Players were endlessly curious and excited about the mysteries of the Previous Era.
After all, in earlier storylines, the technology and power shown from the Previous Era far surpassed anything in the current main plot.
Even the battlesuit Himeko wore when she fought the Herrscher of the Void was a relic of that civilization.
Not to mention the God Keys, or monsters like Fu Hua and Kevin… beings who had lived for fifty thousand years.
And yet, even such a terrifying civilization had ultimately been destroyed by "Honkai"…
It was hard to imagine how powerful future Herrschers would become.
And when miHoYo made new animated shorts about them… just how shocking would they be?
The players speculated, discussed, and waited with anticipation.
But right now, Kiana and Himeko had no mind for such things.
They were already completely immersed in the story.
After rescuing Rita, Kiana had gone her own way.
In the previous chapter, Kiana discovered that World Serpent was carrying out a plan called the "Stigmata Project."
This plan involved releasing high concentrations of Honkai energy across the entire Skydome City.
Essentially… turning the whole city into a giant human experiment.
If Kiana didn't stop them, there would be no survivors.
Even if a few succeeded in activating stigmata and lived, they would be forced to join World Serpent.
It was something Kiana could never allow.
Even though her body was showing severe signs of collapse, and Fu Hua had already warned her about how terrifying World Serpent's leader, Kevin, truly was…
Even so, Kiana's expression remained determined—she had to investigate.
This side of Kiana made viewers' hearts ache.
Clearly the plot was meant to be hot-blooded and heroic, yet compared to the goofy, innocent girl she used to be…
The mature Kiana now only made people feel even more protective of her.
Damn it… miHoYo had managed to slip in another knife without warning.
And the worst kind of knife wasn't one that angered you… but one that made your nose sting and your chest tighten.
Both Kiana and Himeko watching were moved to silence as they watched the in-game Kiana press forward.
The story continued.
World Serpent's operatives finally appeared.
On screen, a voluptuous woman wearing a wolf-shaped mask entered. She was the one overseeing the Sky Dome plan—Jackal.
Her voice was mature, arrogant, tinged with impatience:
"How's the progress? Schicksal's cover is blown. The time left for testing is running out."
At her words, Raven sighed helplessly:
"I've already put every hand on this. Rita left us with a mess, sure, but that's not the real problem."
"The problem is—the Herrscher of the Void is on to us. She's coming to stop the plan."
Jackal: "Then stall her!"
Raven nearly laughed:
"Stall her? She's a Herrscher! Throwing a pile of monsters at her isn't going to work. Even ten times as many wouldn't last her a second."
"Do you remember the Second Eruption? Do you remember what she did then? You, of all people, should know—fighting a Herrscher isn't a matter of numbers."
Jackal chuckled softly, arrogance still dripping from her tone:
"I've reviewed the field logs from an hour ago. That girl didn't show anywhere near Herrscher-level power…"
"Likely she awakened recently, still unable to control it. According to my intel, she was defeated only hours after awakening."
"And who defeated her? Three S-rank Valkyries—Rita was among them. So? Wasn't she brought down by our careful design?"
Raven: "Maybe. 'According to intel'? 'Maybe'? There are too many assumptions in your words. What if Otto has something up his sleeve that we don't know about?"
Jackal sneered:
"Otto? That coward who hides behind Valkyries?"
She scoffed and added with mockery:
"You might as well tell me he invented some miraculous armor, gave it to a washed-up Valkyrie, and had her one-shot the Herrscher of the Void."
Raven: "…"
Jackal: "Heh~ your sense of humor is almost comforting."
At this, both Kiana and Himeko burst out laughing.
The live chat also erupted:
[LOL… Jackal just casually joked and ended up speaking the truth]
[She should've gone into fortune-telling instead of science]
[Prophet Jackal! Get her before she spoils more!]
[When the villain dunks on the story better than anyone…]
The audience's mood lightened again.
In the game, Raven eventually relented, leading soldiers to capture Kiana.
With the help of "serum gas" that drained Honkai energy from her body, they really did manage to subdue her.
Seeing this, both the players and streamer Kiana grew anxious.
They marveled at her growth, but also worried for her safety.
Just then, the story shifted perspective—to Rita.
Arvette: "Miss Rita, taking on a mission alone in your weakened state… this isn't just risky, it's suicidal."
For once, Rita sighed:
"You're right… But as commander, my failures cost us dearly. It's my duty to shoulder all the responsibility."
"But until this operation is over, I still have a duty—to thwart World Serpent's plan."
"Thwart… their plan?" Arvette blinked in confusion. Weren't they supposed to be chasing the Herrscher?
Rita, unconcerned, explained:
"As long as Lady Durandal arrives, we're guaranteed victory. But… what if she's too late? What if our 'victory' only comes after thousands of innocents lie dead, their bodies piled across the city? That kind of victory… as a Valkyrie, I will not accept."
Hearing this, Arvette nearly cried:
"I—I'm so moved! I was only worrying about your safety, Lady Rita… Please forgive me, Deputy Captain! Please… be careful!"
Through this exchange, players saw Rita—and Schicksal—in a new light.
Due to the serum gas earlier, Rita now was only slightly stronger than a normal woman.
Her mission had been to capture the Herrscher of the Void, but upon learning World Serpent's plan endangered the entire city…
She chose instead to cooperate with her "enemy," dragging her weakened body into the fight to stop them.
Before, many players had considered Schicksal the clear villains.
They remembered how they had sacrificed Himeko without hesitation.
Even though Rita was graceful and beautiful, many still saw her as a "villain's pawn."
But now… a single line from Rita completely flipped those impressions.
If people had liked her before for her elegance and beauty, now they truly admired her character.
[So… in Schicksal, the only one rotten is Otto]
[OTTO!! miHoYo devs, I know you're watching—come out here and TAKE MY SWORD!]
[OTTO LOOK OUT!]
Bronya and Mo Li saw the chat, of course.
"Boss… maybe you should show your face on stream? Let the players vent a little?"
Mo Li: "…No need. They're just venting."
"Really?" Bronya stared at the flood of [OTTO LOOK OUT!] scrolling by, her eyes glinting.
Back in-game, as Rita pressed deeper into the lab, Mei finally reappeared.
The moment she appeared, streamer Kiana's eyes lit up:
"Wow, Mei looks so pretty in this outfit! Hehe~ and that means… Mei's about to see Kiana again! It's gonna be sweet!"
From everyone else's perspective, Kiana's lovestruck grin was… unexpectedly adorable.
It reminded them of the contrast between the serious "Knight Kiana" in her Sky Ranger armor and the goofy, childlike Kiana outside the game.
In the game.
After learning Kiana's whereabouts from Rita, Mei rushed off desperately to save her.
The perspective then returned to Kiana.
Jackal was performing experiments on her.
Kiana, trapped in a containment pod, looked weak and frail.
Jackal watched with excitement:
"Excellent… Herrscher of the Void. Your body is a miracle. No matter how I tinker with it, it always returns to normal."
Kiana let out a pained moan.
The audience grew furious.
[Jackal, show us your health bar already!]
[How dare she! I'm livid right now!]
[Class Rep, hurry up and save Kiana!]
[Why must miHoYo torment her so much…]
[OTTO LOOK OUT!]
But soon the truth came out.
Kiana had deliberately let herself be captured.
She feigned pain and weakness… just to bait Jackal into spilling information.
"How many… of your experiments in Skydome City… how many people will live?" Kiana asked through gritted teeth.
Jackal blinked in surprise:
"You care about numbers? I thought to a Herrscher, human deaths were like crumbs on the table—insignificant."
"Don't worry. If you're still alive when the time comes, I'll tell you."
She began another experiment.
"Resonance between Herrscher Core and biological tissue…"
Kiana screamed again in "pain."
[She's suffering so much… my heart can't take it]
[She's still thinking of others while enduring this…]
[She's grown up… but why does it hurt so much to watch]
But then… Kiana smirked.
All this time, she had been baiting Jackal.
"Talking about stigmata… you stole Schicksal's vaccine, messed with Valkyries, spent all this effort… And yet I haven't seen a single citizen with a stigmata. Your experiments failed, didn't they?"
She took a shaky breath, feigning pain again:
"Maybe… you just messed up a decimal point somewhere… like me on a math test… ugh…"
Her "moan" only angered Jackal.
"Silence! I won't let you reduce world-changing knowledge to childish jokes!"
"How to refine the vaccine, how much Honkai energy is needed to bathe the city so the stigmata can be fully activated—these—"
She cut herself short, realizing she had revealed too much.
Kiana's smile grew.
"So… the release will be in the city center? Or the outskirts?"
The chat collectively broke down.
[She's matured… she's even baiting enemies for intel…]
[Crying… our girl is growing up]
[But why does maturity always come with pain?]
[Teacher Himeko, are you seeing this… Kiana really has grown]
Finally, Kiana revealed her act.
"For just that one little answer… I've been stalling you all this time."
Jackal panicked:
"Impossible… You were screaming just now—"
Kiana grinned coldly:
"Crying and screaming are a girl's basic skill. Those tests didn't hurt at all!"
With that, she punched the containment glass.
"Remember! I'm not just breaking glass today—I'm breaking your pathetic Stigmata Project too!"
Jackal snarled:
"You'll see… the Serpent—"
But before she could finish, Kiana smashed through the pod.
"Better guard that dog head of yours!!"
Jackal: "…"
She wanted to retort that it was a wolf mask.
But staring at the Herrscher girl who had just broken free, fear got the better of her.
She wasn't a fighter.
In panic, she slammed the alarm and released a huge insect-like beast.
The game shifted into combat mode.
Streamer Kiana tightened her grip on the controller, focusing.
As she battled, she listened to Fu Hua's voice in-game:
Fu Hua: "Are you truly alright?"
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