"Although judging from the results, Durandal did become an outstanding and excellent Valkyrie under his training, but as expected, I still can't approve of this behavior."
Elysia shook her head, her pretty face full of complexity.
It was true that the reason why Durandal became such an excellent Valkyrie was inseparable from Otto's training.
But that didn't mean what he did was right.
Consequentialism cannot explain everything, nor can it change the fact that Otto harmed the Durandal family.
I believe that if Durandal were given the right to choose, she would definitely choose her father and mother.
But Durandal lost her memory... This also caused the current situation, a strange combination of circumstances.
"This guy Otto—when he decided to train Durandal, did he already plan to let Durandal take him on his way in the future?"
Sakura couldn't help but gasp.
"I have to say, this is really scary. Durandal's life was completely manipulated by Otto, and even her resistance to Otto was under his calculation and guidance."
Maybe they should be thankful that Otto's purpose was just to resurrect Kallen. If this guy wanted to destroy the world, he probably wouldn't even need Honkai to do it; he could accomplish it on his own.
"But having said that, Durandal is indeed a monster. When she was seven or eight years old, she suffered a serious head injury and fell from a height of several thousand meters. She's still alive. Brother Su Mu, are you cheating with her settings?"
Pardofelis couldn't help but complain.
"Don't say Siegfried thought she was dead; any normal person would think she was dead, right?"
"Well... you are right. She does have a 'hook.' The only one designated by Honkai Impact 3 is Gou Aotian. Do you think she's just joking with you?"
Su Mu smiled.
"Do you understand the value of Kaslana and Shaniat's bloodlines?"
"Indeed, after all, she is Ms. Durandal. Any outrageous setting seems so normal when placed on her. On the contrary, if she were too weak, I would be the first to express dissatisfaction~~"
Rita looked at Su Mu with a smile, raised her eyebrows at him, and a gleam of light flashed in her wine-red eyes.
Of course, Su Mu understood the meaning behind Rita's words. Wasn't this a roundabout way of hinting that he had written her character too weakly? What kind of overturning king, 55-year-old Rita, etc...
But there was no other way, after all, it's Lady Rita from the King of Cars who has a lot of fun~~
So Su Mu pretended not to understand.
After seeing the last memory, and being reminded repeatedly by the Stigmata's will, Durandal finally reacted.
The memories entangled in this space all came from the cursed bloodline of the Kaslana family.
Why her memory appeared here—
Youlan↘Dair↗er↘!
Why could she see this memory even though it didn't belong to her?
Why did she lose memories of her childhood?
Why did she have the stigmata of the Kaslana family?
Yamiro!
There was only one answer!
Durandal, you are Siegfried and Cecilia's biological daughter—Kiana Kaslana!
[ "...." ]
The girl's heart was full of mixed emotions, not because she suddenly knew her lineage, nor because this name had any special meaning to her.
It was because she thought of Siegfried, whose life was always full of regrets, and of the person who had just improved their relationship with her and used her will, courage, and even life to give the name "Kiana" its true meaning.
She realized that this was a hurtful truth. If the timing wasn't right, the simple truth wouldn't bring them salvation.
So until the truly suitable day arrived, she could only let them continue to think that Cecilia's biological daughter... had died ten years ago.
"No, is Durandal an angel?!"
Elysia and everyone in the live broadcast room were shocked when they saw Durandal's first reaction after finally learning her lineage.
They did not expect that after Durandal learned the truth, she was not shocked, panicked, or angry. Instead, she immediately thought about how the truth of her lineage might hurt Kiana.
How could there be such a gentle person in this world?
"Hehe... This really seems like the response that Lady Durandal would give."
Rita pursed her lips and smiled, not surprised by the result.
Because the Durandal she knew was such a serious fool who always regarded other people as more important than herself.
"Using Shakespeare's words to describe Durandal's mood at this time is truly a romantic reply."
Eden looked at the pictures in the game with admiration.
When everyone thought that Durandal would have some emotions or other thoughts after learning about her lineage, Su Mu quoted Shakespeare to explain to everyone the reason why Durandal's heart had never wavered.
Even if she had another identity, even if she had a name that originally belonged to her, this couldn't change the fact that she was now "Bianca."
"I declare that Durandal is now my favorite Valkyrie!"
Elysia said with a serious face.
"You've said this no less than five times. Are you done yet?"
Su Mu rolled his eyes. He suddenly discovered that Elysia was actually very suitable to play Alai in Yu-Gi-Oh! After all, the scumbag could stick (fuse) with anyone, which was exactly in line with Elysia's character. ~~
"Do you blame me? Who told Su Mu to make these beautiful and lovely girls so attractive?"
Elysia said confidently.
"Well....."
Su Mu twitched the corner of his mouth and looked at the confident Elysia. He suddenly thought, if she saw him in the Eternal Paradise, would she also like him?
Then this time, it would truly be self-inflicted.
[She really made me cry to death! Durandal herself is obviously the biggest victim, but now she's still thinking about others... Isn't this child too gentle?]
[But if this is the case, wouldn't it mean that Durandal and Kiana wouldn't be able to recognize each other? Damn it, I'm still waiting to see them reunited with their new identities! Old thief, you really know how to toy with us!]
[So, can Siegfried be rescued? Do we have to wait for Durandal to pass this test?]
The audience in the live broadcast room were chatting nonstop, and on the other side of Sirin's live broadcast room, Cecilia couldn't help but gently stroke Durandal's head with emotion.
"So mature children are always the most heart-wrenching... It would be great if you could all think more about yourselves."
Although Durandal in the game could immediately think of her sister, which made Cecilia feel happy as a mother, it also made her feel deeply distressed.
After all, the younger sister needed love and care, but what about the elder sister?
This should have been her responsibility, but she had left the scene too early. Siegfried was also imprisoned, leaving Durandal to shoulder everything on her own during such critical moments.
"It's okay, Mom. Anyway, this is obviously a good thing for 'me.'"
Durandal smiled warmly.
"Now, 'I' not only know my own lineage but also that there are family members in this world that I cherish and want to protect. As long as I wait for the right time to tell Kiana the truth, we can be reunited as a family."
"That's right! Now that I, the strongest Herrscher, and eldest sister, the strongest Valkyrie, have joined forces, won't we be invincible in the world?"
Kiana waved her fists excitedly.
"Otto? He'll never come back!"
"Come on. I don't know who it was earlier, but Otto confiscated the Xinyan sword with a barrier. If it had been slower, someone would have become the next Bronya, whose driver's license was revoked."
Sirin teased.
Kiana's face immediately turned red as she defended herself. "That was his sneak attack! Can you blame me for a sneak attack?"
What followed were some comical words, such as "Otto lacks martial ethics" and "If you look at it again, you'll explode," which filled the live broadcast room with cheerful laughter and a light-hearted atmosphere.
In the game, the Adjudicator informed Durandal that if she wanted to leave this space, she must awaken her stigmata.
Durandal refused to accept defeat and attempted to fight him, but in the end, she could not overcome him.
The Adjudicator explained that she was different from Siegfried. In addition to the stigmata, she possessed another power. It was because of this power that he hesitated.
He played another memory for Durandal.
This memory was incredibly warm, enveloping her in a blissful void.
It was Cecilia and Siegfried looking at her as a baby, their gentle smiles radiating happiness and hope for this newborn child.
Cecilia wished that her child could follow the path of her own choice in the future. No matter what she chose to be, as long as she could live happily, that would be enough.
Siegfried shared the same sentiment.
This plotline, filled with Cecilia and Siegfried's most sincere blessings for their child, deeply moved countless players in the live broadcast room.
Cecilia truly is the best mom.
But the more they saw the warm and happy memories of this family, the more players felt heartbroken over Durandal's current situation.
This happiness, which originally belonged to her, had been ruthlessly taken away. Even the memory of it no longer existed...
How tragic it would be if Durandal could never recall having such loving parents...
In the warm light, in the dreamlike vision, Durandal could indeed feel her mother's scent.
The memories she had forgotten were slumbering in every corner of her being.
["Ha..."]
Withdrawing from the tender memories, Durandal took a deep breath, trying to steady her turbulent emotions.
No matter how strong or composed she usually appeared, it was impossible to remain unaffected in front of the people who loved her the most.
Because, at the end of the day, she was still a young girl.
"Why is that brat Su Mu so good at writing..."
Seeing the memory scenes played for Durandal, Siegfried couldn't help but reveal a nostalgic expression.
When Cecilia gave birth to Durandal and Kiana, they had wished sincerely for their daughters' happiness, just as the game depicted.
Perhaps this is the hope of most parents around the world for their children.
"Wow... Aunt Cecilia and the others seem so happy..."
Mei's eyes were red, immersed in the heartwarming memories.
Sweet, sweet! The sweetest thing is Honkai Impact 3!
"Mom, Dad, it is my greatest fortune to be your daughter."
Durandal's eyes softened as she looked at the pictures in the game. Then she glanced at Cecilia and Siegfried sitting beside her, and warmth spread through her heart.
Without the unconditional support and care of her parents, she would not have reached this point.
It was through watching this plot that she fully understood how deeply her parents had loved her.
"No, our greatest fortune is seeing you grow up happily."
Cecilia gently embraced Durandal, waving for Kiana and Sirin to join them.
Kiana grinned as she squeezed into Cecilia's arms, while Sirin hesitated, trying to maintain her cool and composed image. After all, how could she, the great Sirin, show such affection in front of countless viewers?
But that hesitation lasted barely a second. Mei smiled mischievously and gave Sirin a light push toward Cecilia.
"We're eating this candy today," Mei declared.
Whether in or out of the game!
Sirin grumbled under her breath but didn't resist as Cecilia wrapped her in a warm hug.
In the live broadcast room, Sirin expected to be teased or laughed at by the viewers. Yet, to her surprise, the audience had been just as moved by the family's warmth and were wholly immersed in the touching moment.
For once, the barrage of comments felt harmonious, overflowing with genuine emotion. It was like watching a heartfelt commercial, the kind that encouraged people to appreciate their parents.
[I'm crying buckets. Cecilia truly is the best mom. Why did the old thief write her off so soon?]
[Damn it, I've never been so angry at Otto! Look at this beautiful family he destroyed! I'll never forgive him!]
[Sigh... If Cecilia knew her daughter would grow into the strongest Valkyrie, fighting to protect humanity, wouldn't she be proud but also worry endlessly for her?]
At this point, the will of the stigmata explained to Durandal that her body contained the combined bloodlines of the Kaslana and Shaniat families.
These two forces were perfectly fused within her, paving a path that diverged from both Herrschers and Fusion Warriors—a path unique to her alone.
Her life and existence carried a significance far beyond the repetitive "Kaslana tragedies" that had become a bitter cycle in the struggle against the Honkai.