"Bronya, come now, make your choice!"
"Will you join these outsiders in their meaningless resistance, or will you stand with me..."
"...in welcoming the arrival of a new world, and then embrace it?"
Everwinter Hill.
Looking at the group before her, Cocolia's eyes showed not a trace of panic.
The power granted to her by the Stellaron filled her with unprecedented confidence!
In Cocolia's eyes, all their struggles were utterly pointless.
(To put it simply: She was getting full of herself.)
"Mother! Please, stop this! If you stop now, there's still time..." Watching the Cocolia who now seemed so alien to her, a few crystalline tears glistened in Bronya's eyes.
"Bronya..." Seeing Bronya's weeping face, a flicker of remorse passed through Cocolia's heart. But for the sake of the new world, for a happy life in Belobog, Cocolia felt she had no other choice.
That pang of sympathy vanished as quickly as it came, her expression turning icy once more.
"Bronya, it seems you have chosen the wrong side..."
"If that's the case, then there's nothing more to discuss."
"Consider all of this a dream."
"When you awaken, you will be able to embrace our new world!"
"Mother..."
"Bronya, it's too late now. Cocolia has been completely corrupted by the power of the Stellaron."
Bronya stared at Cocolia before her, mouth opening as if to say something more, but she was interrupted by Seele No-Last-Name who raised her weapon, aiming it at Cocolia.
Bronya: ...
Hearing this, Bronya fell silent for a moment. Then, her gaze hardened with renewed resolve. A firearm materialized in her hands, and she forced down the turmoil within her, pointing the gun at Cocolia.
Seeing this, everyone else—except for Welt—also drew their weapons, training them on Cocolia.
Welt: ...
Welt adjusted his glasses, his hand gripping his cane tightly.
Logically speaking, someone corrupted by a Stellaron should be left with nothing but Destruction in their mind...
Yet that expression Cocolia had shown earlier broke that pattern.
Had she completely mastered the Stellaron? Or had she never been corrupted by it in the first place? Or perhaps...
If Cocolia had truly mastered the Stellaron, that would be troublesome...
But if she had never been corrupted by it, that was even more troublesome...
That would mean there was at least one other person behind Cocolia, someone who had fully mastered the Stellaron and granted its power to her...
Was it a Lord Ravager... or some other Emanator?
...
"It seems we've arrived just in time."
On a snowy peak not far from Everwinter Hill, Clara and Firefly watched the scene like spectators at a play, observing Cocolia and the Astral Express crew with detached curiosity.
"That... bespectacled man is very strong. Cocolia might not be a match for him." Firefly assessed the situation on the field, already predicting the outcome.
"Of course she's no match," Clara said with a yawn, waving a hand dismissively.
"This was just meant to give them a little warm-up, using Cocolia."
"With Welt here, I never expected Cocolia to accomplish much."
"Well, even without Welt, the result probably wouldn't be much different."
Watching Cocolia's utterly inflated demeanor, Clara felt an urge to go down there and punch her herself.
"Huh? Cocolia's transforming."
Hearing Firefly's words, Clara turned her gaze back.
Just then, a golden light erupted from Cocolia's chest, growing brighter and more intense until it enveloped her entire form.
When the light subsided, Cocolia was gone. In her place stood a fragmentum creature, its entire body radiating an aura of "Destruction."
"This transformation isn't as cool as mine." Seeing Clara's eyes fixed on Cocolia, Firefly felt a twinge of annoyance. Remembering her own transformation, she spoke up with a hint of pride.
"Yeah, yeah, Firefly, your transformation is the coolest~" Hearing this, Clara put on an act, clapping her hands in a very perfunctory manner.
Firefly: ...
"Oh right, Firefly, there's something I've been wanting to ask you." The moment Firefly mentioned transformations, a question that had puzzled Clara for a long time popped into her head.
"What is it?"
"Are you... naked inside the mech?" Clara asked with startling bluntness.
"Uh..." Firefly seemed at a loss for words, apparently somewhat embarrassed.
Seeing Firefly's reaction, Clara wasn't in a hurry. She just kept her eyes fixed on Firefly, waiting for an answer.
"Y-yes... I... when I'm piloting Sam, I... I don't wear clothes..." Firefly's face flushed red as she stammered out her reply to Clara's question.
If it had been in the past, Firefly wouldn't have reacted quite like this to such a question from Clara. She'd have been shy, sure, but definitely not to this extent.
So why was Firefly like this now? Well, of course, it was because earlier, while piloting Sam, Firefly had gotten a bit bored, not knowing what to do.
So... she... she hid inside Sam and... watched some... educational materials...
So when Clara asked this kind of question, Firefly's mind involuntarily replayed those scenes... and she felt an inexplicable sense of being seen through by Clara...
Clara: ?
Watching Firefly's expression, Clara scratched her head in confusion.
Was this really such an embarrassing topic for Firefly?
Seemed like it was...
Clara mentally noted Firefly's attitude about this matter, deciding not to bring it up again in the future.
"Firefly, you wear clothes before transforming, but after transforming, the clothes are gone. Are they burned away? Or is it something else?"
"And then when you finish the transformation and exit Sam, why are you wearing clothes again?"
"Does Sam have some kind of clothes storage and automatic dressing service?"
Because, you see, Clara was determined to get all the answers clear right now (cheerful grin), so there was no 'not bringing it up in the future'~
"Uh..."
Listening to Clara's rapid-fire questions, Firefly wasn't sure how to respond.
"It's not like that."
"If I wore clothes while controlling Sam, it might be a bit... inconvenient."
"Because when piloting Sam, my body needs to make contact with Sam, to merge with it as one."
"Wearing clothes would be very troublesome and might even reduce control sensitivity."
"During that time, the clothes are basically in a... hmm... a 'hidden' state, I guess."
"After exiting Sam, the clothes reappear."
"Of course, it's also possible that during a tough fight, if I use too much power, the clothes might get burned up or something."
Firefly organized her thoughts and answered Clara's questions one by one in detail.
"Ohhh, I see." Hearing this explanation, Clara finally understood. So that's why sometimes Firefly had clothes on when she exited her [transformation], and sometimes she didn't.
Turns out if the fight was too intense, the clothes could burn away.
"Mhm~" With her curiosity satisfied, Clara stretched lazily and turned her attention back to the battlefield between Cocolia and the Astral Express crew.
"Looks like their fight is about to wrap up."
"Time for me to make my entrance~"
"I hope you can bring me a bit of Elation~"
"Hehehe~ Hehehe~"
Firefly: ...
Watching Clara's demeanor now, Firefly swallowed hard.
I really want... I really want...
I really want to pin Clara down in this state, and then...
...
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