In a world full of variables, what is the best way to create the exact situation you desire?
Based on Li Zihan's experience, it was to knock down every single existence that could be called a variable.
As long as there was no one to stand in his way, modifying the situation to his liking was a remarkably simple matter.
Therefore, he had to take out the variables one by one.
Right, that meant beating down Otto, Welt, and the half-crippled High Immortal.
Otto was a man full of sassy operations. Letting him observe from the sidelines would absolutely lead to a mountain of shenanigans, so he had to be dragged into the mess.
Welt was a man with a strong sense of justice. He would never allow the Second Herrscher to cause any harm to humanity. Even if Li Zihan were just putting on an act, Welt would rush in to stop him.
The reason for hammering Shenzhou's Flatboard was simpler. Her strength had been greatly diminished since she was killed by her disciple, and she had been sticking with Otto to protect Shenzhou. Otto was a master of stirring up trouble, so Fu Hua, who followed him, was naturally a major problem.
Once he had beaten these three to the ground, he could head to the moon, take the power the Herrscher of the End had left there, grab Cecilia's soul along the way, and then find some random excuse to get himself killed.
He could be hit by Anti-Entropy's silver bullet, bombarded by Schicksal's Honkai Fission Missiles, or even taken out by a nuclear weapon deployed by some country that learned of the Herrscher's appearance.
In short, all he had to do was get injured during a battle and then be killed by a sudden attack.
For the sake of a logical and reasonable exit, he chose to seek out the First Herrscher, Welt.
However, after activating his Clairvoyance—God's Perspective—he seemed to have spotted another very interesting person.
A certain someone whose reputation, like a briquette of black coal, had taken him a very long time to coat with a layer of white paint.
Without much hesitation, just before he was about to capture the First Herrscher, he appeared before this man.
---o---
Snap—
It was like a signal.
Ripples spread across space itself.
In a single instant, arms formed from Imaginary energy dragged Shubb-Niggurath and Salome Jokanaan, who had no time to react, into the Imaginary Space.
Simulated Herrscher of the Void—Imaginary Hand.
Arms of Imaginary energy drag enemies into the Imaginary Space, leaving them at the user's mercy, while also allowing the user to throw the enemy to any location.
In a single encounter, two A-rank Valkyries were unceremoniously airdropped far away.
"What did you do to them?!" the white-haired man, having lost his teammates in an instant, roared as he drew his dual pistols.
The Key of Destruction—the Might of An-Utu was a Divine Key with three forms: dual pistols, a cannon, and a greatsword.
The pistol mode, for dealing with weaker enemies.
The cannon mode, for dealing with large or powerful enemies.
And the greatsword mode, which, at the cost of one's own life, could obliterate a Judgment-class Honkai Beast with a single blow and pose a fatal threat to a Herrscher.
Without the slightest hesitation, Siegfried transformed the Might of An-Utu in his hands into cannon mode and slammed the trigger.
Like a great dragon of flame soaring into the sky, a blast that could turn an entire city street into a fiery hellscape if it landed in a town rushed toward its target.
If it were to hit, even alloy steel would melt into molten iron.
But could such an attack truly be effective against a Herrscher?
The person simulating the Second Herrscher gave his answer.
"Is that all?"
Li Zihan sighed, snapping his fingers out of sheer boredom.
Imaginary matter materialized in the real world, transforming into extremely thin, flexible ribbons.
The Void Ribbons.
The Void Lances can transform into extremely thin, flexible ribbons with incredible cutting power. Two lance-ribbons can be twisted together to form a spear with even greater piercing power than the standard lance. The ribbons can also be laid flat and coiled into a round shield to block attacks.
The flames, capable of melting steel, were completely blocked.
The next moment, the attack that struck the Void Ribbons seemed to be absorbed by something and vanished into nothingness.
And then—
A terrifying sense of crisis descended upon Siegfried.
Instinctively, he leaped to the side. The next moment, flames rained down from the sky.
Immediately after, like a cannon barrage, several lances, spiraled into tight coils, shot out with a roar.
The weapons known as the Void Lances easily tore through the air, breaking the sound barrier.
Faced with such an attack, Siegfried's expression hardened, and he threw a fierce punch forward.
Immense force generated unparalleled speed. He felt his fist plunge into the air as if it had been thrust into a current of water, the resistance multiplying until his punch surpassed the speed of sound.
For an instant, the resistance seemed to vanish. As a result, the air in front of him was instantly torn into countless fragments, exploding outward in a destructive storm.
Countless gashes opened in the ground, kicking up the accumulated snow. Everything not firmly anchored was swept forward by the gale.
The violent force of his punch knocked aside the several lances blocking his path to the enemy.
And then—
He shot forward.
As an excellent warrior, Siegfried was clearly not one to surrender without a fight.
It was obvious that this enemy had strong defenses against ranged attacks. To fight them, he had to try close combat.
Siegfried had always had absolute confidence in his close-quarters fighting ability.
Having inherited Kevin's bloodline, he could kill a Templar-class Honkai Beast with a single punch.
And the Apostles of God—Herrschers—were glass cannons, high on offense and low on defense.
If he could close the distance and hit her before she could react, he would have a chance at victory.
But—
Was it really that simple?
The man, swinging his fist, met a pair of somewhat indifferent golden eyes.
And then—
Siegfried's body froze.
Upon entering the two-meter zone around the Herrscher's body, his momentum, like an arrow that had lost some kinetic energy over a long distance, suddenly plunged into extremely viscous, high-density mercury. His rapid advance slowed to a crawl, no different from a snail, as if every centimeter of progress required the utmost effort.
Siegfried's pupils contracted violently.
He didn't feel like he was being obstructed; in fact, his punch felt incredibly smooth.
But—
He couldn't hit the enemy.
The distance had been stretched.
"Forget it. Beating you up now doesn't really count as getting revenge for them. It's not very logical."
And then—
His face went rigid.
The Second Herrscher before him had vanished.
"So, just be grateful and make your exit."
The Second Herrscher's androgynous voice sounded from behind Siegfried.
He was standing behind him, holding the dual pistols known as the Might of An-Utu.
And then—
Black and red feathers fluttered into the air.
The white-haired man staggered and crashed heavily to the ground.