Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players-Chapter 227: The Final Stream: Unmasking the Most Unexpected Villain!

Chapter 227 - 227: The Final Stream: Unmasking the Most Unexpected Villain!

In the real world,

the release of the first part finale update for Honkai Impact 3 finally arrived. Although somewhat rushed, as mentioned earlier, everyone eagerly anticipated this version.

Firstly, there were significant leaks revealing details about Kiana's Herrscher of Finality armor and Raiden Mei's Origin Herrscher Armor, leaving little to the imagination.

To be fair, these armors fell somewhat short of Captains' expectations, including aspects like the ultimate ability animations. However, as conclusions to the story arcs, it's not necessary to overly scrutinize them.

Additionally, similar to how Corruption Ana was offered for free in previous updates, the Herrscher of Primogenitor is also available at no cost, allowing every Captain to acquire it. This gesture helps alleviate some pressure and controversy surrounding the introduction of dual Herrschers.

However, despite Corruption Ana not being directly given away earlier, this update still generates more buzz than before.

After all, many Captains have been eagerly anticipating the Herrscher of Human since several versions ago, with limited opportunities to save crystals specifically for this occasion.

For veteran Captains who've journeyed through each update, achieving full completion and graduation across all Main trio' armor sets becomes even more challenging.

Given the current resources, obtaining everything seems unattainable. Even with the free Herrscher of Primogenitor, ultimately, Honkai Impact 3's crystal guarantees remain less favorable, and accumulating crystals is more cumbersome.

In recent versions, characters heavily relied on their dedicated weapons and exclusive Stigmata sets. In contrast, Honkai's younger sister, Genshin Impact, required only one dedicated weapon, which wasn't even considered essential.

Players could still clear the Abyss fully without high-tier gear, earning all available rewards.

Those who spent considerable effort yet failed to obtain their desired character naturally joined the chorus of discontent, amplifying the criticism. Additionally, there were indeed instances of improper resource allocation in previous updates that fueled this sentiment.

Of course, prior to this version, the controversies surrounding Herrscher of Finality and Herrscher of Origin were more intense. However, with each update, these issues gradually dissipated like smoke.

Inside Brother Cake's live stream, he was completing his final preparations. With utmost reverence, he meticulously cleared his desk and placed figurines of the Main trio upon it. Behind him stood MiHoYo's recently released life-sized Ana figure, similar to the large Yae Sakura statue from before.

Possessing such a figure clearly showcased Brother Cake's wealth status as Richie; not that it needed further proof, since everyone already knew.

After preparing some tea, Brother Cake returned to his computer and launched Honkai Impact 3.

"Brothers, let's skip the card draws today and jump straight into the new story arc. After all these years, everything is finally reaching its conclusion—a fitting end."

"Don't worry, we won't shortchange you on giveaways. But as for drawing cards, everyone knows the wish pool will be available for several days yet; there's no rush. Personally, I can't wait to experience the latest plot developments."

"Additionally, these figurines on my desk were provided by the official team, and I'll give them away to you guys later. What? The one behind me? No way! Don't even dream about it—it represents my faith! How could I possibly raffle that off!"

Naturally, this was just playful banter from the chat. Savvy viewers understood that the life-sized Ana figurine behind Brother Cake was a non-sellable item, not meant for giveaway. To be honest, such a collectible was incredibly expensive, costing over ten thousand dollars.

"On another note, during today's stream, we'll have a special guest from the game's development team joining us—stay tuned!"

[Wow, Brother Cake, when did you start scripting your streams?]

[An official guest? Must be a collaboration then! Our Brother Cake is really making it big now.]

[Is it possible that Brother Cake has the largest fanbase among Honkai Impact 3 streamers online? Who else would the developers approach?]

[Brother Cake, who's the special guest?]

"As for the guest, I can't reveal any details," said Brother Cake, scanning through the bullet comments with a hint of apology on his face.

"However, I can give you a small clue: This guest is connected to a specific character and also happens to be one of our long-time viewers."

[666, so there's actually someone from the dev team lurking in our chat?]

[Damn, they're directly drawing inspiration from here!]

[Tsk tsk tsk, if that's true, then my deranged... oh no!]

Seeing this comment, Brother Cake glanced at the rapidly scrolling IDs, filled with outrageous usernames—some referencing him, others related to Honkai Impact 3 characters, like "Duck Spray" and such.

It was truly mind-boggling. If these were seen by the developers and incorporated into the game, one could only say... it'd be quite intense.

"All right, all right, enough chitchat. Let's dive straight into the final Chapter."

Without further ado, Brother Cake proceeded directly to the latest main storyline quest.

The first half of the storyline didn't offer much to discuss; it focused on everyone's collaborative efforts to dismantle Adam's consciousness. From a narrative perspective, each event seamlessly led to the next.

This part also provided deeper insights into Kevin and his inner thoughts. However, everyone, whether Valkyries or Captains watching beyond the screen, understood the true nature of Kevin's existence.

Theresa ventured into Adam's consciousness, aiming to unravel him from within, with the key being Kevin's dream realms.

After conquering one dream realm successfully, Theresa reunited with Seele. Together, they tackled two more realms and rescued the Liliya sisters in the third.

As the master of these dream realms, Kevin naturally sensed Theresa's actions but was promptly intercepted by Durandal. After exchanging their beliefs, Kevin departed.

Meanwhile, to expedite progress and increase efficiency, Li Sushang sought assistance from the Herrscher of Sentience at Taixuan Mountain.

The Herrscher of Sentience, alongside Bianka, engaged Kevin in battle, drawing his attention while Fu Hua initiated the Artificial Honkai. Using the holy sword, she severed a portion of the Power of Finality, which the Herrscher of Sentience then retrieved.

"Holy shit! The Artificial Honkai Fu Hua looks so badass!" In the live stream, Brother Cake couldn't help but exclaim as he watched the scene unfold. This portrayal truly matched his vision of Artificial Honkai Fu Hua—absolutely stunning.

[WTF, Fu Hua is like a living masterpiece!]

[Artificial Honkai, time to join her ship!]

The stream's viewers also showered praise on Artificially Honkaid Fu Hua, genuinely captivated by her beauty!

Following this, the Herrscher of Sentience transferred the Power of Finality to Theresa and Seele, allowing Theresa to finally enter the Artificial Honkai—an experience entirely new for her.

For the Captains, it held great significance as well; Theresa, who had never aged, finally grew up, resembling Kallen's appearance closely.

One could say that this fulfilled a long-held dream for many Captains. Of course, if they knew that Luna, their event waifu, would genuinely mature later on, their reactions might be quite different.

Under Hare's guidance, Seele led Ai out of the dream realm. Subsequently, they finally pinpointed the coordinates of the most crucial entity within the Honkai World—the location of The Cocoon of Finality.

With this, all preparations and preliminary stages were complete, leading the story towards its climax. However, surprisingly, only about one-third of the plot had unfolded thus far.

Naturally, if following the original storyline, it would have already progressed past halfway.

"Is it finally time for the Herrscher of Finality arc?" Brother Cake rubbed his hands together, eyes narrowing with anticipation.

Despite being Ana's staunch supporter, he couldn't help but notice the growth of the Main trio' characters. Now, among them, the paramecium was about to become the Herrscher of Finality.

[Waaaah, feels like raising a daughter for so long, finally seeing her grow up.]

[Indeed! And once she's grown, can't she marry me now? (doge)]

[Dream on, mate. Wake up!]

[Someone fetch some pee, quick! Douse him before he gets any ideas.]

Next came Kiana's integration of Herrscher Authorities to become the Herrscher of Finality—an ending everyone anticipated. However, what caught the Captains off guard was Ana's appearance amidst the deceased consciousnesses.

Throughout this journey, Ana made two appearances, enough to bring tears of joy to dedicated fans like Brother Cake.

"Wow, it's Ana! It's Ana!"

The first time she appeared, during the Herrscher of Winter, Brother Cake exclaimed in surprise. Her trial for Kiana seemed to transport the Captains back to their shared past.

Ana... She has always been that same Ana, the devoted Teacher. Just like Elysia, she never truly left, constantly watching over her students.

"Wait, if other Herrscher consciousnesses didn't appear, could this imply..." Suddenly, Brother Cake seemed to grasp something and exclaimed:

"This means... Ana's consciousness isn't dead; she is still alive, existing within this world."

"Yes! Ana might have a chance for resurrection!"

"On this wave, Team Ana fans hit the jackpot!"

As the first trial concluded, Ana's figure vanished abruptly, leaving Kiana feeling somewhat disheartened. Similarly, viewers in the live stream and Brother Cake shared the sentiment of loss.

"I thought we'd get more time to talk with her," Brother Cake lamented, shaking his head slightly. Perhaps...as an avid fan of Ana, he was being too greedy. After witnessing her return, it was natural to yearn for even more moments with her.

However, Brother Cake's sense of disappointment didn't last long as Corruption Ana emerged next—a development entirely expected, given the reappearance of her armor.

Indeed, even though Ana from reality was no more, her counterpart in the Elysian Realm still existed, thriving just fine. Could this perhaps signify that Corrupt Herrscher of Winter's appearance earlier was connected to her presence here?

However, this notion remained unverified as with Corruption Ana's disappearance, Kiana's trial concluded.

The journey towards Finality unfolded through a brief cinematic sequence-a remarkably smooth voyage accompanied by memories of the past. With Ellie's assistance, Kiana finally transformed into the true Herrscher of Finality.

Witnessing Kiana become the genuine Herrscher of Finality ignited a surge of excitement in the stream's bullet comments.

For some Captains, if the story ended right here, it wouldn't have been unsatisfactory. It marked the conclusion of their youth, culminating with the character they had cherished for six years reaching her zenith.

As Brother Cake watched Kiana, he too felt deeply moved. Although Ana was his favorite character, Kiana had been alongside the Captains for the longest time, creating an indescribable bond. Moreover, unlike others, Kiana never truly left the narrative.

Characters like Ana could only be described as absent for many Chapters. However, seeing Ana reappear during the legacy transfer of the Herrscher of Finality brought a sense of fulfillment for Brother Cake; there were no regrets.

Little did he know, something monumental awaited further down the line.

After becoming the Herrscher of Finality, the Main trio' next task was to confront Kevin, overcoming this final obstacle as their ultimate test.

Kevin had staked his very life on this confrontation, hoping someone would surpass him.

Undeniably, Kevin was crafted as one of the best bosses during this period. Both his dialogue and abilities were distinctively memorable, making the battle against him exceptionally engaging.

Although only Brother Cake controlled the characters in the stream, the intense combat sequence captivated every viewer present.

Moreover, Kevin's lines were genuinely impressive.

Soon, Kevin transformed into Savior Kevin mode. Despite his immense power, it's a well-known fact among gamers that once an enemy displays its health bar, it becomes beatable—unless, of course, the health bar is layered with deceptive false bars.

However, Kevin clearly did not fall under such circumstances.

Quickly, Kevin's health bar dwindled to just the last segment. As victory seemed within reach for Brother Cake, unexpectedly, Kevin's health quietly began replenishing itself.

Simultaneously, an animation played, leading to a new set of dialogues.

Upon seeing that familiar name, Brother Cake was instantly stunned. Undeniably, it belonged to Ana.

Ana made her unexpected entrance, unbeknownst to everyone, and subsequently revealed her current titles. It was hard to fathom that all these identities belonged to Ana, even more so that she had truly been orchestrating events from behind the scenes all along.

"The true mastermind boss is actually Ana?!" Brother Cake's expression shifted, and the chatroom flooded with question marks. This outcome caught everyone completely off guard. Throughout the story, Ana's character had always been portrayed positively. Was this a sudden plot twist by the writer?

After some dialogue, Ana initiated her test, summoning three avatars. Each avatar left the live stream silent, as viewers wondered why these characters, despite having detailed models, never appeared as ships or bosses. To their surprise, they were all controlled by Ana!

This...

Brother Cake momentarily struggled to find words for his critique.