Chapter 212: Lip's Determination
["WTF???"]
The entire livestream room was instantly flooded with lines of "???" comments flying across the screen.
["Host, are you not planning to stream seriously anymore? Starting a sci-fi movie now or what???"]
["Current science fiction is still too conservative, I suggest everyone go take the host's class."]
["The revival of sci-fi cinema, we're counting on you, host!"]
["Alright now, calm down guys, that's just the hidden Skill of a Type-Moon protagonist being activated."]
["Hidden Skill?"]
["Protagonist Harem EX"]
["Naruhodo!"]
...
Even though Ethan already knew Passionlip had cognitive distortion, he didn't expect things to escalate this far.
"What the hell————————?!"
Tohsaka Rin was the first to exclaim in shock.
Then she turned around, looking at Ethan with a questioning gaze:
"Don't tell me you've done something to this Alterego before?!"
"Wait a second, why would you suddenly think that?!"
"Then why would an Alterego suddenly confess to you out of nowhere?!"
Beside them, Mash and Draco also stared at Ethan with intense pressure in their eyes.
"Oya~, I didn't expect Master to be such a sinful man like this…"
Next to them, Berserker Jack — in her British gentleman form — also turned to look at Ethan with an admiring gaze.
"...That's not it, her situation is complicated."
Ethan tried to explain, but immediately sensed a shift in the atmosphere around him.
"Honestly, I was wondering where Senpai had gone, and turns out you went off seducing my Guardian Labyrinth?!"
BB suddenly appeared with an angry expression, both hands on her hips.
However, it was only an image projected on the screen.
"BB?!"
"M-Mother?!"
Lip looked shocked, and immediately reached down to pick up the broken restraint device on the ground, but as soon as she touched it with her claws, it was compressed into a small cube.
"I'm sorry… Mother… I… I didn't mean to…"
Seeing the restraint device completely destroyed in her hands, Lip looked so panicked she was on the verge of tears.
"To think you turned into a bad child in just a short time of not seeing you, Lip!"
BB stared angrily at Lip.
"I-I'm really sorry… I tried… I really tried to stop them…"
Lip, who was already pitiful, now looked just like a child being scolded, repeatedly apologizing.
"Hey, BB, don't go too far!!!"
Ethan immediately shouted up at BB.
"Huh? Why is Senpai scolding me? I'm only reprimanding a part of myself, okay? She's the Guardian Labyrinth — if she screwed up, isn't it natural for me to scold her?"
BB looked displeased at Ethan.
"Just because Lip likes you, you think you can just ask for mercy on her behalf?! She literally tried to kill you guys earlier, didn't she???"
"Well, that's a separate matter."
Although Lip had indeed tried to kill him earlier, that had indirectly helped Ethan's team level up.
Now she was no longer a threat — on the contrary, BB was the real enemy.
And the enemy of your enemy is your friend, right?
"Senpai, you really are a kind-hearted idiot, but in this MoonCell territory, being a kind-hearted idiot won't get you anything good ~~~"
BB leaned her face close to the screen, staring intently down at Ethan below.
"Then you've really overestimated me. I just can't stand your arrogant attitude."
Ethan shrugged.
"So Senpai hates me that much? BB-chan's heart is really breaking, breaking so much I just want to burst into tears..."
BB immediately acted like she was about to cry, burying her face in her sleeve.
"Cut the act, you're obviously just fake-crying!"
Ethan called her out bluntly.
"Ayaa~, Senpai saw through me already, huh."
BB's smile reappeared.
"But if I don't punish Lip and you naughty Senpai, BB-chan really might cry from sadness."
Then, BB on the screen pointed directly at Lip below.
"You actually dared to harbor the idea of escaping — as a copy created and managed by AI, you no longer meet the standards."
"How can this be..."
Lip's body collapsed, as if about to be crushed entirely by BB's words.
"Therefore, from this moment forward, you're no longer the Guardian Labyrinth. Go wherever you want."
As soon as she heard BB's words, Lip burst into tears.
"Mother… I'll be good… please don't cast me away…"
"NO. Not only did you disobey my orders, but you even took it upon yourself to confess to Senpai. As an AI, you're now useless—just trash."
BB scolded Lip without a shred of mercy.
But Lip continued to beg BB for forgiveness.
"Mother… please give me one more chance…"
"No. Absolutely not. Just go become a normal Servant, and together with that Senpai, get dealt with by the Guardians of the other floors and end up as junk data already!"
"————————?!"
Ethan was stunned.
BB's words… something seemed off?
Wasn't this basically her giving silent permission for Lip to go with him?!
"BB, what are you scheming this time? Don't tell me you're planning to plant this Alterego as a spy on my side?"
Tohsaka Rin immediately confronted BB head-on.
"Spy and all that—that's outdated human thinking. It's an extremely inefficient method. As the true controller of MoonCell, on the Reverse Side of the Moon, I can do whatever I want."
BB zoomed the screen in.
"So BB-chan is simply here to announce the results. Passionlip, you've been discarded. Just continue living in this Labyrinth as a normal Servant. Everyone, byebye~~~"
Pop.
The screen suddenly vanished before everyone's eyes, just like BB's whims.
"I… I'm useless now…"
Lip couldn't accept this reality. Her entire body went limp, and she sat down on the ground in despair.
Those unimaginably large claws of hers now looked even more unnecessary.
"Senpai, she looks so pitiful… She was clearly attacking us only because of BB's orders, and yet in the end she still got thrown away by BB…"
Seeing Lip's current state, even Mash couldn't help but speak up.
"Hey, you're not seriously thinking of bringing her along, are you?"
Tohsaka Rin stepped in front of Ethan.
"She was a Labyrinth manager just like BB. If what BB just said was a trick to deceive us, then she's clearly dangerous."
"I understand how you feel, Tohsaka."
Ethan's eyes stopped on Lip.
"But right now, if we want to fight BB, the more combat strength the better, right?"
"You really think when it comes down to it, she'll go against BB? Instead of turning on us and killing us all?!"
Tohsaka Rin raised a point that couldn't be ignored.
"Come to think of it, you never listen to me, and you act like a complete amateur. Are you really a Master like those people on the communication devices said? Someone who came here to save humanity's future?"
"Uh… I guess… yeah…"
Ethan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Senpai is super strong!!!"
Seeing Tohsaka Rin begin to doubt Ethan, Mash immediately stepped up to defend him.
"Senpai saved all of France and even rescued Rome from the claws of Beast VI!!!"
"Mash, stop it, stop it…"
Ethan hurriedly pulled Mash's hand.
If she kept going, he'd probably die of embarrassment. It felt like his dark past was being livestreamed to the whole world.
"Oh? Is that so???"
Tohsaka Rin glanced at Ethan with suspicious eyes.
"Haha… just old stuff, not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning ~~~"
Ethan tried to brush the topic off.
"The important thing is, regarding this Lip, honestly I think she's still very important to us. Both for leveling up and for increasing combat strength."
If they wanted to get stronger fast, the only way was to gather enough data from Lip's "majestic valley."
Time was running out. Whether in terms of fighting strength or level boosting, Ethan felt it was worth the risk.
"Well… the leveling up part… I do admit that makes sense."
Tohsaka Rin was now seriously considering it.
"Rin, I think we should try listening to this boy's decision for once. After all, he always manages to escape danger. And as for me, having one more spectator in the audience doesn't sound so bad."
"But…"
At that moment, Ethan had already walked up to Lip, who was sitting in sorrow by herself.
"You're no longer the Guardian Labyrinth now, you don't have to protect this place anymore."
"But… I've always been stupid… I can't do anything right… everyone bullies me… now even Mother doesn't want me anymore…"
Lip's voice was filled with despair.
"I… what else can I even do anymore…"
"How about coming with me to find BB?"
"————————?!"
Lip looked up at Ethan with eyes full of disbelief.
"Anyway, that was just BB speaking one-sidedly earlier. We're already climbing this Labyrinth, so sooner or later we'll meet BB again. Just come with us."
Ethan spoke gently.
"When the time comes, you can ask her directly. Until then, living as a normal Servant isn't too bad, right?"
"I… I can really do that?"
Lip asked hesitantly.
"Aren't you a counterpart of BB? Have a little more confidence."
At Ethan's encouragement, Lip gradually regained her spirit.
"I want to ask Mother directly… so I want to go with everyone… I'm really sorry for earlier!!!"
Lip bowed her head, earnestly apologizing to Ethan.
"Well, honestly, you were just doing your job earlier, and besides…"
Ethan scratched his head awkwardly again.
"I should be the one thanking you."
After all, she had provided them with an endless supply of experience points.
"So… what does everyone else think?"
Ethan turned to ask the others for their opinion.
"I'll follow Senpai's decision."
Mash was the first to speak.
"Senpai, no matter what happens, I'll protect you."
"Fou fou~~~!"
Fou jumped out and sat on Mash's shoulder.
"You really like doing things your own way, huh."
Draco stepped forward, her sharp gaze fixed on the timid Lip.
"Don't even think about pulling anything shady, Alterego."
Draco coldly tossed out a warning directed at Lip.
"I don't have any objections about this girl, but if we're going, let's hurry before BB pulls some weird stunt again."
Berserker Jack glanced around, always alert for any danger.
"We don't know anything, we only listen to mama."
Little Jack leaned against Ethan's side.
"You people!!!"
Tohsaka Rin, seeing that no one seemed to object to Lip temporarily joining, stomped her foot in frustration.
"We shouldn't delay, everyone—let's hurry and move on to the next floor of the Labyrinth."
Ethan looked toward Lip.
"Do you know where the stairs to the next floor are?"
"Actually… I destroyed the stairs on this floor after someone snuck through last time…"
Lip said softly.
"Destroyed?!"
Great, so there really is no way out, huh?!
"But… I still have this…"
As if afraid Ethan would scold her, Lip quickly took out a small intact cube from her "majestic valley" and slowly unfolded it.
In an instant, the cube transformed into an elevator.
This elevator looked almost identical to the one BB had created earlier.
"I don't have the kind of power Mother does… but this should at least be enough to barely reach the next floor…"
Under Lip's cautious gaze, Ethan smiled in return.
One way or another, Lip had certainly helped out big time this time.
"Just seeing you be so gentle… already makes me really happy…"
Lip blushed and bowed her head, her two massive claws gently swaying as well.
"Senpai, I'll go in first to check it."
Mash was the first to step into the elevator. After confirming it was safe, she nodded.
Then the others followed one after another.
Even Tohsaka Rin, still clearly in a bad mood, stepped in.
"Hmph, what, you think if I don't get in, I'm just going to get stuck here and die?!"
She seemed really irritated.
"Wait!!!"
Panting, Tamamo no Mae finally caught up.
"Don't leave me behind! I'm Master's essential support, you know!!!"
Hearing Tamamo no Mae quickly declare her importance, Ethan immediately made space, and Tamamo squeezed in, casually pushing Tohsaka Rin to the back.
But the elevator was too small—it clearly couldn't fit Lip's gigantic arms.
"Lip, how are you planning to get up?"
"I'll find another way up… please don't worry about me…"
As Lip said this, the elevator began to close.
She waved at Ethan from outside, and the elevator started rising.
"Thank you… for trusting me…"
At that moment, behind Lip, a blue-haired girl's silhouette appeared.
Her body was as graceful as a ballet dancer.
"Are you satisfied now? You finally got to say goodbye like this… You haven't forgotten, right? Once a Guardian Labyrinth loses her qualification, she'll be reset and lose all her memories."
"…I haven't forgotten."
Lip looked up at the elevator rising into the sky, her eyes full of longing.
"If only I could be a little more normal… would he… look at me once more…"
"Goodbye… to the one who treated me so kindly… my white prince…"