death penalty for the 'Herrscher of Reason'

"You are just the shadow of that girl, which is a ridiculous lie! But now, even she doesn't need you anymore, hahaha! "

"You always call her a coward, but in reality, you are the real coward. The coward who can't face reality, who is afraid of being abandoned by her!"

"Shut up!!" Veliona glared at the other, as if she was about to cut the opponent in half in the next moment.

The Puppet only laughed. "Oh, you're angry. That's cute. I'll leave you to your thoughts for now. But don't worry, I'll be back. Soon enough, you'll become one of us~"

The Puppet giggled, its figure slowly disappearing, as if it was about to leave.

"..." Veliona became even more irritated.

The things happening with Seele during the day, combined with the Puppet's hurtful words, were really getting to her.

――Does Seele really not need her anymore?

…

The night air was slightly cool, with moonlight shining into the room. A small yellow night lamp emitted a warm glow, illuminating Seele's serious face.

She had come to a decision about something important, and with a thoughtful look, she started to speak sincerely. The light in her eyes made you trust every word she was about to say.

"I've thought for a long time about the question from before,"

— the question of what she was in her own eyes.

A gentle smile spread across Seele's face, relaxed and relieved, as if she had found a solution and let go of a burden.

"You are me, and I am you. We are both equally important." Her voice was soft and soothing. "You want me to be happy, and I want the same for you."

"I know you care about having a name. Since we're equals, I want to call you by a name too."

"If there's a name you like, just let me know."

Seele spoke kindly, reaching out her hand as if to gently pat Veliona on the head. She wanted to make it clear to her—

—that she felt completely different about her than what the Puppet had said.

She never saw her as something that could be abandoned. She was a friend, another... self.

"…Idiot, hmph! Considering her so much, it's not impossible to reconcile with her."

In the consciousness space, Black Seele was deeply moved, but her words were still typical tsundere speech. In reality, she secretly hoped to hear more from her.

She really liked listening to her.

She loved hearing this the most. Say a bit more, and she'd change her mind!

"Let her say a few more words... strange... why isn't she saying anything?"

" ??? "

When she turned her gaze back to the other, she found that the other had already fallen asleep. "Huh? Just... fell asleep like that? Who gave you permission to sleep? You're not allowed to sleep!"

She said angrily, but she was careful not to raise her voice and disturb her sleep.

So much had happened today, Seele deserved a good rest.

But did this stop her from being angry? Not at all.

"Idiot! Idiot! Idiot Seele!..."

As she calmed down, she also pondered over the Puppet earlier words.

Setting aside the malicious parts, she had to admit that Seele was growing rapidly. Maybe... soon she wouldn't need her anymore.

"Every day, you grow, becoming mature and independent. Someday, you'll be able to fully control this body's power..."

"I was born to protect you, but you... no longer need my protection."

"I always knew this day would come. I always knew I was destined to disappear."

"I won't believe the nonsense those dolls spew... After all, we are the same person, both Seele."

"Before that day comes, I'll still do my best to protect you, not letting anyone hurt you."

"... "

Today's matters were not over yet. She decided to write "Seele is an idiot" on her face...

But then, she gently put down the pen and wiped away the marks.

Hmph, after all, it's still her body.

[ Get married quickly, I'm serious. You two are so sweet]

[A forbidden romance with oneself, tsk, also influenced by the Honkai. Fu Hua, look at others, even a little girl does better than you!]

[This is a direct attack on the Tsundere, perfectly fitting. Directly expressing care and asking her not to be angry~ Very effective!]

[Is Dark Seele going to disappear??? What do you mean destined to disappear! You are both my wings!]

...

"So, what you need is my comfort? Actually... I've thought about this for a long time too. To me, you are like an older sister who has always secretly protected me, and for..."

Seele watched the video of her own actions with a puzzled look, then closed her eyes and earnestly spoke to the other self in her heart.

[Shut up... shut up! I-I don't want your comfort or anything.]

[I-It must be because I think you're too pitiful, so I just gave some feedback. Don't believe what the game says, I never did such a thing!]

In her consciousness, Veliona panicked and retorted arbitrarily,

Damn it, why did they have to show all of this? Who said any of it is true?

In the corner where no one saw, a blush flashed across Veliona's face.

"...I also wanted to say, if possible, don't play pranks on me, like putting caterpillars on me or writing on my face... If something's bothering you, you can talk to me about it. After all, you are my best friend."

[What about Bronya?]

The voice in her consciousness seemed to pause before throwing this question to Seele outside.

"Big sister is big sister."

Seele answered seriously.

[If I and her... never mind, fine, fine, I get it, I won't play those kinds of pranks on you.]

"That's good."

Seele patted her chest gently and said comfortably.

The movement caused Bronya, who was beside her, to glance over with a sidelong look. Gathering all the nutrition from the orphanage... so that's what it means?

She then looked down at herself, flat and smooth, with her thighs immediately visible. She couldn't help but feel that what the boss said had some truth to it.

But... this is just because I'm still developing. In the future, I'll definitely attract Seele's attention!

[...After all, such pranks are too low-level. Since you're prepared, I should use something more intense.]

"Eh? Eh eh eh? Other me, why..."

[Because you fell asleep. Was talking to me so boring that it made you impatient?]

Veliona said confidently, she was not the only one who made a mistake this time!

"...Alright,"

Seele replied in a voice full of grievances, and a look of satisfaction appeared in Veliona eyes. Let's see if she dares to ignore her existence now!

" Then you are not allowed to disappear, suddenly disappear... you are also very important to me! "

[...Yes, yes, I won't disappear. What would you do without me!] The voice grew weaker and weaker until it was almost inaudible...

...

"Seele is also an outstanding new-generation Valkyrie!"

A strange atmosphere filled the room. Irene, holding her ground against two opponents, showed no signs of backing down. Both Kongming and Rita glanced at the elegantly smiling woman with apprehension.

Kallen glanced around and, as if nothing had happened, found a spot and casually sat down. She even pulled Theresa and Luna over, smiling warmly at them.

After all, one of her main reasons for coming was to see her granddaughter.

"Indeed, especially after becoming a Herrscher, she will undoubtedly become a mainstay of Schicksal in the future!"

Luo Mo complimented, and it wasn't wrong to say so.

When Big duck debuted as the game's CEO, Kiana went missing on the moon, and Durandal and Rita started living shamelessly, Mei couldn't support everything alone. Seele stepped in to help.

What's more, after becoming a Herrscher, his abilities are even greater.

"Uh..." Kallen's hand froze, causing the small head of Theresa under her hand to tremble slightly as well. Her gaze became fixed.

She then sighed helplessly and said, "Although the reasoning isn't wrong, it always feels a bit off. Seele became an outstanding Valkyrie of Schicksal because of her excellent qualities and great communication skills, not because she is a Herrscher... There's an order to these things."

Theresa, beneath her hand, nodded repeatedly in agreement.

What do they mean by saying becoming a Herrscher automatically makes someone a cornerstone of Schicksal? The sequence is a bit off, isn't it?

"From another angle..."

As soon as Theresa heard this, she felt a wave of PTSD, and her heart started pounding rapidly.

"Think about it, if someone who became a Herrscher didn't also become an outstanding Valkyrie of Schicksal, with such a high concentration of Honkai energy, wouldn't they just be an enemy?"

"So, the equation of our Herrscher = an outstanding Valkyrie of Schicksal clearly holds."

Luo Mo began promoting his skewed logic again.

But this time, the room wasn't only occupied by Theresa, so the others just quietly watched his performance.

But he truly believed, from the bottom of his heart, that his theory was flawless.

"Let's discuss this further in the future. Herrschers, Valkyries... we still need to revise the textbooks~"

Kallen wore a thoughtful expression, clearly not swayed by Luo Mo's words. After all, not every Valkyrie wants to continue fighting.

Didn't Wendy and Sirin just want to slack off? Especially Sirin, Cecilia said she has gained quite a bit of weight recently...

"Uh... well~ we can talk about this after dealing with the other Herrschers,"

Luo Mo scratched his cheek, not confident in persuading the Herrscher of Dominance People to join their side. He wasn't very confident about the next three either.

We shouldn't really create those weird textbooks saying 'Herrschers are friends of humanity.' We can wait until all the other Herrschers are gone to revise them, that way it fits.

---

According to the information from Seele, Bronya, and the others, they have now confirmed the identity of their opponent:

—the Herrscher of Domination from the Previous Era, also known as the Herrscher of a Thousand People.

At the base, Seele and Bronya were startled by suddenly activated mechas. After resolving the crisis, they discovered a spatial rift and were directly pulled into a theater.

It was an obvious trap, and no one knew when the Herrscher of Domination had infiltrated the base.

"Welcome, welcome~ Welcome to my—Theater of Domination."

The Puppet was joyfully laughing and prancing about from a high place, its head, wrists, and ankles rotating 360 degrees without any blind spots.

It bowed slightly as if there were a real audience watching.

"Please stay calm, dear audience, the first act is about to begin. And it is also—the final act of the Herrscher of Reason."

"Let us first introduce today's protagonist—"

"The Herrscher of Reason—the first traitor of the Honkai, the guardian of the ant civilization!"

"Among them—! The most notable failure is right in front of us!"

"First, let us review her life—"

"...Let's fast forward to the main points! After enduring a period of insignificant bedridden life, she finally and fortunately became the Herrscher of Reason."

"But unfortunately, since obtaining this core, she hasn't won a single battle."

"She couldn't defeat the World Serpent's leader, couldn't escape the Sea of Quanta, and even fell asleep when facing the Herrscher of Sentience, hahahaha!"

"Cough, cough—Sorry, the host shouldn't be laughing. I really couldn't help it."

The Puppet laughter grew increasingly brazen, as if countless voices in the dark joined in unison. The mocking sound seemed to fill every corner of the theater.

[Laugh, hahaha, the first... the Honkai God can only express how bitter this group of Herrschers makes them feel.]

[Bronya: ...%￥%, if you dare, say it again! You haven't won a single battle!]

[Actually, that's quite true... it's just a bit too harsh. My little duck has made countless assists! No slandering allowed!]

---

As they watched the exaggerated performance of the puppet on the screen, even the sound of a pin dropping in the villa could be heard clearly.

Everyone present couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, except for Bronya. Naturally, she couldn't find it funny.

The playful voice of the puppet and its malicious words sounded extremely grating to Bronya, blatant and shameless accusations! She clenched her fists, tightly sealed her lips, sparks flying in her eyes.

Although the evaluation in the mouth of the enemy must not be good, but I did not expect that Bronya's evaluation would be so... outrageous.

The Herrscher of Sentience even laughed so hard that she started banging on the table; she had no idea about this part of the plot!

However, it's unlikely that anyone would spread rumors about mocking the enemy to their face, understandable, understandable, hahaha—

"Bronya, don't get discouraged, don't get discouraged. She just wants to disrupt your focus, you need to..."

The Herrscher of Sentience 'kindly' comforted with a smile,

But judging from her bright smile, it's hard to deny the mocking undertone.

Bronya squinted her eyes. Even though she was usually indifferent, she was filled with anger now.

Meanwhile, the noisy voice of the puppet in the video continued, "Honestly, if I had the core of the Herrscher of Reason, I could perform better than you! Who needs the Herrscher of Sentience? I'll just run her over with a motorcycle when I see her!"

"What!"

The Herrscher of Sentience couldn't sit still this time. The chair she had her legs propped on suddenly cracked. Looking at the boastful puppet, she became furious.

Indeed, when the flames of war reached oneself, bystanders could not remain indifferent.

The laughter of the Herrscher of Sentience was as loud as before, but now she felt extremely embarrassed.

"You despicable scoundrel! If I encounter you again, I'll make you experience what Otto felt!"

The Herrscher of Sentience clenched her fist tightly, the implication clear. She gritted her teeth, wondering why the Herrscher of Dominance wasn't before her.

"Hehe—"

"Bronya, what are you laughing at?!"

" Bronya just thought of something fun. "

Bronya glanced away slightly, calmly stating.

It wasn't just her who felt mocked. However, this Herrscher, indeed, seemed quite adept at causing trouble, as if wanting to provoke everyone...

It's hard to imagine what they would be like if they had any humanity. Perhaps... they'd be beaten up by everyone?

It claims its core is ominous, undefeated in battle; whoever possesses that core would probably end up being used as a punching bag every day~

Popularity is really bad...

But, it's more likely they'll be killed as enemies, Bronya silently thought.

---

In the game, the puppet's strength obviously couldn't match her recent provocative words.

As she darted around, she was relentlessly bombarded by the floating cannons created by Bronya, fleeing in panic.

Bronya, riding her motorcycle, was unmatched for a moment, dominating the crowd of puppets one by one, leaving her in a very satisfied mood.

But as Bronya prepared to use the Herrscher core to deal a further blow, the attacking puppet's mouth curved up slightly, a somewhat sinister smile forming.

Spreading her arms, she solemnly declared,

"Now, let my sacrifice—bring down the final curtain for everyone, proclaiming the death penalty for the 'Herrscher of Reason'!"

"What... what?"

Bronya was shocked, but the power within her had already begun to fade away.