"Goodbye, Bronya!"
In this World Bubble, filled with poison gas and the stench of death...
As Seele spoke those few simple words, she found her mind and body becoming incredibly relaxed.
It felt as if a heavy burden had been completely lifted.
A burden called: Lies.
A burden meaning: Falsehood.
At this moment, Bronya stared at the short-haired girl before her, the one who looked almost identical to her.
The girl was no longer gentle or soft-spoken like before.
She had returned to her old self.
With the mask of pretense removed, she didn't seem distant.
Instead, she appeared more real.
Facing her like this...
"Seele, actually, Bronya also..."
She also wanted to apologize.
Had she not also been lying to herself all this time?
She was the one who had tried to get close, making up a bunch of excuses. She had treated this girl, who shared her face, as a shadow of the "sister" in her memories.
"I'm sorry!"
Bronya's mind was filled with a thousand thoughts.
In the end, they all condensed into this single, most direct sentence.
She felt that any further explanation on her part would be pointless.
Hearing this...
"I forgive you," Seele said with a smile. "After all, I've been walking this wrong path for a long, long time."
She casually draped an arm over the gray-haired girl's shoulder. "So, neither of us can judge the other. We're even now."
She felt truly relaxed.
"Next... forget it, there's no point in talking about this."
With her mind at ease, Seele had wanted to ask Bronya what her plans were.
But when she thought about their current situation... it was better not to ruin the mood.
Instead of asking, she answered the question herself.
"Bronya."
"Yes?"
"On my end, there are actually a few things I want to accomplish and do my best to finish."
With that, Seele stood up from the stone bench, her movements no longer gentle.
She was just like she had been back when she was running in the gray areas of Berlin, not caring about elegance, only whether she was efficient.
Then...
"Cheer me on, Bronya."
A more obvious smile appeared on Seele's face. "I believe we are true friends now."
"To be honest, I'm not entirely confident in my heart, and... I need you to cheer me up."
Hearing her say this...
"Okay!"
Bronya nodded, the corners of her mouth curving into a noticeable smile. "Good luck, Seele."
"Whatever you want to do, Bronya believes you can do it, and you can do it well!"
At that moment, just hearing these words was enough for Seele.
She smiled confidently, her face showing no trace of anything fake.
Just then...
Buzz~
A massive sense of pressure washed over them.
A golden-orange spatial portal opened in the air somewhere in this World Bubble.
Seele noticed the newcomer's presence immediately.
Kevin Kaslana.
The Strongest MANTIS, who had already searched through several World Bubbles and rushed here at top speed...
"Ha~ You've come at the perfect time."
Seele looked up at him.
The enemy who had once taken everything from her.
The one with whom reconciliation was absolutely impossible.
She no longer fled, but instead, her face showed a fierce fighting spirit.
The next moment...
"I'm actually fired up for once. I won't lose this time!"
Seele regained a bit of her old rebellious streak and cracked her knuckles. "I won't allow myself to lose!"
Then...
Whoosh~
A massive purple-black mist began to rise.
The Serene Miniature Garden expanded!
And it rapidly grew larger.
"So you're really here."
In the air, Kevin had already suspected as much after noticing the poisonous gas filling this World Bubble.
Now that the Serene Miniature Garden had appeared so conspicuously, he naturally spotted Seele's presence immediately.
Immediately, he raised the Judgement of Shamash in his hand, preparing to kill her in a single strike.
However...
Whoosh~
The rapidly expanding Serene Miniature Garden burst apart instantly, just as it had during their battle in Central Europe, transforming into countless Phantasm Butterflies.
Only this time, the swarm of butterflies did not scatter in all directions.
Because there was nowhere to run in this World Bubble.
And Seele had no intention of running anymore.
In Kevin's vision, all the butterflies formed a torrent, surging directly toward him.
"So you've chosen to attack me head-on?"
Kevin frowned slightly. "That's a terrible move."
"Then, let's end this!"
His thoughts raced as the Key of Destruction in his hand entered its Shuhadaku of Uriel Form.
This single strike would be enough to incinerate everything within the entire World Bubble.
Yet...
Whoosh~
Whoosh-whoosh-whoosh~ xN
All the butterflies suddenly accelerated, rushing toward the golden-orange portal behind Kevin that had not yet closed.
"..."
Kevin's frown deepened.
The Fourth Herrscher was trying to escape.
He would never let her succeed.
In an instant, he turned his Flame Sword toward the portal, reducing its power but increasing its speed to intercept the butterflies first.
Kevin knew that on the other side of the portal were Aponia and her army of maiden-like figures.
The portal had also opened deep beneath the Newborn World Serpent Headquarters.
These butterflies alone could never break through such defenses.
Still, he refused to hold back.
Whoosh~
With a single swing of the Flame Sword in its Shuhadaku of Uriel Form, he incinerated over half of the rushing butterflies.
Waves of fire erupted. Though the golden-orange portal was just behind him, as long as this "Gatekeeper" stood guard, no butterfly could cross the blockade he had created.
Unless...
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
Whoosh~
With each merciless slash, the swarm of Phantasm Butterflies dwindled.
Suddenly...
"Fire!!!"
Two blue beams of light shot up from below.
Kevin didn't even flinch. He raised his left hand.
He didn't even use his Ice Power.
He simply opened his palm, then... clenched it shut.
The cannon fire from Project Bunny, Bronya's weapon, was effortlessly neutralized.
"Bronya Zaychik."
A remnant of the Old Days, a Time-Reverse Descendant.
Another target for Kevin to eliminate.
Whoosh~
The Flame Sword struck, and fire descended from the sky.
Bronya leaped onto the instantly transforming Project Bunny, seemingly desperate to escape.
But beneath this apparent futility...
"Do your best, Seele."
"You can do it!"
The gray-haired girl's face was lit by the flames.
Yet she showed no fear.
Only a joyful smile.
They hadn't exchanged a single word, but they understood each other perfectly.
She was willing to sacrifice her life to buy her friend a fleeting chance.
If Kevin got distracted by her, an "ant" who had revealed herself by attacking, even for a moment...
Whoosh~
In midair, the few remaining Phantasm Butterflies began to break through in unison.
"Naive!"
Kevin's Flame Sword danced, leaving afterimages in its wake.
A flame storm swept through.
The remaining Phantasm Butterflies dwindled in number.
One thousand... one hundred... ten, nine, eight...
The butterflies that shot out were finally reduced to just three.
Whoosh~
Another Phantasm Butterfly was shot down.
Kevin was about to swing his sword again.
The girl's last shred of "hope" was about to be crushed.
Suddenly...
"!!!"
The hand Kevin used to swing his sword was seized by the wrist by another hand that had abruptly appeared from the side.
The opponent's strength wasn't much greater than his own.
In fact... in terms of raw physical strength, he still held the advantage.
But the moment he saw the other person's face...
"It's you!"
Kevin stared at the black-haired youth beside him, his expression extremely unnatural.
He couldn't resist him.
This wasn't just an instinctive reaction.
It was suppression on a level of existence.
As a result, even if the other person used the smallest amount of force, so small that he had no strength to bind a chicken, he still couldn't break free by force.
This wasn't a matter of numerical strength, but a difference in realms.
Facing such an interloper...
"Are you... telling me to let the Fourth Herrscher escape?"
He asked tentatively, his tone filled with reluctance, yet he could only endure.
His final strike never fell.
As a result, the last two Phantasm Butterflies flew through the teleportation gate that should have closed long ago.
Kevin now understood.
If not for the constant external interference, Prometheus would have immediately sealed the enemy's final escape route upon discovering the battle here.
But now, the golden-orange portal remained open. When Kevin turned around, he could even see the cold wind blowing across the sky.
Clearly, the black-haired youth who had abruptly appeared had also affected the portal's operation.
He had even modified the "direction" of the other side of the portal.
He had directly opened the "exit" outside the Newborn World Serpent Headquarters, instead of the depths of the underground base where multiple checkpoints and even several "Guardians" were present.
At the same time...
"She didn't escape."
The black-haired youth withdrew his right hand.
Seeing that Kevin had calmed down, he pointed downward.
On a certain spot on the ground, Bronya, who should have already died under the onslaught of flames, was surrounded by a massive surge of purple-black mist.
They had acted as a shield at the last moment, protecting the silver-haired girl and...
"Project Bunny, you messed up again... Hiss~"
Heavy breathing sounded.
Seele, her body covered in burns, gritted her teeth and stood in front of Bronya and Project Bunny.
At this moment, there was almost no intact skin left on her body.
But laughter still came from her, "But, thanks."
Seele did not turn around.
She did not want her "ugly" self to become Bronya's last memory.
She looked at the black-haired youth who had abruptly appeared. "Really... why do I have to owe someone a favor at a time like this."
"I have no way to pay it back!"
Her face was ghastly, "But, it is also because you guys lent a hand..."
"I succeeded!"
Indeed, two Phantasm Butterflies had broken through Kevin's blockade.
With the help of a human and a "God."
At this moment...
"What does she want to do?"
Kevin's gaze fell downward, landing on the heavily injured and dying girl.
"Her..."
The black-haired youth said with some emotion, "She is just a child who has been lost for a long time, wanting to go home... at the very end."
"Just to say goodbye to her true family!"