Chang Yuan pummeled Anna relentlessly, his Stigmata power surging with each strike.
Compared to Durandal and the others—who had been ready to use weapons—he was being merciful.
Besides, he was also channeling Elysia's Stigmata power. Maybe beating some sense into her would work?
"Can't you scream something normal? Stop with the '1, 1, 1'—just talk!"
He slammed Anna into the ground with an over-the-shoulder throw, then dusted frost off his hands.
The impact was so loud even Durandal's group heard it. Their faces twisted in unison.
"Durandal… Didn't we agree that if she was conscious, she'd say '1'?"
"Uh… Yeah, I think so."
"So Anna right now…"
"IS FULLY AWARE?!" x Everyone
Their souls left their bodies.
"CHANG YUAN, STOP! STOP HITTING HER!"
Rita's scream finally made him pause.
But after being beaten for so long, Anna—now a Herrscher with amplified negativity—was furious.
The moment Chang Yuan let up, she summoned ice spears and hurled them at him.
"Tch. Guess we're doing this the hard way."
Seeing this, Rita doubted again—was Anna really conscious?
(Of course, none of them considered how they'd react if beaten senseless after clearly signaling awareness.
Even a saint would snap.)
"Wait… Do Herrschers have their own language?"
"Not that I know of. I spoke normally as one."
Mei shrugged under their collective stare.
"Then why's Anna… like this?"
Baffled, they could only watch until—an hour later—Anna finally reverted.
"Whew. Modern-era Herrschers have stamina."
Wiping sweat, Chang Yuan sighed in relief.
Holding back while fighting was exhausting.
(Like sparing an ant without crushing it.)
"Took you long enough. My mobile OR's ready—get her in."
Vill-V (Expert Mode) emerged from her makeshift surgery tent, waving them over.
Soon, she extracted the Herrscher Core of Ice with practiced ease.
"Core's yours. My job's done—back to vacation~."
And just like that, she vanished.
"That's it? No drama? No plot twists?"
"Let's just ask Anna how it felt when she wakes up."
So they resumed their barbecue-and-UNO party, waiting till evening when Anna finally stumbled out.
Seeing them feasting and gaming after her ordeal, Anna swore:
If I ever turn Herrscher again, I'm punching these jerks first.
Then she zeroed in on the only male present.
"CHANG YUAN! I SAID '1'! WHY DID YOU KEEP HITTING ME?!"
"Huh? Since when does '1' mean 'stop'?"
The others froze, guilt radiating off them.
"Durandal-senpai, the, uh, moon's very… moon tonight."
"Y-Yeah! So white! I mean—round!"
"SENPAI! WHY DID YOU JUST WATCH?! DID YOU WANT ME TO GET BEAT UP?!"
Anna's fury wasn't at Chang Yuan—he hadn't known.
But the others? They'd let it happen.
"W-Well, we tried to stop him! But then you attacked, so we thought you'd really lost control! Hehe…"
Durandal's laugh was painfully awkward.
"NOT FUNNY! Do you know how traumatizing it is for a girl under 20 to get suplexed, elbowed, and slapped?!"
No physical marks remained—but the pain was etched into her soul.
It hurts… IT HURTS! HOW COULD YOU, SENPAI?!
"…Wait. So when you yelled '1, 1, 1'… you were conscious?"
"DUH! WHAT HERRSCHER SCREAMS NUMBERS?!"
Grumbling, Anna stole ALL of Durandal's skewers.
Neither Durandal nor Rita dared protest.
"…Senpais. If I turn Herrscher tomorrow… let me speak first. If I'm incoherent, then hit me. Deal?"
Chen Tianwu broke his silence.
If I stay quiet today, who'll speak for me tomorrow?
"Y-Yeah, sure. We'll… try."
Chang Yuan wiped sweat, avoiding Anna's glare.
Not my fault! Nobody told me!