This Seat's Opinion as Thousand-Person Ruler

Thus, all five resurrection save points were fully in place, hidden in extremely remote and completely random locations beyond the reach of any vehicle.

It's worth mentioning that Anqi would absolutely never pull that kind of idiotic plot where a big bad hides their weakness but deliberately leaves riddles pointing toward it, or even a map. So the save point locations were purely random—so random that they could only be reached via teleportation through the connection between the Theater of Domination and her clones; otherwise, not even the Anqis themselves knew the exact positions.

These five save points would remain dormant until the number of Anqis suddenly plummeted, at which point they would awaken, observe the situation from places no one knew about, and take all necessary actions to ensure Anqi's survival.

The save Anqis fell asleep at different times. By the time the last one was buried underground, several months had already passed.

Their story no longer needs to be told.

Let's turn the clock back to mid-September 2014, one month after St. Freya Anqi was injured.

The weather was gradually creeping toward winter. Though the biting cold wind had limited effect on students of St. Freya who were Valkyrie trainees, some had already begun to change their clothing styles, shifting from the usual cool outfits to warmer, cuter ones.

In this kind of weather, Anqi came to the hospital to have her fixed right arm's cast removed.

"Don't be scared. It might look a bit frightening, but you've actually recovered quite well, little Anqi."

The gentle and kind doctor sister smiled reassuringly, her movements practiced as she removed the bandages and other items from Anqi's arm.

Soon, a complex smell mixed with medicine and pus wafted over.

Anqi stared at her right arm finally exposed to the air. The entire limb was tinged a faint yellow from the medication, several crisscrossing scars carved into the skin, along with some oddly colored things that looked like wound discharge.

Anqi stared blankly for a good long while, then suddenly burst out laughing. She tugged at the hem of Himeko's clothes beside her and said:

"Pfft! Himeko, Himeko, it's so ugly!"

Himeko's face instantly darkened with exasperation. Her somewhat tense mood was dissolved by this bystander-like tone, and she flicked Anqi's forehead in annoyance.

"Is this really the time to say that!?"

It was like a child showing off some newly discovered novelty—just how big a heart did you need to see a doctor and treat injuries like this?

Anqi rubbed her forehead, blinking her sparkling purple eyes, wearing a slightly dazed smile.

Seeing Anqi acting as if nothing was wrong, and noticing that the arm still didn't look fully healed, Himeko hesitated for a moment before asking:

"Does it really not hurt?"

"Huh?"

Anqi tilted her head, stunned for a moment.

Three seconds later, tears welled up in the girl's eyes.

"QAQ!"

Guess it did hurt.

Himeko's face darkened again. She sighed, gently pulled Anqi into her arms, soothingly rubbed the top of her head, and said helplessly:

"Call you timid—yet you dared to develop your own Honkai Energy technique just one week after enrollment. Call you brave—yet a little pain makes you tear up. Sigh, I really don't know what to say about you."

"It's different..."

"How is it different?"

"It just is!"

Anqi looked up, her eyes red, staring at Himeko with a pitiful grievance.

Courage and fear of pain were two different things.

Anqi dared to charge fearlessly toward her goals, ignoring injuries when necessary, but under normal circumstances, pain was still pain. Just like an iron-blooded, fearless soldier might still yell when getting a shot—they weren't mutually exclusive.

Himeko still didn't understand Anqi's logic, but what else could she do?

With the girl in her arms looking so pitiful, Himeko could only comfort her with a mix of amusement and sympathy.

"Alright, alright. Bear with it a little. After the checkup and treatment, I'll take you to secretly borrow the game console the principal hid away."

"No! I want Himeko to stay with me!"

"Hey hey hey, don't cling to me like that... Fine, fine. Stop looking at me with those pitiful big eyes. I'll stay with you all day today, okay?"

"Yay!"

Anqi nuzzled into Himeko's unfathomably deep bosom and laughed happily.

Big sis Himeko is the best!

I love big sis Himeko the most!

Ehehe!

Himeko sighed, helplessly rubbing Anqi's little head, silently apologizing in her heart to the drinking buddies she had promised to carouse with all night today.

"Himeko, Himeko, Himeko..."

"Yes, yes, I'm here. Don't move—the doctor needs to clean your arm."

Himeko said, unable to suppress her smile.

Over the past month, the feeling Anqi gave Himeko was different from Kiana and the other two.

Kiana and the others were certainly lovely, good kids, but they were independent, each with their own ideas and hobbies, never deliberately clinging to her. Anqi wasn't like that. This child liked to stick to her while sleeping, eating, going out, even during class—as if only by her side could she feel safe and at ease.

This was an experience Himeko had never had before—being completely trusted and relied upon by a child, as if she couldn't function without her.

'She's too clingy... but, unexpectedly, I can't bring myself to hate this feeling!'

Himeko smiled, a mix of troubled and happy.

Chapter 22: Anqi Confirms Her Prey

"Ugh, I'm done for, St. Freya me has completely fallen."

"Can't be helped, that's Sister Himeko after all!"

"True, if it's Sister Himeko, there's really no resisting."

In the Theater of Domination, over twenty Anqis were buzzing with commentary on St. Freya Anqi's behavior.

But they all expressed understanding.

They were all the same person, after all—how could they not know how little resistance they had to a top-tier mature woman like Sister Himeko, with her stunning figure, cheerful personality, and unyielding kindness and passion?

"Looks like we need to work even harder."

"Yeah, yeah, Sister Himeko's situation is too tough. Her body's already falling apart, right?"

"There's no way I'm letting her die trying to save Kiana!"

"To hell with a 'Final Lesson'—I want Sister Himeko to teach me for a lifetime!"

"Damn right!"

"For survival, for Sister Himeko, let's grind!"

Though they still lacked a perfect solution, the Anqis knew that only by gaining power could they fight for what they wanted.

As the Thousand-Person Ruler, their number of avatars was already severely reduced. If they didn't push harder, they'd never accomplish anything.

So, after a brief rest, the Anqis moved again.

Two Anqis spread their legs, bent their knees, and threw punches, practicing the basic martial arts they'd drilled countless times, infusing Honkai Energy in various ways to extract every ounce of potential from those fundamental moves.

Six Anqis swung fists at each other, their slender figures clad in black leotards crisscrossing across the plaza, sometimes reaching the edges, sometimes clashing high in the air, sometimes dueling in pairs, sometimes in chaotic free-for-alls, using the advantage of independent thought circuits to simulate real battlefields and accumulate combat experience.

Six Anqis waved their hands to control threads, some manipulating building debris, others cutting objects, sometimes attacking and defending against each other, sometimes pulling back to ponder new ideas, delving deep into the application of Dominion Authority.

Other Anqis were training with the various weapons Young Lady Anqi had acquired, while some used puppet threads to move to the edges of the Theater of Domination, dragging debris from the imaginary space with their threads, simultaneously pushing the limits of their authority's output and control while contributing to the Theater's construction.

Meanwhile, outside.

St. Freya Anqi felt guilty for a few seconds over indulging in Sister Himeko's charms while the others were working hard, then quickly got over it.

Well, they were all her, so it didn't matter! After all, they could feel Sister Himeko's goodness too, right?

"Himeko, Himeko, Himeko..."

Anqi pressed herself against Himeko's chest, closing her eyes with a clear conscience and full satisfaction.

At the same time, Young Lady Anqi flicked her professionally styled bangs, stepped forward, and swayed lightly into the Funeral Hall, where the guests had already dispersed.

"Tap, tap!"

Her flawless, pale pink nails knocked on the coffin lid, producing a solid wooden sound.

Anqi's lips curled upward.

"Not easy, finally outlasted you. My patience was almost wearing thin."

But Anqi hadn't waited a month just to fully take over this multinational corporation that had once ranked among the world's top five hundred. She was also waiting for someone.

"Zzz... zzzz..."

After a slightly noisy electronic hum, a towering Titan Mech outside the Funeral Hall raised its arm, projecting a hologram of Cocolia's proud figure.

Anqi turned, lifted her skirt, bent her knee, and curtsied with a smiling bow toward Cocolia's image.

"Greetings, Lady Cocolia."

"Hm? I was planning to offer you some condolences, but it seems you're not sad at all."

"Is that so? Well, if I shed a couple of tears, would you believe me?"

Anqi crossed her fingers, tilted her head, and smiled cutely.

Cocolia's lips twitched upward in approval.

"Not bad. You're starting to look like a true big shot."

"Oh, not at all. Compared to you, I'm just an insignificant pawn. I will inherit my father's career and path, and I'm willing to serve Lady Cocolia with all my heart."

"Enough, enough, let's skip the pleasantries. You know why I'm here."

"Yes, regarding how to handle this Titan that my father shamelessly borrowed, it's naturally entirely up to Lady Cocolia. This little girl has no objections."

Anqi smiled warmly, her expression utterly innocent and sincere.

Cocolia stared fixedly at Anqi for a moment, then casually waved her hand.

"I don't mistreat those who work with dedication—reward and punishment are the basics. Ryuzaburo has done well these past few years, and your performance this month has been commendable. I'm satisfied. One Titan Mech—from today onward, it will be your personal bodyguard."

"Really?"

"Don't question my words."

"This humble daughter overstepped. In that case, this humble daughter will gladly accept. Then, as a token of return, this humble daughter will prepare a small gift shortly, and I hope Lady Cocolia will see fit to accept it... Consider it a celebration of this humble daughter formally inheriting the family estate, how about that?"

Anqi said with a beaming smile.

Cocolia flashed a fox-like, cunning, and dangerous smile, then her projection vanished, and the Titan Mech once again cloaked itself before Anqi's eyes.

The smile faded from Anqi's face. She walked to the door and closed the Funeral Hall's gates.

"Hah, a personal bodyguard? Just a watcher planted by my side... And you, old fool, always took pride in that. Could you really not see it, or did you see it and still mistake it for some kind of achievement?"

Anqi sighed toward the cold coffin.

After standing in a daze for a while, a coin-sized blood-red crystal appeared in Anqi's hand, polished to a brilliant shine, set in an intricately carved golden frame.

It was a work of art that looked priceless.

But as golden light flickered in Anqi's eyes, the translucent blood-red crystal gradually took on a murky, turbid hue, emitting a faint purple-red glow in the dark room.

This was a Thousand-Person Herrscher Core.

And Anqi planned to give it to Cocolia.

When Cocolia took hold of this gem, she would become one of the five Anqis integrated into society.

Perhaps some strong-willed, naturally gifted individuals might resist the erosion of the Herrscher's power, barely maintaining their sense of self before Anqi, or even retaining partial control over their bodies. But based on the story's performance, Cocolia certainly wasn't in that category—she would inevitably be devoured by Anqi.

"But... what if?"

Anqi frowned. Though she felt there would be no accidents, she still found it insufficiently secure.

Anqi didn't plan to send the gem over with this gift. After all, she couldn't guarantee Cocolia would actually take the gem, nor could she guarantee the gem wouldn't encounter special detection—if it were exposed, it would be dangerous. Moreover, the Core itself was a lifeless object; once it left Anqi's sight, it couldn't distinguish whose hands it was in or when to initiate erosion.