"Enough!"
With Mei's roar echoing in the game, Kiana was completely restrained by a strange power.
The perspective shifted rapidly—prompts flashing across the screen.
Press W.
Press L.
In front of the live broadcast, Kiana obediently tapped the keys.
In the game, her character dodged left and right, struggling to evade Mei's attacks.
Finally, they clashed in a contest of strength.
The attack key flashed wildly on the screen.
Seeing this, Kiana mashed the keyboard furiously, as though she was her in-game self, desperately fighting to keep Mei from leaving.
But no matter how hard she pressed, she could never overpower Mei.
Thus, the final stage of Chapter 17 came to a close.
Kiana stared blankly at the monitor, still half-immersed.
For a moment, she truly thought—if she lost here, Mei would be gone forever…
"Kiana…"
A gentle tug on her sleeve brought her back.
She blinked, turning to see Mei beside her.
"Mei…"
Only then did she finally breathe out in relief.
The level-select screen returned, with the familiar play button glowing.
Just like always, it meant a cinematic short was waiting.
This one was titled—Elegy for the Sinner.
Kiana clicked.
The screen opened on a darkened sky, as mournful piano and violin set a sorrowful tone.
The camera lowered slowly, revealing Kiana and Mei on a rain-drenched rooftop.
Picking up directly from the battle just now—
Mei's hand gripped Kiana's throat, hurling her aside.
Her face and tone were utterly cold.
Not because she truly wanted to treat Kiana this way.
But because… she had no other choice.
Every blow landed on Kiana's body stabbed at Mei's own heart.
Yet still, she forced herself to act this way.
No one had pushed her.
She simply refused to let Kiana know the truth—that she joined World Serpent only to save her.
Through clenched teeth, Mei hissed, "Give up…"
"I… will never… let you go!" Kiana's voice was weak, but unwavering.
She might not have understood at first why Mei joined World Serpent.
But Kiana wasn't stupid.
When Mei became the Herrscher of Thunder, the Gem of Conquest within her had shattered.
As its host, Kiana had felt it instantly.
A little thought was enough to piece it together:
World Serpent had helped Mei awaken as a Herrscher, wresting the Herrscher of Thunder's authority back from her body, easing her condition—
—but only in exchange for her allegiance.
How could Kiana allow Mei to fall into such a pit?
To her, World Serpent was no better than a monster.
"I… will never give up!"
She gritted her teeth, dragging her battered body to stop Mei.
But a gravely wounded girl could never restrain a Herrscher at her peak.
She fell again and again, only to rise once more.
At last, Mei could no longer bear it.
Her strikes grew heavier. A Void Cleave hurled Kiana across the rooftop.
Bang!
Her frail body slammed into the ground, raising a cloud of dust.
Mei stood wreathed in crackling lightning, her face hard as stone.
As she turned to leave, rifts tore open all around her.
In an instant, countless spears of void shot forth, pinning her in place.
Clack, clack, clack…
The crisp sound of heels on glass.
A swirling skirt entered the frame.
The Herrscher of the Void appeared.
Viewers felt their chests tighten, eyes burning with tears.
Because Kiana truly had given her all to stop Mei.
Even dragging her broken body, she unleashed the Herrscher of the Void's power.
But this—this struck right at Mei's heart.
She didn't even struggle.
She only stared at Kiana, now clad in her Herrscher form.
Her heart ached, seethed, and sighed all at once.
"You've always been like this, Kiana…"
"You've always been like this!!" Mei shouted in fury—for the first time, truly angry at her.
"Already covered in wounds, yet still forcing yourself to smile…"
"You saved me, saved everyone, yet you carry the pain alone—even if it costs your life!"
"…Mei, this is my mission."
Kiana's reply only made her grit her teeth harder.
Her hand closed on the spears binding her.
"Saving the world—I understand that too! But…"
"How am I supposed to endure this?!"
Herrscher energy surged within her.
Even the rainwater hung suspended in the air.
"In my heart… compared to the world itself…"
"You are what matters most!!"
With a shattering crack, Mei crushed the spears.
A storm of lightning shattered her bonds.
The electric guitar riff accelerated—
—and then, a woman's voice began to sing.
The audience's skin prickled with goosebumps.
Mihoyo's specialty: pushing emotions to the brink, then unleashing a track perfectly matched to the scene.
And it always worked.
Now, the two finally abandoned restraint, clashing with the true might of Herrschers.
[A smile stained with sorrow and blood…]
[The warmth of you, slipping away…]
[Swept into a whirlpool of noise…]
[In this world that's slowly collapsing…]
The song fit the animation with perfect timing.
But how could a wounded Kiana defeat Mei at her peak?
To sever Kiana's last hope of keeping her, Mei gritted her teeth and unleashed a slash of thunder.
When the blinding light faded, the music softened.
Kiana, in her Herrscher of the Void form, had lost consciousness, plummeting toward the ground.
In that instant, Mei's hand caught hers.
And her mind filled with memories—
"That day, you reached out to me…"
"From the moment you grasped my hand, my fate was changed."
"You are… the most important person in my life!"
...
[Ughhh~~ Kiana grew up… and even Mei changed too…]
[Her strikes cut deep, but I get it—pain, anger, helplessness…]
["I'll fall into the dark, so you can return to the light."]
[Goodbye… Raiden Mei!]
[Mihoyo, please… make an anime. Chinese animation needs you!]
The chat flooded with sobs.
In front of the PC, both Kiana and Mei had misty eyes.
They wished Mo Li could change the story, take the knives away.
But they knew—that would never happen.
So they could only turn tearful glares toward him.
"Mei~"
Kiana flung herself into Mei's arms, pouting.
Mei stroked her hair tenderly.
"Alright, Kiana. There's still one more short. Let's watch it together~"
Cheered up, Kiana giggled and clicked the final play button.
The screen was black at first.
Then Otto's silhouette appeared.
He sat silently, watching a feed on his computer.
Through narration, players realized—this was what Otto had observed with the Second Divine Key, Key of Revelation.
A vision from another branch of the Imaginary Tree.
On one side, a slender woman turned her back to him.
On the other—a shadow of a six-winged dragon.
The moment that dragon appeared, the chat exploded.
[Holy crap!! This time we saw it clearly—it is the dragon from Genshin's trailer!]
[Wait, so Honkai Impact and Genshin are actually connected?!]
[Good lord… Mihoyo's playing the long game!!]
Kiana and Mei were no less shocked.
"Mei! Look! Isn't that Stormterror Dvalin?!"
Kiana pointed wildly at the screen.
Mei nodded softly, eyes wide.
"Judging from the silhouette… it really is Dvalin."
"Genshin Impact linked with Honkai Impact 3rd… and the boss didn't even tell us~"
The chat blew up again.
[Confirmed!! That's definitely the dragon from Genshin!]
[Judging from Kiana's reaction, they've played it too lol]
[Damn it, Mihoyo, stop teasing—just release the new game already!]
[I keep replaying Liyue's trailer, can't wait anymore]
[I'm done with Honkai's heartbreaks—give me Genshin!!]
...
Seeing this, Bronya quickly handed her phone to Mo Li.
"Boss… Kiana and Mei might've spoiled something. Should we cut the stream?"
Mo Li chuckled, waving it off.
"No need. This just builds hype for Genshin."
He paused.
"Besides, I was planning to release it soon anyway."
Bronya blinked.
"So soon?"
Mo Li nodded.
Chapters 18 and 19 didn't have major climaxes.
A perfect chance for Honkai players to breathe.
If content dropped too fast, it would only backfire.
So yes—soon, Genshin Impact 1.0 would arrive.
...
Meanwhile, Kiana had already opened the special event page.
This crossover event was written entirely by Mo Li.
Aside from hinting at Teyvat's worldbuilding, most of it was just playful nods.
The highlight, of course, was Keqing's appearance.
Her gameplay and strength were utterly broken.
Even Mei, who had only touched Genshin's 1.0, could feel it—Keqing in Honkai was leagues stronger than in Genshin.
The line that stuck with her most was—
Keqing: "This Honkai energy… is far more convenient than a Vision~"
And then Fischl, muttering under her breath:
"Keqing… are you perhaps Liyue's Raiden Shogun?"
If players had already played Genshin, they would've burst out laughing.
The final surprise was another video button.
Its title—Honkai Impact 3rd Version Preview: 'Phantom Iron Rosemary' PV
("Memory is the flower language of rosemary")
The chat erupted in joy.
This version had barely launched, and Mihoyo was already teasing the next?
Weren't they worried people would skip pulling for the Herrscher of Thunder?
But Mo Li wasn't worried.
Because the next patch featured another must-have: Rita's new S-rank battlesuit—Lost Rosemary.
Her most beautiful design yet, and a top-tier lightning support.
No way players would skip her.
...
Kiana clicked the trailer.
A soft piano melody opened the video.
A flurry of images flashed by—fragments of Chapter 18 and 19, though players couldn't piece together their meaning.
A frozen wasteland.
A city buried in ice.
Then—the silhouette of the Herrscher of Ice.
The realization hit—the next chapter would bring a new Herrscher!
"Raiden Mei, this time… don't hesitate."
Durandal's voice rang out.
Scenes followed of her and Mei fighting Honkai beasts side by side.
Then Rita, clad in her new S-rank armor—
Two S-rank Valkyries, plus a Herrscher?
Just how powerful was this new enemy?!
And… did this mean the World Serpent was cooperating with Schicksal?
Questions burned in every player's heart.
"Even if I must stand alone… I will stop you!"
Rita's voiceover struck.
The tempo quickened.
The violin raced faster, faster—until suddenly, all instruments cut to silence.
And on-screen, a lantern appeared.
Then—Rita's new battlesuit art burst forth, filling the screen.
[Rita Rossweisse]
[Quantum element, S-rank lightning support—Lost Rosemary]
"Memory… is the flower language of rosemary~"
Her whisper lingered as a piercing yet elegant violin solo rose, layered with other instruments.
The melody was intoxicating.
[WTF?! This violin…]
[I think I just got electrocuted…]
[Aaaaahhh Rita's voice… so seductive!!]
[Mihoyo's music team…]
[Unstoppable!!]
[Brain climax!!]
[This transition… flawless!!]
[Anime, game, music… Mihoyo has no weak points!]
[Only weakness: patches too damn fast… if that even counts]
[And… the story stabs too hard!!]
[Story knives aren't a weakness!! QAQ]
[So beautiful ahhhh my ears are pregnant!!]
[Never knew a violin could sound this enchanting~]
[Listening to this, I just want to waltz with my dog…]
[Dog: please don't]
...
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