"Come on! I have a feeling that the great treasure we're searching for, the key power that will determine this inner world, must be on that narwhal!"
Kiana looked steadfastly in the direction of the narwhal. They had been exploring this inner world for a long time without discovering anything unusual or extraordinary.
Therefore, the key must be that giant narwhal. As long as they figured out its existence, they would surely find a way to leave this world.
"Why do I hear some kind of sizzling sound? Is something on the ship broken?"
Houraiji Kyuusyou asked Mei with a puzzled expression. Her and Kiana's vision was limited, and they couldn't see what was happening behind them, so they could only ask Mei.
Just as Mei was about to check, Bronya's figure emerged from behind.
She patted the cannon and then said to Houraiji Kyuusyou with a blank expression:
"It's nothing, just that Bronya has already lit the fuse. Hold on tight, we're about to fire!"
"So soon? I still have a whole sortie speech I haven't given yet!"
Houraiji Kyuusyou suddenly became flustered. She had just thought of so many things to say! If Bronya lit the fuse now, wouldn't she be unable to say them all!
She quickly opened her mouth, but before she could utter the first word...
*BOOM—*
The fuse burned out, and the human cannonball was fired!
Houraiji Kyuusyou and Kiana turned into two shooting stars, hurtling towards the narwhal.
Mei and Bronya, who remained on the ship to continue the cannon fire, looked at each other.
Mei: "Did Ryn want to say something just now?"
Bronya: "I don't know, but it was probably some more incomprehensible and meaningless eighth-grade syndrome ramblings."
"Did I just... hear 'Ryn' twice?"
Dark Seele, holding her crimson scythe, appeared behind Mei, her eyes glowing red.
Initially, Dark Seele thought they were just ordinary pirate invaders, but since this woman could clearly say Ryn's name, this pirate attack might be a premeditated assassination attempt!
"Speak, who sent you to attack us!"
The blade pressed against Mei's neck. With just a little force from Dark Seele, the scythe could instantly slice through Mei's skin and sever her neck.
Dark Seele had arrived via quantum collapse; her approach was impossible to detect through normal means.
Not feeling Dark Seele's presence approach at all, the sixth sense honed by practicing kendo suddenly failed. The person and the attack that appeared behind her made Mei freeze, not daring to move or even breathe.
Seeing that Mei wasn't going to answer, Dark Seele prepared to strike a fatal blow and execute her. Then she would take the body back and have Ryn dig the truth from her memories.
But just as Dark Seele applied a slight pressure, a voice, all too familiar, interrupted her.
"Seele? Seele, is that you?!"
Bronya cried out Seele's name in surprise, taking a few small steps toward Dark Seele in disbelief.
The moment Dark Seele spoke, Bronya had summoned Project Bunny and entered a state of combat readiness, using optical camouflage to hide while preparing to launch a sneak attack to take out Dark Seele and save Mei.
But in the time it took Dark Seele to say a few words, Bronya realized that the girl attacking them looked somewhat familiar!
"It's Big Sis Bronya!" White Seele, within Dark Seele, recognized Bronya's figure before Dark Seele did and subconsciously cried out.
"Bronya? What are you doing here! Have you betrayed us?!"
Dark Seele was surprised at first, then looked at Bronya with even more anger.
"Seele, this is definitely not your Big Sis Bronya!"
This was definitely not the Bronya that she and White Seele knew. Because if it were *their* Big Sis Bronya, she would never fire a cannon at them, would never attack them!
"Mhm... I noticed too. That Project Bunny isn't the one I gave to Big Sis Bronya."
White Seele nodded. This Bronya didn't seem much like her Big Sis Bronya, and her eyes didn't hold the same surprise and joy that her Bronya's did upon seeing her.
"The situation is a bit chaotic right now. Seele, put down your weapon first! There might be some misunderstanding between us. We need to talk!"
Bronya spoke nervously, trying to calm Dark Seele. Although Bronya had also realized in that instant that the Seele in front of her was not the one she knew.
But Mei and Bronya were no strangers to otherworldly counterparts. Ever since meeting Kiana, they would fall into some inner world every now and then and embark on a fantastical adventure.
They had even met Kiana's counterpart before, a male version named Kevin, and it was at his wedding to Mei. Kiana had then crashed the wedding, kidnapped Mei from Kevin, but Mei thought Kiana was Kevin's illegitimate daughter and immediately went into Herrscher form and fought Kevin...
But one thing was certain: although the counterparts' personalities and experiences differed, the bonds between them transcended worlds!
Just as when Dark Seele saw Bronya, although there was confusion and anger, and the blade was still at Mei's neck, her killing intent had completely vanished.
Mei sensed Dark Seele's slight relaxation and let down her guard. She took two deep breaths, and then with incredible speed, she delivered an elbow strike to Dark Seele's body and snatched the scythe from her hands.
The tables were turned in an instant. Mei, now holding Dark Seele's scythe, pointed it at Dark Seele, who was slightly winded from the surprise elbow strike.
Bronya immediately followed up, aiming Project Bunny's cannon at Dark Seele.
"Sorry, but because I was often kidnapped by bad people as a child to extort my family, my father taught me many ways to handle such situations. You picked the wrong target."
"Heh heh..."
Dark Seele sneered, then looked coldly at Bronya.
"Go on, I'll give you a chance to talk and explain! If you can't explain why you attacked us, attacked Ryn... I will show you what a river of blood looks like."
"Hmph, you're quite confident, aren't you! Your weapon is still in my hands. Don't forget your current predicament!" Mei snorted coldly, looking at Dark Seele with a serious expression.
Dark Seele bared her teeth at Mei and replied sarcastically, "Yeah... If I had known you'd be so arrogant now, I would have just sliced that soft neck of yours and let you lie on the ground with that terrified expression."
"That would be quite an interesting sight. Why don't you be the first to demonstrate!"
Mei raised the scythe, ready to cut down Dark Seele with a single blow. She was no pushover. Her gentleness was not for her enemies; all she could offer them was the decisive slaughter of an immovable king of light.
"Big Sis Mei, let me talk to her!"
Bronya took two steps forward, positioning herself between the confrontational Mei and Dark Seele.