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

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Within the Dominion Theater, high above the sky, a figure descended like a phoenix reborn from fire, its crimson flames dispersing the malicious gloom.

The familiar yet slightly different greatsword struck fiercely against the unorganized masses, overwhelming them with unmatched force. The woman landed on the stage, her combat boots making crisp and steady sounds upon contact with the marble floor.

The sound echoed like a bell tolling her return.

The threads that had bound Kiana were now burned to ash by this fierce blaze. Despite its scorching heat, she felt no pain—only warmth.

She looked up to see the familiar figure standing before her. With a casual gesture, Murata Himeko plunged her blazing greatsword into the ground and extended a hand toward Kiana.

"Well done, Kiana."

"But there's still work to be done."

Gazing at the woman before her, Kiana gritted her teeth, suppressing both longing and confusion within her heart. She was right; it wasn't time for complacency yet. There would be ample opportunity to reminisce after eliminating the Herrscher of Dominance!

"Murata Himeko?! How...how can you still be alive?!" The Herrscher of Dominance growled, her deep voice intertwining with countless others' incredulous tones. It seemed impossible for Murata Himeko to have survived, so how could she appear here?!

"Lucky break, I guess?" Himeko helped Kiana to her feet, then positioned herself protectively in front of her. With a gleeful smirk, she lifted the fiery greatsword from the ground and rested it on her shoulder.

Himeko had been holding back for far too long, and now, finally, she could unleash her fury upon this revolting abomination before her.

Making her entrance at this moment also brought a subtle satisfaction to Himeko, perhaps akin to what Ana described earlier—it indeed felt quite exhilarating.

"You!" The Herrscher of Dominance, formed from countless malicious intents, was rendered speechless.

In truth, there wasn't much it could say. Much of its confrontations with Kiana revolved around Himeko, often criticizing her. But now, with Himeko's return and newfound immense power, its lies crumbled effortlessly.

Nevertheless, the Herrscher of Dominance refused to yield.

"So you're alive? Just another failure! What can you possibly achieve?"

"Indeed, not much, but taking you down is more than enough," Himeko replied with a light laugh.

"Teacher Himeko..."

Kiana handed the Gem of Haste to Himeko, beaming with joy. Nothing could surpass the happiness of seeing her beloved teacher return.

"It belongs to you."

Smiling, Himeko accepted the Gem of Haste from Kiana, despite its rightful ownership.

"I'm not its true owner either, but its rightful master wishes for me to entrust it to you."

As Himeko spoke, the Gem of Haste ignited, transforming into an unceasing blaze—the Legacy of the Flame symbolizing inheritance.

"Who is its owner?"

Confusion clouded Kiana's face, though she could guess that this person must have saved Himeko and granted her current power. Indeed, it piqued Kiana's curiosity greatly.

"Hmm, that doesn't matter now. Please accept this Legacy of the Flame as a symbol of inheritance." Himeko's smile grew even warmer.

"Kiana, we believe in you. We trust that you can wield this power better, change this imperfect world for the better."

"The future belongs to you all."

"Teacher Himeko..."

"Take it!"

"Yes."

Seeing the sincerity and gentleness on Himeko's face, Kiana firmly nodded and accepted the Legacy of the Flame. In her hands, it transformed into a brand-new greatsword.

Simultaneously, two additional forces infused into the greatsword—Fu Hua's and Bronya's Authorities.

Just as in the original story, Fu Hua and Bronya temporarily transferred their Authorities to Kiana. Although they weren't in immediate danger, they now lacked any combat capability.

A new Herrscher outfit materialized around Kiana. In this moment, she completely shed her past as the Herrscher of the Void and became the Herrscher of Flamescion.

However, unlike before, where it was solely Kiana's solo performance, Teacher Himeko's presence didn't detract from the scene; instead, it elevated it.

"Teacher Himeko, being able to fight alongside you again...it feels great."

Kiana stepped forward, standing shoulder to shoulder with Himeko. Ideally, they should have positioned back-to-back for mutual support, but given their aggressive fighting styles—apologies, retreat wasn't part of their vocabulary. As long as their charge remained relentless, there was no need to worry about their backs, since neither would ever step back.

"All right, all right. Don't let emotions cloud your judgment on the battlefield. Let's move!"

With that, Himeko took the lead, swinging her blazing Greatsword towards the Herrscher of Dominance. Without hesitation, Kiana charged forward alongside her.

However, due to their respective Authorities and the situation at hand, Kiana flickered and appeared behind Herrscher of Dominance, setting up for a pincer maneuver.

"You...you fools! Why?! Why won't you just listen to me?!" The Herrscher of Dominance roared with countless overlapping voices. Clearly, neither Himeko nor Kiana had lost their composure, but this fusion of numerous malicious intents within Herrscher of Dominance was descending into chaos.

For the Herrscher of Dominance, even one Herrscher of Flamescion posed a formidable threat.

Now facing two Herrschers of Flame meant they stood no chance. The Herrscher of Flame inherently possesses unparalleled destructive power, while the Herrscher of Dominance, despite its impressive Authority...

The issue is, against awakened Herrschers with unwavering will and conviction, what could they possibly do?

Moreover, Murata Himeko's return had already shaken the resolve of many dolls. She embodied a living example, embodying the beliefs and aspirations of countless individuals. The impact of such a hero making her comeback cannot be overstated.

"I want to leave; I don't wish to become any doll!"

"Dammit, I still have my family—I refuse to succumb further!"

"I must continue fighting. My job was actually decent; there's no need..."

Such thoughts and statements continuously emerged within the Herrscher of Dominance, causing its once solidified malice to gradually crumble. As fitting for the name "Herrscher of Dominance," it was merely an unorganized mass.

This chaotic conglomerate would inevitably disperse like smoke.

"Shut up, shut up, shut up!" Within the Herrscher of Dominance, a familiar sharp voice eventually overpowered all others, temporarily stabilizing the entity.

But that didn't matter—the seeds had been planted. This was precisely the situation Ana had eagerly anticipated, finally realized under Murata Himeko's trump card assault.

As they say, strike while your enemy is weak, finish them off completely.

With just a brief exchange of glances, Kiana and Himeko simultaneously swung their swords at the Herrscher of Dominance.

Intense flames engulfed the surface of the Herrscher, amidst which countless dolls wailed, their voices echoing in agony.

"This ends now, Herrscher of Dominance!"

Kiana and Himeko simultaneously focused their energy. The raging flames transformed Himeko's blazing greatsword, elevating it to resemble the elongated blade from "The Last Lesson." Meanwhile, scorching energy enveloped Kiana.

This strike was determined to secure victory!

In the next instant, both forces collided with the Herrscher of Dominance. However, seizing this opportunity, the previously cohesive form of the Herrscher disintegrated into individual dolls scattering in various directions.

These were the Herrscher of Thousands, embodiments of malice, akin to unorganized masses. When faced with adversity, naturally, they chose flight. In the original storyline, confronting the Herrscher of Flames head-on was sheer folly.

The Herrscher of Thousands always opted for strategies most advantageous to themselves, and once again, that's precisely what they intended—just as before, retreat now and regroup later.

After all, this world was never perfect; given time, they believed they could eventually overcome these Herrschers or simply outlast them until their demise!

Such were the plans and schemes of the Herrscher of Thousands. Yes, despite appearing knowledgeable, in reality, they possessed limited understanding. They were mere failures, nothing but jesters!

Within this Dominion Theater, they truly embodied the role of clowns!

But it must be said, this move by the Herrscher of Thousands was quite clever. By harnessing the energy from disintegration, they managed to counteract the attacks of both Herrschers of Flame to some extent. Although several dolls were lost in the process, these sacrifices were necessary and worthwhile.

Kiana and Himeko descended, frowning as they watched the fleeing Puppeteers scatter.

How should they put it?

They weren't afraid of confronting the Puppeteers head-on in a decisive battle, but their greatest fear lay in the Herrscher of Thousands fragmenting its forces.

As just two Herrschers, they couldn't effectively deal with each fragment individually.

Even during the previous civilization, the Fire Moth had set up bait before Mei Ph.D. could utilize the Key of Blankness to annihilate them all.

Now, they no longer had that opportunity.

Moreover, Bronya and Fu Hua's conditions were not ideal. While seizing Authorities might not be feasible at the moment, it didn't mean they were safe either.

Prudently, their best course of action would be to temporarily leave the Dominion Theater.

As for how to depart? For them now, it wasn't much of a challenge anymore.

"Teacher Himeko?"

Kiana looked at Himeko, seeking her advice.

However, Himeko merely smiled with a hint of resignation on her face. "Kiana, you've grown up and have your own judgment now."

"But with Teacher Himeko here, I still want to..." Kiana lowered her head, blushing slightly. "...still want to rely on you."

After a brief silence, Himeko lifted her gaze towards the hidden Herrscher of Thousands, shook her head, and said:

"No need. She anticipated all this. And right about now, our reinforcements should have arrived."

"Who exactly do you mean by 'her'?" Kiana asked curiously, genuinely unable to fathom who could orchestrate everything, rescue Himeko, and even turn Teacher Himeko into a Herrscher.

"You'll understand in time. For now, just know that while we celebrate our victories, someone has been tirelessly paving the way ahead for us. She has sacrificed greatly," Himeko sighed.

"Okay."

Hearing Himeko's response, Kiana didn't press further, understanding there must be a reason behind her teacher's words.

"And what about reinforcements?"

"Don't worry; they're already here."

As Himeko spoke, the once-stable Dominion Theater suddenly shook like an earthquake. However, there was no doubt that earthquakes were impossible in this place.

Kiana tightened her grip on the Blazing Greatsword, vigilantly scanning her surroundings, ready to strike at any moment.

A massive star gate rift appeared within the theater, and from it emerged an enormous entity.

Surprisingly, its appearance bore some resemblance to the previous unorganized masses.

"That's...the Herrscher of Dominance?" Kiana braced herself as if facing a formidable enemy, disbelief written all over her face.

"How is this possible? Wasn't the Herrscher of Dominance defeated? Even if it could return, wouldn't it take much longer?"

In contrast to Kiana's anxiety, Himeko remained relatively calm. Bai Zhi—she still preferred calling her Ana—had previously explained everything to her.

The three Herrschers of Dominance had ultimately merged into two entities, which was why Kiana struggled against them. However, having three Herrschers also opened up new possibilities for humanity.

A Herrscher of Humanity could not fully assimilate three dominions, yet now she emerged capable of overwhelming the Herrscher of Thousands!

As for the rest, well, it wasn't something Himeko could inquire about further.

"Kiana!"

Just as Kiana prepared to take action, a familiar voice interrupted her, causing her to pause momentarily. She saw Durandal, clad in Stark Drive armor, emerging from a rift alongside the Herrscher of Thousands Herrscher.

"Durandal?"

Surprised, Kiana held no negative impressions of Durandal. During their time at Schicksal's Northern Africa base, Durandal had indeed taken good care of her.

"Yes." Durandal nodded and then turned her gaze towards Himeko. "Major Himeko, I presume? The Lord Bishop sends his greetings through me."

Himeko responded with a cold snort; her opinion of Otto was far from favorable. If not for Ana's arrangements, hmph—

However, she bore no animosity towards Durandal, actually admiring her greatly. This talented Valkyrie has always been Schicksal's pride and glory. Himeko recognized Durandal's diligence and hard work firsthand.

"Greetings, Durandal. Please convey my message back to Otto: His greetings are unwelcome!"