Himeko Murata is Dead?!
Kiana was moved by the Puppets words, no matter what, and wanted to know what happened to the girl.
Even if she guessed the development wasn't what she hoped for.
"That 'me' is still alive. But, she's ostracized by those around her and neglected by her parents. Her heart is slowly breaking, and she's living a life worse than death."
"It's all your fault! Your bomb should have blown them all to pieces!"
The Puppet pointed a finger at Kiana.
"I wouldn't do that. Even if I had to choose again, I would stop the disaster."
Kiana stated firmly,
"They spread the pain of losing loved ones to the survivors. This is the 'evil' in the human heart. But you also said... they could also support each other and work together to build a better future. And that is the good in the human heart."
"Everyone has both good and evil within them. This won't be a reason for me to give up saving them."
Kiana calmly refuted, her analysis refined after experiencing many hardships.
She was no longer the same.
"He he, ha ha… You're right. After all, you are the greatest evil! What should I call you? K423? Kiana… Or, the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin?"
"Your goal... is it?"
Kiana's eyes widened instantly, a bad feeling forming in her heart.
"Y-yes, t-that's right!"
The Puppet spoke slowly, a cryptic smile on its face, as if it had succeeded in its plot.
Last time, not only did they outsmart the Puppet , but the Puppet outsmarted them too.
The Puppet wasn't the real Herrscher of Domination. It was hiding in the shadows.
Sirin's consciousness was completely suppressed by Kiana, leaving no room for movement. They had to invite Kiana to enter the Theater of Domination.
As soon as she entered, they would win.
[This Puppet… is quite clever, knowing how to unite all possible forces]
[Will the Queen become a puppet controlled by the Puppet? That would be... no, please! My Queen]
[Good and evil, it's so hard to tell them apart, their boundaries are blurred. Especially when it comes to a single person, does a good person only do good things, and an evil person only do bad things? Obviously not]
-----
"Cut it out – me? I look that easy to bully?"
Sirin scoffed at the Puppet, muttering under her breath.
She glanced at Bella, grumbling, "Bella, stop fiddling with your phone and come watch with me… and let me touch your horns. It's so frustrating, why do they think I'd cooperate with their shoddy little Puppets?"
Hearing this, Bella immediately put down her phone, where she was furiously scrolling through live streams, and skipped over to Sirin.
She obediently held her head out, but didn't dare rub against Sirin.
Last time, she accidentally ripped a hole in the Queen's dress with her horns, and was met with a long, gloomy silence. Bella even refused to use the money she'd earned to top up her game account…
But sometimes, her horns could make the Queen happy... she wasn't sure what to do.
"Ouch – gentle, Your Majesty!"
Bella said, tears welling up in her eyes. Sirin was vigorously playing with her horns, but seeing as they couldn't break no matter how hard she tried, she thought they were great toys.
"Sirin…" Cecilia sighed, glancing over.
Sirin rubbed Bella's head, and Bella's expression immediately turned docile.
It wasn't because of her mom's words. She had indeed been a bit too forceful just now. Feeling guilty, Sirin avoided looking at Bella and rubbed the skin near her horns soothingly.
-----
As the plot unfolded, the Puppet felt confident in their victory. Kiana could no longer influence their plans,
so they revealed their long-prepared scheme.
They planned to bring Kiana back into the world as the Herrscher. – After all, Schicksal had been promoting the idea that Kiana could control her powers.
This would be the simplest and most effective way to trigger a power struggle within the human society's upper echelon.
"But… that was our previous plan, Kiana. We've unexpectedly discovered that perhaps, you're more suited to be one of us than Sirin?"
The Puppet grinned cruelly, revealing its fangs.
In the background, the theater seats, previously empty, were now filled with Puppets, initiating a farcical trial.
"Silence, silence! Now, the trial for the new member's qualification will commence! State your name!"
"Hee hee – I know, I know, she's called Kiana… Oh, no, no, she doesn't even have a name, she stole it from someone else, hee hee."
"Don't worry, you're all losers like us."
Kiana pursed her lips, observing the malicious emanations from the podium, "Don't judge me by your standards!"
"You disdain us? Do you have the right?"
"We're Puppets? Then what are you, a clone with a core?"
"Not even human!" The Puppets on the stage all voiced their accusations, indignant and enraged.
"New member, confess your crimes!"
The judge on the presiding seat slammed the gavel, seemingly declaring the next step of the proceedings in a fair and just manner.
"I know! You made a man named Siegfried lose everything!"
The Puppets on stage spoke one after another, vying for attention, treating Kiana as a deeply wicked, incurable individual.
"He lost his daughter to save you, he raised you despite everything, but you cut off his arm and still call him Dad shamelessly!"
"You can't control yourself, and you refuse to be locked up, making your friends homeless."
"You say you fight for all the beauty in the world, yet you killed your own teacher with your own hands!"
"You hurt your best friend, making her go to such a dangerous place for you!"
"You claim to be a hero, but those around you are fewer and fewer, while the world gets worse!"
"You are evil, you are a sinner, your good deeds can't make up for your evil."
The Puppets on stage, like a thousand arrows pointing at her, recounted her experiences, the painful things that happened to her.
They seemed to want to tear open her recently healed wounds, to dissect and identify each one.
Kiana coldly observed their accusations, her heterochromatic eyes fixed on the dual pistols in her hands, without offering any defense.
[…It is true, I… can't refute them. Looking at how things turned out, if Kiana wasn't the protagonist, they would be right.]
[They're overdoing the embellishment, a lot of things weren't Kiana's fault… Come on, Kiana!]
[Who's providing the voice acting? Are they letting loose? I knew it, there's definitely a Herrscher of Domination from the game who crawled out into reality]
-----
"Kiana-nee… D-don't let those words affect you."
Seele placed her right hand on her chest, looking at Kiana with worry in her eyes.
She heard the things those Puppets said in the game… she probably wouldn't know how to explain it at all.
Kiana is truly a strong person!
"….Actually, I think they're not entirely wrong. In the game, it was because of me that the people around me kept suffering, my family, friends, teachers… they all left me one by one."
Kiana said with a somber tone, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
If she had been a little more understanding then, or had been stronger, strong enough to resist Sirin's corruption… those things wouldn't have gotten so bad.
And Mei, it was she who forced Mei away.
Although she understood her in-game self, she also admired and blamed her,
She wanted to take it as a lesson, but even more, she wanted her to move forward again.
She didn't like the fact that the people around her in the game were dwindling, and she was afraid that she wouldn't be able to keep the people around her in reality.
"It's not your fault, Kiana…"
Mei tried to comfort her, she also truly felt that Kiana hadn't done anything wrong. The world just pushed her into that situation,
She had already done everything she could.
"It's not my fault… but whose fault is it then? There is definitely my responsibility in it,"
Kiana patted Mei's back, smiling slightly,
"Don't worry, I'm not that fragile. That other me, she went through all that, facing the accusations of the Herrscher of Domination alone, fighting against so many Puppets... I'm right here with you, how could anything happen to me?"
"The Kiana in the game is actually a lot stronger than you are now."
Himeko came out from the bedroom on the side, stretching her arms, relaxing with a yawn. She patted her mouth with her right hand as she yawned.
"A good sleep feels good, hmm, ah... What's the matter, Kiana? Were you shaken by what they said?"
Himeko walked over, gently touching Kiana's head,
"No, how could I be? After all, I wasn't there…"
Kiana looked away, her strong-willed personality didn't want to admit it.
Otherwise… wouldn't that make her look bad?
"Whether it's Siegfried, or me, or us, none of us will blame you for this. Just like when you saved Fu Hua… We are getting stronger, don't worry about us being affected."
"But…"
"What? You can say that, but Kiana can't?" Himeko chuckled softly, rubbing her white hair.
"W-w-well, not… not like that… no, I'm not affected by what she said."
Kiana stammered, unable to refute, only sending a pleading look to Mei.
Her eyes were like those of a helpless kitten. Mei covered her mouth and laughed, not offering any help.
Kiana thought that Himeko-sensei must still be waking up because she said something so reasonable, but she didn't feel that way… probably.
-----
With a gunshot, Kiana could no longer hold back and interrupted their words.
"Enough of this farce."
Kiana said coldly.
"Hee hee – of course, of course. We know you've experienced a lot along the way, no matter what we say, it's hard to shake your will."
The Puppet chuckled, surprisingly acknowledging Kiana's will,
But soon, it paused,
"But we also know that even someone like you, you have unfinished regrets, and you have a void that can't be filled."
"You knew that besides Schicksal, Schicksal and World Serpent were both searching for the Stigmata Gem, but you still haven't found it."
"You know the truth deep down, but you refuse to admit it, still deceiving yourself saying 'I will bring you back'."
Kiana's eyes widened as she looked at the Puppet, her heart trembled.
She didn't expect to hear about her again from the enemy.
"Looks like from your expression, you already know who it is. 'She' is the most vulnerable part of your heart, the wound that will never heal!"
"….When that moment comes, will you still believe in the goodness you speak of?"
The Puppet turned its head again, its voice rising, as if foreshadowing the climax of the play,
A few Puppets surrounded Kiana, but they didn't attack, placing their hands on her shoulders. One of them showed her a gem,
---- The gem that countless people from Schicksal and Schicksal were searching for.
Crimson red, floating in the air, as if one could feel the heat of a burning flame.
"How about it? Familiar, right? Remember… who held this?"
"Haste… Gem?"
For the first time in the Theater of Domination, Kiana showed confusion, hesitation, and helplessness.
Even the strongest warrior has weaknesses, and those who have traveled the world have unfinished regrets.
"Yes, just as you think,"
"Murata Himeko, she's dead."
The Puppet's dark voice mocked in Kiana's ear, staring at the dazed Kiana with a raised corner of its mouth.
This dark theater, showcasing the deepest malice of humanity, without concealment. The death knell sounded for Himeko.
Exposing the newly healed scars in the softest part of her heart,
Then, using every possible preparation, stabbing hard.
The audience in the stands clapped and laughed, their heterochromatic eyes rolling out.
The words on that note, somehow felt oddly fitting to the scene.
[?????? Ah? Himeko-sensei – my Himeko-sensei!!]
[Whoa, I didn't expect another hit here! Puppet, take back your words, may you suffer a horrible death!]
[In this moment, Kiana's weakness was truly hit. Can she really hold on? Holding onto her dream, harboring the thought of wanting to show her, yet having to face the ironclad proof of her death]
[Depressed, I can't take it, when is miHoYo recruiting? I need to go for an interview, ASAP]
-----
The villa fell silent for a moment after those words. Even Himeko-sensei couldn't help but smile wryly.
What was this? She just came out and saw proof of her 'death'?
How could anyone feel good about that?
"….Himeko, sensei? Dead?"
Unconsciously, her voice rose, Seele said unwittingly, her small mouth slightly open, repeating the Puppet's words.
Her small eyes were filled with great confusion. She had already cried more than once in the last class,
Seeing Kiana's words from the game's main storyline, and some off-screen analysis, she originally thought Himeko-sensei would make a strong comeback in the later plot.
But, unexpectedly, in the first scene of the new plot, she received the last hope for her survival.
It undoubtedly officially declared Himeko-sensei's death sentence.
Her face was full of questioning life, refusing to accept… what about all those comments online?
"….Always so unexpected. Kiana too, she persevered despite all those verbal attacks, but in the end, she fell because of me?"
Himeko smiled wryly, looking at the gem, a bit dazed.
But now, Kiana possessed that gem, which was quite a coincidence.
"Hey, believe in Kiana, even in this situation, she's still holding onto her beliefs, she won't dwell on the sorrow of the past."
The Herrscher of Sentience defended Kiana,
She had been defeated by Kiana once, so instead of arguing, it was better to speak highly of Kiana, making it easier to explain.
Besides, she wasn't wrong. If Kiana were to lose her fighting spirit, then she wouldn't win that victory.
"….This kind of plot twist, directly telling me about Himeko-sensei's death, they are truly… despicable."
Kiana pursed her lips, looking unhappy.
"After all, they are the enemy, though I've never seen such a disgusting enemy." Bronya added.
…
In the Golden Courtyard,
"..." Elysia fell silent, staring at the screen, a little angry.
She thought that causing trouble was bad, but the Puppet's words undoubtedly annoyed her. It really said anything…
Whether it was the malicious trial against Kiana or the final exposure of her scars, it was a blow to the deepest part of a person's being.
If they encountered Kevin, they probably wouldn't hesitate to repeatedly use Mei's matter.
This kind of guy… whether he's strong or not is one thing, he's just repulsive. In that aspect, he's really good at affecting emotions.
"Tch… The Herrscher of Domination!! Good, same as always, a despicable being!"
Kalpas narrowed his eyes, clenching his fist, his muscles tightening.
Anger was already burning, and the flames were blazing fiercely.
"Tsk – in terms of pulling aggro, there's someone who can surpass Kalpas? Truly unexpected."
Mobius's snake eyes stared intently at the Puppet's expression, as if trying to find all its weaknesses to ensure foolproof actions in the future.
The revenge she hadn't taken then, she'd settle it on its head now.
"Huh? Mebius, do you want to fight?"
"Fight? Yes, yes, Kalpas, you wouldn't have forgotten, with your current strength?"
Mebius was not afraid at all, instead she laughed playfully and challenged him,
What was there to fear about a Kalpas without a stigmata? She really thought they were still on the same starting line? With Elysia around, she couldn't bully the weak with stigmata,
And she wasn't a fan of fighting,
But to say that she was afraid of Kalpas now, that was absolutely not the case.
"Heh – wait, just right, I need to vent some anger!" Kalpas said coldly,
He wasn't stupid, the Flame-Chasers didn't have extra exclusive stigmata. It wasn't like there weren't suitable three-star stigmata, Velveteen was insured. She gave some quick-use stigmata to a few who were good at fighting,
But as initially said, they didn't know if the memory bodies could remove their stigmata. If not, it would be a waste of their abilities.
He wouldn't be that dumb to directly gamble. Couldn't that pink woman just share some power? It wouldn't be too difficult to have an evenly matched fight.
"Okay, you two stop bickering… Ugh, Luo Mo really, now, the Himeko in the game is really going to be written to death,"
Elysia was a little unhappy, she lowered her head,
Is death the only ending for sacrificing oneself? It's really impossible for a miracle to happen.
-----
"Himeko... she's really dead?"
Theresa pursed her lips, a little reluctant.
Her companion who had been guarding this place for years with her, in her eyes, Himeko was no longer just a teacher.
She was an irreplaceable assistant and companion.
"Himeko is undoubtedly an excellent Valkyrie teacher, setting a good example for the students with her actions." Kallen also sighed.
"Familiar human… Himeko-sensei?"
Luna looked at the screen twice, then quickly focused on Luo Mo again.
"Himeko-sensei, she truly inherited the words of Instructor Ragna, these are the things that every Valkyrie should do."
Durandal spoke in a serious and polite manner, "Right, Rita? You think so too?"
"Ah? Hmm, of course, Durandal-sama."
Rita was probably surprised by Durandal's sudden question, and she quickly agreed.
In her eyes, both of them were indeed worthy of respect.
"….Don't talk like it's a prayer, Himeko-sensei is still alive and well."
Luo Mo reminded them, indicating that they should be more restrained.
"But the her in another world, she lost her last hope for survival…" Theresa said with a hint of melancholy.
"An ordinary human, she could hardly bear the power of the Herrscher of Flame core."
Luo Mo neither confirmed nor denied, speaking calmly.
-----
updates are getting less frequent...
sorry, I should have uploaded more, just because of various real world problems and doing some web scrapping to read Chinese web novels (paid ones can't translate directly + need OCR & some context fixing shit)
I'm working on machine learning translate for this fanfic (like this chapter), maybe someone can help me add the contents of this table.
{'Kiana Kaslana': '琪亚娜·卡斯兰娜 Qíyànà - Kǎsīlánnà',
'Raiden Mei': '雷电芽衣 Léidiàn - Yáyī',
'Bronya Zaychik': '布洛妮娳·扎伊切克 Bùluònīyà - Zháyīqièkè',
'Seele': ' 担忧 Xī er',
'Fu Hua - Class Monitor': '符华 Fú Huá - 班长 Bānzhǎng',
'Murata Himeko': '无量塔姬子 Wúliàng Tǎ - Jī Zi',
'Theresa Apocalypse': '德丽莎·阿波卡利斯 Délìshā - Ābōkǎlìsī',
'Durandal': '幽兰黛尔 Yōu lán dài ěr',
'Rita Rossweisse': '丽塔·洛丝薇瑟 Lìtǎ - Luòsīwēisè',
'Sirin': '西琳 Xī lín',
'Herrscher of Dominance - Puppets': '电影之律者 Zhīpèi zhī lǜ zhě\n千人律者 Lǜ zhě, qiān rén lǜ zhě',
'Herrscher of Sentience - Little Senti': '识之律 Shí zhī lǜ - 小识 Xiǎo shí',
'Kevin Kaslana': '凯文·卡斯兰娜 Kǎi wén - kǎ sī lán nà',
'Hua': '华Huá',
'Elysia': '爱莉希雅 Àilìxīyǎ',
'Eden': '伊甸 Yīdiàn',
'Su': '苏 Sū',
'Mobius': '梅比乌斯 Méibǐwūsī',
'Kalpas': '千劫 Qiān jié',
'Sakura': 'ying ying',
'Aponia': '阿波刑Ābōníyǎ',
'Griseo': '格蕾修 Gélěixiū',
'Kosma': '科斯魔 Kēsī mó',
'Pardofelis': '帕朵菲莉丝 Pàduǒfēilìsī',
'Luo Mo - Captain - Boss - that guy - jerk - Human(by Luna)': '洛墨 Luò mò',
'Luna Kindred': '月下初楥 Yuè Xià Chū Yōng'}
i want to sleep