Honkai: Strijder (Honkai Impact 3 Male MC)

"I will never become a memory!"

"I swear I'll… @#*!$..."

"Three against one? You guys are just shameless!"

"Beep—beep—beep—!"

The shadow loomed over a doll still spouting curses. A delicate, pale foot wrapped in light green crystal high heels gently lifted before stamping down with force.

Boom!

The ground cracked and shattered, explosive energy tearing apart the last doll's vitality. Wendy raised her head, only to see the sky and earth disintegrating piece by piece.

"Is it over?" she murmured, her voice tinged with doubt, as if she couldn't believe it herself.

Swoosh!

A figure clad in black, holding several deep blue gemstones in her hands, descended silently behind Wendy. It was Kiana, who approached and removed her black helmet, letting out a long breath.

"Including the one at your feet, we've collected 539 cores in total. Counting the damage caused by Welt and Sigurd earlier, it seems like this might be enough… but it can't be that easy, can it?"

A small black hole appeared by Kiana's side. She tossed the gems radiating Honkai energy into it, frowning with lingering unease.

"I feel the same," Wendy said. "From these things, I didn't sense the kind of despair or fear one feels when facing death."

Raiden Mei approached slowly, sheathing her blade. Blood trickled from several wounds on her body. Unlike Wendy, who had transformed into a Herrscher, or Kiana, equipped with the black armor's formidable defenses, Mei relied purely on her swordsmanship, making her far less protected than the other two.

The three exchanged glances, each frowning.

Moments later, Kiana stretched out her arms, opening a black hole large enough for two people to walk through.

"Whatever the case, this is it for today. This imaginary space is on the verge of collapsing. Let's leave first."

"Understood."

<+>

On the other side of the black hole, they arrived at Anti-Entropy headquarters.

Fu Hua stood over Ana's unconscious body, pressing a golden feather into her chest before it disappeared.

"How is she?" Kiana asked, suppressing her emotions.

Fu Hua shook her head.

"Her physical wounds are manageable, but her Herrscher energy has been nearly depleted. The hardest challenge, however, lies in her inner demons. Throughout history, many could be called heroes, but few could overcome their own barriers… Stay by her side. Let's hope she can find her way out of this."

"…I should never have pushed her so hard."

Kiana knelt down, taking Ana's cold hand in hers, and sighed regretfully.

Ana's surname, Schariac, was the same as the original Kiana mom, Cecilia's. Kiana's complex lineage made her feel an instinctive connection and concern for Ana.

Wendy patted Kiana's shoulder.

"We knew from Welt's intelligence that the Herrscher of Thousands excels at exploiting emotional weaknesses. We warned her about that possibility beforehand. But she told us she's a Valkyrie of Schicksal, prepared to face anything when stepping onto the battlefield… Trust her."

"I know. Recovering her humanity from the Herrscher state shows her incredible resilience. But there's a difference between being strong and being stubborn… This time, she was just being stubborn. I should have stopped her earlier."

"Oh? So now you understand the difference between strength and stubbornness?"

"Facing difficulties courageously is strength. Refusing help while facing difficulties—that's stubbornness. That's what Sig told me. Let's let her rest. She'll get through this. I believe in her."

Kiana gently placed Ana's hand down, tidying her hair before sighing again.

After a brief respite, Kiana carefully stored the Herrscher of Thousands's gemstones she had collected. The group reconvened in the conference room.

Holding a glass of milk, Kiana sipped, leaving a white streak on her upper lip, which she licked away before speaking.

"Ana hasn't regained her Herrscher powers. Does this mean the Herrscher of Thousands is still alive?"

"Not necessarily," Wendy replied calmly. "It's possible the power they took from her simply can't be restored. But either way, I don't believe this is over."

Raiden Mei nodded in agreement, adding, "This battle wasn't easy, showing that the Herrscher of Thousands's abilities have improved significantly. That kind of cunning, cowardly entity—no matter how much their strength and confidence have grown—wouldn't recklessly engage in a decisive battle. They must have left a backup plan."

The group exchanged knowing glances, pleased with their mutual understanding. Nothing was more reassuring than working with competent and clear-headed allies.

Kiana smiled.

"If we assume the Herrscher of Thousands is still alive, they've become even more dangerous and are bound to hide deeper. But on the other hand, we've unveiled some of their mysteries. Their 'domination' extends to controlling other powers. However, Ana's experience suggests their control isn't instant—it requires certain conditions. Now the question is, what are those conditions?"

"First, being in the Theater of Domination. Second, being connected to those threads. Third… psychological collapse?" Raiden Mei speculated, piecing together the scene to deduce the Herrscher of Thousands's methods.

Wendy rubbed her chin, deep in thought, and spoke slowly:

"Conditions like being in the Theater of Domination, being bound by threads, mental collapse, losing consciousness, being defeated, being gravely injured, staying in the space for over five minutes, holding their heads, or entering the theater alone—these are all the observable triggers. As long as we avoid these, we should be able to prevent them from stealing our powers next time."

Kiana and Raiden Mei nodded in agreement.

Kiana's distinctive cowlick swayed playfully as she thought about the situation, then straightened as she spoke with a serious expression:

"We should also take Uncle Welt's case into consideration. From what he experienced, entering the theater alone and time spent there doesn't seem to be… well, at least not critical conditions. The things to avoid at all costs are: holding their heads, getting bound by threads, and being mentally or physically defeated. The first is straightforward, but the second and third are crucial for the next encounter."

Both Wendy and Mei nodded in agreement.

A few moments later, Raiden Mei rubbed her temples with a pained expression.

"After this battle, they'll certainly realize their lack of combat power and adopt a more cautious approach. Since we can't track their whereabouts… we're back to the enemy being hidden while we're exposed. This won't be easy."

"No, we don't need to actively search for them," Wendy replied calmly. "We've confirmed that their real trump card for destabilizing civilization lies in stealing powers from us. They'll want to come to us anyway. Plus, they won't give up on the Herrscher cores we've collected. So, why not let them come to us instead?"

Kiana mulled over her words, hesitating before asking:

"Are you saying… we should leave the heavily fortified headquarters, give them a chance to approach, and use bait tactics 2.0 Plus?"

Wendy shook her head.

"A trap that obvious wouldn't work. Even if they took the bait, it would only be a few minor entities, not enough to eliminate them entirely."

"Then what do we do?"

Kiana, ever impatient, gave up thinking and eagerly sought the strategy Wendy seemed to have ready.

Wendy tucked her now longer, black-and-green hair behind her ear and spoke confidently:

"We should pressure them into a corner where they have no choice but to gamble everything. We must give them opportunities to isolate us themselves."

"Oh! Sounds brilliant! Go on, tell us!"

Kiana's eyes sparkled as she stared at Wendy.

Raiden Mei also listened intently, awaiting an ingenious plan from their youngest but most capable leader.

"Well, aren't we already planning to dismantle the current global political order and establish a unified nation? Isn't that the perfect opportunity to incite large-scale unrest? And wouldn't the establishment of a unified empire apply significant pressure on them?"

The answer was obvious: yes.

Dismantling hundreds of countries would inevitably encounter enormous resistance. Given the Herrscher of Thousands's track record, it would be strange if they didn't seize the opportunity to create chaos.

At the same time, once a unified nation is established, most opposition forces would be eliminated, and the combined powers of Anti-Entropy and Schicksal would have global reach. For the Herrscher of Thousands, their survival space would be compressed to the limit, making it a matter of survival to prevent unification.

Could they stop the unification?

Certainly—if they could assemble a force capable of directly confronting Anti-Entropy's mechs, the Valkyrie legions, and the monsters leading both organizations. But if they could, they wouldn't have to rely on tricks and schemes.

Since they couldn't achieve that, the Herrscher's only option was to delay the unification process and use the buffer time to gain enough power to survive in the new world order.

Kiana and Mei mulled this over, nodding frequently as understanding dawned.

Wendy smiled and continued:

"I don't know how they'll incite chaos or create opportunities to approach us, but that's irrelevant. What matters is that they will come for us. We just need to release some information and wait. That's enough."

"Wait! Objection!"

Kiana raised her hand.

Wendy rolled her eyes.

"Go ahead."

"This could cause unnecessary casualties! Also, the Herrscher of Thousands isn't the most important thing—nation-building is the true long-term goal. If dealing with them causes setbacks to Uncle Welt's plan, wouldn't that be putting the cart before the horse?"

"You're not supposed to be this smart, Kiana!" Wendy exclaimed in mock exasperation.

"You wanna fight?!"

Kiana raised her arms as if to roll up her sleeves, though her bare, jade-white arms were already exposed, making her intentions clear.

Wendy spread her hands in resignation, smiling.

"That's why this is just a plan. We'll need to discuss it with the leader to see if it's feasible. That's all for today. Tomorrow, I'll meet with Welt to finalize the details. Meeting adjourned!"

A deep blue beret—a handcrafted gift from Sigurd—appeared in Wendy's hand. She placed it on her head with a smile and left the room.

As Wendy departed, Kiana stuck out her tongue.

"Bleh! Smug little brat!"

"Kiana, don't say that. Wendy really is incredible—both in strength and intelligence. Even though we're older, there's a lot we can learn from her."

Raiden Mei smiled gently and patted Kiana's head, soothing her irritation.

Kiana puffed up her cheeks like an adorable squirrel, only to deflate moments later.

"Fine. She's a genius, I get it. Sig keeps saying that too… Ugh, Sig never praised me like that!"

"Sigurd… well, he does have a unique perspective…" Mei said hesitantly.

"Mei, your voice is trembling. Are you really that scared of Sig?"

"No! Absolutely not—eek! Why do you have a photo of him!? Wait, why are you showing it now?!"

"Hehe! Sig said I should help you overcome your fear if I had the chance! Don't worry, it's just a photo. Besides, Sig is so handsome—what's there to be afraid of? Here, let's get closer to it!"

"Don't come any closer!!"

A piercing scream echoed through the room and beyond its walls.

And so, peace and calm prevailed once more in Anti-Entropy for the day.

<+>

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