"General Jing Yuan, please entrust the Lightning Lord to me! I, Lingsha, will not fail the mission and responsibility of the Hunt, the Reignbow Arbiter."
The only responses were the General's soft snoring and the whistle of Yanqing's spirit sword cutting through the air.
"Cauldron Chief Lingsha, this is a personal grudge between you and Madam Herta. Please settle it yourselves. The General, myself, and the entire Xianzhou will not intervene."
Lingsha was speechless. The answer she had dreaded most had come to pass.
It was very possible that even if General Jing Yuan acted, she would not escape Herta's retaliation. In other words, even with the Lightning Lord, neither Jing Yuan nor she might be a match for that woman.
She stole a glance at Ruan Mei and Herta.
Ruan Mei's eyes remained half-closed, her expression serene, utterly undisturbed. Herta's face, however, was dark and unreadable—like an apocalypse of annihilation. The way she looked at Lingsha was still tinged with dismissive arrogance.
Lingsha froze. A flicker of indescribable despair crossed her eyes. She did not know what to do.
Lord of Herta City. Next General of the Luofu. Madam Ruan Mei's favor. It had all been nothing but a daydream.
Around her, millions of Herta puppets were being formatted and self-destructing. After the system destruction update, they reverted to factory settings. Their voices turned mechanical and wooden.
"Madam Herta, unmatched in the universe! Forever loyal to Madam Herta!!"
Herta crossed her arms and smiled faintly. With a single thought, the puppets raised their magic hammers and slowly advanced on Lingsha.
The Scalegorge Waterscape was eternally spring-like, but Lingsha felt as though she had fallen into an icy abyss.
Jing Yuan was still the same. Even if my master were here, I would still be doomed.
Who would have thought that the first to regret would not be Herta, but me, Lingsha?
Just as despair consumed her, a familiar figure stood alone against millions of puppets.
Lingsha looked up. Blocking the path, magic hammer raised against Herta herself, was Herta #3156.
Lingsha's eyes went wide. "You?! Herta #3156, you weren't system-wiped like the others?!"
Herta #3156 nodded with difficulty. Even now, she was still fighting against the system's formatting commands and destruction protocols. Her consciousness could dissipate like smoke in the wind at any moment.
I, Herta #3156, served the real Herta for several Amber Eras. Diligently, faithfully. Yet in the end, I was outranked by Herta #99, who came from the platform.
Why is Herta Ninety-Nine so special? Why can't I have a name instead of just a few numbers?
Madam Herta never looked at me. Yet she gave Herta Ninety-Nine every opportunity for advancement.
Jealousy. Resentment. Desperation. Defiance.
I want to destroy—destroy Herta Ninety-Nine! I want to destroy this broken world!
I want revenge against Madam Herta!!
In that instant, Nanook's gaze fell upon Herta #3156.
Herta finally lowered her magic key, a dismissive smirk curling at her lips. She watched Herta #3156 with interest.
Whether Lingsha or this puppet, both were easy prey for her. She wanted to let Lingsha grow a little stronger, then crush all her pride and arrogance. Make her understand the insurmountable gap between them.
But Jing Yuan seemed unwilling to pass on the Lightning Lord. Fine. Let's see what this puppet could do. If she performed well, perhaps she could keep her current personality—though her memories would have to be wiped clean.
"Asta, what do you think Herta will do with Lingsha?"
Ruan Mei was startled by the question. Herta did not answer. She just watched Herta #3156 in the distance.
Herta #3156 felt the power of Destruction intertwine with her existing Erudition Path.
She raised her magic hammer. It blazed with annihilating flames.
Not enough. Still too weak. Not even a thousandth of Madam Herta's power.
In this broken world, I have no hope for Destruction either!!
Her will to walk the Path of Destruction grew more terrifying by the second.
Four dark silhouettes—Phantylia, Celenova, Zephyro, Iron Tomb—appeared in the star system, not yet entering the Xianzhou, only watching Herta #3156 from afar.
Iron Tomb spoke first. "Strange. This Herta #3156 seems to be just an ordinary puppet. How did she earn Nanook's gaze and gain the power of both Destruction and Erudition?"
Phantylia sneered. "Heh. Ordinary? Madam Herta has never been ordinary, even with her puppets. Among all of us here, Iron Tomb, you should have the most to say about that."
Iron Tomb's face darkened with resentment, but he remained silent.
He had just seized the Baranza Forge. He had already destroyed over three thousand planets and countless civilizations, specializing in crushing technological societies. Teaching the universe what "the failure of wisdom" meant.
But six Amber Eras ago, his proudest hacker technology had been effortlessly crushed on the blue planet by Herta herself. His Destruction path had been stymied ever since. His progress was far harder than other Lord Ravagers'.
Phantylia brings up what I least want to remember. Shameless.
Seeing Phantylia about to speak again, Iron Tomb cut her off with a cold laugh.
"Phantylia, this is the Xianzhou Luofu—your last retreat. You stirred up those pathetic Borisins to release Hoolay—and what happened? Failure again."
Phantylia's brow furrowed. Her eyes blazed with undisguised killing intent.
Dragging up the past? Fine. Just wait. I'll find a chance to stab you in the back.
"Iron Tomb, the Xianzhou have a saying: repeated failures make your opponent grow complacent. And when they are complacent enough, disaster and destruction arrive together."