Collapse City, Starting with the Production of an Anime Version of Honkai

Theresa frowned, looking at the tipsy Himeko, and said, "Himeko, you should drink less, especially considering your health..."

"Alright, no need to bring up such dreary topics."

"Oh no, there's a knife!"

"Knowing there's a knife, why not dodge? Because I'm not afraid! Why not afraid? Just not afraid!"

"I really don't believe it. Try making me cry over a knife again. Anyway, I heard the screenwriter for this movie isn't Welt~"

The implication was obvious, even the Brainless Idiot could see it.

"Uncle Otto wouldn't write Aunt Himeko to death, would he?" Kiana scratched her head.

"There's a high probability," Bronya agreed.

"Wait, if Aunt Himeko is offlined, does that mean no one will be nagging me to study in the story?" Kiana's eyes gleamed with intelligence.

"Kiana, what are you thinking?!" Himeko, who was sitting in the row in front of them, turned her head jerkily like a robot, her eyes already flashing red.

"Aunt Himeko, I was wrong!"

Ignoring the clowning Kiana, everyone turned their attention back to the screen.

[Late at night, Kiana, stripped down to her bare essentials, lay once again on the soft, large bed. But the next second, she heard Mei's call. When she opened her eyes, Mei, clad in her Valkyrie battlesuit, stood before her.

But what drew the most attention was that Mei's pupils were golden, and her voice was exactly like Sirin's.

"Who exactly are you?!" Kiana asked.

"I am the ghost of your past, the nightmare you cannot escape."

Kiana watched as Mei, Himeko, and Theresa appeared one by one, uttering words that were half true and half false, but utterly venomous. It was worth noting that their voices were all Sirin's.

Kiana refused to believe that the people closest to her would say such things to her.

Sirin's voice continued to tempt her, promising that if she submitted to her, she would gain everyone's approval and become an S-Rank Valkyrie... No, such power was too insignificant. She would grant her power beyond imagination.

"Shut up! Liar!"

Soon, dawn broke.]

"There's absolutely no way I would say such things to Kiana." Watching her body on the screen say such venomous things to Kiana, even the gentle Raiden Mei felt a surge of anger.

"Although I'm not clear on my true thoughts in the story, I think the concern I have for Kiana, Mei, and Bronya in the story wouldn't be fake," Himeko shook her head, refusing to believe that everything she did in the story was an act.

"I know that, Mei would never say such things to me, and although Aunt Himeko is strict with me, she's definitely not just monitoring me." Kiana took the opportunity to snuggle into Mei's arms, rubbing against her.

"Kiana..." Mei was a little shy, after all, this was a public place, completely different from being in the dorm.

"Based on the timeline of the story, Aunt Cecilia was pregnant in 1998, and Kiana's birthday is December 7th. She entered the battlefield on February 15, 2000, with at least a year of recuperation in between, plus the physique of an S-Rank Valkyrie, Sirin's claim that giving birth to Kiana caused her combat power to decline is unlikely," Bronya deduced.

Sitting in the row behind, Pardo poked Kalpas and whispered, "Kalpas, they're watching so intently, why can't I deduce anything?"

"Hmph." Kalpas merely let out a cool snort.

Pardo was dejected. It seemed that trying to chat with Kalpas was her mistake.

Chapter 72: Mei, I Can't Tell the Difference!

[The next day was the day of the Valkyrie exam. Kiana, wearing her White Comet battlesuit, looked pale due to the nightmares she had been having for the past few nights.

The exam began, and Kiana unexpectedly defeated Bronya, even holding her own against Fu Hua, and even had a match with Rita, who had come to the Far East for inspection.

In the final stage of the exam, the Honkai Beast simulation synchronization immersion device, the trial program responsible for virtual combat, experienced a systemic error, forcing Kiana to fight a Ganesha-class Honkai Beast far exceeding the test standards.

After a difficult battle, the exam successfully came to an end. Kiana, sore and exhausted, yawned and followed behind Mei and Bronya.

The screen flickered a few times, and the figures of Mei and Bronya disappeared. The surrounding scenery also changed from the warm Valkyrie Academy to a place resembling a laboratory, which was eerily familiar: the interior of the Tower of Babylon.]

"Kiana is just a B-Rank Valkyrie, but she was able to defeat an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, that's amazing!" Little Void exclaimed in surprise.

"Doesn't feel as impressive as Kevin's debut, Adam, what do you think?" Lyle nudged Adam with his elbow.

"I think they each have their own merits. Kiana is just a B-Rank Valkyrie, so she definitely can't be compared to Uncle Kevin," Adam maintained a balanced attitude.

"Good children shouldn't put one down to praise another, Lyle," Aponia gently stroked Lyle's head.

Lyle's body stiffened.

["Oh, you're such a delightful surprise, little girl. I can't believe you actually defeated that Ganesha~☆"

"You know, that Honkai Beast appeared in India in 2012 and caused the deaths of two A-Rank Valkyries and seriously injured twelve others..."

"I thought it would be an insurmountable obstacle for a B-Rank Valkyrie like you?"

The playful voice from her dream echoed once again in the empty space.

"What a joke. Although my title is B-Rank, I actually have the strength of an S-Rank Valkyrie," Kiana crossed her arms, disdainful of looking at the blurry shadow.

"Hehe, you really like to exaggerate. Although you're strong, you're still far from an S-Rank Valkyrie~☆"

The playful woman's voice dropped another bombshell, revealing that she had personally experienced the strength of an S-Rank Valkyrie fourteen years ago.

"14 years ago? Experienced?" Without Mei, her external brain, Kiana's mind began to work, seizing on the 14-year mark, and said, "Could it be that you are... the Second Herrscher?"

Kiana couldn't understand why the Second Herrscher, who should have been eliminated 14 years ago, would appear in her dream?

"Oh my, even your slow reactions are so adorable, it makes me want to devour you in one bite~"

"Hmph, even if it's just a dream... Today, you won't leave here alive, you... the murderer who killed my mom!" Kiana angrily struck a battle pose.

"I don't plan on leaving here, because this place is both your dream and my dream. I am you, and you are me. The one who should leave... that should be you, Kiana!"

"Shut up!"

The scene inexplicably cuts to the control panel next to Kiana, where the screen clearly reads: Tower of Babylon, Experimental Group Code SR-56455, Subject K-423.

"Confirmed, it really is Queen!"

"Queen has descended again, a new Collapse is about to be born!"

"Seriously, is nobody paying attention to what Queen is saying? Why can't I understand a single word?"

"Who cares, as long as it's Queen."

"What is that damn Sirin talking about?! What do you mean she's me and I'm her? I am me, Kiana Kaslana!" Although Kiana didn't understand what "Sirin" was saying, she wouldn't allow anyone to replace her.

"Kiana..." Mei wanted to say something, but stopped. Combining the easter eggs from the previous episode and the explicit hints on the screen, Mei had a rough idea of what was going on.

In the back row, Mei looked past Kevin and Yaqing at Dr. Mobius, who had a somewhat stiff expression, and said with a smile that wasn't quite a smile, "Dr. Mobius..."

"Hmph, the plot hasn't explicitly confirmed it yet, so I haven't lost. Besides, we're talking about whether the Herrscher of the Void core is in Kiana's body, not whether Kiana and the Herrscher of the Void are related," Mobius stubbornly retorted.

Mei looked at the tsundere Mobius with a gentle gaze.

A sudden alarm bell rang in Kevin's mind. He had guarded against Elysia, but not Mobius, because he knew Mobius was straight. But now... he felt like his girlfriend might not be so straight after all.

Kevin quickly leaned back, blocking Mei's gaze towards Mobius.

Mei looked puzzled. She had just been thinking about how to dig another hole for Mobius, but suddenly her boyfriend blocked her view.

[Kiana chased the blurry figure to the top of the Tower of Babylon.

The screen suddenly went black.

Then, scarlet letters appeared on the dark screen.

"You thought... this would be the last time we meet?"

"In the future, I will constantly, constantly, appear in your deepest nightmares."

"Until one day, you no longer have the strength... to resist..."

The screen lit up again, and Kiana dazedly opened her eyes, seeing Mei, Fu Hua, and Theresa looking at her with concern, while Rita stood elegantly to the side, explaining, "...the engine of this warship is truly strange."

Rita bowed gracefully to everyone and prepared to leave, returning to headquarters to report.

"Mei... I'm hungry!" Mei helped Kiana up, and Kiana's first reaction was to act spoiled towards Mei.

"Then let's go back! I'll cook for you!" Mei chuckled, her tone full of doting and affection.

This heartwarming scene didn't last long, as Rita's voice rang out from off-screen.

"Observation record report, number 105-K423. Compared to the past, the subject's physical abilities and combat power have shown significant growth, but the specific situation of personality recurrence still requires further observation."

Rita, who hadn't left, stood not far away, watching Kiana and Mei interact.

"Bishop's plan is about to enter the feasible stage."

The camera zoomed in, and the look in Rita's eyes towards Kiana became sinister.

"Everything... is in his grasp."]

Kiana wasn't stupid, just too lazy to think. Now that such an obvious answer was placed before her eyes, she naturally understood, but she was also confused, her eyes swirling like mosquito coils.

"The character I'm playing isn't me, it's Sirin, but the name is the same as mine, but Sirin says she's..."

Kiana was dumbfounded.

Her brain worked at lightning speed, and she came to a conclusion.

Kiana = K423

K423 = Sirin

So theoretically, Kiana = Sirin. Theory established, passed!

Kiana suddenly hugged Mei, dejectedly saying, "Mei, I can't tell the difference, I really can't tell the difference!"

Mei gently patted Kiana's back, comforting her softly, "Kiana, no matter who you are, no matter what your identity is, our feelings for each other have never changed, including Bronya and Himeko."

Bronya said, "Of course, I can't find a second Brainless Idiot with your IQ."

In the front row, Shub laughed, "Bad woman, Rita, you really are a bad woman. I suddenly feel like you won't be dropping offline so soon. After all, the righteous don't live long, but villains last for millennia."

Rita smiled, "That's not it, it's just a difference in position. I am loyal to Destiny, loyal to Bishop."

Rita's tone was very serious, but Salome still thought it sounded fake.

Chapter 73 Gem of Hopes

[The Valkyrie exam has come to a complete end. According to the message from the "Moonlight Throne" central control, the first place to go is the Oceania branch in New Zealand. A large-scale Collapse occurred in New Zealand a day ago, and the Gem of Hopes was lost in this Collapse.

The first mission for Kiana and the others upon arriving at the Oceania branch is to recover the Gem of Hopes, and they will head to the Gem of Hopes' location based on the detection and positioning device on the Hyperion warship.

On the way, Theresa sent a communication. From Theresa's conversation with Kiana, it can be learned that the Moonlight Throne is not in a fully activated state, and to fully activate it requires the energy of at least four Herrschers, which corresponds to the four keys.]

The camera focuses on the Hyperion warship, where Himeko and Theresa are communicating, discussing the Second Honkai fourteen years ago, but much of it conflicts with the truth.

In Theresa's version, it was Otto who ordered the firing of the Honkai energy fission bomb, and she personally launched it. Also, she didn't meet Anti-Entropy for the first time until after the Second Honkai had ended.

Anti-Entropy snatched the Second Herrscher's corpse and the Gem of Conquest, which controls lightning, from Destiny, who had lost its basic combat power.

And the Third Honkai is the Herrscher of Thunder, but there's one thing Himeko and Theresa can't figure out.

If Anti-Entropy was already researching Herrschers, why would they let Mei, as the Third Herrscher, run out? And why would Mei be completely unaware of Anti-Entropy's affairs?

"It seems Theresa's memories were indeed modified." Su recalled the ending of the previous movie, where Otto used the Feather of the Wind to hypnotize Theresa.

"So the four Gems are actually the equipment that Sirin dropped?" Pardo caught the key point.

"Lightning representing Conquest, wind representing Desire, and the next two are flame representing Pestilence and death representing Tranquility. What is this, the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse?" Ling complained.

"Hmph, Anti-Entropy isn't so righteous either. Conducting human experiments in secret, what's the difference between them and Destiny?" Kalpas, wearing sunglasses and a black mask, completely covered his face.

Far away in North America, on the top floor of Anti-Entropy headquarters, Tesla, Einstein, Joyce, Welt Yang, and Raiden Ryoma were all in Joyce's board office, projecting the movie onto a white screen.

"How could Anti-Entropy do such an experiment!" Tesla was furious. Whenever Anti-Entropy's experiments were mentioned, her first reaction was always about her and Einstein.