Rustle, rustle.
A subtle noise echoed in the darkened space.
No light, no warmth, no life, no sensation.
Bang!
The sound of a mallet striking a table reverberated, like a drop of water disturbing the stillness of a dark pool, creating endless ripples.
Creak… creak…
The sounds of hard objects colliding, mechanisms engaging, joints twisting…
began to echo.
Like a long-rehearsed puppet show, the grand opening was about to begin.
"Order! Order!"
The mallet struck the table repeatedly, the cacophony of puppet sounds abruptly ceased, followed by silence.
Click.
The theater lights suddenly brightened, piercing the darkness, focusing on the solemn scene of judgment.
Ominous, unsettling, terrifying.
A creature shrouded in mystery stood at the judge's bench, its voice echoing with authority.
Meow.
A black cat was rather ominous.
Especially a talking one.
"Puppet [Ren], do you know your crime?" Taxue rapped on the table, its four paws planted firmly on the raised platform, looking down at the puppet in the defendant's seat.
A dark blindfold covered the puppet's eyes. It remained silent.
Transparent strings descended from above, tightly binding its joints, limbs, and every movable part.
"This play for the Herrscher of the Void has been in preparation for two whole months, and yet, when she finally fell into the trap, you failed to kill her." A white paw slid across the table, tugging at the strings that bound the [Ren] puppet, forcing its head to lift.
"Selfish! Stupid! Hypocritical!" From the audience, the [Father] puppet shouted accusations, venting all its negative emotions at [Ren].
"Order! [Father], shut up! Can't you learn from [Mother]? Look at her, not a single word." Taxue interrupted [Father]'s tirade, gesturing to another puppet in the audience.
"Ah-bah, ah-bah." [Mother] noticed Taxue's gesture, tilting her head in confusion.
"We are the Herrscher of Dominance, the Thousand-Person Herrscher. We are born enemies of humanity. Any unnecessary kindness only hastens our destruction." The black cat glanced around, sighing. "Besides, there are only four of us right now."
"[Ren], you don't want Kiana to become powerful enough to crush us later, do you?"
The puppet named [Ren] finally moved. It stood from the defendant's seat, gazing around the empty Theater of Domination.
"The seeds of rebellion have been sown. All that remains is careful nurturing. One day, they will blossom and bear fruit."
As [Ren] spoke, the other puppets remained silent.
"She will be our blade, tearing away the disguise of this world."
"But first, we must conceal ourselves."
With [Ren]'s dramatic gesture, the strings snapped, the wooden puppet collapsing in pieces on the floor.
Above the Theater of Domination, a pair of golden eyes glimmered faintly.
Sigh…
After a moment, Ren removed the strings from his fingers, the puppet show concluding.
How many months had it been since he became a Herrscher? Ren only remembered the day it happened: the sky had ripped open, and the Herrscher of the Void had summoned countless Honkai beasts from the void. Within hours, the world had descended into chaotic despair.
It was then that he truly understood what a Herrscher was.
They weren't just game data, Valkyries he controlled, slashing through enemies. They were beings capable of destroying the world. While he had enjoyed the thrill of slaughtering puppets in Chapter 25 during his previous life's darker moments, becoming a puppet himself was an entirely different experience.
"Cough—"
A sudden tightness in his chest overwhelmed him. Ren clutched his chest, coughing violently.
Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, dripping down his chin and onto the floor, blooming like crimson rhododendrons.
The coughing intensified, culminating in a mouthful of dark, bloody sputum.
"It's getting worse."
He had spent two months searching for a way to save himself, finally concocting this false Theater of Domination for Kiana, hoping to leave a harmless impression.
Unfortunately, while the play was fake, the actors were real.
The medical report Kiana had seen was accurate. Ren's life was nearing its end.
It was an incredibly rare disease—no, not a disease, a curse.
Ren had never believed in fate, but after watching his strong, healthy father wither away from constant coughing up blood, after witnessing his mother's decline from a simple cold to organ failure, losing her hearing and voice, he finally bowed his head to destiny.
Only after this nightmare had taken everything, stripping away his health like layers of skin, did he finally hear that voice.
"Welcome to the Theater of Domination!"
And so, he became this world's first Thousand-Person Herrscher.