The laboratory, cast in dim light, appeared grim…
'Where are you?' Seele's words pierced straight through Bronya Zaychik's heart.
"Only if you are here can Seele continue to exist, because… you are special, Onee-sama…" Seele said with a smile. She was smiling, yet it made Bronya Zaychik feel an immense sadness…
"As long as you're here, Seele will believe that she still exists. Seele won't disappear…" Seele reached out a hand toward Bronya Zaychik, smiling.
"So… please, for Seele's sake, stay here forever~ Onee-sama." Maintaining her gentle smile, Seele extended her right hand. A black scythe slowly materialized in her grasp, and she advanced on Bronya Zaychik like the God of Death emerging from the darkness.
"…" Bronya Zaychik lowered her head, her face hidden by the shadows of her silver-grey bangs. Even facing this version of Seele, she didn't back away…
The girl floating in the darkness raised the scythe high.
Then, she swung it down—
"Stop!" A furious roar echoed from the corridor behind Bronya Zaychik. With the sharp
clink of a mechanism, a dark shadow shot toward the scythe-wielding Seele.
The shadow was a box with a clown painted on its front and back. The box began to transform in mid-air, molded by an invisible hand like a lump of clay amidst a soft glow.
Bang! A golden cross slammed down between Seele and Bronya Zaychik. The sharp spike at its base and its weight of over a hundred kilograms caused it to embed itself deep into the floor.
Clack! Two gun mounts deployed from the sides of the cross. Twelve spearheads made of high-purity, sharp obsidian, connected by chains of light, locked onto the target and shot forward like tracking missiles.
Clang! The tip of an obsidian spear met the outer edge of the scythe, producing the sharp sound of grinding metal.
In that brief confrontation, the black shadow behind Seele wavered slightly.
The descending scythe was blocked by the first Spear of Light. In the next moment, the eleven following spears crashed against the scythe like successive waves, the immense impact forcefully knocking it aside! It managed to cut only a few strands of hair…
"Running off without so much as a goodbye. How impolite of you, Miss Seele…" A male voice came from behind the cross, causing the scythe-wielding Seele, who had been forced back by the impact, to grit her teeth.
"You can't just run off without a word next time. Everyone was worried…" Li Xuan walked past Bronya Zaychik, who still had her head down, and gave her a gentle pat on the head with a soft smile.
"Leave the rest to me…" With those words, Li Xuan leaped up and stood atop the heavy cross, Judah's Oath, his large sleeves hanging down to cover his hands.
Behind him, Bronya Zaychik finally lifted her head. Two streams of tears flowed silently down her expressionless face.
Drip! Large teardrops fell onto the dirty floor, kicking up a layer of dust…
"Now it's just between the two of us…" Li Xuan said, folding his arms and looking down at the scythe-wielding girl—Seele Vollerei.
"To think you'd catch up to me…" Seele said, resentful. If this guy hadn't interfered, she would have succeeded. She would have regained her freedom and left this dark place that felt like the bottom of the ocean.
"No, it's not just me. Bronya's partners are here too," Li Xuan said, his eyes fixed on Seele.
"Bronya! Bronya!" Kiana shouted as she and Raiden Mei ran toward Bronya Zaychik. Raiden Mei anxiously pulled Bronya Zaychik into her arms.
"Bronya, are you stupid?! The enemy's scythe was at your neck, and you didn't even move!" Kiana yelled, exasperated. She and Raiden Mei had just seen Bronya Zaychik nearly get cut in two. Fortunately, that guy Li Xuan arrived just in time, otherwise…
"She's not an enemy. She's Bronya's… little sister," Bronya Zaychik said with a hint of stubbornness.
"Whoa! Are all little sisters these days characters who try to kill you at the drop of a hat? That's terrifying!" Kiana seemed shocked by Bronya Zaychik's answer, which reminded her of a little sister from some anime she had watched before the Honkai outbreak.
"No, it's all my fault that Seele became like this," Bronya Zaychik said in a flat voice that still carried a deep sadness. She crouched down, holding her head like a helpless, ordinary girl.
"If staying here would allow Seele to live…" Bronya Zaychik muttered to herself.
"Don't say things like that, Bronya!" Raiden Mei, who had been so gentle just a moment ago, angrily covered Bronya Zaychik's mouth to stop her.
"You didn't survive all this time just to die here!" Raiden Mei said, looking at Bronya Zaychik with grave seriousness.
"Mei-oneesama…"
"Just leave Onee-sama Bronya here… That way, Seele can be happy too," Seele murmured, clutching her scythe tightly.
"That way, I can… completely possess her…" The darkness behind Seele grew richer, the black shadows spreading out completely.
Honkai energy swirled into a vortex in her dark hands, space and dimensions twisting as if they were putty. However, the vortex suddenly began to tremble…
"Is she about to use her ultimate?!" Li Xuan flipped his hand, revealing the five-star Divine Weapon, Tyr's Wrist, and aimed it at the black Honkai energy vortex. He wasn't about to sit back and wait. He gently squeezed the trigger.
Pffft—Boom! A rocket with four golden protrusions shot out from the launcher. The high-speed projectile spun slightly as it tore through the air, smashing into the black vortex with a sonic boom.
The already unstable black vortex immediately began to break apart. At the same time, the black shadow behind Seele twisted in agony…
"No…" Seele clutched her head and reached a hand toward Bronya Zaychik, as if trying to touch something…
"I can't… I can't do this to… Bronya… Onee-sama…" Seele's eyes strangely changed color. Her left eye, once deep blue, turned into a clear azure, as beautiful as the pure waters of the ocean.
"Damn it, of all times. Are you really trying to stop me?!" Seele said through gritted teeth, as if speaking to herself.
There was no answer… but the black shadow shrank back a little.
That small gesture seemed to convey a certain will.
"Fine… Forget it. Bronya, looks like I'll have to let you go for today. But…" Seele stood up, her face full of resentment. "One day, I will make you stay by Seele's side forever…" Seele's gaze passed through Li Xuan and fixed on Bronya Zaychik.
"Seele…" Bronya Zaychik saw Seele's stare but could do nothing to change the situation…
"Miss Seele, are you planning on running away again?" Li Xuan said, staring at her intently.
"Hmph. Li Xuan, was it? You should know that your power is still weak and useless in my eyes… You'll understand one day. The power of a 'God'…" Seele gave a cold smile as her figure sank into the darkness.
"The power of a god… What does that mean?" Li Xuan shouted in her direction. But there was no reply.
The turbulent Honkai energy around them made the ruins of the entire lab begin to tremble.
Space distorted, and they felt their bodies being pulled by an immense force.
A wave of dizziness and fatigue washed over them, and their vision went black, their minds sinking into a dark abyss…
(End of Chapter)