Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

That was a low blow.

Lin Wei recoiled, his face pale.

Anyone would panic if their longtime roommate and bro suddenly started caressing their face and whispering sweet nothings.

"Heh." The Herrscher scoffed, retracting her hand.

A show of dominance.

"That's all it takes? How disappointing, Lin Wei. We have plenty of time in this mindscape. I have so many ways to play with you… slowly. What do you offer in return? That pathetic spear?"

"You don't actually believe it's the Eleventh Divine Key, do you? It's nothing, utterly useless! And you cling to it so desperately. I didn't realize you were so… adorable. Ahahaha…"

The Herrscher cackled, then abruptly stopped, her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Oh, I suppose it's not entirely useless. It gives you comfort, doesn't it? That's something, isn't it?"

"My, my, how pitiful. All that scheming, all that effort, just to arrive before me, paralyzed with fear. Humans are truly pathetic and laughable!"

"Tsk, perhaps I'm being too harsh…"

"How about this, Lin Wei? I'll give you a chance to prove yourself."

The Herrscher's sneer deepened, her contempt undisguised. She walked to him, lifted his spear, took two steps back, and placed the tip against her chest.

Looking up, her smile turned malicious.

"See? I've placed my life in your hands. One little push, and you can kill me, kill the Herrscher, and get everything you desire! Tempted?"

"Oh dear, why the hesitation? Shall I help you?"

She pressed her chest against the sharp, golden spear.

Lin Wei quickly pulled the spear back.

Did she think he was stupid?

This was his only card. If he stabbed her, she'd be fine, and he'd be dead.

"Such a shame! I offered you a chance, and you threw it away?"

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. Lin Wei, this is your 'challenge'?"

The Herrscher's taunts were relentless, designed to provoke his anger, to devalue his efforts, to shake his resolve.

Her attack was ferocious. This was an uneven battle from the start.

Lin Wei had risked everything for a brief window of opportunity, which she'd easily neutralized. He was now completely on the defensive.

All she had to do was keep attacking, probing, searching for a crack in his defenses, a single opening to exploit and shatter him completely.

She would repay him for his earlier insults, his defiance, his humiliation, slowly, meticulously.

And this outpouring of malice felt… good.

She reveled in this twisted pleasure, making sure he felt it too. This was her taunt, her revenge, her humiliation.

Lin Wei remained impassive.

Any emotional outburst would play into her hands. Anger, denial—anything would reveal his weakness, inviting more vicious attacks.

But he couldn't remain silent either. That would be surrender.

And retreat only led to a dead end. He had no room to maneuver.

"Enough, Rin. There's a limit to this childishness."

"You know this spear is harmless to you here. And since this is the mindscape, it's not the real Eleventh Divine Key. We both know that. Why taunt me with the impossible? Are you really that foolish, or do you think *I* am?"

Lin Wei looked at her with pity, deflecting her attacks with ease.

"You're right, it's useless. I'm holding it for courage, not to actually use it. I didn't come before you relying on a spear."

By admitting his weakness, he became invincible.

He wasn't a Herrscher, a Valkyrie, or a MANTIS.

As an ordinary person, bowing before a Herrscher was only natural.

His shamelessness infuriated her. He dared to use her name, to accuse her of being childish?

No, this was a provocation. She wouldn't fall for it.

She hadn't expected her taunts to break him so easily. It was just… fun.

And he couldn't retaliate, which made it even more enjoyable. If it didn't work, so be it. She had all the time in the world.

"You have remarkable restraint, Lin Wei. I insult you so blatantly, and you don't even react?"

"Didn't you read my memories? Why are you surprised?"

Lin Wei asked matter-of-factly. He stepped away, went to the bathroom, grabbed a broom and dustpan, and carefully swept the remnants of her crushed phone into the trash can. The battery hadn't even caught fire. Impressive.

If he had to retreat, he would retreat completely. He surrendered.

The Herrscher stared at him, her voice strained. "What are you playing at?"

"As you can see, I give up."

Lin Wei put away the cleaning supplies, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

"This contest is meaningless, Rin. You already lost. The moment you were found in that ruin, the moment you were forced to merge with me, you lost."

You admit you were being underhanded!

Her pain, laid bare, fueled her rage. He dared to humiliate her like this!

The truth hurt the most.

Lin Wei had ruthlessly ended her carefully orchestrated game.

He'd exposed the cruel reality: win or lose, she had no future.

So what if he surrendered and let her win?

Psychological warfare!

This despicable man!

If he surrendered, why didn't he just die? This shameless bastard!

She wanted to tear him apart, devour him, trap him in an eternal nightmare.

But his nonchalant surrender, his utter lack of concern, left her frustrated and powerless.

This victory was hollow, devoid of satisfaction.

It was a pile of shit, sticking to her and stinking to high heaven.

Hua, how could you associate with such filth?

The Herrscher couldn't comprehend Fu Hua's "fall from grace."

"Turns out playing dead is the ultimate strategy."

Lin Wei smiled. He'd achieved his goal.

By negating the very meaning of victory or defeat, he'd shaken her psychological advantage.

Mutual destruction? Nonsense.

If she'd yielded to his coercion, it meant she didn't want to die.

One compromise led to another.

He admitted he'd been intimidated. He was facing the Herrscher who'd dealt the Previous Era a fatal blow, and he was just a terrified mortal.

The disparity was immense, sending shivers down his spine. He'd unconsciously minimized himself and magnified her.

And in the mindscape, weakness of spirit was true weakness.

But her taunts had eased his fears.

*Hah, that's it?*

Internet comment sections were more vicious.

*Tsk, Herrschers from fifty thousand years ago were so much more civilized.* Lin Wei thought with amusement.

If it were the current generation, this would have devolved into a multi-chapter screaming match.

With his illusions shattered, his fear subsided. Fear wasn't shameful. Who wouldn't be afraid of a Herrscher?

That primal terror wasn't something logic could control.

Now, free from fear, he could think clearly. His devious mind whirred.

Psychological warfare? He could play too.

Deny your enemy what they crave. So…

Flip the table!

"Rin, I promised to take you to the Elysian Realm. You found the answer in my memories. I didn't lie. My methods were underhanded, and I apologize. But I'm desperate. I'm from another world, and I refuse to die here without a fight. You and Yae Sakura were my only chance."

"I'm not a good person, so I won't spout nonsense about being forced into this. I need Yae Sakura's Stigmata to survive. And to get to her, I have to face you, defeat you."

"Defeat me? You?"

The Herrscher scoffed, abandoning the He Kun disguise. That was just asking for humiliation.

She transformed into a noxious black smoke, swirling around Lin Wei, threatening to consume him. This was her true form: a vengeful wraith.

"You want more than just the Stigmata. You want the Twelfth Divine Key, made from me! Hypocritical human, admit it!"

"Yes, I want the Divine Key. It's a powerful temptation."

Lin Wei was honest. He didn't like lying.

"But my priority is survival. Only the Stigmata can keep me alive. The Divine Key is a distant dream. Only the living can worry about power and wealth, right?"

"I know you're entangled with Yae Sakura. It's like making a deal with a tiger. If I had other options, I wouldn't have chosen you. Facing a Herrscher? That's madness. But I have no choice. I have to be mad to survive."

"I'm still terrified. This is the difference between a human and a god. I'm surprised I haven't broken down yet. The potential of life facing extinction is truly frightening, isn't it?"

Lin Wei inhaled the stench of death, yearning for the fragrance of life.

"I don't expect to defeat you, let alone destroy you. I just want a chance to live. But you're in my way, so I offered you a deal."

"Give me the Stigmata, and I'll take you to the Elysian Realm. We'll be even."

"Your family is there, and so are your enemies. I'm using you, but I sincerely want to help you. It's better than being a lost soul, isn't it?"

The words "lost soul" stung. The black smoke intensified, swirling violently around him.

"Now you know it exists. Whether you want to destroy it or live there with your sister is up to you. They owe you that."

"..."

"Heh..."

"Hehehe..."

"HAHAHAHAHAHA!"

After a brief silence, the black smoke churned even more violently, like someone overcome with laughter, or a wounded animal writhing in pain.

Just black smoke, and laughter that escalated from a chuckle to a cackle to a roar.

"Who do you think you are? You think you understand me, understand our era? You're nothing but a bug who played a silly game and now thinks he's a prophet, a saint, a hero?"

The black smoke coalesced before him, forming a dark, genderless figure, like a void that swallowed all light.

"Lin Wei, what do you think you are? You're just a pathetic wretch dropped into this world! A lost soul? Yes, I am. But aren't you even more lost?"

"This is the world I lived in. But you, you don't even know where your soul belongs!"

"You dare pity me? You?"

The figure grabbed Lin Wei, plunged a hand into his chest, and ripped out a still-beating heart, covered in blood.

"HAHAHA, a bleeding heart! How quaint! For a fool who can't even save himself!"

The figure laughed mockingly, glancing at the limp Lin Wei before crushing the heart and tossing it into the trash.

"Just the fear of death. I've experienced it before. It's not real here anyway."

Lin Wei lay still, his body cold, then twitched, struggling to his feet. He clutched his chest, the wound already healed, his heartbeat steady. Only the blood on his shirt remained as evidence. His other hand still gripped the unused golden spear.

"Heh, still clinging to that useless thing. How pathetic."

The Herrscher's hatred for this cockroach intensified.

Lin Wei smiled weakly, a genuine, unforced smile that infuriated her even more.

"What are you smiling about?"

Lin Wei shook his head, leaning on the spear as if dizzy from blood loss. "I'm happy for you, Rin. You don't have to pretend to be rational and strong anymore. Anger, hatred… such painful emotions. But that's what it means to be alive! The dead below, the gods above, they don't understand. Only those who live, those who struggle in the mire, can feel this pain. You, and me."

"Arrogant!"

The Herrscher felt the contempt, her rage burning hotter. He dared to pity her?

Who was he to pity her?

"Yes, you don't understand me, even though you read my memories. You only read my story. I don't understand you either. I only read *your* story in another world."

"But that doesn't stop me from seeing myself in you. Just like your current form, a shadow shrouded in darkness, devoid of light."

Lin Wei looked at the faceless figure, certain he was looking into Rin's eyes.

"If you truly intend to kill me here, then return to reality to face your end… before you do, my dear lady, why not join me on another journey?"

He bowed slightly, as if inviting a beautiful maiden to a dance.

"A journey where you become me, and I become you."

"What do you say?"