"But we can't just leave them be. We have to stop them from reaching the base. Ryn, you said that the backpack left by that Engineering Department member still has explosives, right?"
"Mmm."
"If we blow up this section of the tunnel, we might be able to stop them… otherwise, we'll be overwhelmed by the Honkai Beast tide."
"You two go. I'll buy you some time."
Seele and Ryn exchanged a glance, then without another word, turned to plant the bombs.
Ryn scanned the area with his Heat Vision a few more times, and after confirming that Seele and Ryn were far enough away, he walked to the spot where Sela had been devoured.
Using his Heat Vision, he drew a circle around the area where Sela's remains were, and then set up a small tombstone.
「A mortal utterly crushed by false hope」
"You're really something… Why the pretense now? You could have saved her, couldn't you?"
"She chose to die in the end. So why save a person who has lost all hope, a walking corpse? To let her live on in pain and despair… this world sees no hope…"
"Heh…"
Faced with Tianqi's cold laugh, Ryn shook his head helplessly and said no more.
——————————————
Even with Ryn clearing the battlefield ahead and shouldering a great deal of the pressure, some Honkai Beasts still slipped through the cracks, hearing the commotion from other tunnels and bypassing Ryn to reach Seele and Ryn.
Seele fought them with her scythe while Ryn went to plant the explosives.
"I'm sorry for making you take this risk with me. But this is our duty, and we absolutely cannot fail."
"I wonder how Ryn is doing over there. Ryn, are the explosives set? There are too many Honkai Beasts, I can't hold them off for much longer!"
Boom—
The Honkai Beasts broke through another path in the underground tunnel, breaching Seele's defensive line.
The next moment, a greatsword was embedded in the head of the leading Honkai Beast. Ryn appeared beside it.
"It's not set yet. Let's retreat, there's no time!"
"No, someone needs to hold these things off. If we don't blow this place up, our base will be in danger. You go inform Ryn and then get out of here. I'll take it from here."
Seele picked up the nearby explosives. It was too late to plant them, so she would sacrifice herself and detonate them directly. When Ryn returned, he could destroy the tunnel.
"No, I can't accept that order. I won't let Seele stay behind and risk her life alone. I want to protect my home too!"
Ryn directly refused Seele's order, snatched the explosives from her hands, turned around, pulled out her greatsword, and started fighting the Honkai Beasts.
"Hey! Are you trying to get yourself killed!!"
Seele shouted at Ryn, but Ryn acted as if she hadn't heard, fighting her way deeper and deeper among the Honkai Beasts…
So deep that Seele could no longer see her…
Boom————
The bomb was detonated, and the tunnel collapsed, blocking the Honkai Beasts outside.
"How could this… why did this happen…"
Seele collapsed to the ground in despair, tears streaming down her face, her hands weakly pounding the ground.
"Damn it… Damn it!"
Rustle, rustle—
Ryn, carrying a Ryn with a large bump on her head but otherwise unharmed, flew back into the tunnel from the opposite direction and landed behind Seele.
Ryn had originally wanted to use herself as a bomb to destroy the tunnel, but Ryn, who had been watching the situation, discovered her plan, gave her a hard knock on the head, and took the explosives to blow up the tunnel himself.
Hearing the noise behind her, Seele turned her head mechanically. Her tear-stained face gradually broke into a smile of relief and joy.
She shot up from the ground, threw herself at the two of them, and knocked them to the ground in an embrace, crying her eyes out. Her tears wet Ryn's face, and her small fists kept pounding on Ryn's chest.
"You're okay… That's great… that's great… you scared me to death!"
"Don't cry~ Aren't we alright?" Ryn reached out to wipe away Seele's tears and comforted her with a smile.
Ryn also comforted Seele with a smile. "We're the main characters~ How could anything happen to us! Crybaby Seele~"
"I'm not crying! It's just smoke from the explosion got in my eyes!"
Seele stubbornly insisted she wasn't crying, but her sobbing and trembling body, and the tears, wouldn't lie~
Finally, Ryn tucked Seele and Ryn under each arm and flew back to the base.
On the way, Seele still stubbornly insisted that she wasn't crying.
"I was just too excited just now, don't take it to heart… I really wasn't crying! Don't get the wrong idea!"
After arriving at the base, Seele thought for a moment and then punched Ryn again.
On top of the bump that Ryn had already given her, another small bump appeared.
Ryn looked at Seele with a wronged expression, not understanding why she had been hit.
Seele put her hands on her hips and said with a grin:
"Hmph, this is your punishment for taking such a reckless action. Let's make a promise. From now on, you must never do anything that sacrifices your own life! You too, Ryn!"
After speaking, Seele also glared at Ryn.
Ryn shrugged helplessly. He was very afraid of death, but as long as his connection to the Imaginary Tree was not broken, it would be difficult for him to die even if he wanted to~
"Mmm, I understand." Ryn nodded without much argument.
But in her heart, she thought that she had just made the same choice as Seele. If Seele could sacrifice her life to save her, then she could also sacrifice herself for Seele.
"As long as you understand. Then I won't tell Big Sis about you disobeying orders. You should thank me~
After Seele finished speaking, she looked at the two indifferent people, reached out, and pinched the soft flesh of their waists, twisting it hard.
"It was just luck that everyone was okay this time. Never make a meaningless sacrifice on impulse. You must cherish your own lives. You are also irreplaceable family to us!"
——————————————
Seele brought Ryn and the others to the Engineering Department again to see Yiselian, but none of the three knew how to broach the subject.
Yiselian looked at the hemming and hawing trio and asked.
"You're back. Did you find out what happened? Is the problem very difficult?"
"No… we've already investigated it, but… the strange noise in the tunnel wasn't made by a Honkai Beast… it was…"
Seele and the others told Yiselian everything that had happened in the tunnel.
Yiselian was silent for a while after hearing the story, then sighed silently.
"So that's what happened… that fool actually did something so stupid…"
"I'm sorry, we couldn't save her."
"It's okay, it's not your fault. And I hope you don't blame her… supplies are scarce right now, our injured companions can't get enough medical attention, and others are plagued by hunger… she was just overwhelmed by the desire to help others. It's truly a pity."
"…"
"If there's nothing else, I'll be leaving. I have to get back to work."