Herrscher of Legion? Then We'll Beat Him Until He's Not a Herrscher Anymore

In the month that Kiana had been asleep in the Mind Space, Class Monitor had heard the girl call out Ren's name at least a dozen times.

This made her feel compelled to consider what exactly had transpired between the two of them.

So, she gathered details she hadn't paid attention to before and analyzed them against the information she already possessed.

Ultimately, she arrived at a somewhat counter-intuitive conclusion: there wasn't a romantic relationship between Kiana and Ren's in the way of a typical man and woman.

The observer sees clearer than the observed. Though Class Monitor's emotional intelligence was low, her insight was quite sharp.

Without a doubt, Ren's and Kiana held affection for each other.

It was a fondness akin to two people who had walked a long journey, weathered countless hardships, and finally reached the journey's end.

Weary, they had found a quiet cottage and would live together within it forever.

She didn't doubt the authenticity of this feeling, but from her perspective, the emotion between them didn't resemble romantic love.

It felt more like a bond that transcended time and space, an inseparable connection.

From the very beginning, Ren's had appeared in disguise, secretly paving the way for Kiana's growth.

It was like encountering the male lead in an otome game – starting with max affection points right from the get-go.

Perhaps their feelings had developed too naturally, so much so that Kiana, who had never experienced romance, hadn't realized that her feelings for Ren's weren't like a normal girl in love.

She didn't experience shyness, excitement, or jealousy.

She instinctively believed that feelings were supposed to be like this.

In game terms, it was like clearing the game right at the start, with everything after just ending cutscenes.

Although this kind of natural, effortless affection was something countless people envied and longed for, as a friend, Class Monitor still felt it was necessary to remind her.

Otherwise, it would be truly unfair to Ren's.

"Kiana, what kind of experiences do you think constitute being in love?"

Kiana blinked, a strange expression on her face.

"Class Monitor, why are you suddenly asking this? Have you been too bored in the Fenghuang Down?"

"Just kidding." Class Monitor said, seeing Kiana's speechless look, Kiana couldn't help but laugh.

Propping her chin on her right hand and stroking it thoughtfully, she finally answered.

"Back when I was at St. Freya, I secretly read manga from Bronya's collection."

"If it's romance, maybe it's about watching movies together, drinking coffee, giving gifts?"

"When the time is right, then comes dating, confessing, and finally, announcing you're in a relationship."

"And what do you think is the meaning of these steps?" Class Monitor asked herself.

"Meaning? Raising affection points or something?"

"Anyway, most manga follow the same pattern."

"After going through this series of interactions, they successfully fall in love in the end."

Watching Kiana's bored expression, Class Monitor sighed inwardly.

She could tell that this girl completely treated romance manga like children's picture books, only paying attention to the plot and not thinking at all about the emotional changes of the male and female leads.

However, when she thought about Kiana's background, Class Monitor couldn't help but fall silent.

As part of Otto's Herrscher of the Void clone project, Kiana's actual awakened age was probably not much older than a real child's.

"Speaking of which, Class Monitor, why are you asking about this? Weren't we just talking about Ren's?"

Class Monitor's expression grew increasingly complex as she looked into Kiana's eyes, as clear as a spring.

She directly asked, "Then, do you think you and Ren's are in love?"

Kiana's fair cheeks visibly flushed crimson.

Her clear eyes seemed to spin in circles, as if her brain had crashed from Class Monitor's words.

"What exactly does he mean to you?" Class Monitor didn't give her a chance to think and continued to press.

Only the most instinctive reaction could reveal a person's true feelings, especially for Kiana.

She herself was unable to perceive it, so as a friend, Class Monitor needed to help her see her own feelings clearly – especially before she herself disappeared.

"A companion walking together in the dark night? A special friend?" Kiana answered, her mind still a bit muddled.

This was the conclusion she had drawn from her conversation with Griseo's mother, who was impersonated by Himeko, back in ARC City, and it was also how she had always defined their relationship.

"Then, would you feel shy because of his touch?"

Under Class Monitor's conscious guidance, Kiana began to recall the moments of contact with Ren's.

She thought of the time when they visited Himeko and prepared dinner together, and she also remembered not long ago when Ren's personally fixed her hair, and when Ren's suddenly called her cute right after they got off the plane…

Maybe… she would?

For Kiana, the emotion of shyness was a bit too abstract.

She just subconsciously treated it as a psychological change that inexplicably occurred when in contact with Ren's.

Most of the time, she had long been accustomed to intimate contact with Ren's.

With her current understanding, even if she slept in the same bed as Ren's, covered by a single blanket, she wouldn't associate it with a romantic relationship at all.

For example, during the Berlin illusion, she had used her own clothes to tightly wrap Ren's, together resisting the extremely cold winter snowstorm, even using her body temperature to warm Ren's frozen body.

She hadn't felt anything was wrong then either.

So, maybe… she wouldn't?

After this mental brainstorming session, Kiana's thoughts not only didn't become clearer but became even more confused.

Unknowingly, she fell into self-doubt.

As soon as Class Monitor saw Kiana's blank expression, she knew that she had never thought about this kind of question at all.

Helpless, she sighed deeply and said no more.

It seemed she was still not suited to be an emotional mentor. This kind of thing should be left to Himeko in the future.

"Alright, Kiana, if you can't figure it out, then don't think about it anymore." Class Monitor said.

"I asked you these things just to tell you that if Ren's is really important to you, then you must try to understand him more deeply."

She reached out and rubbed Kiana's head, saying earnestly.

"I don't know what you dreamed of, but based on your murmurs in the dream, I can roughly guess a thing or two."

"The dream is related to Ren's identity, right?"

"…" The blush on her face gradually faded, and Kiana fell silent.

The feeling of sadness from the dream suddenly rushed over her, making her feel a bit suffocated.

"Kiana, Ren's past might be more complicated than you think." Class Monitor continued.

"I'm telling you what I saw, just to let you understand him more."

"I can feel that there is a kind of indelible weariness about him, as if he is carrying an incredibly heavy past."

"If you want to keep him, to share his burdens with him, you must actively explore."

"You are kindred spirits."

Kindred spirits…

Kiana recalled the time when she and Ren's first met.

The awakening of the Herrscher of the Void had indirectly killed countless people, and she had fallen into endless darkness because of intense self-blame.

Escaping alone, wandering everywhere, homeless, not daring to see her companions, like a cat nearing the end of its life, silently searching for a place to belong, a place to live.

It was in this situation that Ren's held up a torch and walked out of the darkness, illuminating Kiana's path forward.

Then the two supported each other and finally crossed that incredibly dark journey.

In this situation, Ren's had long been her inseparable companion.

However, Class Monitor's words now made her realize that her understanding of Ren's was far from enough.

Yes, she and Ren's were kindred spirits, that's why they attracted each other.

But before Ren's held up a torch and came to her side, how did he spend that long darkness alone?

A name involuntarily surfaced in her mind – Herrscher of Legion.

This title, which she had deliberately hidden away, subconsciously resurfaced in her mind.

She didn't believe Ren's was a Herrscher, but the lingering obsession on those puppets was too real, so real that she couldn't help but think, if Ren's really was the Herrscher of Legion, what should she do?

If what she saw in the memory space was really a scene of the future, if the world really fell into destruction because of the Herrscher of Legion, if Ren's on the throne really forgot about her…

His tears, who would wipe them away for him?

"Class Monitor, I understand."

Like a ray of bright sunshine dispelling the gloom in her heart, Kiana let out a long breath of relief.

Regardless of whether what she saw in the memory space was a trap constructed by the enemy or the real future, for the current her, it was just a dream.

Ren's was still by her side, not yet far away.

All she needed to do was to firmly grasp his hand and never let go, right?

She wanted to know more about him, to share his pain, and to walk with him.

If he really was the Herrscher of Legion, she would pull him back from the darkness.

If he didn't listen, she would beat him until he listened.

Hadn't she already made up her mind? To create a future she desired.

Thinking of this, Kiana immediately abandoned the idea of continuing to recuperate.

She couldn't wait to see Ren's again.

However, before she could proactively mention leaving to Class Monitor, the sky of the Mind Space suddenly cracked open with a pitch-black rift.

The dark red sky covered the original clear sky, and countless heavy dark clouds kept churning.

A dense chaotic aura continuously poured into the space through the rift, and even these fictitious flowers and trees were affected by it, becoming withered and yellow.

"Class Monitor, what's this?" The sudden change made Kiana open her eyes wide.

The Mind Space was constructed from Class Monitor's heart; there was no reason for it to be invaded by the outside world.

Could it be that something unexpected had happened to Class Monitor and she didn't want her to leave?

But when she looked at Class Monitor, she found that Class Monitor herself also had a serious expression, looking at the rift in the sky with a tense expression.

"The Fenghuang Down is a Key of Consciousness. Normally speaking, it should only be controlled by the holder's consciousness, unless…" Class Monitor sighed deeply.

"Unless there is an existence with higher authority than it personally descends."

"Higher authority?" A hint of confusion flashed in her eyes, and Kiana immediately realized what Class Monitor meant.

"You mean the Herrscher of Sentience?"

"That's right, although I had a premonition, I didn't expect it to come so quickly." Class Monitor confirmed.

"Kiana, I can't stay any longer. If I'm not mistaken, the Herrscher of Sentience has already set her sights on you."

Hearing these words, Kiana's head buzzed.

Even the Fenghuang Down had been invaded, wouldn't that mean that Ren's outside was also… ?

Thinking of this, she no longer cared about her spiritual weakness and forcibly broke through Class Monitor's Mind Space.

When she opened her eyes, what came into view were countless scarlet chains, and Ren's, whose whole body was stained red with blood.