"Bronya, how are you feeling right now?"
Walking along the bustling streets of Nagazora City, the chatter of passersby and the roar of cars continuously flowed into Raiden Mei's ears.
The city sounds, which would normally feel noisy and irritating, now sounded like a relaxing and comfortable white noise to Mei, who had just returned to the real world from the silent and perilous Mementos.
Taking a deep, enjoyable breath of Nagazora City's air, thick with the scent of life, Mei looked down at Bronya, who was floating beside her. Her voice held a slight note of concern as she asked.
"The Bronya feels fine. The Bronya... is just a little tired."
Bronya replied softly to Mei, who was worried about her. Though her expression was as calm as usual, Bronya currently looked quite listless, relying entirely on the exoskeleton armor technology in her legs to float at a low altitude.
The number of Herrscher of Reason core fragments obtained from its Palace was only two hundred and thirty-four. Compared to the complete base number of thirty thousand, Bronya had only acquired 0.078% of the full Herrscher's power, not even reaching one percent.
Less than one percent of Herrscher power had absolutely zero corrosive effect on Bronya's body. The rate of Honkai energy erosion was even slower than the natural metabolic rate of cell death and regeneration within Bronya. It only brought her a positive boost in terms of strength.
As Bronya herself said, she was just a little tired—not only physically, but even her mind had become somewhat numb.
During her time fighting in Mementos, Bronya had become deeply aware of her own weakness and powerlessness, feeling like she couldn't do anything.
Her damage output was negligible, barely enough to scratch high-level Shadow monsters. Moreover, Bronya couldn't even manage something that everyone else in the team, like Seele [Hare], could do as a matter of course: stay near Hare for an extended period.
After being in close proximity to Hare for two and a half hours, Bronya, with only one percent of Herrscher power, began to feel unwell due to the strong Honkai energy radiation Hare naturally emitted.
For Bronya's safety, Ren Amamiya had paused the plan to explore Mementos and instead brought Bronya and Raiden Mei back to the real world.
Although her teammates only showed her gentle kindness, Bronya, knowing she had become a burden, still felt intense pressure and guilt, making her somewhat dispirited.
"Everyone has moments of weakness. No matter how weak you are, as long as you're willing to become stronger and take action, you can become strong. Bronya, you're not a full-fledged Persona user yet. Once you fully awaken, you'll definitely be as strong as everyone else."
Raiden Mei gently comforted Bronya beside her. Noticing that Bronya's mood hadn't improved despite her consolation, the empathetic Mei quickly realized the other aspect Bronya was concerned about.
"It's not entirely because I needed to take care of Bronya that I left the team and returned to the real world, you know. I've been reunited with my father after he was released from prison, and I want to spend more time with him. Plus, there's Kiana's situation. I need to find time to meet up with Kiana and observe her current physical and mental state..."
Mei ticked off on her fingers the things she wanted to do in the real world. Her father's matter could be postponed a little, but Kiana's condition truly needed Mei to witness it firsthand.
The Herrscher of the Void's consciousness had dissipated, and its core had been successfully stolen by Ren Amamiya. Theoretically, Kiana should no longer be possessed by the Herrscher of the Void due to its core.
But since it concerned her most important friend, Kiana, Mei had to personally confirm Kiana's current state to be completely at ease.
"And Bronya, you don't need to worry about Ren's progress exploring Mementos. Didn't Miss Fu Hua call Ren just now, saying she wanted to investigate Mementos again? With Miss Fu Hua, a Persona user with sensory support abilities, joining the team, perhaps Ren, Hare, and the others will have an even smoother time clearing Mementos than when we were there."
Ren Amamiya had originally planned to return to the Raiden residence with Mei and Bronya to request permission from Welt Yang, the current successor to the Herrscher of Reason, to enter its Palace. Then, he would go to the Herrscher of Reason's Palace to collect more core fragments for Bronya to increase her power.
However, Fu Hua's timely call just now had made Ren temporarily abandon the idea of going to the Raiden residence to meet Welt. He planned to meet Fu Hua in the real world first, then enter Mementos together to work together for a while and test if Fu Hua had what it takes to be a teammate for the Phantom Thieves.
As for meeting Welt, that would have to be postponed until evening.
After all, Welt Yang was the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy and the successor to the Herrscher of Reason's core. It was only proper and polite for Ren Amamiya, as the leader of the equally-ranked Phantom Thieves and a partner, to formally request permission to enter the Herrscher of Reason's Palace. Otherwise, Ren Amamiya and the others wouldn't be authorized visitors in the Herrscher of Reason's Palace, but uninvited intruders.
Of course, even if Ren Amamiya temporarily shelved the plan to seek permission to enter the Herrscher of Reason's Palace until the evening, Bronya still needed to return to the Raiden residence to meet with the higher-ups of Anti-Entropy's conservative faction.
Just yesterday, Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein had said they would use more precise, cutting-edge equipment to give Bronya a thorough physical examination the next day.
And Welt had even hinted at something akin to taking her on as a disciple. It seemed he planned to teach Bronya how to use the Herrscher of Reason's power while also taking the opportunity to assess Bronya's and the Phantom Thieves' personalities and ideals.
Both Ren Amamiya and Bronya saw through Welt's intentions. However, Ren didn't force Bronya to refuse Welt, especially since today, facing hostile Shadows beyond her current strength, Bronya increasingly felt her powerlessness. Similarly, she could feel that she wasn't fully utilizing the Herrscher of Reason's power she already possessed.
If she could perfectly master the Herrscher of Reason's power she already had, even if her strength still couldn't compare to Raiden Mei's, Bronya felt the power she could exert wouldn't be much weaker than Mei's.
After some comforting, seeing Bronya's perpetually tense little face finally soften a bit, and her overall demeanor becoming much more relaxed, Raiden Mei could finally rest assured. Then, her thoughts couldn't help but start to wander.
Meeting her father wasn't a worry, but meeting Kiana...
Recalling Kiana's intense, almost predatory gaze fixed on her, Raiden Mei instantly started to feel a headache coming on again.
Although meeting Kiana would inevitably mean being clung to by her for a while, to confirm Kiana's physical and mental state, Mei could only choose to silently endure this exasperating feeling.
I wonder what Kiana is doing right now...
"Mei!"
Since Kiana already knows about Mr. Siegfried, she probably won't be wandering all over Nagazora City looking for news like before, right?
"Mei! Mei! Mei!!"
As she mused quietly, Raiden Mei vaguely felt as if Kiana's energetic voice was ringing right in her ears.
"Mei, is that white-haired idiot waving frantically at you someone you know?"
The feeling of her sleeve being gently tugged brought Raiden Mei back to her senses. Following Bronya's slightly disdainful gaze, Mei saw a young girl with white twin braids and a pair of azure eyes. Right now, she looked like an adorable puppy seeing its owner, her face lit up with surprise, waving her arms frantically at her.
It was none other than Kiana Kaslana, whom Mei had just been thinking about.
Judging by appearance alone, Kiana was undoubtedly a top-tier, beautiful girl. Unfortunately, right now, not only did she have a silly expression, but there was also sauce smeared on the corner of her mouth, and the hand waving at Mei was clutching two or three chicken skewers.
It wasn't just Bronya who showed disdain for Kiana's behavior; even Raiden Mei couldn't help but feel a moment of suffocation.
"Kiana, are you... having lunch here?"
Mei managed to force a polite smile for Kiana. Only then did she belatedly notice the various food aromas wafting through the street... this area was precisely the snack street.
"Lunch? Ahaha, actually, actually I was picking out a gift to bring when I visit Mei's house. It's just that the food here looked too delicious, so I couldn't resist trying a little of everything. I was planning to pick out the tastiest one to bring as a gift to your house, Mei..."
Kiana paused for a moment, then, as if just realizing what she had been doing, she scratched her head sheepishly and spoke to Mei with embarrassment.
"Kiana is coming to my house?... Right, with your initiative, Kiana, I guess you wouldn't just sit around waiting for me to contact you."
Mei had thought Kiana's appearance in the snack street near the Raiden residence was purely a coincidence. However, from what Kiana said, she had actively searched for the Raiden residence's location, preparing to visit in person to ask Mei about her father, Siegfried.
"Regarding Mr. Siegfried's whereabouts, I don't have any news on that right now. But one thing I can confirm is that Mr. Siegfried no longer has any reason to leave you. Just wait a little longer, and Mr. Siegfried will definitely appear before you, Kiana."
Currently, Anti-Entropy's Sovereign Welt, Dr. Tesla, and the others were staying at the Raiden residence, so it wasn't a suitable time for Kiana to visit. Fortunately, Mei had spotted her before Kiana could knock on the Raiden residence's door.
After telling Kiana what she knew, watching Kiana bite into her chicken skewer with even more vigor, looking very excited and cheerful, Mei, who had been somewhat worried about Kiana's state, could finally relax completely.
"Mei, want some? I only took one bite of this one, it's delicious!... Hey, you little pipsqueak over there, what's with that look? Even if you keep staring at me, I won't give you any to eat. Don't think I didn't hear you call me an idiot just now!"
Kiana excitedly offered Mei a chicken skewer she had taken a bite from. Then, angered by the disdainful look Bronya gave the chicken skewers in her hand, all of which she had haphazardly gnawed on, she huffed and yelled at Bronya.
"I'm not hungry right now... More importantly, Kiana, how are you feeling? Are you still having strange dreams like before?"
Raising her hand to politely decline the chicken skewer Kiana offered, Mei asked her the question that concerned her most right now.
Although Kiana looked very healthy on the outside, if Mei couldn't know how Kiana herself felt, everything would just be her own conjecture.
"How am I feeling? I feel great! When I woke up this morning, my body felt so light, as if some kind of shackle deep inside me that I couldn't usually perceive had been broken—even though I had that nightmare about being killed by some psycho, my mood is strangely satisfied and refreshed. It's really weird."
Kiana munched and finished all the chicken skewers. After wiping her mouth and throwing the wooden sticks into a nearby trash can, her eyes suddenly lit up as if she remembered something.
"Oh, right! Even though it was a nightmare, at the end of the nightmare, I saw you, Mei, coming to save me! That must be why I feel so light and satisfied! As expected of Mei, you even insist on saving me in my dreams!!"
Even though you think it was a dream, I actually did go to another world to save you...
Watching Kiana, who was getting emotional and about to pounce on her for a hug again, Raiden Mei's eye twitched. She silently took two steps back, and Kiana once again fell onto the cold ground, repeating her mistake.
After learning that her good friend Kiana was actually just a clone of the real Kiana, Mei had wanted to treat Kiana a bit more gently. But Kiana lunging at her with hands covered in food grease... Mei really couldn't accept it.
"...Hmm? Mei, be careful! Something's not right!"
Having just returned from Mementos, although her body was slightly unwell, Bronya always maintained the necessary wartime vigilance.
While Kiana and Mei were fooling around, Bronya keenly sensed an abnormality in the surrounding environment. She immediately warned her companions beside her.
"What's not right? Huh? Why are there suddenly so many robots on the street?"
Kiana expertly scrambled up from the ground and patted the dust off her knees. She casually glanced in the direction Bronya was wary of, and then her eyes widened at the sight of the humanoid mechs—each one ornately and exquisitely designed, their formidable strength evident just by looking at their construction materials.
"They seem to be approaching us? Are these also Anti-Entropy mechs?"
The humanoid mechs that had abruptly appeared on the street and begun to cause destruction made the passersby scream in terror. Even the snack street vendors abandoned their stalls and fled. The continuously emerging humanoid mechs didn't pursue the fleeing pedestrians but instead surrounded the area where Raiden Mei and the others were, their target clear.
Although the mechs' designs were different, and compared to the Anti-Entropy "tin can" mechs that had once tried to capture her, these silver-white mechs were more humanoid in form, Mei couldn't help but associate this scene with Cocolia's attempt to use Anti-Entropy mechs to capture her.
"No, these are not Anti-Entropy Titans. They are Knight Moonbeams manufactured by Schicksal!"
Unlike the almost clueless Raiden Mei, Bronya undoubtedly had a deeper understanding of Schicksal. She recognized the true identity of these silver-white mechs at a glance.
Although Schicksal didn't mass-produce mechs as standardized combat units like Anti-Entropy did, they undoubtedly possessed their own specialized tactical mechs.
And because they didn't deliberately pursue mass production, the average strength of Schicksal's Knight Moonbeams far exceeded that of Anti-Entropy's Titans. They were the crystallized product created to obtain elite combat power stronger than ordinary Valkyries.
The strength of Schicksal's Paladin-class Knight Moonbeams was generally equivalent to that of B-rank Valkyries, and the various Knight Moonbeam prototypes, which served as the basis for the Paladins, reached the strength level of A-rank Valkyries.
Bronya used Project Bunny to roughly scan the enemies approaching them, calculating that there were a full one hundred and twenty Paladin-class mechs and seven Knight Moonbeam mechs on the street at that moment.
"Someone who can mobilize so many Knight Moonbeam resources at once must hold a high position in Schicksal. Adding the condition of being in Nagazora City... It's you, isn't it, Rita Rossweisse?"
Bronya narrowed her eyes slightly. Although she hadn't caught sight of the enemy, she quickly pinpointed Rita Rossweisse, the S-rank Valkyrie from Schicksal with whom she had a past grudge, as the most likely suspect.
"As expected of the Silver Wolf of the Urals. You understood the situation so quickly."
A crisp clapping sound quietly echoed. Rita, dressed in a white dress adorned with black ink-colored armor and holding a giant black mechanical scythe, elegantly walked out from behind a silver-white Knight Moonbeam. A beautiful smile bloomed on her charming and delicate face as she praised Bronya.
However, even though her face was beaming, a mixture of resentment and anger was fiercely burning in Rita's heart.
According to Rita's original calculations, she should have been able to capture Kiana before Raiden Mei could catch up to her.
Yet, as luck would have it, Kiana was a foodie with good fortune. Right in front of the trap Rita had meticulously laid, Kiana had resolutely turned towards the snack street and started feasting, directly leading to her successful rendezvous with Raiden Mei now, shifting the situation to be slightly unfavorable for Rita...