Bronya Breaks the Unbeatable Legend

The battle was a strange sight to behold. It was clear that these two fighters were perfectly matched, neither one better than the other.

It was a stalemate, a perfect balance of power.

You might think that strong fighters are all different, but the truth is, they often share similar strengths. Weaker fighters, on the other hand, tend to have their own unique ways of fighting.

Rita was incredibly skilled and had mastered her techniques. But Bronya had something special – a Herrscher core, which gave her a huge advantage in terms of energy.

She could keep fighting for a long time without getting tired.

The fight itself wasn't very exciting. Both fighters were cautious, carefully watching each other's moves, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

It was like they were playing a game of chess, trying to outsmart each other.

In a way, Bronya and Rita were eerily similar. Both had experience in assassination and infiltration, and they both knew better than to reveal all their cards.

They locked eyes during the fight, their gazes burning with battle intent.

Rita took two swift steps forward, her right hand swinging the sickle in a lethal arc. The sharp blade sliced through a portion of the floating cannons Bronya had constructed.

She let out a delicate laugh, glancing at Bronya. There was no immediate pursuit.

"The warm-up is almost over, Miss Bronya," she said, her voice smooth. "Time to show your true strength, wouldn't you say?"

Bronya remained expressionless, but she felt a wave of pressure from Rita. The other woman's skill was superior, and there was an inexplicable power flowing through her. Bronya wasn't entirely confident.

But it was too late to back down.

She took a deep breath, her gaze fixed on her opponent.

She hadn't expected them to be on opposite sides so quickly... The sparring session they'd had before now seemed to be leading to a decisive outcome.

"To be honest, Bronya wasn't planning on using this... at least not here."

"But it seems like there's no time for hesitation anymore. Bronya can't stop here, so there's no need to hold back."

"This time, Bronya will use everything she has - to defeat you."

Bronya looked at her opponent, her eyes filled with determination. Rita maintained her smile, but her already high level of alertness shot through the roof.

Despite her words, Bronya continued to engage in a fierce battle. The sickle's blade and the creations of the Herrscher of Reason clashed, sparks flying as they dissipated within the Theater of Domination.

She only had one chance, and she had to seize it at the perfect moment.

"Star of Eden's!!"

A miniature black hole seemed to appear out of thin air. Bronya let out a low shout, a hollow, empty sphere forming in her palm. She was using the power of the Herrscher of Reason to mimic a Divine Key!

The charged sickle flashed through the air.

Crackle - Pop -

"A simulated Star of Eden... it's breaking, it's breaking."

Rita couldn't believe it. The black hole was shrinking before her eyes, the sphere in Bronya's palm cracking and fading into nothingness.

"Whew... that was close. It ends here, Miss Bronya. Sadly, your gambit failed."

Rita let out a sigh, a smile returning to her face. The tide had turned back in her favor.

In her mind, Bronya's greatest weapon was shattered. The victory was hers, and the rest was just a matter of mopping up.

"To construct a simulated Divine Key in just a few months... from any perspective, Miss Bronya, you are a genius."

"No. Bronya... I've been hesitant all along."

A flicker of struggle crossed Bronya's face, as if she was making a difficult decision.

Time had moved too quickly. She had always felt lost about this legacy, this power.

"While I did accept the Herrscher of Reason's core... I've always been lost about Anti-Entropy, about the world, about the legacy of the Herrscher of Reason."

"The name 'Welt' itself means 'World'," she continued.

"The leader and successor of Anti-Entropy, the guardian of humanity, Mr. Welt... the burden he carries is beyond anything Bronya could imagine."

"In the Herrscher core, I saw countless memories, each one enough to crush an ordinary person - yet Mr. Welt endured them all."

"The more I trained under Mr. Welt, the more I learned about his life, the more uncertain I became."

"Do I truly have the right to be that successor? The things Mr. Welt carries..."

"He carries the world on his shoulders, stumbling forward. No matter what obstacles lie ahead, he never lets go, never backs down."

"Bronya believes she doesn't have the resolve to carry the weight of the entire world. So, I only inherited the title of Herrscher of Reason, and abandoned any attempt to take on other responsibilities."

"...But, Bronya also understands that this is just an escape."

Bronya's eyes began to shine brighter.

But, at that moment, she no longer wanted to run away.

[How did Rita trigger her opponent's inner power-up? Isn't she supposed to be the villain?]

[Flashback attack! I declare the winner has already emerged!]

[The unbeatable legend of the Herrscher of Reason... is it about to be shattered?]

[Ah! My youth is returning!]

[Comment…]

-----

At some point, Rita had walked over to Bronya's side, standing silently beside her.

They watched the battle unfold, gaining a deeper understanding of their own abilities within it.

As for the Armor, Rita and Durandal exchanged a glance, their minds already working.

Durandal pondered - This could be a solution, after all. In the short term, Rita certainly has the qualifications, it's worth a try!

"It seems Rita underestimated things this time..."

Rita had already guessed the outcome, even though the voice acting made it more obvious.

But her opponent had truly put in the effort.

"In a game, it's the protagonist's advantage after all... and Miss Rita didn't really intend to stop me, did she?"

Bronya glanced at her, things becoming clearer from a third-party perspective.

Rita was clearly just going through the motions, simply standing guard. She hadn't even used many of her tricks.

"Heh, who wants to be a villain if it's not necessary?"

Rita didn't confirm nor deny, a chuckle serving as a way to brush past the topic.

-----

Bronya continued to display the will passed down from the three previous Herrschers of Reason.

"Without the Herrscher core, Mr. Welt's power is far less than it used to be. On top of that, his body is riddled with scars from countless life-or-death battles."

"Even so, he silently carries all the responsibility, allowing Bronya to grow easily, to freely choose the path she wants to take."

"That was a choice he didn't have when he became the Herrscher of Reason, a dream he couldn't fulfill, a future he always longed for..."

"Many people say he's always been like that, always putting the happiness of others first, rarely considering himself."

"Perhaps, as Dr. Tesla said... he is a 'complete and utter fool.'"

"...Protecting the world isn't a burden imposed on us by others, it's not a path predetermined by our environment... it's truly the desire for good that resides deep within each of our hearts."

"We don't fulfill our responsibilities because we have power, but because we want to protect the world we all share, and that's why we must use every bit of power we have!"

Her words grew stronger, her aura sharper, her eyes shining with light.

Bronya clenched her fist. She had never considered giving up, and the spirit passed down by the Herrscher of Reason had never known surrender!

"The first Herrscher of Reason, Walt Joyce. He was a born Herrscher, yet he chose to fight for humanity, to stop the fall of the stars, to protect a city."

"The second Herrscher of Reason, Joachim Yang. He inherited Walt's name, dedicating his entire life to saving humanity from crisis, time and time again."

"No one demanded they do this. They chose the world, they chose to be loyal to the name of Walt!"

Bronya took another deep breath, her gaze fixed on Rita, who was now on high alert.

The Honkai energy within her surged, the Divine Key reappearing in her palm.

Countless black holes appeared around Rita. If one wasn't enough, then more would be. She constructed more.

"This is the weapon used by two previous Herrschers of Reason,"

"This is the power to overturn the laws of physics,"

"This is the Star that rewrites the world!"

But this time, it still wouldn't work.

A simulation was just a simulation. Rita remained motionless.

She shook her head with a smile. The first failed attack, no matter how many times it was repeated, would be even harder to make effective.

"Heh... have you ever seen a star shatter?"

Bronya let out a cold laugh, taking advantage of her opponent's lapse in concentration. She once again formed a glowing sphere in her hand, but this time the light was different, brighter, more intense.

This wasn't a simulation, but the real Star of Eden.

"Star of Eden, Zeroth Rated Power - Quasi Black Hole - Release!"

Bronya.PNG

Empty becomes full, full becomes empty.

From the beginning, the real Eden's Star had been with her. Her previous actions were simply a distraction, a misdirection to hide her true trump card. This was the real attack.

And it worked...

The theater couldn't withstand the full power of a Divine Key. A blinding white light flashed, and the buildings began to crumble, returning to the embrace of reality.

This was Bronya's moment. She would turn the tide!

Finally, she had broken the invisible curse of the Herrscher core.

[Someone keeps sacrificing their lives... pfft...]

[No one is purely evil, not even Otto.]

[Whether it's plot armor or whatever, in the end, the one who remains undefeated is... Sister Rita!]

[On the bright side, maybe Rita's two burdens held her back? Duck doesn't have that problem...]

[Comment…]

-----

"This time... Rita underestimated things. Next time, perhaps we can have a real-world sparring session, how about that?"

Rita chuckled, seemingly unfazed by everything.

But her smile was far less natural than usual, stiff and strained.

"...Okay."

Bronya was a little suspicious, but she nodded in agreement. She knew she would likely lose, after all, she still lacked experience.

But she also remembered what her boss had said about the eight-year agreement. She would prove that she could reach the Captain's level even faster!

Meanwhile, on the other side,

"It's kinda touching, but something feels off... what is it?..."

Elysia pondered, her little head nodding.

Elysia had been wanting to say something, but couldn't find the right words.

"Could it be that Miss Rita lost again?"

Luo Mo offered a sly suggestion.

"While I'm curious about the outcome between Bronya and Miss Rita, Eden's Star... how did it end up in your hands?"

Elysia crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at the group.

"Uh..."

Eden did feel a bit strange, but after Elysia pointed it out, it felt even weirder.

"It's in Anti-Entropy's hands, not Bronya's."

Bronya shook her head. She was quite curious about that weapon, but unfortunately... she could barely manage a simulation in the game, let alone casually whip it out like it was nothing, without needing any energy.

That was just too difficult.

"Hmph, let's not talk about that for now. Let's just say your naming skills aren't great. Our name, Cosmic Harmony, is far superior..."

"But the Herrscher of Reason... they are truly admirable. All three Herrschers of Reason chose to fight for the people."

Elysia sighed with a touch of admiration.

She had a soft spot for Herrschers who fought for humanity. Of course, it would be even better if they were beautiful girls.

Like... someone like Mei, for example, she really liked her!

Unfortunately... her appearance was only for a brief moment. She was just there to show her face, she didn't even get to say hello to Mei.

Thinking about it, it was quite funny! Her opening line... honestly, she was really looking forward to it!

Thinking about it, Elysia puffed out her cheeks in annoyance. It was only a matter of time before she appeared again, but...

"Little Griseo, why did you draw me so beautifully? It's so cute! ?"

Elysia wrapped her arms around Griseo and rubbed against her, vigorously rubbing her soft cheeks, messing up her beautiful blue hair.

"You're so cute, little Griseo. It would be great to see what you look like when you grow up!"

She put down the innocent, unknowing little angel in her arms, sighing with regret, noticing the glances from some of the people present.

Everything was great in the Paradise, except that it maintained everyone's original size, without any sense of change.

People like Griseo, like Mobius, they felt like they were missing something!

"Sigh... please be normal, and your conversation jumps around too much..."

Luo Mo couldn't stand it anymore, sighing and complaining.

He glanced at Elysia, who showed no signs of correcting herself, still holding Griseo, displaying her true lesbian nature.

"Besides, what did you find odd? Don't just leave things half-said."

"Hmm... uh... I can't remember! ?"

"But she's so similar to Mei, they both like to say those edgy things. Is that a group trait?"

Elysia rolled her eyes at him, unfazed.

She just wanted to rub against Griseo again. It was so comfortable to hold her, even small.

"Huh? Don't say that! It's just for the game! And Mei is fine normally..."

Kiana started off strong, arguing with Elysia, but her voice got quieter and quieter, her gaze involuntarily drifting to the side.

Hiss...

Mei's gaze was so cold, so terrifying.

"Ahem, we don't normally talk like that. It's just something the Boss added to make us sound more powerful during battle!"

Kiana corrected her seriously.

…

Inside the Anti-Entropy base,

"It seems Bronya inside has fully inherited your ideals, Yang."

Tesla exclaimed with surprise.

"That's a good thing. Maybe she can do it here as well,"

This was the only good news she had gotten from watching the videos lately. Most of the rest were just watching her make a fool of herself, which was quite frustrating.

"Hmm... perhaps. She is a good choice."

Walt Yang nodded slightly, casting an approving glance.

Whether it was her understanding of responsibility or her mastery of her abilities, Bronya was exceptional. She had articulated things that even he couldn't summarize.

Although... that line about seeing a star shatter...

Taking advantage of the distraction, Yang couldn't help but scratch his palm. Honestly, it was a bit embarrassing to think about it now. After all, yelling out those edgy slogans in front of so many people...

But speaking of embarrassing, Yang was quite impressed by the little girl from the Raiden family.

One time, Raiden Ryouma came over, and a student who was out on a trip happened to be playing a game. Yae shouted "Wind, submit to me!" inside the game, which clearly made his expression darken and become quite awkward.

So... as long as he wasn't the most attention-grabbing one, that was fine. As for being good at sit-ups, well, there was nothing he could do about that.

At least it wasn't a derogatory term.