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

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Version 1.9, "Resurgence of the Sacred Rite," was particularly disheartening for Ana fans, as their favorite character faced a significant downfall during this update.

In Brother Cake's live stream, immediately after the patch went live, he logged into his account and started furiously progressing through the main storyline quests. He had no interest in Kiana or Cecilia's narrative; his urgency stemmed solely from Big Bro Wei mentioning Ana's appearance in this arc during the preview livestream.

However, nearing completion of the entire chapter, there was still no sign of Ana. As her biggest fan, Brother Cake grew increasingly impatient.

Although the main story itself was engaging, shedding light on events surrounding the Second Honkai Eruption, without Ana, Brother Cake, the self-proclaimed number one fan, felt utterly disappointed.

Compared to before, the background of Brother Cake's streaming room underwent noticeable changes, filled with various cushions and standees featuring Ana—a testament to his unwavering fandom.

Finally, as the main storyline neared its conclusion and Brother Cake had all but given up hope, Ana made her appearance.

Contrary to her usual stunning portrayal of formidable combat prowess, beauty, and grace, she donned the attire from her Valkyrie Snow Grace days instead.

The live stream viewers anticipated that Ana would swoop in to save the day, but unexpectedly, she displayed a distant attitude towards Theresa. Additionally, unlike the previous chapter's ending where Ana provided advice to Theresa, this interaction was not included in the current scenario's animated sequence, further deepening the audience's misunderstanding of Ana's intentions.

As they watched Ana speak, even Brother Cake, being a dedicated fan of her character, furrowed his brow deeply. However, he refrained from jumping to conclusions, much like Fu Hua before her.

Although everyone was initially shocked by Fu Hua's sudden attack, considering her background and the words she uttered, Captains quickly understood her perspective and grasped Kiana's predicament.

Kiana was on the verge of becoming a Herrscher, and with Fu Hua's intense hatred for Herrschers, particularly the Second Herrscher, her decisive action against Kiana seemed justified.

But what about you, Ana?

As Kiana's teacher and cousin, trusted by Theresa herself and possessing immense power, why would someone like you choose to oppose her?

At this point, players were well aware of Otto's shady deeds, holding little affection for him or Schicksal Headquarters.

Thus, some fans who admired Rita and Durandal found themselves torn between their loyalty and confusion. This dilemma would likely improve once these characters officially debuted, but until then, it only intensified.

After Ana's unexpected reaction, the bullet comments exploded with reactions.

However, Brother Cake remained unfazed. As everyone knew, plot twists often occurred in stories. Given that Ana had already joined the protagonist group as a powerful character, it seemed unlikely she would betray them now.

"Don't worry, folks; there will probably be a twist in the next chapter."

["Twist? If there's a twist, I'll eat my monitor!"]

[She's not like Fu Hua; I could understand Fu Hua's motivations. But Ana? It just doesn't make sense!]

[OP, "not making sense" often implies there's more to the story!]

The viewers engaged in heated discussions through bullet comments, various opinions intertwining amidst intense debates. At its core, this chaos stemmed from Ana's character development being insufficient.

From Ana's perspective, she had indeed experienced and grown significantly. However, outside the world—in the eyes of the scriptwriters—it was a different story.

Much of her past narrative existed only within comics, which required corresponding characters' introductions for release. Consequently, Ana appeared as if suddenly dropped into the storyline. If not for her appealing design and persona, she likely wouldn't have garnered such popularity.

Now, what we're witnessing is merely the expected backlash from this character's handling. Nonetheless, it presents an opportunity. With skillful management by the writers moving forward, this misstep could yet be transformed into a brilliant move.

Unfortunately, players' hopes were destined to be dashed. In the upcoming update's new main storyline, Ana would not change her stance.

In fact, for at least two chapters of the main plot, Ana would stand directly opposed to the Far East Branch.

However, there might still be room for a turning point, as the side story arc featuring Ana was currently under development—a piece of information personally revealed by Da Wei himself.

According to insider sources, Ana's side story would even span across two chapters, which was unimaginable for Honkai Impact 3rd at that time. Many players exclaimed that Ana must be the game developers' favorite daughter. Of course, some expressed skepticism, considering these were merely leaks from insiders.

Nevertheless, looking ahead, this became standard practice for Old Mi. By selectively leaking information through insiders, they generated buzz and increased the game's popularity. This tactic originated with Honkai Impact 3rd and later flourished in Genshin Impact.

Amidst the eager anticipation of Captains, "Honkai Impact 3" Version 2.0—The Dormitory Party preview commenced!

Twenty-two hours after Kiana's capture, Ana and her team had returned to Saint Freya Academy. Currently, Kiana was placed inside a cultivation tank.

Otto stood before the tank, operating the instruments to infuse Honkai Energy into Kiana's body, facilitating the awakening of the Herrscher Core.

As time passed, Sirin's consciousness gradually stirred awake.

"Return to my side, my beloved followers!"

At Schicksal Airport,

Ana stood at the forefront of the Valkyrie defense line, observing the unfamiliar Valkyries behind her. They belonged to the Snow Lotus Squad, which is her direct command squad, akin to the Immortal Blades.

However, as Ana spent most of her time away from Schicksal Headquarters, it was Rita who actually led and trained them.

Regarding the voice heard earlier, Ana recognized it too. She wasn't surprised; this voice originated from the Gem of Desire she carried, originally endowed with Sirin's power by Cocoon.

Before Ana chose to fuse with the Gem of Desire, there was already a certain connection between her and Sirin. However, in reality, this connection was largely one-sided.

While Ana could hear Sirin's call, the Second Herrscher no longer had access to this Gem unless she forcibly took it from Ana.

But was that even possible?

Even without relying on the Gem of Desire, Ana held no fear against the Herrscher of the Void.

Although they hadn't directly engaged yet, Ana was confident that should such a confrontation occur, she could effortlessly extricate herself.

As Schicksal's currently strongest Valkyrie, her prowess wasn't something to be taken lightly!