CHIH 181-190 (Patreon)

CHIH 181-190

Chapter 181: Afterward, the Entire World Started to Buzz

Elysia was the first person in the world, besides Bronie, to watch Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Through this anime, Bronie redefined the concept of magical girls in this world.

Bronie even posted a statement on social media, sharing the famous quote from the legendary "warrior of love"—

“I think it's a terrible thing to raise children in a world ignorant of darkness.”

Of course, this post was only published the day after the anime aired.

If it had been posted earlier, it would have lessened the impact of shocking events like Mami Tomoe's decapitation and Sayaka Miki’s transformation into a witch.

Elysia expressed her deep admiration for Madoka. She found Madoka's final transformation into a goddess incredibly beautiful. She loved Bronie’s anime from both an artistic and narrative perspective, finding it highly engaging.

Miracles and magic may not easily appear in everyone's lives, but Madoka managed to grasp a sliver of a miracle, using her emotions to transcend the entropy of the universe. Isn’t that romantic?

Human emotions, internal conflicts, the interplay of hope and despair, and Bronie’s longing for hope. It’s no wonder she could create a character as extremely twisted and hope-obsessed as Nagito Komaeda.

Understanding the depth of despair makes one appreciate the value of hope. Bronie emphasized these themes through her games, stories, and now, through anime.

Elysia believed that if a child grew up playing games made by someone like Bronie, their childhood would be filled with happiness. To reward Bronie, Elysia passionately embraced her in the bedroom. And of course, Bronie enjoyed it as well.

For Bronie to create an anime, especially one about magical girls, the fans' first reaction was that Bronie finally decided to reveal her girlish side!

For years, from 2008 to the end of 2013, from Undertale to Danganronpa, and now to this anime, Bronie had created numerous works. Besides Kirby, very few of her works exhibited a girlish charm.

In fact, her aesthetics in Cyberpunk 2077 made many question her mental state.

As Bronie matured over the years, fans realized how much time had passed.

She had been a companion through their youth, bringing immense happiness. Bronie’s stories and messages resonated deeply with them.

"Well, I don't know why Haxxor Bunny chooses to make an anime about magical girls instead of promoting a new game, but the promotional effort is quite significant this time. Let’s watch together," Welt said as he started the livestream.

The external chaos and Honkai disasters hardly affected Welt. He was puzzled by Schicksal’s sudden active fight against the Honkai, especially with S-rank Valkyrie Durandal’s global efforts.

Recently, there was frequent resource movement in Nagazora City, a rare occurrence since Schicksal usually ignored the Far East, which was half of Anti-Entropy’s territory.

This behavior seemed to provoke Anti-Entropy.

Welt continued, "Homu Entertainment once invited Haxxor to collaborate on a Arahato sequel, but it seems Haxxor wasn’t as passionate about it as expected, so there was no response."

Welt started the first episode. The unique art style of the witches and familiars immediately caught his eye.

"Haxxor’s art style is so diverse, whether it’s Cyberpunk, Persona, or now Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Miss Bronie keeps experimenting with different visuals and styles to enhance emotional expression, continuously pushing her technical boundaries."

Welt, experienced in manga, could see the consistent touch of the same creator. If he weren’t familiar with Bronie’s work, he might think she hired new artists for each project. Welt admired Bronie’s love for games but couldn’t understand why she stopped making giant robot-themed games like Titanfall.

Regardless, Welt trusted Bronie’s storytelling skills, always delivering unforgettable moments.
From Undertale to Persona, Bronie’s works consistently won awards, though she rarely appeared in public, often sending subordinates to accept accolades while she focused on creating and sharing updates online.

Bronie’s productivity was suspiciously high even without Schicksal’s Magic Engine, some suggesting she had some undisclosed technology enhancing her efficiency.

Anti-Entropy wasn’t idle either, making progress in aether particle research. Theoretically, combating Honkai from the Sea of Quanta was feasible due to its vast size compared to Honkai.

The early episodes laid groundwork with subtle foreshadowing. Welt found the anime intriguing and continued watching the livestream.

However, by the third episode, when Mami Tomoe was decapitated, Welt was stunned.

"Ah?" he exclaimed, staring at the screen in disbelief.

Inside the live broadcast room, Welt paused the anime and then fell into a long silence.

"Your silence is deafening."

"Hahaha! When I saw this part, I was just as shocked."

These netizens really are of high quality.

No one mentioned the secret of the third episode; everyone was very tacit in keeping it.

Welt originally thought this anime seemed interesting and fundamentally different from typical magical girl anime.

He didn't expect the plot to be so explosive.

"Wait, aren't magical girl anime meant for kids? Promoting love, hope, and peace—why are magical girls dying in this one!?"

Welt just realized this, but he had to admit that the anime indeed became interesting.

What is interesting?

It's when, after watching, you want to keep watching, creating more anticipation for the audience.

That is what interesting means.

Mami Tomoe died at the happiest moment, revealing part of the cruel truth of magical girls to Madoka and Sayaka through her death.

In battle, if a person is killed, they die. This is a fact.

Although most magical girl anime ignore this point, or even deliberately avoid it.

But when Welt saw the age rating of 12, his original confusion turned into sudden understanding.


...


"Ahhhhhhh!!!"

A miserable scream came from the principal's office in St. Freya Academy.

Anyone who didn't know would think it was a little girl encountering a pervert.

As Theresa's adjutant, Himeko's office was right next to Theresa's.

Hearing Theresa's scream, she rushed over immediately, even holding a pistol in her hand.

"Principal! What's happening? Could Anti-Entropy be so bold as to invade here!?"

Himeko's actions were swift, directly breaking into the office, aiming her gun without hesitation.

"No, it's not Anti-Entropy. Do you think I'm so stupid to let Anti-Entropy people in?"

Theresa immediately stopped Himeko for looking down on her. As she retorted to Himiko, she slumped back in her chair and stared at the ceiling, looking lost in thought.

"Alright, so Principal Theresa, now is working time, time to handle official duties. So what exactly made you react so strongly? Is it the third Honkai impact? Or is there some outrageous plot in the Homu manga?"

"It's grandpa..."

"Huh? Lord Bishop? Looks like I wronged you. What kind of order did Lord Bishop give you to make you react like this?"

"Anime..."

Seeing Himeko still being diligent, Theresa felt a bit guilty.

"Huh?"

Himeko was a bit confused by Theresa's words.

Generally, Lord Bishop would issue some serious orders, right?

"Grandpa recommended an anime to me, it's a magical girl one..."

"Oh? Although I don't reject the hobby of watching anime, haven't you outgrown these things?"

"But it was made by Haxxor..."

"The one who made Cyberpunk, Spiritfarer, Outerwilds, and Persona? If it's her storytelling ability... it’s worth checking out..."

Actually, retired Valkyries more or less have some psychological trauma.

Some psychologists even recommend these Valkyries try playing games, like those made by Haxxor Bunny.

No matter what kind of game, it always brings a good experience to players and, to some extent, heals some of their inner wounds.

Even Himeko, when playing Outer Wilds, recalled her past dream of flying to the universe.

Her father's death might have been very complex, something that even with an S-rank clearance within Schicksal, it might not be uncovered.

This was Himeko’s judgment after being unable to find any clues despite her A-rank Valkyrie clearance.

For a moment, Himeko even wondered if joining Schicksal was a mistake, but seeing the children at St. Freya Academy playing the games made by Bronie.

She was still full of hope for the future.

Maybe one day, after retiring, as a Valkyrie from the initial Valkyrie Project, she might really get the first space elevator ticket.

Fulfilling her past dream a bit seems nice.

"So, what exactly happened?"
Himeko continued to ask.

"She... she made the magical girl inside die!"

Himeko was also stunned.

Wait, in a magical girl anime, this shouldn't happen, right?

So Himeko thought it was for kids, blending all the beauty and cuteness into one anime, like a Elf tale.

And in such a Elf tale, how could they kill off characters?

No wonder Theresa had such a big reaction.

"Didn't expect you to still like magical girls... Haxxor's storyline is indeed shocking, now I'm curious about this anime."

"Want to watch together? I'll stop the live broadcast and watch it from the beginning with you."

Seeing Theresa looking at her like this, Himeko was helpless.

"Didn't I say it's work time now, and we should be working?"

"Then you watch first, I'll finish my work in about an hour! Then we can watch together!"

Seeing Theresa really wanting to watch together, Himeko softened a bit.

No way, how could she resist Theresa's pitiful look?

That extremely deceptive appearance really made it hard for Himeko to refuse.

"Are you scared?"
Himeko made a judgment.

Is Theresa afraid of facing so many magical girl deaths alone?

"No... definitely not!"

Alright, Theresa's familiar guilty expression made Himeko helpless.

"Then I'll just watch from the side, you better finish all your work."

"Okay!"

Theresa also picked up a pen and started writing on the documents. Seeing Theresa getting into the state, Himeko also started watching the anime.

In the third episode of Madoka Magica, Mami Tomoe's death spread like a viral meme.

Regardless of whether people had watched the anime, or followed Haxxor Bunny, almost everyone could see discussions about Madoka Magica.

Moreover, because the entire season was released at once, besides discussing Mami Tomoe's death, there were also talks about how to cook Kyubey more deliciously.

Some even wanted to name a galaxy in space the Madokami Galaxy, as it looked remarkably like Madoka after becoming a god.

This Madoka fever was gradually noticed by Otto, who frequently surfed the internet.

Seeing talks about how to eat Kyubey and bewildering memes about Mami Tomoe, Otto felt a bit nervous.

This Madoka Magica...

Could it be a dark Elf tale?

With this mindset, Otto also clicked on the webpage, planning to see what kind of magical girl anime it was, how it subverted the usual setting of magical girl anime, and yet received unanimous praise.



Chapter 182: The Lord Must Have His Reasons for Doing This

How long has it been since watching a magical girl anime?

After finishing "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," Otto fell into deep thought.

It was probably when Theresa was still growing up. At that time, Theresa was very innocent and cute; she even played the role of a magical girl.

Otto took her magical girl image and turned it into an anime.

However, for some reason, whenever the magical girl Teiriri was mentioned years later, Theresa would get angry, even though it was such a cute and memorable part of the past.

Regarding the plot, Haxxor Bunny's performance was as stable as ever.

Who knows when her works will fall from grace?

Otto gradually understood why so many memes suddenly exploded on the internet.

He couldn't understand why Bronie had a vendetta against Sayaka, specifically targeting her. Sayaka, such a cute girl, wholeheartedly pursued justice, only to encounter the dark side of the world prematurely, causing her sense of justice to waver.

Sayaka's last conversation in the subway also made Otto sigh.

He didn't expect there to be so many bad people in the world. It felt very grounded, as if Bronie had experienced it herself.

In fact, the conversation boasting about manipulating girls was something Gen Urobuchi actually overheard on the subway.

People's inner darkness is often deeper than others imagine.

But isn't this common?

Otto felt helpless and even more determined to save Kallen.

Although this determination didn't need much reinforcement, after seeing Madoka's character, Otto immediately realized that Haxxor Bunny modeled the character after Elysia.

Madoka's final self-sacrificial wish reminded Otto of the experimental data Bronie had sent, recorded from a first-person perspective in the imaginary space battle. Elysia, like a deity, tried to touch the branches of the imaginary tree with her own hands. Elysia's death was a voluntary sacrifice.

As for the specifics, Otto couldn't analyze further. The records of the previous civilization indicated that all Herrschers, except the special case of the Herrscher of Consciousness, bore absolute malice towards human civilization. Elysia's sacrificial behavior seemed particularly intriguing.

Although he really wanted to understand the situation, knowing Bronie's protective attitude towards Elysia, asking could touch a nerve. It was better not to ask directly.

As for Welt, after watching the anime and hearing the truth behind Kyubey's contracts, he felt subtly implicated. The universe is constantly increasing in entropy, and the power of emotions can reverse this. Reversing entropy naturally leads to Anti-Entropy.

However, if faced with the situation of sacrificing a small part to save the majority, Welt admitted that he would have a hard time deciding and might indeed choose to act like Kyubey. From Kyubey's standpoint, his actions were quite 'correct.'

Different perspectives create different conflicts. The collision of ideas presented in a magical girl anime, and Madoka's sacrifice, appeared even more sacred.

Welt couldn't help but sigh. Bronie's anime has redefined magical girls. In the future, there might even be scenes of magical girls slaughtering each other.

After all, Bronie’s previous works also revolved around themes of mutual slaughter.

Thinking about this, Welt was speechless.

Alright, the future themes of anime won't be much better. Even in fan fiction, there might be plots of Homura killing Homura.

The trend Bronie started this time will definitely last for a long time because Madoka’s character is so deeply ingrained in people's hearts. Mami’s death also opened a new door for many creators.

Tragedy, after all, is about showing the audience something beautiful and then tearing it apart. It’s precisely because beautiful things carry regret that they become so unforgettable.

“I hope Ms. Haxxor can use other ways to show the beauty of the world. The method in 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' seems a bit extreme for children.”

Welt thought that this anime was indeed not suitable for children, as it could leave some psychological scars. So, he gave this evaluation.

Then Welt saw Bronie's new post.

"I think teaching children that there is no darkness in this world is a very bad thing."

This post had been up for a while. Welt suddenly realized that his own post seemed to have been anticipated!

Seeing Bronie’s post, Welt felt the same malice from Haxxor as when playing "Getting Over It" back in the day. It was very clear: even though he knew she was displeased, he couldn't do anything about it.

It felt like everything he did was within Haxxor’s expectations.

Welt became emo, watching the trailer for "Rebellion" and the original footage being reviewed in various regions. He secretly decided to watch "Rebellion" properly.

Is it really a bad thing to teach children that there is no darkness in this world? Welt thought that exposing children to darkness too early, like Sayaka in "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," could lead them to extremes.

Haxxor's malicious nature was also fully displayed in this statement.

However, "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" did have many negative examples that could serve educational purposes. Welt felt uneasy, whether about Homura, Madoka, or Sayaka. Even Mami, upon learning that magical girls would turn into witches, broke down and hurt other magical girls.



...



"Woo, woo, woo..."

In the dean's office, the trash can was filled with tissues. The short white-haired girl had already cried her eyes out, and the red-haired older woman beside her was covering her mouth, frowning.

After watching the first three episodes, the anime’s plot indeed opened a new door for Himeko regarding magical girls.

The idea that death could occur in battle was presented to the audience, making Himeko even more curious about whether the story of magical girls could continue. As a native of the Far East, Himeko had watched many magical girl animes in her childhood.

The shock of seeing someone die was so great that she, along with Theresa, watched the rest in one go.

And the result?

Himeko felt terrible.

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica" almost overturned the entire magical girl genre.

Watching those children go astray, Himeko couldn't help but think of some of the more extreme Valkyries within Schicksal.

They, too, had similar tendencies, pushing themselves into the abyss and self-destruction.

"Himeko, Haxxor and Grandpa are so bad! Making me watch this kind of magical girl anime, this isn't a magical girl at all!"

"But miracles and magic were indeed shown... When I get back, I’ll definitely recommend this anime to my students. It’s very educational and might prevent them from becoming extreme in the future. Extreme Valkyries could hinder our fight against Honkai."

Himeko considered the educational value, while Theresa thought for a moment.

"You're right. I'll assign them to write reflections on it later. And I’ll ask Grandpa for compensation!"

"Eh? Just because of an anime?"

"If I cry hard enough, Grandpa might give us more funding. Then Hyperion can be better maintained!"

Alright, if it meant refurbishing Hyperion, Himeko had no objections. As the captain of Hyperion, better equipment meant more power against Honkai beasts!

"I'll look forward to your good news then."

"Mm, and Himeko, help me keep an eye out for Madoka Magica merchandise. I want to put them in my office!"

"Sure, as long as you don't misuse public funds for that~"

As Theresa's adjutant, Himeko couldn't refuse such a request.

"Misusing public funds is just a rumor! Besides, some of the funds are Grandpa's pocket money, really pocket money!"

The funds credited to the account were indeed labeled as pocket money. Himeko wasn’t sure why they went through the public account.

Maybe to prevent Theresa from spending it too quickly?

Who knows~


...


In the tropical jungle of South Africa, Jackal, a member of World Serpent, used its resources to build a very secretive experimental base.

Abandoning the research on stigmata was out of the question, just as World Serpent wouldn't abandon its Project Stigma. Although Kevin scolded her for wasting resources on unnecessary things, it didn’t seem to affect the Project Stigma much.

However, Jackal's meals had worsened significantly, almost to the point of eating instant noodles every day. If she hadn't seen the Lord eating instant noodles too, Jackal might have gone hunting in the tropical rainforest.

But today, the Lord seemed different.

What was different?

While eating instant noodles, the Lord was staring at his phone.

Jackal curiously glanced at the phone’s screen, then immediately conducted a thorough self-examination.

She must have been mistaken.

Why was the Lord watching a magical girl anime, and at a transformation scene no less!?

The Lord is the supreme existence; there must be a profound meaning in his actions.

To avoid confusion, Jackal quickly informed Raven about this.

But Raven had no reaction, which irritated Jackal, preventing her from doing any substantial work all day.

Research stigmata?

Forget it!

As for Kevin?

Since Elysia’s return, Kevin had slowed the Project Stigma’s progress.

The reason was simple: Elysia disliked the project, which aimed to redefine humanity in a way Elysia opposed.

So, what now?

It was merely a matter of implementing the Project Stigma at the last moment and cooperating with Mobius and Vill-V on new plans.

Now that the planning was nearly complete, Kevin could only occasionally watch Elysia’s live streams, surf the web, and ponder why birds fly.

Then Elysia recommended an anime online.

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica."

Originally, Kevin resisted, but it was Elysia’s recommendation!

And it was produced by Haxxor.

Having experienced Bronie’s games, Kevin was envious. They both could save the world, while only Haxxor can keep creating games. It was incredibly cool!

Though he couldn't participate in game-making, Kevin could at least enjoy playing.

Kevin watched the anime.

Although his face showed no expression, his heart was full of envy.

How could he not see that Bronie’s portrayal of Madoka was an allusion to Elysia?

Elysia once sacrificed herself to bring about human traits in Herrschers. After researching, Kevin saw that Elysia had indeed succeeded.

Now, with Bronie’s anime, Kevin felt the same feelings from back then. This sourness in his heart might last a long time.

Moreover, Bronie had indeed succeeded in reviving people, even hinting at reviving Dr. Mei in future plans.

Speaking of Dr. Mei, Kevin couldn’t control his emotions.

If revival was possible which was now proven, how could Honkai be undefeatable?

So now, Kevin was almost in a salted-fish state, occasionally eating instant noodles in the lab, listening to Raven report Jackal's antics, and watching the various Grey Serpents perform comedy sketches and fight amongst themselves.

World Serpent was peculiar, but at least Su was there to play games with, like Apex, which was quite enjoyable.

However, Jackal was confused. She couldn’t understand how this once-venerable organization dedicated to fighting Honkai had turned into this.

The culprit behind it all was now preparing to move.

As Bronie pondered her next game, Elysia, dressed in a pure white gown, appeared before her.

“How do I look? Do I look like Kaname Madoka? Do I have a bit of a divine aura?”

Oh my god!

Elysia was cosplaying as Godoka!

Bronie was stunned, as Elysia, in that moment, looked like she was wearing a wedding dress.

“Although Elysia is always beautiful, at this moment, you are the brightest star in the sky. You look truly stunning now.”

Recently, Elysia seemed to be playing around a lot...



Chapter 183: Before Moving

Every day, Elysia was like a chocolate liqueur; you never knew what her mood would be. But Bronie didn't mind this at all.

Today, Elysia cosplayed as Madoka, and tomorrow she might cosplay as another character. Bronie wouldn't even be surprised if she suddenly cosplayed as a furry one day. These activities were just the spice of life. Elysia also worked as a streamer and was quite famous online.

Meanwhile, Bronie began to focus on matters in Nagazora City. The details of the plan were being developed by Vil-V and Mobius, with most of the preparations handled by Kevin and Su. Bronie occasionally offered suggestions on the details and worked on fixing bugs. After all, the Aeon had warned that the Nagazora City plan might be immature and could have bugs.

So Bronie had no choice but to return to her old job as a programmer and fix those bugs. Of course, she still worked on making games. For Bronie, entertainment meant playing and creating games, so she wouldn't give up on game development.

Recently, after creating "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," Bronie had thoughts of venturing into the anime field. Having already worked on Cyberpunk with great success, she wondered if the storyline of "Persona" could be turned into an anime.

However, she felt it wouldn't work as well. When she watched the "Persona" anime back then, it didn't evoke the same emotions as playing the game, despite Ren Amamiya being quite intriguing.

It lacked immersion.

Yes, immersion.

Games provided a remarkable sense of immersion, which Bronie loved. Whether it was "Outerwilds" or "Cyberpunk," they allowed players to immerse themselves deeply.

Now, "Cyberpunk Online" was one of the top games worldwide, with players enjoying their roles in that world. Thus, Bronie still hoped to create more games, games she believed were truly great.

"Alright, the preparations for the orphanage are almost complete. It's time to say goodbye to this happy home. Every time I go to the orphanage's basement, I'm reminded of Cocolia's human experiments, which always puts me in a bad mood."

Most of the orphanage's belongings had been moved. The promise to take Sin to visit the prison was delayed due to the Aeon's matters. Although Sin never mentioned it again, Bronie kept it in mind.

The main purpose was to let Sin Mal see Cocolia's reformation results and perhaps share some heartfelt words, hoping Cocolia would give up completely. In the future, when taking the planetary train, it would be good to have Cocolia look after everyone.

After all, there were still emotional ties between Cocolia and the children.

As for Bronya?

Unfortunately, the bond between Cocolia and Bronie had never existed from the start. But Bronie was happy to see her former self grow up in an environment even she envied.

Bronya was naturally gifted, and even a peaceful life seemed like a cheat for her. Who knew, one day she might become a high-ranking executive at Haxxor Bunny Studio through capital operations.

Recently, Bronya had taken an interest in Anti-Entropy. She seemed to be using her own funds to make waves in Anti-Entropy, investing significantly in developing Titan mechas to fight the Honkai.

As a mysterious Russian executive in Anti-Entropy, she rarely flaunted herself but her directives indeed helped in mass-producing Titans and possibly training real Titan pilots.

This involved many new technologies unknown to Einstein and Tesla, which could be considered a joint creation of Vil-V and Bronie. Bronie approached it with a playful mindset, while Bronya was very serious, showing a tendency to build her own Titan army.

Given Anti-Entropy's unique structure, where power and money directly correlated with personal strength, Bronya had secured a decent position, perhaps with some help from Hydra.

When Bronie planted Hydra within World Serpent, Hydra once asked how to develop itself.

Bronie unfurled a map of America and pointed to Washington. She said, "From this perspective, whether it's Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, or World Serpent, they can all make contact. The key is the chaos and decay here, which allows for plausible deniability for any action. Hydra can exploit this, securing a foothold in the process. This territory will serve as a breeding ground for Hydra."

Though Bronya usually didn't manage these affairs, letting Ash Serpent grow unchecked was indeed quite absurd.

Currently, Hydra's visible resources had essentially become part of World Serpent, and if Bronie shouted, warriors chanting "Long live Hydra" would appear instantly.

However, for now, rebellion seemed meaningless and plans couldn't keep up with changes.

"Are we finally leaving? Are we heading to the Far East because of that idiot Kiana?"

Today, Bronya finally had a chance to get close to Bronie. Normally, Elysia was always clinging to Bronie, making Bro ya feel like a third wheel.

In truth, Bronie couldn't stand it anymore. Besides, Einstein's recent breakthroughs in Ether research within Anti-Entropy kept her busy, even delaying her combat training.

So, with Elysia busy streaming, Bronya seized the opportunity to get closer to Bronie. "Partly, but also because Siberia is too desolate and lacks interesting things. Plus, my future work will mainly be in the Far East. You wouldn't want me to never come home, right?"

"If it's because of your work, I understand. If there's anything I can help with, that would be great."

Bronya quickly realized Bronie's work was likely related to the Honkai. With her Project Bunny mech, she was eager to test its capabilities.
Being just a child, Bronya couldn't contain her excitement after getting her hands on the mech.

If Bronie left the orphanage for long periods, Bronya might sneak into Anti-Entropy's Honkai-related operations to test her abilities. Bronie understood this.

"Don't worry. The script is almost ready. The last island visitation was an impromptu performance, completely unexpected. This time, Schicksal, World Serpent, and Anti-Entropy will unveil a new game on the grand stage of Nagazora City."

"Oh?"

Bronya's interest was piqued. Bronie had kept this hidden, and now, just before moving, she was revealing such explosive information.

"Nagazora City is a magical place. The Imaginary Tree's branches, under the Cocoon of Finality's influence, create a unique area, like a beginner's village in a story. With your participation, the story could become very exciting."

"So... what do you want me to do, Bronie?"

"Fight the Honkai. Remember what Herrschers are?"

"Herrschers are going to be born!"

Although it didn't feel real, the Honkai's arrival and the birth of Herrschers had once made life miserable for her. Back then, she was ignorant and had seen little light. Influenced by the orphanage children, her attitude towards the Honkai and Herrschers wasn't positive.

Even though Bronie had warned them that Kiana's other personality might be the Second Herrscher reincarnated, she now hinted that the Third Herrscher would soon arrive. Would the people of Nagazora City face the same fate she once did?

"Bronya will try to defeat the Herrschers and the Honkai!"

"That's a good thought. Just don't push yourself too hard. Conflicts often arise when people from different positions do what they think is right."

"Are you saying that idiot Kiana might protect the Herrschers?"

"Exactly. You'll have to think for yourself about what the Honkai and Herrschers really are. I've taught you about their essence before, but some things can only be understood by seeing them."

"Kevin, the flame-chaser, harbors deep hostility towards the Honkai."

Bronie said, recalling the memories that surfaced in her dreams after inheriting the Signet in the Elysian Realm.

Kevin's anger, grief, and hatred had somewhat influenced her, although she hadn't noticed it.

"After the Last Herrscher destroyed everything, he promised himself and all the lost ones that humanity would defeat the Honkai, no matter the cost. I admire him for that he went through so much yet only reached this point of obsession during the Arthurian era."

"The Project Stigma is the worst plan. Despite experiencing so many hardships, Kevin only decided to implement it during the Arthurian period. I truly admire him."

"Indeed... losing his beloved, and then Elysia..."

Bronya only fully understood Elysia's situation after Bronie brought her back. Before, she thought Elysia was just a charming little elf who was kind to everyone. In the Elysian Realm, Bronie focused on getting stronger rather than seeking the truth.

After getting to know Elysia better, she acknowledged Elysia as a genuinely wonderful girl.

Though occasionally mysterious, Elysia was always sincere with everyone. Her special treatment of Bronie had a reason too.

"Look forward to it. I'm just setting the stage. The final outcome will depend on your own will."

"Aren't you worried I'll make mistakes?"

Bronya felt immense trust from Bronie. Hearing her words, Bronie smiled and patted Bronie's head.

"Long ago, you proved your abilities to me. I've always believed in you. Even if you make mistakes, you can cry in my arms. You'll handle the Project bunny's power well, right?"

"Yes!"

Bronie was overjoyed by Bronie's trust. She was so happy that she even forgot they were flying out tomorrow. The office was nearly emptied, even the weapons kept for self-defense at the orphanage had disappeared.

Bronie had prepared a grand stage for her. As a perfectionist gamer, how could she not be excited about the challenge?

"There's still a long time before the show begins. It might be next spring, during the cherry blossom season. We'll celebrate the New Year in the Far East, creating new memories."

"By the way, Bronie..."
As Bronie was about to leave, Bronya suddenly stopped her.

"Hmm? What is it?"

"I've sent all my Homus away. Without them, I can't sleep well. Can you sleep with me tonight? I don't want to delay the trip tomorrow."

Just when Bronie thought Bronya had grown up, she clung to her skirt and acted cute.

Damn, how could Bronie be so adorable!

Especially with that smile paired with that expressionless Bronie was really interesting!

"Alright, alright, I can't refuse you~"

"And wear the Homu pajamas!"

"Be careful, I might wear Monokuma pajamas instead!"

Bronie's words made Bronie fall silent. She pondered for a while, her stubborn eyes suggesting she wanted to change her mind. But Bronie had no interest in such things, like never choosing to cosplay as Mickey Mouse.

But...

In the end, Bronie relented.

"Okay, okay, I'll wear pajamas."

"Yay! I'll invite Seele too!"




Chapter 184: A Chance Encounter with Old man Welt

After an intimate night, Bronie achieved the "left embrace, right hug" milestone.

On the left was her Little Duck, on the right was Seele, while Black Seele, though she came out to play, remained her usual socially anxious self. For Bronie, it wasn't much of a problem.

She took the children on a plane to the Far East, and the orphanage was almost completely abandoned. Bronie could have sold it, as it was a mansion and a valuable asset, but she felt it was better to leave it for the children as a memory.

If they had nowhere else to go when they grew up, the orphanage could be their happy home. Moreover, since money wasn't an issue, she left puzzles around the orphanage for the children to solve in the future.

Thinking about the children eventually solving the puzzles made Bronie quite happy.

After landing, they took a bus to their destination. Upon getting off, Elysia exclaimed, "Wow! They built such a luxurious villa in this extremely valuable area of the Far East!"

Elysia knew how small the Far East was. In the past, the Far East had often invaded Shenzhou to expand its territory, so Bronie buying such a large plot of land was unexpected for her.

"Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are powerful organizations fighting against Honkai. Defying their will is defying humanity. This small plot of land is a trivial price to pay for fighting Honkai," Bronie said, nodding in satisfaction at the villa she designed, including the gifts placed for the children.

"Bronie is quite the figure, even though doesn't flaunt it online," Elysia remarked, looking down the mountain at the city and the massive St. Freya Academy.

It was hard to imagine that the city was built around the academy, which housed many Valkyrie cadets, many beautiful girl. Elysia was very satisfied with this home.

"It's not because I like to flaunt that I became important. Others know I have enough strength. See that St. Freya Academy? The S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, Otto's granddaughter, deserves this level of treatment. She participated in the Second Honkai Eruption and can be considered a hero," Bronie said, then looked at the new villa under construction nearby. "Let's call it the Golden Courtyard; it's everyone's home. Calling it an orphanage feels lacking. Put your luggage in your rooms. Tonight, we're going to watch a movie, 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica'!"

The children rushed in, finding their pixel avatars on the doors of different rooms, making them very cute.

Aponia looked at the fireplace in the hall. "Interesting design. It feels like a warm home. If Griseo and Kosma were here, they would love it too. The environment is nice, and..."

She looked at a file in her hand. It was a Schicksal appointment letter for a psychological counselor at St. Freya Academy, her area of expertise. But this "expertise" was...

To be honest, it brought a lot of pain to Aponia.

“If you don't like this job, you can just leave it. In fact, St. Freya Academy may appear to be a school for training Valkyries, but in reality, it's almost no different from an ordinary school. Hence, PTSD from Honkai impact is quite rare.”

Actually, Aponia had long since moved past the shadows of her past. The mistakes made with good intentions were indeed regrettable.

However, if she didn't use her powers and instead used her knowledge to soothe others' pain, Aponia was very willing to do so.

In fact, she had studied related knowledge in the past. Therefore, Aponia did have the ability to counsel Valkyries with her rich experience without relying on her powers.

How many Valkyries in St. Freya Academy needed counseling was something even Bronie didn’t know. But it was still possible to find a suitable job for Aponia, rather than having her cling to the children every day.

“Alright, I don't reject this kind of job. A more stable life sounds good. However, since Honkai hasn’t completely disappeared, I’m still very worried.”

Aponia was worried about repeating past mistakes since she still didn't fully understand her abilities. The only thing she knew was that the power of her words was something she gained after stepping into her fate, and becoming a fusion warrior had enhanced this power.

“So, if anything happens, I will help you. Not just me, but also Elysia, Kevin, Fu Hua, and Su. They are always around. We just want you to have a more peaceful and comfortable life and find the meaning in your life.”

“Do I really appear that pessimistic?”

Aponia hadn't realized that her behavior had caused concern for Elysia and Bronie.

Bronie just shrugged. “By asking that question, you probably already know the answer. In Russia, you rarely went out or used the internet. That's clearly not the mindset of a normal person.”

Elysia was very worried about Aponia’s state. Aponia was taken aback. “It seems my state of mind is indeed not quite right. Maybe I'm still not used to it. After all, five thousand years of penance...”

“Sometimes, others can act as your mirror, helping you understand things better. So, if this job feels burdensome, you can drop it.”

After all, Otto had assigned it. Even if she discarded it, Otto wouldn’t say anything. Aponia held the appointment letter to her chest and smiled gratefully at Bronie. “I hope the future really does get better.”

Each room had a pixel avatar on the door, including Bronie’s. To give Elysia enough private space, Bronie had designed a study for her on the top floor.
Bronie's room was also on the top floor, so if the children wanted to visit, they would have to climb the stairs.

This would give Bronie enough time to prepare if they came at an inconvenient time when she and Elysia are 'busy' at something.

After a short period of organizing, Bronie had arranged his room. She didn't have much luggage, but Elysia’s room surprised her. Despite not being there long, Elysia’s wardrobe was already filled with various styles of clothes, some of which Bronie had never seen.
Elysia looked good in anything, but seeing a wardrobe full of different outfits for every day of the year made Bronie a bit fearful.

No wonder Elysia had requested a huge wardrobe to hold all her clothes. The villa at Cocolia’s orphanage wasn't enough for her.

"Alright, I've bought the movie tickets. Let's head to the cinema in the shopping street. 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica: Rebellion' is a continuation of the anime, and the plot will definitely not disappoint."

After packing, Bronie came downstairs where the children were already waiting.

"Have you two been cuddling upstairs again?" Sim asked bluntly as Elysia and Bronie came down.

"No way! How could we keep everyone waiting? We came down very quickly! And Sin, you look very nice today! You’ll definitely be the most dazzling girl on the street!"

“Really!?”

Sister Sin was a bit pleased and even looked at Bronya, seeking praise or comparison. Elysia and Bronie’s late arrival was seemingly forgotten.

Actually, there were quite a few children in the orphanage. Going out together felt like a grand procession. Rosalia found a sturdy tree branch somewhere and led the group, playing the hero. If she had a tail, it would have been held high.

Along the road from the Golden Courtyard down the mountain, the villa was no longer too far from the city’s hustle and bustle, making it convenient to get to the shopping street. In the future, Bronie planned to prepare an electric scooter for each child as a means of transportation so they could play outside more. Otto had even built a Homu-themed amusement park in the city for Theresa’s enjoyment at St. Freya Academy, though it was a bit far from the Golden Courtyard.

The group entered the cinema, and Bronie found the electronic tickets on her phone.

"Alright everyone, this is our first time at the cinema, so make sure you won’t need to use the restroom during the two-hour movie. The movie won’t pause for anyone."

Bronie took the lead in calming the excited children. "And Rosalia, you’ll have to part with your holy sword for a while. If anyone wants popcorn or soda, just let Bronya know."

"Wah, Bronya! How can you be so cruel to make me give up my hero’s sword!"

"Rosalia, you can leave the branch outside and retrieve it after the movie. Who knows, it might turn into the Sword in the Stone by then!"

Lilia knew how to handle Rosalia better than Bronya. Rosalia immediately stopped crying and resolutely planted the branch in the greenery by the roadside. A passing man couldn’t help but stop and watch.

"This is Rosalia’s Homu holy sword. Whoever draws this sword shall become the King of Britain. But not you!"

"You even incorporated the Arthurian legend?" The man chuckled but was amused by Rosalia’s childlike behavior.

But why were Russians here in the Far East?

The man’s curiosity grew, and Rosalia was startled that he understood her.

Frightened, she ran to Bronie, who noticed her reaction and looked in the direction she pointed. Bronie saw a familiar figure.

"Hey! Isn’t this Old Yang? What a coincidence! Are you here for a movie too?"

“Bronie? What are you doing here? And this lady...”

Welt recognized Elysia. As a fellow streamer, he occasionally collaborated with her, though he couldn’t understand why she was so insistent on involving him. “I didn’t expect you to be so close with Bronie...”

“Hi, I’m Elysia. My name in the universal language of Mu Continent means paradise and beauty,” she said. Elysia had wanted to contact Welt through streaming because she heard from Bronie that he was the successor of the First Herrscher, inheriting the power of the Herrscher Core. Elysia was curious about the human aspect of a Herrscher.

“It’s just a bit of curiosity. I didn’t expect to meet you today.” Welt was surprised by their presence and the number of children. “Why travel all the way from Russia to the Far East with so many kids?”

Welt had many questions, especially when he saw Bronya. If Bronie was indeed Bronya’s child, Welt thought he might need to call the police.

“Do you know Cocolia? Before she joined you, I caught her and made her work in a sweatshop. These kids were her experimental subjects. Bronya is an exception; I picked her up. The universe’s creator likes to reuse models and characters, but it’s okay; you get used to it.”

Bronie’s explanation confused Welt even more, but Bronie didn’t give him time to think.

Instead, she led Elysia into the cinema. “We’ll have more time to chat in the future. I’ve moved to the Golden Courtyard on the mountain. Don’t worry, I have no hidden agenda. You’re welcome to visit anytime. I’ve prepared some Russian specialties for you.”




Chapter 185: Welt: What? I’m Actually a Magical Girl!?

As the story of "Rebellion" began to unfold, it was just as Bronie had said—this was not a compilation film, but a brand new continuation of the series.

Although for the general public, for them, Bronie seemed to dislike making sequels, whenever they did appear, their quality was always top-notch.

For example, the DLCs for "Bloodborne," "Civilization," and "Apex" still had people purchasing them online even now. They go on sale every year and occasionally are even given away for free. Despite this, people continue to buy them, leading to frequent online queries about who hasn’t bought them yet.

This demonstrates that sequels released by Haxxor Bunny are always guaranteed to be of high quality! And indeed, that was the case here.

As the movie came to a close and the end credits rolled, displaying almost entirely Haxxor Bunny's name, Welt couldn't help but admire Bronie's growing talent in storytelling. If this ability were applied to making anime about giant robots, like a sequel to "Arahato," it could result in many more Arahato appearing in the world!

With sufficient funding, Arahato could be mass-produced, fulfilling Welt and Tesla’s dreams of giant robots. Unfortunately, Haxxor Bunny always had various reasons to avoid this project.

"Is it love, hotter than hope and deeper than despair? Can human emotions really be so heavy as to transcend the laws of the world?" The movie’s fleeting scenes hinted at numerous themes: the Imaginary Tree, the Sea of Quanta, Aeons, and the joy of laughing on the tree.

The plot was full of twists, and Akemi Homura's emotions created miracles that even surpassed the universe.

However, this also led to an unknown change in the world, with witches appearing among people without anyone finding it strange. It was as if through countless cycles, an accumulation had reached a tipping point, resulting in the birth of an Aeon.

"Who knows? At some universe, The Hunt, Lan, might have been a warrior of the Xianzhou faction. Aeons, after all, must have been weak beings before who just managed to travel further than most."

"But such a distance is far too great..."

And it’s rare.

Welt had seen the materials shared by Bronie. Though he wanted to collect more data and even used Anti-Entropy’s resources to access large telescopes, amidst the current Honkai crisis, these efforts were a waste of resources. Humanity's hope shouldn’t be placed on distant Aeons.

Welt then focused on the children in front of him. "Is this really okay?"

"What?"

"Bringing the children to such an unfamiliar environment, so close to Schicksal’s territory."

Welt glanced at a nearby surveillance camera. "Don’t think Otto won’t be monitoring us. My appearance may not be known to Otto, but still..."

Usually, within Anti-Entropy, Welt operated under the guise of Joyce. Even during the Second Eruption, he believed Otto had never seen his true face. Thus, after infiltrating St. Freya Academy, Welt felt he had the right to walk the streets openly. But this conversation could be lip-read, making Welt a bit uneasy. Schicksal’s focus might very well be on the girl in front of him.

"I understand your concerns. The sudden change in environment is indeed a challenge for the children, but do you know why they can watch the movie today?"

Welt was momentarily stunned. Right! This was a Far East cinema, surely the movie was in the local language. Why weren’t the children struggling to read it?

Welt noticed the children had earphones. "Simultaneous translation? Or subtitles?"

"Immersion is the best teacher. The children aren’t stupid. As for why we moved here, this will be my main operational base for fighting Honkai."

Welt's curiosity grew, but he followed Bronie to the Golden Courtyard on the mountain. The children were lively, their faces beaming with joy, showing no signs of discomfort from the new environment. This was a testament to their trust in Bronie.

Noticing this, Welt felt slightly relieved.

"You’ve always been making games. Where do you find the energy and time to focus on Honkai?"

Welt was perplexed. He had always followed Bronie’s works. Streaming, drawing comics, and teaching were all exhausting tasks. How did Bronie manage to do even more?

"And another important issue, the imaginary energy eruption on that island in the Pacific—what's going on? You've never given Anti-Entropy a clear answer."

Bronie had consistently avoided providing information to Anti-Entropy, especially about the island. This wasn’t due to any bizarre reason, just that they didn’t want Anti-Entropy to divert their focus.

To understand the Imaginary Tree, one must start with the Sea of Quanta.

Otto, Bronie, and Kevin all walked that path.

"Schicksal’s research on Honkai and the world's essence is far ahead of yours. It involves Aeons and the Imaginary Tree, which are beyond your current comprehension."

Back at the Golden Courtyard, Aponia brought two cups of tea from the kitchen. Bronie, looking at the city lights, sat with Welt.

"You, are you blessed by a Aeon? Is it The Elation?"

"Yes, The one that climbed to the top of the Tree of Existence, saw the truth of the world, and laughed at it as an Aeon."

"It's no wonder your game development is so good... The Aeons truly are distant things..."

"But they're also very close to us."
Welt looked expectantly at Bronie, hoping for more explanation. However, Bronie turned her gaze to St. Freya Academy in the dark.

Perhaps because of its numerous gardens, the academy seemed even darker from a distance.

Maybe fewer streetlights were used, saving electricity for Theresa’s Homu merchandise?

Thinking of Theresa, Bronie couldn't help but recall the idol who took care of him like family.

"It seems you have many secrets you're hiding from us. Do you really want to solve the Honkai crisis? If so, why conceal so much and instead choose to cooperate with Otto? Otto is incredibly untrustworthy."

Welt was desperate to understand what was happening. The matter of the Imaginary Tree might indeed relate to solving the Honkai crisis. His tone was harsher because of his urgency. Bronie, understanding his anxiety, pointed to Bronya in the distance.

"Even Bronya can become the saint of Anti-Entropy. Publicly, she is the mysterious Silver Wolf, but in reality?"

"Huh?"

Old Yang looked at Bronya, holding a Homu plush and chatting with Seele. She seemed innocent and pure, much like Bronie in the past. And now Bronie was telling the Anti-Entropy leader that this was their future saint, potentially joining their Executors?

"Are you joking!?"

"So, do you now understand how chaotic Anti-Entropy is? You advocate for freedom of speech, but Honkai doesn’t care about human rights or free speech. Your massive anti-Honkai organization has become an unspeakable alliance of interests. You’ll be kicked out sooner or later."

Despite Tesla and Einstein’s efforts to prevent this, Welt had been the stabilizing force.

But now?

Welt had retreated to St. Freya Academy to experience life, almost neglecting his responsibilities.

If Welt ventured into the Sea of Quanta and went missing, wouldn’t Bronie seize the opportunity to control the two scientists?

So Bronie’s warning felt like a threat to Welt.

"So, you're warning me that Anti-Entropy isn’t capable of fighting Honkai? We have the most advanced Titan mechs, not the inhumane artificial Stigmata of Schicksal. We possess advanced technology, abundant resources, and a firm resolve to fight Honkai!"

"I never doubted your resolve against Honkai. However, you're trying to run before you can walk. The incident on the island was just a rehearsal against Honkai. But this is our first time having tea face-to-face, isn’t it?"

Welt sipped his tea. "Yes, I’ve always wanted to discuss games with you in person. Whether it's Titanfall or Arahato, unfortunately, I’m in a special situation now. I need to be back at school by ten p.m."

"Alright, alright, you two, stop arguing~"

Elysia walked over and sat beside Bronie. "Actually, the incident on the island was because of me~!"

Welt looked at Elysia and then at Bronie, feeling that things were not as expected. Wasn't Elysia a streamer? And those ears—were they really Elf ears?

"If you really want to talk to him about this, I won’t stop you. But Mr. Welt, though you inherited the Herrscher core, you haven’t fully mastered its power due to your qualifications."

"But he succeeded, didn’t he? To Bronie, an unascended Herrscher is just a larger Judgement-class Honkai Beast, but he retained his will, didn’t he?"

Did you know that in this era, it’s easier for girls to gain resistance to Honkai energy?

Bronie pondered and concluded that Elysia’s preferences influenced this outcome. Despite deceiving time, the Ether Anchor imitated Elysia’s authority to relay her intentions.

As for why the first Herrscher was a boy, Bronie speculated that Prometheus deemed males more rational, better suited to inherit the Herrscher of Reason’s core.

"What were you just talking about? What does ascension mean? Retaining will... What does that mean?"

"Do you think you retained your sanity purely due to your strong will?"

"Is there a bigger secret here?"

"In the records of the previous civilization, no Herrscher retained their will or humanity. But now, even a Herrscher like Sirin, filled with malice towards humans, can be born. This is all because of the legacy from the previous civilization..."

"Bronie achieved a miracle!"

Elysia corrected. Bronie paused, realizing Elysia might be right. She enjoyed the fruits first, then the cause was achieved on the island.
But Bronie only reached this world from the Sea of Quanta eight years after the Second Herrscher was defeated.

"No, you could have achieved this, but I couldn't let the cost of the miracle be your life, Elysia."

Watching their interaction, Welt felt like he was being fed dog food. Miracles have a price. The price here was Elysia’s life, allowing Herrschers to retain humanity.

Was that possible?

"You located the Cocoon of Finality and manipulated it!?"

Welt drew an astonishing conclusion.

"From the Imaginary Tree's records 50,000 years ago, the Cocoon of Finality was in the interstice between Imaginary Space and the Sea of Quanta. There wasn't a clear position. In an emergency, only a contingency could be left."

Welt's mind raced, processing Bronie's information. This was undoubtedly beyond Anti-Entropy’s reach. Reversing time and causality highlighted his knowledge gaps as the Herrscher of Reason, which was embarrassing. Fortunately, Bronie’s warning prevented further humiliation.

But why did this story seem familiar?

"Madoka?"

Welt looked at Elysia.

"Madoka is adorable~"

Elysia responded. Welt turned to Bronie.

"Akemi Homura?"

"I don’t have time-travel powers..."

"Could the Herrscher core be a Magical Girl’s Soul Gem!?"

At that moment, Welt had a ludicrous thought. Was he actually a magical girl?





Chapter 186: Arranging Anti-Entropy Perfectly

"Could it be that Herrschers are magical girls!?" In the end, Welt couldn't help but voice the most absurd thought in his mind. However, he still maintained a bit of dignity by not admitting that he was actually a magical girl himself.

After expressing this conjecture, Bronie was stunned. Even Elysia widened her eyes and looked at Bronie.

"Is that the case?"

"No, you're overthinking it... No, wait. The new era's Herrscher cores might have the possibility of carrying consciousness, so they could be considered soul gems? No, that's not right! Herrschers aren't magical girls. If anything, they're like witches spreading despair...
No, Elysia is a magical girl....
Yes, Welt, you are a magical girl too!"

Bronie thought of many things, ending up rambling. Elysia is a Herrscher and also a magical girl, so a magical girl is a Herrscher.

Welt is a Herrscher, so he will become a magical girl.

This logic chain, as if saying the bigger the fish, the smaller the fish, left Welt in reverse shock.

"Alright, I admit, Herrschers indeed have a dual nature. They can be messengers of despair but also warriors of hope. This is why I always believed that during the Second Eruption, Sirin had the potential to become the strongest Herrscher, leading human civilization through the calamity. However, her heart was filled with too much hatred."

At this point, Welt looked into Bronie's eyes again. "You know, Kiana once lived with you for a while."

So, Welt wanted to know Bronie's attitude towards Kiana.

"Sirin is a rather impulsive child, but like any other normal child, she likes sweets and isn't too keen on spicy food. However, because her friends like it, she tries to understand it. Recently, she's even gotten into fashion design, dreaming of one day designing beautiful clothes for others. She can be a bit tsundere, often saying one thing and meaning another. But if you engage with her sincerely, she'll show a shy expression. Lastly, she also likes beautiful girls."

"Wow! You observe Sirin so closely! It seems Bronie cares deeply about Sirin!"
Elysia was surprised by Bronie's detailed observations, not expecting her to be so attentive to Sirin.

"Did Sirin awaken while she was with you?"

"The Babylon Tower lab didn't provide her with a proper environment, nor did anyone love her. Never having been loved, her heart was filled only with hatred. The Sirin in the Second Eruption has already died, leaving behind residual consciousness within the Herrscher core, divided into benevolent and malevolent sides. Though extreme, we can dilute that despair with hope through daily interactions." Hearing Bronie's words, Welt finally began to understand what Siegfried meant by doing it all for Kiana's sake.

Previously, Welt couldn't comprehend how Siegfried, under the guise of doing it for her own good, abandoned Kiana—a behavior extremely cruel to a child.
But if Kiana's other side was filled with despair and seeing Siegfried would remind her of that despair, leaving might indeed be a better choice.

When Welt was young, his father was killed by Otto, making him long for paternal love. He even had a big argument with Siegfried over this. And what was the result? Siegfried turned around and drowned himself in alcohol, a pathetic sight that made Welt furious. But now, seeing things from a different perspective and truly understanding Kiana's situation, Welt felt an urge to apologize to Siegfried.

"Thankfully, you were there. If Siegfried had left and Kiana had wandered alone, the despair in her heart..."

"Would only deepen, right? Perhaps the bonds she forms with others in the future might pull her through, but there could still be lifelong regrets, right?"

"And it's all thanks to Bronie! Although Bronie always says miracles come with a price, I always feel like Bronie is a magical girl who controls miracles and magic, suddenly appearing to bring love and hope~" Elysia's words made Bronie a little embarrassed. Her toes, through the stockings, rubbed against her slippers—this was what one would call an awkward scratch.

Welt didn't notice the oddity but looked at Bronie with admiration. "I can feel your longing for love and hope from your work. Although there are occasional tragedies, it's precisely because of these tragedies that beauty becomes precious. I'm also spreading this idea through my work, so we should have many common topics to discuss."

"That's true..."

Bronie felt that Welt's interest was not purely about collaboration.

"But why did you choose to cooperate with that cold-hearted and greedy Archbishop Otto of Schicksal? Is it because he possesses more advanced pre-civilization technology? Or is it because Schicksal promises more resources?"

Welt could never understand this. If one had met Otto even once, it was obvious that he was not a good person. Not only had he maintained the same appearance for 500 years, but every smile seemed so evil. The technology Bronie controlled and the knowledge she possessed, if deeply collaborated with Otto, would be aiding a tyrant.

"Moreover, Archbishop Otto doesn’t understand what love is. He treats others' lives as expendable sacrifices. He has no determination to fight against the Honkai."

Well, there are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand people's eyes. And Otto’s usual behavior certainly appeared this way.

But there was one point Bronie felt needed to be corrected.

"No, he does have the will to fight against the Honkai. He believes in the power of human emotions more than anyone else and even wants to use it to control Herrschers."

"You know what he really wants!?"

If they could understand Otto better, it would provide more means to deal with him, right? So, Welt was very concerned about information regarding Otto.

"He wants to reverse causality. For this, he is willing to sacrifice everything to achieve this goal. Currently, he needs a Herrscher with humanity, sufficient power, precise positioning, and abundant energy."

Welt leaned back involuntarily. Could he really hear about such things?

"I’m not sure if this information is true, but his actions so far barely align with this... But what's the price for such information?"

Finally, back to the main topic. From the moment he saw Welt, Bronie wanted to establish a deep cooperation. Similarly, she wanted Welt to work for her, not in making games or comics, but regarding the Sea of Quanta.

"I have a brand-new collaboration project with Anti-Entropy. This project will have a significant impact on fighting the Honkai. The information is a gesture of my sincerity and a chance for cooperation between Anti-Entropy and Schicksal."

"Oh? Let’s hear it."

"Firstly, the size of the Cocoon of Finality is large, but it only encompasses the solar system. Compared to the boundless Sea of Quanta, it's like a football field compared to a sesame seed."

"So, you're saying that the hope to fight against the Honkai lies in the Sea of Quanta? Indeed, recently, Einstein's research on Aether suggested it has the ability to combat the Sea of Quanta."

"No, there once was a civilization that tried and succeeded, but also failed. However, what I’m talking about is not that, but a special product of the Sea of Quanta."

"What is it?"

"The Ether Anchor within a world bubble of the Sea of Quanta. Possessing it is akin to having authority over that world bubble, like a creator. It responds to the wishes of the beings within the bubble, establishing special rules. Its unique operation can be considered a miracle of the Sea of Quanta."

Upon hearing this, Welt straightened up, deeply respectful.

"The Sea of Quanta actually has such a miraculous thing!"

"The larger the world bubble, the more information the Ether Anchor carries, and the greater its power. Using the miracle of the collective wishes can suppress or even partially control the Cocoon of Finality."

In other words, there is indeed a means to combat the source of the Honkai, the so-called Cocoon of Finality, through the Sea of Quanta.

Previously, Tesla complained that many of Bronie’s pieces of information were unverifiable. Even if they were true, how could something as complex as the Cocoon of Finality, seemingly existing in higher dimensions, be touched or destroyed? Like a cartoon character unable to break through the dimension to slap the audience.

Manipulating the Cocoon of Finality seemed nearly impossible. But Bronie proposed a new solution, one that Anti-Entropy might find within reach: the Ether Anchor in the Sea of Quanta!

Aether, through specific editing, could display special effects, almost like editing reality itself. Using the power of miracles to manifest magic to combat the despair-spreading Honkai! It all made sense!

Bronie was hinting at something! Definitely hinting at something!

Seeing Welt’s expression of sudden realization and subsequent respect, Bronie felt satisfied.

"Sorry, but this matter is of utmost importance. We in Anti-Entropy will definitely explore the Sea of Quanta and find the Ether Anchor!"

"Yes, Anti-Entropy currently has the resources to achieve this. On the other hand, Otto of Schicksal is researching the Honkai from the Imaginary Space. You both are on different paths but share the same end goal."

"...I see. Is this the vision you wanted to share with me?"

The Cocoon of Finality ultimately exists in the Imaginary Space, but its positioning is challenging. Schicksal has made significant progress on this path. Meanwhile, Anti-Entropy, researching Aether, has laid the foundation to step into the Sea of Quanta.

Only through genuine collaboration, with Bronie mediating, can there be a real chance to fight against the Honkai. Bronie hoped Anti-Entropy would set aside its prejudices, unite its strength, and use it against the Honkai.

But...

No way! There was absolutely no way to cooperate with Otto!

So Welt’s expression wasn’t great.

"Actually, when Otto is about to achieve his goal, the plan to reverse causality will begin. He will step down as Archbishop of Schicksal, leaving his path open for his successor to collaborate with Anti-Entropy. I know you have strong opinions about Otto, but as long as the Archbishop isn't Otto, isn’t that fine?"

"And what will happen to Otto once he completes his plan...?"

"I won’t let him die easily. The worst outcome is death. At best, he’ll spend a few hundred years at a sewing machine with no chance for leniency!"

"Can that really be done!?"

It seemed Welt cared deeply about Otto.

"This is my plan. My deal with Anti-Entropy. What I want is the Ether Anchor."

Bronie felt that if Welt ventured into the Sea of Quanta, without encountering Kevin, he might indeed find the Ether Anchor. And manipulating the Cocoon of Finality was a possibility. Bronie's reward was Anti-Entropy's expected vision: a future where Otto is humiliated and possibly cuckolded.

Fighting for the beauty of the world was a slogan shouted loudly in Schicksal's St. Freya Academy. But this motto was long ingrained in the DNA of Welt, Tesla, and Einstein.

So, although Bronie made demands and presented a plan, the final results were what Anti-Entropy needed.

As for whether to proceed or not? Did Anti-Entropy have more choices? It seemed they could refuse, but Bronie's information left no room for refusal. If Anti-Entropy failed to follow through, what then?

The recent disturbance on the Pacific island was known to Anti-Entropy, and Bronie claimed it was a great advance in their collaborative experiments with Schicksal. Can they tolerate this!?

Since Otto of Schicksal agreed to cooperate with Haxxor Bunny’s plan, Anti-Entropy, after verifying the plan’s feasibility, would naturally not refuse.

This was an open strategy. Welt was resigned once he realized this.

"Thank you for your support of Anti-Entropy. After verifying the plan's feasibility, we will immediately begin exploring the Sea of Quanta. However, Anti-Entropy might not find the Ether Anchor. At that time, are there more plans?"

"I will activate plan B or even plan C. I won’t reveal specific plans now. So, go explore the Sea of Quanta without too much burden. Treat it as a trailblazing journey."

At the mention of trailblazing, Welt got excited!

"Great! Then here's to a happy cooperation!"

"Of course. We will continue to discuss commercial and military cooperation online. Trust me, humanity will defeat the Honkai."

"Indeed! Humanity will defeat the Honkai!"






Chapter 187: New Game Reservation

Welt left the Golden Courtyard with his blood boiling, but once he returned to his employee dormitory, he calmed down a bit.

He then relayed the information to Anti-Entropy, including various data on fighting Honkai and the Sea of Quanta. It was as if a technology Eureka moment had happened in the Civilization series, as Anti-Entropy's research on the Sea of Quanta progressed significantly!

Indeed, if all went well, Anti-Entropy would soon attempt to open the door to the Sea of Quanta, using the technology left behind by the previous civilization to establish a stable pathway to it. This was something even Schicksal couldn't achieve.

After receiving the information Welt sent over, Tesla's emotions were evidently very unstable. There was no other way—Bronie had clearly laid out the future plans for Anti-Entropy, even stating that Schicksal had accepted such a plan. If Anti-Entropy didn't cooperate, they would be considered humanity's sinners.

Although it was unclear how Haxxor Bunny had persuaded Otto from Schicksal or what kind of benefits were exchanged, Einstein's subsequent video call with Otto revealed that Otto had entrusted the task of fighting Honkai entirely to Bronie and was planning to pave the way for her to inherit Schicksal in the future. This left the members of Anti-Entropy utterly confused.

Welt immediately recalled Bronie's words about Otto's goal: reversing causality to seek an almost impossible miracle. But would Otto be someone who easily believed in promises? It meant that Bronie had proven her plan's feasibility through actual actions and had presented the miracle to Otto.

Then Welt thought of Elysia, who was always very enthusiastic towards others—a mysterious, cheerful girl. Although Bronie denied that a Herrscher could be a magical girl, she did not deny the comparison of Elysia to Madoka and Bronie to Homura Akemi. Only after watching the theatrical version did Welt barely guess the events' beginning and end.

Elysia, being a person from 50,000 years ago, was revived by Bronie through some special technology by capturing a miracle and reversing causality!

The Thirteen Flamechasers were indeed a mysterious existence.

If Bronie could achieve this, could they find a way to combat Honkai in the future?

Welt was already preparing to venture into the Sea of Quanta. Like a pioneer in the stars, he would explore, search, and blaze new trails.
Now that he thought about it, it seemed quite thrilling.

If they could solve the Honkai issue, they could venture more into the Sea of Quanta!

The magical girl trend continued. The anime's release sparked intense discussions. And what happened? Less than a week later, the Rebellion Story was released, escalating the excitement and pushing the Madoka series to new heights. It even had numerous chances of winning awards in the future.

Of course, Bronie had sufficient reasons to suspect that those awards might have been influenced by Otto's behind-the-scenes maneuvers. As for evidence? Bronie could only describe it as a certain intuition—an ever-present feeling that someone was out to get her.

There was no other way. Otto hadn't mentioned anything about inheritance to Bronie, but Schicksal had already started taking action, preparing to fabricate Bronie's records in this world.

In a way, this was Otto paving the way for Bronie's future.


At the headquarters of Schicksal, Otto silently remarked that Bronie had organized both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy clearly and methodically.While he would gladly accept such an outcome, he still felt he had the right to a bit of revenge.

"Let Bronie enjoy the feeling of losing her freedom," he thought.

Bronie was a good person and a very responsible one at that.

When the responsibilities of Schicksal fell on Bronie's shoulders, when everything happened too quickly to turn back, Bronie would surely not immediately reject the position of Saintess and Archbishop of Schicksal.
Although she would definitely try to escape in the future, it would keep her busy for quite some time!

At this thought, Otto couldn't help but chuckle mischievously.

"So you created Madoka Magica? Showing off to me, are you? Even though you grasped the miracle earlier than I did, don't think that I've wasted these five hundred years of my life. What kind of work are you planning to create next? You've already reached the pinnacle; can you continue to break through?"


...


"I'm not too regretful about creating Madoka Magica. Plus, the recent trend it has sparked, with novels online featuring magical girl battle royales. But figuring out how to continue surpassing it is indeed a bit troubling..." Bronie sat at her new desk, explaining to Elysia the reasons why she had been slacking off recently.

On one hand, the popularity of magical girls was hard to diminish.

On the other hand, Bronie had recently been experiencing more novel things in bed.

There was no helping it; this was the Far East.

After discovering the adult section in the electronics district, Elysia had been unstoppable.

Normally, Elysia was in one of two states: either hungry or... perverted. More often than not, Elysia was in the latter state.

It had been some time since Rebellion Story had ended its theatrical run. Bronie thought the hype had mostly died down, but the progress on the new game was still stuck in the "new folder" stage. Bronie hadn't even named the folder!

Today, Elysia came to the office with the intention of making a vlog, wanting to see what Bronie had been up to lately.
And what did she find?

Bronie seemed to be using the excuse of thinking about the new game while playing Apex online every day. As for teammates, the regular ones were probably Bronya and Kevin.

Elysia occasionally joined in, but every time she teamed up with Kevin, he rarely spoke.

Actually, Kevin didn't seem to talk much when teaming up with Bronie either. Elysia had secretly observed their teamwork, finding Bronie's explanations for not making a new game rather weak, especially with the game interface still open on her desktop.

"Hehe, so you have no motivation to make a new game recently? Looks like our Haxxor Bunny's online shrine is about to move again... Fans are eagerly awaiting your next work!"

"Expectation is one thing, but I really don't have any ideas for a new game right now... Maybe a card game?"

"A card game? Is that an area Haxxor Bunny hasn't touched before?"

Elysia got excited. But then Bronie frowned.

Making a Pokémon card game? Honestly, although Bronie had created Pokémon, the IP management wasn't as smooth as she'd imagined.
The yellow-skinned bunny, Homu, was like a terrifying memetic virus, constantly warping human civilization's aesthetics.

The classic Pikachu couldn't even win against such a thing.

This resulted in the game having some popularity, and Bronie even outsourced animation production to Haxxor Bunny Studio, but it remained lukewarm.

How to say it? People loved cute things, but the fact that Pokémon wasn't as cute as Homu was something Bronie found hard to accept. Luckily, Pokémon wasn't too bad, but it didn't seem suitable for a card game.

What about Yu-Gi-Oh?

Yu-Gi-Oh had accumulated twenty years' worth of anime, rules, cards, and numerous tournaments, growing up with a generation. It left a deep impression on Bronie.

But unfortunately, any card games remained a niche market.

"A card game would require a lot of effort in rules and gameplay. For a competitive card game, balancing would also be crucial. I'm too lazy to constantly update a game, so—" Bronie dragged the new folder for a card game to the recycle bin.

"Aww... And what about this one? Red Dead Redemption? What's this project about?"

"A game themed around the American West, focusing on robbery and extortion."

"Wow, set in the American West! I didn't know Bronie had considered making such a game~"

"The main gameplay conflicts with Cyberpunk, so I haven't considered further development."

"And this one! The Legend of Zelda 2: Tears of the Kingdom. You even have a title for this folder; does it mean it's nearly completed?"

Elysia aimed her camera at another folder on Bronie's desktop. Bronie raised an eyebrow and opened the folder, revealing it to be empty, disappointing Elysia.

"A bit of a shame... Although I have ideas in my head, I haven't recorded them further. Making a sequel means thinking about surpassing the original in gameplay, story, and graphics."

"But... Bronie, you do have the desire to make these games, right?"

"If you put it that way... you're not wrong."

Bronie nodded, then casually eyed another empty folder on her desktop. This folder wasn't a recently created one but an idea from a long time ago: Dying Light.

Suddenly, Bronie thought of the upcoming Third Honkai Eruption.

When the Honkai began, it would erode ordinary people, turning them into zombies-like dead walkers. Dying Light might serve as a survival guide in such a scenario.

To be honest, Bronie wasn't sure. But thinking about facing the Third Honkai Eruption, she imagined the thrill of surviving in such an environment.

Would Bronie let innocent people die before her eyes? Nagazora City was huge, with a dense population. If a Honkai Eruption occurred and turned all ordinary people into dead walkers, it might look like a zombie apocalypse.

World Serpent had made preparations, but Bronie had only mentioned to Schicksal that a great Honkai might happen in the Far East.

Anti-Entropy was almost completely in the dark.

No, not entirely. At least Raiden Ryoma had noticed an increase in Honkai energy levels, and Siegfried sensed more crime breeding in the city.

Unfortunately, Raiden Ryoma's attention was drawn to other matters. It seemed Schicksal had some ideas about ME Corp, and Otto wanted to strike at Anti-Entropy.

As for the reason? The Golden Courtyard's land originally belonged to ME Corp.

Wasn't that enough?

Schicksal had paid a hefty price to fulfill Bronie's request.
While such a cost was trivial to Otto, he didn't like losing too much.

It's different from Bronie, but Anti Entropy? It's all fair game.

"Still an empty folder~" Elysia noted as Bronie opened Dying Light. But this time, Elysia saw Bronie project a neural link device.

"Although it's an empty folder, it won't take long to make a product. I'm sure players will love this theme: parkour, survival, and zombies..."





Chapter 188: Dying Light

Bronie’s new work was promoted through Elysia’s vlog. Additionally, Elysia cosplayed as Madoka, flaunting Bronie's presence by her side.

If she were a regular streamer, she might have been heavily criticized for publicly announcing her romantic relationship. But as viewers often said, "God loves everyone, demons love only one, and audiences want to see gods and demons together."

And for someone who created games like Elden Ring and Getting Over It, Bronie could be seen as a demon too.

If it were girls being affectionate, they could easily be forgiven. Plus, Elysia was very attractive, making it easier for her to be forgiven for anything she did.

It was like a devil and an angel falling in love with each other.

Both so different yet bot match one another.

So, Elysia subtly revealed her relationship with Bronie online.

To be honest, Bronie found it quite thrilling, like driving a truck with its cargo hold modified into one-way glass: you could see out, but no one could see in, and then doing something daring in a crowded place.

Thankfully, Elysia didn’t go that far—it was just a metaphor. Publicly disclosing their relationship might bring some blessings but also some harsh criticism, which Bronie found hard to address.

However, Elysia had achieved her goal. She proved to Bronie that she wouldn’t sacrifice herself like Madoka, using her actions to demonstrate this. Though it seemed a bit silly, it was very effective!

So, animation projects were put on hold for now. Dying Light, a game born in 2015, marked an era when AAA titles began to proliferate. Games like Rainbow Six, The Witcher 3, and GTA V emerged, showcasing high freedom and massive content, proving that open-world game technology was nearly mature. Players yearned for such games, seeing maps full of question marks and collectibles, knowing they promised extensive, satisfying gameplay.

In Bronie’s memory, these games filled a significant part of her cherished youth. At a time when others were playing Dungeon Fighter and League of Legends, Bronie didn’t join in because... she had too few friends.

Her personality determined this, but fortunately, large single-player games were enough to let her enjoy the beauty of gaming. After experiencing those meticulously crafted stories and games, Bronie never felt her friendless youth was sad.

If she had to rank various games in her heart, Dying Light would be among the top. The first game was a classic, and the second had many merits too. If it weren’t for the overly perfect female lead's face, the second game would have little to criticize.

Since Bronie released one open-world game after another—Cyberpunk 2077, Elden Ring, The Legend of Zelda—even opening the door to a new world for game developers worldwide, countless game creators realized, "Ah, games aren’t just sandbox or level-based; they can be open-world too!" High freedom combined with rich content, requiring a team's precise cooperation and substantial funding, was needed to build such masterpieces.

"This is how you make games? This neural link device is amazing..."

"It incorporates some of Mobius's technology. Perhaps in the future, it could develop into cognitive science technology. But creating games purely by imagination is still challenging, so many artistic details, modeling, and map details are handled by Haxxor Bunny Studio."

This time, Elysia also participated in the game development process. However, upon seeing the game's art style, she felt reluctant.

Compared to previous styles, Dying Light was more realistic.

And this realistic style clearly isn't Elysia's cup of tea.

Cute girls and zombie apocalypses just don't mix.

Though this doomsday setting does create a sense of despair, Elysia has seen so much of it in the previous civilization that she's a bit tired of it.

However, Elysia isn't someone who loses interest quickly; instead, she focuses her efforts on costume design.

"Bronie, what do you think of this outfit?"

"Hey, isn't this Flame Chaser style?"

Bronie immediately recognizes the outfit's resemblance to the Flame Chasers from Honkai Impact 2. Though it looks a bit ragged, it conveys a strong sense of survival in an apocalypse.

"Eh hey, you know, this outfit's design incorporates a bit of how little Kevin looked while surviving in the city during the last era!"

Elysia gazes at the jacket, briefly lost in memory.

"Oh? Kevin encountered Honkai in high school, and you saved him?"

"Of course not. But there's a record in the Flame Chaser archives of Kevin bravely fighting a tank-class Honkai beast with a baseball bat. I was drawn to that brave boy's spirit."

"Wow, a baseball bat against a Honkai beast? That's impressive."

Bronie is genuinely impressed, not sarcastic. A tank-class Honkai beast is at least three meters tall, and the more formidable ones could reach five meters. Being silicon-based creatures, they're as hard as rocks. Knocking one down with a baseball bat makes it seem like Kevin is already treading the path of destiny.

"Right! Brave and strong. Later, when he joined the Fire Moth and saw me, his shy and timid expression is something I'll never forget.

"That sounds quite interesting. I can’t forget how seriously Kevin told his cold jokes."

"Hahaha! That’s one of the few pleasant memories! Kevin was always concerned about his humor not making everyone laugh, likely because his sense of humor was frozen along with him."

"Still... running between tall buildings, avoiding zombies in various structures... to be honest, this experience is quite novel. Although in reality, it might be a bit dreadful, such lawless environments... experiencing it in a game is pretty interesting, right?"

"Eh? But isn’t Cyberpunk 2077 somewhat similar?"

"But causing trouble in Night City would still attract the police, and there's a reputation system in the game. Randomly killing people would make others despise you. But in this game..."

"The reputation system is gone?"

"No, I've hidden the reputation system. Though it might not be noticeable on the surface, it will affect transaction prices with NPCs based on your reputation. I just hope players won’t regret their choices... treating this game a bit more seriously would be better, right?"

"I see... if it’s too strict, the game might become less fun. Adjusting prices also guides players’ choices, right?"

"Different factions and gangs have different moral inclinations. One side might increase prices while the other lowers them. There’s no worry about me forcing a particular worldview. Am I that kind of person?"

"Spreading hope through tragedy, everyone calls you a demon!"

Elysia's jab makes Bronie feel a bit helpless. Such an evaluation is actually a compliment. So, Bronie takes it as a badge of honor.

"Everyone loves the characters in the game! I'm sure they all adore Chiaki Nanami! Haxxor Bunny Studio has already commissioned an animation company to produce the Danganronpa anime!"

"Hmph! I’ll remember this grudge against Chiaki Nanami!"

Later, during her involvement in the game's development, Elysia sees the nests of Night Hunters. Those nocturnal creatures and their lairs are truly terrifying. Just seeing caves filled with corpses creates an invisible pressure, discouraging players from exploring deeper.

Nighttime is the domain of the Night Hunters, but their nests are safe. Conversely, during the day, weak zombies rule, but Night Hunters return to their nests, making them extremely dangerous. Especially in the early stages, parkour alone won’t necessarily shake off the Night Hunters. The sight of those blood-red eyes chasing players through the darkness often makes them afraid to go out at night. Yet, many tasks have to be done at night.

Though Dying Light appears to be a hack-and-slash or parkour game on the surface, it has plenty of horror elements. The thought of players being chased by Night Hunters, crying and screaming, makes Bronie’s lips curl up in amusement.

Handcrafted DIY weapons are also a unique feature of Dying Light. Unfortunately, the first game only had basic enchantments, with most items being stat-based. There’s significant potential in the weapon system that wasn’t fully realized, possibly due to technical limitations. Nevertheless, firearms and melee weapons offer a rich combat experience.

In keeping with a pursuit of excellence, Bronie plans to add more interesting elements to the weapon system. For instance, in the zombie game Dead Rising, the weapon combination system turned realism into fantasy, providing a unique sense of satisfaction. Although combining random materials seems absurd, the fact that players can create powerful weapons from everyday items adds to the fun. It makes zombies seem like no problem at all, with the biochemical apocalypse bringing freedom.

However, the storyline of Dying Light is quite heavy. It’s filled with tests of humanity, with the protagonist struggling between their role as an agent and a family member in a chaotic world. The final outcomes emphasize the importance of players’ choices on the protagonist’s fate.

Aside from the plot, the parkour system is the game’s standout feature. First-person parkour significantly enhances immersion. Speaking of which, Bronie remembers a game called Mirror’s Edge, a parkour combat game that might have inspired Dying Light. The overall content of Dying Light is extensive, making it a quintessential AAA title. Hence, its development time is considerable, even longer than the initial creation of the Genesis system followed by The Evil Within.

A massive city divided into different zones, with a modern but slightly decayed feel. This kind of city always reminds Elysia of those destroyed by Honkai. Some cities were abandoned due to Honkai, but according to multiple Fire Moth investigations, some cities, despite being damaged by Honkai, still have a few resilient survivors.

As for the lockdown of cities... the military’s approach in the game is almost identical to the Fire Moth's' early attitude towards Honkai.

What? Honkai appeared? Lock down the city. No one gets out.

Officially, it’s due to a special disease or disaster, regardless of how many civilians are still struggling inside. If there’s a young genius, they get recruited; otherwise, they’re left alone.

Thinking about that time always puts Elysia in a bad mood. And if Elysia is completely upset, the entire Golden Courtyard would suffer. She would throw little tantrums with the kids, leading them in dress-up games and such. It’s all about an explosion of girlishness. Sin and Black Seele couldn’t handle the pink hell, and neither could Bronie.

So Bronie regrets choosing such a theme to stimulate Elysia. If she had known... if only she had made Angel Beats! or Plastic Memories instead.

But after several months of effort, by the end of the year, the game is finally completed, despite numerous hurdles. Meanwhile, the World Serpent organization has everything ready, and Nagazora is prepared to face the Third Honkai Eruption.




Chapter 189: Welt Was So Scared He Dropped His Mouse

After Elysia’s vlog, Bronie stopped releasing new information about the game online. However, since Elysia had exposed the progress of the New Folder, players speculated how long it would take Bronie to create a AAA game.

The final answer was revealed when Haxxor Bunny Studio released the new game trailer: 53 days in total.

From creating the New Folder, to voice acting, to the final testing phase, and then to promotion, it took just 53 days!

Like an author accustomed to voice input who can write tens of thousands of words a day, Bronie, with her Genesis system, was also extremely efficient in game development.
Elysia experienced it, and Bronie participated too.

During the testing phase, Bronie discovered that Elysia had hidden Easter eggs in every corner of the city, but for some reason, these Easter eggs always consumed a lot of memory when triggered. Maybe it was because of too many special effects?

Bronie couldn’t find the cause of the memory usage issue and eventually gave up. She decided it might be best not to let Elysia participate next time since the elements she added inexplicably consumed memory. Fortunately, these small issues didn’t affect the overall game performance or significantly impact the gaming experience. However, during testing and optimization, Bronie always felt something was off.

As usual, Bronie would release the game three days after the trailer, a promotional attitude players had gotten used to. This time, the trailer had the feel of a blockbuster, featuring countless zombies, cool parkour actions, and a view of the city from a high tower. The trailer conveyed that this game was not a small game like Danganronpa or a uniquely styled game like Puella Magi Madoka Magica. It was a true AAA title!

But how much time had passed since the game started development? Given Bronie’s previous record, everyone was already used to her high efficiency. People were impressed by the speed but immediately started discussing what kind of advanced technology allowed such a game to be developed in such a short time. From AI to consciousness projection, they guessed everything they could think of, and they were pretty close to the right answer. Bronie had used every possible method to improve efficiency, and the results were self-evident.

The moment the game was released, Welt pre-downloaded it and waited for the final unlock. He skillfully downloaded it, started his stream, and introduced the game. "This time, Haxxor Bunny has again created a first-person open-world game, but they've added first-person parkour elements and a zombie theme, making it a good attempt. The zombie theme often involves depictions of humanity, and Bronie’s writing ability needs no further praise."

The livestream chat was flooded with comments and gifts.

[Judging by the trailer, the zombie theme and the Musou-like gameplay must be very satisfying, right?]

[Will it be another classic like Left 4 Dead?]

Left 4 Dead was also a game by Haxxor Bunny Studio, created by employees as a self-initiated project. They wanted to create a fast-paced, competitive game, and Bronie provided the concept for Left 4 Dead. It was a similar but uniquely different take on the zombie shooter genre, with melee weapons, custom DIY weapons, and extensive maps, including a creative workshop still producing new content. It became a classic, and Bronie awarded the team with honors and bonuses.

Seeing someone mention Left 4 Dead in the chat made Bronie happy.

[Although Left 4 Dead has many melee weapons, Dying Light's DIY weapon combos are a big selling point, right? Games made by Haxxor won’t disappoint.]

"That's right, Haxxor Bunny 's games always surprise players. Let's see what surprises this game has in store for us this time."

This game doesn't start with a character customization part, but you can choose to play as either the male or female protagonist. Both models look great. The male protagonist is a typical American tough guy, and if he shaves, he even has a bit of a pretty-boy look. The female protagonist, on the other hand, has a heroic vibe, reminiscent of Black Widow from the Avengers, with red hair, a striking figure, and outfits designed by Elysia.

However, the main story won't diverge based on your character choice, which is a significant difference from Cyberpunk 2077. If Cyberpunk 2077 is a highly immersive, large-scale role-playing game, then Dying Light is more like a first-person perspective movie. The ending might differ slightly, but there are no critical branching points in the main storyline that require player decisions. Hence, the ending is somewhat less variable compared to Cyberpunk 2077.

Welt naturally chose the male protagonist. Having experienced Cyberpunk 2077 in first-person, he knew there wasn't much difference between playing as a male or female, except for some NPC interactions. This time was no different.

Dying Light's story takes place in a city called Harlan. One day, an unknown virus outbreak occurs, and the local government decides to isolate the entire city from the outside world while continuously delivering supplies and researching the virus. The virus is said to be a variant of rabies, causing infected individuals to quickly exhibit rabies-like symptoms and eventually transform into zombies or other more dangerous entities upon death.

The outbreak mode of the virus is somewhat reminiscent of Honkai, especially with the evolving zombies.

But talking about Honkai on the internet? Certainly not!

"Honestly, I didn't expect the government in the story to be so ruthless, locking down the entire city without rescuing the many survivors still inside..."

As the plot unfolds, it’s revealed that the government's plan was to completely cleanse the city, leaving no traces behind. They cut off the city's connection to the outside world and then announced that there were no survivors to prevent the spread of infection, thus justifying the city's purification.

Welt could only say that this was very typical of Schicksal's style. Why? Because they were trying to hide the existence of the Honkai.

This was a joint decision by governments worldwide.

The second major Honkai Eruption had inflicted too much pain on the world, and recklessly confronting it would only lead to death. Ordinary people knowing about the Honkai wouldn't help fight it and would only spread panic. But how much longer could they hide the Honkai?

Welt wanted to believe in humanity’s goodness, thinking that if people knew about the Honkai, they would unite to fight it. But, realistically, Welt could only shake his head. Unless the Honkai disaster spread to the point where it could no longer be concealed, the leaders of various countries would certainly not agree to reveal such information.

If a Honkai outbreak occurred, the affected city might be even worse off than Harlan.

"Okay, so our protagonist is an agent who was ordered to enter Harlan, and upon landing, immediately encounters the hospitality of enthusiastic residents. It seems that the city is divided into two factions on the surface."

The game's tutorial unfolds along with the plot, making it smoother than Cyberpunk's introductory tutorial. The latter, while well-suited to its world, felt stiffer. In the apocalyptic Harlan, the protagonist, saved by another group of survivors, needs to prove their worth to integrate into the team. A group of relatively kind survivors, led by a parkour coach, established a survivor organization called the Tower. The protagonist successfully blends into this organization with their skills.

Unfortunately, the Tower isn’t the protagonist's main mission. Instead, they are after critical information held by the leader of another group. Bitten by a zombie and carrying the virus, the protagonist needs a suppressant to avoid turning into a zombie. Meanwhile, the Tower is exhausted and struggling, but they still help the protagonist rather than abandoning them, who reciprocates by doing tasks for the Tower.

After completing some simple tasks, Welt finally receives an outdoor assignment.

"It seems these people have lived here for a long time, setting up simple traps using streetlights and abandoned cars. Sounds and movements can lure zombies into one area, and UV light is highly effective against them, which is why they call it a variant of rabies."

In first-person view, Dying Light is shakier than Cyberpunk, likely to simulate real parkour. "The parkour moves are smooth, the combat design is reasonable, and the visuals are realistic. This game is certainly up to standard in terms of quality and scale."

After leaving the Tower's base, Welt opens the in-game map. Many areas remain unexplored, but zooming out reveals the city’s size. Bronie recreated the city on a 1:1 scale, but the real-life model remains unknown. The protagonist's task is to repair zombie traps outside. During the day, zombies seem clumsy, but as dusk falls, there’s a sense of impending storm.

"The city's terrain is complex, with many survivor markings guiding safer routes. Honestly, I'm getting curious about parkour itself; who knew Haxxor Bunny would be interested in this sport?"

Watching the protagonist traverse the city, passing traps set for zombies, Welt imagines how cool it would be to parkour using his Herrscher powers. But holding a makeshift pipe as a weapon, Welt feels too weak to experience the thrill of wielding powerful weapons.

As the main mission progresses, taking too long results in limited daylight for Welt. By the third trap, night falls.

"The night system in Cyberpunk exists, but day and night are almost indistinguishable for players. In this game, however, zombies become more aggressive after dark, revealing Harlan’s true nature at night."

On the dark streets, zombies move more nimbly. Though not as agile as those in Left 4 Dead, getting hit is still painful. The street is dark, with zombie growls echoing from all directions, and the protagonist’s bitten arm throbs from the memory of the initial zombie encounter.

"Honestly, I'm getting scared..."

[If you don't finish the task before nightfall, the Night Hunters will chase you!]

"Night Hunters? Are there such dangerous creatures at night... this sounds bad..."

Normally, the first task doesn’t involve Night Hunters. These tasks should be completed during the day. But Welt, being thorough in map exploration, never skips a rooftop, prompting Bronie to unleash the Night Hunters' enthusiasm on players.

The background music intensifies like a horror movie chase scene, making Welt's heart race as he hastily maneuvers the protagonist. He stops looking at the mini-map, focusing only on climbing higher to evade the Night Hunters.

But... Bronie wouldn't make the Night Hunters so easy to escape. Just as Welt's protagonist reaches a rooftop, they encounter a Night Hunter head-on. The creature’s grotesque face, bloody body, and gaping jawbone are terrifying.

"Ahhhhh!!!!"

A sound of a mouse hitting the floor echoes in the livestream. Under the intense horror atmosphere, Welt was so scared he dropped his mouse!




Chapter 190: Poison Dragon Drill?

On the first day, Welt received a hard lesson from the citizens of Harlan City: nighttime is the most dangerous time, and it's best not to wander outside if you lack the skills. Though the NPCs at the Tower had warned the protagonist to return to the safe zone at night and rest rather than wander around, Welt, being a player, didn’t take this advice to heart.

Welt approached the game with the fearlessness of a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger. Even as night fell, he had no intention of returning to the Tower. Consequently, the Night Hunters found Welt.

“Hahaha! Found you, delicious protagonist!”
“These Night Hunters are truly terrifying! The daytime zombies look so weak, and the most threatening one is just a lumbering giant easily distracted by sounds. Who would’ve thought that night and day zombies are like two different species, with the addition of Night Hunters!”

“I’m putting up a protective barrier in the chat!”

Seeing the audience’s reaction, Welt felt a bit helpless. "Alright, lesson learned. I didn't realize Harlan City was this dangerous at night. From now on, I'll avoid nighttime activities as much as possible. For now, let’s respawn, head to bed, and wait until morning."

Perhaps due to the continuous supply drops, the survivors in this city never had to worry about running out of food and water. Harlan City's situation wasn't as dire as it seemed, so why hasn't anyone come to rescue everyone? Welt pondered this question, but finding the answer wasn't easy at the moment. Plus, the protagonist had his own role to play.

He was a top agent! Despite being bitten by a zombie right after landing and infected with the virus, requiring a suppressant to avoid turning into a zombie, the protagonist excelled in parkour and combat. Just looking at the numerous skill points, Welt could tell the protagonist had great potential.

On the second day, Welt finally completed his task, only to face another one that required him to confront the Night Hunters again! Suppressants are crucial resources for survivors, and the Tower's supply was almost depleted. The supply drops weren’t collected solely by the Tower but also by another survivor group led by someone named Rais. Rais's group had amassed a large amount of supplies and operated almost like a warlord faction. Rais, calling himself the Emperor of Harlan, commanded a substantial armed force. Welt had encountered Rais’s men several times while exploring the city. They wielded guns and powerful melee weapons, showing no mercy to the protagonist. Armed only with a pipe, Welt could do nothing but run.

In this scenario, the protagonist volunteered to search for the supply drops. Whether for the Tower or himself, he needed the suppressants. As a token of recognition from the Tower, the protagonist received a UV flashlight and various other gear. Completing high-difficulty tasks relieved a lot of pressure from the Tower.

However, while searching for the supply drop, time passed exceptionally quickly.

"The night has fallen again, and we're still some distance from the Tower... It seems this task requires the player to face the darkness... but..."

Welt was speechless. He had already faced the night before, and now he had to have another close encounter with a Night Hunter.

Was this reasonable?

Upon reaching the freshly dropped supply crate, Welt found numerous suppressants. As a competent agent, his first thought upon obtaining them wasn’t to save the people but to report to his superiors. His superiors came up with a devious plan: destroy the suppressants to force the Tower's leaders to negotiate with Rais for more. This would provide an excuse to get close to Rais and confirm his true identity.

As a good agent, Welt had to obey orders, even though he hesitated. Ultimately, he chose to destroy all the suppressants, keeping two for himself. While he would be fine in the short term, the survivors at the Tower would be in dire straits.

Soon, it seemed the protagonist faced immediate consequences. Nearby, on a path blocked by barbed wire, something was gnawing on a corpse. When Welt approached to take a closer look, the grotesque face revived his memories.

“Good grief, another Night Hunter… Normally, this would be the protagonist's first encounter with a Night Hunter, but I guess I was just unlucky before. Now it's the protagonist's turn to pay the price…”

The Night Hunter spotted the protagonist! What followed was a tense and thrilling chase. The Night Hunter, unimpeded by the heights of buildings, had a significant advantage in pursuing survivors. However, Welt also had an edge, a reward he had received after completing his first task: a UV flashlight.

In the game, zombies feared UV light, and Night Hunters, as special infected that never ventured out during the day, had an even more extreme reaction to it. When Welt shone the UV flashlight, it was like a flashbang going off in the Night Hunter's eyes. In those few seconds of the Night Hunter flailing and regaining its senses, Welt found a chance to escape.

He climbed over buildings, leaped onto rooftops, and the thrilling chase began. The Night Hunter's howls and the screams of countless zombies echoed behind him. Thanks to the UV flashlight, Welt finally managed to evade the Night Hunter. As he left the shantytown area, the chase music gradually calmed down.

“Phew, nights in Harlan City are truly terrifying. If I had to face Night Hunters in an open area with few buildings, I’d be in serious trouble. I wonder how the survivors manage to live here... Maybe there's an unspoken rule that no one goes out at night?”

Back at the Tower, Welt finally breathed a sigh of relief. He watched as zombies attracted by his movements were killed by traps, confirming their usefulness to the survivors. The game system then informed him that all experience points gained at night were doubled compared to daytime. This meant the game actually encouraged players to venture out at night. Despite the terrifying Night Hunters, if players could find a way to deal with them, they had a chance to defeat them. The experience points awarded by Night Hunters would certainly be high.

“I have to admit, being chased by a Night Hunter is terrifying!”
“Good thing there weren’t any other special infected on the way. As the difficulty increases, won't the Night Hunters become nearly invincible?”
“The Night Hunter’s difficulty can be set aside for now, but in terms of creating a scary atmosphere, Hackrabbit did a great job… The trailers portrayed the protagonist as a powerful figure, but in reality, they get schooled repeatedly in Harlan City…”

Despite everything, Welt gave the game a high rating. The world wasn’t fully opened yet, but the weapon crafting, blueprint collection, and game mechanics had a lot of potential. The protagonist might be weak now, but today’s humiliation would be avenged a hundredfold in the future. Welt’s legendary journey in Harlan City was just beginning.

...

“Wah! Bronie, how could you scare me with such terrifying Night Hunters! When we were developing the game, they weren't supposed to be that scary!”

Miss Pink Elf burst into Bunny’s office like a pink lightning bolt, diving into Bunny's arms. Bronie suspected Elysia was just using this as an excuse to see him.

“You weren’t fully involved in the game’s development. The special monsters were designed at the very beginning, like those possessed spirits.”

The hulking zombies might seem clumsy, but they were surrounded by smaller zombies. If a player was caught by the big one even once, they’d be in a critical state. Night Hunters were indeed frightening, but with the proper use of UV light, they could be managed. Bronie thought the game’s difficulty was still too low.

“So you designed all the scariest monsters? I had many ideas too!”
“If you have mature ideas, you can tell me. If they’re feasible, I’ll definitely add them.”

“I wanted to include some of the special death warriors we encountered before, but it’s not appropriate to promote that now. But I have a question, Bronie.”

“Yes?”

“In the game, players can combine special items found on the ground to create new weapons, right?”

“That’s right. There are many blueprints scattered across the map. With enough materials, players can combine them to create weapons.”

“So combining a car battery with a massage stick to create an Electric Poison Dragon Drill—was that your idea!?”

Bronie was surprised Elysia had found that blueprint so quickly. It required collecting two identical materials from a store in the city to unlock the blueprint. The Electric Poison Dragon Drill was a powerful weapon for controlling bosses, using strong electric currents to exploit physical weak points. It was overkill for small enemies but still a handy tool for eliminating them.

“It’s just one of many quirky blueprint weapons. Don’t get too hung up on it.”
For some reason, looking into Elysia’s eyes, Bronie felt she was hinting at something. It was like she was saying, "Elysia is usually hungry and naughty, but now she’s well-fed."

“It’s about creativity! Don’t you feel that relying on blueprints limits the players’ creativity?”

Bronie felt like he was seeing a new side of Elysia. “I didn’t expect you to notice that. Blueprints are mainly for quirky, small-fry-clearing weapons and don’t encompass the entire game. This design choice was also made in preparation for the next game.”

“Oh? What kind of game?”

“A sequel to ‘The Legend of Zelda,’ where players can combine different materials and weapons or devices to create new weapons. ‘Breath of the Wild’ is about exploring the land on foot, and the new game, ‘Tears of the Kingdom,’ will focus on using creativity to change the world.”

Bronie had wanted to develop “Tears of the Kingdom” for a long time, but “Breath of the Wild” continued to sell well, with new players joining every day, so he kept delaying it. Recently, Bronya had asked him when the next open-world game like “Breath of the Wild” would be made. Bronie had said it was in progress, but in truth, he hadn’t started at all—not even a new folder.

“Will there be an Electric Poison Dragon Drill?”
“If you insist… human civilization always has a fascination with reproductive worship that never goes out of style.”