"Mei, have you made contact yet?"
"No. There's still no response from Wendy and Seele. It seems they've indeed been pulled into the Theater of Domination and are likely in a tough battle."
Half an hour after Wendy and Seele disappeared, in the meeting room, Kiana and Raiden Mei exchanged glances, both frowning.
"Logically, Wendy and the others shouldn't lose."
Kiana assessed her companions' combat capabilities, but the fact that there had been no sign of them for half an hour made it hard not to worry.
Raiden Mei tried reaching out again, but to no avail. Her expression turned grave as she said:
"We underestimated them. We didn't expect the Herrscher of Thousands to act so decisively. Perhaps, after suffering repeated setbacks, they still have some troublesome cards hidden up their sleeves."
"Are they in danger?"
Ana, who was also in the meeting room but had temporarily lost her Herrscher powers, asked hesitantly.
Kiana shook her head.
"Unlikely. Wendy's overall strength is formidable, and Seele is a fully awakened Herrscher. They won't be easily overwhelmed. My guess is they've been trapped by some means. In any case, I'll go check it out. If the Herrscher of Thousands used spatial powers, there will definitely be traces left behind that I can track."
"Kiana, I'll go with you. Two people make it safer."
"Alright, I'll feel much more at ease with you, Mei."
"There's no time to lose. Let's head directly to where they disappeared."
Kiana stood up, and Raiden Mei picked up her sword sheath.
Ana, sitting nearby, hesitated for a moment before slapping her cheeks to regain focus and saying:
"Thinking about it calmly, I can't be of much help right now. So—please be careful. I'll wait here for your return."
"Ah, don't worry! Yours truly will bring those two little troublemakers back safe and sound. Take care of things here. See you later!"
Kiana beamed with a bright smile, while Raiden Mei nodded understandingly and gave a reassuring smile.
Ana's decision was the right one. No matter how incompetent the Herrscher of Thousands might seem, they were still Herrschers—a vast gulf separated them from ordinary Valkyries. Ana's restraint was commendable.
<+>
"Surprisingly smooth. The Herrscher of the Void has appeared. What's next?"
"Next, Dean, reveal the locations of those three individuals to Anti-Entropy. General, inform those three that they've been discovered. To prevent the plan from being exposed and to confuse the enemy, instruct them to commit suicide."
"Not bad. This way, we can bypass the mutual non-aggression mechanism and eliminate all the deadweight before securing the Herrscher of the Void."
"Didn't expect things to happen so quickly. But this is good. If those useless ones in the Theater of Domination receive the Herrscher of the Void's support, they might secure the authority of the Herrscher of Wind and Death before vanishing."
"The question is, who will make contact with the Herrscher of the Void?"
"That one's not easy to deal with. Whoever goes will face significant risks."
They all recalled the intense killing intent they had felt from the Herrscher of the Void, making them shudder.
Given the queen's personality, agreeing to cooperate while killing the envoy on the spot was entirely within the realm of possibility. Unfortunately, they couldn't risk giving those three useless ones a chance to share authority, which would make cleaning them up later even harder. Sending them to negotiate would've been the most fitting option otherwise.
The five puppets fell silent, each unwilling to speak.
The host, having just devised a trap to eliminate all individuals outside their group, found herself in a precarious position. At this moment, no one wanted to gamble on whether they, too, would be abandoned and unable to resurrect after dying.
After a long pause, the host was the first to speak:
"I can't go. You're all wary of me right now. If something happens to me—the likelihood of you taking advantage of the situation or kicking me while I'm down is too high."
At the same time, the Pope, Dean, and General stood together, collectively turning their gazes to the Architect.
The Architect, now standing alone, felt her pupils constrict—they had secretly allied.
The Architect glanced at the silent host, then at the three standing shoulder-to-shoulder. After a long while, she lowered her head.
"Looks like I don't have a choice… Thinking about it, my value is irreplaceable, and my threat level is the smallest. It seems I'm the only one who can go."
The main issue was that the Architect had become the minority. In the Herrscher of Thousands, the minority had no choice but to obey the majority. She truly had no alternative.
"Rest assured. If something happens to you, we will resurrect you. After all, your value is indeed irreplaceable," the host said sincerely.
But the Architect saw through her lie—it was simple logic. If the Herrscher of the Void joined them, what would they need a spatially gifted individual for? No matter how talented, she would be nothing compared to the Herrscher of the Void.
Most likely, the host had brought her in just to use her today.
Silent, the Architect turned and walked away.
The same old saying: The minority has no choice.
Right now, the Architect could technically refuse; the host and others wouldn't be able to force her. However, once the Theater of Domination was completely eradicated and the five of them became the only remaining entities, the voting mechanism would compel obedience. At that point, they would have countless ways to eliminate her.
Taking a risk now or facing inevitable doom later—the answer was clear.
<+>
While Kiana and Raiden Mei were on their way, they received news that three puppet individuals had committed suicide near the headquarters.
"What the hell? What are they trying to do?"
Kiana scratched her head in frustration.
Raiden Mei looked utterly confused.
"I don't know. I'm getting less and less able to understand them."
"I've realized one thing, though."
"What's that, Kiana?"
"We shouldn't have played so many mind games with the Herrscher of Thousands. Mei, this is fighting their strength with our weakness!"
Her words were incisive.
Raiden Mei nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, both of them stopped in their tracks. One was clad in pitch-black armor like flowing ink, while the other slowly unsheathed her long blade.
"Wait, I'm here to negotiate!"
Shu!
Without hesitation, Kiana and Raiden Mei instantly appeared before the puppet. One delivered a skull-crushing punch, while the other swung a decapitating blade. Whatever the puppet said didn't matter—the priority was to neutralize her first.
"Don't you want to know about Wendy and Seele's safety?"
A fist stopped inches from the puppet's forehead, while a blade hovered at her neck. The Architect froze, not daring to move a muscle.
"Might as well kill her. Once we get to the site, I'll naturally figure out their whereabouts," Kiana decisively said.
The Architect hurriedly interjected:
"We've already completely severed the spatial connection between the Theater of Domination and the real world. Your powers won't work!"
"What do you want, then?"
"What I want... is just this little bit of contact time, you fools!"
The Architect's lips curled into a sinister smile as she mockingly looked at the two.
At the same time, Kiana's expression shifted as a tearing sensation surged through her body.
"Kiana!?"
Raiden Mei, noticing the chaos in Kiana's aura, swung her blade to eliminate the puppet and check on Kiana's condition.
In the next moment, two flawless, jade-like fingers gently pinched the edge of Raiden Mei's blade.
"K-Kiana…"
Boom!!!
A sudden, immense force sent Raiden Mei flying hundreds of meters, slamming her into the mountainside.
Kiana stood frozen in place, her movements stiff. A face of unparalleled beauty emerged from beside her, perfectly framed and impossible to forget.
"This must be our first meeting in the real world, little bug."
A silver-haired, golden-eyed girl floated before her, her snow-white dress fluttering despite the absence of wind. She extended a slender finger and lightly tapped Kiana's sturdy black armor. At her touch, cracks began to spread across it.
The nanobots worked furiously to maintain its structure and repair the damage. But as the girl tapped her finger once more, the black armor finally shattered and disintegrated completely.
"Heh! So this armor you rely on… turns out, it's only this strong."
Her mocking tone carried absolute confidence and indifference, as if what she had shattered wasn't cutting-edge technology but mere cardboard.
Kiana, unable to move, clenched her teeth tightly and forced out a name she would never forget:
"—Sirin!!!"
<+>
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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[1] https://www.patreon.com/collection/95348?view=expanded
[2] https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-131269637
[3] https://www.patreon.com/posts/honkai-strijder-131269637
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