WORLD: EARTH
BRANCHED WORLD: HONKAI IMPACT 3RD
LOCATION: SOUKAI CITY. FAR EAST
Much to her initial discrepancy, she was disappointed. Meeting Bronya in the first round of all things.
Unlike before, where they were supposed to face off against Honkai Beasts, it was changed at the last second.
Valkyrie vs Valkyrie.
That was what it was. And now, standing across from her, was that smug little drill-haired child—
"Wait… where did the drills go?"
Kiana's thoughts came to a halt. The girl before her looked… different.
Her signature drills were gone, replaced by long hair cascading down her back.
She wore a tight, flexible black combat suit almost identical to Kiana's own, except—
"Heh."
Kiana let out a smug smile, looking towards the chest area. She won! Kiana thought.
However, as though she could sense it, Bronya let out a stern expression.
But what's more…
A sleek, long, white sheath was hung by the side of her waist. Bronya slowly shifted her right foot forward.
"Sword? Heh! I have the advantage."
Everyone also seemed to think the same as they all muttered the same thing. From the important section of the training field,
"Hey, that child… isn't she at a disadvantage?"
"Kiana is definitely the definition of bringing a gun to a sword fight."
Both Himeko and Theresa muttered from their seats, not mocking Bronya, but acknowledging the apparent mismatch.
Behind them, Rita tilted her head, gaze fixed on the white sheath at Bronya's side. Is that… the [Another Fafnir]?
Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, if she was Welt Yang's chosen successor, it wouldn't be ordinary.
Mei's quiet chuckle drew all their attention. Her lips curved slowly, knowingly.
"Just watch."
Mei said that cryptically.
Now, such a thing was said, their interest had been renewed. It was Anti-Entropy's style to use a Mech.
Perhaps they would see such a thing descend from the sky.
They wouldn't be surprised.
"Are you sure you should be bringing a sword to a gun fight? Heh. If that's the case, I've wo–!"
"No."
Bronya asserted, her left moving backwards as she slowly drew the sword from its sheath.
"──Re-manifest. The reborn dragon of calamity, taken captive by humanity. The secret of your desires are now ours to control. Come forth, oh child of the Eternal Frost (Laurel). [Another Fafnir]!"
From her position, a circle of light bloomed. It was slow at first, then expanding outward, its glow swallowing the arena.
It rolled over Kiana. It spilled into the stands. It washed across every surface until the stadium was drenched in brilliance.
"W-wh-what's going on? Contestant Bronya suddenly blinds the audience. Is this part of her tricks to winning."
From nowhere, a commentator began to speak as everyone shielded their eyes from the light.
Well, most.
The few who were capable of seeing past the light saw what happened.
Something was reassembling there. A frame that seemed to get larger and larger. Its silhouette showed as it soon began to take form.
"What is that?"
Theresa clutched the armrest of her chair, rising upwards as she stared in shock.
"That is…!?"
Rita's eyes constricted as she stared in disbelief.
Then, the slightly slow began to fade, and an immaculate, thin, skeletal, and elegant machine was left.
Pure white, adorned with blue streaks, shimmering particles that were as cold as ice.
It was different from the original Fafnir, which was given in reference, but they closely resembled each other, especially with its thin, sleek design.
"No. I don't need tricks to win."
Bronya confidently said that, still with her flat expression.
"What is this! Participant Bronya brought in what… errr, seems to be a dragon? But a machine?"
Just as the commentator continued, they paused for a moment.
"W-wait. We're getting confirmation now. That's no ordinary machine, it's classified as a Drag-Machine. And that specific unit… is the [Synthetic Drag Ride: Another Fafnir]!"
Surely, this wasn't how things were supposed to go, Kiana thought, in front of the oppressive machine looming above…
"So… that's Anti-Entropy's trump card? Are you sure it's okay to show it here?"
Himeko, the fiery-haired teacher of the Valkyries, a former A-rank Valkyrie, simply stared at Mei with disbelief.
"Well, I believe it would be worthwhile to display our prowess. Though it's still in its technical phase, I see why not."
By the time Theresa, Rita, and Himeko turned to look at Mei, who at that point had her eyes dulled.
Now it's cold, like…
Herrscher…
They thought. And they guessed it right.
Back on the field,
Spikes erupted from the ground without warning, forcing Kiana to twist and flip away from each one.
Every time she gained footing, another spear of frost lunged for her ribs.
"Tsk! How does that thing even work!?"
Bronya and Another Fafnir stood in one place, but spikes of ice followed her around, and all she could do was constantly dodge the assault.
"Ngh!"
Evading one spike, now suspended mid-air, another one appeared, thrusting towards her, but she swerved mid-air, avoiding it.
Then, she planted her feet on it and dashed towards Bronya.
"Hehe. Got you!"
With a gun, she shot towards Bronya donning [another fafnir] only for it to ROAR—!
HWEHHH!
"Huh?"
The bullets were repelled by something low and gruntal, a roar, primal and ancient.
Kiana's shots went wide, her arms thrown off-balance as the shockwave hit her like a physical force.
She stumbled back, wide-eyed.
That… was a roar?
"Amazing! Participant Kiana's attack was repelled by what can only be described as a dragon's roar! Just what can't that machine do?!"
Kiana grit her teeth at the commentator's words.
"I haven't even started taking this seriously."
Across from her, Bronya's eyes narrowed, her voice carrying easily over the arena noise.
"I haven't either."
The way she said it made the hairs on Kiana's neck prickle.
"That's unfair! Fight me fair and square!"
She proclaimed loudly as Bronya tilted her head for a moment. Then she slowly parted her lips as she slowly spoke out.
"If that's what you want, then—"
SHUA!
Bronya's voice was now close.
"Sure."
Above Kiana, whose pupils constricted, a shadow loomed over her, as a blade held up high, slowly bringing it down.
Her voice was suddenly behind her.
Kiana's pupils shrank. A shadow above her, and when she looked up, Bronya was already descending from above, blade raised high.
The strike came down like the weight of inevitability.
CRAP—!
The world slowed.
Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, then her vision flickered. For the briefest instant, her irises turned orange and,
CLANG!
The sword met steel. But in Kiana's hands… there were no pistols anymore. Instead, a twisted lance of black, orange, and white coiled like a living thing, locking Bronya's weapon in place.
Bronya's lips moved, almost too quiet to hear.
"There you are… Herrscher."
Kiana's expression shifted, voice lower, colder, like someone else entirely was speaking.
"Dregs. The likes of you don't deserve to stand in my presence."
In the stands, the moment they felt the changes, Theresa immediately stood up. Even without the use of localized scanners, they could feel the rise in Honkai Energy.
"What! That is…! Immediately, call the—"
Immediately, Theresa stood up, however, was interrupted by the Thunder Queen.
«No. Let them continue.»
"Are you serious? Was that your goal all along?"
Himeko's boots hit the platform as she stepped forward, sword leveled at Mei's chest.
The Herrscher didn't answer. Her gaze remained locked on the fight, utterly calm.
Seeing that, Rita fell into thought.
Was this their real goal? To test their new weapon against a Herrscher.
That couldn't be it. After all, there was no saying if they would draw out the Herrscher.
There was this chance, and there was also another chance of them not being able to draw out the Herrscher.
Looking at the calm face of the Thunder Queen, she couldn't help but think there was more to this.
"I believe we should calm down first; it seems the situation is under control, at least for now."
True to her words, their clash didn't falter.
Bronya and the half-transformed Kiana tore across the air, steel and energy colliding in brutal rhythm.
Most Valkyries in the stands didn't even realize what they were looking at, only that the speed was inhuman.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Sparks rained with each strike.
"Humans have built some… interesting toys."
Kiana, no, the Herrscher, remarked with her voice dripping with disdain and malice.
They locked weapons mid-air. The twisted lance drove forward—
HWRRHHH!
A deep, primal roar shook the air. The Another Fafnir shuddered once, then expelled a shockwave in all directions.
Howling Roar.
A technique that releases shockwaves from the frames of the machine, which can then be controlled.
It is mostly used as an attack, but skilled pilots can use it as a barrier.
The likes of Lux Arcadia, as Bronya had heard, could even use it to repel enemy moves and counterattack with it.
The same thing was applied here.
The shockwaves pushed Kiana(?) away, as her boots skidded in the air, before forcing herself to a halt.
She regained footing mid-air, but Bronya wasn't letting up.
After that, Bronya appeared above, swinging the massive scale blade of the fragile-looking Dragon Machine from above.
"Kuh—!"
Which again was blocked by the Herrscher. And just as the cat and mouse went like that for a few seconds more,
Bronya, who was about to strike, suddenly paused and then moved. She was in front of Kiana, then in the next, she appeared meters away.
"Finally, I can finally use this."
Blue light began to bleed from every seam of the Another Fafnir.
At first, they drifted lazily, like dust in sunlight, then the glow swelled, particles pouring out in a torrent.
The stage vanished beneath a tide of shimmering frost-light.
With eyes closed, Bronya slowly opened them.
Back on the stand, Mei came back into control as she softly whispered, "It's time… it's over."
They wondered what could have made Mei say such a thing.
No. Just seeing the scene in front of them, they knew something big was coming. But how big… they had no idea.
All they could do was wait as Bronya opened with:
"Another Raiment: Another Blood."
The massive blade in her hands dissolved, segments shifting, plates folding, lines of blue light racing across its frame.
It reformed Into a cannon.
A magic circle appeared in front of Bronya's right eye as she leveled the cannon against Kiana.
She then muttered,
"Victory."
TSUN!
A thin beam lanced forward, followed by a detonation that swallowed the arena in white-blue brilliance.
BOOOOM!
[BRONYA WINS].