Violence

"Welcome… to the Theater of Domination."

Disordered and chaotic, the threads of Dominance intertwined, forming a massive web that bound the puppet within.

This was the first time Ren had seen such a chaotic puppet. The moment he appeared in the Theater of Domination, he was taken aback. Usually, Ren only judged those struggling in despair after experiencing their lives through the host, granting them the choice between wolf and sheep.

But this time was different. This puppet had actively chosen the wolf spirit. The sheer number of threads Entanglement around him signified a deeply fractured mind, making him the ideal puppet host.

Ren didn't know what this person had endured, but since he'd willingly offered his soul to Dominance, plunging into the abyss, Ren would gladly oblige.

The previous three puppets had all chosen the sheep. Ren was curious what choosing the wolf truly entailed.

In the audience, all the wooden puppets, including the Ren puppet, sat in neat rows, bound by the puppet strings. This time, however, the strings weren't controlling them, but drawing power from each puppet, channeling it into the newest addition.

This was the core ability of the Herrscher of Dominance - Puppets: shared attributes across all puppets, focused onto a single target when necessary.

As the power surged, the wolf howls intensified, culminating in a distant roar that swallowed the Chris puppet whole.

Time froze. Gears turned. The curtain of the Theater of Domination slowly drew open.

…

Silence. Peace.

The heavily armed police officers exchanged confused glances. The anticipated fierce firefight, the vicious criminals… none materialized. Not even a single gunshot.

A house collapsed in the fire's aftermath, a disturbingly calm man, and a lifeless body.

It was the quiet before the storm, the eerie stillness after the dust settled.

Beep beep beep—!!!

Suddenly, the Honkai energy detectors provided by Schicksal for this operation went haywire, emitting a shrill, piercing alarm.

The rank-and-file officers were bewildered, but those in the know paled. Before an evacuation order could be given, the sky darkened ominously.

Thick smoke from the fire mingled with dark clouds, forming an inky blackness that seemed ready to spill onto the earth. The oppressive weight of the unnatural clouds was palpable, even to the greenest officers. They looked up, their eyes catching glimpses of a spectral wolf lurking within.

Awoooo!

A wolf howled. The sky couldn't contain the darkness any longer. It rapidly enveloped the entire area.

Bang—

Perhaps it was the tension, but an officer, nerves frayed, fired at Chris. In his mind, whatever was happening had to be connected to this man. Eliminate him, and the problem was solved. Bullets were truth. No Honkai could withstand the truth.

The bullet hit its mark. The officer's aim was true. It pierced Chris's forehead, the force tearing through bone and brain matter, splattering gore onto the ground.

"Got him!" A collective sigh of relief went through the officers. But before the shooter could even smile, a withered hand clamped onto his face. With a sickening crunch, powerful fingers burrowed into his skull.

Then, like a ripe watermelon splitting open, the officer's head exploded.

"Monster!"

Someone screamed. A hail of bullets ripped towards the desiccated figure, embedding themselves with dull thuds like nails into wood. Then, silence.

The figure turned, a scorched and twisted face staring back at them.

Bullets were no longer truth. Power was.

Raw, unrefined power. When Chris effortlessly punched through a man's ribcage, crushing his heart, no one spoke of bullets as truth anymore.

The Theater of Domination currently housed too few puppets to grant flashy abilities, but Chris didn't need abilities. He needed pure, unadulterated violence.

The very violence he abhorred.

Only when that violence surpassed all others could he find the peace he craved.

Blood sprayed, painting the street crimson. In the deepening fog, only the wolf could hunt.

"Damn it, run!" An officer scrambled into a squad car, speeding down the road. But no matter how he drove, he ended up back where he started.

Boom—!

Chris grabbed a nearby corpse and hurled it at the car.

The vehicle's frame buckled. Bulletproof glass shattered into a million deadly shards, peppering the driver. The thrown corpse was unrecognizable.

Chris was an unstoppable juggernaut, fueled by brute strength and speed, systematically turning the unfortunate officers into… well, let's just say chunky salsa.

The officer in charge frantically dialed Schicksal, his lips trembling. "Honkai incident… This is a high-level Honkai incident!"

But the call wouldn't connect. A heavy curtain seemed to have fallen, blocking all signals.

Unaware of the communication blackout, he kept dialing with one hand, his pistol clutched in the other.

After an unknown amount of time, the carnage stopped. The sickening splatters ceased. The officer swallowed, cautiously peeking out.

Bang—

It wasn't an attack, but his own nervous twitch causing an accidental discharge. After surveying the surroundings, he relaxed slightly. "The monster… seems to have gone somewhere else."

Wiping his brow, his tense muscles began to unclench. He wiped again, puzzled. Was he sweating that much?

As the thought formed, he noticed his sleeves were soaked crimson. He looked up just as a dislodged eyeball landed squarely on his nose, bouncing playfully on the concrete.

Boom—!

Blood sprayed across the car window. Reflected in the dark glass was a distorted, humanoid shape.

He had turned around.