Chapter 56: Rematch with Bronya
After logging off to take a quick shower and change into fresh clothes, Rovel sent a reply to Yuki's message before immersing himself once more in the world of Honkai.
He materialized back in the CEO's office of ME Corp—the gilded cage Bronya had personally designed for him.
The girl herself was nowhere to be seen, but a brand-new game console sat prominently in the center of the room. It was a thoughtful, if unsubtle, gesture, seemingly left there to ensure he wouldn't be bored upon his return.
Bronya... she's so considerate, I'm moved to tears.
It was the dead of night, and the sprawling headquarters of ME Corp was wrapped in an unnerving silence. The stillness of the corporate monolith was, frankly, a bit creepy.
Rovel pushed himself to his feet, his footsteps the only sound in the vast office as he walked to the door.
Two weeks ago, during one of Bronya's brief absences, he had tried to smash this very door. It had been a futile effort. The reinforced alloy hadn't so much as dented. Even his Hokushin Ittō-ryū: Battōjutsu had only managed to leave a few shallow scratches on its surface.
But this time was different.
He took a deep, centering breath. Internal force, refined and potent, circulated through his body like a current, finally converging in the palm of his hand. It felt like holding lightning.
"Inch Force: Mountain Collapse!"
Rovel's punch shot forward. The terrifying power coiled within his fist poured out in a single, explosive instant, slamming squarely into the specially fabricated door.
The door didn't last a second. With a deafening shriek of tortured metal, it buckled, warped, and ripped clean from its hinges, sent flying backward through the corridor. As it tumbled through the air, its corner accidentally grazed the cheek of someone standing just outside, leaving a tiny, bloodless scratch.
Rovel froze. "..."
Bronya stared back. "..."
The two of them locked eyes, both utterly stunned.
Rovel could never have predicted that Bronya would be standing right outside the door at that exact moment. Being caught red-handed by the warden during a prison break was an entirely new level of awkward.
Bronya, for her part, had simply come to play some games with Rovel. She'd also been hoping to fleece him out of the two remaining limited-edition Homu figures he possessed.
But what did she find after two weeks away?
Rovel had just punched a door that even missiles couldn't penetrate and sent it flying down the hall. Even she would have needed a considerable amount of time and firepower from Project Bunny to force that door open.
Weren't all Descenders supposed to be locked out of the game during this period? How had he suddenly obtained such terrifying power?
"Uh... Good evening, Bronya," Rovel managed, his mind scrambling for something, anything, to say. "You're not asleep yet?"
Bronya didn't utter a word. She simply raised her arm in a silent, mechanical motion, and the hulking form of Project Bunny 19C behind her mirrored the action.
A missile shot forth, streaking directly toward Rovel.
"Dissipating Force: Flying Willow!" Rovel's hand blurred, striking out with a blade of compressed air that sliced the missile clean in half! The two halves exploded harmlessly against the walls.
A quick glance showed that the level indicator above Bronya's head had already reached 48. It seemed she hadn't been idle these past two weeks either.
Seeing her attack so easily neutralized, a small frown creased Bronya's brow. The massive Honkai Energy Beam Cannon began to charge in Project Bunny's hands, its core glowing with dangerous light.
"Bronya, this cage is broken," Rovel advised, his tone calm. "You can't stop me. Even if you kill me, I'll just respawn in a safe location."
He truly didn't want to fight her. Although she was the one who had locked him up, she had never actually harmed him... well, she had caused some harm, but that had all been healed, hadn't it?
Bronya remained silent. The beam cannon in her hands pulsed, now emitting a brilliant orange glare that painted the corridor in apocalyptic hues.
Without a shred of hesitation, she fired.
"Dissipating Force: Ink Chrysanthemum!"
Rovel's figure instantly vanished. In his place, several golden afterimages formed by pure energy scattered in all directions, a visual feint that made it impossible for Bronya to track his true position.
Suddenly, she sensed a presence flicker into existence behind her.
Without the slightest hesitation, she spun, raising the beam cannon to fire at point-blank range. The concussive blast of air from the weapon's discharge sent her silver twin-tails fluttering wildly.
"Checkmate, Bronya."
Rovel's voice echoed from directly above her.
"Inch Force: Heaven Opening!"
His fist descended, slamming into the shimmering protective shield that enveloped Bronya.
She looked up at him, her expression cold and impassive. Just as she was about to command Project Bunny to re-aim, her violet eyes widened involuntarily.
Cracks, like fissures in glass, began to spiderweb across her energy shield, originating from the point of impact where Rovel's fist was pressed.
This was a shield that a Chariot-class Honkai Beast couldn't break. What kind of power-up had Rovel gotten his hands on to become this strong overnight?
Oh no, it's too late...
Bronya tried to maneuver Project Bunny to intercept the blow, but having just fired behind her, the weapon couldn't be brought around in time to block the fist descending right in front of her face.
The protective field shattered into a million motes of light. Rovel's fist continued its downward trajectory, drawing ever closer...
Bronya could feel the heat radiating from his knuckles.
"Ouch!" She squeezed her eyes shut, clutching her head as she squatted down on the floor.
A tiny, almost insulting '-1' popped into existence above her head before fading away.
At the very last moment, Rovel had pulled his punch, turning the devastating blow into a simple flick on the forehead.
"Let's call it even," Rovel said, a light chuckle in his voice. "You shot me with a toy gun before, so I'm paying you back with a forehead flick."
"...How did you do that?" Bronya asked, looking up at him while rubbing her now-reddened forehead. "Or have you been hiding your strength all this time?"
Tears were faintly welling in the corners of her eyes, a rare crack in her stoic facade that made her look surprisingly pitiful. Although the flick had only dealt a single point of damage, it really, really hurt!
"Hiding my strength? Not really," Rovel said, waving a hand dismissively. "Just consider it a fortuitous encounter of incredible proportions."
He offered her a hand, which she ignored, pushing herself up. "This is also my way of proving something to you, Bronya. I already have the ability to protect myself. You don't need to worry about my safety anymore."
"The Bronya was never worried about your safety," she immediately denied, her tone flat and factual. "The Bronya was only afraid that the Haxxor Bunny Heavenly King and Houtarou in your possession would be harmed."
As expected of someone with an IQ of 180; she didn't need even a second to formulate a perfectly logical, if transparent, excuse.
"Then we'll go with that," Rovel said, the corner of his mouth twitching into a faint smile. "I'm leaving now. I'll be sure to take good care of the Haxxor Bunny Heavenly King and Houtarou, so don't worry."
If it weren't for the fact that the trust indicator above her head had already reached 45, he might have actually believed her. It wasn't a high number, but it was firmly within the range of friendship.
Watching Rovel's back as he walked away down the corridor, Bronya clenched her small fist. Project Bunny materialized a holographic screen in front of her.
Her slender fingers tapped lightly across the interface several times, sending a report to Cocolia: Rovel had escaped.
"He managed to escape from there?" Cocolia's voice came through the speaker, tinged with surprise. "Forget it. Proceed according to the original plan. Fortunately, the Herrscher core inside Raiden Mei has already been activated. She only needs a final catalyst to awaken as the Herrscher of Thunder."
"When the time comes, Bronya will just need to retrieve the Herrscher of Thunder. I will dispatch Anti-Entropy mechs to support you," Cocolia instructed.
"..." Faced with her adoptive mother's order, Bronya hesitated.
She found herself wondering if helping Cocolia was truly the right thing to do.
Even if it was all for the sake of saving Seele...
Triggering a Honkai Eruption and birthing the Third Herrscher would engulf the entirety of Changkong City. Millions would be affected.
She had promised Seele. She had promised she wouldn't hurt anyone...
And the people of Changkong City were all innocent.
"Bronya, what's wrong?" Cocolia's voice sharpened with concern.
"...Understood, Mother Cocolia."
With that, Bronya ended the communication.
She reached out, her small hand stroking the cold, smooth metal shell of Project Bunny.
A soft murmur, like a whisper meant only for herself, escaped her lips.
"Seele... is the Bronya really doing the right thing? Will you... hate a Bronya like this?"
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