Honkai, I Alone Save Everything Chapter 4

Seeing Ming Yu's firm resolve, Bronya didn't say anything further, only nodding slightly.

Then, she softly called out:

"Project Bunny."

The giant robot, which had only had a faint, transparent outline, immediately shed its disguise, revealing its complete form before the two of them.

Ming Yu, who already knew of its existence, didn't show any particular emotion. Instead, Little Kong, standing beside him, once again showed a look of surprise.

This kind of mecha, which she had only seen in cartoons before—like those in the famous "Araha-to" series—was actually appearing in reality.

Bronya skillfully sat on one of Project Bunny's giant hands, while simultaneously bringing the other giant hand in front of Little Kong, and then said:

"Bronya will take her to a safe place first, and then come back for you."

Ming Yu also bent down, patted the purple-haired girl's head, and said in a low voice:

"Little Kong, you hide in a safe place. Big brother will be back soon."

From the current situation, it seemed that not only was Raven rescuing injured children in the eastern district of Changkong City, but Bronya, who was passing through and searching for the Third Herrscher, had also incidentally defeated quite a few Honkai Beasts. This area could indeed be considered relatively safe.

"I... I'll wait for you to come back..."

The purple-haired girl obediently nodded and sat on the other giant hand of Project Bunny.

Project Bunny quickly took to the sky, carrying the two of them towards the east.

Bronya was highly efficient. About five minutes later, she returned alone, piloting Project Bunny, and signaled for Ming Yu to also board it.

Then, Ming Yu stepped onto the other hand of Project Bunny, and under the girl's control, they were lifted into the air.

Project Bunny unleashed its full firepower, and a beam of light streaked across the sky as they flew towards Chiba Academy, racing against time.

Because they were traveling at high altitude, they avoided the interference of the vast majority of Honkai Beasts. Even if they detected the movement, they couldn't reach them.

Occasionally, aerial types could be seen, but they couldn't catch up to the fully-accelerated Project Bunny.

Soon, their destination was within sight.

This large aristocratic girls' academy, located on the outskirts of Changkong City, had once been the aspiration of all the girls in Changkong City, and even ordinary girls from the Far East.

There was even a saying circulating among the common folk in the Far East: "Once you enter Chiba Academy, your life's path will be smooth sailing."

But now, it had long lost its former brilliance, with only an indescribable dark purple light flowing throughout the academy.

That was likely the uncontrollable power of the Herrscher of Thunder.

The closer they got to Chiba Academy, the more Ming Yu began to feel a physical discomfort.

The closer one was to a Herrscher, the higher the concentration of Honkai energy. He glanced at his arm, and it seemed that Honkai energy patterns were already faintly spreading out.

With his current resistance to Honkai energy, he didn't seem to be able to stay in such a high-intensity environment for too long.

Enduring the discomfort, Ming Yu held onto Project Bunny's arm and looked down.

As the birthplace of the Herrscher of Thunder, and a place where Cocolia had heavily deployed Honkai energy, there was almost no life left here, and the extent of the damage caused by the Herrscher was the greatest.

A large number of Honkai Beasts and Dead Soldiers had gathered spontaneously within the academy. Fortunately, it was an aristocratic academy invested in by ME Company, and its grounds were ridiculously vast, allowing it to accommodate so many monsters roaming within.

Ming Yu's gaze continuously swept across the rooftops, and he quickly spotted Raiden Mei.

She stood alone on a high platform, with no one around her, and there were no signs of a fight.

Kiana hadn't appeared yet... which meant that he and Bronya had arrived too "early"?

So early that Kiana was probably still holding a baseball bat, trying to survive within Chiba Academy.

What would happen if Bronya made contact with Raiden Mei before Kiana managed to awaken her consciousness?

Bronya also spotted her at the same moment and began to descend in Project Bunny.

"Mei... how is she doing now?"

Ming Yu asked Bronya with a worried tone.

"...It's best if you don't get close to her. Threat level assessment: Extremely High."

Bronya warned in a calm voice.

This was a kind warning, and also a fact.

Bronya first placed Ming Yu on the rooftop of a nearby floor, and then approached Raiden Mei alone.

The black-haired girl standing before her was indeed Raiden Mei, but her pair of scarlet eyes proved that the personality currently occupying this body was not "Raiden Mei," but the "Herrscher of Thunder."

Despite this, she just stood there, silent, seemingly having no intention of attacking first.

"It seems she doesn't want to hurt anyone..."

Ming Yu mused.

Although he remembered that this "Herrscher of Thunder" personality wasn't known for her good temper, judging by the fact that she had "sealed" herself within Chiba Academy and hadn't attacked him and Bronya first, she wasn't a puppet of Honkai, causing wanton destruction, nor did she possess a strong desire to destroy.

The black-haired girl's scarlet eyes looked towards Ming Yu and Bronya.

Bronya spoke first to negotiate:

"Raiden Mei... Bronya hopes you will come with her."

As the name was spoken, a flicker of unidentifiable emotion crossed the black-haired girl's eyes, and arcs of lightning began to coil around her.

Then, she shook her head and denied, "I am not Raiden Mei."

"…?"

Bronya tilted her head slightly.

While theoretically they were both part of Anti-Entropy, she hadn't actually met Raiden Mei before this.

In the past, Bronya had stayed at an orphanage in Siberia, living with other children and undergoing training and experiments under Mother Cocolia.

As for this Raiden Mei… the daughter of Executor Raiden Ryoma, she had lived in this Far East region. The two had never met, nor had they ever had the chance to communicate. They each lived entirely different lives.

However, before coming to Changkong City for her mission, Bronya had reviewed Raiden Mei's profile, and Raiden Mei's photograph had been uploaded to the Project Bunny database.

After comparison, the black-haired girl before her was undoubtedly Raiden Mei.

"Regardless, Bronya needs to take you from here, no matter… what method is used."

A spark appeared in Bronya's usually calm and placid grey eyes, and the giant mecha behind her was ready to unleash its power.

She wasn't particularly skilled at negotiation. Having been raised as a child soldier and assassin from a young age, she was more inclined to solve problems with violence.

For her, the last hope of saving the now-missing Seele was right before her eyes.

Even if she had to resort to force, she was determined to bring Raiden Mei back to Anti-Entropy, back to Cocolia's laboratory.

Plan adjusted. Now, she needed to incapacitate Raiden Mei and make her surrender—

"With just you?"

Sensing Bronya's hostility, the black-haired girl sneered. Countless bolts of lightning began to bloom around her, and a purple wing formed from pure Honkai energy materialized, displaying the pressure of a Herrscher-class being.

When words fail, actions speak louder. It was clear that a fierce battle was about to erupt between the two girls.

Bronya slowly floated up, and the Project Bunny behind her activated all its attack modules.

"Target locked. Project Bunny 19C, full armament deployed!"

At her command, countless cannons and lasers fired in unison from Project Bunny.

However, all the attacks were blocked by the electromagnetic barrier she generated just before reaching the target. After a puff of smoke cleared, she remained unharmed.

Then, the black-haired girl's eyes sharpened. She swung a bolt of lightning with one hand in retaliation, aiming directly at Bronya:

"Who gave you permission… to stand above me?"

Chapter 5: Divergent Path: Bronya's Demise

Bronya had misjudged one thing.

Even though she had been training her combat skills and Honkai energy control, and even though she possessed the combat mecha Project Bunny 19C, which allowed her to easily defeat ordinary Honkai Beasts and Dead Soldiers, and easily deal with ordinary people—

There was still a significant gap between her and a true Herrscher.

She truly didn't have a proper understanding of how powerful Herrschers were.

After all, the previous Herrscher, the Second Herrscher, had not even been born into this world when it was wreaking havoc.

Her knowledge of Herrschers' combat capabilities was limited to occasional rumors she heard from Mother Cocolia, who had personally experienced the Second Honkai Outbreak.

—One of their abilities, it was said, was to summon a large number of Honkai Beasts over a vast area to cause destruction.

Reportedly, during the Second Honkai Outbreak, the Second Herrscher had summoned over five hundred thousand Honkai Beasts across Siberia.

As for other information… there was none. Her Mother Cocolia had never seen the Second Herrscher with her own eyes.

Although there was also the First Herrscher, their ally Welt Yang, Bronya had never seen him in action either.

Therefore, this battle against Raiden Mei was her first true confrontation with a Herrscher.

And the combat power displayed by the Third Herrscher far exceeded Bronya's imagination.

The ability to control lightning with her bare body was something that absolutely transcended human capabilities.

And, most crucially, the compatibility between her abilities and those of the Third Herrscher was… rather poor.

"Is this mechanical doll all you rely on?"

Accompanying the black-haired girl's mocking words, a bolt of lightning struck from the sky, hitting the giant mecha behind Bronya with a resounding impact.

The excessive current overwhelmed Project Bunny's normal operation, destroying its internal circuits and causing it to crash to the ground, beyond repair.

—Her ability to control lightning and electromagnetic fields made her extremely difficult to deal with.

"..."

Without further hesitation, Bronya immediately bent down, retrieved a dagger from the side of her mechanical exoskeleton, and then charged fiercely towards Raiden Mei.

Even without Project Bunny, she still had other combat capabilities, such as her close-quarters combat skills as a special forces operative.

She had been observing the opponent's movement patterns. Since a moment ago, the Third Herrscher had only been launching ranged attacks by summoning lightning or firing bolts of energy.

If she could drag the fight into close combat, perhaps she could still seize an opportunity.

True combat wasn't simply a contest of strength. Even if the opponent was far stronger than her, it wasn't impossible to overcome a greater force with superior tactics.

However, just as Bronya charged towards the black-haired girl, the latter condensed lightning in her palm, instantly forming a katana.

...Does she also excel at close-quarters combat with weapons?

Bronya had reviewed Raiden Mei's life records. Having lived her entire life in a major city in the Far East and being well protected, she shouldn't have been forced to learn various killing techniques from childhood like Bronya herself.

With no time to think further, Bronya's dagger clashed against the katana crackling with lightning.

In a single move, she was sent flying, crashing heavily against the wall of the high platform. As the wall cracked, the electric current that surged through her body at that instant severely paralyzed her.

Even so, Bronya readjusted her stance, enduring the pain and attempting to attack again.

"...Hmph."

The black-haired girl snorted and shifted her gaze to Bronya's legs.

This overestimating insect relies on these mechanical parts to maintain its mobility, doesn't it?

As she thought this, two currents struck Bronya's legs, destroying the functionality of her mechanical exoskeleton.

Thus, Bronya fell to the ground with a thud.

Without the exoskeleton to assist her movement, she could no longer even move normally.

"Bronya, hold on for a few more minutes! I've already arranged for tactical mechs to come to your support! They'll arrive there soon!"

Through the bio-chip implanted in her brain, Cocolia's voice reached Bronya's ears.

Titan mechs... the technological pinnacle Anti-Entropy prides itself on...