Fangs of the Wolf

A katana pressed against Bronya's throat. Slowly lifted her chin until she met the eyes of the Herrscher of Thunder.

"It won't work," Mei warned. "Only I can undo that seal. The more you struggle the more powerful it becomes. Someone as weak as you cannot break free."

"It's not over until the Bronya wins," Bronya taunted as she got to her feet.

"Fool."

Mei's vertical slash was from navel to neck. Lethal. Enough to end the fight.

Bronya arched her back just enough for the blade to part the jacket in two. The momentum of pulling backwards was used to transition into handstand backflip. Contrary to common assumptions, Bronya was able to walk and in truth kept up a constant and very healthy physical training regime. She just found it convenient to levitate herself. The girl had never been lax on her training unlike a certain white-haired idiotka. Arms behind her back, Bronya pressed hand together and pulled her white gloves off, spreading her arms wide to lob the two articles of clothing at Mei. Even in this moment that felt slow as ice yet fast as lightning, the Herrscher reacted, errant sparks of electricity scorching the white clothing. To keep the blade from a counter stroke Bronya landed in a long arch backflip, hands pressed against the ground to give extra energy, and struck the blunt edge of the katana with her knee. Bronya would never compare in strength to the Herrscher. But she needed only to use the momentum of the already moving blade to push it a little further along.

Now with hands against the ground, Bronya rolled and shifted her shoulders, the slashed jacket sliding off her torso and down around her arms. Completing the handstand backflip, Bronya threw the jacket at Mei. Another piece of clothing turned to ash with a lightning stroke. All of this was to distract Mei. Benches had been thrown at her in the past. Bronya had no intent of following through with an attack. Instead, she came to her feet and flicked her wrist, a dagger falling from its sheath under her sleeve and into a waiting bare palm. It felt good to Bronya. She'd missed the feel of steel in her palms.

'Mr Welt was right. The strength of the Herrscher of Reason comes from their ability to understand. To seek out knowledge and truth. To grasp meaning. The Bronya can see what needs to be done. Operation Silk Stocking has begun.'

Mei eyed Bronya.

"Not using your mechanoid?"

Bronya shrugged.

"The Bronya doesn't waste resources on the unnecessary."

The Herrscher shifted into an aggressive stance, katana held high and horizontally.

"A human with a knife versus me?"

"The Bronya promises to go easy on you."

Ozone filled the air. Washed away the lingering scents of the dusty area. A thunderclap followed Mei's sudden approach. Her intent was to sever the rotator cuff tendons, thus rendering Bronya's ability to use either arm mute. A few quick stabs would be more than sufficient. Instead she was greet with Bronya on a side-on profile, combat knife held out, silver eyes brimming with confidence. Mei adjusted to a standard maiming strike, only to have her blade guided aside with just enough force to avoid the stab by millimetres. A reverse and wide slash was countered by Bronya rolling under the attack.

Mei checked Bronya's footwork and then made for another attempt. Again her attack was guided away from Bronya by the thinnest of margins. Mei cast aside the simple disarm blows and shifted to short slashes with the intent to injure Bronya and bleed her dry of reserves. Bronya was fluid and conservative, managing to avoid every attack, feint and strike.

'The Bronya cannot best Mei in strength or speed. The Bronya will run out of stamina before the Mei. What the Bronya has an advantage in is experience. Mei is well versed in bladework. A child prodigy. But these are only practice matches in armour and with set rules. The real, red claw and fang world, is different. The Bronya has much more experience. None of Mei's attacks can be directly parried or countered. She is simply too strong. Instead the Bronya knows her fighting patterns after watching her for years at St Freya. Each attack will be guided away.'

Bronya could feel the corners of lips try to tick upward, the thrill of the fight, her heartbeat sending adrenaline rushing through the girl's body.

'And Mei has never seen how Bronya fights.'

Already Bronya's plan was falling into place. The Herrscher was so fast she appeared to be teleporting around Bronya, attacks coming from multiple locations at once. In this whirlwind of violence Bronya danced perfectly, using her combat knife, footwork and athletic finesse to avoid any and all attacks. It didn't seem possible but a mere human was managing to, at the very least, keep pace with a Herrscher.

Mei's calm façade shifted to something even colder.

"I could kill you at any time."

"The Bronya is aware of the speed of electricity through the medium of air. There is no possibility of survival on the Bronya's part. But the Bronya is confident that Mei will not resort to such tactics. Doing so would bruise her ego."

Mei snorted. The two bantered even as Mei tried to end Bronya's life.

"I don't have any such things. Only a goal. I will destroy anything that stands in my way. Kill anyone that obstructs me. Even you, Bronya."

"The Bronya wonders how you will feel after your first kill. Your tenth. Your hundredth. Nagazora does not count. It was the Herrsccher of Lightning that did that. Not you. And the Bronya orchestrated the Herrscher's creation so technically the Bronya is responsible for the body count. Does Mei now know the subtle way that light fades from someone's eyes when they die? Do they know how that the grip on their katana will become slippery if they cut someone's throat and their hands become slick? The Bronya would suggest you add more roughness."

Mei increased her speed again, this time managing to catch Bronya's knee. The orthotic brace was fortunate to take the blow, though it shattered. Bronya was now at a disadvantage, having to rely more on her other leg. Though she could stand without orthotics, her previous nerve damage dulled their reflexes.

"You should surrender now, Bronya. We can both hear the explosions coming from below. Seele is not faring well."

"The Bronya trusts in Seele just as Seele does in the Bronya."

"I didn't think you were that naïve. Trust isn't worth anything."

"And you are living proof. Does Mei feel stronger after joining World Serpent? Does Mei feel justified in her actions? Does Mei now have the tools and knowledge to achieve her goals?"

"Stop wasting time."

"The Bronya apologises. She knows that you have ordered an uber to deliver a baby sandwich to consume after the Bronya's defeat. The best way to flex how edgy Mei has become."

The Herrscher's eyes narrowed. Not at the insult. Something was not adding up.

"Those quips. You and Kiana bicker constantly. But not like that. That sarcastic tone is not something Bronya ever uses. Your brain damage prevents you from thinking in those frames of reference."

"The Bronya agrees. This would mean only one person on this level of the mall is brain damaged."

That comment struck a little closer to home. A scale fell from the composure of serpent agent. Her next few strikes were empowered with crimson lightning, forcing Bronya further and further back. She couldn't avoid the centimetre deep slash into her meat of her collarbone. Crimson spilled down her white shirt.

"The Bronya sees that with multiple handicaps Mei can only land blows when her pretences are dropped and she shows her true self. Nothing has changed. You are just a child pretending to be a woman. You are not uncaring. Unfeeling. Only when your emotions rise up do you achieve anything."

In the melee between two people, both were trying to solve a complex puzzle. For Bronya, it was shifting her mind to a particular state. For Mei, it was why Bronya had yet to call on the full resources at her disposal. She stood no chance yet it appeared the girl was intent on relying on mundane capabilities.

"Where is Project Bunny 19C?"

"What is that?"

Kinesics. The ability to read body language. Micro expressions. The subtle tells that would hint at someone's internal thoughts and emotions. Mei's eyes flicked up and down Bronya. The girl was not lying. She genuinely believed what she said. Bronya smiled.

Bronya smiled.

Bronya smiled.

Mei had to pause for a moment. Let the surprise rush through her. More time for Bronya.

"Mei has not answered Bronya's question. How many people has she killed? In cold blood. Or murdered? Or does Mei simply do the set up and Raven perform the kill shot?"

The duel between the pair continued anew. Bronya was closing in on it. The shape of the puzzle had been completed long ago. Now was the hypnogogic moment as the puzzle pieces fell into place.

'The trick of the knot lies in its application. A Herrscher is always passively drawing power from the Tree…. Except the Herrscher of Reason. To use an analogy, the more power we try to draw, the thicker the rope, our connection, and therefore the tighter the knot becomes. Therefore, if the connection is completely severed then the rope turns to nothing and logically the knot is no more.'

Tiring of the game, Mei conjured her Oni arms, the heavy nodachi striking the ground with enough force to tear a hole to the level below. Bronya dove to one side, landing hard on one shoulder and bouncing along before coming to a halt.

"You're playing in a dark world you know nothing about, Mei. My past is a mystery. Yours is an open book. Were the three years you spent in the psychiatric institution after the kidnapping enough to heal the mental scars? Your father spent enough to remove the physical ones."

Crimson bolts of lightning fell from above, columns of crackling light rolling towards Bronya. The child-soldier rolled to one side, avoiding the full brunt but still catching some of the force. The smell of burnt flesh rose from her mildly scorched arm. The limb had gone numb, twitching and jerking from the electrical injury. Bronya stood and smiled again.

"Siberia. They told me those lands were once beautiful. Honaki destroyed it all. Honkai robbed innocence from the children. It taught them not to cry. It taught them about survival of the cruellest. Before I held my first fork… an Avtomat Kalashnikov was shoved into my hands. I found out that I'm really good with it."

The last parts of the self-imposed hypnotic suggestion fell into place. Too late Mei realised that Bronya was referring to herself no more in the third person. In that honest admission Bronya had cast aside everything she had been after the X-10 experiments. In her mind she was living the fighting style, tactics and strategy she had been focussed upon the last few minutes. She was the Silver Wolf of the Urals. The assassin and killer feared throughout the region. And in becoming her past Bronya discarded her future. The tenuous link between her, her core and the tree vaporised. Mei had been right after all. The link between the Core and the Herrscher of Reason was tenuous.

Mei felt the sealing cease. Felt the power of a Herrscher fade from Bronya with a final crackle.

"What are you playing at?"

"Winning this battle," the Silver Wolf replied.

"You can never hope to win."

The Silver Wolf shook her head.

"That depends on who sets the win conditions. You believe that everything, including yourself, is a necessary sacrifice if it means saving the person you love. I believe in something different. Therefore, I changed the win conditions. By the way I should be honest with you. Kiana has already moved on."

The kinesics did not lie. Neither did the Silver Wolf.

"She and Fu Hua have been spending a great deal of time together. Even held hands. Your unrequited existence continues."

The needling was just enough to push Mei past her point of patience. A sneer bloomed on her face.

"You want to try get a rise out of me. Yes. I have killed and I will kill again. I don't care about your petty sob-story past. The past is just that. I am looking at the future. A future without the Honkai. And without you. None of you can see the sacrifices that need to be made. None of you have the guts to make those decisions."

"You haven't made the future occur yet. Only a few scratches on me. It's not about power. It never is. Power is just a shortcut. Otto should have taught you that. He isn't that strong but the world has danced in his palm because he has a goal and the motivation to see it through. To use his wits, motivation and knowledge to achieve it. Whatever twisted goal it is. Otto created Kiana and you still know nothing about her. Just a wallflower pretending to understand the world. A caged little girl who thinks because she suffered a little when her daddy got in trouble she understands the woes of the world. Whose heart ached a little when the person she cared about faced adversity."

The wolf smile was very appropriate.

"You've become a shallow little thing with no truepurpose and no one left to cling to."
The kick to the gut sent the Silver Wolf tumbling across the floor. Mei lowered her leg and looked down upon the girl.

"Stop struggled," Mei said blandly, "I can cut the Core out, I can kill you, or you can surrender."

"No point. The Authority is gone. You can feel it."

The Silver Wolf spun the dagger through her fingers. Her eyes traced over Mei, noting the minute shifts in her body as she readied to attack again. Rolled to the right as multiple crimson lightning bolts felt from the ceiling, chasing the girl. As the last bolt fell Silver Wolf bounced to her feet and ran at Mei in random line, chaotic movements making it hard to read her motions. Her eyes didn't leave Mei's. She had learnt the fighting patterns of the Herrscher. The thunderwave was nimbly avoided, spinning on one foot and keeping up her momentum as she closed the distance.

"Death it is," Mei said, levelling her sword.

The humanoid projectile slammed into Mei, knocking the woman off her feet. Even Silver Wolf was stunned by the display, the grip on her knife going tight in response.

A pair of shoes settled on the guard rail of the top mall level where it overlooked the atrium. The figure was crouched low, scythe clutched in one hand and resting over her back. A faint mellifluous chuckle escaped the girl's lips.

"I think I broke my toy."

Silver Wolf did not waste the opportunity. The self-hypnosis she had been inflicting upon herself ended when she slashed her hand with the blade. Project Bunny 19 materialised.

"Do you need a hand, Onee-san?"

"Nyet. The Bronya has already planned this out."

As Raiden rolled Raven's unconscious body off her Bronya reached out and grabbed one of her construct's fingers. Honkai energy held in a reserve battery flowed down the connection and into Bronya. Honkai energy scars, a glittering magenta in the darkness, flowed from Bronya's eyes across her cheeks and from her thighs down her legs. Old scars from old wounds. Onward and onward the energy flowed into Bronya. She could feel her body begin to cool, pallor taking a chalky tone. Zombification was moments away. More and more Bronya drew in. And then she reached out. If Mei could do such a thing, then it was not beyond the ability for Bronya to do so. Logically the connection once severed could be restored with sufficient energy and an understanding of the Authority, the principle that the person was trying to crystalise.

"Reasoning is what divides humanity from the Honkai. We seek to understand from Relativity to Quantum. Knowledge and wisdom are our pursuit. I, Bronya Zaychek, am a protector of Humanity and disciple of Reason"

With that mantra Bronya took her past and interwove it through the present. Her hypnopompic echo fizzed and rejoined the totality of Bronya. That verve of the past was a fishing lure that Bronya cast out into infinity. Fishing infinity was not as hard as it looked. One needed merely reason out where to sink your lure. And it was in this very edifice, this building through the knowledge of engineering and human society, that Bronya called forth the connection once more. Took it, claimed it, and made it her own. The Honkai energy within Bronya became the lure to reestablish the connection between the Imaginary Tree, the Authority of Reason, the Core of Reason and Bronya.

A connection twisting in the wind formed anew with Bronya. The Core reconfigured itself within Bronya, taking shape once more, the 300,000 voices a susurrus in the background. Power flowed into Bronya, her battlesuit changing to reflect the resurgence of the Herrscher of Reason.

"You were right, Mei," Bronya acknowledged. "This Core is easily and freely given. Much as the knowledge of humanity is free for all to learn. What you see as weakness I see as strength."

Mei was on her feet now, Raven up against a wall and unmoving.

The almighty sound of glass shattering filled the air. Kurikawa burst through the glass skylight of the atrium, its massive bulk blotting out the moonlight as it sailed into the building on vast wings. The draconic creature landed where Seele had been. The whimsical creature had skipped down from the railing and away from the bulk of the Honkai beast where it crouched, angrily glaring down the two gnats that threatened its mistress. The legendary grade Honkai beast inhaled, chest swelling before the beast exhaled a coruscating beam of crimson lightning. Bronya had barely enough time to activate a defensive field via Project Bunny before the barrage of lightning struck. The column of incredible power was so wide it reached from floor to ceiling. The breath swept across the area several times. Each sweep chipped away at the spherical shield Bronya hid within, fragments of the barrier falling away.

Finally, the beast stopped. The administration level was obliterated, the breath weapon having reached outside the building. Structurally unsound support pillars, more rebar steel than concrete, creaked under the weight of the roof pressing down on their compromised frames. Kurikawa huffed once, blasting away the concrete dust and debris that filled the air. Mei stood unharmed, a dim crimson field over Raven likely having protected the mercenary.

"Nothing has changed," Mei said blandly.

Bronya had to acknowledge that as far as trump cards went, this was an impressive one.

Then the giggle started again. The mellifluous laugh. Standing beneath Kurikawa's long neck was Seele. Bronya looked into her friends' eyes and saw something that chilled her. Seele leant on her scythe.

A flash of silver.

The head of the beast fell to the ground. The Kurikawa's body slumped to the ground. The head struck the concrete with a pulsing thump. Arterial blood sprayed from the stump of the neck. Splashed over Seele. There in the darkness of the mall Seele slowly walked towards Mei, scythe in one hand, clothes splashed with glowing magenta Honkai blood. A splatter on her cheek shone brightly. Highlighting the smile on her face. In the darkness of the mall the blood and Seele's crimson eyes glowed dimly.

"I think I broke another toy."