Chapter 168: Rage Baiting Kiana

As if noticing Kiana's subtle change, the puppet's mental attack became increasingly aggressive.

"Oh right, oh right~"

The puppet suddenly raised its voice, "You should still remember World Serpent's honored Herrscher, Kevin Kaslana, right? That man who was so strong it drove you to despair~"

"As a former fusion warrior of the Previous Era, this World Serpent leader had the power to defeat a Herrscher one-on-one."

"But do you know why Van, who was even stronger than Kevin, died so easily at your hands?"

The Void Spear's attack missed for the first time, slamming heavily into the ground.

"Shut up!" Kiana shouted harshly.

However, Kiana's outburst didn't stop the puppet; instead, it became even more ruthless, "What a ridiculous man, what a foolish man~ To awaken your consciousness, he actually gave up the chance to keep living~"

"Shut up!!!" Kiana roared and shattered the speaking puppet.

But the words that rang in her ears pierced her heart like sharp blades.

"Of course, we know that the current Van is half-alive, barely clinging to life inside your body... Given time, maybe he really could be resurrected~"

"That's what you're thinking, right? But is the reality really what you believe it to be? After all this time, after trying so many methods..."

"Kiana, you should've already realized, it was all just your own one-sided wish. So then~ come on, come on!"

"Kiana, let's end this pathetic self-deception. Say the truth that's in your heart... Van... he's never coming back again~"

———

[In the Real World]

[Aaaah! My Van, MY Van!]

[Damn! This cursed Herrscher of Domination! I'm gonna explode!]

[Brothers, for the first time I feel there's someone even more hateful than Otto in this world!]

[Even we outside the video want to curse the Domination Herrscher, how much worse must it be for Kiana, the one in the middle of it all~]

———

[Inside Van's Apartment]

After seeing this scene, the straightforward Ivana slammed the corner of the dining table hard enough to break it.

"That goddamn Herrscher of Domination! How dare she talk about Van like that!"

In response, Van silently picked the wood splinters out of his bowl and said to Ivana, "Children... mustn't use bad words."

However, before Van could continue calming Ivana down, Himeko at the side broke her chopsticks in fury.

(Chopsticks: Excuse me, how many pairs have we lost in this house already?)

"Damn that Herrscher of Domination, she's infuriating!"

"Uh... Himeko, that whole thing is already over..."

Before Van could finish, he suddenly noticed the dining room lights flickering.

Then, tiny arcs of lightning started sparking in the air.

Van immediately turned his head toward Raiden Mei, who sat nearby radiating dark energy.

Just as he was about to say a few comforting words, he heard Mobius in the corner start making a phone call to Klein, informing her she was starting a new research topic.

And the name of the project was, "How to Monitor the Herrscher of Domination."

Although Klein on the other end didn't know exactly who this "Herrscher of Domination" was, her instincts told her to follow the Doctor's words anyway.

Thankfully, there was still someone in the room maintaining some level of sanity.

Watching all the women around him start to lose control, Van helplessly shook his head.

Then, he planned to get up and call Fu Hua, the only one who still had "reason," to help him clean up the messy table.

But before Van could walk up to her, he clearly felt a terrifying aura coming from her.

As if sensing Van's approach, Fu Hua instinctively pushed her glasses and said, "Van, do you have a way to identify the Herrscher of Domination hidden in people's hearts? I have a few words I'd like to say to her."

Van, "..."

———

[Back to the Video]

Facing the puppet's continuous venomous mockery, Kiana suddenly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, working hard to regain her composure.

"Hey! Are you deaf, or do you not understand human speech? Or is it that you've been so drowned in despair that you've given up on thinking?"

"Van is dead! Dead! Dead! Important things must be said three times!"

———

[In the Real World]

After seeing that series of "dead" repeated, Van mentally cursed the Herrscher of Domination ten thousand times.

But, the reason Van cursed her wasn't because she said he was dead.

These days, which savior doesn't die?

What Van really wanted to curse was the fact that after hearing those words, the emotions of the women around him became even more unstable.

If it weren't for the last bits of sanity remaining, news might report tomorrow that a "gas leak incident" happened in his district.

———

[Back to the Video]

Faced with the puppet's repeated taunts, Kiana remained silent.

"Not reacting at all? Hey, aren't you a bit too cold-blooded!"

Kiana calmly opened her eyes. A resolute light gleamed in her sky-blue pupils. She said in a calm tone, "Then tell me, what kind of reaction do you expect from me?"

"Fall to my knees crying, collapse and not get up? Shout over and over, 'This isn't real'? Or go insane, break down completely, desperately hurting myself to atone for guilt?"

"If that's what you're hoping for, then I'm afraid you'll be disappointed..."

Kiana's rational demeanor completely stumped the puppet.

'Th-this... isn't right...'

In her imagination, given Kiana's feelings toward Van, even if she didn't mentally collapse, she should at least show some hesitation.

After a moment, the puppet realized, Kiana must be holding on by sheer will.

If she just applied one more bit of pressure, Kiana's mental defenses would surely collapse. Then they could finally execute the plan they had always wanted to complete.

This round, the advantage was theirs.

Thinking this, the puppet immediately pulled a glowing gem with a dangerous red light from her bosom and presented it in front of Kiana.

"How about it, how about it, looks familiar?"

"This is a treasure we worked so hard to retrieve from the Sea of Quanta~ Of course, compared to us, you should be even more familiar with it, right?"

Kiana, "!!!"

"Yes, yes, yes! That surprised expression!"

The puppet said excitedly, "You know, when we found it, the gem was drifting all alone~ So strange~ wasn't it supposed to be embedded in the Vermillion Knight armor?"

"Then the real question is, what happened to the person who was with it?"

═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═❀═

patreon.com/AmbitiousTranslator

🥳Joining Patreon keeps me motivated and eager to work diligently, so please consider joining.🥰 You can access upto 20 advance chapter through Patreon.

https://discord.gg/bYAfGyp98y