SWNOVELXO Chapter 240: Chapter 240: "Oh My God! Someone's Dead!"
"Um..."
At this moment, Ana slowly raised her hand.
Under everyone's gaze, Ana weakly said, "Actually, before I came here, Lady Hera told me... the Herrscher of Thousands might have some plans involving me."
Wendy, Mei, and Kiana: "Huh???"
Ana then recounted how the Herrscher of Thousands had once spoken with Hera and attempted to strike a deal involving her.
Following this revelation, the three sank into deep thought.
They analyzed the situation one by one:
"So, you're saying the Herrscher of Thousands might have the ability to interfere with other Herrscher powers?"
"That makes sense! I've always thought that if I were the Herrscher of Thousands, I'd realize that no matter how much chaos I stirred in the outside world, it would never truly shake Schicksal or Anti-Entropy..."
"Therefore, those actions must be distractions, delaying tactics to muddy the waters. To truly change the game, they'd need a decisive power..."
"In this case, that decisive power is—us Herrschers?!"
"What kind of ability do you think they'd use? Make us lose control? It can't be as extreme as directly controlling our Herrscher powers, can it?"
"Sigurd once said, 'Despise your enemies strategically, but take them seriously tactically.' Let's assume the worst-case scenario: what if their ability is to directly steal our powers? What then?"
Kiana, Wendy, and Mei frowned in unison.
This hypothesis was truly frightening. If the Herrscher of Thousands could outright seize their powers, wouldn't that make them the nemesis of all Herrschers?
"No, that's too exaggerated; it would be impossible to counter! Don't forget, Uncle Welt encountered them before and managed to destroy several of their instances using a pseudo black hole. Taking the enemy seriously doesn't mean assuming their powers are invincible. Think about it carefully—Uncle Welt did mention they used illusions targeting the weaknesses of the human heart. Could it be that controlling us through illusions is how they steal powers?"
"It's worth considering, but it's still just a hypothesis. In any case, we must operate under the assumption that the Herrscher of Thousands can steal powers. Reckless action is absolutely out of the question... We'll need to make contact with them at least once to gather more intel.
"If they truly can steal powers, they'd only have one set at a time, which shouldn't make them overwhelmingly strong. The situation would still be manageable... I think it's worth trying."
Kiana finished and turned her gaze toward Ana, who looked every bit the obedient younger sister.
Mei and Wendy also looked at her simultaneously. After a moment of scrutiny, they nodded in unison.
Ana shivered instinctively.
"Wait a minute! You're not thinking of using me as bait, are you?"
Wendy smiled gently and said, "Think about it. Their initial target was you. Doesn't that make you the perfect choice?"
Mei smiled warmly, exuding the composure of a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko, and said, "Don't worry. We'll be nearby, and we won't let anything truly happen to you."
Kiana, grinning mischievously, placed a hand on Ana's shoulder.
"You're the chosen one, Ana! Haha, you're already relying on Teacher Fu Hua's feather to suppress your powers. You're not much of a combat asset anyway, so using you to test the Herrscher of Thousands' abilities is just right!"
The three of them looked at Ana with spring-like smiles, causing the Valkyrie to break out in cold sweat.
"Uh... don't you think this plan is a little too reckless?"
"Don't worry! I'll ask Teacher Fu Hua to assist. At the very least, we'll ensure your safety. Ana, you need to believe in yourself!"
Kiana patted Ana's shoulder. The pure, harmless gleam of her teeth under the light seemed to reflect innocence itself.
Ana knew there was no hope of dissuading the three. She turned her gaze toward Seele, the most obedient and kindhearted member of the group, seeking help.
Seele received her plea and mustered her courage. Under Ana's hopeful gaze, she gently tugged at her sleeve and shyly said, "Big Sister Ana, you can do it!"
"..."
What the heck is wrong with these people? Haven't they all speculated that the enemy can steal powers? That sounds incredibly dangerous!
Taking a deep breath, Ana finally admitted to herself that aside from the risk she had to take, it was a good breakthrough.
"Alright, I get it."
Ana sighed and nodded.
As the identical radiant smiles of Kiana, Mei, and Wendy shone on her, she vaguely felt she was seeing the same mischievous shadow in all of them.
<+>
Meanwhile, in a certain bubble world within the Sea Of Quanta, Sigurd suddenly looked up from his experiments, frowning slightly as if sensing something.
"Leaving it to them… should be fine, right? I trained them myself; they've got decent tactical and strategic thinking. They should be able to find the right approach."
"Never mind. With Welt and Fu Hua watching, and the contingencies I've arranged, let them handle it on their own."
Sigurd shook off the thought and returned to his work.
<+>
Three days later, thirty kilometers from the Anti-Entropy headquarters, by the sea.
Ana Schariac, the current Herrscher of Ice—a perfectly ordinary, slender, long-legged, fair-skinned, beautiful Valkyrie—was staring sorrowfully at the ocean.
Suddenly, the waves washing over the shore deposited a small, drenched, and delicate blonde girl onto the beach.
The girl lay there on the sand, resembling a drowned and pitiful corpse washed ashore by the tide.
Ana: "???"
"Don't panic. I'm the Herrscher of Thousands. I had no choice; since you chose a meeting spot near Anti-Entropy, I had to disguise myself as lifeless flotsam and drift ashore undetected."
The blonde girl rose from the sand in a grotesque, puppet-like manner, her joints twisting unnaturally. Pointing at Ana, she said in a chilling tone, "Let's get to it."
Ana blinked.
"Lady Hera said this way, I can call for Anti-Entropy reinforcements if things go south. It ensures my safety while minimizing suspicion."
"Oh, using Anti-Entropy to kill me... Clever. This way, it just looks like an accident. Truly a product of 500 years of wisdom—such a deep mind!"
Though suspicious, the Herrscher of Thousands was willing to take the gamble. A single instance didn't matter much; they were willing to take the risk.
After a pause, Ana blankly asked, "...How can you help me?"
"That depends on what Hera is offering us in return."
"Lady Hera said she won't personally hunt you down."
"... What? She's trying to pull a fast one?"
"No, Lady Hera said this is a threat. Figure it out yourselves."
"Hmph! Fine, no results, no help—it makes sense that old fox wouldn't act without a guarantee. I can help weaken the Herrscher power within you once. After that… let her come to us personally."
"Now, hold my head—it's the medium."
The blonde girl detached her head and handed it to Ana.
Ana stared dumbfounded at the girl whose head had just come off.
A moment later, she gaped in shock, letting out a JPG-worthy scream:
"OH MY GOD! SOMEONE'S DEAD!!!"
<+>
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