41. Himeko Murata is already dead, you know~ (4K)

As soon as Seele, now in Black Seele's control, touched the crack, her hand suddenly pierced through it.

"Ha?"

Black Seele's face suddenly darkened.

"The intrusion has been detected; these guys have closed the door from the inside!"

"That's normal. After all, when multiple people enter at once like this, the 'visit volume' is too large, and it's hard not to attract attention."

Ain sighed, "Don't rush... I have other plans."

Chapter 41 Murata Himeko is already dead~ (4k)

"No, buddy?"

Xia Ling stared at the gradually closing crack as if she had seen a ghost.

She never expected that the Thousand-Man Herrscher would only let her and Theresa in.

In the original work, in order to obtain the core, the Thousand-Man Herrscher only allowed Bronya to enter the theater when opening the rift, and also sucked Fu Hua in, while the third person who was about to enter, Black Seele, was expelled.

To prevent the Thousand-Man Herrscher from using the same methods as in the original work, Xia Ling deliberately placed Bronya and Fu Hua at the end this time, and even kept them away from each other.

In other words, if Thousand-Man Herrscher wants to Herrscher of Sentience and Herrscher of Reason, he must include five people.

But she didn't expect the Thousand-Man Herrscher to be so decisive, choosing to abandon those two cores directly.

"Strange... Even if the Thousand-Man Herrscher intends to proceed cautiously, it can't possibly only let Theresa and me in... The current situation is not something that can be solved by simply not being greedy."

"Even if it does succeed in seizing the power of the Herrscher of the Void, does the Thousand-Man Herrscher really think that the power of the Herrscher of the Void alone can compare to the Divine Prayer Barrier plus the Seven Thunders of Retribution?"

"Judging from how they use the Herrscher of Reason's abilities, they also need a certain amount of time to master new abilities..."

"Besides, Mei should also be preparing to enter the theater... Or does the Thousand-Man Herrscher think she can devour the core of the Herrscher of Lightning Herrscher as well?"

Xia Ling frowned as she looked at the Theater of Domination before her. As the plot changed, she found herself unable to understand the actions of the Thousand-Man Herrscher.

"So, does the other side have some trump card or plan that I don't know about? Can they guarantee they'll escape unscathed in front of so many people?"

"Xia Ling, what are you doing?"

"Oh, it's nothing. I'm sensing Kiana's location. I left a mark on her before."

Xia Ling temporarily suppressed her doubts, made up a reason, and then said, "Let's go, Theresa, this way."

"Kiana is very far away from us... We never know what might happen on the way."

"You've been to the theater before, so stay close to me and be careful not to get separated by the Thousand-Man Herrscher."

On the other side, not long ago...

Hehe, hehe—

"Who!"

Kiana immediately turned around alertly. Behind her, a doll was striking its signature pose, looking at her with a strange expression.

"You know the answer already... Kiana, you've come! You've finally come! We've been waiting for you for so long!"

We...? Why would the dolls use this name? Could it be that their numbers have been replenished...?

Kiana keenly noticed the words used by the Thousand-Man Herrscher.

"The operation was clearly a success, so the puppet should have disappeared, right?"

Seemingly sensing Kiana's doubts, QUN's face showed a happy smile as if the conspiracy had succeeded.

"Hehe, but you're mistaken. You... have never discovered a true Herrscher of Domination ~"

"No wonder Bronya's powers have only been restored to a small fraction..."

"Want to know more, Kiana? If so, come along~"

The doll slowly retreated from Kiana's presence, showing no concern that she might escape.

If I use my ability to escape... no, using my ability risks having it taken away. I only have one chance, I can't try so rashly.

The theater is their home ground, so there's no point in waiting for support here. It will only make them more passive. It's better to follow the puppets' instructions and slowly stall for time.

Kiana hesitated for a moment, but still chose to follow.

Anyway, since I disappeared at the Salt Lake Base, Sister Xia Ling shouldn't be asleep yet at this hour. If I suddenly disappear, the people at the base will quickly realize something is wrong.

If we can buy enough time, reinforcements should arrive soon...

Following the direction the doll had just been, Kiana turned a corner and arrived at a larger platform.

This place looked somewhat familiar, reminding Kiana of Bronya's description.

According to her, she went to a Court of Judgment when she entered the theater, and it seems to be this place.

At the same time, Kiana suddenly noticed that the number of dolls seemed to be gradually increasing.

"This number... it seems the enemy didn't escape or only managed to seize a portion of the core; they should have the ability to actively recall the core..."

"No, or rather, the core of the Thousand-Man Herrscher might inherently be special..."

"Are you wondering why we keep focusing on the tough nut of Anti-Entropy- Entropy instead of turning our attention to that lone Herrscher in Oceania or the group from World Serpent?"

The puppet walking in front suddenly spoke.

"Isn't it because you simply can't make a move against Herrscher has completely mastered the core?" Kiana said coldly.

This is the conclusion reached by the Doctor after their research, Kiana believes it is probably correct.

"That's only part of the reason. Do you really think that with the effort and resources we've invested in Anti-Entropy, we can't defeat the other Herrscher?"

"Your St. Freya Academy is indeed teeming with talent... If it weren't for our habitual probing, I wouldn't have known that your academy not only has many Herrscher, but also many with Herrscher Core Adaptability, and even..."

"Well, but any further would be a spoiler. Back to yourself... As a distinguished guest of our theater, should we call you Kiana, K423, or... Herrscher of the Void — Sirin?"

"Is your goal...?"

Kiana was stunned upon hearing this, but immediately realized what was happening.

"Hehe, you got it right, you got it right!"

"You should have noticed that we visit people who have the potential to join our theater."

"But I don't know if it's because you've suppressed her so badly, we haven't been able to tie the thread to you, so we can't invite her to the theater. We can only make some insignificant interference."

"Therefore, we will spare no effort to bring you into the theater—in order to awaken the true Second Herrscher, Sirin, through you!"

The dolls erupted in cheers, their malicious gazes sweeping over Kiana's body as if she were a work of art about to fall into their hands.

However, Kiana wasn't nervous at all; she even felt like laughing.

Honestly, if the other party could actually get Sirin to come out and have a proper talk with her, she might actually be quite grateful for these dolls.

However, things obviously didn't go as smoothly as Kiana had hoped. After "performing" for a while, the puppets suddenly stopped moving.

"Tch, how boring, how boring! Aren't you scared at all?"

"I really want to see that face show a look of Honkai and despair, hehe..."

The dolls began to whisper amongst themselves again.

"Okay, okay, we know. After all you've been through, your mind is far more mature than it used to be... Perhaps this kind of threat won't frighten you."

"But it doesn't matter, because this was an outdated plan anyway. After seeing the situation with your Anti-Entropy strategy, we have a new plan—"

"Perhaps you're more qualified to join the theater than that Sirin."

"You want to make me despair? Heh..."

Kiana drew her twin pistols. The tense atmosphere surrounding the dolls clearly indicated that they had no intention of continuing the negotiations.

"Then you might as well pray that you can kill me before my companions arrive."

"Oh! You truly are a seasoned warrior. Indeed, no matter what we say, we cannot shake your will."

The puppets clapped in unison.

"But we also know that even someone like you has unfulfilled regrets and an emptiness that is hard to mend."

The dolls slowly approached Kiana. They didn't emanate any hostility, but rather a strong sense of malice—a malice that appreciated the gradual destruction of beautiful things, a malice tinged with a sense of despair.

Kiana suddenly had a bad feeling.

"Stop running away, Kiana ~"

"We know everything about you, your heart, your torment."

"You know perfectly well that ordinary people have no chance of surviving when they fall into the Imaginary Space, but because of Xia Ling's survival, you keep deceiving yourself."

"You know perfectly well that besides Anti-Entropy, Schicksal and World Serpent are also searching for the Plague Gem, but so far they have found nothing."

"You already know the truth in your heart, but you just don't want to admit it. You even deceive yourself by saying 'I will definitely bring you back.'"

The voices of the dolls came from all directions, striking Kiana's heart again and again.

"What..."

"Look, look, we haven't even said who it is yet! You know perfectly well yourself, don't you?"

"The play is almost at its climax; it's time to reveal the thrilling twist! What kind of expression will you make when hope turns to despair?"

As Kiana's eyes widened in surprise, the leader of the Thousand-Man Herrscher slowly pulled out a familiar gem as if presenting a treasure.

She was extremely familiar with the fluctuations of that gem, because it was that flame that fell in the Imaginary Space.

"So, what do you think? Does it look familiar?"

"Do you remember who had it? Do you know why it's here?"

"Plague Gem...!"

"Yes, yes, just say what's on your mind!"

"Murata Himeko is dead!"

Achoo!

"Hmm? What's wrong, Himeko?"

"Uh... it's nothing."

Himeko held the greatsword in one hand and wiped her nose with the other.

"I have this feeling... like someone is insulting me."

"Maybe it's a doll?"

"Then I'll have to teach them some unforgettable lessons..."

"Forget about that, Theresia, how much longer until we can get into the theater?"

"Don't rush, wait a moment, Kal'tsit... Ah, they've arrived."

As Theresia's voice rang out, a crack slowly appeared.

Kal'tsit and Mulsus emerged from the crack together.

"By the way, Dr. Kal'tsit, why did you take so long?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's because I haven't found a suitable time to come out yet."

Mulsus gave a cute smile, and seeing that Himeko still looked confused, she continued to explain.

"Well, for some reason, most of the puppets are now gathered in one place to watch a show."

"So, I was able to sneak out... but this behavior basically exposed me completely."

"Anyway, hurry up and come in. This opportunity is hard-won, so please make sure to wipe out the Herrscher of Domination in one go. Otherwise, I'm doomed."