Who cared whether it was just for show? I loved watching it anyway, hehehe.
Waaah... After playing through the earlier story, seeing such a goofy Kiana again now... it brought tears to my eyes...
I really hoped Kiana could stay goofy forever, waaah~~ Never grow up!
After finishing this event, Kiana excitedly opened Chapter 14 of the main story.
In the previous chapters, Kiana had fallen into confusion and self-blame.
Fortunately, the feather Fu Hua had left behind kept teaching her to cultivate her sword heart and gently guided her, allowing Kiana to pull herself together again.
The previous chapters had also left the players heartbroken.
They had witnessed Kiana's growth, but... the price had been far too great.
Chapter 14 began with a short film.
The scene was one of infinitely deep darkness, alongside a boundless gray-white desert.
A world-ending divine anthem began to play, and both Himeko and Kiana felt their hearts tighten at the sight of such a plot.
Because the last time this BGM had played was during Himeko's lonely battle.
Suddenly, a steady male voice rang out. A white-haired man named Kevin appeared on the screen.
Kevin's voice was calm, but under the BUG's adjustment, it seemed to carry a trace of... despair?
"Hua, it's time to begin preparations. According to Dr. Mei's calculations, there is only one final hour left before 'Its' descent..."
Immediately afterward, Fu Hua's voice sounded. "Kevin, I hope that after today, humanity can continue onward..."
Kevin: "..."
"They will! If you still have even the slightest doubt, turn around and look at Blue Star behind you."
As Kevin finished speaking, the scene shifted to reveal Blue Star in its entirety.
Seeing this, Kiana, Himeko, and the viewers in the livestream all wore expressions of utter astonishment.
An unfamiliar man, an unfamiliar setting, an unfamiliar conversation.
This plot did not connect to the previous story at all...
But... it was still incredibly shocking.
"Wow!! Is this on the moon?" Kiana cried out. She tugged excitedly at Himeko's arm. "Aunt Himeko, did you see that? This looks like a really incredible part of the story!"
Himeko fell into thought. "If I'm not mistaken... this is probably the so-called Finality War of the Previous Era..."
"It was briefly mentioned in the earlier story."
Kiana remembered as well. "Right, the World Serpent archives recorded Fu Hua's information in the previous chapter."
"A survivor of the Previous Era..."
Himeko smiled, and she too felt a strong sense of anticipation for that Previous Era.
"They actually fought all the way to the moon..."
At this time, the Danmaku also began an intense discussion.
As the worldbuilding of Honkai Impact 3rd gradually unfolded, the viewers were deeply shaken.
The scope of what they had previously considered "a story about pretty girls saving the world" had truly been far too small.
Now, it seemed that Honkai Impact 3rd's worldbuilding was simply astonishing.
This was only a game... Was there really a need to make up an entire history for the Previous Era...?
Look at the plot of the neighboring Maiden Voyage—just a battle between two small countries...
Forget it... Compared to that, even Honkai Impact 3rd had been dragged down a level.
In the game, once the short film ended, the plot finally reconnected with Chapter 13.
In the previous story, Rita had fallen into World Serpent's trap while pursuing Kiana's trail.
At the critical moment, Kiana had saved Rita instead.
And the short film at the beginning of the game had actually been Kiana's dream.
From Kiana's conversation with "Fu Hua," they learned that the dream might have been a tiny fragment of Fu Hua's memories.
In other words, the Finality War fifty thousand years ago really had been fought on the moon.
And Kevin's identity was finally revealed.
He was actually an ancestor of the Kaslana family! Furthermore, the World Serpent organization had also been founded by Kevin.
And Kevin had lived for fifty thousand years as well!!
Kiana and Himeko were both completely immersed in the story.
The number of viewers in the livestream was also skyrocketing at an unbelievably terrifying rate.
PS: The next chapter will be premium, so please give this cutie a first-subscription~
I'll be writing all day tomorrow.
Only MiHoYo's Boss Was Bad...
The players were all extremely curious about and eager to learn more about the Previous Era.
After all, the technology and power displayed by the Previous Era in the earlier story were far greater than those in the current main storyline.
Even the battlesuit Himeko wore when fighting the Herrscher of the Void had been left behind by the Previous Era.
Not to mention the God Keys, or monsters like Fu Hua and Kevin who had lived for fifty thousand years...
Even such a terrifying civilization had been destroyed by Honkai...
It was difficult to imagine just how powerful the Herrschers later on could become.
And just how shocking the short films MiHoYo would make then could be.
The players discussed, speculated, and anticipated.
But Kiana and Himeko had no mind to care about any of that right now.
They were now completely immersed in the story.
After saving Rita, Kiana left by herself.
In the previous chapter, Kiana had discovered that World Serpent was carrying out a conspiracy known as the "Stigmata Project."
This plan involved releasing highly concentrated Honkai energy throughout Sky Dome City.
They were practically using the entire city's population as experimental subjects.
If Kiana did not stop them, hardly anyone in the city would survive.
Even those who successfully activated their stigmata and lived would be forced to join World Serpent.
This was something Kiana absolutely did not want to see.
Although her body was suffering from serious problems, and Kiana had learned from "Fu Hua" just how terrifying World Serpent's leader Kevin was.
Even so, Kiana still wore a solemn expression as she decided to investigate the matter.
Seeing Kiana like this made the viewers' hearts ache.
It was clearly such a passionate story, but compared with the silly, innocent Kiana from before...
This mature Kiana was truly heartbreaking to watch.
Damn it... Without even realizing it, MiHoYo had stabbed us with emotional pain again.
And this kind of blow that could truly touch people's hearts was the real deal.
It did not make anyone angry; it only made their noses sting.
Kiana and Himeko also watched the Kiana in the game with aching hearts.
They had been completely drawn into it.
The story continued to advance.
The people of World Serpent finally appeared as well.
On the screen, a voluptuous woman wearing a wolf-shaped mask appeared. She was Jackal, the person in charge of the Sky Dome City plan.
Her voice was mature and arrogant, carrying a hint of impatience. "How is the progress? Shencheng Pharmaceuticals' secret has already been exposed. There isn't much time left for the experiment."
Hearing Jackal's urging, Raven sounded somewhat helpless. "I've already committed all available manpower to the operation..."
"Rita left us with a mess and delayed our pace, but that isn't the key issue!"
"The key is... the Herrscher of the Void has also set her sights on us and intends to sabotage this plan."
Jackal: "Hold her off!"
Raven nearly laughed at that. "Hold her off? That's a Herrscher! Not an enemy you can deal with by casually creating a pile of monsters! Even ten times as many wouldn't hold back a Herrscher for even one second!"
"Do you remember the Second Honkai Eruption? Do you remember what she did? You should understand better than I do that fighting a Herrscher is not a matter of simply adding up numbers..."
Jackal chuckled softly, her tone still supremely arrogant. "I reviewed the records from the scene an hour ago. That girl did not display destructive power on the level of a Herrscher..."
"Perhaps she only awakened recently and cannot yet wield her own power. According to my prior intelligence, the Herrscher of the Void was swiftly defeated only a few hours after awakening."
"They say three S-Rank Valkyries were present at the time, and Rita, who just fought you, was one of them... Well? Didn't she still lose to our careful arrangements?"
Raven: "Maybe? They say? There are far too many assumptions in your words. Maybe Otto has methods we don't know about?"
"Heh~ Otto? That coward who only knows how to hide behind Valkyries?"
Jackal sneered, then said disdainfully:
"Rather than believing he can solve the problem, you might as well tell me Otto invented some incredible armor, had a Valkyrie close to retirement wear it, and took down the Herrscher of the Void in one strike."
Raven: "..."
"Heh~ Your sense of humor really puts me at ease~"
Seeing this, both Kiana and Himeko could not help laughing.
The livestream viewers were also having a blast.
Hahaha... This Jackal... She casually made a joke, and it actually came true.
What a waste that Jackal did not become a fortune-teller, hahaha...
Prophet, hurry up and take her out!
Official mockery was the deadliest!
After watching this part of the story, the viewers' moods recovered somewhat.
Meanwhile, in the game.
Raven ultimately compromised and brought some soldiers to capture Kiana.
Using the fact that serum gas could drain a person's Honkai energy, Raven actually managed to capture Kiana.
Seeing this, both Kiana playing the game and the livestream viewers became incredibly nervous.
On one hand, they marveled at how much Kiana had truly grown; on the other, they worried for Kiana's safety.
And just as everyone was worrying, the perspective of the next scene unexpectedly shifted back to Rita.
Alvitr: "Miss Rita, carrying out a mission alone even while you've lost your strength... This is far beyond simply taking a risk, isn't it..."
Rita sighed, a rare sight. "You're right... But because of a command error that caused severe losses to the team, I, as the leader, should bear full responsibility."
"But before this operation ends, the me standing here still has a responsibility to thwart World Serpent's plan!"
Before you continue