[You win!]
"Nice! I won in the end!"
Seeing the victory screen on his phone, Elias cheered for himself, while Bronya sat beside him, still finding her defeat a little hard to believe.
The two had competed in ten different games, with each of them choosing five. The final score was six to four—Elias winning by a slight margin.
"Hah… Bronya lost. But it has been a long time since Bronya had this much fun. Bronya acknowledges your skill," she said seriously, setting down her phone.
"Haha, of course! But I've also never had such an enjoyable match. You're even better than I expected. Let's team up next time and take on some high-difficulty dungeons."
"Mm! No problem. Bronya looks forward to fighting alongside you."
As a true gamer, Bronya was naturally disappointed that her unbeaten record had been broken.
But more than that, she was overjoyed by this exhilarating competition. A rare, genuine smile formed on her lips.
After all, gaming is all about having fun.
"Alright, let's add each other as friends in-game. And since I won, no intel for you~"
"…Ah, Bronya forgot." Bronya blinked in mild surprise.
Only now did she recall her original reason for accepting this gaming challenge—to obtain information from Elias. But she had been so absorbed in the fun that she had completely forgotten.
Still, she had gained something even more valuable.
She now knew, without a doubt, that Elias was a good person. Someone who didn't deserve to be killed just because of Cocolia's orders.
After learning the truth about the Third Eruption from him, Bronya had already made her decision—
She would no longer obey Cocolia's commands.
Sacrificing an entire city, killing millions of innocent people, just to possibly save Seele—that was an unacceptable choice. Bronya Zaychik would not allow it.
"Metal Gear Wolf—hmm, that's a pretty cool ID. Well then, today was really fun. See you later, Bronya!"
"W-Wait! Can I ask you one last question?" Bronya called out as Elias prepared to leave.
"You lost, you know? But fine. Just know that if I don't want to answer, I won't."
"Thank you. Bronya just wants to know… why have you never shown hostility toward me?"
Not only had he not shown hostility—he had been downright kind.
Bronya was genuinely confused.
She was supposed to be his enemy. She had attacked him without reason, following orders blindly.
And yet, Elias never retaliated.
If anything, he had been too gentle with her.
Elias blinked before smiling warmly.
"Because in the end, we'll walk the same path. I believe that, in the near future, you will be my comrade. And there's no need for me to be cruel to a future comrade."
"…That answer is way too cryptic."
"Heh~ Well then, good night, little Bronya. And from now on, stop listening to that piece of crap adoptive mother of yours. Cocolia is nothing but trouble. Oh, and… I'll be taking this as today's prize."
"Huh? W-When did you—?!"
Bronya's eyes widened as she saw what Elias was holding.
It was her exoskeletal leg braces—the mechanical supports that had helped her walk.
At some point, without her even noticing, he had taken them off.
At the same time, she noticed something… off.
Bronya instinctively reached up and touched her face—
She was smiling.
Shock. Confusion. Disbelief. Joy. Anticipation.
In that moment, Bronya realized she was feeling emotions she hadn't experienced in years. For a second, she thought she must be dreaming.
She pressed her fingers to her temple.
Her damaged amygdala—ruined by the X-10 Experiment—had been healed.
For the first time in years, she could truly feel joy, anger, sorrow… everything.
And it wasn't just that—
"My legs… feel cool… My legs are healed?! This… how is this possible?!"
She had been so absorbed in her games with Elias that she hadn't even noticed—her mind and legs had both been completely restored.
She swallowed hard, hesitantly lowering her gaze to her bare feet. The red markings that once marred her legs had completely vanished. As the evening breeze swept over them, she could feel the sensation of cool air against her skin.
Bronya wiggled her toes.
Then, cautiously, she pushed herself off the bench.
"I… I can walk! Bronya can walk again!—Ow!"
The moment her bare feet touched the park's grass, she took an unsteady step forward—
Only to immediately step on a small rock and fall backward onto the ground with a soft thump.
Yet, rather than feeling pain or embarrassment—
Bronya felt nothing but pure happiness.
Even though she knew it didn't suit her usual calm demeanor, she felt an overwhelming urge to run.
"This… this must have been him, too… Bronya will remember this favor. Bronya owes you a huge debt… Project Bunny, carry me back—no. Take me to the nearest shoe store first. Bronya wants to walk home on her own today."
"!!!"
Project Bunny, which had previously been overloaded by Elias' attack, suddenly rebooted, its systems reconstructing themselves. It emitted a cheerful mechanical sound—
Almost as if celebrating its master's recovery.
...
"A bit of a hassle, but it worked. Even with only a fragment of the Herrscher of Death's power, I could still heal Bronya's injuries. Not bad…" Elias muttered to himself as wisps of black mist drifted from his palm.
It was a force that could decay all life, but at the same time, it was a force that could restore it.
In essence, the Herrscher of Death's authority was the ability to manipulate biological cells.
At full power, he could create a perfectly healthy body from thin air. He could turn a young man into an old man in an instant—or make an old man young again.
Elias smirked to himself.
"Hah. If I ever fully regain my Herrscher of Death authority and reveal my abilities to the world…"
(That would be one hell of a spectacle.)
Countless world leaders, billionaires, and powerful elites craved immortality.
And for him, it would be as simple as snapping his fingers.
And it wouldn't just be limited to humans.
If he had full control over his power, Elias could wipe out an entire city in a heartbeat. He could reduce a lush forest to a barren wasteland—or turn a desert into a thriving paradise in the blink of an eye.
"Bronya's brain and legs were completely destroyed by the X-10 Experiment. Even Anti-Entropy's advanced technology couldn't fix it. But for me…?"
"That was child's play."
Even with just fragments of his Herrscher power, restoring one girl's legs and mind was laughably easy.
It had taken him less than three minutes.
For those three minutes, Bronya had undergone a nanotechnological-level surgery. Every damaged cell in her body had been fully regenerated.
"Alright~ That's one more thing off my list. Time to head home and eat Mei's late-night snacks."
Elias stretched lazily, feeling satisfied.
Then, a thought crossed his mind, and a sly grin spread across his lips.
"I wonder how Otto will react when he checks the Kallen Fantasy IV leaderboard… and sees that he got knocked down to third place."
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