Chapter 151: Animated Short [Seele]Shockingly Released! Awakening of the Stygian Nymph!
"Aya, Pardo is curious too.... I remember Anti-Entropy is also fighting the Honkai, right? But why did their Sovereign attack Boss Kevin and try to seal him away at all costs?"
Pardo wore a confused expression at this moment. After all, she had a good impression of the people from Anti-Entropy—well, except for Cocolia. Aside from that woman, Einstein and Tesla were both good people. To fight the Honkai, they had defied all objections and brought seventy to eighty percent of Anti-Entropy's mechs to support the Hyperion.
Even though facing the powerful Herrscher of the Void nearly drove Anti-Entropy to bankruptcy... Einstein and Tesla chose to support Theresa despite the risk. That alone was enough to prove Anti-Entropy's determination.
Sharing the same doubts as many viewers in the livestream, Pardo continued to advance the plot.
In the game, Seele sensed a dangerous aura from Kevin. At the critical moment, Bronya finally arrived, piloting Project Bunny to tear through space and enter the space where Seele was! She stood between Kevin and Seele. After traversing countless world bubbles and recovering as much of Welt's power as possible, Bronya finally reunited with Seele!
Seeing Seele safe and sound, Bronya let out a sigh of relief. However, she could not let her guard down. She looked at Kevin nearby and communicated with Welt within the Core, confirming that he was indeed the "Snake." Though it was Welt's first time seeing him in this form, the aura was undoubtedly the "Snake" he had sensed in the Sea of Quanta!
["We meet again, Herrscher of Reason.... and his successor."]
Kevin's words shocked Welt. Kevin could sense his presence? Facing Bronya and Welt, Kevin spoke with a calm expression.
["I originally thought you were an apostle of the Honkai, but in that labyrinth, I saw through you. Your will is not a pretense. As a Herrscher, you truly fight for humanity."]
["That is why I helped that girl, hoping she would bring you to me."]
["Fighting the Honkai is our shared mission. I have no intention of becoming your enemy."]
Despite his lack of apparent hostility, Bronya could not easily trust the Kevin before her. Regardless, she could not let him leave this place. Facing the obstructing Bronya, Kevin's expression remained unchanged.
["Can you stop me?"]
["I have slept in this ocean for 1,500 years. For 1,500 years, the Honkai has raged while I could only sink into memories of the past, powerless."]
["But now, it is time for the Snake to return."]
["Whether you accept it or not, I shall fulfill the duties I was meant to complete!"]
Now possessing the power of the Gem of Desire, Kevin could leave the Sea of Quanta at any time. Bronya attempted to use the power of the Herrscher of Reason to oppose him. However, as she charged at Kevin with Project Bunny, leaping through the dark tide, a sudden anomaly occurred.
The Core of Reason suddenly went berserk and was instantly separated from Bronya's body! Her Herrscher outfit vanished in an instant, and losing her strength, she fell weakly to the ground, staring at Kevin in shock! Kevin caught the Core, gazing down at the fallen Bronya.
["Bronya Zaychik, you have traversed countless world bubbles and come here bearing a massive burden. Your body has long since failed to keep up with your will."]
Seeing the Core of Reason snatched away so easily and the "Ghost Rider" girl's power confiscated in an instant, the viewers in the stream began spamming question marks.
[What's the situation??]
[Ghost Rider girl meets a white-haired stoic man while racing in the Sea of Quanta; he's a monster, she loses even at full power!]
[The Duck takes an L? Defeat??]
[No way? The Core wasn't even warm in her hand before Kevin stripped it from her?]
[Holy crap, traffic police? Instant license revocation?]
[I thought Bronya got the power of Reason in the last chapter to become invincible.... turns out in this chapter, an invincible enemy descended from the heavens??]
[So the 'Highlight Moment' meant just one moment of light, followed by taking Ls?]
Millions of Bronya fans felt completely numb! They thought she was going to use her Herrscher power to save Seele and reach the peak of her life... but she didn't even touch Kevin before having her license revoked and her "bike" confiscated? Why do her like this? Is the newbie protection period for the Herrscher of Reason that short? Kevin didn't even seem to lift a finger, and she was already down!
At this moment, the real Bronya looked at the "license revocation" screen and felt like her toes were going to dig through the Earth's core. She finally understood Su Mu's subtle expression from this morning when he saw her off... He was waiting for this??
Where's my highlight moment? It really was just one moment, wasn't it? The legend begins? The legend begins? Does he mean the legend of taking Ls??
Most importantly... Bronya glanced at Kevin beside her and felt even more embarrassed! Having her license revoked in reality and now in the game too. That guy Su Mu did this on purpose, didn't he?!
"Ahem, ahem...." Kevin didn't know what expression to make. He felt that even having an instant noodle party with everyone from the Golden Courtyard in the meeting room wouldn't be this awkward. "Did you tell Su Mu about that incident?" he asked.
Bronya froze. "No, I only mentioned my license was revoked.... but this chapter's plot was finished months ago."
Kevin looked surprised. "Then how did he know so much detail? He even adapted it into the game.... Did he investigate you?"
Bronya sighed. "Where would that guy find the time... he's always been a workaholic." Honestly, she was too tired to be shocked anymore. Su Mu seemed to know everything; she felt like she had no privacy in front of him... This sort of thing was becoming common.
[Duck! My Duck!]
[The bike is gone, my heart is breaking!]
[This incident teaches us: irregular driving leads to tears for your loved ones!]
[Wait, stop the memes, guys! Though the Duck is pitiful.... it would be weirder if she actually beat Kevin.]
[True, as Kevin said, she's traversed countless world bubbles and her body is already 'boro-boro' (falling apart)!]
[Even Welt wasn't Kevin's match, right? He was easily crushed. Whether Bronya's current power even matches Welt's is debatable; she never stood a chance!]
[But what now? The Duck lost; will Kevin attack them!]
Under everyone's tense gaze, the Core of Reason in Kevin's hand suddenly erupted with light, and Welt's silhouette appeared.
["Do not lay a hand on her....!"]
[Welt lunged for the Gem of Desire but was blown back by an invisible force.]
[Despite seeing no attack animation, a sudden impact struck every corner of his body—just as it had when Bronya was defeated.]
["To protect that girl, did you use the power of Reason to reconstruct a physical form? Your power has grown. But with that broken body, what can you actually do?"]
[Kevin did not strike Welt further, only stood there, speaking calmly.]
["Whether it is you or those two girls, you all have potential. World Serpent needs people like you."]
[Welt clenched his fist in anger: "Don't be ridiculous! We will never agree with your methods!"]
[Kevin ignored his anger: "You don't need to answer now. One day, you will understand."]
The Gem of Desire floated in Kevin's hand as he reached the edge of the Sea of Quanta, looking back at Welt, Bronya, and Seele.
["I offer you my respect. In this era, there are still heroes with firm ideals fighting for humanity."]
["However, you are too naive. Naivety will be the death of your ideals."]
["—You know nothing of the Honkai."]
["I shall command and lead humanity to fulfill the true mission of the 'Pioneers'."]
["Let us meet again in reality."]
Kevin used the power of the Gem of Desire to leave the Sea of Quanta, vanishing from before them. With the "Snake" leaving, no one could stop his progress.
Watching Kevin's cool departure, the viewers couldn't help but feel that this man... was a bit too cool. His tone, his posture, and that consistently calm attitude... it was the aura of a truly powerful being! Only someone who had endured countless trials, witnessed many deaths and pains, and struggled through hell could forge such an aura! In other words: a man with "Invincible" written all over his face!
Even though he seemed like an enemy to the protagonists, unlike Otto, the viewers instinctively felt he wasn't a villain. Kevin didn't harm Bronya or the others in the end, and he even invited them to join World Serpent to fight the Honkai. Most importantly, without Kevin, Seele wouldn't have been able to return to Bronya. From that perspective, while Kevin used Seele, he still did her a favor.
Through the world bubble born of Kevin's memories, they had witnessed his past and understood the heavy history of this man. Furthermore, knowing he had been trapped in the Sea of Quanta for 1,500 years... how did he spend those 1,500 years? Because of this, the viewers couldn't bring themselves to hate him.
[Sigh, as expected, characters in Honkai 3rd can't be judged simply as good or evil.]
[True, Cocolia is another example.]
[But I don't get it, why is Welt so against cooperating with Kevin? What exactly did Kevin say to him back then?]
[I don't think Welt is the type to be hostile for no reason. He went to such lengths to seal Kevin, likely because Kevin would do something terrifying once back in reality.]
[Terrifying? But isn't he coming out to fight the Honkai? What could be so terrifying?]
[Have you considered how Kevin intends to fight the Honkai? Fighting it without sacrifice is impossible, as seen with the Valkyries....]
[Right. Even if Kevin is a hero, don't forget he was trapped for 1,500 years being tortured by past memories.... it's normal to become extreme in that situation!]
['No matter the cost, humanity will defeat the Honkai'—clearly, Welt knows the 'cost' Kevin mentions is more than humanity can bear!]
As the chat buzzed with discussion, the plot continued. After Kevin left, the entrance to the Sea of Quanta began to collapse. This forced Bronya and Seele to be separated from Welt. In a life-or-death moment, Schrödinger found them. Under Einstein's guidance, Bronya and Seele fled toward the Eye of the Deep. Quantum shadows blocked their path, and as they were inches away from the Eye—
The stage ended, returning to the selection screen. Pardo impatiently clicked the next stage, but this time there was no dialogue box or combat screen.
[To fast-paced, tense music, Bronya ran holding Seele's hand across giant floating stone steps.]
The fluid animation left the viewers stunned, and then they realized: what they were seeing was the brand-new animated short Su Mu had teased!
[Ahead of Bronya and Seele, the beam from the Eye of the Deep acted as a lighthouse guiding their escape.]
[If they reached it, they could leave the Sea and return to reality.]
[However, as they were about to reach the Eye, countless dark tentacles emerged from behind, grabbing Seele's leg and dragging her back!]
[Bronya lunged forward, using a dagger to pierce the tentacles on Seele.]
[She looked up to see a sky filled with purple-black tentacles that had no intention of letting the girls go, wanting to keep them in the abyss forever!]
[Bronya pulled Seele and continued running. The tentacles tried repeatedly to grab them, but Bronya hacked them away with her dagger.]
[Just as the two managed to jump into the light beam, the tentacles followed, tightly entangling both of them!]
[The number of tentacles increased, dragging their bodies back toward the abyss.]
[If this continued, neither would escape.]
[In the span of a few breaths, Bronya made a decision.]
[She used all her strength to fling Seele's body outward!]
[The tentacles binding them acted as a tether between the two. Seele looked at Bronya and understood in that instant what she intended to do!]
["Sister! Sister!"]
[She cried out in terror, only to see Bronya looking back with a face full of guilt.]
["Seele, I'm sorry."]
[Without a shred of hesitation, Bronya used her dagger to cut the tentacles—]
[The pull of the Eye of the Deep sucked Seele away. She watched with wide, hopeless eyes as Bronya was gradually submerged in the purple-black tide.]
[She struggled and waved her hands, desperate to save Bronya.]
[She tried to grab the cracks in the space wall, fighting against the suction of the Eye.]
["Do you want to die?"]
[Black Seele's voice rang in her ear.]
[She pried Seele's hands away, allowing her to be sucked into the Eye!]
[As the wall-like gate shut, a battered Seele fell onto the cold, hard floor.]
["Sister Bronya...."]
[Seele called out the name of her important person, tears falling uncontrollably!]
"??" The content of the short made Pardo's eyes widen. "No way, right? To protect Seele, Sister Bronya.... what now! The Sea of Quanta is closed. Is Sister Bronya really going to be trapped there?"
At the same time, Senti watched the moment of their forced separation and started laughing. "I knew it, I knew it, I knew it!!" She clutched her forehead and began a manic laugh. "I knew he'd pull this kind of plot! I saw right through him! No one knows that dog Su Mu better than me! Hahaha!!"
[Streamer has gone crazy....]
[Hold on, streamer!]
[Su Mu did this! A sunny and cheerful girl has been turned into a mental patient by the Old Thief!]
[The Old Thief drove her insane, didn't he?]
The viewers sighed at Senti's state. Sigh! He finally broke her! That said, the viewers felt their own mental states weren't doing too well either—
[I admit, we're all like this playing Honkai 3rd.]
[This really is 'Brain rot from Honkai'!]
[Long-term Honkai players mostly have blank stares, suffer from severe delusions, frequently doubt life, and eventually turn into idiots who laugh and cry at the same time....]
[Keep playing Honkai; it's guaranteed to leave you speechless!]
[Brothers, I just recommended Honkai 3rd to the girl I'm chasing the day before yesterday! I feel like my romance ended before it started!]
[How big is your grudge against that girl? Recommending Honkai 3rd??]
Amidst the incoherent ramblings of the "mentally stable" players, the animated short continued.
["Why.... WHY!!"]
[She was angry at her incompetence, hating her weakness!]
[Seele's five fingers scraped bloody marks into the floor as she clenched her fist.]
[Once, twice, again.]
[She pounded the floor repeatedly. Even though her fists were bloody from the impacts, she seemed not to feel the pain!]
["It's over.... you can't do anything!"]
[Black Seele stood behind her, watching her futile struggle while biting her lip!]
["The gate won't open! You can't save her!"]
[Yet Seele acted as if she couldn't hear her, still pounding the ground.]
["Sister Bronya! NO, NO!!"]
[Watching Seele cry and frantically hit the ground:]
["ENOUGH!"]
[Unable to bear it, Black Seele bound Seele's body with scarlet chains and grabbed her arm, unwilling to let her keep hurting herself!]
["....It's enough."]
[She could feel Seele's sadness and despair, but now... it was too late.]
["We promised... we'd go see the sea together...."]
Sigh.... Seeing Seele's hysteria, the viewers felt their hearts ache for the girl. They had finally reunited. They were supposed to leave the Sea together and head toward a beautiful future.... but now, it was all over. Too late.....
[Is it impossible? Is it really impossible?]
[The Sea of Quanta is shut tight. There's nothing that can be done....]
[Is Bronya really staying in the Sea? So the future story is about Seele saving Bronya?]
Amidst the lamentations, the camera in the animation shifted.
[Seele continued to sob, tears falling along her cheeks and onto the cracked floor.]
[The incredibly solid floor had developed cracks under Seele's hysterical pounding!]
[After her tears hit the cracks, a sprout emerged from the crevice and bloomed into a small white flower!]
[White flowers began to spread rapidly along the cracks. Seele clenched her fist tightly, and the Stigma on her chest erupted with a striking red light!]
["LET GO!"]
[Seele's body erupted with unprecedented power, shattering Black Seele's chains in an instant!]
[Another punch landed. The entire floor shook violently from Seele's strike. The original cracks expanded instantly, and countless beams of white light shot out!]
["YOU.... COWARD!!"]
[As Seele's final punch fell, the floor beneath her shattered into countless pieces! The once-closed entrance was forced open again by Seele!]
[Amidst the white light, she followed the crystal-like fragments and leapt back into the Sea of Quanta!]
[As the Stigma's power was activated, Seele's outfit underwent a stunning transformation!]
[A white dress like an elegant princess gown, with white flowers embroidered on the hem—as pure and brave as the girl's heart!]
[The light from the Stigma was like a lighthouse in the night. Falling into the abyss, Seele was instantly attacked by quantum shadows.]
[Despite her struggle, she was surrounded. Spears pinned Seele's body, leaving her unable to move!]
[Memories rushed in like a tide—every moment spent with Bronya appeared before Seele's eyes.]
[She used all her strength, crying out and pleading to her other self!]
["Please, Other Me! Go with me to save the one who has always.... always been protecting us.... OUR SISTER!"]
[In the abyss, Black Seele looked back at the immobilized Seele. Her face was full of shock and realization. In the next moment....]
[The corner of her mouth curled up.]
["....I really can't do anything with you."]
[As red light erupted, the quantum shadows surrounding Seele were blown away by a terrifying force!]
[Black Seele's silhouette appeared behind Seele, her hands crossed over Seele's chest.]
[Scarlet light merged into Seele's body. After Black Seele moved her hands, the power erupting from the Stigma spread like a spiderweb, instantly transforming into white chains that sealed the movements of the quantum shadows.]
[In what felt like frozen time.]
["Go, Seele. Together, let's save our sister."]
[Black Seele's whisper echoed through the space as she instantly transformed into a giant scarlet scythe, gripped tightly by Seele.]
[The Stigma's power traced butterfly-like wings behind Seele.]
[Seele opened her eyes; in those bright red pupils, there was not a hint of confusion.]
[As she swung the red scythe—]
[Red light split the abyss in half. With that one strike, all quantum shadows blocking Seele were wiped out with destructive force!]
[A second strike immediately followed, piercing through space and hitting the purple-black tentacles entangling the entire light beam!]
[The tentacles were dissolved by the power, vanishing into nothingness in an instant!]
[The screen faded to black.]
[In the darkness, Bronya heard the call of her important person.]
["Sister Bronya."]
[She looked up instinctively as a beam of light fell from above.]
["Seele, is that you?"]
[Bronya reached toward the light. In the darkness, her hand and Seele's hand gripped each other tightly.]
["Sister Bronya, this time, we will never be separated again...."]
As Seele's voice faded, the two girls who had endured so much were finally reunited....
At this moment, seeing the screen return to the selection menu, Pardo began wiping her tears with a handkerchief. "Wuu-wuu! That's too good! Sister Bronya and Seele can finally be together! Pardo should be happy, so why can't I stop crying?" Pardo kept grabbing tissues, mumbling her complaints. "It's all Brother Su Mu's fault, that big bad guy! Making Sister Bronya and Seele go through so much suffering!"
[True! Seele and Bronya reunited, so why am I crying?]
[Technically, neither died, so it should be a celebration!]
[The Old Thief says you're too green. Just because no one died doesn't mean I can't stab you? Young man, you're too naive!]
[These are tears of joy and emotion, okay! You guys have been stabbed so much your brains are fried!]
[That hateful Old Thief definitely did this on purpose!]
[I'm starting to think the Old Thief has a system that harvest our tears! He's too 'early-born' (beast)!]
[Watching players cry makes him stronger, right?]
With a few playful comments, the atmosphere in the stream lightened up, becoming somewhat cheerful. This animated short had both hype and emotion, and the ending was the happy reunion everyone wanted. Plus, Seele's two world-shattering strikes left a deep impression on the players! Undoubtedly, with the addition of this short, Seele's S-rank [Stygian Nymph]was going to cause a new storm!
Shortly after, Ai-chan, the first idol of Honkai 3rd, also released the short Seele on the video sites. In Pardo's stream, viewers discussed the Chapter 12 plot and the animation.
[I finally understand what 'Quantum Seven Slaying Strikes' means!]
[The girl next door has truly grown up—seven punches to shatter the Sea of Quanta!]
[Wait, isn't Seele's burst too insane? She literally hammered the gate open?]
[LMAO, I get why the Duck had her license revoked! If her license wasn't revoked, Seele wouldn't have had her desperate breakthrough?]
[Every gift of fate has a price, right? The price of being a Ghost Rider girl was paid to Seele in this chapter?]
[Wait, everyone is focusing on the Duck, but what about Old Yang?]
[Holy crap, is Old Yang still stuck in the Sea? Then the Duck really won't get her license back?]
[On this day, Bronya Zaychik lost her license and her bike forever.... let us forever remember Project Bunny 19C....]
[Hey, Old Yang isn't dead yet. Memorializing him already? You guys are too much!]
As it turned out, the memorializing was indeed premature. After the short ended, Pardo continued playing the end of Chapter 12.
When Bronya woke up, she found herself back in the real world. But after surviving Kevin and the Sea of Quanta, she was nearly "stabbed" to death by the spikes on Rozaliya's chest. Seeing the Arinyeva sisters appear made the viewers chuckle. These "Vodka Girls" were always the comedic relief, total mood-makers.
Bronya learned the situation from Einstein: Seele had rescued her from the Sea, and the Schicksal forces were successfully repelled. However, Kevin had also escaped using the power of the Gem of Desire. Einstein couldn't locate him, but he was likely in reality. Although Bronya blamed herself, Einstein comforted her, saying it wasn't her fault. The power gap was too vast; from the moment Kevin got the Gem, the outcome was set. Einstein, Welt, and Cocolia would all take responsibility. But Bronya shouldn't; rescuing Welt and Seele and returning safely was what mattered most.
From Einstein, Bronya also learned that Welt had survived.
[I can only say I don't know how strong Old Yang is, but his life is definitely hard to end!]
[True. His body was gone, yet he lived in the Core, and later reconstructed a body....]
[That man is ridiculously durable!]
The viewers were happy Welt survived. Through the world bubbles, they had learned of his past and understood what kind of man he was. Seeing him drag his broken body to stand against Kevin just to protect the girls had moved the audience deeply.
As for Cocolia... due to her many crimes, she was being detained. Bearing countless lives on her shoulders, she had to answer for her actions over the years, and she didn't resist. Before the Hyperion arrived, Einstein permitted Bronya and Cocolia one final meeting.
["Rozaliya and Liliya are kind-hearted and always want to bring smiles to everyone. But they are naive and don't understand much."]
["Seele can look after others and do everything well, but she is weak-willed and lacks her own opinion."]
["And you, you like to carry everything on your shoulders."]
["You always bear the burden alone, looking ahead, forgetting there are people moving forward with you."]
["They all like you and are working hard to catch up. You have the ability to unite everyone, so don't forget to look back at them more often."]
["The place where everyone is together is your 'home'."]
Cocolia had never said these things to Bronya before. Only today did Bronya realize how much this woman cared for them. When asked why she had never said this before, the woman Bronya once knew as strong and cold showed guilt on her face for the first time.
["I don't know, I really don't know."]
["In my decades of life, I've done many things and made many mistakes. It's impossible not to have regrets."]
["But there is one thing I have never regretted."]
["And that was bringing you back from the Siberian snowfields in the spring of 2012."]
["Bronya, you are my pride."]
Cocolia's words instantly made the viewers feel like a "Duck drill" had entered their eyes.
[Though I hate Cocolia and can't forgive her crimes.... her love for Bronya and the children is real.]
[So Bronya has completely reconciled with Cocolia now?]
[Now Bronya has truly finished her growth and transformation....]
Amidst the sentiment, Chapter 12 drew to a close. A few days later by the sea, Welt and Bronya met again. He acknowledged her qualification as the Herrscher of Reason. If Bronya was willing to accept the power, he would do his best to train her in the coming days so she could master it quickly. But for now, Bronya needed time to think.
Her companions arrived to interrupt them, and Welt said goodbye. Bronya, Seele, and the Arinyeva sisters chatted and laughed. Warm sunlight danced on the sea.
["Let's play! Let's play!"]
["But what should we play? Bronya, you decide!"]
["Mhm. Anyway, there are four of us today, let's play hide-and-seek."]
In the final CG, the four walked hand-in-hand, as if returning to their childhood. The sun would rise tomorrow, and this world of smoke and disaster was still not beautiful. Challenges still awaited Bronya; as Welt said, her path was only beginning. But at least on this day, at this moment, Bronya enjoyed a moment of beauty as a normal girl, not a warrior.
The future might be destined to be bumpy. But the girl would never stop; on the road ahead, she would walk forward hand-in-hand with her important companions—
END OF CHAPTER
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