"Hahhh."
Sitting before the vanity, Rin took a deep, deliberate breath.
It wasn't from physical exertion, but purely from the pressure of the crowd. Although the Kagura dance was second nature to her, this was the first time Rin had ever performed in front of so many people. Compared to the tiny town in Yingzhou, the audience in Zenith City was immeasurably larger.
"Nngh!"
She loosened the sash at her back slightly.
The garment, no longer so constricting, allowed Rin to shrug the furisode from her shoulders. Just behind the now-open collar was a slipknot, one that required a certain technique to tie and left no visible trace from the outside.
Swoosh.
With a gentle tug.
The bindings restraining the mountains were instantly released. With both seals undone, Rin felt as if she could breathe freely again.
After returning the golden ornaments that had covered the tabletop to their box one by one, Rin looked up at the clock on the wall.
There were still nearly forty minutes until 10 PM.
Still plenty of time…
Knock, knock.
"Come in."
This was Yingzhou's "sanctum."
The Shenzhou authorities had specially constructed such a room for each ethnic group participating in the Taishan Grand Ceremony to use as a place of rest.
The general public was not allowed to approach or disturb them; only relevant personnel could come here.
Rin grabbed her sleeve and gave it a light tug, pulling the open collar back into place. While responding to the knock, she rose quickly from her seat—
"Miss Rin."
The visitor did not step into the room, but stood respectfully at the doorway, greeting her. The threshold, less than a foot high, seemed like an insurmountable chasm that could not be crossed.
"Please follow me to the mountain peak."
"Of course."
Wearing sunglasses at night seemed very strange, but Rin didn't feel anything was amiss. After all, while mechanical modification was far too "outdated" compared to Armed Automatons and Fusion Warriors, it was still considered quite formidable among the civilian population…
"?"
No, that's not right.
Rin was certain that the man she had seen at dusk had indeed undergone mechanical modification, but the one standing before her now… His aura was identical, and the credentials he wore were genuine, yet she felt a strange, inexplicable presence from him.
"…"
From where she had stood up, Rin had only moved half a step forward before she stopped, standing there and quietly observing the visitor.
"Miss Rin."
"Do you still need more time to prepare?" the man asked. There was no sense of urgency in his words, only thoughtful inquiry.
"…"
Rin remained motionless.
Until the faint, boisterous sounds of the crowd drifted in on the mountain breeze. Half an hour had passed since the end of Rin's Kagura performance, and the main crowd from the "Yingzhou stage" was now departing from an area not far from the sanctum.
"Who do you represent?"
Rin's voice was not loud, but it cut through the wind with abnormal clarity.
Ever since the tragedy of the Herrscher of Binding, the Fire Moth had replaced the former governments of the world, becoming the true leaders of human society. Such an action could not possibly go unopposed. Some of the scattered remnants of the old powers, relying on their remaining funds and intelligence advantages, had secretly gathered personnel to launch what they called a "struggle against dictatorship."
A direct confrontation with the Fire Moth was obviously suicidal, but in other aspects, they had been making constant small moves these past few days.
Rin had encountered them more than once.
"Represent who?"
"What are you talking about, Miss Rin? I naturally represent Mr. Yang…"
Swoosh—
THUNK!
A hairpin made from a hydrangea slammed violently into the edge of the wooden doorframe.
Besides the gentleness inherited from her mother, Rin also possessed her sister's decisiveness. Towards these behind-the-scenes factions making trouble, big or small, only by truly intimidating them could she ensure they would no longer interfere with her life.
This was Rin's principle for handling matters.
"…"
Clomp.
A hard leather shoe stepped over the threshold, landing heavily on the solid floor.
Click-Thud.
The door slowly swung shut.
Rin, her face a mask of vigilance, had even assumed a battle stance. Though she wasn't as powerful as her sister, the legacy passed down from the previous generation was something she had not neglected in the slightest.
However…
THUD!
The unexpected occurred.
The "Mr. Bodyguard," who had just been radiating combat intent, suddenly collapsed face-first onto the ground, as stiff as a wooden puppet!
Rin still did not lower her guard.
She couldn't be sure if he was feigning. The best course of action was to wait for the real escort to arrive.
But, just as Rin was preparing to confirm her suspicions…
"Aiya!"
A helpless, childish loli voice sounded from above the bodyguard.
Honkai energy surged from the body of the "marionette," gradually coalescing in the empty air into the form of a little girl—
[Primordial Species · Chenling]
"Well now, you're a bit tougher than I imagined."
"Judging by your aura, you're at the level of a Pseudo-Herrscher at best. This power… is it a dormant Herrscher Authority?"
The newcomer was none other than the Loli Demon God.
Aided by the [Authority of Domination] given to her by the Monarch, the Loli Demon God's ability to infiltrate human society had been further enhanced. Ordinary people had no power to resist the [Authority of Domination]; their level of Honkai energy adaptability only determined the duration of the "domination."
At the same time, due to the unique nature of this Authority, it could be further shared by the Loli Demon God with all members of her "squad."
If not for the fact that using a Herrscher's Authority was a massive drain on the Honkai energy reserves of MANTISes, which were already lower than those of Honkai Beasts, they could have achieved even more. At the Loli Demon God's current level, using the Authority of Domination was not yet enough to completely control ordinary people; both the duration and the number of subjects were somewhat limited.
"Herrscher? Authority?"
Rin heard familiar yet strange words from the other's mouth.
But at this moment, she had no time to comprehend their meaning. From this bizarrely appearing "human" before her, Rin sensed a terrifying aura. That faint, almost imperceptible sense of pressure…
Rin had only ever felt it from her sister's "colleagues."
If those factions secretly opposing the Fire Moth truly possessed such powerful forces, they would have been caught by the tail long ago!
Don't forget.
Brother Su was at the Taishan Grand Ceremony today—
"…"
"You… are not human."
A humanoid being who did not fear Brother Su…
MANTIS, Herrscher, humanoid Honkai Beast… the Black Emperor!
"Ohya?"
"It seems you've got a sharp mind, too."
"This was supposed to be a smooth job. Why couldn't you just be like the others and quietly follow the plan?"
The Loli Demon God spread her hands casually.
"You want to resist?"
Looking at Rin, who had not relaxed her stance, the Loli Demon God spoke slowly.
"Then let me test it out a little."
"That special quality… that caught the Monarch's attention!"