ME's underground research institute.
"It seems that two rats have come in..."
The blonde woman in brown-green clothes is the target of Kiana and Mei's mission. Cocolia, the scum of the world, observed the two red dots on the instrument monitoring the internal status of the entire ME building with an intrigued expression.
She adjusted the monitoring equipment and activated the cameras in the area of the red dots.
"Oh... I'm not ready to deal with her yet. I didn't expect the experimental subject to come to my door by itself."
She saw Mei's dusty face on the screen at once. Cocolia couldn't help but smirk.
"She actually came in through the ventilation duct. Look at her dusty face. It really fits the image of a rat."
On the side, a girl with short purple and pink hair, dressed simply, opened her mouth slightly, revealing her jagged teeth. Her eyes were full of teasing. She was about to speak when the girl sitting quietly beside her, with gray Roman curls and a childish face, spoke expressionlessly.
"Let Bronya handle this."
"...Bronya?"
Cocolia was a little surprised. Since that incident, her relationship with Bronya had become more and more distant. If it hadn't been for the fact that this matter was related to rescuing Seele, Bronya wouldn't have followed her at all.
Now, she was actually taking the initiative to deal with the invading enemy.
Was this meant to ease their relationship?
Cocolia felt a small sense of satisfaction at this thought.
She nodded.
"Okay, I'll leave it to you, Bronya!"
....
"Damn, I was discovered..."
Looking at the expressionless girl with gray curly hair not far away, Mei's face turned slightly ugly.
Was it not enough just to avoid surveillance?
"Tsk, it's just a kid."
Kiana standing beside Mei didn't care. Instead, she appeared somewhat indifferent to this blocker due to her deceptive appearance.
"Hey, tell me where the girl named Cocolia is!"
She held the baseball bat she had brought in and said unkindly. "Otherwise, my baseball bat won't be merciful just because you're young!"
"..."
Bronya stared at Kiana with a look of disbelief.
"Hey! What's that expression on your face?!"
Seeing this expression, Kiana got angry instantly and retorted angrily: "You're really annoying!"
"It seems I have to teach you a lesson to make you understand the seriousness of the matter!"
She cracked her knuckles, the sound echoing in the air.
Meistanding next to her didn't stop her.
From the undisguised hostility, it was clear that the girl who had suddenly appeared was undoubtedly their enemy.
And no matter what, defeating the enemy was the right choice at the moment.
Probably because of the other party's childish appearance, Mei, somewhat reluctant, whispered, "Be gentle, Kiana..."
Although they were enemies, at this age, it would be a bit cruel to truly kill them.
It would probably be enough to incapacitate them.
"Hehe, I know."
Kiana hummed, nodding.
"Although I don't know why you make me angry, but since Mei said so, I'll finish you off as quickly as possible!"
With that, she leapt into action, rushing toward Bronya with her baseball bat.
In just two or three steps, Kiana's light frame closed the distance between them.
"It's over!"
She swung the bat, looking at Bronya's expressionless face. Kiana thought she was scared and unresponsive. She smiled confidently, secretly holding back some of her strength.
If she were hit, she wouldn't be seriously injured.
But she could expect a hospital stay for two or three years of recovery.
However...
Did Bronya really not react to Kiana's confident attack?
That was impossible.
Having been trained as a special forces soldier since childhood, Bronya's reflexes were top-notch.
As Kiana's attack came, Bronya simply took a step back and dodged the swing with a clever maneuver that left Kiana in disbelief.
But that wasn't the end.
In that position, Bronya used the special fighting techniques she had learned in the past. She grabbed Kiana's arm with her backhand, twisted her waist, and threw her against the wall with a sharp motion.
Bang!
Kiana slammed into the wall, the burning pain in her back twisting her pretty face in pain.
"Damn... this little dwarf!"
Kiana gritted her teeth, glaring at Bronya with a surge of frustration.
She had been careless.
If she hadn't underestimated this girl so much, just relying on the Kaslana family's monstrous physique and the fighting skills her father had taught her, how could this "dwarf" have thrown her like that?
"Mei, be careful. This dwarf isn't easy!"
While regretting underestimating Bronya, Kiana quickly warned Mei.
But the warning wasn't necessary.
Through what Bronya had done to Kiana just now, Mei had already realized that this seemingly young girl was far from weak.
"Sorry, Kiana."
She felt a little guilty toward Kiana.
Kiana could have been faster just now, but probably because of what Mei had said, Kiana had held back more than half of her strength, which allowed this girl to dodge.
"Let me make up for this mistake!"
Knowing it wasn't the time to feel guilty, Mei glanced at Bronya, whose expression hadn't changed, and her face grew serious.
She reached for her waist and pulled out a small sword.
Shua!
The small sword appeared in an instant.
Mei held it horizontally in front of her, took a deep breath, and assumed a fighting stance.
The family-inherited Hokushin Ittō-ryū sword style.
She wasn't just an ordinary girl who was powerless!
Although Mei wasn't very skilled in hand-to-hand combat, her fighting ability surged the moment she held a blade. For convenience, Mei hadn't brought her main sword this time, but she always carried a small one with her.
Bronya pulled out a military dagger from the pouch tied to her leg, her face as expressionless as ever.
The atmosphere grew tense.
In the blink of an eye, Mei with her small sword clashed with Bronya.
Kang!
Mei's precise strike was blocked by Bronya's military shield, the sound of metal clashing ringing out. This time, Mei wasn't as careless as Kiana. She launched her attack with full strength from the start, with no intention of holding back.
Using the advantage of being older and more fully developed, Mei's small sword kept Bronya's military dagger in check.
Bronya's eyes shifted slightly.
She had made a mistake.
She was very good with blades.
She shouldn't have engaged in close combat with this person.
Huh... It had been too long since she had fought closely, and her judgment had declined...
Breathing evenly, Bronya remained locked in the stalemate with Mei. She was preparing to find an opportunity to create some distance.
Fighting in close combat with this person... and even with the idiot from before, was an unwise move.
While her appearance might give her an advantage at first glance, after knowing their abilities, she wouldn't have the upper hand.
Mei noticed Bronya's retreat and snorted coldly.
"How could I let you get away so easily?"
Do you think the Hokushin Ittō-ryū have no pride?
Beside them, Kiana had recovered somewhat.
Although her whole body hurt, she gritted her teeth and rushed toward Bronya with her baseball bat, eyeing the stalemate.
She must attack!
As for whether it's a bit despicable for two people to fight one person?
Heh, only the loser can be called despicable!
They were fighting for this city, and a little despicable action was insignificant!