[I have a question. Now that two main story chapters are finished, why hasn't Big Sis Himeko appeared yet?]
[Didn't Himeko herself say she only has a very brief scene? I think she'll definitely show up at a critical moment to turn the tide!]
[To be honest, I find it really hard to imagine how Big Sis Himeko could make an entrance in this situation.]
[No matter what, the insider's CG screenshot won't lie!]
[Yes, yes, yes! There's already so much evidence proving Big Sis Himeko will return. There's no way miHoYo won't let Himeko appear! There's absolutely no problem!]
Kiana glanced at the bullet comments, exchanged a look with Himeko, and blinked discreetly, communicating through thoughts.
'Auntie Hi— Teacher, should I continue now?'
'I'm afraid the players will get too excited after watching the animated short.'
Himeko's brow furrowed slightly; she sensed Kiana almost called her Auntie...
Seeing Himeko didn't react, Kiana extended her foot under the table and gently nudged her.
Only then did Himeko snap back to attention. She also blinked back at Kiana.
'Continue. What's meant to happen will happen.'
'Besides, even if the players get "knifed," they'll "knife" the boss.'
Kiana seemed to have received Himeko's thoughts and nodded lightly.
Makes sense.
She hesitated no longer and clicked to play the animated short.
The night sky of Skyfall City was deep and serene. Under the cover of the city lights, an agile figure darted like an arrow.
Kiana was dressed in a sleek, dynamic outfit – her White Comet battlesuit underneath a hooded jacket.
She leaped over a holographic sign, landing on the rooftop of a tall building.
Then, the perspective shifted to a first-person parkour view.
Kiana moved swiftly through the neon-lit night city, her movements incredibly agile, her purpose crystal clear.
In this darkness, someone spotted her fleeting figure, momentarily stunned, even wondering if they were seeing illusions due to excessive fatigue.
Only a little girl, held in her mother's arms, pointed upwards and said in a sweet, childish voice, "Mommy, look quickly!"
At this moment, the players also felt that Kiana's parkour sequence was simply too cool.
Slowly, things were starting to get fired up!
Kiana ignored the gazes of ordinary people, resolutely rushing towards) her destination, unwilling to delay for another second.
She leaped and sprinted freely between skyscrapers, swung around a horizontal bar, grabbed onto a pipe, and vaulted over a railing.
With a beautiful aerial flip, the young woman landed silently, having already reached the rooftop closest to the city's central signal tower.
Looking at the distant signal tower, Kiana walked forward.
However, the moment she took a step, she was immediately exposed under the glare of searchlights, as bright as day.
Not far away, stealthy, dark-painted mechs finally detected Kiana, who had intruded into the area. They decloaked and began to surround her.
"Hmph, you're here?"
Given her high-profile traversal through the city, it wasn't surprising that the enemy had taken some emergency measures.
Facing the mechs blocking her path, Kiana showed no expression. She merely took a deep breath, unzipped her jacket, and tossed it aside with a cool flick of her wrist.
Her two large, silver-white pigtails, like snow, bounced playfully behind her head. The pure white Valkyrie armor was the look most familiar to the players—White Comet.
She reached her hand back; a subspace portal opened, and a baseball bat materialized, landing in her grasp.
Since she'd been discovered, there was no need to hide anymore!
At the same time, a highly rhythmic BGM began to play, perfectly suiting the scene.
Everyone's excitement continued to build. Although Big Sis Himeko hadn't appeared yet, they already felt themselves getting fired up!
If it was this thrilling now, Big Sis Himeko's entrance later definitely wouldn't disappoint them!
The short film continued.
Kiana, wielding the baseball bat, gradually broke into a run, charging under the moonlight!
"I don't have time—"
"—to play around—"
"—with you all!"
As her voice fell, she leaped from the rooftop, using the baseball bat to hook onto a crane's hook in mid-air, using it as a leverage point to swing towards the opposite side.
With the agility of a rabbit pouncing and a falcon swooping.
She spun, flipped, and landed on a steel cable connecting two tall buildings, sliding along it.
But the guardian mechs were no pushovers. Faced with an intruder like Kiana, they unhesitatingly launched missiles.
Kiana remained calm and composed. When the missiles approached, she struck fiercely, deflecting them.
She herself quickly closed in on the mechs.
By now, Kiana's strength was far beyond what it used to be. Relying solely on her agile movements and the baseball bat in her hand, she easily dealt with the few mechs near her.
As the mechs exploded, Kiana left the platform without looking back, continuing to advance towards the city's central signal tower.
Along the way, countless mechs attacked, and countless shells flew.
Watching Kiana weave through the barrage of fire with her baseball bat, watching her effortlessly destroy mech after mech.
Watching her get closer and closer to the signal tower.
This scene of hand-to-hand combat against mechs had the players shouting in excitement.
At this very moment, as Kiana grabbed a suspended rope and swung towards a platform ahead, a uniquely shaped mech appeared. The heavy rotary machine gun on its left arm spewed a long tongue of fire, opening fire thunderously.
"Rat-tat-tat-tat!"
Kiana, gripping the rope with one hand, rapidly spun the baseball bat with the other, creating a circular shield.
In this way, she actually managed to block the dense hail of bullets that rained down like arrows!
At the same time, seizing an opportunity, she threw the baseball bat, smashing the mech's heavy machine gun.
"Neko Charm!"
Kiana dived down, and with a sharp cry, a giant cat paw materialized out of thin air, slamming fiercely into the mech, knocking it back several meters.
However, the next moment, the cat paw exploded. She had clearly underestimated the mech, and she fell onto the platform, her face contorted in pain.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, the mech charged towards Kiana, raised its mechanical arm high, and slammed it down.
In the nick of time, Kiana suddenly looked up. The azure iris of her right eye turned golden, and the power of the Herrscher of the Void unfurled.
The mechanical arm passed through subspace, appearing directly behind the mech, striking it off balance and sending it tumbling from the tall building.
But the mech still struggled in its death throes. In mid-air, it temporarily locked onto Kiana and fired dozens of missiles.
The missiles whistled as they approached, on the verge of impact and explosion.
A purple light flashed; Kiana activated Time Fracture.
Space was briefly frozen!
Now, it was Kiana time!
Kiana leaped high, using the suspended missiles as stepping stones, jumping higher and higher into the air.
Finally, a gorgeous backflip.
Space returned to normal, and all the missiles exploded, the blooming sparks resembling Kiana's wings.
As Kiana overcame one obstacle after another, gradually approaching her goal, defeating enemy after enemy, she reached the top of the signal tower.
The players' emotions had been completely stirred up by the short film.
"This is it!"
"I have to disarm the bomb quickly!"
There was no time to delay.
Kiana quickly rushed towards the bomb at the center. Everyone watched with bated breath. It was almost over; Big Sis Himeko should be appearing now, right?
How would Big Sis Himeko make her entrance?
The thought of it brought their excitement to its absolute peak!
Unexpectedly, the bomb erupted with an extremely intense Honkai energy, so powerful that even Kiana couldn't withstand it. She was pushed back repeatedly by the shockwave.
Looking at the purple bomb on the screen, and Kiana struggling step by step against the burst of Honkai energy, her arms developing death lines from the close proximity to the intense Honkai energy.
A sudden chill went down everyone's spine, as if a basin of cold water had been poured over their heads. The smiles still lingering on their faces instantly froze.
What was happening?
The smiles slowly vanished.
On screen.
"Such strong Honkai energy!"
"Ah!"
Her body felt as if it were about to be torn apart.
Kiana could only grip the handle on the bomb tightly with her right hand, while her left hand painfully clutched her left eye, from which golden light was streaming.
However, this was futile. A gloom, like leaden clouds, quietly settled over her heart.
She had clearly come this far.
Class Rep had even done so much for her.
Success was clearly right before her eyes.
Clearly...
So, was she going to give up?
Illusions seemed to appear before her eyes. She suddenly felt so tired, so much like she wanted to just fall asleep.
The theme song of "Skyfall Meteor" began to play at the perfect moment.
The players' hearts were in turmoil. They didn't even have the presence of mind to wonder why the singing voice sounded so familiar.
Then, a voice that countless players had been激动 (excitedly anticipating), a voice that had appeared countless times in Kiana's dreams, was heard.
"Kiana."
A phantom arm rested on Kiana's right hand, which was desperately clutching the bomb's handle.
Kiana was thunderstruck. She dazedly turned her head and saw—
The Valkyrie with hair like crimson flames, her expression firm yet gentle.
"Himeko, Teacher."
Hearing her voice, Himeko also slowly turned her head, giving her an incredibly indulgent smile.
"Yes."
Kiana felt as if she had awakened from a long dream. "I promised you."
A surge of strength welled up within her body again, a strength from the depths of her soul.
It was the 'gift' Himeko had left her.
It allowed her to bravely face any difficulty, no matter what!
Kiana once again extended her left hand, firmly grasping the bomb, and then, with unprecedented determination:
"I will turn this imperfect story..."
"...into the one we wished for!"
In a flash of white light, Kiana once again saw the valiant Valkyrie in her Vermilion Knight armor.
"Ah!!!"
To fulfill that promise, Kiana unleashed all her power. Carrying the Honkai energy bomb, potent enough to destroy the entire Skyfall City, she transformed into a pillar of purple light that pierced the heavens.
Like a meteor streaking in reverse, towards the sky!
Below the bomb, Kiana had completely transformed into the Herrscher of the Void. The only difference was that her eyes remained as blue as the ocean.
The blue-eyed Herrscher of the Void!
She had succeeded!
Above the firmament, a meteor burned with purple flames, like a declaration of challenge to the gods.
Below the firmament, countless people looked up at the night sky. They all saw a purple meteor parting the clouds, streaking across the heavens.
They all stopped in their tracks, marveling at the sight.
They didn't know that an unsung hero had protected them, allowing them to brush past the grim reaper.
They didn't know that a young girl, after detonating the bomb, was doing her utmost to absorb the overflowing Honkai energy.
They knew even less that the girl, after accomplishing all this, fell lonely from the sky, murmuring, 'This is my promise.'
...
"I reach out towards the distant light
Memories deep in my mind, silent yet never forgotten
Someone has left, yet their voice echoes in my mind
...
I will then pursue the beliefs I once held
Crashing into the barrier above the crowd
Fragments pierce the atmosphere, burning into a meteor shower
...
These starlights will not extinguish, until the dawn breaks
..."
Listening to the "Skyfall Meteor" theme song, a duet by Eden and Elysia.
The audience erupted.
[It's okay! You're the protagonist! Kiana, you're okay, you're the protagonist, ahhhhh!!]
[Even if the long night is endless and eternal, I will become a star to ignite hope! Your vow, I will fulfill it! Kiana, Tuna, I'd rather you not be like this!]
[So White Comet's leader skill: Meteor Guardian meant this!? Was this also part of your calculations, miHoYo? When exactly did you start preparing to knife us!!]
[Big Sis Himeko, Himeko o(╥﹏╥)o I... I can't even say this appearance was bad.]
Although Himeko's scene was completely different from what they expected, they couldn't, in good conscience, say that Himeko's appearance this time was bad.
If anything, it was too good, too fitting.
So good that it directly broke their emotional defenses once again.
[After watching Skyfall Meteor, I don't even have that strong desire for Big Sis Himeko to return anymore. MMP, I've actually had my thoughts twisted by miHoYo again.]
[Yeah, if Himeko returns, Kiana's growth up to this point would feel somewhat meaningless.]
To Kiana and Himeko's surprise, the audience didn't erupt in curses just because Himeko's appearance in "Skyfall Meteor" was merely such a brief segment, despite the previous rampant rumors of her return.
Instead, they started supporting Su Luo.
[I really want Himeko to be revived, but... miHoYo, I think I'm depressed.]
[I'M F*CKING DEPRESSED TOO! I NEED MIHOYO TO UPDATE THE MAIN STORY IMMEDIATELY TO FEEL BETTER!]
[Depressed +1, Update Main Story +1]
[Depressed +2, Update Main Story +2]
...
The audience unanimously clamored for an update, clearly not satisfied by the two main story chapters, appearing exceptionally starved for content.
This level of player stickiness made all observing game companies envious to the point of tears.
They wished they had such a passionate player base too!!
And while the bullet comments were scrolling wildly,
Cough, cough!
A certain software buzzed.
Elysia had sent Kiana and Himeko an invitation to a connected livestream.
Miss Elf had been in Linjiang for so 'long'; how could she not have obtained the contact information of everyone at miHoYo?
Don't underestimate the Pink Fairy Miss's ability to make friends~♪
[True Self] is omnipotent, you know.
Kiana moved the mouse and clicked.
"Teacher Himeko~" She nudged Himeko and asked, "Should we connect?"
Himeko first looked at Su Luo. Seeing him give a look that meant 'You guys handle it,' she then said to the livestream audience, "Ah~ Someone suddenly wants to co-stream with us. They're probably very excited after watching 'Skyfall Meteor'."
At this moment, Kiana connected the call with Elysia.
Elysia's melodious wail echoed.
"Save me! Kiana~! Update the main story right now!"
"Don't get so excited~~" Kiana consoled.
"Could it be that it's not ready yet?"
"Well... it's actually ready... there's even a small CG afterwards..."
"Then hurry up and update it~~" Elysia was impatient.
"But..."
"I really can't wait any longer! If it really comes down to it, look, based on the fact that we're both Mei's girl♪friends♪, could you secretly send it to me so I can take a peek?"
Kiana: ???