Chapter 72: True Bronya Kills with Stockings
The moment the door opened, everything in the bathroom seemed to hit the pause button.
The ripples created by Caelus's movements, the water droplets splashing into the pool, that clear and pleasant 'drip-drip' sound seemed to be the last echo in the entire world.
Then followed absolute silence.
Caelus didn't know who was controlling this body; to be precise, he didn't know which timeline's Bronya it was.
The overly sudden accident caught him completely off guard. He saw Bronya lift her head, a trace of spirit emerging in her hazy silver eyes.
When that trace of spirit, with the help of the mirror's reflection, captured Seele's figure, that instant…
It was like a level 1, unequipped ADC standing in the Haymaker of a level 18, fully-itemized Sett, not only taking the true damage in the center but also the damage from both sides. There was only one outcome.
Then, he clearly sensed Bronya's body temperature skyrocketing, as if she had turned into the Human Torch from the Fantastic Four, and also…
Her body tensed to the extreme, and her heart pounded.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
The sound of her heartbeat was clear and loud in the silent bathroom.
Not just Bronya's, but also the other two… one person's.
"S-Seele!"
Her now-clear silver-pink beautiful eyes widened to their limit, filled with disbelief. The cry escaped her lips in her excitement.
That was the figure Bronya thought about day and night, longed for, deeply imprinted on her soul. No matter what happened, she would never forget it, much less mistake it!
But after shouting, Bronya regretted it.
She had successfully dreamed of Seele.
But, why was it in this situation!?
Why would she have such a strange dream?
Wait!
Although she had never experienced the strange sensation spreading through her nerves, it felt as real as the touch of her palm against the glass wall.
Was this… was this really a dream?
"Bronya…"
The strong emotion clearly visible on the small face was astonishment and unexpectedness. The black stockings she held fell to the ground, enough to show Seele's shock.
"…Sister?"
The emotion was a genuine outpouring, the reason naturally being that the damn system suddenly had a BUG!
But from Bronya's perspective, the shock and horror on Seele's face were due to her disbelief at the absurd scene before her.
The moment Seele's eyes met those silver-pink ones, Caelus used the mask to control his emotions. He didn't ask the system what had happened; he didn't even have time to look at the compensation email.
His mind raced at lightning speed.
Regardless of whether the consciousness controlling this body was the adult Bronya from the Post-Honkai Odyssey era or a Bronya from another timeline.
In short, facing this situation, as Seele, there was undoubtedly only one reaction she could make.
Caelus's eyes narrowed slightly.
Persona, full power!
Seele gazed at Bronya's expression, her tender face tinged with a hint of sadness. She lowered her brows, her eyelashes seeming to cast a shadow on her youthful cheeks.
"Sorry, Sister Bronya, perhaps Seele came at the wrong time."
Seele forced a smile, but her eyes were so desolate, like a pitiful younger sister abandoned by her older sister.
"Then, Seele will go back first."
With that, Seele turned around, her dark blue bangs covering her eyes. A faint glint of something crystalline could be seen. Her somewhat flustered back stumbled away, like a blue butterfly with injured wings.
"No, Seele! Listen to Bronya's explanation!"
Seeing those few falling tears, Bronya completely lost her composure.
If it were her body with the damaged emotional center, Bronya would definitely have made a more rational choice.
But the body she was using now had only been 'born' into this world for a day; it was as healthy as could be.
The real feeling of blockage she hadn't experienced for years, along with panic, heartache, sorrow, and other emotions Bronya couldn't recognize, exploded in her nerves, so much so that she could only react purely emotionally.
Ignoring the strange young man beside her, she directly stepped out of the bathtub, her delicate jade-like feet landing on the short, tile-like boards, wanting to chase after Seele.
However, in the X-10 experiment, it wasn't just Bronya's emotional center that was damaged, but also her legs. Her leg nerves and muscle tissue had been severely damaged by high concentrations of Honkai energy.
She had equipped her legs with mechanical exoskeletons to maintain her combat capabilities.
The adult Bronya's legs didn't have such things, only a single white stocking that came with the Silverwing N-EX outfit.
For someone who had been paralyzed for years and was used to walking with external aids to suddenly recover and try to run without crutches or practice, there was naturally only one outcome.
Plop!
Bronya fell heavily onto the bathroom floor, the anxiety and panic on her pretty face replaced by astonishment. She clearly hadn't expected to fall.
Fortunately, her ample frontal armor served as a cushion; otherwise, she might have hit her face.
Caelus felt a pang of heartache; that was his body!
"Pain…?"
It was a rather hard fall. Even with the adrenaline boost, Bronya still felt pain. What made her cry out wasn't the pain itself, but the fact that she could feel pain.
Can you feel pain in a dream?
Or, is this not a dream?
Whether it was a dream or not, she couldn't ignore a crying Seele.
Feeling the sensation from her legs touching the ground, Bronya was stunned. This body's legs were healthy!
Without time to savor the joy of regaining what was lost, she propped herself up with her hands, awkwardly controlling her legs, and shakily stood up.
"Seele! Don't go!"
That figure had already stopped when she fell.
Stumbling a couple of steps, just before falling again, Bronya finally managed to grab the girl's slender, fair wrist.
"If Seele isn't here, watashi…" Bronya's face was filled with panic.
She didn't deliberately control her expression; her healthy emotional center provided the most genuine emotional feedback. She clutched Seele's wrist tightly, as if she had a thousand words to say but didn't know how to start due to the emotional explosion.
Seele didn't turn to look at her.
Mainly because she was afraid she'd lose it. Never mind that Bronya was only wearing one stocking; the key was the way she was grabbing her arm, begging her not to leave.
It gave Seele the déjà vu of being Soyo-chan begging the succubus version of herself. This included Bronya now half-kneeling on the ground because she couldn't control her legs freely.
Do you understand the value of a world-shattering kneel?
Who could resist laughing?
If he didn't have the mask, Caelus certainly couldn't.
In a corner Bronya couldn't see, Seele's lips were trembling.
She remembered a patient with a thousand faces, who seemed to be called Sparkle by some; her character PV was stunning, and she had once fervently watched it many times.
The current Seele understood that mental state very well.
What is Elation?
I am Elation~!
In less than half a second, the smile vanished from her lips, and Seele's expression returned to one of sorrow.
"Why? Sister Bronya."
It was a faint, bewildered, timid voice she was all too familiar with.
Bronya felt as if her cheeks were being cupped by a pair of small, tender hands. The familiar and warm touch made her incredibly nostalgic.
But Seele's gaze at her now was like a cold wind in a snowy landscape, chilling Bronya to the core, as if she had fallen into an ice cavern.
Tears overflowed from her sea-blue eyes, falling like pearls from a broken string. Looking at Seele's reddened eyes, Bronya was at a loss.
But it didn't matter, because she was about to panic even more!
In a faint tone tinged with deep sorrow, Seele whispered bewilderedly, "Why would you do this kind of thing behind Seele's back with Brother Caelus!?"
Like discovering her sister and lover having an affair, the sorrow and despair of being betrayed by her dearest sister, Seele seemed to be in a long, silent night, awkwardly hugging her knees to give herself a little sense of security.
"No, I'm not…!" Bronya subconsciously tried to explain.
But when Seele's icy, knife-like gaze pierced her, all her words got stuck in her throat.
"Seele saw everything. Does Sister Bronya still want to argue?"
Pointing at the remaining marks on Bronya's body, Seele's tone was ice-cold.
"Why?"
Hysterical emotions, yet Bronya didn't feel any malice. With Seele's gentle nature, she would only blame herself for all emotions.
"If Sister Bronya likes it, why didn't you tell Seele? Even the most precious treasure, Seele is willing to share with Sister Bronya, even Brother Caelus!"
A fragile, heart-wrenching tremor in her voice.
"Why did you have to hide it from Seele!"
Even the gentlest 'scolding' was soft and weak, lacking any aggression.
"Sister Bronya… you're a… big idiot!"
After letting out this roar, Seele forcefully pulled her hand away from Bronya's grip, gently swing it off.
Then, before Bronya, who hadn't reacted due to the overwhelming information, could process it, with a small hand covering her face, accompanied by faint sobs, Seele turned and ran out of the bathroom.
Bang-!
Bronya heard the sound of a door being slammed shut.
"I….."
Seele's outburst-like scolding felt like an ice blade piercing through Bronya's heart.
She collapsed onto the floor, her legs spread to the sides, hands pressed on the carpet between her inner thighs, sinking into dejection in a duck-sitting posture.
From the first second she opened her eyes, a huge amount of information had been continuously bombarding her, without stopping for a moment.
From the initial strange emotions to the later fear, unease, sadness, and bewilderment, these long-unfelt emotions constantly intertwined, making it impossible for her to calm down and think.
What on earth is going on?
Bronya's pink-silver eyes gradually became empty and bewildered.
Crystal-clear white water droplets trickled down her thighs, tracing the full curves of her snowy skin, and flowed onto the floor.
Bronya's pupils flickered when she saw them.
It's all his fault!
Whether I'm dreaming or not, Seele is crying because of him!
Brother Caelus… hehe, Brother Caelus…
"Bronya, are you okay?"
Seemingly oblivious to the killing intent in the beauty's eyes, Caelus stepped out of the bathtub, intending to lift Bronya from the floor.
The moment he lifted Bronya's body, the silver-haired beauty with gloomy eyes moved. With lightning speed, she pulled off the stocking on her left leg.
Twisting it with both hands, she wrung the wet stocking into a rope, looped it over his bent neck, wrapped the stocking around it, and then pulled tight.
Uralian Silver Wolf, the legendary divine skill—Stocking Kill!
A sense of constriction came from his neck. His throat was tightened and bound, making it impossible to breathe. The suffocation made Caelus's eyes widen, and his body reacted naturally.
This scene, to anyone, would look like a young couple playing an asphyxiation game.
"Go to…"
Before the word 'die' could leave her lips, Bronya was aghast to find that she had lost control of her body. No matter how hard her consciousness tried, those slender, jade-like hands wouldn't tighten another bit.
Why?
The next second after the question popped into her mind, a voice, a perfect blend of maturity and milky sweetness, sounded in her head, questioning in an icy tone:
[Using my body, using my stockings, to attack my lover, don't you think you're going a bit too far?]
[...!?]
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