"Heh, so this was your goal all along, Amon?"
With a micro-bomb implanted in her, Cocolia gritted her teeth, trying to struggle free, but she found with despair that it was impossible.
Not only had Fu Li implanted a bomb, but he had also injected her with a small dose of an enervating agent.
"Amon, you should know that you have almost no Honkai energy resistance. If you undergo this experiment, you will be dead in less than three minutes."
To this, Fu Li just shook his head, replying calmly, "It's only death. I've long grown used to it. Besides, everyone has to die eventually."
"And as the big brother of the orphanage, what is there to fear in death if it is for the sake of saving my little sister?"
"Heh, then it seems I've underestimated you all along, Amon." Cocolia sneered through clenched teeth. "I don't know where you learned so much, but it couldn't be from Schicksal, could it?"
"Your probing is meaningless. What's more, while Otto is a bastard, he's far more useful to humanity than you are."
Fu Li neither confirmed nor denied her accusation. He simply patted her on the shoulder and left her with one final statement.
"I once knew two orphanage directors. One was willing to fight in illegal rings for countless years for her children, and the other protected them with the greatest kindness imaginable. You can't compare to either of them."
With everything settled, Fu Li walked slowly into the experiment pod. He pressed his right hand against the detonator's button as a final threat.
"I advise you not to try any funny business. This isn't the only contingency I have prepared."
After saying this, Fu Li fell silent. He felt the liquid infused with Honkai energy slowly fill the tank, and the intense pain made him clench his teeth.
As I thought, this unenhanced, ordinary human body can't hold out for long. But… it's enough.
Through his blurring vision, Fu Li saw Bronya, the effects of the sedative having worn off, burst into the room. In her hand, she clutched the opened letter.
She's seen it… In that case, she should understand.
Fu Li slowly closed his eyes. The pain was like a passion, reaching a climax before fading into numbness.
When he next opened his eyes with practiced ease, he saw Seele, who was furtively wiping away tears.
"Seele… Seele?"
Hearing her name, Seele turned her head. When she saw Fu Li's gentle smile, she murmured in disbelief, "B-Brother Amon? What are you doing here?"
She could see ominous, dark-red patterns already creeping up his limbs. Seele couldn't begin to imagine the kind of agony he was enduring.
"I came to take you back."
The red marks had already reached his shoulders, but Fu Li paid them no mind, his gaze fixed on the box not far away.
Sealed within it was the power and knowledge of the Previous Era. He didn't have the strength to master it either, but with a few tricks, he could wield it temporarily.
"Why… why is Brother Amon here too? You don't even have Honkai resistance! How could Mother Cocolia let you take part in the experiment?"
"No, Brother! You have to go back quickly, or else… you'll die!"
Seele had always been like this. Even after being trapped here alone for so long, she still maintained her pure and kind heart.
"Seele… don't worry about me." Fu Li smiled, gently pushing away the embracing Seele. He walked to the box and slowly knelt down.
"I promised Bronya I would bring you back, and I will. However…"
Fu Li turned his head, a complex emotion in his eyes. "If I do this, it might change many things in your world. So Seele, promise me…"
"To protect Bronya, you must awaken your true power. At the same time, trust that demon… or rather, Dark Seele. In a way, she's the one who loves you most."
"But…" Seele looked at Fu Li, unable to process the information he was giving her.
To her astonishment, she saw Fu Li open the box without any resistance and hold the power of [Reconstruction] in his hands.
"Watch closely, Seele. I can only demonstrate this for you once. This is the true way to use the power of [Reconstruction]."
The crimson patterns had now climbed to his cheeks. As he skillfully manipulated the power, Fu Li's life force began to drain away rapidly.
He knew he had to be faster, to finish this before he died completely, otherwise everything he had done would be for nothing.
"No, Brother Amon!"
Seele realized what Fu Li was doing. Although she didn't know why Dark Seele had suddenly gone silent, she instinctively rushed forward to stop him.
However, the moment her fingertips touched the sphere of light, a familiar sense of fullness flowed through her. Seele knew this was the feeling of having a body.
"Seele, until you are absolutely certain, do not touch this power again. Don't disappoint Bronya, and don't…"
"Let my efforts go to waste."
A brilliant white light flashed through the laboratory. When Seele opened her eyes again, she was met with a bloody scene.
A pink-haired woman with long, pointed ears stood in the center of the lab. Some researchers lay dead on the experiment consoles, while others had been sliced into pieces, their remains scattered on the floor.
The woman wore neon-accented black soft armor that outlined her tall, slender figure. Beautiful, yet dangerous.
As far as the eye could see, the only people left alive in the laboratory were Bronya and Cocolia. The monitors showed that the entire base had been thoroughly cleared.
Several Valkyries in Schicksal uniforms filed in, their guns all aimed at Cocolia's ashen face.
Bronya's movements were restricted, but her treatment was far better than Cocolia's.
"You…"
Seele watched the woman with the long ears slowly approach. She instinctively recoiled, wanting to flee.
However, she soon realized the woman's eyes weren't on her. She simply walked past, reached out to break the experiment pod, and gently caressed the face of the boy within.
Though the woman's face was obscured by a mask, Seele could still feel the profound sorrow emanating from her.
It was like a lone boat, adrift on the ocean, finally spotting the hope of rescue, only to have it vanish in an instant.
For a long time, the laboratory was submerged in a heavy silence.
The abyss-like pressure forced everyone to suppress their emotions, carrying out their tasks like machines.
It wasn't until one of the Schicksal squad members couldn't help but swallow nervously that the silence was broken.
The boy's body turned to dust and floated away. The woman withdrew her hand and looked at Seele nearby. A gentle voice, completely contrary to her aura, spoke.
"You must be Seele. My name is Sakura. I'm his friend, and he asked me to come and take you all away."
"From this day forward, Cocolia will be imprisoned under the joint custody of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy. As for everyone at the orphanage, you will have a new place to go. A new… home."
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Translator's Note: The author left a note here.
PS: Uh... It seems you guys don't really like the Seele/Bronya arc, so I'll just wrap it up with a plot hook and move on. I'm preparing to start the Pardofelis arc.
After careful consideration, there are four choices for the arc after Pardo's:
Vill-V
Kevin
Sakura
Kosma