Thousand-Person Ruler's Personal Opinion Chapter 2

"Essentially, I am the Ruler of Domination, and my body is merely a puppet controlled by my authority. However, my authority also needs a body to exist. If all the bodies available for attachment die, I will die too."

"Having only one body is far too dangerous!"

Anqi felt a strong sense of threat.

Various confusions and uncertainties were set aside; survival was the top priority. Driven by this thought, Anqi naturally understood how to use her authority.

Step one: Absorb Honkai Energy from the Imaginary Gateway.

Step two: Find a medium for the authority to attach to, such as a corpse or a powerful puppet. Since there was no suitable medium here, she abandoned the idea of using a medium and shaped a body using herself as a template.

Step three: Activate the authority and dominate this body.

A faint purple light flickered, condensing into a petite yet beautifully curved and alluring human form before Anqi's eyes.

Anqi blinked.

Across from her, an Anqi resembling a piece of flawless white jade also blinked.

The two stared at their identical reflections.

"..." x2

A moment later, the original Anqi's lips curled up. The amusing scene finally eased her heavy mood. With a playful tone, she said:

"Take a few steps!"

"Take a few steps~"

"Walk with great vigor!"

"Walk with great vigor~"

"Walk as if covering a thousand miles a day!"

"Walk a thousand miles a day~"

"Walk as if it's been ages!"

"Walk like... Hey! That's enough, we're on the same side. Are you really going to act until the very end before punching me?"

The clone Anqi walked in a circle, her steps clumsy and uncoordinated, then rolled her eyes and directly turned to walk upstairs. She showed no shame whatsoever, as they were essentially the same person, acting completely unrestrained.

After a while, she came down wearing casual long sleeves and hot pants. Her slender, fair legs flashed with an incredibly pure and bright white color as she moved, as if glowing.

"Even though it's me, it's still me, but you're truly a feast for the eyes."

The original Anqi sat on the sofa, watching the clone Anqi sit down opposite her.

Throughout the entire process, Anqi could feel that regardless of whether it was the clone or the original, they were both her, sharing synchronized will, thoughts, and even feelings.

Yet, at the same time, the original and the clone could think independently.

This situation couldn't be accurately described as schizophrenia. Perhaps it was like having two virtual machine systems within a computer – they had certain independent functions, but they were fundamentally still one computer.

The original Anqi and the clone Anqi looked at each other, their expressions gradually becoming identically solemn.

"Bad news: I am the Thousand-Person Ruler. There are people I can't afford to offend who are ready to kill me at any moment and have the ability to do so."

"Good news: I am the first Thousand-Person Ruler. Because I haven't spread my authority and become a rabble, no one knows I'm a Herrscher yet."

Therefore, if Anqi could hide and lie low in a corner, she might be able to live safely until the late stages of the plot. She would think about how to handle the late stages later; for now, the priority was to conceal her Herrscher identity. As long as her identity wasn't exposed, she wouldn't attract the attention of those dangerous individuals.

The two Anqis pondered this, then simultaneously recalled a dangerous situation.

"Those girls who were torn apart!" x2

Intellectually, Anqi didn't sympathize with the bullies who had done many disgusting things; they were just a bunch of underage brats. Emotionally, neither of Anqi's two life memories contained such cruel experiences, making it difficult not to feel a sense of sorrow.

But none of that mattered. What mattered was that the shattered bodies were left in the alley. Even though the location was remote, someone would eventually notice them. With the power of modern technology, her suspicion would easily be confirmed.

Mundane forces could be ignored, but what if those three major organizations noticed these...

She would die, right?

The two Anqis' eyes widened simultaneously, and they stood up.

The original Anqi, wearing a bathrobe, decisively said:

"Better late than never! We must turn those corpses into our clones now! By continuing to exist in their image for a while, the trouble won't find us! Let's hurry, hopefully, it's not too late!"

The clone Anqi had already burst out the door, leaving behind a glimpse of her lightly swaying golden hair for the original Anqi.

In fact, there was no need for verbal instructions; their thoughts and consciousness were unified, making them one person.

The distinction between original and clone was also meaningless. They were both Anqi, with no hierarchy. Even if one Anqi died, she would merely lose an independent thought thread temporarily; Anqi would still live on without any other impact.

While one Anqi was leaving, the other Anqi who remained in the house frowned in thought for a moment, and her body instantly vanished from the room.

This was a dark world where directions and the passage of time ceased to exist, imbued with an indescribable sense of chaotic, hazy ambiguity.

Fragments of buildings floated in the void. Some resembled pieces of unknown palaces, others were slices of skyscrapers, and there were many inexplicable objects. These were all data segments from the real world projected into the imaginary space, existing on the edge of reality and unreality.

Anqi, holding the straw of a milk carton, stood in the void, her purple eyes blinking gently.

The knowledge of the imaginary space that came with the Herrscher authority gradually became clearer in her mind. Anqi could only stay still, trying her best to convert it into content she could understand.

After a period of digestion, Anqi's eyes lit up. She extended her palm, and an invisible domain spread out from her in all directions.

Soon, a vast spatial region fell under her control.

Under Anqi's will, the pile of building debris within the domain drew closer, merged, reformed, and was refined, quickly forming a vast circular platform, much like an ancient and magnificent palace.

The stage was still far from the boundaries of the domain, but it had already expanded to a spectacular degree.

"This is the Theater of Domination!"

Anqi murmured to herself. Both her knowledge of the original work and the innate knowledge that came with the Herrscher authority told her the essence and characteristics of this domain.

It was a controllable spatial domain, also the location of the Authority of Plucking. It drifted in the vast, boundless Imaginary Space, and only the Thousand-Person Ruler could freely enter and exit with their authority.

And this gave her an unparalleled sense of security!

"Sirin, the Herrscher of Void, is still asleep. Even if organizations like Anti-Entropy and World Serpent have the technology to access Imaginary Space, they won't be able to find my domain in the boundless Imaginary World! This is the ultimate life-saving charm!"

As long as one clone remained safely hidden within the theater, it wouldn't matter if all the clones in the outside world were wiped out; Anqi would still be alive.

"Hahaha!"

Anqi spread her arms and laughed heartily.

Although Otto Apocalypse still existed, and that great conspirator and ultimate lover had made the Authority of Domination play an important role in his meticulously planned final scheme, possibly even obtaining Chikai Ichijo, this was undoubtedly an unavoidable and huge threat.

However, this didn't stop Anqi from breathing a sigh of relief. This was probably the first time she had felt at ease since waking up, feeling that she finally had the confidence to establish herself in this world.

After her pleasant laughter subsided, Anqi snapped her fingers, activating her authority. Numerous graceful, young female figures materialized amidst purple light.

Ten, twenty, thirty.

A hundred, two hundred.

Countless naked Anqis appeared. The scene was quiet, yet it suddenly felt noisy and crowded.

Snap!

The main body, Anqi, wearing a bathrobe, looked at the endless expanse of pure white before her and couldn't help but cover her face.

Snap! Snap! Snap!

Simultaneously, all the Anqis on the scene covered their faces, as did the sole Anqi in the outside world who was rushing to the scene of the incident.

Even though they were all herself, and all rare beauties, this scene gave Anqi a touch of trypophobia.

Chapter 3: The Heavenly Justice Maiden

"I feel like my body has become sluggish and heavy."

After calming her emotions, all the Anqis involuntarily tried to move their limbs, and one after another complained about their condition.

"And my mind feels a bit foggy."

"The me outside almost fell!"

"Is it because there are too many of us?"

"Should we reduce the number?"

"It'll hurt, won't it?"

All the Anqis exchanged glances.

But this state was truly not good. It felt like if they continued like this, they would all pass out.

Anqi was afraid of pain, but she was also rational. To survive, she had to first understand this Herrscher power that was her refuge.

Thus, 100 Anqis, after a brief hesitation, simultaneously clenched their fists and smashed the heads of those next to them.

"Whoa... that's disgusting, I feel like throwing up."

"But we're so strong, a skull must be quite a sturdy thing, to actually be shattered with one punch!"

"Yeah, as expected, the loss of an individual doesn't bring any extra burden. The pain is only momentary. In other aspects... it's as insignificant as closing a virtual machine program on a computer. It seems we can consider a 'sacrifice' tactic."

After a scene of gore, including the main body, there were 100 Anqis remaining on the scene, chattering about their feelings and judgments.

As for the other half of the corpses, they transformed into Herrscher cores, silently merging into the theater.

The slightly furrowed brows of the Anqis finally relaxed.

"So, this is why the original Thousand-Person Ruler dispersed their cores?"

Each clone created added another thread of thought and another combat unit. In theory, no one would want to willingly give away this power to others; wouldn't it be better to keep it all for themselves?

Could it be that the Thousand-Person Ruler of the original timeline had transcended human selfishness and willingly shared their authority for the sake of their grand plan to destroy the world?

How could that be possible!

Creating clones first required consuming Honkai Energy to shape or strengthen the host medium. However, the existence of the Imaginary Gateway meant that the Herrscher's Honkai Energy was inexhaustible, effectively costing nothing.

However, the invisible burdens of spirit, will, and thought were unavoidable.

A person's carrying capacity was limited. Too many clones would drag down the collective thinking and activity capabilities, thus limiting the number of clones a person could create.

And beings like the Thousand-Person Ruler, as individuals, might find even fully-equipped S-rank Valkyries to be their match. As Herrschers, they were pitifully weak. Even hundreds or thousands combined would likely be no match for a fully realized Herrscher of another type—this was the reason the original Thousand-Person Ruler dispersed their authority. It wasn't due to the first individual's magnanimity, but because to gather enough combat power to challenge the protagonist group, they had no other choice.

Of course, it was also possible that the original Thousand-Person Ruler was multiple individuals from the moment of awakening, with their authority already dispersed from the beginning.

Regardless, the current first Thousand-Person Ruler is Anqi, and she has no intention of distributing her authority to others. After all, what's the point of gathering a thousand individuals? There are plenty of beings in this world who can deal with a Thousand-Person Ruler!

Low profile is the number one secret to survival.

"My limit is only 30? That's way too few!"

In the real world, Anqi, who was about to arrive at last night's crime scene, slowed her pace. She stood at a street corner not far away, observing the alley for any special individuals like police officers, while frowning and rubbing her forehead.

Anqi toyed with her golden hair, and had to sigh. No wonder the Thousand-Person Ruler insisted on gathering the so-called "Rabble."

Even a full Thousand-Person Ruler struggles to execute their plans, so what could 30 individuals accomplish? As perhaps the most normal Herrscher of this era, if she didn't distribute her authority, they wouldn't stand a chance.

"It's been a whole night, and no one's discovered it yet. Is this place really that remote?"

Anqi's delicate eyebrows furrowed. Her instincts told her something was off.

After observing from the corner for a while, her far-beyond-mortal eyesight confirmed there were no special surveillance or arrangements.

"The sooner I finish, the sooner I can relax. I don't have time to waste."

Anqi knew very well that the longer she delayed, the more likely the gruesome scene of blood and gore would be noticed.

Now, she could only turn those remains into her clones as quickly as possible.

As long as she could disguise herself as these delinquent girls and live normally for a while, then find an opportunity for them to disappear reasonably, no one would notice Anqi's abnormality.

With this thought, Anqi, after confirming there was no one on either street, tiptoed into the alley.

The smell of blood permeated the alley.

With tall, enclosed walls on both sides and the alley itself being quite deep, it was difficult to notice anything unusual from the outside. The bullying scene the delinquent girls had meticulously chosen to avoid detection had, unexpectedly, made it convenient for Anqi to clean up.

'First, I need to piece the bodies together, at least into a human shape, so the power of domination can attach smoothly.'

Anqi grimaced, resisting and feeling helpless amidst the scattered limbs and dismembered bodies.