Honkai Impact: I, The Herrscher of Ice, Am Loved By Players-Chapter 180: Version 5.3 ["Binding’s Prelude"] Arrives!

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At Old Schicksal Headquarters, Kolosten.

After handing over the Herrscher of Dominance Core to Theresa, Otto departed.

As for where he went, no one knew—except for Ana, or rather, Jeanne d'Arc Schariac now.

Soon, within Otto's secret laboratory, Jeanne met up with him.

"How was it? Are you satisfied with this performance?"

Jeanne crossed her arms, exuding a relaxed yet somewhat playful demeanor, making her resemble Bai Zhi even more. Of course, whether as Bai Zhi or Jeanne, they were fundamentally avatars of Ana. These avatars exhibit subtle differences unless directly controlled by Ana's True Self.

"Indeed, my friend," Otto replied with a smile. "Now, our experiment can finally proceed to its final stage. Will you continue to assist me, my friend?"

"Is that even a question? I always keep my promises. In this regard, I believe Miss Sushang would do likewise. However, there is something else on my mind, but I'm not sure if..." Jeanne chuckled softly, her eyes gleaming with a hint of mischief. Naturally, Otto understood that this mischievousness wasn't directed at him.

"As long as it doesn't interfere with my plans and performances, I grant you this liberty. In fact—" A wry smile crossed Otto's face. "There's little you could do to stop me anyway, isn't that right?"

"But you would certainly create obstacles or resort to mischief," Jeanne asserted firmly, causing Otto to cough awkwardly.

"My friend, let's not speak like this between us. At least, haven't I been quite straightforward with you?" he replied defensively.

"Hmph, only because I know everything about you and possess the ability to thwart all your desires from their inception."

Otto fell silent; there was indeed no denying her words. Ana did have the power to dismantle his entire plan at its root, ranging from killing him to preventing any transactions with the Imaginary Tree.

"Alright, alright. As I've said before, I am a man of my word. Since I intend to witness your downfall, naturally, I won't intervene."

"Thank you for understanding, my friend." Otto bowed respectfully once more, then added—

"Why don't I just bestow upon you the position of Schicksal Bishop, my friend?"

"I suggest you retract those words before I change my mind and treat them as mere nonsense."

"Ha ha ha—"

"Oh, and here, you can borrow this for now."

A moment later, Jeanne suddenly tossed something to Otto. He reached out and caught it—a golden-glowing box, none other than the Void Archives.

"How did you come across this... Ah, I see. You've already acquired the World Serpent, and even Kevin has chosen to serve you. Well, well, truly impressive." Otto pondered briefly before realizing the situation.

"If you keep talking like that, I'll take it back," Jeanne retorted irritably. Aside from Otto's wicked deeds, Ana most despised his habit of making meaningless remarks, which always felt quite annoying.

"Aiya, don't be angry, my friend."

"It seems you have fulfilled his wish after all."

"Of course, I've always enjoyed helping others achieve their desires. Otherwise, considering how much I detest you, do you really think I'd let you run amok?" Jeanne responded sharply.

"Well then, thank you very much indeed."

Gazing at the Void Archives in his hand, Otto burst out laughing. However, amidst his laughter, a hint of loneliness and envy flickered across his face.

"How wonderful..."

Ana knew Otto was envious of Kevin, but how should she put it? In reality, Ana felt that Otto himself was more deserving of envy. After all, Mei's presence, albeit difficult to explain, significantly bridged the gap between their original selves and these alternate versions.

Mei was utterly rational, while Kevin managed to suppress his emotional side, allowing them to accept each other despite not being their true counterparts.

However, Otto was different; he couldn't accept Kallen from a parallel world.

"Alright, alright, once you're done with the Void Archives, remember to return it first. I'll lend it to you again later, as you know, even when we reach the Imaginary Tree..."

Jeanne didn't finish her sentence, instead making a symbolic gesture.

The Cocoon of Finality connected directly to the tip of the Imaginary Tree. Since Ana could manifest herself there without being repelled by the tree, it implied that later on, Otto would need this tool for his journey akin to the road to the underworld.

Later on, for Otto to truly fulfill his long-cherished aspiration along that path akin to the road of the Underworld, he would still require a suitable weapon.

"No problem, my friend." Otto maintained his smile but then suddenly asked, "However, with this, will you really take action against them?"

While he didn't explicitly inquire about Jeanne's plan, it was already well-defined and comprehensive. Consequently, if Ana wanted to create a new script without disrupting Otto's scheme, her options were limited.

"Hey, hey, I'm helping you here! Why are you concerned about them instead? I'm the one playing defense; shouldn't you worry more about your friends?" Jeanne placed her hands on her hips, sounding slightly annoyed.

"All right, all right, I apologize. You're right, I should be concerned about you." Otto conceded helplessly. Facing Ana, he genuinely felt powerless, and his question had merely stemmed from curiosity.

"Alright, I won't trouble you further. Hurry up and prepare!" As Jeanne spoke, she waved dismissively and stepped aside. Otto, too, sobered, his expression turning serious.

Despite his seemingly nonchalant demeanor, it stemmed mostly from his confidence in controlling situations. However, when it came to Kallen, even he couldn't guarantee complete certainty.

Otto had indeed prepared contingency plans for the upcoming events. In other words, the strategy he was about to reveal as a facade wasn't merely a bluff but a genuinely executable plan.

If Otto's current scheme failed, he would resort to this last-ditch effort.

Of course, neither Ana's foresight nor future occurrences saw these contingencies come into play. Nonetheless, it showcased Otto's remarkable strategic prowess.

He managed to deceive everyone while simultaneously making them aware and forcing them into his game. Yet...he still had a penchant for dramatics.

Soon, Otto completed all necessary preparations, and now it was time for him personally to unveil everything. To begin, he summoned all active S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal, assigning them his final task as bishop...

And thus, Version 5.2 came to its conclusion. Frankly speaking, this update felt somewhat rushed, with plot developments scattered and abundant.

Nevertheless, the two new characters introduced in this version were quite intriguing: Mei "Mobius" Chen and Raven.

Raven was a grindable character, serving as support for the Fire Team, effectively filling a gap.

However, over time, players began noticing... Isn't it incredibly difficult to charge Miss Raven's SP? While other teams could unleash Euclidean outputs in space-time, Miss Raven struggled to accumulate her SP. By the time most teams had finished combat, Miss Raven was still charging hers.

Undoubtedly, the developers planted a significant issue with Miss Raven's design. With no alternative fire support available, many players opted to continue using the older character, Lady Ana, due to Raven's problematic SP system and subpar gameplay feel.

It wasn't that Miss Raven wasn't strong; rather, Lady Ana simply offered better value for money. This sentiment became a new mantra among players, overshadowing even jokes about Miss Raven's shortcomings.

Of course, part of this stemmed from the increased interest generated by Ana's clone appearance in the previous storyline. Otherwise, given Ana's status, she would have been considered outdated by then.

Additionally, the popularity boost benefited from Ana's engravings in the Elysian Realm. Everyone loved Lady Ana, and everyone gambled on her engraving potential.

More importantly, choosing Ana's blessing was considered a negative option within the Elysian Realm, but this drawback often led to favorable outcomes. Consequently, unless someone had particularly bad luck like Brother Cake, it was genuinely challenging for players to dislike the engravings bestowed by Ana.

Of course, while Raven typically signifies underperformance, Mobius' performance was exceptionally impressive. It could be said that for a considerable time ahead, Mobius would dominate the Abyss weather conditions.

In terms of gameplay, Mobius also boasted simplicity, making her likely a character with enduring value.

However, no one dared to guarantee such longevity; these were merely speculations. Ultimately, whether she retains her worth depends on the game developers' decisions and potential unforeseen changes.

It's fair to say that players still engaging with Honkai Impact 3 have somewhat adapted to these fluctuations, but adaptation doesn't equate to unconditional acceptance.

However, returning to the previous topic, would Ana's Jeanne clone make it onto the ship? Numerous Captains left comments on official accounts expressing their hope for her inclusion. Some influencers and bloggers capitalized on this interest by creating videos, riding the wave of attention.

Amidst all this anticipation, the belated preview for Version 5.3 finally arrived.

In the original timeline, Version 5.3 served as a transitional update, introducing a significant character set to debut in the next version: Raven. The central theme revolved around "After the Honkai." However, in the current era, the content of "After the Honkai" was deemed less crucial, leading to its title change to "Before the Constraint."

This time, the version preview remained quite subdued. MiHoYo didn't reveal much during the presentation, but truthfully, the new title itself spoke volumes.

Constraint, Herrscher of Binding, the tragedy of constraint—based on the sequence of Herrschers, it should indeed be the Herrscher of Binding now.

In the Honkai World, at the former Schicksal Headquarters in Kolosten.

Most of this Chapter's plot does not involve Ana or Jeanne directly; their presence is reserved for the climactic finale. Earlier encounters, whether with Rita's interference or Li Sushang's obstruction, hold little significance. The true focus lies within the church itself.

At present, Jeanne stands outside the church, awaiting the outcome inside.

Just moments ago, Bianka Durandal entered the church and may now be confronting Otto. Due to Bianka's keen intuition, which can sometimes be terrifyingly accurate, Jeanne chose not to approach but instead remained hidden.

Approaching too closely could risk detection. It wasn't yet time for them to acknowledge each other, at least not until she had helped Otto complete his final journey.

Jeanne didn't have to wait long before Otto emerged from the church.

Narrowing her eyes as she observed him, Jeanne sensed that, in a certain sense, he had reached a similar position as herself.

However, there was a crucial difference: The Cocoon of Finality forcibly integrated with the Imaginary Tree, becoming akin to a virus—an usurper—yet also a part of it. In simpler terms, she functioned as a bona fide employee of the Imaginary Tree, even constituting a segment of its essence.

In contrast, Otto before her was merely a contractor for the Imaginary Tree, bound by a high-stakes agreement.

Regardless of success or failure, such a pact demanded everything as payment.

However, he did gain certain advantages from it, like bypassing the Lord of Finality to bestow and wield Authorities. Nevertheless, due to Cocoon of Finality occupying the interface, whether these powers could be fully realized depended on Ana.

"You sense something?" Noticing Jeanne's peculiar gaze, Otto smiled and asked.

"Yes, somewhat... frustrating."

"Frustrating? Ha-ha-ha-ha! Indeed, but it's all part of achieving my goals—a necessary journey." Laughing heartily, Otto tossed the Abyss Flower towards Jeanne.

"Truthfully, I've long wanted to entrust this to you. It seems she belonged to you once, and now, returning to its rightful owner, the Master of the Abyss Flower."

Jeanne stared at the Abyss Flower before her, her lips twitching slightly. With a flicker in her eyes, she reached out.

"Spare me the talk. Hand over the Void Archives first; let me have some fun with it."

"Oh dear, is even that not enough for you, my friend?" Otto chuckled, shaking his head.

"No more excuses! I've never had a chance to use the Void Archives! If not for helping you, I wouldn't bother taking it out!" Jeanne retorted irritably.

Jeanne demanded irritably.

Yes, she intended to use Void Archives against the incoming members of the Hyperion—Abyss Flower was indeed formidable, but the issue was that anything Abyss Flower could achieve, Void Archives could as well.

"I see... Well then, no problem!" Otto smiled at Jeanne and handed over the Void Archives without hesitation.

At present, he genuinely didn't need it; with his current power, he can be considered virtually invincible, barring encounters with entities like Ana's True Self or situations exploiting system loopholes.

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Thus, for now, Void Archives wasn't particularly useful. Moreover, his original intent was for them to defeat this version of himself. To increase their chances, providing better equipment seemed reasonable enough.

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Otto: Hey my friend, how my friend are my friend you my friend doing my friend? My friend.