Chapter 120: Aha's Reward

Initially, Aha's actions were quite clumsy.

Bronie, who didn't want to be pestered for updates, also took action without any scruples.

The Aeon of Elation?

He definitely didn't care about the outcome; what he cared about was the joy he encountered while playing the game.

At first, Aha's gameplay with Happy appeared so dull, but he quickly developed a combat style and began to counterattack Bronie's pressure. Happy, the character Aha played, relied on three resources: energy, bullets, and ordinary Qi.

When aiming with a gun, energy was consumed for targeting, bullets were used from the pistol's magazine, and reloading required inputting commands. Moreover, during aiming, there was no defense, which meant players using Happy had to constantly monitor their resources and the timing of their shots.

Happy was a challenging character to master, but once learned, he became quite tricky to deal with. Aha was well aware of this, constantly adjusting his fighting style.

With each victory, Bronie could feel Aha growing stronger. After Bronie won ten rounds, the difficulty of winning gradually increased.

In the fifteenth round, Aha began to counterattack, even winning a game or two!

"You're really good! Does an Aeon's physique mean he learns everything very quickly?"

"Quickly? Not really. Watch this move!"

Suddenly, Aha aimed it's gun, closing the distance with Bronie's character and maintaining suppression while mixing in many feints.

From diving low to standing mid, this series of moves was something only Bronie had seen skilled players execute in previous matches.

After this onslaught, Bronie's character was quickly defeated, leaving only the screen showing Happy's victory.

"Wow, cool! This is how it was originally designed. But long-range cursing followed by using pistols to control is also a viable strategy. I didn't expect you to not explore that approach but instead come up with an even more aggressive playstyle."

Bronie generously praised, while the Aeon of Elation who resembled Happy beamed with joy.

"Ahaha! Is Aha amazing or what?"

"Amazing!"

However, there was still some distance to go before defeating herself.

After Bronie won twenty rounds, Aha gradually began to win.

After winning twenty-five rounds, Aha started winning even more.

With precise commands, the ability to seize fleeting opportunities, solid defense, and a very experienced mindset, Aha seemed like a veteran fighter who had been playing for decades. Initially unfamiliar with Guilty Gear, after becoming accustomed to the controls, Aha's strength gradually emerged.

To be honest, Bronie couldn't be sure if Aha had any previous experience with fighting games.

Where there was fun, Aha would be present, and games were definitely something he wouldn't miss out on. And games, weren't they present in other worlds too?

So Aha's foundation in fighting games was undoubtedly unquestionable.

However, Aha's clumsy actions at the beginning had somewhat deceived Bronie.

"You're really amazing. It's only interesting when there's a suitable opponent!"

Bronie became serious!

The Setsuna Signet provided extraordinary reflexes, Bodhi Signet provided almost prophetic observational abilities, and Ego Signet provided the unleashing of human potential.

The power of the Thirteen Flamechasers converged here, and this was the first time Bronie had been so serious!

"Haha! Interesting! Let's do it!"

Aha had won fifteen games already. Catching up to Bronie's twenty-five wins wasn't difficult, but this time, Bronie changed her usual fighting style and used a more aggressive approach.

"Weird, you've gotten stronger too~ Aha, that's it, let me see your limits!"

Bronie effortlessly won, and Aha also realized that its every move seemed to be anticipated. If he made one wrong move, it would definitely be exploited by the opponent!

The pressure once again fell on Aha. In these final few rounds of battle, Bronya watching them seeing almost flawless performances and nearly fatal situations couldn't help but feel that she was actually very distant from her sister.

Could it be that Bronie could really defeat an Aeon!?

"Yay! I won!"

The gap in the previous scores was difficult to recover, even though every subsequent moment of instantaneous defense brought favorable situations. It was like a candle in the wind, which was unable to change the outcome.

Bronie emerged victorious!

"Alright! What kind of reward do you want?"

A bet was a bet, but as a reward for surpassing themselves, Aha wouldn't hesitate to give generously.

"I haven't had this much fun in a long time. Honestly, it would be great if I could play games with you more often in the future. When I'm serious, my reaction skills are exceptional, and hardly anyone can defeat me. So, I've been missing out on the joy of playing games."

Bronie wasn't sure what reward to ask for, but during this game, she gradually realized that without challenges, her interest in playing games would fade.

Even her passion for making games might disappear.

The essence of playing games lies in enjoyment. Without finding joy, enthusiasm will surely dissipate and Bronie doesn't want to see that happen.

The initial intention of making fighting games was to find someone to play with and have fun together. Later, while playing with Bronya, she realized that Bronya's battles were like a child playing pretend fights.

"Haha! You're the first person to invite Aha to play. Normally, mortals don't want to play with Aha. Aha has to entertain himself. You're the first mortal to invite Aha! Aha rewards you! You must play with Aha more often!"

Indeed, no matter what, Aha was a transcendent being. The power it wielded was beyond mortal comprehension and contact.

Moreover, no one would suggest inviting Aha to play.

While the Aeon Akvilli interacted with followers in a friendly manner, Aha represented chaos.

Back when Aha's expression changed after witnessing the explosion of the Astral Express, no one knew how long they had lurked aboard the train. This made everyone afraid of catching Aha's attention and becoming its amusement.

For some, Amusement was just a small joke, but for certain people, it was deadly.

Having fun was fine, even offering fun to the gods was acceptable, but excessive contact was risky. What if one day an Aeon became disheartened and wanted to see how their followers' faith collapsed?

But Bronie was willing to take that risk.

"That's good. Playing games will be more challenging from now on!"

Bronie watched as Aha chugged down the cola brought by Bronya and then slowly stood up.

The Aeon of Elation wearing its Happy persona took out a revolver from its waist and placed it on the table.

"Here's your gift, an ancient magical device, six rounds of automatic tracking, quick casting, a great tool for taking advantage of opportunities. You'll love it."

"Mm-hmm, I'll use it for some Wild West duels."

"HAha! Aha will be watching live then. Farewell for now, Aha is off to find other amusements in the universe. If there are new games, remember to invite me!"

With that, Aha disappeared before Bronya's eyes, leaving Bronya trembling as she watched and not daring to breathe.

The revolver on the table was evidence of the Aeon of Elation's visit. As the residue of cola slid down the inner wall of the empty cup, Bronya finally dared to speak.

"So, all this time, when Bronya and Bronie played fighting games, was Sister Bronie holding back?"

Watching the battle between the god and Bronie where they effortlessly executed instant blocks or a special defensive technique requiring defense within the first two frames of the opponent's attack, Bronya realized she had a long way to go.

Strong instant defenses often came with risks, but for Aha and Bronie, those risks were nonexistent.

"So, Bronya, you still have a long way to go. When the time comes, giant robots will be at your disposal!"

Bronie gently tapped Bronya's forehead, and Bronya, covering her head with both hands, looked at her Bronya sister speechlessly.

"We still have plenty of time, don't worry. The next Honkai Eruption might not happen until years later, so we still have at least four years."

Four years is enough time to make many games. Bronya's life is short, and this seemingly short four-year period occupies almost a third of her life.

So, when Bronie said four years, it was indeed a very, very long time for Bronya.

"This revolver..."

"I won't keep it at home. Perhaps Aeons can indeed be contacted, even walk on the Path of the Aeons, but just as no two leaves are alike, walking on the Aeon's Path ultimately means forging one's own path. The earlier one comes into contact with the path of the Aeons, the easier it is to get lost in it."

Bronya hoped Bronya would find her own path.

Future Bronya might achieve this, but Bronie wasn't sure if the Bronya changed by her actions could still find her own path. But they had to try.

Being able to borrow future technology in the present, like the Herrscher of Truth, was perhaps also somewhat remeniciscent to the Aeons.

Honestly, Bronie wouldn't be surprised if Bronya, Kiana, and Seele suddenly became Aeons.

"Alright, I'll write the observation report next. There are still many mysteries surrounding the gods, but fundamentally, they were once mortals, just walking a farther distance than us."

Paths is actually linked to a certain philosophical concept, so in order to study the so-called Aeon, Bronie is also helpless and has to search through various philosophical books.

The Aeon of Elation is even more of a transcendent state. According to Nietzsche's theory of the three metamorphoses of the spirit, the pursuit of joy by the Aeon of Elation is actually just a superficial and shallow manifestation.

Its core should be the pursuit of meaning, the creation of value, and the proof of its own existence.

To be honest, although knowing these theories, Bronie still finds it difficult to reach this level.

Bronya left her office, leaving Bronie alone to quietly watch the scenery outside the window.

Just by looking up, you could see the starry sky.

And the grand new games woven by the starry sky, the vast world, are waiting for her to challenge.

But before entering the starry sky, let's study how to solve the Honkai and how to resurrect the dead!

Letting Otto just die like that while charging at the tree is too cheap for him.

It's best to find Yae Sakura. After resurrecting Kallen, let Otto sit in prison and see Kallen bring Yae Sakura to visit him whenever she's free.

Using various technologies invented by the great inventor, watching the inventor's wish come true but unable to die in peace.

That's what it means to be cruel~

...

"Achoo~"

Otto who was far away on the Sky Island of Schicksal suddenly sneezed.

"My Lord Bishop... Can a Soulium body get sick? Is it because of playing games?"

"It's not! Actually, this thing is quite mystical. Maybe it's caused by system signal interference? And there's no rule saying Soulium bodies can't get sick. Don't jump to conclusions."

Now, whenever something unusual happened, Amber would blame it on him playing games.

It's frustrating, but Otto admitted he had been playing games too much lately.

And what's most annoying was the video Haxxor Bunny uploaded on the internet recently.

At first glance, it appeared like nothing much.

Maybe a teaser for a new character?

Or a demonstration of the new character in action?

But upon closer inspection, the opposing player's ID was Aha, and the battles in the last few rounds were simply beyond what a normal human could achieve!

Numerous fighting game veterans admitted that they couldn't achieve such precise exploitation of vulnerabilities or ensure that every defense was input within the first two frames of the opponent's attack.

So, Otto stayed up all night watching a few episodes of the Guilty Gear's story mode. Initially, Otto wasn't very interested in fighting games, but he didn't expect an Aeon to get involved.

Watching the Guilty Gear storyline, the world behind the scenes, the Original, and the Universal Will guiding humans to pursue happiness, it seemed like Bronya was revealing something again?

Unable to figure anything out, Otto was scolded by Amber again, leaving him feeling quite annoyed.

"Alright, Lord Bishop, for the upcoming Sea of Quanta's exploration experiment, you need more rest."

"Yes, yes, the Sea of Quanta experiment... I hope Bianka can bring me some surprises. I've been disappointed for too long..."