Because of the circumstances of her own birth, Kiana felt a profound sense of empathy for what the Iron Cavalry of Glamoth had once been.
Had the Republic of Glamoth not already been a nation in name only—merely waiting for time and the Empire to slowly devour it—Kiana likely would have flown over there herself to knock some heads together.
'Finality Kiana' had even secretly tracked down Firefly.
Of course, she wasn't called "Firefly" just yet; after all, she still had a swarm of brothers and sisters, and there was no need for her to be a moth flying into a flame.
Firefly was also one of those who had stepped onto the path of destiny, though her path was not Elation, but Propagation.
She was a rare individual—one who understood Propagation through her own will.
Currently, she was the only one besides the Queen of Glamoth to achieve such a feat. Because of this, she had even caught the attention of both the Queen and the Land of Light.
It could only be said that anyone handpicked by Elio must possess some extraordinary quality.
Out of a personal whim, 'Finality Kiana' quietly gifted Firefly a dream.
Into the consciousness of this girl who was unable to dream, she tucked away a beautiful vision and a mask.
The power within the mask wasn't overwhelming, but the combined traces of Elation and Permanence were enough to help her suppress Entropy Loss Syndrome.
Kiana was curious why her other self had singled out this specific individual.
She desperately wanted to resolve the hidden plight of the entire Iron Cavalry, but she knew that while these were her feelings, she couldn't force them upon her other self.
'Finality Kiana' understood Kiana's sympathy perfectly.
However, bestowing a large-scale blessing upon an entire group was an act that required extreme caution. If she wished, she could use the power of Permanence to force the entire Iron Cavalry to evolve.
The problem was that the current Iron Cavalry was already unique; since their Queen had become a Giant of Light, the radiance spreading through the swarm was something special.
In terms of raw power, they were likely the strongest swarm in existence, second only to the one led by Reveria.
If she layered the power of Permanence on top of that... a powerful group centered on Propagation gaining the strength of Permanence?
The Equilibrium would almost certainly intervene at that point. They'd probably come knocking on her door specifically to shut her down.
As for Silver Wolf... she had fallen head over heels for the Unicorn Gundam the moment she laid eyes on it. It was cool—just way too cool.
Even if it wasn't exactly her typical style, she was more than willing to acknowledge the machine's aesthetic perfection.
And so—the little Silver Wolf, who wasn't exactly the type to act spoiled, found herself glancing longingly at 'Finality Kiana'.
She was too embarrassed to look directly, and she certainly didn't want to act like a clingy child as she might have years ago. Instead, she just snuck little side-eye glances every other moment.
It was honestly adorable. Even Kiana noticed it, though she wasn't quite sure what Silver Wolf was up to.
"What is... Bronya doing? Why does she keep peeking at you every few seconds?"
"She probably thinks the Unicorn Gundam is cool and wants one for herself," 'Finality Kiana' replied.
"?" Kiana frowned, tilting her head in confusion. "Then can't she just make one? With that... Aether Editing stuff she does, can't she make anything?"
'Finality Kiana' just smiled and winked.
Kiana caught on quickly. This wasn't about whether she could make it herself; it was about wanting to be pampered by her "other self."
It was like a child wanting a parent's affection; if another kid shows up and starts hogging the attention, the first child gets grumpy. Silver Wolf was stuck in that exact headspace.
The Unicorn Gundam had been made by 'Finality Kiana' as a gift for that girl, Reveria.
Strictly speaking, Silver Wolf had something similar—her Project Bunny was a gift from 'Finality Kiana' back when she was little.
But for a "younger sister," a "big sister's" affection isn't something you can just rationally divide in half.
Especially after knowing what Silver Wolf went through as a child.
Compared to the Bronya Kiana knew, this little one, having suddenly found the warmth of a gentle older sister, would naturally become attached for a long time.
Back then, Mei had filled that role. Now, in the heart of this little Bronya, that role belonged to "Finality."
Kiana let out a grin that made Silver Wolf feel incredibly annoyed—the kind of look that said she was being "indulgent" without saying a single word.
Before Silver Wolf could snap, Kiana strolled over and gave her head a playful, chuckling pat.
"I've seen you sneaking glances at my other self for a while now. If you want to act like a baby, just say so. If you're shy, I can step out and give you two some 'alone time.'"
"…!!!"
With that one sentence, our Punklorde Wolfie turned beet-red with heat.
"I am NOT acting like a baby!!! You big idiot!! You're infuriating!"
Silver Wolf nearly jumped out of her chair to tackle Kiana, her face glowing crimson—though whether it was from rage or the shame of being overheard by 'Finality Kiana,' it was hard to tell.
'Finality Kiana' was speechless at Kiana's antics.
This girl... she did that on purpose. She knew Silver Wolf was in her teens—an age where "saving face" was everything—and she still chose the bluntest provocation possible.
If the adult Bronya back on Earth heard this, she'd probably want to throw hands too, let alone this teenage version.
When 'Finality Kiana' caught Kiana's eye, Kiana just gave a cheeky wink and bolted.
As Kiana sped away, Silver Wolf gnashed her teeth, ready to give chase.
'Finality Kiana' let out a helpless sigh and reached out, scooping the slender girl into a hug. She placed a hand on Silver Wolf's head and gave it a few gentle strokes.
Silver Wolf, who had been about to struggle, turned red and quieted down instantly.
"Does Bronya want a cool mech too?"
Silver Wolf's face flushed—a mix of the embarrassment of being read like a book and the happiness of being noticed by her sister.
"Building a whole new mech might be a bit redundant, though. How about we add a new form to Project Bunny instead?"
"It doesn't have to be a giant mech... I just want it to look cool!"
"..."
That was very much Silver Wolf's style.
If we're talking about "cool," maybe a Kamen Rider style would suit her? Hyper Muteki? But maybe that's a bit too gold and flashy... and the Ex-Aid series has that exaggerated manga aesthetic that might not hit her specific tastes.
But it wasn't a big deal. At the end of the day, it was just a matter of design; the core was just a full-body powered exoskeleton.
She could just input a bunch of different sets and let Silver Wolf pick and choose.
She could even show her those old Unit-01 designs she never ended up using.
Since Project Bunny was an external mechanical assistant, all it needed was a little form-shifting and some specific functional upgrades.
It was just like the armor she'd modified for Reveria—no need to build an entirely new system from scratch.
Once Silver Wolf was properly mollified, 'Finality Kiana' took the two of them to the Xianzhou Alliance.
Unfortunately, while boarding the ship was easy enough, they only managed to meet a few of the Generals. The Marshal remained as elusive as ever.
It was worth noting that Yueyu already had plans to hand the title of General over to Feixiao.
Apparently, Feixiao was currently undergoing specialized training for the succession. If she could pass the test of the Reignbow Arbiter in a couple of years, Yueyu could finally enjoy a smooth retirement.
Also, perhaps due to Kiana's constant teasing, the atmosphere between Silver Wolf and Kiana had grown increasingly competitive.
Since Kiana loved gaming herself, the two eventually ended up huddled together, hopelessly addicted to their screens.
Essentially, whoever won a round would mock the other mercilessly, leading the loser to fly into a rage and start a scuffle, with 'Finality Kiana' having to step in and pull them apart.
Then, the cycle would repeat. Aside from the games themselves constantly changing, the routine remained the same: Kiana would finish her sightseeing, and the drama would begin.
At first, 'Finality Kiana' worried their relationship might actually sour. She soon realized she was wrong.
For Silver Wolf, it was like she'd found a rare gaming buddy.
Kiana loved games, was a bit of an airhead, and despite being older, she acted like a total kid—they were on the exact same wavelength.
For Kiana, teasing this tiny version of Bronya was pure joy.
It felt like she was finally getting revenge for all the times she couldn't win against the Bronya she knew.
Plus, the bickering and gaming made Kiana feel, for a fleeting moment, as if she were back in her teenage years again.
As a result, through all the fighting and shouting, the two had actually become "frenemies."
'Finality Kiana' would occasionally join in to make up the numbers, though not often.
It wasn't that she didn't like games; it was just that games couldn't keep up with her mind anymore.
Gaming is usually a test of reaction, hand speed, and prediction. For the current 'Finality Kiana,' even ignoring her absurd physical stats, her brain alone was a cheat code.
She'd play through a prologue, walk around for a few steps, and she'd already deduced the developer's intent, the challenges they planned to set, the rewards, and the ending.
Often, the developer's actual vision wasn't even as interesting as the version she'd mentally reconstructed.
It turned most games into nothing more than immersive storybooks, stripping away half the fun.
So, these days, she preferred watching others play rather than picking up the controller herself. For instance, she quite enjoyed watching Kiana and Silver Wolf's petty wars over the screen.
And just as Kiana was truly beginning to settle in, the trio finally drifted their way to the Xianzhou Luofu.
The moment they touched down, Kiana and Silver Wolf charged straight for the headquarters of Celestial Sparrow Entertainment.
--+--
T/N: If you want advance chapters, you can find it at [email protected]/AspenTL