Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players-Chapter 225: Ana’s Explanation

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"Alright, feel free to ask any questions!" Ana leaned her head on one arm, squinting as if she were about to drift off.

Kiana and Raiden Mei exchanged glances, reaching a mutual understanding without words.

"I'll go first." Raiden Mei stood up and approached the desk.

"As far as I know, there are two ways to become the Herrscher of Finality. One involves using Elysia's backdoor method, then seizing authority through Project Stigma. The second is by accumulating Herrscher Authorities, achieving transcendence—this was Kevin and Kiana's path."

Raiden Mei paused momentarily before continuing, "So, how did you achieve it?"

"That's a good question," Ana replied gently.

"Before we proceed, have you interacted with the Virtual God Remains? Concepts like Nihilism, Existentialism, and such?"

"Yes." Raiden Mei nodded, well-acquainted with the Virtual God Remains; each encounter felt fresh in her memory, easily recalled even now.

"The Virtual God Remains serve as a self-defense mechanism for the Imaginary Tree, acting as the upper entrance to Cocoon of Finality. Within these remains lies Rationalism, possessing divine attributes."

"I accessed the Imaginary Tree by defeating Rationalism and subsequently inherited Cocoon of Finality," Ana explained with a smile.

Indeed, this was her true path.

Cocoon of Finality originated from beyond our solar system, but fundamentally, it still relied on harnessing and utilizing the Imaginary Tree's virtual energy. This energy would then be converted into Honkai Energy, leading to the creation of chaos.

The Virtual God Remains served as the Imaginary Tree's protective mechanism. By killing the most unique form of Rationalism, Ana elevated her own rationality, coupled with possessing a Herrscher Core already. With access points at both ends, she became the first to seize the opportunity, successfully bypassing conventional means to become the Herrscher of Finality.

One could argue it was all a series of coincidences, or alternatively, that it was destined from the start. From His current perspective, these events were meticulously scripted, culminating in an inevitable outcome.

In simpler terms, whether her appearance on this world line or any other factors, including the System itself, there likely exists a guiding force operating at a higher level behind the scenes. As for whether it is the familiar entity known within the galaxy, only Ana knows for sure.

Regardless, for her, there was no choice but to forge ahead with determination.

"I see."

Raiden Mei nodded, finding this explanation quite novel. She had believed she understood much from the World Serpent, but now it seemed like just the tip of the iceberg.

Then, Raiden Mei glanced at Bronya behind her.

Sensing Raiden Mei's gaze, Bronya sighed and rubbed her forehead helplessly.

"Big Sister Mei, matters like these fall outside the Herrscher of Reason's realm of understanding and rational analysis."

"That is indeed true."

Yes, absolutely true. After all, the Herrscher of Reason's Authority also originates from Cocoon of Finality, regardless of any human-centric perspectives. This fact cannot be altered.

The Herrscher of Reason is Prometheus, the stealer of fire; before that, even the Herrscher of Origin held a similar role. In essence, their power stems from Cocoon of Finality. Attempting to analyze something related to the Cocoon through rational discourse seems rather absurd.

"So, about Him..." Raiden Mei trailed off, sensing as soon as the thought crossed her mind, someone or something was watching her, sending chills down her spine.

"From the process, it was merely one of my small experiments. As for the outcome, it was an inevitable consequence," Ana remarked lightly. Explaining too much about Him could strengthen her connection to Him, thereby shortening the time needed to uncover answers.

Of course, even if shortened, this timeframe might still span several millennia or even tens of thousands of years—a considerable duration due to their vastly different scales.

"I don't quite understand."

"Hmm, all you need to know is that based on my nature, I did something consistent with who I am. This action had been anticipated by certain extraordinary beings long ago, making it an inevitable trap specifically designed for me.

"As long as I exist here, He will undoubtedly appear. What consequences He brings, however, is difficult to predict. After all, one cannot foresee their own destiny."

Ana explained as neutrally as possible, minimizing causal entanglement. It's indeed challenging at such a level, where mere mention can provoke immediate repercussions.

If certain entities take notice, the outcomes could be dire.

She wished to obtain her desired answers through her own will, striving for the best possible outcome for herself. She did not want any other entities interfering and causing unforeseen complications.

"..."

Raiden Mei wanted to continue questioning, but Bronya gently tugged at her sleeve and shook her head.

"Ana-sensei has already shared everything she can with us. The rest may not be beneficial for our understanding," Bronya said earnestly.

Her words held truth; ultimately, it came down to their differing levels of comprehension. They were merely Herrschers, still bound within Cocoon of Finality's confines, while He had transcended its limitations.

This represented a gap spanning two distinct stages, making them fundamentally incompatible, akin to asking an infant to manage humanity's fate—simply unfeasible.

Aside from whether the infant could make accurate judgments, knowing too much would only hasten their demise. While targeting influential figures might be challenging, harming a child remains relatively effortless.

"All right, all right, since that's settled, it's my turn now."

Kiana stood up, noticing that Raiden Mei seemed to be fixating on this point. Fortunately, Bronya intervened; otherwise, Kiana couldn't predict what might have happened. She could sense they would lose their chance to uncover the truth.

"I want to know, back then, you..."

Kiana trailed off without finishing her sentence.

But Ana understood her intent—it was about Tianqiong City, questioning why Ana changed her stance and what exactly she had sacrificed at that time.

"For this generation, the fate of Herrschers has been predetermined from the start, including both their Authorities and chosen individuals."

"In other words, Kiana—or rather, Sirin, becoming the Second Herrscher was inevitable. I was aware of this long ago, even knowing that I myself would become the Herrscher of Ice."

"Initially, I didn't intend to interfere much with your path, but...I believe as your teacher and part of your family, it's my responsibility."

Ana paused momentarily, revealing a gentle smile, her eyes shimmering with sincerity.

"It can also be seen as reflecting on your past experiences."

"Theresa and Himeko were also well aware of your identity as the Second Herrscher from the beginning; it was part of Theresa's collaboration with Anti-Entropy."

"So, leaving aside any attempts to sway the Second Herrscher, as a teacher facing her student—her family—if I had the ability to save you and alleviate your suffering yet chose not to act, that would be irresponsible.

"I don't consider myself a perfect teacher, but I believe there should at least be something I can do for you. After all, even old Fu Hua made a bold move by risking herself."

"As for the cost..." Ana's eyes shifted thoughtfully. "Perhaps embarking on my current path stemmed directly from that decision back then."

"I expended the resources and strength meant for self-defense against Honkai corruption on you. Although I managed to gather some more later, it was far insufficient."

"In other words, the challenges you faced and the judgments you made initially were correct."

As Ana spoke, she glanced towards Raiden Mei.

Raiden Mei nodded, understanding that Ana was referring to the events at Coral Island.

"Furthermore, given the circumstances back then, I should have completely forgotten about you all. It was only due to exceptional circumstances that my memories were preserved."

"You've likely seen Fu Hua's Fenghuang Down burning feathers before. At that time, I incinerated quite a few, essentially erasing Sirin's personality entirely."

"..."

Kiana, Mei, and Theresa felt their hearts tremble. Burning numerous feathers and annihilating an entire personality—what kind of determination must it have taken? How much pain did Ana endure?

They had some understanding of Fenghuang Down.

Even when Fu Hua used it, she could at most burn specific memories, but this didn't significantly affect her because, with her vast lifetime, she possessed an immense wealth of recollections.

In a battle of memory attrition against others, Fu Hua would invariably emerge victorious.

However, young Ana, around Kiana's age, faced Sirin—the Second Herrscher, who held memories from her previous existence. In other words, in terms of memory breadth, Sirin surpassed Ana. For Ana to nearly extinguish Sirin's personality meant she must have been burning not just memories but also her own consciousness.

Exhausting memories would result in amnesia at most, but burning consciousness could leave one permanently comatose.

This was the price Ana paid to save Kiana—a sacrifice akin to Teacher Himeko's final lesson.

"So, what happened with Teacher Himeko..."

"That's right; everything that has befallen Himeko is due to me. And her decision not to tell you stems from my intentions as well."

"While she was still with Schicksal, I tried dissuading her from rescuing you, but she went ahead anyway."

"How could I let such a foolish colleague suffer? So, I stole Unnamed Locomotive from Otto, saved Himeko, and then brought her to the World Serpent."

"If we had arrived slightly earlier in Nagazora City, perhaps you might have seen her there."

"So, the other teacher Little Sora mentioned was actually..." Raiden Mei couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"Mm-hmm—"

Kiana's eyes sparkled, seemingly realizing something. "Back then, when I was experiencing those issues, it must have been because of you, Teacher. You..."

Kiana found herself at a loss for words. She recalled that around that time, the Herrscher of Ice was nearing her awakening. To alleviate Kiana's pain from Honkai's corruption, perhaps...

"I used my own blood," Ana said softly.

"As a priestess of the House of Schariac, my veins flow with holy blood similar to your mother's, even more potent than hers."

"For Honkai Energy, my blood serves as its greatest nemesis."

In truth, the Schariac bloodline emerged as a minor unintended consequence during The Cocoon of Finality's transformation of imaginary energy, creating an extreme counterbalance to Honkai Energy.

Of course, this unexpected outcome stemmed from Project Stigma's peculiarities. In any case, it resulted in a bug that Mei fortuitously discovered, becoming the foundation upon which both the House of Schariac and Project Stigma were built.

"Back then, maintaining my own strength was already challenging, yet I still managed to give you some of my blood," Ana continued.

"That explains why you looked so pale at the time." Raiden Mei reflected inwardly, regretting how she had been solely focused on Kiana back then, completely missing these signs.

"After that, Bai Zhi and Jeanne..."

Kiana paused briefly as another thought crossed her mind.

"Can't say much about those avatars, right?"

Ana frowned slightly. Although her situation was somewhat different, honestly, having multiple bodies wasn't unusual. On the simpler side, there was Gray Serpent's Gray Snake Network; on the more complex end—

"You've all encountered the Herrscher of Domination before, so isn't it reasonable for me to have multiple forms?" Ana asked, spreading her hands defensively.

"..."

The trio fell silent once again. While Kiana posed the question, they were genuinely curious as well, but none expected such an answer.

It indeed made sense, yet...why hadn't they considered this possibility?

"Alright, truthfully, my circumstances differ slightly from those of the Herrscher of Domination."

"!!!" The girls' eyes widened in surprise.

"For details, you can ask Fu Hua upon your return. My true situation is akin to how the Herrscher of Sentience emerged when Fu Hua assisted you in breaking through enemy lines."

"The specifics beyond that involve Him, and it wouldn't be appropriate for me to disclose them."

"As for Authorities and such, should there be any issue with that?"

"I've distributed all these Authorities myself; giving myself a slight advantage isn't problematic, is it? Seems quite reasonable, right?"

"... ..."

The trio fell silent once again.

Reasonable? Absolutely! It was indeed hard to argue against. As the Herrscher of Finality, granting herself some privileges wasn't akin to maintaining unwavering impartiality—it's not like she needed to uphold such strict standards.

"Anyway, that's just how things are," Ana said matter-of-factly. Truth be told, she initially intended to bestow additional Authorities beyond the standard set upon her avatar. After all, The Cocoon of Finality encapsulated various laws, and there were more than just the thirteen Herrschers' Authorities in existence—numerous others existed as well.

In another universe, the types of Herrschers...