Chapter 20: Confronting Ji Lin

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In the real world, Honkai Impact 3's version 1.2 arrived as scheduled, coinciding with the New Year period. Naturally, the number of daily active players surged significantly during this time.

After completing their daily quests and engaging in gacha draws, players eagerly opened the newly updated "Honkai Impact 3: Chiyou Side Story."

Back then, the gaming community wasn't as large as it is now, but the atmosphere was vibrant and relatively free from toxic trends—although some troublemakers and astroturfers still stirred up issues.

At that time, Raiden Mei had not yet been reduced to a mere punchline about cooking; her Phantom Armor was considered the strongest main character class. Sadly, she has since become a relic of a bygone era.

For players, the experience with Version 1.2 was generally positive. However, many couldn't afford the Winter Princess paid skin, which left them deeply disappointed. This led to numerous essays lamenting the situation, often referred to as "the scriptures."

The new Chiyou storyline also received unanimous praise from players. Looking back through today's lens, the Chiyou arc might seem somewhat rough, with later plot elements retconned or even entire chapters removed.

But at the time, as a sister project to Honkai Academy, this storyline garnered widespread approval among gamers.

What most surprised the players was the introduction of a new character, Ana, in the Chiyou chapter. Her appearance felt like divine intervention descending from the heavens, further bolstered by her striking character art.

At this point in time, Fu Hua had not yet officially joined the ship, so there were few inside jokes or references related to her character. Any existing ones originated from Honkai Academy's fanbase devoted to Fu Hua. With Ana, the new character's introduction inevitably swayed some fans towards her.

And who among the Captains could resist such a charming, gentle, and powerful new addition? Moreover, being descended from the House of Schariac, many players transferred their affection for Mother-in-Law onto Ana.

Additionally, while "Mother-in-Law" was married, making any romantic advances impossible as a Captain, pursuing a single Valkyrie like Ana presented entirely different opportunities.

In just one night, Ana amassed a significant number of fans and attention, causing much anticipation for Fu Hua's arrival to pivot towards her instead.

No worries! Everyone knew Fu Hua would eventually join the ship; a later debut simply meant Empress Fu Hua would become even stronger—Fu Hua! You must find happiness! I'll be waiting for Ana now!

With only a brief appearance in the storyline, Ana quickly reached the peak of her popularity.

Unaware of this development, within the game, Ana had already destroyed one of Chiyou's cores and was rushing towards the main trio.

However, in reality, what was believed to be Chiyou's core turned out to be merely its seal. With two seals now broken, the true core—Chiyou's heart—was exposed.

And within Chiyou's heart, after being corrupted by time, Ji Lin awaited their arrival.

Meanwhile—

"Darn it! Curse you!"

The pink-haired girl with heterochromic eyes, who referred to herself as "Miss," angrily stomped her feet. Watching her once-controlled machinery go haywire, she could only vent her impotent rage.

Her name was Sin Mal, and like Bronya, she hailed from Cocolia's Orphanage. Currently serving as one of Anti-Entropy's Enforcers under Cocolia, she had unwittingly become entangled here alongside the main trio. Initially planning to reap benefits amid chaos, she ended up losing both allies and resources instead.

"Next time we meet, I'll definitely take you down."

Leaving behind a threatening remark akin to Grey Wolf's departure, she hastily fled the scene.

"Ah, she got away."

Watching Sin hurry away, Kiana reached out instinctively but ultimately decided against pursuing her.

"Forget it; let's not worry about her. We need to head straight for the heart."

"Kiana, I think we should wait here for Ana-sensei," Raiden Mei suggested, contrary to Kiana's idea.

"Bronya agrees with Big Sister Mei," Bronya chimed in support. She could monitor the Honkai Energy readings from afar, and given its immense power, they had no guarantee of success—even with the Titans Sin brought along.

Most importantly, waiting for Ana-sensei would ensure their victory without any doubt. So why take unnecessary risks?

"No, Chiyou is already on the move. The longer we delay, the greater the danger to Shenzhou." Kiana shook her head firmly.

She also knew waiting for their powerful cousin Ana to arrive would be the safest course of action. But time was not on their side. As Valkyries and as heirs to the Kaslana lineage, protecting civilians had to take precedence.

In this regard, Kiana truly embodied what it meant to be a genuine Kaslana.

"Teacher Himeko."

Upon hearing these concerns, Raiden Mei turned her gaze toward Himeko. After all, she was both their teacher and commander, with the authority to make the final call—and Kiana would follow her lead.

"Himeko." Kiana looked expectantly at her, determination shining in her eyes.

After brief deliberation, Himeko nodded.

"Kiana's point is valid. Bronya, send our coordinates to Ana. We'll head over first."

With that, Himeko rushed towards the target location. It was somewhat tragic, though; among them, only Himeko hadn't heard Ji Lin's warning earlier.

When it came to resisting Honkai, Himeko was indeed just an ordinary person. Her Honkai resistance and Stigmata solely relied on artificial implants, making her unequivocally human.

And yet, this ordinary individual had to lead three genuine prodigies on a mission; it's truly heart-wrenching.

"Yay, let's get going!"

With Himeko's approval, Kiana beamed with excitement. In truth, she felt somewhat fearless like a young calf unaware of danger.

Throughout their journey, they hadn't encountered particularly strong enemies, and as someone who relished combat, she hadn't had her fill of fighting yet. Consequently, she believed that Ji Lin might not be as fearsome either.

However, reality was different. Having been capable of sealing Chiyou at his peak, Ji Lin's full strength also matched an S-rank Valkyrie. Even weakened by the passage of time, she should still possess near-S-level capabilities.

In contrast, Kiana hadn't even passed the B-rank Valkyrie examination yet, making her merely a provisional B-rank. Facing Ji Lin would heavily rely on the sole A-rank Valkyrie, Himeko, who was currently injured.

It seemed inevitable that Himeko would suffer severe wounds here, a fate seemingly unalterable. However, one cannot solely blame Kiana, for character often determines destiny.