Chapter 279: An Unexpected Meeting
Without the support of Sirin's power and the support of the Herrscher of Thousands, the Theater of Domination is falling apart.
Kiana was plummeting through the darkness, her body barely retaining any intact skin, yet she still tightly gripped the two long swords she had been using.
[Kiana—]
[Kiana!]
In the realm of consciousness, Fu Hua tried to wake Kiana, but despite calling her over and over again, there was no response. Kiana continued to fall through the void, her consciousness utterly silent.
"Sigh, she was still too reckless,"
Fu Hua shook her head and sighed within the spiritual world—a certain Immortal, who shall not be named, seemed to completely ignore the fact that she had risked everything just as much as Kiana.
Just as Fu Hua was preparing to forcibly carry Kiana away through the link between consciousness and body, a hand reached out from the fractured space.
"Hmm?"
Fu Hua froze for a moment, then realized who that hand belonged to.
In the next second, the hand grabbed Kiana by the back of her neck and pulled her out of the Imaginary Space—taking Fu Hua, who was attached to Kiana, along with her.
…
Deep within the Imaginary Space, a new Theater of Domination—or rather, a hastily assembled embryonic theater—existed. It was nothing more than an empty, barren floor, with nothing else.
One by one, puppets appeared on the vast empty floor, their chaotic voices filling the air.
It wasn't until all individuals had gathered that the Host finally revealed herself, stepping onto a raised platform that slowly ascended from the floor, standing before the assembly.
"Silence!"
The Host spoke with a steady voice.
Though she had previously planned to sacrifice these individuals, she was not worried about her own safety.
It wasn't because these puppets lacked the ability to launch a vote of sanction against her, nor because she trusted in their sense of unity. Rather, it was because, apart from the original few who had been part of the initial plot, no other puppet knew of her plan.
The Pope, the Dean, and the recently resurrected General were all participants themselves—exposing the plan would be their own undoing.
The resurrected Architect, while likely resentful after being tricked once, was not foolish. She knew that exposing the Host wouldn't earn her gratitude—it would only ensure that after sanctioning the Host and her co-conspirators, the group would eliminate her as well to tie up loose ends.
To protect herself, the Architect, no matter how bitter, could only remain silent.
Given this situation, the Host's previous maneuvers amounted to nothing more than plans failing to keep up with changes; no serious problems had occurred. She still retained her position as the chief strategist.
After all, who else could orchestrate so much?
Moreover, although their counterattack had failed, the majority of them had survived. Strictly speaking, their losses were minimal—the ragtag group still needed the Host, and that remained a consensus among the Herrscher of Thousands.
"I know you must be dissatisfied," the Host raised her voice, "but this is the outcome we have. We created a queen who now holds five powers—and still we failed. Right now, the priority isn't blame, it's the next step. You can see for yourselves how dire our situation is. We have no time to waste."
She set the tone, suppressing the grumbling complaints from the crowd.
Indeed, the situation was dangerous. The enemy had shown unshakable strength, and the threat of unification was imminent. The puppets all raised their heads, looking toward the Host, waiting for her to present the next plan.
"Listen, I believe that—wait, what's that? Who summoned the black mist? This isn't the time for jokes— Enemy attack!!!"
Standing high up, the Host could clearly see a strange black mist emerging at the rear of the gathering and quickly sounded the alarm.
However, by the time the puppets turned around, the mist had already enveloped more than half of them.
"What is this stuff?"
One puppet raised her hand, waving at the mist in front of her. Suddenly, a flash of a blade gleamed before her eyes.
Whoosh!
Within the black mist, a graceful figure clad in dark armor darted rapidly through the crowd, leaving slashes across numerous puppets.
"It's them chasing us down, hurry—"
"It seems you're the brains behind them, right? Get some sleep, don't worry, you won't die, and it won't hurt."
The Host barely had time to react before the tall figure appeared right in front of her.
What stood out the most was the pair of donkey-like ears atop her head, also covered in black armor.
Then, the Host lost consciousness.
"What the hell is that!?"
"Group up, quickly!"
"Over there! Get her!"
"Aah!!"
After a brief outburst of chaos, the black mist completely engulfed all individuals present, and the attacker cut down every puppet in the area.
She then stopped on the high platform, looking down at the numerous fallen puppets now hidden beneath the mist. She removed her black helmet.
Long, cherry-pink hair, turquoise eyes, and a delicate, beautiful face that invoked sympathy. The most striking feature, however, was the long, pink fox ears standing upright on her head, giving her an exotic, captivating allure.
"Mr. Sigurd, following your instructions, I have injected the modified erosion virus into their bodies. A very few managed to escape beforehand, but from now on, they won't pose a problem."
Yae Sakura bowed respectfully toward the virtual screen that appeared before her.
Sitting in a misty gray space, Sigurd raised his head and responded casually,
"Efficient work. But your vigilance could use some improvement."
"Huh? What do you mean by—who's there!?"
Yae Sakura instantly raised her guard again, turning around and resting her hand on the sword at her waist, her instincts prickling with unease.
Had Sigurd not given her a warning, she wasn't even sure she would have noticed—someone was standing just a few steps behind her.
'Did I miss one of the puppets? No… I made sure they were all down.'
Yae Sakura frowned, puzzled by the strange figure.
Click!
Click! Click! Click!
Before her eyes, the bizarre puppet began to twist its joints and body unnaturally. After a tremor, the puppet's surface shattered, releasing a burst of golden feathers and a wave of white light.
Moments later, standing before Yae Sakura was a golden-haired young man, causing her pupils to shrink in shock.
An extraordinarily handsome face, a gentle and refined demeanor, a composed smile, and a luxurious and elegant bishop's robe. The young man smiled softly, bowing respectfully toward Sigurd's image on the screen.
"Greetings to His Majesty the Supreme Emperor!"
"…Enough already, you're giving me goosebumps,"
Sigurd replied flatly.
Although the title wasn't wrong, Sigurd couldn't help feeling awkward, as if caught in some teenager's cringey fantasy.
"So, why are you here, Otto? Don't tell me you've taken an interest in the Herrscher of Thousands too?"
Sigurd asked.
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