With Sirin's sustaining influence gone and deprived of support from the Herrscher of a Thousand People, the Theater of Domination began crumbling apart.
Kiana plummeted through darkness, barely any intact skin left on her body, yet still firmly gripping her dual blades.
"Kiana..."
"Kiana!"
In the consciousness domain, Fu Hua tried to rouse Kiana, but her calls fell empty. Kiana continued her descent, unresponsive amidst the void, showing no signs of awareness.
"Ah, she's still causing chaos!" In the consciousness world, Fu Hua shook her head and sighed—this certain Elder Immortal, who preferred to remain unnamed, seemed completely oblivious to how Kiana's relentless determination matched hers.
Just as Fu Hua planned to leverage the connection between their consciousnesses and bodies to forcibly remove Kiana from danger, a slender yet powerful hand emerged amidst the shattered space.
"Hm?"
Taken aback for a moment, Fu Hua quickly recognized the owner of that hand.
In the next instant, it grabbed Kiana by the nape of her neck, pulling her out of Virtual Space—and inadvertently bringing along Fu Hua, who was possessing Kiana at the time.
Deep within Virtual Space, a new Theater of Domination emerged—more accurately, just its hastily constructed embryonic stage with nothing but an empty floor.
One by one, dolls materialized on the vast expanse, accompanied by a cacophony of voices rising and falling.
After some time, once all individuals had assembled, the Host finally appeared at the theater's center. The floor beneath her feet slowly rose, forming a raised platform facing the crowd.
"Silence!" commanded the Host firmly.
Despite previously planning to eliminate these entities, she remained unfazed about potential repercussions.
It wasn't because they lacked the ability to initiate a vote against her, nor did she trust their collective judgment as an unorganized mass. Rather, aside from the initial few dolls involved in the plan, no others knew of the Host's true intentions.
Needless to say, the Pope, Dean, and the resurrected General were participants themselves; revealing the plot would be akin to signing their own death warrants.
Similarly, the revived Architect, though undoubtedly harboring resentment from being deceived once, knew that exposing herself would not be valued by the dolls for her contribution as a whistleblower. Instead, after sanctioning the Host and her allies, they would eliminate the Architect too, ensuring no future threats with one decisive action.
The Architect was no fool; to protect herself, despite any dissatisfaction, she had no choice but to maintain secrecy.
Under these circumstances, the Host's previous maneuvers could at most be considered a case of plans failing to keep up with unforeseen changes, without causing significant issues. She still retained her position as the highest-ranking strategist.
After all, who else could orchestrate such elaborate schemes like she does?
Furthermore, although their counterattack failed, the outcome saw the majority of individuals surviving. Strictly speaking, their losses were minimal—the unorganized masses needed a Host, which remained the consensus among the Herrscher of a Thousand People.
"I understand you must have grievances, but the situation is already as it stands. We attempted to create a Queen wielding five abilities, yet we still failed. Right now, our primary focus should not be on assigning blame, but rather planning our next move... You can clearly see that our predicament is dire; there is no time to waste."
The Host's authoritative tone suppressed the individual grumblings and complaints.
Indeed, the situation was perilous. The enemy had demonstrated their unshakable strength, with a unified threat looming imminent. The dolls looked up at the Host, awaiting her further analysis and plans.
"Listen closely, I believe... Wait, what is that? Who created the black mist? This isn't the time for jokes... Enemy attack!"
Standing high, the Host spotted the peculiar black mist emerging behind the crowd and swiftly reacted.
However, by the time the dolls turned around, the fog had already enveloped more than half of them.
"What is this?"
One doll raised a hand, attempting to disperse the mist before its eyes, only to suddenly see a flash of blades.
"Shhhk!"
Within the shroud of black mist, a graceful figure clad in black armor darted rapidly among countless individuals, leaving trails of blade marks in its wake.
"It's their pursuit, quick..."
"So you must be their brain, huh? Have a good rest; it won't hurt, and you won't die."
As the Host's slender figure suddenly appeared before her eyes, what struck her most were the erect donkey ears covered in black armor atop the newcomer's head.
Then, the Host lost consciousness.
"What the hell is this?!"
"Group up, quickly group up!"
"There she is! Take her down!"
"Ahh!!"
After a brief moment of chaos, the black mist enveloped all present figures, and the assailant swiftly felled them one by one.
Yae Sakura remained on the platform, gazing down at the fallen dolls shrouded in black mist, as she removed her armored helmet.
Long cherry-blossom-colored hair, azure pupils, and a delicate, endearing face captivated the scene. Most striking were the elongated pink fox ears standing tall atop her head, adding an exotic allure to her presence.
"Zeke-san, following your instructions, I've injected the modified corruption virus into their bodies. A few managed to escape early, but they won't pose any further issues now," Yae Sakura respectfully reported, bowing towards the virtual screen that materialized before her.
Seated within a hazy space, Zeke lifted his head and nonchalantly responded:
"Not bad efficiency, but your vigilance could use improvement."
"Huh? What do you mean... Who's there?!"
Yae Sakura's guard instantly raised again. She spun around, hand resting on her sword at the waist, feeling slightly unnerved.
If not for Zeke's warning, Yae Sakura might not have noticed the doll standing just a few steps behind her.
"Is it one of the missed individuals? No, that can't be right; I clearly checked before."
Frowning, Yae Sakura was puzzled by this peculiar doll.
"Click!"
"Click! Click! Click!"
Under Yae Sakura's watchful gaze, the strange doll suddenly began contorting its joints and body. After a series of tremors, the doll shattered, revealing a golden feather that emitted a white radiance.
Moments later, a sight that made Yae Sakura's pupils contract appeared before her: a blonde-haired young man with striking features.
His unparalleled beauty exuded a gentle and refined aura, accompanied by a composed smile and adorned in elegant bishop robes. The youth respectfully bowed to Zeke's image on the virtual screen.
"Greetings, Your Supreme Majesty, Emperor!"
"...Spare me the formalities, it gives me goosebumps." Zeke responded, somewhat taken aback.
Zeke responded speechlessly.
While technically correct, he couldn't help but feel awkward, as if dealing with someone afflicted by chuunibyou syndrome.
"Alright, spill it. What brings you here, Otto? Are you suddenly interested in the Herrscher of a Thousand People?" Zeke asked.
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