ALLITERATION IS AN AGONY

And her guess is feeding grounds.

“Ugh, wish that foolish janitor hadn’t gone missing. These guys are real nasty…” She whines, mostly to herself, as she wipes swarm mucous from her sleeves. The irony of a cleanup crew vanishing for a filthy mission is certainly not lost on her. But during this moment of idleness, footsteps catch her attention. They aren’t numerous or thundering, but familiar. Like wading a river she had been in before. 

This is when the general catches up to her. “Oh, it’s you!” she exclaims, throwing her hands to the side and sheathing her greatsword in the floor, “The one who looks like a tasty salmon!” She’s not great with names. She’s also quite filthy. It’s advisable that Kokomi keep her distance. “Long time no see, huh? It feels like only a month ago that you brought down a whole tower onto a honkai beast.” Because it was. It literally, actually, was. 

“I’ll bet these guys are just a bunch of chumps to you, then,” she continues, half-chucking and putting on a brave smirk. As she nods in the general direction of their commotion, she draws attention to just how many have been reduced to splatters against the walls. But the swarm’s strength lies not with the individual. As many, they overwhelm. As a colony, they conquer. Several more flitter about the wreckage, locking eyes and flaring wings as the Herrscher makes banter of them. 

“Let’s have a contest! Whoever can smash up the most is the winner.” 

She’s not one to give headstarts. Turning instantly around, she snaps her finger at the one in the middle, and a chain shoots out from the air behind her back. It stabs, it wraps round, and as she sticks her thumb down in a gesture of disapproval, it squeezes so tight that the bug bursts.

“That’s one for me!” 

Senti could not care less about whether some stupid storm would show up or not. To the present her, it might as well not have existed. Divine protection? An meteorological anomaly symbolic of humanity’s overreliance on gods? Nothing but a farce. There are far more important things in front of her, like the Samachurl running off with an artifact she found. Senti saw it laying atop a great stone door around the cliff, but just before she could enact the rule of finders keepers and claim it for herself, a gust of wind whipped it away from her. Thus began her pursuit. She’s been skating after the thing atop her flying sword for what feels like all day. Every time she’s just within reach, another blast of wind carries it further. 

Unbeknownst to her are the clouds gathering overhead. They roll gently east, drawing closer and darker with every passing second. There’s still some time before they arrive, but…

“Hey, guy with the hat!” She’s given up trying to brute-force her way into this. Clearly it’s not an issue that speed alone can solve. Clearly it’s a test of her cunning: one of the many trials a great and well-rounded Herrscher must overcome. Such is her wisdom. If the problem won’t solve itself, get some random passerby involved until you recruit a guy who gets it done. 

“See that thing he’s holding?” She points, rather excitedly, to the ornate hourglass in the churl’s hands. It’s been stained a bright purple, and gently crackles with electric power. In the incanter’s hands it looks like a focus ready to be unleashed. With proper channeling, the roving, rumbling storm in its sands could escape to reality and give foes a shock. In fact, its sudden quickness and amplification in power could very well be attributed to the timepiece. Senti just hadn’t realized. 

“Help me get it. I bet if we both go after him at once, we’ll be able to tackle him down and rip it right out of his stupid hands!” 

Her eyes lift, gladdened to have a real chance at obtaining her treasure. But to the wanderer, is this really a good use of time? A storm over Mondstadt is a legendary event–one unseen by any eyes of the current day. Would it be worth missing in order to fulfill this request? 

All these questions and more rest on this pivotal hero’s shoulders.

Misha ducked as the ice-bat came flying over his head. March was a good shot, so of course it meant her throw was also precise—it smacked their foe right in his chest, though burst into dozens of shattered pieces soon after. Despite the situation, the bellhop smiled to himself. He recognized that weapon, and it made him happy to see the Nameless use it. It nourished the soul to pay tribute to those you journeyed with. He knew this for a fact, though could not tell why.

He gripped his sword, eyes watching Kevin closely. He had no power to shape his weapon. Its form simply manifested on its own, perhaps in response to a purpose it had to serve. Once their enemy was down, Misha did not know what would become of that purpose; or of their group, for that matter. Surely they would go back to their lives, and he, to his humble job at the Reverie, where he would no longer be anyone's hero—just their bellboy. No doubt his blade would return to being a simple broom as well. Could they still feast, then?

The thought made him melancholic. The end of an adventure would always be bittersweet, and for as much as Misha had felt his life was in complete and utter peril, he had grown somewhat attached to what they had. It helped that they were kind to him—kinder than the guests he had to serve or the supervisors he had to answer to. They made him more than a bellboy. Though perhaps that was what they most needed him to be.

In the midst of these thoughts, Misha found his opening. The frost that lingered in the air had long settled in his fingertips, and they felt numb as they tightened around the sword, but he resolved to hold on as strongly as he could. This enemy had weathered so much. It would not take long for him to be brought down.

"I-I think he's getting close to…" dying, they all knew, but Misha could not bring himself to say it. Instead, he continued on, "I'll try to bring him down again. B-but he's probably gonna get up real quick, so… please cover me!"

At that, he turned and raised his sword. He did not turn back to see if they were indeed watching him—over the course of several battles, he developed the trust that they simply would—and charged forward. Again, he took his sword and plunged it downward, pinning Kevin down onto the ground by the wing. The cold was unbearable, especially when it mixed with the burn he had from before. But Misha continued to fulfill his purpose. Dutifully, he kept Kevin down.

The flames of battle flickered on. Misha had reduced them to mere embers, yes, but even a spark could burn down an entire forest. What they needed wasn’t idleness. It was action. It was to be direct and immediate. The only thing that could pierce an ever-growing threat was a shot so straight it went through the heart. A thing to take a beast down at its very core.

Senti could be that shot. Senti could be anything: such is her power. 

“Back…” she huffed, as the whipping frost emanated further and further from the shade’s body, as its dreaded touch drained her stamina and threatened to halt their advance, “Get back. This one’s mine.” It wasn’t about taking the glory for herself. Not at all. She wouldn’t have a fight where mortals threw their lives into Kevin’s all-consuming maw. If she was to go all out, she wouldn't endure even a single casualty. “I won’t let any of you steal my kill, got it?!” 

In she flew, Herrscher wings unfolded and guiding her pursuit. The first of her cleaves swiped past the man’s eyes, drawing attention more than it made a genuine attack. She landed somewhere behind him, and only when she watched him turn to face her did she begin for real. With the wave of her hand a thousand and one chains split the ground to lock him in place. She had to dedicate a considerable amount of honkai energy to maintaining them, so she didn’t budge either. Instead, she gripped her sword tight. With a single slash, it sunk a blade beam into the Kaslana's chest. Once it hit, he knew to start firing back. Then it was his missiles against her cuts: two objects equally unstoppable and immovable. The fight evolved into a battle between gods, forces of nature–one primal, one wholly artificial–and the chaos they created in contention. The attacks from each side only grew faster and more destructive until light birthed between them. 

It grew, and grew, and grew–and then, it flashed. 

And only one remained.

“...”

Senti fell silent. There was a hollowness in her eyes, as though she had just seen a thrilling movie with an unsatisfying conclusion. Kevin’s shadow fell to the ground–broken, beaten, hit at least a hundred times–and began to fizzle out, its color drowning in a dusty black. That wasn’t him. Wasn’t even close to him. Her win counted for nothing, amounted to not even the slightest bit of salvation. This was absolutely worthless as far as ultimate battles went. 

She looked back at the others. She had to write something, no? For all her adoring fans–her valiant teammates–present on every step of the journey? Her lips broke into a gigantic smile. Mere seconds after she set down her sword, her fist pumped up in the air. “We did it!” she shouted, “We did it! We really are the strongest–haha!” And she ran to each one: To cheerful March, brighter than the sun reflected on a bed of snow; to the fledgling Misha, who hid great power beneath quivering lips; to charitable Aglaea, wrapped in written gold which shone like a sharpened sword. And she scooped them all into her arms, squeezing tight even if any of their faces would turn blue.

“I told you all, didn’t I? We’d do it for sure! All you had to do was believe in The Great Herrscher of Sentience!!” 

The compliment soothed him. It sounded so much like the idle gratitude of the Reverie's guests. But all semblance of comfort soon faded when Misha laid eyes on Kevin's grounded figure.

He really did not want to go anywhere near him. The chill, the fear, and the way his soul trembled at the thought of keeping another person(?) pinned down made him hesitate in a way that went beyond his normal reservations. Blindly swinging his sword had been easy. Running towards faceless foes and getting lucky was easy. It was not easy, however, to fight Kevin.

But Misha already saw him struggling to escape. He saw the way those wings wished to fly, how relentlessly they flapped against the ground. Against his best wishes, he approached the fallen Icarus, and secured the position of his sword with a clenched fist.

Rime Trauma activates! -1HP MISHA: 8/10HP [1 energy] MISHA: 8/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 135/300HP [Roll: 4+5 = 9, Hit! -1.5HP SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 133.5/300HP] SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) is inflicted with Cryo! SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 133.5/300HP counters with Flaming Obliteration [Roll: 3, Miss!] [Roll: 3, Redirect fails!]

It discomforted him to keep his blade fastened through someone's flesh. But he held on, eyes squeezed shut and teeth tightly ground.

The bellhop was not always brave or strong. He was nothing like the Herrscher who moved with confidence and power, or Aglaea who enacted her will with ease, or March, whose strong spirit had pushed her to go this far. No, he was nothing like these women. But if there was one thing he always did, it was his job.

Now, he stands guard over Kevin. The surrounding aura of chill made his knuckles quiver around the handle of his sword. But this was his job. This was his purpose. He saw it now—he had to keep this man lying still.

What Misha does not know is that Kevin, too, has a purpose. Kevin, too, lives by something beyond himself—beyond even his kin. A cosmic oath willed him to rise, and all Misha could do was whimper as he watched it.

[1 energy] MISHA: 8/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 133.5/300HP [Roll: 11+5 = 16, Crit! -3HP SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 130.5/300HP] SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) counters with Flaming Obliteration [Roll: 18, Hit!] [Roll: 1, Redirect triggers!] -2SP, AGLAEA: 10/10HP 0/6SP Pyro already applied [Follow-Up Attack] MARCH  7TH: 8/10HP uses Girl Power on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 130.5/300HP. [Roll: 15, Crit! -5HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 125.5/300HP] [1 energy] MISHA: 8/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 125.5/300HP [Roll: 7+5 = 12, Crit! -3HP SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 122.5/300HP] SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 122.5/300HP counters with Flaming Obliteration [Roll: 12, Hit! -2HP, MISHA: 6/10HP] MISHA is inflicted with Pyro

He tried to keep him down. He really did. He swung his sword at him, and when that was not enough, he used that piercing motion that he did not really like. But there was no stopping the Kaslana. Kevin fired off something searingly-hot—such a cruel contrast to his cold—and Misha staggered back, feeling the singed fabric of his uniform graze against his skin.

"H-he's up again!" he yelled to the others, though they could undoubtedly see Kevin for themselves, "And his attacks really hurt... Please be careful!"

She didn’t have a dime to her name. In fact, there was no bigger a bum in the galaxy than The Great Herrscher of Sentience, who simply did as she pleased, unbound by the shackles of responsibility. She would have to get creative if she wished to treat them all.

Not that she wouldn’t, but that’s a story for another time.

Herrscher of Sentience 8/10HP uses Normal Attack: Trial of Trinity on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 122.5/300HP  [Roll: 1d20+3 = 10, Hit! -10HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 112.5/300HP]

“Not for long!” She riposted, sliding past Misha and delivering a follow-up to his blade’s assault. Her spear flew from her grip and lodged itself in the shade as it regained its footing, an attempt on her part to acknowledge how well the bellhop had knocked it down, and to keep it down with an effort of her own. But she knew Kevin. Knew that his mission was far too important to be stopped by setbacks like these. Even if it wasn’t a doppelganger with the inhuman ability to ignore punishment, he would have stood up in exactly the same way and thrusted forward.

Herrscher of Sentience 8/10HP uses A Wraith Without Trace. Illusion: Hit Me! is summoned! Counterattack: [Roll 1d4 = 2, Redirect success!] SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 112.5/300HP uses Normal Attack: Flaming Obliteration on Illusion: Hit Me! 3/3HP [Roll: 1d20 = 10, Hit! -2HP. Illusion: Hit Me! 1/3HP] The trickster was a step ahead. She blinked behind her rival and let its attack sink into sentience manifest. A harmless dummy. Annoying, but effectively like air. Especially in comparison.  HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 8/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20+3 = 17, Crit! -12HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 100.5/300HP] All enemies hit take +1 additional damage until the end of the round.

A menagerie of blades and black chains exploded in her wake. They rained over Kevin, piercing wings and stabbing swords. Though few in number, they’d buy the group some precious seconds to deal with his most threatening features. 

“Hey, Robes,” she then addressed Aglaea. Just about everything about them felt like polar opposites–down to the finest details in how they carried themselves–but there was something similar about the way they fought. Her illusion cupped its hands and squatted down. It looked like it was going to receive a serve, or perhaps flip someone once they jumped on its hands. 

“Ever tried a combination attack? My guy and yours–I bet they could do something real deadly together!” 

Aglaea’s lips parted slightly, but no sound came.

He still apologizes. Even now, even after everything they had faced. The boy cried out in sorrow for an enemy who would not have spared him the same breath. That softness… it would not last. Not here, not in a place that tested conviction by carving it away. One day, the weight of the blade would replace the need to say sorry. One day, the sorrow would stop coming. And that, she thought, would be the true tragedy.

Kevin fell, but not for long. And then, perhaps absurdly—

"He has wings?!"

“hey, wings are cheating!”

The tandem commentary has a ghost of a smile gracing her lips, even as a familiar chill swept across her shoulders. March’s frost barrier settled into place once more, cool against her skin like the hush before snowfall. Aglaea inclined her head just slightly.

“Thank you,” she said.

Then she moved.

Her blade flashed forward, her Memosprite already gliding ahead of her.

“Garmentmaker,” she says softly, “die for me.”

Her Memosprite struck, but Kevin retaliated with that same dreadful, breath-stealing cold, the very air lashing out in waves. The frost seeped through Aglaea's dress like poison, and before their bodies could fully recover, he followed with another strike—this one catching March and the Herrscher both.

SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 99/100HP uses Absolute Exclusion on all enemies. [Roll: 4] AGLAEA 10/10HP 6/6SP is inflicted with Cryo! Melt triggers! [Roll: 3] HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP is inflicted with Cryo! [Roll: 3] MARCH  7TH 10/10HP is inflicted with Cryo! [Roll: 1] MISHA 10/10HP is inflicted with Cryo and Rime Trauma!

SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 99/100HP uses Burdened with Past Legends on HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP, GARMENTMAKER 3/8HP, and MARCH 7TH 10/10HP. [Roll: 3d20: 14, 4, 10. Hit, Miss, Hit!] [Roll: 4, redirect fails] Melt triggers! -2HP. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 8/10HP [Roll: 3, redirect fails] -0HP. GARMENTMAKER 3/8HP [Roll: 4, redirect fails] Melt triggers! -2HP. MARCH 7TH 8/10HP

A Body Brewed by Tears triggers! GARMENTMAKER 3/8HP uses Thorned Snare on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 99/100HP. -3HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 96/100HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 96/100HP counterattacks with Flaming Obliteration. [Roll: 5, Miss! -0HP, GARMENTMAKER 3/8HP] Supreme Stance ended. GARMENTMAKER is destroyed.

Garmentmaker dodged, blade curving back toward the enemy’s side—but Kevin's counterattack met it with brutal force, dissipating the Memosprite in a burst of scattered golden thread. Aglaea watched, resigned.

Thank you for your hard work all this while. But you cannot rest yet.

AGLAEA rolls 6 energy.

[1 Energy] AGLAEA: 10/10HP 6/6SP uses Elemental Skill: Rise, Exalted Renown. GARMENTMAKER 8/8HP summoned. A Body Brewed by Tears remains active.

Aglaea darted in with a calculated slash, drawing Kevin’s attention. His counter came fast—faster than before—but March’s shield absorbed the worst of it. The archer, patient and observant, loosed another arrow in that instant, striking clean into Kevin’s back.

[1 Energy] AGLAEA: 10/10HP 6/6SP uses Normal Attack: Thorned Nectar on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 96/100HP. [Roll: 13, Crit! -3HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 93/100HP] Seam Stitch applied. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 93/100HP counterattacks with Flaming Obliteration. [Roll: 18, Hit! -2HP, AGLAEA: 10/10HP 4/6SP] Pyro applied. [Follow-Up Attack] MARCH  7TH: 8/10HP uses Girl Power on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 93/100HP. [Roll: 9, Hit! -4.5HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 88.5/100HP] GARMENTMAKER 8/8HP uses Thorned Snare on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 88.5/100HP. -6HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 82.5/100HP.

Aglaea pressed in.

One strike. A pivot. Another. She wove herself into the cadence of battle, flurrying with deliberate motion, giving no room for her opponent to breathe. Kevin’s attention snapped to her entirely—too late to notice March drawing another arrow.

[2 Energy] AGLAEA: 10/10HP 4/6SP uses Elemental Burst: Dance, Destined Weaveress. Supreme Stance entered. Normal Attack becomes enhanced until the end of Round 2.

 [2 Energy] AGLAEA: 10/10HP 4/6SP uses Enhanced Attack: Slash by a Thousandfold Kiss on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 82.5/100HP. [Roll: 11, Hit! -5.5HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 77/100HP] SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 77/100HP counterattacks with Flaming Obliteration. [Roll: 8, Hit! -2HP, AGLAEA: 10/10HP 2/6SP] Pyro already applied. [Follow-Up Attack] MARCH  7TH: 8/10HP uses Girl Power on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 77/100HP. [Roll: 16, Crit! -7HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC): 70/100HP]

Aglaea moved then, slipping back into the rhythm of retreat, making space as if clearing the floor for the next dancer in the sequence.

“Open!” she called, voice ringing clear above the fray. “Trade in!”

The brick went arcing across the sky; Senti was the next dancer, and she felt all too ready to join in. The blows prior were nothing in the face of the evolved threat–of the Kevin she knew, of the Kevin whose defeat was stolen from her by that gleaming blade–and she made a perfect recovery without so much as a peep. He was bludgeoned and beat, thrust and cut. 

“Robes!” she answered, calling to Aglaea in the midst of her rampage, “You and your guy are following up whenever I make an opening!” That would be her role. Blunt as she may be, Senti was their blade. She’d careen into danger and slice open a path, using her strength, cunning, and trickery in equal measure to teach the Shadow that raw strength was no substitute for the combination that was her. She vaulted forward. Her sharp sword bit into Diabolic flesh,

HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 8/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20+3 = 15, Crit! -12HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 246/300HP.] All enemies hit take +1 additional damage until the end of the round. Serpent’s Spine activates! +1 damage until hit. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 8/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20+3 = 9, Hit! -12HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 246/300HP.] Serpent’s Spine activates! +1 damage until hit. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 8/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20+3 = 23, Crit! -15HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE (DIABOLIC) 231/300HP.]

And she pulled back the instant she spotted movement. It wasn’t enough to simply grind him into paste, Senti had to stop herself from getting too close, lest the aura of death emanating from his body lull her into eternal slumber. She thus made use of the tips of her weapons to dish out damage, sticking out her tongue or giving a nasty thumbs-down whenever he’d advance and she’d duck out of harm’s way. Slowly. They had to bleed him dry.

“Haha! There! See, aren’t we all the strongest? After we beat him up, let’s all go get some tasty food together. We’ll have a feast of champions, mhm!!” 

In his attempt to avoid the man's attacks, Misha had found himself cowering next to the Herrscher of Sentience. Not the most ideal position, given the terrifying form she was in.

His eyes, when he turned to the Herrscher, were round and glistening. "Can't... can't we just talk to him?"

Considering the rampage she proceeded to go on, he figured the answer was no. He took a deep breath and clutched his blade, finding its weight a bit more familiar.

Kevin... was it? The name was ordinary, easily mistaken for an assistant manager at the Reverie, or perhaps one of its guests. But the man before them seemed anything but. What he inspired went beyond fear, beyond chill. It was as though Misha's whole system shut down and got buried into the snow, forgotten for eternity.

Misha swallowed. He knew he had to move. He had to keep protecting everyone. Maybe that was why the dream gave him this sword? In the stories he knew, the hero always wielded one. And the hero would always save his friends in the end.

But he does not feel like a hero. Most times, he feels like a fool. An old fool. What he feels does not matter, though. The people cry for a legacy—and a legacy they shall receive.

"O-okay. No talking, I guess. But I don't know about piling onto him... I'll just try to—!"

With a heave, Misha spun—looking very much like that big axe-wielding character from before, except his spins were much more clumsy and uneven. That seemed to work to his favor, though, for Kevin had been caught in the whirlwind and staggered to his feet. More than that, though, he seemed to freeze mid-fall, not getting up even after a moment had passed.

"Whew. For a moment I thought I wasn't gonna do it..."

Misha exhaled, and let his sword fall to his side. He did not know why, but he suddenly felt quite cold.

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Wraith Without Trace. Illusion: Hit Me! is summoned! Serpent’s Spine activates! +2 damage until hit. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 53.5/200HP uses Normal Attack: Constellation of Destruction on Illusion: Hit Me! 3/3HP [Roll: 1d20 = 5, Miss! -0HP. Illusion: Hit Me! 3/3HP] SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 53.5/200HP uses Normal Attack: Constellation of Destruction on Illusion: Hit Me! 3/3HP [Roll: 1d20 = 19, Crit! -4HP. Illusion: Hit Me! 0/3HP] ILLUSION: HIT ME! is destroyed and hits all enemies. [-6HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 47.5/200HP]

The first of his swipes was easily avoided by the Herrscher. She danced round his blade, and a body double materialized where she stood. Only, it wasn’t the double left behind, and it wasn’t her who advanced closer. As the shadow attempted another strike on the closer, realer looking Senti, he found out quite quickly that she had tricked him into hitting a fake. She bellowed a bunch of laughter as she watched it explode in his face. “You can try, Blue-Guy,” she then answered, pointing her smirk back at Misha, “but once he’s made up his mind, there’s no point. Don’t get too close either. Most can’t survive the cold around his body.” 

HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Trial of Trinity on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 64.5/200HP.  [Roll: 1d20+3 = 8, Hit! -11HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 53.5/200HP] Enemy Passive: Inhuman Body triggers! HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE inflicted with Cryo. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Trial of Trinity on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 53.5/200HP.  [Roll: 1d20+3 = 5, Miss! -0HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 53.5/200HP] HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20+3 = 12, Hit! -11HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 36.5/200HP.] All enemies hit take +1 additional damage until the end of the round. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Trial of Trinity on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 36.5/200HP.  [Roll: 1d20+3 = 4, Miss! -0HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 36.5/200HP]

In almost complete defiance to her own advice, Senti took the place of her illusion. She closed the gap enough to bombard him with a variety of her attacks–some more ridiculous than others. And she experienced for herself the unearthly, unhuman cold eating away at her skin. It threw off her balance and stiffened her joints, enough to mess with the accuracy of the odd thrust or cut. But she was made of Honkai energy, was no mere mortal. What she hoped to demonstrate was that she wasn’t part of the ‘most’ she mentioned,

SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 36.5/200HP uses Normal Attack: Constellation of Destruction on HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP [Roll: 1d20 = 16, Crit! Melt! -6HP. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 4/10HP] Serpent’s Spine activates! Loses all damage.

But when he finally struck her back, she went tumbling onto the ground. No cheap tricks could save her this time; just her face getting to know the pavement. 

Suffice to say, they became well-acquainted. 

The last enemy vanished—not slain, but withdrawn, as if removed by the hand of the tower itself. The room followed suit, its boundaries stretching and folding in unnatural geometries. Walls unspooled like fabric rolled from bolts, rippling outward to reveal a cavernous space where once there was constraint. Power trembled through the air, a low, rising thrum that spoke not of relief, but of escalation.

Aglaea narrowed her eyes. A single figure stepped forth from the widening rift.

"That does not bode well," she murmured, half to herself, voice silken but laced with iron. Her gaze lingered on the solitary presence ahead. Once, they had faced six. Then four. Then two. And now—only one.

The arithmetic of this trial was not random. Only cruel.

AGLAEA rolls 5 energy. AGLAEA: 10/10HP uses Elemental Skill: Rise, Exalted Renown. GARMENTMAKER 8/8HP summoned.

"In tight confines," she said, voice rising like a measured hymn, "a clash of wills is unavoidable."

She did not wait for ceremony. No names. No parley.

AGLAEA: 10/10HP uses Normal Attack: Thorned Nectar on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 200/200HP. [Roll: 17, Crit! -3HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 197/200HP] Electro applied. Seam Stitch applied. ENEMY afflicted with Seam Stitch takes +1 damage from all damage-dealing abilities of all allies.

Enemy Passive: Inhuman Body triggers! AGLAEA inflicted with Cryo.

SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 197/200HP counterattacks with Constellation of Destruction. Enemy Passive: Alone on the Path of Deliverance triggers! On hit, critical dmg on Cryo target guaranteed. Melt triggers! [Roll: 19, Crit! -4 x 1.5 = -6HP, AGLAEA: 4/10HP]

Her blade flashed forward, lashing out in a clean, precise strike—but the moment it met the enemy’s form, the man unleashed a retaliatory blast of cold that surged straight into her bones. Her muscles seized. Breath caught. Then—without pause—heat followed, searing and violent, as if the sudden thaw alone had been designed to punish her body for daring to exist between temperatures.

Her cry tore free before she could bite it down, the pain unfamiliar in its layering. The impact sent her skidding backward across the stone, cloak singed, skin flushed from the elemental clash.

GARMENTMAKER 8/8HP uses Thorned Snare on SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 197/200HP. -6HP, SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 191/200HP.

SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 191/200HP counterattacks with Constellation of Destruction. [Roll: 1, Miss! -0HP, GARMENTMAKER 8/8HP]

Garmentmaker surged forward in her place, blade arcing in retaliation. It struck the man cleanly and veered away in a dance of grace and instinct, narrowly avoiding the backlash that followed.

Aglaea forced herself upright, jaw tight, hand pressed against her ribs. Her breath returned in steady waves—controlled, but sharp at the edges. Her thoughts catalogued the interaction like one might examine a flawed stitch. Ice. Fire. Proximity-triggered. Intentional. This was not a brute. This was a blade in human skin.

"The way is fraught with difficulties," she said, voice quiet but deliberate, meeting her comrades’ eyes as she shifted into a new stance—guarded, deliberate, ready.

AGLAEA: 4/10HP uses Elemental Burst: Dance, Destined Weaveress. Supreme Stance entered! Normal Attack becomes Enhanced until end of Round 2. AGLAEA forfeits 1 energy.

"Please be careful."

HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses A Worldful of Woes on all enemies. -12HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 179/200HP. All enemies hit take +1 additional damage until the end of the round. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE enters Herrscher Form until end of turn. Serpent’s Spine activates! +2 damage until hit. Enemy Passive: Inhuman Body triggers! HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE inflicted with Cryo.

Before the world could react to Aglaea’s warning, before the air could blow cold against their skin–the stone clack with footfalls firm–Senti barreled for the vision of one of her old rivals. Their fates were not yet decided, still threads with frayed ends. It was only in hands as hard and calloused as theirs–having gripped the blade until it made either of their palms bleed–that they could knit together the victor of their strife. Senti would have you believe it had always been her, but she knew better, deep down. Today, there would be no waiting. Today, only decision.

She began combat in her Herrscher form. No punches pulled this time, unfortunately. Not when it’s him, for they could certainly not afford anything less than their best effort. “Nothing to say?” she roared, stomping her way over to him to unleash the full fury of her mightiest weapon. He was crushed under the weight of her Sentient realm, and her powers took form. Not as her chain blades nor her great sword, not her spear nor the technique of well-practiced kung-fu. No no, this was the Incredibly Infinite Intimidator. A brick gained sentience, imbued with the very essence of her power and more essentially ‘her’ than anything else in her arsenal. It came crashing down against the Shadow’s head, to which it barely reacted to. 

This didn’t seem to make her angrier. In fact, the look on her face said it was par for the course. “Tch, typical. Let’s see what you say when I smash you up again!” 

HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20+3 = 14, Crit! -11HP. SHADOW OF DELIVERANCE 168/200HP.] All enemies hit take +1 additional damage until the end of the round.

And back she went, now wailing on him with the Intimidator et al. He was bashed by the brick, sliced by the sword, stabbed by the spear and cut by the crescent of her chains. Poor Kevin–likely a new name for many of her allies–received treatment no better than a lump of dough or mochi being pounded into shape. 

“This guy… Pile on! Hurry, hurry, hurry! Give him the edge and he’ll pull something on you!” 

March 7th and the Great Herrscher of Sentience closed in with the synchronicity of seasoned dancers, blades and arrows weaving arcs of destruction across the battlefield. Where one moved with elegant precision, the other struck with fluid ferocity—ice and fury in perfect concert. Their combined assault shattered the last of the centaur-styled construct, splinters of frozen alloy cascading across the floor. The creature let out a strangled, metallic shriek before it collapsed in on itself.

For a breath, the chamber held its silence.

But the reprieve was fleeting—again. No sooner had the enemy collapsed than a wave of healing swept over them. Not magic of their own making, but something deeper. Built into the walls. Threaded into the floor. An unseen system repairing its chosen participants, priming them for the next movement.

Then the doors opened once more.

Only two figures emerged—but the air grew heavy.

They towered above them—broad-shouldered silhouettes cast in blue and red. Robes gilded with abyssal marks shimmered as the temperature split between extremes. One cloaked in rolling flame, the other in lashing water.

March 7th reacted quickly—freezing the robed figure wreathed in blue with another one of her avalanches. The Herald staggered as frost spiraled across its arms and chest, halting its advance, and Aglaea heard her asking the Herrscher about her second form.

Aglaea swept past them.

AGLAEA rolls 3 energy. AGLAEA uses Elemental Skill: Rise, Exalted Renown. GARMENTMAKER summoned, moves immediately after AGLAEA’s next action.

Her Garmentmaker reappeared at her side without fanfare, drifting into place like the return of a missing stitch. Ahead, Misha had dashed into battle—his broom-turned-blade thudding against the frozen Herald’s side with bold, if slightly awkward, enthusiasm.

“You’ve done well,” Aglaea said softly as she passed him.

AGLAEA uses Normal Attack: Thorned Nectar on ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS. [Roll: 3+2 = 5, Hit! -2.5HP] ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 56.5/120HP. Seam Stitch applied. GARMENTMAKER uses Thorned Snare on ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS. [-4HP, ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 52.5/120HP] [-2HP, ABYSS LECTOR: FATHOMLESS FLAMES 91/120HP] Electro applied. Super-conduct triggers! Crit floor lowered by 4 until end of round.  AGLAEA uses Normal Attack: Thorned Nectar on ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS. [Roll: 2+2 = 4, Hit! -2.5HP] ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 50/120HP GARMENTMAKER uses Thorned Snare on ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS. [-4HP, ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 46/120HP] [-2HP, ABYSS LECTOR: FATHOMLESS FLAMES 89/120HP]

The mage retaliated at once.

A burst of fire spiraled outward, conjured from its hands and launched into the air. Flames rained down in blistering arcs, striking all of them in succession—March, Senti, her Garmentmaker, even Aglaea herself. She hissed sharply as heat scorched through fabric, the blaze crawling fast up her sleeve.

She fell back, cloak smoldering, hands batting out the embers before the flames could climb with a sigh.

How many times was she going to be set on fire before making it back home...?

HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses A Worldful of Woes on all enemies.

Her powers flared to life again. “If you missed it… Watch close. You’ll only get one more chance.” 

-4HP. ABYSS LECTOR: FATHOMLESS FLAMES 116/120HP. -4HP. ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 116/120HP. All enemies hit take +1 additional damage until the end of the round. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE enters Herrscher Form until end of turn.

Chains expunged from her body, bathing the battlefield in colors of blood and brimstone. Black bound to red, red steeped in black. Each was a feather on a wing of a hundred-limbed angel: one which sought nothing but destruction for her foes. And victory for those she cherished. 

If they followed her, the path ahead would be clear.

HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20 = 16, Hit! -3HP. ABYSS LECTOR: FATHOMLESS FLAMES 113/120HP. ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 113/120HP.] Blackcliff Slasher activates! Gains +2 additional damage to next attack. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20 = 18, Crit! -7HP. ABYSS LECTOR: FATHOMLESS FLAMES 106/120HP. ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 106/120HP.] Blackcliff Slasher activates! Gains +2 additional damage to next attack. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20 = 7, Hit! -5HP. ABYSS LECTOR: FATHOMLESS FLAMES 101/120HP. ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 101/120HP.] Blackcliff Slasher activates! Gains +2 additional damage to next attack. HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE 10/10HP uses Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies. [Roll: 1d20 = 10, Hit! -5HP. ABYSS LECTOR: FATHOMLESS FLAMES 96/120HP. ABYSS HERALD: WICKED TORRENTS 96/120HP.] Blackcliff Slasher activates! Gains +2 additional damage to next attack.

She unleashed her true power. The chains shot this way and that, performing a mixture of binding hits and crashing blows. Some aimed to immobilize. Others to destroy. It was chaos incarnate, but then again, isn’t that unbridled entropy the very thing dictating the universe? Everything is destined to fall apart. Rocks become sediment. Cells decompose into their constituent parts. So too was the fate of the abyss leaders standing before them–Senti was just guiding them along the process. 

She struck the earth, and an obelisk of blade and steel erupted from beneath. Then she slashed. And slashed. And slashed, and slashed and slashed andslashedandslashed–Swings of her broad blade only growing faster with time. “See? I’m a Herrscher!” Her voice was even more of an all-encompassing force, glee singing the back of her throat, “I’m the very embodiment of being!” 

She could have been the president of the universe for all they cared, that wasn’t going to stop the Abyss. The Lector muttered something under its breath, before fires licked the palm of its hand. It snapped, and they exploded, welcoming her with a kind of unholy heat.

ABYSS LECTOR: FATHOMLESS FLAMES 89/120HP uses Special Attack: Sparking Flares and hits all enemies. [Roll: 12, Hit! -3HP, HERRSCHER OF SENTIENCE: 7/10HP] Pyro applied.

It stung like hell, but she had already been through hell before. It would need a flame a thousand times hotter to beat submission out of her. The Herald was next, channeling a rippling tide throughout its arm to take form and strike,

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Wraith Without Trace. Illusion: Hit Me! is summoned!

And Senti was swift. She wasn’t there when the waters ebbed out, waves crashing instead into an illusion.

An illusion which stuck its tongue out, then its fist, then gave a disapproving thumbs-down. 

“Too weak!”

MARCH 7TH 10/10HP 4/5SP rolls 5 energy. [1 energy] MARCH 7TH 10/10HP 4/5SP uses Frigid Cold Arrow on VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 17.5/100HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 4, Miss! VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 17.5/100HP.] [1 energy] MARCH 7TH 10/10HP 4/5SP uses Frigid Cold Arrow on VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 17.5/100HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 18, Crit! -5HP. VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 12.5/100HP.] [1 energy] MARCH 7TH 10/10HP 4/5SP uses Frigid Cold Arrow on VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 12.5/100HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 11, Crit! -5HP. VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 7.5/100HP.] [1 energy] MARCH 7TH 10/10HP 4/5SP uses Frigid Cold Arrow on VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 7.5/100HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 1, Miss! VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 7.5/100HP.] [1 energy] MARCH 7TH 10/10HP 4/5SP uses Frigid Cold Arrow on VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 7.5/100HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 15, Crit! -5HP. VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 2.5/100HP.]

she falls back, bow raising as frost swirls between her fingertips. a-one, a-two, a-three, and tada! ice crystalizes into an arrow that nocks perfectly into her bow, string drawn back as she aims for their frozen foe.

again. again. again and again. some go off course, but one after the other, she shoots until the voidranger is on its last legs, then finally falls back, bracing for whatever might come next after it finally falls.

The quadrupedal had a head start on her, but Senti was faster. Once she sprinted up into range, she sent the spine of her whip-blade for its midsection. When it made contact it wrapped round, and suddenly our great and mighty Herrscher was being pulled along for the ride. Her heels dug into the ground as she attempted to use weight alone. But when it proved insufficient, she had to get creative–had to put her upper body to work in a giant corkscrew motion to bring the titan of a creature down. 

Herrscher of Sentience 10/10HP uses Enhanced Attack: Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies.  [Roll 1d20: 19 = Crit! -4HP, VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 0/100HP] Voidranger: Trampler is defeated!

With a loud grunt, she muscled up enough strength to topple it to its side. And from there, it was a matter of stomping out what little life it had left: something she had become well-acquainted with in her conquest against the Honkai. Down it went. Once again, she was victorious. She was heroic. She gloated her heart out at having landed the finishing blow. 

“Bring on the other guys! I can take on a hundred–no, a thousand!” She addressed march next, kicking the beaten-down body of their foe for emphasis, “How about I put more of ‘em to bed like this so you can catch a nice nap? I know all the best places to snooze.”

Being a professional lout herself, and all.

He didn't want to fight. He'd always known he was something of a soft-hearted thing. He possessed memories of bloody battle, though was uncertain if they were his or if he simply read it in his grandfather's log—Mikhail's logs were very detailed, you see—and so he never felt acclimated toward it. Besides, fighting was always a bad thing, wasn't it? But he knew now that, no matter how bad, no one was immune to it. He didn't want to fight but he had to. And though he had none of that strength he needed now, he had this undeniable wish to keep those he was with safe. That wish was what led him forward, running past Aglaea and her Garmentmaker, past the Herrscher and the Nameless, and toward the Antimatter Legion.

"Wait, that enemy! I… I'll go take care of 'em! You guys can just, uh, go for everyone else!"

He didn't know when he got bold enough to start bossing people around, but his own nerves lowered his usual shy demeanor. The enemy he'd referred to: he caught it before, the silver-clad foe, commanding the others to go for one of them. He knew the onslaught that followed was relentless. He didn't want it to happen again. Besides, there was something tactical about going for the proverbial captain of the ship, wasn't there? So long as you injured the head, the rest of the body wouldn't be able to move. So let's go for the leader and achieve victory!

What a strange passion for combat... Ah… maybe his memories of fighting came from more than just the logs…?

MISHA: 10/10HP rolls 5 energy [1 energy] MISHA: 10/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 25.5/60HP [Roll: 16+2 = 18, Crit! -4HP] VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 21.5/60HP Super-conduct triggers! Favonius Sword triggers! Regain 1 energy. [1 energy] MISHA: 10/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 21.5/60HP [Roll: 7+2 = 9, Hit! -2.5HP] VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 19/60HP [1 energy] MISHA: 10/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 19/60HP [Roll: 1+2 = 3, Hit! -2.5HP] VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 16.5/60HP [1 energy] MISHA: 10/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 16.5/60HP [Roll: 20+2 = 22, Crit! -4HP] VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 12.5/60HP [1 energy] MISHA: 10/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 12.5/60HP [Roll: 5+2 = 7, Hit! -2.5HP] VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 10/60HP[1 energy] MISHA: 10/10HP uses Normal Attack: E—Excuse Me! on VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 10/60HP [Roll: 20+2 = 22, Crit! -4HP] VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 6/60HP

He cast all this aside. Misha tried his best to focus. He kept his eyes open as wide as he could, though he couldn't stop the buckle of his knees beneath the weight of his blade. Still, his attacks managed to land. They weren't as fluid as Aglaea's—he never could hope to be, considering his perpetual clumsiness—but they were enough. He brought his mark down as low as it could go. Misha heaved a deep sigh, relief and exhaustion mixed into one.

Herrscher of Sentience 10/10HP uses A Worldful of Woes on all enemies. [-4HP, VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 2/60HP, ANTIBARYON: 2/30HP, VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 81.5/100HP, VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 11.5/45HP] All enemies take additional +1 damage until the end of the round & Normal Attacks become Alternate Attack this round!

Heeding Misha’s call, Senti unleashed the full extent of her power on the entire enemy squadron. She expanded her realm to eclipse the enemies, covering them in a dark sphere crackling with red lightning before seizing the dome in her hand. She crushed it in her palm, and the enemies burst out–donating parts of their power to her to fuel her transformation to her Herrscher form, her ascension to godhood. A red, wing-like cape made of pure Honkai energy hung from her shoulders. She got a new haircut too. But most important of all was the way her attacks then brimmed with power, each crazed hack cutting deeper than the last. 

Herrscher of Sentience 10/10HP uses Enhanced Attack: Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies.  [Roll 1d20: 15 = Hit! -3HP, VOIDRANGER: DISTORTER: 0/60HP, ANTIBARYON: 0/30HP, VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 78.5/100HP, VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 8.5/45HP] Voidranger Distorter is defeated! Antibaryon is defeated! Blackcliff Slasher gains +3 damage Herrscher of Sentience 10/10HP uses Enhanced Attack: Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies.  [Roll 1d20: 2 = Miss! -0HP, VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 78.5/100HP, VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 8.5/45HP] Herrscher of Sentience 10/10HP uses Enhanced Attack: Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies.  [Roll 1d20: 14 = Hit! -3HP, VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 75.5/100HP, VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 5.5/45HP] Blackcliff Slasher gains +3 damage Herrscher of Sentience 10/10HP uses Enhanced Attack: Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies.  [Roll 1d20: 2 = Miss! -0HP, VOIDRANGER: TRAMPLER: 78.5/100HP, VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 8.5/45HP]

They… Weren’t actually all that accurate. Anyone with a keen eye for battle could see clear as day that she was just going buck-wild without any sort of flow to her attacks. It was a reliance on her pure power to dispatch her foes: trust, even, that Sentience was strong enough to overcome yet another ordeal. 

Despite the sloppiness, a few of them actually went down. Senti beamed at her allies, turning on her heel when she saw their broken bodies in the aftermath.

“Whaddya guys think? Pretty powerful, eh?”

He didn't notice the change until he had instinctively glanced down at the floor as saw that, in the place of bristles, a blade was attached to his handle.

"H-Huh?!" surprise almost causes him to drop it. Brandishing his broom like a weapon was a foreign enough concept. Using a sword felt like being plopped into an entirely different Universe. Perhaps whoever was in control of this strange Dream wanted to throw him off. Well, it was certainly working!

He clutched onto it as the lady—Aglaea—introduced himself. He didn't know if he could fight, but he did know that he could at least do this. Misha swallows down the lump in his throat.

"I-I'm Misha! I'm a bellhop from the Reverie, and I—wah!!!"

His introduction was cut short by the sudden movement of one of their foes, who surged towards them in the moment of lull. Misha once again let his instinct guide him. He stepped forward, shut his eyes, and swung the sword like he did his broom.

A sword is much heavier than a broom, of course, and Misha near loses his grip on the hilt (which would have been devastating, as it would have flown and smacked someone else) but against all odds, he manages to hit three of the four fiends cleanly. As his blade collided with them, they froze, so similarly to the way the big bad did earlier.

Misha lowered his sword. He stared incredulously at his hands, then at the still figures that he had cut.

"Oh... it worked this time!"

“The Great Herrscher of Sentience,” she tutted, adding to the round-robin of introductions the group finally got around to. It felt pointless, and so it wasn’t said with much vigor. They had already fought a battle together; they knew one another far more intimately than a name could ever accomplish. 

“These guys look like the old ones we just fought…” She takes a moment to eye them up. None of them are wearing the fancy clothes of yesterdream, and neither is Senti, clad instead in her usual attire and brandishing her whip-blade. 

She cracked it to signal her advance. Footfalls clacked against the metallic ground like a hailstorm, a brisk run quickly becoming a full sprint. Ever the tipped spear, Senti points in only one direction.

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Wraith Without Trace. Illusion: Hit Me! is summoned! Herrscher of Sentience uses Normal Attack: Trial of Trinity on VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 34.5/45HP [Roll: 10, Hit! -2HP] VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 32.5/45HP Herrscher of Sentience uses Normal Attack: Trial of Trinity on VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 32.5/45HP [Roll: 19, Crit! -5HP] VOIDRANGER: ELIMINATOR: 27.5/45HP

“So let’s crush ‘em flat this time! No mercy for these fools!!” 

Vaulting over Aglaea, Senti delivered a fierce, downward cut to the gunner’s head. The tip of her whip left a crack in its helmet, which itself warranted a smile from the Herrscher. She followed up by leaving an illusion in her place, and dashing behind to slash wildly at its back. There her swift weapon was able to shine, marking the enemy with gnashes and bruises and all sorts of chink in its armor. Not one ounce of mercy was spared in her beatdown.

“See? We just need to hit faster!” 

Her companions fought valiantly.

March’s arrows sang through the air like icy sonatas, each one loosing a blossom of frost upon impact. Misha, though untrained, wielded his broom with desperate precision—ducking, swinging, retreating again with wild-eyed courage. And Senti, ever the storm at the center of her own chaos, cleaved through the tide with brute force and reckless brilliance.

But it wasn’t enough.

The enemies regrouped, golden threads coalescing midair—not hers, not clean. These were rough, ragged things, sticky with intent. They surged toward Senti in a flash. Before anyone could intercept, she vanished beneath the swarm, sealed in a writhing cage of radiant cords.

Aglaea’s gaze sharpened. Her Garmentmaker had already fallen, cut down in its last act of protection, but such losses were expected in the weave of battle. She lifted her hand once more.

"Garmentmaker. Time for resolution."

Aglaea 8.5/10HP rolls 4 energy. [1 Energy] Aglaea 8.5/10HP uses Elemental Skill: Rise, Exalted Renown. Garmentmaker 5/5HP is summoned.

The Memosprite answered. It shimmered into being with a whisper of silk and motion, offering her its arm. She accepted without pause. Together, they spun forward—Aglaea guiding their deadly waltz—toward the one whose voice had stirred the swarm.

The caller stood out: a Distorter, its form twitching with unstable tension, limbs pulled like a marionette jerked on frayed string. Her blade found it with purpose. One strike—clean. The Garmentmaker followed, its cleave splitting the air with soundless fury.

Aglaea 8.5/10HP uses Normal Attack: Thorned Nectar on Voidranger Distorter 7/28HP. [Roll: 12, Hit! -1HP, Voidranger Distorter 6/28HP] Electro applied. Super-conduct triggers! -4 Critical Hit floor for all Normal Attacks until end of round. Garmentmaker 5/5HP uses Thorned Snare on Voidranger Distorter 6/28HP and hits two random enemies. [-3HP, Voidranger Distorter 3/28HP] [-1.5HP, Baryon A 10/15HP, Baryon B 9/15HP] Electro applied.

[1 Energy] Aglaea 8.5/10HP uses Normal Attack: Thorned Nectar on Voidranger Distorter 3/28HP. [Roll: 19, Crit! -2HP, Voidranger Distorter 1/28HP] [1 Energy] Aglaea 8.5/10HP uses Normal Attack: Thorned Nectar on Voidranger Distorter 1/28HP. [Roll: 19, Crit! -2HP, Voidranger Distorter 0/28HP] Voidranger Distorter is defeated!

Voidranger: Reaver 23.5/28HP uses Vortex Leap on Herrscher of Sentience 10/10HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 6, Hit! -3HP. Herrscher of Sentience 7/10HP. -1.5HP. Aglaea 8.5/10HP. Misha 8.5/10HP. March 7th 8.5/10HP. Garmentmaker 3.5/5HP.] [Roll: 1] Herrscher of Sentience is inflicted with Imprisonment. Herrscher of Sentience is unable to counterattack due to Imprisonment. 4. Antibaryon 9/15HP uses Obliterate on Herrscher of Sentience 7/10HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 10, Hit! -1HP. Herrscher of Sentience 6/10HP.] Herrscher of Sentience is unable to counterattack due to Imprisonment. 5. Baryon A 11.5/15HP uses Obliterate on Herrscher of Sentience 6/10HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 9, Hit! -1HP. Herrscher of Sentience 5/10HP.] [Roll: 1] Herrscher of Sentience is inflicted with Imprisonment. Herrscher of Sentience is unable to counterattack due to Entanglement. 6. Baryon B 10.5/15HP uses Obliterate on Herrscher of Sentience 5/10HP. [Roll: 1d20 = 12, Hit! -1HP. Herrscher of Sentience 4/10HP.] Herrscher of Sentience is unable to counterattack due to Imprisonment.

A wall of attacks like a ten-thousand word novella poured over her, just one hit after another. She tried to fight her way through. Her arm swung this way and that, attempting to fend off blades and blasts and anything else that would take her down. But any effort will amount to nothing if met with enough resistance. Down she went. Her knee hit the ground with a solid thud, and as soon as it did, the Baryon’s swarmed her to keep her down. 

So the moment of calm was welcomed by her. She took time to stretch out her joints, reorient herself, dust off the suit. But as her allies spoke, her eyes turned to the final enemy in her way. It was frozen in time. One last assault would do the trick.

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Worldful of Woes on all enemies. [-2 HP, Blazing Axe Mitachurl 3.5/30HP] All enemies take additional +1 damage until the end of the round!

She swung and whirled and hurled her hulking sword at the muscle’s massive body, each blow like the rolling of thunder. And with her weapon lodged in the mitachurl’s side, she was sure it would forfeit its life–but it too was resilient. So she sighed, picked up a piece of broken wood,

Herrscher of Sentience uses Enhanced Attack: Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies.  [Roll 1d20: 10 = Hit! Shatter procs, crit! -5HP. Blazing Axe Mitachurl 0/30HP] Blazing Axe Mitachurl has been defeated!

And clobbered it over the head. Down it went, unceremoniously. The room was left an unrecognizable mess, embers still burning in certain spots and the grand table looking like it had been chewed up by termites. 

Senti didn’t care. She lumbered toward the chair at the front of the room, which was the only piece of it that managed to survive. When she placed her hand on its back, she turned it round, curled her fist to ready a punch for the chicken…

…And it was gone. “Tch,” she clicked her tongue, “got away…” And her annoyed glare searched for clues pertaining to his whereabouts. It didn’t take long for her to find suspiciously bird-shaped footprints trailing to the door Misha had entered from.

She set out to follow them. Their journey was far from over. 

There stood the chicken. “Piyo..” she murmured, her face heating up as she advanced to his new posse. This time it was the antimatter legion all gift-wrapped in fineries, with even the baryons sporting bowties around their cores. 

No matter the foe, no matter the quantity, Senti had already vowed to take them down. She kicked her blade into her hand and made the first move again–cleaving through the pack of foes like a letter opener to an envelope. 

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Wraith Without Trace. Illusion: Hit Me! is summoned! Herrscher of Sentience uses Normal Attack: Trial of Trinity on Voidranger: Distorter 28/28HP. [Roll: 19, Crit! -4HP] Voidranger: Distorter 24/28HP.

Her courage earned her as much praise as it did punishment. Piyo, in response to the assault, pointed a wing at the Herrscher and bawked his orders to his subordinates. Each one seemed to understand perfectly, and shifted their stances to oppose her. 

Voidranger: Distorter uses Nihility’s Command on  Herrscher of Sentience 10/10HP Inflicted with Locked On!

The air quickly grew tense. Though she wouldn’t realize what it meant right away, the feeling of a thousand stares against her back created a feeling of unease…

MARCH 7TH rolls 4 energy! march 7th uses frigid cold arrow on blazing axe mitachurl!  [ roll: 4, miss! ] march 7th uses frigid cold arrow on blazing axe mitachurl!  [ roll: 1, miss! ]

finally, the nameless settles on a question. her most pressing one, evidently, for how it is the only one that manages to make it past her lips. “that's not a power of the trailblaze, is it? because if it is, the others have seriously been holding out been holding out on me.”

curious and ever-undeterred in her pursuit of it, march inches closer and closer to their now frozen opponent. this has to be the most peaceful it's been since she's woken up and all she really wants is for it to last more than just a second or two. a finger raises, its owner shrunk back and turned away.

march 7th uses frigid cold arrow on blazing axe mitachurl!  [ roll: 13, crit! -2HP. blazing axe mitachurl 7.5/30HP. ] march 7th uses frigid cold arrow on blazing axe mitachurl!  [ roll: 7, crit! -2HP. blazing axe mitachurl 5.5/30HP. ]

poke. poke poke.

...huh.

even more curious, she forgoes the original purpose of her bow and raises it like a blunt weapon, swinging the whole thing at its frozen form.

...still nothing.

So the moment of calm was welcomed by her. She took time to stretch out her joints, reorient herself, dust off the suit. But as her allies spoke, her eyes turned to the final enemy in her way. It was frozen in time. One last assault would do the trick.

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Worldful of Woes on all enemies. [-2 HP, Blazing Axe Mitachurl 3.5/30HP] All enemies take additional +1 damage until the end of the round!

She swung and whirled and hurled her hulking sword at the muscle’s massive body, each blow like the rolling of thunder. And with her weapon lodged in the mitachurl’s side, she was sure it would forfeit its life–but it too was resilient. So she sighed, picked up a piece of broken wood,

Herrscher of Sentience uses Enhanced Attack: Transcendence of Trinity on all enemies.  [Roll 1d20: 10 = Hit! Shatter procs, crit! -5HP. Blazing Axe Mitachurl 0/30HP] Blazing Axe Mitachurl has been defeated!

And clobbered it over the head. Down it went, unceremoniously. The room was left an unrecognizable mess, embers still burning in certain spots and the grand table looking like it had been chewed up by termites. 

Senti didn’t care. She lumbered toward the chair at the front of the room, which was the only piece of it that managed to survive. When she placed her hand on its back, she turned it round, curled her fist to ready a punch for the chicken…

…And it was gone. “Tch,” she clicked her tongue, “got away…” And her annoyed glare searched for clues pertaining to his whereabouts. It didn’t take long for her to find suspiciously bird-shaped footprints trailing to the door Misha had entered from.

She set out to follow them. Their journey was far from over. 

and then she's not dreaming at all.

well, at least that's what she thinks when she wakes with a jolt in one of the since-vacated seats to chaos. nothing too out of the ordinary—march has grown maybe a little too used to chaos now over the years spent traveling with the express. there's...a chicken? and isn't that the lady that from that red string prank a few months ago—?!

a loud bang has her flinging herself out of her seat to take cover under the table, only for misha to enter. she tugs a-once, a-twice at the ends of her hair as she pulls herself to her feet and looks around the room.

...was it too late to go back to sleep?

MARCH 7TH rolls 3 energy! march 7th uses the power of cuteness on herself! march 7th 2/2SP.

ugh, no no no! what kind of nameless would she be if she ran away? one of those...guys in suits goes for misha and march shouts a “hey!” in protest that probably gets drowned out amidst everything else going on. with a grumble instead, the cold settles over her skin like an old friend as she opens her hand and closes it around her bow.

“i said, hey! leave him alone!”

march 7th uses frigid cold arrow on cryo hilichurl grenadier!  [ roll: 1, miss! ]

...whoops. maybe she should've checked to see if her target was still there instead of writhing around on the ground. its purple friend takes notice in its stead, though, turns toward her, takes one good look at her, and lobs a purple blob in her direction.

electro hilichurl grenadier uses electro slime throw on march 7th!  [ roll: 14, hit! -2HP. march 7th 10/10HP 0/2SP. ]

she stumbles back to get away...theeeen just trips and falls right into the heart of the chaos.

blazing axe mitachurl uses axe spin!  [ roll: 16, hit! -1HP. march 7th 9/10HP. ] dendro samachurl uses dendro field. aggravate triggers!  [ -3HP. march 7th 6/10HP. ]

Then she met Misha. 

“Oh no you don’t–” she spoke in aggravated protest, patting down a fire on her collar before picking him up by his, “See that bird-brain over there? He wouldn’t let you get very far. He’ll smash and mash you up… Turn you and your stuff into breadcrumbs.” One gargantuan step forward put them back into the fray. Eyes turned to her–to them. Slime-bombs in the hands of two different gangsters wavered between aiming for Senti’s head or Misha’s. 

Herrscher of Sentience uses Normal Attack: Trial of Trinity on Cryo Hilichurl Grenadier 1.5/15HP. [Roll 1d20: 15 = Hit! -2HP. Cryo Hilichurl Grenadier 0/15HP.] Cryo Hilichurl Grenadier has been defeated!

The moment of hesitation was all she needed. She dropped Misha and screamed as she barreled forward, loud enough that all would hear her battle cry, “The only way is through him! Come on, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!!” Once, twice, thrice, she slashed her hulking blade through the ranger–each hit tearing luxurious fabric or smashing through jewelry. It went down with a thud, and once it did, it became apparent to the second who the greater threat was. It took aim.

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Wraith Without Trace. Illusion: Hit Me! is summoned! Herrscher of Sentience uses Normal Attack: Trial of Trinity on Electro Hilichurl Grenadier 4/15HP [Roll 1d20: 11 = Hit! -2HP. Electro Hilichurl Grenadier 2/15HP.]

But she ducked out of harm’s way, and another illusion of herself remained in her place. Meanwhile the real Senti was able to squat down low and spring up higher to deliver a devastating uppercut to its throwing arm, knocking away the next bombardment it had planned.

“See? All you have to do is fight exactly like me~”  

Instead of ethereal floors and leylines intertwined with one's peripheral, their golden branches reaching for some semblance of power, our heroes have materialized inside a building. The architecture looks nothing like any nation in Teyvat, with rolling chairs and a long wooden table, ornate carvings in the walls and velvet tapestries adding their touch of class. There isn’t a single window, but a chandelier hanging high overhead. Six chairs surrounding the head are filled with hilichurls in fancy suits & fancy watches, while the head itself is swiveled round so as not to face our heroes. 

(Is this truly the work of the Abyss? No, it’s something entirely different.) 

Senti suddenly puts a foot on the table. “Bastard!” she yells, balling her fist as though she had been engaged in a half-hour debate, “I said no! Think I can’t see through your crappy deal? You’re just tryin’ to bleed us dry!” If her matching dress code is any evidence, her Sentient Realm is currently in effect. Indeed, this is not the reality of their battle, but a scene she’s put on for everyone in order to feel real. She takes a dapper hat off her head and throws it against the back of the chair. It falls uselessly against the floor.

Dendro Samachurl uses Dendro Field. All enemies are inflicted with Dendro.

The goons start to grumble amongst themselves. They speak in a kind of goon language only a fellow goon would understand, so it’s pointless trying to interpret. Just as they seem to come to a consensus on something, the head chair slowly turns. It reveals the face of their leader: a rather angry-looking chicken, with a matching hat and a little tie around its neck. Or at least, that should be its neck. In all honesty, it’s too round to really tell…

It snaps its feathers, and the congregation rises. “Keh, so that’s how it’s gonna be..” But Senti is the first to strike. She grabs her giant sword from her hip and leaps across the table, delivering a powerful cleave to the mobsters en masse. Many fall back against their seats–a vulnerability–but they were never her target. 

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Worldful of Woes on all enemies. [-2 HP, Anemo Samachurl 15/17HP, Blazing Axe Mitachurl 28/30HP, Dendro Samachurl 15/17HP, Hilichurl Berserker 13/15HP, Cryo Hilichurl Grenadier 13/15HP, Electro Hilichurl Grenadier 13/15HP] All enemies take additional +1 damage until the end of the round!

Instead she starts running for the chicken, leaving behind a body double to serve as a distraction for any dumb enough to fall for it. 

Herrscher of Sentience uses A Wraith Without Trace. Illusion: Hit Me! is summoned!

“Take them all! Leave none alive! We’ll show them the real pecking order around here!”