"Ai-i?"
Kiana hesitated to speak.
"Kiana doesn't like it?" Elysia quickly replied. "Then Ai-Kiana works too~~"
So why does it always have to be "Elysia soone else"?
Kiana grumbled internally.
Well, that's because Miss Pink Elf can pair with every cute girl, obviously.
If Elysia knew what Kiana was thinking right now, she'd probably answer like this:
"Elysia... this isn't sothing we get to decide."
"Yeah, it's true—the plot is all in 'Otto'-san's hands."
Elysia looked slightly regretful. "Sigh~~ Ai-i is nice, Ai-Kiana is nice too. If only I could have them both."
"..."
"Alright, let's not dwell on that."
She knew when to stop.
The puppet tried to break i's composure—but i's indifferent reaction only made it more agitated.
It couldn't outtalk her, and it couldn't outfight her.
Even if i used the Herrscher of Thunder's power to attack, unlike with the Herrscher of Sentience, it couldn't steal her Authority.
The puppet theoretically had no way to deal with i.
"Damn it, if you said you didn't need her by your side, then why are you still looking for her?"
i replied flatly: "Clearly, you're looking for her for sothing. I'm just here to get in your way."
At that, the puppet let out an exaggeratedly aggrieved cry.
"You jerk! Picking on weak little Herrschers like us—don't you feel ashad?"
"No." i didn't even pause.
"You shalessly admitted it!?" The puppet was stunned.
[Hahahaha, I'm dying—Not only is she not ashad, she's enjoying it!]
[Boss i: As a Herrscher, and you're this weak? Aren't you ashad?]
[So satisfying! Absolutely cathartic! Boss i yyds.]
The viewers watching this iconic mont were delighted.
Elysia couldn't help but chuckle as well.
"Aiya, i... with this kind of commanding aura, how is Kiana supposed to rein her in?"
She imagined what it'd be like if this i t Kiana now.
Sohow, the idea of i pinning Kiana against a wall didn't seem out of place.
"Why does Kiana have to rein i in?"
"Huh? So Kiana, you already..."
"What I ant is..."
Kiana shook her head. "i and I—we have our own way of being together. We walk side by side."
"...Walk side by side?" Elysia savored the phrase.
"Yeah. Even if they're apart now, they're still walking side by side." Kiana's voice was firm.
Elysia thought for a mont, then smiled softly.
"Mm. Even though Kiana and i are separated, seeing how they're still thinking of each other... maybe they've never truly been apart."
She paused, then looked more closely at Kiana.
"Sigh~~ Kiana's so composed today. Saying all these powerful things."
"Umm..."
At that, Kiana's eyes drifted sideways—briefly landing on Hokuto.
She had, after all, asked him to tutor her a bit a few days before the livestream.
"Hehe~~ It's all thanks to the boss's good teaching... cough, cough—I an, don't underestimate !"
...
In the ga, the puppet couldn't do anything to i, and finally had to cut its losses to survive.
It severed the area where i was, splitting it entirely from the Theater.
That way, even if i defeated them, she couldn't assist Kiana.
Elsewhere, Fu Hua and Bronya also entered the Theater.
But they too were held up by puppets and couldn't reach Kiana right away.
Finally, the scene returned to Kiana.
The puppet was still chipping away at her ntal defenses.
"Well? Looks familiar, doesn't it?"
"Do you rember who held this? Do you know why it's here?"
"Co on, say what's in your heart."
In a mocking, sinister tone, it taunted her:
"Murata Hiko is dead!"
The mood imdiately dropped.
Just monts ago, everyone had been laughing. Now it was gone.
Kiana: "..."
She remained silent and calm.
The puppet, not getting the reaction it wanted, seed disappointed.
"Hey! Are you deaf, or just too stupid to understand? Or have you gone catatonic from despair?"
"..."
Still no answer.
The puppet screeched:
"Murata Hiko is dead. Dead, dead, dead! Do you hear !?"
Kiana still said nothing.
Seeing that string of "dead," the players were fuming.
Damn puppet! So annoying! Soone cut off its ugly head already!
A flood of bullet comnts flew past:
[Boss i went too easy on them earlier.]
[You dumb puppet—you're the one about to die, thanks to your own damn mouth!]
[Just wait, Herrscher trio a MANTIS are gonna surround you like a mahjong table!]
[You liar! Hiko-oneesan isn't dead!]
...
"Hoo~~"
Kiana exhaled a long breath.
"Need so water?" Hiko asked gently.
Strangely, Hiko seed the calst right now.
Kiana didn't reply—she just stared intently at the screen.
Seeing that, Hiko said no more.
Outside, Hokuto thought for a mont and turned to Rita.
"Rita, please get Kiana and the others so water."
"Understood." Rita nodded and turned to leave.
Hokuto added, "Oh—and bring a few packs of tissues too."
"..."
Rita gave Hokuto a few extra glances and muttered,
"You really are... ticulously caring."
anwhile, Elysia continued pushing the main story.
"Not a single reaction? Hey, aren't you a little too cold-blooded?"
Kiana's voice was startlingly calm:
"Then what kind of reaction were you expecting from ?"
"To collapse in sobs, wail on your knees, screaming 'This can't be happening' over and over?"
"To go insane, ntally break down, hurt myself out of guilt?"
"You'll be disappointed."
Kiana wasn't speaking hypothetically.
Those were things she had truly experienced.
It's precisely because she's been through all that...
That she wouldn't be defeated by it again.
So players quickly picked up on this and posted it in the comnts—
Which made those already heartbroken over Kiana's growth hurt even more.
Puppet: "That... that's not right?"
In its calculation, given Kiana's feelings for Hiko, she should've broken down.
"You're just putting on a front! Refusing to accept reality!"
"You don't really think this gem is fake, do you? Fine—then let's show you its real power!"
With those words, it summoned a batch of flaming Honkai Beasts using the Gem of Haste.
"Hahaha, don't run! Don't dodge! This is the power your beloved teacher once used!"
"Did you know? When we found it, the gem was drifting alone in the Imaginary Space."
"So strange, right? Wasn't it supposed to be embedded in the Crimson Armor? Worn by her?
Where did the one who should be with it go?"
The puppet kept pouring salt into Kiana's wounds.
"Who knows! Hahaha! But you always knew, didn't you? That day—she died! You killed her!"
"She was just a mortal. There's no way she could escape the Imaginary Space. She couldn't even maintain her existence."
"But you refuse to accept it! You're still fantasizing that soone can save her—trying to make up for your unforgivable sin!"
Every word struck not just Kiana—but the players too.
Because what the puppet said... wasn't far from their own thoughts.
They didn't want to accept Hiko was truly gone, and made up endless possibilities.
But if the puppet could use the Gem of Haste, it must be real.
And the gem still being there ant the Herrscher of Flascion hadn't erged.
Otherwise, like with the Herrscher of Thunder, the gem should've disappeared.
And ordinary humans can't survive in the Imaginary Space.
So...
!!!
So players watching the livestream and progressing the main story together suddenly realized:
Hiko burned herself out to light the way for Kiana—
Her body torn and battered, she drifted alone through Imaginary Space, embracing death in solitude.
Their eyes welled up.
A wave of indescribable grief surged in their hearts.
"Damn you, puppet!"
"Hiko-sensei!!"
""
""
They slamd their headsets down, pounded their desks, cursed the puppet, spamd attacks on screen—
All to vent their pain.
In the end, most players ca to terms with it.
Only one regret remained:
That Kiana never got to see Hiko one last ti.
But they believed in her.
That the Kiana now could carry on.
Another short cutscene played in the ga.
The puppet held the Gem of Haste, still sneering about Hiko's tragic fate.
Suddenly—a gunshot.
The puppet was shot down by Kiana.
The gem fell to the ground.
Kiana slowly walked to its corpse, picked up the gem, and declared with unwavering resolve:
"I don't know what kind of reaction you wanted to see from ... but I do know..."
"What Hiko-sensei wanted to do!"
With the Gem of Haste in hand, Kiana showed a profile so cool it blew everyone away.
Her words brought comfort to all.
"It was stolen! Stolen!"
Another puppet appeared:
"Claiming righteousness while stealing? Thief! Robber!"
Suddenly, it paused, then spoke again—its tone drastically changed.
"Fine. Since you want that gem so badly, I'll give it to you. But—at a price!"
With that—
Kiana was hit by a sudden wave of disorientation.
Inside her—
Another consciousness stirred.
One that had once brought humanity endless pain.
The Herrscher of the Void was about to return!
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