Inside the Theater of Domination, a puppet made the sound of mechanical joints twisting as it approached Black Seele with exaggerated movements that no normal person could possibly make.
“What’s the matter? Still looking for that one who’s always been inseparable from you? We’re looking for you, you hypocrite. She doesn’t have the right to enter the theater.”
“You bunch of—”
“Now, now, don’t get angry just yet. Let me finish, let me finish…”
“Think about it. That body clearly belongs to both of you, and yet in most people’s minds, it only belongs to one person. She keeps saying the two of you are equals, but that situation hasn’t changed in the slightest. Saying one thing and doing another—isn’t that hypocrisy?”
“You!”
“I know you’re anxious, but don’t be. I’m not done yet.”
“She’s built herself a persona of being kind and gentle. To maintain that persona, she often takes care of orphans just like herself.”
“But… when she fights Honkai Beasts, she swings her scythe—swish—and cuts their bodies in half. Oh, and I didn’t mention your help at all.”
“Look at how selfish she is, how shameless. Honkai Beasts only destroyed a few buildings and accelerated the countdown of human life. Yet she killed them in such a cruel way. Human lives are lives—are Honkai Beasts’ lives not lives too?”
Perhaps this puppet had once been a fortune teller. Because right after it vividly described Seele’s movements, Black Seele used the exact same motion to cut its body in half.
But a little farther away, a second puppet jumped up.
“You actually attacked directly. It seems what it just said described the facts objectively and fairly, leaving you speechless and unable to refute it, while also deeply striking your heart.”
Black Seele rushed forward and struck the puppet again, but this puppet was much more agile than the previous one. It leaped upward, and the scythe only grazed its body.
“Whoa, that was close, that was close. Almost got cut. Since you’re so energetic, then… play with them for a while first. Hehehe…”
The puppet let out an eerie laugh, and dozens of mechs suddenly fell from the sky, surrounding Black Seele completely.
“I know they can’t trap you, but at least, for the time being, they can make you listen to me properly…”
Just as the puppet said, these mechs moved stiffly and had monotonous attack patterns. They couldn’t hurt Black Seele at all. But if Black Seele wanted to break free from so many mechs, she would need time. And the puppet took this opportunity to continue its sharp commentary.
“My friend who shares a body with you has been evaluated more or less thoroughly. Next, it’s your turn. After all, compared to her, we care more about you. You… are the same kind of person as us.”
“Let’s talk about you. The moment I saw you, I knew you were the same kind of person as us. You give off the same scent as us. Like us, you hate this boring world and long for chaos and destruction.”
“You don’t know when you were born, nor what you really are. Protecting that one who has shared the same body with you since the day you were born is the only meaning of your existence.”
“But now, you’ve realized she’s becoming stronger and stronger, needing your protection less and less, and at the same time, drifting farther and farther away from you.”
“Besides you, she has Bronya. Oh right, and recently she’s made new friends too. But you… besides her, who has no choice but to be with you, you have nothing.”
“Because you’re twisted, manic, a monster without even a name…”
The puppet’s voice stopped abruptly, because the mechs surrounding Black Seele had all been dismantled by her, and the scythe she flung out shot it from the air to the ground.
When Black Seele stepped forward and pulled out the scythe, four identical puppets appeared in front, behind, to her left, and to her right. And the first puppet she had cut in half stood up completely intact and quickly came to her side.
“The play isn’t over yet. How can an actor leave the stage? See? Here, my friends… there are plenty of them…”
This time, a large number of Imaginary constructs appeared around Black Seele.
“Hmph. You really do have plenty of tricks.”
Black Seele knew that since she couldn’t kill the other side in this strange space, she had to find a way out. Otherwise, even if these monsters were nothing to fear, her energy would eventually be exhausted here.
“Of course, of course! To let the audience enjoy our performance with all their hearts, all kinds of little props are naturally indispensable. It seems… these props suit your taste even better this time. Then… the performance can continue…”
“…Where were we just now? Oh yes, yes. You’re different from that girl named Seele. You’re a monster without even a name… What’s wrong? Are you trying to say I’m talking nonsense, that you obviously do have a name, and it’s also Seele, right?”
The puppet put on a mocking expression, and then the four puppets beside it laughed in perfect synchronization:
“That’s the funniest joke I’ve ever heard.”
“That’s right, the funniest joke ever.”
“I… me too…”
“…”
The four puppets nearby chimed in one after another. The puppet beside Black Seele put a hand on its stomach, as if it had heard a joke so funny that it had to use all its strength to hold back its laughter.
“No, you can use that lie to fool that naive little sweetheart if you want, but don’t fool yourself too. Do you think that just because you use her body and her name, others will treat you as [Seele]?”
“No, they won’t. Others will only think you’re shamelessly clinging to her… Ah, sorry. I forgot. You love locking yourself in that little room you made, never interacting with outsiders. That’s why… you’re able to keep deceiving yourself.”
“That has nothing to do with you!”
Black Seele exerted her strength and knocked all the Imaginary constructs around her down below the platform.
“Oh… I get it. Because you’re often excluded and disliked by others, that’s why you like hiding alone in a little room, right?”
Black Seele had just charged toward the puppet when something else emerged from the ground. This time, they were Quantum Shadows.
“Huh? Did I get it wrong? Isn’t it because you’re an unwanted child that you hide in the room you created and cry secretly? How pitiful.”
“A crybaby. How pitiful.”
“That’s right, so pitiful.”
“…”
The four puppets beside it continued to echo the main puppet, making the anger in Black Seele’s heart impossible to extinguish. Controlled by emotion, her attack patterns became disordered. Even though Quantum Shadows were monsters she was familiar with, she nearly got hit by them several times.
“Even if you use the same name as her, you can’t change one fact: your very existence is a mistake! When she grows to the point where she no longer needs you, who will still be willing to accept you?”
“You know perfectly well. You, the Herrscher consciousness inside Kiana, and us—there’s no difference. She’s growing so quickly precisely so she can get rid of you as soon as possible, so she can completely take back control of this body!”
“Even though you always call her a coward, in reality, you’re the coward. The coward who doesn’t dare face reality, who’s afraid of being abandoned by her!”
“Shut up!!!”
The sound of the scythe slicing through the air rang out inside the Theater of Domination. But Black Seele didn’t seem to notice that in this otherworldly space, other familiar sounds were approaching her.
This time, the four puppets around her turned into spectators who loved watching drama and enjoyed others’ suffering.
“Oh dear, she’s angry.”
“Responding so quickly. Looks like it hit a sore spot.”
“Shut up? The more anxious you are, the more I should keep talking. Say a couple more lines.”
“That’s right. Tear off all the outer layers she uses to wrap herself up.”
“Shut up, shut up, shut up!!!”
Clearly, Black Seele had completely fallen into the trap woven by the Puppet Herrscher. Even though the Quantum Shadows around her had already been wiped out, she sat on the ground, her gaze gradually shifting from fierce to blank. Invisible threads reached out from somewhere unknown and gradually wrapped around her body.
“Yes, that’s it! Hate us, despise us, resent us; hate yourself, despise others, resent yourself; hate the world… and in the end… become one of us!”
The puppets twisted their bodies with extremely exaggerated motions, and their eerie voices rang out in perfect unison. Black Seele felt only that her consciousness was gradually disappearing…
Just then, an discordant sound reached Black Seele’s ears. She listened carefully. It seemed to be… the sound of some kind of engine starting.
The next moment, a blue motorcycle flew to Black Seele’s side, circled around her once, and sent all four puppets surrounding Black Seele flying. The light in Black Seele’s eyes instantly returned.
“Bronya, we clearly already let you leave. Why are you still staying here, ruining our good work!”
Looking at Bronya, who had suddenly appeared, there was no joy in Black Seele’s eyes. Instead, they were filled with worry and fear. The puppet’s earlier words were still circling endlessly in her mind, and even after a long time, they had not faded.
“Is that so? Although Bronya doesn’t know what your goal is, you went to such trouble to lure Bronya here, and then let Bronya leave after one failed attempt. That is far too suspicious.”
“Conveniently, Bronya noticed movement over here and came to check. As expected… besides Bronya, your target is also Seele.”
Seeing the look in Black Seele’s eyes, Bronya immediately understood that she must have been affected to some degree and would need time to recover.
So she got off the Heavy Bunny and slowly walked to her side.
“Are you blind? Your Seele isn’t in the Theater of Domination. She’s outside right now, all alone. Maybe she’s trembling with fear.”
Bronya shook her head:
“You don’t understand Seele at all. Even without anyone else’s help, Bronya believes that the current Seele can definitely solve problems on her own. Since you needed to go to such great lengths to guide us into this special space, that means your special abilities can only function inside this space. Therefore, Seele outside this space is actually safe.”
“Hmph. As expected of the Herrscher of Reason. But what does our dealing with this one have to do with you? Rather, if this one completely leaves Seele’s body, wouldn’t that be perfect for you? You could do whatever you want to Seele without worrying about this one suddenly popping out to stop you.”
“…It seems you’ve done quite a bit of intelligence work, but you know nothing about the details. When Bronya was with Seele before, she didn’t just not stop it—she actually provided a lot of help. Ever since Bronya learned of her existence, Bronya has actually always been paying attention.”
“Hmph. See? You admit it yourself. Part of your attention is divided onto her. As long as she exists, she’s in the way.”
Bronya scratched her head:
“…Bronya really can’t understand the logic of what you’re saying. She is also a part of Seele. Is there a problem with Bronya caring about her?”
“But you clearly know that she and Seele are two completely different individuals. Two people, two people!”
“…Bronya does admit that. But… Bronya has said that [Seele] is the most important person to Bronya. Since both of them are Seele, then naturally both of them are the most important people in Bronya’s eyes.”
As Bronya spoke, she helped Black Seele up.
“What?!”
Bronya smiled:
“I know what you’re going to say next, but Bronya has already thought it through. Only children make choices. Bronya, of course, wants them all.”
Black Seele gradually regained consciousness. The words just now naturally fell into her ears without missing a single syllable.
“Forget it. Even if it was just made up on the spot to help me break free from their control and coax me…”
Black Seele, whose emotional defenses had been broken by the Puppet Herrscher, seemed to have found something to lean on. She fell into Bronya’s arms. Bronya stroked her hair while speaking softly:
“Although Bronya doesn’t know what they did, Bronya can feel your pain. But right now, getting out of this place is the most important thing.”
“When they voluntarily let Bronya leave earlier, Bronya worried that the exit they provided might be a trap. So Bronya analyzed the entire space and found that the weakest point is right beside you. Since their target is you, they definitely won’t let us leave easily. In a moment, Bronya will hold them off. You go all out and break through the barrier of this space.”
The puppet rambled on for quite a while before realizing that they were completely ignoring it.
“You actually started chatting among yourselves… Since we let you out and you didn’t leave, then you’ll never leave!”
