Honkai Impact: Become Their Hero

After Bronya returned to her flat-loli form, she was finally accepted back by the other girls.

"That's more like it! How were we supposed to play with you when you looked like that? So huge, you didn't fit in at all. Flat really suits you better."

The girls patted Bronya's now-flat chest with smiles of satisfaction.

"Bronya feels your malice. Is this the distortion of human nature? Or the collapse of morality?"

"Hahaha~ Serves you right! Just wait—if Bronya can turn into that obscene figure in eight years, your boss here can do it in four!"

"Sin Mal, are you insulting me or yourself? Also, Bronya thinks your success is highly unlikely."

Flat-faced, Bronya responded without emotion.

Miracles are called miracles because they're rare and difficult. The fact that she managed to defy fate and evolve in eight years was already a shocking, Bounce-level miracle.

Things like that don't happen often.

At most, they might happen three more times. (Griseo, Luna, Ai-chan)

"Tch! We'll see. And don't think you've won just because you got to Father first."

"Bronya isn't so naive. And the number of people aiming for Elias is greater—and more formidable—than you imagine."

"Tsk! If you'd brought Father—ugh, I mean, Big Brother Elias home sooner, he wouldn't have been snatched up by all those outside women. You're the one who sneaked a bite first and got us into this mess."

Sin Mal rolled her eyes in annoyance.

"You underestimate his charm."

Bronya shook her head—how naive. Even if she brought Elias home, it would only change the battlefield from St. Freya Academy to House of the Hearth.

"Though at the moment, there are only a few serious threats. Especially that paramecium—she's the most dangerous right now... and also our own Seele. White Seele would never sneak off, but Dark Seele would definitely seize the chance."

"Tsk! All these bad women... I just wanna lock Big Brother in a black room for the rest of his life."

That kind of yandere talk could only come from Sin Mal.

Bronya, blinking, was honestly a little excited at the thought.

After the Big Duck storm passed—

Elias spent time doing all kinds of things with the House of the Hearth girls. Aside from a few... suggestive requests that he refused, he granted every other wish.

After all, with the Herrscher of Reason's power, there was almost nothing Elias couldn't do.

And in anticipation of this reunion—

The girls had prepared a welcoming ceremony.

"Ahem~ Up next, the House of the Hearth's number one idol duo—the Vodka Girls—presenting a special performance for Papa—oops, I mean Big Brother Elias!"

At that moment, Rozaliya and Liliya were performing in the living room.

Although their performance wasn't exactly top-tier—kind of nonsensical, prone to mistakes, and often forgetting their character names—

Elias still watched every second attentively and offered the highest praise, straight from the heart.

"My Rozaliya and Liliya did amazing. I'm sure you'll become world-famous idols someday."

He gave a thumbs-up with a smile.

"R-Really? Papa—uh, Big Brother Elias!"

Rozaliya's eyes sparkled.

"Of course. When have I ever lied to you two?"

"Uuuu... Thank you! Thank you for watching our whole performance and praising us, Big Brother! Liliya thinks you're the kindest person in the world."

Liliya sniffled, deeply touched and fully aware of her actual talent level.

"Hey, Liliya! How could you say that kind of stuff?!"

"Because honestly, our performance really wasn't that great. That idiot Rozaliya even forgot her lines."

"D-Didn't I improvise perfectly and save it?!"

"Yeah, and thanks to your improv, the entire original plan went out the window. Liliya doesn't even know how we made it through."

Liliya pouted miserably. Unlike her cheerful and clueless sister, she was actually very smart—and because of that, she clearly understood they didn't have much talent.

Elias, however, just smiled and pulled the twin sisters into his arms, rubbing cheeks with them affectionately.

"Talent doesn't decide everything. You two just keep working hard—leave the rest to me."

"Big Brother Elias..." x2

"Just wait. One day, I'll prepare the perfect stage for you both—let you perform under the spotlight with the whole world watching. And I'll be right there in the front row."

Elias gently patted their heads as he spoke.

"...Even if it doesn't work out, that's okay. I'll always be your number one fan. I'll never miss a single performance by Rozaliya and Liliya."

"Uuu! I'm so happy! So touched! I knew it—Rozaliya loves Papa—uh, Big Brother Elias the most!"

"Me too! Somehow... it already feels like we've reached our dream. I'm totally satisfied."

Tears of joy streamed down their faces as they hugged Elias' head, feeling like even if no one else ever appreciated their shows—it wouldn't matter.

As long as the person they loved most loved them back.

...

After the twins' performance, the rest of the girls also welcomed Elias in their own ways. But the most surprising act came from none other than Flat Duck herself.

"Because Elias once said he wanted to hear me sing this song, Bronya has been practicing it ever since."

The girl stood atop a stage Elias had crafted using his Herrscher powers.

Her gaze—gentle and devoted—was fixed only on him.

Bronya felt pure happiness.

It was as if they had gone back to the day they first met, when he sat beside the warm hearth and sang this song to her. But this time—it was her turn to sing it for him.

She began the song that stirred something deep in Bronya Zaychik's soul—"Cyberangel."

"Project Bunny, music start!"

The sleek quantum mecha transformed in a flash. With Herrscher of Reason's authority, it summoned two floating CD decks, and ten mechanical fingers tapped out the song's melodic intro.

The Key of Reason served as a spotlight.

And Bronya began to sing:

"CCorrupt binary codes infecting my mind

Perform invocation with numbing freeze

Querying for a variable and seizing the time

To recompile and trigger my destiny

Superhot projectiles pierce the wind

I charged up my armor into lightspeed

Querying for a variable and seizing the time

In a new day coming not so far away

Though my wings've been bloodstained and could never rid

I will try hard to soar to the heaven I dreamed

There's no "exception" in this library

For I know I will always go with you

Though my wings've been bloodstained and could never rid

I will try hard to soar to the heaven I dreamed

There's no "exception" in this library

For I know I will always go with my heart"

When the song ended, Bronya stood onstage, cheeks flushed, panting softly. Even though she'd practiced countless times in private—this was her first time singing "Cyberangel" in front of Elias.

Back when she first heard this song from Elias' lips, Bronya had felt an inexplicable sense of destiny—like it was a song written just for her.

And because Elias had said he wanted to hear her sing it, Bronya had been secretly practicing ever since—hoping for the perfect moment to show him.

"So... did you like it, Elias?"

She looked at him with anticipation and nervousness in her eyes. Elias responded immediately.

Clap clap clap clap clap—!

"A thunderous ovation for your voice, Duck! It was amazing. For those three minutes, your song became the rhythm of my heartbeat."

Elias applauded vigorously.

There was no flattery in his words—he truly had been moved by Bronya's singing.

So much so that he couldn't help but pull her into a hug, kissing her gently on the cheek like she was the most precious treasure in the world. His joy overflowed.

"I'm so glad you liked it. This song you once sang to me... Bronya has practiced it every night."

"No wonder it was so wonderful. Mm~ Duck, I think I like you even more now!"

Elias' heart soared.

To think Bronya had been practicing night after night just to sing this for him today—it was enough to melt anyone's heart.

Bronya melted in his embrace, certain all the effort had been worth it.

But her stunning performance had sparked competitive fire in the Vodka Girls.

"Fine, I'll admit you're the best for now, Bronya. But the Vodka Girls are still destined to be number one! Big Brother Elias will be Rozaliya and Liliya's number one fan!"

"Liliya may respect you, Bronya-sis... but we won't back down here. From today on, we're stepping up our training! We will be Big Brother Elias' favorite idols!"

"I have no intention of becoming an idol. But if it's about Elias—Bronya will never lose."

Watching the three little girls compete and squabble, Elias could only smile wryly.

He wasn't into lolis at all... yet somehow, these girls were too adorable to resist.

Elias: (For the record, I am not a lolicon. It's just that the ones I like happen to be lolis.)

And finally, to close the night—

The headliner was Elias himself.

Just like the small concerts he used to hold for the girls each evening, Bronya and the others were entranced by his voice, swept up in the nostalgic warmth.

As the night grew deep and the moon hung high—

Only when exhaustion overcame them did the girls reluctantly settle down. Yet even then, they surrounded Elias, as if to keep him from disappearing again.

"Will you stay tomorrow too? We'll be together from now on, right?" one girl asked.

"Sorry... I still have things I must do. I can't return to our old life just yet," Elias said apologetically.

"What are you going to do? Can you tell us?"

"Hmm... I suppose you could say I'm going to save some people. To change a few sad endings. And depending on how you look at it... maybe even save the world."

He scratched his head sheepishly.

Saying you're going to save the world was always a bit embarrassing. But fighting the Honkai was saving the world.

And the goal he had set—to rewrite every tragic story, to shape the world into what it should be—could only be achieved by defeating the Honkai.

Sin Mal bit her lip and grabbed Elias by the sleeve.

"I don't want you to save the world. That has nothing to do with us. Can't you just stay here forever and live with us in this house?"

"Sin..."

The girl who was always so fiery in front of others could only show this gentle side in front of him.

Elias reached up and gently stroked her short violet hair.

"That won't do. Because you girls are part of this world too—you're the ones I want to protect."

"Besides, if I don't eliminate this threat, then one day you might be in danger again—or rather... be hurt by the Honkai once more."

With those words, the girls understood everything.

The reason they had been taken in by Elias was because they were all orphans of the Honkai—children whose homes were destroyed by those terrifying white monsters.

Maybe Elias was leaving to make sure no more girls like them would appear. To stop those monsters from ever hurting them again.

"..." xN

The room fell silent.

If that was the reason—how could they ask him to stay?

Elias was doing something righteous and important.

They had no right to selfishly ask him to give it up.

"In that case, I want to fight with you! Wherever you go, I'll go!"

"Sin, you..."

"I've made up my mind! If Bronya can be your strength, then your boss here can be too!"

Sin Mal's words were full of conviction. One look at her eyes and Elias knew—there was no persuading her otherwise.

The other girls' eyes lit up as well.

Right! If they couldn't make him stay—then they could just go with him!

"I want to be Elias' strength too!"

"Yeah! We can help! It doesn't matter where we are, as long as we're with you!"

"You once said we had Hon-something resistance or whatever. We don't know what that means, but you said we're special—so we must be able to help!"

All the girls of House of the Hearth chimed in one after another.

Elias looked at them in awe.

He hadn't expected this at all.

Bronya and Seele also widened their eyes in surprise—then smiled in understanding.

(It's only natural it turned out this way.)

The girls didn't yet understand what the Honkai truly was—or how terrifying it could be.

Maybe one day they'd curse this decision. Maybe the road ahead would be painful.

But one thing was certain:

They would never regret it.

They would never regret choosing to follow Elias into his world.

"...Have you all really decided?"

Elias took a deep breath, clenching his fists.

"Mm!" xN

The girls nodded without hesitation.

"Alright."

Elias closed his eyes, then opened them again—his own resolve hardened.

The girls had made up their minds. Their will was no longer something he could change. Perhaps the only one in this world capable of changing them was the Herrscher of Sentience, who hadn't even been born yet.

It was a painful decision for Elias—but since they had made their choice, he couldn't ignore it.

He would become the one to lead them down the path of the Valkyrie—he would bring them to St. Freya Academy.

(...Well, on second thought, maybe this isn't a bad thing. The artificial stigma system isn't perfect, but with me around, none of the side effects will harm them. Only the benefits of controlling Honkai energy will remain.)

(And though St. Freya is a place to train Valkyries, as a school, it's also one of the finest institutions in the world.)

As for fighting the Honkai?

Not every Valkyrie has to be on the frontlines. D-rank Valkyries handle logistics, after all. And even if one of them did possess incredible talent and ended up on the battlefield...

There's no way Elias would let anything happen to them.

Even if one of them died—he'd pull an Otto and revive her with a tree punch if he had to!

And with the system's time-space traversal capabilities—

Elias truly had the power to keep every one of them safe.

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