"Kiana! Prepare for battle!"
Mei instantly stripped off her outer jacket, revealing the Valkyrie battlesuit underneath. Kiana gripped the twin pistols holstered behind her back, threw open the car door, and charged toward the Titan outside.
VMMMM...
A light flashed in the Titan's electronic eye. Powerful energy instantly surged into its giant steel fists as it swung violently toward the car's back seat.
VMMMM!!
Wende immediately slammed the accelerator to the floor. The tires screeched against the asphalt, leaving a black mark on the road as the car lurched forward, narrowly avoiding the thunderous blow!
"Hey-ah!"
Kiana leaped and kicked toward the Titan's head. A giant cat paw materialized from the sky, slamming down on the mech.
Clang!
Instead of pursuing the fleeing vehicle, the Titan Mech decisively retreated and shifted its form, a transparent Quantum Entanglement Shield appearing before it.
BAM!!
The giant cat paw struck the Titan's shield hard, but it failed to cause any damage.
"Damn it!"
Seeing this from the car, Mei quickly leaped out, her tachi aimed at the Titan as she unleashed a bolt of Extreme Lightning!
The Titan, having blocked Kiana's attack, spun around abruptly, one iron fist hurtling toward Kiana's face!
Mei's lightning wouldn't make it in time...
Swish!
A pure white lightning needle silently shot past Mei's attack, then unerringly struck the joint of the Titan Mech's shoulder.
The pure Yang lightning, compressed into a single point, instantly exploded upon entering the Titan's shoulder. The massive body immediately lost its power source and collapsed limply onto the asphalt, scattering debris everywhere.
"Phew... thank goodness..."
Seeing the fallen Titan Mech, Mei couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"Well done, defeating a Titan Mech. Not bad, little girls from Schicksal."
A mature female voice echoed from all directions. Immediately following, dozens of Titan Mechs deactivated their optical camouflage programs, surrounding the group completely.
Beyond the Titans, Thunderwhip Mechs stood at the ready. Mei could even vaguely see several Poison Spider Mechs hidden on the backs of the Titans. This kind of deployment was far beyond what was necessary to deal with a few B-rank Valkyries. With this much firepower... were they planning to attack the Oceania Branch itself?
"That voice is..."
Inside the car, Bronya froze.
"Bronya, what are you waiting for? Bring that man and the Gem of Desire out. This trip was truly worth it. There's even a Gem of Conquest here. Three birds with one stone."
"Bronya?"
Wendy's gaze, fixed on Bronya, was instantly filled with suspicion and confusion.
She... these people... is she here to capture me?
"No... it's not like that, Wendy. I... I'm going out for a moment."
A flicker of panic crossed Bronya's face, but she quickly regained her composure, her eyes becoming firm and resolute.
"Come out, Bronya. Mama's here to take you home..."
Bronya opened the car door, stepped out, and closed it behind her. Project Bunny 19C slowly materialized at her back.
"Bronya... wait, who are you? You're Bronya?"
Through the Titan Mech's electronic eye, Cocolia stared at the girl before her in disbelief. What happened? It had only been a few months since she sent Bronya to St. Freya Academy. How... how had she changed so much? This... could it be that Schicksal had performed human experiments on her daughter, on Bronya? Damn them!
Cocolia decisively gritted her teeth in fury.
"Oh ho, Bronya grew up, and Cocolia almost didn't recognize her..."
Wende, sitting in the driver's seat, sighed dramatically. He adjusted the rearview mirror and noticed Wendy's expression was off. He immediately unbuckled his seatbelt, slipped from the front seat to Wendy's side, and wrapped an arm around her trembling body, continuously comforting her.
"Don't worry, Wendy. We'll be fine."
"Wende... are they also here for the gem... I..."
Wendy looked down at her own legs in a daze. These Titan Mechs... three years ago, she had destroyed countless numbers of them in the simulation room. But now... she was completely powerless... She wanted to protect Wende, but... but...
"Bronya will no longer obey... your commands!"
Bronya's gaze was exceptionally firm. When her body was transformed by that unknown power, allowing her to stand again, and the chip in her brain disappeared along with it, she knew she could no longer live her old life.
She had a new family, and... she was working tirelessly for that person!
"..."
Cocolia fell silent, then began to chuckle softly.
"Hehe, Bronya, it seems the people at Schicksal have wronged you greatly. But don't worry, I will bring you home..."
"Titan Mechs, seize them!"
With Cocolia's command, dozens of Titan Mechs instantly activated. Under her direction, they entered full-power berserk mode, dozens of iron fists raining down on the three girls!
In an instant, the thundering steps of the Titans shook the very ground. Kiana, Mei, and Bronya stood back-to-back, bracing themselves for the onslaught.
"So, it doesn't matter which world she's in, Cocolia is just as annoying."
Inside the car, Wende, who was still calming Wendy's agitated emotions, shook his head helplessly. A needle of pure Yang lightning shot silently from his fingertip.
Clang!
Project Bunny 19C had just blocked a heavy punch from one Titan when another mech lunged at her from the side.
A purple arc of electricity began to flash in Mei's eyes as Honkai energy started to gather within her...
BOOM!!!
Suddenly! The Titan Mechs, before they even reached the group, froze in place. Then! A continuous series of explosions erupted one after another!
Seeing this, Bronya quickly raised Project Bunny's shield in front of the three of them, deflecting the flying metal parts.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
In a single instant, all the Titan Mechs, including the Thunderwhip Mechs on the perimeter, spontaneously detonated without exception! Cocolia's communication link was also severed. Judging from the radar spectrum and the Titan control console... all tactical mechs had gone offline in an instant. In other words... they were destroyed?
"Damn it! What's going on? Did something sever the connection to the Titan Mechs?" Cocolia roared at the technicians below.
"Apologies, Madam Cocolia. We've acquired the footage of what just happened via satellite positioning. The Titan Mechs you deployed... have all been destroyed..."
---o---
"What on earth just happened?"
Bronya was completely bewildered. Then, her gaze shifted to Wende's car.
Through the window, she could vaguely see Wende still comforting Wendy.
Could it be... that he was the one who just took out all those Titan Mechs?