Kiana "Tuna" Kaslana, female, age 19—a top-tier, beautiful white-haired girl who recently developed a fondness for instant noodles.
Whoosh—
The sleek black elevator, teeming with futuristic technology, boasted ample space to accommodate even a Titan mech and was equipped with floating electronic screens. At the same time, the aroma of beef instant noodles filled the air.
"Taking advantage of Zeke's absence to binge on junk food, huh? Big Sister Mei has been complaining about it to Bronya lately."
A pair of slender legs, delicate like works of art, impatiently tapped the floor. Bronya wore a white hoodie with blue cat ears adorning her hood, her expression blank as she disdainfully waved away the smell hovering near her nose.
Kiana blinked, slurping her noodles while replying, "It's all your fault, really. When Sirin got out for some fresh air last time, someone let her have instant ramen... Now she materializes noodles every day in her consciousness domain but refuses to admit it or share them with me, making me crave them even more! Mm, this flavor is great—I'll stock up on another box later!"
"At its core, you're just being greedy. No surprise coming from a paramecium! I'm going to tell Zeke!" Sin wrapped her arms around Bronya, peering over her shoulder. She grinned maliciously at Kiana, revealing a set of slightly sharper-than-normal teeth—a bit reminiscent of baby fangs, actually quite appealing when contrasted with her princess-like frilly dress.
Kiana rolled her eyes.
"Sharp teeth and sharper tongue—why don't you become a comedian with all that sass?"
"At least I'm not a single-celled brainless amoeba like you!"
The two glared at each other, resembling an oversized and undersized pair of angry birds.
"Hmph!" × 2
Finally, they both huffed audibly, turned their heads away simultaneously, and ended their squabble.
Continuing to slurp her noodles, Kiana asked Bronya, who looked as adorably fierce as she sounded: "So where exactly are we going? Did you know there's such a deep elevator beneath the base? I had no idea!"
"It's about time. Bronya will show you one of Zeke's secret weapons now; prepare yourselves mentally."
"A secret weapon? What's so interesting about that? Zeke has tons of secrets—it'd be a waste of time checking them out one by one."
"Just say if you're coming or not."
"If it's fun, definitely! Otherwise, forget it—I'm almost done eating, but I'm still hungry."
"This was originally a secret weapon known only to Bronya. It seems you have no interest in learning more. Fine then, feel free to leave. Bronya can just take Sin along."
The descending elevator suddenly came to a halt. With Sin pressed against her back, Bronya crossed her arms, and together they turned their bright, clear gazes toward Kiana.
Sin even wore an expression that seemed to say she couldn't wait for Kiana to get lost already.
If Kiana left, wouldn't it just be Bronya's world with her now? Spending time alone with Bronya to witness Zeke's secret weapon—what could be more delightful?!
"Glug glug! Burp!"
Kiana gulped down a mouthful of noodle soup, belched contentedly, and tossed the bowl into a small spatial vortex hovering beside her.
Then, hands on hips, she declared, "Well, I guess I'll take a look after all! It'd be unfair if you two got to see it and not me, right? Don't forget, I'm still the Eldest Sister!"
"But Bronya was the first... to withstand an Arbiter Rank impact."
"You trying to pick a fight or what?!"
"In any case, we're here. Let's go out."
Bronya ignored Kiana's sudden outburst and raised her delicate, fair hand, snapping her fingers.
Snap!
With a crisp sound, the metal walls surrounding the elevator shrank and vanished.
Moments later, the trio emerged onto an incredibly vast expanse of crimson earth.
"Hm?"
Kiana stomped her feet on the gem-like red surface, eliciting solid, resonant thuds.
"This floor's pretty cool, actually. Maybe I should ask Zeke to install something similar in my room. But where's this secret weapon? All I see is a vast ground and a huge ceiling—nothing else."
"We're standing right on it."
"Oh... Wait, what?!"
Both Kiana and Sin tilted their heads simultaneously, confusion written across their faces.
Bronya patted the fair arms wrapped around her from behind, signaling for Sin to let go. Then, she turned towards them with a slight smile curling her lips.
"Why don't you try attacking the floor?"
Kiana and Sin exchanged glances, their bewilderment deepening.
However, Sin never refused Bronya's requests. Following her suggestion, a sturdy spear materialized in her hand, and she swiftly thrust it into the ground.
"Boom!!"
The explosive sound reverberated through the air. Moments later, Kiana and Sin leaned forward, heads close together, inspecting the spot of impact.
To their surprise, the surface remained perfectly smooth, showing no trace of damage.
"Hiss! It's that hard?"
Kiana marveled as she crouched down and gently stroked the ruby-like surface, finding no imperfections whatsoever.
She tapped on the floor, and together with Sin, they both looked at Bronya questioningly.
It was certainly hard enough, but the issue remained: How could this massive, boundless expanse serve as a weapon? Were they supposed to lift it up and bash people with it?
Even if used in such brute-force fashion, its sheer size and durability would make for a terrifying tool.
Bronya's lips curled upwards, wearing a smug smile. "This is just one eye."
"?" × 2
"Bronya says what we're standing on is merely one eye of our secret weapon."
"???" × 2
After several hours, the trio returned to the surface base.
As they walked through the wide corridors, Kiana and Sin seemed somewhat dazed.
"Bronya, you're not kidding, right? If we activate that thing, won't the entire base... no, the whole new continent collapse?" Kiana swallowed nervously.
Walking ahead, Bronya glanced sideways at Kiana.
"Are you questioning Zeke's intelligence or his technical skills?"
"...Alright, I guess it's fine then. But how do you control something so massive?"
"With consciousness."
"Huh? Does it have a fragment of Zeke's consciousness inside? Does that mean I can go chat with him now?" Kiana suddenly brightened with excitement.
Sin shared her enthusiasm, eagerly anticipating more details.
Bronya shrugged and spread her hands. "If possible, Bronya would've made it her home already. Inside is merely a Fragment near the boundary between existence and nonexistence, on a quantum scale. Zeke takes great care when dividing his conscious essence, following Fu Hua-sensei's advice."
"Oh, but wouldn't that be insufficient for controlling such a colossal structure?"
"So, with specialized amplification and psychic defense structures integrated within, theoretically, Zeke should be able to control this giant as effortlessly as his own limbs."
"O.O What?"
"To elaborate, it's from a previous civilization known as the 'Elysian Realm'..."
"Wmmm... Wmm... WMMM!!!" Red lights flashed down the corridor, interrupting Bronya's explanation as a piercing alarm blared.
The trio halted simultaneously, exchanged glances, then rushed through the hallway, disappearing around the corner at its end.