Chapter 139: Requiem for a Guilty Duck

Boom!

Engaged in a struggle with Bunny, Raven didn't notice at all. She was struck by the floating cannon summoned by Bronya, and her entire body crashed into the cement wall, emitting a dull cry of pain, falling to the ground with her mouth open and eyes closed, looking completely defeated by the two riders.

"Huh!" Raven cursed inwardly, how was she supposed to fight a Herrscher alone? Chase really knew how to find her trouble, wasn't this just pure getting beaten up?

"What did your World Serpent do to my brother, Chase, and why is he with you?" Bronya stopped her attack, floating in the air, and asked Raven on the ground.

"Huh?" Raven's wine-red eyes flashed with a hint of confusion.

What do you mean, why is Chase with us? He was already a cadre of the World Serpent, right?

"You act like you know him better than we do..." Raven scoffed, looking at Bronya with a mocking expression.

Although she didn't know how Chase did it, the Herrscher girl in front of her seemed to still be immersed in the game of house between siblings.

Hehe, clearly a Herrscher, but apparently hasn't fully understood the cruelty of the Nagazora...

Raven's face wore a contemptuous smile, wanting to taunt the other party with a few words, but then she saw nothing but blackness. Instead of seeing the Herrscher girl's face, she was faced with a black hole of a cannon barrel.

"..." Raven shut her mouth from her heart.

Okay, maybe I admit I was a bit loud. But why hasn't my colleague come yet?!

Unconsciously, Raven looked around, just in time to meet the gaze of Chase, who was hiding in the corner.

Raven: "???"

Chase: "..."

No way, how did she notice?

---

He had just arrived not long ago and happened to see Raven being defeated. He thought of watching a little longer and coming to the rescue at a crucial moment, but he didn't expect to be caught just after watching for a while. He was afraid that Raven would criticize him later.

Sighing, Chase walked out.

"Bronya." A familiar voice sounded from behind Bronya. The girl was startled, turned her head, and looked at the black-haired boy behind her.

"Chase nii-chan." Bronya looked at Chase, with Heavy Bunny standing guard beside her.

"It's me."

"Why did you join the World Serpent?" Ignoring Raven directly, Bronya asked Chase the question that had been bothering her.

"It seems like you still have some things to sort out," seeing his teammate coming, Raven got up from the ground, turned around, and left without a trace of nostalgia. She dusted off the dirt on her butt, and added, "Don't forget to pay me."

"She left quite decisively..." Chase shook his head helplessly.

But Raven was reliable, she was really on time when it mattered.

But it didn't seem like the time to think about these things now. Chase's gaze moved away from Raven's back and looked at the girl in front of him who had become a Herrscher, speaking calmly:

"Bronya, it's nice to meet you in the Quantum Sea, and I'm glad to have created so many memories with you, but I really can't stay with you like I used to."

"Did the World Serpent force you?" Bronya asked.

Even though some time had passed, the scene of Chase dragging Kevin into the Infinite Corridor had not only not faded, but had become clearer, vividly remembered each time. It seemed as clear as a photograph.

"No, Bronya, I'm very clear. Joining the World Serpent was my own decision."

"And Seele and Mr. Welt, they're both very worried about you." The girl tried to appeal to his emotions.

"..." Chase remained silent, choosing to close his heart with cement.

"Chase, you should know everything the World Serpent has done, and the insane Stigma Plan." The girl tried to reason with him.

"I have my own considerations, Bronya." Chase chose to quote a famous saying, "Bronya, you know nothing about the Honkai."

Bronya's gray pupils flickered, somewhat unbelieving. Her mouth opened slightly, wanting to say something, but couldn't speak. Instead, she tightly pursed her lips, her expression of helplessness seeming to have a hint of grievance.

She felt like there was already a thick barrier of pity between her and Chase.

Clutching her fists tightly, and then loosening them, as if making a certain determination, Bronya looked at Chase again.

"Chase."

"I'm here," Chase responded naturally.

"As Chase's sister, Bronya respects your decision," Bronya's gray, inorganic pupils showed a serious expression, "but Bronya does not approve."

Chase raised an eyebrow slightly, waiting for the girl's next words.

"So, Bronya will take you back." After saying this, the light representing the Authority of the Herrscher flashed in Bronya's eyes, and Heavy Bunny instantly transformed into battle mode, while countless floating cannons behind the girl also showed that they were fully charged.

"???" Chase fell silent. What was this inexplicable sense of déjà vu?

So, the protagonist of Requiem for a Guilty Duck is not Raiden Mei but himself?!

Oops, he's really becoming a character in a detective novel with these deductive skills.

........

I'm Seele, and I'm panicking right now.

The girl with black-blue short hair was swiftly navigating through the tall buildings of Nagazora City. Her expression was serious, with a hint of anxiety.

Not long ago, Seele had been pondering the meaning of life on the rooftop, waiting for her sister Bronya to notice her missing self sooner, but instead of waiting for her sister, she sensed the aura of the Herrscher from a distance.

That aura was that Bronya was fighting with all her might.

Without any hesitation, Seele immediately set off towards the direction she sensed.

"Bronya nee-chan, wait for Seele, Seele will be there soon!"

Thinking this in her heart, Seele finally arrived at the scene of the battle.

However, the battle had already ended by the time Seele arrived. Seele came to the rooftop of a tall building, just in time to witness a scene that shocked her greatly.

Under the gloomy sky, a black-haired boy was pinching the neck of a gray-haired girl.

Seele's pupils contracted sharply. Before she could react, her body moved naturally. Holding her blood-red sickle, Seele swung it towards the boy who was pinching Bronya's neck.

Clang.

It wasn't the sound of the sickle hitting a person, but more like hitting a metal plate. It was a virtual barrier condensed by Void Authority.

Chase didn't pay attention to Seele on the side. His gaze was focused entirely on Bronya, who was being grabbed like a chicken.

He was afraid of hurting Bronya too much with too much force, but also afraid of letting himself fail.

"Chase nii-chan... Tell Bronya, why?" Bronya's voice was weak, as if she was about to faint at any moment.

Controlling his strength, Chase threw Bronya on the ground and refused coldly, "Bronya, you're too weak now."

"Your use of Authority is superficial, not even comparable to the half-injured Mr. Welt."

"I look forward to seeing you change next time we meet, my foolish little sister."

After saying this, Chase turned to look at Seele beside him.

"Seele, please take care of Bronya for me."

"Eh, Chase brother?!" Seele, who had previously been focused on Bronya, only just noticed the boy's identity and couldn't help but exclaim.

The person fighting with Bronya sister was Chase nii-chan?

What's going on here?! Domestic violence?

"Chase nii-chan-chan, what's happening?" Seele, holding the sickle, was a little at a loss. She was a little nervous as she asked.

"Seele, take care of Bronya," Chase didn't answer Seele's question, smiling warmly as he used to.

Then, under Seele's astonished and puzzled gaze, Chase's figure disappeared from the spot.

"Chase nii-chan, don't go..." Bronya, lying on the ground, tried to grab Chase's feet, but in the end, she grabbed nothing. Unwillingly clenched her hands, cursing her own incompetence.

Even if she became a Herrscher, she still couldn't keep important people...

I... can't do anything!

"Bronya nee-chan, are you okay? What just happened? Why were you with Chase nii-chan..." Seele hurriedly ran to Bronya's side, reaching out to pull the girl up, but then hesitated about her injuries, retracting her outstretched hands, and clenching her clothes corner helplessly.

Bronya didn't answer, silently lying on the ground, looking at the somewhat gloomy sky, her gray inorganic pupils revealing a hint of sadness.

Seele anxiously watched the girl lying on the ground, seeming to have no major problems, which made her breathe a sigh of relief, but Bronya's desolate and depressed appearance made Seele a little worried.

Although worried, Seele couldn't find a way to comfort Bronya for a while, so she could only quietly stand by Bronya's side, waiting for the girl to calm down on her own.

"Si... Seele..." After a while, Bronya seemed to recover, slowly sitting up from the cold cement ground, looking at the short-haired girl beside her, her eyes still a little confused.

"Seele is here."

"Seele, tell me, why did Chase nii-chan join the World Serpent?" Bronya asked.

"Seele doesn't know, but..." After thinking for a moment, Seele gave her own answer, "Chase brother must have his own reasons for doing so, right?"

"..." Bronya fell silent.

He's probably seriously ill. She silently criticized herself in her heart, not saying it mainly because she was afraid of corrupting the child.

Even though he knew about the World Serpent's plans and the madness of the World Serpent, why did he still insist on going? After spending such a long time with Chase in the Quantum Sea, Bronya thought she understood him very well.

She couldn't understand why he would make such a choice.

But... she couldn't beat him.

Bronya clenched her fists silently, her eyes gradually becoming firm: "Seele, let's go back to Anti-Entropy."

"Huh?"

"Go find Mr. Welt. I want to become stronger."

Since Chase didn't want to come back, then she would use force to bring him back on track!