23. Project Bunny: This really makes you my partner in misery!

"It's useless, it's useless, it's useless!"

"You can't escape from here. You'll be trapped here forever. There's nothing you can do!"

"Be afraid and cry, be desperate and wail! Become the next puppet, and stage an endless tragedy in the Theater of Domination!"

A puppet, with a high-pitched voice, spoke in an operatic tone.

"It's so noisy!"

The scarlet claws didn't allow it to finish its fourth line before crushing the doll's body.

Black Seele was slightly out of breath, and his expression grew increasingly serious.

The reaction speed of the Thousand-Man Herrscher far exceeded her expectations. She could barely see the platform they had entered from in the distance, and she could no longer move an inch.

Moreover, just because you can see a mountain doesn't mean you're about to arrive.

"Seele... you're not the Seele Bronya knows, are you?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, big sister? Didn't you just confirm it once?"

Black Seele said without turning her head.

"Then... you can leave on your own. You don't need to take Bronya with you."

Bronya supported the Heavy Armor Rabbit, her voice carrying a hint of determination.

"Bronya also reserved Honkai Energy Heavy Armor Rabbit to activate the self-destruct program. Without considering Bronya, with Heavy Armor Rabbit's self-destruction clearing the way for you, you can take Seele out, right?"

"?"

"What nonsense are you talking about!"

Even Black Seele couldn't bother calling out to her older sister anymore. The crimson energy instantly shoved away the surrounding puppets, giving her a moment to turn around.

"Do you think it's cool to leave yourself here? Or do you not realize how devastating losing you would be for Seele?"

"But you should be able to see that," Bronya's voice was very calm, she had already considered everything. "Even you alone would have a hard time getting out, let alone taking Bronya with you..."

"In this situation, it's better for one person to get out than for all of them to stay here. In any case, Bronya will activate the self-destruct program of the Heavy Armor Rabbit in one minute, even if you disagree."

"You!"

"Hehe, what a touching scene of sisterly love!"

The dolls chuckled to themselves, "Too bad, none of you will escape!"

"Hehe, once I catch you all, I'm going to turn you all into dolls, then bury one in the North Pole and one in the South Pole!"

"Let's see if you two are still this lovey-dovey then!"

"Is that so? It seems my previous hunts haven't caused any evolution in your wooden brains... Oh well, this land will never lack people who become cynical because of their short and bleak past."

A cold, clear voice rang out from above the dolls, instantly causing many of them to develop PTSD.

"Yes, it's that demon!"

"She's back with her black monster again!"

"How did she end up here!"

The puppets suddenly erupted in sharp, explosive sounds.

Hey, did you miss me?

Xia Ling appeared from behind Kal'tsit and greeted Black Seele and Bronya, who were still in a daze below.

"After I reinforced the cracks for you, I received some intelligence and deduced that your situation might be quite complicated."

"So, I'll go get you reinforcements!"

"Sister Xia Ling!"

"Xia Ling, you've finally arrived!"

Black Seele breathed a sigh of relief. After all, the plan Bronya had just given her was far too heavy, so heavy that either of them would push Seele into the abyss.

"Mon3tr, Command: Coordinated Operations".

Under Kal'tsit's command, the black monster immediately appeared in front of her and began to slaughter the puppets and Honkai Beast in front of her.

Kal'tsit herself drew her black cross sword and shielded Bronya, who was in the worst condition, behind her.

Xia Ling looked around, then jumped onto the other arm of the Heavy Armor Rabbit and smiled at Bronya.

"I'll borrow your little rabbit for now. As for catching up, we can talk about that later. Let's leave now."

As she spoke, Xia Ling conjured up the Seven Thunders of Retribution in the form of a sniper rifle in her hand, and then fired a shot directly at the platform in the distance.

"Bang!"

Accompanied by Xia Ling's cheerful voiceover, purple lightning instantly wiped out a group of enemies in the distance.

At the same time, mon3tr quickly cleared out the enemies in the vicinity.

Perhaps because Xia Ling's guess came true, at some point, Thousand-Man Herrscher puppets carrying the core had quietly withdrawn, leaving only those mindless puppets to make a symbolic obstruction.

"It seems that the Herrscher of Domination has conceded defeat in this round."

Noticing the surrounding situation, Xia Ling laughed and said, "As expected, a rabble is just a rabble, a bunch of cowards who bully the weak and fear the strong."

"However, although we gained a slight advantage this time with Sister Xia Ling's help, Bronya's Herrscher Authority were taken away by the other side..."

"Don't worry, let the Doctor deal with these kinds of first-time killers," Xia Ling comforted her. "Besides, once we eliminate the Thousand-Man Herrscher, your powers will naturally return."

"Instead of this, Seele, why aren't you saying anything?"

While cleaning the doll, Xia Ling teased Black Seele, who was standing next to her. "What's wrong? Are you shy in front of me? Or are you a little embarrassed because you're seeing your older sister?"

"Sister Xia Ling, please don't bully Seele... It's normal for her to be a little shy since she doesn't come out often."

"Who was bullied by her! Besides, I'm not shy!"

Black Seele bristled. "I just didn't know how to criticize my older sister. She always wants to sacrifice herself. Do you know how much I was under just now?!"

"Haha..." Xia Ling, who was affected by the area-of-effect attack, silently looked away.

Chapter Twenty-Three: The Heavy Armor Rabbit: This is practically my brother in misfortune!

With the puppets almost giving up their attempts to stop them, Xia Ling and her group quickly approached the crack that Xia Ling had previously stabilized.

Stepping onto the platform again, both Black Seele and Bronya breathed a sigh of relief.

"Finally, I'm leaving this hellhole... It's a pity I didn't get to kill a few more puppets."

"They are very timid... Once they realize that their actions are pointless, they will never rashly come to their deaths."

Xia Ling sighed helplessly, "This also means that... if we want to annihilate them all, we must first put ourselves in a very dangerous situation."

"Oh, Sister Xia Ling, you seem to be injured."

Bronya suddenly reached out and brushed away a streak of blood that had seeped from Xia Ling's arm.

"Huh? I didn't feel anything..." Xia Ling turned her head to look, not paying attention. "It's probably just a scratch... It'll probably heal on its own in a while."

"Let's put this aside for now and get out of here."

Xia Ling expanded the portal slightly, making it large enough to accommodate the heights of mon3tr and Heavy Armor Rabbit.

The group entered the rift one by one, and then Xia Ling, who had developed the good habit of closing doors behind her, immediately removed the support points of the rift.

"Hey, didn't we just go straight back to the Salt Lake Base?"

"This is the gap between the Intrinsic World and the Theater of Domination... It's a small trick I used to stabilize space."

Xia Ling explained, "Besides, Dr. Kal'tsit isn't going back with us; she has her own things to do."

"Speaking of which... thank you, Dr. Kal'tsit." Bronya said sincerely, "You saved us in the Sea of Quantum last time, and I didn't expect to trouble you again this time."

"It was nothing, just a fleeting moment in my life, nothing to worry about," Kal'tsit said with her usual calm expression. "In comparison, your actions have brought me quite a few pleasant surprises."

"After all, this is the first time Xia Ling has rushed to see me in such a hurry."

"It would be too formal to thank Sister Xia Ling... However, Bronya still feels deeply satisfied to have helped Sister Xia Ling restore her family relationships."

"Go away, what are you so happy about? You should think about how to comfort your Seele later."

Xia Ling waved her hand dismissively, and then, taking advantage of her conversation with Kal'tsit, continued to reveal information.

"By the way, Dr. Kal'tsit, that doll named Mulsus..."

"Her abilities are special; she wasn't actually transformed into a puppet, nor is she human... Currently, she exists in an ambiguous state among the puppets."

Kal'tsit explained, "That's why she wasn't affected as severely."

"As a doctor, curing psychological ailments is also one of my duties. After curing her symptoms, I asked her to stay among the dolls for the time being and provide me with some information."

"So that's how it is... No wonder she took the initiative to contact me and Seele to tip us off..."

Black Seele muttered to himself.

"Not only that, she also provided me with your location information. Otherwise, how could I have been so lucky as to open the portal right above your heads?"

Xia Ling added, "Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the puppet's structure, it's difficult for her to convey more information. Only in such a chaotic battle can she take advantage of the confusion and secretly help us."

"Alright, let's stop here. Maintaining this crack for too long isn't good for your health."

After helping Mulsus apply the necessary identity patch, Kal'tsit checked the time and ended the conversation.

"Mon3tr... Huh? mon3tr, what are you doing?"

While the four were talking, mon3tr also seemed to be having a lively conversation with the Heavy Armor Rabbit in the corner.

"Uh... Bronya has never really understood what the little bunny means..."

"As for Little Rabbit, probably only Seele can communicate with her fluently... Anyway, I can only understand the general idea."

Black Seele shrugged.

"I did notice what they were talking about, but..."

Xia Ling glanced at Bronya, her smile slightly teasing, "Fine, I'll show it to you guys anyway."

As she spoke, Xia Ling projected the images of their (?) interaction into the air.

Heavy Armor Rabbit: Does your owner often exploit you too?

mon3tr: (Nods sadly)

Heavy Armor Rabbit: You might not be as miserable as me... Besides working overtime, fighting, analyzing data, and writing code, sometimes I even have to self-destruct...

mon3tr: (A low hum of empathy)

Heavy Armor Rabbit: What do you mean you're the same? Will you also be captured and forced to self-destruct?

mon3tr: (A mournful growl)

Heavy Armor Rabbit: What do you mean by "You self-destructed once, that's alright, but what about yesterday?" Do you self-destruct every day?

mon3tr: (shaking his head heavily)

Heavy Armor Rabbit: Well, we're about even, since all you have to do is fight. Sometimes, the workload Bronya gives me is worse than if I were dead...

"What do you two think about this suspected pet abuser?"

"Uh... it's getting late. Since you're all safe and sound, I'll be leaving now."

Kal'tsit silently retrieved the mon3tr and then made her escape.

"Big sister, please be nicer to Heavy Armor Rabbit in the future... Even the donkeys in the production team can't withstand this kind of use."

"... Bronya will be careful."

Amidst the meaningful glances directed at Bronya, Xia Ling waved her hand, dispelling the rift.

Immediately afterwards, as the surrounding scenery changed, the three of them appeared together in the Salt Lake Base.

"Uh... what did you give me?"

Looking at the base littered with mecha fragments, Xia Ling couldn't help but complain, "Is this still the Salt Lake Base?"

"Ahem, after all, there are still quite a few mechs attacking outside."

A blue orb of light floated in Welt's hand. Without a doubt, this must be another of his hastily constructed Herrscher of Herrscher of Reason exclusive weapons— Star of Eden. It's just unknown which of his previous modified versions it was.