Should've said earlier you had opened a door here!
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T/N: Each puppet present is a Herrscher of Domination, as the Herrscher of Domination has a total of 1000 smaller cores. Therefore each puppet can be called a Herrscher of Domination.
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"Monster, monster!"
"How did he get in? Who forgot to close the door when they came back?!"
"Mom, I'm going to die!"
The group of puppets filled with negative emotions instantly revealed their chaotic true face when confronted with an overwhelming power they could not resist.
Will of Honkai told them to deal with Godzilla, and they obeyed. As long as they gathered all Herrscher powers into one, no matter how strong the opponent, before them they would crumble like clay chickens and stray dogs!
The idea was beautiful, but reality was cruel.
In the middle of the plan, an unexpected accident happened.
The final boss, originally scheduled for the end, appeared without warning ahead of time.
"We haven't even leveled up yet!" a Herrscher of Domination roared.
On the road to grinding levels, the big boss should just stay in his territory waiting for the heroes to challenge him!
"Boom!"
Godzilla stood firmly in the Theater of Domination.
A thick sense of crisis surged into every puppet's heart.
As products born from the sense of crisis Honkai generates, they knew better than anyone how powerful their enemy was.
Otherwise, with bodies made from the accumulated negative emotions of the whole world, the moment they gained such tremendous power, they would already have gone on a rampage, venting everywhere.
But the crisis given to them by Honkai was far too intense, forcing them to contract their frontlines, restrain their claws and fangs, and seek to merge all Herrscher cores into themselves, to sever the threat of Godzilla, the one most likely to become their fatal danger.
"Don't panic!"
Thump thump thump!
Just then, the familiar knocking of a wooden mallet woke them again. Dumbfounded, they turned to the source of the sound.
There, the host they had once despised was holding the mallet high, speaking righteously.
"Ladies and gentlemen, don't forget where we are. This is our turf! No matter what dares to come here and cause trouble, we'll prove it suffers defeat here and now!"
Hearing this, all the puppets eyes lit up.
That's right! This is the Theater of Domination. The Herrscher of Domination's stage!
The Theater of Domination is an extension of the Herrscher of Domination's core, a special space.
This was their stage.
They might not be able to handle the enemy outside, but at home, could they really allow themselves to be bullied?
Realizing this, the Herrschers of Domination immediately straightened up.
"Yes, yes, exactly! Let's unite our strength. Even useless beings like us can unleash astonishing power!"
"A mass of negative emotions cannot be defeated!"
Facing life-and-death crisis, insidiousness, deceit, absurdity, despair, all carried within countless human negative emotions, the Herrschers of Domination erupted with unprecedented power!
They were not merely Herrschers of Domination; they were also the embodiment of humanity's negativity.
Under Honkai's manipulation, endless negative emotions piled up into a horde of monsters, monsters belonging to both Honkai and humanity!
This was…
"A Big Puppet!"
They shouted in unison, their shrill voices accompanied by a booming sound, testing the limits of eardrums.
...
"Are they really planning to fight Godzilla head-on?" Kiana blinked, her dazed, cute expression full of confusion.
She didn't quite understand the difference in power between Herrschers, but, back then, even the terrifying Herrscher of Thunder had been scared stiff just by Godzilla's gaze, not daring to move afterward.
Other than dragging them into this theater, none of the Herrschers had shown overwhelming dominance.
So where did they get the guts?
"I think I know why."
"Eh, Mei? Wait! How did you get up here!"
Kiana had just spoken when she suddenly realized, turning her head toward Mei, whose aura had become sharp and dangerous.
The Herrscher of Thunder had come online.
"I'll be right back."
Leaving those words behind, the Herrscher of Thunder turned into a flash of violet lightning. A few seconds later, she returned, carrying something all too familiar.
"Wh-wh-what, why is that here?!"
Kiana pointed at the puppet, stripped of its limbs, wrapped in violet electricity.
"She tried to run. I caught her."
The Herrscher of Thunder said calmly.
The Big Puppet had gathered most of the Herrschers of Domination's strength, but don't underestimate them, being negative emotion incarnations, they wouldn't necessarily advance and retreat together with their own kind.
At least while a sliver of opportunity remained, the Herrschers of Domination had no intention of surrendering.
They hadn't reached their strongest state yet. Avoiding the brunt wasn't something shameful.
"I see," Welt adjusted his glasses and analyzed.
"The power these Herrschers are showing is weaker than a normal Herrscher, scattered. Judging by their abilities, it's very likely they're a type that can manipulate and absorb power."
"No wonder their target was always Mei." Himeko nodded slightly, exhaling in relief.
If they had truly stolen the Herrscher of Thunder's power, the consequences would've been disastrous.
Meanwhile, sensing around twenty Herrschers of Domination being intercepted on all sides, their attempts to scatter completely thwarted,
"Damn it, why must Herrscher make things hard for Herrscher!" The Herrschers of Domination nearly ground their teeth to dust.
Unfortunately for them, among the Theater's audience, aside from Himeko and Bronya, most could sense and block any Herrscher of Domination trying to escape alone.
Thus, aside from fighting head-on, they had no choice!
"Take our emotions with you, die!!"
A torrent of Honkai energy poured into the big puppet's body, making the hastily formed vessel increasingly grotesque.
Godzilla didn't even spare a glance. His tail, carrying his will, flashed like thunder, wrapped in searing heat as it swung down.
Swift, precise, ruthless, this strike was like a meteorite impact. Unavoidable, it was a power from a higher dimension, enough to destroy the very space.
Bang!
The Big Puppet smashed hard into the bottom of the Theater of Domination. The ground trembled!
Cracks spread beneath everyone's feet, as if the Theater, constructed from the core of the Herrscher of Domination, was about to collapse at any moment.
As quickly as they came, so quickly were they gone.
Even with added Honkai energy, the result was unchanged… No, perhaps not entirely.
That the body hadn't fallen apart outright was thanks only to the massive Honkai energy holding it together.
The spreading heat rippled out like a glowing halo.
Bronya suddenly felt something buzz inside her head.
When the dust cleared, the Big Puppet lay scattered and paralyzed in the ruins, their puppet of interwoven threads slumped weakly.
"Uuugh, as expected, there was no way we could possibly beat that monster."
"We're falling apart, falling apart!"
"What are you yelling for! Hurry and help me find my hand, my hand's gone!"
"Calm down. Early death or late death, we'll die either way. What's the point in struggling? Just relax."
"Say that after you get off me first!"
Blasted apart by one strike, the Herrschers of Domination quickly devolved back into a mess of infighting.
Even among themselves, none truly submitted to another.
"Whew… just one strike to crush a Herrscher. Even if that Herrscher wasn't suited for frontal combat, that's terrifying strength."
Himeko took a deep breath, unable to hide the shock in her eyes.
If Herrschers were always this easy to defeat, Honkai wouldn't have become the great enemy of civilization.
Every Herrscher's appearance demanded Valkyries to sacrifice their lives, and even elite A-rank Valkyries could not guarantee survival in every encounter.
Except for someone like Durandal.
Suddenly, she realized something was off.
"You're all not surprised?"
Looking at the four's calm expressions, Himeko was stunned.
"Eh, what's there to be surprised about? When we saw him fight back in Nagazora, we already got used to this."
"Bronya analyzed it. This Herrscher was never a match for Godzilla."
"Still, she told me before, the Herrscher of Domination isn't Godzilla's opponent."
After hearing their explanations, Himeko fell into slight silence, then turned her gaze toward Welt.
"Ahem. Generally speaking, Chiyou, who revived earlier, posed more danger than the Herrscher of Domination."
Himeko finally let out the breath she had been holding, suppressing the pressure in her chest.
Yes, even a power like Chiyou's, strong enough to destroy civilizations, seemed like a child's plaything before Godzilla. What could a mere Herrscher amount to in comparison?
After crushing the ragtag group, Godzilla slowly turned his head. His chilling, vertical pupils locked onto Yuno and the puppet hiding in the corner.
Yuno, already frozen stiff by Godzilla's appearance, was now drenched in sweat.
Shuffle, shuffle. Carefully inching further into the corner, Yuno lowered her head, leaving only her eyes visible.
Utterly submissive.
Godzilla was silent.
The entire place was silent.
Even the previously loud-mouthed Herrschers of Domination had gone quiet.
They were bad, yes, but not stupid.
Though they couldn't understand why Godzilla didn't deliver the finishing blow, wasn't being alive good enough?
Who would dare speak up at a time like this? Anyone who did, unless they were one of the few monsters capable of standing against him, would be instantly shredded.
Godzilla's focus had never been on the Herrschers of Domination.
A mere cluster of negative will was unworthy of his gaze.
What concerned him more was this space, this cramped, distorted realm.
Through it, Godzilla saw a thin golden thread.
Endless imaginary energy poured through that golden line, feeding into something.
Overwriting. Tracing it back. Before long, Godzilla saw a cocoon.
The Cocoon of the End. The source of Honkai, the beginning of Herrschers.
At the farthest end of the golden line lay the Cocoon of the End, which, sensing danger, birthed stronger Herrschers to fight against Godzilla.
But Godzilla cared nothing for the Cocoon of the End.
He had far grander goals.
Pressing onward, traversing everything, spanning endless distance, Godzilla saw it, a colossal tree.
A tree towering at the end of time itself, as if it had no end.
The Imaginary Tree! He had found it!
Godzilla swung his tail with satisfaction.
As expected, Godzilla could only rely on himself! If you want something done right, do it yourself.
"Our power… our power's been cut off?!" The Herrschers of Domination cried out in shock as their connection to the Imaginary briefly severed, only for it to return the next second.
But the master of this space had already changed.
Such petty disturbances were not enough to bother Godzilla. In the next moment, he lifted his foot to step into the realm of the Imaginary Tree.
And then,
Crack!
A biting chill spread, hot and cold mingling. A warrior of the Previous Era gripped the weapon most suited to him, eyes locked firmly ahead.
Godzilla tilted slightly, his vertical pupils narrowing as he stared back at Kevin, who looked up at him.
"Gulp."
Raven, who thought she was out of trouble, swallowed hard, nervously whispering to Grey Serpent at her side:
"Our boss isn't seriously planning to fight that thing, right?"
Please no! That would kill us all!
"The Lord has his own considerations."
Grey Serpent replied calmly to Raven's question.
Truthfully, he didn't know why Kevin would oppose Godzilla either. He had faith in his lord, but as an intelligence operative, his rational mind told him that this was absolutely the wrong time to face Godzilla.
Still, no matter what, he would support his lord's decision without question.
Godzilla and Kevin locked eyes.
On one side, the King of Monsters, who looked down upon the world.
On the other, a resilient warrior from fifty thousand years ago.
Both tempered by the flow of ages, both of the long-lived.
Though their material conditions and inner spirits differed, fate had brought them together here.
Godzilla was puzzled as to why Kevin would draw his attention.
He felt no hostility from Kevin. That was why he had not treated him the same as the Big Puppet.
Amid what outsiders thought was a deadly standoff, Kevin slowly spoke.
"Thank you." His tone carried only respect.
Godzilla said nothing, merely nodded slightly, and then stepped forward.
The Imaginary Tree quaked. The Quantum Sea trembled.
…
No one knew how much time passed.
In the outside world, under the blue sky, a steel warship cut rapidly across the heavens, leaving a long cloud trail behind.
"Please, everyone, don't let anything happen…" Theresa clenched her fists, her face tense.
Just then,
"Lady Theresa! We've re-established connection with Major Himeko!"
Bang!
The eternal victims, tables and chairs.
Theresa rushed forward. When Himeko, Kiana, Mei, and Bronya's faces appeared on the screen, the weight on her heart finally lifted.
She collapsed weakly into her chair. 'Wait, why was Yuno there too?!'
Forcing herself to stay alert, Theresa immediately asked: "What just happened? Our instruments showed your signal dropped out completely for a moment."
"It's a long story. We'll explain slowly after we get back."
"Alright, I'll come pick you up!"
As long as they were safe, that was enough.
…
On a rooftop, Kevin stood with hands at his sides, gazing toward the theater of domination.
After a moment of silence, Grey Serpent asked in confusion: "My lord, earlier you…"
He couldn't understand Kevin's actions, and he needed to know more to ensure nothing jeopardized their future plans.
"To express gratitude. Because of him, I've glimpsed true hope."
Kevin's tone was calm.
His thanks were not because Godzilla destroyed the Herrschers of Domination, but because Godzilla had shown him that defeating Honkai was possible.
Not through Godzilla's power directly.
But through the actions of the Herrschers of Domination. When they laid all their moves on the table, Kevin understood everything.
The being known as the End feared, even dreaded, Godzilla's power. That was why it spawned the Herrschers of Domination, and why it would later spawn more.
All of it, Honkai shaping power to counter Godzilla.
This proved Honkai was not invincible.
So long as one's strength was great enough, even Honkai could not reverse the outcome.
"Humanity will definitely defeat Honkai!"
Bathed in the glow of the setting sun, Kevin's determination shone once more.
Raven breathed a sigh of relief.
Fine by her, as long as these bigshots fought each other and left her, the little bird, out of it.
Heh, and the Lord's reward for this mission was hefty. She was one step closer to her little island.
Whoosh!
The Hyperion streaked across the sky above them, heading home.
…
After listening to Himeko recount the mission, Theresa broke into a cold sweat.
"The Herrschers of Domination… to think such an ordeal would appear in what should have been a simple mission. And Yuno, too…"
Her gaze grew complicated as she looked at the obedient, silent girl, hands folded like a quail.
The Herrscher of Poison.
Silently, Yuno had ascended to the rank of a true Herrscher.
Before this, she had only been a pseudo-Herrscher.
A pseudo-Herrscher without a core could never compare to the real thing. Like a pirated copy against the genuine article. Who would've thought, right under her nose, within St. Freya itself, a Herrscher had been quietly born.
And then the Herrschers of Domination as well.
"Both appearing in silence… this completely defies the rules."
Theresa rubbed her aching temples.
What was even going on anymore?!
Traditionally, it took a Honkai energy concentration above 1000 HW to birth a Herrscher.
Now two of them had appeared, one after another, without a sound, and within an area of relatively low concentration at that.
It was all too sudden. Theresa felt overwhelmed.
"Auntie, " Kiana began to defend Yuno, only for Theresa's sharp glare to cut her off.
"When outside, call me Principal!"
"Sigh… Yuno's matter can be set aside for now. Even the Herrschers of Domination can wait."
Theresa exhaled heavily, then straightened her gaze…