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Faced with Hiko's firm stance, Durandal could only smile.
Hiko's attitude was undeniably justified; both Schicksal and the Lord Bishop had indeed treated her unfairly—an argunt Durandal couldn't refute. Nevertheless, she genuinely hoped such an exceptional Valkyrie like Hiko would return to Schicksal.
Of course, it was rely a hope, aligning perfectly with Durandal's own position, equally unassailable.
As the new Herrscher of Domination entered the Dominion Theater, control over this Virtual Space shifted accordingly. After all, every Herrscher of Domination possesses dominion powers.
With the loss of control over the Dominion Theater, the fleeing dolls beca trapped fish awaiting their fate—a true shift from defense to offense.
With that, Schicksal's Valkyrie forces rushed to the Dominion Theater, launching an all-out offensive against the Puppeteer.
Concerned about the Herrscher of Dominance's Authority being recaptured amidst the counterattack, Durandal's mission was to remain on standby and protect the Herrscher at all tis.
Outside the Dominion Theater, Rita led the Immortal Blades squad to safeguard the trial field housing the Herrscher of Thousands.
In no ti, the remaining dolls were systematically eliminated. So fell under the control of the Herrscher of Dominance, reverting them back to the Herrscher of Human—an unexpected but welco outco.
Herrschers hold imnse significance for the entire world. Even transforming a re Herrscher of Thousands into the Herrscher of Human is considered a positive developnt.
Finally, all the dolls were purged, and the Cores of the Herrscher of Thousands were collected. With this, the malevolent Herrscher of Dominance lost both the Dominion Theater and any chance of resurgence.
Even if so dolls escaped initially, over ti, they would be unable to evade the benevolent Herrscher of Thousands. Ultimately, they too would succumb to assimilation, ensuring the complete eradication of the Herrscher of Dominance.
Onboard the Hyperion, forr faculty and students of Saint Freya Academy reunited once more. Only two were missing this ti—Ana and i.
But there were also two new faces: Anti-Entropy's two doctors. You might ask about Welt Yang? She expressed no interest in attending such gatherings, despite having been a teacher at Saint Freya herself.
Additionally, Liliya, Rozaliya, and Seele joined them.
Although they hailed from Anti-Entropy, they too had heard tales of Murata Hiko and held her with equal admiration and respect as their own ntor.
Despite being aboard the Hyperion, everyone followed their old traditions from Saint Freya Academy and threw a party.
Why not at Saint Freya Academy, you ask? Although relations with Schicksal have improved recently, the academy remains under their control. Moreover, officially, Ana is still its current principal and overseer.
Yes, no one wanted to disrupt this delicate balance, maintaining an unspoken understanding among themselves.
At the party, Theresa genuinely laughed for the first ti in ages. She brought out her bitter lon juice, as expected, only to be t with disdain once again—except Seele, who attempted a sip before Veliona swiftly intervened.
It's safe to say, Theresa's taste preferences were quite...unappreciated. As Senti would put it, "Who could possibly enjoy such a thing?"
Being a festive occasion, the atmosphere was lively and enjoyable. Anti-Entropy, experienced in organizing events, had just celebrated their anniversary not long ago.
Hiko also got to indulge in her favorite wine again, thanks to Theresa rembering her preference. In truth, during her ti away, she had sampled plenty of fine wines at Raven's place, but nothing compared to enjoying a drink with her colleagues and students.
However, the present Hiko dared not get drunk like she used to.
After the party, Hiko stood on the familiar bridge, feeling the wind against her face. Back when she was Captain of the Hyperion, this spot had been where she often took in the scenery, sipped fine wine, and indulged herself freely.
Now, she had beco a steady and composed teacher.
The sound of footsteps approached from behind Hiko, but she didn't turn around. Having spent enough ti with everyone at Saint Freya Academy, she could easily identify their habits and distinguish them by their gait—except for one person, naturally.
"Excuse , Lady Hiko."
"Hmm, hello, Dr. Einstein," responded Hiko without missing a beat.
Indeed, it was none other than Dr. Einstein who appeared behind her. Considering the alternatives, it made sense; if Tesla were here, there would have already been a commotion. Hiko and Tesla were quite acquainted after all.
"How did you manage to escape from Virtual Space, Lady Hiko?" Einstein asked directly, her voice calm yet tinged with a hint of languor, concealing her emotions effectively. This was typical of Dr. Einstein's deanor.
She genuinely wondered how Hiko escaped from Virtual Space. Given the circumstances, no matter what Hiko attempted, leaving should have been impossible. Moreover, at that ti, Hiko was severely injured, seemingly close to her end.
Hiko hesitated briefly, weighing her words before speaking up, "A friend paid a significant price to bring out from the Virtual Space."
"A friend..." Einstein's eyes flickered montarily, then she nodded slightly.
"I understand."
Indeed, for them, this single phrase explained much. Since Hiko didn't wish to disclose more details, it wouldn't be appropriate to press further. However, one thing was certain—this friend of Hiko's must possess extraordinary influence and likely holds favorable intentions towards them.
Otherwise, Hiko wouldn't have returned at all. But now, Einstein wasn't sure how to align with such a powerful figure's actions; thus, they could only...leave it to fate. Perhaps Hiko knew more, but as before, if she chose not to share, there was no way to force her.
And maybe, this is precisely what that being intended!
In the following days, a brief tranquility settled over the three organizations, including Hiko's life. Her return initially made everyone sowhat cautious, but they quickly adjusted.
However, regardless of who it was, they all deliberately avoided discussing a particular topic—or rather, a specific person. Even Hiko understood that this individual was Ana.
It's quite amusing to note that Hiko is fully aware of Ana's situation and even knows it intimately due to her connection with Ana, compelling her to keep their secret.
On the other hand, Kiana has no knowledge of Ana beyond believing she died. To avoid upsetting Hiko, they've never discussed it openly, creating an intriguing dynamic between them.
For Hiko, this arrangent brings a sense of relief. She admits to having a bit of a loose tongue; although not blatantly so, there's always the risk that one day, after indulging too much, she might inadvertently reveal the truth under the influence of alcohol - which would be disastrous.
By maintaining silence, they manage to maintain peace without any mishaps.
However, while this may ease tensions for them, it leaves the Captains outside the world in sheer distress.
With Hiko's sudden appearance, many speculated that it must have sothing to do with Ana. Moreover, as the Herrscher of Fla, coupled with Bai Zhi's ergence possessing the Authority of the Herrscher of Sentience, suspicions grew stronger. Additionally, Hiko referred to soone as "a friend."
"A friend?" Teacher Hiko, could this friend possibly be Ana? Just how many extraordinary friends does an old woman like you have?
Logically speaking, all signs pointed towards this person being Ana. Yet, frustratingly, Hiko remained tight-lipped about it thereafter.
Additionally, so internet trolls erged at this opportune mont, spreading rumors that the developers had secretly altered content and introduced a new character—a God of Honkai, incredibly overpowered—claiming this individual would directly defeat the Herrscher of Finality in future storylines.
Within a short ti, these manipulations indeed swayed many people's opinions. So even targeted the official channels with their outrage, but after cooling down, they realized it was all just clownery, waiting for the actual developer updates to set things straight.
However, there's no denying that this wave of speculation generated significant buzz for Honkai Impact 3. While it didn't exactly bring back players lost due to previous boneheaded managent decisions, it did attract a fresh influx of interest.
Later, when analyzing Old Mi's successful case studies, so speculated that the company itself might have orchestrated these online discussions behind the scenes. After all, every occurrence seed too coincidental, and eventually, most theories crumbled without much effort.
Coincidentally, another exploded in popularity around the sa ti—"It must be MiHoYo, huh; yes, at least in this instance, it could very well be MiHoYo."
Indeed, malicious manipulation typically serves soone's interests. If instigated by competitors, Old Mi likely wouldn't remain passive. However, if it were indeed Old Mi themselves, well, it makes perfect sense!
Of course, at their core, these discussions were all about generating buzz and traffic. For genuine fans who loved the ga, it had little impact.
What truly captivated players, especially Captains, was what characters MiHoYo planned to introduce in Version 5.0 alongside the Herrschers.
From a sentintal standpoint, wouldn't it be fitting to release a new S-rank armor for Hiko?
Certainly not unreasonable, but considering the need to roll for weapons, Stigmata, and characters—including two S-rank characters—would any player be able to resist such temptation?
However, so quickly voiced their concerns.
If players could anticipate this, so could the developers. Introducing such controversial changes in a pivotal update might genuinely spell doom for Honkai Impact 3.
This viewpoint swiftly gained agreent from most players. Ultimately, everyone hoped for the ga's continued success.
In pursuit of this goal, existing players were willing to compromise and let bygones be bygones.
Moreover, due to the engaging storyline, pacing, and promotional efforts, even without the official Version 5.0 preview yet, fresh blood was already being infused into Honkai Impact 3. This period witnessed a surge of newcors joining the ga.
As long as Old Mi could skillfully manage things, it might not be impossible for Honkai Impact 3 to experience a resurgence and enjoy its second spring.
In Brother Cake's live stream, due to the new version and its storyline update, he decided to revisit his roots and stread Honkai Impact 3—a familiar sight with the Abyss followed by story progression.
Naturally, even before diving into the plot, so viewers expressed concerns about the new characters during the Abyss segnt.
However, unlike his previous disinterest, Brother Cake appeared quite enthusiastic this ti. Although he hadn't personally progressed through the new storyline, he had watched snippets on the platform and found them promising.
Moreover, the content involving Hiko and Kiana was genuinely thrilling, leading to a satisfying outco for all parties involved.
As for the bosses, the Herrscher of Thousands indeed evoked strong disdain, but as a villain, the more despised they are, the more beloved they beco.
It's true that this wave of the storyline introduced no less than three new Herrschers. Among them was Susannah, one of the Herrschers of a Thousand People. Whether she would eventually join the playable roster remained uncertain; however, Brother Cake leaned towards a positive answer. Prior to this, Susannah had already made appearances in both the ga's narrative and comics, indicating dedicated character modeling efforts.
Next were Herrscher of Fla Hiko and Herrscher of Flascion Kiana.
"Brother Cake, do you think we'll get dual Herrschers?"
"No," Brother Cake replied firmly, then produced two images—one showing the current Hiko, and the other featuring the True Red Knight armor.
"If there's no surprise, they'll likely introduce an Amplification Core, along with a Transcendence dedicated weapon to boost the power of the True Red Knight."
As he spoke, Brother Cake showcased the True Red Knight.
To be fair, the combat feel of the True Red Knight armor was quite good, albeit slightly heavy. However, it didn't remain prominent in the Abyss or battlefields for long—not because it lacked strength per se.
Alright, perhaps its strength was indeed lacking. Before elental differentiation beca more distinct, both being chanical-type, the True Red Knight was completely outshone by Yuelun. Essentially, most elental teams favored Yuelun over others.
Now, this could potentially present an opportunity for the True Red Knight.
"But wouldn't that impact the strength of Herrscher of Flascion?"
"Most likely not, and considering Herrscher of Flascion is probably ESP-based, it doesn't directly compete with Red Knight," Brother Cake explained. "Besides, given how long Red Knight has been around, they're probably about to start giving it away for free soon. Future updates might even offer a low-cost Amplification Core option for Red Knight."
After a brief pause, he added, "These are just my guesses, but I'm fairly confident. If the developers truly want to retain players, they need to be more generous without forcing microtransactions.
"Honestly, Herrscher of Flascion already feels like a push towards spending; who could resist pulling for her? Who wouldn't try their luck?
"If both characters require separate pulls, this will undoubtedly trend on social dia imdiately!
"In any case, if I have to choose between them, I'd definitely have to give up on Hiko. All I can say is, let's hope the devs show so rcy."
With that, Brother Cake sighed helplessly. Ga developers... They were inevitably disliked by players, yet he genuinely loved this ga and didn't wish to see it decline further...
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