Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players-Chapter 208: The Garden of Eden Arc Concludes

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In the real world, within Brother Cake's live stream:

As this content was being streamed directly from the game, no viewers knew precisely when it would end. However, with Ellie's animated sequence concluding and her farewell, many Captains assumed this part of the storyline had reached its conclusion.

In truth, wrapping up here wouldn't have been wrong, albeit leaving a sense of incompleteness.

Just as everyone thought the story had ended, it took an unexpected turn.

The Herrscher of Corruption did not perish; Elysia's battle ultimately failed. Did any of their efforts truly matter? As concern grew among the audience, she appeared.

Ana, who had vanished during the previous fight, returned. Her demeanor now transformed completely—this was Ana, the fully realized Herrscher of Corruption, the complete Herrscher.

Meanwhile, for the Herrscher of Corruption, your life is like a flickering candle in the wind! In reality, this encounter hardly qualifies as a battle, but within the game, designers still crafted it as such.

This time, players could now access Ana's fully realized Herrscher of Corruption armor. However, it was evident that its primary purpose and role were not centered around being the main damage dealer on the battlefield, but rather, serving as support.

The weapon equipped with this armor is a pair of gauntlets, featuring a skill that randomly enhances other characters' weapons effects within the team. The ultimate ability triggers by drawing a random buff from several options to strengthen the other team members. Additionally, the ultimate can be activated from the backline, initiating a coordinated attack.

In terms of character scaling, the Herrscher of Corruption armor offers incredibly generous base values. As a trade-off, it relies heavily on randomness, opening up opportunities for score optimization reminiscent of the era when players grinded for optimal cat buffs.

Mechanically speaking, the Herrscher of Corruption's system feels somewhat outdated, akin to Zhuge Kongming's setup, but with added numerical strength and unpredictability. This makes the character playable without becoming excessively overpowered.

After all, some players have notoriously bad luck, just like the one currently controlling their character against the Herrscher of Corruption.

Without a doubt, Brother Cake once again showcased his infamous luck to all viewers. Since he had no teammates, all effects were applied directly to himself, and with the addition of branch attacks, Ana's armor felt more impactful.

However, humorously enough, every time, the armor's ultimate ability consistently rolled for continuous SP recovery for the entire team. With only Ana as the sole character in the team, this resulted in repeatedly using her ultimate ability, then continuing to roll for SP recovery.

Thus, viewers witnessed an endless loop of Ana unleashing her ultimate moves. Likely due to being a half-finished release, the character dialogue was not yet implemented; all they could see were some stylish animations accompanying each ultimate attack.

To put it mildly, if you turned off the lights, the effect resembled that of welders in the Lower District. Of course, the ultimate ability itself wasn't solely about visual spectacle; the outcome varied based on the random rolls during its execution.

The specific effect triggered here was continuous SP recovery for the whole team.

This gameplay moment delivered just as much entertainment value as the previous one, bursting with excitement. Who would have thought that despite being a die-hard fan of Ana, Brother Cake could generate so much amusement while using her armor?

It's foreseeable that this Ana armor, requiring strategic play, will become mainstream in both Abyss battles and competitive arenas in the future. Currently, most insights come from test server data mining and theoretical speculation, but MiHoYo is unlikely to introduce a dated character merely for gacha purposes.

Moreover, this armor is a Herrscher-class, undoubtedly starting at S rank. Considering its release timing now, could it be that the next update will feature dual S-rank characters?

Is that even possible?

The most plausible scenario might resemble past collaborations like Swan and Starglow Tower. However, despite being an auxiliary character, Herrscher of Corruption is still a Herrscher. Traditionally, each Herrscher serves as the main focus for an entire version.

In any case, while Captains marveled at Brother Cake's luck and skillful gameplay, concerns arose about the gacha pool and overall balance.

Regardless, there's nothing inherently wrong with the character Ana; blame always lies with the game designers.

Of course, until the official announcement arrives, all these thoughts remain mere speculation.

Finally, after enduring a barrage of electric attacks, Herrscher of Corruption transformed from Corruption Ellie to its true form: a somewhat grotesque prototype appearance.

This marked the second phase of the Herrscher of Corruption boss battle. In this stage, Ana's skills and damage output significantly increased, allowing Brother Cake to break free from constantly refreshing the buff cycle. Simultaneously, Ana's ultimate ability gained voice lines. freёwebnoѵel.com

After relentless assaults, the Herrscher of Corruption was ultimately defeated, leaving behind only a flickering green orb that seemed to plead for mercy.

However, without any doubt, all Captains made the same surprising choice.

Ana effortlessly crushed the Herrscher of Corruption like squashing a bug, mirroring her actions from within the Honkai World earlier.

Yet this time, what the Captains witnessed wasn't a deeper transformation but rather superficial changes in the Elysian Realm.

The vanished sections began to restore and expand, becoming larger and more stable. Initially containing just a few Heroic Spirits, the realm now welcomed additional digital lives. In the Elysian Realm, these digital beings were indistinguishable from genuine life forms.

Moreover, the departed Heroic Spirits were reborn in the Eternal Paradise, culminating in the most perfect narrative: The Heroic Spirits themselves triumphed over the Herrscher of Corruption, while Ana, as the successor's memory fragment, saved the Elysian Realm.

With this, the story reached its flawless conclusion.

Although Ana could potentially allow the Heroic Spirit memories within the Garden of Eden to leave the Elysian Realm, it became clear that this aspect no longer held significance for the narrative.

Moreover, the Heroic Spirits themselves had no intention of leaving the Elysian Realm.

Ultimately, for the game itself, whether the Elysian Realm was destroyed or saved didn't matter. The true savior within the game's narrative context was indeed the emergence of Ana as the Herrscher of Corruption.

After all, MiHoYo creates games, and these games serve as reflections of their world. As such, only relevant aspects would be projected; useless elements wouldn't make it into the game.

Nevertheless, with this conclusion, the story of the Elysian Realm finally comes to an end.

The reconstructed Elysian Realm revealed at the finale suggests that perhaps everything shown in previous animated shorts will now come to fruition, ensuring there are no lingering regrets for the Elysian Realm.

However, some regrets still remain.

[Brother Cake, do you think Ana, as the Herrscher of Corruption, will leave the Elysian Realm?]

[I never saw this coming! Didn't they imply that the external Ana was somehow restricted by another entity? How did she become the Herrscher of Corruption? Is this like creating a new alt account?]

[Tough one. Initially, I thought Ana was gone for good, but our Ana truly made a comeback!]

[Wahh, amazing! But seriously, my crystals are running dangerously low, what should I do?!]

["No worries, I bet the developers will release separate versions for each Herrscher character. After all, they can create individual PVs for both."]

["But why do I feel like Ana's PV is gone now?"]

["Some characters have countless PVs already, while others haven't had even one. Not naming names, though."]

["Wahh, as a Theresa fan, this hurts my heart!"]

"As the Herrscher of Corruption, Ana likely won't leave the Elysian Realm."

Brother Cake, reading through the comments, slowly remarked.

"After all, Ana within the Elysian Realm is just a memory fragment. Even if she became the Herrscher of Corruption, it refers to the one from the previous civilization, not this era."

Brother Cake's explanation was logical and accurate based on the outcome. However, regarding the underlying process, he was entirely mistaken. Nevertheless, what viewers truly sought was simply an answer; they didn't concern themselves with the details.

["Hmm, Brother Cake makes sense. She is indeed just a memory fragment after all."]

["The story of the Garden of Eden has truly come to an end."]

["Aww, feels so empty somehow."]

["Lonely Captain, waiting online for some warmth!"]

[Ah, just thinking about Honkai Impact 3's story nearing its conclusion makes me emotional too. Aaaaah—]

[Waaaaah, I still want to see more stories involving the Heroic Spirits. Will there be updates for the Elysian Realm?]

Undeniably, the aftermath of the Garden of Eden arc's conclusion was profound, leaving even Brother Cake somewhat at a loss. He had grown accustomed to streaming content focused on progressing through the storyline.

To have it suddenly end... Moreover, from now on, we won't see the Heroic Spirits again in mainline Chapters, although they may still appear in event scenarios.

But who wouldn't wish for their favorite characters to continue appearing in the main narrative?

Unfortunately, no matter how one feels, it's all over.

For some fans, the end of the Garden of Eden arc marked almost as significant a moment as the conclusion of their youth, especially for those who became hooked during this particular Chapter. It might be even harder for them to accept.

However, awaiting them ahead were more past heartbreaks.

It's worth mentioning that due to Genshin Impact's extended downtime next door, many Genshin streamers seized the opportunity to either start or return to Honkai Impact 3, creating some engaging content along the way.

Thus, within Brother Cake's live stream, it wasn't just his regular viewers present; some other streamers were lurking as well, hoping to capitalize on this opportunity for insights and increased traffic.

Naturally, Brother Cake himself didn't mind these actions. His non-professional status allowed him to view such benefits more lightly.

Although he wasn't among the most acclaimed top-tier streamers, within his circle, his reputation was unquestionably strong.

While the Garden of Eden arc had concluded, following MiHoYo's typical pattern, there would be additional interlude segments at the end of each Chapter. In this case, it focused on Raiden Mei's aftermath.

After all, since Raiden Mei left the Garden of Eden and learned about its plight, she certainly wouldn't remain idle.

In a way, it was unexpected yet entirely logical.

Because outside the Garden, Kevin stood guard.

"It seems you're the final safeguard here," Raiden Mei observed calmly to Kevin. Her initially anxious heart found some solace, though truthfully, she never needed to panic. She should have confidence in the Heroic Spirits, including her teacher who remained inside.

Kevin glanced at Raiden Mei before turning his gaze towards the distant Elysian Realm.

How should he put it? He could tell Raiden Mei that someone else had summoned him here, and initially, he hadn't even planned to come. His presence now was merely out of curiosity.

Kevin had full confidence in his companions, and within the Elysian Realm, Ana's memory fragments were present as well. Moreover, the strategy against the Herrscher of Corruption was personally devised by Ana herself.

It exhibited a meticulous beauty in its caution.

If any unexpected complications arose under these circumstances, it would only indicate that such outcomes were anticipated from the start. Kevin's appearance here served solely as a symbolic gesture, meant for others to witness.

As for who exactly this display was intended for, even Kevin wasn't entirely sure; it was all part of Ana's plan. Only Mei and Prometheus fully understood her intentions.

Of course, he could have asked, but he knew his limitations well. Sometimes, ignorance is bliss, preventing unnecessary worries.

Being a diligent and conscientious person, if he truly learned something significant, he would wholeheartedly act upon it. Mei, aware of his nature, wouldn't burden him with heavy responsibilities unless absolutely necessary. This decision stemmed not from rationality but purely from emotion—Mei's love for Kevin.

However, during the previous civilization, Mei could only rely on Kevin.

Thus, Kevin's response was - not entirely.

Raiden Mei's eyes flickered slightly with surprise. Not entirely? As the Lord of Serpents, did this imply that there were unknown entities within the World Serpent even to her?

Indeed, there were, such as Hare, whom she had never met. However, Hare was merely a cadre, and it seemed implausible for any cadre to outrank the Lord. Raiden Mei couldn't fathom that the current World Serpent had undergone a significant transformation.

Of course, Kevin left it at that brief answer without elaborating further, leaving Raiden Mei unable to obtain the information she sought.

"Kevin, they..."

"...No need to worry..."

Raiden Mei fell silent, her thoughts interrupted by Kevin's words. She could only surmise that the World Serpent must have prepared contingencies within the Elysian Realm.

This wasn't surprising per se, but...it felt somewhat peculiar, a sensation Raiden Mei struggled to articulate.

"Let's go!" Kevin turned and declared.

In different timelines, he had uttered these same words before.

Although the phrase remained unchanged, compared to his counterparts from other realities, the Kevin now spoke with greater tranquility and freedom.

Because, in this timeline, she existed alongside him.