"Hold on to this pole, and hold on tight, understand?" Schrodinger first placed a brave child at the edge of the window, instructing him carefully.
The child nodded, trembling, then wrapped his arms and legs around the pole.
The moment Schrodinger let go, the child felt his body begin to slide down uncontrollably. The speed wasn't fast, because he was truly holding on very tightly.
The pole was smooth, and with Sin Mal intentionally spraying it with water, even the tightest grip would eventually slide down.
Schrodinger kept a close eye on the speed of the children's descent. If they went too fast, she would make the pole's surface rougher; if they were too slow, she'd make it smoother. All the children landed safely on the ground.
Finally, it was her turn. She waved her hand, and the pole retracted, transforming into a small platform. Schrodinger placed Sirin and Little Black on it, sent them to the ground, and then recalled all the nanobots.
There were still other children inside, and Sin Mal couldn't get in. Only she had the ability to find those who were trapped.
She wiped a hand across her face, and a mask with a simple filtration system appeared.
---||---
Meanwhile, Bronya had reunited with Kiana and the others.
"Kiana! What happened outside?!" Bronya asked urgently as soon as they met. The continuous sound of explosions could still be heard.
"The bridge was blown up!" Kiana said quickly. "What about your side? How is it?!"
"The fire is huge. The Bronya can't get in," Bronya said in a low voice, looking at the towering flames behind her. "This fire isn't right. The orphanage was built with many non-flammable materials. It's impossible for the fire to burn this intensely."
"Who cares what's weird about it! Saving people is what's important!" Kiana couldn't be bothered with that. She rolled up her sleeves and was about to charge in.
"Kiana! That's too dangerous!" Mei quickly grabbed Kiana, who was about to rush in. "You can't just charge in like that without any protection!"
"Then what do we do?!" Kiana looked at the raging fire, gritting her teeth, her hand already moving toward her chest.
That was the spot to activate the Key of Genesis. With its power, entering the fire to save people would be a piece of cake.
A plan, a plan... Mei could see what Kiana was thinking at a glance. She thought frantically, trying to find a solution that wouldn't require Kiana to use the Key of Genesis.
Although it was a bit selfish, for her, Kiana really was...
"Mei!!"
Mei looked up in a daze, just in time to see Kiana, wreathed in a bloody aura, lunging at her.
A dizzying spin and a piercing cutting sound reached Mei at the same time. She rolled messily on the ground, and when she stood up again, the pseudo-Xuanxuan sword was already in her hand.
A black-covered notebook appeared in Bronya's hand, its pages flipping rapidly.
Seele stumbled back two steps and fell to the ground. When she looked up, the three of them were standing before her, fully armed.
The feeling the three gave Seele now was completely different from before. Kiana was as wild as a natural predator, Mei was radiating a sharp edge, and Bronya-oneechan was composed and reserved...
Seele looked up, and through the gap between the three of them, she saw a broken puppet.
And behind the puppet stood a scruffy-looking man.
That was—Seele's expression flickered with disbelief as she stared at that face.
Seele remembered everyone in the orphanage, remembered them clearly. Even new additions, Seele could immediately remember what they looked like.
And because of that, she recognized who he was.
"Noah...?" she said in disbelief, staring at the person, at that face. She would never forget it!
But, that wasn't right... Noah was only nine years old. He wasn't this middle-aged man who looked almost forty!
Could it be Noah's father? But why would he be here...
"Seele." Bronya was positioned behind the other two. She spoke in a low voice. "When we make our move, you run back. Run as far as you can."
"No," Mei suddenly interjected. "Bronya, you go with Seele. You don't have any combat ability right now. Leave this to us..."
The moment this scruffy man appeared, the three of them knew he was the Herrscher that Shu had driven away.
The puppet still bore the marks of being broken. One arm was clearly newly installed, and compared to the other exquisite parts, it looked like an ugly, mismatched wooden stick.
Bronya's body trembled. She looked up at Mei, wanting to say something.
"Bronya, there are still many children in the building. You and Seele go get them out," Mei said quickly. "Leave this to us. You go help everyone..."
As she spoke, she turned back and gave Bronya a smile. "Don't worry, I'll be fine."
In the past, perhaps Bronya would have turned and left without hesitation. A soldier's nature is to follow orders; she had no reason to hesitate.
But just this once, she didn't want to follow orders... She wanted to stay here and fight, not behind the two of them.
Someone had to do this. Seele alone couldn't save the children in the building. She just... had to do it.
"The Bronya understands..." Even after convincing herself, Bronya's voice still trembled. She looked down, raised her hand, and the Key of Memory in her hand flipped a page out of thin air.
An invisible ripple spread out. The scruffy man, who had been facing off against Kiana, suddenly had a dazed look in his eyes.
Now!
Bronya lowered her head, turned, and pulled Seele up from the ground, breaking into a run.
Almost simultaneously, the moment the Herrscher's eyes went vacant, Kiana's fist had already bypassed the puppet and slammed into the Herrscher's face.
But even though the punch only landed on the Herrscher, two figures went flying. In mid-air, the Herrscher regained his senses. He swung his hand at the two, and several thin threads shot toward them.
A dense series of cracks instantly appeared on the ground. Kiana, who had been about to give chase, felt her heart tighten. She twisted her body in mid-air and, in an extremely awkward posture, passed through the gaps between the threads.
Kiana's absurd flexibility clearly stunned the Herrscher. In an instant, Kiana had already closed the distance again.
This second punch landed on the puppet. The hard impact made Kiana feel as if she had punched the ground.
The puppet grabbed Kiana's wrist with its other hand. At that moment, several long, thin cuts appeared on Kiana's body.
Before she could get any closer, Mei had already shot out from behind her, her Xuanxuan sword tracing a golden arc as it went straight for the Herrscher's neck.