Chapter 61: "So Seele Will Be Imprisoned in the Future?!"

Chapter 61: "So Seele Will Be Imprisoned in the Future?!"

 The live chat fell into complete silence.

 There was no chilling wind blowing, but that glaring white barrage floating across the screen carried a strange, indescribable coldness...

 As expected of the master of cold jokes (referring to a certain parallel world version of himself).

 Just one sentence, and the whole chatroom turned this awkward.

 Hokuto swallowed hard. This is getting tricky...

 Now that he thought about it, Kevin appearing in the chat was already awkward enough.

 After all, you don't mess with a guy's dog.

 And now, Bronya had just slaughtered Tlaloc right in front of its owner…

 Was that a bit much?

 Doesn't this count as bullying the strongest man in the world?

 Am I about to get hit with a "Judgment of Shamash!" for this?

 Just as things were teetering on the edge of maximum awkwardness, someone poured gasoline onto the fire.

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "Yes, as you can see. Just as the in-game subtitles stated, Tlaloc is dead."

 A green barrage floated across the chat.

 The sender? None other than the Bishop of Destiny, Otto Apocalypse.

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "I must admit, what a magnificent finale! That explosion was truly dazzling."

 As a spectator, Otto only saw Tlaloc as a large, tanky mid-boss—a fine target for some flashy destruction.

 『No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai:』 "What are you trying to say?"

 Unfortunately, Otto's commentary failed to amuse Kevin.

 On the contrary, his exaggerated adjectives sounded straight-up sarcastic to the "dog" owner.

 But Kevin wasn't focusing on that right now.

 From what he gathered from the so-called "streamer", this six-minute animation was titled "Cyberangel"…

 And the footage displayed the birth of a Herrscher.

 The Herrscher of Reason.

 Though far weaker than a true Herrscher, the powers she exhibited were indeed the Herrscher of Reason's authority.

 And judging from the scenery, there was only one possible location where this battle took place...

 In an instant, all the scattered clues in Kevin's mind connected into a single thread.

 He had figured it out.

 The footage was showing future events.

 A new Herrscher was about to be born.

 And her sole purpose was to find someone named Seele?

 Another Herrscher with the will to protect?

 Perhaps… he should meet her.

"Ahem! Everyone, let's keep the chatroom peaceful!"

 Just as Kevin and Otto's silent battle of wits seemed to be escalating, Hokuto quickly jumped in to defuse the situation.

 The last thing I need is for these two to start fighting before they've even met in person!

 If World Serpent and Schicksal really went to war over this…

 I'd be the first to get obliterated.

 Besides, if Kevin gets too busy beating Otto into paste, Mei wouldn't enter the Elysian Realm, meaning she'd never earn the First Herrscher's approval.

 Which means… we'd all lose. Hard.

 Yeah, no thanks.

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "Yeah! Don't fight, you two! Civilized viewing starts with all of us!"

 With Seele's cheerful blue message floating across the screen, the tense atmosphere finally eased up a little.

 Then, Otto responded.

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "Hahaha, interesting. Hmm~ I understand now. My apologies, dear viewer with the long username. If you still feel unsatisfied, perhaps we could meet in person? I would quite enjoy such an occasion."

 Excuse me? You want to meet in person?

 Bro, you don't even know that the guy you're provoking is the strongest warrior in human history.

 When you actually meet him, you'll realize that even your backup clone bodies aren't enough for him to shred through.

 Watching Otto boldly invite Kevin out like he was setting up a friendly coffee date, Hokuto was 90% sure this guy was just baiting Kevin into exposing more information.

 Yeah. Classic Otto.

 Can't let that happen.

 "Alright, alright, dear Great Inventor. Weren't you deeply interested in the artistic aspects of this animation? If you have the time to chat, I might as well pause the footage and wait for you to finish."

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "?"

 Otto quickly responded with a single question mark.

 After a brief moment of silence, he added:

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "If that's the case, then I shall remain silent."

"Excellent."

 With Otto successfully gagged, Hokuto resumed the animation.

 Although "Cyberangel" had less than a minute left, the visuals remained absolutely breathtaking.

 A blue Herrscher core slowly descended.

 Then, the camera zoomed out to reveal a single butterfly fluttering past countless black cubes.

 With the vibrant BGM swelling in the background, the butterfly fluttered its wings and began its journey toward the Herrscher core.

 Despite the immense distance between them…

 Despite the many obstacles in its path…

 It never wavered.

 "Bronya will find you, Seele."

 The chat filled with emotion.

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "Huh? Wait… why did Bronya say she needs to save Seele?!"

 Seele's blue message popped up almost instantly.

 She was happy to hear Bronya's declaration— but at the same time, deeply confused.

 If Bronya was searching for her…

 Did that mean… she was in danger?

"Ahem! Dear viewer, please remember—this is just a game!"

 Hokuto hurriedly threw out a reminder before Seele accidentally outed herself.

 Just then, the animation flashed through a montage of parallel worlds.

 Each one showed a different Bronya.

 A little girl with a schoolbag. A ballet dancer in a tutu. A young lady in a stunning dress, holding a bouquet of flowers…

 All the lives Bronya could have had.

 Yet, the blue butterfly ignored them all.

 Instead, it pressed forward—toward the one world where Seele existed.

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "Parallel worlds? Sea of Quanta? A Seele… imprisoned?!"

 Seele was completely lost.

 Her brain felt like it was overheating from all these new terms…

 [Due to your livestream content, "my favorite sister Bronya" is shocked! You have received 1120 Crystals!]

 The reward notification sound rang in Hokuto's ears once again, which should have been something to celebrate.

 But…

 Something extremely annoying had happened.

 Despite all his (supposedly) careful efforts to avoid exposing certain information, Seele had still found out the truth.

 This…

 "System, quick question. Does this count as a violation?"

 [What makes you say that, Host?]

 "Come on, one of the viewers literally just found out about their own future! How is that not a violation?!"

 [Are you referring to that particular viewer? Apologies, but neither you nor she have technically exposed anything. System has determined that this does not violate livestream regulations. Furthermore, System predicts that this revelation will not affect Host.]

 The moment Hokuto finished asking, the system promptly went into 'lazy mode.'

 "...So you're saying there'll be no consequences whatsoever? Fine. Remember you said that."

 Seeing his absolutely unreliable system casually wave off the problem, Hokuto felt a deep sense of powerlessness, as if his fists were punching cotton.

 But at least the system's final statement was somewhat comforting—

 "This will not affect the Host."

 Alright then, it's none of my business. I'll just focus on streaming~

 Even if this game turns into a bloodbath, it's got nothing to do with me, yep yep.

 …Well.

 Maybe I should at least help cover things up a little.

 After all, Kevin and Seele would meet in the future.

 If Kevin got suspicious now, World Serpent's influence might just track her down.

 That would be… very bad.

 With that in mind, Hokuto exited the animation menu and calmly said:

 "Dear viewer, please relax. This is just a game cutscene."

 However… there was no response.

 Hokuto frowned slightly.

 What is Seele thinking right now?

—

 At Cocolia's Orphanage.

 Seele clung tightly to Bronya's hand, refusing to let go.

 At the entrance, the Twin sisters, who had just returned from playing outside, froze in shock.

 "Ehhh?! What… What's going on? Liliya, what do you think?!"

 "I… don't know. Also—stupid Rosalia, you're squeezing me too hard!"

 The two stood there huddled together, trembling like two human-shaped lightbulbs.

 Meanwhile, the real cause of their shock, Seele, was shaking slightly.

 Her long, silky hair brushed against Bronya's chin.

 "...Seele? What's wrong?"

 Bronya felt a tickling sensation, but Seele's grip was so tight that she couldn't move properly.

 "...Bronya-neesan, in the future… are you going to leave me?"

 Seele slowly lifted her head, her pure, innocent eyes gazing straight into Bronya's.

 Their eyes met.

 In that moment, time itself seemed to stop.

 "What kind of silly question is that? Bronya will never leave Seele. I promise."

 As she spoke, Bronya placed her hand over Seele's.

 "Even if that day does come, Bronya will always find you."

 "...Bronya-neesan!"

 Seele buried her face into Bronya's chest.

 The fear in her heart slowly faded away.

 That's right… no matter where I go… Bronya-neesan will always find me!

 So even if we're apart for a little while… it's okay…

 The young girl leaned into her sister's embrace, lost in thought.

—

 "Mm… Thank you for the reminder, big brother streamer."

 A blue message floated across the screen.

 Hokuto felt relieved.

 At the very least, Seele wouldn't expose herself.

 That way, when she finally met Kevin in the future, there wouldn't be any unnecessary complications.

 …Probably?

 Anyway, back to the stream!

 Hokuto opened the daily mission menu and cleared some Exorcism Commissions.

 After finishing up, he turned to the chat.

 "Alright, that's it for today's stream! Tomorrow, I'll be playing through Main Story Chapter 6 and Chapter 7. The stream will start in the morning. If anyone can't make it at that time, I can reschedule. Any requests?"

 Seele responded first.

 『my favorite sister Bronya:』 "No problem! I can watch anytime!"

 Then, Otto followed up.

 『Your Great Inventor:』 "What a coincidence, I'm also free."

 After their two messages floated across the screen, no other messages appeared.

 Hokuto glanced at the list of viewers, hesitated for a moment, and then asked:

 "Any objections? If not, then it's settled!"

 『No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai:』 "Main Story?"

 A bright white message finally appeared.

 The sender?

 None other than the Supreme Leader of World Serpent himself… Kevin.

 Oh, right.

 Since he was randomly pulled into the stream mid-way, he has no idea what the "Main Story" actually is.

 "Ahem, allow me to explain."

 Hokuto opened the Main Story menu, scrolling through the cover images of each chapter for the audience to see.

 Then, he gave Kevin a brief summary of Honkai Impact 3rd's setting.

 "That's the general situation. Any questions?"

 Kevin's response was… frustratingly straightforward.

 『No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai:』 "I only have one question. Who are you?"

 …Bruh.

 Hokuto mentally cursed the system.

 Seriously?! This guy doesn't play by the rules at all!

 There's no way I can answer that!

 "...I'm just an ordinary streamer doing this as a hobby. Gotta make a little money somehow."

 『No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai:』 "I will watch tomorrow's stream."

 With that, a system notification popped up.

 [Viewer "No Matter the Cost, Humanity Will Prevail Against Honkai" has left the livestream.]

 He left?

 …Good.

 Hokuto let out a small sigh of relief.

 If Kevin was surprised that Tlaloc died, then his current timeline was definitely before Bronya entered the Sea of Quanta.

 Which means… I probably won't have any issues, right?

 With that thought, Hokuto wrapped up the stream and logged out.

 The sudden voice disrupted the tension, drawing both Kevin and Seele's attention towards Bronya, who had just arrived in this eerie space.

 The two sides silently faced each other.

 Neither had made a move yet, but their eyes were already filled with battle intent.

 The atmosphere grew heavier and heavier…

 However—just as Bronya listened closely to Welt Yang's warnings…

 "You are… Bronya?"

 Kevin spoke her name outright.

 The moment those words left his mouth, Welt abruptly stopped speaking.

 Wait, what?

 Kevin had met Bronya before?

 "Bronya, you… know this 'Serpent'?"

 "No. This is Bronya's first time seeing him."

 "Then why… did he say your name so casually?"

 The two Herrscher stand-ins fell into silence.

 Meanwhile, Kevin turned his back to them, speaking in a deep, steady tone.

 "It is my memory—an unfulfilled promise."

 "The echoes of my comrades, the entrusted wills, the future they dreamed of."

 "Day after day, they surface in my mind, only to fade into nothing."

 "A constant reminder that humanity was once annihilated by Honkai."

 The Supreme Leader of World Serpent, a flame-chasing hero of the Previous Era, the man destined to bear the burden of saving humanity, turned his icy gaze toward Seele.

 "You understand what I carry, don't you?"

 However—

 Before Seele could answer…

 Bronya raised her floating cannons, aiming directly at Kevin.

 "Bronya does not understand what you are saying. But Bronya hopes you will return Seele to me."

 Kevin, unfazed, simply glanced at her and said:

 "She is your comrade. A warrior who fights against Honkai."

 "As a pioneer, I have no reason to stop her from reuniting with you."

 After finishing his sentence, Kevin even pointed towards Bronya, as if giving Seele permission to leave.

 Seeing this, Seele carefully moved to stand behind Bronya.

 This… unexpected generosity…

 Was the leader of World Serpent… actually a good person?

 "Do not be fooled by his actions, Bronya," Welt Yang urgently warned. "This man is extremely dangerous!"

 "Mm. Don't worry. Bronya just… has some questions."

 After reassuring Welt, Bronya looked up at the 'Serpent.'

 Their eyes met once more.

 The tension between them remained, yet the atmosphere was not as suffocating as before.

 "How do you know Bronya? Did you learn it from Seele?"

 "That question is irrelevant."

 Kevin shook his head.

 He had no intention of giving long-winded explanations.

 After all, his answer would sound completely ridiculous to them.

 Instead of wasting time explaining, which would only make them more suspicious, it was smarter to get straight to the point.

 "I know your resolve. I have witnessed your battle against Tlaloc."

 Kevin gazed into Bronya's gray eyes and, once again, extended an invitation.

 "World Serpent needs warriors like you—Herrschers who fight for humanity."

 "Why? Because Bronya is a Herrscher?"

 This felt like a job interview. If it were a normal person, they'd at least ask about salary and benefits first.

 However—Bronya wasn't a normal person.

 She was the new Herrscher of Reason.

 And she had been mentored by Welt Yang.

 There was no way she would accept the offer.

 But asking why? That much was still fine.

 Welt, however, strongly disagreed.

 "Don't bother. The only reason he's inviting you is because you are a Herrscher."

 "Is that so..."

 Bronya believed him, thinking Welt had guessed correctly.

 However—

 Kevin's answer was nothing like what they expected.

 "Because… I don't want to disappoint her."

 Her?

 Who is 'her'?

 This question echoed within both Herrschers' minds, refusing to fade.

 Finally, after a moment of hesitation, Bronya adjusted her floating cannons to full power.

 "Thank you for your offer—but Bronya refuses!"

 The moment she gave her answer… Kevin vanished.

—

 After ending the stream, Hokuto's system immediately chimed in.

 [Congratulations, Host has completed the livestream.]

 [Based on the livestream's popularity, Host has earned 4,100 Crystals!]

 Nice!

 With over 4,000 Crystals now in his balance, Hokuto was feeling pretty good.

 But there was still more to grind!

 He dragged his exhausted body through some minor work assignments.

 By the time he finished, it was already late evening.

 After eating dinner, taking a shower, and lying down in bed, Hokuto fell into a deep sleep.

 The next morning—

 He woke up and started the stream right away.

 [Livestream started.]

 [Pushing notifications… Successful.]

 [Host has begun livestreaming. Please maintain decorum and stream responsibly.]

 As the system's default messages played, Hokuto casually cleared his daily stamina.

 Since he had cleared so much main story content—and thanks to new player bonuses—his level was skyrocketing.

 If everything went smoothly, he could finish the third cycle of 'Sakura Samsara' today.

 While clearing his daily missions, Hokuto mused:

 "It's about time, right? Who's joining the stream today…?"

 And as if in response—

 A flood of system notifications popped up.

 [Welcome: my favorite sister Bronya, Your Great Inventor, Pink Fairy Miss, Today's Performance Wasn't Perfect, Maintaining Elegance Is a Maid's Duty to the livestream.]

 …!?

 FIVE people?!

 All five at once?!

 Seeing the long list of arrivals, Hokuto felt a mix of excitement and anxiety.

 More viewers were good…

 But THESE particular viewers… were all terrifying figures!

 An S-Rank Valkyrie, the first Herrscher, the Previous Era's most disciplined warrior, a literal flame-chasing hero, and… a maid.

 …Actually, the maid seems like the most normal one here?!

 What kind of lineup is this?!

End of Chapter 61