"HSN-B46?"
A puppet in a corner of the theater uttered a confused sound.
"While this serum does have the effect of neutralizing Honkai energy, its effect on a Herrscher should be limited, right?"
To talk about toxicity without considering the dosage is just hooliganism!
There is strength in numbers. Now that all the Thousand Herrschers had arrived, the Herrschers of Domination were of course already aware of the truth behind this serum.
This was the result of the Schicksal Overseer's five hundred years of specialized adjustments to the Schariac bloodline.
The former Saintess of Schicksal, Cecilia Schariac, was an undisputed Honkai killer. Her body fluids possessed the effect of neutralizing Honkai energy.
Although she had sacrificed herself in the Second Honkai Eruption, the research projects born from her continued to develop within the Schicksal organization.
The HSN-B46 serum was the legacy left by this merciful Saintess of Schicksal. Even after death, she continued to use her power to heal humans harmed by the Honkai.
But a good person doesn't necessarily only do good deeds, and a good thing doesn't necessarily only have a positive effect.
HSN-B46 is inanimate, but they, the Herrschers, are alive.
Relying on their dark mentality as the Thousand-strong Herrscher, an insidious plan was composed in an instant.
"The HSN-B46 serum has little effect on Herrschers, but it's exceptionally effective against the ordinary people around those guys!"
One puppet took Bronya's place, instantly becoming the focus of the theater.
"Don't those traitors of the Honkai call themselves righteous? Then we'll just use the very things they've been protecting to deal with them!"
"Let their companions be healed by this HSN-B46 serum, let them enjoy this special honor on the battlefield."
"And then..."
Another puppet continued: "Attack the things they cherish, forcing them to either use their own bodies to protect their companions, or watch their companions die right in front of them!"
"Just as the Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse planned!"
Twisted shadows danced in the gloomy theater. Bronya calmly looked down upon these despicable losers.
Indeed, the essence of 'whitewashing weakens you by a third, blackening strengthens you tenfold' is the protection of what one cherishes.
The reason villains can be stronger than good people of the same level is that these despicable fellows will use everything they can to achieve their goals.
Whether it's a conspiracy or an open plot, as long as it's useful, it's fine.
To some extent, with these guys having a premeditated plan against the unsuspecting, they might actually succeed.
But that's only if there's no mole!
Turning around, Bronya, back in the Real World, betrayed the Thousand Herrschers' plan without a second thought.
A specially encrypted message was transmitted to Brian's communication terminal.
At this moment, the man who had forced the Swordswoman of Shenzhou to go shopping with him was smilingly forcing said Swordswoman of Shenzhou to wear the clothes he had chosen.
"Go try this on. I think you'll definitely look great in this outfit."
Li Sushang took the clothes and unfolded them, immediately giving the man an even more disgusted look: "You lecher!"
"Hurry up!"
Mere pampering cannot win affection. Young Brian certainly knew that one must be appropriately assertive when dealing with women.
Under the man's forceful attitude, the indignant Li Sushang had no choice but to retreat.
She couldn't beat this guy, and she was being blackmailed by him.
The key was that this guy was an out-and-out lecher. If she refused, there was no telling what he would do to her.
Li Sushang felt extremely wronged, but she still had to yield to the tyrannical power of the Inner World Protagonist.
While she was in the changing room, young Brian, with the help of a salesclerk, began to pick out other items in the store.
A few more pretty outfits, leg rings and thigh-highs were essential, but lingerie was out of the question, being a bit too advanced for a swordswoman who still wore a dudou...
He picked out dozens of items in total, but Li Sushang still hadn't come out of the changing room.
Just as young Brian was about to go check, the girl's head peeked out from the crack in the door.
Li Sushang was still wearing her previous outfit. The clothes she had taken to try on showed signs of being handled.
She had tried, but she didn't wear it.
"It doesn't fit."
Brian understood: "It seems I need to find a couple of designers to tailor something for you."
A petite frame, with curves that crushed Bronya's.
That Bronya girl could go buy clothes in a children's store, but Li Sushang's figure meant that she couldn't be accommodated by ordinary clothes and could only wear custom-made ones.
And to have a custom outfit made, one undoubtedly needed to know Li Sushang's body measurements.
Including height, weight, and the three sizes.
Brian knew the first two—same height as Bronya, only 4kg heavier than Bronya, and as for those three sizes...
"Lecher!"
Li Sushang once again glared fiercely at the man, just short of pulling out her great treasured sword to disembowel him.
Taking liberties with her was one thing, she could just pretend she'd been bitten by a dog; but this guy actually wanted to go a step further and know her body measurements. What a first-class, despicable man!
A pair of amber-colored, almond-shaped eyes glared wide as the girl stared furiously at the composed man.
The salesclerk at the side, seeing another big sale fall through due to objective circumstances, helplessly took the much-abused dress from Li Sushang's hand.
At the same time, she put on a professional smile: "Do you two need anything else? Although our store cannot fully meet all needs, all our products are..."
"What are you doing?"
Amidst the polite smile, Li Sushang suddenly felt a stinging pain from where she was in contact with the salesclerk.
A wave of weakness spread out from that single point of pain, making Li Sushang feel as if all the strength had been drained from her body, causing her to collapse to the ground in an instant.
Poison!
The girl realized she had been ambushed. A broad embrace followed immediately, giving the ambushed swordswoman a sense of security.
Being helped by this Inner World Protagonist for the second time, even Li Sushang, who had been molested by him multiple times, had to admit it.
Aside from this guy being extremely rude, a despicable scoundrel who couldn't walk straight at the sight of a woman, he was truly a very heart-fluttering prospect.
Complex emotions flickered in the girl's heart. After seeing her goal achieved, the female clerk who had ambushed her, her exquisitely made-up face pulled by invisible threads, revealed a horrifying smile.
Her slender limbs danced chaotically, and her thin neck rotated a full 360° like a ghost's, a ghostly voice emitting from her blood-soaked mouth.
"Hehehe, it's a success!"
"Herrscher of Domination!"
To see a living human being toyed with to such an extent was exceptionally displeasing.
And this fellow's arrogant behavior undoubtedly pointed to one fact.
"It seems that after you obtained that power, you've gotten a bit conceited, thinking you can challenge me like this?"
A puppet walked out from a dark corner, its ugly face filled with nauseating pride: "We are of course aware that there is an insurmountable gap between us thousand and you. The multiple Herrscher Cores in your body possess enough power to challenge the entire world."
"To possess such immense power, yet willingly associate with these lowly vermin, have you not considered returning to the embrace of the Honkai?"
"What do you think?"
Brian asked in return, a warm, soft jade in his arms.
"It seems the negotiations have broken down."
As the words fell, the space the three were in was as if swallowed whole by an invisible beast, entering a dark and gloomy region.
"Traitor of the Honkai, welcome to the Theater of Domination!"
The puppets, long prepared, stood on high, looking down at Brian and Li Sushang below, pulled by their strings.
Those who come bear ill will, and those with good will do not come!
These guys must have prepared a sufficiently deadly trap, and even ambushed Li Sushang, who should have been Brian's support.
A high concentration of HSN-B46 could even temporarily strip away the power within a Herrscher's body; incapacitating a Valkyrie was a simple matter.
And here, surrounded by hundreds of Herrschers of Domination...
'I'm a burden!'
An intense feeling of powerlessness made Li Sushang feel exceptionally ashamed, unsure if it was because of her own helplessness or because she was being held tightly in the arms of an Inner World Protagonist.
She didn't want to do this, but the current situation gave her no opportunity to be of any use.
The normally heroic swordswoman showed a rare, delicate posture in Brian's arms, only able to grip his clothes tightly to avoid causing him any unnecessary trouble.
Such a wise choice was a source of great regret for the puppets. If this woman's brain was as useless as those in soap operas, then this pig teammate of Brian's could have provided them with a lot of help.
Unfortunately, this woman was so clever that even when being a liability, she minimized her side effects as much as possible.
However, even so, the Herrschers of Domination still had ways to further weaken this guy's combat effectiveness.
"Do you hate it? Do you grieve? Are you angry?"
"But don't be hasty, there are more surprises waiting for you!"
The theater curtain opened, and the silver-gray-haired girl made Li Sushang's eyes widen.
"Bronya... why are you with these guys?"
Joining the villains!
The appearance of this phrase instantly made Li Sushang understand many things.
"Because... I am also a loser!"
A deep flame ignited in Bronya's eyes.
She didn't know how much humiliation she had endured, how much she had sacrificed, how many times she had witnessed her younger sister being bullied by this guy, and even her own body was already covered in filth...
"Although I didn't want you to be my first opponent, these guys took matters into their own hands, and I don't have the ability to change your memories."
"Whether we succeed or fail, our grievances will end today!"
"Brian, I will reclaim everything I once lost from you, and make you pay the price for everything you've done to me!"
A companion's betrayal, a loser's forbearance...
The former brought a heartfelt joy to the thousand Herrschers, while the latter made them feel almost as if they were experiencing it themselves.
Subarashii!
Actions speak louder than words. Bronya, who could no longer tolerate the Inner World Protagonist, summoned Project Bunny and engaged Brian in battle.
The fallen Valkyrie attacked with all her might, not even putting up any defense for herself, as if she was completely certain that this man would not harm her.
Li Sushang gritted her teeth. She felt that this guy's hands were getting more and more out of line on her body; if she weren't completely unable to resist right now, she would have already gotten down and fought this stinking man to the death!
The man with the warm, soft jade in his arms was at ease, relying on his powerful strength that was on a different level from Bronya's.
Even...
Boom—! Boom—! Boom—!
Ice-blue drills flew erratically through the theater, and from time to time, a puppet would fall victim to a stray shot.
The mere Theater of Domination was no different from tofu dregs in the face of a Herrscher's power. It was dismantled in just a few moves, causing an unknown number of puppets to be crushed.
Although the damage to the puppets would not cause fatal harm to the Herrschers of Domination on Earth, the puppets were a manifestation of the thousand Herrschers' power, and their damage would also affect them on Earth.
Not fatal, but very unpleasant.
If a Valkyrie took this opportunity to attack them, it would be as good as holding their lives in her hands.
It was equivalent to placing one's own life in the hands of others.
Unacceptable!
A puppet climbed out of the ruins, looking at the fighting Bronya and gritting its teeth: "That damn woman isn't doing this on purpose, is she?"
Another puppet poked its head out from a dark corner: "Isn't it common sense that when the boss and the second-in-command fight, everyone else dies first?"
The experienced puppets had long since hidden themselves. Only the fools who wanted to watch the show would think of occupying the front row seats.
While Brian, this Herrscher, couldn't harm Bronya due to emotional issues, he had no such scruples about them, the Herrschers of Domination.
Puppet: "Useless thing! Can't even handle such a small matter!"
The other puppets chuckled sinisterly: "If you've got the guts, then you go up there!"
Boom—!
A black mist raged, engulfing several puppets that couldn't dodge in time in an instant, leaving no trace behind.
Scorching flames swept through, turning several fleeing puppets into ashes, leaving only charcoal-like embers.
Puppet: "I think we can reconsider this."
A gentleman does not stand under a collapsing wall. Self-preservation is the key to a better future!
Besides, the others weren't being attacked on Earth. They were only suffering some damage because of the puppets, so there was no need to meddle in other people's business.
The puppet who had come to its senses joined the majority, swaying along with the stray bullets in the theater.
Suddenly...
A small figure flew out like a cannonball, making the puppets instantly look over.
Bronya Zaychik, what happened to you?
Hurry up and get back on your feet for a passionate battle with your little lover! How can we live without you!?
Under the powerful will of the thousand Herrschers, Bronya stood up from the ground as if she had received new strength.
Her little face was particularly wretched, her eyes filled with unyielding spirit.
But her once powerful hands were now limp, as if she had reached the end of her rope, at a dead end.
"I... have no strength left!"
And her opponent...
"Bronya, not bad!"
Young Brian enjoyed the softness of the girl in his arms, while calmly giving his assessment of Bronya.
For a Pseudo-Herrscher, Bronya's performance was already commendable.
But among the ranks of true Herrschers, Bronya, with only this much power, was still too weak.
"You only have one-thousandth of a Herrscher Core, and even the Herrscher of Reason authority you took from me is incomplete."
"An incomplete Herrscher of Reason combined with an incomplete Herrscher of Domination... with just this level of strength, you might as well go back to being my concubine. I'll give you a chance to atone for your crimes."
Bronya knelt on the ground, her flowing hair hiding her expression.
The Inner World Protagonist cast a long shadow over her from a light source of unknown origin, as deep as if it would swallow her whole.
But the most panicked was not Bronya.
It was...
"We're about to fail?"
"Who told you to provoke this man? Wouldn't it have been better to go after the Herrscher of the Void?"
"Only this guy has a ready-made love-struck fool by his side, making it easy for us to ambush them!"
"..."
Shifting blame, escaping...
The thousand Herrschers, who could only fight when they had the upper hand, once again fell into internal strife, but it couldn't change the reality that the Herrscher was about to destroy the Theater of Domination.
One of the puppets looked at the head-bowed Bronya, knowing that the moment this girl gave her answer would be the day of their death.
Similarly...
"Bronya Zaychik is our last chance to struggle!"
The authority of the Herrscher of Domination could share the Herrscher authority snatched by one individual with others. It could also be used in reverse, concentrating the power of other individuals onto one person.
It was just that losers like them had always been selfish, and such an idea had never crossed anyone's mind.
When the wind was in their favor, they rushed forward together; when it was against them, they scattered like birds and beasts.
And in a dead-end situation...
"It's time for us to gamble!"
As long as one Herrscher of Domination remained alive, they had not yet failed.
Bronya was destined to become this final Herrscher of Domination, destined to use the identity of the Herrscher of Domination to make this world once again ruled by the Honkai.
"Bronya Zaychik, this is our final domination!"
A group of rabble, at this very moment, finally achieved unity of purpose, consolidating all their power into Bronya Zaychik's delicate body.
Her power surged, a thousand times—no, nine hundred and ninety-nine times stronger than before. The girl broke free from the shadow of the Inner World Protagonist.
"Thank you."
She had pushed open the door to a new world with her own hands.
"Your era is over. Now, it is my era!"
...