Welcome to... The Theater of Domination

"So this is the next Herrscher? Theater of Domination? Sounds pretty weird. Though, she's quite the sharp-tongued one, knowing to start by breaking down the enemy from within/inside..."

The Herrscher of Knowledge curiously observed Seele exploring the room and that strange phrase that sounded like song lyrics...

The first part seemed normal, but then it suddenly turned into a creepy sentence: "Silly Jack, you ate your head," which felt eerie and sent shivers down the spine.

A pumpkin eating the head... wouldn't that make him a pumpkin-headed man?

"From within/inside... Well, Little Senti, you have quite a sense of humour," Kiana thought for a moment, her expression turning a bit strange.

A person living inside... isn't that internal?

Perfect logic loop. Kiana couldn't help but praise it.

"But, I believe in Seele. The other Seele wouldn't be deceived so easily!"

Bronya said firmly. She keenly sensed that this might be a good breakthrough point. Her hope of embracing both Seele's lay in pleasing both of them simultaneously.

The one inside her was undoubtedly a tricky existence.

Although it seemed that the other Seele didn't like her much, it was obvious she was a Tsundere, and maybe, just like Seele, she might end up liking her too?

Every duck should have dreams!

As for what Dark Seele thought, wouldn't it be nice if the three of them lived happily together?

[Hmph, do you really need to say that? Of course, it's inevitable] Veliona said disdainfully. She would always support Seele alone. The others? She didn't care about them!

"Uh... I believe in you too, the other me..." Seele said, folding her hands over her chest and speaking silently in her heart.

...

"Hah—, just playing little tricks, Herrscher of Dominance? Persistent as a lingering ghost... Well, it's good, it gives me a chance to meet them again,"

Kalpas's tone suddenly dropped, and he stared at Seele with red eyes inside.

But on closer look, he seemed more focused on those conversations, that provocative and inciting tone.

"...Kalpas?"

Elysia and Eden looked at each other, then looked at Kalpas worriedly.

He had been silently watching the video from the corner, but then suddenly grew agitated again.

It really made people worry about his mental state.

But considering it was Kalpas, it seemed... still normal?

"I have to admit, coming out still has its meaning. For instance, hearing that thing wail under my fists, hahaha... Come on, I can't wait any longer!"

Kalpas further laughed maniacally, as if he could already see that imaginary scene.

Those broken, shattered limbs, the weak ones lying on the ground crying out in pain, that weak and damned Herrscher of a Thousand People, struggling in a pool of blood...

Just thinking about it... is so exciting!

Kill, kill, kill! Kill everyone in sight, destroy everything completely!

Kalpas clenched his fists, the flames behind him flaring up like never before. Good, very good, it reminded him of some rather unpleasant scenes.

He stared deeply at the screen, as if trying to see through it and catch sight of the mastermind behind it all.

---

With the full picture of the incident, Seele relayed everything back to Anti-Entropy.

Through this incident and their analysis, combined with the intelligence report from Schicksal, it seemed highly likely that this was a new round of Honkai impact.

"In other words, a new Herrscher might have appeared? With such a weak energy response?"

Tesla frowned, her red twin-tails appearing very vivid in the projection.

Due to the out-of-control mecha incident, she was still stuck in the meeting, arguing back and forth. Could it really be because of a Herrscher?

"It might be a different kind of Herrscher compared to before... However, there's not enough evidence to prove anything yet. Everything is still uncertain."

Einstein pondered,

They hadn't detected any extremely high Honkai energy levels, and if it was different from previous ones, it was impossible to determine its authenticity.

So, they still had to go there, even knowing it was likely a trap.

...

After entering the door indicated by the concert,

Bronya and Seele found themselves in a strange, seemingly segmented space.

A gloomy, desolate, and dark atmosphere permeated the air, with a deep fog covering the endless sky and corridors that seemed to stretch on forever without end.

And when they came in, Bronya and Seele had already separated.

In order to find more clues, Seele decided to try to go deeper, even just a little bit.

But after passing through a portal, a girl-like figure appeared not far ahead.

Seele decided to approach her and ask about the situation here, but as she got closer, she gradually noticed something was off about her appearance.

The corners of her mouth were split, the edges of her black eyepatch had a metallic texture, she had two strange little horns on her head, and she wore a dark gold bodysuit. Her stiff limbs seemed to be pulled by invisible strings in the air, just like... a puppet.

The exaggerated movements combined with the disjointed limbs brought to mind the puppet props often seen in theatrical performances.

But why would a prop come to life? And what about those people who had gone missing recently?

"Welcome to the Theatre of Domination,"

A slightly funny voice said,

She stared at the girl in front of her, as if seeing prey stepping into a trap...

---

"It's really, really impressive. "

Luo Mo smashed his mouth and looked at the face that made people's blood boil. He couldn't help but want to punch it before.

But now... all he could say was that life is full of mysteries. Now, he had become the one designing this character.

The word "reincarnation" came to mind unexpectedly, making it hard to suppress the smile creeping up, perhaps it was sorrow from Inside.

"Impressive? This... puppet? Does it have something to do with you?"

Kongming couldn't help but lift her folding fan to slightly cover her face, fearing that showing too much surprise would damage her image. This guy... has such peculiar tastes?

Why does this doll look weird?

This puppet looked strange no matter how you saw it.

She probably... most likely misunderstood, there's no way anyone would like something like this.

Kongming suddenly realized that she had been watching Irene and Rita's fight for too long, analyzing Irine character from the side, and hadn't paid attention to the plot.

Surely, something so absurd wouldn't happen.

"A grudge... mainly, I just find the other party unpleasant. I think using it as a punching bag would be great for physical training—oh, right, let's collaborate on making a punching bag in this style. Maybe we can make a profit."

Luo Mo said calmly, even taking the time to call someone at the company.

He felt that he might be a good hand in business, and he could inject new funds into the Herrscher Academy that he longed for.

As for the actual Herrscher of a Thousand People, the Herrscher of Rock hasn't shown any signs of awakening and has actively suppressed technological progress, so it should still be some time away.

"A punching bag? Are you saying this character will be very punchable in the future?"

Kongming shook her feather fan and asked.

"Indeed, very punchable. Anyone who sees it would want to take a swing." Luo Mo thought for a moment, then nodded vigorously.

As for whether the punching bag would end up as a storage item, with players buying it on a whim? He was only responsible for sales.

At worst, he could hint to them to paste Su Luo's image on it and use it again.

Thinking about it, he really was a good boss.

"I see..." Theresa, who had been listening, breathed a sigh of relief. After all, if it's so punchable, it probably wouldn't be coming to her academy, right?

Although it seemed completely hopeless... having one less to worry about is still a relief.

Suddenly, she recalled something. "Wait, if you say it's very punchable, does that mean... it did something to Kiana and the others? Just being a sharp-tongued, foul-mouthed talker wouldn't provoke everyone, would it?"

She was worried about her beloved students. Even though they were just in the game, she couldn't see them as merely virtual.

It was like... she was very afraid that Cecilia or Luo Mo or Luna would suddenly leave, and then the virtual and the real would switch places.

——She has had such nightmares many times.

In the dream, Cecilia died, Himeko died, without Luo Mo and Luna, she was left with the burden of constantly running around with the students, and the world's situation wasn't optimistic...

She didn't want that to happen.

"Hmm? Hmm... you're not wrong,"

Luo Mo looked up at Theresa, wondering why Theresa had become smarter. Could it be because she'd spent too much time with Kongming?

But he wouldn't dare make such a statement in front of Theresa.

That would be too disrespectful to the great headmistress!

...

"Mm~ a familiar scent? Is this... a Herrscher? Ugh— that weak and disgusting Herrscher of Dominance?"

Mobius saw this scene, her pretty eyebrows slightly furrowing, and even her vertical snake-like pupils, usually dark, clearly expressed disgust.

She had just taken a nap and woke up leisurely.

After all, the scene just now of the friendship and bickering between girls was not to her liking, although the pink woman watched it with relish...

And in the Golden Courtyard, which is a must-see in the main plot, it is difficult for her to avoid this artificially prescribed team-building project.

So, doing experiments all night and then taking a nap seemed reasonable to her. But, upon waking up,

Guess who she saw?

An old 'friend'~! Instantly, her drowsiness vanished as she squinted, thinking about how to deal with the guy in front of her.

Since it's a puppet, its tactile senses shouldn't be very sensitive, right? And those two horns are really annoying, why not remove them and give them to Alicia? She loves horns anyway.

In an instant, a multitude of ways to handle the opponent flashed through her mind. And the number was continually increasing.

"Doctor~, you're awake?"

Klein looked up at the awakened doctor, her long sleeves still covering her small hands, and handed over the prepared hot water.

"Klein..." Mobius was momentarily speechless, unsure if it was because she had just woken up or if something had come to mind.

"Yes, Doctor."

Klein looked at her with concern. Mobius's usually cold snake-like eyes seemed to warm, staring intently at her, a touch of tenderness spreading.

"Ah~, get up, Brother Kalpas, please stop being angry—"

Pardofelis panicked voice came through. This time, she was unfortunately caught in the crossfire—Kalpas was sitting next to her.

Usually, this wouldn't be a big deal. Although Pardo was a bit intimidated by Kalpas, having spent so much time together, it was natural to have some fears about companions.

But this time, Pardo felt she was going to have a psychological shadow.

In the intense heat of Kalpas anger, her tail fur had unfortunately caught fire. She had always thought the flames behind Kalpas were illusory!

As it turned out, the flames that appeared from his excessive anger had real heat?

Little Pardo learned something new, but she wished she hadn't learned it through experience. After a chaotic scramble, the fire was finally extinguished, but the scorched marks wouldn't go away for a while.

She didn't expect that the term "Theatre of Domination," or rather this Herrscher, would provoke such a strong reaction from Kalpas...

...

Despite Veliona wish for Seele to leave quickly, having seen the mastermind behind it all, how could someone who had fallen into a trap escape so easily?

At the crucial moment, Veliona stepped forward to fight,

but they were immediately separated, leaving both Seele and Dark Seele facing their own challenges...

In the battle, it quickly became apparent that while the opponent's strength was considerable, their trash talk never ceased, constantly attempting to break Veliona psychological defences.

"Hehe—escape? Why would you escape? Compared to that girl? Aren't we the same kind?"

"Give up, give up. She doesn't need you anymore."

"You've always known, no one will ever need you. You're a monster, a monster!!"

"You and us, we're the same kind! Hehehehe!"

The puppet's words were sharp and rude, more like someone's cathartic outburst, chaotic and crazy, aiming to destroy the enemy's composure.

————————

(Captainverse Events? Side story 2)

"I just don't understand," a young woman muttered, one leg crossed over the other as she lounged on a sofa. She tapped her foot restlessly and turned her head towards Luo Mo, chewing gum thoughtfully. "Why does Bronya always ask me for help with bugs?

"Hey, you, do you know?"

"And I still don't get why you're hanging around here. Shouldn't you be over there with Bronya?"

Luo Mo opened a bottle, taking a sip of the cool drink, and casually said.

this person is not OG Bronya,

But it was cyber-loli Brownie who had been lured from another world!

"What's the point over there? There's nothing like the excitement over here... wait, maybe it's because there's the magical girl Teriri here, and Teriri's magic is running out... that's why."

Brownie's curly pigtails bounced as she looked at her companion with a roguish twinkle in her eye. She was about to point out how much more interesting things were on this side, which is exactly why she'd come over in the first place.

Suddenly, something caught her eye, and she smirked slightly, remembering something more fun, so she swiftly changed tack.

On the side, Theresa stood still, holding a few sheets of white paper between her arms.

"You, me, you... I just came back to get the documents!"

Theresa's mouth was open, unable to speak. Finally, she stamped her feet and glanced at the other party with resentment before leaving.

"How adorable, isn't she?" Brownie smiled at Luo Mo.

"Indeed, Theresa is quite cute when she doesn't speak. " Luo Mo nodded in approval.

Brownie's smile faded as she fixed her gaze on him, raising her chin slightly.

"By the way," she began, blowing a bubble with her gum, "what exactly is a 'cyber-loli'?"

Luo Mo froze. He realized his little nickname for her had slipped out.

"Wait, how did you know about that? Hey, that's an invasion of my privacy!"

Luo Mo felt a bit embarrassed, wondering how she found out.

"Privacy... Haha, when will you respect labor laws before talking about privacy? Have you ever seen the moon at three in the morning? Have you ever seen the pouring rain in the middle of the night? No, you haven't seen any of that..."

Brownie's eyes seemed lifeless, devoid of their usual spark, as she stared straight at Luo Mo.

"You... have you seen?"

"Guess?" Brownie's gaze turned somewhat cold, her tone not very friendly.