"Failed."
"Unexpectedly, not only is the Herrscher of Wind resolute and unshakable, but even the Herrscher of Death turned out to be... surprising."
"Tch! We thought the Herrscher of Death would be a breakthrough, a chance to win big. If we had known, we should have sent only one in alone—that would have given us a better shot."
"Disconnect the connection, Architect. There's no point in watching any further."
"What now, Host?"
"Wait! With the Herrscher of Wind and the Herrscher of Death out of commission, the opposition won't stay quiet. You three, go stake out the area around Anti-Entropy headquarters. First, expose one of yourselves and make it look like you're in a weakened state. Let them kill you. Then, wait for the Herrscher of Void to appear. If she doesn't come out, keep exposing and sacrificing until you're all dead, or until the Herrscher of Void shows up!"
The Host coldly issued the order to the three expendable units.
"What?"
The remaining units were stunned.
Wait, we're about to lose most of our strength and enter a severely weakened state, and you want to target the Herrscher of Void?
If you're looking for death, this isn't the way to go about it!
The Host replied icily:
"The situation has reached its worst point, but I still have one move left. Don't forget, in the last battle, our main objective was to leave threads on these Herrschers, connecting to their Herrscher powers. Seele Vollerei left the theater before the war to heal Ana Schariac, so her stay was too brief for us to make actual contact with the Herrscher of Death's personality. That led to this miscalculation. But the Herrscher of Void is different, she won't be another Herrscher of Death."
"Wait! With the threads left behind from the last battle, it's true we could manifest the Herrscher of Void in physical form. But don't forget, we're about to lose most of our strength. Even if we manifest her, what then? First, we won't be able to maintain her physical form for long. Second, we definitely won't have the energy to seize her power!"
"We don't need to seize it. Give her one of our cores and make her a part of the Herrscher of Thousands."
"Hiss—Could it be that this was your plan all along?"
The Pope and the Dean, the more astute among them, looked at the Host with suspicion.
First, manipulate the fighting units to drag the two opposing Herrschers down with them. Then lull Anti-Entropy and Schicksal into complacency. The real goal was to free the Herrscher of Void and bring her into the collective of the Herrscher of Thousands.
As for whether she would agree... she likely would. During the covert contact in the last war, they had already sensed the Herrscher of Void's hatred. To gain freedom and exact revenge, the Herrscher of Void had no other choice.
And whether the sacrifice was worth it—oh, it was beyond worth it!
The spatial powers, paired with the Theater of Domination, would bring a qualitative leap for the Herrscher of Thousands. They could open pathways anytime, anywhere, freely change the theater's coordinates, block unwanted "guests," and prevent "friendly" guests from leaving at will. Most directly, their escape capabilities would become nearly invincible.
The Herrscher of Ice's powers acquired earlier were not weak, but strength and compatibility are two different matters.
In short, if they could obtain the Herrscher of Void's power, enduring temporary weakness and sacrificing one seat in the Herrscher of Thousands was a massive gain!
Moreover, the Herrscher of Void, at her peak, was a six-core fusion. If she joined the Herrscher of Thousands, her potential alone would far surpass the powers of the Herrscher of Wind and Herrscher of Death combined.
In summary, if an opportunity arose to contact the Herrscher of Void and execute this plan, any previous sacrifices would be insignificant!
The Host shook their head, speaking with a hint of regret:
"This is the second-phase plan. The first-phase plan was genuine. Ideally, we would have secured the Herrscher of Wind and Herrscher of Death's powers and then recruited the Herrscher of Void as an equal partner. But the failure of the first phase doesn't prevent me from moving to the second phase. It just means we'll need to lower our posture and lick the Queen of Void's high heels if necessary... After all, we're all Herrschers. It's not a big deal."
"...…" ×7
The Host's shamelessness and cunning left the other puppets speechless.
The two-phase plan was flawless.
The first phase aimed for the powers of the Herrschers of Wind and Death. Success or failure, they would fall into the infinite Imaginary Space. Then, the second phase would naturally begin—drawing out Kiana and recruiting the Herrscher of Void. This phase had a much higher chance of success than the first.
The puppets nodded one after another.
Shortly after, one of the three disposable units spoke up:
"If you had such a good plan, why didn't you say so earlier?"
"I suppose... it's partly because time was tight, and I didn't want to waste it arguing in the theater with so many units. That would risk further complications and delay the opportunity. Secondly, secrecy is crucial for any major endeavor. Units involved in the operation might get distracted or accidentally leak information. The second-phase plan has nothing to do with them, so keeping it hidden isn't a problem," the Pope explained leisurely, crossing her slender legs.
The remaining puppets nodded.
Honestly, if this had been brought up in the theater, they might still be arguing and would have missed the optimal timing.
The three disposable units exchanged glances, nodded, and then left the room to head to their assigned locations. After all, the Herrscher of Thousands shared a collective fate. Sacrifices were acceptable as long as the ultimate gain was sufficient, as they could always be revived. Even if all disposable units perished, the remaining five would be enough to wait for their power to recover.
And the allure of the Herrscher of Void made it worth the gamble.
Once they were gone, the five remaining puppets faced each other in silence. After a long pause, cold and wicked laughter filled the air.
"Haha! Well done, Host!"
"As expected of you—you bypassed the voting protocol and sent those trash units straight to the graveyard!"
"The Herrscher of Thousands thrives on numbers but also suffers from them. In the end, power is finite. The more units, the more it's divided. Our strength depends heavily on the quality of our components. Initially, we had to lower the bar to recruit enough people, prioritizing their wealth and status over ability and compatibility. Now, it's time for change."
"Indeed. With Anti-Entropy and Schicksal united, it's time to eliminate the weaker elements among us. They no longer hold power worth preserving. Now, they merely drain our energy and contribute nothing but dead weight."
"The Herrscher of Thousands will be reborn!"
"From now on, our policy is clear: only recruit individuals who enhance our power. Fewer but stronger—we'll take no more weaklings who serve only as liabilities. I propose a vote."
"Seconded!" ×4
The voting mechanism engraved in their cores did not activate, as the majority of units had yet to die. However, this was merely a matter of time.
In the shadows, five slender arms raised high. The declaration was clear—this collective had begun its transformation.
<+>
Tn: If you want to see more chapter of this story, please go to my Patreon[1], just for $5 each month, you can read till the latest chapter.
Latest Chapter in Patreon: Chapter 307: This Is a Coup[2]
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