Chapter 49: "Lord Theresa is very cute... I've lost my composure"
Fortunately, that sensation lasted only for a fleeting moment before vanishing.
Just as Theresa breathed a sigh of relief, Rita suddenly spoke: "...Honkai Impact 3rd? I didn't expect Lord Theresa to be playing this game too. By the way, I've downloaded it as well."
"O-oh? Is Rita interested in this game too?" Theresa found it a bit strange; Rita almost never played games and usually had zero interest in them. Compared to gaming, this woman was likely more inclined to research how to make Theresa wear those cute outfits...
Rita gave a light chuckle: "Heehee, actually, I used my connections to ask Miss Bronya. In future versions, Lord Theresa will soon be added as a playable character."
"??!!"
Theresa looked as if she had seen a ghost, cursing her wretched niece a thousand times in her heart! Kiana! You aunt-trapping brat! Adding your aunt to the game as a Valkyrie... She could already imagine how Rita would "treat" her character in the game once it launched!
Theresa held her forehead, feeling a massive headache coming on. "Rita, can you tell me why you insist on pestering me?"
Rita looked surprised: "Eh? Lord Theresa, haven't I mentioned it?"
Theresa stared: "Mentioned what?"
Rita Rossweisse sighed and began to tell a "moving" story. To summarize simply: when Rita was a child, she happened to see a performance of Magical Girl Teriri. She was instantly turned into a fan and developed a deep longing for Teriri.
"Your clumsy appearance during your first training session, the nervous little expression you made when you first stepped on stage, the way you laughed so happily after completing your first performance—all of it made me..."
"Ahem, in short, from that moment on, I decided that I wanted to become a person like Lord Theresa! To me, you are the true Magical Girl Teriri! The object of my utmost reverence!"
Rita's speech was moving enough, but it couldn't fool Theresa. She glared at Rita: "How do you know what I looked like during training as a child? And how do you know about my first time on stage?"
Rita replied: "I borrowed the footage regarding you from Lord Otto... I paid several months' salary for it."
Theresa: "...And the truth?"
Rita: "Lord Theresa was simply too cute as a child. Ever since I accidentally saw Lord Otto's photos, I couldn't stop myself from frantically searching for all sorts of videos and photos of you! A doll-like, cute Lord Theresa is simply the best!"
Theresa: "..."
Theresa: "Get out of here right now!!"
Case closed. This woman is a total lolicon!! Or rather, a "past-version-of-Theresa" con. No wonder she frequently brings out those clothes for her to wear! If there were a Shenron in this world, Rita's first wish would likely be to make Theresa return to her childhood form and personally take the stage as Teriri!
After chasing Rita out of the room and locking the door, it took Theresa a long time to regain her composure and continue the stream. Because Honkai Impact 3rd was so captivating, the little interlude caused by Rita was quickly forgotten.
In the subsequent plot, Kiana trained continuously under Fu Hua's guidance to prepare for the Valkyrie Exam. Seizing this opportunity, the game used Fu Hua's dialogue to introduce the general worldview and settings of Honkai 3rd to the audience.
However, at night, Kiana entered a strange dreamscape and was guided by a mysterious "Enigmatic Voice." The voice told Kiana that her mother, "Cecilia," was actually a Schicksal "S-rank Valkyrie" who sacrificed herself to fight the "Herrscher of the Void" born during the Second Honkai Impact.
In that virtual space created by the voice, it used the likenesses of people familiar to Kiana to constantly break her spirit. Mei, Himeko, even Theresa... From the dialogue between Kiana and the Enigmatic Voice, Theresa and the audience were gradually drawn into the tragic lore!
Raiden Mei, the "Herrscher of Thunder" born from the Third Honkai Impact! Kiana's mother, Cecilia, died during the Second Honkai Impact. According to the voice, because she had just given birth to Kiana, Cecilia had not recovered her strength... and because Schicksal feared Cecilia would fail, they launched tactical missiles at Siberia, intending to let her perish along with the Second Herrscher!
[So, Kiana is the culprit who caused her mother's death?]
[Not necessarily! That voice might be lying to Kiana! We have no way to judge if it's telling the truth or not!]
[I feel like things definitely aren't that simple! Something else must have happened during the Second Honkai Impact; it can't be summed up by a single sentence from that voice!]
Later, the Valkyrie Exam arrived as scheduled. Rita came as a Schicksal inspector to spar with Kiana and test her strength. Afterward, in the final stage of the exam, due to unknown reasons, a database error occurred, and Kiana's opponent became the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, Parvati!
After Kiana defeated Parvati and the exam ended, she entered that dreamscape once again! This time, the voice revealed its identity to Kiana... it was the Second Herrscher—the Herrscher of the Void!
Kiana tried to drive the Herrscher of the Void out of her dream, only to hear the Herrscher's mocking laughter. "I have no intention of leaving, heehee! Because this is both your dream and mine! I am you, and you are me. The person who should leave is you, Kiana!"
[What does that mean? Is the Second Herrscher possessing Kiana?]
[Is Kiana a Herrscher too, just like Raiden Mei?]
[That possibility certainly can't be ruled out!]
Theresa controlled the in-game Kiana to defeat the enemies created by the Second Herrscher in the dream. As the dream shattered, the screen faded to black. However, a line of blood-red text appeared, accompanied by the voice of the Second Herrscher—sounding as if it came from the depths of hell—which made a chill run down Theresa's spine!
["Did you think this would be the last time we'd meet?"]
["In your future life, I will appear in your deepest nightmares, again and again..."]
["Until one day, you no longer have the strength to resist..."]
Though the words of the Second Herrscher faded, they continued to echo in Theresa's ears. She wiped the cold sweat from her forehead, realizing that at some point, she had broken out in a cold shiver! It had to be said that the immersion of this chapter made Theresa feel as if she had truly become the Kiana in the game!
Facing the powerful "Voice," the ignorance and weakness... that feeling of fear and trembling made Theresa feel a lingering dread, yet it simultaneously sparked an intense curiosity!
"Who exactly is that Second Herrscher? I feel like I should know her name..." "What exactly happened to Kiana..."
Driven by the need for answers, Theresa impatiently continued playing Honkai Impact 3rd. At this moment, she had only one burning desire: to rush through the main story to the latest chapter!
END OF CHAPTER
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