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

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Amidst towering skyscrapers, Ana walked alone. The surroundings were eerily quiet, as if she were the only person left in the world.

Following Su's example, she closed her eyes while moving.

However, unlike Su who perceives the world through spiritual senses, Ana relies on her control over Rationality fluid. Despite being in a mental space, based on the Heroic Spirits' memories, their realm also contains air and wind.

This makes it easier for Ana to exert her Authority compared to the real world. She doesn't even need to create Ideal Fluid; instead, she merely has to incorporate her understanding of it into the Elysian Realm.

In fact, there is no need for explicit addition.

When it comes to science, two highly influential Heroic Spirits reside within the Elysian Realm, making the concept of Ideal Fluid quite commonplace knowledge.

Thus, Ana只需稍加运用她的权能,便可悄无声息地 replace Ideal Fluid without anyone noticing, particularly effective against other Heroic Spirits. Facing those like Pardo and Kalpa, who have no grasp of such concepts, Ana's power goes completely undetected in the Garden. Ultimately, the principles governing wind authority are inherently harder to observe than those of lightning authority.

As Ana continued walking, suddenly, she opened her eyes.

As Ana opened her eyes, monstrous creatures materialized out of nowhere and surged towards her like a tidal wave.

These monsters included both those from the pre-Civilization era and all types of contemporary Honkai beasts, ranging from lower-tier Honkai Beasts to quantum shadows - essentially every variety imaginable.

Compared to others entering the Elysian Realm, Ana's extensive knowledge of Honkai Beasts naturally allowed for a greater diversity of replicated species within this realm.

However, facing the onslaught of Honkai Beasts, Ana remained unfazed.

A pair of radiant wings appeared behind her, gently flapping as they lifted Ana into the air.

Should she unleash an AoE tornado to wipe them all out? No, no, no! Why waste energy? She wasn't some battle-crazed enthusiast.

Why bother clearing monsters when you can skip ahead? Even if someone had to clean up, it should be the responsibility of the Garden's owner; after all, their favorite pastime was combat here.

Moreover, engaging with that particular entity would inevitably result in these monsters dying instantly due to mysterious AoE effects, eliminating any need to spend time on them.

Ana soared effortlessly through the sky, moving swiftly. Any attempts by the monsters to attack her were futile, as they couldn't even reach her.

After wandering through this forgotten city for quite some time, Ana finally found her target—Kalpas.

In one particular area of the forsaken metropolis, there stretched a vast open space. The surrounding ground was charred black, as if scorched by intense flames. Countless monsters roared and charged towards the center of this clearing.

At the heart of the battlefield stood a robust man, engulfed in crimson flames that seemed to mirror his raging fury. Clad entirely in black attire, he wore an elbow guard on his left arm, concealed his true features behind a pitch-black mask, and sported silver hair.

Facing the onslaught of monsters, he relied solely on straightforward combat techniques. With a hearty yet frenzied laughter, he effortlessly tore them apart.

"Hahaha!"

His demeanor was remarkably uninhibited and spirited.

This wild style of fighting reminded Ana of another Heroic Spirit; however, that individual's ferocity stemmed from fusing with Honkai Beast genes.

In contrast, Kalpas' intensity originated purely within himself, driven by his own will and exceptional innate abilities.

It wasn't that he lacked weaponry; Ana recalled he possessed a highly cherished Key of Domination. Its core was derived from his aide, who became the Herrscher of a Thousand People.

Just as Ana noticed Kalpas, he also spotted her. Their eyes met amidst the chaos, while the Honkai monsters continued their relentless assaults on Kalpas. Despite the fierce blows raining down, his body remained steadfast, seemingly unaffected.

However, Ana understood that even without sustaining injuries, each strike would still cause pain. The resilience to agony displayed by the figure before her far surpassed ordinary human limits.

This was Kalpas. Although not the most powerful among the Heroic Spirits, when it came to destructive capability and fighting spirit, he stood at the absolute pinnacle.

For him, dying in battle on the moon could be considered the best possible fate. He ultimately fulfilled his duty to protect the hope of the previous civilization, just as he had wished—to perish in combat. Even though, by then, it hardly qualified as a fair fight; it was a complete rout.

Nevertheless, this did not diminish Ana's respect for Kalpas. Despite appearing frenzied, he was remarkably lucid underneath. In fact, during the Garden of Eden scenario, he was one of the first to truly comprehend the situation.

Yet, given his temperament, despite understanding the reality, he chose to confront it in his own defiant way.

"Oh?"

"A Herrscher?" On the battlefield, the man scrutinized Ana with a raspy voice, slowly remarking. A hint of doubt crept into his tone moments later.

"Hm? I remember you."

"You were the visitor last time."

"Ha ha ha, truly amusing! You're actually a Herrscher now! Seems like you and that woman have plenty in common!"

"Indeed," Ana replied gently as she descended slowly. However, due to the scorched earth and Honkai Beasts below, she chose to land on a relatively clean tower.

"Let's battle, then hand over your imprints. No objections?" Ana suggested calmly.

Unlike Raiden Mei, who tried extensive dialogue with Kalpas, Ana knew combat was the best means of communication with him. If one could defeat him decisively, he would naturally comply. Alternatively, seeking Aponia's help to impose a Commandment on Kalpas was another option.

Otherwise, any other form of conversation would be deemed a futile waste of time.

"Hmph, very well, let us fight, Herrscher!" Kalpas snorted, likely appreciating Ana's lack of unnecessary chatter, before declaring loudly.

Despite his words, Kalpas took a few steps back, unleashing a surge of intense power from within him, spreading outward aggressively.

This surge swiftly affected the Honkai Beasts previously attacking Kalpas. Ana observed as a faint crimson hue enveloped them, causing their focus to shift towards her with even more ferocious assaults.

"..."

Watching the swarm of Honkai Beasts approaching, Ana shook her head slightly, feeling somewhat exasperated.

"It seems I've been underestimated; that's genuinely irritating." She murmured softly, adopting a flippant tone reminiscent of Elysia's. Clearly, Kalpas was unaware of her thoughts. His current tactic would have been perfectly suited for Raiden Mei, but against Ana, it felt rather pointless.

She had a clear understanding of what Kalpas truly represented, and from the start, her intention was always to acquire all the imprints.

The true secret of the Elysian Realm lies in the Primogenitor's power legacy and the backdoor within the Cocoon. Although initially, Ana didn't plan to obtain this power, since she was already here, how could she leave empty-handed?

Most importantly, by mastering the backdoor, Ana would gain confidence to end the game, as it would grant her the qualification to step into Finality.

Thus, she didn't require Kalpas to bestow imprints through conventional trials meant for typical visitors; instead, she hoped to witness his full potential unleashed.

Time was running out for her.

"Arise!"

Floating mid-air, Ana formed intricate hand seals and let out a commanding shout.

A whirlwind spiraled upwards from the ground beneath her, swiftly intensifying beyond the threshold of major weather disasters within moments. All the Honkai monsters charging at Ana were instantly swallowed by the vortex.

As soon as they entered the swirling winds, their bodies disintegrated into dust under its razor-sharp force. Once every monster had been consumed,

Ana snapped her fingers.

With a deafening explosion, the entire tornado detonated, releasing all the absorbed energy instantaneously.

The terrifying blast spread outward, rivaling the power of a nuclear explosion yet without any pollution—a pure, uncontaminated detonation. The shockwaves affected most of the forgotten city's region, causing vast areas to crumble into data fragments.

This displayed the might of the Etherial Wind Herrscher. With a casual gesture, Ana compressed the storm that Wendy once controlled, which had swept across New Zealand, creating this devastating tornado-like nuclear blast.

To Ana, however, this exertion was virtually negligible.

As the whirlwind's power gradually dissipated, a figure quietly emerged on the battlefield—it was Kalpas. True to his reputation as an Alayna warrior, Kalpas withstood the force equivalent to a nuclear explosion without succumbing.

Despite his resilience, he appeared battered. His clothing was torn, revealing muscular physique marred by countless wounds. The mask on his face hung nearly shattered, allowing Ana glimpses of his features beneath.

For the Captain, Kalpas's face had always been a mystery. In reality, within the game, it was possible to glimpse his visage under the mask by exploiting a bug.

Kalpas bore a striking resemblance to Xiao from another realm, sharing similar expressions and emerald-colored eyes.

If not for the blazing flames still engulfing him, Ana might have worried that she inadvertently defeated Kalpas instantly, although theoretically, that seemed unlikely.

After all, according to records, even during the Binding Tragedy, Kalpas managed to survive unscathed. She had merely unleashed a tornado; it should've...

Before Ana could fully assess Kalpa's condition, a voice crackled through her communicator—Klein's.

"What happened in the Garden of Eden? I've detected extensive damage and data fragmentation in Alpha region; initiating emergency repairs..."

Klein then proceeded with a barrage of technical jargon that Ana couldn't comprehend, but based on her tone, it sounded grave.

"Uh..."

The corner of Ana's mouth twitched slightly.

"I... just casually cast a skill?"

Indeed, she had casually unleashed a skill without any casting preparation, lasting approximately three seconds, with the entire process taking no more than five. It was simply because Ana hadn't truly engaged in combat for a long time.

She held some misconceptions about her own power. After all, neither the Herrscher of Truth nor the Herrscher of the Void—Kiana—seemed to have caused such destruction during their Ascensions.

Ana overlooked that the Herrscher of Truth's Ascension manifested differently, while Kiana, as the Herrscher of the Void, always utilized its Authority superficially. Naturally, this led to a flawed assessment of her true capabilities. Moreover, her mastery and development of Authorities were already well over ninety percent proficient.

Even for an ordinary Grazing Sky Herrscher, achieving fifty percent mastery would be remarkable.

"..."

Upon hearing Ana's explanation, Klein on the other end of the communicator fell silent. Having interacted with her before, Klein knew that Ana was not one to lie. Consequently, it became clear that Ana's power had indeed reached a terrifying level, potentially matching Kevin's prowess.

In reality, this assessment held true.

From the start, Ana has strived to match herself against Savior Kevin. However, Savior Kevin's form requires harnessing the power of Finality. Without this power, Kevin can only attain his Professional Demon state.

If Professional Demon Kevin were to face off against the current Ana, predicting the outcome becomes quite uncertain. It is important to note that even within the narrative, the version encountered is Finality Professional Demon Kevin, not the standard Professional Demon form.

In simpler terms, Ana now stands unequivocally as the strongest figure of this era, surpassing even Kevin himself. This isn't due to any imbalance in combat strength but rather stems from logical reasoning and circumstances.

After all, to surpass Kevin, one must ultimately defeat Savior Kevin.

This raises another question: if Ana were to face Savior Kevin, by then, she would likely have already acquired Finality's Authorities, potentially overwhelming him instead.

Unfortunately, there is no one to inform Ana about these matters; at least, Kalpa, standing before her, remains unaware.

However, Kalpa can confirm one thing—the new Herrscher, this visitor returning for her second visit to the Elysian Realm, has experienced a significant surge in power compared to their previous encounter, now reaching Kevin's level.

Indeed, she makes for an exceptionally worthy opponent, deserving his full strength in a thrilling battle.

What? Worried I'll get killed? No, no, no—this is the Elysian Realm; death here merely leads to resurrection, and after all, death itself is what Kalpa seeks.

"Hmm, seems like I've caused some trouble, but... Kalpa, do you still want to continue our fight?"

Having responded to Klein's message and accepted the task of assisting him in repairing the Elysian Realm, Ana refocused her attention on Kalpa lying on the ground.

Despite Kalpas's battered appearance, Ana believed he still had the strength for another battle.