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Brother Cake's words montarily silenced his viewers.
It rang true for them.
The core audience of Brother Cake's fans primarily consisted of Honkai Impact 3rd Captains. Although he gained more attention due to Genshin Impact later on, this remained the foundation. Those watching his stream were mostly dedicated Honkai Impact 3rd players, despite so having already quit the ga. However, it didn't an they didn't wish for the ga to improve.
After a brief silence, soone spoke up, changing the topic:
[Brother Cake, what do you think about this storyline? Who is Hiko's friend ntioned?]
"I believe, unless it's a sudden introduction of a new character, it can only be Ana," Brother Cake responded thoughtfully after a mont's consideration.
"From previous plot points, we can infer that during 'The Last Lesson,' Ana was absent from the story for a while. Afterward, she reappeared in Tianqiong City, seemingly detached from worldly affairs."
Brother Cake paused, took a sip of water, and composed his emotions.
"Furthermore, Ana could be considered Hiko's friend. However, if that's the case, it also aligns with another aspect-the new character Bai Zhi."
"There's a possibility she truly is Ana. In the current storyline, she either wears a mask or a veil; while I don't doubt MiHoYo's aesthetic choices, there seems no real need for such concealnt."
"I feel we can boldly speculate that Ana might have outpaced everyone else, potentially becoming a boss-like figure who makes a grand entrance towards the end. It's definitely sothing to look forward to!"
Perhaps due to his fondness for this character, Brother Cake's voice carried a hint of excitent.
Although his theory seed plausible, it lacked concrete evidence, leading to swift rebuttals from so viewers in the live chat.
[Alright, alright, strear, stop adding your own twists. Ana is dead, along with the Herrscher Core.]
"It's just speculation," Brother Cake responded calmly, undeterred. "I'm rely sharing my perspective; whether you believe it or not is up to you. Besides, wasn't I asked to give my thoughts on the matter?"
Moreover, honestly, given the circumstances, with World Serpent, Anti-Entropy, and Schicksal not intervening, who else could have saved Hiko and even transford her into the Herrscher of Fla, earning her approval so solemnly?
Among all existing characters, only Ana seed plausible.
As for whether she's truly dead or not, now that Hiko has won her resurrection arc, why couldn't Ana do the sa? Not to ntion, compared to Hiko, Ana had nurous advantages.
Even Otto himself didn't believe she died just like that.
Interestingly, during this part of the storyline, Otto surprisingly played a minimal role. He briefly surfaced at Schicksal's experintal facility, causing a slight shock among players, but then disappeared without further involvent.
Honestly, it didn't align with players' stereotypical expectations of Otto.
This guy must be scheming sothing nefarious! Based on this perspective, Brother Cake straightforwardly created a poll, and the vast majority of players agreed with his viewpoint.
Otto's presence is crucial to Honkai Impact 3's narrative. In essence, whenever Otto isn't directly involved in events, he's undoubtedly orchestrating mischief behind the scenes.
Indeed, earlier in the story, it was Otto who sent Senti to World Serpent to et Kevin, all while maintaining an air of complete control.
"In any case, how things unfold next will depend on the writers and planners' decisions. For now, I'm satisfied with this update's content. As long as they don't ss up the follow-up, I have no complaints," Brother Cake concluded, effectively wrapping up his stream comntary.
Soon after, version 5.0, titled "Spark of Legacy," arrived. This ti, the pre-release preview broke away from previous blandness, packed with abundant content and revelations.
Firstly, it was confird that this update introduced only one initial S-rank character: Herrscher of Flascion.
Hiko's transformation into a Herrscher was achieved through an Amplification Core, simultaneously hinting at a potential future monetization point—the Red Knight's new Transcendence dedicated weapon, Cleaver of Shamash - Ruby Sky Ablaze.
However, for this version, the dedicated weapon wasn't made exclusively purchasable; instead, players could obtain it upon completing the storyline. It is likely to be added to the gacha pool in subsequent updates.
This decision proved acceptable to most players. Compared to the past instance with Abyss Flower, the developers showed considerable restraint this ti. Additionally, the introduction of the Red Knight Amplification Core rekindled Captains' hopes for their older characters.
Perhaps this was just the beginning; after all, previous Amplification Cores had relatively minor effects, and those armor sets were obtainable without spending real money.
Additionally, upon updating to the new version, players could claim a Red Knight, catering specifically to casual gars who didn't yet own one, giving them sothing worthwhile to look forward to.
Overall, it wasn't much different from later versions offering free Queens, but any direct giveaway is still comndable.
Lastly, the update revealed a significant addition—the Elysian Realm along with its accompanying concept PV.
Honestly, the introduction of the Elysian Realm, in a sense, signaled that the Red Knight's Amplification Core might be end for the Amplification Core system.
From then on, developers focused solely on reviving old characters within the Elysian Realm, rather than enhancing their strength further in Abyss or battlefield scenarios.
The reason behind this... well, developers need to make money too.
Amplification Cores offered limited monetization opportunities, but the primary goal here was to boost player engagent with Version 5.0, preparing the ground for future updates.
So once again, never empathize with ga designers; their sole purpose is to deceive players for revenue, orchestrating everything ticulously.
However, this ti, despite knowing there would be more monetization sches ahead, players willingly embraced the 5.0 update's content.
After all—when playing gas, it's best to focus on recent updates. Overthinking about future possibilities might as well lead one to quit altogether, given no one can predict what tricks the designers may pull next.
It's always advantageous to claim rewards and acquire new characters early, allowing ample ti to enjoy them fully.
Finally, the Hyperion returned to Saint Freya Academy—the place where it all began. Compared to its past, not much had changed here.
While Ana might not have been considered a competent principal, more of a hands-off overseer, her policies and plans were faithfully implented during her tenure.
After all, for a ti, everything at Saint Freya was directly managed by the Schicksal Bishop himself.
Saint Freya Academy held a sensitive position within Schicksal Headquarters, yet this ti, Theresa's return t with tacit approval from above.
As they stepped back onto the familiar campus grounds, emotions swirled among the group. Standing at the entrance of the well-known Saint Freya Academy, they gazed into the distance, montarily seeing their forr selves reflected there.
However, compared to those days, two individuals were now missing—Raiden i and Ana.
In solemn silence, each mber silently resolved to defeat Honkai once and for all.
Hiko's eyes glistened with emotion. For her, these past nine months felt both fleeting and unbearably long. During nights in Nagazora City, she would often sit by the bonfire, gazing towards Saint Freya Academy.
Now, returning to this place, it no longer felt the sa. Looking at Kiana and Bronya beside her, Hiko experienced a sense of being from another era. It had been rely half a year, yet there was...a feeling as if retirent from service was imminent—truly bittersweet.
Theresa and the others could return here only because Otto relented, and the reason behind his change of heart needed no explanation. With his plan nearing success, he intended to pass on Schicksal leadership to Theresa.
From a purely leadership perspective, Theresa wasn't an ideal choice. However, Otto did not see eye-to-eye with Welt, and for Schicksal, Welt represented a rebellious presence against tradition.
In short, Otto and Welt simply didn't get along.
Since Saint Freya Academy had always been ticulously managed, upon their return, Theresa and the others swiftly settled back into their roles.
Of course, this had nothing to do with Ji i herself. At present, Saint Freya Academy had very few students. In these turbulent tis, investing resources and manpower into education seed wasteful and yielded little progress.
Education is inherently ti-consuming, and the nurous Honkai Worlds across regions have already stretched Schicksal's Valkyries thin. Moreover, the ongoing conflict between the three major organizations only compounded the issue.
Theresa now understood this as well. After her period of wandering, she had grown significantly and knew what actions were necessary for the current situation.
On the balcony of the Valkyrie Dormitory, Hiko leaned against the railing, holding a bottle of fine wine. Tilting her head back, she gazed at the starlit sky, montarily feeling as if she saw Ana's figure amidst the twinkling stars.
"Teacher Hiko."
A familiar, cool voice sounded beside Hiko, but it didn't surprise her expression.
"You're here."
Following the sound, she spotted Herrscher of Thunder, Raiden i, who had silently appeared next to her. Despite her serious deanor, there was an imasurable gentleness in her eyes.
"Care for a glass?"
Smiling, Hiko raised the bottle of wine in her hand, then displayed a slightly awkward grin.
Hiko always felt reassured about Raiden i as her student. Moreover, during their ti in Nagazora City, she frequently heard updates about Raiden i's activities.
It was indeed much easier to stay inford about Raiden i compared to Kiana.
As for Raiden i choosing to join World Serpent, Hiko understood; she had witnessed firsthand the bond and affection between i and Kiana.
"Kevin said it wasn't possible for you to survive within Virtual Space, so truly..." Raiden i began.
Regarding Hiko's situation, Raiden i had been actively investigating, but unbeknownst to her, the clue was right beside her all along. If she had asked Raven directly, perhaps Raven would have answered.
This scenario illustrates that sotis, desperation can lead to unexpected results.
"I'm sorry, I promised not to reveal it," Hiko shook her head, sounding sowhat regretful.
In reality, at present, only Otto and Raven knew about Ana saving Hiko. As for others, well, they simply couldn't access this information.
At that ti, Otto chose to use Fenghuang Down to alter the mories of three S-rank Valkyries from Schicksal, making everything related to Hiko a closely guarded secret.
Due to this limited knowledge, the Herrscher of Thousands could exploit it for her sches. However, Ana had anticipated these moves, leading to the outco you've all witnessed.
"I understand."
Raiden i nodded, comprehending Hiko's perspective. Moreover, Hiko's response wasn't entirely uninformative for her. Still, many questions lingered in her mind, especially regarding their previous encounter with the Will of Honkai.
However, even Teacher Hiko might not have answers to those queries; she would need to consult Kevin instead.
"Apologies, Teacher Hiko, but due to certain circumstances, I cannot..."
"i, don't worry about it. Among my students, you're the one I trust most. Your choices must have valid reasons behind them. Besides, joining World Serpent isn't necessarily a bad choice. In fact, during the past half-year, I spent so ti there myself."
"Huh?"
This ti, Raiden i was genuinely taken aback.
She never imagined that during her absence, Teacher Hiko had actually spent so ti with World Serpent. If true, it could potentially debunk her previous assumptions, indicating that World Serpent is indeed more complex than she thought.
Seeing Raiden i's expression, Hiko realized there might be a misunderstanding, but she chose not to correct it.
Ana's request was to create confusion and obscure their actions as much as possible, allowing her to maneuver discreetly behind the scenes. Raiden i's reaction perfectly aligned with their expectations.
However...
A fire concealed under paper can't remain hidden forever, Hiko silently acknowledged. Of course, she understood that Ana wasn't playing with fire recklessly; she had her own compelling reasons. Yet, from Hiko's perspective, constant secrecy might not be the wisest choice.
While she could counsel Kiana or Raiden i, when it ca to Ana, Hiko felt truly powerless.
Throughout their relationship, Ana had always been the one guiding her, and Hiko wasn't sure how to persuade her otherwise. However, from her perspective, Ana's actions were akin to walking on a razor's edge—unnecessarily risky.
Of course, this was rely Hiko's viewpoint; she couldn't change Ana's mind, nor did she currently know how to contact her. All she could do was pray and cooperate with Ana's plan as best she could.
Moreover, despite being an outsider who might see things more clearly, Hiko lacked insight into matters at Ana's level.
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