MGSFV?! Chapter 507. Little Senti Gets Exploited by Duck; The Stigmata Project Is Nothing Special
[I remember Miss Pink Elf once mentioned this during a livestream, right?]
[It was a long time ago, back in Kolosten… After Durandal caught Academy Head Theresa who had been in free fall for weeks, didn't she use Black Abyss White Flower to heal Theresa? I think she brought up the 'peculiar' activation phrase of Black Abyss White Flower back then.]
[So, what did Miss Pink Elf say at the time?]
A new viewer asked the old viewers in the livestream chat.
[That the next successor might be a cute girl, so it needed a cute phrase?]
An old viewer began recalling.
[But Kosma is a boy?]
That indeed was a question.
[Hmm… maybe don't restrict it too rigidly by gender?]
[...?]
Cough cough cough.
Looks like, regardless of who designed the activation phrase of Black Abyss White Flower or for what reason, it really did maximize the entertainment effect.
And while players were discussing this—
As the chant for "Overlimit Liberation" was completed, a white pillar of light shot into the sky from Abyss City.
It spread in a cross shape, radiating an incomparably holy and majestic white glow. The Valkyries battling across Abyss City raised their heads after pushing back the Imaginary constructs.
The white light reflected in their pupils, making them realize that Lady Durandal had achieved a significant breakthrough.
Their spirits were instantly lifted.
The fatigue from long battles seemed to vanish in an instant.
"Hmm?"
One Valkyrie let out a surprised murmur and looked down at her hands.
"This is…"
White motes of light slowly descended into her palm, transforming into a warm current that nourished her body and mind.
The exhaustion faded—this wasn't just an illusion.
It was… the power of Black Abyss White Flower?
Realizing this, she firmly gripped her weapon again, staring at the endless Imaginary constructs that appeared from nowhere once more.
"Lady Durandal fights together with us."
Against an 'infinite' enemy, her fighting spirit only grew fiercer.
"This battle—we shall win!"
…
The Valkyries of Abyss City launched another proactive charge against the enemy.
Meanwhile—
At the origin of all this—the St. Freya Academy.
It still kept just the right distance from Abyss, whose tides roared with the voices of billions of existences.
And in this temporary calm—
Bronya: "Haa… huu…"
The girl had just completed a deep, yet completely ordinary, breath.
"How's the situation, Bronya?"
Beside her, Seele asked cautiously during the pause.
"The same as the last few monitoring sessions…"
Bronya shook her head gently. "Even though Durandal has been constantly replacing and peeling off components of the Stigmata Project, the main net that has already formed hasn't changed at all."
"In other words…"
Mei, who had been waiting nearby, ever ready to act, also spoke: "We still cannot obtain the chance to hack in and use the 'Origin Beacon' for now."
Her voice sounded calm.
But it was easy to sense the impatience beneath it—the urge to act immediately.
It was only natural that Mei would feel this contradiction.
After all, she was the one who wanted the Beacon to work the most…
So she could help Kiana. So she could…
"..."
Bronya, however, shook her head again.
Even with the help of the Herrscher of Sentience, which allowed her to monitor the main net of the Stigmata Project—ultimately, the Stigmata Project was still a domain of consciousness space, the authority of Little Senti.
Congratulations to the Herrscher of Truth for obtaining the Herrscher of Sentience brand CPU (not really).
Little Senti had gone from often being used as a CPU to becoming a 'real' CPU herself. Congratulations indeed…
Yet even with Little Senti's wholehearted cooperation, Bronya had not gained the results she sought.
Still… from her latest monitoring of the Stigmata Project's main net, she hadn't come away empty-handed.
Bronya noticed something unusual.
To confirm her suspicion, she decided to investigate the Imaginary constructs that were trying to invade the academy more closely.
And indeed, she discovered abnormalities.
The forms of these invading Imaginary constructs were the complete opposite of others she had encountered before.
They weren't just simple Imaginary creatures—they seemed more like tools, created for a very specific purpose.
Thus, they might be able to change their strategy…
By using the inevitable link between these "tools" and the Stigmata Project, they could find an opening to hack into it.
[Bronya's explanation is really hard to understand…]
[Basically… it's like Bronya found the USB port on a host computer that had been physically disconnected from the internet, and now she can plug in a USB stick to upload a 'virus.']
[Your analogy is surprisingly normal this time—not 'mystical' at all.]
[???]
[So when it's abnormal you complain, and when it's normal you also complain. You're impossible to please (annoyed).]
[Maybe the whole point is just to complain no matter what.]
…
In short—
Bronya's idea was indeed similar to some people's analogy.
She planned to once again use the Herrscher of Sentience's power to analyze these unusual Imaginary constructs, then inject the 'virus'—herself and Mei—into the Stigmata Project's inner system.
"But… do we really not need any more preparation? It feels so sudden…"
A sudden plan, followed by sudden action.
Of course it caused some worry.
"No need."
Bronya, however, looked full of confidence. "The Herrscher of Reason has a unique memory for things she has just encountered—compared to other preparations, making full use of this is the most important for us."
"By replicating the logic of these Imaginary constructs, Bronya will—"
"…Redefine the world."
[Duck's phrasing is so cool!!]
[Bronya is now a true Herrscher of Reason!!]
The BGM began to rise.
The barrage in the livestream chat grew denser.
And the real heavy-hitter moment was about to arrive!
In the story, Bronya closed her eyes, letting her thoughts sink deeper.
To others, despite her declaration, nothing seemed to change about her.
The strings of consciousness space spun by the Stigmata Project to overwrite reality looked like nothing at all to those who could not comprehend it.
—Except to the Herrscher of Sentience, who served as the processor.
Compared to simple observation, Bronya found her energy drain multiplying, without any idea where it was going.
[So, Little Senti got tricked again, huh?]
[Eek, why again?]
[Little Senti getting drained dry by Duck without knowing anything (sad)(happy).]
But for the Herrscher of Reason, restructuring the world was merely another technical process.
"I see… so this is… the world created by the Stigmata Project."
Upon her ascension, the Herrscher of Truth's full power met a formidable opponent for the first time.
By a curious twist of fate, the opponent was also called "world."
The clash took place unseen, without the air of a decisive battle.
But just as Durandal and Theresa had done before—like heroes of epics proving that even gods are not unassailable—Bronya proved something through the result.
The soaring BGM suddenly cut off here.
??
Change always draws attention.
Many viewers stopped typing mid-comment, instinctively focusing all attention on Bronya.
What was about to happen?
They saw…
Bronya slowly open her eyes.
And softly exhale words.
"The Stigmata Project…"
The Stigmata Project?
What about it?
Just as the players began wondering, her next words fell into their ears.
"…is nothing special."
…
[Huh?]
When Bronya spoke, the livestream fell silent for a moment.
Wait—what?!
Did Duck just say something earth-shaking?
The Herrscher of Reason—or rather, the Stigmata Project…
Were their ears deceiving them??
Countless thoughts collided in viewers' minds.
Moments later, the chat erupted like a rebound.
[!!!]
[Duck just said it—the Stigmata Project is nothing special, I didn't mishear, right?]
[I heard it too.]
[So…]
One person could mishear. But all together? Clearly not.
So Bronya really said it.
[Duck's mocking Hare here? Didn't think Duck could hold grudges like that (doge).]
[Hare: 6]
[Hare: I already cut ties with the Stigmata Project, don't @ me.]
Some players thought Bronya said that because she still remembered Hare's earlier mockery.
[Or maybe it's just setup for Duck getting humbled later? (funny) I don't need to remind you what happened to the last one who got this cocky, right?]
Others thought Bronya might just be overconfident.
[Or maybe, just maybe, Duck's words didn't really mean…]
Judging by her earlier reconstruction of the Herrscher of Truth's core, its makeup already bore striking similarity to the Stigmata Project.
But though both were collectives, they were fundamentally different.
One kind of collective was "people bound by the same imposed concept."
The other was "people united by shared belief."
The latter was like a football team bound by common ideals and goals, gathering willingly.
What drove them forward wasn't an external force—but their own hearts.
Thus, when realized, each individual's inner passion would erupt far beyond normal, manifesting a power much greater than it looked on paper.
So Bronya's retort as the Herrscher of Truth—seemed reasonable enough.
Of course, there were many interpretations of her words, each sounding convincing.
But ultimately, there was no definite answer.
…
Back to the story.
While players argued about Bronya's declaration, Elysia didn't comment.
She simply glanced at each viewpoint, waited until the discussion settled, then calmly tapped the game screen to let the plot continue.
In-game.
Regardless of why Bronya had said "The Stigmata Project is nothing special," since she did—if she still failed, that would be way too absurd.
And indeed, not only did she successfully hack inside, bringing Mei to the so-called "Planetary Archive," she directly approached its core.
"But even after advancing here, Mei's Beacon still seems to 'show no response'?"
"So we must push even further?"
As Bronya and Mei discussed this—
Suddenly!
"Then Mei still needs her best partner, doesn't she?"
It was Kiana!
At some point, she appeared behind them.
The Three Families reunited!
Though, for various reasons, both Kiana and Mei couldn't fight with full power in the upcoming battle, leaving most of the burden on Herrscher of Truth—this scene was still stirring.
It gave the feeling that no matter what lay ahead, victory was already assured.
Except… this was a game.
Maybe the story made it look easy for the overpowered Herrscher of Truth.
But the players' hands might not agree.
Players: Herrscher of Truth is invincible!
Hands: You sure about that?
…
And so, with the Three Families gathered, they got to work.
While preparing for battle, they hurried to locate their target.
[Imaginary Godcadaver: Existentialism]
And triggered the fight.
[Easy], [Normal], [Hard].
Three difficulty options once again.
"Again with the difficulty choice?"
"Elysia, are you going to pick Hard again this time?"
With Hokuto's added modifications, Hard mode here was truly hard.
"..."
"I only want Bronya to face the challenge she truly deserves."
Saying this, Elysia earnestly clicked… Easy.
Herrscher of Truth was so strong that the enemy would definitely feel trivial, ridiculously easy.
Thus, Easy was the true difficulty Bronya should face, giving the most authentic (?) experience.
Fair enough.
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