[Instance: Chiba Academy · Kendo Hall]
Facing the clash between the two powerhouses, Leo drew his blade and slashed towards the [Tyrant Old Lady].
After all, compared to the dual-tachi-wielding [Lord Shadow Ninja Zombie], she was the only one he could attack right now.
Of course, he wasn't fighting blindly; he was deliberately exposing openings to the [Lord Shadow Ninja Zombie].
At the same time, because the [Tyrant Old Lady] would counterattack him, this would give the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] an angle to attack.
In short, regardless of whom the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] attacked, she would be forced out of the [Blur] state.
Therefore—
[Disobedient students should be punished!]
An inexplicable voice rang out in Leo's heart. He suddenly found himself frozen like one of the Seven Fairies under an immobilization spell, able only to watch the two monsters beside him act.
The only thing he could rejoice about was that he was conservative enough. After delivering that one slash to the [Tyrant Old Lady], he had withdrawn his blade to defend, holding the [long sword] horizontally across his chest to protect his vitals.
However, this move of his was clearly somewhat superfluous.
Because—
"Bang!"
The [Shadow Ninja Zombie], who was easily revealed, was blasted flying into the wall like a cannonball by a punch from the [Tyrant Old Lady].
This strike was clearly the [Tyrant Old Lady]'s full power, much more vigorous than when she hit Leo.
One could see the wall shattered into a spiderweb-like pattern, and the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] was embedded in the wall for quite a while before managing to pry herself loose.
—Truly astonishing.
Seeing this, Leo couldn't help but secretly frown.
He had noticed just now that not only was he frozen, but the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] was also immobilized. It was precisely because of this that the opponent took that hit head-on.
But even so, the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] didn't seem too seriously injured. It was just that her left hand held the sword a bit unsteadily, but her dominant hand remained uninjured.
It could be said that whether it was the [Tyrant Old Lady] or the [Shadow Ninja Zombie], both were much stronger than Leo.
If not for the fact that these two weren't on the same side, facing either one alone would have been a bloody battle.
But now—
"Ignored me... went running after the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] again?"
Looking at the [Tyrant Old Lady] who didn't care about him in the slightest and charged single-mindedly towards the [Shadow Ninja Zombie], Leo's eyes couldn't help but turn.
—Tongzi, Souls-like games aren't like this!
Theoretically speaking, according to the principle of proximity, the [Tyrant Old Lady] should have at least given him a punch.
But the opponent acted as if she viewed the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] as the murderer of her father, having absolutely no intention of attacking him.
And this could only prove one point: the opponent had an irreconcilable feud with death... or rather, with that smear of moonlight.
—Is she also one of the participants in the plan?
Faintly, he felt he had found the answer. He only needed to wait for Kiana to bring him the materials from the office on the second floor of the canteen to confirm the facts.
As for this side... is it really necessary for me to keep watching?
Seeing the battle turn into a war of attrition again, he suddenly felt his existence was somewhat superfluous.
Because not only the [Tyrant Old Lady], but even the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] didn't spare him a glance, as if he didn't exist.
Maybe it will be easier for me to reap the harvest after they wear each other down for a while longer?
Holding this thought, he retreated backward, wanting to leave the [Kendo Club] first and return to the playground.
However—
"Leo, hold on! This Miss is here!"
A figure radiating light and shadow directly illuminated the path behind Leo.
Kiana, in the [Valkyrie armor] state (Divine Prayer), charged straight in.
However—
"You..."
Looking Leo up and down, Kiana couldn't help revealing an expression of disbelief.
Because aside from the clothes and pants on his body being tattered, he didn't look injured... The injuries he received from the [Tyrant Old Lady] earlier had already been mostly healed by his [Honkai energy].
Although mentally slightly dispirited, Leo clearly didn't look like he couldn't hold on.
"Luck was good; they started fighting each other."
Pointing behind him, Leo had a face full of smugness.
After all, this was also a nice piece of intelligence; perhaps it could be put to good use later.
But just as he was being smug, he noticed Kiana's expression becoming grave, and—
"Careful!"
The voice came from behind Kiana. Behind the petite Bronya, a cannon barrel materialized... but it was only a cannon barrel!
At the same time—
"Neko charm!"
With a loud shout, Kiana attempted to use the phantom on her body to force back the attack behind Leo.
Seeing this, and also sensing the crisis behind him, Leo rolled to the side. Only then did he notice that the [Tyrant Old Lady] and the [Shadow Ninja Zombie], who had been fighting in a ball earlier, were both attacking towards him.
But... the one they want to attack isn't me, it's...
Kiana!
At this moment, he couldn't help realizing it. He hurriedly said to Kiana: "Kiana! Quickly hide your own [Honkai energy]!"
If there was any difference between him and Kiana right now, it was that the [Honkai energy] on her body was obviously much more powerful... Did she eat a [Honkai fragment]?
And just as he was thinking—
"I can't!"
While parrying the dual attacks of the [Tyrant Old Lady] and the [Shadow Ninja Zombie], Kiana said: "This power doesn't belong to me; I can't hide it!"
The [Honkai energy] on her body right now all burst out from that [Honkai fragment]; she could only utilize it temporarily.
And hiding it would mean she could already store this power.
So right now, she either had to give up this power directly, or—
"Then let's fight!"
Understanding the current situation, Leo could only accept the battle.
"Mm!"
Seeing Leo slash towards the [Shadow Ninja Zombie], Kiana kicked the [Tyrant Old Lady] back while ignoring potential injury to herself, actually grabbing the dual blades slashed by the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] directly with both hands.
Of course, she didn't trust her mortal flesh to withstand the blades, but because her hands had gathered the maximum output of her current [Divine Prayer] power!
In the next moment, her hands seemed plated with a layer of light, actually managing to control the [Shadow Ninja Zombie]'s dual blades.
At the same time—
"Slash!"
While Kiana controlled the [Shadow Ninja Zombie], Leo didn't hold back either. He gathered 50 points of [Honkai energy], vowing to slash [Lord Shadow Ninja Zombie] into a Gojo Satoru style with one hit.
Of course, it wasn't that he estimated this strike only needed 50 points of [Honkai energy], but that his current output limit was exactly 50 points of [Honkai energy].
However, in his view, such terrifying power was enough.
He transformed into a streak of purple light. That [long sword], which sliced iron like mud, passed instantly through the [Shadow Ninja Zombie]'s waist from left to right, even giving the illusion that he hadn't actually slashed.
But in the next second, a bolt of [purple thunder] manifested into dragon forms from both above and below where he had slashed, completely swallowing the [Shadow Ninja Zombie].
However—
"Swish!"
Even though she had clearly been cut in two halves, the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] used an ability from unknown origins to forcefully break through Kiana's bound hands at this moment, slicing off Kiana's palms.
Fortunately, with Kiana's continuous recovery ability, the palms reattached instantly... but only reattached.
At least for a short time, Kiana wouldn't be able to fight with her fists.
However—
[Imaginary Energy +207]
Seeing the prompt given by Tongzi, Leo couldn't help relaxing.
And now, the only enemy they had to face left was the [Tyrant Old Lady]!
Just as this thought was born, he felt a fist wind that seemed like death coming from the back of his head.
Luckily—
"Bang!"
Bronya, who had been charging up for a long time, finally fired the shell from her cannon barrel, knocking back the [Tyrant Old Lady] behind Leo.
"Thanks!"
Turning back with a slash, Leo collected the items dropped by the [Shadow Ninja Zombie] into the [system space].
The situation was too urgent right now; he had no time to look at the loot.
"Mm..."
Looking at Leo who turned back to meet the [Tyrant Old Lady] again, Bronya nodded while her expression became somewhat subtle.
To be honest, she couldn't quite understand Leo.
From his movements, Leo was obviously a novice in [Hokushin Ittō-ryū], but in terms of combat skills, he seemed like an old hand who had struggled in actual combat for many years.
This contradictory behavior made her feel extremely surprised.
—Like a veteran player opening a new account to smurf!
But the problem was, Leo's opponent clearly wasn't a fish; even if it was a fish, it was a Great White Shark!
"Boom!"
A terrifying punch smashed directly onto the ground, shattering the wooden floor of the [Kendo Club].
If the [Tyrant Old Lady]'s punch had hit Leo, he would inevitably be black and blue!
"Phew..."
Successfully dodging this strike, Leo let out a long breath.
But he understood that dodging alone offered no chance.
Turning to look at Kiana, he spoke: "With my current [Strength], I can't kill it. It's up to you!"
After saying that, he threw the [long sword] in his hand to Kiana.
"Mm!"
Nodding towards Leo, Kiana finally recovered her hands to a usable state while Leo was entangled with the [Tyrant Old Lady].
At this moment, she held Leo's [long sword], but there was no need to focus her mind and calm her breath. After all, she didn't really know how to use a sword.
At most, through chatting with [Raiden Mei], she knew some sword techniques.
So, she didn't have Leo's sense of ritual; drawing the sword meant simply attacking!
"Hah!"
Gathering all the remaining [Honkai energy] into this slash, she vowed to cut the [Tyrant Old Lady] in two.
In the next moment, golden light gathered on the [long sword] in her hand. At the same time, [purple thunder] also spread across the [long sword].
The powers of [Divine Prayer] and [Herrscher of Thunder] took effect simultaneously!
Thus—
[Stop... stop... force, violence... behavior...]
Having enjoyed the combined strike of two [Herrschers], although the [Tyrant Old Lady] still forcefully propped up her body attempting to do something, a crack quickly spread from her forehead to her whole body. Even though she desperately tried to merge the two sides of her body, it was of no avail.
Immediately, she, like the [Shadow Ninja Zombie], quickly turned into ashes.
[Imaginary Energy +216]
"Phew..."
Resting her hands on the [long sword], Kiana had already collapsed to her knees on the ground.
"You okay?"
Compared to Kiana, Leo's state was naturally quite decent, even having the leisure to collect the items dropped by the [Tyrant Old Lady] into the [system space].
But to be honest, his [Honkai energy] was also running on fumes.
—This 99 points of [Honkai energy] really isn't enough!
Just fighting, he spent eighty points.
Even though he recovered a bit on the way and while watching the show earlier, his healing and running also cost [Honkai energy].
Therefore, he naturally lamented his lack of mana.
"F-Fine..."
Letting go of the [long sword], Kiana sat on the ground in a [duck-sitting] posture, smiling towards Leo: "Tentatively, tentatively counts as making up for my mistake!"
After all, not being a true [Paramecium], she already understood the sequence of events.
If not for her rash intrusion, Leo definitely could have continued to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. They wouldn't have had to resolve these two BOSSes so intensely.
"Don't say things like that."
Touching Kiana's head somewhat amusingly, Leo said with a face full of doting: "You were also worried about me."
In fact, he really wasn't angry at Kiana at all. After all, he heard clearly what she shouted when she rushed in.
The anxiety in that voice made him feel somewhat moved.
"Hmph!"
Slightly raising her small chin, Kiana couldn't help saying: "As long as you know!"
But after saying this, she immediately realized something and hurriedly lowered her head, her pretty face heating up uncontrollably.
Because—
"You two... what is your relationship?"
Like a ghost, Bronya leaned over, emitting a faint voice.
"Lovers."
Revealing a very sunny smile towards Bronya, Leo said: "My name is Leo, the lover of Kiana and Mei."
Without the slightest intention of shame, his main strategy was being open and aboveboard.
Thus in the next moment, not only did Kiana's face burn hotter, but even [Raiden Mei] popped out from the [long sword].
"Y-You... what are you saying to Bronya?"
With a flushed face, [Raiden Mei]'s voice trembled with shame.
"Is it not true?"
Turning to look at [Raiden Mei], Leo had a face of calm.
"Or did I say something wrong?"
"Uh..."
Facing Leo's serious inquiry, [Raiden Mei] was immediately rendered speechless.
After all... there was nothing wrong with what this guy said!
Thus—
"Heh~"
Seeing [Raiden Mei] hide back into the [long sword], the corners of Leo's mouth couldn't help curling into a smile of pleasure, then he cast his gaze onto Kiana's face again.
"Hmph!"
With a light snort, Kiana turned her head elsewhere, not letting Leo look.
However, this was the limit of what she could do!
Ultimately, she truly couldn't squeeze out a shred of strength right now, otherwise, she really wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
—I really envy Mei!
Stealing a glance at the [long sword] in Leo's hand, if only she had such a space right now.
"Um..."
Only then did Bronya, who had fallen into a crashed state, come back to her senses.
Looking at Leo with a complex expression, she asked bluntly: "Did you use a Hypnosis APP on them?"
It wasn't hard for her to tell from Kiana and [Raiden Mei]'s expressions that these two probably truly fell in love with this man.
But in her eyes, apart from being somewhat handsome, she didn't see anything extraordinary about Leo.
Even the previous battle, that was a standard an ordinary person could reach with effort.
So aside from a Hypnosis APP, she couldn't think of any other possibility!
"Heh!"
Amused by Bronya's question, Leo couldn't help saying: "Actually, I also have a way to make you fall in love with me."
"Hmm?"
Hearing this, Bronya couldn't help becoming vigilant. The materialized cannon barrel also aimed at Leo.
She even simply closed her eyes, no longer looking at Leo.
"Jie, jie jie jie jie jie."
Seeing this, Leo couldn't help emitting a wild laugh like a villain.
"From when did you produce the illusion that I didn't use the Hypnosis APP?"
"You!"
"I know where [Seele] is, and I will also help you save [Seele]!"
Before Bronya fired the shell from the cannon barrel, Leo hurriedly spoke these words.
Otherwise, he really might not be able to withstand this shot.
After all, just now the [Tyrant Old Lady] was staggered by Bronya's shot; otherwise, he might have already returned to the resurrection point.
"You idiot... Bronya really would have fired at you!"
Seeing that Leo ultimately wasn't shelled by Bronya, Kiana, who had forcefully stood up, couldn't help emitting a coquettish voice towards Leo.
However—
"No."
Shaking his head towards Kiana, Leo laughed: "Bronya isn't a dummy like you. When she realized she could still attack me, she would stop attacking."
"To be honest—"
Looking at Bronya again, he said with a sincere face: "Only in this way could I prove to you that I didn't use underhanded means."
When he met Bronya, he discovered that the opponent had been in an expressionless state.
In other words, the opponent's emotional circuits were burnt out, and she was in a state of absolute rationality, so he believed Bronya could detect he was joking.
Of course, more critically, he believed that as long as he mentioned [Seele], Bronya would definitely let him say a few more sentences.
"You really are a bold guy."
Looking at Leo with cold eyes, Bronya retracted the cannon barrel.
"So... where is [Seele]?"
Having said only one sentence, she immediately focused on the main point.
"As for her, she should be over at the [Mariana Trench]."
Understanding now wasn't the time to keep people guessing, Leo said bluntly: "I'm not sure about the specific situation either."
"But I can guarantee you, once I successfully [capture] this place, I will help you go find her."
Mainly, their current strength was too poor; even if they went over, they would just be delivering food.
So the prerequisite to saving [Seele] was naturally for him to become stronger here first.
"...Mm."
After a brief silence, Bronya revealed an expression of understanding.
"Bronya has remembered your words!"
"Heh~"
Timely, Kiana laughed: "I knew it, this guy definitely has a way to make you remember."
"And as long as you remember this point, presumably you will soon realize that you are in a continuous loop."
If it were something else, she felt Bronya wouldn't necessarily remember, but if it concerned [Seele], she absolutely believed!
Moreover, Bronya herself had produced a sense of déjà vu. With this promise as a trigger, presumably she would soon be able to recall the memories of this loop.
"Mm."
Regarding this, Bronya was somewhat confident.
After all, after she learned from Kiana that she was trapped in an endless loop, she really recalled the scene when she met Kiana.
Although that memory was very blurry, and she also had a sense of unreality, she indeed remembered it.
In other words, as long as she could realize she was in a loop, then some of the memories experienced previously would return.
It was just a pity that the intelligence she collected during these few loops was too messy, causing her to be unable to recall it for a moment. Otherwise, she felt she should have a lot to provide to Kiana and the others.
"No need to rush."
Seeing through Bronya's mind, Leo spoke up: "Right now we only have two matters to trouble you with!"
Immediately, he mentioned the matter of Kiana still missing a "soul", and that male teacher from the [Swimming Club].
If Bronya could help them find clues, that would naturally be best.
However, this loop...
"So it was you who did it... No wonder I said why there were only three monsters in the back kitchen!"
After listening to Bronya's recounting, Leo finally understood why the number of monsters in the back kitchen didn't match the news previously provided by Bronya.
In this loop, Bronya lured them away one by one and finished them off, leaving only three in the end.
"So..."
Revealing a curious expression, Kiana asked: "What did you want to find in the back kitchen?"
"It's the kind of fragment you ate just now."
Without concealing it, Bronya said: "Bronya picked one up before; after eating it, I could materialize the cannon barrel."
"So Bronya thought, if I could eat more, I should be able to materialize Project Bunny."
"In the back kitchen, Bronya sensed the aura of that kind of fragment."
"?"
Hearing this, Leo couldn't help but rejoice.
"Then let's hurry back to the [Canteen]!"
After all, whether giving it to Bronya or giving it to Kiana as a hidden reserve energy source, this thing was quite useful.
Just—
"Bronya's time is almost up. Let Kiana use the fragments there."
Just as these words were spoken, Bronya's figure disappeared before the eyes of Leo and Kiana.
She was pulled back into that [Treasure Chest] again!
"Sigh..."
Sighing with a complex expression, Leo said to Kiana: "Let's go back."
Grabbing Kiana's small hand, he activated teleportation, returning directly to the third floor of the [School building].
—As long as he was in a state of disengagement from combat, he could return to the [Teleport Anchor] from anywhere.
Next, he activated the power of [Reset], healing himself while also returning the entire [Instance] to its original state.
"Let's go."
Having adjusted his state, Leo gave Kiana a look, and the other party immediately understood the meaning.
Together with when they first came tonight, they quickly swept through the [Zombies] in the entire [School building].
Then—
[Instance: Chiba Academy · Canteen]
Not rushing to the back kitchen, the two went up to the second floor first.
However—
"There's actually no extra [Treasure Chest]?"
Seeing nothing in the office, Leo couldn't help feeling somewhat regretful.
But looking at the hole in the ceiling, he also understood this was Kiana's merit.
—This child is equivalent to withdrawing the reward in advance!
Turning to look at Kiana, he couldn't help showing a face of admiration.
"What's wrong?"
Facing Leo's gaze, Kiana was somewhat puzzled.
"Nothing."
Looking at Kiana with some amusement, Leo said: "Just lamenting that you could find the [Treasure Chest] hidden here first."
"What's so special about that?"
Seeing Leo was praising her, Kiana couldn't help scratching her head, saying: "When playing games in the past, weren't there often designs like this?"
"But for something like hiding in the ceiling, only that old lady's height could achieve it, right?"
To be fair, she counted as tall among girls, but she still had to step on a table and tiptoe to barely touch the ceiling.
But that [Tyrant Old Lady] could touch it just by reaching out.
One could only say, in the area of flesh, she was simply too authoritative.
"Let's go downstairs to see the situation in the back kitchen."
Seeing no harvest here, Leo understood they could only excavate the back kitchen.
Cooperating with Kiana, the two of them sorted out the six "Urgots" in the back kitchen in two shakes of a lamb's tail.
"Bronya is really something, actually even solved the mini-BOSS."
Seeing no new "Urgots" popping out, Leo couldn't help sighing.
After all, previously Bronya's intelligence said seven; there should have been a Head Chef in the back kitchen.
But now, they didn't see one.
One had to know, he had [Reset] the [Instance].
In other words, if this Head Chef was trapped somewhere, then he should have returned now too.
But since he hadn't, that meant he could only have been finished off by Bronya.
Just... how exactly did she do it?
To be fair, he was truly curious.
After all, he had seen the destructive power of Bronya's cannon barrel before; it shouldn't have such power.
"Wait until we see her next time to ask."
Slightly raising her small chin, Kiana revealed a look of shared glory.
Of course, if Bronya were still here, she would definitely have a look of unconvinced defiance.
"Mm."
Temporarily throwing this matter to the back of his mind, Leo searched the back kitchen.
At the same time—
[Tiny Miracle] activated!
Although theoretically speaking, the reward in the [Treasure Chest] should be fixed.
But [Tiny Miracle] still activated. Leo hoped the [Treasure Chest] contained at least more than two [Tiny Honkai Fragments]!
And [Tiny Miracle] also responded to him, directly going into CD.
[Current required recovery time: 71:59:59]
It directly required three days of his time!
Of course, successful activation didn't necessarily mean it worked, after all, this only increased a certain probability.
But having hope was always a good thing, moreover—
"Kiana, you open the chest."
Finally, the two found this [Treasure Chest] in an inconspicuous corner of the back kitchen.
To be fair, this [Treasure Chest] was hidden quite stealthily, next to the freezer, with a worn-out vegetable basket placed on top.
If not for the [Treasure Chest] emitting a relatively high concentration of [Honkai energy], Leo and Kiana really might have ignored it due to the clutter here.
One could only say, the monsters here were transformed from people who still had rationality after all, so even after becoming monsters, they retained the habit of hiding [Treasure Chests].
Unlike the [Zombies], who just put the [Treasure Chest] in an obvious place!
"Okay."
Understanding Leo's meaning, Kiana, after rubbing her hands like a fly, opened the [Treasure Chest] with a face full of excitement.
Immediately—
"?"
Looking at the three purple irregular fragments, as well as a recipe book, she couldn't help revealing a surprised expression.
Now, she could become Leo's carry!
"Three pieces..."
Looking at the [Honkai fragments] in the box, Leo's expression couldn't help being somewhat subtle.
—This combination of [Tiny Miracle] + European Emperor seems a bit too overpowered!
After letting Kiana store those three [Honkai fragments], he picked up the recipe book—
"Home-Cooked Meals".
This name was considerably unadorned, but when he opened it, he immediately revealed an expression of enlightenment.
—My pre-battle monkey business segment was actually here!
The only thing that gave him a headache was, surely he couldn't eat a plate of food first when fighting, right?
However—
"Is the duration twelve hours for all of them?"
After carefully looking at the duration of the meals, he relaxed.
In other words, he could apply these fixed BUFFs when eating dinner at night later.
"So strong?"
Leaning over to look at the effects in the recipe book, Kiana couldn't help revealing an astonished expression.
"Don't just look at the effects."
Shaking his head towards Kiana, Leo said: "Many ingredients on here don't exist in reality; we can only use the ones here."
Turning to look at the freezer, he highly suspected whether the food inside was still edible.
However—
"Sure enough, are they all pre-made meals?"
Looking at the boxes of pre-made meals in the crushed ice, he was actually somewhat resistant.
After all, it was unknown how many years this [Instance] had lasted; these pre-made meals were true Qing Dynasty veterans.
But considering the effects on the recipe book, he could only store these pre-made meals into the [system space].
But since they could still be put into the [system space], that meant these things weren't ordinary items.
—Like the materials Kiana found in the office on the second floor, they couldn't be put into the [system space] by him!
Therefore... probably edible. At worst, I'll just heat them up a few more times!
"Are we still exploring tonight?"
Seeing the matters in the back kitchen come to an end, Kiana asked the key question.
"No."
Shaking his head, Leo took out a license emitting a faint glimmer from the [system space].
"Before I promote to [D-Rank], let's continue leveling up!"
—100,000 points of [Imaginary Energy], this wasn't a small number!
But as long as he broke through to [D-Rank], he believed the road ahead would be smooth sailing.
Truth be told, it had been a while since he died.
But mainly, Kiana was right beside him. If he insisted on taking risks, he would definitely take Kiana to die together.
He knew the pain of death deeply, so naturally, he didn't want Kiana to feel it too.
It was precisely because of this that he was so steady now.
Otherwise, if it were the past, when he was in the [Kendo Club], he absolutely would have continued exploring.
One could only say, having a family, people really do change!
—Women influenced the speed at which I draw my blade!
________________________________________
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