— — — — — —
In Honkai Impact
Bronya's breathing came ragged and shallow as she dragged her exhausted body through the endless expanse of the Sea of Quanta.
Her strength was almost gone.
"No."
She clenched her teeth. "I can't fall here. Seele, everyone… they're waiting for me."
Step by step, sheer willpower kept her moving forward until, after what felt like an eternity, she finally reached the Core of Reason.
"I made it… Seele, I'm coming for you."
She braced herself on the ground and stretched her hand toward the core.
"Aaaah!"
The Honkai energy surrounding the core lashed out like a storm, gnawing at her arm, burning her nerves. Pain shot through her entire body, but she refused to pull back.
"I can't… I won't stop here! Seele is still waiting for me!" she roared in her heart, forcing her arm forward until her fingers closed around the core.
But before she could feel relief, the core shuddered violently. A surge of even stronger Honkai energy exploded outward, threatening to rip it from her grasp.
Then the ground beneath her split apart. Dozens of thick tendrils shot up, wrapping around her body and squeezing tight.
"Hold on… I won't let go!" Bronya gritted her teeth, clutching the core with every ounce of strength she had left. But her fingers were slipping—slowly, inevitably.
"Ahaaah."
Just as she was about to lose her grip, a soft blue light fluttered before her eyes. A butterfly, faint and glowing, landed gently on her hand.
"Seele…? Is that you?"
The moment the butterfly touched her, the violent energy surrounding the core calmed. Under Bronya's stunned gaze, the core floated into her chest, merging with her body.
The Herrscher of Reason—was born.
Bronya tore free from the tendrils, and a wave of immense Honkai energy erupted from her, disintegrating them into dust.
"Seele," she said, voice calm but firm, "Bronya is coming to find you."
But before she could move, the ground rumbled.
Something enormous burst out of the earth, towering tens of meters high, its shadow engulfing her completely.
Tlaloc—a monstrous abomination of the Sea of Quanta, even stronger than a Judgement-class Honkai beast.
"Then I'll just deal with you first."
The heavy mecha behind Bronya, Project Bunny, locked onto the target.
But before she could attack, something completely unexpected happened.
Out of nowhere, more than a hundred people materialized in the Sea of Quanta.
"What… what is going on?" Bronya froze. Her brain couldn't process the sudden influx of information. Wait—that's… Himeko?
Even Tlaloc hesitated, thrown off by the bizarre sight.
Where did all these people come from? Both Bronya and the beast had the same thought.
"Where are we?" Rimuru asked, scanning the strange surroundings.
"This place is weird…" Garp scratched his head in confusion, then pointed at the sky. "Hey, that looks like a phone's wallpaper. Are phones supposed to be that big? Are we in it?"
"This should be the Sea of Quanta," Rimuru said uncertainly. After all, his knowledge only came from the game.
"Bronya's over there!" Himeko's eyes lit up as she spotted the girl in the distance.
"RRRAAAHH!"
The ignored Tlaloc let out a deafening roar and charged.
"What a rude bastard." Whitebeard didn't even flinch as the massive claw swung toward them. "Marco, take care of it."
"Got it!"
Blue-violet flames erupted from Marco's body—yes, blue-violet. After several rounds of guild enhancements, his Phoenix powers had grown far more terrifying, the flames now blazing with destructive force.
He met the massive claw head-on, kicking it with explosive power.
For a moment, the giant beast and the comparatively tiny man were deadlocked in midair.
"Take this!"
Marco roared, his flames surging even higher. The claw shattered under the force of his kick, and the fire wrapped around Tlaloc, engulfing its massive body.
The monster shrieked, thrashing desperately, but no matter how it struggled, the flames refused to go out.
Minutes later, the mighty Tlaloc disintegrated into ashes, scattered into the Sea of Quanta.
"..."
Bronya just stood there, stunned.
That… that was a Tlaloc. And they just… killed it. Like it was nothing. And they're not even Valkyries?
"Bronya!"
Himeko rushed over, scooping the girl into a tight embrace.
"Himeko…"
Feeling her warmth, Bronya slowly wrapped her arms around her in return.
"You're safe. Thank goodness." Himeko smiled, wiping the tears from the corner of her eyes.
"Himeko… who are they?" Bronya asked quietly, glancing at the crowd.
"Who are we?"
Whitebeard walked over with a wide grin, crouched down, and gave Bronya a friendly smile. "We're the good guys here to save the world."
And then, of course, came the usual question. "Want to be my daughter?"
Bronya didn't even blink. "I refuse."
"Another rejection?! Getting a daughter is really hard." Whitebeard's face went pale as he walked away, looking utterly defeated.
"Uh… don't take it the wrong way," Himeko said quickly, embarrassed. "Whitebeard's harmless. Really."
Bronya nodded expressionlessly. "I understand. I didn't sense any hostility."
She always sounded this calm, but there was a faint softness to her tone this time.
"You done talking?" Rimuru leaned in with a smile.
"Rimuru… can we tell her?" Himeko asked hesitantly. She was still new to the guild, after all.
"Of course. Go ahead." Rimuru nodded casually.
So Himeko explained everything—the guild, their purpose, why they had come here.
For the first time, Bronya's face showed surprise.
"A guild like this really exists…? And other worlds? Are you sure?"
"Yes," Himeko said with a smile.
Bronya hesitated, then turned to Rimuru.
"If you know everything… can you tell me where Seele is? I have to bring her back."
"Give me a second." Rimuru closed his eyes, unleashing a wave of powerful magic that swept across the Sea of Quanta.
"Found her."
.
.
.