"Dear guest, please remain quiet inside the theatre~"
The light faded.
Bronya blinked, her pupils contracting sharply.
Seele had vanished from her side.
In her place was an illusory, magnificent stage backdrop.
It was exactly the scene Seele had described.
And directly before her stood a doll so exquisitely crafted it was unsettling.
He bowed slightly, his movements mechanical yet elegant.
"Welcome~ Welcome to my domain-the Theatre of Domination."
"I am today's host, Jerry Barbara!"
The doll raised his head, a stiff smile on his face.
"Be patient, dear audience. The first act is about to begin."
His gaze remained fixed on Bronya, his voice suddenly rising, tinged with madness.
"And it is also the Herrscher of Reason's-final chapter!"
Bronya did not move.
She merely stared coldly at the doll, her finger quietly tightening on the trigger.
The doll's painted lips flapped away, giving Bronya no chance to speak.
"Dear audience, who is today's star? The Herrscher of Reason! The greatest traitor in Honkai history, the so-called guardian deity of an antlike civilization!"
As soon as he finished, he jerked his head around, his hollow eyes fixed on the figure before him.
"And of course, this one takes the prize for being the most 'successful'-oh no, the most pathetic of them all!"
He adopted a storyteller's pose. "Come on, let's dig into her résumé. Bronya Zaychik, born out in some corner of Siberia..."
Suddenly, he waved impatiently. "Too much rambling! Let's skip to the important part! She lay in a hospital bed, picking up a whole collection of useless ailments, before somehow stumbling upon that core and becoming a so-called Herrscher."
Then came shrill laughter, like nails scraping a blackboard, so piercing it made one's scalp crawl.
"What a shame! Even with that treasure, she hasn't won a single fight!