As for the stigmata space on Bronya's side, the battle can be described as very difficult.
On one hand, Kallen's own power is limited. It's a miracle that she has been deadlocked with Hellmaru for nearly five hundred years. However, behind this miracle, there is an insurmountable gap that prevents her from completely defeating Hellmaru.
On the other hand, there's the issue of Otto and Bronya.
Although Otto possesses the Key of Revelation as an omnipotent weapon and can respond to various crises at any time, he has almost no combat experience. Meanwhile, Bronya doesn't have many weapons at her disposal.
In such a difficult environment, the first target they need to deal with is Yae Sakura in human form, followed by Hellmaru, who has transformed into a giant fox, as well as countless Honkai beasts and zombies.
If Otto weren't here, Bronya probably would have thought that the final outcome would be the same as in the previous reincarnation, with Kallen's sacrifice providing a chance to start over.
But if it really came to that, Bronya wouldn't let it happen again!
However, the current situation is not bad, to be honest. Perhaps there's a chance to drive the devil out of Yae Sakura's body.
Otto holds a very dangerous power in his hands, one that can mimic various God Keys. This means it might be able to mimic the Key of Sentience.
Sister Bronie had warned her that the Key of Sentience is as outrageous as the hypnosis app in the adult manga.
As for why it's described as an adult manga?
Bronie immediately clarified that the characters in the manga are all minors, so it's not an adult manga. This odd line of reasoning almost left Bronya speechless.
She didn't expect Sister Bronie to have such a sultry side.
Maybe this is Sister Bronie's true nature?
Bronya remained alert to Otto's actions while trying to harm Yae Sakura.
She had become familiar with the exquisite sword skills and instantaneous fighting style.
No, it's better to say that Yae Sakura's strength isn't as great as Miss Sakura's, who is a MANTIS and the bearer of the Signet of 'Setsuna'!
"Grit your teeth! Devil in the box!"
...
"Speaking of which, sister, why did we come here? This attic feels a bit depressing…"
Higokumaru floated beside Bronie.
As for why the vote happened, Higokumaru couldn't explain it. She said that as long as she wanted to, she would do it.
However, Bronie didn't take Hellmaru out of Yae Village. Instead, they went deep into the village, arriving at an area that didn't exist in other reincarnation worlds.
Fu Hua had been here before but had only observed that it was shrouded in fog. She tried to get closer but found that she was moving away from it.
Now, with Higokumaru's awakening opening this area, Fu Hua was curious about what lay inside.
"Depressing? I think it's fine. If I lived in such a large house, the view from the roof might be quite nice."
"Isn't the Golden Courtyard better?"
Fu Hua couldn't help but complain. Obviously, the view from the roof of the Golden Courtyard is also stunning. Since it's built on a mountain, you can see the whole city from the roof.
"It's really good, but this style of architecture... It's unique, don't you think?"
The most important part is the visual impact.
The Golden Courtyard is indeed beautiful and exquisite, but with this castle tower style, wouldn't visitors tremble when they see the appearance?
"Although I don't quite understand it, sister, we just need to go in there and find our strength, right?"
"That's right, Higokumaru. I'll protect you well, so let's go together next!"
"I-I also have some abilities!"
There were many zombies patrolling outside the castle tower, but for Fu Hua, it was just a matter of two punches.
Before reaching the main gate of the castle tower, Bronie tried to push the door open, but it was fixed in place, not moving at all.
Fu Hua went to check the window, which was also immovable.
"Is the authority seal really applied? It's worthy of being the Herrscher of Corruption. It has almost the same properties as data life forms and meme life forms. It uses the instinct of a beast to create such a powerful firewall." Bronie projected a panel, and various data appeared on it.
When Fu Hua leaned over to look, she saw a dense red mass of unknown symbols tightly surrounding the castle tower, almost as if a cover had enveloped it.
"So, is there any way we can crack this protection?"
"Make it a fool and crack it directly with brute force."
"But Rin will also be affected, right?"
Fu Hua immediately thought it was a bad idea. Breaking the mental shackles set by the opponent with brute force would definitely render the opponent a fool, but what would be left in the mess of their brain?
"Then Higokumaru, you try it. For the freedom of Fried Tofu tomorrow, for the power to protect my family!"
"Ah? What do you want me to do?"
"Use your fighting spirit! There's nothing that can't be solved with fighting spirit! Trust me!"
Although Higokumaru didn't know what Bronie was thinking, it sounded quite reasonable.
Higokumaru went to the door and touched the handle.
The door which had been immovable finally pushed open.
"No, no, there is something bad inside!"
After Higokumaru opened the door, she immediately hid behind Bronie.
Bronie projected a submachine gun and aimed it at the door.
"Hua, be alert. After all, anything absurd can happen in this world. It's possible that the inside is larger than it looks from the outside!"
"I sense a fluctuation of Honkai energy inside…"
Pushing the door open, the interior looked much simpler than the gorgeous decoration outside.
There was no furniture, just an empty space.
In this empty hall, two different kinds of Emperor Honkai Beasts were waiting.
"Hey! What is this!"
Higokumaru was frightened.
The Emperor Honkai Beast was tall and large, occupying most of the space in the room, but it still felt like there was more space for fighting.
Fu Hua noticed something was wrong and then immediately remembered what Bronie had said about the space inside being larger than it appeared from the outside.
"Is this expected?"
"No, this is just fresh information I collected. But the game will officially begin now. If you don't use a certain strategy to defeat them, we won't be able to go upstairs!"
"Strategy?"
"The blue Emperor Honkai Beast has a special Honkai energy field that can greatly reduce the damage caused by kinetic energy, and the other Honkai Beast's field can greatly reduce the damage from Honkai energy."
In short, one is immune to physics, and the other is immune to elements.
They need to be eliminated at the same time within ten seconds.
"Then the red one belongs to me, and the blue one belongs to you. How about it?"
"Okay, the blue one is immune to attacks based on Honkai energy, right? And they have to be dealt with almost simultaneously. If I just use my fists, I have no problem at all!"
Fu Hua the Boxing Champion of the Honkai World was full of confidence.
Bronie also nodded. Expertly projecting weapons and drones, Bronie decided to destroy it as quickly as possible. Even if it's destroyed earlier than Fu Hua's, she could destroy it more quickly after the Honkai beast recovers.
So, she fired at full power.
"It's just an Emperor-class Honkai beast—just lie down!"
"Inch power—Sky Breaker!"
It was like making traditional popcorn in the room. The huge sound made the already wide room echo more violently, giving the illusion that the room seemed to shrink.
Higokumaru covered her ears and closed her eyes, as if not daring to see the battle scene in front of her.
But as the two ended the battle simultaneously, Higokumaru felt a force flowing into her body. Some images appeared in her mind.
[Sister, although there are no cherry blossoms in my hometown, my sister Ellie and I made paper flowers~]
"Why do I always feel like the mechanism of the Honkai Emperor on the first level is a bit like a certain game?"
"Because this absolute mechanism is indeed very difficult to crack. But Higokumaru, what's wrong with you?"
"Ah? Me? No, nothing, big sister!"
"To be honest, I find it quite strange that you call me big sister. Obviously, you and Fu Hua are the same age..."
Suddenly, she felt that her age was suddenly increased for no reason!
"Yes, is that so? Actually, big sister, do you know me from the past?"
Hellmaru noticed something was wrong. After all, she was suddenly kind to this abnormal girl right away, and she hadn't doubted her at all.
She also had strange power, inexplicable access to the castle tower, and the ability to float.
Bronie shrugged and replied, "Who knows, maybe I know her, maybe not. The final answer to this question will have to wait until later."
"Ahaha... But the way big sister Fu Hua fights is really terrifying..."
Pure physical destruction—if other abilities are used, Higokumaru dared not even imagine how fierce it would be.
No, this kind of heroic posture in battle is probably engraved in Rin's DNA. The appearance of forcing Fu Hua to kill in the shelter is not something ordinary Herrschers can bear.
So, even if Higokumaru can't remember it now, she can't help but shudder when she sees Fu Hua fighting.
"Is it scary? Sorry, this battle is not perfect, I scared you."
"No, no, why is it not perfect?!"
Higokumaru didn't dare to say anything but hid behind Bronie silently.
"Okay, there are still six floors above. The first floor had an emperor-level Honkai beast. I can't imagine what the upper floors will be like, so now it's just a warm-up. Are you ready for the next step?"
"Of course!"
Fu Hua was full of energy and also noticed some subtle changes in Higokumaru. If the floor strategy is over, maybe Higokumaru will remember everything.
When she thought that one of her companion will come back again, although our relationship is not close, she is no longer alone, right?
There is nothing to be afraid of!
On the second floor, there were two ghost-like zombies, whose combat power was no less than that of the pseudo-Herrscher. The most troublesome thing was their ability to turn imaginary, which could avoid attacks to a certain extent.
Bronie didn't expect these zombies that were originally small fry in the game to possess some skills. How troublesome it would be for the previous era to encounter these things in groups.
The third floor had the mechas that the Fire Moth once put into the battlefield. Its superior performance was chopped into pieces by Bronie in less than 30 seconds.
There's no way—who let Bronie see the relevant blueprints of these in the library of the Elysian Realm.
The fourth floor had two very special Honkai beasts and zombies. They had the power of pseudo-herrschers. Although it was difficult to define their level, it was not a problem to classify them as emperors.
However, as the number of floors increased, the monsters in the castle tower grew more murderous towards Fu Hua and Bronie.
When it came to the fifth floor, Fu Hua found that what she had to face was no longer an Emperor-class Honkai beast, but a Judgment-class Honkai beast!
The son of dawn and the son of dark night—together, they formed a more powerful Honkai beast: Assaka!
She can only say that Honkai biology is truly amazing. Two Honkai beasts can merge into one, and there is no conflict of commands when fighting.
Bronie immediately thought of Rosaria and Lilia. If the two of them were raised by Cocolia, they would definitely become that kind of person. When they suddenly enter a state of Active Honkai Reaction one day, it will be difficult to rescue them.
"Okay, so amazing! You can solve this big monster, but is it really okay?"
After solving the Son of Dawn and the Son of Darkness, the building leading to the upper floor opened again.
Higokumaru felt ashamed for not being able to help at all, but Bronie wiped off the non-existent sweat and responded, "It's just barely enough. Although the intensity has increased, it's definitely not a big problem for me. How about you, Fu Hua? How long has it been since you last did such high-intensity exercise?"
"I have daily training, so there's no need to worry about my physical exhaustion. But Bronie, you usually make games at home, and now you're out of breath after climbing a few more stairs?"
"After all, my normal fighting style is not to fight head-on with brute force. But it doesn't matter. I won't be afraid even if the Herrscher comes. The next one upstairs must be the real challenge, right?"
"The combined Assaka?"
"A big Honkai beast with some intelligence is a troublesome existence. Even with such an enemy, can you calmly deal with it, Fu Hua?"
"Your question is like asking whether water will flow down from a high place. If it's just Assaka, I think it won't be difficult for me to solve it! Leave it to me alone. I have a hunch that the final boss after that may need you to defeat it."
"Hunch...?"
Bronie looked Fu Hua up and down, a little surprised that the other party actually believed in intuition.
And Fu Hua looked at Higokumaru with worry. It seemed that the originally blank and sunny Higokumaru had unknowingly begun to carry something. These things were making her a little breathless, and her once cheerful smile had gradually turned into a forced one.
There is no doubt that with the clearing of the floors, some signs had begun to appear on Higokumaru's body.
"I hope Rin can really come back safely. This way, the efforts of Vill-V and Dr. Mei will not be in vain..."