Kiana hesitated, wanting to speak but stopping: "Mm…"
Bronya comforted her: "Kiana, Bronya knows what you're worried about."
"But with Heavy Bunny's help, the time Bronya can buy will obviously be much more ample."
"Moreover, Kiana still holds the authority of the Herrscher of the Void~ after all."
"Even though the way it's usable seems very limited right now—1 is definitely greater than -0, right?"
"So if we swapped our roles, the efficiency would most likely only get worse."
Facing Bronya's earnest persuasion, Kiana showed a slight smile: "I'm not doubting any of that, Bronya."
"When we first met up just now, you tried some new tactics, right?"
"Using dense, indiscriminate suppressive fire on the enemy while relying on real-time precision guidance to ensure no harm comes to allies on the same battlefield."
"That should be a tactic only achievable by the Herrscher of Reason, shouldn't it?"
Bronya said modestly: "Not necessarily."
"But the important thing is that the Herrscher of Reason's authority can indeed affect some intangible levels."
"Even when not exerting full power."
Kiana said thoughtfully: "Like… tactics, or even strategies?"
Bronya nodded: "You could put it that way."
"But more specifically, it's like using 3D printing technology in a precision instrument workshop to save costs?"
Kiana laughed awkwardly: "I definitely wouldn't understand the details on that level."
"But doing something like that without sufficient practice should still carry risks, right?"
Bronya said firmly: "It's fine, because it's Kiana."
Realizing her wording might have come off a bit off, Bronya paused.
"Mm, that's it—because it's Kiana, we can naturally coordinate perfectly."
Kiana also smiled: "Same here. Because it's Bronya, I don't feel worried."
"It's just that right before we actually start, I still wanted to remind you… be careful."
"Pretty contradictory, huh?"
Kiana scratched her head, but Bronya understood: "…Isn't contradiction just human nature?"
"Of course, Bronya will be as careful as possible."
"Then…"
With that, Bronya walked toward the cluster of Quantum Shadows and assumed an attack stance.
At the same time.
The viewers outside the television.
All spontaneously started posting in the group chat at once.
"Kiana's on the Moon—where's Mei?"
"Mei, danger!"
"Looking closely now, Bronya and Kiana's outfits actually match pretty well—yuri power is strong!"
"Seele, danger!"
"Seele: Suddenly feeling a heavy weight on my head."
"You're right, but Honkai Impact 3rd is a positive, uplifting, sunny, and joyful… TV drama."
"…"
Probably because the malice toward heterosexual couples in Honkai Impact 3rd is just too much.
Many viewers instead ship the various yuri CPs with great enthusiasm.
On the television, Bronya's voice came: "Hurry up, Kiana."
"And since you still can't freely use the Herrscher of the Void's authority."
"Do you still remember the correct posture for high-altitude landing?"
Kiana asked puzzledly: "High-altitude landing?"
Bronya chuckled lightly: "It's fine—it's not the first time anyway. At most it'll hurt a little."
When she said that, Bronya sounded somewhat meaningful.
Before Kiana could notice anything, she saw Bronya suddenly fire a shot.
Though it looked impressive, Kiana could tell Bronya hadn't expended much power.
On the contrary, a large number of Quantum Shadows were startled and all locked onto Bronya at once.
Right up until she was chased away by the horde of monsters, Bronya remained calm and composed.
Noticing this, Kiana couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and think: "As expected of you… Bronya."
Perhaps due to a certain idiot's intuition, during this period.
Kiana had been carrying a vague sense of unease about what was in Bronya's heart.
Looking back on all the events the two had gone through together.
Although Bronya always did everything she could, laying down indispensable bricks for the final victory.
But… at the most critical moments, she was always in a state of having already fallen.
Even though she had made contributions far beyond ordinary people, she would inevitably blame herself harshly for it.
When this narration appeared, quite a few viewers who were drinking water immediately spat it out.
What is this?
Is the official even persecuting Duck now?
After suffering so many Ls already, they're dragging her out to flog the corpse again!
Yet the narration continued—
Kiana remembered Durandal once telling her that most geniuses who hit a bottleneck.
Do so under this kind of unnecessary self-blame, because their excessive competitiveness causes them to collapse instead.
"Now it seems… Bronya really doesn't need this kind of extra worry."
"She's undoubtedly using her power very steadily, taking one solid step after another toward farther places."
"Makes sense—that's exactly what the Herrscher of Reason she represents is like."
Thinking this, Kiana also cheered herself on: "Yeah, I need to take it one solid step at a time too and get my job done properly."
However, ideals are always grand. When she arrived in front of the spatial node, Kiana still felt a bit stumped.
She didn't know what method would work quickly.
No choice—she couldn't just sit and wait. Kiana could only try some conventional means first.
Naturally, they had no effect.
Kiana wasn't surprised: "…Without using the Herrscher of the Void's power, it's still no good after all."
"Although Bronya's judgment is basically correct—pure brute force also has the possibility of breaking through…"
"But my current power is just a drop in the bucket?"
Her eyes narrowed. Kiana knew blindly expending energy like this was pointless.
Just as she was about to gamble everything on one shot, a strange flash of insight struck her.
The weak point in the space seemed to be directly captured by her naked eye, almost making Kiana think she was seeing things.
While she was observing carefully, Quantum Shadows appeared again and engaged her in combat.
"Strange, did that just appear?"
"Or… did I suddenly become able to notice it?"
While dealing with the respawning Quantum Shadows, Kiana kept thinking about what had just happened.
But thinking was thinking—once the monsters were all eliminated, the spatial weak point appeared again.
Kiana gathered Honkai Energy and struck with full force. A sound like shattering glass rang out.
As the final blow landed, following the spatial cracks the Quantum Shadows had previously torn.
Now before Kiana, the immaterial space shattered into fragments too fine for the naked eye to see.
At the same time, it revealed an entrance leading to another world.
However…
Kiana suddenly let out a startled cry, because a massive suction force suddenly came from the entrance.
In plain terms, the pressure difference between the two spaces was too great—an inevitable occurrence.
Caught off guard, Kiana was directly pulled into the rift by the suction.
Only then did she realize why Bronya had emphasized the high-altitude landing technique right before parting—
"High-altitude landing skills?"
"This is…"
Just as Bronya had thought, even without being able to use the Herrscher of the Void's authority.
The mighty Kiana couldn't possibly die from a botched high-altitude landing—that would be far too absurd and comical.
Even during the high-speed descent, Kiana had already come to her senses and even had the leisure to survey the surrounding environment.
"As expected, this side is also the Sea of Quanta…"
With Kiana's limited knowledge, of course she couldn't realize she had traveled via a kind of warp.
Simply put, she had instantaneously moved a considerable distance within the Sea of Quanta.
But regardless, Kiana had still made the correct judgment in the end.
However, Kiana was puzzled: "But… if there's not much difference between the two sides…"
"Then why did those Quantum Shadows launch an attack?"
Slowly adjusting her falling posture to slightly slow her descent.
So she could have more time to search for any clues that might explain it.
But Kiana quickly realized this seemed unnecessary—the answer was glaringly obvious.
During her descent, hundreds of Quantum Shadows that had already entered collapse form were drifting upward in the opposite direction.
Like souls returning to the heavens.
Clearly, they had just suffered a devastating defeat in a battle.
The lingering shockwaves from that battle were so intense that even Kiana's hair floated against the wind, like in a high-voltage electric field.
But the question was—what kind of power could achieve this level?
Kiana felt she probably could—though she couldn't use her authority freely.
As long as she ignored other issues and focused solely on attacking with everything she had, she could indeed achieve similar destruction.
But by that standard…
Suddenly thinking of something, Kiana's eyes widened slightly, and a vague yet solid premonition arose.
Almost reflexively, the girl's body and mind relaxed involuntarily.
No need to worry about possible strong enemies ahead, no need to think about how to land more gently.
"Phew…"
Taking a deep breath, her continuous descent suddenly halted.
The earlier premonition turned into reality at that moment.
Kiana said as if recalling: "Next time, it'll be face-to-face."
An extremely familiar voice rang out after a light chuckle.
"I originally thought that after so many meaningless sacrifices."
"They had finally summoned something that could leave me helpless."
Though the screen was pitch black, the voice alone made viewers nationwide widen their eyes in excitement.
"Although I truly am helpless… I never expected your promise would be fulfilled in this way."
Before the words finished, in the indistinguishable middle of heaven and earth, one girl was holding another.
The one being held was naturally Kiana.
And the other…
"Yay! Kiana-Mei shippers assemble—Mei is finally back by Kiana's side!!"
"Mei: Compared to this world, you're more important!"
"So fucking touching—after everything, they're finally reuniting!"
"This is sugar, goddamn dog director finally knows how to give sugar!"
"Sweet, so fucking sweet—dog director, more of this kind of plot and I won't knife you!"
"…"
While the audience was incredibly excited, on the screen Kiana also said: "Mei… it's really you."
Mei responded gently: "Mm, it's me, Kiana."
The embracing girls didn't pour out their hearts to each other; after greeting, they fell somewhat silent.
This wasn't awkwardness—it's how everyone is.
When we carry a long-awaited reunion in our hearts, we unconsciously rehearse it over and over.
We repeatedly consider how to say the first words, how to express our longing and joy.
And how to respond to the other's concern.
Everyone wants this extremely special moment to be perfect.
Yet everyone also ends up like them—suddenly feeling powerless to break the fragile awkwardness that could scatter with a breath.
Because in such moments, it's hard for anyone to immediately notice one thing.
Those who keep a reunion in their hearts for so long…
Have actually never truly been apart.
Even in silence, Kiana and Mei could see in each other's eyes exactly what they wanted.
In the end, Kiana spoke first: "I originally thought…"
"At a time like this, I'd be talking nonstop, saying a ton of things right away."
"But in the end, it feels like we just went to different schools—you and I were only apart for a single day."
Mei was momentarily stunned, then laughed softly: "If that's the case, then…"
"I'm back, Kiana."
Kiana smiled: "Mm, welcome back, Mei."
At this long-awaited moment of reunion, even at the company everyone unconsciously showed auntie smiles.
Aponia clasped her hands: "No matter how far the separation, as long as hearts remain connected…"
Elysia immediately followed: "Then even across the ends of the earth, those parted will meet again."
"There are no banquets that don't end, but as long as we still hold each other in our thoughts, we never truly separate."
People like Seele—who had always firmly shipped Kiana-Mei—now had slightly reddened eyes.
Purely moved.
Had the dog director actually changed his ways?!
Just as everyone was ready to continue watching the plot, the ending BGM suddenly started playing.
Kalpas: "…"
"Don't stop me, Kevin—this will be an endless slaughter!!"
The abrupt cliffhanger instantly broke the irritable Kalpas.
After eating so many knives in Honkai Impact 3rd, finally getting some sugar—and it just ends?
What about the rest of the plot!
Not just Kalpas—SAKURA, Mobius, and the others also looked at Hessian with unfriendly expressions.
"SAKURA, you're my bodyguard!"
Instinctively shivering, Hessian hurriedly hid behind SAKURA and emphasized.
SAKURA's expression stiffened. She remembered yesterday Hessian had given her two amusement park tickets so she could spend a full day having fun with her little sister.
She'd even felt a little touched at the time—turns out it was premeditated…
What else could she do?
Of course, forgive him a thousand times!