Chapter 144: The Cooperative Cocolia
The battlefield on the outskirts of St. Freya Academy was now illuminated by the fires of war.
A cyan tornado spun violently in the night. Wendy hovered in the center of the eye, her long hair dancing in the gale.
She raised her hand and waved it lightly. Sharp wind blades instantly sliced a Titan mecha that was attempting to approach into a messy pile of metal scraps. Even the missile attacks from the Thunder Mecha in the distance...
...had their trajectories disrupted by Wendy's cyclones, only to be tossed right back. They bloomed like fireworks amidst the cluster of Titans, completely failing to achieve any effect whatsoever.
On the other side, Theresa charged straight through the swarm of Titans, hefting Judah. The massive cross felt as light as a feather in her hands. Wielding it like a bizarre, heavy warhammer, she directly smashed the surrounding Titans to pieces.
Subsequently, Theresa waved her hand forward. Two golden chains shot out from Judah, fiercely wrapping around two Thunder Mechas that were preparing to launch missiles. With a violent swing, the two mechas were smashed directly into each other.
At this moment, even more Thunder Mechas fired missiles toward Theresa. Her gaze flashed. She directly grabbed Judah's chains, which were now radiating light, resembling a dazzling chain of luminescence.
She then fiercely swung the glowing chain in her hand, sweeping it directly across the incoming missiles. However, the dazzling chain seemed to pass straight through them.
Immediately after, golden tethers materialized on the missiles, locking them directly in mid-air. They subsequently detonated, completely failing to harm Theresa.
This was the Binding · Anchor that Irene had taught her. She wasn't truly just standing still and making no progress. She had been continuously studying the techniques Irene had imparted to her without pausing for even a moment.
Meanwhile, Himeko stood nearby, hefting her greatsword as she slaughtered the surrounding Titans. The sharp blade cleaved straight through the Titans' heavy armor.
"Teacher Himeko, I've spotted Anti-Entropy battleships. There are three of them." Right at that moment, Wendy's voice suddenly echoed in Himeko's earpiece. "I need a little time to deal with them."
"This is absolutely ridiculous. This formation doesn't look like they're just here to snatch someone at all." Himeko looked up at the battleships in the distance, which nearly blended into the night sky. "What kind of crazy pill did Cocolia take today?"
Complaints aside, Himeko still pressed her earpiece. "Understood. I'll have the Hyperion accompany you to deal with them. Stay safe."
Just as everyone was engaged in a fierce battle with the Titan swarm, Irene and Kiana arrived at the edge of the battlefield.
"Whoa, what a lively fight!" Kiana's eyes lit up. She immediately pulled out her dual pistols, eager to jump into the fray.
"Kiana, stick close to me. Don't charge too far ahead," Irene instructed. After all, if Kiana wandered off too far, the plan might not be effective.
She just hoped Kiana wouldn't be angry once she found out what she was about to do later.
[Little Corruption, are you ready?] Irene asked in her mind.
[Ready whenever you are. Miss Irene, as long as you touch one of them, I can complete the virus upload.]
[Understood.]
"Kiana, let's head over there." Irene pointed to an area densely packed with Titans. "There are other people over there, so we'll take this side."
"No problem, Sister Irene!" Kiana immediately replied, and the two swiftly charged into the battlefield.
A purple crystal lance materialized in Irene's hand. She hurled it, impaling a Titan. However, this lance didn't explode; instead, it uploaded the virus Little Corruption had prepared.
The blue lights on the Titan's body instantly flickered. Subsequently, Little Corruption's virus followed the communication lines between the Titans, beginning a reckless, unbridled infection.
The Titans naturally possessed firewalls, but under the oppressive might of the Herrscher of Corruption, it was impossible for them to serve any purpose.
[It's already done.] Little Corruption quickly sent a message, indicating the infection was complete. Right now, this swarm of Titans nominally belonged to Cocolia, but in reality, they were already under Irene's command.
[Also, Irene, there's one more thing. An unexpected person has arrived.]
[Who?]
[Cocolia.]
[Huh?] Three question marks flashed above Irene's head. What was this person doing here?
Bronya and Seele were standing there. Standing before them, having arrived alongside the Titans, was Cocolia.
"Mama..."
"Bronya, Seele." Cocolia's voice drifted over during the intervals between explosions. She stood behind two heavily armored Titans, looking at the two girls with a gaze that carried a hint of maternal affection.
Bronya's pupils shrank slightly. Project Bunny 19C instantly materialized in front of her, entering a state of high alert. Seele also subconsciously took a half-step back, hiding behind Bronya.
"Cocolia Mama... why are you here?" Bronya asked, her voice remaining calm.
"To bring my daughters home, of course." Cocolia opened her arms, her tone gentle. "I know you've been living well here at Schicksal, but this place isn't your true home after all."
"Bronya doesn't think so." Bronya looked straight at Cocolia. "St. Freya Academy has given Bronya a new life and friends. Sister Mei, Kiana, Teacher Himeko, Principal Theresa... they all care about Bronya."
"Care?" Cocolia's smile turned somewhat cold. "Are you abandoning Mama just because of that?"
Hearing this, Bronya's gaze flickered slightly. She could tell others that she was fine with it, but in front of Cocolia, she couldn't bring herself to say the words just yet.
Cocolia shifted her gaze to Seele, her expression softening even more. "Seele, Mama is truly happy to see you return safely. The days in the Sea of Quanta must have been very hard, right?
"Come back with Mama. Mama will protect you and won't let you suffer any more harm."
Seele bit her lip and shook her head. "Seele... Seele wants to stay with Sister Bronya."
Cocolia's expression finally darkened. She turned to look at Bronya. "In that case, Bronya, what is your choice?
"If you return, I will let bygones be bygones regarding your previous actions."
But Bronya remained silent, and this silence was, in a sense, a rejection. Cocolia took a deep breath. "So you both intend to betray Mama?"
Cocolia's voice dropped low. "Have you forgotten who helped you shed the identity of the Ural Silver Wolf? Who brought you from the freezing snowfields to the orphanage?
"Is this truly what you intend to do?"
"Bronya is grateful to Cocolia Mama for taking her in." Bronya's tone remained calm, but a trace of determination flashed through her gray eyes. "But Bronya..."
Before Bronya could finish, Cocolia violently interrupted her. Under Bronya's surprised, and even horrified gaze, Cocolia pulled out a rather strange remote control.
"Bronya, Mama will give you one last chance. Return to my side, right now." Cocolia's voice turned icy. "Otherwise, I'll have to resort to some... less pleasant methods."
"Mama, no!" Bronya instantly recognized what was in Cocolia's hand. It was the trigger for the control chip Cocolia had once implanted in her brain.
"Bronya, you forced my hand. Once this is all over, you will naturally understand Mama." Cocolia pressed the button on the controller. "Bronya, highest authority override: attack everyone around you!"
"Sister Bronya." Although Seele didn't know what was happening, she knew that anything capable of making Sister Bronya react with such resistance couldn't possibly be a good thing.
Bronya desperately tried to resist the sense of control that was about to assault her mind, but...
Nothing happened.
"What?" Looking at Bronya, who appeared completely unaffected, Cocolia was also somewhat bewildered. She repeatedly pressed the button on her device to issue the command, but it was like a clay ox entering the sea—utterly useless.
Just as Bronya was wondering what had happened, a white figure suddenly dashed into the battlefield, placing herself between Bronya and Cocolia.
"Looks like my guess was right on the mark. There really is something wrong with that chip, isn't there?" The newcomer was none other than Irene. Irene glared at Cocolia, the Ruoshui Sword originating from Lixue already manifested in her hand.
"Sister Irene?" Bronya stared at Irene in a daze. "Did Sister Irene help Bronya deactivate the chip?"
"Sorry for doing it without your permission." Irene tilted her head to look at Bronya. "But I was absolutely certain that chip wouldn't do you any good, so I took the liberty of finding a way to turn it off.
"Bronya will forgive Sister Irene, right?"
"Mm." Bronya immediately nodded. If not for Sister Irene taking matters into her own hands, she definitely would have fallen under Cocolia's control today and attacked her family.
That was something Bronya absolutely could not accept. And now, she wouldn't have to commit such an act.
"You again..." Cocolia crushed the controller in her hand. "How did you do that?"
"Just a little magic trick." Irene spread her hands in a demonstrative gesture. "However, Cocolia, don't you think you've gone a bit too far?"
"She is my own daughter. I know what to do, and it's not your place to speak." Cocolia tossed aside the remains of the controller. "As for you, I am very grateful that you rescued Seele.
"But... I'm still going to have to ask you to come take a trip to Anti-Entropy with me."
Recently, she owed World Serpent quite a few favors, having acquired a significant amount of technology from them to silence certain people's wagging tongues. Although Gray Serpent hadn't made any specific demands...
Cocolia knew that debts of gratitude were the hardest to repay. Accumulating too many would make clearing them far from simple. Moreover, Cocolia remembered that Gray Serpent had made one request: to bring Irene over.
In that case, she might as well capture Irene right now to repay that favor.
"Wow, what a straightforward request." Honkai energy surged from Irene's body. Although she wore a solemn expression on her face, internally, she was practically blossoming with joy. This Cocolia was just way too cooperative.
She had just been thinking about how to make it look reasonable for her to be heavily surrounded. She never expected Cocolia to be so accommodating as to directly hand her an excuse.
"But please allow me to refuse." Irene dashed forward, making it look as though she intended to apprehend Cocolia.
"At this point, you don't have the luxury to refuse." Cocolia waved her hand. The surrounding Titans immediately reacted, swarming toward Irene to encircle her.
"Sister Irene, watch out!" Bronya immediately summoned Project Bunny to attack the Titans, but there were simply too many of them. She couldn't break through their lines in a short amount of time.
Meanwhile, under Little Corruption's control, the Titans tightly encircled Irene. They coordinated with Irene's attacks, creating the illusion that Irene was fighting desperately to kill the enemy, but the Titans were simply too numerous and their attacks too dense, leaving even her powerless to resist.
Every dodge seemed fraught with peril. Irene even deliberately made it look like she took a hit from a Titan, getting sent flying by a punch before being pummeled into the ground by another Titan's attack.
"Sister Irene!" Seeing this from afar, Kiana cried out in alarm.
"I'm fine!" Irene shouted back. The lines of Mirror Sync activated in her hand, generating a massive number of constructs that gradually outlined the shape of Judah.
By now, the tightly surrounded Irene had also drawn the attention of the others. With the exception of Wendy, who was still dealing with the battleships, everyone hurried toward Irene's direction.
They had all seen Irene's physical condition this morning. She couldn't possibly handle so many Titans right now. And Irene, after using the Herrscher of Death's power to confirm that everyone was heading her way...
[Little Corruption!]
[I understand.]
Little Corruption immediately mobilized the remaining Thunder Mechas nearby, aiming them at Irene to launch their missiles. A massive barrage of missiles streaked toward Irene, trailing exhaust flames.
"Sister Irene, be careful!" Bronya immediately had Project Bunny switch to its Gatling gun to sweep the incoming missiles, but there were simply too many.
Even Project Bunny couldn't clear them all in time. Furthermore, a deliberate glitch appeared in Project Bunny's targeting system, allowing a large number of missiles to slip through.
Irene looked up at the incoming missiles and attempted to dodge. However, the sheer volume of missiles was too great. A massive number of them exploded right next to her, the resulting fire and smoke completely swallowing her body.
The violent explosions blasted Irene entirely into the air. Her body traced an arc through the sky before crashing heavily onto the ground tens of meters away, kicking up a cloud of dust.
Blood gushed from numerous wounds on Irene's body. Of course, she wasn't actually injured at all. These missiles looked incredibly intimidating, but to a Herrscher, their actual damage was merely average.
These seemingly severe wounds were all fabricated using the Authority of the Herrscher of Death. They were absolutely real; even a medical examination would classify them as critical injuries.
However, to Irene, these were wounds she could instantly regenerate. They merely looked gruesome. After all, if anyone could tell they were fake, how could it achieve the desired effect?
"Sister Irene——!!!"
Kiana's scream tore across the battlefield. Everyone witnessed Irene's miserable state as she was blasted out by the flames amidst the explosive fireworks.
Then, before anyone could react, Kiana's body suddenly froze. Following the plan, Sirin utilized the ability Irene had left her in advance to begin suppressing Kiana's consciousness.
Kiana's eyes shot wide open. Deep within her pupils, a hue of gold began to spread and expand, ultimately completely replacing their original azure color.
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