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

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"Enough."

After playing with him for a while, Ana released the suppression on Kalpas. Continuously restraining his Artificial Honkai during the battle served no purpose.

She was merely testing the capabilities of her Ice Authority. This battle, however, was what Kalpas had yearned for; fundamentally, it wasn't about Ana defeating Kalpas but allowing him to indulge fully.

As Ana released her energy suppression on Kalpas, crimson flames reignited around his body, swiftly engulfing him and causing significant damage to his clothing.

An immense burst of power erupted from Kalpas, akin to a nuclear explosion, radiating intense heat along with surging Honkai Energy that spread outward.

In the distance, Aponia took action as the overseer of the Elysian Realm, managing the area accordingly.

Meanwhile, Ana waved her hand, summoning a chilling gust that rapidly cooled down the scorching atmosphere. It's important to remember that despite being currently known as the Herrscher of Ice, her core essence remains that of the Herrscher of Wind.

Her output still aligns with the Herrscher of Wind, and her Authorities have not diminished.

At this point, Ana has gained control over interrupting Kalpas' Artificial Honkai. Undeniably, achieving an Artificial Honkai is not instantaneous, which piqued her curiosity about what would happen if interrupted mid-process.

However, even though Ana possessed the ability to interrupt Kalpas' Artificial Honkai, it didn't mean that regular Herrschers or ordinary MANTIS could achieve the same feat. During the initiation process, the energy emanating from Kalpas equaled the full-power strike of an average Herrscher.

In Ana's view, this moment might represent Kalpas at his most formidable state, although she couldn't discount the additional boost provided by his fury. The Honkai Beast fused with Kalpas was named Shura, a powerful entity in Buddhism and Hinduism known for its bloodlust and insatiable thirst for battle—traits perfectly aligned with Kalpas' relentless combat style.

To Ana, sustaining such power through continuous warfare seemed possible only in two ways: either overextending oneself or absorbing strength from others. In Kalpas' case, he clearly chose the former, inflicting immense damage on enemies while bearing significant self-harm—a strategy only a warrior like Kalpas, embodying Alayna's relentless pursuit, could employ effectively.

Finally, Kalpas entered the Artificial Honkai mode. Although it felt lengthy as described by Ana, the entire process took merely ten seconds. At this moment, Kalpas appeared akin to a fiery demon, enveloped entirely in raging flames.

His physical form also underwent changes; his hands transformed into claw-like appendages. To Ana, it seemed akin to the extensions observed in Might of An-Utu and Abyss Flower, albeit no less formidable.

If her delicate skin were to come into contact with Kalpas' claws, she would likely suffer burns—a common issue for Herrschers.

Compared to Fusion Fighters, Herrschers could be considered as fragile mage characters, albeit ones capable of casting ultra-powerful spells effortlessly.

In a sense, the Honkai Beast's form is most suitable for embodying Honkai. Theoretically, their potential surpasses even that of Herrschers.

"Herrscher, are you ready to bear my wrath? Ha-ha-ha-ha!" Amidst Kalpas' mocking laughter, he suddenly leaped towards Ana, fueled by the unparalleled strength granted by Artificial Honkai. Even the deepest recesses couldn't withstand his power, causing the ground beneath him to crack and shatter.

As Kalpas hurtled towards her, Ana's eyes flashed brilliantly, and her figure instantly vanished from its spot, leaving Kalpas' strike to fall empty.

Despite Kalpas's significant power boost, his speed still paled in comparison to Ana's.

Dodging this small-scale assault was merely instinctual for her; there was no need to take it head-on. Although she intended to let Kalpas have his fill of battle, when engaged, Ana preferred relying on her own tactics and instincts.

Her approach had always been achieving maximum victory with minimal expenditure. Brute force? That was for reckless fools—Ana was anything but!

Although his initial strike missed, Kalpas didn't falter in his rhythm. He might be impulsive, but he wasn't foolish. If injuring Ana were that easy, there would've been no need to bring the fight here.

While aware of these challenges, Kalpas persisted with his aggressive style, continuing relentless assaults. In response, Ana chose evasion as her strategy.

Given her abilities, dodging indeed minimized her energy expenditure significantly.

As Kalpas unleashed a barrage of attacks, the ground in the deepest recesses became riddled with craters, causing even Aponia nearby to furrow her brow.

Now, everyone had reason to suspect that Kalpas was settling personal grudges under the guise of duty, but they lacked concrete evidence.

"Herrscher! All you do is dodge, huh? Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! Coward!" After exchanging blows for some time, Kalpas began feeling like he was punching at cotton and shouted loudly.

"I won't engage in futile battles. If you want me to fight seriously, show more of your strength, Kalpas."

Ana effortlessly evaded as she calmly replied. With her wings and ability to fly, dodging these area-of-effect attacks on the ground became remarkably simple.

In response, Ana casually waved her hand, unleashing tens of thousands of icicles.

Yes, tens of thousands.

These numerous icicles materialized above the deepest recesses before plummeting down, completely blocking any escape routes for Kalpas, leaving him truly cornered with no blind spots.

It's worth mentioning that although called "icicles," these were actually scorching hot. The concept of fiery ice shards may seem unimaginable, defying scientific principles, but it wasn't entirely impossible.

However, Kalpas showed no intention of evading Ana's attack. Standing firm like a defiant rebel, he let out a roar, unleashing terrifying power that radiated outward through sound waves.

Under the influence of these sound waves, Ana's ice spears effortlessly shattered.

As for energy conservation? There was nothing to be done about it; energy cannot be arbitrarily destroyed, only transformed. Thus, Kalpas could only confront it head-on.

"Hahaha—Brilliant! Absolutely exhilarating!"

"Again—come at me again!"

"Destruct me! Otherwise—watch as I destroy everything!"

Kalpas unleashed his fury with abandon, and amidst the raging flames, he finally revealed his true capabilities.

Indeed, his previous attacks were merely warm-ups. His genuine strength had yet to be displayed, but now, it was time to unleash it fully.

"Haah!" With Kalpas' forceful cry, akin to a natural disaster unfolding, the starlit sea transformed into a scene reminiscent of the apocalypse. Blazing meteors plummeted from the heavens, relentlessly striking the ground below.

As Ana watched the continuous barrage of meteors, her figure flickered swiftly through the air.

She could sense an extraordinary power within these falling stars, which might be incomprehensible to most, but as one versed in destiny, she found it quite familiar.

It was named—Kalpa (Calamity)!

Any being adhering to fate inevitably faces Kalpas; when defying predetermined events, calamities descend accordingly. Overcoming them leads to rebirth.

However, the Kalpas unleashed by Kalpas himself were not under his direct control. For those enduring these attacks, it felt akin to innocent bystanders caught in collateral damage. Kalpas was truly the one defying destiny, and fundamentally, these so-called Kalpas primarily targeted him.

In simpler terms, Kalpas was attempting to draw his enemies into his domain of expertise, leveraging his mastery to defeat them.

Unfortunately for Kalpas, this strategy did not work against Ana.

If these tribulations were truly brought by fate, they would indeed pose a challenge for Ana. However, despite being calamities unleashed by Kalpa, at their core, they remained pure physical and energy-based attacks.

As meteors rained down from the heavens, Ana clenched her fist, invoking the Ice Authority. The particles' motion slowed, forces neutralized each other, ultimately suspending all meteorites mid-air.

"Boom—"

With another snap of her fingers, reminiscent of her previous Wind Burst technique, Ana now unleashed an Ice Burst with even greater destructive power.

Wind Burst essentially triggers Honkai Energy within fluids, while Ice Burst releases the energy stored in every particle. Such mastery delves into microscopic control, encompassing all forms of energy.

Instantly, the starry sky dimmed as a terrifying energy storm swept across the deepest recesses. This time, not even Aponia's power could mitigate the impact, but fortunately, Elysia was present.

Ana's use of the Ice Authority relied on replicating Primogenitor's capabilities rather than possessing it inherently, thus still subject to Elysia's control.

Despite this, Ana's casual display was enough to astonish everyone present.

It should be noted that what she had just demonstrated was merely the initial application of her Ice Authority. The truly formidable capabilities remained untested; however, Ana sensed it might now be impossible for her to unleash them fully.

Unless the Herrscher of Origin from the Present World reshaped her Ice Authority anew, achieving such mastery would have to wait until she genuinely became the Herrscher of Ice.

As Ana unleashed her Frost Nova, Kalpas below also felt its effects. However, compared to their encounter with Ana's tornado earlier, the impact this time was significantly reduced.

Nevertheless, in response, Kalpas finally revealed their true trump card.

One by one, pillars emerged from the shattered landscape beneath, forming an ancient array-like structure that enveloped the area. A peculiar energy permeated the surroundings, precisely the force that mitigated the damage of the Frost Nova moments ago.

This power is known as Destruction, or more accurately, Annihilation.

It represents the pinnacle of devastation, yet naturally, such immense strength comes with drawbacks.

If Kalpas were to attempt destroying the entire world, they themselves would inevitably perish before accomplishing their goal.

Ana extended her hand, and ice coalesced around it, forming an icicle spear. Gathering her strength, she hurled the spear forward. Within the domain of Destruction, the ice spear exploded, clashing with Kalpas' annihilating power amidst surging energy.

Ultimately, the domain of Destruction shattered, causing the supporting pillars to crumble and disintegrate as well.

However, this was not Kalpas' final resort. Although these crumbling pillars appeared to represent his power, they were actually part of Kalpas' seal.

To engage in relentless combat, one must embrace destruction.

Gazing at Kalpas before her, Ana couldn't help but recall another unreleased game from Mi Corp - Honkai: Star Rail's Little Sister, "Honkai Impact".

The Aeon of Destruction, Nanook, bore striking similarities to Kalpas in some respects.

If Kalpas had emerged in the universe prior to Nanook's creation, perhaps... he might have replaced Destruction himself, becoming the Aeon of Destruction instead.

As the pillars of Destruction fractured, Kalpas let out another roar. This time, scorching flames engulfed the entire area, setting everything ablaze.

Despite lacking any support, the rising inferno spread upwards, effectively blocking the sky above Ana.

Within the raging fire, Kalpas laughed maniacally.

"Come forth, Herrscher! Embrace this blazing inferno with me and let's see... who will first be consumed by the flames!"

"I am the impending destruction! I am the end!"

Standing amidst the sky, Ana felt the encroaching inferno around her. As Kalpas had warned, if she didn't act swiftly, she too would be engulfed, reduced to ashes.

Kalpas' ultimate strategy, as Ana correctly surmised, was to force his opponent into his domain. If unable to defeat them outright, he aimed for mutual annihilation.

It seemed that Kalpas had exhausted all his available tactics; this represented his limit.

Unfortunately, this was far from Ana's limit, not even close to what the Herrscher of Ice could truly unleash.

"Kalpas, have you vented your fury enough now?" Ana spoke calmly, her voice unwavering despite being within this apocalyptic realm, reflecting her absolute confidence.

"No, it's not enough! Herrscher!" Kalpas continued roaring, but his voice now carried hints of delirium. As a pure brute, sometimes abandoning reason is necessary, and that was precisely what Kalpas was doing at this moment.

"If you're unwilling to relent, then I'll take matters into my own hands."

As Ana spoke, the Herrscher's gaze manifested in her eyes. Until now, she hadn't displayed the true caliber expected of the Herrscher of Ice. Instead, she had been relying on her inherent power to control the Ice Authority, much like how Sirin utilized the Herrscher of Reason's strength.

But now, she was truly ready to unleash her full potential!

Kalpas indeed killed one Herrscher of Ice, but it was merely a newly awakened one—barely even fully realized. Now, Ana intended to showcase the genuine might of the Herrscher of Ice!