The barrage in the livestream chat scrolled madly.
Elysia stared intently at the game screen.
She took a deep breath before continuing to tap.
Otto's voice echoed:
"Genius+! Forced coordinate shift!"
"The Imaginary Space gateway is now open. I command this as a god—"
Her hand froze mid-click. Another deep breath.
The barrage in the chat thinned out instantly—players were now fully focused, bodies tense.
"He intends for this piece to temporarily leave the board."
Temporarily?
"Whew~"
Elysia let out a long sigh of relief. "That scared me—it's only temporary. Looks like Bianca is fine."
Players also relaxed, many so suddenly that they nearly slid off their chairs.
They scrambled back up and typed furiously:
[Phew, looks like Durandal is fine.]
[I thought even if she was okay, she'd be a bit hurt, seeing all those spears stuck in her. Turns out it was just a scare. That's some great treatment!]
[With how this is going, maybe Durandal will even level up in the Imaginary Space and come back stronger.]
[I can already sense it—Durandal will return like lightning!]
[Agreed—Durandal is the one true protagonist of Honkai Impact 3rd!]
Some players breathed easy, while others eagerly discussed whether Durandal would return from the Imaginary Space with new powers.
Elysia patted her chest, calming her racing heart.
And the game continued.
Otto had exiled Durandal into the Imaginary Space.
Just then, Kiana arrived at the cathedral gate.
"Oh my, the second guest has arrived right on time."
He deliberately picked up Black Abyss White Flower from the ground, walked out of the cathedral, and planted it outside.
Then Otto and Kiana engaged in battle.
But Kiana couldn't hurt Otto at all.
In gameplay terms—players attacked for a while only to find Otto had shamelessly locked his HP.
Cheating, huh? Can't play fair?
"—A meaningless struggle."
"I already said—I have no desire to fight."
Otto waved a hand and blasted Kiana back, then turned and walked back into the cathedral, a golden barrier enveloping it.
Kiana stubbornly stood up and gave chase, but the moment she touched the barrier, her Flame-Chasing Greatsword vanished.
[FOUR—CORE—GREAT—SWORD—!]
[Wait, why does the sword still have four gems? Weren't the ones from the Herrscher of Reason and Herrscher of Sentience returned?]
[Yeah! If not… poor Sentience Gem must be crying in a corner. (doge)]
"I know this one!"
Seeing the chat, Elysia eagerly replied, "According to Firefly's bridge voice lines, the gems on the greatsword are just Kiana's imagination~~"
"You sure know your stuff." Hokuto sounded a little surprised.
"Of course! I love Firefly the most, especially that high ponytail… feels amazing to touch."
"Not gonna lie, true."
"Wait a minute—how do both of you know how great Firefly's ponytail feels?" Theresa suddenly cut in.
"..." x2
"Elysia, let's keep going."
"Okay."
...
After her Flame-Chasing Greatsword dissipated, Kiana tried to recreate it, but no matter how hard she focused her power, it wouldn't return.
"I'm not under the Herrscher of Dominance's influence… so why can't I regain my power?"
"What exactly… did Otto do?"
Of course, Otto, having already left, offered no answer.
But for the players' sake, a line appeared onscreen:
Kiana Kaslana's confusion is natural—she is now experiencing another Herrscher power: Binding.
At this, players' hearts jolted. Though they had suspected it, they didn't expect Otto to really become the Herrscher of Binding!
The Herrscher who nearly wiped out all of the previous era's MANTIS warriors.
And Binding's power is practically a guaranteed kill against someone like Kiana.
How could this fight be won?
[Otto became Binding? Is the cheat code actually working?]
[I seriously can't think of how Kiana is supposed to beat Otto now.]
[Will there even be a fight? Honestly, Otto's actions seem too calculated. I'm half convinced the heroes won't even have to beat him—Otto might just take himself out.]
[They've built this up so long—there has to be a fight. But how and what kind of fight? Too soon to tell.]
[We're in the final stage of this arc… Knowing Honkai Impact 3rd "tradition," the tragedy is coming.]
[Should we follow the steps, or just start crying now?]
...
Players chatted nervously.
Otto had seized two Herrscher powers to remake the world.
The Valkyries would surely try to stop him—and during that process… would any characters die? Hard to say.
After all, this was Honkai Impact 3rd.
Being popular doesn't guarantee safety.
Look no further than how MiHoYo didn't resurrect Himeko for the sake of sales.
Thinking this, many players now feared to keep watching—yet they had to know what happened next.
Such a dilemma.
And sharp-minded Elysia, of course, noticed the strange mood in the livestream.
She thought for a moment, then tried to comfort everyone.
"I think everyone doesn't need to worry too much about the others."
"If you think about it, the story has been setting up Otto's fall. His end is coming…"
"And Otto…"
There was no denying it—the recent chapters had elevated Otto's character tremendously.
So much so that players now debated not just how Otto would die, but how fitting that end would be.
Not just a simple fight—his death should match his self-deprecating words as the 'Fool.'
He truly was a character you loved to hate… and mourn.
"I think everyone can at least admit—he's one of Honkai Impact 3rd's most impactful characters. His finale deserves proper writing."
"So if another protagonist died now, wouldn't that steal his spotlight?"
"Indeed, Elysia, that makes sense." Kevin was the first to agree.
Hokuto spoke next: "I… have no comment."
"Hmph~ Clearly I hit the mark. You've got nothing to say." Elysia snorted at his vague reply.
She trusted her instincts.
Bronya, Seele, Theresa…
Not a single one of them would die!
"Alright~ Let's keep going."
Elysia eagerly returned her attention to the game.
The plot was getting more intense—she was dying to see what would happen next.
Next stage.
Kiana now stood outside the cathedral, thinking of how to break through the golden barrier.
Bronya's voice suddenly came through—she had arrived with Seele and the Arlene sisters.
Seeing this, viewers fell silent and focused entirely on the story.
The Valkyries had regrouped.
The tension of an impending final battle was thick.
In-game, Kiana and her team reported everything to Theresa and the scientists aboard Hyperion.
After analysis and discussion, they proposed using Moonlight Throne's weapon system to breach the barrier.
Theresa ordered Kiana's team to withdraw to a safe distance, while Hyperion advanced toward the cathedral.
Meanwhile, Elysia noticed the next part was player-controlled.
Excited, she pressed the movement keys, piloting the very Hyperion seen in earlier chapters—roaring across Krosten, its engines booming, its shadow sweeping over mountains, rivers, and towns.
The sensation was exhilarating.
"This… is so cool!"
Elysia's eyes sparkled.
The chat was filled with praises.
The game's atmosphere soared with this epic moment.
Hyperion arrived at the golden-shielded cathedral.
Perspective switched to the main cannon.
"System control, ready."
"Power control, ready!"
"Orbital control, ready."
"Target, locked!"
With each command from the scientists—
Elysia hit the fire button as prompted: "Moonlight Throne—fire!"
The immersion was perfect!
The Moonlight Throne system charged, Hyperion emitted a roaring energy build-up.
A beam of light shot toward the barrier—a loud blast opened a visible breach.
But before anyone could cheer—the barrier regenerated, good as new.
Einstein's analysis confirmed it—one Moonlight Throne blast wasn't enough.
Instantly, the mood deflated.
Players frowned.
They knew such advanced tech couldn't just be conjured at will.
Complex logistics would be needed…
Just then!
Bronya stepped forward, preparing to use the Herrscher of Reason's power to construct a weapon strong enough to shatter the barrier.
The players were stunned—then the Bronya fans went wild.
[I knew Bronya would shine after breaking her curse! (Didn't think it'd be so soon though!)]
[Here it comes! Bronya's shining moment! So hyped!]
[Didn't think it was possible—but with the Herrscher of Reason, it is!]
Meanwhile—
An epic BGM swelled, reigniting the tense atmosphere.
Players were fired up.
At this moment, they weren't too worried about Bronya.
Sure, fully unleashing her Herrscher power carried risks—but that's just how hot-blooded scenes work, right?
Tension is needed to stir emotions—nothing bad would actually happen.
It's a classic narrative device.
And Elysia's earlier point about not stealing Otto's spotlight made sense.
So, from a rational perspective, MiHoYo's writers wouldn't kill another major character here.