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

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Ana slowly ascended the stone steps as the Herrscher's Authorities began to infiltrate her body. Her once tranquil blood started boiling, but through deliberate suppression, she managed to temporarily regain control.

This puzzled Ana momentarily, leading to a bold idea forming within her mind.

As one chosen by the Cocoon and destined to become a Herrscher, it implied that from birth, the essence of the Herrscher of Ice Core or its power already resided within her.

When the time was right, and her state aligned, the Core would naturally respond to her, much like how the future Herrscher of Thunder awakened.

Despite Raiden Mei's personality fading away and the Gem of Conquest being with Kiana, she could still forcefully awaken as the complete Herrscher of Thunder through sheer willpower alone.

This suggests that the key to Authority lies not in the Core itself, but in the individual.

As for why Otto became a pseudo-god, it is likely due to his deal with the Cocoon on the Imaginary Tree, making him the chosen one.

"Please be quiet for a moment, okay?"

Ana placed her hand on her chest and whispered softly. She wasn't sure if the Herrscher Authority of Ice within her could hear her, but at present, she indeed couldn't simultaneously undergo Ascension as both the Herrscher of Wind and the Herrscher of Ice.

Kiana managed it partly because everyone entrusted their power to her through faith, and partly because she had already become a complete Herrscher. After defeating the Queen's personality, she essentially achieved Ascension herself.

If Ana attempted to fuse two Authorities simultaneously, her body would inevitably suffer unbearable strain.

There were too many "residents" inside her, while her own "house" was relatively fragile. Introducing multiple volatile "tenants" all at once might well tear down the entire structure.

In that case, all her efforts would crumble away.

Perhaps the Core truly sensed Ana's will, or maybe there never was such a Core—either way, although the Herrscher Authority began affecting Ana's body, she did not experience the excruciating pain she feared.

At least, she maintained absolute clarity of mind.

"Demons must be purged!"

An icy yet resolute voice suddenly echoed ahead. On nearby stone steps stood the figure of Red Kite Immortal (in Phoenix form). Her gaze upon Ana brimmed with coldness and determination.

"Oh? Encountering her so soon, and what a fortunate coincidence."

Ana smiled lightly as she faced the Red Kite Immortal before her.

"Then let's see if you can truly execute this Demon!" Ana sneered, transforming her Twin Tianhuo Spears into the Might of An-Utu Greatsword to confront the Red Kite Immortal.

In truth, the choice of weapon was inconsequential. The Red Kite Immortal, at its core, represented Fu Hua's memories—an embodiment of spiritual energy originating from Fenghuang Down.

Whether using Might of An-Utu or Abyss, the approach remained the same: she needed to dissipate the opponent's spiritual energy and obtain another feather from Fenghuang Down.

"I'll lend you my assistance."

A gentle young voice echoed near Ana, as a serene figure resembling Su appeared beside her.

"It's been a while, Su."

"I am merely a fragment of his power, not him himself."

"That doesn't matter."

"I don't need your help now; save your strength for the most critical moment. You're my last line of defense."

As Ana spoke, she raised the Might of An-Utu and fiercely struck towards the Red Kite Immortal.

However, facing Ana's sudden assault, the Red Kite Immortal showed no signs of panic. Instead, she gathered her energy, focusing it within her palm, and then thrust forward.

"Short-inch Strike! Parting Heavens!"

Shortly after, several Fenghuang Down feathers appeared in Ana's hand.

"These should be enough," she murmured to herself, gazing at the feathers.

"Hm, with Fenghuang Down's assistance, safeguarding your mind won't be an issue. Now, it all depends on how much you can endure," Su remarked softly beside her.

"Understood." Ana nodded, drawing upon her experience from the original storyline: having a psychic-type Fusion Warrior as protection and utilizing Fenghuang Down for added assurance.

The Gem of Desire was not yet a complete Herrscher Core; fusion would give birth to the corresponding Herrscher personality. Ana's preparations aimed to immediately burn away this newly formed Herrscher identity once it emerged.

She fully understood her true inner demons and what the genuine Herrscher personality entailed. With these precautions in place, overcoming them mentally seemed effortless, though it remained merely her hypothesis without theoretical or practical validation.

In the original plot, Fu Hua proposed Taixuan Sword Qi as the solution, but Ana found it too time-consuming. Instead, why not directly treat the Herrscher personality as memories to be burned using Fenghuang Down? Wouldn't that suffice?

If this method proved successful, it could potentially be applied to Kiana as well.

Once Kiana accepts her past as Sirin, with Ana and Fu Hua's assistance, they can completely burn away Sirin's personality.

Of course, it might not require such complexity; simply confronting her past could naturally dissipate the Queen. However, at this stage, the Queen would never yield easily, necessitating external support.

"Let's begin, Su," Ana turned to address Su beside her.

Su nodded slightly, releasing verdant energy from within him. As the power flowed out, his body became somewhat ethereal. Simultaneously, a Bodhi tree formed by concentrated energy appeared behind Ana.

She sat cross-legged beneath the Bodhi tree, closed her eyes, and injected the final burst of Honkai Energy into the Gem of Desire, fully activating it.

Instantly, an unimaginable force surged into Ana like a relentless thief, dwarfing their previous half-Herrscher encounters, which now seemed mere skirmishes and probing tests.

The Authorities eroded Ana's bloodline and Stigmata akin to locusts consuming crops. Despite both being aspects of Honkai, they were fundamentally incompatible. The Stigmata derived from her bloodline followed the MANTIS fusion approach, aligned with Honkai Beasts' lineage.

Yet how could Herrschers hold any regard for mere Honkai Beasts?

"Ughh—" Ana let out a muffled groan and spat blood but maintained her mental focus steadfastly. She couldn't afford any lapses; only by preserving her composure could she execute her plan.

Otherwise, missing this initial opportunity would exponentially increase her efforts. She must not allow the Herrscher persona any chance to grow, unlike Raiden Mei's compromise.

Ana aimed to become a hero, conquer the Herrscher Authorities, and master the Gem of Desire!

If Kevin could bear all burdens and transcend Finality, then naturally, she sought another path. By fully conquering these Authorities, her achievements would undoubtedly surpass Kevin's.

At that point, even if Kevin harbored any discontent, he would have no choice but to accept it.

The Herrscher Authorities continued relentlessly assaulting the power of Stigmata. However, at this critical moment, the System's influence finally took effect. Ana's holy blood and Kaslana Stigmata represented the pinnacle along this path, enabling her to withstand the continuous assaults on her blood and Stigmata's strength.

Without this resilience, upon her Ascension, both the Stigmata and holy blood powers would vanish entirely. For Ana, the Schariac holy blood held immense significance.

A Herrscher capable of wielding the Herrscher Killer—it sounds terrifying, doesn't it? Undoubtedly, this would become Ana's trump card.

Unfortunately, the power of holy blood is limited to material and energy levels; if it could extend to the spiritual realm, she would truly be invincible.

The Authorities continued to cleanse Ana's body as the clash between Honkai Beast and Herrscher energies finally gave birth to a new force. Although currently weak, over time, with further collisions of these two energies, this newfound strength would grow increasingly potent.

Meanwhile, at the defensive line Ana steadfastly maintained, her accumulated emotions reached a tipping point. With Cocoon's intervention, the spiritual challenge commenced.

Sensing the emerging spirit within herself, Ana took no chances and immediately ignited Fenghuang Down.

In the glow of Fenghuang Down, the nascent Herrscher personality rapidly weakened, but Ana endured equal pain, as fundamentally, the Herrscher persona still originated from her own being.

Burning the Herrscher personality was akin to her usual combustion of Fenghuang Down, except that instead of consuming memories, it merely caused those negative recollections to resurface once more in her mind.

"Big Sister... save me..."

The scene of the little girl pleading desperately to Ana once again surfaced in her mind. In that instant, she felt as if she had returned to that moment—an unchangeable past.

No matter how much it pained Ana, all she could do was turn and walk away.

"I'm sorry, Chen Tianwen, but I promise you, I will avenge your death. Bearing this guilt, I'll continue fighting until Honkai no longer threatens humanity."

"I'm sorry... It's my fault you suffered."

The young girl's sobs gradually faded, yet more cries for help incessantly bombarded Ana from every direction. These were the voices of those who perished during the Manila catastrophe, pleading with her, longing for redemption.

But Ana couldn't respond, nor should she have.

The Manila incident wasn't her responsibility, and during the crisis, she had fulfilled her duty as best she could. Yet, driven by her sense of duty as a Valkyrie, she took upon herself the blame for not saving the city's fallen inhabitants.

It truly wasn't her fault, but due to her empathetic heart, it became her inner demon.

The sky turned scarlet as the surroundings began to shift; the voices grew louder, and the shadowy figures transformed into numerous arms reaching out to grasp Ana, intent on dragging her into the Abyss.

Slowly standing up, Ana's crimson greatsword blazed with intense flames. A hint of azure shimmered within her pale pink eyes, signifying the power of a Herrscher.

"I transcended my limits to slay the Emperor of Honkai, vanquishing even an Imperial Honkai Beast. Don't push your boundaries."

As Ana spoke, Ideal Fluid enveloped her, carrying the flames from the Greatsword of Cataclysm, incinerating everything around her.

"My sins, I shall bear alone, but moral coercion ends here!" Ana declared calmly, her voice infused with an unprecedented coldness—a testament to the inevitable influence of a Herrscher's power.

With her words, all surrounding negative emotions dissipated. However, deep within her consciousness, Ana sighed softly.

On the surface, she had resolved the issues at hand, but in reality, it was merely a pacification tactic akin to bargaining with a tiger for its skin.

While she indeed purged most negative emotions, this inadvertently strengthened her sole Heart Demon, making her next Ascension significantly more challenging.

On the bright side, this time, Ana has successfully completed the trial of the Herrscher of Wind, conquering its Authorities. Now, all she needs to do is await her Ascension.

With the Herrscher of Wind's Authorities subdued, the Gem of Desire in Ana's hand vanishes, and instead, a new Herrscher Core forms within her body.

This signifies that Ana has fully replaced Wendy as the awakened true Herrscher of Wind, becoming the Fourth Herrscher.

Wendy's Herrscher status is now demoted to Pseudo-Herrscher, which might seem unnecessary at first glance, but it holds significance.

By fusing with the Gem of Desire, Wendy became the Herrscher of Wind, effectively being chosen by the Cocoon in a sense. However, losing this authority means forfeiting any chance of becoming a Herrscher again in the future.

From now on, Wendy can only exist as a Valkyrie, an awakened Stigmata wielder, unable to become a recipient like the Thousand Herrschers. This truly alters Wendy's destiny.

As the Herrscher's Authorities are conquered, Ana's internal condition improves significantly. The two previously clashing forces, once vigorously battling each other, calm down and begin merging gradually, inevitably reducing Ana's pain.

However, with Ana's full consciousness returning, her original pain would amplify several times.

In other words, while it may seem to alleviate suffering, it actually intensifies it. The only benefit is that Ana has now become the Herrscher of Wind, no longer needing Su as the final line of defense. This means the remaining Fenghuang Down feathers can be preserved for future use.

"Ellie would definitely appreciate your current appearance," Su said with a smile, his eyes closed.

"Eh..." Ana's lips twitched slightly. Yes, indeed, her present form resembled an elf—adorned with a laurel wreath and possessing translucent, wind-like wings reminiscent of elven features. Even her Herrscher attire, though traditionally a long gown, evoked an elvish aesthetic.

Fortunately, she didn't have pointed ears; otherwise, she'd truly look like an elf. In terms of power, Ana gained a deeper understanding of her Authorities.

Ideal Fluid serves as a carrier for any substance or force. In a sense, as long as something can be enveloped by Ideal Fluid, she gains a degree of control over it.

It's worth mentioning that currently, Ana is conversing with Su in a purely spiritual state; her physical body has not yet completed the Ascension process.