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

Getting closer, that fiery red hair, like a stove in winter, truly came into his view.

She was just lying there silently. The ruins stretching for miles seemed to mourn for her, the collapsed stone pillars voluntarily forming a calm coffin. The flame-like hair no longer burned but instead resembled a maple tree in late autumn, with the most beautiful leaves falling during the most beautiful season.

She was dead...

The moment he understood this, even the dark-hearted Ren couldn't help but feel a sense of regret. It was hard to describe the origin of this feeling. Even though his goal was only the Gem of Haste, and he didn't care about Murata Himeko's life or death, he still felt a sense of melancholy upon seeing that figure.

Perhaps this was a purely human emotion, but for the current Ren, it was no longer needed—he repeatedly emphasized to himself in his heart.

Yes, he no longer needed these human emotions.

Around Himeko's body, many imaginary monsters were already lurking. However, they didn't seem to be acting yet, probably because the residual heat from the God-Killer Armor still made them hesitant to approach.

They were like vultures waiting for their prey to die of exhaustion. The moment the Gem of Haste became calm, they would devour Murata Himeko's body entirely. No wonder, in the original world, when the Herrscher of the Thousand People found Murata Himeko, only the gem remained.

But now, Ren had arrived in time, and he could probably leave her with a whole corpse, allowing her to die in a dignified manner.

Exploding with power, Ren resolved all the monsters around him with punches and kicks. Only after no more imaginary seeds appeared did he drag his exhausted body to Murata Himeko.

The God-Killer Armor, Vermilion Knight: Eclipse, covering her body had already shattered into pieces. It no longer had its former glory, completely turning into debris. Dense Honkai cracks, like spiderwebs, had climbed all over her body. Even after her death, the torment from the Honkai had not stopped.

The Godslayer Sword: Surtr had long since turned into rubble, leaving only the broken hilt fallen on the ground. Ren squatted down and picked it up. It felt rough to the touch, and it had none of the glory that was described as having "a high-heat blade emitting a blazing red light, and its sound like a lament."

"Too bad," he sighed inwardly. Ren's gaze returned to Himeko. The hot Gem of Haste was also dormant along with the Vermilion Knight. After the armor shattered, it had fallen onto her chest.

Ren's expression was calm as he placed his hand on her. The temperature of the Gem of Haste was extremely high. The moment Ren touched the gem, his skin was burned, but he didn't stop. He felt his skin sizzling like grilled meat, until he finally picked it up.

However, the moment he grasped the gem, red light, like lightning, instantly struck him. Ren didn't even have time to react before his neck was seized.

"..."

"A zombie?" Ren calmly spoke these two words. He then felt the force squeezing his neck increasing. Before him, Himeko, who should have had no signs of life, had actually reached out and grabbed him. Her orange-red eyes, though dim, had a brief resurgence of clarity as if in a final flash of life.

The strength squeezing his neck was great. Ren clearly felt he could no longer breathe, but a smile still played at the corner of his lips. He stared intently at Murata Himeko, the mockery obvious.

Slowly, his blood was having trouble supplying oxygen, and even his face was turning purple. Ren had no intention of letting go of the Gem of Haste, as if to say that even if she took his life, he would still take the gem with him.

Of course, he wasn't actually going to gamble his life with Himeko. After a second or two, the strength squeezing his neck suddenly loosened. The burst before the final fading was fatal, but he had guessed correctly: even if Himeko hadn't died, she wouldn't have the strength to resist.

Her arm fell weakly, her dim eyes staring straight at Ren with a hint of anger.

"Herrscher..." Her voice was as soft as a mosquito's buzz; if the Imaginary Space wasn't so quiet, Ren wouldn't even have been able to hear her.

Without any intention of hiding it, the power of the Herrscher of Dominance was revealed without restraint. Like a standard villain in a movie, Ren proclaimed his terror to the dying protagonist. "You were seriously injured and fell into the Imaginary Space, yet you haven't died. I have to admire your tenacious will to live. But what can you do now? Do you want to stand up again and kill me?"

"Hairpin..."

After mumbling for a while, Ren, who was about to give a little speech, felt somewhat awkward. After saying so much, the other party's attention was actually on the inconspicuous hairpin.

"Hmm? You mean this? I snatched it from a little girl with white hair—oh, they call her the Herrscher of the Void. I am currently chasing her all over the world. She probably doesn't know where she's died at this point, it's a bit pitiful. When I saw her, it looked like she was about to kill herself with a gun."

Upon hearing Ren's words, Himeko, who was already on the verge of death, seemed as if she was about to get angry and come back to life. The orange light in her eyes even grew stronger.

"Ki..." Before she could finish her word, Ren interrupted her.

"Alright, you don't have to worry about her. Anyway, even if she doesn't kill herself, after I get the Gem of Haste and dominate your body, I will personally deal with her."

"Imagine, when Kiana sees her most respected and guilty teacher again, pointing a weapon at her, would she voluntarily give up resistance and welcome her death?"

He smiled sinisterly and evilly, as if he was already imagining that scene. But in reality, his peripheral vision was still focused on Himeko's eyes, where that orange red was getting more intense. This indicated that Himeko's mental activity was getting stronger.

Pain, sorrow, anger, the despair of being near death, and worry for the person she cared for.

There was no need to elaborate on what that meant for the Herrscher of Dominance.

"Oh and before I forget, the Kiana you were trying to protect has completely broken ties with everyone at St. Freya. She's a traitor to Schicksal, while they are the heroes who defeated the Herrscher of the Void. The fact that your former friends have become like this is truly laughable."

"And you, can only helplessly watch her die miserably, and after death you'll become Schicksal's lab rat, continuing the research on the Herrscher of the Void. I think you, more than anyone, should know Schicksal's manipulative methods."

His smile grew wider, while Murata Himeko no longer had any power to resist, only able to listen to his declaration in despair.

A dense, dark gloom gradually emerged from the depths of her eyes.