After Fu Hua explained both the advantages and drawbacks of the armor in detail, Himeko still chose to put it on.
Eden felt a pang of reluctance in her heart.
Because from Fu Hua's explanation, she had learned that once Himeko donned the battle armor, the Herrscher's Core embedded within would begin to corrupt the wearer's mind.
Himeko: "Fu Hua… who exactly are you…?"
Fu Hua: "Just like you, I'm someone who hopes to change the current state of things."
Once everything was done, Fu Hua made a traditional Dragon Kingdom fist-and-palm salute:
"Major Himeko, thank you for looking after me all this time. If fate allows, we shall meet again…"
Seeing this, everyone finally confirmed it—Fu Hua was not dead.
This revelation allowed all the Fu Hua fans to breathe a sigh of relief.
The screen shifted. Clad in the armor Vermilion Knight: Eclipse, Himeko appeared heroic and valiant.
"Whoa~~ Amazing!"
Himeko's illustration didn't just get the livestream audience's blood boiling—even Eden and Elysia felt their spirits being stirred!
From Eden's long experience watching cutscenes, she could already guess what was coming: most likely, Himeko would defeat the Herrscher of the Void and awaken Kiana.
Her own blood began to burn hotter in anticipation.
Clicking into the next stage, the plot immediately connected back to the very first stage of Chapter 9.
"So it really was told in reverse order."
Eden chuckled, controlling Vermilion Knight: Eclipse to cut down Honkai beasts and Deadwalkers one after another.
Very soon, armored in her S-rank battlesuit, Himeko came face to face with the Herrscher of the Void.
With performance far surpassing any A-rank battlesuit, Eden was having the time of her life.
In the story, even the Herrscher of the Void was taken aback by Himeko's power.
Himeko: "What's wrong? So even gods can bleed, huh~"
Herrscher of the Void: "Why… why haven't you died already? I should have killed you dozens of times by now…"
Himeko: "Sorry about that. I guess I'm just… hard to deal with."
Herrscher of the Void: "Insolent human!"
Himeko: "Don't you get tired of yelling 'human' over and over? I have a name, you know…"
"Remember this well. The one you're facing—"
"Is Murata Himeko!!"
...
[Ohhh~ Auntie Himeko is so cool!!]
[Shut up! Call her Himeko Onee-san!]
[Mihoyo stop baiting me—I'll pull, alright? Ughhh~~]
[Mihoyo you… you're sucking me dry…]
...
The chat barrage was on fire. Even Eden was completely fired up by Himeko's self-introduction.
Her controls felt sharper, smoother, even as she was slashing down Kiana in the boss fight.
In the end, thanks to Himeko's relentless assault, Dr. Einstein managed to use the Moonlight Throne to repel the Herrscher of the Void.
"Huh? Just repel, not defeat? And Kiana's consciousness didn't awaken either?"
"Hehe~ maybe that'll come in the next chapter."
"But wait… wasn't this supposed to be the last stage?" Eden muttered as she exited the stage-clear screen.
But when the game loaded, she flipped through the chapters and found no new stages after that.
Only two playback buttons appeared at the end.
"Eden, Eden, more short films! Quick, play it!"
Eden smiled and nodded.
She could already guess.
Most likely Mihoyo had put Himeko and Kiana's final battle into a cinematic short.
Just like The Queen Descends, the grandest scenes were animated.
"Mihoyo really went all out~" Eden murmured to herself.
The livestream viewers were equally thrilled.
After all, The Queen Descends had only come out half a month ago.
The shockwaves from that short still hadn't faded.
How powerful would this new animation be?
[Vermilion Knight: Eclipse] vs. [Herrscher of the Void]—their final battle!
Eden, heart brimming with anticipation, clicked the first play button.
But when the video loaded, there was no grand spectacle. Instead, the sound of a sorrowful piano began to echo.
[Hyperion Battleship, Lower Passage]
In the illustration, Himeko gripped the serum-weapon Spear of Destiny, a faint, sorrowful smile at her lips. Accompanied by a female voice singing in a wailing chant…
Eden's heart clenched tight. All at once, she recalled the countless foreshadowings and hints before this moment.
A bad premonition stirred within her…
In the narration, Himeko muttered softly, as though bidding farewell to the girls of St. Freya Academy.
"Good luck to you all."
"I really wish… I could have one more drink…"
The short was brief, yet it drew every viewer's heartstrings taut.
It was as if they could feel Himeko's resolve themselves.
Wanting to use what little remained of her broken body to do one last meaningful thing.
Wanting, in her final moments, to see the girls of St. Freya one last time.
And then… face death with clarity.
The video ended, bringing them back to the stage selection screen.
But Eden hesitated, not clicking the final playback button.
By now, thinking back to all the story thus far…
In both the main plot and side chapters, Himeko had always been depicted as an ordinary Valkyrie—serving as the teacher to the main cast.
She had no powerful background, no cheat-like abilities.
But every mission, she was always at the front lines.
Throughout the story, Himeko was often given solo focus shots—each hinting at her body gradually failing.
She was an older Valkyrie of Schicksal. She could have chosen retirement, a better life.
Yet she resolutely chose the harshest path.
As a teacher to Kiana and the others, she was responsible and devoted.
As a warrior, she was rational, always prioritizing the bigger picture.
That was exactly why Eden had become such a devoted Himeko fan.
Eden still remembered—during what had been a cheerful, lighthearted moment in the story, Himeko suddenly spoke with rare solemnity to Kiana:
"If one day… your comrade loses control because of Honkai energy, you mustn't hesitate… you must end her life…"
Himeko's achievements were already the pinnacle for most Valkyries of Schicksal.
Because an ordinary Valkyrie's fate was long sealed.
And so, for someone like Himeko, there were only ever two possible endings.
The first: completely eroded by the Honkai, turning into a Deadwalker.
The second… to fall as a warrior, in one final glorious blaze.
So long as her last battle was magnificent enough—that would be the best gift Mihoyo could give to Himeko.
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