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

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After leaving Su's Twilight Forest, Ana did not return to the Boule Chamber but continued exploring the Elysian Realm. Although it seemed like nothing significant was said, it had indeed resolved some of her lingering concerns.

Now, her objective was clear: obtain all Heroic Spirits' engravings, acquire the seed of Protogonos, and then depart from the Elysian Realm.

As for whether the seed would germinate, there was no need to ponder further. If she could surpass the Ascension of the Herrscher of Ice, the seed undoubtedly would sprout. Otherwise, everything else would be meaningless.

At that point, she would become a Herrscher, standing opposed to humanity, drawing condemnation from forces worldwide. This is precisely why Ana requested Otto to seal off Coral Island—to prevent unnecessary casualties by evacuating residents and to contain any potential loss of control.

Ultimately, it stemmed from Ana's lack of confidence.

Soon, within the Elysian Realm, Ana encountered a strikingly familiar figure.

"Nice to meet you, successor. My name is Hua, and I possess the 'Midlife' engraving... I will assist you in mastering it."

These words echoed exactly as they occurred in the storyline, making Ana momentarily question if this Hua before her was merely a programmed robot.

"Hello there, Fu Hua," Ana greeted with a warm smile after a brief moment of surprise.

"Uh... My name is Hua." A slight confusion crossed Hua's face, likely due to Ana mistaking her identity, prompting her to gently correct her.

"No, you are indeed Fu Hua; Fu Hua represents your future in reality," Ana replied with a smile. Sharing details about Hua's future posed no concern for Ana, as the Garden's version of Fu Hua had a unique trait: her memories periodically reset. In other words, even if Ana influenced her, she would eventually revert back to her original state.

From this perspective, investing emotions in the Hua within the Elysian Realm was arguably the most futile endeavor. There was always a chance that upon returning to the Elysian Realm next time, all other Heroic Spirits might remember Ana, except for Hua, who would remain entirely oblivious.

However, none of these concerns mattered to Ana.

Her initial intention was merely to observe how past Hua and present Fu Hua would interact. What? You say there's no Fu Hua here? No worries, Hua can serve as a surrogate recipient for now.

After all, Ana possessed deep knowledge and familiarity with Fu Hua, fully aware of her history, including crucial events spanning thousands of years.

And all of this information...was gleaned from Fenghuang Down by Ana previously.

Fu Hua stored some memories within Fenghuang Down and scattered them on Taixuan Mountain, explaining why Ana found numerous feathers there.

"My future?" Confusion flickered in Hua's eyes, revealing her thoughts to Ana instantly.

Hua had never truly contemplated what kind of existence she would become in the future.

People often described Griseo as a blank slate, attributing it to her unique nature. However, from Ana's perspective, Fu Hua was also akin to a blank canvas. She was continuously propelled forward by fate, remaining somewhat bewildered until confronting the Herrscher of Finality. It was as if she suddenly woke up to find herself amidst the end of the world.

Afterward, even as Red Kite, Hua remained trapped in the confines of duty and mission. Only when she lost most of her power and her immortality did she experience rebirth, finally embarking on a life truly her own.

In this sense, Fu Hua is both tragic yet fortunate.

"Yes, your future self becomes a hero, safeguarding the world alone for millennia. Eventually, you lose your powers and immortality, becoming Fu Hua, starting anew with another chapter of life. And ultimately, you become my colleague, fighting side by side for a brighter tomorrow!"

Ana chuckled softly; her words were carefully crafted to minimize the sense of sorrow. However, judging by Hua's reaction, it seemed unnecessary.

Hua blinked, appearing utterly bewildered, as if she hadn't comprehended a single word.

Moments later, her expression turned serious, resembling that of a steadfast warrior.

"Successor, perhaps my future self and you have had numerous interactions, but I here am merely a fleeting illusion from past lives. We share no connection."

"But her past is undeniably yours," Ana replied with a smile. She wasn't surprised by Hua's response; Fu Hua's stubborn nature was well-known—once she made up her mind, it was nearly impossible to change it.

Unless, of course, she realized she was mistaken, much like how Hua eventually changed her stance towards Kiana.

"..."

Hua fell silent, acknowledging the truth in those words.

Kevin from the Garden of Eden could claim he differed from his counterpart outside due to their separate experiences over fifty thousand years—one within the Garden, the other encountering new events elsewhere. Their paths diverged significantly.

However, Hua was different.

Due to her memory-resetting ability, she would perpetually remain in her state from 50,000 years ago, which indeed represented Fu Hua's past without any alterations.

"So, why not try becoming Fu Hua? After all, for you, memories can always be resetted."

With a soft laugh, Ana revealed her intention.

Yes, as a reincarnator and having collected numerous Fenghuang Downs, along with accessing extensive information about Fu Hua at Schicksal Headquarters, Ana's memories now encompassed nearly a complete picture of Fu Hua.

By simply imparting these memories to Hua, she could transform into Fu Hua.

As mentioned earlier, this feat is exclusive to Hua; no other Heroic Spirits could erase their own memories spanning 50,000 years within the Elysian Realm.

"Would you like to give it a try?"

As Ana spoke, she extended her hand, revealing a feather—a feather containing Fu Hua's memories. Previously, while within the Herrscher of the Void's mindset, Ana had encountered Fu Hua, thus gaining a comprehensive understanding of her.

After extracting these specific memories, this feather naturally manifested.

"Don't you want to surprise the other Heroic Spirits?"

With a gentle smile, Ana continued coaxing, though she didn't insist that Hua must accept. This was merely an attempt, one that Ana believed had potential. Since idleness prevailed, why not find something productive to do? For the Heroic Spirits residing within the Elysian Realm, Fu Hua's presence would undoubtedly pique their interest.

Moreover, ultimately, there was nothing for Hua to lose. She could experience Fu Hua's life, while the other Heroic Spirits would gain insight into Fu Hua's circumstances and learn about Hua's future, adding some excitement to their monotonous existence.

For Ana herself, it provided amusement - a win-win situation!

Hua stared intently at the Fenghuang Down feather in Ana's hand, fully aware of its purpose and significance. Yet, she remained somewhat hesitant, which was her old habit. In such situations, she often felt uncertain, lacking confidence in herself.

Unlike Kevin, who could assert he never changed, Hua couldn't guarantee that she wouldn't evolve over time.

However, eventually, Hua's curiosity and thirst for knowledge triumphed over these lingering doubts. Throughout this vast expanse of time, each Memory Fragment harbored a deep curiosity and desire to glimpse the future, but they lacked any means to satisfy this longing.

Visitors were their sole source of information, and due to this reliance combined with previous plans, figures like Mobius exhibited extreme behaviors.

She reached out, accepting the Fenghuang Down feather from Ana's hand.

As soon as the Fenghuang Down touched Hua's palm, it emitted a dazzling seven-colored glow, enveloping her completely. Within the radiant light, Hua's appearance transformed rapidly—first taking on Phoenix's form, then Azure Empyrea's, followed by Xun Yu's. Essentially, every stage of Fu Hua's existence was displayed through Hua.

Finally, Hua reverted back to her original self.

At first glance, she seemed unchanged, but Ana knew her experiment had succeeded; Hua indeed became Fu Hua, choosing her current appearance deliberately.

"Teacher Ana, have you come for the secrets of the Garden of Eden?"

Fu Hua, no longer appearing disoriented or indifferent, showed a glint of intelligence in her eyes as she asked solemnly.

"Not at all. I'm here for Su. Haven't you been aware of the price I paid for Kiana?" Ana spread her hands helplessly in response.

A momentary silence fell between them.

Fu Hua fell silent immediately. Considering Ana had ignited Fenghuang Down using the power of the Karmic Wheel, the price she paid was immense. The fact that Ana could still stand here alive, conversing with her as if nothing happened, seemed truly astonishing.

Moreover, the Elysian Realm is fundamentally a realm of memories and consciousness. Logically, Ana's current mental state should be significantly weakened.

In essence, Fu Hua, being only a half-skilled psychic perception-type MANTIS, lacked the knowledge to understand how Ana managed to counteract these effects.

In reality, even Su, a genuine psychic perception-type MANTIS, didn't know how Ana achieved this feat. Aponia, another such fighter, also couldn't explain it but suspected that Ana might have been subjected to a similar spiritual condition akin to Commandments.

This conjecture, surprisingly, was quite close to the truth—except that this "Commandment" was imposed by the System itself, making it inaccessible to their understanding.

"You...what exactly do you plan to do?"

"Do what? Naturally, I intend to end Honkai and halt Project Stigma," Ana replied matter-of-factly.

In truth, there was another possibility for her: joining the World Serpent, gaining Kevin's approval, then utilizing Project Stigma to acquire Finality's power, mirroring Kiana's actions from the original storyline.

However, this approach didn't align with Ana's style.

Instead of relying on Project Stigma, she preferred harnessing Protogonos' power to attain Finality's Authority and ultimately defeat Honkai.

"...," Fu Hua fell silent.

As one of the Pioneers, Fu Hua actually knew very little about these matters. Despite Ellie, Mei, and Mobius having high hopes for the Spark Project, as its true executor, Fu Hua possessed even less information.

Perhaps it was intentional on Eden's part, or maybe simply forgotten by them. It could also have been part of Mei's plan all along.

In any case, Fu Hua had no idea what Ana specifically intended to do, nor could she even begin to guess.

To Fu Hua, Ana herself remained an enigma. She would unexpectedly appear at crucial moments, performing seemingly inexplicable actions. Yet, paradoxically, those moves invariably saved the situation.

"Alright, alright, I didn't bring you here to the Elysian Realm just for you to interrogate me." Ana gestured for silence, interrupting Fu Hua's thoughts.

Indeed, they were in the Elysian Realm. Even if Fu Hua obtained answers from Ana, it would be meaningless—she couldn't convey that information outside, and after some time, her memories would reset, reverting her back to her original self.

The purpose of Fu Hua's presence in the Elysian Realm lay with the other Heroic Spirits.

"I understand," Fu Hua replied slowly before turning to leave.

Watching Fu Hua depart, Ana shook her head and secretly sighed in relief. If Fu Hua had continued interrogating her, it would have become quite challenging.

This is the Elysian Realm; as long as Ana remained within it, Fu Hua could invariably find her, making the situation truly daunting.

Ana never doubted Fu Hua's unwavering determination and resolve—after all, the Goddess Red Kite was not just any guardian who protected Shenzhou for millennia.

Fortunately, Fu Hua recognized reality and went to seek out other Heroic Spirits. Otherwise, Ana might have slapped herself for creating such a predicament.

Adjusting her emotions slightly, Ana resumed exploring the Garden of Eden.

Currently, she had acquired the engravings of True Self, Gold, Skywise, Alayna, Dreamless, and Midlife. The remaining ones yet to be obtained were Salvation, Commandments, Spiral, Shunra, Infinite, Dawnlight, and Far Stars.

Among these, the Alayna engraving was incomplete, requiring a confrontation with Kalpas. However, she had already secured half of it.

"Now, which Heroic Spirit should I search for next?"

Ana's eyes flickered as she pondered her options.

To her, among the remaining ones, only Salvation, Commandments, and Shunra held significant importance. Similar to Skywise, Commandments could aid her Ascension process.

Salvation symbolized Kevin's path, while Shunra represented technique, aligning perfectly with the Herrscher of Ice's Authority. Unfortunately, Sakura had mastered the Seven Thunders of Purgation instead of Stillness of All Things.

Additionally, Ana truly desired to learn Sakura's swordsmanship, but it remained uncertain whether she could master it within this Elysian Realm...

"Ah well, since that's the case, I'll head to Mobius first!" Ana murmured to herself.

On the surface, Mobius seemed incredibly dangerous, but Ana was confident that even if Mobius employed corruption tactics, they would not affect her. Conversely, gaining some mastery over the power of corruption might potentially...