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

The ocean was calm. Welt seemed unconscious after the last attack.

"Welt-san, don't resort to cheap tricks. That giant energy source beneath you? Anyone would see through that." As Ren spoke, the ocean beneath them pulsed with energy.

Such an obvious trap wouldn't work on him. He walked across the waves, the Star Core armor emitting a blue glow, his attack striking the water's surface.

The ocean split, revealing a deep cavity, and Welt, hiding within.

Welt's expression was calm, a flicker of something unreadable in his crimson eyes.

Suddenly, space warped around Ren. An immense gravitational force pulled at his body.

Like a drop of ink spreading across a page, a black sphere appeared on the ocean's surface.

As Ren's attack landed, the sphere expanded, becoming a vortex, swallowing everything in its path.

「Zeroth Power Output: Simulated Black Hole」

Using himself as bait, masking the Star of Eden's energy signature. Welt's plan was simple, yet effective at this range.

Seawater surged, forming a tsunami. The storm clouds above were pulled downwards by the immense gravity. The air itself, accelerated by the pull, became a hurricane, dragging Ren towards the black hole.

Within the warped space, Ren felt his body being torn apart, the gravity exceeding a hundred times normal.

In less than a second, he was pulled into the simulated black hole, along with everything around him.

Welt sighed in relief. He hadn't expected to resort to the Star of Eden's zeroth power output.

He was weaker than before. During the Second Honkai Eruption, he'd faced Sirin without fear. Now, he was struggling against someone from his own bubble universe.

"I need to find a successor… Bronya Zaychik still refuses to accept the Herrscher of Reason's core."

In the original timeline, Bronya hadn't fully accepted Welt's training until just before the Herrscher of a Thousand's arrival. Before that, she'd relied on instinct, easily manipulated by Ren, only achieving a brief moment of glory with the creation of the Moonlight Throne after Otto's death.

"Do as I said. Give me the core, and you won't need a successor." A voice spoke from behind him. Welt whirled around, horrified to see cracks spreading across the Star of Eden.

The simulated black hole was still active. How had his enemy escaped?

Simple. Spatial manipulation.

In ARC City, Kiana, in her Knight Moonbeam battlesuit, had displayed black hole abilities. Ren had experienced spatial distortion firsthand during their battle.

The simulated black hole, powerful as it was, merely warped space with gravity.

Black holes consumed everything, even light.

To humans, it was an unbreakable law of physics. But in the world of Honkai, space wasn't inviolable.

Even without the Herrscher of the Void's powers, Ren could manipulate spatial boundaries. Gravity was powerful, but it couldn't pull the Imaginary Tree into its grasp.

This was a simulated black hole, not a true celestial phenomenon. The difference in power was immense.

The Honkai-powered simulated black hole should have been amplified by the Imaginary space Ren opened. But the Star of Eden had a power limit. Exceeding its zeroth output resulted in catastrophic overload, causing the Divine Key to break down.

The backlash surged through Welt, the collapsing Star of Eden injuring him severely, even without Ren's intervention.

"So, have you made your decision?" Ren grabbed Welt by the collar, lifting him, a smile playing on his lips.

"Traitor to humanity!" Welt, defiant, created volatile explosives around them, intending to take Ren with him.

The bombs detonated, the already turbulent ocean churning.

Smoke cleared, revealing Welt, badly injured. A faint blue shield protected Ren. Another ability of the Star Core armor.

Withstanding the simulated black hole had taken its toll. Unable to use his Herrscher of Dominance powers, he'd relied on the Star Core armor and the Puppet's resilience, depleting the armor's energy reserves. The shield was almost transparent.

He could withstand a black hole, but not a few bombs?

Regardless, the outcome was inevitable. Welt was defeated.

Though seemingly brief, the battle had lasted half an hour. Ren brought the injured Welt back to the Anti-Entropy base. The personnel, who'd expected their sovereign's triumphant return, were horrified to see Ren instead. Many collapsed in fear.

The two scientists who could have taken charge were still unconscious. The entire base was paralyzed, offering no resistance. Ren considered taking it over.

"Look at them. They've dedicated their lives to fighting the Honkai. Welt-san, surely you don't want these people to die needlessly. Give me the core. I'll leave. You can continue leading Anti-Entropy. Everyone wins."

Ren gestured towards the most intact building: the medical bay, where numerous injured personnel were being treated.

Including Welt's chosen successor, Bronya.

If Anti-Entropy couldn't handle him in this weakened state, they might as well surrender to the next Herrscher. They could give their resources to Otto; at least he stood a chance.

As Ren was about to destroy the medical bay, a white-haired girl stumbled towards him. Kiana, pale and weak, as if a gust of wind could knock her over, stood before him, blocking his path.

"Ki… Kiana…" It felt strange to address someone wearing her own face, but Kiana didn't hesitate. She believed this other version of herself couldn't be entirely evil. 

"Stop. He wouldn't want you to kill innocent people."