Herrscher of Dominance in Honkai, starting with the abduction of Kiana

Gurgle…

The sound of flowing liquid echoed around Ren. It wasn't seawater, but the energy currents of the Sea of Quanta, constantly shifting and annihilating.

Even without a host, the Gem of Desire continuously emitted energy. Honkai energy, a manifestation of Imaginary entropy, inevitably underwent annihilation within the Sea of Quanta.

Normally, these fluctuations were harmless. But with Kevin nearby, Ren felt a prickle of unease.

Deactivating his MANTIS form, Ren even altered Kosma's appearance. He was stealing from the strongest MANTIS soldier, after all; a bit of caution was warranted.

Once satisfied, Ren approached the Gem.

Quantum Shadows swarmed around them but none dared approach the Herrscher gem. As the Gem of Desire came within reach, Ren hesitated. This was a decision that could drastically alter the future. One wrong move, and he'd have Kevin on his tail.

After stealing the Herrscher of the Void, he was already a thorn in Schicksal's side. Antagonizing World Serpent too would make his life considerably more difficult.

"...Wait. Why am I, a Herrscher, worried about this? Am I being influenced?"

Realizing a flaw in his logic, Ren activated his golden eyes, using his Herrscher consciousness to dispel the emotional corruption within him.

He was stealing something, after all. There was no point in hiding his aura. Without further hesitation, Ren reached for the Gem.

A barrier protected it. The moment his fingers touched it, they began to corrode. This human body couldn't fully resist the Gem's power.

It was a small price to pay. He could fix it later.

Ignoring the barrier's rejection, Ren grasped the Gem of Desire, sacrificing the flesh of his right hand.

The moment the Gem was touched, a wave of energy rippled through the Sea of Quanta, shaking the very fabric of space. From a nearby bubble universe, a terrifying aura emerged.

It was Kevin's personal bubble universe. Its activation meant Kevin had noticed.

Time to go.

Reactivating his MANTIS form, Ren fled. But before he could get far, a bone-chilling cold pierced through the Sea of Quanta.

In seconds, even space itself seemed to freeze. Fortunately, the Gem had only just been activated. Kevin needed time to pinpoint his location.

Gritting his teeth, Ren swallowed the Gem, then released the prepared pseudo-Herrscher core as a decoy.

The cold was intense, but Ren was prepared. He'd shared the Herrscher of Fire's core abilities, allowing him to dispel the freezing temperatures.

As Ren made his escape, Bronya finally inherited the Herrscher of Reason's power. In a brilliant explosion, her motorcycle-configured Project Bunny decimated Tlaloc. But she wasn't in good shape. After the second trial, she'd been separated from Seele and forced to accept the Herrscher's inheritance prematurely, worsening the core's corruption.

"That energy signature...the Gem of Desire has been activated." Forcing herself to focus, Bronya sped towards the source of the energy on her motorcycle.

Welt had warned her about an unknown entity interfering with the trials. After the second trial, she'd lost contact with Seele. He suspected the mysterious person had taken her and that she might be in danger.

To find her sister and prevent World Serpent from obtaining the Gem of Desire, Bronya had to intervene.

Freshly licensed as a Herrscher, Bronya's confidence was high. If Welt could trap World Serpent's sovereign in the Sea of Quanta, perhaps she could too.

"Seele, I'm coming for you."

After Bronya left, Seele arrived at the empty core, bewildered. She'd planned to use the crystal to bring Bronya home, but her sister had already left.

"Something's wrong. A terrifying presence… Your Sister is in danger!" Veliona sensed Kevin's aura and warned Seele. With Ren's gift, they were no longer at odds over the deal with Kevin, and their relationship had improved.

Hearing that Bronya was in danger, Seele, her face etched with worry, rushed towards Kevin's location, scythe in hand. She knew exactly where he was.

As the various factions converged, the Sea of Quanta's energy became turbulent. Though the Gem of Desire wasn't fully active, it was enough to provide a basic location.

Back in the real world, Einstein, having escaped with Schrödinger's help, detected the changes and began working on rescuing Bronya.

Kevin's absolute zero temperatures were lethal, even to Quantum Shadows. Ren couldn't hide.

Ice encased the surrounding space, blocking his escape route. Kevin hadn't even appeared yet, but he already had the upper hand.

"This is a problem." Ren wasn't afraid of dying. It was just a Puppet; its loss was insignificant.

The issue was the sheer power he'd displayed, even without the Divine Key.

To face Kevin directly, Ren would need all five Herrscher cores from Kiana, fully mastered, and even then, victory was uncertain. Once Kevin retrieved the Judgment of Shamash, his power would increase further, making short work of even a Herrscher of a Thousand.

"But what I have, I keep." Ren stopped running, choosing instead to absorb the Gem of Desire's power. If he could steal enough, he could create a pseudo-core. Even if this body was destroyed, the data could be transmitted back through the shared network.

During the absorption process, he detected a faint consciousness within the Gem, weak, on the verge of dissipation. Hiding a Herrscher's consciousness within a Gem was a tradition dating back to Sirin. He wasn't sure if this was the consciousness of the Second Eruption's Herrscher of Wind or the later Wendy.

Time was running out. Should he continue absorbing the Herrscher of Wind's power or preserve the consciousness? If he continued, he'd gain access to some of its abilities even if Kevin took the Gem, but the consciousness would be lost. If he preserved the consciousness, he might lose the Gem entirely.

As Ren weighed his options, a streak of pale blue light appeared, colliding with Kevin's icy barrier.

Bronya, sent flying from her motorcycle, crashed into Ren, the impact transferring the consciousness within the Gem into him.

Well, that settled it.