Bronya led the team through the crisscrossing ruins of broken walls and shattered structures. Gravel crunched softly underfoot as they finally stopped at the edge of an open plaza.
From ahead came the faint, crisp clashing of weapons, mixed with a few joking, complaining laughs that broke the deathly silence of the ruins.
Only when they got closer did they see it clearly, several figures were gathered in the center of the plaza, clearing out the monsters that had clustered there.
Fu Shi swung her sword in a wide arc, the sharp sword light instantly cutting down a lunging monster. As she sheathed her blade, she couldn't help clicking her tongue in complaint,
"These monsters are seriously endless. I'm already sick of killing them. When are we finally going to see Fu Lin?"
Beside her, Fu Hua, currently in an artificial collapse state, stood quietly and spoke the information she had just received,
"Theresa has already made contact with Bronya. They're on their way here, and..."
"Fu Lin really is in Saint Fontaine."
As Fu Hua's words fell, everyone present heard them clearly.
"So Fu Lin really is here～ That's great!"
Elysia immediately curved her eyes, a sweet and gentle smile lifting the corners of her lips, her tone full of delight.
Not far away, Mei☆ held a katana, carefully wiping the blade that gleamed with a cold sheen. Her violet eyes reflected a faint chill in the morning light. Hearing this, she merely gave a light nod.
"It seems we didn't come to the wrong place. I just didn't expect there to be so much backup."
Bronya stepped forward and spoke calmly, her gaze sweeping over everyone. When it landed on Mei☆, however, it paused slightly. After a moment of silence, her tone softened as she addressed her somewhat awkwardly, "Mei☆-sis... ahem, Mei☆. Long time no see."
At the sound of her voice, several people turned their heads at once.
Mei☆ put away her katana, lifted a hand to tuck her loose hair behind her ear, and walked forward slowly. A trace of gentleness flashed through her eyes, "Long time no see, Bronya. You've grown quite a bit."
"Wow～" Elysia's eyes lit up as she quickly stepped forward, warmly taking Bronya's hand and gently shaking it, her voice full of admiration,
"Little Bronya was already super cute, but grown-up Bronya is even prettier now～ And your aura is so cool and dashing～"
Bronya was caught off guard by the sudden enthusiasm. She instinctively tensed up, her fingers curling slightly as she muttered to herself internally (????),
'Wait… have we met before?'
Seeing Bronya's awkwardness, Mei☆ seemed to understand. A hint of a smile passed through her eyes as she stepped half a pace forward and explained softly, "Don't be nervous. Elysia is always like this, she's enthusiastic with everyone."
Fu Hua also walked over at this time, nodding slightly to Bronya as a greeting. Her tone remained steady, "Bronya, Bishop Theresa has already informed us of the situation in Saint Fontaine in full. For the actions that follow, we will cooperate with everything we have."
Adam, Lyle, and Carole stood behind Bronya. Looking at the unfamiliar seniors, especially Fu Hua and Fu Shi, their faces were filled with unconcealed surprise, leaving them frozen in place for a moment, forgetting to speak.
The socially anxious Timido quietly shrank back behind Lyle, only revealing a pair of round eyes as she secretly sized everyone up with a mix of curiosity and nervousness.
After a brief silence, Adam was the first to snap out of it. He stepped forward and asked, "Um… seniors, how is Captain Rita doing? After what happened before, Carole and I have been really worried about her."
Carole immediately reacted as well, nodding repeatedly with worry written all over her face, "Yeah, yeah! Is Captain Rita okay? Schicksal's medical technology is so advanced, she should be completely healed by now, right?"
Hearing this, Fu Hua's expression softened slightly as she looked at them and replied seriously, "You must be Rita's team members. Rest assured, she has already received effective treatment and is no longer in life-threatening danger. However, she still needs time to recuperate, so she won't be able to take part in the upcoming operations for now."
The tension in Adam's shoulders instantly eased, and Carole let out a long sigh of relief as well. The weight hanging over their hearts finally lifted.
"Looks like our best friend can finally relax... whew!"
Lyle laughed as he patted Adam on the shoulder. Before his words had even finished landing, the corner of his eye suddenly caught something behind Adam. His expression changed instantly, and he cried out, "Bro! There's something behind you charging at us! Is it an enemy?!"
As Lyle's shout fell, everyone heard a rush of hurried footsteps coming from afar. A blurred figure, wrapped in dust and smoke, rapidly appeared at the far end of their field of vision.
Before the figure could be seen clearly, a loud and slightly breathless voice cut through the air, "Everyone!"
Bronya crossed her arms and looked at the group in confusion, "That voice… it sounds familiar. Is there more backup coming?"
Fu Hua's eyes shifted as she immediately recognized the newcomer, "...It's Mr. Siegfried."
As soon as the words left her mouth, Siegfried rushed up, raising a hand to roughly straighten his crooked baseball cap. His gaze swept over everyone in the plaza as he spoke with a hint of apology, "Ran into a few waves of dumb monsters on the way here and got delayed a bit, but looks like I didn't arrive too late."
As he spoke, he folded his arms and glanced around at the ruined walls and debris surrounding them. He couldn't help smacking his lips in dissatisfaction, "This place is wrecked beyond belief. The signal keeps cutting in and out, if I hadn't vaguely heard some noise coming from this direction, I'd never have found you."
Fu Hua stepped forward and asked, "Mr. Siegfried, why are you here in Saint Fontaine as well?"
Siegfried first rolled his neck and wrists, his joints making crisp cracking sounds. Then a seemingly gentle smile spread across his face, "What else could it be? That little brat Fu Lin actually got Kiana☆ pregnant! I came here to settle the score with him properly!"
"What?! That idiot Kiana☆ is pregnant?!"
Bronya's pupils shrank abruptly. Her normally cool voice was filled with disbelief as she reflexively raised her volume.
Beside her, Fu Hua also couldn't hide her shock and repeated, "Kiana☆ is pregnant?"
The two, usually so composed, had their expressions completely shattered in an instant, their faces full of astonishment as words failed them.
Seeing this, Siegfried scratched the back of his head in surprise, "Didn't Theresa tell you about this?"
Bronya and Fu Hua exchanged a glance, then shook their heads at the same time. The surprise in their eyes still hadn't faded.
Bronya took a deep breath, "When we get back, we have to ask her about this face to face!"
At the same moment, Fu Lin, who had been secretly watching, couldn't help sighing under his breath upon seeing everyone gathered, "This lineup is way too stacked... Other than Durandal and Theresa, almost all of the current strongest combat power is here. The people from the sky really crossed a forbidden line this time."
[People from the sky, Friends watching from the screen, do you think I'll still see tomorrow's sun?]
His tone shifted as he noticed Siegfried's unmistakably hostile look. He immediately shrank his neck and muttered quietly, "But my father-in-law here... doesn't look friendly at all. Should I find somewhere to hide first?"
"Hehe～ How about hiding on the moon?" Kiana☆'s bright and cheerful voice suddenly rang out beside him.
In the next second, a portal appeared right next to Fu Lin.
Before he could react, a warm hand reached out, yanked him straight inside, and the portal instantly closed and vanished without a trace, leaving only a scattering of potato chips behind.