At this point in time, Bronya knew very little about the Previous Era.
For one, she had never had any way to access information that classified.
For another...
Raiden Mei, one of the few people from the Current Era who had truly learned about that period, had never told her companions about her recent experiences back when Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent had joined forces to fight Ling Ke.
More specifically, she had never told them everything she had seen and heard inside the Elysian Realm.
As a result...
Bronya had no idea that the Seele standing right in front of her was actually the vessel for this era's Sixth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Death.
Of course, that was how things were supposed to unfold in the original timeline.
Not long ago, however, intelligence regarding Seele had already reached the upper ranks of The Moths Who Chase the Flames.
So, unsurprisingly...
"Even if she is only a potential vessel for those monsters, she must be detained immediately."
There was no need to go into detail about the endless bickering in their virtual conference.
Ultimately, the upper ranks of The Moths Who Chase the Flames passed the resolution unanimously.
Just as they would do to Sakura's little sister, Rin, in the original timeline.
To be honest...
"I really don't understand their logic."
On the outskirts of Berlin, Europe.
Ling Ke had already arrived.
Bathed in moonlight, he stood with both hands stuffed into his pockets, a scoff tugging at his lips.
"If they already know she's a Herrscher Vessel, they should either monitor her from a distance without interfering, or kill her cleanly before anything happens."
"Why choose this half-baked middle ground?"
"It's like they're begging to create a monster that comes back to bite them."
As he thought about it...
"Oh, right."
Ling Ke smirked.
"The Moths of this era are probably still dreaming that Honkai Energy is some epoch-making new power source they can completely control."
"Simply put, they still haven't grasped just how catastrophic Herrschers truly are."
"Looks like Mobius definitely cherry-picked the intel she leaked to them."
"And besides..."
Ling Ke glanced in a certain direction.
"That clash between Ancestor Kevin and Raiden Mei seems to have shifted even more of their attention toward these superhumans."
"The MANTIS Project... heh."
The Lord of the Theater let out a cold laugh.
By now, he had secured the perfect vantage point to sit back and watch the whole board.
Within the range of his perception, several different factions had already infiltrated Berlin.
Aside from the mobile strike force of The Moths Who Chase the Flames...
Kevin Kaslana.
Raiden Mei.
Even...
Elysia.
These individuals, representing completely different camps and bearing completely different allegiances, were all converging on a single ground zero.
And right inside that ground zero, at the very center of today's chaos...
"Seele!"
With Project Bunny guarding their perimeter, Bronya made the correct split-second decision.
Without hesitation, she scooped the short-haired girl into a princess carry and leapt straight over the orphanage's perimeter wall.
As the two of them dropped toward the street...
"Rider On!"
Bronya barked the command.
Project Bunny synchronized with her and shifted its form in midair.
[Rider On!]
[Switch Engine Drive!!!]
A sleek, sci-fi motorcycle in blue and white slammed onto the pavement with a heavy thud.
"Hold on tight!"
Momentum carried both girls perfectly onto the saddle, although Seele was still too dazed to process what was happening.
Bronya twisted the throttle.
The tires screamed against the pavement.
With a roaring blast, Project Bunny's motorcycle form shot forward like a bullet.
Caught completely off guard, Seele yelped and threw both arms tight around Bronya's waist.
"I... y-you... wha..."
"Seele, listen to Bronya."
Bronya was already in combat mode.
Her eyes darted across the surroundings, scanning for threats, while her tone dropped into something dead serious.
"Bronya does not yet know whether that sudden attack was targeting Bronya, or you."
"But no matter who they are after, as long as we get far away from the orphanage, the chances of anyone else being caught in the crossfire will drop significantly."
"Even if the attackers try to use hostages later, we need to move the battlefield first."
"A fight is almost guaranteed."
"And we must make sure the collateral damage does not reach the orphanage grounds."
"That way, the children and Director Nat will be safe for now."
Project Bunny's motorcycle form projected a continuous shield.
So aside from the brutal whiplash of that initial launch, the ride itself was surprisingly smooth.
Thanks to the barrier, Bronya's words reached Seele clearly even through the roar of the engine.
"..."
Seele fell silent.
Hearing Bronya's reasoning only twisted the knot of regret in her stomach even tighter.
She regretted bringing this stranger back to the orphanage.
No.
It went further back than that.
I never should have gotten involved with her.
It only made sense.
As far as Seele was concerned, she was just an ordinary girl raised in an orphanage.
Why would she ever be the target of such freakish attackers?
It had to be the girl in front of her.
The one who could summon a massive robot out of thin air.
The one who could turn that same robot into a motorcycle.
The one who wore an exoskeleton around her legs.
The petite girl who had just scooped her up and leapt several meters into the air like it was nothing.
She was the only logical target.
Seele had somehow stumbled into a dangerous hidden world she was never supposed to see.
She opened her mouth to speak.
"Project Bunny. Attempt to breach the enemy's comm channels."
[Roger!]
The electronic voice chimed in response.
A moment later...
Beep... beep... bzzzt.
Static crackled through the air, then quickly cleared into a burst of radio chatter.
"Plan A has failed. Repeat, Plan A has failed. Target is rapidly fleeing the designated sector."
"Target possesses high-speed mobility. Widen the perimeter."
"Requesting air support."
"Lethal force is prohibited. Repeat, lethal force is strictly prohibited."
"The Sixth Herrscher Vessel must be captured alive."
"!!!"
In that instant, shock appeared on both Bronya and Seele's faces.
Yet their thoughts went in completely different directions.
Seele, still completely in the dark, thought:
So it really is because of her...
She had only been dragged into this mess as collateral.
Meanwhile, Bronya's mind raced.
The Sixth Herrscher Vessel?
She immediately seized on that key phrase.
Bronya had seen the Stigma on Seele's body before.
Because Seele was the sister she cherished above all else, Bronya had once secretly dug through every file she could find about that specific crest.
Unfortunately, she had not found much.
Even so, one crucial piece of information had stood out.
Namely, the origin of Seele's Stigma could be traced back to the Previous Era's Sixth Herrscher, the Herrscher of Death.
Now, factoring in her own hostile history with Ling Ke...
Combining that old intel with the sudden appearance of this Seele today...
And adding their current predicament on top of it all...
"..."
Bronya had a pretty good idea of what she was about to face.
But even so...
Seele...
Bronya's expression hardened with unshakable resolve.
You haven't become a Herrscher yet.
Bronya will definitely protect you.