Herrscher of Reason's Arknights

Although Yelena possesses Originium Arts, a special power that allows her to protect herself on Terra, it's not something you can eat.

As the ancients said, hunger is the greatest enemy.

People will die if they don't eat, but where can they find food?

She stood there stunned for a moment, the light had already dissipated, and she probably couldn't quite process the sudden shock.

But my stomach has already started to protest.

Hunger and bitter cold; if this continues, I will surely die.

After an unknown amount of time, the girl regained her senses, propped herself up, and began to search through the still-smoking ruins for something to eat.

Driven by her will to survive, the poor girl searched through the ruins for a long time, finally finding something usable... which turned out to be just a box of matches.

Is this God's mercy and test?

What a joke.

However, Little Yelena still held the box of matches in her hand. The sun was about to set, and if she lost her way in the dark, she would surely die.

Although it’s almost the same now.

They trudged along, one step at a time, towards the outside of the mine. The tracks left by the guards' land vehicles were still there; following the tracks might lead them out of the wasteland.

However, humans are such insignificant beings. The further they go into the unknown, the more lost they become. It's not like they are heading outwards, but rather like they are heading towards their doom.

There was no familiar place. Children like Yelena had lived in the small mine since they could remember, and had never been outside. The world outside the walls was completely foreign to them.

Being able to distinguish between east, west, south, and north was all taught to me by my grandmother.

Night fell, but Little Yelena still couldn't escape the snow-covered forest.

Even the wheel tracks have disappeared; we can only follow the river.

Because of Originium Arts, I can no longer feel the cold, but will I die because I can't control Originium Arts?

Worry, fear, confusion, and hunger continued to torment the girl. What good was escaping the mine? The miserable could never escape the clutches of fate.

Because she couldn't see the road, the girl struck the first match.

This reminded her of a story she had heard from her grandmother.

The tragedy of a girl who buys matches.

Suddenly, I wondered if this was my destiny.

However, she seemed even more tragic than the girl in the story, because even after striking the match, she still didn't see the beautiful things that the girl in the story saw.

The tiny match couldn't even dispel the darkness; it merely provided a tiny glimmer of light.

The match went out quickly, so Yelena struck a second one.

Even when the flames burned her fingers, the girl could barely feel the pain anymore; all she could feel was numbness.

Nothing beautiful appeared; all that was present was the rapidly burning chemicals in the windproof matches and the flickering flames.

This thing wasn't enough for lighting, and soon only one match remained in the small box of windproof matches, yet he still couldn't find a way out.

Perhaps I'm lost. All around me is forest and more forest, covered in snow and more snow. Dry branches obscure the moon and the sky. I can't see anything here!

There's no way to get out!

Yelena was somewhat desperate. If that was the case, then what was the purpose of that light?

If this is the will of that damned God, then why did He release Himself only to then block His way out?

Of course, it might just be a coincidence.

Seemingly giving up, Yelena slumped down on the snow-covered riverbank. Apart from the stream not being completely frozen, there was nothing there but white, an endless expanse of white.

The Ursus snowfields are a cursed place, where the permafrost, which never melts, is only cold and snow that seems to never stop falling.

As she struck the last match and felt the slight warmth from the burning sensation in her palm, Yelena felt a surge of emotion and almost cried.

However, the damned cold and the uncontrollable outward release of Originium Arts caused even tears to freeze.

I'm so hungry. Am I about to die? Am I going to die in this forest?

Perhaps the gods' test was finally over, or perhaps Yelena had truly gone mad with hunger.

Just like in the story, she actually saw something different from the cold snow; something seemed to be floating in the river.

You should know that in Ursus winter, there are no fish in the rivers. Most wild animals hibernate, so you can't catch anything by hunting, let alone fish.

What is this?

The will to survive makes people incredibly resilient; as long as there is hope, people can unleash immeasurable power!

The girl struggled to her feet; the stream was right in front of her.

That thing seemed to be alive; could it be a fish?

When people are desperate, they'll even eat clay, let alone things that look edible.

Ignoring the icy cold of the stream, Little Yelena scooped the thing out of the water, stood barefoot in the current, and took a bite of the soft, fluffy object!

"Aaaaaaah! What are you doing?! I'm not food!!!"

··················

Generally speaking, the first task upon entering a new world is to identify the protagonist of that world.

Once you have a goal, it's easier to figure out how to achieve it.

Because his body was still undergoing the process of soul materialization when he entered the new world, in order to prevent any accidents, Sodium Chloride had no choice but to temporarily open the Narrative Gate, take out the armed doll Tesla Zero, and stuff his not-yet-fully-materialized soul into it. Before his body was fully formed, he would use the doll's body to make do. Anyway, since he had shrunk, he could disguise himself as a figurine and get away with it if he encountered danger.

The tiny body of Tesla Zero, residing in sodium chloride, lay supine in the river, seemingly lost in thought as its metal fist soaked in the icy water.

So why did this happen? For the first time, I gained immense power, took another step closer to the life I wanted, and possessed a vast and wonderful life—the lifelong pursuit of every man. Two joyful things overlapped, and these two joys brought me even more joy. What I received should have been a dreamlike happiness. But... why? Why did it turn out like this?

Because it's an armed doll, simply immersing it in water is no problem for Honkai Impact 3rd's technology. Although it might not be able to defeat the protagonist, since that kind of thing is practically blessed by fate and will always be killed by the plot, it can still withstand the cold river water without any problem.

Her only enemy is the chosen one of the planes, and she has to provoke and court death by deceiving, ambushing, and attracting hatred. The more intense the hatred, the more points she will gain if she survives.

This is a classic case of "the timid are scared to death while the bold are overjoyed," and therefore, sodium chloride has no intention of forcing its injured body back to its original state for the time being.

The Herrscher state is currently too low on energy to sustain. After my soul materializes, I'll use Kiana's appearance to hide my identity from the previous world. The Herrscher state shouldn't be used too often, not just because of energy issues, but also because excessive Honkai fluctuations might disturb something, which would be detrimental to my concealment.

Her harmless appearance is the best disguise, while her true form is her trump card that she always holds in her hand.

Although this explanation is fluent and reasonable, I'm still a little unhappy about it.

Unfortunately, there is still very little information available, and since she has just arrived, the protagonist is unaware that a villain targeting her has appeared in this world. Taking a break now and then is a good idea.

After all, it's time for meditation.

Suddenly, sodium chloride felt itself being grabbed and pulled upwards by something, and abruptly broke free from the water's surface!

What the hell?

Before she could figure out who dared to bother her, and just as she was about to punch the idiot, she felt a bite on her head!

It didn't hurt, though. This was an armed doll, and its weak bite force couldn't even scratch the armor. Compared to the savage attack, it was more like some wild beast was trying to eat it.

Foolish beast...

Sodium chloride controlled Tesla Zero's red-haired head to turn, but what it saw was a skinny, silver-haired girl...?

The reason for her hesitation was the pair of long ears on the top of her head.

Donkey? Or rabbit?

However, judging from the color of the fur, how could a donkey have white fur? It should be a rabbit. But why are rabbit ears on a human body?

Is it a subhuman worldview?

Sodium chloride, having traversed countless worlds and seen all sorts of people, found the existence of subhumans with animalistic characteristics unsurprising.

However, an even bigger feature caught her attention.

That was something only she could see.

The symbol floating above the girl's head—a symbol representing... the protagonist!

New author's book release, please add it to your favorites! *sobs*

Section 4, Chapter 4: [The Best Partner!]

The protagonist is the lifelong enemy of this villain named Sodium Chloride.

It is both the only path for her to achieve her goal and the most dangerous existence.

No matter what kind of story it is, if the protagonist is the chosen one of the world, then it is basically impossible for them to lose.

An existence that can never be lost, no matter what.

No one could understand the despair that comes with being the protagonist better than she could.

That is an existence that cannot be defeated no matter what, and the villain will eventually accept defeat.

However, she didn't care much about winning or losing; she only cared about whether she achieved her goal.

After all, if it can't be done, you can't force it; people always need to compromise with themselves.

Sodium chloride, which thought it could hide itself, was actually fished out of the water by a guy with a protagonist's symbol!

Damn it, have I been found out?!

If that's the case, then all our previous efforts might be in vain.

Name, identity, and ability are the three most important things for a villain who wants to fight an immortal monster like the protagonist. The name represents the person, the identity represents the target that can be locked, and the ability is the most valuable information.

As the ancients said, "The law is unknowable, and its power is unpredictable." The most mysterious things are the most deceptive.

So now, have I been exposed?

Because the Herrscher's power was not activated and was temporarily residing in Zero's body, the armed doll's red eyes, framed by red-rimmed glasses, were rapidly scrutinizing the seemingly weak girl in front of it.

There are only two options now. If we eliminate this potential enemy, the protagonist can only have a maximum of two in each world, and the rest of the protagonist group are just supporting characters. So it's not impossible to take them all out in a surprise attack.

However, as mentioned above, protagonists are basically protected by fate and are virtually impossible to kill, unless it's a very rare case of a protagonist-tortured script.

But such things are too rare, and sodium chloride doesn't like to leave its fate to the mystical.

Of course, there is a second option, provided that the other party does not know her identity. In that case, deception and disguise are the best choices.

So, what does she know now?

But no matter how vicious and meticulous the sodium chloride heart was, its constant biting and trying to swallow itself didn't stop. Was this guy starving?

Perhaps she doesn't know, or perhaps... she's currently in the middle of a story where the protagonist is suffering?

Whether she can temporarily relax and eliminate her anxieties to embrace the life she desires depends entirely on her performance and her cautious, step-by-step approach!

The first step is tentative communication.

"Aaaaaah! What are you doing? Let go! I'm not food!"

The girl seemed to realize that the humanoid creature she was holding was inedible and she couldn't bite it no matter what she did.

Already exhausted, biting things with great effort was even more strenuous. When she realized she couldn't bite them anymore, the girl seemed to have completely lost all hope.

Even though the thing made a human voice, Yelena thought it was more like her own hallucination.

It's normal for the brain to produce hallucinations as a protective mechanism when people are in extreme struggle and despair.

Just like the beautiful scene the little girl in the story saw after striking the match.

The thing broke free from the powerless hands and slowly floated up.

The girl, her eyes vacant, let go of his hand and slumped to the ground.

Is the communication ineffective?

Controlling his body to float in mid-air, he was able to use the viewfinder of the zero prototype to look down at the girl's sodium chloride and finally get a full look at the person in front of him.

The girl was covered in old wounds and wore tattered clothes—no, they couldn't even be called clothes, they were just a few scraps of cloth.

However, the girl was surrounded by an inexplicable coldness; was this a special ability of this world?

The most eye-catching thing is the sign floating above the girl's head.