In front of the television.
Just when audiences across the country thought that after such a long buildup, this episode of Honkai Impact 3rd would finally reach its climax...
The screen suddenly shifted, ending with the gentle rearranged BGM of the Angel version.
In other words, this episode was over.
"???"
Countless viewers were first stunned, then their faces gradually flushed red, looking as if they were overheating.
Even some viewers with low blood pressure were almost cured.
"What's going on? Wasn't Bronya about to stand up? And that's all the plot we get?!"
"Bronya is too miserable. As one of the Three Housewives, the treatment is so unfair!"
"Dog director, come out and die! How dare you treat the cutest Bronya like this!"
"Where's Seele? Dark Seele! Hurry up and stab the dog director to save us!"
"..."
Although countless viewers had their blood pressure rising, wishing they could teleport to the company and beat up a certain dog director...
Unfortunately, that was impossible.
Before everyone could react, Hessian had already disappeared without a trace.
Even Mobius and SAKURA, who was acting as bodyguard, hadn't noticed.
"This is my negligence."
SAKURA said somewhat dejectedly.
"Of course it's not your fault. It's clearly because he feels guilty and is afraid of getting beaten!"
Mobius crossed her arms and sneered.
But in fact, no one present was truly that angry, including Bronya, the protagonist herself.
After all, it wasn't like he was handing out knives; it was simply that her treatment was not as good as Kiana and Mei's.
In fact, if viewed from another angle, this episode was mostly about inheritance.
This was also the burden that Bronya carried in the plot.
Eden smiled lightly and said, "Thinking about it this way, I actually think this episode is quite good."
"At least it's a nice change from being stuffed with all kinds of knives before. I look forward to the director's future works."
Indeed, as a world-renowned superstar and an artist.
Eden greatly appreciated the beautiful core that Hessian displayed within tragedy.
Tragedy is not the end, but the beginning of hope.
Even she, however, would find it hard to endure so many knives in the Honkai Impact 3rd plot.
Just the Elysian Realm arc alone was enough to make most viewers unable to move on.
Hearing Eden's words, everyone nodded in agreement, feeling that this was also fine.
Compared to the heart-wrenching and unavoidable knives of the past, this kind of plot was quite good too.
Even the viewers online gradually calmed down.
They felt that as long as the dog director Hessian was willing to change his ways and stop handing out knives at every turn...
Then everything was negotiable!
It was worth mentioning that even though Bronya's new form only made a fleeting appearance at the end...
It still attracted a large number of fans, and Seele's account gained a huge wave of traffic.
Not only White Seele, but the newly created official account for the later-added Dark Seele already had hundreds of thousands of fans following online.
Besides Dark Seele, Senti received similar treatment.
Having never experienced such a scene before, they were both flattered and made up their minds to act well.
To repay the company!
To repay the director!
Of course, they could not forget their seniors, Seele and Fu Hua.
Time passed slowly.
As filming for the new episode of Honkai Impact 3rd began, the livestreams of Bronya, the Seele twins, and Fu Hua & Senti attracted a large audience.
There was no need to mention Bronya—countless viewers were curious about information on her new form.
However, Bronya, who strictly followed her character setting in the script, would not reveal too much.
Meanwhile, the Seele twins appearing together instantly captured a large number of viewers with their twin character setting.
The same was true for Fu Hua and Senti.
The former was still playing the role of the rigid class president, while the latter, having changed into the Herrscher of Sentience outfit, had completely let herself go.
Calling others "old antique" came so naturally to her—it was a completely authentic performance.
Another week passed in the world.
National audiences had long been unable to wait and were already seated in front of their televisions early.
"Melon seeds and cola are ready. I bet a pack of spicy strips that Bronya's highlight moment definitely isn't that simple!"
"By the way, since Bronya has a new form, does that mean Mei and Kiana should get one too?"
"I think it's possible. Not counting Kiana as the protagonist, Mei's Herrscher of Thunder form is almost overused, okay!"
"Gotta say, although Elysian Realm was very knife-heavy and brilliant, Mei really doesn't seem to have a new form."
"Hurry up, hurry up! I feel like I can't breathe without Honkai Impact 3rd!"
"..."
The old viewers were fine, but many new viewers who had just gotten into Honkai Impact 3rd were extremely anxious.
After watching the earlier parts of the story, they felt like something was missing deep inside.
Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company.
Hessian looked at the dozens of fan groups on his phone, all showing 99+ notifications, and nodded in satisfaction.
The twin character settings of the Seele twins and Fu Hua & Senti were indeed highly explosive, bringing another wave of popularity to Honkai Impact 3rd, which already had high popularity.
After all, it had been clearly stated before that plot character settings should not be brought into reality.
Yet suddenly, Dark Seele and Senti popped out from somewhere.
One could imagine how the audience felt.
"Hey, dog director—no, Director Hessian, stop looking at your phone and watch the TV!"
Kiana's voice suddenly rang out, making Hessian's eyes instantly sharpen.
He felt like Kiana had been a bit cocky these past two days...
But no matter what, the new episode of Honkai Impact 3rd had already started airing, so Hessian didn't bother arguing with her.
On the television screen...
"Haha..."
Faced with the outcome before her, Hare felt a sense of joy.
What kind of power could resist all the lives experienced after walking through a land?
—Fenghuang.
Hare knew the answer, but this was the first time she had witnessed it with her own eyes.
She felt that the version of herself who once carried regrets had finally received an answer in this moment.
Humans could not only change Stigmata... they could even change Herrschers.
And this brand-new power naturally represented one more thing.
I will preserve their past, even if it means they lose their future.
This was the answer once given by a certain World Serpent cadre.
I will grant them a future, even if they have no past to reminisce about.
This was the answer given by a certain great mother.
I will carve out a future for them, even if it means sacrificing my own present.
This was the answer left behind by a certain hero.
...
But just now, what helped Bronya was not these answers that chose the lesser of two evils.
They came from a concluded past and could not be used to defeat the present.
If a person cannot accept the situation of losing something, then they also lack the capacity to truly possess it.
These were Bronya's own words.
In that instant, she recalled the end of Joyce...
And remembered the beginning of Joachim, which finally made her realize.
Inheritance is something whose existence is proven through disappearance.
Only the future can defeat the present.
The 300,000 thoughts belonging to the Herrscher of Reason were ultimately just echoes of history and could not solve all unknown problems.
When we expand the scale of time and space, this truth becomes obvious.
People who voluntarily isolate their country cannot understand the rapid changes of the Industrial Revolution.
The brave Zulu warriors ultimately could not defeat the merciless gunfire of machine guns.
When civilization freezes at a certain moment, it loses the power to defeat the future.
And for the Herrscher of Reason...
If she did not devour those 300,000 thoughts, if she did not complete the Fenghuang transformation.
This authority could not become a power worthy of contending with the Stigmata Plan and the Adam of the gods.
Amid the swaying grass and trees, the person who appeared before the girl was a senior she admired.
She was the starting point of all this inheritance.
In the past, she and even Joachim knew they could not reach her, yet they still tried their best to approach.
Now, they finally stood side by side.
But as the 300,000 thoughts were devoured by the core of Fenghuang, this would also be the final afterimage she left in the world.
"I'm sorry. To reach tomorrow, Bronya overturned the past you left behind."
"However, as the Herrscher of Reason, Bronya does not regret it."
"After all... the only unchanging truth of humanity is that humanity's truths will inevitably change."
Facing the afterimage of Joyce, Bronya said so.
"..."
Joyce remained silent as always.
But this time—his smile was far brighter than ever before.
"..."
Bronya was silent for a moment before saying, "Goodbye, Welt Joyce."
"Bronya is honored... to carry on your inheritance."
The Herrscher of Reason was never just a piece of history.
Starting from one out of 300,000, all of it was reborn in the present—and far surpassed everything in the past.
The perspective returned to the Moon. Two familiar voices filled with worry and concern brought Bronya back to her senses.
"Bronya?!" ×2
Turning around, it was Kiana and Mei. The three-person team was reunited once again.
Bronya looked forward again and said, "The outcome has been decided—there's no need to worry."
After responding to her companions' concern, Bronya redirected her gaze toward Hare.
This exhausted loser did not look particularly dejected.
Recalling everything that had happened earlier, Bronya crossed her arms and said, "You... did you do that on purpose?"
Hare smiled and said, "Oh? What do you mean?"
Bronya did not answer immediately but sensed her own Herrscher core once more.
Compared to her companions, the girl's Fenghuang transformation this time was surprisingly smooth.
"Only after reaching the deepest darkness can the first light of birth emerge."
Bronya said, "Just as Bronya thought of a sure-win strategy before the battle, you also completed your own arrangement, right?"
Hare replied nonchalantly, "Oh? You still remember that casual remark I made? It's quite catchy, isn't it?"
"..."
Bronya paused for a moment and said, "Bronya was just giving an example."
"Just like the meaning of that sentence..."
"Although we are opponents, you seem to have been intentionally or unintentionally giving Bronya the correct guidance."
"—Thus, bringing about the current situation."
Hare chuckled lightly and said, "Don't overthink it. Bringing about the situation where I get beaten badly?"
"I'm not the me from over a decade ago. I don't have any weird hobbies."
"Oh, right. Didn't you know about this?"
"I am the second-generation Hare created by the Stigmata Plan. Strictly speaking, I am not the pitiful and hateful existence you saw in your memories."
"However, speaking of which... I am indeed a bit curious. How exactly did humans manage to do something like this?"
Bronya asked, "You mean... recondensing the core of the Herrscher of Reason?"
Hare denied, "You already gained the recognition of those 300,000 thoughts. It's not strange that you could do this."
"What I truly care about is... you don't have the ability to erase any consciousness fragments within the core."
"That is not the authority of the Herrscher of Reason, and you haven't reached that level."
"You... did you not go through the core, but instead completely used your own will to engrave those 300,000 thoughts?"
"Or... did the core of the Herrscher of Reason sense your will and automatically help you achieve this?"
Bronya thought for a moment and said, "...From Bronya's personal experience, I'm afraid the latter is closer to the truth."
"To be honest, Bronya didn't think that much at the time—if the Herrscher core has a fixed capacity."
"Then, to carry an ever-growing past while always being able to move toward the future..."
"Bronya could only turn herself into another core."
"What happened afterward was mostly just the natural course of being a Herrscher."
"Bronya felt... they became part of Bronya in another form."
"And as Bronya changes in the future, they will also adapt to the future."
Hare couldn't help but laugh, "Is this the so-called after-the-fact perspective?"
"You don't need to be modest— from what I know, your Fenghuang transformation was smoother than any other Herrscher."
"300,000 thoughts... even if they are not active wills, they are enough to overwhelm any human brain."
"Not to mention changing their form of existence."
"But... that's you, Bronya."
"Thank you for letting me witness what a Herrscher of Reason truly is."
"Although this victory seems coincidental, your role as the key to making it happen is inevitable."
"Alright, just like I said before, if we treat this as a level-clearing game."
"You have indeed passed my stage."
"Let me be clear beforehand: I do not have the ability to reverse the Stigmata Plan—neither does my lord."
"However, after things have reached this point, I would indeed feel too embarrassed to continue standing in your way."
"For what comes next, go ask your class president."
"Bronya Zaychik, your growth has exceeded everyone's expectations."
"...Including hers."
With those words, Hare walked into the memory fragments just like before.
And the person who was obviously her mother in the eyes of the audience.
At this time, Kiana asked, "Uh... Bronya... what exactly was that just now..."
Bronya asked, "Hmm? Is there something wrong?"
Mei laughed helplessly and said, "Probably a bit too much."