Volume 4, Chapter 34: The Return of Herrscher of Dominance

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Xia Chen felt caught in a paradoxical situation.

If his actions truly made a difference, then the Honkai Beast beneath the southern waters of Shenzhou should not exist. In the simulation scenario, he had already extracted its Core.

Yet, the instrument indicated that special soul steel was indeed present in those waters, clearly related to the plot involving Chiyou.

Similar to encountering both Rins, Xia Chen found himself in a quantum superposition state once again. However, upon the simulation's conclusion, his unobserved presence caused this quantum superposition to collapse.

Honestly, his interest in special soul steel paled compared to his curiosity about Chiyou itself.

What would happen if I consume Chiyou's core? This daring thought emerged and became irresistible.

Xia Chen was no stranger to consuming Honkai; he and Kiana had nearly eradicated the entire Coral Island Honkai between them. Since then, his physical prowess has remained at the level comparable to an Imperial Honkai Beast.

To further enhance himself, he could only seek out other Imperial or Archon-level Honkai Beasts.

Currently, there were two Archon-level Honkai Beasts left: Benares still in Siberia, and Chiyou beneath the South Shenzhou Sea. His target was Chiyou.

However, before proceeding, he needed to communicate with the Shenzhou government. Disclosure of Honkai Events required Schicksal's permission, as governments worldwide maintained secrecy regarding Honkai matters until then.

Just as he planned to request authorization for traveling to Shenzhou, Alvitr suddenly contacted him.

"Something happened."

"On the second day after your return, signs of the Herrscher of Dominance were detected at the Oceanic Branch."

"Wendy is missing."

Xia Chen was taken aback.

"How could this be?"

His plans had to be entirely scrapped.

This wasn't Wendy's first visit to this place; she recalled that two months ago, the Herrscher of Dominance had been active within the Oceanic Branch.

After Xia Chen took the Herrscher of Sentience to the World Serpent, Wendy returned with her Valkyries to the Oceanic Branch. With no new orders from Amber, she continuously trained these Valkyries there.

As an S-rank Valkyrie, Wendy held the authority to do so.

Despite occasional complaints from the Valkyries about the usefulness of training at the Oceanic Branch, Wendy persisted undeterred.

Until yesterday.

She distinctly remembered when a Valkyrie named Alice expressed gratitude for her guidance and invited her out for dinner. Without much thought, Wendy accepted the offer.

And here they ended up.

"I'm genuinely surprised you haven't been eliminated yet." She looked at the doll before her, her gaze indifferent. "But it doesn't matter; whoever eliminates you would achieve the same result."

"Heh heh heh, what foolish words." The doll continued twisting its joints, saying, "We are immortal, ha ha ha! As long as despair grips this world, we will persist."

"If you wish to eliminate us, start by eliminating him first."

Wendy was slightly taken aback as a figure appeared in the vast theater.

It was Xia Chen, clad in Moon Ash Armor.

Without any hesitation, she fired her weapon immediately.

Quickly, 'Xia Chen' fell down.

However, another 'Xia Chen', stronger than the previous one, emerged.

"Heh heh heh, keep going," the doll danced and exclaimed gleefully, "Dolls can also embody despair. The more desperate it becomes, the more powerful the awakened dolls grow. Until despair devours the entire world."

"Heh heh heh, come on, continue!"

"Oh, I know you liked him, so it's hard for you to let go, isn't it?"

"Shut up!" Wendy fired directly at the doll.

The bullet pierced through the doll's chest but failed to silence her taunts.

"It's useless, utterly useless. Heh heh heh, you can kill this body, but you'll never erase the despair within your heart. Why don't you join us? Embrace our cause, and you might just attain everything you desire."

"All that you love, all your passions, we possess them too, we have it all!"

"BANG."

Wendy aimed the gun at the doll's mouth, finally shutting her up.

However, the danger was far from over.

She saw Puppet Xia Chen advancing towards her, causing Wendy's eyes to slightly narrow. She couldn't deny still harboring hopes regarding Xia Chen, but that didn't mean any puppet could make her hesitate.

Wendy had always been rational.

Without her rationality, the Gem of Desire would have tormented her beyond endurance long ago.

Nor would she allow unfounded expectations to cloud her feelings for Xia Chen. Even when confronted by the Herrscher of Sentience, she remained steadfast with no lingering doubts. After all, emotions were never the entirety of life.

Those completely consumed by their feelings were always few and far between.

Wendy once again eliminated the puppet Xia Chen, relieved that no third one appeared.

"Is it completely eradicated now?" A hint of doubt flickered in Wendy's eyes as she shook her head.

The Herrscher of Dominance, capable of surviving against both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, couldn't possibly be this weak. Although Wendy wasn't sure how these Herrschers managed to endure their joint onslaught, it was evident they had grown more confident.

Suppressing her emotions, she decided to search for an exit from the Dominion Theater.

This space couldn't be entirely isolated from the original world; otherwise, Durandal wouldn't have been able to return. All she needed was patience to gradually find a way out.

Along the way, several puppet Titans and Honkai Beasts attempted to block her path, but for Wendy, they were simply too feeble.

Even the power of dominance has its limits. They cannot replicate entities stronger than their originals, nor can they create works surpassing their own strength. The Herrscher of Dominance's role never revolved around combat.

As an exceptionally gifted S-rank Valkyrie, although Wendy hadn't yet acquired specialized Fourth-Gen Valkyrie Armor, her capabilities were already formidable.

Wendy navigated through the theater's corridors and ascended towards the performance hall.

Eventually, she reached the auditorium seating area within the Dominion Theater.

"Heh heh heh, is it time for our guest performer?"

Wendy's gaze sharpened as she looked at the dolls above her.

"S-class Valkyrie Wendy from Schicksal... Oh dear, such a good person, truly innocent without any evidence against her," one doll exaggeratedly spoke. "After all, she didn't cause anyone harm and even suppressed the Gem of Desire... Hmm, if we ignore her falling for a man with a girlfriend, she would be nearly flawless."

"Ah ha ha ha."

The dolls' laughter was shrill and piercing, but Wendy remained unperturbed.

A more sensitive girl might have felt embarrassed and angered by such ridicule. However, having faced life-and-death situations, Wendy had long ceased to care about trivial mockery.

"Enough with this amateurish performance?" A hint of pity flickered in her eyes. "Even entertaining people seems beyond you; truly worthless dolls."

"You! What did you say?!"

The chaotic voices of the dolls suddenly fell silent.

Wendy's words seemed to anger them.