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

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"BANG!"

In the real world, during Brother Cake's live stream, a loud explosion sounded, followed immediately by the video feed cutting off, leaving the screen pitch-black.

This sudden disruption caught everyone in the live chat completely off guard. After a brief silence, intense reactions erupted:

"MiHoYo, rnm, refund our money!"

If this were a football stadium with MiHoYo's national team playing, such chants would undoubtedly fill the air. Alas, it remained just a game.

[MiHoYo, you have no heart!]

This sentiment truly captured the players' feelings and swiftly flooded the live broadcast chat.

At Brother Cake's home, he stared grimly and angrily at his computer monitor, now shattered by his furious punch.

To be fair, it wasn't that he couldn't accept Ana's departure entirely; after all, he had long anticipated this day. In fact, during The Last Lesson, he felt it coming.

What he found unbearable was how abrupt Ana's exit was!

A strategist sacrifices herself within the game, making moves to outwit fate itself, ultimately proving her resolve through death.

While admirable, Ana had meticulously prepared for so much, yet none of it seemed to come into play. Or rather, if it did, where is the narrative explanation, writer?! Don't you find it jarring? Clearly, she...she could have journeyed further with us.

The Herrscher of Winter, bringing forth the bitter cold, but bidding farewell to the harshness were humans - Ana, the idol of Valkyries, the most exceptional teacher at Saint Freya Academy, and the delicate strategist orchestrating from behind the scenes.

Despite being named "Winter," she symbolized rebirth, much like a night-blooming cereus whose brief appearance marks its final flourish.

"MiHoYo, you heartless bastards! What the hell were you thinking?! Scriptwriters! Get your asses out here for this beating!" Brother Cake roared indignantly.

He genuinely adored this character. Despite her apparent frailty, she had shouldered burdens and responsibilities that were never meant for her delicate frame. Now, seeing her depart like this left him feeling utterly hollow.

Little did Brother Cake know, MiHoYo's "birth pains" were far from over.

After his furious outburst, silence fell, an eerie stillness.

Although the screen was shattered, the audio continued uninterrupted, as the computer remained functional. Consequently, every viewer in the live stream heard Brother Cake's enraged howl.

In response to his outcry, most viewers chose to remain silent. Someone anonymously sent virtual flowers, quickly filling the chat with floral emojis.

"[Goodnight, Ana.]"

It was unclear who initiated this message, but others swiftly echoed it. While not all viewers felt as deeply as Brother Cake, they resonated with the sentiment.

This truly struck a profound chord of discontentment.

Moreover, Ana formed a beloved trio with Bianka and Rita. Although over the years, the writers seemed intent on downplaying their relationship dynamics, fans firmly embraced this triangular pairing.

Now, it seemed fitting as Ana became everyone's waifu, but sadly, her story ends here. In future plotlines, she would no longer have any significant appearances.

Much like Kallen.

Perhaps the only place Captains might see her again is through event scenarios; however, those heavily depend on a character's popularity.

Similar to Kallen and Yae Sakura, due to their yuri associations and decreasing popularity, they rarely appear in event stories anymore. It may not be long before Ana, without new armor updates, follows suit.

Currently, players remember her merely because of this moment—because her character armor remains active in both the Abyss and battlefields.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm signing off today. Need some time alone."

After an indeterminate period, Brother Cake spoke with a slightly hoarse voice.

With his monitor now damaged beyond repair, he opted to shut down the computer directly. In the live stream, there were no more jokes or banter from viewers; instead, a solemn silence prevailed. The screen gradually transitioned from darkness to displaying "Stream Ended" text.

Meanwhile, at a villa in Shanghai, Ana quietly materialized.

By now, she had come to understand the essence of the System. Essentially, it functioned similarly to the Cocoon of Finality, aiming to select individuals for its specific purpose. As for that objective, just like the entity behind the Cocoon of Finality, it remained equally enigmatic.

However, it's evident that neither the entity behind The Cocoon of Finality nor the one behind the System harbored any malicious intent.

In any case, due to these circumstances, Ana can now freely travel between the Honkai World and the Present World. If Ana had truly died, she might have found herself stuck in reality, unable to return to the Honkai realm.

Inside the villa's living room, Sirin curled up on the sofa, her body hunched over. This time, she didn't watch Brother Cake's stream because she couldn't bear the anticipation any longer.

Unfortunately, the outcome she awaited was not as she had hoped.

Big Sister Ana... ultimately failed to overcome Honkai.

Sirin's feelings towards the concept of Honkai were complex; she did not harbor deep resentment against it. Although she now understood that her past actions were misguided, Honkai genuinely gave her a sense of being alive - something she could never forget.

But now, Big Sister Ana...

Bella stood silently in a corner, sensing Sirin's emotions. As merely a young maid, she felt powerless to comfort or assist her Queen, unsure even where to begin offering solace.

After what felt like an eternity, footsteps suddenly echoed from downstairs...

Greeting the housekeeper, Ana ascended the stairs. In her memories of this world, she spent most of her time at school, blending seamlessly into the background. She was akin to those introverted university students who constantly holed up in their laboratories.

Though rare, such individuals weren't unheard of. Usually, they were waiting for a groundbreaking scientific discovery that would stun everyone with their brilliance.

Of course, more often than not, these breakthroughs never materialized, as significant scientific achievements aren't easily attained.

For Ana, it's her first return here since Sirin last visited the real world.

The living room on the second floor is quite dim, but it doesn't hinder Ana's vision.

Quickly, she spots Sirin and Bella standing within the shadows.

"Hey, Sirin, Big Sister's back."

Seeing Sirin looking dejected, Ana gently patted her head and teased, "What's wrong, feeling down? Did someone bully our little Sirin? Tell me, I'll stand up for you!"

Of course, she knew well that in this world, hardly anyone could dare to mistreat Sirin.

Upon hearing Ana's voice, Sirin lifted her head. Unbeknownst to her, tears had already welled up in her eyes. She swiftly threw herself at Ana with a hug.

"Ana, big sis... sob..."

However, Sirin ultimately didn't say anything more, and Ana refrained from asking any questions. They both understood each other implicitly.

Some matters are best left unspoken; otherwise, it might become difficult to face one another.

For Captains, Version 4.2 "Mirage Nightshade" was truly unimaginable. Initially, they believed it to be just a minor update leading to a happy ending. Even in the version trailer, the main story took a backseat; more emphasis was placed on event narratives and the introduction of Rita's new Hetero Armor.

No one could have anticipated that this would mark the beginning of a nightmare.

After being meticulously developed across multiple versions, Ana, a deeply beloved character, was abruptly written out by the scriptwriters. Players eagerly awaited her Herrscher form, but before she could achieve any significant feats, it served as little more than a shroud accompanying her departure.

Of course, this is how some radical players and critics saw it, despite the outfit indeed evoking a somber yet ethereal beauty.

Just when Captains thought it was all over, the official team chose to expand Ana's backstory, designating August 30th as her birthday and crafting a special birthday event plotline.

For Captains, this was undoubtedly another stab to their hearts. The only solace they could find was that Ana did not actually die on this day; her life had tragically ended in May—a small consolation amidst their grief.

The birthday event plotline served as yet another major blow for the Captains.

"The summer heat has subsided—just perfect weather for a tea party! Are you interested, Captain?"

"Huh, is it my birthday? What a surprise."

"Then let's invite everyone and enjoy a relaxing tea party together!"

"It's a birthday, after all, so having fun together is most important! As long as everyone enjoys themselves, I'm content. What do you think, Captain?"

"But thank you for your gift, Captain! I'll cherish it dearly!"

At the tea party, Ana transformed into an elegant and poised Western noblewoman. Despite being the true star of the occasion, she merely smiled faintly, observing others without speaking...

Ana was quite satisfied with this birthday event's storyline; naturally, it was crafted by the writers, not her. In the Honkai mainline narrative she belonged to, the character of Captain didn't even exist.

As for how she viewed this birthday event plot? Well, through Sirin's phone and game account. At the same time, she received some news:

It pertained to Ana's role-specific birthday message for the Captain.

How should she put it? Ana felt it was somewhat cruel.

Although she knew she wasn't truly dead, and MiHoYo's writers were well aware too, the players had no such knowledge. Wasn't this pushing boundaries, relentlessly delivering emotional gut punches?

In the end, Ana could only smile and file the related documents under pending tasks in her folder.

Hmm, writing something like that feels overly sentimental anyway. No matter, let's leave it for later. After all, not every character has a birthday message yet. There's no rush; these can be implemented gradually over time.

However, MiHoYo certainly knows how to push things further—though, truthfully, it's just their standard operating procedure.

They took Ana's demise segment and turned it into a short animated film titled "Winter Has Passed," complete with a new theme song reminiscent of Otto's later impression track but with an even more poignant and tragic tone.

However, upon release, it felt like repeated exploitation, despite being part of the standard procedure. At its core, two factors contributed to this sentiment: firstly, Himeko's "The Last Lesson" had already occurred, and secondly, she ultimately did not die.

In contrast, Ana's demise was total, leaving only her Core intact.

While Herrscher of Reason Welt served as an example with his unpredictable resurrections, Captains couldn't fathom how Ana could possibly be revived under these circumstances.

As one netizen put it, if Ana could still come back from this, Otto should directly adopt her as his goddaughter. Clearly, the difficulty of such a resurrection would rival that of Kallen's.

During this period, Ana remained in this world, as the Honkai World no longer required much of her intervention; she had accomplished most of what needed to be done there.

Her daily life now primarily consisted of spending time with Sirin, watching dramas when idle, surfing the internet, and amusingly observing all the chaos unfolding online.

From her omniscient outsider perspective, witnessing these chaotic debates became unexpectedly entertaining, providing genuine amusement.

However, for the Honkai World, Ana's demise could be seen as just a minor episode. Of course, no one realized that this seemingly insignificant event would fundamentally alter everything.

Nevertheless, the storyline continued to unfold as expected.

Following the conclusion of the Coral Island incident, Bianka and other Valkyries of Schicksal erected a cenotaph at its edge for Ana. Naturally, it wouldn't be the only one; another memorial would also be established at Schicksal Headquarters.

After all, Ana held a uniquely significant place both for them and within Schicksal itself.

Raven brought Chen Tianwu back with her. As the price for betraying the World Serpent, regardless of any mitigating circumstances - not that such excuses existed, given the nature of the organization.

Serpents do not concern themselves with sentimentality. Just like how Jackal appeared interested in the children Raven rescued, but in reality, he viewed them merely as experimental subjects. Although the outcome seemed positive, it couldn't change their fundamental role as test subjects.

As for others like Kevin and Hare, they remained indifferent, showing no concern for these fellow officers. Only Gray Serpent seemed to care about their well-being.

Of course, nobody knew what punishment Chen Tianwu would face within the World Serpent organization.

Raiden Mei had no intention of pleading on his behalf either. After all, one must always bear the consequences of their actions; even the pitiable often have aspects deserving scorn.

Moreover, sparing Chen Tianwu's life at that moment was, in a sense, already an act of mercy from Raiden Mei and Raven.