Chapter 344

As the doll finished speaking, Kiana and the other two felt a strange, unsettling sensation, a sense that something was about to happen. Undoubtedly, this was the doll's backup plan, but they all had a premonition that this might be the end.

"We are not heroes, and neither are the people you are trying to save! They are puppets just like us, losers who have given up the struggle and don't know why they live. They hate their own powerlessness and weakness and turn it into resentment towards the world. Kiana, can you expect everyone to be a hero like you?"

The doll's voice was filled with negative emotions. Perhaps Kiana could forge ahead bravely, but she couldn't make everyone have such a strong heart as her. Not everyone could be like her, and these negative emotions would eventually breed a lot of resentment.

"You do not represent humanity."

"But we are real, we are the shadows that truly exist within the human heart, the unspeakable ugliness—what manipulates these thousand people is the unification of their will!"

The doll emitted hysterical cries, a thousand kinds of sorrow, a thousand kinds of despair, a thousand kinds of madness, a thousand kinds of curses, wanting to be destroyed, wanting to be imprisoned, wanting to be dominated—countless malicious twists and combinations, together constructing this Domination Theater, creating the Herrscher of Domination!

"You only see the dark side of people's hearts, but you blind yourself to the good. You control humanity and make them give up, but you never listen to the other voice in their hearts. Therefore, you are just Honkai puppets. We will destroy this theater and let all those who have been controlled find their own hearts again."

Kiana's voice was deafening to the dolls; that girl is truly despicable!

Chapter 194 Alone

Defeat them? Destroy the theater? Let those people regain their hearts? This is a declaration of war, isn't it? The doll turned its head and thought to itself, "How arrogant of me. She may be a hero, but the others are definitely not. At least, the thousand individuals that make them up have never been. The despair of a thousand people—I don't believe we can't break them!"

"Alright, Kiana, the final stage has been set for you. Come on, next... it's the final battle between heroes and malice!"

Pulled by the threads, the doll was led towards the stage. Looking at the red carpeted staircase in front of them, Kiana and the others exchanged glances. Shen Gonglin hadn't arrived yet, but that wasn't a reason for them to stop. The final music had begun, and it was time for them to face it. "We've arrived, Herrscher of Domination."

The three of them walked up the high steps together, and the echoing sound rang out, like a narrator welcoming actors onto the stage. These guys really know how to play tricks.

"Arrogance, envy, indifference, hatred, greed, despair, abandonment... Can you defeat these things?"

A black sphere appeared in the air. Under Kiana and the others' gaze, several sharp claws suddenly unfolded around the sphere. Each claw was wrapped with several threads, and tied to each thread was a poorly designed doll that looked like a cheap mannequin. It looked like a claw machine. And the dolls... did they think of the three of them as dolls?

"This is a Herrscher form I've never seen before, and I don't know its attack methods yet. Kiana, stay calm and be careful of their ranged attacks."

The three were ready for battle. Fu Hua calmly instructed Kiana and Bronya. The puppet controlled by the threads launched an attack on them without hesitation. She and the Class President would deal with the enemies in front, while Bronya would provide ranged support. Now she could fight with peace of mind and did not have to worry about the interference of Herrscher energy!

Finally, I can fight with peace of mind.

Kiana took a deep breath and thought about it carefully. How long had it been since she had felt this way? She didn't have to worry about using too much Herrscher energy to distract her mind. She could devote herself wholeheartedly to the battle. The girl summoned the Spear of the Void and fought with great pleasure. She really wanted to show Shen Gonglin how strong she was now. She had to let him know how strong she was now!

"Damn it, why don't you just stop? What's the point of doing this meaningless thing? You should all be trapped here forever and ever! Until you're reduced to ashes!"

The puppets uttered the most vicious curses, but the three people in the arena ignored them. As powerful Valkyrie, they would not be disturbed by such words. In addition to the interference from these clown models, the huge sphere in the air was also constantly launching attacks. Fu Hua kicked away a long-range missile. Were all these things controlled by this thing in the air?

The puppet controlled by the threads is not one of the thousand Herrscher. The true Herrscher is the unidentified flying object in the sky that controls the puppet.

"Kiana, Bronya, cover me!"

Destroying more puppets wouldn't make a difference. Unless the instigator was dealt with, these puppets seemed endless. After a moment's thought, Fu Hua made a decision. The girl calmed herself down, her blue eyes behind her red-rimmed glasses filled with seriousness. With a slight gathering of her strength, she leaped up from the ground. The agile sphere in the air seemed to sense Fu Hua's intention. How interesting. In this arena of Domination Theater, the power that the Herrscher of Domination can unleash is not something Fu Hua can handle in her current state.

With the power of the Herrscher of Consciousness stripped away and the Feather Dust shattered, Fu Hua is now only slightly stronger than an A-rank Valkyrie. She can't even defeat Theresa, the disgrace of S-rank, so what confidence does she have to defeat them?

The sphere collided with Fu Hua's fist. The powerful force caused a look of surprise on Fu Hua's face. Under the collision of forces, she was no match for him.

"Class President!"

The girl fell from the sky, Kiana opened a spatial tunnel to appear beside her and catch Fu Hua. The two rolled on the ground together to absorb the impact, but the attack of the Herrscher of Domination in the air was not over yet. Golden light waves bombarded indiscriminately from the sky. This guy is really troublesome.

"Kiana, watch out!"

Pushing Kiana aside, Fu Hua braced herself against the Herrscher of Domination's attack. However, a giant claw descended from the sky and seized the opening. The girl was grabbed like a doll in a claw machine and pulled directly into the black sphere. "These guys, give the Class President back!"

Kiana and Bronya gritted their teeth and intensified their attack, but the dolls, seeing this, became gloating. They were getting anxious.

"Hehehehe! Don't rush, don't rush, it'll be your turn soon."

Indiscriminate bombing began from the air. There was nowhere to hide on this small platform. On one hand, they had to guard against the attacks of the puppets, and on the other hand, they had to deal with the bombing from the air. Before they knew it, they seemed to be caught in a fierce battle.

"Hmm, let's think... Oh right, Kiana, you're familiar with this skill, right? It's like playing claw machines!"

The more disheveled Kiana and the others were, the happier the dolls became. They could do many things in the Domination Theater. Golden halos could unfold in the air, and they could even simulate the attacks of the Herrscher of the Void. Although it wasn't a true communication space, they could do anything in this theater!

Countless claws rained down from the golden halo. Kiana and Bronya desperately dodged, knowing that if they were caught, they would likely end up like the Class President. But before, the three of them had barely managed to hold on; now that only the two of them remained, the situation was even more dire.

Unlike Kiana, Bronya was not so agile and was unknowingly forced into a dangerous situation by the claws. Her planned evasive route was suddenly disrupted when a doll suddenly rushed out and crashed into Bronya. The girl could only use her Heavy-duty Rabbit to block the claws that came down from the air. Now, the situation was not good.

Bronya!

Kiana noticed Bronya's situation and tried to help, but the Herrscher of Domination was faster. A sharp claw from the side slammed into the struggling girl, sending her flying. Kiana leaped high but only managed to touch Bronya's fingertips. The girl was also absorbed into the sphere in the air. "Class President, Bronya ..."

Please make sure you're alright.

Chapter 195 Domination, the Entire Theater

Despite her deep anxiety, Kiana couldn't afford to be distracted. With her all alone, all the attacks were focused on her. The platform beneath her feet shattered, and Kiana dodged and weaved to avoid countless broken stones and attacking dolls. She had to break the sphere to release them!

The girl leaped into the air again, but while in the air, Kiana felt the gravity change instantly. The space above and below seemed to be reversed. Under the influence of gravity, the girl fell into an abyss. What happened? Did gravity reverse?

Kiana's mind raced, but she quickly dismissed the possibility. No, it wasn't about manipulating gravity; that wasn't the power of the Herrscher of Domination. It was the puppets' strings that were controlling everything, Domination Theater, this place, which had been their domain from the very beginning, as well as the attack they had just made mimicking the Herrscher of the Void.

The Herrscher of Domination, can even do something like this?

Kiana used the space platform to absorb the force in mid-air and landed steadily on the ground. The doll, however, followed her again like a persistent leech. Kiana calmly dealt with the situation. Class President and Bronya... just wait, she will definitely rescue them!

"Heh? You're angry, you're angry. Why are you struggling in vain? Why are you resisting meaninglessly? Kiana, you're all alone again."

The attacks intensified, and the platform beneath their feet shattered once more. The Domination Theater was now riddled with holes, but it was all worth it. Leaving them all here was the Domination Theater's duty.

Is he trying to trap himself here? No, he has to go save the Class President and Bronya. He can't stop here!

Sliding through the collapsed, tilted Domination Theater, Kiana dodged the falling brick fragments. The dolls seemed to be deliberately forcing her into one place, presumably looking for a place to make a decision. If she wasn't mistaken, it was below.

Kiana leaped down and landed on a perfectly formed platform. The floor tiles looked as if they had been meticulously carved, truly giving the impression of a final battle. Was this dueling arena meant for this very moment?

"Meaningless struggle, meaningless existence, meaningless life, vanish—meaningless world!"

The voice suddenly rang out, but Kiana couldn't tell if it belonged to a man, woman, or child. It sounded as if a thousand people were speaking at once. A thousand Herrscher, the Herrscher of Domination, descended!

A black sphere fell from the sky, and Kiana retreated at the last second. The sphere continued to extend and deform, eventually forming an indescribable shape. Was this the true face of the Thousand-Man Herrscher? It's really hard to describe.

"Our significance is not for you to decide!"

Like a motley crew, Kiana summoned the Spear of the Void and charged forward. She had completely taken control of the Herrscher of the Void's power. Although she seemed to have been suppressed in the Domination Theater, Kiana was now incredibly strong. Her honed combat skills, combined with the Herrscher of the Void's authority, made the girl even more formidable. This indescribable motley crew was defeated by Kiana. Was this the true form of the Herrscher of Domination?

I really let myself down.

Kiana slashed the mob away with her spear, but just as she was about to give chase, a doll suddenly appeared in front of her. Unlike the other dolls that looked no different from the others, this doll... no, it was the Class President!

The girl quickly withdrew her attack and retreated. Unbeknownst to her, several dolls appeared around her. Looking at the dolls, Kiana's face turned extremely gloomy. These dolls were all in the likeness of the Class President and Bronya!

"Seeing your comrades' faces, you're happy, aren't you, Kiana? Now you can't make a move, right? Look, look, you're all alone again. It's all your fault that they have to die with you. Your existence is destined to bring only misfortune to others, but they brought it on themselves!"

The dolls laughed gleefully, enjoying this kind of spectacle. They were just like Kiana —stupid, incompetent, and utterly worthless. Kiana would definitely be unable to attack next...

"Is that so? Show me what other tricks you have up your sleeve."

Without hesitation, Kiana slashed the ridiculously close doll in front of her. She had only been startled, but after calming down, Kiana realized that it was all an illusion. Did the doll really think it could hold her back? Why was the doll so naive?

Hateful!

Her trick was exposed, Herrscher of Domination launched another attack, mimicking the Herrscher of the Void's Void Descent. Golden energy followed Kiana relentlessly from the multiple spatial rifts that opened up. The girl leaped through the air, each dodge creating a spatial point beneath her feet to support her, as if she were performing a most beautiful and graceful dance. Kiana had repeatedly rehearsed her own battle with the Herrscher of the Void in her mind, so she was quite adept at handling this situation!

What is stolen is never truly yours!

The white figure darted through the golden light, and amidst the barrage of danger, Kiana found the most accurate attack route. The Spear of the Void slammed into the body of the rabble, causing it to crash heavily to the ground. However, the force that erupted from it forced Kiana to retreat as well. This guy is really tough!

"This is the theater of domination, a stage for a thousand people. We are the will of a thousand, the despair of a thousand. Despair will not disappear, we will not disappear. What created us, what will destroy everything, is—humanity's own malice!"

The black sphere gradually twisted into a human shape. Kiana curled her lip; she was tired of hearing these words. The girl swung the Spear of the Void and attacked again. If once wasn't enough, she would try twice; if twice wasn't enough, she would try three times. These rabble wanted to defeat her? Wishful thinking!

Without pausing, Kiana launched another attack. This time, familiar with the mob's attack methods, she directly opened a spatial tunnel in front of it. The Spear of the Void pierced fiercely into the red body that seemed to be its core. Seeing the mob seemingly lose its power and scatter on the ground in front of her, Kiana breathed a deep sigh of relief.

Now, everything should probably be over...

However, before Kiana, the bodies of this rabble began to reform once again; they were immortal.

Chapter 196

In the vast white expanse of St. Freya, Murata Himeko looked at Shen Gonglin and the Herrscher of the Void before her. Even if she racked her brains, she couldn't understand why the two of them were together. Didn't Kiana say that she had won the battle against the Herrscher? Then why was the Herrscher of the Void still there, and why were they carrying her body... this body riddled with holes?

"Yes, almost all of his soft tissues were bruised, his ribs were broken, and his nerves were damaged. It was basically due to the overuse of Honkai energy and the damage caused by his body's inability to adapt to this level of Honkai energy. In addition, it was also due to the erosion caused by the Plague Gem. From a biological point of view, it can be considered that he is dead."

After greeting Himeko, Shen Gonglin squatted down and began to carefully examine Himeko's body, which had been placed on the ground by the Herrscher of the Void. The sight of Himeko being examined by Shen Gonglin while lying on the ground made Himeko feel an overwhelming sense of shame. What was this guy doing? He was just lifting up her clothes and touching her all over. Didn't he know how to avoid suspicion?

"Wait, wait a minute, Shen Gonglin, what are you doing...?"

Himeko stepped forward to stop it, not wanting to witness such a thing in her final moments. But before Shen Gonglin could speak, the Herrscher of the Void blocked Himeko's path. In Himeko's memory, she had just fought the Herrscher of the Void to the death not long ago, and now... This time, this person had no connection with Kiana at all; she was truly the Herrscher.

"Family members should not go near the doctor during the examination, as it will disturb the doctor. Just sit quietly."

With a wave of her hand, she pushed Himeko's consciousness back. The Herrscher of the Void was filled with pleasure. Haha, finally it's someone else's turn to lose face. She had already lost face in front of Shen Gonglin, and now seeing someone else lose face made the Herrscher of the Void feel exceptionally happy, especially since it was this woman who had a grudge against her. Tsk tsk, this is so satisfying.

What the heck? When did I become a family member? I'm a real patient! How come the Herrscher of the Void is so obedient to Shen Gonglin? Now it feels like she's Shen Gonglin's assistant. And what's the point of them doing this? It's already considered death... This is something I already knew. With my body, which has low adaptability to Honkai energy, temporarily gaining combat power comparable to Herrscher, how could there not be any aftereffects?

Not to mention that he had been drifting in the Imaginary Space for so long, and even his consciousness had drifted away with the Plague Gem. The separation of consciousness and body was a sign of ascension.

Thinking of this, Himeko gave a bitter smile. This world has always been imperfect. Although Himeko acted very carefree in front of Kiana, how could Himeko truly let go of everything when there were still many things left undone?

"Why are you wearing that cat-like face? It's true that you died from a biological and scientific point of view, but there's also the unscientific side, isn't there? You should remember what I said before: On my ship, not a single person can be missing. This young master has the power to turn imperfection into perfection."

Seeing the bitter smile on Himeko's face, Shen Gonglin didn't care at all. He and the Herrscher of the Void had been searching for so long in the Imaginary Space not just to retrieve Himeko's body. How could someone as self-centered as Shen Gonglin allow such a thing to happen? He had promised Kiana that he would bring Himeko back, and Shen Gonglin had no habit of breaking his word. What he wanted to do, he had to do.

The unscientific side... what does that mean?

Himeko was confused, and Shen Gonglin clearly had no intention of explaining. He took a deep breath, and suddenly, as if boiling, a black-haired girl with twin ponytails that Himeko recognized emerged from the shadows. The girl in the red and black gothic dress bowed gracefully to Himeko.

"Teacher Himeko. Is this the first time I've greeted you like this? I'm really happy to meet you."

Her manners were impeccable; in anyone's eyes, Tokisaki Kurumi was an elegant and noble young lady. Himeko knew this girl; she seemed to have always been hiding by Shen Gonglin's side, which meant she was an ally.

"Hello, there's no need to call me teacher, since I haven't taught you."

He didn't know what the girl wanted, but he felt he should respond to her polite attitude. Tokisaki Kurumi shook her head, insisting on calling Himeko "teacher." Partly because Himeko was indeed a great teacher, and partly because...

"How could that be? As the saying goes, 'A woman follows her husband wherever he goes,' so since Shen Gonglin calls you 'teacher,' of course I should... Ouch! What are you doing!"

Before she could finish speaking, Kurumi was pulled over by Shen Gonglin by her ponytail. She was brought out to help, not to spout nonsense. What "marry a chicken, follow the chicken; marry a dog, follow the dog"? Didn't she notice the atmosphere had changed? This was the first time Shen Gonglin had ever seen someone even less able to read the mood than herself.

Or was Kurumi doing it on purpose?

"What are you talking about? Hurry up and get to work. Rewind time for Teacher Himeko's body to the state she was alive... It's like she's already dead. Rewind time for both her consciousness and body at the same time. I need your help."

The power of the Time Spirit is incredibly useful, but that's only in this situation. He could never get Shen Gonglin to perform an Impure World Reincarnation, but in the current situation, Shen Gonglin feels quite confident.

Regressing to the state of being alive... Could it be that Shen Gonglin really has a way? She can do something like this, just like Wendy? The Herrscher of the Void idly admired St. Freya Academy, but Himeko couldn't remain calm after hearing this. She had already decided to face death calmly, but after knowing that there was still hope for life, she couldn't control herself. Shen Gonglin has never disappointed them.

Besides in terms of finding the way.

"Going back in time is certainly possible... but Rin, you know that even if you go back to the past, it doesn't mean you can change the future. Time correction will cause all futures to lead to the same result. For example, if Teacher Himeko's future is death, then no matter how hard you try to correct it after going back in time, the result and the future will ultimately remain the same."

After tidying up her messy twin tails, the Time Spirit reminded Shen Gonglin that the future is not so easily changed.

Chapter 197 Plans to Develop Teammates

"Of course I know that, but out of those hundreds of timelines, only this one has me in it. If I am in it, then the ending wouldn't be like this. It's just the boundary between life and death, right? I'm confident I can reverse it. Don't worry."

Shen Gonglin, who also controls the power of time, knows the situation Kurumi described. However, he not only has the help of the Time Spirit, but also another power that he has not yet fully comprehended: the realm of life and death. As long as he changes Himeko's future and reverses that realm, he will surely succeed.

"...I have a bad feeling. Tsk, it can only be done with that woman's power. I'm not happy about it."

Realizing what Shen Gonglin was about to do, Tokisaki Kurumi, who had always been as elegant as a young lady, suddenly spat. A look of disgust was clearly visible on her cute little face. How annoying! She still had to use that woman's power. What if she got caught? It was so rare for that woman to be away. If she found Shen Gonglin's coordinates and came looking for her... No, wait, why does this sound like she's afraid of her? Tokisaki Kurumi is fearless!

"It's alright, it's alright. We'll still have to rely on you most of the time. You're the most useful. Be a good boy and listen to me. Our time reversal needs to be synchronized, otherwise our consciousness and body won't be able to merge. Let's get started."

People always change. Even Shen Gonglin knew that you had to say nice things when you needed someone's help. He patted Kurumi's head, and the elf girl was clearly very pleased with Shen Gonglin. She was right, she was really too useful, much more useful than some lousy fish like Yukari Yakumo.

"Understood. With our teamwork, there shouldn't be any problem. Teacher Himeko, are you ready? We're about to summon your spirit... Teacher Himeko?"

Kurumi easily appeased the elf girl, patting her chest to indicate that she would take care of everything. Himeko, noticing the elf's figure, thought of something else entirely. "Wow, that's huge! It's probably even bigger than Mei's." While she might have a slight advantage, it wasn't significant. Moreover, this girl seemed even younger than Mei and Kiana. To have such a figure at such a young age made Himeko feel a strong sense of crisis.

"Teacher Himeko? What's wrong?"

Seeing that Himeko didn't react, Kurumi walked up to her and waved. Why was she standing there in a daze? Was what the two of them were saying too complicated for her to understand?

"Cough cough... It's nothing, I was just thinking about something else, but what you two said... is there any hope for me?"

Pulling her wandering thoughts back, Himeko focused her attention on the most important thing. She hadn't really understood what they were saying, but did they mean that she didn't have to face death and could have hope of survival?

"The reason is this: because your consciousness and body have been separated for too long, your body has been severely eroded in the Imaginary Space, and your consciousness survived by residing in the Plague Gem, but it is only a fragment. So it will take a little effort, but it should be able to restore you to your original state. Yes, that's it."

Shen Gonglin explained that it was thanks to the Herrscher of the Void's help that they were able to find Himeko's body in the Imaginary Space; otherwise, it would all have been just empty talk. Because of this foundation, Shen Gonglin was able to do what she was about to do.

"Returning to the way things were... that's already an unattainable dream. Come on, the worst that can happen is death. Since I have a chance, why would I give it up?"