I'm in Morioh, just joined a chat group for cute girls.

As soon as he took a step, a series of low and dense "quack" sounds came from beneath his feet.

Walter stopped and lowered his head.

He saw on the ground dozens of colorful frogs, their bodies perfectly arranged to form a giant arrow pointing towards the school gate.

“This is…” Walter pushed up his glasses, the lenses reflecting a cold light.

His brow furrowed. "A new kind of prank? What terrible taste."

He looked in the direction of the arrow and saw that every few meters along the path leading to the school gate, there was a brightly colored frog, like a string of eerie road signs.

He crouched down and carefully observed a frog at his feet.

Her jewel-like blue skin was dotted with irregular black spots, beautiful yet deadly.

“Poison dart frogs.” Walter’s voice deepened. “They are all highly poisonous species. Using such things as prank props is simply too despicable.”

If it was done by a student, then the nature of this matter is far more than just "fooling around".

Walter stood up and walked forward along the "signposts" made up of highly poisonous frogs.

He quickly arrived at the school gate and saw a fiery red figure standing there, hands on hips, glaring at the sky.

"Which bastard student played this prank! Don't let me catch you!" Himeko scratched her long hair in frustration, her foot stomping on a poor frog with such force that it almost cracked the ground.

As soon as she finished speaking, there was another commotion in the sky. Countless poison dart frogs fell like rain, yet they avoided her and Walter with extreme precision, blatantly forming the three Chinese characters on the open ground in front of them.

Changkong City.

"Changkong City? Is this a provocation?" Himeko's anger instantly reached its peak.

She had finally escaped her heavy teaching duties and made plans to have a drink with a man who seemed alright, but before she even left the house, this mess happened.

“It seems we received the same ‘invitation’,” Walter said calmly as he walked over to her and looked at the frog-like characters on the ground.

"Hmph, who cares who he is? Anyone who dares to mess with me, I'll drag him out!" Himeko said, pulling out her car keys from her pocket. "Perfect, Changkong City isn't far from here."

Walter looked at the poison dart frogs still wriggling on the ground, and had no desire to get involved in this event of dubious origin.

He turned around, intending to go back and deal with the poisonous creatures first, and then report to Theresa.

But as soon as he turned around, the sky suddenly swooped down again, and another wave of poison dart frogs descended from the sky, landing squarely in front of him, forming the three large characters "Chang Kong City" once more, blocking his path completely.

"Does this mean... I absolutely have to go?" Walter frowned even more deeply.

"Hey, I said, are you going or not?" Himeko had already opened the door of her red sports car, looking at him with some impatience. "You're dawdling, not like a man."

Walter stared at the wall made of frogs in front of him and remained silent for a moment.

He exhaled, as if he had made a decision.

"Well, let's just consider it a good workout." He pushed up his glasses again, his eyes sharpening behind the lenses. "After all, it's been a long time since I've received such a... enthusiastic welcome."

In the living room of Raiden's house in Changkong City.

The afterglow of the setting sun shone through the huge floor-to-ceiling windows, casting long shadows on everyone.

After listening to Gu Ye's account, Bronya simply looked at him calmly, without any reaction.

She asked, "Both Destiny and Anti-Entropy are behemoths. The plan you're talking about sounds like two giants devouring each other, with us little insects caught in the middle. Do you really think we can survive? Bronya doesn't believe we have the ability to manipulate the game."

"Why not?" Gu Ye leaned against the window, casually looking at the orange-red clouds outside. "We don't need to manipulate the game; it will move on its own. We just need to push down the first domino at the right time."

"That sounds too risky." W nestled on the sofa, too lazy to even turn his head, and just chuckled, "They talk a big game, but they might end up ruining themselves."

"You mean, wait?" Rin Tohsaka crossed her arms, as if she understood something. "Wait for a bait that neither Schicksal nor Anti-Entropy can ignore to appear?"

“That’s right.” Gu Ye gave her an approving look. “Sometimes, doing nothing is the best action. Just let the dust settle.”

He turned his head, his gaze falling on Raiden Mei, his tone softening: "Moreover, our primary objective in this operation is to ensure Mei's safety and prevent her from being driven into a corner, ultimately harming the city and herself."

Bronya's gaze followed, landing on the purple-haired girl who was being pulled along by Kitagawa Haimu, smiling somewhat shyly.

Should we prevent her from becoming a Herrscher?

This goal seems more realistic than stirring up trouble between the two organizations.

"Let's see how it goes," Bronya said in a voice only she could hear.

Just then, Gu Ye's voice rang out again, without warning, yet clearly reaching her ears: "England, the Thames River."

"What...do you mean?" Bronya asked, puzzled.

"The Key of God, the One Thousand Worlds, is sealed above the Thames." Gu Ye's expression remained unchanged, as if he were talking about a trivial matter.

"Why...why did you tell Bronya such important information?" Bronya asked with difficulty. "Aren't you afraid that Bronya will betray you and leave on her own after receiving the information?"

"Of course I'm not afraid." Gu Ye smiled, a faint smile that carried an all-knowing confidence. "Because you are Bronya, and also my Bronya. A Bronya who would risk everything to protect her promise to Seele. I believe that someone like you wouldn't be a traitor, right?"

“…He’s truly an unfathomable man.” Bronya’s lips moved a few times, but in the end she only muttered a low voice.

She stopped looking at Gu Ye, silently turned around, and walked to Raiden Mei's side.

"Oh wow!" Kitagawa Haimu blinked, looking Bronya and Gu Ye up and down with great interest, then clapped her hands and said excitedly, "Let me guess, let me guess! Could this cool silver-haired twin-tailed girl also be an important partner for Mei-chan in the future? Like those characters in games, who are enemies at first, but become key characters who join the party after a fight!"

"Yes, you guessed right." Gu Ye nodded, confirming Hai Meng's intuition.

"Tch, what a boring turn of events." W's voice came from the sofa. She had finally found a channel that satisfied her. An old gangster movie was playing on TV, with gunshots and explosions ringing out incessantly. This was clearly more captivating to her than the conversation in the living room.

"Um... it's getting late." Raiden Mei looked out the window at the gradually darkening night and said somewhat apologetically to the group, "Do we need to do anything tonight?"

"No need, just get some rest." Gu Ye shook his head. "Tomorrow morning, we'll go to ME Society and see what's going on."

0--

"I see..." Mei breathed a sigh of relief, then smiled gently. "I've prepared guest rooms. Please choose any room you like. I have quite a few rooms."

"Really?! That's amazing!" Kitagawa Kaimu cheered immediately, grabbing Mei's arm. "Mei-chan, Mei-chan, take me on a tour! I want to choose a room where I can see the stars!"

“I’m right here,” W said, adjusting himself comfortably on the large leather sofa, propping his feet up on the coffee table, as if to say, “This territory is mine now. Don’t bother me while I’m watching the movie.”

"Thank you for the hospitality, Raiden-kun." Rin Tohsaka nodded politely to Mei.

Mei smiled and responded to everyone. Her gaze inadvertently fell on Bronya, noticing her tattered combat suit and her exposed, slightly dusty, snow-white skin.

"Um... Bronya-san," Mei stepped forward and asked softly, "your clothes... if you don't mind, I have some new clothes that I haven't worn yet, could you lend them to me to change into?"

Bronya looked up at the purple-haired girl in front of her who was completely unguarded and even took the initiative to care about her, and a complex emotion flashed in her eyes.

She was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

"Thank you."

huh○⋯⒉弍/③○玖ノ╲

Chapter 17 Cocolia: This is a necessary sacrifice!

The deathly silence of the night was shattered.

A blinding white light engulfed the distant horizon, followed by a deafening roar that carried an unparalleled shockwave that swept across the entire city.

The top floor of ME Corporation's headquarters instantly turned into a burning torch, and the glass curtain wall fell like shattered candy wrappers, smashing into the ground and creating dazzling yet deadly sparks.

At the eye of the storm, smoke and flames had not yet dissipated.

Cocolia stood amidst the devastation, her long golden hair whipping wildly in the blast wave, her military jacket covered in dust, but her face showed no panic, only the cold indifference of a plan completely thwarted.

“What beautiful fireworks, aren’t they?” she said softly, as if admiring her own masterpiece.

“It is indeed beautiful.” An elegant yet cold voice sounded behind her. “It’s just a pity that no one will applaud for this magnificent finale.”

Cocolia whirled around, and a huge, gleaming scythe was already silently pressed against her throat.

The blade was icy cold, pressed against her delicate skin; just a fraction closer and it could easily sever her artery.

Rita stood behind her, still in her flawless maid pose, as if the earth-shattering explosion had nothing to do with her.

She wore a humble smile, but her wine-red eyes held a bottomless chill.

“Ms. Cocolia, a cadre of Anti-Entropy,” Rita said, as if reading out an afternoon tea menu, “you infiltrated Changkong City without permission and detonated a high-yield Honkai energy bomb. Don’t you think you should explain your actions?”

"Who are you?" Cocolia didn't answer. Her gaze passed over Rita and fell on two people walking from the other side.

Himeko Murata's fiery red trench coat fluttered in the night wind, her face contorted with rage, her eyes burning with flames that seemed about to burst forth.

"I don't care who you are!" Himeko roared, her voice almost drowning out the distant sirens. "Do you know how many people will die from this bombing? What do you think human lives are? You're a madwoman!"

“Dead people?” Cocolia chuckled, her laughter filled with disdain and mockery. “Miss Valkyrie, have you, Schicksal, killed fewer people than this little bomb of mine? Don’t use your ridiculous sense of justice to question me.”

"You!" Himeko was so angry that she was about to rush forward.

"Himeko, calm down." Welt reached out to stop her, his expression unusually serious.

He looked at Cocolia, adjusted his glasses, and asked in a deep voice, "Anti-Entropy...why are you here? What is your purpose?"

“Our goal?” Cocolia turned her gaze to Welt. “Our goal has always been the same—to fight the Honkai. It’s just a pity that our methods are not as ‘gentle’ as Schicksal’s.”

"Does fighting the Honkai require blowing up an entire building?" Himeko retorted.

“This is a necessary sacrifice,” Cocolia said calmly, as if stating a truth.

Rita pressed the scythe against her throat a little closer, smiling as she said, "Ms. Cocolia, I think you've misunderstood. I don't care about your motives; I'm only responsible for taking you, this 'terrorist,' back to His Holiness the Bishop for judgment. As for whether your ideals are noble or foolish, you'll have to explain that to Lord Otto yourself."

At the same time, at the Lei Dian family villa, several kilometers away from the explosion center.

The enormous shockwave, like an invisible giant's hand, slammed heavily onto the villa's floor-to-ceiling windows.

The reinforced glass made a teeth-grinding sound before finally shattering under the weight, sending countless shards, accompanied by a gust of wind, rushing into the living room.

"Wow!!" W jumped up from the sofa, threw down the remote control, rushed to the broken window, her eyes gleaming with extreme excitement. "Now this is more like it! Now this is what a night of revelry should be like! Hahahaha!"

"Aaaaaah—!" Kitagawa Haimu screamed in terror as she rushed out of the guest room clutching a pillow, her long golden hair disheveled and her face filled with shock.

Rin Tohsaka and Bronya appeared in the living room almost at the same time.

Rin was already wearing a red top, and she held a sparkling gem in each of her hands.

Bronya had already changed into a white dress that Mei had lent her. She stood there expressionless, her eyes calmly analyzing the direction of the firelight coming from outside the window and the scale of the explosion.

"What's going on?! Is it an earthquake? Or have Honkai Beasts invaded?!" Hai Meng asked, trembling, peeking out from behind Rin.

Raiden Mei rushed downstairs, wearing a pink nightgown, her face filled with worry: "What...what happened outside?"

"It's nothing, just the opening ceremony we've been looking forward to."

Gu Ye's voice rang out.

He came out of his room wearing a simple black loungewear outfit.

He walked to the broken window, feeling the night wind carrying the smell of gunpowder blowing from the city center, and a barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips.

Gu Ye turned around and looked at the girls in the living room with their various expressions. "If I'm not mistaken, the person who detonated the bomb was Cocolia. And now, she's probably under the control of the Valkyrie of Destiny."

“Cocolia…Mom?” Bronya’s body jolted, and for the first time, her usually calm eyes showed intense emotion.

Gu Ye said, "Now, the crisis in Changkong City has been completely exposed to the light of day, and Tianming can no longer sit idly by. They will send their most elite forces to thoroughly investigate this matter."

He looked at Bronya and said, "Bronya, I know you're feeling very confused right now. But believe me, Cocolia won't be in any danger. She's just been 'invited' by Destiny to be a guest."

“However, Cocolia really likes to leave people with difficult problems.” Gu Ye’s voice broke the silence in the living room.

Behind him, a hazy cloud began to twist and condense, gradually revealing a clear human figure, pure white as if sculpted from clouds, except for its eyes, which were a chilling crimson.

"What's wrong? Another new enemy?" Rin Tohsaka took a half step forward, shielding Kaimu Kitagawa behind her. The gem in her palm had begun to emit a faint magical glow.

Gu Ye shook his head, his gaze sweeping across the night sky outside the window, which was reddened by the firelight: "There are no enemies. But if we don't deal with the Honkai energy that is spreading everywhere, Changkong City will become a Honkai beast buffet by tomorrow morning."

Chapter 18 The Collapse is a natural disaster, a weather phenomenon!

He paused, then added, "Don't worry, the concentration of that Honkai energy bomb wasn't high enough to wake Mei up prematurely."

"So what are you planning to do?" W licked her sharp canine teeth. She wasn't interested in cleaning up the mess, but she was very interested in the confident expression on Gu Ye's face.

“Of course, it’s about cleaning up the mess.” Gu Ye’s tone carried a hint of regret. “In the end, it’s because Schicksal’s response was too slow. If they had sent their real ace directly, Cocolia wouldn’t have even had a chance to press the detonator.”

He seemed to have thought of something, and then looked calmly at everyone.