Not just the two of them—everyone else gradually turned their attention to the TV.
Everyone knew that the most spectacular fight scene of this episode was about to begin.
On the TV,
Jackal urgently contacted Kevin: "Lord, you've finally responded. What just happened?"
Kevin replied simply: "I merely caught up with an old friend."
Jackal immediately reported the situation: "The Herrscher of the Void used her Herrscher abilities to escape. We still can't confirm her location. Durandal is also heading in your direction."
"Very well. Then I'll start with her..." Before Kevin could finish his sentence, the blonde Valkyrie was already standing before him.
Durandal carefully sized up Kevin: "You're the one—the leader of World Serpent."
"..."
Kevin wasted no words: "Come."
"As you wish!"
The moment Durandal spoke, Kevin flew out toward the ruins beyond.
Outside the ruins, dust obscured the outline of the sea horizon.
Waves churned endlessly, like the struggles within the city—never at rest.
But in an instant, a frigid surge erupted from Kevin's body and spread rapidly, freezing the sea into a vast ice plain. Even a leaping whale was instantly encased in ice. He himself stood atop the frozen crest of a wave, awaiting Durandal's arrival.
With just this one move,
everyone in the company lounge let out a collective gasp of shock, leaving countless viewers stunned.
They knew Kevin was powerful, but they could never have imagined this level of power.
A mere burst of cold from his body could freeze an entire ocean—what kind of terrifying strength was this??
Up until now, the grandest battle they'd seen was the Herrscher of the Void's descent against Anti-Entropy. But compared to this, Kevin was clearly far, far superior.
Everyone became completely engrossed in the TV.
Phones? Chat groups? Nothing could distract them from watching this fight.
Under the gaze of all,
Durandal arrived on the ice plain, looking up at Kevin standing on the wave crest.
Kevin slightly raised his eyes and lifted his hand forward. Countless black crystalline spikes instantly erupted from the ground toward Durandal. She flew upward, dodging the crystals while closing in on Kevin and throwing a punch.
Neither used weapons.
This was a pure clash of physical strength—fist against fist. Each collision produced explosive booms from compressed air, and every strike made the audience feel the sheer terror of their power.
After exchanging several blows, Durandal was sent flying back by Kevin, crashing toward the ground.
She quickly adjusted her body, using the momentum of the fall to launch herself upward again. This time, she activated her armor's power, summoning a massive lance puppet and slashing down at Kevin.
Kevin was forced downward by the strike, landing on the ground.
Durandal followed up by raising her hand, summoning Black Abyss White Flower. Infused with Honkai energy, the entire lance plummeted like a comet. The overwhelming pressure made the audience's hearts race—they could even imagine that previous Herrschers... or Honkai beasts would be instantly obliterated by this blow.
Yet Kevin, facing this attack, still did not draw his Divine Key, Karmic Flame.
With a turn of his palm, Honkai energy gathered in his hand. Countless black crystals shot skyward, instantly expanding hundreds of times larger, colliding with Black Abyss White Flower.
BOOM!!!
A terrifying explosion echoed across the ice plain.
The original massive ice waves shattered instantly in the blast...
The battle was far from over.
Durandal soared in the air, unleashing an even more powerful strike—Honkai energy compressing and converging wildly.
Seeing this, Kevin began releasing the Honkai energy within him. Countless black crystalline spears erupted from the ground like lances, ready to pierce the girl in the sky.
The two forces collided violently, like raging tidal waves—only the fiercer one could completely overwhelm the other.
The audience grew wildly excited and exhilarated.
Yes—this was it!
This was the king-versus-king battle they had been waiting for, the ultimate clash.
This was the unimaginable fight belonging to Honkai Impact 3rd.
Who was stronger?
Who would win?
What impact would the outcome of this battle have on the world of Honkai Impact 3rd?
Over a hundred million viewers waited in anticipation...
But at this moment of imminent explosion,
a figure strolled out calmly.
He appeared completely at ease, as if admiring a magnificent painting.
"Durandal, stand down."
Hearing the voice, Durandal said in shock: "Bishop?"
"Leader of World Serpent, you have sufficiently demonstrated your power. As such, I must return the courtesy." The newcomer faced Kevin and said slowly: "I am Otto Apocalypse, current Bishop of Schicksal."
Otto walked across the ice plain, positioning himself directly between Durandal and Kevin.
The frame froze there. The lower half of the TV screen switched to Kiana.
She was trudging forward in exhaustion and difficulty. Her body grew heavier, fatigue relentlessly assaulting her mind. A murky current seemed to spread within her with every step—cold and empty, nearly swallowing her whole.
Their words echoed in her mind:
Durandal: "You're not ready. You can't control your power, Herrscher of the Void."
Fu Hua: "Do what you must. This is your responsibility."
The path beneath her feet grew longer and longer... She knew moving forward was her only choice.
Finally, her solitary figure walking through the desert froze as well.
The two images appeared side by side on the TV screen as the ending theme began to play.
This episode... ended.
The audience was stunned.
Ended...?
It just ended?
For a moment, no one could react.
They were just about to watch the final showdown between Kevin and Durandal—and it ended?
Wait!
Did Otto just step in and stop them from continuing? Or was he joining the fight?
No one knew—because the episode had ended.
And where was Kiana going alone in the end?
No one knew—because the episode had ended.
"F***!"
Someone started it—who knows who—and across the country, countless viewers erupted in national profanity.
Fan groups were instantly flooded with messages.
"F***! That's it? That's it? The fight's over?"
"Who won?! What's the result?! I was enjoying it so much, and you forcibly cut it off?!"
"When else could that damn Otto show up? He had to do it now? To look cool?"
"F***! I've waited a whole week for this showdown, and you end it like this?!"
"Damn damn damn damn damn!! I was at the climax of the fight, and you cut it off?! I'm suffering here!"
"I can't take it—I'll die of anger from this dog Otto. I really want to hack him to death."
"I was hoping Kevin would unleash even stronger power, hoping Durandal would go wild with Black Abyss White Flower—and you forcibly stop it? Who do you think you are, the referee?!"
"Dog Otto! Die for me! Just die! Why so annoying—refusing to let me enjoy it!"
"I'm just watching TV—who did I offend? It's giving me early menopause."
"I'm furious—my blood pressure's spiking, my chest hurts. I just wanted to watch Kevin vs Durandal—why stop it, why!! Dog Otto!!"
"..."
In that short time, nearly everyone was cursing Otto. Hatred toward him reached an all-time peak.
Even those who didn't hate him much before now wanted to devour him alive.
Of course!
This included the people at Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company.
In the lounge,
no one expected the plot to abruptly end here.
Especially that battle—everyone was boiling with excitement, completely thrilled.
Then Otto suddenly stopped it, leaving them extremely frustrated.
They all turned to question Hessian sitting in the back: "It just ends like this? That's it? What about the result? Who won? Where's Kevin's Divine Key?"
Theresa: "Director He, do they keep fighting later? Who wins? It has to be Kevin, right? Kevin clearly looks stronger."
Bronya: "No—why not film more? If time was short, cut that last bit with Kiana."
Kiana said unhappily: "Bronya! Why cut my part? My performance was great too!"
Bronya brushed it off: "Yeah yeah yeah—but I really want to know how this fight ends."
Rita was also eager: "Durandal, do you know what happens next?"
Durandal shook her head: "I don't know. That's all we filmed. And it was truly astonishing—our fight turned out so spectacular."
Kevin also sighed: "I can't believe that was me. I was that strong."
Everyone: "..."
Did they want to hear these two marvel at how awesome their filming was?
Right now, they wanted to see the rest of the battle—they wanted to know who won this king-versus-king clash.
Even Kalpas spoke up voluntarily: "Director He, if you just tell me the outcome of this fight, I can consider not stabbing you. Never again—and I'll tell my fans not to either."
"Tch!"
Was Hessian afraid of that now?
He had his bodyguard SAKURA—no worries about anyone stabbing him from behind.
He said: "Want to know the result?"
"Yes!"
Everyone nodded in unison.
Hessian said: "To be continued in the next episode."
"F***!"
Tesla was about to explode in curses.
Kalpas grabbed his knife and charged.
Hessian wasn't worried at all, shouting: "SAKURA!"
SAKURA appeared instantly, blocking in front of him and disarming the charging Kalpas.
Only then did Hessian continue: "Everyone calm down. The follow-up plot will naturally be revealed after filming. You're company actors—knowing the later story too early would affect your performances. Just wait patiently."
"Huff... huff..."
Many took deep breaths, forcefully suppressing their anger.
They had to admit Hessian was right, but it still didn't feel good.
Kiana asked: "Then Director He, tell me—what happens to Otto Apocalypse in the end?"
Hessian smiled: "Guess?"
Kiana said irritably: "A guy who pisses everyone off like him definitely dies without a whole corpse—bad ending!"
"Hehe~"
Hessian just smiled without answering.
Elysia stepped in to soothe everyone's emotions. With her there, they quickly calmed down.
They began discussing other plot points—like what happens to Kiana next, how Kevin and Durandal's strength was unexpectedly overwhelming, and how the story could possibly continue.
Meanwhile, Hessian immediately arranged for Raven to go live.
Simple enough—this episode mostly involved Raven. The stream was mainly for her to talk about her childhood experiences, why she hated the Herrscher of the Void so much, and why her island could fly.
Finally, reveal a bit about World Serpent's current actions—they were in a standoff with Schicksal forces, both awaiting the outcome of the battle outside the ruins.
With her stream calming things,
many viewers gradually recovered from their agitation.
The live chat, originally filled with "kill dog Otto," slowly shifted to other topics.
"Raven, just how strong is your Lord? Freezing the entire sea in an instant?"
"Yeah yeah—I'm curious too. How strong is he really?"
"If I were in your world, I'd join World Serpent too. The Lord is so cool."
"Kevin being strong is normal—he's the strongest from the Previous Era. But Durandal is ridiculous—so young and already trading blows evenly with Kevin."
"Yeah yeah! Their fight was thrilling. Raven, do you know who's stronger?"
"..."
Raven looked at the questions and selectively answered based on the plot points pre-approved with Hessian.
"If we're talking who's stronger—in my eyes, no one surpasses the Lord. That's what everyone in the world thinks. Our Lord is absolutely invincible."
Her answer was very biased, specifically from World Serpent's perspective.
This gave the live audience room for discussion.
Hessian saw the stream going smoothly and the anger subsiding.
He called Elysia to head home together.
He was looking forward to some quality time with her.
Just as they stepped out of the company,
someone blocked them.
The person wielded Karmic Flame, wore Kevin's outfit, and had a mask—impossible to tell who it was.
The instant they saw Hessian, they raised Karmic Flame and slashed down: "Die! Dog Otto!"
Before the greatsword could fall,
the youth flew backward.
SAKURA had acted... with a kick, sending him flying.
Hessian was curious: "Who is this guy? Normal people don't attack me with props."
Elysia thought for a moment: "Maybe a Kevin fan? He's dressed like Kevin. I'll call Kevin to check."
She took out her phone and messaged Kevin in the company group: "A fan of yours at the company entrance attacked my husband. Come take a look."
The message was just sent.
Kalpas replied first: "Dead yet? Your husband got chopped? Need someone to finish him off?"
Kiana: "Director He injured? If I sneak a couple kicks, it should be fine, right?"
Himeko: "Ugh... can I kick him too? Just once?"
Durandal: "What are you all saying? Director He was attacked—we should call the police first."
Kevin: "On my way."
As for the rest of the messages, Elysia didn't look and had no intention of showing Hessian—they were all hate, all misunderstandings about her husband.
Soon,
Kevin rushed out: "Director He! You okay?"
He carefully checked, terrified Hessian might be hurt—after all, his super cool character still needed him to shape it!
Hessian shook his head: "Just a sneak attack with Karmic Flame props—what could happen to me?"
"Huh?"
Kevin was surprised too, looking at the youth on the ground.
No doubt—his fan, dressed exactly like him.
He walked over and removed the mask. It was a young, somewhat handsome boy.
"Kevin!"
The boy rubbed his stomach where SAKURA had kicked him. Seeing the real Kevin still excited him: "I came to help you deal with Otto!"
Kevin said helplessly: "Dealing with things aside—first, who are you? Why are you here?"
The boy immediately introduced himself: "I'm Kosma, your fan. I want to become a hero who saves the world, just like you."
Kosma?!
Hessian was surprised by the name.
That chuunibyou kid?
He stepped forward to examine him closely.
Honestly,
at first glance, unrecognizable.
But if you imagined horns on his head and changed the hairstyle a bit, he looked exactly like the Kosma in his memory.
Kevin thought for a moment, preparing to be honest with Kosma: "Kid, actually in our world there's no danger, no saving the world. The me you imagine is just..."
Before he could finish, Hessian's hand landed on his shoulder.
"Kevin, let me handle this."