"Shamash—ASSAULT!!"
The scorching flames of Judgment burned away all negative energy with overwhelming violence. In just an instant, the grand Theater of Domination was reduced to ruins.
And that was far from all—how could a mere theater withstand the might of Elias' Shamash Assault?
Even the alternate dimension that sustained the Theater of Domination was engulfed in crimson fire. A cataclysmic blaze swept across the entire space, as though the entire world had been set aflame.
"So this... this is the real me..."
Behind his mask, Elias' face was twisted in fury.
At that moment, he felt as though he had reclaimed his true self. During his journey through the Previous Era, Elias had always acted rationally—following the best possible steps with calculated precision.
But the real him had never been calm. He was impulsive, reckless, and utterly unrestrained.
Especially when someone important to him was hurt—in those moments, every ounce of reason within him would be consumed by madness, transforming him into an avatar of absolute destruction.
"W-what's going on?!"
"Y-you... who are you?!"
"My theater! Our theater!!"
"Damn it, wait—you're a Herrscher too?!"
"An unfamiliar Herrscher... you're a traitor as well!"
The thousand Herrschers of Dominance were completely terrified. Staring at the ruin of their headquarters—at the very dimension they lived in now burning before their eyes—they were dumbstruck.
Even for Herrschers, such destructive power was beyond comprehension. Elias had nearly obliterated the dimension itself.
"I'm... not dreaming, am I... Elias? Is that really you?"
"Ahem... no, I'm not."
Elias' fury faltered for a brief moment. He lifted a hand to his face, checking that his mask was still intact. Somehow, Kiana had recognized him anyway.
"I'm just a passing savior, that's all. No need to remember me."
"..."
Kiana's gaze locked onto him. Her body trembled uncontrollably. She had no proof, no logical explanation—but her heart screamed that the man before her was Elias.
For a second, she wondered if she had finally gone mad from longing. Yet the sight of his long, pure white hair turned her intuition into certainty.
"Please... let me see your face."
"...You should go back, Kiana. Everyone must be worried about you. We'll meet again—soon."
As Elias spoke, he opened a portal with the Authority of the Void.
Kiana's eyes widened in shock, but before she could react, she was thrown inside. She struggled for a moment, but the strength of the White Comet was nothing before the might of the Chimera.
After sending Kiana away, Elias waved his hand again, sealing the entire alternate dimension.
Under the Herrscher of the Void's Authority, the space became a prison—no one could enter or leave.
"Have you made peace with your sins, Herrscher of Dominance?"
Behind the mask, his golden eyes blazed with a terrifying light. His gaze swept over the surviving puppets, his mind conjuring hundreds of ways to make them suffer.
In the Previous Era, Elias had intended to save every Herrscher—but these things? They were beyond saving. Worthless. Disgusting.
"Damn you... what are you?!"
"I already told you—I'm just a passing savior. Remember that."
Flames flickered within Elias' eyes. He could no longer suppress his rage. The existence of the Herrscher of Dominance filled him with nothing but loathing.
"You defiled the humanity Elysia granted you. You abandoned your chance to become human. The future she wished for with her very life—you wasted it."
Those words were spoken through gritted teeth. They touched the very core of his fury.
"So come, Herrschers of Dominance—let me show you true despair... and then, I'll end you."
Upon the smoldering ruins of the Theater of Domination, the surviving thousand Herrschers trembled before him, their bodies frozen in primal terror.
"W-what is this guy?!"
"Damn it... why am I trembling?!"
"So scary, so scary, so scary, so scary!"
"No! Don't let him get any closer!"
"Danger, danger! Kill him—kill him now!"
The fear that the Herrscher of Dominance from the Previous Era once held toward Elias seemed to have carried over into this generation's Dominance Herrschers.
That deep, instinctual terror—etched into the very bones of their being—was something no amount of reincarnations could erase. Even after thousands or tens of thousands of years, that primal fear remained unshakable.
Of course, it was only natural. After all, they were Herrschers—and fearing Elias was only logical.
Had there been only one puppet, perhaps it would have cowered in silence. But when a thousand gathered together, even if each one trembled with dread, the sight of so many companions sparked a delusion—
"Maybe... maybe we can fight back."
When too many gather in one place, everyone becomes stupid. That, too, is a law of the world. As for the idea that a group possesses more strength than an individual... well, that depends entirely on who the individual is.
Even a thousand ants gathered together cannot overcome a true dragon.
"What's wrong? Not going to attack? Aren't you going to use your words to provoke me? Come on, Herrscher of Dominance."
"U-ugh... ughhh!"
Even the thousand Herrschers of Dominance instinctively knew—the white-haired youth before them was someone they must never enrage.
"Don't get cocky! You used an Authority just now, didn't you? We don't know why you can wield the Herrscher of the Void's power—but in this Theater of Domination, anyone who uses their Authority will fall under our control! Now, hand over your power!"
"Such arrogance. Truly pathetic."
Elias noticed countless threads of light entwining around his body—but that was all. He could see them, yet felt nothing at all.
These threads were far too fragile to affect him. Even taking them head-on, he couldn't sense a single ounce of restraint. With just a wave of his hand, he could shatter them effortlessly.
He understood the Authority of Dominance better than the Dominance Herrschers themselves. What was the power of a thousand puppets combined? Still weak. Still laughably fragile.
"W-what?! How—how can this be?!"
"We can't take it! We can't take his Authority!"
"Even our own power... it's being disrupted!"
"What's happening? What kind of monster is this?!"
"A monster... this guy's a real monster!!"
The Herrschers of Dominance stared at Elias in abject terror.
They had just attempted to ensnare the white-haired youth with their threads of Authority, hoping to seize his power—but the result was utter failure, as expected. The difference in strength was simply too great.
To the Herrschers of Dominance, their power felt like fragile strands of spider silk, while Elias was an impossibly vast mountain reaching into the heavens.
Trying to dominate Elias' Authority was like trying to pull down that mountain using a spider's thread.
"Do you want to know why? It's because you're too weak."
Elias' voice was cold and merciless.
The process of seizing another's Authority was, in essence, nothing more than a contest of strength. The strong devour the weak—the victor claims all, and the defeated become enslaved.
When faced with someone stronger than themselves, not only would the Herrschers of Dominance fail to steal power, but their own Authority would be thrown into chaos.
In short, they were bullies who could only prey on the weak.
At best, they could strip Bronya's license for a while—after all, before her full awakening as the Herrscher of Truth, the Herrscher of Reason's Core could only operate at roughly twenty percent of its rated power.
"D-damn you! Don't get so arrogant! If that's the case, then let us show you... our true power!"
The thousand Herrschers of Dominance gathered together—and in the next instant, a massive mechanical puppet took form. Its joints and chest glowed with golden inscriptions, and triangular wings unfolded from its back.
This was the true Herrscher of Dominance.
Forged from a thousand sorrows, a thousand despairs, a thousand madnesses, a thousand curses—an amalgamation of pure malice and distortion.
Its name was: Herrscher of Dominance — Minion.
"Don't think it's over yet! Come, my puppets—crush him with sheer numbers!"
In the next instant, thousands of luminous threads extended outward, connecting to Honkai Beasts, mechs, and Quantum Shadows alike.
This, too, was the Authority of the Herrscher of Dominance—the ability to control lifeless puppets through puppet cores. Each individual puppet could simultaneously command three to five sub-puppets.
However…
"Chariot-class Honkai Beasts, Titan mechs, Basic Quantum Shadows—is that all? You dare bring such trash before me?"
Elias frowned slightly, as if insulted.
"Pathetic. If you want to summon allies, at least do it properly. Come forth—my pets!"
ROOOOOAR!!!
GRRRRAAAAHHH!!
Awooooo!!
Countless roars of terrifying beasts echoed through the Theater of Domination. To the Herrschers' disbelief, an overwhelming army of high-level Honkai Beasts materialized beside Elias.
Emperor-class Honkai Beasts: Shesha, Asura, Yaksha, Parvati, Ganesha, Assaka, Mitra…
Judgment-level Honkai Beasts: Garuda, Shesha, Chiyou, Foggy Dragon, Golden Lion…
Vipralopa-class Honkai Beasts: Benares, Maheśvara, Vishnu, Nine-Tailed Fox, Platinum Elephant…
Elias stood proudly atop his favorite—Benares. His unique Honkai Beast, Heaven Devourer, granted him the ability to summon any beast he had once fused with.
In the past, he could call upon hundreds at most. But now, his power had grown so immense that he could summon every Honkai Beast he had ever fused with—all one thousand of them. This was his ultimate army.
The Herrscher of Dominance was completely stunned. Never before had they faced an opponent so unreasonable, so far beyond comprehension—the very Savior who had once annihilated every Herrscher of the Previous Era singlehandedly.
To them, this was nothing less than a dimensional collapse—a battle they could never hope to win.
"Are you out of tricks already? Then die quietly. All units—attack."
"W-wait, I haven't—"
ROOOOOAR!!!
Thousands of Honkai Beasts unleashed a simultaneous roar. Honkai energy condensed in their maws, and before the Herrscher of Dominance could even scream, countless beams of annihilation converged upon her.
Feeling a familiar itch in his fingers, Elias raised the Judgment of Shamash once more.
"Shamash—ASSAULT!!"
In that instant, a storm of divine fire erupted, joining the bombardment of thousands of Honkai Beasts. The Theater of Domination—the monstrous amalgamation known as Herrscher of Dominance: Minion —was obliterated so completely that not even ashes remained.
The grand structure itself, once a majestic fortress, was erased from existence.
"...Seems I might've overdone it."
Elias surveyed the wasteland that had once been an alternate dimension. Every puppet had been completely annihilated—only a thousand Herrscher of Dominance Cores remained, scattered across the scorched void.
He raised his hand, using telekinesis to collect all one thousand Cores. Then, his gaze shifted toward a certain point in space.
"Only a thousand Cores... still missing one. Well, that's fine. Let's leave things as they were meant to be. I'll let one of you escape—for now. Consider it a gift, Otto Apocalypse. I wonder what your face looks like right now... it must be priceless."
Elias deactivated the spatial lock, deliberately allowing one of the Dominance Herrschers to flee—for the sake of his next plan.
The birth of a new Herrscher would never go unnoticed. Naturally, not only Anti-Entropy, St. Freya Academy, and World Serpent would respond—but Schicksal as well.
And, of course, Otto would not miss his chance to meddle.
Earlier, he had used the power of Fenghuang Down to invade the consciousness of one of the Herrschers of Dominance, entering the Theater himself.
Originally, Otto should have witnessed Kiana awakening as the Herrscher of Flamescion, defeating the Herrscher of Dominance: Minion with the help of Fu Hua and Bronya.
But this time, things were different. What he saw instead was the Savior from the Previous Era—the absolute being whose strength rendered all of his schemes meaningless.
At that very moment, within Schicksal's headquarters, as Otto prepared for his apotheosis and his journey to the Imaginary Tree—he froze.
For the first time, Otto Apocalypse felt true panic.
"Otto... I really wish I could see your face right now. I bet it's even more entertaining than one of Griseo's paintings."
Elias smirked, then spread his arms wide as the thousand Herrscher of Dominance Cores before him floated into the air and were absorbed into his body. With his Finality physique—one capable of infinitely fusing Herrscher Authorities—he devoured them effortlessly.
The thousand Cores offered no resistance. In fact, they seemed almost eager, drawn toward something familiar within him.
"Hmm... so this is the Authority of Domination. Excellent. The final piece of the puzzle—finally mine."
Elias was in a remarkably good mood. Although one out of the thousand and one fragments remained missing, such a fraction was insignificant. Its absence would change nothing.
Now that he had become the Herrscher of Dominance—no, the true Herrscher of Dominance—no new Herrscher would ever be born. Those puppets would never rise again.
He began to experiment with his newly acquired power.
Unlike the useless version from the Previous Era, this era's Authority of Domination was genuinely useful.
The first ability—multiplication.
He could now create up to a thousand clones. Though each lacked the full strength of his true self, even a single clone vastly outclassed any of the thousand puppets he had just annihilated.
Moreover, Elias could share his powers among his clones. Back in the Previous Era, with this ability, he could have singlehandedly replaced the entire Fire Moth organization.
The second ability—puppet control.
Compared to the charm-based manipulation of the Vipralopa-class Honkai Beast Nine-Tails, this ability covered a far broader range. It could control not just Honkai Beasts, but any non-living construct.
(Honkai Beasts, strictly speaking, are condensed manifestations of Honkai energy and therefore do not count as living beings.)
"Still, I probably can't control Planet-class Honkai Beasts... oh well, better than nothing."
Elias shrugged. Though the increase in raw power was marginal to someone of his level, the fusion of the thousand Dominance Cores had still boosted his Honkai energy output.
Roughly one hundred thousand HW in total—meaning each Core offered a meager one hundred HW of output. Laughably weak, fitting for what was once the weakest Herrscher type.
"Now then, time to create a Theater of Domination worthy of me. What kind of design should I go with..."
With the thousand Cores absorbed, ownership of this alternate dimension automatically shifted to Elias.
Although the original Theater had been utterly destroyed, that merely symbolized the end of the old Dominance Herrschers. Now, as the new Herrscher of Dominance, Elias would naturally build something grander.
He wasn't particularly interested in architecture—but it was a necessary step. The Theater of Domination served as the foundation for its Authority, directly linked to the Imaginary Tree itself.
Only within the Theater could the Herrscher of Dominance exercise full control over others who bore Herrscher Authorities.
"This will be the stage for the final act. It has to be magnificent... extravagant enough for the end of all things. Ah... I've got it."
Elias' golden eyes gleamed with inspiration.
He had just thought of the most opulent, breathtaking theater in existence—and decided to build his own after that very image.
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