Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players

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In the laboratory, Ana casually grabbed a white lab coat and draped it over herself. This disguise may seem rudimentary, but with the dim lighting inside, it proved quite effective.

While Ana could forcefully storm the Fourth Herrscher's area, she preferred to blend in amidst chaos.

Moreover, Cocolia's forces were unaware that the surprise attack relied on Abyss Flower's full power capacity. To them, Ana remained an unknown enemy.

Conversely, from Kiana's group perspective, Ana was an enigmatic ally. If Ana fully exposed herself before achieving her objective, drawing Kiana's rescue attempt would spoil the fun.

After all, for the trio, their mission priority ranked Raiden Mei above Bronya, who in turn surpassed Wendy. Although they aimed to save everyone, considerable time had already been wasted. The reason they still had a chance lay solely in the manipulations of an old fox seeking psychological warfare.

"Cocolia really went too far this time," Ana muttered to herself as she tucked away her Abyss Flower. With her head lowered, she approached Wendy's operating table. Though uncertain of Wendy's exact location, she could sense the flow of Honkai Energy.

And within this facility, the strongest source of Honkai Energy was undoubtedly the Herrscher.

On a nearby surgical bed, Wendy lay restrained. Initially, she had struggled against her bonds, but after enduring numerous experiments over time, she no longer possessed the strength to resist.

In truth, Wendy never intended to become the Fourth Herrscher; her transformation occurred solely due to her agony, allowing the Will of Honkai to exploit her vulnerability.

At this point, the Will of Honkai wasn't yet as powerful as it would be during later Herrscher events. After all, Cocoon's purpose was to test and select companions, not indiscriminately kill everyone.

As researchers delved deeper into studying the Gem of Desire, Wendy gradually began reverting from her Herrscher state, with the consciousness of Valkyrie Wendy slowly returning.

However, the Gem of Desire had already fused with Wendy's being; she was no longer just a pseudo-Herrscher but the true Herrscher of Wind.

In this state, if another Herrscher were to seize her power, she might have survived. But surviving off the operating table now was entirely impossible.

"Speak your last words, Fourth Herrscher."

Cocolia approached the surgical bed, gazing at the Fourth Herrscher lying there. Her eyes filled with disgust, and a sneer played across her face. Unaware of the severity of the situation, as the laboratory's power supply had been restored.

After all, Cocolia knew Saint Freya Academy inside out, fully comprehending every move Theresa could possibly make.

Unfortunately, she overlooked Ana's combat capabilities—an understandable oversight.

Cocolia remained oblivious that it was Ana who destroyed the machinery at Saint Freya Academy earlier. When she intended to investigate the academy, Ana coincidentally left on a mission. Moreover, Ana's files at Schicksal Headquarters were classified as top-secret, naturally keeping them hidden from Cocolia's knowledge.

"Give her some time to finish her final message. We'll send it to Theresa shortly."

Cocolia gave instructions to one of the nearby lab technicians.

"Teacher Theresa!"

Wendy's heart skipped a beat, but her gaze quickly dimmed again. Even if Teacher Theresa were here, she would likely rescue Raiden Mei and Bronya first, wouldn't she?

She... She still...

Despite this, Wendy held no resentment. Everything had been her own choice. When she graduated from Saint Freya Academy, she was young and naive, filled with passion and loyalty to her people.

Much like Ana when she first arrived at Manila, Wendy voluntarily underwent implantation with the Gem of Desire, hoping Schicksal's researchers could harness its power, defeat the Herrscher, and protect their world.

Even now, she harbored no bitterness; earlier, her negative emotions were merely exploited by Honkai's influence.

However, perhaps if Big Sister Bronya had encountered her sooner, Wendy might have resisted longer, avoiding being truly affected by the Will of Honkai.

Having caused so much trouble for everyone, she genuinely felt remorseful.

With these thoughts, Wendy lifted her head, facing the researchers as though addressing those three girls and Principal Theresa herself. Calmly, she delivered her final words.

Having shared her final words, Wendy closed her eyes and awaited death's embrace.

Within her consciousness, that ever-present voice once again echoed, asking if she desired another chance at life. But having experienced warmth before, how could Wendy possibly accept?

Though her life had been simple and somewhat tragic, she felt content with it.

The researcher holding the recording device departed shortly after, only to be replaced by another scientist beside Wendy, this time wielding a surgical knife.

However, instead of plunging the blade into Wendy, the newcomer skillfully twirled it around as if showing off.

"Save your apologies for later when you can say them yourself!"

With those words, the surgical knife swiftly pierced Wendy's chest...

"So this is the Gem of Desire?"

Ana examined the gemstone in her hand. Under the glow of the operating light, the Honkai Crystal known as the Gem of Desire shimmered faintly. Holding it, Ana could sense the surging power and authority within.

Yet, she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. She had expected the gem to be visually striking, but upon closer inspection, it appeared quite ordinary, akin to a synthetic jewel.

"Never mind."

Clutching the Gem of Desire in her hand, Ana glanced at the critically ill girl lying on the surgical table.

"Just bear with me for a moment longer."

"Gem of Desire, connect!"

"Bip, Herrscher Core detected. Confirmed, loading Godslayer Armor - Ultimate Knight: Lunatic Moon..."

As the robotic voice echoed, Ana's attire swiftly transformed into a white and gold Valkyrie Armor. With the integration of the Gem of Desire, a pair of azure light wings emerged from behind the armor, and patterns resembling Honkai corruption appeared on its skirt.

This was Ana's first true activation of this Godslayer Armor.

Originally, the Lunatic Knight: Moonlit Heaven (HDA-001) was designed as a prototype multi-domain combat armor, being the initial generation of Godslayer Armors. However, due to conceptual flaws, the project was halted, eventually evolving into the Jail Knight: Moon's Bane.

But when Ana became an S-rank Valkyrie, Otto reinitiated the plan, incorporating the Key of Blankness to create a bespoke multi-domain combat armor exclusively for Ana, capable of adapting to all types of combat equipment.