"Bronya! Seele! We're back!"
"Idiot! Keep it down!"
In truth, there was no need to be so tense. The downpour from the heavens was relentless, and the dark clouds showed no sign of scattering. This was actually a blessing. The roar of the rain not only masked most sounds but also washed away any telltale scents. The overcast sky shrouded everything in dim light. While they didn't know exactly how the zombies sensed their enemies, with their sight, hearing, and smell all impaired, it had to be helping at least a little.
The only discomfort was that walking through the storm, besides getting soaked to the bone, was the rain itself. The downpour seemed laced with a faint purple tinge that left a tingling numbness on their skin, making their movements and even their thoughts feel sluggish.
Kiana pulled Mei into a small nook formed by the bushes at the edge of the athletic field. The plants were about as tall as a person, and Seele had draped a small waterproof tarp over the branches to create a small shelter. Bronya's gaze passed over Kiana and lingered for a moment on the dazed, distraught Mei before she snatched the pistol back from Kiana's hands.
"Seele..."
"I'm on it!"
Before Bronya could finish, Seele understood and immediately pulled a box of ammunition from her bag.
Kiana, finally snapping out of it, gave a couple of dry laughs and handed the four magazines back to Bronya.
Bronya checked them. The magazine in the pistol had two rounds left, plus one in the chamber. The other four magazines were completely empty. They had been cutting it incredibly close. Kiana and Mei had almost been left behind in that building for good.
She sighed, then suddenly remembered something. "What about the other two magazines?"
Kiana blinked, pursed her lips, and glanced around before biting her lip and mumbling, "I... I lost them..."
Bronya clutched her forehead in agony.
"Forty-one."
She muttered the number under her breath.
It didn't make much of a difference, really. In a place where hundreds of zombies could pop out of any building and Honkai beasts roamed the streets, the difference between forty-one bullets and fifty-seven was negligible.
Even so, she couldn't quite swallow her frustration. It was all that idiot Kiana's fault!
Click—Clack—Click—
Seele was already dutifully loading the magazines, her movements much more practiced than when she first started. After a moment's thought, Bronya handed her all the remaining magazines.
"Idiot Kiana, is Mei-neesama okay?"
"Ah... She's fine now."
Fine. Now.
Bronya glanced at Mei. She was still staring at the ground, occasionally casting a nervous look at their surroundings. If Kiana hadn't been physically pulling her along, she probably would have just stood out in the rain.
What on earth happened?
Thanks to a few hints from Cocolia, Bronya wasn't completely in the dark, but she knew this wasn't the time to waste. In Nagazora City, no one knew what the next second would bring. The chance of a Honkai beast dozens of meters tall falling from the sky and crushing them wasn't 100%, but it certainly wasn't zero either.
"Oh, right, Bronya. You said you contacted Mister Michael. What did he say?"
"Big Bro Michael went to rescue Mei-neesama's father. Auntie Mobius is coming to pick us up. If we're on schedule, she should be here soon."
"Why'd you suddenly start calling him 'Big Bro Michael'?"
A corner of Bronya's mouth twitched. She wasn't sure herself. She'd probably heard Seele say it so many times that it just slipped out. Yes, that had to be it.
Of course, that was just a trivial aside. Bronya's attention remained on Mei, but even when she emphasized the words "Mei-neesama's father," Mei showed not a flicker of excitement, let alone asking any questions.
Bronya had a bad feeling about this. She surveyed their surroundings. A few zombies wandered the athletic field, likely ones that had followed Kiana out of the building, but they were far enough away not to be an immediate threat. Still, charging out the front was impossible.
Behind them, the railing gave way to a wide street. When the Honkai Eruption hit, traffic had been light. The number of zombies wasn't small, but they could probably handle it if they had to force their way through. Some were even still trapped in their cars, unable to get out. The problem was that the street wasn't just filled with zombies. A swarm of mosquito-like Honkai beasts, each taller than a person, darted back and forth as if searching for something. While she and Seele had been waiting for Kiana, they had watched one of the beasts scrape right past the railing several times...
In a situation like this, was sending just Mobius alone going to be enough?
Bronya wasn't questioning Michael's decision. It was just her habit. Even when she was just following orders, she refused to stop thinking about the mission herself. If she hadn't, she'd have been dead and buried long ago.
It wasn't that she didn't trust Michael's judgment. It was just that, if death was inevitable, she didn't want to die blaming someone else for their choices.
But their current situation was extreme. No matter which path they took, Bronya saw no chance of a successful escape.
And what did "escape" even mean? This was just escaping Chiba Academy. How were they supposed to get out of Nagazora City?
And even if they managed that, who could guarantee this disaster hadn't spread across the entire Far East?
If, in the end, there was nowhere left to run, then what?
Bronya slapped her forehead hard. The situation was so grim that even a veteran of countless life-or-death struggles like her couldn't help but let her mind wander.
"Kiana..."
BOOM—
A muffled roar cut through the heavy curtain of rain, interrupting Bronya's words. At first, they thought it was thunder. But the sound continued, a ceaseless rumble, until the very ground beneath their feet began to tremble. The earth, both mud and concrete, started to churn like boiling water. Only then did the girls belatedly look up and see the small mountain charging toward them from a distance.
Even from a kilometer away, the academy's perimeter fence collapsed instantly. The short, withered branches of the bushes twitched and writhed like spastic limbs. The girls didn't even notice. They could only stare in near despair as the beast, dozens of meters tall, closed the distance in just a few breaths and then...
Unexpectedly, it stopped.
The Chariot-class Honkai beast struggled to turn its massive body amidst the ruins. Its head, comically small compared to its frame, swiveled slightly. It held that posture, not advancing any further, as if it were...
"Is it... looking for something?"
"Idiot! Shut up!"
"Should... should we run?"
"Shut up! You think you can outrun that thing?"
The pistol flipped back and forth between Bronya's palms. The shadow cast by the twenty-meter-tall Honkai beast felt like a bottomless, icy sea, so vast and terrifying that it stole her breath. She didn't know what kind of weapons the legendary Schicksal would use against a Honkai beast of this size, but she knew a Tokarev pistol with a nearly worn-out barrel and a beat-up baseball bat wouldn't do a damn thing.
Thankfully, Kiana's ill-timed interruptions snapped her back to reality. If she had remained lost in that despair, she might have literally suffocated.
But for once, the idiot Kiana was right. The Honkai beast's current posture was uncannily similar to how she herself used to search for a lost ruble coin as a child, turning over every box and nearly crawling on the floor. However, the Chariot's body structure meant it had almost no neck, so it couldn't look around. And unless its two straight front legs were broken, it couldn't possibly lower its body, which made its posture look rather bizarre.
What is it looking for? Bronya discreetly glanced at Mei, who was trembling with her head down... Could it be because of the Gem of Conquest?
A few Honkai beasts might appear by coincidence. A large number of humans infected as zombies and smaller Honkai beasts could be the result of a Honkai energy leak, whether accidental or intentional. But this was the first time Bronya had ever seen a Chariot-class Honkai beast of this size.
Or... was this all part of Cocolia's plan?
If all this disaster was caused by the Gem of Conquest, then why would humanity pursue such a thing? And, if she remembered correctly, Cocolia also had a Gem of Serenity, which was handed over to Michael during their later negotiations...
Smack!
Bronya suddenly slapped herself hard across the face. She had zoned out again. What is wrong with me! Piling up rookie mistakes will get us all killed!
Yes, it would get them killed. And this time, there would be no more chances for regret or reflection. An indescribable premonition washed over her. She slowly raised her gaze and met the eyes of the Chariot-class Honkai beast.
"Chariot!"
Accompanied by a slightly out-of-place, childish shout, a massive amount of Honkai energy poured from the beast's cloudy, vacant eyes, coalescing into something resembling flames.
"Run!"
Bronya didn't hesitate. She grabbed Seele and Mei and sprinted, leaving Kiana shouting in frustration behind her.
"Didn't you just say we couldn't outrun it?!"
"Idiot! Then don't run!"
Bronya was so furious with Kiana's stupidity that she stumbled after just a few steps, thankfully caught by Seele right behind her.
"Mei, you..."
She looked back at Mei, who had suddenly stopped in her tracks. Mei turned on her own and shoved Kiana toward Bronya.
"We really can't outrun it. So, I'll stay."
Bronya felt her breath catch again.
"What is wrong with these two idiots!"
She was about to lose her mind. As a mercenary, she could accept the tactic of sacrificing a tail to survive, but Mei was her protection target! When does the target of a protection mission volunteer to stay behind as the rear guard...?
Bronya genuinely had no idea what to do. In contrast, Mei's mind was suddenly crystal clear.
"You guys go!" she yelled, taking one step after another toward the Chariot-class Honkai beast, which for some reason had yet to move. At the same time, she focused her consciousness inward and shouted:
"Herrscher!"
"Hmph? Do you need something? If not, don't bother me!"
"Hmph! I just remembered something, Herrscher. Actually, it's something we've both always known. Herrscher, if I die, you're coming down with me!"
"What, feeling suicidal again?"
"No. I was just wondering if I'd die if that monster over there stepped on me."
"..."
"Herrscher, I don't care what happens in the future, but right now, I'm willing to give you my body temporarily. Just kill that monster for me."
"Heh heh, do you really think you'll have a choice after you hand over your body?"
"..."
Mei fell silent. Of course, she knew the consequences. But even if she didn't do this, it wasn't like she had a choice, was it?
"Alright, I understand. Don't resist... don't be nervous... Okay, I'm coming in."
The moment the Herrscher's voice faded, Mei felt herself lose control of her body. Almost simultaneously, a sound like a thousand birds chirping filled the air, followed by the deafening crash of something massive collapsing.
"That's... Herrscher, did you do that?"
Arcs of emerald lightning danced over the body of the fallen monster. Mei instinctively felt something was wrong. Though she couldn't control her body, she wasn't completely without sensation. At the very least, she clearly felt that she hadn't done a thing.
"Was that me? Doesn't seem like it... Hey, you!"
The Herrscher also seemed stunned, but her reaction was faster and calmer than Mei's. Her confusion lasted only an instant. The next moment, she forged a long blade from crimson lightning in her hand and warily scanned her surroundings.
"Hehehe! Are you... looking for me?"
"What!"
A childish laugh suddenly echoed from behind her. The Herrscher immediately swung her blade around, but she was caught off guard as a numbing electric shock coursed through her entire body—
The mighty Herrscher of Thunder, getting zapped into paralysis again!
(Why "again," you ask?)
Before the Herrscher's curse could leave her lips, a heavy blow struck the back of her head, and the world spun.
Mei was likely woken by the crackling of a campfire. The sky was now much darker, but the wind and thunder had fallen silent. The rain had stopped. Her clothes were no longer soaked and clinging to her skin; instead, they were dry and warm, making her nose itch slightly.
"Ngh..."
After less than ten seconds of dazed confusion, her vision still blurry, she realized she was probably indoors. The thing pillowed under her head was a bit hard and cool, but for some reason, it felt strangely comforting.
"Huh? Mobius?"
"It's me. Ready to get up?"
"Mhm."
Mobius supported her shoulders with a slender hand, gently helping her sit up and lean against her own shoulder.
Mei's body was stiff at first, but she didn't resist for long, soon leaning into Mobius's embrace on her own.
She didn't know who had started the campfire in front of them—Bronya or Mobius—but it definitely wasn't that idiot Kiana.
Across from her, Bronya and Seele were holding each other, their chests rising and falling in a steady rhythm, but Bronya's hand was still clenched tightly around her pistol.
Kiana was sprawled out on the ground nearby, a dusty blanket haphazardly thrown over her. Her baseball bat had become her pillow.
"If you're tired, sleep a little longer. We need to travel under the cover of night."
Being held in the arms of a woman who looked far smaller and more delicate than herself, her cool little hand gently stroking her head, felt strange to Mei, but more than anything, it felt safe.
And so, after a brief hesitation, she suddenly asked in a hushed voice:
"Mobius... can I ask, are you and Michael... you know... a thing?"
The hand stroking her head stiffened for a second. Mobius then asked, a hint of amusement in her voice, "What's this? You still have the energy for gossip at a time like this?"
Mei was about to explain, but Mobius cut her off.
"My relationship with him... is perhaps a little different than you imagine, but broadly speaking... I suppose you could say that."
The vague answer was a little amusing, and a little heartbreaking. Mei felt like she understood something, yet at the same time, understood nothing at all.
"Don't worry. We'll be out of here soon. Michael has gone to save your father..."
"I know, but..."
Mei didn't finish her sentence, only tightening her arm around Mobius's waist.
"Mama Mobius..."
"Hm? What did you just call me?!"
Though her voice was as cold as ever, she hugged Mei a little tighter.
"Mama Mobius, can I ask you for a favor?"