The vote ended five to one, with five in favor, one against.
Tesla and Theresa were among the first to speak up. Even if the signal was a trap, they argued, they couldn't risk Kevin returning to the real world. Tesla added that Welt was one of Anti Entropy's most vital members, and that rescuing him was the only way for their organization to regain full strength.
Mei voted yes as well, though her reasoning mirrored theirs more quietly. When she spoke, her gaze drifted toward Bronya, a silent understanding passing between them.
For Bronya, the decision had never been in question. Seele was her priority.
Einstein alone voted no.
After the Hyperion had set its new course, and Bronya had returned to Liliya and Rozaliya, they had been ecstatic that there was an opportunity to rescue Seele.
Their enthusiasm faded, however, when Bronya told them they couldn't join the mission. She had only just gotten them back and was still uncertain of their strength after everything that had happened. Throwing them straight into another battle felt reckless.
Rozaliya, who by then was alone after Liliya had fallen asleep at exactly 7pm, which was still somewhat stressful for Bronya, had claimed that they were as strong as any Schicksal Valkyrie. In her frustration, she let slip something Bronya hadn't known: some of their past targets under Sin's orders had been Schicksal Intelligence Valkyries.
Bronya had been grateful that nobody else had been present, and that St. Freya was now fully independent of Schicksal.
In the end, she gave in. Reluctantly, Bronya allowed Liliya and Rozaliya to join the operation.
However, complications arose as the Hyperion reached the waters above the Eye of the Deep.
"There's a standard Schicksal distress signal," Einstein reported. "The Eye of the Deep is apparently under attack, by Titan Mecha."
"That doesn't make any sense at all! It's not like they're under attack from us!" Tesla exclaimed, her voice sharp through the comms.
"Remember," Einstein replied calmly, "the World Serpent had access to Titan units. It's possible they're the ones assaulting the site."
"Then we'll have to hurry," Theresa said, already moving to prepare her gear.
The strike team was quickly assembled: Bronya, Theresa, Einstein, Tesla, Liliya, and Rozaliya. Mei would stay behind to defend the Hyperion, in case the enemy decided to strike from above.
Several squads of Titan Mecha waited on the top deck, their massive silhouettes glinting in the sun. They had no aquatic craft for deep descent, but the Titans were more than enough. One by one, they each climbed into their cockpits, sealing the hatches with a hiss of pressure.
When all systems turned green, the Titans simply stepped off the Hyperion's edge and plunged into the dark waters below.
Bronya guided her own Titan through the descent, while Einstein and Tesla remotely managed the rest of the squad from their own cockpits. This time, instead of diving straight for the Eye's center, they aimed for its outskirts. The machines struck the seabed in a heavy impact that sent clouds of silt spiraling upward.
After entering the barrier, Theresa, Bronya, Liliya, and Rozaliya exited their Titans. Einstein and Tesla stayed inside, their sensors sweeping the ruins.
"This place is essentially a small city," Einstein said, her voice echoing through the comms. "It once housed all the researchers working on the Eye of the Deep project. They lived and worked here, day and night."
"Whoa… this looks awesome," Theresa said, turning in awe. "I've seen plenty of ruins from the Previous Era, but this… this place looks almost untouched!"
"Being underwater shielded it from most surface devastation," Einstein explained. "Welt, Siegfried, and Lee didn't have much time to explore. The Eye of the Deep was already activating, so they rushed straight to the portal."
Bronya turned to her. "How do you know this?"
Einstein hesitated. "I didn't fully trust Lee. I asked Welt to transmit his field data back to us. But given the risk of corruption in the system's defenses, we avoided sending in mecha and dispatched Siegfried as backup instead."
"However, they both ended up getting trapped in the Sea of Quanta, and Lee got taken out by Durandal." Bronya added.
"According to the reports, at least," Tesla added.
Before anyone could respond, Tesla's voice broke through, sharp and alarmed. "Hey, hey, hey! I'm picking up Titan damage alerts! Several units are signaling critical integrity! Not any of ours!"
The ground shuddered beneath them, a deep tremor rumbling through the ocean floor.
"Whoa! What was that? I suddenly feel… dizzy," Theresa said, gripping her head.
"Most likely the beginning of the Eye of the Deep's activation sequence," Einstein warned. "We need to move, now."
They pressed forward toward the center of the ruins. Along the way, they passed the wreckage of several Titan units, their armor cracked and leaking fluid. Scattered among them were the bodies of fallen Valkyries.
The Titans bore the same markings as the ones that had attacked the Hyperion.
"World Serpent," Einstein muttered grimly. "They've already begun the activation."
From the murky seafloor, several groups of Titan Mecha erupted from beneath the sand, surrounding the platform like predators closing in.
A familiar voice echoed through the comms. "Back off. The Eye of the Deep belongs to the World Serpent now."
Bronya's expression hardened. "Sin Mal."
"I won't let you get any closer," Sin replied flatly.
"You don't have to fight for the World Serpent," Bronya said, her voice steady but pleading. "Their plan will wipe out humanity. You still have a choice, join St. Freya."
"Yeah! Come with us, Sin!" Rozaliya shouted, her voice bright even through the tension.
Sin's laughter came cold and bitter. "A choice? Someone has to take responsibility, and I did. There's no backing out now." Her tone faltered for a second before hardening again. "You shouldn't have brought Liliya and Rozaliya. This just proves you're not capable of protecting anyone."
Without warning, Sin's Titan lunged forward, aiming straight for Einstein's unit.
The battlefield erupted in chaos. Anti Entropy Titans clashed with World Serpent mechs, metal shrieking through the ocean depths. Bronya deployed Project Bunny, moving to cover Liliya and Rozaliya. The twins hesitated, torn between their loyalty to St. Freya and Sin who had protected them.
A full on Mecha battle ensued, with the Anti Entropy forces being outnumbered in terms of Titans, but they had Theresa.
Bronya locked onto Sin's Titan, fired, and blasted off its legs. The machine crumpled, its cockpit hissing open. Sin Mal emerged, wielding a long silver spear that shimmered under the faint light.
She quickly jumped out of the damaged mecha, and pointed her spear at Bronya.
"You have no idea what you're doing," Sin said coldly.
"Yes I do, stopping someone who plans on massacring the entire world." Bronya stated.
"I can't fail the World Serpent," Sin said, her voice trembling with emotion. "You don't understand what I'm trying to do!"
"Then make me understand," Bronya shot back.
Sin let out a yell and charged. Her spear sliced through the air, striking again and again. Bronya dodged twice, but she wasn't built for close combat. Project Bunny swiveled, cannon ready to fire—
—when Rozaliya leapt between them.
The spear pierced her arm.
"Owwww! This super hurts! Stop fighting! Stop fighting!"
Sin froze. The spear slipped from her grip, clattering to the metal floor. Her eyes widened in horror as Rozaliya clutched her wound, tears emerging from her eyes.
"Hey, you better apologize!" Rozaliya snapped, wincing.
Sin didn't answer. She turned away and ran, vanishing into the ruins, leaving her weapon behind.
"Wait! We have to go after her!" Rozaliya shouted. "She has to come back with us!"
Before Bronya could respond, Tesla's voice burst through the comms, panicked. "Einstein's down! Her Titan's critically damaged, she's unconscious!"
At the same moment, a pulse of energy swept through the ruins. The water shimmered, and strange Honkai beasts began to appear, clawing their way into existence. Theresa and Project Bunny reacted instantly, blasting the nearest ones apart.
Bronya turned, "Rozaliya! Are you all right!", only to see that Rozaliya's injury was healing on its own.
"It's not that bad, I've been injured way worse before!" Rozaliya responded, "But Sin shouldn't have run off like that!"
Theresa hurried over, panting. "Einstein's hurt bad. Tesla's trying to stabilize her. Someone needs to stay and protect them."
Bronya quickly stated, "Liliya and Rozaliya, stay here, get medical attention. Don't get yourself hurt."
"Liliya and Rozaliya together are unstoppable!" Rozaliya said proudly. "Go! We'll handle things here!" Liliya nodded rapidly, then promptly stumbled in a dizzy spin.
Theresa gave Bronya a quick nod. "Let's move!"
They sprinted deeper into the ruins, fighting through more of the strange Honkai creatures.
Bronya suddenly felt something was off, her instincts screaming out in warning, backed up by data coming from Project Bunny's link.
"Principal, the Bronya has detected a strong energy signature… and it's approaching fast. The energy signature is coming straight from the Eye of the Deep."
From the heart of the ruins, a colossal figure emerged: the upper half of a monstrous torso, with two massive arms and a head resembling a Ganesha-class Honkai beast, it was almost completely purple.
"What the heck is this thing!" Theresa shouted.
Bronya steadied her aim, but Theresa was already stepping forward. "Ha! I've been waiting for something like this. Blood Knight: Moonlight—activate!"
Oath of Judah's chains, bloodied from Honkai Beasts, suddenly grew in size, as Theresa began a rapid assault on the unknown Honkai Beast.
However, she didn't seem to even make a scratch, but the chains passed straight through the creature's body.
"This thing seems to have some kind of strange properties, I can't land a hit!" Theresa shouted.
Tesla's voice cut through the static. "It's in a quantum state! Your attacks can't touch it while it's like that, but it can't hold the form forever!"
Theresa and Bronya dodged as the creature swung one massive arm, tearing holes in the platform. Most of their attacks passed harmlessly through it until, finally, its form began to flicker.
"It's fading!" Bronya called.
Suddenly, it started to fade out, "The unknown enemy is heading back to the Sea of Quanta…" said Bronya.
Then Project Bunny let out a sharp alarm.
"Wait. Energy levels of the Sea of Quanta are falling!" Bronya shouted.
The monster's body snapped back into solidity. With a roar, it slammed its arms into the platform, shattering metal and flinging debris through the ruins. Before disappearing completely
Additional surges of energy came from the destroyed equipment, "Is the portal to the Sea of Quanta collapsing?!" Bronya shouted.
Einstein's vitals were unstable, Tesla's Titan was barely holding position, and there was still no sign of Sin Mal. The data coming from Project Bunny's sensors was chaotic, every reading spiking into the red.
This might be the last chance.
If the portal truly collapsed, the link to the Sea of Quanta could be lost for good, and with it, any hope of saving Seele or rescuing Welt and the others. But going in now, alone, would mean no backup, no guarantee of coming back.
She glanced toward Theresa, who was still struggling to hold back wave after wave of the strange quantised Honkai Beasts, injured in several places from the fight.
Principal Theresa can't follow me in this state. Einstein's injured, Tesla's occupied… it has to be me.
Bronya clenched her fists. "The Bronya... will not lose this chance."
Before anyone could stop her, she launched forward towards the platform, and dove straight into the collapsing light.
The last thing she saw before everything dissolved into static was Theresa reaching out, shouting her name.