Theater of Domination. A single room.
This wasn't a prison cell.
The furnishings looked more like a residence meant for soft confinement.
If you weren't especially picky, you'd live comfortably enough.
After being taken, Cocolia hadn't been tortured right away.
Half a day had passed. She'd been left here alone. Nobody had contacted her.
Until...
"Crack~"
The door was opened from the outside.
A black-haired young man in a black formal suit walked in.
The first glance upon seeing him...
"It's you!"
Cocolia recognized him instantly.
She couldn't help it — even after several years, the impression he'd left on her was still too vivid.
That willpower of his...
No matter how brutal the torture, even when they used truth serum, not a single piece of intelligence could be pried from his mouth.
Honestly, the Cocolia of that era had even begun to admire this seemingly ordinary young man with no background whatsoever.
Later, if not for the chaos of the Third Eruption, she had even planned to keep him locked up forever...
She wanted to see exactly how a person like that would break. How he would beg.
Where was the limit of his psychological defense?
She'd gotten personally competitive with him.
So she would never let it go.
That was the kind of person she'd been back then.
She had to win.
Let everyone know she was the one in the right.
But now...
"I never expected that a small character like me could still be remembered by Madam Cocolia. I am truly honored beyond words."
The black-haired young man... Ling Ke smiled as he approached, eyes slightly narrowed.
Only then did Cocolia notice: his pupils had no focus whatsoever.
He looked like nothing more than a walking corpse — something that had lost all signs of being alive.
Once she registered that, the feeling he gave off became even more terrifying.
But even so——
"What do you want?"
Cocolia forced herself to stay calm. "Revenge?"
She wouldn't be surprised by that.
At worst, death...
"Madam Cocolia, no need to be impatient."
Great. Ling Ke was once again telling someone not to be impatient.
One could only hear——
"Straightforward conversation saves time, saves effort, and doesn't waste brainpower."
"Yes — I am going to take my revenge on you. This is my rightful right."
He still smiled as if the person who'd suffered back then had been somebody else entirely.
But what he said next——
"The resentment in my heart isn't so easily put to rest."
Ling Ke raised his right hand and gestured lightly. "So, if during the process of my revenge you privately seek release, I will be very unhappy."
"What do you mean?"
Cocolia's brow furrowed tight.
"Let's set some rules."
Ling Ke laughed. "Physically, I won't inflict any excessive... not even one extra shred of revenge on you beyond what you did to me."
"Back then, after Bronya brought me before you, you didn't torture me for the first few days. You even treated my dislocated limbs."
"Whether that was real concern or just a show of kindness before you'd finished investigating my identity — I remember it."
"So for the next few days, you'll also receive friendly hospitality here in the Theater of Domination."
"And after that..."
Ling Ke's eyes narrowed. "From September 1, 2013, until March 28, 2014... I remember the dates very clearly. A total of 208 days."
"During those six-plus months, everything I endured will be returned to you. Completely intact."
"If you can endure it — you regain your freedom."
"And if you can't..."
Ling Ke reached behind his back and produced a photo frame.
Inside was a group photo from the beautiful early days of Cocolia's orphanage — freshly acquired by a Domination Puppet from Anti-Entropy's files.
He moved to Cocolia's side and held the photo in front of her.
"You who call yourself a 「mother」 — you'd better fight to stay alive for your daughters."
"Live through every last day. Live until you're released."
"Otherwise — who gets the 「repayment」 next?"
"Would you like to choose?"
At that moment——
!!!
Cocolia's entire body trembled.
The person standing beside her looked like an elegant human being.
But he felt like a demon wearing human skin.
And yet — this demon...
Was one she herself had 「created」.
Karma and retribution.
Some say: the more you harm others, the cycle always comes back around.
Ling Ke had endured his turn.
Now it was hers.
Cocolia bit her lip until it whitened.
She knew the thought of seeking death had already been anticipated.
Once, she had watched the interrogation sessions targeting Ling Ke.
Her subordinates back then had truly been 「outstanding」.
The methods were endless.
At the time, she'd even praised them.
"Anyone who dares defy me will end up like this."
That was what she'd said.
Now the positions were reversed...
"Then — I look forward to our reunion in a few days."
Ling Ke left the group photo behind.
He even — very 「thoughtfully」 — left a dagger beside it.
Its purpose needed no explanation.
He turned and walked toward the door.
At the last moment, he chuckled softly and said, with meaning: "Madam Cocolia..."
"May you enjoy sweet dreams tonight."
The door closed gently.
Inside the room, Cocolia stared blankly at the group photo.
Then at the dagger placed beside it.
Her heart was torn beyond description.
Ling Ke didn't spend much energy on Cocolia.
For her... he only needed to glance in from time to time when he had nothing else to do. Then wait for the result.
In the days ahead, even if her body took no physical damage, she wouldn't have an easy time.
The crushing mental pressure was the 「first dish」 he'd meticulously prepared for her — and she had no choice but to taste it.
This 「delicacy」 would accompany her from beginning to end.
Grinding down her will without pause.
Until she, too, collapsed.
"If this were a few years ago, who could have imagined I'd become this wicked?"
"As expected — people occasionally need to try breaking through themselves."
Still on that extravagantly tall-backed throne.
Ling Ke propped his cheek with his left hand while his right swiped back and forth across the semi-transparent virtual interface floating before him.
The Player One System's accumulated points were steadily climbing.
What that meant went without saying.
But Ling Ke had already chosen to become the 「World-Destroying Player」.
So naturally, he wasn't going to sit here feeling sorry for himself, or hesitate, or half-ass his plans.
The entire Earth civilization of the Honkai Impact 3rd world was, in his eyes, nothing more than a 「game」.
It was just that among a field of NPCs, a handful of targets needed special attention — and proper 「cooking」.
The rest were monotonous numbers.
And during this process——
[Congratulations, Host. New Game Character Template obtained — Domination Puppet-1379.]
[Congratulations, Host. New Game Character Template obtained — Domination Puppet-1380.]
[Congratulations, Host. New Game Character Template obtained — Mitsuzuri Ayako.]
...
System notifications like these would pop up from time to time.
Ling Ke didn't bother monitoring them in real time.
Because he'd already discovered that the templates he drew weren't all powerhouses with bizarre abilities.
More often than not — just like rolling blue light in a miHoYo game — the new templates weren't useless, exactly, but they weren't going to cause any earth-shattering leap in power either.
Case in point: "Domination Puppet-xxxx." This thing was basically cabbages.
It was the only Game Character Template that could be drawn repeatedly.
Its sole effect: expanding the number of Domination Puppets.
Other than that...
Characters like Mitsuzuri Ayako — even though she came from the famous Fate series — were just ordinary background people.
For this kind of haul...
"Whatever. It just means I've got a few more usable 「faces」 on my side."
Yes — for templates like these, Ling Ke treated them straight-up as skins.
Down the line, if he ever needed to infiltrate enemy territory, they could work wonders.
Suddenly——
[Congratulations, Host. New Game Character Template obtained — Sixth Serenade.]
"Hm?"
On his throne, Ling Ke went still.
Then——
"Hehe!"
A dangerous smile spread across his face. The kind that made hair stand on end.
He began issuing orders immediately.
"All individuals currently carrying out slaughter missions outside — switch entirely to the 「Sixth Serenade」 appearance."
Ling Ke was brimming with malice. "Otto Apocalypse. I know you're in the shadows, preparing the final step of your long-term plan..."
"So at this critical moment — with this move of mine — will you catch it? Or won't you?"