Annoying puppet

While Veliona was busy fighting, Seele found herself facing a new threat—a strange puppet.

"...Another me?"

She carefully sensed the situation of her other self, her brow furrowing with an unoptimistic look.

"Another you? Oh, no, silly! She's not 'another you.' She's our new friend! And very soon, she'll be just like us! Hehehe!"

The puppet let out a creepy giggle, its head spinning on its neck. Its arms twisted and turned in unnatural ways, like they were made of different pieces. The puppet was both funny and frightening at the same time.

Even gentle Seele couldn't tolerate its words. She glared at it angrily and quickly retorted, believing that her other self was not like that at all!

Don't act like you know her so well!

"You and she... said the same thing..."

"Hehehe! That's because she's the real deal! She smells just like us! Just like us, she's tired of this boring world, hate this world. She wants chaos and destruction!" The puppet's laughter echoed through theater.

"Oh, and guess what? If I get rid of you, she'll definitely join us! Hehehe!"

The puppet's movements were inverted and its mouth curled into a sinister smile as it manipulated the mech to attack Seele.

Even if she is alone now, she must fight hard to protect her other self.

But now she is obviously still immature, unable to exert her strength even though she has it, and the battle is gradually declining.

"...Seele! Seele, wake up!"

A voice called out from the darkness. Seele, who had been weakening during her fight, suddenly opened her eyes. She found herself standing in front of the door, with Bronya by her side.

Bronya explained that she had gone inside to investigate and, after searching for a while, discovered Seele lying unconscious at the entrance.

It was as if the recent experience had been an illusion, but the other Seele inside her remained silent, not speaking.

Seele's other self remained quiet, not saying a word.

But Seele could feel her presence, and that brought her comfort.

Still, Seele couldn't shake the feeling that something had happened.

Was it all just an illusion?

[Herrscher of yapping!]

[Whoa, this Herrscher is different! How is it using such persuasive language? Could it be... is it also a main character?]

[What an irritating mouth, it's hard to tell if the other side is sowing discord or simply trying to provoke.]

[ Bronya: Hmm~ a familiar feeling... Why am I left out of the battle again?]

---

"...Another me?" Seele whispered to herself.

Watching herself on the screen, powerless and seemingly on the verge of shouting, "I can't do anything..."

Seele understood what the puppet was doing. It was targeting her another side, trying to convince it to join forces.

Seele could only resent her own weakness inside, unable to protect the most important person, barely managing even her own situation.

[Well, look on the bright side. At least that creepy puppet didn't hurt you. That would've been a real mess.]

[Looks like you still need me to save the day, huh? What, did you expect your clueless sister Bronya to swoop in and help?]

Veliona voice sounded displeased.

That puppet... it was truly an eyesore. Who did it think it was, pretending to understand her and claiming to share the same scent?

She was on Seele's side, bearing only Seele's scent—fragrant and sweet.

Who else was like them? Nobody.

---

Seele woke up in the Dominator Theatre, feeling confused. Was the battle with the puppet real, or had it all been a dream? She pushed those thoughts aside for now and, with Bronya by her side, started to explore the strange room.

The room was filled with numerous models of Honkai Beasts, with some words engraved on the bases of the statues:

"Will, thought, soul—everything shall return to the great Lord of Beasts."

It was clearly a cult that worshipped the Honkai Beasts. They believed these mysterious creatures could redeem people's souls and take them to a true paradise.

However, the reality was quite the opposite...

The Honkai Beasts only sent people to "another world". Whether or not it was a paradise was something only those who had gone could judge.

After those creepy scenes at the curiosity shop, Bronya and Seele found a broken puppet, scythe marks, and a handful of brand-new show tickets.

Their enemy was getting smarter and trickier, laying trap after trap. Bronya and Seele felt like they had no choice but to play along.

Bronya and Seele reported back to Anti-Entropy. This exploration had clearly deviated from the norm and was undoubtedly the onset of a new round of Honkai!

[No problem, the Honkai Beasts might actually take them to a world without Honkai (laughs).]

[What? There's actually such a bizarre cult? Unlike me... I only worship the Cat God Cult! Who says Kiana the Cat doesn't count as a cat?]

[Honkai Beast models? People actually make those? Got it, this must be the work of miHoYo!]

[It's not impossible... The store even added another strange puppet model recently. They say if you hit it with different strengths, it says different things... Do they really think we're going to lose our minds over a toy?]

---

"People never learn, A religion that worships the Honkai..." Kalpas scoffed, shaking his head. He'd seen this kind of misguided devotion before, and it always ended badly.

"I know, right? It makes that church Luo Mo always talks about—the one that worships me, the 'Elysian Church'—seem almost normal by comparison." Elysia nodded, frowning slightly as she watched the strange inscriptions in the video.

Would anyone really fall for this?

If Loo Mo were here, he'd definitely shout—"Rather than worshiping these Honkai Beasts, why not worship the pure and flawless Elysia and join the Elysian church!"

As the first follower of Elysian church, he would certainly be devoted.

""Religious groups always pop up out of nowhere. Speaking of which, it seems our own growth coincided with the time of the Herrscher of Dominance. Perhaps... we could see it as an omen?"

Möbius furrowed her brow, lost in deep thought.

She had no interest in interfering with other Herrschers, but if it was the Herrscher of Dominance... she would be willing to help for free.

For her, the level of hatred was probably like the one Sakura felt towards the Herrscher of Corruption.

Most of the Flame-Chasers harbored hatred towards each Herrscher, but there were always a few whose actions touched on personal grudges...

Did you see how Kevin's expression turned even colder? He was always an icy guy, but the temperature around him seemed to drop even further at the mention of the Herrscher of Dominance.

As for that " Elysian church " church mentioned by that fat woman, she ignored it completely.

She was even less likely to believe in something like that than she was to believe in the Honkai God.

"Meow~" A soft meow came from the cat.

Pardofelis patted Can-ned Food's head soothingly, "Sigh, Can-ned Food~ Brother Kalpas fire didn't reach you just now, so you don't have to be afraid anymore~"

After speaking, she frowned and touched her own scorched tail. Half of it was already burnt, and the remaining fur had turned yellow and ashy.

She didn't dare complain, though. Instead, she groomed her tail sadly, trying to clean it up as best she could.

Fortunately... it didn't hurt? That was perhaps a small blessing in an unfortunate situation.

---

Anti-Entropy was taking no chances this time. They were more prepared than ever before the next performance.

This time, Kiana joined the mission, making it a trio as they pursued the traces of this Honkai event.

In front of the new performance venue, they encountered a staff member who had once been saved by Kiana.

She looked at Kiana with delight, expressing her gratitude and kindness, telling her how her parents often spoke of their savior, praising her as the great hero who saved the city.

This undoubtedly made Kiana a little embarrassed, but her mood also improved.

It seemed that what she did in ARC City wasn't meaningless after all!

But this was just the calm before the storm, the hidden danger lurking beneath the surface.

Strangely, nothing out of the ordinary happened during this mission. They didn't come across the creepy theater that Seele had seen before.

Instead, the words written on the ticket for this performance caught their attention:

"Rusty tin lights smoking, children clamoring in the dark, the audience below clapping and laughing, and colorful(Heterochromatic) eyes fall to the floor."

---

"See? I knew it!" Elysia cheered. "The world always rewards good deeds. Kiana's a true hero, and people will always remember what she's done!"

Elysia praised generously, maintaining her unwavering belief in the goodness of the world and the bright side of humanity.

She believes that grief will eventually pass and hope will come.

No matter the circumstances, never give up easily! Keep going, Kiana. Mei is the best!

"Ellie is always so optimistic~," Eden smiled slightly, unsurprised.

"Good intentions... please." Mobius scoffed, quickly dismissing Elysia's words. "There's probably something wrong with that staff member. Don't take it so seriously."

"Now, now, don't be so harsh on Luo Mo…" Elysia started off confidently, hands on her hips, but then her voice lagged off.

"From the last story with Fu Hua, he seemed... decent enough. He appreciates beauty and kindness... I think?" She scratched her cheek, forcing a smile.

It was obvious that she wasn't entirely convinced by her own words.

"See? Even you don't really believe him." Mobius smirked, clearly enjoying tearing down Elysia's optimism.

The tension between the two was growing. "Think about it, how likely is it for someone to just happen to be at the scene of a major Honkai outbreak twice and walk away without a scratch?"

"Eh? That can't be..."

Miss Ellie muttered to herself, looking troubled.

...

"Heterochromatic eyes... it must be referring to my sister. So, this Herrscher has also set its sights on her?" Durandal lightly pinched her fingers, touching her chin as she spoke.

After all, in the current game, she's the only one with heterochromatic eyes. Valkyrie Ranger fits the description, but it's unclear how the Herrscher will target her...

"If only I could jump in and help," Durandal sighed. "It would save her a lot of worry."

"As for Kiana, I wouldn't worry too much," Rita said, smiling gently from behind Durandal. "She may seem a bit reckless, but she has a strong and determined spirit. No matter how bad things get, she'll face reality head-on."

Rita thought about Durandal's sister, both in the game and in real life. She had nothing but praise for her.

After all, putting aside any personal feelings, Durandal's sister had helped Rita a lot in front of her own sister, providing cover and support. Rita knew how to return a favor.

And when it came to battling Herrschers, whether in the game or in reality, Durandal's sister was even better than some (yourself) of their S-rank Valkyries. It was no exaggeration.

"Sigh, I hope so. If she were a bit stronger, I'd feel more at ease..."

Durandal's brows relaxed slightly, though she still spoke with a hint of worry.

"Believe in Kiana. In the future, she'll become the King of the Seas... oops, I mean, the hero who saves the world."

Lo0 Mo finally managed to join the conversation, but his words started to drift again. Fortunately, he stopped himself in time.

It must be Elysia's fault, making him subconsciously think Kiana was like that too...

Lok Mo thought this without any self-reflection.

"Hero? I am not unfamiliar with this word... but what price does it cost?"

Durandal sighed, her eyes showing a glimmer of darkness and nostalgia.

She recalled the portraits she saw at Schicksal and the familiar names in her textbooks, the words Kevin had spoken to Mei in the game... He was right. Heroes only appeared in textbooks.

Very few, like her mother, managed to survive. But if it weren't for Loo Mo's stigmata, she wouldn't have made it through.

This was the price of fighting against the Honkai. It was a power that could corrupt and consume those who wielded it or battle it.

"Our strongest Valkyrie, Durandal, has always been a hero, hasn't she? I heard you even saved a bubble universe... so don't overthink it."

The sound of Kallen pushing open the door came, and she smiled slightly at her.

The people in the Kaslana family are really idiots, they are all the same, they only care about others and not themselves.

She thought back to her own battles against the Honkai beasts. Hadn't she also focused solely on saving as many people as possible?

Valkyries have vacations, and many of them. It's easy to feel psychologically stressed in the fight against Honkai, so necessary vacations are essential. But Durandal's vacation days can be counted on one hand; she's almost always ready for battle.

"Bishop, have you finished your business?" Rita stood gracefully, bowing slightly as she asked.

Although she was a little curious about what Luo Mo had delivered to the bishop, the other party(Kallen/bishop) was so excited that they left them outside and stayed in the room alone for a long time.

It's really curious.

Even a miraculous Stigmata shouldn't cause such excitement.

"Mm, finished now. So, this part is... about Seele and this strange puppet?"

Kallen was somewhat puzzled. She had been in the room just now, and the function of that stigma was a bit strange. She felt like something had changed about herself, but she couldn't use it.

But there were indeed some changes in certain aspects; that was true.

She'll have to feel it out later or ask Lok Mo. Perhaps... Otto's storyline will help her understand its effects more.

"Mm, about this part, that puppet is really annoying, so we need to get some punching bags made quickly. We should make sure every player can try them out right after they finish the game!"

Lok Mo said calmly, learning from the last lesson. Both Kongming and irine were behind him now, so he wouldn't glance at Kallen.

The greatest advantage of humans is knowing when to step back, to compromise, and never to repeat mistakes.

Rita whispered to her for a while, explaining the current situation.

"Annoying? " Kallen was a little confused.

Of course, she could use the word "annoying" to describe the things the Honkai did. But for a Herrscher, that term was clearly not strong enough. It was too mild, too tame.

---

Even after returning to the base, Veliona still seemed to have a fire hidden in her heart.

But I don't know who to vent to,

She knew that Seele had done nothing wrong, and she also understood that she was clearly the one who was wrong.

but why?

Why did I see her make new friends, have a new life, and meet more new people...

she still feel so... scared?

And at this moment, the figures from the theater kept haunting her, wearing similar costumes, looking the same, but they were different puppets now.

"Leave? Why would you leave? There's no one else here, and you're the one who loves locking yourself in small rooms the most, right? Hehe..."

The puppet's mocking tone, its head spinning like a lonely part, grinned and said.