Wildfire. A term not unfamiliar to Bronya.
Or rather, an "organization."
In the Silvermane Guards' official assessment, they were the unstable element disrupting the order of the Underworld, a group of terrorists intending to incite a rebellion.
Yet, at this moment, Bronya caught a glimpse of a bright, scorching flame in the tall girl's eyes. It was a light she had seen before.
When she was young, Bronya accompanied her mother, Cocolia, to the Silvermane Guard barracks for the first time. At that time, the uncles of the Silvermane Guards, without exception, had such a fiery and warm light in their eyes because they understood their mission and were deeply proud of it. The flame of Preservation burned within them.
But later, when Bronya grew up and joined the Silvermane Guards herself, she could no longer see that light in others' eyes. It was replaced by a bleak despair, a dead silence, even an icy coldness. Every expedition deep into the Fragmentum resulted in near-certain death, sometimes even the annihilation of the entire squad. Yet, even so, Mother Cocolia refused to change her policies. Bronya had requested an audience with her mother more than once, trying to make her see that such sacrifices were meaningless, only to be interrupted and dismissed time and again.
Her mother remained stubborn.
In the end, even Bronya herself was beginning to feel lost, wondering if her loyalty and her guardianship still had any meaning. The flame in her own pupils also gradually extinguished, only occasionally flickering back to life, beating weakly.
In contrast, Seele from "Wildfire" seemed to have always known what she was doing, what she was protecting, and she knew it was absolutely right. They burned, emitting a brilliance that made one jealous. They were more "Silvermane Guard" than the Silvermane Guards themselves!
But... what right do they have!
Bronya's fingertip tightened on the rifle's trigger, pressing deeper. One more inch, and Seele would pay the price for her reckless actions. All it would take was a single gunshot—"BANG!"—and a living life would be extinguished like a wilting flower.
Everyone's hearts were in their throats, anxious yet unbearably excited. It was like a powerful stimulant injected into the hopeless lives of the numb Underworld citizens, a life they could see the end of. The saying goes that only by getting closer to death can one truly feel the meaning of life. Perhaps this was the reason Scott chose to open a Fight Club. He was a bastard who would even put a price on life and death!
Zao Wu looked around, seeing the excited eyes amidst the unease, the gazes of "spectators." A great sadness suddenly arose in the boy's heart, its origin unknown, yet unstoppable. But he couldn't even blame these audience members for their actions. He didn't understand concepts like "a man-eating old society" or "a tragedy created by the context of the times." But with his pure and flawless eyes, he could see something more fundamental.
He thought, the "sky" of the Underworld was too heavy. It was a ceiling of dark rock, not letting a single wisp of breeze or ray of sunlight through. Over time, people had grown accustomed to despair, become numb, and forgotten that they originally had the right to look up at the sky. They needed hope. Even just a sliver of hope falling through the cracks was incomparable to the false sensory stimulation brought by life-and-death battles.
He raised his head, as if seeing through the ceiling of the Fight Club to the heavy rock layer above, and through the rock layer to the azure sky of Belobog. He wanted all the people of the Underworld to see it. It was said that some children born after the lockdown between the upper and lower districts had never even seen the real sky.
"BANG!"
On the stage, under Seele's relentless pressure, Bronya reached the edge of the octagonal cage, her body pressing heavily against the iron mesh! Fortunately, she had upheld her code as a Silvermane Guard. Even in such a situation, she did not open fire on Seele. At her closest moment, Bronya was only a thought away from becoming a heinous murderer. This was the senseless hatred brought about by the fight and the stage, a monstrous situation created by the audience's gaze craving stimulation. It unknowingly trapped the two of them in a zero-sum game of "kill or be killed."
But that didn't mean Bronya chose to surrender. She dropped her ice rifle but raised her leather-gloved hands, clenched into fists. The girl cast aside her elegance and nobility, choosing to become rough and savage, wanting to prove to the wild girl before her that the Silvermane Guards were not to be trifled with!
"Whoosh!"
"Whoosh! Whoosh!"
Bronya's punches were swift and fierce, a free-fighting style taught at the Belobog Military Academy.
Seele's figure nimbly dodged while she taunted with feigned ease.
"What, is that all you've got?"
But only she herself knew the shock she felt when Bronya abandoned her ice rifle and chose to fight her bare-handed. She wasn't afraid of death; she was capable of escaping from a bullet. What the girl wanted to do was to show all the audience members the hypocrisy of the Silvermane Guards. But Bronya had still maintained her code as a Guard, leaving Seele unsure whether to be disappointed or not.
Perhaps there is rarely such a thing as baseless hatred in this world. Many years ago, Seele had also been a little girl in the orphanage founded by Aunt Natasha, one who dreamed of becoming a Silvermane Guard. Back then, her childhood friend was still with her, sharing that unrealistic dream. Seele always remembered, she had long silver hair, and was as quiet and dignified as a princess, unlike a tomboy like herself. But then the Fragmentum spread, monsters raged... and she disappeared in the disaster that swept through the Underworld. In the dozen or so years since then, Seele had scoured every corner of the Underworld but had never found a trace of her. It seemed she would never come back.
But in the midst of her fight with Bronya, in a daze, the girl before her seemed to gradually overlap with the small, silver figure in Seele's memory...
Seele froze for a moment.
And Bronya seized the opportunity. She lifted her leg, clad in a tall military boot, and delivered a sharp kick to the girl's abdomen.
"...!"
"Thump!"
Seele was suddenly hit hard, losing her balance and falling to the ground, but she only let out a muffled grunt. Her bones were a bit tougher than anyone imagined.
But Bronya didn't care if she was a tough nut to crack. At this moment, the girl only wanted to vent her inner emotions. She straddled Seele's waist, pinning her body down, her eyes red with excitement. Bronya had had enough of ceremony and rules! It was as if she had only today liberated a part of her sealed self. She began to fight like a wild girl, continuously swinging her fists, beating Seele's face!
Faced with Bronya's stormy barrage of punches, all Seele could do for a moment was to cross her arms in front of her face to block.
"Zao Wu! Hurry up and think of something! Bronya... she seems to be breaking!" Huohua's tearful voice came at this moment. Don't be fooled by her usual bickering with Bronya; the girl had a soft and kind heart. She couldn't just sit by and watch Bronya become corrupted by the atmosphere. Even though this was the greatest entertainment. The righteous Captain of the Silvermane Guards, about to abandon her code and raise her iron fists against the Underworld citizen she was supposed to protect. A fight between two beautiful girls, with skirt-pulling and hair-grabbing, no less. But Huohua couldn't feel a single ounce of joy from it.
Why is there a voice in my head telling me to stand by and watch?
Why are the surrounding audience members getting more and more excited?
Huohua didn't know if she was the abnormal one, or if the audience members were.
Was it Bronya who was broken... or was it herself?
A strange headache assaulted Huohua's mind, making her cover her face helplessly, her whole body trembling. The girl closed her eyes, as if falling into a world of darkness. As a flash of lightning lit up the surroundings, it revealed all the monsters. One after another, floating masks of various shapes, each with a different smile. A gentle smile, a wicked smile, a bitter smile, a ferocious smile, a silly smile... They circled around Huohua, constantly tempting her.
Wear me, wear me...
Become her, become him... become you!
In endless confusion and helplessness, Huohua began to waver, reaching out to one of the fox masks that was both crying and laughing.
But at this moment, a sliver of snowy light pierced through the dark world. Someone grabbed her outstretched hand, fingers intertwining. In an instant, light scattered in all directions! The endless monster masks were submerged and vanished in the dazzling brilliance!
Huohua opened her tear-filled eyes, returning to reality. Zao Wu was standing in front of her, holding her cold hand tightly, gazing at her gently.
"Huohua?" the boy gently called out the girl's name.
"What happened?"
"Don't be afraid. I'll be by your side."
"Always..."
Before Zao Wu could finish his words, he was interrupted by Huohua's embrace. She threw herself into the boy's arms, letting go of the fear and helplessness deep in her soul. Zao Wu felt the girl's trembling, and he placed a hand on her back, gently stroking and comforting her.
An unknown amount of time passed, and Huohua gradually returned to her usual self. Only then did she let go of her embrace with Zao Wu, looking away as if embarrassed, covering her uncontrollable blush with her hands. The next moment, she suddenly remembered the reason she had fallen into that strange state and exclaimed.
"Ah, that, that, Bronya she...!"
"Bronya is fine, look," Zao Wu pointed to the stage. The two, who had stopped fighting at some point, were now debating something, covered in bruises. Occasionally, Bronya would fall silent. Sometimes, Seele would grit her teeth and look away. Neither of them would back down, trying to persuade the other while constantly accepting the other's point of view.
This was a boring segment for the audience, but it was an important clash of ideals for Bronya and Seele.
Zao Wu explained.
"I felt it from the beginning. Although that girl named 'Seele' was constantly targeting Bronya, it was actually because of a misunderstanding. Both of them are essentially guardians of justice."
"It's just that one is tough on the outside and soft on the inside, while the other is soft on the outside and tough on the inside."
"One is a member of Wildfire, and the other is a Silvermane Guard, so they just happen to be on opposite sides."
"But I'm sure that in the process of fighting, they will gradually understand each other and even let go of their prejudices—though they definitely won't say it out loud."
"That's why I've just been watching."
"...I-is that so." Huohua shyly scratched her twin-tails, looking as cute as a kitten grooming itself.
And everything was just as Zao Wu had said. On the stage, Bronya and Seele, at the most intense moment of their debate, were so angry they couldn't even speak. But neither of the two girls would give in, still glaring at each other. But it was unknown who broke first, suddenly bursting into laughter.
"Pfft!"
The other one couldn't escape either. Although both of them quickly adjusted their facial expressions, even biting their tongues to force themselves to look serious, it was destined to be impossible for them to return to the tense atmosphere from before.
In the midst of the awkwardness, it was Seele who finally said with a pale face.
"Hmph, what's the use of just being good with words? In the Underworld, we only respect people who get things done."
"A young lady like you who has never done a day of hard work in her life, heh, you'd better..."
"Who's just good with words? Haven't you had enough of my fists?" Bronya said coldly.
"But I agree with some of your words. The current Underworld is in ruins. What it needs is not to debate who is right and who is wrong, but to be down-to-earth, to investigate the most basic situation, and to find a solution."
At this point, Bronya was silent for a moment, then she rarely lowered her head.
"...In terms of understanding the Overworld, you are not as good as me, but in terms of the Underworld, I am not as good as you."
"I want to change the current Underworld, and I'll even be so bold as to say—I want to save it!"
"I also want to regain everyone's trust in the Silvermane Guards."
"So, I'm begging you, Miss Seele! Tell me everything about the Underworld!"
Hearing Bronya's words, Seele felt goosebumps all over her body. She couldn't understand how this woman could switch so freely. To put it nicely, she was adaptable. To put it badly, she was two-faced. But if you looked at it positively, it meant she had a broad vision, a flexible bottom line, and the potential to become a qualified leader.
"You want to ask me... I don't know what to say either!"
"But I can take you to our Wildfire's leader, Oleg."
"From him, you might be able to get all the information you want."
Seele and Bronya had become friends through fighting. The two of them agreed to go to Oleg's side. But in the end, the audience who wanted to see the two of them decide a winner was destined to be disappointed. The boss Scott, who was watching the development of the ring match from backstage, had a gloomy expression.
"Damn it! If this goes on, my club's reputation will be ruined!"
"No, I have to..."
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