The morning in Linburg City was quiet and serene. The first rays of dawn streaked across the sky, dyeing the clouds a hopeful shade of orange-red
Yet, under this bright new light, the Theater of Domination, suspended in the clouds, seemed all the more cold and solemn—like a prison confining a fate that could not be escaped.
"I won't accept such a fate."
Gazing at the cold theater, the girl made her decision. She raised the greatsword in her hand high and charged toward the sky like a meteor defying its course.
However, since Ren dared to reveal the Theater of Domination so openly, he was naturally prepared. Kiana had only ascended about a thousand meters when she sensed something strange about the clouds around her. Before she could pinpoint the cause, a crimson beam locked onto her.
"FORWARD PROGRESS IS PROHIBITED."
With a dull, mechanical voice, ripples spread through the thin clouds. Then, a dense swarm of mechs materialized from quantum stealth, their gun barrels aimed squarely at the girl.
"No wonder Schicksal's forces surrounded this place for so long without daring to get any closer." Kiana halted her advance, not wanting to rush in recklessly. The sheer number of mechs Ren had deployed was truly staggering. As far as the eye could see, the entire sky was covered by the metallic glint of their armor.
The last time she'd seen a scene like this was when Anti-Entropy had besieged the Herrscher of the Void. But even the famously wealthy Anti-Entropy couldn't have mustered even a tenth of this force. She had no idea how Ren had amassed so much wealth in just one short year.
"But this isn't enough to stop me."
The mechs had only locked onto her, not attacked directly. The message was clear. But Kiana had already made up her mind. A mere wave of mechs wasn't going to stop her, not when she was a Herrscher with command over both the Void and Flames.
She slowly lowered the greatsword she held with one hand, then gripped it tightly with both. Turning slightly to face the tide of mechs, she took a deep breath, her eyes fixed on the theater beyond them.
"WITH THIS FLAME, I SHALL CLEAVE ALL BEFORE ME!"
The moment she swung the greatsword, the sky abruptly dimmed. The bright morning sun seemed to lose its color, leaving behind a boundless world of black. In the next instant, flames tore through the dark curtain, casting a pure white light upon the world below. Before the mechs' radar systems could even react, they were engulfed by intense heat and fire.
Amidst a continuous chain of explosions, a gaping hole was torn through the dense formation of mechs. Kiana didn't hesitate. Using the explosions as cover, she broke through the frontline blockade. Only when she was certain she was clear of their detection range did she look back to survey the damage she had caused.
Watching the wreckage rain down, she felt a pang of guilt. That one slash had probably vaporized several billion of Ren's assets.
"Sorry. I'll earn the money to pay you back later," she muttered, not entirely meaning it, and continued toward the Theater of Domination. Now that she was past the mechs' defensive line, she was already very close.
The endless, repeating corridors, the swaying, ring-shaped pendulums, and the massive theater at the core that covered almost the entire structure—from this distance, the silhouette of the Theater of Domination was already clearly visible.
"So this is... the Theater of Domination?"
A sense of familiarity washed over her. Kiana suddenly realized she had been to this theater long ago. Back when she had fallen into despair in ARC City, her consciousness had been in a similar place. Thinking back, it must have been Ren using his powers to help her.
"No, now's not the time to think about that." She shook her head violently, clearing her mind of past thoughts. Clenching her fists, she stared intently at the building not far away.
Ren saw the future, yet he himself was walking toward destruction. Forgiveness was the script the Herrscher of Domination had written for himself, but Kiana would not accept such a performance. She was going to step onto that stage and rewrite the flawed script completely.
She continued to ascend, reaching an altitude of four or five thousand meters. At this height, birds were scarce, but the Theater of Domination became even clearer. Just as she was about to get closer, an invisible barrier blocked her path.
"A spatial barrier?" She reached out and touched it, feeling the flow of Honkai Energy. This must have been another obstacle Ren had set up to keep her away.
"But setting up an invisible wall for the Herrscher of the Void... are you mocking me?" Nearing her goal, Kiana's heart relaxed considerably. She tapped on the invisible wall, then gently pressed her palm against the barrier.
As her power flowed, the barrier shattered. But just as she was about to step through, golden threads appeared from nowhere and wrapped around her wrist with incredible speed. Before she could break free, a dense web of threads swarmed her, climbing up her arm until her entire body was tightly bound.
It was clear now: the barrier was just a trap. The hidden threads were the real weapon.
With the barrier broken, Kiana looked again and saw that the entire area was covered in a vast quantity of puppet strings. Bound as she was, she was like a moth caught in a spider's web.
"Is this Ren? No, it's not him."
Though domination was Ren's power, he would never treat her this way. Kiana frowned. A sharp Lance of the Void materialized beside her and shot backward. With the sound of snapping threads, the now-spent lance was gently stopped by someone. She looked up and saw a figure both familiar and strange.
"Impressive use of our shared power."
Long white hair, azure eyes, and a face that was almost identical to her own. Kiana's pupils constricted, but she quickly composed herself.
"Who... are you?"
This wasn't their first meeting. She had been attacked by this person back when she fled ARC City to regroup with Bronya and the others. Back then, she had been too immature and lost her composure upon seeing their resemblance. Now, besides surprise, she was more focused on discovering the other's identity.
"Kiana" curled her lips into a meaningful smile. "Kiana Kaslana. That's my name."
"You..." Kiana's brow furrowed. She instinctively felt the other was mocking her, but as she carefully recalled the details of their first meeting, she realized it was very possible she wasn't lying. From the very beginning, this person had claimed to be Kiana, and had even wanted to replace her.
She didn't believe in being replaced, of course, but the girl's appearance was undeniably similar to her own. After a few seconds of thought, a possibility occurred to her.
"Are you also a product of Schicksal's Herrscher experiments?"
"..." "Kiana" paused, her eyes growing playful. "A very creative guess, but unfortunately, incorrect. I'm not your replacement. I am you. Just... from another Bubble Universe."
A Bubble Universe? Kiana had heard Bronya mention the concept, but due to her own limited education, she hadn't delved into it. If this person really was the Kiana from another world, then what was her relationship with Ren?
For some reason, Kiana felt an inexplicable sense of irritation.
As she was thinking, "Kiana" suddenly leaned in close. Staring into eyes that were almost identical to her own, she exuded a dangerous aura.
"Tell me," she purred, "if you were to die right here, don't you think I could just take your place in his heart?"