Amid the players' excitement, Kiana closed in on the Herrscher of Sentience and triggered a QTE.
As always, slashes of sword energy filled the screen.
After sliding forward, Kiana was met with a lower arc of sword qi.
She struck downward with her hand, leveraging the force to propel herself upward—
then used the Void Drifter's Herrscher power to manifest platforms mid-air under her feet, launching toward the Herrscher.
Soon, Kiana reached the Herrscher of Sentience and, using the momentum from her dash, delivered a solid punch.
A progress bar appeared on screen.
Fu Hua knew Kiana would definitely lose this struggle, but still couldn't resist frantically tapping—
the tension had been built up so well.
Even though she had playtested this part multiple times internally, the immersion was still overwhelming.
However—
Due to the mechanics, the bar was soon completely suppressed.
The Herrscher of Sentience roared: "Too many openings!!"
Her other hand clenched into a fist and slammed straight into Kiana's abdomen, sending her flying.
Kiana was flung backward, plunging rapidly into the abyss shrouded in clouds and mist.
The impact alone could've rendered her unable to move—
so she activated the Void Herrscher's power again.
Honkai energy really could do anything, huh.
Space distorted—
Kiana tumbled out of a teleportation portal and crashed onto a stone platform, surrounded by broken swords and shattered ruins.
She pushed herself up from the ground with effort.
Though the fall had been softened by her powers, the injury was still severe.
The Herrscher of Sentience's voice echoed:
"Have you calmed down, Kiana Kaslana? Look! This is the gap between you and me!"
With her voice, a red bolt of thunder crashed down, splitting the ground open.
When the light faded, the Herrscher of Sentience emerged—
surrounded by three red-glowing weapons rotating around her.
"You can't beat me. You can't!"
She wore a disturbingly "healthy" smile.
Behind her, a red cape bloomed like wings, and her weapon shifted into a greatsword.
The pressure she exuded soared to another level.
The atmosphere turned heavy. Viewers watching the livestream found their palms slick with sweat.
Then came the Squad Leader's voice:
"With me here, Kiana..."
Though faint, her voice brought a collective breath of relief.
Only then did they realize—
not just Kiana, but they themselves had come to rely on the Squad Leader.
Whenever Fu Hua appeared, everything always felt... solvable.
But—
The Herrscher had already launched her assault.
She swung her greatsword in a devastating New Year-style blade art.
The very space seemed to buckle under the pressure.
Kiana was nearly overwhelmed—
but still grit her teeth.
She couldn't and wouldn't give up, because—
"Squad Leader... hasn't given up."
Even now, when Fu Hua was so weakened, she still channeled power to Kiana through the Feather.
If Squad Leader hadn't given up, how could she?
Kiana raised the Spear of the Void, focusing all her will.
The world seemed to slow.
She spotted the tiniest flaw in the Herrscher's slash,
and with a swipe of the spear, deflected the massive blade.
Clang!
The deflected strike stunned the Herrscher momentarily—
an opening!
Parry!
A classic mechanic in countless games—
timeless, endlessly engaging.
Trading blows with a boss this way?
Incredibly satisfying.
Players' eyes were glued to the screen, adrenaline surging.
In Honkai Impact 3rd, you could even...
Well, too many things—
you could do almost anything.
Fu Hua, controlling Kiana, precisely parried multiple of the Herrscher's strikes.
The Herrscher grew serious.
She began unleashing all the combat prowess and techniques she had inherited from Fu Hua.
Three weapons—
shifting between chain-blade, sword, and spear based on range and Kiana's attacks.
Far? She lashed with the chain-blade.
Close? Sword or spear launched an unrelenting assault.
Sometimes, she even sheathed her weapons and fought barehanded.
Kiana, backed by Squad Leader's support, met her blow for blow—
sometimes clashing fists, sometimes engaging in close-quarters spearplay.
It was like watching two martial arts masters locked in a peak duel.
Every move, every stance—flawless.
After all, this miHoYo studio had "professional" martial arts advisors.
Eventually (when the Herrscher's HP hit zero), a cutscene triggered.
The Herrscher summoned a spear and launched a triple thrust, forcing Kiana back.
But she wasn't done—
a relentless torrent of attacks followed.
Finally, the Herrscher's weapon morphed back into a greatsword—
she leapt high, bringing it down with crushing force.
Kiana barely managed to dodge with Void Herrscher powers.
Boom!!
The ground cracked open under the impact.
Panting, clutching her chest, Kiana struggled to catch her breath.
But now wasn't the time.
With a shout, she charged again.
No matter what—
She had to save the Squad Leader!
No matter what—
She couldn't let the Squad Leader disappear!
Clashing weapons. Explosive sparks.
The screen froze—battle over.
Result screen.
"Hoo~~"
Fu Hua let out a long breath.
The triple-phase Herrscher battle was done.
Nearly twenty minutes of boss fight—
across three arenas, multiple new mechanics.
Not a single player complained.
They were all thrilled.
"THIS is how a Herrscher fight should feel."
[Can you believe this is real gameplay on mobile??]
[I've said it before, but I'll say it again—miHoYo is insane!! (voice crack)]
[Is this a game? Feels like a movie!]
...
"Old fossil, need a tissue?"
Fu Shibao handed a napkin to Fu Hua.
"Mm... Thanks, Shi."
"No need to be polite. You and I—no such thing as formalities."
Fu Hua took the napkin and quietly looked at Shi, who had naturally turned to read the chat.
She blinked. Said nothing.
Just lowered her head and wiped her hands before picking up the controller again.
Again, she recalled Hokuto's words before the stream:
"According to the boss..."
Note #4: "According to the boss, this short animation is super sweet."
The moment she finished recalling that—
the chat, which just moments ago had been lavishing miHoYo with praise—
was suddenly flooded with question marks.
[The boss said it's sweet, so what's with the confusion?]
[Lmao, come on now. We're all seasoned Honkai vets. You think you can fool us?]
[You finished the story yet? I have. I can guarantee you—it's sweet!]
[You really think we'd believe that nonsense? Not a word of it!]
...
Chat was split.
Players who hadn't finished the story yet:
"I'm not listening! You're trying to bait me!"
Players who had finished:
Some were sincere.
But most? Just stirring the pot.
This kind of chaos—
a core part of the Honkai Impact 3rd experience.
"Old fossil, ignore them. Let's watch the short."
Fu Shibao sat up straight.
"Mm."
Fu Hua responded and clicked the final "play" button.
The short was titled "Dustbound."
It opened with a bird's-eye view of the Sword Tomb.
The camera zoomed slowly downward—
faint sounds of battle in the distance.
Next moment—
camera hit ground level.
Kiana and the Herrscher of Sentience were still locked in battle.
But—
Kiana had reverted to her original White Comet form.
Logically, she shouldn't stand a chance.
Yet they were evenly matched.
Turns out—
every time the Herrscher was about to land a finishing blow,
a shimmering red Feather would shield Kiana, nullifying the strike.
Once.
Twice.
Thrice...
With each clash, the Herrscher grew more frustrated, her attacks increasingly wild.
"I can't help much longer. Seize this chance, Kiana."
Fu Hua's voice resonated from within the crimson plume flowing in Kiana's mind.
"Haah!"
The Herrscher swept with her spear, forcing Kiana to bend backward—
then smashed down like a staff.
Feathers emerged again, blocking the strike.
The recoil stunned the Herrscher.
Kiana took the opening, leaping overhead to strike with Imaginary Prisms.
A thunderous impact—dust and debris exploded outward.
"This ends here!"
"Damn it! Why?! How is it like this?!"
Though Kiana's attacks didn't do serious damage, the Herrscher grew even more enraged.
She couldn't understand.
Her strength, tactics, even the terrain—all advantages were hers.
Even with Fu Hua's help, Kiana should have fallen long ago.
But she hadn't.
And that realization made the Herrscher's heart waver—
a truth she couldn't admit.
So she snapped, screaming hysterically:
"Why can't you two just listen to me?!"
With her scream came a burst of overwhelming Honkai energy—
the world turned crimson.
Kiana stumbled backward, barely holding on.
She knew now wasn't the time to hesitate.
She instantly shifted into Herrscher of the Void form.
Yet Sirin's presence inside the core didn't try to seize control.
Maybe she feared being ganged up on by Kiana, the Herrscher, and Fu Hua?
Maybe Fu Hua was suppressing her?
...
In Void form, the battle reached its climax.
Reality trembled.
They streaked through the sky, locked in an aerial chase.
"Damn it! Damn it! DAMN IT!"
The Herrscher rose into the air, surrounded by a thousand swords.
With a wave, golden blades rained down.
Blade storm!
Kiana turned midair, raising her hand—
void portals opened, redirecting every sword.
But that delay gave the Herrscher an opening—
she dove in with a slash.
"You're all arrogant morons!!" she shouted.
Her vocabulary was limited—clearly borrowed from Fu Hua.
Still, her relentless assault overwhelmed Kiana—
she was sent crashing through a mountain of blades.
"Why do you stand in my way?! Why help that failure?!"
She summoned a massive Honkai-formed sword and hurled it forward.
Kiana fused several Void spears into a shield—
but it shattered instantly.
Gritting her teeth, she redirected the force skyward—barely.
Before she could recover—
the Herrscher hovered in the sky, snarling:
"You're all failures!"
Behind her, a massive red phoenix sigil emerged.
Endless Honkai energy surged toward her.
"The Squad Leader's...!" Kiana murmured.
Until now, she'd stayed composed—
but this was the Taixu Sword God.
She had to remain calm.
Kiana Kaslana, stay calm!
If she faltered before this technique—she'd be obliterated.
But what now?!
Her mind raced—
and Fu Hua's voice cut through the panic:
"Kiana, control your power..."
With Fu Hua's guidance, Kiana closed her eyes.
"Remember what I taught you..."
She remembered.
Back in Arc City—
the endless days of training.
They all mattered.
Suddenly inspired, she mirrored Fu Hua's posture—
drawing a Tai Chi circle with her palm.
Honkai energy gathered before her like golden flame.
Void spears transformed into Taixu sword qi.
"The ultimate art of Taixu—Shenyun!"
The Herrscher saw it—
and her face contorted.
She had already sensed something was wrong during the battle—
but seeing Kiana use this technique shattered her.
She had been lying to herself—
trying to protect her identity.
Now, seeing an "imposter" use Taixu Sword God—
she broke.
Yet she had no choice but to strike.
She launched the same technique, desperate to prove herself.
"I won't lose to her!!"
The black phoenix dove with ruinous power—
but this was what Kiana and Fu Hua had planned for.
Their goal had always been to provoke the Herrscher into using Taixu Sword God—
to lure her into overextending.
Now the moment had come.
Together, they acted.
Symbols appeared under Kiana—
Eight Trigrams and the Void Herrscher sigil.
A divine golden sword shot skyward.
The black phoenix collided with it.
Everything trembled.
"The Squad Leader has never been a failure!"
Kiana's voice rang out—
with unshakable conviction.
And that belief empowered the divine sword,
while the Herrscher, drowning in doubt, weakened.
Light swallowed her whole.
"Thank you..."
Fu Hua took the chance to separate from Kiana.
"Kiana, I'll handle the Herrscher now.
The illusion's ending—
go back."
A red Feather—once black—appeared in Fu Hua's hand.
She sealed the Herrscher using her Feather.
And would vanish with it...
"This time... really might be goodbye."
Even with all the foreshadowing—
players still couldn't bear to see the Squad Leader fall.
[??? Squad Leader—damn you, writer! I'm booking a flight now!!]
[Count me in! Why drop a bomb during the anniversary?! One death every ten chapters?! I can't take this!!]
[Relax. There's still sweetness to come.]
[Shut up! Squad Leader's about to die, and you're making jokes?! Do you have a heart?!]
[Squad Leader, Shibao... reunited in the afterlife. Truly poetic. (twisted face)]
No one could accept this ending.
And just as the livestream filled with grief—
"Dustbound" continued.
No sign of ending yet.
Faced with Fu Hua's resolute farewell, Kiana shook her head furiously:
"Wait—Squad Leader—there must be another way!"
Fu Hua stood in the void.
She didn't look back—
her voice calm:
"Maybe.
But this... is my duty."
Duty?
Kiana's eyes widened.
Memories surged—
stormy nights, fallen comrades, hollow victories bought by sacrifice.
For the ones who mattered most—
such a cost was unbearable.
Only now did Kiana truly understand—
what her words had done to Mei.
Some things could never be forgiven.
The world dissolved.
The illusion crumbled.
Rocks, chains, shattered swords fell from the heavens.
A final Feather drifted down—
into Kiana's palm.
She looked at it with tearful eyes—
as it disintegrated.
"Enough... not this again..."
Kiana clenched her teeth, trembling,
then grasped the Feather tightly.
"Victory through sacrifice—
I won't accept it!"
She had once vowed—
beneath the burnt sky of Arc City—
to rewrite this imperfect story into the one she hoped for.
Miss Himeko... do you see?
This time... I have the power to choose.
Herrscher of the Void: power released.
Imaginary space: deployed.
"Sorry, Squad Leader.
This time, I won't let go!"
Just then—
a familiar, encouraging song began to play:
"Life blooms like a flower
Far away or by the road
Waiting for the one
To find the way back home..."
Players, stunned with grief—
suddenly snapped to attention.
Wait a sec!
Something's not right about this music!!