As the story of "Rebellion" began to unfold, it was just as Bronie had said—this was not a compilation film, but a brand new continuation of the series.
Although for the general public, for them, Bronie seemed to dislike making sequels, whenever they did appear, their quality was always top-notch.
For example, the DLCs for "Bloodborne," "Civilization," and "Apex" still had people purchasing them online even now. They go on sale every year and occasionally are even given away for free. Despite this, people continue to buy them, leading to frequent online queries about who hasn't bought them yet.
This demonstrates that sequels released by Haxxor Bunny are always guaranteed to be of high quality! And indeed, that was the case here.
As the movie came to a close and the end credits rolled, displaying almost entirely Haxxor Bunny's name, Welt couldn't help but admire Bronie's growing talent in storytelling. If this ability were applied to making anime about giant robots, like a sequel to "Arahato," it could result in many more Arahato appearing in the world!
With sufficient funding, Arahato could be mass-produced, fulfilling Welt and Tesla's dreams of giant robots. Unfortunately, Haxxor Bunny always had various reasons to avoid this project.
"Is it love, hotter than hope and deeper than despair? Can human emotions really be so heavy as to transcend the laws of the world?"
The movie's fleeting scenes hinted at numerous themes: the Imaginary Tree, the Sea of Quanta, Aeons, and the joy of laughing on the tree.
The plot was full of twists, and Akemi Homura's emotions created miracles that even surpassed the universe.
However, this also led to an unknown change in the world, with witches appearing among people without anyone finding it strange. It was as if through countless cycles, an accumulation had reached a tipping point, resulting in the birth of a god.
"Who knows? At some universe, The Hunt, Lan, might have been a warrior of the Xianzhou faction. Aeons, after all, must have been weak beings before. They just managed to travel further than most."
"But such a distance is far too great..."
And it's rare.
Welt had seen the materials shared by Bronie. Though he wanted to collect more data and even used Anti-Entropy's resources to access large telescopes, amidst the current Honkai crisis, these efforts were a waste of resources. Humanity's hope shouldn't be placed on distant Aeons.
Welt then focused on the children in front of him. "Is this really okay?"
"What?"
"Bringing the children to such an unfamiliar environment, so close to Schicksal's territory."
Welt glanced at a nearby surveillance camera. "Don't think Otto won't be monitoring us. My appearance may not be known to Otto, but still..."
Usually, within Anti-Entropy, Welt operated under the guise of Joyce. Even during the Second Eruption, he believed Otto had never seen his true face. Thus, after infiltrating St. Freya Academy, Welt felt he had the right to walk the streets openly. But this conversation could be lip-read, making Welt a bit uneasy. Schicksal's focus might very well be on the girl in front of him.
"I understand your concerns. The sudden change in environment is indeed a challenge for the children, but do you know why they can watch the movie today?"
Welt was momentarily stunned.
Right! This was a Far East cinema, surely the movie was in the local language. Why weren't the children struggling to read it?
Welt noticed the children had earphones. "Simultaneous translation? Or subtitles?"
"Immersion is the best teacher. The children aren't stupid. As for why we moved here, this will be my main operational base for fighting Honkai."
Welt's curiosity grew, but he followed Bronie to the Golden Courtyard on the mountain. The children were lively, their faces beaming with joy, showing no signs of discomfort from the new environment. This was a testament to their trust in Bronie.
Noticing this, Welt felt slightly relieved.
"You've always been making games. Where do you find the energy and time to focus on Honkai?"
Welt was perplexed. He had always followed Bronie's works. Streaming, drawing comics, and teaching were all exhausting tasks. How did Bronie manage to do even more?
"And another important issue, the imaginary energy eruption on that island in the Pacific—what's going on? You've never given Anti-Entropy a clear answer."
Bronie had consistently avoided providing information to Anti-Entropy, especially about the island. This wasn't due to any bizarre reason, just that they didn't want Anti-Entropy to divert their focus.
To understand the Imaginary Tree, one must start with the Sea of Quanta.
Otto, Bronie, and Kevin all walked that path.
"Schicksal's research on Honkai and the world's essence is far ahead of yours. It involves Aeons and the Imaginary Tree, which are beyond your current comprehension."
Back at the Golden Courtyard, Aponia brought two cups of tea from the kitchen. Bronie, looking at the city lights, sat with Welt.
"You, are you blessed by a Aeon? Is it The Elation?"
"Yes, The one that climbed to the top of the Tree of Existence, saw the truth of the world, and laughed at it as a god."
"It's no wonder your game development is so good... The Aeons truly are distant things..."
"But they're also very close to us."
Welt looked expectantly at Bronie, hoping for more explanation. However, Bronie turned her gaze to St. Freya Academy in the dark.
Perhaps because of its numerous gardens, the academy seemed even darker from a distance.
Maybe fewer streetlights were used, saving electricity for Theresa's Homu merchandise?
Thinking of Theresa, Bronie couldn't help but recall the idol who took care of her like family.
"It seems you have many secrets you're hiding from us. Do you really want to solve the Honkai crisis? If so, why conceal so much and instead choose to cooperate with Otto? Otto is incredibly untrustworthy."
Welt was desperate to understand what was happening. The matter of the Imaginary Tree might indeed relate to solving the Honkai crisis. His tone was harsher because of his urgency. Bronie, understanding his anxiety, pointed to Bronya in the distance.
"Even Bronya can become the saint of Anti-Entropy. Publicly, she is the mysterious Silver Wolf, but in reality?"
"Huh?"
Old Yang looked at Bronya, holding a Homu plush and chatting with Seele. She seemed innocent and pure, much like Bronie in the past.
And now Bronie was telling the Anti-Entropy leader that this was their saint, potentially joining their Executors?
"Are you joking!?"
"So, do you now understand how chaotic Anti-Entropy is? You advocate for freedom of speech, but Honkai doesn't care about human rights or free speech. Your massive anti-Honkai organization has become an unspeakable alliance of interests. You'll be kicked out sooner or later."
Despite Tesla and Einstein's efforts to prevent this, Welt had been the stabilizing force.
But now?
Welt had retreated to St. Freya Academy to experience life, almost neglecting his responsibilities.
If Welt ventured into the Sea of Quanta and went missing, wouldn't Bronie seize the opportunity to control the two scientists?
So Bronie's warning felt like a threat to Welt.
"So, you're warning me that Anti-Entropy isn't capable of fighting Honkai? We have the most advanced Titan mechs, not the inhumane artificial Stigmata of Schicksal. We possess advanced technology, abundant resources, and a firm resolve to fight Honkai!"
"I never doubted your resolve against Honkai. However, you're trying to run before you can walk. The incident on the island was just a rehearsal against Honkai. But this is our first time having tea face-to-face, isn't it?"
Welt sipped his tea. "Yes, I've always wanted to discuss games with you in person. Whether it's Titanfall or Arahato, unfortunately, I'm in a special situation now. I need to be back at school by ten p.m."
"Alright, alright, you two, stop arguing~"
Elysia walked over and sat beside Bronie. "Actually, the incident on the island was because of me~!"
Welt looked at Elysia and then at Bronie, feeling that things were not as expected.
Wasn't Elysia a streamer? And those ears—were they really Elf ears?
"If you really want to talk to him about this, I won't stop you. But Mr. Welt, though you inherited the Herrscher core, you haven't fully mastered its power due to your qualifications."
"But he succeeded, didn't he? To Bronie, an unascended Herrscher is just a larger Judgement-class Honkai Beast, but he retained his will, didn't he?"
Did you know that in this era, it's easier for girls to gain resistance to Honkai energy?
Bronie pondered and concluded that Elysia's preferences influenced this outcome. Despite deceiving time, the Ether Anchor imitated Elysia's authority to relay her intentions.
As for why the first Herrscher was a boy, Bronie speculated that Prometheus deemed males more rational, better suited to inherit the Herrscher of Reason's core.
"What were you just talking about? What does ascension mean? Retaining will... What does that mean?"
"Do you think you retained your sanity purely due to your strong will?"
"Is there a bigger secret here?"
"In the records of the previous era, no Herrscher retained their will or humanity. But now, even a Herrscher like Sirin, filled with malice towards humans, can be born. This is all because of the legacy from the previous civilization..."
"Bronie achieved a miracle!"
Elysia corrected. Bronie paused, realizing Elysia might be right. She enjoyed the fruits first, then the cause was achieved on the island.
But Bronie only reached this world from the Sea of Quanta eight years after the Second Herrscher was defeated.
"No, you could have achieved this, but I couldn't let the cost of the miracle be your life, Elysia."
Watching their interaction, Welt felt like he was being fed dog food. Miracles have a price. The price here was Elysia's life, allowing Herrschers to retain humanity.
Was that possible?
"You located the Cocoon of Finality and manipulated it!?"
Welt drew an astonishing conclusion.
"From the Imaginary Tree's records 50,000 years ago, the Cocoon of Finality was in the interstice between Imaginary Space and the Sea of Quanta. There wasn't a clear position. In an emergency, only a contingency could be left."
Welt's mind raced, processing Bronie's information. This was undoubtedly beyond Anti-Entropy's reach. Reversing time and causality highlighted his knowledge gaps as the Herrscher of Reason, which was embarrassing. Fortunately, Bronie's warning prevented further humiliation.
But why did this story seem familiar?
"Madoka?"
Welt looked at Elysia.
"Madoka is adorable~"
Elysia responded. Welt turned to Bronie.
"Akemi Homura?"
"I don't have time-travel powers..."
"Could the Herrscher core be a Magical Girl's Soul Gem!?"
At that moment, Welt had a ludicrous thought.
Was he actually a magical girl?