Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players-Chapter 212: Players’ Internal Competition! A Glimpse at Version 6.1 Update!

Chapter 212 - 212: Players' Internal Competition! A Glimpse at Version 6.1 Update!

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"Alright, alright, I respect your choice." Ana shrugged with a soft laugh. This response was precisely what she had anticipated; Kevin's nature made it impossible to sway him with mere checks—unless one offered cash instead.

"Well then, let's accelerate things a bit!" Ana chuckled lightly and clapped her hands.

Two figures promptly appeared beside Kevin. One was shrouded in a black cloak, unmistakably Gray Serpent, while the other resembled Cecilia—the Hare herself.

Upon seeing Ana, however, Hare instinctively took a step back.

"Oh dear, I'm not some villain. Why be so afraid?" Ana noticed Hare's reaction and laughed softly.

"Hey, don't still hold a grudge over that incident, do you? Back then, I was merely curious about your existence."

"My apologies, Divine Lord. My reaction was instinctive due to the information imprinted within me. Please understand and forgive me." Hare bowed respectfully, maintaining her composure.

Indeed, it was an involuntary response. Although as the Logos of Schariac's Stigmata, she wasn't considered a true living entity, she had momentarily exhibited a reaction typical of life. This was likely because Ana had left a profound psychological impact on her.

However, Hare now understood that the current Ana would not dwell on past grievances. As one nearing the divine throne, she already possessed a certain degree of divinity, making such childish actions inconceivable.

Nevertheless, there were some aspects where Hare's judgment fell short, which was quite normal. Generally, entities found it difficult to comprehend the relationship between Ana and her self-identity.

To Ana, the Divine Self remained distinct from the True Self; they were never conflated. It resembled the dynamic between Laozi and Taishang Laojun during ancient times, but unlike them, Ana's Divine Self and True Self shared an inherent equality. There was no concept of primary or secondary selves for her.

Only beings like Bai Zhi, encased in solid ice nearby, could be considered as avatars, specifically of her True Self. The Divine Self required none, as omnipresence itself negates the need for avatars—let alone when it is still in its nascent stage.

For an entity who is omniscient and potentially omnipotent, there's no need for creating avatars. Moreover, Ana herself is still in the process of gestation.

"Alright, enough chatter. I entrust Project Stigma to your execution."

As she spoke, Ana stretched lazily.

"Gray Serpent, remind me when it's time for my appearance; I'll take a well-deserved rest now."

"Oh right, Kevin, have Mei prepare her actors... No, better yet, I'll create a world bubble for them afterward."

Creating a world bubble might be an insurmountable task for humans, but for Ana, it's as effortless as breathing.

After all, the current The Cocoon of Finality already has its roots embedded within the Imaginary Tree. Harnessing the power of the Imaginary Tree, constructing a world bubble becomes remarkably simple. Furthermore, this world bubble itself was born under the influence of the Herrscher of Finality's power, making its replication at a one-to-one scale quite easy. All that's needed from Mei's side are some actors; actually, even without additional actors, just Mei and Prometheus would suffice.

"Understood," Kevin acknowledged, perhaps due to Mei's involvement. Otherwise, he likely would have remained silent.

"Alright, with that settled, everyone can disperse!"

For players, Version 6.0 was both a lengthy yet fleeting update. Regardless, Captains generally had a more enjoyable experience during this iteration.

Moreover, with the conclusion of the main storyline arc, it also became an ideal time for new players to join. Several Genshin Impact streamers seized the opportunity amidst their game's downtime and formed groups to dive into Honkai Impact 3. Additionally, due to multiple updates over time, the rewards and benefits for new players were significantly better than before.

In fact, some casual gamers, upon seeing the enticing newbie perks and increased drop rates, considered creating fresh accounts just to take advantage.

Furthermore, since their old accounts had already secured copies of the artbook, starting anew meant they could potentially grab two artbooks next year—one from each account—outcompeting others effortlessly.

As for veteran Captains, there's no need to elaborate; most chose to skip Vill-V from the previous version and awaited Herrscher of Human Ellie in this one, now finally fulfilling their wish.

Notably, receiving Corruption Ana as a freebie only added to the allure—it truly felt like hitting the jackpot.

With the widespread adoption of Herrscher of Human and Corruption Ana, Captains quickly engaged in fierce competition, even altering the dynamics within the Abyss. At this sight, players on third-party servers couldn't help but beam with delight.

Look at them spiraling deeper into competition! In truth, the initial disturbances in the Abyss were fueled by early Captains' relentless pursuit of perfection. Once caught up in this cycle, there's no easy way out.

The game developers, naturally, were thrilled to see players entangled in such competition. Ultimately, it left the gamers exhausted and frustrated.

Despite continuous complaints from players, the competitive events persisted unabated. Various temporary Abyss names, like "One Point Short" or "No Skimping," sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

After all, the essence of spiraling competition is dragging others down with you.

Of course, not everyone chose to partake in this frenzy. One notable group belonged to Room Three, notorious for their antics flooding the public chat, gaining widespread infamy.

Their reputation even reached new players, drawing many curious individuals. Yet, shamelessly, these Room Three members only intensified their behavior.

All one can say is, thankfully, this is just the internet.

Although real-name registration exists, within the game, only the developers could see it. It's hard to imagine what goes through their minds when they view these players' true identities.

Apart from Ellie's immense popularity, the update also included interactive mini-events and an online concert.

On the Genshin Impact side, they had also organized multiple concerts before. This time, leveraging Ellie's popularity, their online concert was equally vibrant and successful. One could only say—

Don't bother with offline concerts; when it comes to stingy rewards, MiHoYo players know all too well!

However, as is often the case, good times are fleeting. Soon, this version approached its end, and the official account released a teaser for the upcoming storyline.

Although labeled as a teaser, it was essentially the short clip shown at the end of the previous Chapter.

In the Shanghai mansion, Ana watched the video on her screen and shook her head.

From a technical standpoint, the clip was impressive. However, content-wise, one could argue it bordered on misleading—when did Raiden Mei's Kujikara ever make an appearance?

Glancing at the bullet comments, she noticed that most viewers were accustomed to such teasers. Misleading trailers were quite common among MiHoYo games; even Genshin Impact frequently extracted brief animations from its storylines to create deceptive teasers.

Despite this, the short clip still revealed a lot without giving away significant spoilers.

Fortunately, players were well accustomed to this deception. Most of the comments below the video expressed anticipation for the conclusion of Honkai Impact 3's first part.

Yes, indeed, it was just the end of the first part.

Although the story would continue with a second part, once that arrives, it won't be set on Earth anymore. By then, it likely wouldn't involve Ana either.

For Ana herself, whether as the Captain in the Present World or as a character within the Honkai Universe, this Chapter of her story is coming to a close.

Honestly, she already began looking forward to what lies ahead.

However, stepping beyond the Honkai solar system is merely the beginning. She doesn't intend to wait for the arrival of the future Celestial Being before leaving; instead, she plans to depart immediately.

Perhaps by then, even if she encounters Welt and Void Archives again, it will be after countless years have passed. Whether they would still remember her at that time becomes questionable.

"But Captains, I wonder, will my performance bring you surprise or shock?" A profound smile appeared on Ana's face as a thought crossed her mind.

Indeed, the ending of Honkai Impact 3's story has already been altered; she has concluded the cycle of Honkai. Now, everything unfolding is merely a test for her and Him.

When the final trial arrives, Ana will become the ultimate boss of this Chapter—an invincible antagonist.

"Occasionally playing the villain role seems genuinely intriguing," Ana mused with a smile, involuntarily recalling Elysia, the Ana from the Elysian Realm, and those unrestricted memories... How to describe them...

Why does she know so much?! And...

Honestly, Ana always believed that Elysia was best suited as a girlfriend, but in reality, she makes an equally excellent wife because her love for you is truly profound. Sometimes, love can conquer all obstacles.

Of course, within the Elysian Realm, as its Creator, Ana could indeed achieve anything.

Nevertheless, Ana fervently hopes to bring Elysia back into the real world, even if it requires immense sacrifices and countless efforts—she remains determined to do so.

After all, she is the leader of the Love Faction!

Finally, Version 6.0 concluded, and Version 6.1 swiftly followed, coinciding with Honkai Impact 3's sixth anniversary celebration. Yes, as a game, Honkai Impact 3 had endured for six years—a remarkable feat for a mobile RPG.

The only slightly disappointing aspect was that this sixth anniversary felt somewhat modest. However, it was understandable; previous anniversaries had always been generous with rewards. Now, this milestone arrived at an awkward juncture due to the preceding version featuring Ellie.

Nevertheless, Captains who had journeyed alongside the game from its inception still wished Honkai Impact 3 a happy birthday.

As for the Honkai World, there wasn't much to say. Although they too have come a long way, it hadn't yet reached their own sixth year. It is indeed astonishing how, within this short span of time, once naive girls have transformed into formidable Valkyries capable of standing on their own.

Version 6.1 marked the beginning of a new Chapter for Honkai Impact 3, albeit one leading towards its final act.

In terms of characters, the highly anticipated Little Li, Li Sushang, finally made her debut in this update. From initial player disdain to eventual understanding and affection, Li Sushang has certainly undergone significant growth, both in the Honkai World and the real world.

Of course, while Li Sushang's introduction served as a pleasant surprise, players eagerly awaited the new storyline content promised by the version update.

After all, with such an exhilarating promotional video, fans expected something extraordinary...

In the Honkai World, at Saint Freya Academy.

Inside the Principal's office, the furnishings remained unchanged from the past. The only difference was the absence of the previous children and the diminutive former principal.

The original Principal had ascended to become the Schicksal Bishop, but rather than abandoning Saint Freya Academy, it was entrusted to his most trusted friend.

Unquestionably, that person was Himeko.

At this moment, Himeko stood by the floor-to-ceiling window, holding a bottle of red wine, gazing outside while reminiscing about the past.

Her decision wasn't due to being sidelined; she genuinely felt weary. Thus, she voluntarily requested to stay here.

In truth, if she were still fighting on the front lines, Kiana, Theresa, and Bronya would have been quite anxious. Perhaps it stemmed from their fear of losing her again.

Regardless, Himeko now embraced the tranquility, spending each day teaching and mentoring students, occasionally indulging in a drink.

Although unable to fight anymore, rendering her combat prowess seemingly useless, she held no regrets—such was Himeko's nature.

After all, her students had grown and matured.

"Hey, care for a toast?"

A voice suddenly echoed behind Himeko, instantly tensing her nerves. Her Valkyrie instincts remained sharp, but she quickly relaxed upon recognizing it—a voice as familiar to her as her own.

It was Ana.

At some point, Ana's voice filled the Principal's office. Checking the surveillance would reveal that no one stood where Ana seemed to be positioned.

However, this wasn't surprising; being electronic equipment, Ana could easily shield herself or hack in with her advanced skills.

"Certainly."

Smiling faintly, Himeko gently clinked her bottle against Ana's wineglass before downing her drink.

"It appears everything is going smoothly?"

"Of course! I'm handling it personally, you know how reliable I've always been." Ana chuckled softly. With events unfolding as planned, there was no need to hide from Himeko anymore. A bit of playful banter didn't matter; after all, she'd earned that right.

Himeko smiled warmly.

"Sometimes, I truly feel you're just like Kiana and the others—still children at heart."

"Hmm, there's some truth to that; after all, I'm only slightly older than them."

"But your approach to tasks is remarkably dependable."

"Yes, perhaps it's because I've experienced more?"

Himeko observed Ana without probing further. For her, His mission was accomplished; now, all that remained was witnessing what Ana would bring about.