Herta's malicious voice came from behind.
Although it was expected,
the thought of facing a genius head-on still made him a little nervous.
After a brief mental preparation,
the real Madam Herta behind him couldn't wait any longer and began to mock.
"What's wrong, don't you even have the courage to turn around and face me, you sneaky imposter?"
"Heh~"
'Herta' chuckled at the remark.
Then, she slowly turned around, looking at Madam Herta, who was surrounded by four floating mirrors.
She smiled and said:
"Constantly calling others an imposter, how dare this pointy-headed lady assume she is the real one?"
Madam Herta's eyes scrutinized 'Herta' up and down. So similar, and with such talent.
Should I capture this fellow and take good care of her?
However, hearing 'Herta' turn the accusation back on her, Madam Herta laughed:
"Heh, wouldn't capturing you simply end the debate? Mirrors, surround her."
Madam Herta waved her small hand.
The four mirrors surrounding her instantly swooshed and enclosed 'Herta' from four directions.
Various restraining devices rapidly deployed, firmly locking 'Herta' in place.
Madam Herta raised a finger, gently adjusted her hat, and walked gracefully toward 'Herta' with a light laugh.
She stepped past the mirrors, extended a finger, and gently lifted 'Herta's chin, looking down at her:
"Little mouse, now let's see where you run."
'Herta' looked at the face so close to her, a face as beautiful as a succubus, and smiled back:
"Oh really? I'm not entirely convinced, Madam Herta~"
"Oh? If you have any tricks, why don't you try them all? Otherwise, people might actually think that I, the genius, am made of mud."
Madam Herta was supremely confident.
Under the comprehensive blockade of her four mirrors,
there was not the slightest possibility for the imposter in front of her to escape.
But, was that truly the case?
Hearing this, 'Herta's smile grew wider.
She touched the ring on her left middle finger and winked at Madam Herta:
"Madam Herta, I feel obligated to remind you of one thing: this Space Station is currently still my home turf. I think you are well aware of what happens when one trespasses on a genius's home turf."
The words had barely left her mouth.
The Allspark vibrated again and released a relatively faint energy ripple.
Immediately after, the equipment behind 'Herta', used to store Curios, began to transform.
Humanoid, beast-shaped, insectoid... it varied.
The only consistent point was that they obeyed AI Herta, and AI Herta was still treating the original as an imposter.
And,
they possessed the most advanced mechanical technology,
and aside from differing specializations, in terms of technology alone, they were no weaker than the mirrors.
These dozen or so mechanical creations completely surrounded Madam Herta and her mirrors.
"Heh heh heh, don't think you can do whatever you want just because you broke through the outermost firewall, imposter! You actively walked into my stomach—you're in trouble now!"
AI Herta's laughter echoed from all directions.
Simultaneously, these mechanical creations quickly built up various counter-fields,
not only disrupting the mirrors' combined blockade but also suppressing Madam Herta herself.
Such a sudden turn of events,
even Madam Herta couldn't help but look slightly surprised.
But quickly, the slight surprise turned into curiosity:
"I see. This Space Station only transformed into its current state because of that clunky cube behind you. If this Curio was made by you, then I, Herta, acknowledge your ability."
And because of Madam Herta's words,
'Herta' was delighted to see that the draw count at the bottom of his panel had rapidly closed a significant gap toward one hundred percent.
[Character Impersonation System]
[Name: Baiming (Great Herta)]
[Lifespan: 01:04:26 (Paused) + 1 Day (Character Impersonation)]
[Available Transformation Characters: Great Herta]
[Available Draw Count: 0 (78.3%)]
Hoo-hoo, very good, very good. It was indeed a beginner's welfare, giving him the most suitable character.
Otherwise, it might not have been this smooth.
'Herta' put aside her thoughts and looked at Madam Herta, who was restrained in place.
Madam Herta, who was being countered, wasn't flustered at all. Instead, she looked playfully at the imposter, who kept revealing new tricks:
"I admit that you, imposter, are somewhat interesting, but if you think you can subdue me with just a mere Space Station, then you are going to disappoint me."
"Of course, of course. Besides, who said I wanted to subdue you?"
She certainly wouldn't believe that this level of blockade could truly deal with the real Herta.
Just like the blockade by those few mirrors, even without the Allspark's creations, 'Herta' herself could have countered it in just a few minutes.
Ultimately...
Neither the Allspark nor these few mirrors could be considered masterpieces born of Herta's true effort.
They would be more than enough against others, but against the original, they were merely adequate.
But, you see,
'Herta' wasn't actually aiming for a grand, passionate intellectual showdown with the original.
Simply put, his goal was just to cause major emotional turmoil for the original.
So~
'Herta' suddenly flashed a smile that Madam Herta found quite unsettling.
"What are you doing?"
"Acting Station Master, register her as 'Madam Herta' as well. From now on, this Herta is also the Space Station's owner."
At these words, Madam Herta truly couldn't maintain her composure and felt a murderous intent for the first time!
And AI Herta was also displeased:
"Wait?! Why?! This imposter?"
'Herta' looked at the changing expression of the genuine Herta and the continuously rising numbers on his panel, his eyes squinting with laughter:
"You're about to have your source code cracked by the lady in front of you. What do you think?"
"..."
AI Herta was only an AI, not a Herta clone, so facing its impending defeat, it had to concede.
Thus, very quickly,
Madam Herta's identity authentication was verified,
and the restrictions on the real Herta were actively released before she could forcibly break them herself.
The Space Station, which should have been personally reclaimed by her, was instead willingly handed back by her opponent.
But!
This feeling of vexation—of being able to handle it herself, yet having the opponent's insincere 'charity' deflate her effort like a punch into cotton—infuriated Madam Herta immensely.
Of course, 'Herta' wouldn't give Madam Herta the chance to truly erupt.
She smiled and waved to the real Madam Herta.
"Well then, this Space Station is now yours, Madam Herta~"
No sooner had she spoken.
A burst of flame suddenly spread from the ring on her left hand, completely engulfing 'Herta's body.
"You wouldn't dare—?!"
Madam Herta instantly understood the imposter's plan.
This fiend! She's trying to escape?!