As a Herrscher's companion Honkai Beast, Bella herself didn't possess a complete personality. Even her name was just something Sirin borrowed from a former companion. You could say that from the day she was born, the sole meaning of her existence was loyalty to the Herrscher of the Void.
After the Great Honkai Eruption, Kiana awakened, and Bella, dormant for years, awoke once more, naturally becoming Kiana's familiar.
But Kiana, ultimately, wasn't Sirin. She never accepted her identity as the Herrscher of the Void and naturally didn't remember having such a familiar.
Thus, the abandoned Bella could only follow Kiana's trail to Nagazora City based on instinct. And when Kiana was attacked by the Husk - Nihilius, Bella shielded her from the fatal blow, ultimately perishing.
Ren had noticed Bella back then precisely because of this loyalty.
However, although Ren had intercepted part of Bella's soul, the original Herrscher familiar, Benares, was truly dead. Her body had even been used by Mei to create Kurikara. All that remained in her fragmented memories was the instinct to be loyal to Kiana.
"There. This is what you wanted. Crafting an ELF is complex, especially one capable of housing a Herrscher's consciousness."
With that, Mobius looked at Ren, her tone laced with sarcasm. "I don't know what you're planning, but I know far more about Herrscher research than you do. If you're thinking of reviving a Herrscher using an ELF, I suggest you give up that idea."
It sounded like advice, but it was more like a taunt. As the first Flame-Chaser to fall into Ren's hands, Mobius had been imprisoned in the theater for a full half-month now, her anger long since reaching its peak.
She reminisced about the past, how countless Herrschers lay on her operating table, awaiting dissection by her scalpel. Now, she was easily manipulated by Ren, unable to even resist. For Mobius, who had always seen herself as the hunter, this was incredibly difficult to accept.
But she wasn't stupid. During her research period, she had roughly guessed Ren was a Herrscher. In her view, Herrschers were all individuals who had suffered severe psychological trauma.
Ren going through all this trouble to create a puppet was likely just an attempt to mend regrets, trying to resurrect someone already dead.
Mobius, having attempted the same thing tens of thousands of years ago, knew perfectly well that even if she successfully created a puppet of Klein, it would ultimately just be two different individuals with the same name.
Reviving an ordinary person was already impossible; reviving a Herrscher was even more fantastical, wasn't it?
A cold smirk touched her lips, seemingly anticipating the image of Ren breaking down in pain after his inevitable failure.
Of course, Ren didn't know her petty thoughts, or rather, he wouldn't have minded if she misunderstood.
Pushing open the barrier of the cultivation pod, Ren stepped forward, slowly raising his hand towards the chamber, and closed his eyes.
The moment he closed his eyes, an invisible wave of consciousness pulsed outwards. Mobius's expression changed; she quickly covered her head and crouched down. Even so, a sharp pain washed over her like a tide. Her mind felt like it had been struck by a heavy hammer, leaving only blankness.
Forcing herself to endure the intense pain, she looked towards Ren. A dazzling light burst forth from his right hand. Intricate golden patterns spread up his arm from the back of his hand, seemingly enveloping the entire cultivation pod layer by layer.
Are those threads... or vines?
Before she could see clearly, Ren abruptly opened his eyes. In that instant, the golden phantom of the Imaginary Tree emerged. Boundless glimmering light swayed with the rustling leaves, scattering starlight.
In a daze, Mobius felt as if she were standing in a sea of red sand. Looking up slightly, she could see the Tree, the source of the world itself.
Is this the origin of Honkai that Dr. Mei researched her entire life?
The Previous Era's research into the Honkai had reached the limits of their civilization, yet they still couldn't grasp its true essence. Now, Mobius could witness the source of Imaginary energy firsthand.
All thoughts of underestimation gone, Mobius looked at Ren. She saw him raise his right hand; a purple ball of light and an already activated mechanical crystal hovered in the air. His left hand, meanwhile, casually plucked a golden leaf from the Tree's branches.
The instant the three touched, infinite Honkai Energy erupted violently, like a detonating nuclear bomb. But Ren merely gave a gentle squeeze, forcibly compressing the dense Honkai Energy until only a single seed remained, lying quietly in his palm.
"Severing life and death, uniting creation and destruction."
As he spoke, Ren let out a long breath. He looked at the cultivation pod, now completely cocooned in golden threads, and carefully inserted the seed into Bella's body.
"What was that just now?" The phantom dissipated, and Mobius couldn't help but ask.
Unfortunately, Ren clearly had no intention of answering her at the moment. Only after a long while did the golden threads peel away layer by layer. The purple-haired little girl slowly opened her eyes, meeting Ren's gaze.
"Mommy."
The reborn Bella was already free from the influence of her original 'master'. But Ren hadn't expected that inheriting the Herrscher of Corruption's abilities also meant inheriting its instinctive recognition.
"...I'm not your mommy."
"Then... Daddy?" Bella tilted her head at his correction, seeming somewhat confused. After thinking for two seconds, she tentatively continued, "Master Kiana... is Mommy?"
Since she knows Kiana, Bella's soul transfer was likely successful too. But this form of address...
Ren felt complicated.
"You can just call me Ren."
"Then can I call Kiana Mommy?"
Absolutely not! Things between me and Kiana haven't even gotten started yet!
However, just as Ren was about to refuse, a voice suddenly came from the entrance of the experimental area.
"You can!"
Ren turned around to find Elysia and [Kiana], who had sensed the anomaly in the Theater of Domination, already standing at the doorway. The last sentence had come from [Kiana].
Before he could question her, [Kiana]'s eyes lit up. She quickly walked over to the cultivation pod and scooped Bella into her arms.
"Little Bella, call me Auntie~"
...
"You shouldn't have done that."
"Are you referring to?"
"Bella is just a weapon of war I created. She shouldn't be given superfluous identities."
"But to that child, you truly are her father, her creator." The usually obedient [Kiana] didn't comply with Ren's wishes this time. She hummed lightly and retorted, "Since you see her as a weapon, what does it matter to you how a weapon addresses someone?"
"It's true I don't care about her form of address, but..."
"But what? Just because she called Kiana 'Mommy'? Don't tell me you're embarrassed?" [Kiana]'s expression was teasing, clearly intending to poke fun. "Oh, right. A certain someone also said Kiana was just a weapon back then."
"..."
"Silence won't help you. If you don't like her, why do you keep such a distance from me? Am I not also 'Kiana'?"
Ren's silence only made [Kiana] more assertive. "You can deceive everyone, even yourself. But the one thing you cannot deceive is emotion. Ren, you can't escape it."
"You misunderstand. I'm not escaping," Ren replied, unfazed by [Kiana]'s questioning. He had reached his own conclusion long ago. "It's just that I will eventually return to the Imaginary Space. If I leave too many traces behind, it will only hurt her more deeply in the end."
[Kiana]'s movements froze. She stared at the calm Ren, her lips parting slightly, but no words came out for a long time.
"Tch." Feeling like she'd just been unexpectedly stabbed, [Kiana] felt a tightness in her chest and deliberately changed the subject. "Since you don't want to deal with her, then I'll raise Bella. Anyway, I'm old enough to raise a child; being an auntie isn't so bad."
Looking at the motherly [Kiana], Ren pressed his lips together but ultimately didn't refuse.
Fine. As long as I try my best to keep Bella away from Kiana.
After the small interlude, the two finally got down to business.
During the Nagazora City plan, Ren had temporarily granted the authority of Dominance to [Kiana]. Therefore, in a sense, [Kiana] could also be integrated into Ren's puppet network.
Since returning from the Elysian Realm, [Kiana] had resumed her role as secretary, fully taking charge of the vast intelligence network Ren had established.
"How is it? Are you completely familiar with the current situation now?"
"Mhm." [Kiana] cleared her throat and began reporting on the progress of Ren's already established plans.
"Firstly, five months ago, using the newly built ARC City as a core, The Obsidian Concord began steadily infiltrating outwards. As of now, 85% of cities within Shenzhou have accepted the establishment of Obsidian Concord Group branches. Comprehensive infiltration has been completed in administrative, cultural, and military sectors."
"Globally, on the industrial front: the heavy industry sector led by Cocolia, leveraging unique quantum technology, has made a strong impact on the global market and established cooperative relationships with over 30% of current major industrial groups."
"In the cultural sector: led by the puppet-led cultural division, a series of works including manga, novels, and anime have captured the leisure entertainment market for young people. If not for national policy restrictions, its reach could even surpass that of the former Far East. Of course, part of this is due to the Far East sinking during the Nagazora incident."
"Furthermore, while various countries restrict the spread of manga and other cultural products, E.T. Studio, managed by Jian Yun, developed dozens of hit games within seven months. Compared to cultural products, globalizing in the gaming sector is significantly easier."
"Under the company's deliberate guidance, 'illicit fan works,' 'game leaks,' and 'insider info' have also begun to spread quietly online. While this content doesn't directly generate revenue, it spreads widely through organic player activity."
"According to financial reports, relying solely on this seemingly intangible content, the Obsidian Concord Group's profits increase by over a billion each month. Revenue from the industries themselves exceeds one hundred billion."
Ren clicked his tongue. "Is otaku money really that easy to make?"
[Kiana] shot him a glance. "You don't play games, so you might not understand. With Honkai outbreaks happening unpredictably, these cultural industries are the best way for most people to de-stress. The Magical Girl Kiana series is particularly widespread because the depiction of Honkai aligns perfectly with public speculation."
"The reason the Obsidian Concord Group achieved such widespread dissemination is because you saved that humanoid machine girl back then. Relying on the quantum computer in her head allowed for cultural output on this scale."
[Kiana] paused, sighing softly with admiration. "Only someone like you could start planning something like this from that far back."
"I merely gathered the necessary conditions in advance."
[Kiana] rolled her eyes, clearly not believing his excuse. "Then how do you explain Eden's music spreading widely across the internet?"
"Manga, novels, games, music, movies... Except for the news, which is still controlled by Schicksal, you've practically taken over the entire entertainment industry."
Naturally, because these are all necessary tools for the information war.
Schicksal relied on its dominant position to manage the world from the top down. Through conventional means, Ren stood no chance of winning.
But he happened to be the Herrscher of Dominance. He knew these overlooked ordinary people formed the largest foundation of the world. Even if they couldn't decide the world's direction, as long as the people stood with him, he could never truly lose.
"Medical field: Since the fall of Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical, The Obsidian Concord took over all its research results. Although progress is slower than in other industries, medical groups have been established in various parts of the world."
"Right, you seem to be planning to let Mobius take over the medical industry?"
"Of course. I didn't pull the Thirteen Flame-Chasers out just for fun. As the top talents in various fields from the Previous Era, it would be a real waste not to utilize them."
World Serpent built such a massive organization relying solely on documents left from the Previous Era. If The Obsidian Concord were given enough time, rivaling Schicksal wouldn't be a problem at all.
Unfortunately, the one thing Ren lacked most right now was time.
"Military sector..."
As [Kiana] continued her report, the immense scale of the Obsidian Concord Group gradually came into view. Unconsciously, Ren had already become a figure capable of easily influencing the global situation.
Attentive people would naturally notice the sudden emergence of so many new industries. But no matter how much they investigated, they could never discover that all these seemingly unrelated companies were ultimately just parts of The Obsidian Concord.
If anyone could perceive this, it would likely be that man—Otto Apocalypse.
No, perhaps it's precisely because he sensed the existence of the Obsidian Concord Group that he imposed such a large-scale information blockade on Kiana.
Thinking this way, Otto's actions suddenly made perfect sense.
Why the information control? Because he realized the threat Ren posed.
"Tch, that sharp, huh?" An image of a smiling, blond-haired man appeared in Ren's mind. He frowned slightly, then quickly smoothed his expression.
But Mr. Otto, how will you deal with the Herrscher of Corruption?
Undoubtedly, with Bella's revival, Ren, now wielding the power of the Herrscher of Corruption, possessed the ability to break through any blockade.
Now, Otto was the one who should be worried.
...
By the time Ren finished tallying his assets and returned to his bedroom, it was already late at night.
"They should all be asleep by now at this hour." Deciding not to disturb Kiana or the others, Ren simply fell into bed and went to sleep.
At six the next morning, Ren opened his eyes right on time. But as soon as he did, he sensed something was wrong.
Why... is there a lock of long, white hair right in front of my eyes?