"I still can't figure out how you subdued them," Bruce said, staring at the catgirls in front of him in complete bafflement.
Sure, they had been disarmed and stripped of their armor, but they were still Astartes. Their physical abilities and combat instincts were all intact.
And yet Doraemon had somehow captured them. More than one of them, at that.
What kind of nonsense was that?
Even more absurdly, one of them was named Corswain.
This was no ordinary warrior. He was one of the most powerful Astartes in the Dark Angels, a swordsman so extraordinary that he could nearly compare with a primarch.
And yet now…
Corswain noticed Bruce's gaze and immediately lifted her chin. Pride and dignity would not allow her to yield.
Even if she was going to die, so be it.
No matter what, she would defend the honor of the Dark Angels.
But in Bruce's eyes, what he saw was simply a soft, cat-eared girl named "Chocola" trying very hard to look fierce. Intimidating or not, with cat features like that, she just came off as cute.
Corswain had turned into Chocola.
Good grief…
This world was a total mess.
Which raised the obvious next question:
So who was Vanilla?
"Recruit, you'd better be thinking about how to execute this one," Curze snapped, punching him and breaking his train of thought.
"I just thought she looked like someone I knew," Bruce replied through gritted teeth.
He had only looked a little longer and let his thoughts wander for a moment. It was not as though he had been staring at Curze, so what was she getting worked up over?
"Oh? Really?" Curze said, half suspicious, half amused. But she did not order the escapees killed.
Honestly, she found the whole thing rather interesting. These people had not only broken out, but had also made it through the maze of traps she had laid down herself. That level of individual ability was impressive.
She really had to admit it—
No wonder they were the First Legion's elites.
"Corswain, can you speak for your battle-brothers?" Bruce asked, trying to open a dialogue.
"If you're going to kill us, then do it," Corswain declared. "Don't waste your breath. My brothers will avenge us."
"It seems there's been a misunderstanding," Bruce said patiently. "What we're doing may look blasphemous to you, but it's for the sake of saving the Imperium—and saving the Master of Mankind as well."
"These sacrifices are necessary."
The Dark Angels fell silent, glaring coldly at him.
To them, Bruce was just a fool spouting nonsense. If they had still had weapons, they would have cut him down already.
Bruce sighed.
"So there's no room for negotiation, then?"
Since they refused to listen, he switched to a different plan. After all, these were Lion's retainers. Turning them into catgirls was already offensive enough. Killing them on top of that would have been downright rude.
Bruce Wayne was not some monster. He was certainly not the sort of person who would delight in this kind of thing. If things could be settled peacefully, then he would do his best to settle them peacefully.
"Hah! You Eighth Legion trash—if you want to kill us, then kill us! Why all this pointless talk?" one of the catgirls hissed.
"Doraemon. Do it," Bruce said, making a hand signal.
Wearing a gas mask, Doraemon stepped forward with a strange canister. He sprayed its contents into the air, and within seconds, the catgirls—no matter how strong their willpower—collapsed into a sleep as deep and innocent as that of a baby.
Once he confirmed they were fully unconscious, Doraemon took out several lid-like devices and attached one to each of their heads, connecting them to the same apparatus Lion was lying in.
Next, they would go through the same process Lion was undergoing: experience the future for themselves. Once they accepted those "prophecies," they could be released.
Of course, their willpower was nowhere near Lion's level. At most, a few days should be enough.
Wiping the sweat from his brow, Doraemon let out a breath.
"There. If all goes according to plan, they should wake up alongside Lion and accept what's going to happen in the future."
"And if it fails?" Sevatar asked.
"Then we keep them locked up," Bruce answered.
"But the Dark Angels won't wait that long," Sevatar pointed out. "And you can't keep relying on the transformation drink forever, can you?"
The fact that Lion still had not returned was already making the Dark Angels suspicious. They were running out of time. If they did not produce an acceptable answer soon, events would spiral in an unpredictable direction.
If the worldline's self-correction was strong enough, war between the Dark Angels and the Night Lords might still happen after all.
That was the one outcome Bruce and the others absolutely did not want.
Bruce looked toward Doraemon.
"Well?"
Doraemon looked exhausted, but he still spread his hands and offered a suggestion.
"I can speed up the implantation process. But that comes with irreversible consequences. If all of you can accept that, then I can do it."
He had given them the method. Whether or not they dared to take the risk was up to them.
As far as Doraemon was concerned, Lion's life itself could be preserved.
"What kind of consequences?" Curze asked, clearly still worried about Lion.
No matter what had happened between them, they were still brothers. If the price was death, Curze would rather fight a war than let things go that far.
Doraemon answered seriously.
"It would mean a complete fusion of personality. From that point onward, there would be no more Lion—only Saber."
"Then do it. I agree," Curze said at once, casting the deciding vote like family.
Bruce was dumbfounded.
"Wait—"
He tried to stop his utterly deranged primarch and emphasized the obvious point:
"That would completely transform Lion. Are you serious, Father?"
"Isn't that a good thing?" Curze replied with perfect confidence. "I don't like the Lion as he is now. If he becomes a different Lion, isn't that better?"
"Besides, would you really prefer that he wake up, pretend to cooperate, and then turn around and bite us later?"
"I know my big brother far too well."
Bruce had no answer for that.
So he turned to Sevatar, his last hope.
Sevatar remained silent.
That silence alone made her position clear—she agreed with Curze.
"Then it's settled," Doraemon said. "If we move fast, it should be done in seven days."
"Old Wang, give me a hand!"
Since everyone had agreed, Doraemon immediately got to work.
At long last, the days of endlessly playing visual-novel scenarios were finally coming to an end.
Bruce let out a long sigh and returned to the central console to help.
This was not a good choice, but what other choice did he have?
If Lion changed, then so be it. As long as Lion would agree to accompany them to find Horus afterward, then the result would still be worth it.
"Oh, right," Bruce said, suddenly remembering something. "That Evolution-Devolution Ray Gun of yours seems to have been stolen."
Doraemon did not seem bothered.
"It's fine. That thing only had three uses left anyway. If it's gone, it's gone. I'll just give you a new one with a full charge next time."
"Got it," Bruce said.
He had already braced himself to get scolded, but since Doraemon did not care, he decided to let it drop.
Still, that damned Tzeentch really was disgusting.
How sticky did its fingers have to be to steal one of his friend's gadgets?
But…
How had it even managed to do that in the first place?
That really was strange.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 175)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 115)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 126)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter105)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter100)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter82)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter134)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 65
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 70
From Junkman to Wasteland 66
Weekly Refresh of Overpowered 31
I'm Grinding Proficiency Like 46
From Kiana, Lord Ravager, Onwa 87
Honkai: Is This Still the Prev 42
Elf: My Starter Pokémon Is Inc 65
Warhammer: My Primarch Is Remi 79
From Demon Slayer to Grand Ass 64
The Way the Umamusume Look at 68
Uma Musume, but My Cheat Power 73
Naruto: Weaving the Future, Be 45
Zenless Zone Zero, but Kamen R 49
Multiverse Crossover: The Perf 45
My Cyberpsycho Girlfriend 45
Uma Musume: The Dark Trainer 31
Uma Musume: A Calamity Born fr 27
I, a Reincarnation-Loop Player 26
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