline, this form allows her to rightfully claim herself as Ana.

After all, aside from lacking the Finality Authority, there are few differences between her and the original Ana.

At present, Ana leisurely strolls around Taixuan Mountain, occasionally reviewing memories stored within the Fenghuang Down feathers. Yet, as she delves deeper, Ana begins to feel something is amiss.

It's hard to explain.

In the original storyline or rather, based on her understanding, Fu Hua's friend from the previous civilization should resemble Carole from Post-Apocalyptic Scenarios, essentially a version of Carole from an alternate timeline. However, for some reason, while browsing these memories, Carole's appearance has been replaced by Ana's likeness.

Despite finding it peculiar, Ana comprehends the likely cause. It must be due to Fu Hua's fading memories of her friend, leading to this outcome. Similarly, although players recognize Mei and Mei's resemblance, they understand that they are not the same person.

Even if the friend in Hua's memories was identical to herself, she wasn't the same person.

To Ana, understanding and explaining this situation came naturally.

However, players outside the game might not be as accepting. It was foreseeable that Honkai Impact 3's official accounts would soon face another wave of backlash.

After all, within the context of the game, such discrepancies could easily be perceived as lazy shortcuts by the developers. In fact, Carole's appearance earlier in Post-Apocalyptic Scenarios might have stemmed from a similar reason.

Of course, at present, Ana had no concern for matters outside the game.

Upon being awakened, her memories synchronized with her original self, allowing her to grasp the current developments swiftly. Not long after, a figure quietly emerged in the sky above Taixuan Mountain and descended directly towards it.

It was a woman with silver hair and red eyes, bearing a striking resemblance to Fu Hua at first glance. However, their demeanors were entirely distinct, as hers exuded an aura of Honkai. Undoubtedly, she was the Herrscher of Sentience—though referring to her as Fu Hua wouldn't be incorrect either.

For now, she felt as if she were Fu Hua, and more importantly, Fu Hua's consciousness was indeed present within her, creating a dual-soul existence.

At this moment, Ana effectively retrieved all the consciousness stored on Taixuan Mountain, becoming a complete being - a fully realized Herrscher of Sentience.

This scene marked a historic encounter between two Herrschers of Sentience.

The corner of Ana's mouth twitched beneath her veil; she had an urge to release Lindow just for fun. Somehow, these two individuals gave her an eerily similar vibe. Meeting them together would undoubtedly be intriguing.

Indeed, Ana herself embraced this idea, later incorporating it into subsequent story events. Of course, that's a tale for another time.

"Hey, you over there! Who are you? This is my territory!" The Herrscher of Sentience shouted brusquely upon spotting a figure draped entirely in a white cloak from afar. For some inexplicable reason, she harbored no fondness towards this white-cloaked individual.

Perhaps it was because Ana preferred honesty and openness over secrecy and concealment. Naturally, another possible reason could be that Senti sensed familiar energies and abilities emanating from this individual.

"Oh dear, Red Kite Immortal truly has a forgetful memory, don't you recognize me anymore?" Ana raised her hand, revealing a beautifully crafted folding fan, which she gently waved as she spoke with a hint of regret.

Her words elicited a trace of suspicion on Herrscher of Sentience's face. To put it simply, having accessed Fu Hua's memories, there should have been some record about the person before her—but there wasn't any.

Of course, it was plausible that they were acquaintances unknown to her, but even for Herrscher of Sentience, being unable to discern such mental manipulation was indeed peculiar. After all, she was the supreme Herrscher of Sentience, unrivaled across heaven and earth!

"It seems, Red Kite Immortal, you're facing some challenges too. Why not let me serve as your impartial judge?" Ana chuckled softly.

"I am an acquaintance of the Red Kite Immortal, and my secret lies hidden within this Taixuan Illusory Realm. Only the true Red Kite Immortal can uncover clues and recognize my true identity. What say you?"

In truth, Ana's approach aligns with what Herrscher of Sentience and Fu Hua had initially planned. They intended to create an illusion here, challenging Kiana to discern the real Fu Hua. However, Ana's unexpected appearance has disrupted their scheme.

For the genuine Fu Hua, there is no reason to refuse; she senses a familiar aura from the veiled figure, confirming that Ana speaks the truth.

As for Senti, she thrives on amusement and enjoys games. Rather than relying solely on Kiana's subjective judgment, seizing control and actively participating suits her better. Thus, Senti also sees no cause to decline.

"Let us begin!" Ana chuckles softly beneath her veil as her mental energy expands. As fellow Herrschers of Sentience, Ana naturally surpasses Senti in mastery over this domain.

Moreover, aside from The Cocoon of Finality being the unification of Imaginary and Quantum Principles, embodying profound truths, Ana's spiritual perception alone was honed under Su's tutelage, with Aponia's guidance and insights. Even without relying on Finality's power, she surpassed her contemporaries.

As the Herrscher of Sentience, Ana far outmatched Senti in this era. The only difference lay in Senti inheriting Fu Hua's memories, granting her superior combat experience and techniques compared to the current Ana.

After all, at present, Ana exists purely as consciousness. In terms of combat skills, even the original Ana wasn't significantly stronger; much of her development had focused on mastering Authorities.

Additionally, having been at Taixuan Mountain for some time, Ana has marked nearly every feather of Yu Duo, akin to keystones within the illusory realm, enveloping everything around them.

Without dismantling these keystones, the illusion would persist.

However, the crux of this game is identifying Ana's true identity. Thus, despite knowing how to dispel the illusion, Senti refrains from doing so.

As for Kiana and Bronya's side, Senti would have to handle it herself—much like how narratives require both overt and covert storylines.

Now that she has altered the original covert plotline, naturally, editing the overt storyline falls upon her as well. Of course, she won't make extensive changes; dealing with Senti is already quite troublesome. If too much time is wasted crafting scenarios involving Kiana, someone else will inevitably step in personally.

However, at this moment, the entity referred to by Senti as "someone" is pondering another possibility.

Amidst the starry sky, floating within the vast starlit sea near the edge of our solar system, slowly moving towards Earth, sits a girl before the Cocoon of Finality, her eyes gently closed in contemplation.

The transformation of Carole into her may seem insignificant to the Present World, but in essence, the so-called game serves as a projection of this world in some sense.

In other words, perhaps within this reality, within Fu Hua's memories, she truly replaced a friend resembling Carole from an alternate timeline.

But how could such a substitution be achieved?

Finality wields the Authority of Time. In a neighboring galaxy, there exists a Aeon's final ruler who defies temporal flow, but Finality's essence involves tracing origins rather than traversing space-time.

In other words, even with Finality's power, it couldn't have allowed her to travel back to the pre-Civilization era and become Hua's friend. Similarly, her plan to save Chen Tianwen was merely wishful thinking, akin to chasing mirages.

Thus, only one possibility remains:

At some point in this world's past, connected to that earlier timeline, her counterpart from the previous civilization indeed was Hua's friend. Then, due to certain changes, that parallel universe became intertwined with this world's history.

A realization dawned on Ana's face.

Now, what significance does knowing all this hold? It can be seen as meaningful or not; such understanding transcends mere notions of significance. However, for Ana, it feels somewhat disappointing.

If her self from the previous civilization truly existed as her present self, she could have taken Kiana's role in the animated short "Transcendence."

Unfortunately, reincarnation cycles do not exist within the Honkai World. Otherwise, Fu Hua...wouldn't have felt so alone.

Of course, if that were true, it wouldn't be entirely beneficial for this world either, as it would enable Otto to expedite his long-cherished ambitions.

However, since such possibilities don't exist, there's no point speculating; they remain nothing more than wishful daydreams.