CHIH 161-170 (Patreon)

CHIH 161-170

Chapter 161: Sea and Land Elevators

In fact, over the past fifty thousand years, the Flamechasers' knowledge and memories have been intertwined in the Elysian Realm. Even though some Flamechasers still held certain secrets, their tacit understanding was indeed formidable.

After arriving on this island, everyone, whether it was Mobius, Vill-V, or Elysia, had a common goal in mind: to preserve all the current beauty. If the event were to end, everyone would always think of ways to leave something in this world to prove that they had indeed been here, that everything was real!

The power of the Aeon was so immense that it brought everyone from the Elysian Realm out.

This so-called gift was something Mobius understood clearly—it was all thanks to Bronie. In other words, Bronie truly had some kind of privilege. Being watched over by the Aeon and receiving such protection, Mobius felt she had seen it all.

However, this did not stop Mobius from weaving and compressing the life information of the Flamechasers and then sending it to Bronie in a more covert manner, almost like giving a mark. Bronie willingly handed her skewer to Mobius, and while exchanging barbecued skewers, Mobius also completed her own plan.

The Flamechasers began to cover for each other without prior agreement.

Kalpas tried to make his battle as noisy as possible, Elysia teased Pardo while Bronya played with a cat, and Sakura explored around the palace, attempting to divert attention.

Actually, Miss Sakura was well aware of her own charm; Bronie had once said that if this world were just a game, Sakura's popularity would definitely be high. And now, didn't this island also feel like that?

So Sakura was using her own methods to attract attention.

As for Fu Hua? Fu Hua just needed to stay put like a piece of wood.

The battle in the sea was earth-shattering.

The commotion Kalpas caused stirred the seawater, creating a storm in this beautiful underwater world. Accompanied by the tentacles being chopped into pieces, muddy silt splattered, and countless small fish scattered and fled. Finally, Kalpas ended the battle.

[Ding~ Congratulations to Kalpas for completing the challenge, awarding 500 points~ With a total of 3,532 points, congratulations to everyone for reaching the required points. Next, the island's master will appear to bring you a preview of the latter part of the event!]

"Sister Elly, when will this second part of the event come to an end?" Pardo looked at the palace's open door, as if it were welcoming everyone.

Who knew what awaited them behind it? The island's master?

"This might be an opportunity!" Fu Hua clenched her fist, ready to fight.

"Indeed, this is an opportunity. If possible, we might get a chance to face the Aeon directly, or perhaps even confront Vill-V." Sakura was also prepared for battle, while Kalpas claimed the palace guards were just a warm-up, and fighting the Aeon wouldn't be a problem!

"Oh dear, you want to test the Aeon's depth already?" Mobius was very interested.

She had heard the Aeons were formidable, but she was curious about their true extent.

At least in this world, Mobius had seen the Aeon's methods. It was said that the power of the Aeon of Elation was second only to the Aeon of Nihility.

Frankly, as a living being, couldn't she become the Infinity Aeon?

On her path to pursue infinite life, Mobius saw a new direction: becoming a Aeon, controlling fate, and obtaining concepts. Although this process might be long, there was always a chance to achieve it.

So when Mobius heard about testing the Aeon's depth, she was overjoyed.

"Don't rush. It’s not necessarily about fighting; it's just an encounter," Bronie pulled Mobius back.

Mobius looked very excited. Although the summer event had indeed changed, it was hard to say that everything was constant. At least Elysia was still with the main group, and the underground labyrinth seemed a bit strange.

Moreover, Kevin had defied all odds, being fished out from the Sea of Quanta by the Aeon.

If he remained in this world after the event, wouldn’t that mean the Third Eruption had not yet occurred, and Kevin was already out? Is this a good thing?

Bronie wasn't sure, but one thing was certain: Kevin's return would surely accelerate the execution of Project Stigma.
She wondered if it would leave enough time for Kiana and the others to grow.

"Why does this place feel strange?" Elysia was the first to enter the palace, and upon entering, he found it was a space surrounded by metal.

Besides a door, there were no other decorations inside.

It's like a tightly sealed iron cage."

"This looks like an elevator. Is it an elevator?" Elysia analyzed it briefly.

Vill-V immediately jumped out to answer, "That's right! This is Vill-V's great masterpiece, the Sea-Land Elevator from the seabed to the land."

"Vill-V, are you also a cyborg?" Sakura carefully observed Vill-V's joints. If she were a robot, there would always be a stiff feeling inside.

Sure enough, Vill-V stood there confidently with her hands on her hips. "Of course! But that's not the point. The point is this elevator. Come on in, everyone! We're about to return to land."

Okay, as soon as Bronie saw this elevator, she was sure this thing definitely wasn't good. But the stimulating experience Vill-V brought had to be tried. Even if there were problems, Bronie could ensure her own survival, and even Bronya's.

Injuries were impossible. Everyone here was talented.
How could a malfunctioning elevator harm them?

"B-Bronie! Do you know something?" Mobius saw Elysia happily entering the elevator and Bronie pulling her to enter as well. Mobius felt puzzled.

As for the others, they had already obediently entered the elevator. Mobius had originally not wanted to enter.

What sea-land elevator?
If they wanted to go up, couldn't they just float directly?

So Mobius didn't enter the elevator and even felt a bit repulsed.

But now? Elysia was gloating, and Bronie had a mischievous smile on her face.

The door behind them gradually closed, and Mobius suddenly felt the iron walls around her were so cold.

"Ding ding ding! Welcome aboard the Sea-Land Elevator. I know our lovely audience is very curious about the upcoming activities, so I'll make an exception and tell you all about it."

As Vill-V's cyborg spoke, there was suddenly a rumbling sound all around.

"What was that just now? Bronie suddenly felt like something bad was about to happen."

"Oh? That sound just now was just the sound of an underwater volcano erupting~" Vill-V seemed very calm.

After all, she was currently a cyborg. What did she have to fear from a volcanic eruption?

"Huh?" The cat still hadn't reacted.

"Are you trying to get us killed?" Kalpas was furious. He hadn't expected a volcanic eruption to occur all around them.

Was this normal?

"Don't worry, it's just a small artificial eruption used as the power source for the Sea-Land Elevator. Although it's one-time use, isn't this creative and bold design great? How is my masterpiece?" Vill-V chuckled.

"It seems like you and The Elation get along very well..." Bronie said.

Sometimes Bronie felt that even if Vill-V wasn't targeted by Honkai, she would still be targeted by The Elation.

After all, Vill-V's magic performance was indeed something.

"Hehehe, thank you for the praise~"

Controlling underwater volcanoes required a lot of calculations, which was quite troublesome for Vill-V alone.

If she could create artificial intelligence for assistance in advance, there might be fewer deviations. But Vill-V was just improvising on this island.

The vibrations around them became more and more intense. Pardo nervously grabbed Elysia's arm, while Bronie hugged Bronya.

"Are you sure... it's okay?"
Bronya never imagined she would experience something like this.

An elevator powered by a volcanic eruption and all.

"Hehe, does it feel like a Journey to the Center of the Earth?"

"Bronie was referring to the method the protagonist group used to leave the Earth's core, also relying on volcanic eruptions to leave the underground. So is Bronya about to reach the end of the plot?"

Well, where did this pessimistic idea come from?

Silently shaking her head, Bronie comforted her, "Relax, I'll pick out the best one for you."

"Phew~" Bronya chuckled.

If everyone was finished, how could Bronie be calm?

So Bronie's meaning was that everyone would be fine.

The shaking became more intense, followed by a violent upward acceleration.

It was as if the gravity around them had increased, and Bronie almost couldn't stand steady.

"Hey! Vill-V!"

"No, this speed is wrong. I clearly calculated the thrust and velocity..."

Hearing Vill-V's words, Bronie's face turned pale.

But it was already too late!

"Oh my~ Could it be that Elysia is overweight?"

Mobius felt no sense of crisis at all, even teasing Elysia.

"It's not! Ah!!!"
Before Elysia could retort, the elevator shot out of the seabed at an even faster speed.

Midway through, even Kalpas's mask flew off.

Unfortunately, no one could see Kalpas's true face, not even Bronie, who didn't find a chance to see Kalpas' real appearance.

As they flew through the air, Bronie projected a drone and gathered everyone together, then slowly descended.

Bronie had turned into a drenched mess, with her hair all disheveled.

"Sometimes Vill-V does some unreliable things, especially when performing magic, there are always some spontaneous changes, and these changes often lead to unexpected surprises."

"Ugh... Bronya will avoid Vill-V in the future..."

Okay, this volcanic sea-land elevator had cast a shadow on Bronya.

"Oh my, my hair is a mess, and Mobius is really mischievous, daring to call me fat! I'll remember this!"

Elysia's first task upon standing up was to quickly fix her hair and observe her surroundings again.

It seemed she was on the other side of the island. If she circled the island, she should reach the camp where Bronie brought the children.

"Bronie, do you understand what Vill-V's benefit is in doing this?"

Bronya couldn't help but complain.

Indeed, Vill-V's actions had brought quite a bit of psychological trauma to everyone.

But Bronie understood Vill-V's intentions.

"She seeks change, miracles beyond the plan. However, failure is often more common than miracles."

"I see..."

Bronya reconsidered Vill-V's intentions.

"You're amazing, Bronie. So, what kind of girl do you think I am?"
Elysia was surprised by Bronie's high regard for her.

"To me, you represent all the beauty in the universe. Although I've heard that The Beauty Aeon is long gone, I believe Elysia embodies greater greatness than that Aeon!"
Bronie's response caught Elysia off guard, but it was even more shocking to Bronya herself.

What could she even compare herself to Elysia?

Should she truly join the pool?




Chapter 162: Taking a Detour Is the Shortcut

"Thank goodness you haven’t gone too far. But, Bronie, my dear audience, why was I the only one who didn’t get the drone's descent service when everyone else was blown away?"

At this moment, Vill-V's android was in a terrible state.
Perhaps the android in the elevator was never intended for combat in the first place.

So, after experiencing the free fall post-volcanic eruption, the fact that it could still barely move was a testament to Vill-V's craftsmanship.

"Sorry, sorry. After all, there's no challenge in controlling everything from behind the scenes, right? So, a little unexpected obstacle you created yourself makes things more interesting, doesn't it?"

"I see~"

Vill-V tried to pour all the seawater out of the android's head, but unfortunately, while the water came out, it seemed there was still more mud inside.

"The plan has changed. What's next? Eden, Kosma, Aponia, and Griseo—where have you arranged for them to go?"

"Hehe, the kid group naturally doesn't need to be involved in anything too troublesome. Although the volcanic eruption caused a slight loss of control, overall, it’s not a big problem. Now let’s welcome our Aeon of Elation to tell us about the second half of the event~ Welcome, welcome~"

As Vill-V said this, she took off her magician's top hat and threw it out.

The hat expanded in mid-air and landed on the beach, looking just large enough to hide a person inside.

The hat then suddenly vanished like flash paper, revealing The Elation who was still wearing Jack O' Lantern's face standing before everyone.

"Fellow MANTIS Soldiers, Bunny, and Bronie~ Are you having fun today?"

"If by fun you mean being stranded on a mysterious island, worrying about water and food, nearly getting our canned food eaten by a tyrant crab, almost drowning underground, nearly becoming food for sea guard tentacles, and almost getting blasted into the air by a volcanic eruption, then apart from these terrible things, Bronie finds this place quite suitable for a vacation."

After a whole morning of such events, Bronie had never felt so exhausted.
Perhaps it was because she was too weak; for other Flamechasers, this amount of activity was just a walk in the park.
Combat, too, was probably easy for them.

"Hahaha! Seeing Bronie so disheveled is quite entertaining! But hey, everyone’s okay, and we've made some great memories. Just don’t get targeted by Fuxi~"

"So you are Aeon of Elation, right? Why do you look so much like...?"

"Bronie designed this look~ How do you like it?"

Well, Mobius had nothing to say.

However, when she looked at Bronie again, her gaze was a bit different.

What was once a research subject had now become a formidable tiger she dared not touch. The Aeon's approach to Bronie spoke volumes about her attitude toward her.

"Let’s talk about the second half of the event, the rules, goals, and rewards."

Bronie didn't want to discuss the Aeon's appearance.

The first time they met, the Aeon had the appearance of a colorful guy with many masks, making it hard to discern anything. The second time, the appearance was Hapi, and the third time it was Jack O' Lantern.

This androgynous form made Bronie uncomfortable, and she felt a constant sense of unease, fearing a wrong move that would lead to lifelong regret if she glanced to eagerly.

No, this is exactly what The Elation expected!

Bronie could sense that playful aura. When Aha winked at her, Bronie immediately got goosebumps.

"There are three keys on this island that unlock the treasure door. They are scattered in various locations, with many obstacles in your way. If you collect all three keys and insert them into the treasure door, you will receive the treasure I have prepared! Use your wisdom, employ your strategies, showcase your strength, and open the treasure door~"

With that, the Aeon took out a giant gift box, which exploded into a beautiful firework in the air.
By the time everyone reacted, the Aeon had disappeared, leaving only Vill-V's android behind.

"Mm-hmm, these are the rules for the second half of the event. Though they sound simple, there will be many surprises waiting for you! I'll be busy setting up the venues, so I won't disturb you from enjoying your vacation!"
After speaking, Vill-V was ready to slip away.

But would Kalpas, with his fiery temper, let her off so easily?
He charged at Vill-V, wielding his chainsaw sword.

"Tch, nothing..."

"Nothing what?" Sakura didn’t understand.

"The key. She’s been leading us around for so long, I might as well vent my frustration and look for a spare key."

"If there isn't a spare key, there might be other means to locate it. I support venting your frustration. Considering the limited time and Vill-V's finite number of androids for setup and surveillance, reducing her androids is actually quite beneficial," Bronie praised Kalpas's actions highly.

Within the team, although Mobius was highly educated in biology, her capabilities were limited in this situation.

Bronie, however, had sufficient knowledge reserves.

Whether rebuilding Fire Moth or repairing Sky Islands, Bronie was up to the task.

Technology can change lives, and Bronie’s tech could significantly alter their current predicament.

"So, what should we do now?"

Kalpas had attacked Vill-V. Given the current situation, they were in an unplanned circumstance—an unexpected turn of events. With Vill-V losing her android and monitoring capabilities, now was the perfect time to discuss their plan, Fu Hua thought.

"Little mouse, you've grown a lot, becoming so clever. My part of the plan is over, and the rest depends on Bronie’s cooperation. As for Vill-V, she's probably trying to draw the Aeon’s attention. But honestly, I suggest doing everything openly."

"Why?"

Fu Hua was puzzled.

"Because if everything here, including our bodies, is the work of the Aeon's power, she should be omniscient in our perception."

"In other words, our actions might be monitored, and any plans detected, right?"

Bronie pondered this possibility. If the Aeon was truly omnipotent in this realm, it was conceivable.

However...

"Data memory records your cognition, memories, and thinking patterns, but it cannot fully record your genetic code. This time, having real bodies, the information you hold is crucial. Even in the worst-case scenario, it can greatly advance our resurrection research."

"The worst-case scenario? What's the best-case scenario?" Elysia wanted to hear some good news from Bronie.

"The best-case scenario? We all leave this island without any cost or risk, face the Honkai together, and have a happy reunion."

Bronie laughed at her own words, knowing it wouldn’t be that simple.

If achieving their goal were easy, what would be the point of their efforts? Would the Elation would do like something so meaningless and boring?
Despite her broad control over fate, certain choices were inevitable.

"And the worst-case scenario?" Sakura wanted to know Bronie’s fallback plan.

"The worst-case scenario is leaving here with your data but losing our way entirely, unable to return. The vast universe would make it difficult for the Aeon to reach the Sea of Quanta, the safest but worst outcome."

Bronie considered that the Aeon might hear her, essentially threatening the Aeon. If she were important enough, hiding in the Sea of Quanta ould be a valid threat.

The power of the paths comes from the Imaginary Tree, and the Sea of Quanta, opposing it, is a good place to hide.

"Is this necessary? What about the orphanage kids? What would Cioara think? What about the unresolved Honkai? Kiana is still waiting for you in Nagazora City,"
Elysia felt that Bronie didn’t need to go to such lengths, believing that sacrificing so much wasn’t worth it.

"Bronya doesn't want Sister Bronie to go that far either. Please calm down, Bronie. Our chance of defeating the Aeon is less than one in ten million, and you have other plans, don't you? Remember the line from Homu's Bizarre Adventure? 'Taking a detour is the shortcut.'"

Bronie was momentarily stunned by Bronya’s words.

"Taking a detour is the shortcut"—a line from Jojo's Bizarre Adventure. In this world, it was Homu's Adventure instead, which still felt familiar to Bronie, who enjoyed it.

"Sorry, I just didn't want to miss the opportunity before me... I'll weigh the pros and cons carefully..."

She realized she had been blinded by the apparent shortcut.

Without Elysia, she might have rushed headlong into becoming the Aeon’s plaything. The best way to deal with the trickster is to proceed methodically, ignore them, and deny them any amusement.

Rationality...

When it comes to Elysia, how could she remain rational? Faced with traps and the Aeon’s whims, lacking the power to join someone else's game meant facing such dilemmas.

"That’s better. At worst, we create some interesting memories. Doesn’t that make the event meaningful?" Elysia was happy that Bronie relented.

Thanks to Bronya, even Bronie might not realize how important Bronie was to her. Otherwise, Bronya’s words wouldn’t have swayed her.

"Perhaps taking a detour is the shortcut. Mobius, do you have any plans? If so, let's proceed."

"I do have a new plan, but do you have the courage to execute it?" Mobius smirked, like a snake eyeing its prey.

"What plan?"

Bronie decided to listen first.

"Send the kids’ bodies to us. I recall you have a child named Seele? She has awakened the most complete stigma. Give me a few hours to research, and I guarantee she’ll come out as ‘me’~"

"No! Mobius, how could you do that to such a cute girl?"

Elysia crossed her arms in protest before Mobius.

"Move aside, Elysia! I’m talking to Bronie about this!"

"Mobius, you’re so mean! When we get back, I’ll make you wear the dress I made for you!"

Elysia saw through Mobius.

Despite her words, she respected the individual’s consent. Would she trick Seele behind Bronie's back?

Elysia trusted Bronie’s protective instincts.

"You..."

Mobius fumed at the mention of the dress but knew this wasn’t the time.

Bronie, arms crossed, replied, "Let’s put that plan on hold. However, examining Seele’s body to investigate her stigma is feasible. Her body is indeed very special."

Bronie had concerns but couldn’t entirely forgo understanding Seele’s condition.

"Oh? Special? How?"

Mobius’s interest was piqued. As the creator of the Project Stigma, she hoped for unexpected developments.

"I can't say for sure. Find out yourself. But if something happens to my Seele, I'll strip you bare, put you in a dress, and send photos to your underlings!"

"Bronie, you're really getting bold! Threatening me, huh?"

But was the threat effective?

Yes, it was very effective.

"Fine, I’ll conduct a proper examination. The plan continues. Don’t worry, I won’t do anything bad~"





Chapter 163: The Boy in the Ancient Castle

While chatting and discussing plans, the group wasn’t idle.

Observing the island from different angles sometimes reveals things otherwise unseen.

For instance, the island's center, viewed from the beach, was originally blocked by a mountain.

However, from another angle, it became apparent that the mountain was hollow!

Strangely enough, atop this hollow mountain stood a massive castle, reminiscent of Stormveil Castle.

It was unclear if the castle was designed to be hidden on the other side of the island.

Bronie didn't know the purpose of such construction, but it didn't stop the group from being drawn to the castle.

With a huge billboard erected by Vil-V, it was hard not to notice.

The next activity stage was set within this seemingly intentionally aged castle.

"Kevin, Su, you two are here too!"

Elysia, leading the group, was the first to spot two familiar figures at the castle's gate.

Su wore sunglasses again, as did Kevin.

Upon arrival, Elysia sensed a slightly odd atmosphere between the two.

"Kevin, Su, the sunlight isn’t that glaring here. Why are you wearing sunglasses?"
Fu Hua pointed out their incongruity, deserving of her detective skills.

"Uh, it's just for some inconvenient reasons, don't mind the details."

"Because it looks cool."

Kevin’s explanation was even less convincing.

Bronie suspected the two had probably given each other black eyes, and to avoid embarrassment, they kept their sunglasses on.

"Boss Kevin, can we stop joking around?"
Pardo couldn’t take it anymore, while Bronie looked at Kevin.

"The castle likely has many traps and mechanisms, possibly targeting you. Previously, they planned to push you to the surface from the depths. Be cautious this time."

"Vil-V knows me too well; caution alone might not counter many things."

If Vil-V used overt schemes, could he counter them?

Kevin found it troublesome.

After all, Vill-V's numerous Armed Kevin Killers was proof of Vill-V's knowledge about Kevin.

"Indeed, let's take it step by step. Vil-V has prepared three keys inside the castle to unlock the so-called treasure door. We can split up; what do you think?"

Bronie wanted to hear everyone’s opinions. The castle seemed large, and upon opening the door, it felt even larger inside.

It seemed the internal space was more expansive than it appeared from the outside.
Given the involvement of the Aeon, creating a folded space wasn't impossible.

So, Bronie suggested splitting up to leverage their combat strength and improve efficiency.

"Splitting up can divert Vil-V's attention, making Kevin's team face tougher traps, but it might be easier for others."
Su agreed with Bronie’s suggestion. Elysia then looked around.

"So, how do we divide the teams? I’m just a scientist, lacking Kevin’s strength. Hua, Sakura, come with me?"
Mobius chose her team first.

Kevin then called on Kalpas and Su. Kalpas, for his reliable combat strength, could disrupt Vil-V’s plans, and Su, so he wouldn’t suffer alone—sharing the burden of Vil-V’s malicious attacks!

Good friends share troubles together!

This left Bronie, Elysia, Pardo, and Bronya to form a small team.

Despite Bronya’s slight combat shortcomings, Pardo was very reliable.

"Bronya has no objections! Just being with Sister Bronie is fine."

"Alright, I’ll go left. Kevin, explore the middle second floor. Elysia, take the right."

Following Mobius' direction, Elysia saw strange symbols on the right corridor walls, like demonic runes.

"Okay~ Be careful, Mobius~"
Elysia waved, while Mobius began exploring the castle without looking back.

Kevin advanced silently.

"What’s this? Why does it feel so eerie?"
Pardo wondered why Mobius assigned them here, given the unsettling symbols.

"Bronya believes there are no such things as ghosts..."

"There are!"
Bronie’s response cut Bronya off.

"Oh? Have you seen one?"
Elysia was intrigued, while Pardo was scared.

"Bronie, don't scare me. Ghosts aren’t real, right?"

"No, ghost-like beings exist, and with such a vast universe, it's possible that ghostly beings could form civilizations. So—"

"Yikes!!"
Pardo was terrified, amusing Bronie.

"Alright, Bronie, stop teasing! You must know what this is, right?"

Although Elysia didn’t quite understand, she could see that Bronie seemed to have figured something out.

"'Ordinary people should not enter this demonic path, or they will be devoured by the banshee.' This sounds like a warning to everyone not to enter this door..."
Bronya approached the door, carefully reading the words written on the magical formation.

These were characters from the previous civilization.

"Well, we have to explore anyway. Such threatening words can't stop us. Besides, so-called ghosts, aside from certain memetic lifeforms, are just special energy beings that conventional energy weapons can deal with."
Bronie didn’t answer Elysia's question but instead opened the door first.

"Wow, there's more inside! Here, there, on the walls… the ceiling… what the heck is this!"

Seeing that Bronie wasn’t attacked after opening the door, she felt a bit calmer.

"Hmm? This one is different, 'Fifty meters more, keep going'..."

Elysia's sharp eyes noticed content that was completely different from the graffiti style.

"Wait, do they want us to go in or not?"
Pardo couldn’t help but comment, instantly breaking the scary atmosphere.

"Yes, the combination lock on the floor and the traces of moving paintings on the walls suggest that this castle was once used for an escape room game. These areas were unlocked, leaving marks to guide companions."

Then Bronie heard a familiar jazz tune.

"Bronya hears it too. It’s the background music from Bronie's game Persona... in the jazz-themed club..."
With Bronya’s words, Pardo realized it too.

"Let’s go~"
Elysia guessed what lay ahead, surprised that Bronie knew more about the Flamechasers than she did. She identified the owner of the graffiti from the information on the walls.

To avoid spoiling the surprise or to preserve the impact of the character’s appearance?

Whatever, Elysia thought, stepping deeper into the corridor.

The jazz music grew clearer. It seemed to be from a phonograph record, creating an elegant atmosphere.

Opening the door, they found a bar inside the castle at the end of the corridor!

A boy sat at the bar, sipping something.

Hearing the door, the boy turned around.

Familiar black horns, a cold face, and hands bandaged over Honkai beast claws.

"Kosma, what happened to your hand? Did you get hurt, or did you fall into one of the castle’s traps?"

Elysia was very concerned about Kosma, temporarily ignoring the milk on the bar. The bandages couldn’t hide the Honkai beast claws, worrying Elysia.

"No..."
Kosma didn’t know how to explain the bandages, as he was wrapped out of boredom in the bar.

He found them and, remembering some fun outfits from current-era anime, tried wrapping his hand with it.

The beastly claw outline gave his arm a mysterious aura.

It's super cool!

"Were you summoned to this dark castle too?"

Not knowing how to answer, he continued to act.

Using more awkward acting to cover it up!

"Wow, cool~".

Bronya couldn’t help but admire. She always thought Kosma’s Honkai beast parts were cool, but heard that previous civilization people viewed MANTIS Soldiers’ Honkai beast parts as monstrous.

So Bronya didn’t dare mention it to Kosma.

Plus, Kosma didn’t talk much, usually silent, making it harder for Bronya to interact with him.

She hadn’t expected this side of Kosma.

Bronya, at the right age to enjoy such fun, was delighted!

"Really! Ahem… No… have you also fallen into this desperate abyss?"

"Kosma, are you imitating characters from your cartoons? So, were those ghost symbols outside all your doing?"
Pardo breathed a sigh of relief, realizing many things upon seeing Kosma.

The earlier scares were self-inflicted!

All Bronie's fault, with her mischievous grin and ghost talk.

"Firstly, that’s not a cartoon. It’s the materialized Revelation of the Real and the True Worlds. Secondly, those are words guiding Griseo home, veiled by illusions to warn away the unworthy. Griseo is smart; she’ll see through it..."

"Enough, Kosma, stop it! I get it!"

Pardo finally understood; those ghost symbols were Kosma’s guides for Griseo!

"So that 'keep going' was for Griseo!"
Elysia realized.

"Who would get that!"
Pardo couldn’t help but complain.

"Those warnings weren’t to scare us; there’s really a banshee on this ship..."

Kosma’s serious declaration made Pardo’s tail stand up.

"Kosma, joking seriously isn’t like you!"

"No, there really is. I’ll prove it..."
Kosma walked to the bar, trying to grab a bottle.

Just as his hand neared, a slender hand took the bottle from behind the bar and disappeared.

"Did you think I wouldn’t want a drink? This milk is the only thing the banshee fears..."
Bronya was stunned, and Bronie stifled laughter behind Elysia.

"So, how long have you been waiting here?"
Elysia looked at Bronie, thinking about Kosma searching for Griseo, meaning he hadn’t found her yet.

"After the castle escape puzzles, Griseo and I were separated by traps. I’ve been waiting here for half an hour. At least the snacks are sufficient."

"Adorable, Kosma~"

"Adorable?"

Kosma wondered if his actions were childish or if the banshee issue was a misunderstanding.

Or maybe his behavior seemed childish to Elysia!

Elysia’s words disturbed Kosma’s mind.

"It’s clear now."
Bronya stepped forward, knowing Kosma was crushed by Elysia’s words. If she didn’t act, they’d miss Kosma’s performance!

"What?"

"Behind the bar, there’s space. The bottle was taken to prevent underage Kosma from drinking."

Bronya tried to take a bottle, but a hand took it into the hidden space.

"Is it really like that!?"
Kosma was shocked, realizing why Elysia called him adorable!

In despair, he thought of hiding in an unknown corner upon returning to the Elysian Realm...





Chapter 164: The Socially Doomed Boy and the Socially Doomed Green Snake


Project Bunny has terrain scanning capabilities and can also scan through walls. With Project Bunny's help, Bronya quickly found the mechanism hidden behind the wine cabinet. As the mechanism turned, the cabinet made a clicking sound and slowly opened inward. Footsteps approached from behind the cabinet.

"Let me see what kind of banshee is causing trouble!"

Kosma was furious. He had finally found a chance to leave the Elysian Realm and try something new, only to have his drink stolen!

As the mechanism door opened, there was another door inside. The soft footsteps stopped, and the door opened slightly.

"Who are you looking for? Sister Eden said not to open the door for strangers... Eh? Bronie, Bronya, Sister Pardo, and Au-... Sister Elly."

"Wait, what did Griseo just call Elysia?"
Bronya was stunned, but Elysia burst out laughing happily.

"That's not the point. The point is, Griseo, how did you end up in here?"

"Sister Eden told me to stay here. After getting separated from Kosma, I got lost. Sister Eden said I should stay here. Look, I’ve drawn a lot, fan art of Persona, and some of Titanfall..."
Griseo seemed quite relaxed, in stark contrast to everyone else’s survival game mode.

Kosma was speechless.

"Hey, didn't you know I was looking for you all this time? You were so close to me. Why didn’t you come out and say something?"

Griseo innocently shook her head. "I didn’t know."

"…Wait, weren't you the one who took the bottle from my hand?"

"No, it wasn’t me! It was the Healthy Drinking Spirit. Mom Aponia said that a long time ago, there was a spirit that could fly anywhere in the world following the scent of alcohol. The spirit loved alcohol and people who loved drinking but hated those who caused trouble when drunk or sneaky kids who shouldn't drink."

Well, the truth was out.

The culprit was Griseo!

Griseo, oblivious to the group's reactions, continued, "When it meets such people, the Healthy Drinking Spirit uses magic to steal bottles from their hands. Sister Eden said thanks to the spirit's efforts, people can enjoy their drinks happily."

"I bet Eden had at least ten bottles of wine to come up with that story."

Bronie couldn’t help but comment, while Kosma, finding a kindred spirit, looked at her as if to say, "Bronie, you truly understand me!"

"Hmph! Kosma wanted to be a naughty kid sneaking a drink, so the spirit took his bottle. It has nothing to do with me!"
Griseo crossed her arms, speaking righteously.

Kosma's eyes then turned to the bottle near the drawing paper.

"Technically, Griseo, we’re definitely older than five thousand years, right?"

"…No, we’re still minors in our current bodies!"

"And what about the bottle behind you?"

"I don't know!"
Griseo didn’t seem as confident now.

"And the surveillance? The cameras seem to be watching the bar..."

"Sorry, Kosma."
Seeing Griseo’s pitiful expression, Kosma deflated instantly.

"Fine, don’t make everyone worry again. You know I’ve been looking for you."

"Actually, when I saw you talking to the figurines, I wanted to come out and find you."

Great, Griseo’s usual self-incriminating statements crumbled Kosma's persona.

But such things always happened in the Elysian Realm.

"And when you were playing cowboy alone at the bar, I really wanted to join in~"

"…Griseo, please don’t mention these things in front of everyone…"

Kosma glanced at the others.
Elysia, Pardo, Bronie, and even Bronya were all stifling their laughter.

Indeed, if this Honkai couldn’t be resolved and the Ark plan had to be executed, he might just sign up again, so he could leave the solar system right away...

"So, where is my dear Eden?"
Elysia looked around. Wine should have attracted Eden, yet she was nowhere to be found. Elysia was genuinely worried about Eden's whereabouts.

“Sorry, Sister Elysia, I don’t know.”

Of course, Griseo wouldn’t know where Eden went. She was too busy making BL fanfiction of Persona 5’s protagonist, Ren Amamiya.

“So, Kosma, have you finished exploring the other areas? Did you find anything that looks like a key, or have you seen any canned food?”
Bronie temporarily set aside the search for Eden. The decor of each area in the castle clearly wasn’t Vil-V's style, so Bronie had a good reason to suspect that Eden might have been involved in the castle's design.

“Yeah! What about the canned food? I didn't see any near Brother Su either!”
Pardo suddenly realized, but unfortunately, they hadn’t encountered any side paths along the way, let alone the location of any canned food.

“It’s here~”
Griseo pulled out a key from the room effortlessly.

“It’s that simple!?”

Pardo felt it was too easy to be real. Normally, she enjoyed treasure hunting, but obtaining something so easily took the fun out of it. She watched as Griseo handed the jeweled key to Elysia, who then passed it to Pardo. Pardo didn’t seem very pleased.


“Because Griseo is here. She’s so cute, how could anyone trouble her?”
Bronie pointed at the adorable Griseo, who cooperated by widening her eyes and staring at everyone. Instantly, everyone’s hearts melted.

“Alright, Bronie, you have a point. Besides, didn’t Kosma mention they experienced an escape room challenge? Finding the room where Griseo was could be considered a challenge.”

Pardo, not wanting to upset Griseo, relented quickly, though her restless little tail wagged nervously.

“Alright! Since we have the key, let’s regroup with the others. Maybe Sakura and Mobius are still waiting for us to rescue them! By the way, Bronya, what are you doing? Kids shouldn’t drink alcohol!”

Elysia retrieved the key and put it away.

“Bronya is making Molotov cocktails. If necessary, she plans to destroy this castle. Hopefully, it won’t come to that.”

Though the Flamechasers had various ways to destroy the castle, Bronya still wanted to add her own touch to the battle. Of course, it would be best if there was no need for a fight.

This area had only one corridor, leading to the bar where Kosma had stayed. There was also a staircase to the second floor
However, the staircase was blocked by a door that seemed fixed in place, as if the space itself was locked.

No doubt, it was the work of the Aeon. It must be an employee passage, Bronie noted the place and followed the group back to the main hall of the castle.

“This castle is huge, with many secret passages. The left side has a game room and dining hall, and the upper floor has more activity rooms and a library. Griseo and I unlocked many doors and explored much of the area. Griseo accidentally fell into a secret passage, which I think Eden designed.”

Kosma explained the layout since he and Griseo had arrived and explored this area ahead of everyone else. Finding the keys would heavily rely on Kosma’s help.

“Kosma, have you seen any other keys elsewhere?”

“In the game room, there’s a key in a picture frame. I thought it looked nice, so I took note of it.”

That direction was where Mobius’ team was headed.

“There are many interesting mechanisms inside, requiring a lot of time to solve. Clues are scattered across different rooms. Griseo and I became familiar with the area after going back and forth.”

As they spoke, they reached the first door in the corridor. Opening the door, Elysia saw an incredible scene.

Mobius, wearing an elegant dress, sat like a noblewoman, with Fu Hua dressed as a butler standing beside her. Sakura, dressed as a maid, poured tea for Mobius.

“Am I seeing this right? Mobius in such a beautiful dress!”

Like a lily in the wild, the mad scientist’s aura disappeared, as if Mobius had always lived here as a pampered princess.

“You already found the key!?”
Mobius, seeing Elysia, reacted like a cat with its fur standing on end.

“Of course, we found the key! But that’s not the point! Mobius, you look so beautiful in that dress! I have to capture this moment!”

Fu Hua lowered her head, pretending to be invisible.

Sensing Fu Hua’s embarrassment, Elysia turned to her too.

“You look both handsome and beautiful, Hua!”
“No, it’s just something I had to do to get the key…”

“The key?”
Elysia looked around. Besides an oil painting of an unknown noble family having tea, everything seemed normal. No, the painting depicted the original spot of the key, and below it was a golden card.

“Recreate the painting’s scene to unlock the treasure room key.”

So that’s how it was.

“Mobius, you look lovely in the dress~”

“Can we stop talking about the dress? How about you wear it and complete this challenge for me?”

“No!”
Elysia’s response was firm.

“Mobius’ charming moment, how could I interrupt? Bronie, project a camera for me; I need to capture this beautiful moment!”

“Alright!”
As the shutter clicked, a high-resolution polaroid camera slowly produced the photo. Then came the digital camera.

Click—

Each click raised Mobius’ blood pressure a bit more until the painting in the room flipped, revealing the key inside.

“It’s finally over… You’ll pay for this!”
Mobius fled the scene in shame, likely heading to the changing room.

As for Sakura, she simply tore off the maid outfit, revealing her swimsuit underneath, not caring about her image. Fu Hua straightened her tie.

“Griseo, Kosma, it’s good to see you. It seems Vil-V’s activities didn’t trouble you?”

“Kosma said it’s something we shouldn’t talk about…”

“Hm?”

Fu Hua frowned, and Bronie sensed there was fun to be had.

“No, Griseo and I just did an escape room in the castle. The key was easy to get, nothing we can’t talk about…”

“And Kosma talked to his figurines~”

Alright, Griseo unintentionally made Kosma socially awkward again. Kosma now wished he could find a time machine and go back to punch his past self.

Why did he do such absurd things back then?

He was already five thousand years old!

“And drank milk at the bar.”
Bronie chose to rub salt in the wound.

“Drinking more milk is good for your health. Even though we’ve been in the Elysian Realm for so long, Kosma, your current body is still underage.”
As usual of the elmhead, Fu Hua’s comment hit the mark, thoroughly silencing Kosma, who was too embarrassed to speak.

“So, we’ve got two keys now? I often hear explosions upstairs; I wonder if you heard them too. Kevin’s situation might not be optimistic. I suggest we head up quickly.”

Mobius, back in her swimsuit, diverted the topic as soon as she saw Elysia.

“What a shame. If Mobius wore something even more pink and girly, it could be even more interesting~”

“Unfortunately, Elysia is too fat to fit into such clothes. If she did, her true form would be revealed, so let’s skip this topic!”

“No, I’m not fat!”

“Yes, you are. No rebuttals!”
As the two seemed ready to argue until the end of time, another explosion sounded above.

Alright, Kevin’s combat power was formidable, but if they faced the Aeon, what then?

In the end, Elysia stopped bickering and said, “Let’s go. We need to get the last key. Kevin might be fighting Vil-V; we have to help!”

“Yes, with your over 100-pound weight, go help Kevin~”.





Chapter 165: The Magnificent Escape Magic from Vill-V

Vill-V, Eden, and Aponia.

The masterminds behind this summer survival game event!
Vill-V introduced herself as such, but to Kevin, seeing Aponia's troubled expression, it didn't seem like she was part of the event planning.

It felt more like...
How to put it, as if she had been forced to join, even reading her lines mechanically during their meeting.

As a result, with Kalpas in their team, the moment he saw Aponia, he charged at her.

The battle started immediately, without any hesitation.

During the fight, Kalpas yelled that he would tear Aponia apart, acting like a berserker.

Vill-V and Eden also joined the battle.

They declared that only by defeating the final boss could they obtain the last key.

However, Vill-V added a rather nasty mechanism during the battle: if they couldn’t destroy all the shield generators she had set up around the area simultaneously, these devices would repair each other and continuously provide shields to the trio.

There were thirteen of these devices, each with a protective layer that, under the weaving of imaginary laws, required a specific number of attacks to break.

Kevin’s brute force approach found this quite challenging.

Although Su could manage it, he was more of a mental-type MANTIS, mainly using long-range control over teammates to fight in the previous civilization.

So, they were stuck within the framework set by Vill-V.

The boss group didn’t have many means to deal with Kevin either, as the fight was initially designed for multiple participants.

Despite knowing this, Kalpas didn’t give up on attacking Aponia, and Aponia never uttered the word "please."

Explosions spread and expanded, lasting for an unknown amount of time, until Elysia finally arrived with Mobius and the others on the second floor of the castle.

“There’s a very large banquet hall and an open-air garden on the second floor of the castle. The battle might be there, but if it’s Kevin’s fight, will it be okay?”

Kosma, leading the way, was worried about the commotion Kevin might cause during the fight. Honestly, Kosma doubted anyone could withstand Kevin.

“Firstly, Kevin has been trapped in the Sea of Quanta for a long time. Secondly, he doesn’t have the Judgement of Shamash with him. Lastly, he has teammates by his side, so he has to consider their situation. Besides, we have no need for a fight to the death with Vill-V, Eden, or Aponia.”

As Bronie spoke, she saw Kevin in the heat of battle.

As expected, although Kevin didn’t have a weapon, he used ice to create weapons for combat.

Would using Honkai beast abilities result in this fighting style?

Elysia immediately noticed that Kevin was holding back.

“Kevin~ Hi~”

“Elysia, destroy the shield generators, or it’s impossible to harm them.”

“Elysia…”
Eden greeted Elysia hurriedly upon seeing her arrival.

“Hehe, everyone’s here! With all thirteen Flamechasers gathered, let’s join this grand ball together!”

“Haha! The audience is all here. Now, let’s fully unveil this stage!”

Vill-V responded, looking at the crowd at the door, then displaying a radiant smile.

“A grand performance is about to begin~ The brave heroes, after overcoming countless trials, have finally reached the mysterious figure! The trailblazer Kalpas, the Strongest MANTIS Kevin, and the Sage Su who foresees all, have already weakened the mysterious figure’s power. But the true demon king is our elated Aeon—Aha~”

“Aha~”
The Aeon slowly descended from the sky, with a unique appearance and a broken angel halo, looking like a fallen angel.

Many surprise boxes suddenly appeared on the battlefield, covering the shield generators and moving around the area.

“So, the target is…”

“Of course, to eliminate the demon king Aeon Aha! Aha controls three of the Elysian Realm’s members as his officers. Only by finding a way to break his control can we get the chance to challenge Aha. Let’s have a good game~”

They said it was a game, but the Flamechasers’ battles were extremely dangerous.

Bronie handed a sniper rifle to Bronya.

“Bronya, we’re counting on you to cover us from behind.”

“Bronya knows her role and won’t let everyone down!”

Bronya accepted the sniper rifle with a reliable demeanor.

Bronie couldn’t help but pat Bronya’s head.
“Mm, I trust you!”

Observing the battlefield, the number of surprise boxes kept increasing, and the positions of the shield generators were also changing.

Mobius began attempting to attack the surprise boxes directly.

However, the moment she succeeded, the surprise box exploded, spraying an unknown liquid that even corroded her swimsuit!

“Who taught you to put this weird stuff in here, Vill-V?”

“Of course, it’s the Aeon Aha~ But don’t worry, besides traps and targets, the surprise boxes also have rewards inside!”

“It’s ice cream~”
Griseo pulled an ice cream from one of the boxes.

Suddenly, Mobius frowned, realizing something was off.

“Wow, it’s an EMP!”

Bronya's drone suddenly emitted an EMP, causing the box to explode and knocking down the surrounding drones.

"There must be some insider information here," Mobius sensed something was amiss.

"How could that be? This event guarantees absolute fairness and justice. There won't be any insider dealings. Please, Miss Mobius, do not doubt the fairness of the Aeon," Vill-V reassured.

"Cool~"
Kosma opened a box to find the latest Arahato figurine, the kind you have to assemble yourself.

Surprisingly, Kosma loved such things.

Occasionally, Bronie would give Kosma these items, but there was only one data entry in the past civilization, and Bronya simply inputted the data.

Still suspicious, Mobius opened another surprise box.

"Wow! Mobius, such a beautiful dress! Why don't you try it on?"

"Elysia! These things are all your doing!"

"How could it be~"
Elysia hastily denied, but Mobius, determined to prove herself right, opened another surprise box.

The dress disappeared from her hands! But in its place, Mobius found herself wearing the dress.

"Hehe, one-click change~ Mobius~"
Vill-V laughed, looking at Mobius in the pink dress, like a performer just finished with a kindergarten show.

Mobius's blood pressure skyrocketed.

Looking at the others, Kevin opened a box of instant noodles, Kalpas received a kitchen utensil, and Su got a box of saffron.

Everyone got better items than her.

Was this even a battle? It felt more like just giving out gifts! And she was sure Elysia was behind her outfit!

"Elysia knows nothing~ Perhaps it's the Aeon responding to my prayers, that's why it turned out like this~"
Mobius felt extremely frustrated but felt a bit better seeing Bronie always getting bugs or canned fish whenever she opened a box.

Happiness indeed needed contrasts to be appreciated!

Honestly, Bronie didn't know why she was so unlucky, but seeing others always getting what they wanted made her sure that the Aeon was manipulating everything behind the scenes.

Bronya destroyed a surprise box, but what followed made her heart stop.

Inside was a huge Homu plushie!

No, it was now just a pile of broken pieces.

No!!!

"It's not the time to check goods now. Kevin, please cover me for a moment."

"No problem!" Kevin saw the situation clearly. He raised his hand, creating countless ice walls to surround Bronie.

Elysia also hurried to help, blocking Eden's attacks. The giant pink crystal umbrella also stood tall.

"Sir Knight, please!"

"Meow~"

The Flamechasers displayed their prowess, and Mobius knew what Bronie was planning.

"You've failed every time before! Bronie, this is as futile as trying to fly by pulling your own hair!"

"No, a repeating decimal of 0.9 can equal one. I failed before only because I didn't break through that infinite loop. I believe there's still a chance..."

"Even if you succeed, what then? You'll be the first to get hit from this close!"

"But I have to try. It's the best method I can think of to deal with the Aeon!"

Bronya was unusually serious this time. Aponia hesitated in her actions, looking at the Aeon beside her, who seemed pleased?

"Bronya, please, break your shackles..."

"Huh?"

Bronya was shocked by Aponia's sudden intervention. But... could she really do it?

Forget it, who cares!

The reason she was about to do what she was going to do next, as Mobius called it, flying by pulling her own hair, was because she would utilize her ability to project Oath of Judah, the Tenth Divine Key!

Whether from the Herrscher Core or the structure of the entire Soulium, she would project Judah in its zero-rated power state.

What effect would zero-rated Judah have?

It would eliminate all surrounding energy, whether it's Honkai Energy, Electric Energy, or anything else.

This power seemed to negate everything, turning all things into nothingness until the complete destruction of the previous civilization.

Vill-V had only found how to utilize the Herrscher's core and used it against Honkai.

But even so, the power of the Herrscher, which once caused the Tragedy of Binding, couldn't be fully unleashed against the End.

But even so, this power had a tremendous effect in specific situations.

Like now.

The surprise boxes operated entirely by the Aeon of Elation.

Whatever was inside, it was all decided by the Aeon. Even if there were Shield Generator devices inside the boxes before, the Aeon could replace them at any time.

To solve all this, they needed to cut off the root cause.

Both the Aeon and Paths followed the energy rotation on the Imaginary Tree.

To counter all this, perhaps they needed the power of the Herrscher of Binding or the power of the Sea of Quanta.

"I actually wanted to say...,"
Vill-V seemed to want to say something. But unfortunately, Vill-V was now on the opposing side, and the game's objective was to destroy the shields and then defeat the demon king, right?

"I'm ready! Just one last step. The moment the Grace Field appear might be just a moment!"
Hearing Bronya's voice, all the Flamechasers focused.

As for Vill-V, she couldn't help but frown.

After all, Vill-V quite liked Bronie, but even if the Divine Grace Field were only activated for a moment, such power could easily kill an ordinary person.

Just when Vill-V thought Bronie's action was irrational, Eden spoke up.

"Go, Bronya, I believe in you."

"Then I can't let everyone down..."

The golden cross fell heavily to the ground, just one step away from activating the Divine Grace Field.

Divine Grace Field—

"Activate!"

An invisible wave instantly spread out, shattering all the ice walls and crystal walls around Bronie.

All the surprise boxes vanished, along with the Shield Generator devices among them.

"Please, Mr. Knight!"

"Inch Fist—"

"Meow—"

"..."

"Tsk, Tiresome'"

"Setsuna—"

"Burn—"

"Wheel of Karma..."

"Go—"

"Project Bunny!"

"I've got you~"

Almost simultaneously, all the Flamechasers launched their attacks.
Ten Flamechasers, ten Shield Generator devices, with Bronya's Kriegsmesser's gunshot as the finale.

The shields dissipated, and the bullets' targets were the high-and-mighty Aeon!

They definitely hit, but what effect it had, Bronie didn't have time to ponder.

The range of the Divine Grace Barrier was extremely vast, and even Bronie couldn't avoid its influence. The golden light at that moment surpassed Bronya's comprehension.

What kind of power was this?

Bronie couldn't say.

"I actually wanted to say that it's better to use the Sea of Quanta's power... that Divine Grace Field thing..."

"Hahaha! Well done! What an exciting performance! This miraculous power is so much fun! But... Bronya, have you forgotten? Many of the people around you are actually... created by Aha's abilities~ Farewell, as the Demon King is about to dissipate. Aha hopes you can think of my name at any time and say it from the bottom of your heart, Ahaha~ And also, have fun playing~"

The body of the Aeon slowly collapsed. From the bullet holes made by Kriegsmesser, golden energy flowed out, transforming into a tree radiating golden light. The tree kept growing, its branches continuously extending until they reached the no-fly zone above the small island...

The castle and the storm outside the island entered the final countdown to destruction.

"Alright, everyone, now is not the time to say goodbye. The final countdown is the most important moment. Aponia, tell Bronie not to cry just yet. From the moment we set foot on this island, we all knew the story would come to an end. But how much we gain in the end is up to us! Next, Vill-V's magic show truly begins. Watch closely, Bronie, for Vill-v's grand escape act!"





Chapter 166: Bronie's First Attempt to Break the Tree

"Miss Bronie, please refrain from blaming yourself until everything is concluded," the protective shield dissipated, and Aponia once again walked on the ground.

It had been an immense effort for her to activate the divine blessing barrier for that brief moment, and for Bronie, it had been an all-out endeavor.

But to exert all her effort and end up with such an outcome, one could imagine the blow it dealt to Bronie.

To kill the one she loved with her own hands, how cruel it was, and Aponia was acutely aware of this feeling.

"Has she left?"

"Hmm?"

Aponia knew she had indeed exerted her power, but...

Was this a normal reaction?

Isn't Bronie supposed to be concerned about those around her first?

"Who left?"

Aponia wasn't sure whom Bronie was referring to.

"The Aeon."

Bronie tried to lower her voice as much as possible, but if the Aeon was present, this behavior could be considered futile.

"Probably? I can't say for sure whether the Aeon really left..."

This wasn't a lie from Aponia; suddenly turning into a golden tree, was the Aeon still watching here? Had she really left?

"Injured, that's true, clearing the game, that's also true. But what I really want to do can only be done after the game is over. And The Elation is not the kind of weak and timid person who would rely entirely on her possibly existing omniscient and omnipotent abilities to know everyone's thoughts."

With Aponia's assistance, Bronie slowly got up.

Damn, this is quite...

No, now is the time to explain the plan!

"The power of the Aeon, the power of the Paths, they all stem from the imaginary energy in the Imaginary Tree. Our resurrection plan also relies on the Imaginary Tree, so you are definitely closely connected to it now."

"So it's like The Elation gathered us here, in a way replacing us to open the door, and also located our positions in the Imaginary Tree, using imaginary energy to transform all falsehoods into reality."

Vill-V explained on the side, approaching Bronie slowly.

"Elation, as the antithesis of Nihility, wouldn't expect meaningless illusions to appear before her, so no matter what, you are definitely real, the real state of resurrection we expect. If you create false illusions, it would contradict the Path she presides."

Although The Elation could have many interpretations, perhaps creating an illusion to tease Bronie would be a joke.

But even if it were a punishment, it could be considered a reward.

"Su, I'm counting on you. You have dealt with Cosmic Juggernaut the longest, and there's also Kevin..."

The core of Cosmic Juggernaut is in Kevin's hands, and Kevin knows this, looking at Bronie, feeling a stir in his heart.

They thought that even if someone remembered them, they might not necessarily be able to do anything for them.

But Bronie did it.

For fifty thousand years, Bronie had done something that others couldn't do for such a long time.

So Kevin acknowledged Bronie's will.

"These are the coordinates of Cosmic Juggernaut in the Sea of Quanta, but there may currently be no conditions to enter the Sea of Quanta..."

The stronger the imaginary energy, the farther away from the Sea of Quanta, just like the position of the moon corresponding to the gravitational force of tides.

Now, the Sea of Quanta was so far away.

"By the beach, time is of the essence, hurry."

By the beach?

Originally, this was an important passage Bronie used to escape to the Sea of Quanta, but now it had become an important beacon in the Sea of Quantum to establish contact with Cosmic Juggernaut.

Dealing with someone who is omniscient and omnipotent, the most important thing is not to have multiple plans, but to lay out the resources to ensure that you have enough.

In this way, there was a chance to seize a glimmer of hope even in some changes that one might not even think of themselves!

"Fast, right? The shortest distance between two points is a straight line! Hua, come with me to clear the way!"

"No problem, Kalpas!"

Fu Hua also realized the current situation, so without hesitation, she put on the Grips of Taixuan gloves.

"Oh? New equipment?"

"This is used to confront the Honkai Beasts in the previous era..."

A fist slammed into the wall, creating a huge hole.

The golden tree was still growing, and Mobius judged that the time they had wouldn't exceed ten minutes.

Upon hearing this news, Kalpas also stopped chatting and charged forward!

Bronya operated Project Bunny, slowly lifting Bronie, and the main force advanced at a very fast speed.

The Project Bunny had transformed into a motorcycle form, and Elysia laid down a road with her pink crystals while Kevin's ice blocks, Vill-V also followed closely behind, advancing along the road.

Far away on the beach, Seele looked at the golden tree, then checked the device in her hand again.

"Sister Sin, this is the signal Sister Bronie gave us. Let's hurry and open the device."

"I know even without you telling me!"

It's just a pity that this kind of high-tech stuff is a bit too difficult for the children. Although there are instruction manuals and everyone is trying to assemble it, children, after all, love to play. So only a few sensible children were working on it, but they didn't realize the seriousness of the matter.

Bronie didn't tell them much, but she believed Sin and Seele could handle it.
With Anila assisting, the speed of opening the Sea of Quanta passage would only be faster.

In fact, among all the children, only the three of them were doing serious work, while the others had long been led astray by Rosalia.

Originally, Bronie intended to leave Bronya by the beach, but Bronya insisted on staying by her side.

Project Bunny transformed into a motorcycle, sparking with lightning along the way.

"Bronie! What happened to you!?"

Seele noticed Bronie's arrival, but she never expected Bronie to look as if she hadn't slept for days, working continuously for such a long time.
The haggard face, the posture that could collapse at any moment, and the lack of confidence... Seele found it hard to imagine what Bronie had been facing.

"I'm not dead yet, Seele. Do you have any food? I haven't eaten much on the way, and I'm feeling tired... Also, fetch the first aid kit I prepared for Sin."

Bronie took a stimulant from the first aid kit and injected it into her body, instantly relieving all the pain. Although Bronie knew that her recovery was just an illusion, the Fire Moth technology was still very effective.

Vill-V followed suit, looking at the almost assembled device and immediately joining in. In just a few moments, under Anila's gaze, Vill-V completed the assembly of the Sea of Quanta passage device.

"Really, Bronie, you always like to prepare so much? Thanks to your preparations, it's time to summon Cosmic Juggernaut!"

Eight minutes, is it enough? Vill-V didn't know, but they had to try anyway.

"Kevin, it's our turn to fight side by side again."

When Su said this, Kevin hesitated for a moment.

"Yeah, side by side."

Kevin wasn't one for many words, and he began his work in front of the Sea of Quanta passage built by Vill-V and the orphanage children. Then, an extremely bizarre scene unfolded before the scientists.

In the world filled with imaginary energy, a path leading to the Sea of Quantum was opened, and within that gateway to the Sea of Quantum, another train engine appeared. The train engine had been split into two sections originally, and Kevin owned the latter half. As the latter half reconnected with the front, the second divine key, Cosmic Juggernaut, for the execution of the previous civilization's Project Veluka, descended once again!

"I'm almost back to normal. Now it's my turn!"

"Are you sure it's okay? I remember the shot you just took..."

"Elysia, whether it's okay or not doesn't matter. What matters is that only I can do this. If you approach the Imaginary Tree, you'll probably turn into pure imaginary energy and dissipate completely."

"According to calculations, based on Bronie's abilities, the success rate of this plan is indeed very high."

Vill-V also comforted, although she also knew that Bronie's body condition was so poor that after taking that shot, she would probably need to lie in bed for a long time.

However, her true ability lies in editing the language of the world, and she has a certain influence on compiling the Imaginary Tree.

So she had to do it herself!

Even if it's just to touch the Imaginary Tree and implant a small program inside!

So this plan was completely improvised, and in the end, it all depended on luck, but if they dared to go all out...

Then Bronie glanced at the worried-looking Bronya.

"You're tired too. Don't force yourself. Even if the Divine Grace Field only lasted for a moment, it will definitely have an impact on your body. If you're unlucky, you might not grow tall in the future."

"Bronie, do you remember the agreement with Bronya? Don't push yourself too hard. Sometimes taking the long way around is the shortcut. Don't be too greedy."

"Yeah, it's not just Vill-V. In our plan, there's also the leader of the previous civilization, Dr. Mei, the pinnacle of human wisdom, so we can't expect to solve all the problems completely this time."

Bronie had a very clear goal in mind. And when Kevin heard about Dr. Mei, he turned back and asked, "Is there anything else that needs help?"

"If we encounter enemies on the way, please help me eliminate them. I may not be able to spare so much energy."

Just as there are monsters on the side of the Sea of Quanta, Bronie believed there must be something on the side of the Imaginary Tree, whether it's imaginary constructs or something else, as long as they attempt to do something to the Imaginary Tree, they will inevitably encounter obstacles.

"No problem! Su, and... Aponia."

Kevin hesitated for a moment, but Aponia had voluntarily merged with the Elysian Realm, so in the Elysian Realm, Aponia could be considered a very special existence.

She had locked herself away for too long, so long that everyone almost thought she had indeed died.
But a MANTIS Soldier, especially someone as special as Aponia, how could she easily die?

She wouldn't use death to escape her sins, only to punish herself continuously, as an act of atonement.

"I understand. I will do my best."

"Phew, it seems I haven't forgotten how to make a floating motorcycle..."

"Bronie, three minutes left. Although there is very little concept of time inside the Sea of Quanta, unlike the imaginary space inside the Imaginary Tree, remember to reserve time."

"Got it."

"Alright! The great Vill-V's magic escape prop is ready! Lock the coordinates of the imaginary space, confirm the traces of a large amount of imaginary energy flow, and actors, get ready!"

As the gate of Cosmic Juggernaut opened, this was Bronie's first time entering its interior. The control panel inside resembled that of a spaceship, very futuristic.

"Are you ready?" Vill-V asked.

"Do we even need to ask? Of course, we're ready. Now and in the future, this is something we must face. Let's treat this as a warm-up, because I also believe in your abilities."

"Okay, that's good. Maintain that mindset. Don't rush out blindly anymore, although you have special abilities, you are also very vulnerable."

"Mm... I know, so when will you..."

"Cosmic Juggernaut preheating complete, entering the final three-second countdown, three, two... one..."

When Cosmic Juggernaut started, there wasn't any noticeable pushback. Essentially, Cosmic Juggernaut located the coordinates of the imaginary space and utilized the properties of the imaginary space to achieve displacement.
But in reality, there were still many mysteries about the imaginary space, so the fact that Cosmic Juggernaut could advance steadily was already very remarkable.

After a moment of weightlessness dissipated, Bronie hurried to the door of Cosmic Juggernaut. Getting off, she looked around, recalibrating the time.

Time did pass in the imaginary space, but there were also differences in the speed of time flow.

Bronie didn't understand the specific rules, but the original three minutes had been extended by about ten minutes, which Bronie thought was quite good.

The enormous golden tree was right in front, with a desert of red sand beneath her feet. And in this desert of imaginary sand, there were some rare building remains.
Some looked like buildings from the Elysian Realm, while others resembled the base on the moon.

At a glance, they were all military-style buildings of the previous civilization's Fire Moth.

And beneath that golden tree, Bronie saw a figure in pink.

A girl dressed in new clothes, gorgeously adorned, like a bride in a sea of flower.

Bronie knew that scene was Elysia's final farewell ball...

If she wanted to pull her out of the river of time and space into her own world, then what Bronie would have to face was the last thing Elysia had to face.

And Elysia chose the ultimate self-sacrifice, so what Bronie would face was Elysia herself.

Projecting the floating motorcycle and riding up, all Bronie could see in her eyes at that moment was that pink figure.

"I'm here, Elysia!"




Chapter 167 Hi~ Missed me?

Rushing through the imaginary space, Otto once again encountered the former execution ground. Honkai beasts roamed, and the Imaginary tree itself seemed to have some defense mechanism. So when Otto reached the final destination, he burned everything he had, leaving Void Archives behind.

Similarly, if she were to resurrect all the Flamechasers, what she would face wouldn't be just the defense mechanism of the imaginary tree.

She would have to face Kosma, who faced Dinality, Pardo, who sacrificed herself to open the door, Eden who waited silently for civilization's end by Finality, the real Mobius killed by the corruption virus released from Mobius's memory in Elysian Realm, Griseo who waited lonely in the starry sea for the final moments of her life, and Sakura who fought to the death against her sister, the Herrscher of Corruption. Kalpas, who had also faced Finality, and Vill-V, who had operated the Moonlight Throne until it was scrapped and died on the moon in the battle .

Simply put, to dredge up all the Flamechasers, conservatively estimating, she would have to face Finality at least once.

If luck wasn't on her side, it might be three or even four times!

Fortunately, Elysia, Eden, Griseo, and even Dr. Mei were probably not in such dire straits. If she were to resurrect them from the imaginary tree, what she would face might not be so bad.

"Elysia..."

The floating motorcycle accelerated to the extreme, and ahead was the girl as beautiful as a flower.
In that final ball, the girl would gather all her power to communicate with the Cocoon of Finality.

She would use her own way to bring about a completely new change to the future. The threads of fate would be completely torn, bringing new hope to the next civilization. It was well known that Elysia had indeed achieved it.

But she also sacrificed herself.

Was this the result of overexertion of power leading to death, or did she integrate into the Cocoon of Finality in her own way, changing it from within?

Bronie had asked Elysia about this before. Unfortunately, Elysia had never dared to explore what her true power was. In the end, she had used it in daze, but it had indeed successfully influenced the Cocoon of Finality.
At that time, Bronie felt that this thing was very absurd, but later Elysia also gave a more convincing explanation.

Perhaps Elysia's abilities back then were closely related to her desires.

She hoped to become human, so she traveled the world, formed bonds with people, understood humans, and loved humans deeply. She hoped to have the power of magic, so crystals and flowers often accompanied her, and birds and fish could also turn into her power.
Finally, she wove the threads of fate, making it more likely for the future lawgiver to obtain humanity, but the final cost might have been a bit too much.

What caused Elysia's death was the price she had to bear.

If she wanted to avoid this from happening, if she only wanted to bring Elysia back, if she wanted to not affect the continuity of time, then what she had to do was deceive time, deceive the world.

This was slightly simpler than creating a world with Kallen, but it was still not simple.

"Didn't expect the first one to dissipate would be me?"

Mobius, standing on the edge of the golden tree, noticed that her fingertips began to emit golden light, gradually turning into dust and dispersing.

"Mobius..."

Kevin noticed this and briefly paused his own battle, turning back to see that there was no trace of loss on Mobius's face.

"Don't worry about me, Ice Pop. It's only natural for me to dissipate first. After all, this is the path I chose. I killed my other self outside and prevented resurrection by altering time. Isn't that denying the choices I made?"

"Kevin."

Seeing Mobius gradually dissipating, Sakura suddenly knew what was happening.

In other words, those who were originally dead now probably didn't have much time left.

"The rest is up to you from now on. We won't stop fighting until we completely dissipate. But the vacancies left after our dissipation must be filled. Don't let the children get hurt."

Sakura's words made Kevin frown even more.

Was this Aeon really so cruel?

She let Bronie open the door to death herself, giving them a chance to be resurrected, yet she still let them dissipate bit by bit in front of Bronie.

If what the Aeon expected was the suffering, anger, and sadness of others, and if she found Joy in it, then perhaps Dr. Mei wasn't wrong when she said all the stars in the sky were enemies.

On one side was the Sea of Quanta, on the other was the Imaginary Tree. Just like two substances that would react violently when mixed together, they collided, fought, and then transformed each other. The island had become unstable, and it was possible that it might suddenly explode.

However, Kevin didn't bother to think about the island's problems for the meantime.

Just dealing with the various imaginary constructs and quantum shadows attacking was enough to make his scalp tingle. If there were his Judgement of Shamash, he wouldn't have to face this kind of crowd tactic.

"Mobius... really, if something like this happens, I'll really cry... Why hasn't Bronie come back yet? Bronie..."

Suddenly, Elysia paused. Kevin quickly turned around.

"Kevin, I seem to suddenly have some strange memories..."

Kevin's eyes lit up instantly. Strange memories were indeed very rare, but at this moment, the sudden appearance of memories meant that Bronie had successfully interfered with the past!

But Kevin was still somewhat concerned about the nature of this interference.

"These memories are a bit blurry, at the last ball... I... I..."


...


"I won't allow you to sacrifice yourself completely!"

The beautiful girl was reaching out to the sky, about to give everything she had.

Suddenly, Haxxor Bunny burst in, and at the last moment when her finger touched the branches of the imaginary tree, she leaped from the floating motorcycle and, leveraging ber powerful momentum, charged into Elysia's arms, grabbing the hand reaching towards the sky tightly.

"You are..."

The originally somewhat illusory figure of Elysia gradually solidified.

"I caught you!"

The surroundings suddenly changed, as if the laws set by the Imaginary Tree were being challenged, and the gods were about to mete out punishment to those who dared to challenge the rules.

At this moment, Elysia was extremely confused. The sudden change in scenery, the sudden cessation of power, and what?

At Bronie's fingertips, a blue core was gradually forming. It was a core that was so similar to her own power yet somehow different.

"This is the Ether Anchor I have cherished for a long time, the most magnificent treasure in the Sea of Quanta. You better make it up to me when the time comes..."

"What a cute girl~ But you hurt me~"

"Huh?"

Is this the first thing she says when we meet!?

But upon hearing Elysia cry out in pain, Bronie hurriedly let go of her hand.

Taking advantage of Bronie's loosening grip, Elysia grabbed Bronie's hand in return.

"Now I've caught you! So what's the situation now?"

The past Elysia had yet to fully understand the situation, but looking at the cute girl in front of her who was desperately trying to stop her sacrifice and even gave her that strange Ether Singularity, perhaps this girl had come through time and space to save her?

If this were true, it would be so romantic~

But the surrounding environment couldn't be described as good.

The ground was covered with red sand, the sky was invisible, the golden tree behind exuded a strong presence, and there were countless puppet-like monsters around.

They cooperated with each other, gradually forming an impenetrable wall, intending to trap Bronie and Elysia in this imaginary space.
It would be best not to go back.

"I used my abilities to slightly edit the Ether Singularity, to simulate your abilities and provide energy, in order to achieve the possibility of the future Herrscher gaining humanity. However, if Prometheus 17 interferes with the Cocoon of Finality, the success rate will be very high."

Bronie projected another drone based on the Moonlight Throne and bombed the human wall ahead.

The dense imaginary monsters instantly dissipated, temporarily revealing the familiar locomotive behind.

"Is that Cosmic Juggernaut?"
"Yes, Cosmic Juggernaut. Thanks to it, otherwise, I wouldn't be able to come to you. But that's not important. That's our destination. If we don't catch up with Cosmic Juggernaut at the last moment, we'll be stuck here forever."

"Sacrificing for love sounds a bit romantic, but I prefer a happy ending~ So as long as we reach that place, right?"
Bronie didn't rush to answer Elysia, but took out a green syringe and stabbed it fiercely into her own heart.

"Last three shots. After the next shot, lie down for half a year, the next shot will leave you partially paralyzed, and the last shot will end everything."

"Is this the potion designed by Mobius? But can this much really..."

"Improvements over 50,000 years, there's always some progress, right? So..."

"Give me a shot!"
Elysia didn't hesitate either, looking at where Bronie had just taken out the syringe and then lifting up her skirt.

Ah ha!

Leg ring!

This thing is really useful, always allowing people to carry life-saving things in unexpected places.

Bronie didn't resist, just clamped her legs tightly.

"Sorry, I wasn't in full condition when entering the imaginary space. Doing this much already took all my strength. I'll save other Flamechasers later..."

"No need to talk. It's my turn to perform next~ Hehehe, didn't expect the first meeting to be like this. To be honest, I'm a little shy~"

Now Elysia was the Elysia after the ball, completely unleashing her power and fully communicating with the Cocoon of Finality on the Imaginary tree.

"Sorry, this isn't the first time I've seen this."

"Oh~ Is that so! Then compared to the me back then, how am I now?"

Elysia slowly drew her bow, the legendary tractor form of Elysia, opening up a passage with each arrow.

Bronie projected another floating motorcycle and drove up.

The drug's effects began to kick in, now at their peak.

If they couldn't break through this barrier and reach Cosmic Juggernaut, all their efforts in front would probably be in vain.

But the firepower Bronie could create, combined with Elysia's, gave the feeling of adding a drop in the ocean.

It felt like they were facing an entire world!

Just as Elysia was starting to worry if she could make it to Cosmic Juggernaut, she saw a familiar green figure.

"Mobius? What are you doing here!?"

"I already anticipated there would be problems here, hehe, so this time you owe me a favor~"

The green serpent disrupted the battlefield, and the colossal python erupted with destructive lightning.

Boom boom boom boom boom!

Thunder echoed in the imaginary space, leaving Elysia momentarily stunned, unsure of what was happening.

It seemed like everyone was resurrected?

"Keep moving forward, Elysia. This is the opportunity she fought for us..."
Without looking back, Bronie continued forward. The giant serpent and the giant Imaginary Husk collided, and more imaginary constructs gradually engulfed Mobius.

Mass tactics, especially when applied to imaginary monsters, were particularly terrifying.

The combat power of each imaginary monster was not to be underestimated, and they blocked Bronie's progress like a tsunami.

Every time Elysia gathered her arrows, she could only create a small space when bombing.

If it weren't for Mobius's appearance...

"No, the number of imaginary husks is increasing, our firepower hasn't changed at all. At this rate, we won't be able to break through..."

"Hahaha! Impossible? There's nothing impossible in the world! Let my fury pave the way for you!"

"Husk, why are you..."

Did they really all resurrect before?

"No, my dear Elysia, it's not that we resurrected before, it's that Bronie created an opportunity. Everyone chose to let you go first, so come on!"

Eden understood what Elysia was thinking and directly answered her doubts.

With no more confusion in her heart, Elysia looked firmly ahead.

"Okay~"
The girl hugged Bronie tightly, took one last look at Eden, and then looked ahead again, when the familiar whale song came from behind.

"The imaginary space is really wonderful. I'll explore the unknown here first. Elysia, you go ahead~"

Vill-V also appeared, controlling various weapons and bombarding everything in front of her!
Next was Kosma who was already in his Honkai Active Form.

The taciturn boy opened up new paths with his actions.

Griseo's ability isolated Elysia from the imaginary husks.

Sakura's slashes eliminated all obstacles ahead.

"Elysia... don't forget about me... I've finally come back to life... finally enjoyed barbecue, sunshine, and beaches... but in the end, I'm still going to die... but if it's for you, Elysia, I can muster the courage... so please... don't forget me..."

As the last support, Pardo stood on the roof of Cosmic Juggernaut, doing her utmost to prevent the imaginary gods from destroying the locomotive. But when she saw Bronie leading Elysia into the locomotive, Pardo activated her very special ability.

The ability to open all doors.

The ring blade gradually enlarged, forming a huge void under Cosmic Juggernaut, just like a locomotive trapped in quicksand. Under Pardo's power, the gate to the original world was opened, but the price was Pardo's dissipation.

The golden branches at the center of the island spread over the entire island.


In front of Kevin's eyes, Flamechasers one by one dissipated, turning into golden light that danced in the wind and flew towards the glowing tree. The last one to dissipate was Elysia.

She smiled, asking Kevin to wait for a moment.

Time entered its final countdown, at the top of the golden tree, the giant locomotive descended freely in a very precarious posture!

With its immense weight, if it fell freely from this height, the locomotive would surely be smashed to pieces, and the people inside would be in danger...

So, the moment Kevin noticed the locomotive falling, he directly exerted all his strength, freezing all the air under the locomotive. A larger iceberg appeared under the locomotive.

At the same time, the golden tree began to fade, and the passage to the Sea of began to close. The conflict between the sea and the tree ended here.

Bronya manipulated Project, slowly lowering the locomotive from the iceberg.

Under Kevin's expectant gaze, the gate to Cosmic Juggernaut slowly opened, steam and ice collided to form a huge vapor, but behind that white steam, there were two figures!

"Hi~ Kevin, missed me?"





Chapter 168: Final Gains Assessment

After the Flamechasers dissipated, they followed the Imaginary Tree and its energy back to their original locations, essentially returning to where they came from.

However, Bronie never anticipated that they would suddenly appear on their path back to the Cosmic Juggernaut.

The returning Flamechasers paved the way for Elysia’s progress, but ultimately they had to sacrifice Pardo, who returned without the cooldown or making it to the Cosmic Juggernaut.

Of course, even if Pardo did nothing, she would still dissipate. Pardo knew this well and could have chosen to do nothing. But she couldn’t ignore Kevin’s and Bronie’s requests.

Ultimately, Pardo summoned great courage, repeatedly claiming she was an ordinary person, while crying and using her ability to open the gate to the Imaginary Space.

To be honest, Bronie felt quite guilty. She decided that the next time she returned to the Elysian Realm, she would bring Pardo some nice things—gems, gold, and catnip, all included! Bronie used two doses of the combat stimulant from Mobius. One when activating the Divine Grace Field, and another when meeting Elysia. The third dose was used on Elysia, with outstanding results. A short two-month recovery period, and Bronie would be back in shape.

Aponia stayed in the real world. Her arrival on the island wasn’t through the Imaginary Tree but because Aha extracted her from the Elysian Realm.
Although Aponia had integrated herself entirely into the Elysian Realm back in the day, many parts of the Elysian Realm had close ties with her cognition, much like the cognitive palaces in Persona.

At that time, Mobius from the Elysian Realm wondered if Bronie had thoroughly studied the entire Elysian Realm to create that game.
However, Bronie considered it impolite to fully analyze the hardware of memory data, so she only gained a general understanding.

Kevin also hitched a ride back to the real world from the Elysian Realm. When he contacted World Serpent, Grey Serpent had mixed feelings but complied dutifully.

As for the mole within World Serpent, Hydra, it continued to operate undercover. When Cioara learned about the island’s situation and requested to retrieve the children, she was perplexed upon seeing Bronie resting in Elysia’s arms.

Moreover, who was that incredibly voluptuous woman dressed as a nun with an inexplicable allure?
Cioara, who hadn’t seen Aponia in the Elysian Realm, was even more bewildered when she saw Aponia enter the orphanage with Bronie.

She wondered what Bronie had done to end up in such a state. Or was it because of Elysia?

Wait a minute!

Cioara later realized that Elysia wasn’t just a memory construct of the Elysian Realm!

Elysia’s habit of flirting with pretty girls left Cioara dazed. When they reached the orphanage, Cioara finally noticed Elysia’s presence and wondered why she was there.

Was this the cost of resurrection? How had Bronie grown to such an absurd extent? According to Bronie, it was all due to Mobius’s drugs.

Cioara concluded that it was all Mobius’s doing.

She glanced at the unconscious Bronie, feeling conflicted.
She had done countless dirty and tiring tasks for World Serpent, hoping it would one day defeat the Honkai. And what happened?

Bronie, meanwhile, had gone on vacation and resurrected Elysia during her break.

Was the difference between people really that vast? Or were people like Bronie just exceptional?

Due to the magnitude of Bronie’s actions, Jackal felt numb. So she preferred focusing on improving the Stigmata Project and figuring out how to break free after its activation.

Enveloping all of humanity in a dream while lacking the ability to awaken Stigmata, Jackal could only think of studying the Stigmata Project to see what improvements could be made.

Although she had always used this to deceive Raven, it seemed that wasn’t working anymore.
Reluctantly, Raven was dragged away by Jackal.

When Bronie woke up again, she saw Seele gently wiping her body with a cloth.

"Good morning, Seele..."

"Bronie sis! You’re still not well. Lie down and don’t move around. I’ll go get Mobius!"

Seeing Bronie wake up, Seele was very happy, but Bronie was full of confusion.

Mobius?

"Is the Elysian Realm is still here..."

"Do you think Aha is that kind of person!"

Aeon!

Bronie hurriedly tried to get up, but a hand pressed her back down onto the bed.

"Rest well. You gave us quite a show. Vill-V said her escape magic would definitely allow Elysia to escape from death and use it as a deal to let everyone in the Elysian Realm remember everything."

"She’s that kind of magician who’s good at creating miracles... You seem satisfied..."

"Creating meaningful life from meaningless death is quite enjoyable. But your expression when the Divine Grace Field descended was truly pitiful~"

The Aeon seemed to have orchestrated a Holy Grail War, pulling people down from the Imaginary Tree.

When the Flamechasers returned, they opened a passage for Elysia to come back.

All this was the result of the Flamechasers’s efforts and Vill-V’s plan, which required the Aeon's approval.

"No matter what, I revived someone before Otto, which means I can show off in front of him and watch him regret his past misdeeds."

"Hahaha! It seems you’ve grasped the essence of Elation! Fooling the wise, making the wicked reap what they sow, and trampling on ambitions before the ambitious!"

"I’d rather just make games... Fighting is still too dangerous..."

Bronie only wanted to annoy Otto, not to completely follow the path of elation.

Paths are those others have walked; she had to find her own road. More importantly, Bronie was not interested in experiencing the Aeon's game, which could be deadly.

Moreover, if she did nothing and left some good memories, there wouldn’t be any danger.

Divine Grace Field? That was Bronie's choice.

So Bronie had no reason to blame the Aeon, who had left something like Pandora's Box behind her game. Only by touching and opening it would one know whether it contained hope or despair. Aha was very eager for Bronie to open this surprise box.

Of course, Bronie didn’t disappoint Aha. She brought Elysia out from the Imaginary Tree.

"By the way, where is Elysia? Is she alright?"

With a blink, the Aeon disappeared from Bronie's sight.

Alright, Bronie could only wait for Seele to bring Mobius.

"How are we, my little white rabbit? Looks like you need to train your body more. My potion shouldn’t have kept you lying down this long."

"Me? How long was I out?"

Seele came in with a tablet, and on the screen was the familiar Mobius.

"Two months, idiot. Didn’t you see how old your IV is! The Aeon really is capricious, reviving us with ease and restoring us just as easily. Haha, you better cooperate with my research. If I become a Aeon, I might make you a messenger~"

Mobius seemed to be in a very good mood. However, Bronie thought her extended rest was not due to a lack of physical training, but because she took the full brunt of the Divine Grace Field.

That thing could cause significant damage, and Bronie only heard about it from the other Flamechasers who had experienced it firsthand.
The tragedy of the binding back then caused countless fusion warriors to dissipate like snowflakes, a fact Bronie was well aware of.

So even though the Divine Grace Field lasted just a moment, the damage it caused Bronie was immeasurable. Ignoring the damage and injecting Mobius’s combat stimulant ultimately led to this state.

However, Mobius said the side effects were indeed conservative.

"How is everyone in the Elysian Realm?"

"They’re fine, very fine! With one less troublemaker, everyone is more focused on their work! Aside from that, there’s no change, except Klein said we need more data to maintain stability since Aponia is gone."

So Aponia successfully left the Elysian Realm too?

That was expected, given her special condition. The original plan was for Aponia to be the last to leave to avoid destabilizing the Elysian Realm.

But it seems the problem wasn’t too significant, though it was hard on Klein.

"As long as everyone is okay, I promise not to stop until all of you are back."

"Facing that level of enemy each time, are you sure? Every Imaginary Tree Construct is ferocious, like endless ants, each one as powerful as an Emperor-class Honkai beast..."

Mobius admitted it was scary. If each resurrection required facing such enemies, it was hard to guarantee Bronie could emerge unscathed every time.

This time, she had the Flamechasers, but what about next time?

"To deal with the Imaginary Tree, the best means is something from the Elysian Realm. If possible, I hope for a chance to find an Ether Anchor, which would give us a greater chance of success by transforming it into a weapon to blow up a part of the Imaginary Tree."

"Only you could achieve that. Vill-V couldn’t figure it out..."

Yes, only Bronie could. But such a task was not easy.

First, there had to be an Ether Singularity. Secondly, the Elysian Realm was vast and filled with all sorts of monsters, not easier than storming the tree.

"I brought back the data."

Bronie sighed, referring to the biological data Mobius left behind, which she transcribed differently to prevent it from returning to the Imaginary Tree.

"Great, it seems the Aeon who likes you is more generous than we thought. You better make more games in the future!"

"Please, do you think I make games to please the Aeon?"

Mobius's words, Bronie had to admit, were true. The Aeon’s attitude towards her was more generous than she imagined.

A high and mighty Aeon shouldn’t focus so much on one person. Maybe it was due to the special nature of the Path of Elation? Or perhaps the Aeon had countless avatars seeking fun across the universe?

"Regardless of your reasons for making games, you can’t stop the Aeon’s interest in you, so better make games honestly!"

Speaking of making games, Bronie was short on ideas. She had tried many genres, including horror, which she didn’t like.

Although releasing games didn’t require avoiding repeated genres, Bronie preferred reducing comparisons to similar works, hoping for more praise.

"Alright, I’ll send you the biological data later. Anything else?"

"No, just take care and exercise. Don’t just use the Divine Grace Field and then a shot of stimulant and collapse again~"

Mobius's unique way of showing care had to be endured.

Bronie ended the call, looking at Seele, who was still staring at her.

"Sorry for worrying you," Bronie said.

"No! Seele just feels useless, not being able to help. Did Seele not do enough? Every day, everyone could only silently watch Bronie sister lie in bed. Maybe if Seele had acted faster at that time…"

"It wouldn't have changed anything because I never included you in the plan from the beginning."

"Huh?"

"Saving the world and such, if left to children, this world would be quite inadequate. So let us handle such matters. You children just need to grow up well, happily live each day. It's just that this time disrupted your vacation. I feel quite guilty about that."

Bronie patted Seele's head, feeling a significant relief throughout her body.

How nice, the children of Cocolia's orphanage were really good!

"No, Bronie sister…"

"Alright, alright. But speaking of which, where’s Elysia?"

"I’ll go call her!"

"Wait…"

Before Bronie could stop her, Seele hurriedly left the room.

Bronie had wanted to use the tablet to do it herself.

Observing her surroundings, Bronie's room had been completely transformed into a sickroom. However, there were still bright flowers on the bedside table, and the room was filled with an inexplicable fragrance, making the environment quite comfortable.

Was this done by Elysia?

Just as Bronie was looking forward to seeing Elysia again, the door opened again.

"Hi~ Missed me?"




Chapter 169: A New Game for Rehabilitation

"Although this statement might be a bit belated, welcome back, Elysia. And also... do you still... remember me?"

When Bronie first encountered Elysia from that alternate timeline, she knew the other person didn't recognize her. So Bronie was very worried. If Elysia forgot everything, how would she face Elysia?

"How could I forget such a cute beauty who did so much for me? My little rabbit~"

"It's Bunny, actually!"

Bronie corrected.

"Yes, yes~ My dear Bunny~"

Elysia hugged her without hesitation.

"So, did the timeline change?"

"Huh? Are you saying we successfully deceived the world? Vill-V said that kind of magic was indeed amazing, directly deceiving the world and its common sense. I think it should be successful, right? The first generation Herrscher of Reason passed the core inheritance to the second generation, who is now the Lord of Anti Entropy. The second Herrscher holds strong resentment towards human civilization, but she also has her own thoughts!"

This wasn't solely the result of Elysia's abilities.

Instead, after showing everything to Bronie, Bronie successfully hacked into the Cocoon of Finality by writing Ether code and using Ether Anchor as a power source.

The Herrscher gained humanity, even extreme negative emotions, which were also part of humanity.

"That's good if it's successful... I didn't expect the Imaginary Tree to be more tolerant of changes to the past than we imagined. I guess I kind of understand the thoughts of fictional historians now, or perhaps the Aeon?"

"Alright! I'm right beside you, and you're thinking about other Aeons? Am I not attractive enough?"

With her arms around Bronie's neck, Elysia's face gradually drew closer.

Please let it not be another attempt to see her reflection in my eyes.

Bronie had already—

Soft lips pressed against hers.

Bronie forgot to breathe and widened her eyes.

"The poor princess was taken away by the Grim Reaper, yet the brave Bunny Knight managed to snatch her from the Grim Reaper's grasp after countless obstacles. With such determination, how could the princess not be moved?"

Bronie was stunned, feeling like this moment was eternal.

But instead of delving deeper, Bronie's thoughts at this moment were strangely directed towards showing off to Otto.

Wait a minute, what's wrong with me? Why am I daydreaming at such a celebratory moment!?

Right?

No, no!

Blushing, Bronie lowered her head.

"I love you..."

"Who loves me?"

"B-Bronie..."

"What's wrong with Bronie?"

"B-Bronie loves Elysia!"

"For how long?"

"Forever~"

"Say it again!"

"B-Bronie loves Elysia forever!"

"Elysia hears it~ Elysia also loves Bronie forever!"

At this moment, Elysia's smile was as bright as a flower, and Bronie temporarily forgot her physical discomfort, feeling happiness overflowing throughout her body.

After another deep kiss and embrace, Bronie reluctantly let go of Elysia.

"Alright, Bronie, from now on, take good care of your health. It's not suitable for strenuous exercise now. In the days to come, I'll take good care of you."

Elysia winked at her, got off the bed, fixed her hair, then turned back to call for Aponia outside the door.

"Aponia, you can come in now!"

The door opened again, and seeing Aponia with her hands clasped in a praying manner, Bronie blushed.

The startled Bunny quickly retreated under the covers, peeking out at Aponia.

"She knows too?"

"Bronie, I don't mean to interfere with the feelings between you and Elysia. You've been lying down for over two months, receiving only intravenous nutrition. You need some simple, easily digestible food to awaken your digestive system."

"I'll do it, Aponia."

Elysia took the porridge and scooped up a spoonful of steaming porridge, blowing on it gently with her small mouth before tenderly bringing it to her lips.

"Two months!?"

"Great power often comes with a price. Just being in a coma for two months is actually a small cost for you, but even so, your body has teetered on the edge of life and death. Mobius even proposed performing a Meta-morph surgery on you."

What's the success rate of Meta-morph surgery with past civilization's technology? One in a thousand? Or one in ten thousand? Even if the technology is mature, the possibility of gaining immense power instantly after injection is very small.

What? Am I a transmigrator, a protagonist? But apart from coming to the Honkai world, Bronie has obtained everything through her own efforts, not something given by some system.

So Bronie has never been willing to gamble on probability issues. Even if she were to undergo Meta-morph surgery, it would be based entirely on her trust in Mobius's technology.

"Okay."
Bronie silently swallowed the porridge and pondered what to do next.

Hearing Aponia's words, Bronie just shook her head slightly.

"It's not to the point of undergoing Meta-morph surgery yet. I'll thank Mobius for her kindness for now. I left a message in the Ether Singularities for Prometheus No. 17. If luck is on our side, she should be able to cooperate with us in controlling the Cocoon of Finality. In the end, we'll definitely resolve the Honkai, but if there's more pressure on her side, we may need some Herrschers on the human side."

"Wow, you've done so much!"

"Well... while programming in the Ether Singularities, I did a little extra. The Bunny's plan has never failed, so you can rely on me!"

But Elysia quickly stuffed Bronie's mouth with porridge.

"Don't face everything alone from now on. You still have me! Even though I'm no longer a memory body, I can do a lot of things!"

"Wuwu... Mm..."

After finally swallowing the porridge, Bronie smiled foolishly again, but soon she started to worry about the children in the orphanage.

"Oh, the children."

"Don't worry, the children are very sensible. They listen to me well, and this activity has had a big impact on them. I heard even the naughtiest Rosalia wants to practice dancing with Lilia to cheer you up!"

Talking about the children made Aponia unable to stop laughing.

They are all sensible, cute, and obedient children. Because of Bronie's education, they all have very distinct personalities, and instead of just having a familial relationship, they've formed an unbreakable family bond.

Supporting each other, moving forward, and realizing each other's dreams.

"Being an idol is quite good. When the time comes, I'll have Otto provide the necessary resources, and they can be trained into stars, maybe even Teriri-level stars."

"Great! I'll help then!"

Elysia found this matter quite interesting and wanted to get involved.

"Yeah, being an idol is a profession that easily brings dreams to others. Actually, it's quite good, but under the influence of capital, it may not be so pure. So all I can do is protect this aspect."

Although Bronie doesn't doubt Lilia's ability to handle this, she feels that the children don't need to see such ugliness too early.

There is still a lot of beauty in the world. Having suffered a lot in the past, isn't it good to observe the beauty of the world again?

"This kind of protection is enough. So, I'll take my leave for now. You two enjoy your time alone. I'll try to persuade Kevin to postpone Project Stigma. It won't be activated until the last moment."

"Okay, Aponia, goodbye, Aponia."

After eating a little porridge, Bronie suddenly felt a bit more energetic.

At this rate of recovery, won't it take about a week to get out of bed?

The door closed again, and Bronie saw Bronya's figure at the door.

Hmm... forget it, let's not think about it!

Elysia lay on the edge of the bed, quietly watching herself, while Bronie needed to patiently wait for her body to recover.

"Elysia."

"Hmm?"

"What do you think the next game should be like? Something more hopeful, or slightly more impressive? Or perhaps more refreshing? Oh, could you get the neural interface device from that cabinet over there?"

"Wouldn't making games be very tiring? I've heard Bronya say that you often stay up late making games and need to concentrate a lot."

"If it's a big game with a lot of details, it will definitely be troublesome to make, but if it's a relatively simple game, there's not much to think about."

After Elysia installed the neural interface devices for both of them, she came to Bronie's ear.

"Is this okay?"

"Yes, initiate the Genesis System, create a new folder."

"So, what kind of game would be considered relatively simple?"

This was Elysia's first time observing Bronie making a game from such a close distance. The Genesis System created a computer desktop according to the current computer operating system.

It was filled with countless material files and various abandoned drafts of game settings. At a glance, it was clear that Bronie had put a lot of effort and intention into it.

"To keep it simple, we have to start with the storyline, music, graphics, and gameplay. Nowadays, many game companies are starting to follow the example of 2077, piling on details, side quests, and gameplay mechanics to enrich the overall game experience, leaving question marks all over the map."

"Is that a bad thing?"

"If you've worked hard all day and finally returned to the computer to enjoy a game, wanting to experience the game's plot, but what you see is a map full of tasks like work, what would you think?"

"It's very likely that you'll just close the game and never touch it again, right? Of course, if it were me, I would definitely play through it slowly, but I understand that everyone is usually very tired from work!"

Elysia could understand their feelings. Just as she didn't dislike humanity after seeing its ugly side, but rather liked it even more.

That's because even in ugliness, complexity, and contradictions, Elysia could always find the beauty and thus better understand them.

"So I think they might need a game that can relax their body and mind, something simple that can make them smile, and then share the fun with their friends and family."

"So what kind of game would that be? I'm really looking forward to it!"

"Are you doing a comedy show here? How did you suddenly become the comic relief?"

"Isn't it interesting? It can liven up the atmosphere and leave a deep impression. But Bronie, don't get too obsessed with making games. It's not good for your health if you exhaust yourself. Anyway, about this game..."

Facing Elysia's concern, Bronie nodded slightly, then projected an image.

"What's this? It's kind of cute and funny."

"These are zombies, and the one wearing an ice cream cone is the Conehead Zombie."

"Haha, the names are so simple! And what about this one?"

"This is the Peashooter. It damages zombies by shooting peas at them."

As Bronie spoke, the Peashooter on the screen spat out a pea, hitting the zombie.

With not much impact, the zombie continued to stagger forward until it fell.

"Plants vs. Zombies, simple, fun, right? As a reconstruction project, it's just right!"

Cute plants, funny zombies, simple tower defense gameplay, plus catchy background music.

Although this type of game does look much simpler, from the patient's perspective, the workload is just right.

"It's interesting. Do you just need to place plants?"

"There's also a bit of management involved, but overall, it's not too difficult, and it can occupy everyone's spare time."

In the past, if Bronie was tired from work, playing a few rounds of Plants vs. Zombies would have been a great way to relax.

This classic game, though seemingly simple, is actually quite impressive for an earlier computer game.

"These zombies, are they all geniuses? How do they have so many strange armors and attack devices?"

As Elysia watched Bronie project one image after another, she felt a whole new experience as she saw this game gradually take shape from the perspective of the creator.

"It's like a race between humans and Honkai, with humans constantly seeking ways to become stronger, while zombies are also looking for new breakthroughs. There will be night scenes, backyard pools, foggy weather, rooftops, and other scenarios in the future. Once these are completed, I think my body will have recovered enough."

"Yeah, once you're almost recovered, we should have a 'deeper conversation'!"

Hearing Elysia's words, Bronie lowered her head slightly, shyly responding, "Okay..."




Chapter 170: Arrange Kiana Clearly

"After returning from vacation, I accidentally got injured, so I'm just playing a little game to get back into the groove."

A week later, Bronie felt that her body was almost back to normal, so she immediately posted a new message online.

Bronie, who usually churned out games like a production line, had gone silent for two months straight, nearly causing countless fans to panic and start searching for her.

There were even rumors that Bronie had died, and there would never be another DLC for Elden Ring or a sequel to The Legend of Zelda.

But when has Bronie ever produced a sequel?

This was indeed a very confusing point.

Creating a new IP but not continuing it, leaving sequels hanging indefinitely, and instead focusing on new works.

The last game was Persona, although the plot and music were excellent, for some players who liked to play big games, it lacked a little something.

RPG games can indeed be considered one of the older categories in the gaming world, but everyone's tastes are different, and what they like is also different. It's very difficult to make everyone like the same game.

"Plants vs. Zombies"

A game that looks so simple that it couldn't get any simpler. Even if it were thrown onto a webpage without any promotion, it might just fade into obscurity.

Perhaps it could also become a childhood memory for some players?

At least, when Bronie played this game as a child, she was very, very happy.

After releasing the new game, Mr. Otto immediately contacted her.

"Although I don't know what time it is on your end, Miss Bronie, I wish you good morning, good afternoon, and good evening. You don't seem to be in very good shape."

Even though Bronie's body had indeed improved a lot, her complexion still looked a bit off, giving off a pale feeSiring.

"After all, I did something incredible, something I've dreamed of but still haven't achieved."

Otto's original relaxed posture instantly collapsed, and he looked at Bronie in shock.

"Are you serious!?"

"Elysia, come and take a look at this Archbishop of Schicksal, the actual controller of Void Archive, the heir of the previous civilization's relics, and the Pure Love War God who has done nothing but evil for five hundred years—Otto!"

"Hey~"

Elysia had heard of Otto's exploits, but it was said that future resurrection plans and plans to fight the Honkai all required the help of the Schicksal, and no matter what, they couldn't bypass this guy, the Archbishop.

He could do anything to resurrect Kallen, but if anyone stood in his way of achieving his goal, Otto would not hesitate to eliminate them.

And to achieve his goals, he would also not hesitate to sacrifice others.

For this reason, he had done many terrible things, which was why Bronie referred to him as the Pure Love War God who has done nothing but evil.

Elysia didn't have much of an opinion on this guy; all she could say was that the diversity of humans indeed allowed Elysia to observe new things once again.

"Hey, are you joking with me?"

"No, this time the Aeon intervened, seizing the opportunity for success. I also brought back important data. I think..."

"Say it. What do you want? The position of the Archbishop of Schicksal is also available, but that thing can only be reserved. I can give you the whole Schicksal after I've completed my own goals."

"Forget it, forget it, being in Schicksal is too troublesome. Who has the time to like that position? Busy all day long, always being watched and could be eaten at any time. What I want to say is... try to cultivate K423 as much as possible, let her metamorphose as a Herrscher."

"Metamorphosis?"

Otto didn't study Herrschers much, so when he heard Bronie say this, he felt quite strange, to be honest.

Then Bronie looked at Elysia beside her.

"The situation of Herrschers in this civilization is somewhat different from that of the previous civilization. Newly born Herrschers are still in a juvenile stage, and under specific circumstances, they can gain strength. It's like when Sirin suddenly gained so much power on the moon. Although this analogy is a bit inappropriate, what I want to say is almost the same."

Sirin's transformation was due to the Honkai Will distributing the power of some future Herrschers to her, allowing her to cause some trouble ahead of time so that the future Herrschers would be relatively weakened.

However, there hasn't been any Herrscher metamorphosis so far, so Bronie doesn't have any evidence to prove all this.

"I understand, so you want K423 to metamorphose, right? For example, suffering a major setback, sacrificing one or two friends who are close to her, and then under the love and bonds of other friends and family, letting humanity overcome the Honkai..."

"Isn't that a bit extreme? Do you have to sacrifice something? Can't it be something else?"

"Haha! I got it. I'll send out a Soulium body to give K423 a good show. I think I should be able to do that."

"Huh?"

"What? Is this not okay? Or are you worried that K423 will be overwhelmed by this? Don't you dislike sacrifices? That's simple, I can prepare a very good play~"

Well, when it comes to Kallen, Otto is definitely serious.

Although at first Otto was a bit skeptical of Bronie's words when he saw Elysia coming out, he knew Bronie had really done it when he saw Elysia touching Bronie's legs and then playfully hugging Bronie's neck with both hands!

To be watched by the Aeon... no, rather, to be loved by someone, to receive such treatment, really makes one envious.

As for himself?

This great villain, there probably won't be many Aeons interested in him.

Otto stillbhas some self-awareness.

"Indeed, while the experiences may be fake, the emotions she can feel, the strength she can gain, all of that is real, but is this really okay?"

Bronie looked at Elysia.

At this point, Elysia was playing with Bronie's spiral ponytail.

"Hehe, then you'll have to compensate Kiana properly~"

Elysia didn't think there was anything wrong with this; sometimes, the things that bring growth are often experienced through pain.

And if this pain could be reduced a bit, or even if it were a small accident...

The future Kiana, who had grown, would surely understand everyone's good intentions.

Of course, it's also possible that she might explode in anger.

According to Elysia's reasoning, this cute and lovely girl of hers would surely be forgiven, right?

Unknowingly, Kiana's future had been arranged clearly, although there seemed to be a tendency from the beginning.

But there was still some change.

Miss Sirin may not be as irritable as before, so maybe growth won't be so painful.

"I'll send you the data, but whether it can be done is another matter. I suggest you remain as rational as possible. If you want to bring Kallen back from death, it's best to give her a world without Honkai."

Otto fell silent.

Did Bronie really believe in this verbal agreement?

Although at the moment, Otto indeed had no intention of betraying Bronie, seeing Bronie like this, as if she had fallen in love, and then seeing Elysia, Otto felt a sour itch in his heart!

Damn it, hold back, I must endure!

"Of course, if Kallen can come back, I will certainly prepare the best world for her. I will still accept the punishment for all the sins of the past, so—"

Bronie sent a file package, and after downloading it, there were many Vill-V-style data reports inside.

But what was even more attractive was the first-person view of Bronie's battles in the imaginary space.

The overwhelming monsters, the fragments of past history, and what Elysia had done to die.

Plus the pure white pearls Bronie pulled out, implanted into the imaginary tree, and upon inspection, it was discovered that this was actually an ether anchor of the Sea of Quanta!

Hiss—

His exploration of the Quantum Sea was indeed on point!

And Durandal also had an ether anchor.

Can he do it?

Connect the world to the imaginary tree, use it as a Trojan horse, and then control it?

No, not enough, he probably needs more power!

If he wants to replicate Bronie's actions, it's going to be very difficult because the Aeon helped her locate Elysia's position on the imaginary tree, allowing Bronie to travel through fifty thousand years of time to reach Elysia's side.

But if he's groping in the dark, forget about fifty thousand years, it's almost impossible for five hundred years!

So he has to become a Herrscher!

Yes, not only does he have to become a Herrscher, but he also has to remain rational and negotiate with the Honkai God!

Once, the ancient civilization was almost completely defeated in front of the Herrscher's constraints. The tragedy of Binding became a bone-deep pain for every hero, and according to Otto's research on Judah, it was also judged that with the current technology, it's really difficult to solve the problem of restraining Herrschers.

Then why not become such a guy himself?

That power based on the laws of the imaginary, the unchanging ability, even if it's weakened, there's still a possibility of contacting the imaginary tree!

Otto stayed up for three days and nights, comparing the data sent by Bronie and conducting various experiments on imaginary energy, as well as studying the ether floating in the Sea of Quanta.

Ether editing technology, although Bronie didn't mention it completely, that ability to almost modify reality could really become a breakthrough point that affects the imaginary tree!

Now that things have come to this, can't he think about it?

He doesn't need to understand all the rules completely, he just needs to figure out how to influence the imaginary tree.

Otto considers himself very clever; these things can be solved as long as he spends time on them.

But before he finishes all this work and experimentation, should he take a look at what game Bronie made?

It's said to be rehabilitation; Otto is curious if Bronie wants to make a small game, would it be another classic like Undertale?

As a result, when he opened the game store, he found that this game was only a little over ten bucks, and the content was only a little over a hundred megabytes.

Isn't this a coincidence?

Undertale also only has a few hundred megabytes of content.

So, Bronie is proving with practical actions that the size of a game can only prove the amount of content of the game.

It cannot determine whether a game is good or not.

Even this title "Plants vs. Zombies" is quite subtle.

After downloading the game, Otto glanced at the massive amount of work content on his computer.

Forget it, let's experience the game first and then think about work.

Otto temporarily forgot about the tedious task of Schicksal duties and opened the Plants vs. Zombies he had just downloaded.

The music came slowly, and the cartoonish graphics made Otto furrow his brows.

The last time was already cartoonish enough with Persona, and now the quality of the graphics has regressed?

No, it shouldn't be about the graphics quality, but rather the style and art direction.

It's a very classic American art style, and just seeing Crazy Dave gives off a strong sense of nostalgia.

It's like the style of a game that has just been developed, with everyone still trying things out.

Can't say it's bad, but with current technology, it definitely can't be considered good.

But considering Bronie's sickly appearance, well, let's not rush to conclusions.

The difficulty of the whole game is progressive.

From the first level to the later ones, the game keeps unlocking new things, and Bronie even integrates the concept of the old QQ Farm.

Farming, steaSiring crops, raising zombies, continuously obtaining Easter eggs or even some insignificant instructions through planting trees, all adding a bit of fun.

After completing subsequent levels, special gameplay modes will be unlocked, such as everyone's favorite bSirind box smashing mode, or whack-a-mole, or puzzle mode.

In short, Bronie has stuffed in many interesting mini-games she can think of.

Combined with the brainwashing background music, cute plant graphics, and the determined yet cute appearance of the zombies.

When Otto came to his senses, he found Amber smiSiring at him.

"Your Excellency, although Amber has heard of old and young, the older you are, the younger you are, but is your taste in games now a bit... youthful?"

Amber's words of teasing turned from childish to youthful at the end.

Hearing Amber's yin and yang, Otto couldn't help but twitch his mouth.

"No, Amber, it's not that my hobbies are too childish, it's just that this game is really so appeaSiring in its design. The progressive difficulty, new elements in every level, every new plant added brings more changes, and Bunny's game-making skills are still as sharp as ever, she really understands what players want."

In such a simple game, players can easily find joy, and the catchy background music always makes one involuntarily replay it in their mind.

It can only be said that Haxxir Bunny is highly regarded by the Elation Aeon precisely because of her unparalleled talent.

Even if she creates such a small game, it can still captivate countless people.

If it were him, he definitely wouldn't be able to achieve this level.

So, next, he must carefully calculate how to train the little princess Herrscher Bronie appointed into a powerful warrior!