"Cocolia, we're here. Aren't you going to show yourself?"
Arriving at the underwater base of the Eye of the Deep, Theresa shouted across the vast experimental area.
What greeted her were several Titan mechs.
"Is this how you treat your guests? No wonder Bronya doesn't want anything to do with you."
Seeing the Titan mechs, Theresa immediately pulled out her Oath of Judah and smashed them all into scrap metal with a few swings.
At that moment, a blonde woman walked out.
"Traitors of Schicksal, I was afraid you might stab me in the back."
"If we're talking about backstabbing, no one can compare to you. Installing a biochip in your own daughter to control her? Tsk tsk tsk."
"Hmph, I did it for her own good. I didn't want any emotional factors to interfere with her mission. But in the end, emotions won out."
With that, Cocolia looked at Bronya with a gentle expression.
"My dear daughter, you'll come back to Mommy, won't you?"
"...Ms. Cocolia, please behave yourself. Bronya has no relationship with you anymore. That ended when you killed Wendy."
Every time Bronya thought of Wendy, she was reminded of how much Wendy resembled Seele.
Yet, Cocolia had killed her, which was no different from killing Seele in front of Bronya all over again.
Thus, Bronya deeply hated Cocolia, but her feelings were complicated due to the debt of gratitude she owed for being raised by her.
"...It was a necessary sacrifice. With the Gem of Desire, we could open the Eye of the Deep and enter the Sea of Quanta to save Seele. I did it all for her."
"And then what? Did you save Seele? No, you just used the Gem of Desire to create that so-called 'Godfather.' Stop making excuses for what you want to do. Bronya has grown up."
In an instant, Bronya's retort left Cocolia speechless.
Every word struck a nerve, making Cocolia wonder if Bronya truly hated her now.
"Hmph, Cocolia, why did you call us here? If it's about cooperation, I don't believe it."
At that moment, a blue-haired and a red-haired woman arrived.
Seeing them, Cocolia smiled like a fox. "Dr. Einstein, Dr. Tesla, you seem to have quite a bias against me."
"Hah, you sly fox. You dared to create a clone of Joachim. Do you really think we can just let that go?"
Compared to Einstein's somewhat lazy attitude, Tesla was straightforward and said whatever was on her mind.
Cocolia shrugged.
"I was just trying to unite Anti-Entropy. After all, our leader is always absent."
After exchanging words with Einstein and Tesla, Cocolia turned her attention back to Bronya.
"Bronya, Rozaliya and Liliya are here too. Go find them. I'll catch up with these ladies first."
"...Cocolia, what are you really trying to do? Why did you bring them to such a dangerous place?"
Bronya stared at Cocolia, convinced she had ulterior motives.
"Heh, I would never harm my own daughters. Go on, it's been a while since you've seen them. Catch up."
Without answering Bronya's question, Cocolia brushed her off.
Seeing this, Bronya knew she wouldn't get an answer and turned to leave.
She decided to ask the twins if they knew anything.
After Bronya left, Cocolia began discussing her plans with the others.
...
As Bronya searched through the Eye of the Deep base, she found a pink-haired girl and a blue-haired girl.
"Liliya, Liliya, I think I saw Bronya onee-chan!"
"Rozaliya, you're not mistaken. That is Bronya onee-chan."
Seeing the lively twins, Bronya felt a sense of relief for some reason.
The reunited group began reminiscing about the past, and Rozaliya and Liliya even showed Bronya the stone monument they had built.
Looking at the nameless tombstones and the memories of their orphanage friends, Bronya fell silent.
Along the way, Rozaliya explained what Cocolia was trying to do.
Hearing the answer, Bronya was even more confused.
To save the orphanage, Cocolia was willing to harm the orphanage.
Bronya sometimes wished she could open Cocolia's head to see what was inside.
These were not things a normal person would do.
At that moment, the Eye of the Deep began to stir, and quantum monsters appeared all around.
"What's going on? Why is the Eye of the Deep acting up?"
Those who had finished their discussions and returned to their bases were puzzled.
But Bronya and the others, surrounded by monsters, were not so lucky. They had to face the creatures head-on.
"Rozaliya, you two need to leave. I'll handle this."
"But we can't just leave you here alone."
"Bronya onee-chan, we can fight too. We won't be a burden."
"...Fine, but if things go wrong, you retreat immediately."
Bronya could only agree. She then summoned her Project Bunny and began clearing the quantum monsters.
Just as things were getting tough, Theresa arrived.
She was wearing the Blood Knight Moonlight armor, which had been unlocked from its restrictions.
However, she felt that the armor wasn't as strong as her own abilities.
After unlocking three restrictions, Theresa finally felt the armor's power boost.
At that moment, a skeletal monster emerged from the Eye of the Deep.
After a fierce battle, the monster was driven back into the Sea of Quanta.
But at the same time, Bronya noticed that the energy of the Sea of Quanta was rapidly depleting, and it was about to close.
Bronya didn't know if she would get another chance. Even though she had faith in Dr. Einstein, she didn't want to take the risk.
"Principal, you all need to leave. Bronya has something she must do. Don't worry, Bronya will return victorious."
With that, Bronya used Project Bunny to leap into the Eye of the Deep.
She didn't give anyone a chance to stop her, though Theresa had no intention of doing so.
Meanwhile, Welt, who was using the power of the Herrscher of Reason to block someone's return, sensed the intruder.