Bai Ge and Bronya each proposed five games. They competed in ten games total, and the final score was six to four, with the former claiming victory by a narrow margin.
"Whew, Bronya lost. It had been a long time since Bronya had enjoyed herself this much. Bronya acknowledged your skill," Bronya said seriously as she set down her phone.
"Haha, of course~ But I'd never had this much fun either. You're even better than I imagined. Next time, let's team up and challenge some high-difficulty dungeons."
"Mm! No problem. Bronya is very much looking forward to the day we fight side by side."
As a true gamer, although Bronya deeply regretted that her undefeated legend had been broken—
Compared to that, she was happier about this thrilling and wonderful match. The corners of Bronya's lips were raised high.
After all, having fun was what mattered most when playing games.
"Then let's add each other as game friends. And since I won, then the information—"
"...Uh, Bronya forgot." Bronya blinked blankly.
Only then did she remember that she had initially agreed to play games in order to obtain information from Bai Ge. The games had been so fun that she had accidentally forgotten.
Even so, Bronya had still gathered some additional information: this boy named Bai Ge was a good person. He should not die because of Cocolia's order of revenge.
After learning the truth about the Third Honkai from Bai Ge, Bronya no longer intended to obey Cocolia.
Even if sacrificing millions of people in an entire city could ultimately save Seele, it would still be an absolutely wrong choice. Bronya Zaychik would not accept such an outcome.
"Metal Gear Bronya, hmm~ That's a pretty cool ID. Well then, I had fun today. Bye-bye, Bronya."
"W-Wait! Can you answer one last question for Bronya?" Seeing Bai Ge preparing to leave, Bronya hurriedly called out.
"You lost, though. Fine, but if it's something I don't want to answer, I won't say anything."
"Thank you. Bronya only wants to know... why have you never shown any hostility toward me?"
It was more than a lack of hostility. He had been overflowing with kindness.
Bronya genuinely could not understand.
Her position should have made her his enemy—an enemy who had launched an unreasonable attack against him—yet Bai Ge had never harmed her in the slightest.
He had even been a little too gentle.
Bai Ge blinked, then smiled.
"Because we'll eventually walk the same path. I believe that, in the near future, you'll become my companion. There's no need for me to be ruthless toward a future companion."
"...That answer is way too incomprehensible."
"Hehe~ All right, good night, little Bronya. Don't listen to that bastard of an adoptive mother of yours anymore. Cocolia is no good at all. Also... I'll take this as payment for today."
"Huh? Y-You, when did you—?!"
When she saw the familiar object in Bai Ge's hand, Bronya's eyes widened. It was the leg exoskeleton armor she used to assist her walking.
At some point, Bai Ge had dismantled it.
At the same time, she sensed something "off."
Bronya raised a hand and touched her face in disbelief, confirming that she was actually smiling!
Shock, confusion, incomprehension, joy, anticipation—only at this moment did Bronya realize that she possessed so many emotions. For a moment, she thought she was dreaming.
Bronya pressed a hand to her head and realized that her damaged amygdala had somehow been healed. After several years, she could finally feel joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness once more.
And it was more than that!
"My legs... feel so cool. Bronya's legs have been healed too? H-How is that possible?!"
She had been so absorbed in playing games with Bai Ge that only now did Bronya notice that both her brain and legs had been completely restored.
She involuntarily swallowed and looked down at her fair, tender feet. The red markings on them had completely vanished, and the evening breeze brought a cool sensation against them.
Bronya wiggled her feet.
Then, excited yet cautious, she stepped away from the bench.
"I can walk, I really can walk! Bronya can walk again! Ah, that hurt!"
Bronya's bare feet stepped onto the park lawn.
Since she had not walked in a very long time, her gait looked incredibly clumsy, swaying like a little duck that had only just learned how to walk.
Then she accidentally stepped on a stone hidden in the grass and fell flat on her butt. Yet Bronya did not feel the slightest bit upset. Instead, she became even happier.
Although she knew it did not suit her image or temperament, Bronya truly had the urge to run with all her strength.
"This must have been his doing too. Bronya will remember this. Bronya owes you a great debt. Project Bunny, carry me back... no, go to the nearest shoe store first. Buy Bronya a pair of shoes. Today, Bronya wants to walk home on her own two feet."
"!!!"
Project Bunny, which had overloaded after being electrocuted by Bai Ge, had also been restored by the power of Rebuild. Its mechanical sounds seemed to be congratulating its master on her recovery.
"Although it was a little troublesome, it worked out in the end. Even incomplete authority can heal Bronya's injuries. Mm, as expected of the Herrscher of Death," Bai Ge muttered to himself as black mist from the Herrscher of Death drifted from his palm.
It was decay that could destroy life, yet it was also creation that could grant vitality. In truth, the essence of the Herrscher of Death's authority was the manipulation of biological cells.
At its peak, he could even create a perfect body out of thin air. He could instantly turn a young man into an old man, or turn an old man into a young man.
Bai Ge felt that if one day he completely recovered the Herrscher of Death's authority and publicly revealed his abilities...
Heh~ That scene would probably be terrifying.
Countless people in power and wealthy magnates around the world longed for immortality and eternal youth, and he could grant it with a casual wave of his hand.
And that scope was not limited to humans.
If the Herrscher of Death's authority were complete, Bai Ge could instantly kill everyone in an entire city, turn a forest into a wasteland in an instant, or transform a desert into an oasis just as quickly.
"Bronya's brain and legs were completely ruined by the X10 Experiment, to the point where even Anti-Entropy's technology could not heal them. But... for me, it was only a matter of minutes."
Even with his authority incomplete, it was only a girl's legs and brain. Of course he could heal them.
Bai Ge had used only three minutes from start to finish. During those three minutes, Bronya had essentially undergone a science-fiction-scale nanosurgery. Every cell in her body had been repaired.
"All right~ I've done what I wanted to do. Now it's time to go home and eat Mei's late-night snack. Speaking of which... I wonder how Otto will feel when he sees the Kallen Fantasy IV rankings and finds himself pushed down to third place."
Bai Ge stretched lazily, thinking happily.
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Otto: This Person Actually Questioned My Love for Kallen?! (Please Support)
On Schicksal's Floating Island.
"Who was it? Who the hell was it?!"
Otto stared frantically at the giant screen before him.
He discovered that his ranking in Kallen Fantasy IV had somehow fallen to third place!
Using a full-sensory combat projection screen, that kind of futuristic technology, to play games... Otto Apocalypse truly did things ordinary people could never do.
But that was not the important part.
Today, just as Otto had planned to log in, clear Kallen Fantasy IV's daily missions, and continue admiring his overwhelmingly glorious score—
He discovered in horror that his ranking had dropped.
And he had not fallen to second place, but third! Most importantly, the game ID of the player occupying first place made Otto cough up blood in fury.
Bronya's ID was Metal Gear Bronya.
Bai Ge's ID was Kallen Saintess Does Not Love Otto.
Otto: "Which bastard is speaking the truth? Damn it, they must be cheating. Amber! Contact Kallen Fantasy IV's game company and thoroughly investigate this person's account... Investigate the second-place player too!"
Amber: "Lord Bishop, please do some actual work. You still haven't finished today's duties."
Otto: "What a joke. Otto Apocalypse not doing actual work is his greatest contribution to world peace. Who knows how many people in this world pray that I never do actual work?"
Amber: "...What you said makes so much sense that Amber cannot refute it."
This man was as self-aware as ever.
Amber thought of her bishop's extensive collection of evil plans—his inhuman sort of actual work—and for a moment, she felt that letting this man slack off forever might actually be a good idea.
Then she immediately realized that she had been led astray.
Even setting aside those inhuman plans, he could still help handle Schicksal's administrative affairs! And the economic matters... well, never mind that.
Thinking about what would happen if this man were put fully in charge of Schicksal's economy, Amber felt that by the next day, she would probably receive news that the company developing the Kallen Fantasy series had become a global chain corporation.
This man would absolutely use the funding to develop games!
"According to the game company's inspection, there are no issues with either of their accounts."
"Then ban them for me."
"...Yes."
The corner of Amber's eye twitched beneath her mask. Banning someone's account because he could not beat them—this Schicksal bishop was absolute trash!
Incidentally, because Kallen Fantasy IV was inherently a self-indulgent game where Kallen Kaslana was the heroine and Otto portrayed himself as the male lead, many players had fiercely criticized the game's story.
Bai Ge's ID was irritating, but Otto did not think too much of it. He merely assumed Bai Ge was another gamer dissatisfied with the plot.
Before you continue