From an objective standpoint, becoming a MANTIS wasn't entirely a bad thing.
Bronya had spent this time hacking through Schicksal HQ's database, so she naturally knew that the extremely powerful Theresa was, in a sense, no different from a Previous Era MANTIS.
No, the combat power Theresa displayed now could even rank among the top tier when compared to the MANTISes of the Previous Era.
Although becoming a MANTIS granted the transformed individual combat power far exceeding what they had before, after undergoing human modification, but...
—*No matter how you slice it, this is the most heinous form of human experimentation.*
Knowing that her friends from the orphanage had endured suffering they never should have because of their adoptive mother, it would be a miracle if Bronya could be happy right now.
It was only because Liliya and Rozaliya were tough and lucky that they survived. If it had been anyone else, they might have died on the operating table.
Although Bronya tried to force herself to remain calm, after her emotional circuits were healed by Durandal's Abyss Flower, there was no way she could easily maintain her deadpan expression like she used to.
Perhaps when interacting with those she wasn't familiar with, Bronya's acting was good enough to fool them.
But Seele, Rozaliya, and Liliya were her childhood playmates. If Bronya showed even the slightest abnormality at a time like this, the three of them would likely notice something was off.
In the past, Rozaliya and Liliya certainly wouldn't have thought too much about it.
But now, after surviving a life-and-death crisis, no matter how simple-minded they were, they weren't as naive as before.
As if to deliberately change the subject, Rozaliya immediately said to the troubled-looking Bronya.
"Oh right, did Big Sister Bronya hear about what happened with Mother Cocolia?"
Hearing Rozaliya bring up her adoptive mother, Bronya, who was already in turmoil over her mother's reckless actions, could no longer keep her expression in check.
"Mother Cocolia, Mother Cocolia... she..."
"Mmm-hmm, I knew it. Big Sister Bronya doesn't know about this."
Seeing the obvious panic on Bronya's face, Rozaliya kept her hands on her hips and spoke cheerfully.
"Alliance Leader Welt told us that Mother did something wrong, and after her forces were dismantled, she was sent on some secret missions."
"But back then, Schicksal hadn't started cooperating with us in Anti-Entropy yet, so to demoralize us, they publicly announced that Mother had been killed by Schicksal's warriors."
"That... um..."
Bronya, struggling to control her emotions, put on an expression of utter shock and looked at Seele.
"Is that really what Alliance Leader Welt told you?"
"Mmm, yes."
Nodding in confirmation, Seele spoke to Bronya quite naturally.
"He also said that Big Sister Bronya at Schicksal might think Mother is already dead, so he asked us to pass this news on to you."
...
*If the ones who hunted down Mother Cocolia weren't Big Sister Yuna and Brother Leo, I might have actually believed that.*
But the thought of Leo Ash, who was nearly killed by her adoptive mother, and Yuna, who was manipulated by her adoptive mother into becoming a Herrscher and killing her own mother, made Bronya feel that her adoptive mother was probably long dead.
Both of them were incredibly intelligent and capable, and Yuna's obsession with Cocolia was particularly strong.
Now that the resentment emanating from Yuna had clearly lessened, it was enough to suggest that Cocolia might have even been killed by her own hand.
To be honest, even to this day, Bronya was certain that she held some resentment towards Yuna for killing her mother.
It was only because she considered that her adoptive mother truly was a terrible person who had gotten the other's mother killed, and had nearly killed millions of people, that Bronya suppressed her resentment and chose to reconcile with her.
*Sigh, Alliance Leader Welt... he must have said that because he considered that everyone was still young and had just escaped danger, and couldn't handle any more severe shocks. That's why he told such a white lie.*
*Alliance Leader Welt isn't an honest man, but he is a good man.*
"I see... so Mother Cocolia is still alive."
Forcing herself to look surprised, Bronya put on a strained smile and said to the others.
"That's wonderful news."
"But, Mother really did do something wrong, and Alliance Leader Welt has to punish her... there's not much we can say about that."
"I believe Mother can turn over a new leaf. Once she completes her missions, we'll be able to see her again sooner or later."
Seeing Bronya smile happily, the three of them breathed a collective sigh of relief.
In any case, Bronya's attention had been diverted from the Olenyeva sisters' horns, which was a good thing for all of them.
As for the subtle sense of discord, the three of them were now afraid of drawing Bronya's attention back to the Honkai Beast horns, so they didn't dwell on it.
Four friends from the orphanage were finally reunited, so now was the time to talk about happy things.
Meanwhile, Bronya, having put on her disguise, repeatedly warned herself internally.
*I can't show any weakness.*
*I'm the only one in the entire orphanage who knows the truth of this matter.*
*Everyone has just endured the torment of World Serpent; they absolutely cannot go through any more psychological hardship.*
*It would be better if everyone found out about Mother's death at least ten years from now.*
*By then, everyone will have grown up, and even if they learn the truth, their minds will be mature enough that they won't be hit too hard by it.*
"Oh, right. Seele, Rozaliya, Liliya, you haven't said how you were rescued yet."
Looking at her three companions, Bronya suddenly asked with great curiosity.
"Was it Alliance Leader Welt who saved you?"
"Ah, for the two of us... our memories aren't very clear."
Rozaliya scratched her head and said with a puzzled look.
"I just remember that after being trained by the people from World Serpent for a long time, we were thrown into some place and fought with a white-haired uncle with two guns..."
"That uncle was so strong. Even when Liliya and I attacked together, he seemed to be able to handle our attacks with ease."
*Is she talking about Mr. Siegfried?*
*That's not surprising. He and Alliance Leader Welt are old friends.*
"We don't know what happened after that. At that time... we must have been knocked out."
Looking at the two who were still trying to recall that memory, Seele suddenly whispered to Bronya.
"Big Sister Bronya, where is Brother Leo now?"
"Brother Leo... could it be???"
Hearing the name Seele mentioned, Bronya immediately asked.
"He was the one who rescued you?"
"That's right."
...
*Although that's a normal answer, something about it feels strange.*
*While everyone was worried about where Brother Leo had gone, not only did he return as if nothing had happened, but he even found Big Sister Kiana immediately upon his return and suppressed her Herrscher personality.*
*And during the time he was missing, he also saved Seele.*
*I'm happy that Seele is back.*
*I'm also happy that Brother Leo is okay.*
*But, he never stopped moving...*
—*So after all that time Big Sister Yuna spent calculating, our plan didn't seem to do anything at all, huh.*
In Bronya's view, after Leo Ash had a daughter, he should have slowed down a bit and spent more time with her.
But from Leo Ash's subsequent actions, he clearly doted on his daughter, but at the same time...
—*Doting is one thing, but after meeting Isla Ash, Leo Ash didn't actually spend a lot of time with his daughter.*
And you couldn't even blame him for that.
The day after Isla Ash found Leo Ash, Fu Hua became a Herrscher.
Then a few days later, Wendy also became a Herrscher.
After Wendy became a Herrscher, Leo Ash also became a Herrscher when facing Kevin's attack.
In the span of a month, three new Herrschers appeared in this world.
Although all three Herrschers ultimately became assets for humanity, that was just looking at the result.
From the Third Eruption three months ago until now, there have been five new Herrschers in less than four months.
The thought of this started to worry Bronya.
The more she knew, the more she felt that the current situation was becoming increasingly dire.
Under Otto Apocalypse's indulgence and actions, five Herrschers had appeared in four months.
And now that person was in hiding, preparing to cause more trouble...
—*Can this world really withstand him messing with it like this?*
.....
Almost at the same time. Schicksal HQ Medical Office
In the medical office, Leo Ash, who had rushed back to Schicksal HQ from Mount Taixu, gazed at his master who was still lying on the hospital bed, his expression as placid as ever.
But Durandal, who was beside him, knew very well that although Leo Ash's expression was 'calm' most of the time, there were different kinds of calm.
And right now, although Leo Ash looked calm, his heart was definitely filled with rage.
For someone as sentimental as Leo Ash, the Wraith was undoubtedly his mentor.
And just one day after he left Schicksal HQ, his teacher was beaten to near death. He was one hundred percent furious right now.
As for Leo Ash himself, just as Durandal had predicted, he was indeed furious.
He had never dreamed that he would go out and stab his master, only to come back and find his teacher had been stabbed.
Although he knew it was hard to say it was his fault, it was impossible for him not to feel any guilt at all.
"Alright, Leo, you don't have to blame yourself so much."
Looking at the silent Leo Ash, Durandal spoke softly.
"Isla rescued Senior Wraith right away, and after I treated her with Abyss Flower, her body should be fine now."
"Yes... Bianka, thank you, and thank Isla."
"But..."
Leo Ash opened the intelligence screen and clicked on the Wraith's injury report, then asked Durandal in a cold voice.
"This injury report..."
"It should be accurate."
Knowing what Leo Ash wanted to ask, Durandal said with great certainty.
"Severe burns almost claimed Senior Wraith's life, and these severe burns..."
"Say no more. I understand."
Looking at the report from the on-site investigation, Leo Ash saw that the Wraith had fired several shots during the incident.
This was enough to prove that she had definitely discovered the enemy before being injured and had counter-attacked first.
An A-rank Valkyrie discovered an enemy in advance, yet was still easily disabled, and her injuries were burns and gunshot wounds...
Objectively speaking, it wasn't impossible that someone had stolen a sufficiently powerful fire-elemental anti-Honkai weapon and injured the Wraith.
But subjectively speaking—*that bastard, this must have been Otto using a mimic Judgment of Shamash!*
Before Leo Ash was transported to this world, Otto was established as having two patterns: 'allowing the Honkai to develop' and 'eliminating those who notice him allowing the Honkai to develop'.
Leo Ash, with his memories restored, knew very well how capable his teacher, the Wraith, was as the head of intelligence.
With her level of knowledge of Schicksal's intelligence, it was all too normal for her to notice something she shouldn't have after Otto began acting abnormally.
Over so many years, those with insufficient strength who noticed Otto's true intentions were basically silenced.
As for those with sufficient strength...
—*Just look at the late Welt Joyce.*
*So what if you're strong enough? As long as you have a moral compass, the morally bankrupt Otto has a hundred ways to force you to your death.*
*That old dog, he really deserves to die.*
*And now he's practically playing with his cards on the table, all but openly telling those of us who know a part of the inside story, 'Hey, I'm going to cause trouble, what are you going to do about it?'*
*If this person doesn't die...*
—*All of us who are constantly being backstabbed by him will never be able to seriously fight against the Honkai.*
.....