The Herrscher of Knowledge still didn't get the result she wanted.
Seeing Kiana's hostility directed at her…
She felt so wronged.
Clearly, she had always treated the other girl as a companion. Clearly, she really wanted to be friends with Kiana and the others…
But things had come to this. She had already accepted—already admitted—the fact that she was a Herrscher.
Even after revealing her full Herrscher form, she didn't strike first.
Instead, she silently watched Kiana's conversation with Fu Hua.
From the moment she awakened, she had inherited Fu Hua's memories.
At the same time, she had also taken in Fu Hua's feelings toward Kiana and the rest.
So even now, deep in her heart, she still clung to a tiny shred of hope…
She truly didn't want to cross blades with them.
But of course, that was something she would never say aloud.
All she could do was warn them.
"Looks like that old fossil didn't tell you everything, Kiana… You want to save her?"
"Hahaha… Forget about not even having a chance of beating me. Even if you did win, saving her would still be nothing but a delusion!"
"This body belongs to me!! With her current strength, she couldn't possibly take it back. Without it, her power will never recover, and will eventually fade away!"
"Hahaha… Do you get it now? It's a dead end! A dead end! Hahaha… she's doomed!"
But even after hearing the truth, Kiana still gripped the Spear of the Void tightly, her gaze sharp and unwavering.
That was when the Herrscher of Knowledge finally snapped:
"Hah~ Idiot…"
"Fine! You want to fight? Then let's fight! I'll play with you to the very end!"
With her furious roar, the world around them began to warp and bend…
Countless black feathers fluttered through the air.
She dragged Kiana into her domain.
"Kiana! Old fossil! Since neither of you know when to quit, don't blame me for going all out!"
At that point, the game shifted to the results screen.
...
[Look how wronged she is…]
[Don't cry, Shibao, headpats~]
[This is killing me! Can't 26 at least try to comfort her? Why must they fight…]
[Shame Mei, the best at coaxing kids, isn't here…]
[I don't think it's that they can't coax her. They just don't want to lie to her.]
[Remember, she is a Herrscher. If they pretended to treat her as Fu Hua, there would always be distrust in their hearts. They'd never truly accept her.]
[Exactly. Even if they feigned acceptance now, that lack of real trust would eventually explode later on—especially with the Honkai Will whispering poison in her ear.]
[Better to be honest, with themselves and with Shibao, than deceive her. Only then can she accept her true self.]
[Yeah, the ideal ending is for Shibao to embrace herself as a Herrscher.]
...
The barrage scrolled endlessly, while both Elysia and Kiana each had their own thoughts.
What worried them most, however, was Fu Hua herself.
Would this really be her curtain call?
Kiana drew in a deep breath and opened the final interlude.
"Damn that Boss Mo Li! If Class Monitor dies, I'll make him pay!!"
With a vicious glare, Kiana clicked into the first stage of the last interlude.
Elysia blinked, then smiled playfully at her.
"If Kiana gets too sad, you can always come to me for comfort~"
"Making girls smile is one of my specialties~"
...
The story pressed forward.
The screen opened with a grand, majestic score echoing through the air.
The visuals matched that sword graveyard from the PV—giant stone blades thrusting toward the heavens.
The full moon hung high, shrouded by drifting clouds, the scene like an immortal's realm.
Every towering stone sword was bound together with titanic chains.
The atmosphere was vast and awe-inspiring, yet steeped in a killing intent so dense it felt suffocating.
The camera swept upward along one massive sword until it finally landed on Kiana, standing atop a stone platform.
Then, the Herrscher of Knowledge's voice resounded through the void.
Empty, sorrowful, yet carrying immense weight—echoing through the entire illusion.
"Since the day of my return, I have never known defeat!"
"Hmph… Kiana, do you really think yourself greater than Otto, Kevin, or Durandal?"
She descended from above with overwhelming presence.
"Don't overestimate yourself, fool~"
...
The sheer spectacle of it had viewers' blood boiling.
Scenes like this—they'd only ever imagined them while reading novels.
Never before had they actually witnessed something so breathtaking.
Games, movies… none had ever pulled off this kind of distinctly Eastern fantasy imagery.
The world's mainstream was always Western fantasy or sci-fi.
Who would've thought, in the end, that a tiny game studio would be the one to show the world this unique immortal-cultivation style vision from Longguo?
[Holy crap!! These visuals, this camerawork!!]
[…Insane. This is peak xianxia already!]
[Say no more. I feel like an immortal swordmaster myself right now!]
[Don't you mean a keyboard swordmaster?]
[miHoYo is crazy good… they make games with such dedication!]
[This is even more breathtaking than what I imagined xianxia could look like…]
...
A short cutscene later, the game transitioned smoothly into battle.
The boss awaiting Kiana? None other than the Herrscher of Knowledge.
Kiana hurriedly launched a flurry of attacks—
but her enemy brushed them off without care, moving with casual grace.
Between steps, she even found time to mock her:
"You won't even use your full Herrscher powers… Hey, didn't you say I was one too? Then why not fight me at a hundred percent? What, you think you can win like this?"
"Do you really think your judgment is that sound? Huh?"
Her tone was almost playful.
It was obvious—she wasn't taking Kiana seriously at all.
"Fine then, Kiana… I value fairness the most. You use guns, I'll use guns too."
With a single gesture, a long spear appeared in her hand.
She twirled it with dazzling flair and declared:
"I'll make you lose so completely you'll have nothing left to say!!"
Kiana glanced at her twin pistols, then at the spear in her opponent's hands.
"…That's… a polearm."
"Hmph~ A gun's a gun!"
The fight escalated into white-hot intensity.
The battle theme swelled—
and interwoven with it, the plucking of a pipa, rising and falling.
Viewers felt their blood rushing, immersion overwhelming them.
It was as though they themselves were dueling an ancient swordmaster.
"What's the matter, Kiana? Is that all you've got?"
"Listen well! If you apologize now, I might just let you off!"
Seeing this, many players couldn't help but feel for the Herrscher of Knowledge.
Even after only a handful of chapters, they'd already grown attached to this foolishly cute Herrscher girl.
And now, even at this point, Shibao still wasn't trying to kill Kiana.
Which only made the coming scenes harder to watch.
Because knowing miHoYo, either Fu Hua or the Herrscher of Knowledge…
one of them was destined to die.
The very outcome no one wanted.
They didn't dare look—yet they couldn't turn away.
The complaints flooded the barrage:
[Uuugh… Shibao is just too gentle.]
[Please, no more deaths, miHoYo. I'm begging you…]
[Wait what? Gentle? You serious?]
[Otto: Look me in the face and say that again!]
...
Meanwhile, Kiana and Elysia had no time for chat.
Elysia was completely engrossed in the tense, thrilling story.
And Kiana—her focus was wholly locked on her gameplay.
But… this boss was just too hard. She couldn't keep up with Shibao at all.
That was when Fu Hua's weak, wavering voice came through:
"Kiana… I will… guide you…"
The sound made Kiana tremble even outside the game.
Worried, she called out instinctively:
"Class Monitor, don't—"
Hearing the sudden cry, Elysia blinked, then quickly caught on.
She leaned in with a teasing grin:
"Kiana~ Your Class Monitor's over there~"
Kiana froze for a moment before realizing she'd slipped too deep into the story.
Her cheeks flushed.
"I… I know! Geez, don't bug me—I'm about to clear it~"
Elysia pouted dramatically:
"Oh no… to think I'd be called annoying… That really hurts, you know~"
Flustered, Kiana rushed to explain:
"No, that's not it… I was just joking! I don't dislike you…"
But then, her partner burst into laughter:
"Hahaha… gotcha! I was joking too~"
...
By then, Kiana had reached the next stage.
Another cutscene began.
She landed on a massive chain, the camera pulling back to reveal its other end—anchored into a gigantic stone sword.
The sweeping shot captured the sheer grandeur of the domain in full.
Even Kiana, still embarrassed moments ago, was swept back into total immersion.
On screen, the Herrscher of Knowledge descended once more, standing proudly atop the great blade.
She smirked, raised her thumb… then turned it down.
"Come at me!"
The signal was given—gameplay resumed.
To Kiana's surprise, this stage wasn't a battle.
It was parkour.
She sprinted along the chain toward her foe, dodging sweeping waves of crimson sword energy.
She could leap, slide, or deflect them with her Spear of the Void.
Ordinarily, just a simple parkour game.
But from this angle, under this narrative weight—
it became something much more.
Heart pounding, Kiana raced forward.
At last, she leapt, colliding head-on with Shibao's fist.
And of course, whether in illusion or reality, her power was no match for Fu Hua's body.
"Too many openings!"
With a shout, Shibao sent her crashing down from the skies.
The wide-angle shot followed Kiana as she tumbled, only for her to teleport at the last second onto a platform.
She rose slowly, battered and unsteady.
But before she could regain herself, that taunting voice rang out again:
"Calmed down now, Miss Kiana? See? This is the difference in our strength!"
She descended with dazzling poise, a bright smile on her face.
Spear, sword, and whip floated at her side, radiating mastery.
The air around her screamed of a warrior versed in every weapon.
"You can't beat me, Kiana. Just give it up!"
"Losing to me… is only natural!"
As their duel grew fiercer, the music quickened its pace.
"She's already dying. Is she really worth this? Why protect… a useless failure?"
"You… don't understand… Class Monitor, she…"
"Stop spouting nonsense!!"
...
At the livestream.
Kiana played with unwavering focus, her avatar locked in a grueling fight.
After a punishing sequence, the final stage concluded with a short cutscene.
"...It's over."
Kiana stared at the last two play buttons, emotions swirling within her.
Blazing through three massive story arcs in one breath left her exhilarated, spent, and deeply moved.
There were laughs. There were tears.
Through this seamless immersion, she had seen Fu Hua's past.
The pain and solitude carried for fifty thousand years.
Now, Fu Hua's character stood fully alive in their hearts.
Even if you weren't a Fu Hua loyalist, you couldn't help but respect her journey.
No one wanted her story to end here.
But… Shibao was lovable too. Shibao was wronged too.
Though born a Herrscher, she was still a blank slate.
Mistaking herself for Fu Hua, she had shouldered a burden—defeating Honkai—that was never hers to bear.
She too was lonely.
And so, no one wanted to see Shibao cut down either.
...
In the end, the blame fell on miHoYo. On Boss Mo Li.
Seeing Kiana frown but hesitate at the play button, the viewers understood.
"If Class Monitor dies, I swear I'll make him pay!"
With that, Kiana slammed the button.
[Dustseeker]
The cutscene opened once more upon that wondrous xianxia realm.
Then—battle cries rose from below.
In just five seconds, the short pulled every eye into its grip.
That was miHoYo's style.
Dazzling, tightly-packed combat scenes right from the start—
seamlessly tying into the gameplay while locking the audience into the story.
And once the clash reached a crescendo?
That was when the quieter scenes followed.
The combat drew attention.
The drama pulled at the heart.
The blade to cut the players… was always waiting.
[Shibao: "You're weak as hell."]
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