Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players-Chapter 169: Plot Twist: Brother Cake’s Defense is Shattered!

Chapter 169 - 169: Plot Twist: Brother Cake's Defense is Shattered!

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"Storms, obey me!" Raiden Mei roared fiercely as Kujikara materialized silently, emitting a dragon's roar that echoed through the heavens.

Seeing Kujikara before her, a hint of nostalgia flickered in Ana's eyes. This sentiment was not solely for Benares, Kujikara's predecessor, but also for Cang Luan.

Unlike Raiden Mei's Kujikara, Ana could not bring Cang Luan into the Elysian Realm with her memories alone. Just as Benares and Kujikara were distinct entities, it can only be said that Kujikara emerged as a bonded Honkai Beast from the remnants of Benares, deeply tied to Raiden Mei.

Their connection primarily existed on an energetic level, highlighting the fundamental differences between Ana's bond with Cang Luan and Sirin's bond with Benares. In essence, Kujikara had lost its potential for growth, becoming akin to a summoned pet.

With Kujikara's appearance, it became clear that Raiden Mei was now fully committed to this battle.

But could going all out truly defeat, no, even fend off Ana's attacks? That would grossly underestimate her immense power.

A crescent-shaped sword glow, radiating an unmatched aura, swept towards Raiden Mei. In response, she concentrated her energy, and Kujikara roared, unleashing its dragon breath.

Instantaneously, the two forces collided, emitting a blinding burst of light.

Within this brilliance, both Ana and Raiden Mei gradually disappeared...

After an indeterminate period, the dust finally settled. The surrounding space showed varying degrees of damage and disruption; however, compared to Ana's previous battle with Kalpas, the overall destruction seemed less severe.

Moreover, being at the boundary between the surface and deeper layers of the Elysian Realm, the spatial stability was inherently higher. After all, as the resting place of past lives, it has always been a realm for trials and tests.

Many World Serpent officers undergo their baptism and ascension here, with subsequent stages largely inaccessible to most of them.

The World Serpent seeks the refinement and elevation of its officers, not turning them into Mobius' experimental subjects.

Finally, Raiden Mei's figure materialized; she was kneeling on one knee, gasping heavily with her breaths erratic. Despite the turmoil within her, at least she hadn't collapsed, and her eyes still radiated unwavering determination.

Ana appeared before Raiden Mei, seemingly out of thin air - and indeed, that's precisely what happened.

Being a memory fragment, in this realm where consciousness and memories intertwine, there was no need for her to endure physical harm. As a reincarnator, Ana found great interest in exploiting loopholes and shortcuts whenever possible.

In essence, if Mobius truly wanted to escape the Elysian Realm, it would be wise to keep Ana satisfied. Given her extensive research on the Elysian Realm, devising an escape plan wouldn't be particularly challenging.

However, for Ana herself, there was simply no necessity to leave. She reigned supreme here, effortlessly playing the field like a sea king. What could she possibly achieve outside? Her true self is even more unpredictable than she is, and leaving the Elysian Realm would likely result in being coerced into hard labor by her original counterpart.

Why engage in such a losing proposition? Absolutely not, she had no intention of doing so.

"Hmm, your performance was decent enough. Let's consider you passed the test for now," Ana casually remarked as she glanced at Raiden Mei.

Indeed, despite Raiden Mei's strenuous efforts, Ana deemed her performance merely satisfactory. It could only be said that Ana's standards were exceptionally high, though understandably so.

Although the current Ana does not possess the memories of the Lord of Finality from outside this realm, throughout time, she has consistently viewed Kevin as her arch-rival and benchmark.

As for Raiden Mei's current abilities, well, they fall significantly short compared to Kevin's. At best, she might defeat non-combatants like Mobius, but why didn't I mention Pardo?

Come on, nobody can defeat Pardo before she executes her iconic slide-kneel, right? Not even France herself could surpass that move.

"This...can it truly be considered a test?" Raiden Mei panted heavily, eyebrows furrowed, clearly perplexed.

While she did gain valuable insights through this battle, being a humble learner, she genuinely couldn't comprehend its relevance to dealing with Mobius.

"Willpower? But it doesn't seem quite like that either."

"It's merely to acclimate you to the rhythm and experience of battling Heroic Spirits," Ana replied calmly, her arms crossed.

"While only two individuals possess combat strength comparable to mine, facing Mobius requires summoning the same determination and power as when confronting me." She shrugged.

From time immemorial, Mobius has always coveted these visitors. However, most typically reach their limit at this stage, and the Heroic Spirits chosen for each trial vary unpredictably.

Mobius' influence cannot extend beyond this point until a visitor ventures deeper into the Elysian Realm. Consequently, all she can do is tempt and allure those who arrive here.

However, most individuals capable of becoming World Serpent's leaders tend to be exceptionally intelligent. And Mobius herself is known for her perfectionism and high standards.

For instance, someone like Owl—Chen Tianwu—wouldn't even catch her attention, regardless of gender; his physical attributes alone were far from satisfactory.

In Ana's view, this was undoubtedly overly picky and demanding.

Yet, it also suggests that despite Mobius' desire to leave the Elysian Realm, she still harbors attachments to the other Heroic Spirits here, acknowledging her own identity as one among them.

Alright, perhaps this interpretation stretches a bit too far, but it isn't entirely unfounded either.

"Furthermore, within this Garden of Eden, my power isn't considered the strongest. Theoretically, Kevin could unleash abilities far surpassing his true form. Regardless, focus on absorbing what I've taught you and enhance your strength as much as possible."

With these words, Ana paused momentarily before continuing.

"To tip the scales of the world, one must either align with prevailing forces or become the most significant stake oneself. You, Raiden Mei, are still far from ready, but this Elysian Realm presents your greatest opportunity!"

"My trial concludes here. From now on, Ellie will continue guiding you. Please forgive my indulgence."

With those words, Ana's figure vanished from this land of trials.

"Hmm, being a bit indulgent once in a while isn't such a bad thing. At least, it makes me like you even more." Another voice echoed behind Raiden Mei. Elysia had appeared unnoticed, clearly indicating that Ana's final remark was also directed at her.

"Alright, alright, facing Mobius should pose no problem for you now."

As Elysia's words echoed, shimmering light ascended from afar and intertwined to form a gate-like structure—a spectacle exclusive to realms like the Elysian Realm.

"Here you go, as promised—she awaits just beyond this door. Go forth with confidence!"

"But don't get too cocky! Even though she's only ranked tenth, she's still one of the Heroic Spirits."

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

"Wow, I can't believe we're about to face off against Ana!" Staring at the prompt on his screen, Brother Cake was utterly dumbfounded. As a die-hard fan of Ana, he had even shed tears for her not long ago. Now, he found himself controlling Raiden Mei to confront Ana—this...

This is simply unthinkable for any true Ana enthusiast. It's akin to being asked to battle Teacher Himeko after "The Last Lesson." Would you be willing? Clearly not.

But currently, it seemed like this was his only option.

Brother Cake momentarily felt at a loss.

"[Tsk tsk, why hasn't the streamer started yet? Is all that talk about skill just empty boasting? LOL.]"

"[Don't be ridiculous! We're about to face Ana here! Why Ana?! Don't you know Brother Cake is her biggest fan?]"

"[Cough cough, of course I do. Just stirring things up, y'know.]"

"[Damn it, stop trolling! Next time, your mom won't exist anymore! You piece of trash!]"

"[Tsk tsk, what kind of language is that? Mod, quick, mute them!]"

And so, both users were promptly muted by the moderator.

"Well, no choice but to start now," muttered Brother Cake.

Brother Cake didn't pay attention to the bullet comments. After some hesitation, he decided to engage nonetheless. There was no choice; although he genuinely didn't want to fight Ana, circumstances left him with no alternative.

Moreover, Brother Cake's mind was preoccupied with other concerns: What abilities would Herrscher Ana possess as a boss? Also, could this boss potentially appear on battlefields or within the Abyss?

While unlikely, since Ana had already passed away, if she could be encountered regularly in those realms, he wouldn't mind it too much.

This chapter is updated by freēwēbnovel.com.

Indeed, due to the storyline, fans of Ana had become somewhat twisted. If Teacher Himeko hadn't returned, perhaps a similar phenomenon with her fanbase might have emerged?

Regardless, Brother Cake initiated the battle.

Upon entering, the familiar dialogue during combat ensued—the type where characters converse while fighting. Without wasting any time, Brother Cake immediately launched a standard attack.

Just as Herrscher of Thunder was about to strike Ana, she unexpectedly vanished and reappeared behind his character, swiftly countering with a slashing move.

"Damn, what kind of bullshit mechanic is this?! How am I supposed to fight like this?!"

After attempting several times with the same attack pattern triggering, Brother Cake couldn't help but exclaim in surprise. It dawned on him that this was a scripted battle sequence; Ana simply could not be defeated. The most crucial task now was to survive and preserve his character's life.

Honestly, he had initially anticipated this phase as Ana revealing her health bar, expecting to showcase his skills. Instead, he found himself unexpectedly taking a beating without needing to worry about damaging Ana at all.

A few moments later, Brother Cake's expression turned grim. Despite exerting tremendous effort, he barely managed to chip away some health, only to realize it was actually Ana's shield bar.

It turns out, instead of exposing her health bar, Ana displayed her shield bar. This boss truly embodied a pure narrative-driven encounter, completely invincible.

"Don't worry, fam, maybe a plot-induced defeat is just around the corner!"

At this moment, Brother Cake's affection for Ana temporarily vanished. All he saw before him was a boss that needed to be overcome.

As if responding to his call, Herrscher of Thunder's ultimate ability began glowing, instilling immense confidence in Brother Cake.

"Alright, alright, folks! We can unleash our ultimate abilities now. I just knew it - there's nothing we can't overcome together, not even her! As long as you dare to show your health bar, watch me take you down!"

"Roar, Kujikara!" For the first time ever, Brother Cake let out a triumphant shout reminiscent of "Magic Cat! Steady, steady!"

As Herrscher of Thunder activated its ultimate ability, unleashing Kujikara's dragon breath upon Ana, her shield quickly depleted and neared depletion. This further heightened Brother Cake's excitement.

Additionally, due to being part of the storyline, Kujikara's cooldown did not diminish.

However, just as the shield was about to vanish, an unexpected event occurred: Ana's shield bar refilled completely.

Simultaneously, a cinematic sequence appeared on the screen. Ana raised her blade, causing the surroundings to transform dramatically, before swiftly striking downward.

Instantly, red attack indicators spread across the ground, forming numerous paths. Despite appearing scattered, there was practically no chance to dodge given the character model size constraints.

The character models have dimensions; they aren't just flat paper-thin entities.

"Damn it, devs, you can't be serious with this game!"

Brother Cake let out a mournful cry, and amidst his lament, Ana's attack animation unfolded. From the visuals, it appeared to be a brief charge-up move.

However, the type of attack didn't matter because all Brother Cake could do was remove his hands from the keyboard, staring incredulously at the unfolding cinematic sequence.

It seemed yet again, as a skilled streamer, he had fallen victim to the developers' schemes.

He initially thought this would be an opportunity to showcase his prowess, demonstrating flawless full-health monster-clearing tactics. Instead, it turned out to be Ana's solo performance, a complete narrative-driven kill.

And the one being killed was Raiden Mei, the player-controlled character.

Moreover, observing Ana's health display, she seemingly lacked a traditional health bar altogether, only showing a shield indicator. In other words, even if using cheats, there was no way to defeat an entity without a genuine health bar.

At that moment, Brother Cake felt like cursing vehemently but then quietly sighed in relief.

"Well, as expected, my wife is truly amazing!"

[OMG, who peed their pants? Quick, someone hose them down! No diabetics allowed!]