Chapter 182: The Lord Must Have His Reasons for Doing This

How long has it been since the last time he watched a magical girl anime?

After finishing "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," Otto fell into deep thought.

It was probably when Theresa was still growing up. At that time, Theresa was very innocent and cute; she even played the role of a magical girl.

Otto took her magical girl image and turned it into an anime.

However, for some reason, whenever the magical girl Teiriri was mentioned years later, Theresa would get angry, even though it was such a cute and memorable part of the past.

Regarding the plot, Haxxor Bunny's performance was as stable as ever.

Who knows when her works will fall from grace?

Otto gradually understood why so many memes suddenly exploded on the internet.

He couldn't understand why Bronie had a vendetta against Sayaka, specifically targeting her. Sayaka was a cute girl who wholeheartedly pursued justice, only to encounter the dark side of the world prematurely, causing her sense of justice to waver.

Sayaka's last conversation in the subway also made Otto sigh.

He didn't expect there to be so many bad people in the world. It felt very grounded, as if Bronie had experienced it herself.

In fact, the conversation boasting about manipulating girls was something Gen Urobuchi actually overheard on the subway.

People's inner darkness is often deeper than others imagine.

But isn't this common?

Otto felt helpless and even more determined to save Kallen.

Although this determination didn't need much reinforcement, after seeing Madoka's character, Otto immediately realized that Haxxor Bunny modeled the character after Elysia.

Madoka's final self-sacrificial wish reminded Otto of the experimental data Bronie had sent, recorded from a first-person perspective in the imaginary space battle. Elysia, like a deity, tried to touch the branches of the imaginary tree with her own hands. Elysia's death was a voluntary sacrifice.

As for the specifics, Otto couldn't analyze further. The records of the previous civilization indicated that all Herrschers, except the special case of the Herrscher of Sentience, bore absolute malice towards human civilization. Elysia's sacrificial behavior was particularly intriguing.

Although he really wanted to understand the situation, knowing Bronie's protective attitude towards Elysia, asking could touch a nerve. It was better not to ask directly.

As for Welt, after watching the anime and hearing the truth behind Kyubey's contracts, he felt subtly implicated. The universe is constantly increasing in entropy, and the power of emotions can reverse this. Reversing entropy naturally leads to Anti-Entropy.

However, if faced with the situation of sacrificing a small part to save the majority, Welt admitted that he would have a hard time deciding and might indeed choose to act like Kyubey.

From Kyubey's standpoint, his actions were quite 'correct.'

Different perspectives create different conflicts. The collision of ideas presented in a magical girl anime, and Madoka's sacrifice, appeared even more sacred.

Welt couldn't help but sigh. Bronie's anime has redefined magical girls. In the future, there might even be scenes of magical girls slaughtering each other.

After all, Bronie's previous works also revolved around themes of mutual slaughter.

Thinking about this, Welt was speechless.

Alright, the future themes of anime won't be much better. Even in fan fiction, there might be plots of Homura killing Homura.

The trend Bronie started this time will definitely last for a long time because Madoka's character is so deeply ingrained in people's hearts. Mami's death also opened a new door for many creators.

Tragedy, after all, is about showing the audience something beautiful and then tearing it apart. It's precisely because beautiful things carry regret that they become so unforgettable.

"I hope Ms. Haxxor can use other ways to show the beauty of the world. The method in 'Puella Magi Madoka Magica' seems a bit extreme for children."

Welt thought that this anime was indeed not suitable for children, as it could leave some psychological scars. So, he gave this evaluation.

Then Welt saw Bronie's new post.

"I think teaching children that there is no darkness in this world is a very bad thing."

This post had been up for a while. Welt suddenly realized that his own post was anticipated!

Seeing Bronie's post, Welt felt the same malice from Haxxor as when playing "Getting Over It" back in the day. It was very clear: even though she knew ge was displeased, he couldn't do anything about it.

It felt like everything he did was within Haxxor's expectations.

Welt became emo, watching the trailer for "Rebellion" and the original footage being reviewed in various regions. He secretly decided to watch "Rebellion" properly.

Is it really a bad thing to teach children that there is no darkness in this world?

Welt thought that exposing children to darkness too early, like Sayaka in "Puella Magi Madoka Magica," could lead them to extremes.

Haxxor's malicious nature was also fully displayed in this statement.

However, "Puella Magi Madoka Magica" did have many negative examples that could serve educational purposes. Welt felt uneasy, whether about Homura, Madoka, or Sayaka. Even Mami, upon learning that magical girls would turn into witches, broke down and hurt other magical girls.

...

"Woo, woo, woo..."

In the dean's office, the trash can was filled with tissues. The short white-haired girl had already cried her eyes out, and the red-haired older woman beside her was covering her mouth, frowning.

After watching the first three episodes, the anime's plot indeed opened a new door for Himeko regarding magical girls.

The idea that death could occur in battle was presented to the audience, making Himeko even more curious about whether the story of magical girls could continue. As a native of the Far East, Himeko had watched many magical girl animes in her childhood.

The shock of seeing someone die was so great that she, along with Theresa, watched the rest in one go.

And the result?

Himeko felt terrible.

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica" almost overturned the entire magical girl genre.

Watching those children go astray, Himeko couldn't help but think of some of the more extreme Valkyries within Schicksal.

They, too, had similar tendencies. Pushing themselves into the abyss and self-destruction.

"Himeko, Haxxor and Grandpa are so bad! Making me watch this kind of magical girl anime, this isn't a magical girl at all!"

"But miracles and magic were indeed shown... When I get back, I'll definitely recommend this anime to my students. It's very educational and might prevent them from becoming extreme in the future. Extreme Valkyries could hinder our fight against Honkai."

Himeko considered the educational value, while Theresa thought for a moment.

"You're right. I'll assign them to write reflections on it later. And I'll ask Grandpa for compensation!"

"Eh? Just because of an anime?"

"If I cry hard enough, Grandpa might give us more funding. Then Hyperion can be better maintained!"

Alright, if it meant refurbishing Hyperion, Himeko had no objections. As the captain of Hyperion, better equipment meant more power against Honkai beasts!

"I'll look forward to your good news then."

"Mm, and Himeko, help me keep an eye out for Madoka Magica merchandise. I want to put them in my office!"

"Sure, as long as you don't misuse public funds for that~"

As Theresa's adjutant, Himeko couldn't refuse such a request.

"Misusing public funds is just a rumor! Besides, some of the funds are Grandpa's pocket money, really pocket money!"

The funds credited to the account were indeed labeled as pocket money. Himeko wasn't sure why they went through the public account.

Maybe to prevent Theresa from spending it too quickly?

Who knows~

...

In the tropical jungle of South Africa, Jackal, a member of World Serpent, used its resources to build a very secretive experimental base.

Abandoning the research on stigmata was out of the question, just as World Serpent wouldn't abandon its Project Stigma. Although Kevin scolded her for wasting resources on unnecessary things, it didn't seem to affect the Project Stigma much.

However, Jackal's meals had worsened significantly, almost to the point of eating instant noodles every day. If she hadn't seen the Lord eating instant noodles too, Jackal might have gone hunting in the tropical rainforest.

But today, the Lord seemed different.

What was different?

While eating instant noodles, the Lord was staring at his phone.

Jackal curiously glanced at the phone's screen, then immediately conducted a thorough self-examination.

She must have been mistaken.

Why was the Lord watching a magical girl anime, and at a transformation scene no less!?

The Lord is the supreme existence; there must be a profound meaning in his actions.

To avoid confusion, Jackal quickly informed Raven about this.

But Raven had no reaction, which irritated Jackal, preventing her from doing any substantial work all day.

Research stigmata?

Forget it!

As for Kevin?

Since Elysia's return, Kevin had slowed the Project Stigma's progress.

The reason was simple: Elysia disliked the project, which aimed to redefine humanity in a way Elysia opposed.

So, what now?

It was merely a matter of implementing the Project Stigma at the last moment and cooperating with Mobius and Vill-V on new plans.

Now that the planning was nearly complete, Kevin could only occasionally watch Elysia's live streams, surf the web, and ponder why birds fly.

Then Elysia recommended an anime online.

"Puella Magi Madoka Magica."

Originally, Kevin resisted, but it was Elysia's recommendation!

And it was produced by Haxxor.

Having experienced Bronie's games, Kevin was envious. They both could save the world, while only Haxxor can keep creating games. It was incredibly cool!

Though he couldn't participate in game-making, Kevin could at least enjoy playing.

Kevin watched the anime.

Although his face showed no expression, his heart was full of envy.

How could he not see that Bronie's portrayal of Madoka was an allusion to Elysia?

Elysia once sacrificed herself to bring about human traits in Herrschers. After researching, Kevin saw that Elysia had indeed succeeded.

Now, with Bronie's anime, Kevin felt the same feelings from back then. This sourness in his heart might last a long time.

Moreover, Bronie had indeed succeeded in reviving people, even hinting at reviving Dr. Mei in future plans.

Speaking of Dr. Mei, Kevin couldn't control his emotions.

If revival was possible which was now proven, how could Honkai be undefeatable?

So now, Kevin was almost in a salted-fish state, occasionally eating instant noodles in the lab, listening to Raven report Jackal's antics, and watching the various Grey Serpents perform comedy sketches and fight amongst themselves.

World Serpent was peculiar, but at least Su was there to play games with, like Apex, which was quite enjoyable.

However, Jackal was confused. She couldn't understand how this once-venerable organization dedicated to fighting Honkai had turned into this.

The culprit behind it all was now preparing to move.

As Bronie pondered her next game, Elysia, dressed in a pure white gown, appeared before her.

"How do I look? Do I look like Kaname Madoka? Do I have a bit of a divine aura?"

Oh my god!

Elysia was cosplaying as Godoka!

Bronie was stunned, as Elysia, in that moment, looked like she was wearing a wedding dress.

"Although Elysia is always beautiful, at this moment, you are the brightest star in the sky. You look truly stunning now."

Recently, Elysia seemed to be playing around a lot...