Kiki's crisp applause brought a temporary yet meaningful curtain call to this performance filled with dramatic twists.
"Kiana..."
Herrscher of Fire Angelia softly murmured the name. Her voice was so low it was almost inaudible, as though only she herself could hear it. A faint sense of loss lingered in her tone, as if she were gradually letting go of something incomparably precious.
"Are you alright?"
Herrscher of Dominance Kiana's gentle voice brushed past her like a light breeze.
Herrscher of Fire Angelia slowly raised her head. What met her eyes were those familiar, clear blue irises gazing back at her.
"I... I'm fine." Herrscher of Fire Angelia nodded slightly, forcing a smile.
"Right. Mei and the others were locked inside the fairy-tale world."
Herrscher of Fire Angelia remembered that Bronya, Raiden Mei, Seele, the Herrscher of Sentience, and Shigure Kira had all been sealed inside the storybook-like world by her.
She hurriedly reached into her clothes and pulled out a Honkai spirit crystal radiating an unusual glow. As the light flickered, the five girls reappeared.
"Ahhh! Which bastard has no sense of honor and dared to ambush this young lady?! Just you wait—I'll make her pay!"
The Herrscher of Sentience stamped her feet furiously the moment she was released. She still hadn't figured out what had happened before a strange and inexplicable force had dragged her into a story world resembling a bubble universe, leaving her unable to escape.
"Wahh, Mei, you're alright! That's such a relief!" Herrscher of Dominance Kiana instantly slipped into character, darting forward like a bolt of lightning and throwing herself tightly into Raiden Mei's arms. She nuzzled against Mei's chest like a clingy kitten.
"Kiana, don't do this. There are so many people watching," Raiden Mei said softly, reaching up to gently stroke the white-haired girl's head. Her eyes were filled with tenderness.
Watching Herrscher of Dominance Kiana bury herself in Raiden Mei's embrace, Herrscher of Fire Angelia felt a sudden, inexplicable sourness rise in her chest. The sensation was deeply uncomfortable, and for a fleeting moment, she even had the bizarre illusion that something indescribable had appeared above her head.
At that moment, Shigure Kira glared furiously at Herrscher of Fire Angelia, grinding her teeth in undisguised anger. "You despicable person! You actually turned into Lady Cecilia to distract me, then took the chance to sneak attack!"
Hearing this, Herrscher of Fire Angelia froze for a second before panic flooded her face. "I-I'm sorry, everyone! I... I was just too desperate to become the Final Herrscher. I lost my head for a moment and did something so wrong. I'm really, truly sorry."
The blonde girl immediately bowed deeply in apology.
"So it was you who ambushed me!" The Herrscher of Sentience rolled up her sleeves after locking onto her target, looking ready for a fight. "One-on-one or group fight—pick one! We're settling this today!"
"O-One-on-one?" Herrscher of Fire Angelia asked weakly.
"Sure. One-on-one. You against all of us."
The Herrscher of Sentience flashed a bright, healthy smile and stretched her arms.
Earlier, she had indeed been ambushed.
But if someone could successfully ambush her, that meant this person was definitely no weakling.
To be safe, it was better to attack together.
This wasn't cowardice!
If you can reasonably gang up on someone, why choose a duel?
"Count me in. You dared to impersonate my beloved Lady Cecilia and even made me sing in public. You made me lose face—utterly unforgivable."
Shigure Kira raised her twin guns and assumed a combat stance.
The atmosphere instantly grew tense.
Bronya frowned slightly. Her gaze first fell upon Kiki at the judges' table, then shifted to the white-haired girl affectionately interacting in Raiden Mei's arms.
Meanwhile, Kiki elegantly folded her hands together and rested her chin upon them. Noticing Bronya's gaze, she curved her lips into a meaningful smile and even waved playfully.
"Little Senti, Miss Kira, let's forget it. Angelia already knows she was wrong," Raiden Mei persuaded gently.
As she looked at the blonde girl who had taken the initiative to apologize, she felt something was strange.
Is Angelia really this kind of person?
"Hmph. Since Mei is asking, I'll let you off this time," the Herrscher of Sentience said, crossing her arms and lifting her chin proudly.
Although she had been locked inside that strange world, she hadn't actually been harmed.
Still, being taken down so quickly had seriously damaged her pride.
"Fine."
Since the Herrscher of Sentience wasn't fighting, Shigure Kira lowered her guns as well. She couldn't win alone anyway.
Humans have their limits.
This person had a thousand abilities!
Damn it.
No matter how skilled she was, she couldn't outplay someone like that—someone with overwhelming stats and outright cheating-level advantages.
Calming down, the Herrscher of Sentience suddenly noticed something was off.
Why were the synchronization rates of these two so high? So similar?
If she ignored their appearances and only sensed their consciousness, she couldn't tell which was which.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
The Herrscher of Sentience narrowed her eyes, her gaze shifting back and forth between Herrscher of Dominance Kiana and Herrscher of Fire Angelia.
Before coming to this world, Fu Hua had specifically told her to keep an eye on Angelia.
What exactly had this woman done?
At that moment, Kiki suddenly spoke. "Since everything is over, I'll send you all back."
"This belongs to you."
The miniature Hyperion floated before them, hovering in midair.
"Bye-bye."
With a casual snap of her fingers, Raiden Mei and the others transformed into streaks of light and entered the Hyperion's bridge. Immediately afterward, the Hyperion vanished—sent away from this world.