"Whoosh!"
"Splash!"
Amidst the turbulent, murky waters, a petite silhouette emerged from beneath the sea's surface.
"Lepus 16C."
From under the black armor came a young girl's voice, crisp yet tinged with a childlike innocence. Suddenly, two elongated oval-shaped drones, each sporting long ears, materialized in midair.
The drones rose above the water, allowing Bronya to climb onto them and stand atop their surfaces.
"Phew..."
"It still feels better to have my feet on solid ground—even if it isn't exactly 'solid' here," Bronya remarked mildly as she glanced down at the drones beneath her. Her helmet retracted, revealing her delicate, expressionless face. She then shook out her restrained hair, restoring its twin spiral pigtails.
"How's everything going?"
A spherical object about the size of a honeybee flew over to them, and Zeke's calm voice echoed from within.
"Everything's fine. Kiana and Sin have rejoined me. Aside from some turbulence when clearing out the ocean and reversing the tidal flow, there were no major issues," Bronya replied expressionlessly, her tone noticeably more petulant—perhaps even hinting at sulking.
Zeke paused briefly before honestly admitting, "My apologies. Chiyou turned out larger than anticipated. If we hadn't acted swiftly, its collision with the Eurasian continent would've resulted in unimaginable disaster. Knowing you all had black armor protection, I figured you'd be safe enough without specific notification."
"...So it's okay to recklessly endanger us as long as we don't get killed?"
"Homu comics..."
"This isn't about Homu; you're not showing respect!"
On the Hyperion, Zeke held the worker bee pinched between his fingers at arm's length, scratching his head in puzzlement.
Usually, this girl was quite obedient. Why did she seem so...explosive today?
"Hmm, what do you want?"
"Next time there's any operation, give me advance notice. Also, how's your body holding up?" Bronya pursed her lips but couldn't resist asking.
As someone half-trained in scientific research herself, upon witnessing those sky-consuming visuals, she knew without a doubt that the output of Honkai Energy must have been on an unimaginable scale.
Honkai Energy, by its very nature, is inherently detrimental to life. Regardless of how much one strengthens their resilience against it, there will always be adverse effects on the body.
So naturally, she couldn't help but worry.
Zeke responded nonchalantly, "I'm fine; just need some rest. The Benares genes grant exceptional regenerative abilities."
"Well then, I have no further questions. I'll continue carrying out my orders. Are there any changes or updates?"
"No, just checking in on your status. Glad to hear everything's okay."
"Boom!"
Suddenly, a colossal creature emerged from beneath the sea, defying the turbulent ocean currents. It opened its abyss-like maw, seemingly intent on swallowing the petite and delicate Bronya whole.
Simultaneously, amidst the turbulent waves, a streak of white emerged. A small figure clad in black armor darted towards the colossal Honkai Beast with lightning speed and struck its head with tiny fists like falling meteors.
"Ha!"
"Boom!"
The behemoth's massive skull tilted under the force of the blow, and its enormous body was wrenched from the sea, soaring into the air.
"Shwip! Shwip! Shwip!"
Multiple shadows swiftly burst through the ocean surface moments later, piercing the airborne beast instantly. Torn into several large fragments, it plummeted back into the sea, sinking to the depths without a trace.
"Bronya, are you okay? Did you get hurt? Are you tired? Would you like to rest for a bit and have something to eat?"
Sin stood balanced on her floating spear, feet apart, as numerous identical pitch-black spears hovered behind her in a Thousand-Hand Guanyin formation. She approached Bronya solicitously, her gentle voice filled with concern, while Kiana, who had earlier surfaced with great momentum, lost her balance and plunged back into the sea.
"Splash!"
Kiana burst out of the water again, grabbing onto the spear beneath Sin's feet and clinging to it like a suckling pig skewered on a spit roast. Huffily, she complained,
"You traitorous jerk, always going on about Bronya this, Bronya that—couldn't you at least give me a hand?"
"Let go! You're filthy; my spear will get dull!"
"You wanna fight?" Kiana roared.
The spears behind Sin swiveled, pointing directly at her.
Kiana snorted disdainfully. "Go ahead and stab me if you dare—I'm not scared of you!"
It wasn't as if Sin were Zeke, who could actually intimidate her. Far from being frightened, Kiana stuck out her tongue provocatively, wiggling it mischievously: "Nyah nyah nyah~"
"Paramecium, are you looking for death?!"
"Having a quarrel?"
A brief remark, delivered in a familiar voice with its usual cold tone, came from the tiny worker bee hovering behind Bronya.
Both girls, locked in their standoff, froze momentarily before unconsciously shaking their heads in unison, hastily denying any conflict.
"No!" × 2
"I won't argue with you during missions, but I'm noting this down."
"Ta-da!"
With a nimble flip, Kiana landed on Bronya beside her and pleaded frantically,
"Don't do it! Zeke, don't be so petty!"
"Petty? Fine, another note added."
"Wait! That's not what I meant!"
"Laziness, arguing, and lack of professionalism during duty—all duly noted. Anything else to add?"
"...Dictator! Tyrant!"
"Do you prefer Antarctica or the Arctic? Or perhaps the mouth of an erupting volcano would suit you better? Choose your hanging spot, and I'll make the arrangements."
Zeke's voice remained steady throughout, devoid of any hint of jest.
Kiana puffed up her cheeks like an angry hamster.
Seizing an opportunity while Kiana was distracted, Sin approached with a long spear, aiming to pry her off Bronya.
Even I hardly get to hold Bronya like that! Get lost, paramecium!
Unexpectedly, Kiana used her hands and feet to climb up the long spear until she landed on Sin's back.
Sin's expression shifted as if a filthy creature like a cockroach had crawled onto her. She swiftly reached behind herself, trying to pry Kiana off.
"Agh!"
After struggling for a bit, Sin finally lost her balance. With a startled cry, she toppled from the slender spear, dragging Kiana along with her into the sea below.
It was impossible to tell what kind of tussle they endured underwater, but after some time, they surfaced separately, heading in opposite directions.
"Pffft!" Kiana lifted her head, playfully spitting out a jet of water before clearing her mouth with a series of "ptooies."
"All gritty! So salty and gross!" she complained, sticking out her tongue.
Sin reacted similarly, albeit less dramatically than Kiana.
The two girls exchanged glances, huffed, then turned away from each other.
"Sigh..."
Bronya and Zeke, whose voice echoed through the worker bee, sighed simultaneously.
Their constant bickering, no matter where or when, truly left one helpless.
"Well, regardless, it's good that everything is fine. Continue your mission," Zeke said mildly, preparing to cut off communication.
Meanwhile, at the Fortress defense line far away, countless Honkai Beasts emerged from the ocean, swarming like messengers from an underwater palace, crawling toward the platform.
The Titan forces on the front line responded promptly, unleashing a torrential barrage of fire.
The war had begun.