"My other self, did you feel that?"
"Yes, something is watching us!"
In the World of Consciousness, the girl in the black and red dress had been fuming with shame and anger just a moment ago, but upon realizing something was amiss, she immediately reined in her temper and became alert.
Ever since parting ways with Bronya, this strange, gloomy feeling had lingered around the two of them.
Like a venomous snake, coiled and ready to strike, hissing by their side.
They didn't know when they might step on its tail, causing it to suddenly bite them.
An enemy in the shadows, while they were in the open.
Even the typically feisty 'Seele' knew that now was not a good time to display their strength.
But it was precisely because of the furtiveness of these vermin that the two girls clearly recognized where their safe zone was…
"Seele, go find them!"
'Seele' instructed her other self while remaining on guard.
Raiden Mei, Kiana, Brian, Li Sushang…
Aside from the useless Bronya and Fu Hua, who had not yet fully recovered her strength, all the others were powerful enough to protect them.
A venomous snake that only knew how to ambush others from the shadows stood no chance against truly powerful beings.
"Okay!"
Seele Vollerei broke into a run, heading unhesitatingly in the direction she remembered.
The feeling of being watched by the snake grew closer, further confirming to the two girls that they had made the right choice.
Almost there!
Can't wait any longer!
At the same moment, two different voices sounded on different planes of the same space.
Ripples, like waves, spread across the surrounding space, and the delicate, pitiful girl was instantly surrounded, with no path of retreat.
"My other self…"
"Ah, we have no choice but to fight!"
Fleeing was merely the optimal strategy, as they didn't know how dangerous this snake hidden in the darkness truly was.
But from the current situation…
'Seele' looked at the plaster monsters and Titans that appeared before them with the spatial fluctuations, making a rough assessment of the enemy's strength.
"These things are probably the masterminds behind the rampaging Titans. Controlling these toy-like things must be their ability."
A piece of good news: this opponent was not particularly strong, and didn't even dare to show their face.
The bad news…
"There are quite a few of them. Seele, can you handle it?"
Dozens… hundreds…
Their massive size, combined with such a huge number, formed an army capable of annihilating a medium-sized country, making one worry if Seele could cope.
But the delicate girl's limpid eyes simply filled with a determined light. "My other self, while you've been getting stronger, don't forget that I've been growing too!"
With the scythe Nursery Rhyme in hand, Seele Vollerei was ready for battle.
The pale plaster monsters, devoid of any gentlemanly compassion, raised their giant hands and feet and brought them crashing down on Seele with a whistling wind.
With the force of a falling mountain!
If she were crushed squarely by one of these things, not even a tank could emerge unscathed.
Although their base material was ordinary plaster, under the enhancement of a special power, they were no less formidable than normal Honkai Beasts.
But Seele was no pushover either.
As the giant foot came down, the girl's petite figure vanished, reappearing in an instant atop the plaster monster's head.
Thud—!
The scythe fell, and the seemingly majestic and terrifying plaster monster disintegrated in an instant.
The battle was not over.
A towering shadow instantly appeared behind the girl, its raised steel arms carrying the pressure of death.
—A Warping Titan.
This was a powerful model capable of turning a Valkyrie into Valkyrie fragments, a masterpiece born from the X-10 experiment precisely because of Seele.
"Seele, watch out!"
A fist fell, and Seele, who had appeared behind the Titan, felt her heart leap into her throat.
It was dangerous, but not unbeatable.
After all, she could already face several full Titan squads simultaneously in the training chamber without losing ground.
"My other self, please don't underestimate me!"
Boom—!
The behemoth crashed to the ground.
But more shadows closed in, threatening to devour Seele Vollerei whole.
…
"Fifty-five."
"If this keeps up, we're going to lose everything we have!"
The true culprit was just a step away from Seele, but the girl, deep in the throes of battle, was completely unaware.
A puppet witnessed Seele's entire fight. After counting the losses this time, it collapsed to its knees in despair.
So many plaster monsters and Titans—most of the forces they had stored in the Theater of Domination had been wiped out in this one operation.
Without these powerful combat machines, were they, the Thousand-strong Herrscher, supposed to go fight on the battlefield themselves?
That wasn't funny at all.
The puppet accompanying him had a completely opposite reaction, showing no sympathy whatsoever.
One of them said rationally, "You can't make an omelet without breaking eggs."
"We can have as many plaster monsters as we want, and the warehouses of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are full of Titans and advanced tech."
There was one more thing this puppet didn't say, but it was a sentiment the other puppets silently agreed with.
—To make Bronya fall into the abyss of losers, paying this price was well worth it!
Since she had joined the ranks of the losers, she had to fail completely.
Otherwise… the Thousand-strong Herrscher would no longer be a thousand strong!
Of course, beyond the goal of keeping the thousand united, they were also jealous of the success Bronya had achieved outside of her romantic life. Thus, they were eager to see that Russian loli fall to her knees and cry, shouting, 'I can't do anything!'
The mere thought of it was enough to make one shout, 'Subarashii!'
They could hardly wait!
Another puppet spoke up: "The other one is here. Our goal is about to be achieved."
A hero saving the damsel in distress—this was the congratulatory gift the Thousand-strong Herrscher had prepared for Bronya's induction into the losers' circle.
This woman with the protagonist template was working hard to save her sister from the Inner World Protagonist, but they had already pushed her sister in another direction.
Bronya Zaychik, this woman was destined to fail!
The last puppet had some doubts: "What if that guy finds out we did this…"
"Don't worry, someone will take the fall for us."
A thousand is a thousand, and I am me.
When facing an external enemy, the thousand were of one mind; but in internal strife, the thousand… were truly a thousand individuals.
"Alright, it's about time. Deploy all our forces."
…
No more plaster monsters and Titans appeared out of thin air, but Seele and 'Seele' couldn't feel happy in the slightest.
"Damn it! There are too many of them!"
'Seele' gritted her teeth, looking at her exhausted other self, her hatred for the tactless mastermind growing stronger.
To dare treat them with such disrespect, these vermin who only knew how to hide in the shadows were simply courting death!
But no matter how she looked at it, the battle situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable for them.
"Seele, let me take over!"
"Okay, my other self. I'll leave it to you."
The color of the girl's pupils was suddenly stained crimson, and the inner layers of her beautiful hair took on a deep, dark red hue.
The girl, whose aura had suddenly become dangerous and bewitching, flashed a wild smile at her opponents and roared, "Scum, your end has come!"
Claws tore, tentacles flew…
Having several extra hands felt completely different. She killed and destroyed at a much faster pace than Seele.
But fiercer attacks meant greater consumption of energy.
'Seele' didn't even last longer than Seele…
"Damn it, there are just too many of these things!"
The girl was about to charge in again. Headstrong as she was, she never expected anyone to come and help her in a situation like this.
But everything she had encountered today was already part of the mastermind's plan.
Silently.
The field of vision was filled with a black mist of death. The plaster monsters and rampaging Titans that had been troubling the two girls just moments ago were quietly disintegrated and vanished, as if they had never existed.
If not for the traces of a fierce battle all around, the two girls would have almost thought they had experienced a hallucination.
"My other self, we're safe."
"Yeah, and a new danger has appeared."?
Before Seele could react, 'Seele' unhesitatingly retreated to her own domain, pushing this big idiot into the position she had just occupied.
Having just switched places, Seele felt a force from below, enveloping her entire body in a familiar embrace.
How was this dangerous? This was clearly the embrace of her sweetheart brother!
Safe! Reliable! I want to lean on him in his arms for a lifetime!
Pouting and acting cute was something that never needed to be learned; even a tomboy could pretend she couldn't unscrew a water bottle cap.
"Brother Brian, Seele is a little tired. Can you take me back to rest?"
Due to the intense battle earlier, Seele's body was covered in dust and sweat.
A girl her age, of course, would not allow herself to look unkempt in front of her crush.
"Of course."
The young hero Brian, who had just saved the damsel in distress, planted a light kiss on the girl's forehead and carried the lovely girl back to her room.
Bronya was out on business, and the girl, whose heart had long been captured, finally found a chance for close contact.
She couldn't let it go!
"Seele has no strength left, can you… help me take off my clothes?"
Her delicate little face was flushed with a shy crimson, her large, limpid eyes too shy to meet his. The girl's long eyelashes fluttered constantly, fully revealing the silly girl's feelings.
She had already made it this obvious.
The young Brian naturally had no reason to refuse.
"Alright, I'll help you."
But for some reason, perhaps due to the damage from the previous battle, the girl's clothes were as fragile as a piece of paper.
Riiip—!
They tore with a single pull.
Tender skin was exposed to view, its jade-like white luster whetting one's appetite.
The girl's expression grew even shyer.
"Tearing it off directly… is fine too…"
Alarm bells went off in 'Seele's' mind!
"Seele, you idiot, how could you do this!"
With that, 'Seele' was about to seize control of the body without hesitation, to stop this mistake from happening to Seele!
Usually, it didn't matter how this idiot let the Inner World Protagonist touch, kiss, or hug her, because she was always there to guard the final bottom line.
But if she took this step here today, she would become a thirsty, bad girl from now on, and there would be no going back!
Truly no going back!
She absolutely must not do it!
A crimson glow lit up in the eyes of the girl whose skin had already turned scarlet, only to be suppressed in an instant by a pure blue.
The seemingly delicate girl was incredibly strong at this moment. She embraced her other self's waist from behind, pulling down the arm that was reaching for the world of light.
At this moment, the girl finally spoke the words she had held in her heart all along.
"My other self, I've known all along, you know? You often sneak off with our Brother Brian in your dreams."
The slender hand reached out from behind, placing itself on 'Seele's' lower abdomen.
"Here, there must be many, many marks, right?"
In 'Seele's' eyes at this moment, Seele had become even more dangerous than herself, like a world-ruining seductress.
"You've been very naughty, you know, sneaking around with my brother behind my back."
"I…"
'Seele's' entire body stiffened, her voice so strained she could barely manage to say, "That guy forced me!"
"That's right! That guy forced me!"
Even when she was being fucked from both sides until she was well-done, 'Seele' had never once taken the initiative to ask for that guy's affection. It was always him, forcing her again and again, using his skilled techniques to make her eyes glaze over, unable to resist!
It was all the Inner World Protagonist's fault!
Seele remained silent, only chuckling softly.
Her hand caressed 'Seele's' body, from top to bottom, inside and out, as if confirming the traces on her that did not belong to her.
"Since you were forced, let's experience this feeling of being forced together."
"Shall we?"
The zero-distance contact between their souls allowed Seele to feel 'Seele's' thoughts even more clearly.
She agreed.
Tears welled up in both 'Seele's' and Seele's eyes, causing their pupils to flicker continuously between red and blue.
The struggle between the two girls made their shared body tremble as if electrocuted, sending ripples of crystalline waves through the water.
So good!
…
"This new power, I must make good use of it."
The silver-haired girl returned to her room, feeling the power flowing through her body, filled with satisfaction.
Becoming a Herrscher was no longer a dream, and the Thousand-strong Herrscher inviting her to join was no lie.
Her slender hand covered her chest. Bronya was certain that a Herrscher Core was providing her with powerful energy in this very spot.
Not just physically, but mentally as well.
With this immense power, she could fully utilize her intelligence to compete with the Inner World Protagonist.
Because she understood one thing very clearly!
—Only when their strengths are comparable can wisdom and skill allow the weaker party to achieve victory.
And in front of the Inner World Protagonist, with her defenses crumbling one by one, having already passed the stage of mere touching and rubbing, she had few paths of retreat left.
To burn her bridges! To risk everything for her world's most adorable little sister! This was Bronya's resolve.
But then again…
"Although I'm a Herrscher now, I still need to plan this out carefully."
In order to protect her sister from the hands of the Inner World Protagonist, coupled with the sudden increase in her power.
Bronya had to reformulate her plan to better and more comprehensively protect her sister!
The decisive Silver Wolf of the Urals took out a pen and paper and began to write and draw in a cipher that only she could decipher.
This time, the Inner World Protagonist wouldn't even think of taking her sister from her!
A mere Inner World Protagonist was nothing before the Thousand-strong Herrscher!
The lights on the ceiling seemed to have heard the heartfelt wish of the room's occupant and became exceptionally kind. The decorative green plants in the room appeared especially verdant under the light's glow.
As luck would have it, both were on the same level as Bronya's head, casting a layer of green adornment upon the girl's head.
"Seele, I will definitely protect you!"
Bronya is at work!
She will fulfill the vow she once made with Seele!
…