"What? You're saying the new Herrscher is Pardo? The 1001st unofficial Herrscher of Domination? Mobius, are you sure this is real?"
Eden's tone was filled with disbelief. She simply couldn't equate the playful Pardo with a corrupted Herrscher.
In her eyes, Pardofelis had always been a carefree girl, like a little cat who could find joy in the simplest of things.
As expected, is it because of Li again? Sigh...
"That is the reality of the situation, Eden." Mobius put down the experimental report in her hand, her face etched with worry. "Right now, we can only hope that Li can subdue Pardo and return safely."
"I suppose so." Eden drained the wine in her glass, a faint blush appearing on her cheeks. "However, you know how Pardo's luck is. And we also have Aponia's guarantee. Their safety shouldn't be a problem, but..."
"Mobius, can you really guess what Aponia's objective is in all of this?"
"I cannot." Mobius shook her head, then added, "But I am certain that her ultimate goal is the same as ours: to have Li, and to accompany him until he reaches the ending he desires."
"Is that so? Since you understand that much, then please, put your mind at ease."
As if tipsy from the wine, Eden's eyes slowly narrowed. She watched Mobius's back, the motion of her swirling wine glass becoming slower and slower.
She knew very well on what foundation her and Mobius's alliance was built.
And Mobius knew it just as well. Their relationship was like a sheet of thin ice that could shatter at any moment. When that ice finally broke, they would each resort to their own methods.
They were both strong-willed women. Because of this, that day would inevitably come.
The atmosphere in the laboratory returned to a freezing point. Neither of them spoke again. They silently watched the ever-increasing Honkai energy readings on the screen, each harboring their own ulterior motives.
For now, at least, they were still allies. That was enough.
---o---
"Alright, do you have any last words?"
In the center of the Domination Theater, Fu Li looked at the last remaining puppets and couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief in his heart.
He had originally been worried that this era's resentful spirits would pull some kind of crazy stunt. But right up until the end, when only five individuals remained, they were still just as fragile.
So fragile that with one more move, they would be completely destroyed, and he would break free from this space and regain his freedom.
"Heh... Betrayer. It seems you're celebrating a bit too early."
The very last puppet propped itself up with a severed arm. The light in its eyes was dim and flickering, but a bizarre smile crept onto its hollow, numb face.
"Even if I die, you will not be able to leave."
"Can't leave? What do you mean by that?"
Fu Li shot back, the relief he'd just felt dissipating as a sense of unease resurfaced in his heart.
He strode forward and crouched beside the dying puppet, looking directly into its eyes as if trying to force out an answer.
"Hehe..." The puppet sneered, meeting Fu Li's gaze without a shred of fear.
Their plan had already succeeded. Their efforts had not been in vain. They had successfully bought Pardofelis enough time to grow.
Although both Black Pardo and the new Pardo had turned out a bit... crooked, did that matter? No, it didn't.
They knew they were no match for Fu Li. Even the Herrscher-fied Pardofelis was no match for him. But was that a big problem? Not really.
...Alright, so maybe it was a very big problem, but at the very least, through a strange twist of fate, they had achieved their ultimate goal.
They would waste Fu Li's exploration in this life, and they would make Li taste the feeling of betrayal!
"Heh... Betrayer. You will soon experience true despair."
The final puppet could already feel death's approach. He was a resentful spirit from the third life; this was not his first time dying.
For one on the verge of death, fear had long been cast aside. Unwillingness and fury were the final struggles of his existence.
"Betrayer... go and face the resistance we created with everything we had."
The sacrifice of 4,995 people, all for one last sliver of hope.
With those final words, the light in the puppet's eyes completely vanished. Its face was expressionless, yet it carried the final, lingering resentment of its life as it dissipated into black light.
The final resistance?
Fu Li's expression darkened slightly. He tried to gather the Herrscher authority in his hands and found that, as he suspected, he could no longer control the power of this space.
What in the world is going on?
The resentful spirits had indeed vanished completely, without a single trace of their aura remaining. Wait... what is this?
An ethereal aura, both familiar and foreign, wafted from behind him.
"You?"
Fu Li turned his head. For the first time in this life, a panicked expression appeared on his face. It was not born of powerlessness, nor of unease.
It was... fear.
He was afraid of what he had just realized—the true purpose of the Herrschers of Domination.
Fu Li felt his neck stiffen. Slowly, arduously, he twisted his head, bringing the figure behind him into his line of sight.
A familiar person, a familiar cloak, a familiar weapon... but an unfamiliar outfit, an unfamiliar temperament, and an unfamiliar energy.
The little girl who once loved to cuddle in his arms with a cat, now stood behind him with a cold expression, raising the very weapon he had forged for her.
"It's me, Li."
The red and white light in Pardo's eyes flickered. Although the hand holding her chakram was trembling with hesitation, she still spoke those words with a cold, resolute finality.
She knew that her actions would hurt Li. But if she wanted to save Fu Li in her own way, this was the only path.
She didn't want to be protected by him like the others before her. What she had to do was something that even Mobius and Aponia had failed to accomplish.
She would fall into darkness, to return Li to the light.
Neither of them spoke. They just stood there, staring into each other's eyes.
The Domination Theater fell into an absolute silence, as if time itself had frozen, as if even this space could not bear to witness what was about to happen.
"Li, I know you are confused about the current situation."
Pardofelis finally spoke, shattering the stagnant air.
However, the space did not quiet down. Faintly, the crackle of black lightning could be heard.
Pardo extended her hand, and the giant phantom of a black cat slowly materialized. To her side, the figure of Black Pardo appeared like a ghost behind her.
"But you know, Li, even though I've become a Herrscher, I still care about you just as much as before. Because you are my most important family."
"So, as long as you promise to stay here, we don't have to fight."
Fu Li remained silent, then slowly shook his head. "I know. But I'm sorry, Pardo. You have to understand that on the outside, there are many people waiting for us to return."
"Is that so?"
Pardo closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then lowered the chakrams in her hand—Night's Pupil—and instead condensed another pair of black and red chakrams, gripping them tightly.
"It seems a battle is inevitable."
"Li, I just want you to know... the one I care about most will always be you."
As her voice fell, three figures moved at once, transforming into black arcs of light as they charged toward Fu Li.