My Sister Is Bronya

"Tch... they're really persistent," Ishiu muttered, glancing at the sea of tentacles behind him with the corner of his eye. He dodged a few more attacks, growing increasingly impatient.

He had given his all, but he still couldn't create any distance between himself and these things. The border was still a short way off. Before, he could reach it in the blink of an eye, but now, he couldn't even guarantee he could get Seele there safely.

Still, he had to try, even if it meant only getting Seele back alone...

At this critical moment, Ishiu made up his mind. He reached into his inner pocket and pulled out a dagger that gleamed with a cold light.

It was a birthday gift from Bronya. Ishiu really liked the dagger, often practicing with it, and had even learned some basic dagger combat from Bronya. He usually cherished it, but now, it was time to use it.

Ishiu changed his approach. Instead of weaving left and right to dodge the tentacle attacks, he pushed off the ground and started running headlong.

A straight line is the shortest distance between two points. To ensure Seele's safety, Ishiu could no longer afford to advance slowly. He feared being swallowed by the overwhelming tide of tentacles the next second.

However, this running style, while increasing his speed, also meant he couldn't dodge the tentacles directly in front of him.

Ishiu gripped the dagger in one hand, while the other reached behind him, grabbing Seele's collar and pulling her into his arms.

"Ishiu-gege?" Seele asked, confused. She instinctively clutched the front of Ishiu's shirt, her legs finding no place to rest and ending up in a rather awkward position, clamped around Ishiu's waist.

Ishiu bit his lip tightly, remaining silent.

Almost there, we're almost there.

Just then, three tentacles, whistling through the air, made contact with Ishiu's back.

Ishiu's eyes sharpened. He reversed his grip on the dagger and thrust it backward without looking.

The sharp dagger pierced through the three tentacles. The severed limbs dissolved like foam, turning into countless specks of starlight and vanishing into the air.

Immediately after, more tentacles swarmed forward, descending upon Ishiu like a giant fishing net.

"Damn it!"

Ishiu cursed under his breath. There was no more hesitation. He definitely couldn't dodge this one. There was only one thing he could do.

"Ishiu-gege!"

Seele felt a powerful force surge from her arms. Like a discarded doll, Ishiu forcefully threw her towards the colorful, shimmering light.

"No! No! Ishiu-gege! You promise-breaking liar! You said you'd go back with Seele!"

Seele screamed with all the volume she could muster, her face a mask of shock and sorrow. Like a cat about to be abandoned by its owner, she desperately reached out to Ishiu, wanting to return to the warm, secure embrace that made her feel so safe.

However, within the colorful light, she felt a tremendous pulling force from above, dragging her, as if to pull her out of this space that wasn't hers.

She cried out with all her might, her throat feeling raw. Tears streamed down her face again, forming a shimmering thread in the air that drifted onto Ishiu's face.

"Seele... I'm sorry..." Ishiu managed a bitter smile. Countless tentacles wrapped around him like the strongest ropes, and he had lost the strength to struggle. He could only watch as Seele cried, drifting further and further away from him.

Fortunately, Seele is safe.

"Ishiu-gege! Seele was wrong, Seele shouldn't have called you a liar. Don't be angry, please come with Seele..."

Seele was a tear-streaked mess. Her voice grew fainter and fainter in Ishiu's ears. He could no longer see Seele. His vision was consumed by darkness, and finally...

He closed his eyes, his consciousness sinking into an infinite darkness.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for completing the mission. Random reward drawing in progress...]
[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully drawing the skill, Seven Nights Assassination Technique - Flash Sheath.]
[Ding! Detected that the host already possesses Seven Nights Assassination Technique - Flash Step. Congratulations to the host for obtaining the complete Seven Nights Assassination Technique.]

Chapter Twenty-Three: Dead Apostle Ancestor

Am I... dead?

Ishiu didn't know what state he was in. In his last memory, he seemed to be enveloped by an endless darkness, his consciousness becoming hazy.

In this space, he couldn't tell how much time had passed. Time itself seemed to have lost all meaning.

But at such a moment, the clearest memories in his mind were the scenes of his two near-death experiences.

The first was when he was hit by a car in his past life. Lying on the cold ground, the heavy wheels crushed his chest. Intense pain spread throughout his body, and he could only watch his blood flow onto the ground.

His body grew colder and colder, as if the embrace of death was lingering around him.

Until his consciousness finally sank into darkness.

The second time was when he was caught by those tentacles.

Compared to the previous experience, this time there was no pain, not even any sensation. Yet, Ishiu instinctively felt that those seemingly gentle tentacles were more dangerous than death itself.

This process continued for an unknown duration until, in this deep, dark space, a light finally appeared. His consciousness drifted towards the light almost instinctively. The light grew brighter and brighter...

Finally, he opened his eyes.

"Ugh... an unfamiliar ceiling..."

Ishiu stared blankly at the wooden ceiling above him. He had been awake for half an hour. While he was groggy at first, his memories gradually returned, and he remembered what he had done before.

"Seele..."

Ishiu murmured. He didn't know where he was, but it wasn't the orphanage. He was lying in bed, wrapped in layers of bandages, like a mummy, unable to move.

"By the way, where is this place?" Ishiu turned his head and looked around. He found himself in a very ordinary room. The furniture and decorations looked like any ordinary boy's room.

"Right... I think I was caught by those tentacles, and then... So, this is the Sea of Quanta? Doesn't look like it..." Ishiu's mind was filled with questions, but he was currently wrapped up like a mummy, unable to even move.

Furthermore, he felt a throbbing pain all over his body, just like... the injuries he sustained in the lab before.

"Oh, right, before I passed out, I think I heard the system's voice," Ishiu seemed to recall something and quickly shifted his focus to the system in his mind. By checking the historical message records, he saw the last message the system had broadcast.

"Phew... Looks like Seele is safe. Whoa, did I actually get Flash Sheath this time? Am I going to take off now?"

Ishiu immediately became excited. Not only did he know Seele was safe, but he was also thrilled to finally obtain the complete Seven Nights Assassination Technique.

The wonder of Flash Step had already been a great help to Ishiu. If Flash Sheath were added, it would undoubtedly be like adding wings to a tiger. Moreover, these two techniques were part of the same system, and their combined power would be far more than a simple one plus one.

With a mix of excitement and trepidation, Ishiu extracted Seven Nights Assassination Technique - Flash Sheath from the system space. Instantly, a flood of memories surged into his mind. This was the second time, so Ishiu found it much easier to absorb. Besides, Flash Sheath and Flash Step had many commonalities, making his absorption effortless.

Soon, the memories of Flash Sheath were completely downloaded into Ishiu's brain and perfectly merged with Flash Step. Now, Ishiu had obtained the complete Seven Nights Assassination Technique.

After reviewing the memories of the Seven Nights Assassination Technique in his mind, Ishiu couldn't help but praise it. This technique truly transcended the ordinary. If he were to fight his past self, who hadn't yet obtained the complete Seven Nights Assassination Technique, Ishiu was confident he could easily defeat his former self within a single move.

However, while reviewing the memories, Ishiu kept feeling like something extra had appeared in his mind. It was as if those things were blocked by a door, and he couldn't directly access the information. He needed to "open the door" with concentration.

With a hint of curiosity, Ishiu slowly extended his consciousness into the "door." The very next second, he felt an intense burning pain in his eyes. He instinctively closed his eyes, veins bulging on his forehead. After a long while, the searing pain gradually subsided.

But when Ishiu opened his eyes again, he was shocked to discover that the world he saw had undergone a monumental change.

In Ishiu's vision, everything was divided by countless intersecting lines.

Those fine, crack-like lines looked as if a child had scribbled randomly on paper with a pencil.

They were on the ceiling, on the walls, on the furniture, and even on the bed he was lying on.

"What is this..." Ishiu looked at the drastically changed world with disbelief. The sensation was peculiar. In his vision, those crooked lines looked like a puppet doll crudely pieced together.

This inexplicably gave him the illusion that if he simply traced those lines, the entire world would instantly fall apart and disintegrate.

No... perhaps it wasn't an illusion.

"Did I... put on colored contacts?"

Ishiu looked at the mirror on the bedside table. His reflection showed his current appearance.

His once clear black and white eyes were gone, replaced by a ring of icy blue iridescence, with a vividly colored iris like a rainbow at the center.

This was too anime.

Ishiu had previously felt proud of his pure black hair and eyes, seeing his friends with their colorful hair and eyes. But he never expected to become like this one day.

Ishiu stared blankly for a long time before finally snapping back to reality and pondering why he had become this way.

However, with no clues and no messages from the system, Ishiu thought for a long time but couldn't figure anything out. In the end, he decided to stop thinking about it. After all, from his current perspective, his eyes were just like wearing colored contacts, and the world looked a little different. It wasn't a big problem and was acceptable.

After all, the most important thing was that he had survived.

(ps: To prevent anyone from misunderstanding this part, I'll briefly explain. The protagonist is currently in a world bubble within the Sea of Quanta, similar to a parallel world. Those who have played the main story of Honkai Impact 3rd should understand. The protagonist's Dead Apostle Ancestor is also obtained from the Root, but I'll keep it a secret for now and explain it later.)

Chapter 24: Bronya: Ishiu, I'm here to break off the engagement!

Ishiu studied his new eyes for a long time and finally figured out how to use them. With just a thought, he could change his eyes back, which relieved him greatly. After all, he didn't want to constantly look at a world that felt like it would break if touched.

Crack.

Just as Ishiu was deep in thought, the door to his room was opened, and a petite figure walked in.

When Ishiu saw the person, he was stunned for a moment, then closed his eyes, shook his head fiercely, and opened them again.

He almost suspected he was hallucinating.

But no matter how many times he closed and opened his eyes, the person he saw remained unchanged. She was exactly as he remembered her, even the facial expressions were 99.99% similar.

"Bronya..." Ishiu uttered the name of the person who had just walked in, dazedly.

Yes, the person who had suddenly entered was none other than Bronya, whom Ishiu knew best.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Bronya's face showed a hint of disdain, and her voice was the familiar, cold tone with a hint of childishness.

That expression, too, had a certain flavor.

"Bronya, I, you... How is, how is Seele? Did she return safely? And where is this place? Have your legs recovered?" If he hadn't been tied up like a mummy, Ishiu would have probably jumped up right then.

This couldn't help but excite him. He had thought he was finished after being dragged into the Sea of Quanta, but he never expected to have returned?

However, facing Ishiu's barrage of questions, Bronya took a slight step back, increasing the distance between them. She then frowned and looked at him, saying, "What nonsense are you spouting? Qiye Ishiu, did the Honkai Beasts smash your brain? Also, who is Seele? Is she your new girlfriend?"

"...Huh?"

Ishiu was utterly bewildered.

"You're still like this. Fine, I'll help you one last time. After this, we'll have no further ties. I will also go to the Great Elder to annul our engagement. A good-for-nothing like you is not worthy of Bronya." After saying these words with a look of annoyance, Bronya turned and left without looking back. No matter how much Ishiu called out, she didn't respond.

In the end, only a dumbfounded Ishiu, completely clueless about what was happening, remained in the room, with no outlet for his pent-up frustration.

After a long while, as if experiencing network lag, he shouted loudly in the room, "Damn it! What the hell is Qiye Ishiu! Your brain was smashed by Honkai Beasts! And what do you mean Seele is my new girlfriend! Why don't you say she's my mistress! What engagement are you talking about! Where am I a good-for-nothing! I, a noble man of the new world, am not worthy of a 1.45m little pudding like you?!"

Ishiu vented his anger alone in the room for a long time before feeling much better.

After venting, he began to think.

Firstly, Bronya's attitude didn't seem fake. The way she looked at him at that moment was as if she were looking at a stranger... no, perhaps more like an insect. And her behavior was very strange; she didn't even recognize Seele. In this situation, if Ishiu wasn't crazy, then Bronya must be out of her mind.

In the following days, Ishiu lay in bed recuperating. It was through the maids who occasionally came to take care of him that Ishiu finally learned the truth of the matter.

He wasn't crazy, and Bronya's mind wasn't broken either. The reason this situation had come about was because Ishiu... had transmigrated again.

That's right, he had transmigrated once more, and this time he had brought his body along with him.

His identity here was the son of the current head of the Qiye family. However, 'Qiye Ishiu' had a terrible reputation. He had been an arrogant and spoiled scion his entire life, spending his days harassing innocent women or gambling, essentially doing nothing of value.

The Qiye family was the only organization in this region capable of fighting Honkai Beasts. If it weren't for them, this town would have been destroyed by Honkai Beasts long ago. So, out of respect for the Qiye family head, 'Qiye Ishiu' was able to act so arrogantly without being beaten to death.

Bronya was also a member of the Qiye family. Unlike the good-for-nothing 'Qiye Ishiu' who only knew how to eat, drink, and play, she was the strongest exorcist of the current generation. She had once single-handedly eliminated a Knight-class Honkai Beast, making her a genius among geniuses.

Yet, this genius girl had been betrothed to 'Qiye Ishiu' at a very young age. Because of 'Qiye Ishiu's' worthlessness, no one in the entire family, except for the Qiye family head, had a good impression of him. Bronya had also been trying to find ways to break off the engagement.

'Qiye Ishiu's' current injury was also due to his own overconfidence and arrogance. He had tried to kill a Honkai Beast to prove himself, but was nearly killed by the lowest-level Charge-class Honkai Beast.

Since then, his status within the family had plummeted. Bronya took the opportunity to bring up the annulment of the engagement. The Qiye family head, under pressure, forcefully protected 'Qiye Ishiu's' right to inherit the family headship, but in doing so, he was stripped of some of his powers by the family elders.

After understanding this background story, Ishiu's first reaction was to find that 'Qiye Ishiu' and give him a good beating.

Damn it, what is all this?!

It's 2020, why are we still playing the "useless trash gets dumped and then proves himself" trope? Is the author's brain broken?

But no matter how much Ishiu complained, he could only silently choose to accept it. He was still too clueless about his current situation.

After more than a week of recovery, Ishiu was finally able to shed his mummy-like bandages. Although his body was still a bit uncomfortable, his recovery was surprisingly good.

"Ishiu, have you recovered?"

One day, as Ishiu was pondering in his room how he could get out, a familiar voice sounded from behind him. Accompanied by the crisp sound of a door opening, a tall, mature woman walked in.

"Mom, I've recovered quite well. Can I go out now?" Ishiu turned around, looking at the familiar face, and called out "Mom" without any hesitation.