"What is this?!" Sin Mal, who had grabbed Sirin and pulled her away, turned back to see the completely transformed Frélle.
"Cough, cough..." Sirin, who had rolled ungracefully upon landing, coughed and climbed to her feet. "How should I know..."
She also turned back. When she saw Frélle, her expression froze slightly. "Wait, how does she have..."
Sirin subconsciously placed a hand on her chest. The power radiating from Frélle felt both familiar and strange.
Compared to the power she once possessed, Frélle's was like a crude imitation, with significant gaps in purity, energy level, and so on.
But that was compared to her former self, when she still had a Herrscher core and was in that dreamscape... Now, she had nothing...
Is this really a power that can be obtained through being controlled?
Of course not.
Frélle had had enough of being manipulated.
She was like an exquisitely painted puppet, appearing lifelike under the skillful hands of those around her, performing the plays they liked for the public.
She was tired of those repetitive plays... tired of being controlled on stage.
Including now.
What exactly did the Herrscher control?
Not the body, nor the consciousness.
But the most fervent desire hidden deep within each person's heart.
One's own "gaze."
"What do you want?" a person appeared in Frélle's world. Others couldn't see his face, only the hand he extended to her.
"I want to no longer be manipulated," Frélle stated her desire.
"Alright, I promise you," he said, unlocking the shackles on Frélle's hands and the fetters on her feet. "I grant you freedom."
"This is bad..." Sirin watched as Frélle turned her gaze toward them, and she couldn't help but clench her fists nervously.
The next moment, Frélle gently raised her hand toward them. The two, who were about to act, suddenly felt an inescapable restraint on their bodies, pinning them in place.
And in her other hand, a spear materialized, aimed at Sin Mal and Sirin.
Just as she was about to throw the spear, she suddenly sensed a shadow appear. She whipped her head around, only to see a giant mechanical hand already reaching for her.
Kai had finally made her move.
She crushed the spear of light. Just as she was about to grab Frélle, shackles suddenly appeared on Kai's body. Although they couldn't completely restrain Kai's movements, they allowed her to escape Kai's grasp.
Seemingly because she had been distracted, the control over Sirin and Sin Mal was also released. The two looked warily at the silent Frélle, unsure of what to do for a moment.
Time remaining until the end of the countdown—ten minutes.
And on the four different battlefields, only one was successfully suppressing its opponent—Shu's.
Facing the transformed Frélle, Kai, Sin Mal, and Sirin were trapped by her restraints. And although Bronya hadn't changed, Cocolia was no longer her match.
After another failed attempt, Cocolia finally realized she couldn't meet the conditions she had set for herself. She was no match for Bronya, who had been enhanced by the Key of Genesis.
"What should we do..." Seele clutched the Key of Remembrance, standing at the edge of the battlefield. Although she had received combat training, it was only some self-defense techniques Cocolia had taught her. If she were really to fight... she couldn't.
Even Mama Cocolia was being suppressed by Bronya-oneechan. She would only be a hindrance.
"'I'm trying to find a way to save Big Sister too!'" the voice in her mind sounded extremely anxious. How could she not be concerned for Bronya's safety?
Only by successfully suppressing Bronya before the countdown ended could they accurately sever Bronya's connection to the canopy the moment the countdown finished.
But the situation was clear now. Cocolia alone couldn't suppress Bronya.
If the connection wasn't severed when the countdown ended... the consequence for Bronya-oneechan/Big Sister would most likely be...
Death.
No, that was absolutely unacceptable!
Seele looked at Bronya's figure and bit her lip slightly.
"'Other me'... can I rely on you?" she said softly to herself. "If I give you my body... can you and Mama Cocolia save Bronya-oneechan?"
"'I...'" The voice that had always claimed to be omnipotent was now hesitant.
What a joke... She might be a little better at fighting than Seele, but to suppress the current Big Sister... she really didn't think she could do it, even with Cocolia's help.
And someone has to use the Key of Remembrance. Although she could communicate with the consciousness in that book, the one who could truly use it was still Seele.
But Big Sister must be saved...
What to do... what should I do?!
[I have a way]
"Huh?" / "What?"
It was an unfamiliar voice. Seele was taken aback. She looked around for a few moments before looking down at the book in her arms.
"Was that you speaking?" Seele asked softly.
The Key of Remembrance didn't respond. Instead, it suddenly trembled, floated up slowly from Seele's arms, and automatically opened to a page.
This scene was exactly the same as when she had seen Shu's memories before. Seele immediately understood what the Key of Remembrance wanted to tell her and quickly looked at the content it displayed.
[Modify Memory, Transfer Persona]
"What?" Seele blinked. She tried hard to understand what these four characters meant, but she really couldn't.
The Key of Remembrance turned to the next page, revealing a sentence.
[Activate my first rated power, change "Bronya" to "Seele."]
Seele's eyes widened. It took her a full two seconds to process the meaning of this sentence.
"Are you saying... I can take Bronya-oneechan's place and become the one being controlled?"
[Correct]
"You can actually do something like that? Then why before..."
[I needed to collect the memories of all of you to do this. And I only just completed this task.]The Key of Remembrance gave its answer.
Seele gradually clenched her fists.
If I'm the one being controlled... Bronya-oneechan will be out of danger. And I have no combat ability, so Cocolia and Bronya-oneechan can easily suppress me...
"Okay!" She answered with almost no hesitation. Seele looked up and stared resolutely at the book before her. "What do I need to do?"