Seele Really Is a Bad Girl

The machine emitted a laugh with a slight mechanical tone.

Unfortunately, this large-scale, high-precision equipment could not grant Liu Bai any special abilities.

"Reanna is my precious subordinate, Anti-Entropy's only mother. If something happens to her, I'll be devastated. Give the order, Dr. Maki."

With Maki, a scientist with extensive experience in human experimentation, Liu Bai no longer needed to cram on biology. After gaining a basic understanding of the necessary knowledge, Liu Bai handed over the reins of the experiment to this redeeming old doctor.

"...OK."

Maggie took a deep breath.

"Inject one milliliter of Honkai Energy first..."

"The experiment is over, you can stop now."

Half an hour later, Dr. Maki, covered in sweat, announced the end of the experiment.

"A total of 30 milliliters of Honkai Energy was injected... That's enough, that's enough."

Maki took the towel Bronya handed her and kept wiping the sweat from her old face.

"Is that enough?" Reanna stepped down from the lab table, seemingly unfazed.

"That's enough. If Artificial Stigmata were to directly receive this level of Honkai Energy, it would cause them to collapse. There's no need for further experiments."

Maki wiped the sweat from her face.

"There's absolutely no need to excessively pursue the ability to manipulate atoms or even subatomic particles; it's far too dangerous... Child, how is your control over Honkai Energy?"

"... Bronya can mold the test mercury into HOMU if she puts her whole heart into it."

"HOMU is already quite good... This level of refinement surpasses many formal Valkyrie. I don't know what the person who proposed this experiment was thinking, but acquiring power is not a simple matter. Even as the chief scientist of the Third Research Institute, I still have a high mortality rate when conducting experiments like Artificial Stigmata transplantation."

Maki took a breath.

"From the current perspective, this experiment may be safer than Artificial Stigmata transplantation... Please allow me to organize the data from this and previous transplantation experiments... Although we can only speculate without test subjects, with the help of the Alliance Leader, it should be enough."

Chapter 156 Seele is indeed a bad child

"Add another three milliliters... confirm bodily functions... good, no risk of collapse, inject another one milliliter..."

Marge stared intently at the data on the display screen.

"Okay, that's enough for now. How does it feel, kid?"

"Absolutely wonderful!"

Xing, who had just emerged from the experimental chamber, said confidently and immediately used her abilities to control the mercury used in the test next to her.

A tiny ball of mercury was instantly stretched into an intricately patterned classic clock in Xing's hands.

Anzu's Honkai Energy is among the best in the orphanage.

"Who's next?"

"Let Seele do it," Seele volunteered, raising her hand.

"Seele ...?" Liu Bai felt that it was a bit unlucky to let Seele go up there.

After all, it was during this experiment that Seele fell into the Sea of Quanta.

"Seele will try her best!"

Seemingly sensing Liu Bai's hesitation, Seele mustered her courage and continued.

"No, rather, why are you in such a hurry, Seele?" Liu Bai, who was attached to the instrument, asked with a slight puzzlement.

"Because, as a Stigmata holder, Seele will definitely be able to help our Alliance Leader brother."

"... I'd rather you didn't get involved in this," Liu Bai sighed.

"... Did I cause trouble for Brother Alliance Leader?"

"It's not exactly troublesome... but how about you introduce 'her' to me before we conduct the experiment?"

"Huh?"

A hint of guilt flashed across Seele's face.

"Um... Brother Alliance Leader, you mean..."

"It's another version of you... You didn't think you were hiding it well, did you?"

Liu Bai sighed softly, "The Seele I know wouldn't fall asleep as soon as she touches a book, secretly pour food she doesn't like into Xing's plate, or secretly replace Canned Food tomatoes with Canned Food chili peppers..."

"Waaah..."

Seele shrank back, but then her expression changed.

"Seriously, isn't my older brother paying a little too much attention to me?"

Seele's pupils changed from blue to red, and a maniacal, yandere smile appeared on her face.

"So, brother, which Seele do you prefer?"

Dark Seele approached the machine with a delighted expression, then threw out a deadly question.

(Wait, wait, wait! What are you asking?!) Seele in her consciousness completely panicked.

"... If you break the machine, you'll have to copy the homework that Reanna assigned yesterday a hundred times." Liu Bai was naturally too lazy to answer such a potentially disastrous question.

"... Brother, your threat to change the subject is really boring."

Although she said that, Dark Seele still shrank back dejectedly. She really couldn't handle copying and such.

"So, she let me out here so that I could be her experimenter?"

"Hmm, you should be better at controlling Honkai Energy than Seele, right?"

Although Seele was born with Stigmata, due to her personality, Seele current ability to control Honkai Energy is not very strong.

"After all, Seele is a crybaby."

Dark Seele casually stretched her limbs.

"Don't worry, I'm much better at controlling power than my other self."

As Dark Seele spoke, she lay down in the experimental chamber and closed her glasses.

"We can begin, Dr. Maki."

"...I understand." After a brief hesitation, Maki, who had seen Seele switch personalities, nodded. "Begin injecting Honkai Energy."

"Initial injection showed no abnormalities; add three milliliters."

"... No abnormalities found, add 3 ml."

"A slight fluctuation has occurred, but it is still within the normal range. Add... add one milliliter."

"... Add bet..."

Maki stared intently at the display screen showing Seele's vital signs.

"This level..."

"I never imagined that our first face-to-face conversation would take place here."

Seele stared blankly at the girl in front of her who was exactly the same as her except for the color of her pupils.

"Hey, why are you standing there like that?"

Dark Seele seemed very dissatisfied with Seele's blank expression.

"Um... where am I..."

Seele regained her senses and looked around.

She found herself and the other person in an endless, pure white space.

There are only three things in this space.

She, her alter ego, and a box that the alter ego was lazily leaning against.

"Here it is?"

"Your Stigmata Space, you idiot—or rather, my host, my other self? Of course, if you can't understand it, just think of it as a consciousness space."

Dark Seele waved her hand, then conjured an apple from her hand and tossed it over, "Have some fruit to calm your nerves?"

"Um... thank you."

After taking the fruit, Seele subconsciously thanked him, wiped the apple with her sleeve, and then took a bite.

"—So spicy!"

Tears immediately welled up in Seele's eyes.

"Why do apples taste spicy?!"

"Because I like it."

Dark Seele smiled as she looked at Seele, whose face was flushed red from the spiciness.

"How was it? Pretty exciting, right?"

"... I don't like it."

"If you can't accept this kind of thing, you won't grow up."

Dark Seele conjured up another apple and tossed it up and down playfully.

"This has absolutely nothing to do with not growing up, right?" Seele retorted, her eyes brimming with tears.

"I think it's related." Dark Seele shrugged.

"So, how's it going outside these days?"

Seele suddenly realized that now was not the time to argue; shouldn't the other party be conducting experiments right now?

"A few milliliters of Honkai Energy is nothing to me."

Dark Seele yawned, then pointed to the box she was leaning against, "And this thing is quite active too."

"What is this box?"

When Dark Seele pointed, Seele realized—if this was her own Stigmata Space, why was there a box?

Driven by curiosity, Seele instinctively reached out to open the box.

However, Dark Seele immediately grabbed her hand, her face showing an extremely rare serious expression.

"Stop, Seele, don't open it. You can't handle what's in this box right now—and in a way, it's not meant for you."

"...Eh?" Seele looked puzzled.

"... Do you know the origin of the Stigmata?"

"Origin?" Although Seele knew that what she had was called Stigmata, Seele really didn't know anything about its origin.

"The special power against Honkai that Dr. MEI, the top scientist of the Previous Era, transcribed into human genetic factors is expressed in the body as the Stigmata." The serious look on Dark Seele's face made Seele shrink back.

"... Previous Era?"

"You don't need to worry about that. If we start talking about this, it'll go on forever. Let's talk about the box and me first."

Dark Seele pointed to the box, then to herself.

"I am the memory engraved in the Stigmata, and this box—is the Stigmata on your body, or to be more specific, this box is the Stigmata itself, and what is inside is power."

"... So you mean?"

Seele still looked completely bewildered.

"Seele, you must know that the Stigmata on your body are not ordinary Stigmata."

"...Um."

Seele stared at the alter ego in front of her for a while, then nodded.

"... Your gaze is really infuriating." Dark Seele pouted. "In this box, besides power far exceeding that of ordinary Stigmata, there is also the legacy of Previous Era —technology and knowledge far beyond this era, such as weapon blueprints, special equipment, how to fight Honkai, etc... Well, but I don't understand any of this stuff at all—even though I was born from this Stigmata."

Dark Seele sighed.