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

"...Are you deliberately trying to provoke me?"

Suddenly, when Himeko was only a step away from becoming a puppet, she blurted out those words. After she spoke, the grayness in Himeko's eyes faded quite a bit, as if she realized that the Herrscher before her was deliberately leading her on. She forcefully suppressed her emotions.

"..." A look of surprise appeared on Ren's face at the opportune moment, but it quickly transformed into a sneer. "Whether it's true or false, you're powerless to change it, aren't you? I am the Herrscher of Dominance, born to manipulate hearts. A few young Herrscher girls, with just a little guidance, can be sent into an endless abyss."

"And you, who have been protecting them all along, can't do anything. What does suppressing your emotions accomplish? After your death, I can still dominate your body. It's just a difference between a living puppet and a dead puppet."

After hearing his words, Himeko fell into a brief silence. Ren was right; she had no choice at all. But, "a living puppet?"

"That's right. Haven't you noticed? In your heart, that other self that's been lurking for so long, that version of yourself who lost everything at nineteen, she's so gloomy, as if she were covered by dense dark clouds. When you're killed by her, she will become your replacement, slaughtering all those little Herrscher girls with boundless hatred."

"Then what if I kill her?"

"Simple. You replace her and become a puppet in my hands. The end result is the same. It's just that you'll be able to watch yourself kill them. I think that will be more interesting, don't you?"

The whispers of a devil seemed to linger in her ears. Although he had the face of a young man, his thoughts were so dark. He would definitely do it; Himeko realized that.

But, if she could pretend to be controlled, would she be able to save those children at a critical moment?

Seeing that Murata Himeko was seriously thinking about this, no one noticed the faint smile at the corner of Ren's lips.

In fact, Ren wasn't all that omnipotent. Although he could really control Himeko, that broken corpse was basically just a broken toy. A light touch might break it into pieces. And with Himeko's firm and extraordinary will, it was completely absurd for him to forcefully create a puppet. The end result would definitely be a loss of both, getting nothing.

Although in his plan, his goal was only the Gem of Haste, if he could really trick Himeko into voluntarily becoming a puppet, she would be a top-tier A-rank Valkyrie. Or, combined with the Gem of Haste, he could create a low-profile version of the Herrscher of Flame.

Anyway, once she became a puppet, she would be completely under his control, so there was no need to worry about betrayal.

"Oh, right. If you don't believe me, here's a message that white-haired girl left for me. You can't possibly mistake her voice."

He tossed his phone to Himeko. Anyway, it was just an unexpected extra bargaining chip, so it didn't matter to give it to her.

"Kiana…" Himeko's voice was dry. That girl was the child she worried about the most. After she left, no one would protect her. Had she finally fallen into a conspiracy?

With difficulty, she moved her finger and quietly pressed the play button, listening to the farewell Kiana left for Ren.

The message was short, but Himeko repeated it over and over again.

"How is it? I didn't lie to you, did I?" Ren watched Himeko with some boredom. He could already imagine the painful, nostalgic expression she must have after hearing Kiana's voice after being in the Imaginary Space for so long.

Enjoying the pain and despair of others had no meaning to him. He was not some heinous devil; he was simply trying to protect himself and live. As for subverting human civilization, that was just a matter of going with the flow. Anyway, the Honkai Will was only responsible for paying his salary, not for management. Slacking off at work was normal for a Herrscher who was just chilling.

But when Himeko looked at him again, not only was there no pain, but her gaze was full of strangeness. "You haven't listened to this recording yourself, have you?"

"..." Huh?

Thud—

Just as Ren was still feeling confused by her words, Himeko, with strength she didn't seem to possess, grabbed the phone and slammed it hard onto the ground. After that slam, Ren's second-hand phone for girls was completely destroyed, reduced to nothing more than scraps.

"Alright, I agree to become your puppet, on the condition that you grant me a certain degree of freedom." After destroying Ren's personal property, Himeko said to herself.

"Are you kidding me..."

"Don't you want to know what's in that recording?"

"..."

To be honest, because of Murata Himeko's unusual behavior, Ren really felt a sliver of curiosity. What kind of message could have made Himeko change her previous "I'd rather die" attitude and choose to become a puppet?

Just as Ren was still hesitating, a thick dark cloud completely covered Himeko's eyes. She had deliberately provoked the dark emotions in her heart. In the Dominance Theater, countless threads flew, gears spun, and a new blank puppet was gradually taking shape.

This was a situation Ren had never expected. Since ancient times, only the Herrscher of Dominance had the right to choose a host. When did a host get to forcefully become a puppet? Was it because she used to be the holder of the Gem of Haste?

But he was only surprised for a moment. Since she was voluntarily offering herself, what was there for him, the controller, to worry about? Was he afraid of having too many subordinates and living too comfortably?

"You promised me, you would grant me a certain degree of freedom." Himeko's voice gradually became calm. After actively linking her soul to the Dominance Theater, the Honkai energy's erosion of her will had lessened too much. And her broken body, due to the birth of the puppet, had formed a complement, actually stopping the Honkai's advances.

The corner of Ren's mouth twitched slightly. "No, I didn't..."

Himeko didn't speak, just stared at him with her orange eyes, making him even doubt himself. Had he really said those words?

"Okay, okay, you can have it. Anyway, if I want, I can take back control of you at any time." After being stared at until he couldn't hold his composure any longer, Ren could only agree, though still being stubborn about it. Anyway, once she became a puppet, she would be completely under his control, and the so-called freedom would just mean not interfering too much in her everyday actions.

And after he reluctantly agreed, he also failed to notice the slight relief in Himeko's eyes.

She was gambling, using Kiana's judgment as a basis. She was betting that Ren's nature was not purely evil. And now it seemed like she had bet correctly.

"So what was the recording about?" After confirming that he really held Himeko's life and death in his hands, Ren asked, feeling a bit curious.

"Ask her yourself."

"...Do you know the consequences of deceiving a Herrscher?"

"Anyway, you can control my body but not my memories. Or you could just kill me."

Well, it felt like this operation had just imploded.