"Heavy Bunny!"
A soft, milky-sounding voice rang out.
As Bronya spoke, Heavy Bunny dequantized, appearing in front of her and forming a barrier that blocked both the Herrscher of Thunder's slashes and the impact of the bombardment.
BOOM!
"Bronya! How's the mission going?"
Lowering the hands covering her ears, she pulled a communicator from her pocket and looked toward the two people not far away.
"Mission failed! Zzz!"
Looking at the communicator pierced by a Spear of the Subspace, then at the spearhead gleaming in front of her forehead, Bronya put down the now-scrapped communicator and very sensibly raised both hands.
"I request preferential treatment as a prisoner of war!"
"Hehe, that depends on Mei-chan's mood."
Levi chuckled lightly. He flipped his hand and thrust another Spear of the Subspace straight into Heavy Bunny's key joint. The red glow in the machine's eyes flickered, then went out.
Heavy Bunny lost all mobility.
Meeting Bronya's pleading gaze, the Herrscher of Thunder's expression remained calm.
"Kill her."
"Huh?"
"..."
Bronya's face turned ashen. The Herrscher of Thunder looked at the slightly surprised Levi.
"What's wrong? Didn't you say you'd listen to me? Then why aren't you moving?"
Hearing the Herrscher's urging, Levi shrugged, conjured another Spear of the Subspace in his hand, and stepped in front of Bronya.
With a sympathetic look, he said, "You heard what she said just now… Duck, you can go in peace. I'll take good care of Seele."
"?"
'The hell are you talking about!!!'
At the mention of Seele's name, Bronya's eyes widened, and a surge of power erupted from within her body.
But without the Herrscher of Reason's core, she wasn't truly a Herrscher. No matter how much power she tried to unleash, she wasn't Levi's match, especially not with the Herrscher of Thunder standing beside him.
Seeing Bronya struggling, Levi took aim at her head, but couldn't quite get a good shot.
"Stop moving!" Levi pressed her head down with his hand. "I'm doing this for your own good! If I miss the first time, you're gonna suffer a lot more!"
'(F** me!) For my own good, my ass!'
Just then, the Herrscher of Thunder behind Levi suddenly lost her strength and collapsed backward onto him.
Feeling the weight and the softness against his back, Levi released the spear and turned around to catch her.
Seeing that the sharp, dangerous aura had faded from Raiden Mei's body, Levi smiled. "I knew it, kindhearted Mei-chan could never really make me kill someone~"
"..."
Looking at Levi's smile and feeling the warmth from his body, Raiden Mei's eyes began to glisten.
She buried her head into Levi's chest and wrapped her arms around his waist.
Knowing she needed to vent, Levi simply held her quietly.
Behind them, Bronya looked at the Spear of the Subspace sticking through her arm and thought to herself, 'If I interrupt them right now, will I get stabbed again?'
Realizing he'd accidentally injured Bronya, Levi dispersed the spear that had pierced her arm.
A moment later, Raiden Mei murmured softly, "I didn't kill anyone."
"I know."
In his mind, 'Kiana, you'd better buy me dinner later.'
'Ah! Don't worry! I'll definitely treat you! The biggest meal on the menu!'
Perhaps sensing understanding and care she hadn't felt in a long time, Raiden Mei relaxed, her breathing slowing as she closed her eyes.
"Stop chit-chatting! I can't hold this damn door much longer!"
"Levi! Help me! I don't wanna turn into a cute Deadwalker!"
'Levi…'
Seeing that Raiden Mei had fallen asleep, Levi gently laid her down, then stood and looked toward Elysia and Lumine's situation.
He couldn't help but laugh. "That's what you get for trying to run away! Satisfied now?"
The two of them were working together, using the Holy Sword of Physics to brace against the gaping hole and block the advancing Deadwalkers.
But the Deadwalkers were stupid, they didn't even think to attack directly, just kept pushing against the sword in a weird sort of tug-of-war.
Unfortunately for them, with Lumine on that side, the Deadwalkers didn't stand a chance.
Snap!
Another crisp finger snap.
The Deadwalkers vanished instantly, erased by spatial collapse.
Elysia collapsed to the floor, completely exhausted, while Lumine fared a bit better, supporting herself on her knees and panting heavily.
"Who… who would've thought… so many Deadwalkers would get attracted here by your damn fight!"
Elysia got up from the ground, glanced at Raiden Mei curled up nearby, then looked back at Levi.
"It's over already? Can we finally finish the mission now?"
All she wanted was to leave Nagazora City and go home to sleep in her own cozy bed.
'Screw missions, let other people handle them from now on!'
———
[Not Long Ago, at St. Freya Academy, in the Dean's Office]
Behind a mountain of paperwork, Theresa sat hidden, holding a manga and giggling to herself with a mischievous "Hehehe~"
[Alert! Alert! Massive Honkai energy reaction detected in Nagazora City! Massive Honkai energy reaction detected in Nagazora City!]
In an instant, the entire room flashed red.
"Ah! I wasn't slacking off!"
Startled out of her focused manga reading, Theresa's reflexes kicked in and she accidentally triggered her "auto-clean" mode.
By the time she realized it, it was already too late, the manga she'd only read halfway through was shredded to dust.
Staring at her empty hands, Theresa looked like she was about to cry.
Still, she didn't forget her duty. Hearing the academy's alarms, her expression grew serious.
"Hey! Himeko, it's me, Theresa. A Honkai eruption just occurred in St. Freya's jurisdiction, Nagazora City. Take the Hyperion and head there immediately for containment!"
"Be careful! This eruption's on a large scale, there might be a Herrscher involved. Be fully prepared!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Facing the situation, Himeko dropped her usual lazy tone and became serious.
She immediately notified her Valkyrie squad and piloted the Hyperion toward the outbreak site, Nagazora City.
———
[Meanwhile, at an Anti-Entropy Base Near Nagazora City]
Cocolia stared coldly at the disconnected communicator, her beautiful face shadowed with gloom.
"Who?!"
Her plan had been about to succeed, she was just one step away. But now, something had gone wrong, ruining everything.
Judging from the sudden comm cutoff, Cocolia concluded that someone must have helped Raiden Mei.
But really, how many living people were still in Nagazora City? And of those, how many could possibly overpower Bronya?
To ensure absolute success this time, Cocolia had even equipped Bronya with several Honkai-based weapons.
Against a newly born Herrscher, it should've been an easy win.
Yet somehow, she still failed in the end.
Bang!
The nearby table cracked apart instantly. Cocolia's expression darkened as she barked orders to her subordinates, "Deploy every Titan squad in the base! Everyone other than Raiden Mei and Bronya, kill on sight!"
Anyone who dares to lay a hand on Cocolia's people must be prepared to die.
A cold smile crept across her lips. "Bring Raiden Mei and Bronya back alive, no matter what!"
Watching her subordinates rush out, Cocolia sat down and began issuing further commands to coordinate each division.
———
Hearing Elysia's urgent wish to leave, Levi was just about to tease her when the roar of engines thundered above.
Looking up, he saw a warship he knew all too well, the Hyperion.
The ride of countless captains.
Conveniently, in the original story, the trio of main characters had also left Nagazora City aboard the Hyperion.
'Surely, hitching a ride wouldn't be too much to ask?'
Levi grinned and waved toward the sky.
[Alert! Herrscher energy signature detected! Hyperion main cannon locked on target!]