It had been mentioned earlier that Ling Ke had long regarded everything in the world of Honkai as nothing more than a game.
And with that "player" mindset already firmly in place…
In the past, when he played certain hack-and-slash games like the once wildly popular—but later declined—Dynasty Warriors series…
Did he ever feel guilty for the countless on-screen enemies he cut down?
Or when playing real-time strategy games like Warcraft or the classic StarCraft?
Did he hesitate before destroying enemy camps?
Of course not!
All he ever felt was excitement and satisfaction.
Now, Ling Ke was exactly in that mental state.
He was no longer a transmigrator who loved this world.
He had become: the Extraterritorial Demon.
—"Thanks to Honkai and the System for granting me the chance to command tens of thousands in battle," Ling Ke mocked from his command throne. "However… an army of just ten thousand is still not enough."
—"Even if they can resurrect endlessly, the more, the better."
—"Otherwise, the efficiency is far too low."
—"And not nearly intimidating enough."
—"After all, the current in-game character models I've summoned do not yet represent peak combat power."
—"They're not even close to a stellar-level explosion. Even Kevin… even the strength of a Herrscher is far from being reached."
—"So, since I can't achieve a qualitative change for now and it entirely depends on luck, I'll make up for it with quantity."
In other words: keep killing—mass killing.
Therefore…
—"To all destined to face me: Anti-Entropy, World Serpent, and even random bystanders who may stumble across this video… good morning, good afternoon, and good night!"
That very day, a video message was distributed simultaneously to the top leaders of the three major organizations, in their respective time zones, and also to their most important members.
For a moment…
—"Allow me to introduce myself, for those who still don't know me."
—"My name is Ling Ke."
—"The 'Tenth Herrscher', the Herrscher of Domination in this era."
—"And now, I want to make one thing very clear, so you don't hold onto any vain hopes going forward..."
In the video, a young man with black hair, dressed elegantly, stood with a refined posture and a cold smile.
What he said next sent chills down the spine:
—"Although I don't have a Herrscher's 'personality' within me, and my own judgment is unaffected by that influence, I will never stand on humanity's side."
—"From this moment on, I will begin a series of actions to wipe out every human on this planet."
—"Yes, from a human standpoint, I am the villain, the criminal, the monster, the enemy."
—"But history… is always written by the victor."
—"And you all..."
Ling Ke leaned closer to the camera with a razor-sharp smile:
—"Are you ready for war?"
—"Because I am."
—"And this war… will never end."
With that, the video ended.
——
This video message was seen by Otto, by Walter…
And by Kevin.
As well as every man and ally around these three leaders.
Even on the side of World Serpent.
Even the twelve lingering memories of the ancient Flame-Chasers in the "Elysium of the Past" learned about the event in detail.
—"Ah…?"
A girl, as lovely as a drifting blossom and born to love everyone, sighed helplessly.
—"Why is the world always so cruel?"
—"Because that's what humans are like," responded a small green-haired figure in the hall of paradise with a sarcastic expression.
—"This era is no different from ours," she said, watching Ling Ke's image on the screen with half-closed jade snake eyes gleaming with interest. "Another monster born from malice..."
—"Hmph~..."
Not far off, a tall figure wearing a mask turned away.
The temperamental old man was clearly in a foul mood.
Because Ling Ke's experience inevitably reminded him of his own past.
The same loss of goodwill. The same shattering of hope in civilization.
The only difference: for him, it was already a foregone conclusion.
But for Ling Ke...
—"Sigh~..."
Another sigh echoed.
It came from a graceful woman with an elegant demeanor, an imposing figure, and long burgundy hair.
In life, she had been the number one superstar of the pre-civilization era.
And now...
—"War..."
She sighed softly.
—"I wonder how many will die this time..."
Just like in the pre-civilization era, when a war erupted between humanity and the Tenth Herrscher that claimed billions of lives...
Now, in this new era...
Though no calamity as catastrophic as the "Sinking of the Mu Continent" had yet occurred, the abilities of this new Herrscher were undeniably far more terrifying.
—"Humanity will defeat the Honkai," said a cold, firm male voice.
It was a white-haired man.
One of the few Flame-Chaser remnants still lingering in the world.
Upon hearing his statement...
—"Yes, humanity will definitely defeat the Honkai," someone echoed.
—"Because… there is no other way."
——
That same night, following Ling Ke's war declaration, at dusk in the North American time zone, Destiny, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent held a joint emergency virtual meeting.
This meeting wasn't just a surface-level discussion.
It was a large-scale strategic deployment across their respective combat zones.
—"We had no other choice… Who told Ling Ke to escalate things this far?"
The video released today was less of a war declaration and more of a long-overdue official notification.
And in this new context…
—"Currently, with our real-time global monitoring data, we've confirmed over a thousand combat units under the Herrscher of Domination's control."
—"Their numbers are massive… and still growing."
—"As of now, they've surpassed 10,000 units."
—"East Asia, North America, Europe, Africa, Australia… indiscriminate attacks are being recorded worldwide."
—"According to analysis by our intelligence division, they're not using traditional warfare methods, nor do they seem interested in occupying territory."
—"They simply use spatial teleportation to carry out highly efficient extermination operations."
—"Every day, tens of thousands of people are dying."
—"And that number continues to rise."
In the virtual conference room, Amber—the bishop's secretary on Destiny's side—was reporting under Otto's orders.
And each sentence was more grim than the last.
Among those present, the calmest was World Serpent's leader: Kevin Kaslana.
After all, with his long memory...
Aside from "her"...
He had already seen everything else before.
Even Otto couldn't hide his twisted expression—one that inspired the urge to punch him.
Because the Dominator Puppets rampaging across the world still used the "Sixth Nocturne Symphony" template.
Those faces identical to Kallen Kaslana's—even if only for a fleeting moment of ferocity—made Otto's heart feel like it had been stabbed a thousand times.
—"Make sure this farce ends as soon as possible..."
His hands clenched unconsciously.
Lately, he'd made more mistakes than in the past five hundred years combined.
And that could only mean one thing:
Ling Ke had understood, with terrifying precision, the only weakness of the world's greatest conspirator.
Now... he was deadlier than an assassin.
Because he was focused on something worse than death:
Killing the heart.