Upon hearing a vibrant voice calling her from behind, Raiden Mei's figure came to a slight halt.
Even before the battle had ended, she still turned sideways and looked at the silver-haired girl with hope in her eyes...
There was no doubt: at that moment, in her gaze, only she existed.
"It's been a long time, Kiana."
Raiden Mei seemed to smile.
But that smile didn't last long.
"It seems you've already made your decision."
Farther ahead, the Puppets of Domination began dissipating one after another.
Their level wasn't very high, so they had a limited amount of life force.
And under the roaring sonic waves of Kurikara, it was as if they had been wiped out by a Qingzabing: the majority vanished in an instant.
Of course, that outcome had long been anticipated by Ling Ke, hidden behind the scenes.
After all, Puppets of Domination can resurrect infinitely. As long as the "Hall of Rebirth" of the Theater of Domination exists, they can return again and again.
And each time, they will be "stronger, and greater in number."
The window of temporary advantage won't last long.
With time, the odds in humanity's favor will only continue to diminish.
And before that happens...
"Since you're here, according to the previously established rules, I'll initiate a large-scale pursuit of the Thunder Dragon Horse."
No. 001… no, it was Ling Ke, who, remotely controlling the body, uttered such words.
"I won't let you succeed."
Raiden Mei's eyes sharpened once more.
At that moment, the confusion that once lingered in her gaze had completely vanished.
Was it because of what had happened over the past few days?
"Oh, it's not that hard to guess."
The World Serpent headquarters, the paradise of the past life, the pursuit of the Thirteen Flamechasers Jie...
"It seems that because my butterfly flapped its wings, Raiden Mei's process of inheritance and engraving went much more smoothly than in the original timeline."
Ling Ke, in the Theater of Domination, smiled.
"After all..."
"During that period, there was no 'Vanished Fairy' running amok."
Exactly.
The Herrscher of Corruption, in this timeline, could only enter the Realm of Past Lives by fusing with Raiden Mei's body.
Now remembering that original plot...
"From this perspective, you really are a harbinger of disaster."
Ling Ke's eyes turned cold.
"Tsk~ Why didn't I notice it before?"
"Guess the filter was just too strong!"
Naturally, when it comes to his enemies, he is everything one could fear.
So...
"You won't let me succeed? Hah!"
On the deck of the Huberian, No. 001 synchronized his facial expression with Ling Ke's mocking tone.
"Then work hard, Miss Raiden Mei."
"Because there are too many people you could've saved, yet failed to… and still, they died."
"With your 'outstanding record' in the past, it's hard to believe you're saying anything now that isn't complete nonsense."
Hearing that...
"Then wait and see."
Raiden Mei gripped the tachi she held and raised it, pointing at the "Domination Puppet Ambi" before her.
"Ling Ke, you've gone from a victim… to a ruthless executioner."
"I'll show no more mercy."
Upon hearing her...
"Huh~ quite impressive."
No. 001 sneered.
"Yes, now I truly am an executioner."
"Just like you, right?"
At that moment, his face twisted even as he spoke. The expression was utterly terrifying.
"An executioner must be conscious of what they are."
"To be hated, scorned, insulted by the world, considered an object of loathing…"
"But why have I never seen that in you?"
Under Ling Ke's remote control, he turned his head and looked at Kiana, who stood not far away.
"Don't think that just because you now live under the sunlight, you can forget the shadows and sins that have long stained your body."
"We haven't forgotten them."
Kiana took a step forward, standing beside Raiden Mei, and spoke firmly:
"The sins of the past… we'll carry them with us to the end."
Bang~ bang~ bang~
No. 001 applauded.
"Well, well."
A dangerous smile curved at the corner of his lips.
"Remember clearly what you just said."
"I'm looking forward to seeing how far you make it."
In that instant, the space gate behind him opened.
He turned his back and left, ignoring the many gazes piercing through him.
Raiden Mei and the others made no move to pursue.
Because, after Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent shared their intelligence, all parties had become very familiar with that type of space gate.
But...
"That's a hurdle we'll eventually overcome."
A certain "Archbishop of Destiny" had once said that during a remote virtual meeting.
And to be honest, though Raiden Mei disagreed with many of his actions, she never doubted that man's capabilities.
However...
"Ah!!!"
A blood-curdling scream came from behind.
Everyone was startled.
Instinctively, they turned to look.
It was on the bridge Delisa had previously forced open, where a commotion had broken out.
Several helmsmen responsible for piloting the floating battleship "Huberian" had been stabbed from behind, the blades piercing their hearts.
And in the next instant...
KLANG~!
—!!!
Everyone on the deck felt a sharp sense of weightlessness.
Most barely managed to keep their footing.
And in Raiden Mei's field of vision...
On the shattered section of the bridge, another "Domination Puppet · Ambi" stood with a knife in hand, silently mouthing something mockingly.
As if saying:
"See? You broke your promise again (you failed once more)."
✦
In the end, the Huberian didn't crash.
Because Ling Ke remembered his original plan.
That floating battleship had already been marked with coordinates to open a space gate.
From that moment on, it would become one of his operational bases.
Therefore, he didn't allow the Domination Puppets to easily destroy the main console of the battleship, which was just a few steps away.
But after that...
"Carry the sins of the past and make it to the end… huh?"
In the Theater of Domination, Ling Ke narrowed his unfocused black eyes slightly.
"Then don't hide it. What's blocking the information?"
He immediately looked at the system interface floating before him.
Not long ago, he had created a very interesting game character template:
[Game Character Template: Black Shadow]
[From: Overwatch]
[Traits: Fixed HP, unlimited ammo, intact gear, immune to fall damage...]
[Game Abilities: automatic pistol, hacking, optical camouflage, teleportation, EMP, escape phase...]
[Background Talent: World's best hacker, elite assassin...]
[Description: Full name: Olivia Colomar. The world's most notorious hacker. Orphaned due to a tech crisis. Currently a member of 'Black Claw'...]
That's exactly why he chose her.
"Although 'Silver Wolf Dawn' also has hacking talents… in the end, it's not nearly as convenient."
A malicious grin appeared on Ling Ke's face.
And then he gave the order:
"Summon 100 Domination Puppets, all using the 'Black Shadow' template."
"Then, publish online all relevant data from Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, World Serpent… and even those 'supervisory ladies' from these past years."
"Of course."
Ling Ke sneered.
"Don't fan the flames, not at all."
"We don't need to be shameless trolls spreading fake news to maliciously manipulate public opinion… But we do need to work hard to restore 100% of the original facts."
"After that... people will draw their own conclusions."
And of course, he knew very well—
In this matter, there was no need to exaggerate.
Because even just the truth...
That bloody and horrific truth...
Was enough to turn a ripple of public opinion into a full-blown societal storm.
"How did that saying go again?"
Seated on his throne, Ling Ke crossed his legs, resting one hand on his left cheek.
"Ah, yes…"
"The people have the right to know the truth."