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

"..."

Within the silent, icy throne room, a white-haired man sat solemnly. The hem of his black coat draped towards the ground, as if boundless suffering, along with its owner, was plunging into a hopeless abyss.

In the empty, desolate hall, Kevin stared absently at the intricate patterns carved on the wall, memories unconsciously drifting back to the time 50,000 years ago, along with these decorations.

"Sovereign."

A gravelly, gray voice interrupted Kevin's rare moment of distraction. He collected his relaxed demeanor, resuming his usual icy seriousness.

"Speak."

"The Coral Island operation failed. Chen Tianwu awakened as the Herrscher of Rock. Currently, along with the Herrscher of Ice, he has been killed by a suspected Herrscher of Void."

"Raven was defeated..."

"Yes, these matters I'm already aware of."

"However, before Raven fell into Schicksal's hands, she was rescued by the Herrscher of Thunder. Using this as leverage, she requested to join World Serpent."

"You mean, Raiden Mei?"

"Correct. During the Nagazora incident, Sovereign, you instructed Raven and me to attempt to invite her to join the organization, but…" Gray Serpent lowered his head. Back then, facing Raiden Mei, the two executives had to resort to using the Rod of Acheron to escape, and he himself hadn't even shown his face.

"It's not your fault. That girl has her own goals. At that time, World Serpent didn't have what she wanted."

"Sovereign, what is your intention?"

"Raiden Mei only had a brief encounter with Raven. There's no reason for her to rescue someone without cause. Since she chose to rescue Raven when she was about to be captured, it means there was definitely a premeditated plan. Her objective is to have World Serpent indebted to her." Kevin's gaze fell upon the Ouroboros symbol in the hall, his voice calm.

"She wants to use World Serpent?"

"The current World Serpent definitely has something she needs, and it's a very core element, otherwise she wouldn't risk so much to join us."

"Then should I refuse her?"

"There's no need to rush…" Kevin furrowed his brow slightly.

He had initially invited Mei knowing her only goal was to protect Kiana. The humanity she displayed made him want to use Mei to respond to the future Elysia had hoped for.

But now, months had passed. Even he couldn't guarantee that Raiden Mei, a Herrscher, wouldn't develop other intentions during this period.

After all, he wanted Mei to have contact with his most trusted comrade.

If her target was the Elysian Realm, there was a high chance she would pose a threat to everyone within. Kevin couldn't simply let a Herrscher join so easily.

As he pondered, a glint flashed in Gray Serpent's crimson prosthetic eye. Kevin paused, quietly waiting for Gray Serpent to receive the information.

Only after the light faded did he cast his gaze downwards.

"Sovereign, just half an hour ago, Unit 10426, while carrying out the mission to contact Raiden Mei, was attacked by someone claiming to be from the organization 'The Obsidian Concord.' The opponent was powerful. Raven was severely injured and fell unconscious, and Unit 10426 was near death. In the end, Raiden Mei intervened and forced the attacker to retreat."

"Obsidian Concord…" Memories rapidly surfaced in his mind. Kevin recalled the individual in the Sea of Quanta who resembled Kosma.

That person had also claimed to be from The Obsidian Concord. Their strength wasn't particularly formidable, but if they were deliberately disguising themselves as Kosma, it was highly likely they knew about things from the Previous Era.

Disguising themselves as his comrade and appearing before him... Kevin took a deep breath, a flash of killing intent in his eyes. However, he didn't jump to conclusions. In Nagazora, a girl also claiming to be from The Obsidian Concord had proposed a deal. It was this deal that prevented him from taking direct action, thus preserving the peace of half the Earth.

And in that battle, the young man named Ren had also left a deep impression on Kevin, almost perfectly fitting Elysia's expectations for a "Herrscher of Humanity."

Mysterious actions, powerful strength – all these signs indicated that The Obsidian Concord was no ordinary organization.

"What's their current condition?"

"They're receiving emergency treatment, but it's likely to be difficult for them to recover their combat strength in a short time."

"And the Herrscher of Thunder?"

"She's still waiting at the branch base. Unit 10426 recorded her complete combat data, which has already been uploaded to the database." After speaking, the electronic voice beneath Gray Serpent's mask didn't disappear. This was a sign that he had something he wasn't sure whether to say or not.

"Speak."

Having received Kevin's permission, Gray Serpent spoke in a low voice, "Sovereign, in my opinion, World Serpent is still severely short-handed. The 'Moths' and 'Night Owls' we absorbed into the organization all rebelled. 'Jackal' is still obsessed with his own research. 'Hare' can't spare any time. Currently, only Raven and I are capable of taking action. If Project Stigma is to continue, I fear we'll need more manpower."

"Your suggestion is?"

"The Herrscher of Thunder." Gray Serpent presented his analysis. "Currently, the world is in dire need of a combat-capable executive. Based on Unit 10426's observation, her power is mature, and she is currently hostile towards The Obsidian Concord. If we simply utilize her strength, perhaps…"

Gray Serpent's reflection in Kevin's light blue eyes seemed to be enveloped in ice, growing colder and colder.

"Sovereign?"

"Gray Serpent, your self-learning still requires further refinement. Have you considered that the Herrscher of Thunder might be in cahoots with The Obsidian Concord? That this was all a performance, aimed at gaining your trust?"

Gray Serpent froze, then quickly grasped the implications. Immense fear washed over him, causing his entire body to tremble involuntarily.

The thought that his misjudgment could bring a powerful threat into World Serpent, potentially even hindering the Sovereign's plan, made Gray Serpent feel as if all the blood in his body had turned to ice. He didn't even dare to breathe.

Noticing Gray Serpent's trembling, Kevin finally shifted his gaze. "There's no need to be nervous. I'm not blaming you."

"I deeply apologize. This was my oversight. I'll immediately have Unit 10426 reject the Herrscher of Thunder's request to join."

"No." Kevin immediately overruled him.

"You're correct. World Serpent is currently short-handed and must recruit new talent. If we reject the Herrscher of Thunder, we won't have the resources to deal with harassment from other forces.

The Obsidian Concord's attack was a clear message to us, forcing us to make a choice."

"Regardless of whether the Herrscher of Thunder has any connection to The Obsidian Concord, we can only accept. If we refuse, we're bound to face continuous attacks from them in the future. This will greatly hinder the progress of Project Stigma. We don't have time to waste on them."

"This is a very straightforward open strategy. World Serpent has no way to refuse."

"Doesn't that mean…?"

"However, before that, I need to meet with her personally." In the icy hall, a flame ignited from the Judgment of Shamash beside Kevin. In just a few seconds, the cold underground hall became intensely hot. "If the opponent's objective truly is what I suspect, she wouldn't necessarily be trying to provoke me."