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

The Herrscher of Sentience was a newborn, a mere child in Ren's eyes. Neither a threat nor an obstacle to his plans. That was why he had been so tolerant, even attempting to recruit her.

But every tolerance had its limit. If anyone crossed his bottom line, which was undoubtedly Kiana, he wouldn't hesitate to send Senti back to the Honkai.

Seeing the black feather in Kiana's hand, Ren's eyes turned glacial.

He wouldn't jump to conclusions, but the feather's presence suggested this wasn't a coincidence.

After the Pacific incident, Otto had left Void Archives with Kiana, hoping to use it against Ren. Ren had retaliated by planting a Herrscher core in Schicksal HQ, both to monitor them and to use as a future trigger.

After the Coral Island incident, their plans had come to fruition. Otto had manipulated Ren, and Ren had used the core's fluctuations to awaken the Herrscher of Sentience.

As expected, Senti had wreaked havoc on Schicksal HQ, destroying Otto's body and nearly dismantling the entire floating island.

That should have been the end of it. But upon awakening, Senti had mistakenly identified the core as a part of Fenghuang Down, using her powers to reshape it into a weapon.

Her control over consciousness was too potent. To avoid exposure, Ren had severed his connection to the core, leaving it with Senti.

But now, that core, disguised as a feather, was in Kiana's hand, radiating a dark aura—the amplified, twisted negativity of the Herrscher of a Thousand. It was a source of mental contamination, deadly to Kiana in her weakened state.

Killing intent surged within Ren.

It all clicked into place. Senti's plan had started the moment they arrived at Mount Taixu.

First, she had triggered the unprovoked Honkai eruption at the airport, delaying them. Then, she'd set up the illusion covering the entire mountain.

Once Kiana arrived, Senti, disguised as Lin Zhaoyu, had gained her trust. If Kiana hadn't been so resilient, she would have fallen into the trap.

Even then, it had all been part of Senti's plan. She had revealed the scattered Fenghuang Down, prompting Kiana to absorb them, while waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Ren's constant presence had thwarted her, forcing her to retreat temporarily.

But when Kiana, weakened by absorbing the feathers, and Ren went to town for food, Senti had seized her chance. She'd increased the Honkai energy, drained the Fenghuang Down, and used the black feather to corrupt Kiana's consciousness…

Ren took a deep breath, astounded by Senti's cunning. He didn't blame her for the deception; he blamed himself for not seeing the signs.

Emotions were a poison. If he indulged them, he would only become weaker.

His eyes hardened. He wouldn't allow an uncontrolled Herrscher near Kiana.

Meanwhile, Senti remained oblivious, still puzzled by the black feather's appearance. As realization dawned on Ren, she felt a surge of killing intent.

As the Herrscher of Sentience, her senses were acute. The instant Ren moved, she leaped back.

Countless threads erupted from the ground, pursuing her relentlessly.

Already irritated, Senti snapped. Her sword case opened, and a sharp blade sliced through the air, severing the threads.

Glaring at the gray-haired boy, she suppressed her anger. "What do you think you're doing?"

She had planned a grand welcome for Kiana, a testament to their renewed friendship. But this boy, like a shadow, had clung to Kiana's side, preventing her from being alone with her and ruining her carefully orchestrated plans.

Now, Kiana was unconscious, and as Senti tried to help, this boy attacked her!

"Whatever your reasons, you shouldn't have attacked her."

"Reasons? What does it matter to you?" Senti retorted. Who are you to interfere? You're not Kiana! Why are you lecturing me?

But to Ren, her words were a confession. He sent another wave of threads towards her, holding back his full power. He was furious, but protecting Kiana was his priority.

He had already made one mistake, putting her in danger. He wouldn't repeat it. The angrier he got, the calmer he became. The imposter's identity was still unknown. If Senti was part of a trap, unleashing his full power now would be reckless.

"Leave this place!"

His greatest fear was Senti attacking Kiana. He was protected by the Taixu arts, but Kiana was defenseless against a mental assault.

Even if it was a misunderstanding, once Kiana woke up, the truth would come out. The best course of action was to get Senti away and avoid escalating the conflict.

But Senti, fueled by pride and resentment towards the fake Kiana, only grew more defiant.

"This is my territory! You're the one who should leave!"

Three weapons shot out from her sword case, and the platform was engulfed in crimson chains.

The illusion covering Mount Taixu shattered. The pristine training grounds became a pile of dead leaves and branches. Weeds choked the stone steps. The shrine was in ruins. Fu Hua's residence, left unattended for 500 years, couldn't have possibly remained so well-preserved.

Powerful Honkai energy churned, stirring the mountain mist. The already dim sky darkened further.

A spear pierced the fog, hurtling towards Ren like a meteor.

Ren's eyes narrowed. Threads surged forward, ready to replicate their previous battle. But the spear vanished mid-flight, reforming into a sword.

Senti emerged from the mist, catching the sword and slashing at Ren.

She's gotten stronger.

Ren let the excess threads be severed. But as the blade neared his body, it stopped, unable to advance.

"What?" Senti gasped. Before she could react, a swift kick sent her crashing into the ruined shrine.