Cocolia or Seele—which one was more important?
The question was a heavy stone pressing down on Bronya’s heart, impossible to escape.
In that moment, the wind seemed to stop, and an indescribable silence filled the air.
She stood frozen, her gaze lost, the conflict within her so fierce it threatened to tear her apart.
Cocolia was the mother who had rescued her from the life of an assassin and brought her warmth.
Although she had done many wrong things, it didn’t change the debt of gratitude Bronya owed her.
Seele was the girl who had brought warmth to her cold, closed-off heart, the little sister she had sworn to protect for a lifetime.
Now, the sister she had sworn to protect was about to make a move against her mother.
Caught in the middle, what choice did she have?
After a brief moment of hesitation, she sought Seele’s opinion.
“Seele…
what do you plan to do?”
“I’m going to stop Cocolia, prevent the Third Honkai Eruption, and protect Nagazora City,” Seele said.
“Okay, I’ll help you.” Bronya breathed a sigh of relief.
She had known that if the kind-hearted girl who never wanted to hurt anyone found out that so many people had to be sacrificed to save her, she would surely cry her eyes out and then do everything she could to atone.
Now that Seele had somehow returned and knew of Cocolia’s plan, it was only natural that she would want to stop it.
If it was just a matter of stopping Cocolia, there was still room for maneuver.
At the very least, Cocolia’s life could be spared.
The core plan of stopping Cocolia was non-negotiable, but Bronya believed she could make some adjustments to the details.
“Seele, what exactly are you planning to do?”
“Hmm, let me think…
I’ll probably need you…
on-nee-chan, to send an anonymous tip to Schicksal, reporting that Cocolia is trying to create an artificial Herrscher and blow Nagazora City sky-high.
It would be best if the tip could be sent directly to Schicksal’s S-rank Valkyrie, Durandal,” Seele said.
“You want to let Schicksal deal with Cocolia?
Are you sure?”
“Yes.” Seele was very sure.
According to Chiaki and what she’d seen in the manga, Schicksal wasn’t exactly a force for good, but they were at least better than a madwoman like Cocolia.
Plus, in Belobog, there was another Cocolia, the Great Guardian who had abandoned the Underworld.
So, her feelings for any Cocolia were singular: she wanted them gone, preferably after she got to use them as a punching bag for a good, long beating.
“Things haven’t reached that point yet, have they?
Mother Cocolia’s plan hasn’t started, and no one has been hurt.
Maybe I…
we can try to convince her.” Bronya’s voice was tense.
She knew that once Schicksal arrived, they would never let a high-ranking member of Anti-Entropy like Cocolia go.
Cocolia’s only fate would be death, and that was something Bronya didn’t want to see.
To that end, she even called Cocolia “Mother” for the first time in a long while, hoping to strike a chord with Seele.
She turned her head, unable to look Seele in the eye.
“If we can convince Mother Cocolia to give up her plan, then no one will get hurt in this crisis.
But imagine if Schicksal gets involved and clashes with Anti-Entropy in this city.
Could that conflict escalate into a new world war?
The number of people who would die then…
would be incalculable.”
How despicable of me.
Knowing full well how kind-hearted Seele is, how she doesn’t want to hurt anyone, yet I’m deliberately using this argument…
It’s just…
so low.
“This…” Although this Seele wasn’t the Seele Vollerei that Bronya knew, their personalities had much in common.
So, upon hearing about a potential world war that could kill countless people, she was inevitably moved.
“I need to discuss this with my companions.”
—o—
“M-hm.” Bronya followed Seele to Raiden Mei’s home.
The living room was lit by a glaring headlamp.
The room was decorated in an elegant European style, with Victorian-patterned wallpaper on the four walls.
A brown leather sofa exuded a warm luster, its gold inlays and carvings breathtaking.
In front of the sofa was a large, classic coffee table with a smooth black marble top.
A group of people was gathered around the table, staring blankly at a dish that radiated an aura of pure darkness.
Raiden Mei, on the other hand, was beaming, eagerly awaiting everyone’s verdict on her meticulously prepared cuisine.
At that moment, the group chat was frantically pinging Chiaki.
[Talulah]: Chiaki, are you sure your intel was correct?
Weren’t you the one who said Mei was a good cook?
Why is my intuition telling me that if I dare to eat this, my stomach will perforate?
[The Steel Warden]: Calm down.
As I recall, Raiden Mei’s cooking skills were honed by feeding Kiana.
Kiana, how many times has Mei fed you?
[I Want to Eat Mei-Flavored Noodles]: I think…
only once?
The first time I met Mei, when I was starving to death, I ate her bento.
[The Steel Warden]: …
[Customer Service Sakiko]: Is this thing really meant for human consumption?
[The Steel Warden]: It feels like an evil spirit from hell is casting a thousand curses on me and trying to claim my soul.
[Grand Marshal Maple]: This thing…
is more terrifying than a billion serial killers.
[I Want to Eat Mei-Flavored Noodles]: Is it really that bad?
[Child of Prophecy]: Speaking of which, the person who suggested letting Mei cook…
was you, wasn’t it, Kiana?
As soon as this message was sent, countless pairs of eyes focused on Kiana.
Chiaki smiled, his face full of kindness.
“Kiana, haven’t you always been looking forward to eating a meal handmade by Mei?
Go on, eat up.”
“Uh, actually, I’m not that…
hungry…” Kiana tried to refuse, but as everyone’s eyes locked onto her and they silently pushed their plates in her direction, a cold sweat began to stream down her back.
Mei, meanwhile, was looking at her with eager anticipation, desperate for a good review.
What do I do?
Do I really have to eat this thing?
No way!
I’ll actually die if I eat this!
Damn it, Herrscher of the Void, what are you doing?!
Wake up!
Give me the power of space so I can teleport everything I eat into the ocean!
Kiana frantically tried to summon her inner power, wishing she could unleash 2000 HW of Honkai energy and become the Herrscher of the Void to overcome this trial.
But what couldn’t be done, couldn’t be done.
But as the saying goes, when God closes a door, he opens a window.
Just as Kiana was on the verge of despair, even starting to hallucinate that the food on her plate was coming to life to possess her body, the front door suddenly opened.
It was Seele and Bronya.
NICE!
Just in time!
She felt like the two of them were her own personal Qin Qiong and Yuchi Jingde, her most trusted friends.
But when Seele explained Bronya’s idea of trying to persuade Cocolia to stop her plan, Kiana’s smile froze on her face.
It was replaced with a look of utter disbelief.
“Seele, Bronya…
are you two in your right minds?”
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