"Mei, have you reached them yet?"
"No. We still can't contact Wendy or Seele. It seems they've indeed been pulled into the Theater of Domination. They're likely facing a tough battle."
Half an hour after Wendy and Seele disappeared, Kiana and Raiden Mei exchanged worried glances in the conference room.
"In theory, there's no way Wendy and the others should lose," Kiana assessed their teammates' combat capabilities. Yet with no sign from them for half an hour, it was hard not to feel concerned.
Raiden Mei tried contacting them again, but without success. With a grave expression, she said, "We underestimated the situation. The Herrscher of a Thousand People is more decisive than we anticipated. Perhaps even after sustaining multiple injuries, they still hold some troubling trump cards."
"Are they... in danger?" asked Ana hesitantly, also present in the conference room, albeit temporarily deprived of her Herrscher powers.
Kiana shook her head.
"I doubt it's that dire. Wendy's overall combat strength is incredibly formidable, and Seele is now a fully realized Herrscher herself—they won't be at any disadvantage in battle. I suspect they've been trapped somehow... In any case, I'll go check on them. The Herrscher of a Thousand People has manipulated space, so there must be traces left behind. I can track her."
"Kiana, let me accompany you. It's safer with two people."
"All right, having you along makes me feel more secure, Mei."
"No time to waste; we head straight to where they disappeared."
Kiana stood up, and Raiden Mei picked up her sheath.
Sitting nearby, Ana hesitated for a moment before slapping her cheeks and saying,
"Thinking calmly about it, I'm not equipped to help right now, so—please be extremely careful. I'll wait here for your return."
"Oh, don't worry! This lady will bring those little scatterbrains back safe and sound. Keep an eye on things here; see you later."
Kiana flashed a radiant smile, and Raiden Mei echoed with an understanding grin.
Ana's decision was wise. Regardless of how weak the Herrscher of a Thousand People might seem, as a Herrscher, her power still dwarfed that of ordinary Valkyries like night and day. It was commendable that Ana didn't act impulsively.
"It's surprisingly smooth; Herrscher of the Void has emerged. What next?"
"Next... Dean, reveal the locations of those three individuals to Anti-Entropy. General, inform them that they've been discovered. To prevent our plan from being exposed and confuse the enemy simultaneously, have them commit suicide."
"Well done. This way, we can bypass the mutual non-aggression clause and eliminate all the trash before acquiring the Herrscher of the Void."
"I didn't expect things to move so quickly, but it's fortuitous indeed. If these worthless fools within the Theater of Domination receive the Herrscher of the Void's empowerment, they might just secure the abilities of the Wind and Death Herrschers for us before disappearing."
"The question is, who will approach the Herrscher of the Void? That one isn't easy to deal with; whoever goes risks great danger."
Recalling the intense killing intent emanating from the Herrscher of the Void, everyone felt a chill run down their spines.
Given that Queen's temperament, it wouldn't be surprising if she agreed to cooperate only to immediately kill the envoy negotiating with her—truly unfortunate. However, they couldn't risk sharing their abilities with those three fools, as it might complicate matters later; otherwise, sending them would have been most suitable.
The five dolls fell silent, none willing to speak up.
Just moments ago, the host had devised a plan to eliminate everyone except themselves. Now, no one wanted to gamble on whether they too would be betrayed, fearing they might not even get resurrected after death.
After a prolonged silence, the host spoke first:
"I can't go. You all already distrust me, and should anything happen to me—the likelihood of you seizing the opportunity to finish me off is far too high."
Simultaneously, the Pope, Dean, and General stood together, turning their gazes collectively towards the Architect.
The solitary Architect's pupils contracted—they had secretly formed an alliance.
She looked at the silent host, then shifted her gaze to the trio standing shoulder-to-shoulder. After a moment, she bowed her head.
"It seems I have no choice... Upon careful consideration, my value is indeed irreplaceable, and I pose the least threat. It appears only I can undertake this task."
The main issue now was that the Architect found herself outnumbered. Among these Herrschers of a Thousand People, the minority must always yield to the majority; she truly had no choice.
"Don't worry, if anything happens to you, we'll bring you back," the host reassured her sincerely.
But the Architect could tell she was lying—it was simple logic: If the Herrscher of the Void joined them, what use would they have for someone with spatial abilities like hers? No matter how exceptional her talent, it meant nothing before the Herrscher of the Void.
Perhaps the host had enlisted her precisely for this moment?
Silently, the Architect turned and walked away.
As before, the minority has no choice. In truth, she could refuse now, as there was little the others could do to force her compliance. However, once the Theater of Domination is completely eradicated, and the five remaining individuals become the sole survivors—
Under the enforced voting mechanism, they would find ample ways to eliminate her.
Facing this present risk or certain doom in the future, the answer was clear.
Kiana and Raiden Mei received news halfway to their destination that three dolls had committed suicide near Headquarters.
"What nonsense! What were they trying to do?" Kiana scratched her head irritably.
Raiden Mei looked utterly bewildered. "I don't know; it's becoming increasingly incomprehensible."
"I did figure out one thing, though."
"What is it, Kiana?"
"We shouldn't have tried to outwit Herrscher of a Thousand People with so many schemes, Mei. It plays right into her strengths!"
Kiana's insight struck true.
Raiden Mei nodded in agreement.
Suddenly, both girls halted, one body enveloped in ink-black armor and the other slowly drawing her sword.
"Wait, I'm here for negotiations!"
Whoosh!
Without hesitation, Kiana and Raiden Mei closed the distance between themselves and the newly appeared doll instantaneously—one shattered its skull with a punch while the other decapitated it with a swing—choosing to neutralize the threat before listening to any explanations.
"Don't you want to know if Wendy and Seele are safe?"
Fist paused just short of striking the forehead, blade suspended above the neck—the Architect froze, afraid to move even slightly.
"...Let's kill her anyway. Once we reach the scene, we'll naturally find out their whereabouts," Kiana decided swiftly.
But the Architect hastily interjected: "We've completely severed the spatial connection between the Theater of Domination and the real world; your abilities won't be of any use now!"
"And what do you want?"
"All I wanted was this brief moment to interact with you fools!" The Architect sneered at them, a sinister smile curling his lips.
At the same time, Kiana felt a tearing sensation within her body, causing her expression to shift abruptly.
"Kiana?!"
Raiden Mei couldn't miss the chaotic aura emanating from Kiana. With a swift swing of her blade, she aimed to dispatch the doll before attending to her friend's condition.
In the next instant, two flawless, ivory-like fingers gently grasped Raiden Mei's sword.
"Ki...Kiana..."
Boom! An immense force suddenly sent Raiden Mei flying hundreds of meters away, crashing into the side of a mountain.
Kiana stood frozen on the spot as a picture-perfect face emerged from behind her.
"This should be our first encounter in reality, little bug."
Her long, snow-white dress fluttered without any breeze, and the floating silver-haired girl with golden eyes lightly tapped Kiana's incredibly durable black armor with delicate fingers. To their surprise, cracks began appearing on the armor's surface.
The nanorobots strained to maintain their structure and rapidly repair the cracks, but with another gentle tap from Sirin's finger, the black armor finally shattered and vanished entirely.
"Ha! So that vaunted black armor is only this strong?"
Her taunting words carried absolute confidence and indifference, as if she had crushed not a groundbreaking suit of armor but merely some paper toy.
Immobile, Kiana gritted her teeth and slowly spat out an unforgettable name: "...Sirin!"