"Sigh~~ You all should have a little more faith in me."
Just then, Su Luo, seemingly oblivious to the 'danger,' deliberately chimed in with a sigh, dutifully playing his Otto persona to the hilt.
If the animated short hadn't already started, he would have definitely been flamed to death by the players.
The short began with Bronya staggering through countless World Bubbles.
The World Bubbles reflected innumerable possibilities for Bronya; other worlds without Honkai, where other Bronyas lived wonderful lives.
Scene after scene of beautiful, happy smiles bloomed, so beautiful, a brilliance she could almost never obtain.
Yet, Bronya didn't pause for even a moment for this illusory beauty. She merely dragged her broken body forward.
Because Bronya only wanted to bring Seele back!
"This is the Sea of Quanta... The Herrscher of Reason Core is here..."
"Seele... Bronya will definitely save you..."
Bronya reached the end, raised her trembling hand, and arduously broke through some kind of barrier.
Even though she was long exhausted and covered in wounds, Bronya still used all her strength to grip the Core firmly in her palm.
Instantly, the Core erupted like a volcano, spewing out a colossal amount of Honkai energy sufficient to blot out the sky,冲击ing Bronya's small frame.
The Core also changed from dark red to an indescribable yet heart-palpitating, wild color.
The entire space was disturbed. An entrance to the Imaginary Space suddenly appeared beside Bronya.
Ash-gray, pillar-like tendrils gushed out, coiling and intertwining within mere breaths, trapping Bronya within, mercilessly attempting to crush her.
Unable to break free, Bronya's breathing became increasingly difficult. Her already severely damaged mechanical legs shattered.
Vividly ominous red markings spread upwards from her left hand; the flesh they passed over immediately turned deathly pale, devoid of color.
Those were death lines, proof left behind after the body was eroded by Honkai.
"The Core... is about to lose control..."
Seeing this, the viewers also tensed up, clenching their fists, as if wanting to grip the Core in Bronya's stead.
The rapid, urgent ticking of the background music unknowingly deepened the unease in their hearts.
The scene shifted to Bronya's hallucination as she was on the verge of death.
Bronya felt as if she were sinking into the deep sea.
Until, in a daze, it seemed a blue butterfly representing Seele flew over and kissed her fingertips.
She struggled to open her eyes and saw Seele extending a hand towards her, wanting to pull her up.
But Seele's illusion quickly vanished, replaced by a deep blue gemstone. The Herrscher of Reason Core she had grasped earlier slowly sank into her body.
At the same time, the music changed. The gradually soaring melody made the players watch with even greater intensity.
Breaking free from the hallucination, Bronya had long been enveloped by numerous tendrils, forming a thick, egg-shaped cocoon.
However, no matter how tight the seal, it couldn't contain the burst of blue light.
Countless tendrils were blasted away. The blue light transformed into innumerable light butterflies that adhered to the girl's body, generating new parts and flesh one by one, healing her.
Bronya and Project Bunny were reborn in an entirely new form!
On her chest, an azure crystal solidified, like a silent declaration:
The Herrscher of Reason, has returned to the world.
The ash-gray tendrils attacked again, but before they could even approach the girl, they were crushed into dust by an invisible force field.
Project Bunny caught its master, patiently awaiting her next instruction.
"All systems on."
"Ride on."
The crystal on Bronya's chest began to erupt with brilliant colors.
Project Bunny transformed its shape: arm armor locked and integrated to form side armor, the chassis tilted forward, tires deployed downwards, cannon muzzle swiveled to the rear to form an exhaust port, and the body contracted into an arch.
Finally, it transformed into an incredibly cool motorcycle.
Pale blue exhaust flames spewed from the tailpipe, the engine's roar drowning out screeches, her determined eyes locked onto the target.
Angelic Form, Reconfigured Here!
Ice-blue crystals appeared ahead, paving a path for her charge. Bronya rode Project Bunny, racing across the sky.
The music swelled as if it couldn't wait.
A cheer for the return of the Herrscher of Reason!
"...
Though wings are stained with blood, a fate I can't escape,
For shores I've dreamt, I'll fly with all my might.
This library won't throw an 'exception,' no mistake,
For I know, I'll always journey with you, day and night.
Scorching warheads tear through the gale so fast,
I charge my armor, till I fly swift as light.
..."
The entrance to the Imaginary Space opened once more. Countless tendrils rushed towards Bronya. The vast void transformed into a grand stage for her dance with the tendrils.
They soared up and down, crossed paths, engaged in a back-and-forth...
After dodging the swift strikes of six tendrils, she was lifted high by her 'dance partner.' A multitude of tendrils, long lying in ambush, swarmed in, cornering and trapping her.
A killing blow approached! Bronya leaped high, separating from Project Bunny, sliding through a tunnel formed by the tendrils.
Finally!
She slid out, gripped Project Bunny's handlebars, remounted the motorcycle, completing a magnificent relay.
It made people want to cheer for her.
At this very moment, the time had come!
The side armor popped open, blue flames erupting, like an angel spreading its wings.
"Shift up."
Project Bunny and its master delivered the final judgment together.
Ice-blue crystals once again appeared, paving the road.
The path to the future extended towards Tlaloc's head. The motorcycle's speedometer skyrocketed until it went off the charts.
The speed, surpassing all limits, brought unstoppable kinetic energy, easily crushing Tlaloc's head.
Finally, everything came to an end. This was the finale of the dance!
The performer ascended to the pinnacle of the stage.
Bronya's pupils transformed into golden gears, pale blue light constructing an ornate skirt.
Following her will, endless funnels were constructed out of thin air.
Boom!!
Ten thousand cannons roared in unison. The thunder of destruction was the final note the angel brought to the demon.
Tlaloc's riddled husk crumbled into shining specks of light, bringing the curtain down on the stage.
Everything returned to silence.
Upon a field of ruins.
Bronya's eyes slowly opened. She looked towards the distant void, her face devoid of the joy of victory, only a gentle smile filled with anticipation.
"Seele, Bronya is coming for you."
The short ended there, leaving only a blue butterfly traversing the Sea of Quanta, flying towards the depths.
And the endlessly looping music.
"For shores I've dreamt, I'll fly with all my might.
This library won't throw an 'exception,' no mistake,
For I know, I will always journey with my heart...
..."
Everyone had thought they had grown accustomed to the shocks miHoYo delivered.
Yet, they never expected... they were still too young.
"Angel Reconfiguration" once again brought them an immense shock.
They felt as if they had returned to the moment they first saw "Queen's Descent."
That trembling sensation from the depths of their hearts, they just wanted to vent it all out.
The live stream chat instantly became as lively as New Year's.
[Holy Sh!t! Holy Sh!t! Holy Sh!t!]
[A salute to the birth of a Queen! This is too hype! My whole body is burning up!]
[This strike pierces the stars! Do you know the power that can shatter stars!?]
[Right now, I just want to say one thing: miHoYo is f*cking awesome!!!]
"Ah!~~"
Elysia also let out a cry as if her 'defenses had been breached':
"Following your silhouette, setting sail from a lost world, until the ends of the deep sea... This is too romantic!!"
For Elysia, the deep bond between beautiful girls like Bronya and Seele was indeed very captivating to her.
Especially the opening line of "Angel Reconfiguration."
After watching the entire short, and connecting it to Main Story Chapter 11, "Until the Ends of the Deep Sea," the more she savored it, the more profoundly she was touched.
"It's hype when it needs to be hype, romantic when it needs to be romantic. The plot of Honkai Impact 3rd is truly amazing!" she exclaimed from the bottom of her heart.