"It seems it has finally come, Otto Apocalypse… Today, I'll just release a couple of PVs."
Lu Ze, sitting at the front desk, looked at the content of the version update and knew it was time to release the PVs. The first one was "Flame That Burns Eternal."
With a press of the Enter key, a massive screen appeared in the sky outside, and everyone in front of them also saw a small screen. Those who saw this scene felt a sense of nostalgia.
They didn't know how long it had been since a PV appeared, but they knew that the appearance of a PV signaled the imminent arrival of a new version and new story content.
"It's truly something to look forward to… What will this one bring?"
As soon as the words fell, images appeared on the screen. The big Honkai Impact 3rd logo appeared in the center of the screen, then quickly disappeared.
What followed was the actual PV.
Heavy breathing filled everyone's minds as countless giant hands appeared on the screen.
A person, with heavy steps, walked through an boundless darkness. One by one, figures of people were slowly lowered, each connected by threads, like puppets.
"Kiana, give up struggling…"
A beam of light suddenly appeared in the sky, illuminating the surroundings. Two figures were entangled by countless threads, suspended in the sky in strange poses.
"Bronya… Classmate?!"
The puppets hanging in the sky descended one by one. Kiana, holding a greatsword, looked around vigilantly. As the number of people increased, the true form of the Herrscher of Thousands appeared before her.
"Without the power of a Herrscher, you are merely an ordinary weakling!"
Her palm slowly closed. Tracing the threads connected to her hands, she saw that they were connected to Bronya and Fu Hua.
Their bodies tensed, the threads pulling at their limbs. The two trembled slightly, but even so, they would not yield.
Seeing this, Kiana shouted:
"Let them go!"
Kiana dragged her greatsword and quickly slashed at the surrounding puppets. Each strike shattered a puppet, but the vacated spots were quickly filled. No matter how many she killed, there were always more.
As the giant hands moved, the threads tightened once more. The powerful pulling force directly caused blood to flow from the corners of Bronya's mouth, dripping onto the ground.
"With mere righteousness, in the end, it's just self-gratification. You cannot change the malice of this world, nor this ugly world."
On the ground, Kiana refused to be captured. She held her broken greatsword and swung it repeatedly. However, with a blast, Kiana was sent flying and fell to the ground.
Even so, she struggled to her feet. Whether for herself or for the two in the sky, she could not fall.
The surrounding puppets swarmed her, some grabbing her arms, others her legs. One puppet even delivered a knee strike directly to her abdomen.
"Ah!"
Her hands loosened, and the greatsword dropped to the ground. Countless puppets pinned her down, slamming her heavily into the ground, creating a crater.
Kiana grunted, her blue eyes glowing slightly.
Outside, people watching this scene, those who knew the story, clasped their hands together and began to pray in silence.
"You must win, Kiana!"
"Don't give up, Kiana!"
"Beat that big guy! So arrogant, it makes me want to fight too!"
On the screen, Kiana's face showed a hint of a smile.
"Everyone… Thank you!"
The scene continued. Suddenly, countless Void Lancers appeared in the sky, flying directly towards the numerous giant hands. But just as they were about to hit, they were entangled by dense threads, rendering them immobile.
Then they were crushed. Even her last bit of fighting ability was gone. Her blue pupils dimmed. Would she really surrender like this?
"See, you can't even protect them!"
The giant hands directly crossed, and the threads tore the two figures in the sky apart. Countless drops of blood scattered in the air, looking exceptionally dazzling under the light.
Blood splattered on the ground. Kiana, on the ground, struggled to climb out from the crowd, but no matter how hard she tried, she was pushed back down. As the number of puppets increased, all hope was lost.
Deep despair engulfed her spirit…
"This is the end of humanity!"
The screen went black. As the perspective shifted.
Kiana was seen bound by threads, kneeling on the ground, trying to break free with all her might, but to no avail.
"We are all failures. Humans are all failures!"
The black and white giant hands slowly closed. Kiana was unable to move, trembling as she looked forward. Even so, she would not yield.
"No… I will not yield to you!"
"They have already fallen. You are the last one!"
A fiery red figure appeared before Kiana's eyes. Seeing this person, how could she possibly yield?
"I refuse! They never gave up. Now it's my turn to do what I must do, to tell everyone that their choice was not wrong!"
She broke through the encirclement with force, her right hand tightly gripping the greatsword. The surrounding scene then shattered. Immediately after, countless purple lights emanated from the pile of puppets, blasting them all away.
"Is your attack over? Now it's my turn. No objections, right?!"
"What?!"
As the music began, "were oceans once…"
Kiana ran rapidly on the ground. Wherever she went, puppets shattered, each blow marking the end of a puppet.
"somewhere shrouded by the night, the sun will shine…"
Facing puppets wielding firearms, Kiana calmly dodged. With nimble sidesteps, she leaped high, ran quickly up the wall, and pushed off, flying into the air. Gathering her strength, she delivered a downward slash.
"sometimes I see a dying bird fall to the ground…"
"Why are you still standing up? No matter how much you struggle, the outcome will not change!"
Due to the white smoke generated by the downward attack, Kiana, who had just wiped away a trickle of blood, was immediately controlled by countless claw hooks.
The puppets behind her took the opportunity to leap high, attempting a surprise attack, but blue lasers pierced their heads directly, and they vanished into smoke.