Chapter 319

"The enemy is more dangerous than we thought. The doll has disappeared. We must leave here immediately. Seele, let's get started."

Bronya comforted Seele, not wanting Seele to worry too much. Now was not the time to discuss such matters. Even the powers of the Herrscher could be taken away; she hadn't known these puppets possessed such abilities before. She had to inform the others of this information as soon as possible, otherwise Shen Gonglin and Kiana would be in danger. Without further ado, Bronya pulled Seele down the corridor in the theater. Although they didn't know where it led, waiting to die was the most foolish choice.

"Yes! Sister Bronya... Hey, there seems to be a doll over there... But it doesn't seem to be planning to attack us?"

With Bronya around, Seele felt reassured and nodded obediently, following in Bronya's footsteps. After walking for a short while, she saw a doll crouching by the wall. It seemed to be talking to itself, and it didn't seem to have any intention of attacking.

"Don't let your guard down... It seems to be saying something, Seele, go listen, but be careful."

Even though she couldn't use the power of the Herrscher of Reason, Bronya hadn't lost her ability to fight. She controlled the Heavy-duty Rabbit, raising its cannon and watching the dolls warily. The two cautiously approached, and as they got closer, they could hear the dolls muttering to themselves.

"Conspiracy, ha, conspiracy, that's right, it's all a conspiracy. Everyone is ignoring me, isolating me, ostracizing me... They give me the hardest and most tiring work, assign me impossible tasks, and even give me less lunch than others. I've had enough. I'm going to get revenge on them. I'm going to let everyone know what the company will be like without me! Let them all regret it! Hahahaha!"

The doll kept muttering these words, sounding like an ordinary office worker complaining. It kept repeating these words, and after repeating them several times, the doll seemed to break down and became silent. What happened? I feel so sad.

"Seele, let's keep going... There seem to be some dolls over there."

Without saying much, Bronya glanced at the space that wasn't blocked by walls, where a huge stage could be vaguely seen. This place was truly eerie. Bronya wanted to leave with Seele, but then she saw another doll. What was the significance of these dolls?

The two continued on their way, and the puppet in front of them, just like the one before, remained squatting in the corner, muttering to itself, as if it were a depressed and lost person.

"Why? Why? Why? Why do we have to change it again? How many versions is this? What do you mean by 'bigger while smaller'? What do you mean by 'colorful black'? Here's the pen, draw it yourself, okay? Enough, enough, enough! I give up. I have no talent at all. I shouldn't be a designer, I shouldn't be a graphic artist. I shouldn't even be born into this world! My life is a joke, a completely rotten joke."

Ah... After listening to the doll's mutterings, Bronya and Seele fell into an eerie silence. It sounded like a conversation between a client and a service provider, and it did seem a bit difficult. The two of them couldn't help but feel sorry for the doll; no one could bear this situation.

"Sister Bronya, hey, there's another doll over there."

As if she had been specially sent to give directions, Seele pointed to a doll sitting on the other side. The girl quickly ran over to hear what it was saying. With her strong empathy, Seele easily put herself into the lives of those dolls. It was really sad.

"I know, Mom and Dad, uncles and aunts all prefer my older sister. They always tell me that I should be proud to have such an excellent older sister. The teachers also favor her. They always ask me, 'Your sister can answer the questions correctly, why can't you?' Even when choosing gifts, she gets to choose first, and I get the rest. I'm not her shadow! Ah... If she disappeared, would Mom and Dad love me even more? If only she disappeared... Why hasn't she disappeared yet!"

The doll made a suppressed sound before falling silent. Looking at the doll lying on the ground, Seele's expression was very complicated. She turned to Bronya and spoke her mind.

"Sister Bronya, I find it strange that those dolls... they used to be ordinary people, so why did they turn into this?"

After listening to what the dolls said, Seele felt very depressed. If they hadn't had these experiences, they would probably be normal people. These things are just too unfair.

Chapter 104 The Stolen Power

"Seele, don't overthink it. They are the Tenth Herrscher, not humans. They are just puppets that have stolen human thoughts and imitated human behavior, manipulated by the Will of Honkai."

Bronya noticed Seele's problem and corrected her in time. Her younger sister was too sensitive, and her strong empathy made it easy for her to empathize with the dolls, which was dangerous and wrong. Bronya had a responsibility to guide Seele onto the right path; as her older sister, it was her duty.

"But... the experiences they just described, that suffering, truly happened to someone we don't know, and in that person's heart, despair took root..."

Seele's mood clearly plummeted. Just as Sister Bronya had said, these dolls had stolen human thoughts, but didn't that also prove that in this world, in places unknown to them, someone was experiencing something like this? It really felt so hopeless.

"Seele, don't be fooled! Everyone experiences pain and sorrow, but also moments of happiness, emotion, and joy. But these dolls are different. They're like... a negative emotion within us that's been amplified to an extreme. Don't let them pull you into that vortex!"

Seele is in a dangerous situation. Bronya placed her hands on the girl's shoulders, trying to make her realize the situation. She shouldn't think that life is only about pain and sorrow. Besides these days of despair, there are many happy days worth remembering forever. Bronya understood why the dolls let them see such things. They wanted to interfere with Seele's and her own thinking!

Bronya, with absolute composure, looked intently at Seele, just as the two of them had experienced moments of despair, yet they remained here, and everything they did here was to protect the beautiful life they cherished.

"Sister Bronya... As expected, Sister Bronya is the mature adult. Compared to Sister Bronya, I am really inadequate. Don't worry, Sister Bronya, I understand."

Even though Sister Bronya was shorter than her, she firmly held onto that identity. The confusion that had just arisen in her heart was easily dispelled by Bronya's gentle words. Indeed, her sister was her sister. Seele's expression also became firm. Her sister was right. It was precisely because of the complexity of emotions that people were called human. To completely despair and sink into despair because of these things would be too unfair to all the happy memories they had shared.

That said, Bronya's emotional intelligence does seem to be very high, at least far surpassing that of a certain male protagonist who can't even talk a good game.

Seele rallied, and the two continued walking hand in hand. Now that Sister Bronya couldn't use the power of the Herrscher of Reason, it was her turn to protect her. No matter what kind of monsters or demons they were, they wouldn't be able to harm Sister Bronya in the slightest!

But... it seems like I can't get out no matter how I walk, and here... Seele looked around. The environment here gave her a strange sense of familiarity. Yes, that's right, she's been here before.

"Sister Bronya, this seems to be... the place where I first fell in. We seem to have returned to where we started... We can't find the exit at all."

Seele's words were filled with unease. She and Bronya had been walking for a long time, but no matter which direction they went, they couldn't get out of the theater. The space here seemed disjointed, and getting out seemed very difficult. Luckily, she had Sister Bronya by her side, otherwise...

[Hey! I'm here with you. When Sister Bronya wasn't here, I was always with you!]

Another Seele thought indignantly, and Seele quickly apologized, "Oh right, there's another version of myself."

"It's alright, there are other ways we can try. Since the puppet could open the gap and pull us in, we should be able to find an exit from this theater too... Hmm, something seems off?"

Bronya comforted Seele, and just then, a noise suddenly came from around them. At this moment, no unusual occurrence could be taken lightly, so Bronya looked around warily, as if something was about to happen.

"It's a doll! Sister Bronya, be careful... Hey, are there more and more dolls?"

Seeing the approaching dolls in the distance, Seele carefully protected Bronya. As the dolls' shadows grew larger in their sight, as if they had received some fun new toy, the dolls staggered closer, seemingly talking to each other. What was going on?

"This is so much fun! This is so much fun! The new toy is so much fun!"

"We should thank Jerry for his sacrifice! Long live Jerry! Long live Jerry!"

"What an idiot! Why not just kill that filthy traitor?"

"Don't kill him! Don't kill him! If we kill him, we won't have any new toys! Hehehe!"

"I want to play too, I want to play too... Everyone's new toy, and my new toy!"

"Watch me, hey... Hey, how come you can only conjure up a small knife? How boring."

"You're not skilled enough! Watch me... Wow, I can conjure a chainsaw! I'm so amazing!"

A group of dolls surrounded Bronya and Seele, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings. Various weapons and tools appeared in their hands from time to time. Seele stared wide-eyed at the object gleaming with blue light. This feeling was unmistakable; it was the Herrscher of Reason's power!

"Why...? That's the power of the Herrscher of Reason... But why...? Hey, Sister Bronya, what's wrong?"

She instinctively looked at Bronya, and in Seele's eyes, Bronya's face showed an expression of pain and endurance. Seele quickly supported Bronya, wondering what was wrong.

"This feeling... I knew you were using..."

There's no mistake, this feeling is the same as when I construct objects, but I clearly can't use the power of the Herrscher of Reason right now, yet the dolls... A bad thought rushed into Bronya's mind, things are going badly.

Chapter 105 What I Can Do

"Hehe! You found out, you found out, that's right, we're using the power of the Herrscher of Reason... Why are you looking at us like that, you stingy thing? We're just borrowing it for a bit, don't worry, we didn't really take it, no, look, you're still paying the price, hahahahaha!"

The dolls, as if they had received the best toy, used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to construct all sorts of items. Not only that, they also said something quite wicked, "It's just borrowing it for a bit, and Bronya is paying the price. This is the best ending."

"You mean... you're using Sister Bronya's power, and the price you're paying is her body?"

Seele stared in shock at the various weapons in the dolls' hands, and then at Sister Bronya's incredibly pale face. The girl began to believe what the dolls had said. Why would such a thing happen? Constructing so many things must have placed a huge burden on Sister Bronya.

"Hahaha! You guessed right, you guessed right. After all, we are Herrscher who control others. Isn't it only natural? Thank you. Now we are stronger."

The dolls grinned like weasels who had succeeded in their plan. It didn't matter that they couldn't strip the Herrscher of Reason power from Shen Gonglin, because they still had Bronya, the real Herrscher of Reason. With the Herrscher of Reason's abilities, many things would be much easier to handle, such as these mechs. If they worked hard, they could create more mechs for combat!

"So that's how it is... This is their real plan... Separating from Kiana was the right decision. If the Herrscher of the Void's powers were also taken away, the consequences would be unimaginable..."

Bronya said in a low voice, her face looking quite grim. No one would be happy to have their power taken away, especially when they used that power and had to pay the price with their own bodies. Bronya had to admit that this was the highest level of account theft. So this is what the Herrscher of Domination means.

"It's no use! It's no use! Whatever you do is useless. You can't escape. You will be trapped here forever. Cry out of fear, wail in despair! Become the next puppet, and stage an endless tragedy in the Theater of Domination!"

The dolls cheered like victors, but Bronya's expression had returned to normal. She patted Seele on the shoulder calmly. Things had already developed to this point, and now all that needed to be done was to do her best and not lose the ability to assess the situation.

"Seele, calm down. The Tenth Herrscher doesn't seem to be able to use the power of the Herrscher of Reason skillfully yet. What she's constructed right now are just some very simple tools. We have to seize this opportunity... at the very least, to get the information out! That's the most important thing we should be doing right now."

Only she and Seele were here, Seele was her only support now. Bronya trusted Seele's strength completely. As long as the two of them worked together, there would be no problem. Moreover, Bronya believed from the bottom of her heart that this was not the end of the world, after all... there was still Shen Gonglin.

"But that's Sister Bronya's power. If we don't find a way to take it back..."

Seele gripped her scythes tightly, staring at the puppets. She desperately wanted to destroy them and reclaim Sister Bronya's power. Every time she constructed an object, it was a burden on Sister Bronya's body. Even when she used the power of the Herrscher of Reason herself, she had never been so reckless. And these guys... In Seele's eyes, it was like they had saved up a lot of money to buy a brand-new bicycle, and they had to carefully maintain it every time they used it. Now, not only had it been stolen, but it had also stood up and started pedaling!

"Although I'm very unwilling, it's impossible to defeat all the Tenth Herrscher here... It's okay, Seele. Bronya didn't get to where she is now because of the Herrscher Core. Mr. Welt said that the true power of the Herrscher of Reason is insight, analyzing the things in front of you, seeing through the essence and then dealing with them. Even if she can't use the power of the Herrscher, Bronya has things that only Bronya can do!"

She quickly accepted the situation and made an analysis. Bronya's calm voice gave Seele a great sense of security. After all, it was Sister Bronya. Seele calmed down. You can always trust Sister Bronya. All I need to do is follow Sister Bronya's orders.

"Seele, do you remember the method I mentioned to you earlier? Next, I will try to use the Heavy-duty Rabbit to calculate the location of the rift opening. If I'm not mistaken, one of those rifts should be a passage to the outside world. During this time, I'll leave the guard work to you, Seele!"

Just as Seele trusted her, Bronya also trusted Seele deeply. She was about to devote herself entirely to calculating data, and the guard duties during this period were all left to Seele.

"... Okay! I understand. Don't worry about it, leave it to me. I will definitely protect Sister Bronya!"

Sensing the trust in Bronya's words, Seele nodded solemnly. She was no longer the person she used to be; she had grown into someone who could help Sister Bronya. Since it was a task entrusted to her by Sister Bronya, she had to do her best no matter what. She was no longer the crybaby she used to be!

After the two agreed on the profit sharing, Bronya unfolded the computer on Heavy-duty Rabbit and began to analyze and study the patterns and data of these cracks. During her time as the Herrscher of Reason, she deliberately honed her analytical and insightful abilities. Even though she could not use the power of the Herrscher of Reason now, what she had learned still remained in Bronya's mind.

"Useless, useless, just stay in the theater. Isn't it better to be with us? Stay, stay... hehehehehe!"

In an attempt to disrupt Bronya's work, the dolls conjured various weapons in their hands and tried to charge forward. However, a dark scythe stood in their way. The girl, who had always given off a gentle impression, became serious. Her blue eyes flashed with a decisiveness that only her other self possessed when using her body. Since she had promised Sister Bronya, she would risk everything to prevent them from getting past!

"Sorry, this road is closed!"

Chapter 106 Seele's Growth

In the past, when I encountered danger, I could only hide in the box, listening to the battle outside, trembling with fear, and waiting for Sister Bronya or another version of myself to resolve everything before opening the box and rescuing me. Thinking about it carefully, it seems that I used to do it like that. But now, everything is different. Sister Bronya has things that only she can do, and of course, I also have things that I can do!

The rigorous training paid off. Seele moved among the puppets like a blue butterfly, her sharp scythe slicing away any enemies who tried to get close to Sister Bronya. Sister Bronya was right; these puppets weren't human. They were merely products that had stolen human thoughts and amplified certain dark emotions. Seele had met many people who had given Seele warmth and support. Humans weren't like the puppets described!

Seele has truly grown into a warrior capable of standing on her own. She's no longer the little girl who would only hide behind her. Now, she can confidently entrust her back to her. Watching Seele flutter like a butterfly, Bronya's lips curled into a barely perceptible smile. Then, the girl focused all her energy on calculations. Heavy-duty Rabbit assisted Bronya in data analysis and comparison; division of labor and cooperation were the best strategy to implement right now.

"Seele, I've found something wrong. I don't know if it's the exit, but we're very close. There's an unstable weak point in this space. If we concentrate our attack on that point, we might be able to open the exit... or at the very least, we can establish contact with the outside world and get in touch with Shen Gonglin."

Their efforts paid off. With Seele doing her best to block her, Bronya was given the quietest time to conduct her research. During this time, no puppet could get close to Bronya, and Bronya did not disappoint. She found the spatial node!

"Really? That's great! Then let's hurry... Hey, the doll's attack is getting more intense?"

Seele's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, but the puppets visibly became agitated after hearing Bronya's words. Why weren't they acting according to the script? Bronya was terrifyingly calm; even after being tricked out of her Herrscher Authority, she showed no fear whatsoever. And this seemingly weak and easily bullied little girl wasn't as fragile as they had imagined. Really, even the lead actress should follow the director's instructions, right? Especially now, she was even trying to escape and strike—she really didn't take them seriously!

"Unforgivable, unforgivable, unforgivable! You should be trapped here forever and ever, until you are reduced to ashes! Why not follow the script? It's a pre-determined script. No one can escape, no one should escape, no one is allowed to escape! Why make a futile struggle? Why engage in meaningless resistance? You are nothing but puppets Domination Theater."

The gathered dolls uttered these resentful words, but they had no effect on Seele, let alone on Bronya, who maintained absolute rationality. Their reaction only made Seele more and more eager to fight them.

"It's ironic that a puppet is called a puppet. Seele, aim at those coordinates... It seems like there are more and more enemies. But this also confirms my deduction. That weak point does lead to the outside, which is why they keep attacking to prevent us from getting out. Seele, seize the opportunity."

Not giving up any opportunity to provoke the puppets, Bronya silently complained before whispering to Seele, "Your reaction is getting stronger and stronger. We have to seize the opportunity. The puppets in this theater seem endless. Bronya is not in a position to fight right now, so all of this can only be entrusted to Seele."

"Understood! They're afraid of us, we need to seize the opportunity... Hey! Sister Bronya, your hand!"

The girl nodded earnestly, accepting her mission. However, a casual glance from her startled her. In Seele's eyes, Bronya's hands were emitting a dark purple mist. The girl rushed over. What was going on?

"This is... space is eroding my body? Why did this happen so suddenly... Is it because the connection with the Herrscher Core was severed...? Oh no, if this stalemate continues, it will get even worse, Seele, you might be affected too!"

Bronya looked at her hands, a sign of Honkai energy. As Valkyrie, Bronya naturally possessed resistance to Honkai energy, and as the Herrscher of Reason, ordinary Honkai energy had no effect on her. But now, Bronya could only deduce that it was due to the severing of her connection to the Herrscher of Reason Core. If she stayed here any longer, Seele would also be corrupted.

"I understand. We have to get out of here right away. Sister Bronya, leave the fighting to me. I will absolutely, absolutely get you out of here!"

Seele solemnly promised that it was her turn to protect Sister Bronya. The two girls looked at each other and nodded. Under Seele's protection, they finally approached the weak point in the space. This was it!

"Destination Locked. Found it, that's it!"

With the target locked, Bronya pointed to the platform ahead. Upon seeing the platform, Seele also showed a thoughtful expression. That platform was the place where she first came to the Domination Theater. Sure enough, that platform was special. Perhaps that was the true entrance to the Domination Theater!

"Ugh! Unforgivable! Why can't you all just listen to me?"

The puppets gathered together, Honkai Beast, controlled mechs, and various weapons constructed by the Herrscher of Reason in their hands. These things blocked Bronya and Seele's path, clearly not intending to let them pass easily.

"We can't be stuck here, sorry."

The two exchanged a glance and began to advance. With the support of the Heavy-duty Rabbit's artillery, Seele struggled to move forward, but the enemy's sheer numbers made the progress too slow. Bronya made a quick decision: she had to make the right judgment. She didn't need data analysis right now, and Seele was being held back because she was protecting her. It was time to entrust the important task to her.

Chapter 107 It's Up to You, My Other Self

"Seele, leave this to me. You can handle the unstable spatial node over there. Don't worry, I can manage. Go!"

Bronya, controlling the Heavy-duty Rabbit, grabbed Seele's slender body. Meeting the girl's surprised gaze, Bronya gave this explanation: she was the older sister, after all. What kind of older sister would she be if she always let her younger sister protect her? Although she couldn't use the powers of the Herrscher of Reason, it didn't mean she had no fighting power. She would take care of this, and leave the other problem to Seele.

"I understand... Ah!"

Seele understood Bronya's meaning. The girl had barely nodded when she was forcefully thrown away by the Heavy-duty Rabbit. Sister Bronya's method was truly brutal; if it were Shen Gonglin, she'd probably be terrified. The girl landed lightly on the ground, having been tossed directly onto the platform by Sister Bronya. Seele glanced back worriedly at Bronya's situation; Sister Bronya was still struggling to hold on, so she needed to hurry.

"The weak point of instability... is right here!"

Based on Bronya's deduction, Seele found the weak point in the space, but when the girl picked up the scythe and slashed down hard, the blade of the scythe seemed to have no effect as if it had sunk into the sea. What's going on? There was no reaction at all!

[Tsk, it seems the theater owner is determined to lock us up this time. What kind of Tenth Herrscher this? Always resorting to such despicable tactics!]

Another voice spoke up within her, but Seele didn't have time to join in badmouthing the Tenth Herrscher. They couldn't afford to delay any longer; time was running out. If things continued like this, her sister would...

[My other self, how did you manage to help me escape last time?]

When faced with a problem, Seele instinctively wants to ask her other self, since it was that other self who led her to escape last time, and she should have experience.

[Just like now... back then, the theater owner wasn't on my guard, and Shen Gonglin was with him. These dolls seemed rather annoying... no, rather, rather afraid of him, so they didn't stop me much, and I easily smashed open the exit with a single blow. But this time is different. Even with the power of twins, I'm not confident I can succeed.]

The voice of another self within her sounded heavy, Seele knew from it that the situation was probably not good, but...

So that means it's not entirely impossible, right?

[Hmm? Seele, what do you mean by this?]