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

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The World Serpent

Raiden Mei didn't linger long at Saint Freya Academy; it wasn't yet her place, and she had crucial tasks to undertake, truths to verify.

With haste, she returned to the World Serpent and appeared before its Lord.

Kevin remained seated on his throne, just as he always had, silent and patiently awaiting her questions.

"How many secrets have you withheld from humanity of this era?"

"I demand an answer."

"Right now."

Facing the girl's plea, the man pondered deeply, weighing his thoughts carefully, until finally, he made a decision.

"No problem."

"You now possess the right."

"What?"

"The right to seek answers."

As Kevin's words echoed, he pointed towards a direction where a lightless corridor snaked out from a corner of the temple.

Raiden Mei took a deep breath and ultimately descended into that passageway.

Her figure swiftly vanished within it, and finally, even the last echoes of her footsteps disappeared entirely.

In the vast expanse of the temple, only the man seated on the throne remained, lost in thought, silent.

Suddenly, distant footsteps approached—the sound of boots striking stone, growing closer and capturing the man's attention.

Kevin lifted his head, gazing in the direction of the noise.

From the shadows emerged a figure fully cloaked, their aura tranquil yet profound. Even Kevin could not gauge her depth, which elicited a serious expression on his face.

More footsteps followed behind her—additional figures shrouded in cloaks, but with more familiar presences: the Gray Serpents.

When they reached approximately ten meters from Kevin, the leading figure halted, and so did the Gray Serpents. They stopped at a distance, then knelt reverently like devout worshippers, paying homage to the foremost individual.

The figure leading them extended a pale, delicate hand from beneath their cloak, lifting it to reveal long hair with chestnut strands and white highlights, along with half of a mask adorned with a gardenia flower.

Then, she removed the mask, exposing her exquisite features—a pair of light pink eyes with starry pupils, signifying her uniqueness.

With a playful smile, she scrutinized the human hero seated on the throne before speaking in a similarly flippant tone:

"Choose wisely: friend or foe!"

"It's you." A hint of realization echoed in Kevin's voice, clearly recognizing the individual before him. She was none other than Bai Zhi, the enigmatic figure who had been highly active recently, whom he had once attempted to recruit—the Queen of Wind, Herrscher of Winter, Ana Schariac.

"Yes, it's me. So, have you made your decision?"

A profound silence fell over the scene. Moments later, the man on the throne stood up, summoning the Greatsword of Destruction into his hands. Slowly, he descended from the throne.

"I don't know why Gray Serpent endorsed you, but since you've taken this position, prove your worth first."

Ana shrugged nonchalantly.

"I have absolutely no interest in your seat."

"As for proving..." A hint of pride flashed in Ana's eyes.

"Why don't you demonstrate instead if you truly deserve to sit there?"

"You know, provocation tactics have no effect on me," Kevin observed Ana calmly. He couldn't fully comprehend this girl before him; she seemed shrouded in a layer of mist. However, he was well aware that she was a Herrscher—an incredibly powerful one at that—a fact he had known from the beginning.

He also understood that someone with such standing should grasp the current situation better and ideally stand by his side. Kevin did not wish to engage in meaningless battles.

"They say heroes destined to save the world are men of few words, valuing each spoken syllable. Yet here you are, dragging things out unnecessarily." Ana sounded slightly impatient.

If mere words could sway Kevin, there would have been no need for her grand entrance. But apparently, Kevin himself didn't understand this simple truth?

"Then... let's begin!"

In the next moment, Kevin's eyes gleamed intensely as he charged towards Ana. Within seconds, he reached her side.

However, he wasn't wielding the Greatsword of Destruction; Might of An-Utu remained planted in the ground. Clearly, this was a test.

Kevin unleashed a punch imbued with boundless coldness.

In response, Ana merely snorted without any direct action.

A Void Gate appeared directly in Kevin's path, while another materialized right before his face.

Naturally, even during this test, Kevin was not caught off guard. Upon seeing the sudden appearance of the Void Gates, he swiftly withdrew his punch and increased the distance between them.

This time, a hint of surprise flickered in his eyes as he looked at Ana.

"Control Authority?"

"Hmph," Ana replied nonchalantly, avoiding a direct answer. "Let's skip pointless probing; you wouldn't want to lose all your Savior's dignity, would you?"

As she spoke, her eyes glinted, and multiple railguns materialized out of thin air. Although called railguns, they were essentially weakened versions of the Seven Cleansing Thunders.

Beams of electromagnetic energy shot towards Kevin, densely interwoven for a comprehensive attack from all angles.

Meanwhile, Kevin had returned to his starting position. With a swift motion, he drew Might of An-Utu from the ground and effortlessly sliced through both the electromagnetic beams and the railguns.

Of course, Ana anticipated this outcome. She raised her hand again, summoning a downsized version of the Moonlight Throne this time.

The number of turrets was significantly reduced, but the primary reason wasn't due to inability—it was because she didn't wish to destroy the location. For a Herrscher, demolishing the World Serpent Headquarters would be no challenge, regardless of Kevin's presence. Thus, she focused on versatility and technique.

As for why she didn't simply overpower Kevin directly? It was certainly possible, but where's the fun in that?

Ana felt like a child who had just discovered numerous toys. Having finally found someone to engage with, using her ultimate abilities right away would render these preliminary exchanges pointless.

Watching the beams heading towards him, Kevin's pupils contracted; he was all too familiar with this energy—it unmistakably originated from the Moonlight Throne. Ana continued to surprise him with her capabilities.

However, if that's all she had, it still fell far short!

Kevin swung Might of An-Utu once more, unleashing surging flames that instantly destroyed several of Ana's mini turrets before directing his attack at her.

The raging inferno approached Ana but halted abruptly before reaching her. The Ideal Fluid barrier blocked the onslaught, even though the Key of Destruction could slowly erode it, it mattered little as Ana replenished faster than it could degrade.

This became a dynamic tug-of-war, but for Ana, her power seemed limitless.

However, maintaining this stalemate held little interest for Ana. She withdrew her fluid barrier and directly extinguished Kevin's flames with a wave.

In response, she hurled back a ball of icy blue flame.

This was a fusion of two Authorities: extreme heat combined with absolute zero temperature, resulting in—

Boom!

Yes, an explosion.

Naturally, Kevin couldn't be caught off guard; he swiftly evaded, although still slightly affected, leaving him looking somewhat disheveled.

"Kevin, have you ever considered trying out a 'blown-up' hairstyle? I bet Mei and Su would find it quite amusing," Ana teased, completely unfazed by Kevin's appearance.

Similarly, Kevin paid no heed to Ana's quip and charged forward again, his sword now enveloped in black mist—the corrosive poison fog from the Herrscher of Death.

Seeing this mist, a hint of caution flickered in Kevin's eyes, but only briefly.

Having previously faced the Herrscher of Death, he understood its power well. Moreover, Ana was merely showcasing her abilities without employing her full strength, making the current mist less potent than usual.

However, Kevin's body was a product of the Chimera Project, empowered by Brahma's Hundred Beasts. This toxic mist held little effect; it merely slowed him down slightly. Clearly, this wasn't even close to the full extent of the Herrscher of Death's capabilities.

"Ooh, Kevin, getting so serious now?" Ana retreated into Virtual Space and reappeared behind Kevin, maintaining her relaxed demeanor with a hint of exasperation. "Since you're taking this seriously, I suppose I should too."

With that, a staff identical to Elysia's materialized in Ana's hand. Undeterred, Kevin continued his assault without relenting.

"I know you've witnessed Ellie's magic before, so now, let me show you mine!" A pink glow emanated from the staff, instantly illuminating the entire temple with its dazzling light.

Kevin persisted in attacking Ana, relying not on sight but on detecting Honkai Energy. However, in that instant, Ana's presence vanished completely, leaving Kevin momentarily disoriented and without a target.

By the time Kevin's vision cleared, everything around him had transformed drastically, revealing the Dominion Theater.

"Welcome, Heroic Spirit of Salvation! Welcome to the Dominion Theater!"

Ana suddenly appeared at one corner of the theater. Accompanied by her silvery laughter, identical figures resembling Ana materialized in various locations throughout the space. This was the Authority of the Herrscher of Thousands, harnessing countless duplicates.

However, unlike the true Herrscher of Thousands, each Ana duplicate did not represent the main entity. The genuine self, fully mastering The Cocoon of Finality, was currently elsewhere.

Despite this, each replica possessed strength comparable to the Herrscher of Thunder and controlled numerous Authorities. Some had singular powers, while others wielded multiple abilities.

Now, they prepared for a coordinated assault on Kevin.

"Let's have a fair and proper gang-up, or you can simply admit defeat."

From above, Ana chuckled lightly.

Kevin remained silent, swinging his Might of An-Utu Greatsword to meet the challenge head-on. However, with no reservations this time, Ana's power far surpassed her previous display.

Above the theater, numerous Void Gates materialized, unleashing the attacks from the Moonlight Throne—a moment now ripe for judgment.

This time, it was not the assault of Anti-Entropy's outdated machinery but the true Judgment of the Moonlight Throne.

Kevin swung his sword to defend, enveloping himself with solidified Honkai Energy as icy armor. Yet, even this could not withstand the power of the Moonlight Throne. From all directions, multiple Anas simultaneously attacked Kevin, bombarding him with countless Authorities.

Despite the onslaught, Kevin let out only a stifled grunt while Ana, observing from above, remained idle, simply watching.

Currently, Kevin was undoubtedly weaker than his Finality counterpart. However, subduing him at this level proved insufficient. Moreover, Kevin had yet to unleash his full potential, raising doubts in Ana about whether he truly could reach that extent.

But soon, her skepticism dissipated.

A tremendous force radiated from Kevin, effortlessly repelling and absorbing Ana's attacks. As the energy dispersed, a transformed Kevin—now Succubus Kevin—stood before Ana.

Of course, "Succubus Kevin" was a playful nickname given by future Captains to this particular form of Kevin. In reality, it represents the artificially Fallen Sinful Demon Kevin.

Only in this state could one truly say that Kevin is exerting his full power. Previously, even when facing Durandal and Fu Hua, he had displayed remarkably limited strength, perhaps barely scratching the surface of a warm-up.

It must be acknowledged that as the world's strongest warrior, Kevin genuinely exhibits humility. Despite possessing overwhelming might, he consistently holds back, intentionally engaging in balanced battles. Honestly, it's quite moving.

"Your power is indeed formidable, but still not enough!"

Kevin, wielding the Greatsword of Destruction, resembled an ultimate boss character.

"Is that so?" Ana chuckled softly, shaking her head before snapping her fingers, causing all her clones to vanish.

The remaining solitary Ana then approached Kevin through the air. With each step, a radiant glow emanated from her body, revealing intricate runes and rhythms. A mysterious barrier centered around Ana began spreading throughout the Dominion Theater.

"If you believe my current strength isn't sufficient, surely this should pose no challenge for you either, right now?"

"..."

Kevin remained silent, but as he sensed the power emanating from Ana, his pupils contracted, and his body involuntarily shuddered.

If Finality's arrival was Kevin's nightmare, this represented another one for him. It brought back memories of the past he least wanted to recall—the tragedy of Binding.

Indeed, it was the Authority of Binding, wielded by the Herrscher of Binding herself!