"You've made enough of a mess in Schicksal already, haven't you? Not everyone here is like me."
"Durandal, the one you just fought, and those Valkyries who've dedicated their lives to fighting the Honkai… They don't deserve to bear more sacrifice and pain, do they?"
The Herrscher of Sentience's expression flickered between emotions.
She really wanted to punch Otto—but she couldn't find a reason.
In the end, all she could do was spit at him and turn away.
The audience watching the stream completely lost it.
[Hahahaha… can't hit him so she spits instead, hahaha!]
[She's too cute, this Herrscher…]
[Like a kid who suddenly got overwhelming power—arrogant, but also a bit innocent…]
[She really… oh my god, I'm crying… actually trying to reason with Otto…]
"Where are you going?"
At Otto's question, the Herrscher of Sentience pouted like a sulking child. "None of your business~"
Otto's lips curved in a faint smile. "I'd like to give you a piece of advice…"
The Herrscher of Sentience snorted dismissively, but still stopped walking. "You? What good advice could you possibly give?"
Otto spoke with the tone of an old friend reminiscing:
"An old friend… yes, an old friend~"
"After all, you and I have known each other a long time. In this world, I may be one of the people who understands you best."
"I can tell—you're confused. You've just awakened. You're not even clear on who you truly are yet. You're not used to this identity, nor this place."
"What you need now is someone who understands you, someone to correct your course, to anchor you…"
By this point, the viewers were convinced—Otto had already guessed the Herrscher of Sentience's true identity.
Even if he hadn't, he knew this wasn't the real Fu Hua.
His words carried probing undertones.
But the Herrscher of Sentience clearly didn't catch his hidden meaning.
Instead, she thought Otto wanted to come with her.
"You've gotta be kidding me… you're not saying you wanna tag along, are you?"
Otto shook his head with a laugh. "No, no, no. I was talking about… your former self."
"Before you died, you left behind a safeguard: the Fenghuang Down. I know where it is… and by coincidence, its current wielder is someone you know well."
"It's in the hands of Kevin Kaslana."
Otto was trying to trick the Herrscher of Sentience into going to Kevin and World Serpent.
Not that he wanted to cause them trouble—it wasn't like that would benefit him.
Maybe, after sensing her nature, he thought Kevin might be able to guide this Herrscher who didn't harbor hatred for humanity.
Or maybe he just genuinely wanted to make Kevin's life harder…
Otto's thoughts were always unfathomable.
But the result pleased him.
The Herrscher of Sentience really did decide to head for World Serpent to find Kevin.
Of course, she wasn't stupid. She could faintly guess Otto was scheming something. (Though in her mind, she thought she'd already figured him out completely—classic miscalculation.)
"Still… Otto really did cure all my old wounds…"
Flying through the air, the Herrscher of Sentience savored her newfound strength.
Not since being killed by the Seven Disciples five hundred years ago had she ever felt so healthy.
This feeling of power, of lightness—it almost made her believe she was invincible.
"Right now, even if I faced Kevin, I… no, what am I thinking? Of course I'd win!"
"Come to think of it, I've never beaten him before. But we've never truly fought seriously either."
She stroked her chin, analyzing herself.
"When it comes to Honkai adaptability, that guy has the edge. But in combat skill, I've got him beat…"
"The only reason I used to lose was because of his damn Divine Key, the Judgment of Shamash. But if I wield the Fenghuang Down properly… who wins and who loses might not be so certain!"
At that moment, the voice inside her mind spoke again.
[Your Fenghuang Down is not complete.]
Hearing such discouraging words, the Herrscher of Sentience instantly grew stubborn. "Tch! Obviously I know that."
[The Fenghuang Down you're using now, you snatched from Otto during your battle. It's merely one of its fragments, limited in power.]
The Herrscher of Sentience immediately snapped back: "What do you mean snatched? That was mine to begin with. I just reclaimed what was rightfully mine!"
"I'm the true master of the Fenghuang Down. That feather saw me, and it bowed its head in submission!"
And with that, she launched into a spirited self-justification…
Seeing this, Elysia couldn't help but laugh. "Such a cute Herrscher~ She really does look like a child desperate to prove herself."
"Arguing with the voice in her head, then comforting herself, hahahaha…"
Kiana nodded, smiling as well.
"Yeah, she doesn't look too smart. Even dumber than me—uh, no, I mean dumber than the Kiana in the game."
"Pff—" Elysia burst out laughing at that.
Noticing Kiana's flushed face, she quickly added: "My my~ Kiana has grown so much already. You've become a warrior capable of standing on your own."
"And wasn't the Kiana in the game created based on you as a template?"
"So don't belittle yourself~"
Hearing Elysia's praise, Kiana's little face lit up with barely concealed pride.
Seeing this, Elysia teased her further. "Hm? What's this? Still not happy even after my compliment?"
"N-no, that's not it~" Kiana stammered, embarrassed.
"Heehee~ Smile a little! It's okay if you even cheer and jump for joy~"
"Who would get so happy they'd jump?!" Kiana retorted, cheeks red.
"Oh? Don't tell me… Kiana's waiting for me to take the initiative? Maybe give you a big hug… something like that?"
Kiana's face turned even redder, but she shook her head firmly. "No. I only want Mei's hug!"
Elysia feigned shock. "Oh my~ who would've thought even a beauty like me could be rejected? Could it be… Kiana's feelings for Mei are so strong she can ignore my charm~?"
Watching Elysia relentlessly tease Kiana, the livestream chat went wild.
Especially over that one line Kiana nearly blurted: "Even dumber than me."
The chat was now a solid wall of comments, completely covering the screen.
Meanwhile, the studio girls watching the stream couldn't hold back their laughter either.
To stop Elysia's teasing, Kiana hurriedly advanced the game.
Soon, the Herrscher of Sentience arrived at World Serpent's base.
A ruined city, half-buried in sandstorms, the place looked almost like a desert wasteland.
"That guy Kevin… why hole up in a dump like this?"
She wrinkled her nose at her surroundings, then probed with her consciousness.
"Strange… everyone here feels lifeless, like their wills are dead. No emotions at all…"
"There are only two… no, three strong presences… wait, no! They're multiplying?!"
And right then, the inner voice sounded again.
[You've been discovered.]
"Jinx!"
Sure enough, World Serpent deployed an army of mechs to surround the intruder.
"Can't control machines, huh? Guess I'll just smash them all!"
After a lighthearted battle, the game shifted into dialogue.
"Pretty decent defenses~"
[Child's play for you.]
Hearing that praise, the Herrscher of Sentience puffed up proudly. "Of course~ look at me, not a scratch on me!"
"These toys? I've smashed more of them than I can count."
With that, she extended her overwhelming consciousness to probe the massive underground structure.
"After all these years as old comrades, he can't even come out to greet me?"
[It seems he hasn't even noticed the ruckus you're causing above.]
That made her bristle.
"Hmph~" she huffed, almost pouting. "Forget sneaking in. That's boring…"
Then she grinned in excitement. "I'm gonna barge in loud and proud!"
"After all, he's the leader of an entire organization now, 'Lord' this and that. If I tiptoe in, doesn't that make me look inferior?"
By now, even the densest viewers could see through her mindset—this Herrscher was desperate to prove herself.
And they couldn't help but admire Elysia.
With just a short scene, she'd seen through the Herrscher of Sentience completely.
Truly, the queen of social insight.
The game cut to the interior of World Serpent's base.
Jackal, whom players had seen before, appeared again.
"Who's this…" She frowned at the sight of the intruder. "She trashed the patrol mechs? Quick, zoom in."
When the feed zoomed closer and revealed the Herrscher of Sentience's face, Jackal's heart skipped a beat. "Hua?"
But she quickly denied it. "No, she's dead. Where did this one come from?"
"Could it be Otto's scheme?"
Her anger spiked at the thought. "So much for an alliance. That bastard just can't resist stabbing us in the back!"
"Patch me through to Schicksal HQ, now!"
At this point, the players in chat were howling.
She'd tried to pin the blame on Otto—and by sheer coincidence, she was completely right!!
And then, in the video, the Herrscher of Sentience tilted her head toward Jackal.
Her lively voice carried over: "Hey? You can hear me, right? This thing's got audio, yeah? Hello? Hello? Testing 1-2-3—"
Her tone was so playful it almost sounded… cute.
Jackal: "..."
Before Jackal could respond, the Herrscher of Sentience shrugged nonchalantly. "Whatever. Anyway, get ready. I already wiped out Schicksal, and now it's your turn."
Jackal's face was full of question marks.
Wasn't this Otto's plot? What do you mean Schicksal's already wiped out?!
While she was still processing, the Herrscher's voice rang out again.
"KEVIN! Get out here!!"
With that, the Herrscher of Sentience slammed the ground with her Fist of Taixu, shaking the earth down to a hundred meters below.
Even Jackal was startled by the impact.
But then she scoffed.
So arrogant, barging into World Serpent's headquarters like this?
"Alert all combat units, battle stations. I'll command this myself. I want to kill her with my own hands."
"And… absolutely do not disturb the Lord over something like this."
Meanwhile, the Herrscher of Sentience descended deeper into the underground passages.
"Am I imagining things… or do all these places look exactly the same?" she muttered, criticizing the architecture.
Then Jackal's voice blared over the intercom:
"Attention units! Intruder at B2, Corridor 7. Mech Battalion Three, engage immediately! Lethal force authorized!"
The Herrscher of Sentience snorted. "This so-called Jackal's got a big mouth."
But the mechs crumbled before her fists, utterly useless.
Jackal kept giving orders. "Intruder approaching the junction of Corridors 5 and 7! Battalions One and Four, encircle her! Drive her into the Spiral Sector!"
Hearing this, the Herrscher of Sentience scratched her head. "So noisy… Is she stupid? Who broadcasts their tactics out loud?"
This time, Jackal actually replied: "What's wrong? Scared? If you're scared, surrender, and I'll leave your corpse intact!"
The Herrscher of Sentience blinked in surprise. "Oh? So you can hear me."
Jackal smirked proudly. "Nothing in this base escapes my ears. Got it? Challenge World Serpent, and you're as good as dead!"
"Heh~" The Herrscher of Sentience sneered. "A rat hiding in the shadows, spouting lines like they actually mean something."
"Encircle her, do you hear me?!" Jackal snapped, her patience wearing thin.
But her frustration only grew as every mech she deployed was dismantled with a few punches and kicks.
"What, do you people build these things just to throw them away as cannon fodder?"
Her carefree tone only made Jackal angrier.
"Shut up! It's called strategy, ever heard of it?!"
Another Taixu shockwave blasted the mechs to pieces.
The Herrscher smirked. "That's your strategy?"
Jackal trembled with rage. "Just you wait… I'll deal with you myself!"
Their banter was starting to sound like a pair of grade-schoolers squabbling.
The viewers couldn't stop laughing.
[Hahaha… these two clowns…]
[I'm laughing myself stupid]
[Jackal's totally been infected by the Herrscher's nonsense—IQ down the drain]
[Flashback: didn't we use this exact "strategy" against Herrscher of the Void?]
[This Herrscher's way too cute]
Even Elysia and Kiana were laughing nonstop.
It was the first time they'd ever played Honkai Impact 3rd and laughed this hard.
Usually, the story was just trying to make them cry.
In the game, Jackal managed to trap the Herrscher of Sentience inside a sealed chamber with an electromagnetic grid, hoping to stun her.
But before she could gloat, the Herrscher just floated up.
"Hah! Surprised? I can fly~" she grinned proudly.
Jackal trembled with fury. "Damn you!! Stop showing off!"
She gave another command, and the chamber's temperature spiked.
"Heh~ ever used a microwave? Ever had roast chicken?"
"You can fly all you want, but inside my electromagnetic oven, you're not getting out alive!"
The walls glowed red-hot.
The Herrscher scratched her head. "Ah… so I walked into a trap…"
[Try using the Fenghuang Down.]
"Only one feather, weak as hell, won't help."
"Still, the heat isn't too bad. I've got plenty of time to think of a way out~"
Hearing her muttering, Jackal's triumphant voice boomed over the speakers, flaunting her imminent victory.
"You think this is the end? Don't underestimate me. I don't stop until my enemies are utterly destroyed!"
As she spoke, small self-destruct robots crawled out from the mech wreckage.
"Let's see how you handle this!"
But before she could savor her triumph, the Herrscher found a weak spot in the chamber.
"Fist of Taixu!"
BOOM!
The supposedly indestructible heatproof wall exploded, leaving a gaping hole.
The Herrscher strolled out without a scratch.
"What… kind of monster are you… Are you even human…"
Jackal was shaken, but another thought quickly struck her.
"Don't tell me… she really is Hua? The Lord's… old comrade?"
Panic flickered through her.
But true to her nature, she was all-or-nothing.
"If that's the case, then we definitely can't let the Lord find out…"
"Death Weavers! It's your turn!"
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