At this moment, Raiden Mei, without realizing it, was radiating an invisible killing intent.
Even though this killing intent wasn't specifically targeted at the three people present, in that instant, Kiana and Aaron exchanged a glance and immediately reacted in unison.
Before Raiden Mei could even realize that her emotions were off...
—She was pinned to the bed by the two of them, acting simultaneously from the left and right.
"Wh-what are you two doing!"
"Mei, I'm sorry. I don't want to hurt you, but the feeling you're giving me right now... is a bit off..."
"No need to beat around the bush, just say it straight—your current state makes me feel like the Herrscher of Thunder is about to wake up. If she really does wake up, this makes it easier for us to subdue you immediately."
The Herrscher of Thunder... is waking up?
It was only after the two had applied this 'physical calming method' on her that Raiden Mei realized her emotions had nearly spiraled out of control.
Raiden Mei still hadn't figured out the conditions for the Herrscher of Thunder's awakening.
But she knew very well that once her heart lost control, the Herrscher of Thunder dormant deep within her would inevitably seize the opportunity to take over her body.
And then, the Herrscher of Thunder would attempt to hurt the people most important to her.
However, considering the result of the previous battle between the Herrscher and Aaron and Kiana, the probability of the Herrscher of Thunder being beaten down by their combined efforts again was actually quite high.
But a Herrscher's destructive power was still too great.
Moreover, the [Magnetic Field Rotation] ability Raiden Mei had obtained was far too suitable for the Herrscher of Thunder.
As soon as the Herrscher found a chance to seize control of her body, even if Aaron and Kiana could take her down again, the Herrscher of Thunder might still turn the surrounding buildings... no, possibly even this entire city block or town into scorched earth.
Innocent people dying because her emotions went out of control was obviously not an outcome Raiden Mei wanted to see.
'Heh, this kid and the white-haired girl actually have a keen eye.'
*Mr. Hell... what should I do now?*
'Restrain your emotions. Before I begin teaching you moves and how to use your power, you must first learn to control your emotions.'
'Your performance just now revealed your weakness to everyone around you in an instant. If I were your enemy, I could use that information to constantly provoke you and scatter your focus.'
'In a duel between the strongest, losing your reason to anger and having your attention scattered is practically equivalent to seeking your own death—this is the first lesson I am teaching you.'
*...I understand.*
After struggling to restrain the anger in her heart, Raiden Mei allowed the lightning jumping across her body to gradually dissipate.
Meanwhile, Kiana, having taken out [Almighty Five Sights: Spectator] and hung it on her arm, was ready to observe Raiden Mei's expression.
On the other side, Aaron had absolutely no intention of letting go.
"Calmed down a bit? If you can't control it, I'll have to consider knocking you out directly. Compared to beating you up later, I personally think knocking you out right now might be the better choice."
"...I'm fine now."
*Before, we didn't communicate much. Now that there are no enemies around, I realize... Aaron really doesn't hesitate at all when he takes action against people.*
*But this is good.*
*With Aaron and Kiana here, even if my body is taken over again, they can suppress me immediately.*
*And if things reach an irreversible point...*
*No, I can't think like that.*
*I should strive to control this power, not shift the responsibility and burden onto them.*
After confirming that Raiden Mei was thoroughly okay, the three of them simultaneously turned their gazes to Bronya, who had remained silent the whole time.
Kiana, utilizing the Teigu, realized that [Almighty Five Sights: Spectator] couldn't see through the inner thoughts of a 'poker-faced' player like Bronya.
*This brat... what is she thinking?*
*And isn't Aaron worried that she'll say things she shouldn't when contacting her adoptive mother?*
"Master, aren't you worried... that Bronya will reveal your intelligence when contacting Mother Cocolia?"
Bronya maintained her expressionless demeanor, staring straight at her 'Master' with her eyes.
"Mother Cocolia is very formidable."
*No, that's wrong. Why is Bronya voluntarily saying these things?!*
*Regardless of whether Bronya intends to tell Mother Cocolia the truth, Bronya shouldn't be voluntarily warning this man.*
*Bronya... what is wrong with me???*
"Say it if you want. I didn't say you couldn't—the question is, even if you publish my intel, what can your adoptive mother, with her 'shocking wisdom', do with that information?"
Having figured out certain principles, Aaron spoke to Bronya with indifference.
"You possess less than one-tenth of the intel on me. Someone with countless trump cards and incredible intelligence, or someone whose raw power and wisdom are the ceiling of this world, might be able to threaten my life with that one-tenth of intelligence."
"But Cocolia is obviously neither of those. I know very well how many cards she holds. With just that stuff, if she dares to come, I'll make sure she returns in total defeat."
*Just how much intelligence does Master have regarding Mother Cocolia?*
*Looking at it this way, him letting Bronya call Cocolia for help looks less like negotiation and more like fishing.*
*Using Bronya to lure Mother Cocolia out, then finding a chance to eliminate her—Bronya cannot let him succeed!*
*Regardless of whether this guy can threaten Mother Cocolia, Bronya cannot let such a dangerous individual come into contact with her!*
[Hello? Is that Bronya?! Where are you right now? I can't locate your position via the cerebral chip!]
*W-Wait?*
*Why... can Bronya hear Mother Cocolia's voice?!*
*Bronya clearly didn't—when did it happen?*
Bronya, who had absolutely no intention of contacting Cocolia, realized only now that she had actively contacted Cocolia without consciously doing so.
She definitely had no thought of contacting Cocolia, so why was her body moving on its own?
[Bronya? Damn it, were you captured by the enemy?!]
Inside the Anti-Entropy sub-base, Cocolia asked the staff beside her with a cold face.
"What on earth is going on with Bronya's cerebral chip? Since she can complete a connection with us, she should have already left Nagazora City. It would be one thing if the residual Honkai energy from the Herrscher of Thunder in Nagazora was interfering with the chip. But now that she's left Nagazora, why can't you determine her location?"
"Lady Cocolia, the situation... is a bit strange."
Checking the intelligence on the instruments, a staff member adjusted his glasses and whispered to Cocolia.
"Miss Bronya has indeed left Nagazora City. But judging from the Honkai energy readings on the instruments, there are some strange Honkai energy signatures around her."
"Strange Honkai energy signatures? The cerebral chip I gave her has been treated with special Honkai resistance amplification. Ordinary Honkai energy reactions shouldn't be able to interfere with the chip's operation at all!"
"What is going on?"
Seeing the anger on the leader's face, the staff member spoke cautiously.
"The reason this Honkai energy is peculiar lies in the fact that—this Honkai energy fluctuation is similar to the fluctuations Miss Bronya transmitted back during her time in Nagazora."
"If my speculation is correct, this Honkai energy fluctuation originates from—the Herrscher of Thunder."
"What?!"
Hearing the staff member's speculation, Cocolia immediately understood why she couldn't pinpoint Bronya's coordinates even though Bronya had contacted her.
The Herrscher of Thunder was right beside her. Even if Raiden Mei had regained her self-awareness, as long as she unconsciously used the Herrscher's power, the environment around Bronya would have residual Honkai energy from the Herrscher of Thunder.
And with the Herrscher of Thunder's Honkai energy nearby, it was already difficult enough for Bronya's cerebral chip to complete a connection with Cocolia.
*However, doesn't this mean Bronya has met up with the Herrscher of Thunder?*
*I don't expect her to take down the Herrscher, but as long as Bronya stays with the Herrscher of Thunder, sooner or later I can follow the vine to get the melon, drag that little girl out, and bring her under my control.*
*As expected of my daughter; she completed the mission perfectly this time too.*
At this moment, Bronya wanted to actively warn Cocolia not to come looking for her.
But before she could speak, Cocolia spoke to Bronya first.
[Bronya, well done! The Herrscher of Thunder is right next to you, correct?]
*Yes, Mother Cocolia, please—*
[Very good. The fluctuations and frequency on our end are unstable right now, so I'll keep it short.]
[Follow the Herrscher of Thunder and pretend to be her ally for now. When the time is right, I will send people over.]
[This mission is very important. Failure is absolutely not tolerated.]
*...Yes, I understand, Mother Cocolia.*
In the next instant, worried that those around Bronya might notice something amiss, Cocolia actively cut the communication with Bronya.
Meanwhile, Bronya, having had the communication cut by the other party, revealed a rare, fleeting look of disappointment on her face.
Although she felt her adoptive mother hadn't done anything wrong in handling this matter, still...
*No, Bronya cannot think too much.*
*Mother Cocolia's actions have no issues.*
*Bronya is now with the Herrscher of Thunder, so we have indeed completed the first step of our plan.*
*But the problem now is that Mother Cocolia doesn't know that the Herrscher of Thunder already knows her plan.*
*And the combat power here... judging from 'Master's' confident attitude, he might truly not fear the trump cards in Mother Cocolia's hands.*
*No, I still need to notify Mother Cocolia. It is too dangerous here.*
But in the next moment, Bronya, who planned to actively contact Cocolia this time, received a notification that she was barred from sending outgoing communications.
Cocolia's idea was that to avoid Bronya alerting the enemy, she would actively block communications from Bronya's side.
Simultaneously, she would have her people monitor 24/7. As soon as the Herrscher of Thunder's Honkai energy dissipated, she could directly lock onto Bronya's target.
Finally, based on the location, she would see whether to dispatch Titans or clones from the Welt series.
The idea was actually quite good, but the problem lay in the fact that—in Cocolia's perspective, the person posing the greatest threat to Bronya was Raiden Mei.
But in reality...
Bronya, who knew a small part of the actual situation, showed an incredibly rare panic on her face.
Even though she knew Aaron using a castle to smash people didn't happen in the real world, the problem was that move seemed to be just one of this man's trump cards.
She didn't know what other big treasures Cocolia had besides Titans, and at a time like this, the only communication channel to warn her adoptive mother had been actively cut off by her adoptive mother.
Thinking of what might happen in the future, Bronya felt incredibly panicked.
"Ah, looking at your expression, you must have contacted Cocolia. How was it? If I'm not mistaken—she probably didn't plan to come chat with me, right?"
*What to do?*
*Tell a lie to fool him first...*
"After Bronya contacted Mother Cocolia, I did not tell Mother Cocolia the specific situation. But barring any accidents, Mother Cocolia should come to find Master—in a not very friendly manner."
*Hey!!!*
*Bronya, what is wrong?*
*Why, why does Bronya lose control of her body again and again, doing things Bronya doesn't want to do!*
"...Heh, then what about your safety? She didn't happen to not mention it at all, did she?"
"Master, even if you try to drive a wedge between Bronya and Mother Cocolia, Bronya will not fall for it."
*But, this guy... does he have some ability to see through others?*
*From the moment I met this man until now, Bronya has felt more than once as if her thoughts were pierced through by him.*
*And... he is indeed right.*
*Mother Cocolia really didn't say much about Bronya's safety this time...*
*No, I can't have such thoughts.*
*This is a sign of Mother Cocolia's trust in Bronya.*
*She is Bronya's mother...*
*Mother Cocolia definitely treats us as her own biological children!*