"…Report: Mama Cocolia, Bronya has located Raiden Mei's location."
The silver-haired girl calmly told the blonde lady on the other end everything she had seen- that a 'strange' man went up to the Herrscher and engaged her in a fight
"Understood, Bronya."
Cocolia's voice reached her ears
"You were right not to attack rashly. I also received an important piece of intel."
"...."
"The battleship of Saint Freya Academy- the Hyperion- will arrive in Nagazora City in a while."
"…"
Bronya immediately looked to her side, and realized something
Even when not considering them….
Shickshal is coming to Nagazora…..So….How will Mama Cocolia supposedly 'recover' the Herrscher?
How can a few Titans fight against a battleship with a squadron of Valkyries?
"... Mama Cocolia, what do you plan to do next?"
"Hm… You don't have to act now, Bronya. I have…. my plans."
She methodically conveyed her plan to the silver haired girl:
"I have arranged for a group of titan-class robots to rush at the scene. They should arrive there earlier than the Hyperion. If all goes well, they can directly retrieve Raiden Mei before Shickshal arrives."
Cocolia had already placed Titans in this city- they were just on standby
"…What if it doesn't go well?"
Bronya asked, looking towards her side once again
"If the Titans fail in their actions, and are interfered with by those Valkyries of Shickshal... then you can try to get close to that group and be rescued by St.Freya as a survivor."
She paused
"Then, you should find a way to get to Raiden Mei's side to monitor her whereabouts. As for what happens after….I'll inform you of suitable arrangements based on the situation"
Cocolia arranged it this way, clearly having alternate plans in case of failure
….
But in theory, this alternate plan could work
As a girl born in Siberia and as someone who has lived in an unregistered orphanage for a long time…. Bronya's identity is unknown to most people.
Therefore, as long as the Overseer of Shickshal himself doesn't look into her backround, Bronya won't be exposed
…
Cocolia was determined to obtain the Third Herrscher, so planting a spy beside her was a great option
"...Bronya understands."
The silver-haired girl stood up silently.
"How's Adam….?"
The blonde woman at the other end of the phone suddenly asked in a strange tone
"....He's alive"
A moment of paused silence passed-
"That's good…"
Cocolia finally replied, before shutting down the communication channel
"...."
Once the communication was over, Bronya once again looked towards the side-
Where 3 pairs of eyes were looking at her with intensity
…
"How is it?"
Adam asked, crossing his arms over his chest
"...."
The silver haired girl who just finished talking to Cocolia in front of them remained silent
"Bronya-chan….."
Mei crossed her fingers over her chest, looking at the silver haired girl while biting her lip
"I-is that woman….The reason this c-city became like t-this?"
Her voice stuttered, her fingers trembled-
"....."
Bronya remained silent to that
But that silence itself was a form of answer
"....Why?"
Just as the girl in tattered school uniform asked that, Adam's hands covered Mei's, holding them in a comforting grip
"Need a hug?"
He asked knowingly
"Y-yes!"
The purple haired girl leaped at him, burying her face in his chest
"Hic…"
Feeling wetness in his shirt- the place where Mei buried her head-, the silver haired boy patted the girl's back lightly as he turned his head to look at Bronya
"By the way….." He looked at Olivia and Bronya "Don't tell Kiana about…. what happened…"
Adam spoke out in a serious voice with a neutral expression
"...."
Bronya, still silent, only nodded
"Hm? Okay."
Olivia also easily agreed, not questioning him
".....Why?"
The purple haired girl, that had raised her head from his arms and was looking at him, was the one who asked
"Well…."
Adam tapped his chin in thought
"Her knowing about this 'alter ego' of hers will make that 'alter ego' appear more frequently" He blinked "Does that make any sense?"
Mei lowered her eyes, her face becoming dazed after he mentioned an 'alter ego'
"...Umu…"
She quietly responded, nodding slightly
….
"Adam-senpai!"
Kiana shouted as she woke up from her 'slumber'
She instantly stood up, looking around-
"Eh?"
Looking at the silver haired boy hugging a purple haired girl, the white haired girl's face lit up
"You're okay!"
The young warrior shouted out with a wide smile on her face
Puf...
She jumped at Adam, hugging him tightly
"Hm?" The silver haired boy's eyebrows twitched "Why wouldn't I be?"
He stiffly removed one arm that was hugging Mei, and promptly wrapped it around Kiana's waist
"....."
Mei looked at the happy and cheerful Kiana with a mixed expression
"Eh? But y-you….?"
The white haired warrior stuttered, recalling what she had seen
She could clearly remember Adam with a gaping hole in his chest….Though the memories after that were….Hazy?
"Don't worry"
Adam shook his head, patting her back to confort her
"I'm tough. A missing heart isn't enough to make me die"
"Ehhhh?!" Kiana's eyes widened, her mouth gaping like a fish "Really?! That's so cool!!"
If this was an anime, stars would be flashing in her eyes-
"Uh…."
She stopped herself from gushing out any further
"Mei-senpai…." Kiana turned and looked at the aforementioned girl "Are you okay?!"
Though her memories after seeing Adam like 'that' were hazy. She could still remember that something was very wrong with Mei!
"...I'm fine, Kiana-chan"
The purple haired girl forced a smile on her face
"It's just…." She bit her lip, her voice lowering in volume "It's all…..too m-much….."
Adam patted her back once again
It was understandable. Not only did she lose her father, friends, and reputation, but she….also lost the city in which she grew up, and all the people in it
-And it was her fault
"Don't worry, Mei-senpai!" The white haired warrior flashed another smile "I'll protect you from these honkai beasts!"
Even in such a situation, Kiana Kaslana still maintained her cheerfulness
"...Honkai beasts?"
Mei stared at Kiana, her face full of confusion
"Ah, right!" The Kaslana warrior pumped her fist in her palm "You don't know about honkai!"
"I…."
The purple haired girl brought her hand up to her temple, massaging it lightly with a frown on her face
This term- Honkai- was….familiar to her
Was it something her father had mentioned? Or did she see it by chance when she was at the ME corp headquarters
"So, it's like-!"
"Kiana"
Adam waved his hand, interrupting Kiana's explanation
"This isn't really the time"
"Eh? Why?!"
He sighed.
Shaking his head, the silver haired boy looked towards Bronya-
"They are here"
Bronya suddenly announced as she floated upwards with the help of project bunny, pointing at something in the distance
"Oh?"
Just as Cocolia described-
Clusters of Titan mechas could be vaguely seen wherever the sight reaches.
Adam stood up, walked to the edge of the rooftop, and looked outside Chiba Academy.
A group of Titan type mechas are moving rapidly in this direction, and it is obvious that they were approaching with intent
"What are these…. robots?"
Kiana also saw this batch of mechas, and she understood why Adam had interrupted her
This was the first time she had seen Anti-Entropy Titans
"…Those things are probably targeting Mei." He groaned, putting his hands in his pockets "They plan to capture her."
It goes without saying that it was Cocolia's doing.
"Are those sent by….that woman?"
Mei shifted her hands to the Katana, gripping it tightly as she nervously looked at the numerous robots
"Yeah"
He gave a nod
Obviously, Cocolia's plan is still to capture the 3rd Herrscher and get her core
Putting aside Bronya's own thoughts- whether Cocolia really wants to rescue Seele, who is now stranded in the Sea of Quanta, is still a question worth discussing.
Did she really regret experimenting on her daughters?
Perhaps.
She does care about her daughters, but more than that…..She should also have been very disappointed that her experiments didn't bring any significant results
"....."
He closed his eyes in thought
Originally, he wanted to get Ms.Thunder-chan to get rid of these Titants.
….But maybe because he gave her too much trauma, she is unwilling to come out
Or perhaps she is shy, and since his power is enough to get rid of these robots, she isn't willing to come out?
Adam glanced at Kiana and Raiden Mei beside him again.
….Considering their background, Mei and Kiana do not have very strong combat capabilities now
-Unless they activate the cores and release the Herrscher powers in their bodies.
There is also the fact that they lack appropriate anti-Honkai weapons and armor.
Which isn't really a big deal….Since almost no armor of this world alone can compete with Herrschers
Still…
-They have not undergone any real high-intensity training. They have no combat experience, and their bodies aren't in the best shape for fighting
Bronya is…..Well, she is decent.
But considering her relationship with Cocolia, Adam doesn't really want to put her in a difficult spot by having her destroy these titans
So….. now, he and Olivia are the only ones among their group who can still fight
Of course, he could let Olivia fight. She is capable. And she could just use lightning magic to mess with the robot's circulatory system
….But there's a far easier way
"Kiana, Mei, Bronya, Olivia"
Adam looked back at the four aforementioned girls
"Stay back, I'll handle this"
"But-"
Mei opened her mouth to object-
But seeing how silent Bronya and the blue haired woman were, she stopped herself
"Adam-senpai…"
Kiana frowned, raising her guns as she surveyed the the robots that were gradually getting close to them
"Are you really going to handle them all by yourself?! Now way! Let us help!"
She waved her hands-that were still holding guns- around
"....."
The silver haired boy looked at the white haired girl with a deadpan stare
"....."
Silently, he pointed somewhere- at the exact opposite side of where the titans were coming from
There, a large amount of honkai beasts where gathered
After Sirin's awakening and subsequent 'call' for reinforcements, a large amount of honkai beasts gathered near Chiba Academy
It's not that Sirin commanded these beasts.
'Legally', these honkai beasts belonged to Miss.Thunder, and no other Herrscher could command them
But they did indeed get attracted over here from the dense honkai energy Sirin and Thunder-chan emitted earlier
And it goes without saying, that compared to Herrschers, it is obvious that Honkai beasts would attack humans first
"...Okay" Seeing the large amounts of honkai beasts, she pursed her lips "Adam-senpai, be careful!"
Kiana originally wanted to go up and fight alongside Adam….But with Mei in such condition, she needed to stay behind and take care of her
And she didn't know if this little brat and the blue haired woman were enough to protect Mei-senpai!
"...."
Adam looked at the stupid Tuna in front of him with a suspicious look
"....I think you misunderstood"
He turned around, turning his back to the girl and looking down at the Titans below him
"Why make such a big fuss?"
Raising his hand in the air, Adam slightly tilted his head
"After all, they're just robots"
Snap
And with a light snap of his fingers, all the robots froze
Bam….Bam…..Bam….Bam….Bam
Turning a bright red hue, all of them dropped down to the ground, kneeling as they faced his direction
"Eh-?!"
Kiana gaped at the scene, eyes widening, her grip on the guns loosening- almost falling from her shock
"As expected of you!"
Olivia proudly declared, placing her hands on her hips
"Uhm…."
Raiden Mei fidgeted, disengaging the fighting stance she had set up
….
To her… although this was a surprise- it was a surprise that she half expected
Thought she wasn't fully aware when that 'other s-self' took control of her body… she did see some scenes
So she now knew that Adam had a lot of tricks up his sleeve
Compared to surviving the disintegration of a h-heart, making robots kneel didn't seem as impressive….right?
….
"Done"
Adam lowered his hand, turning around and looking at Bronya
"..."
Looking at the now red robots who kneeled on the ground after a single snap from Adam, Bronya fell into a stunned silence
-Again
…
..
.
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A/N:
Aeons from Honkai Star Rail vs Great Old Ones from Lord of Mysteries
Who would win?
I'm asking because both of these series have a high chance of appearing in this fan fiction.... So I just want to know, for reference
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