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

Kiana knew this person wasn't Ren, yet she sensed a faint trace of him in the stranger.

The feeling was unsettling.

Even more puzzling was the sheer strength hidden within the seemingly malnourished frame. No ordinary human could so easily slaughter so many people.

Her mind raced, but her body moved instinctively. As the enemy lunged at her, Kiana pushed off the ground with her right hand.

The boy's blade grazed her hair as she dodged. She rolled forward, using the momentum to spin 360 degrees in the air with a gymnast-like grace.

Before the knife-wielding boy could react, Kiana's side kick landed squarely on his face.

The tables had turned.

But Kiana wasn't at her Herrscher-level strength. A kick that would normally be fatal only staggered the boy.

"This world is so unfair! They all deserve to die! They all deserve to die!" he screamed, his voice raw with anguish.

Kiana didn't understand his words, but the sheer hatred radiating from him was palpable.

Just like... the Herrscher of a Legion.

A realization struck her. This boy shared the same madness, the same resentment, the same overflowing negativity as the puppets.

If he was part of the Herrscher of a Legion, it would explain everything.

But this thought didn't bring relief; it sank her heart.

She hadn't taken the puppets' words in the dark space completely seriously. The Herrscher of a Thousand had existed in the previous era, but that didn't mean these puppets were the same. However, if this boy was a Herrscher, it meant this civilization's Herrscher of a Thousand might indeed cause widespread devastation in the future.

More importantly, she didn't know if this Herrscher was connected to Ren.

The boy's resemblance to Ren fueled her anxiety.

Regardless of any connection to Ren, she had to deal with the immediate threat. After exchanging a few blows, Kiana realized that despite possessing strength comparable to a B-rank Valkyrie, the boy fought like an amateur. Subduing him wouldn't be difficult.

As he attacked, Kiana effortlessly exploited an opening, bringing her bat down hard on his chest and abdomen.

Crack.

The sound of breaking ribs echoed as Kiana followed up with an elbow to the boy's back. Such devastating blows to vital areas would bring down even someone with bones of steel.

As expected, the boy collapsed, his legs giving way, and he crumpled amidst the rubble and corpses.

Kiana didn't kill him immediately. He was one of only two living people she'd encountered here. If he could talk, she wanted to know why this city had become a wasteland.

But as she prepared to question him, a shadow loomed, wielding what looked like a fire axe.

It wasn't her shadow. Someone was attacking from behind.

Bang!

Kiana ducked, but the boy wasn't so lucky.

The axe slammed into his shoulder blade, bone exposed through the torn flesh. Blood gushed from his severed carotid artery, mirroring the violence he had inflicted on others.

"Aagh!" A final, chilling scream escaped the boy's lips. The crimson in his eyes faded, replaced by confusion. He stared at the axe embedded in his body, his rage replaced by bewilderment, like a student jolted awake from a dream during an afternoon class.

Kiana's eyes widened. The attacker wasn't a stranger, but the survivor she had just saved.

The survivor didn't hesitate. Turning to Kiana, their eyes blazing with bloodlust, they raised the axe again.

"Why?!"

Kiana couldn't understand. She had just saved this person...

But before she could process the situation, the axe descended. The survivor, eyes bloodshot, attacked with a frenzied rage.

"Something's wrong." Even in her confusion, Kiana recognized the survivor's abnormal behavior. She dodged the attacks, observing their movements.

The survivor's eyes were filled with red veins, their skin an ashen gray. And their strength, previously feeble against the boy, had surged to superhuman levels.

Kiana's gaze dropped to the survivor's neck, and she finally understood.

Honkai corruption.

"A Zombie?" she thought, frowning. Zombification explained the sudden frenzy, but she sensed no active Honkai energy. The transformation seemed to have occurred without a catalyst.

As she pondered this, the Zombie stopped its pursuit, returning to the boy's body and lowering its head.

A sickening crunching sound filled the air. The survivor was tearing into the boy's flesh and bone.

The horrific sight made Kiana's stomach churn. As she moved to intervene, she froze, paralyzed by a sudden, chilling realization.

"...No, it can't be."

It wasn't the act of cannibalism that terrified her. It was the survivor's hair, once dark with blood, now fading to a familiar shade of light gray.

"Grrr." With a low growl, the survivor released the boy's body, blood dripping from their lips.

A weak ray of sunlight pierced the clouds. As the survivor turned to Kiana, their gruesome face shifted, morphing into a familiar yet unsettling visage.

The boy's body, ravaged and consumed, crumbled into black dust, scattered by the wind. He had been devoured, leaving nothing behind.

"Another prey item."

A faint, almost imperceptible wolf howl echoed in Kiana's ears.

But she barely registered it. Her gaze was fixed on the transformed survivor, disbelief etched on her face.

The survivor… just like the boy before, was taking on Ren's features.

This impossible scene shattered Kiana's understanding of the world. She stood frozen, mind blank, dizziness intensifying.

She didn't notice the transformed survivor raising the axe again, charging towards her.