Chapter 28: Do You Choose This Baseball Bat or Do You Choose Elysia?
***
In front of the tied-up Sin Mal, Kiana pressed a baseball bat against her face and threatened loudly with a fierce expression:
“Speak up! Where is Cocolia? If you don’t tell us, I won’t be polite to you!”
“Hmph, who’s gonna tell you! Kill me or torture me, this old man will take it all! Don’t think this young master was raised to be scared!”
The bound Sin Mal turned her head away, her face showing stubborn defiance.
Although they had indeed obtained the approximate location of the underground base’s passage through Sin Mal’s appearance.
But mindlessly charging in when Cocolia had already noticed them was obviously not a smart move, so Elysia and the others tried to learn something from this prisoner they had captured.
However, it was clear the effect was poor.
If it were the Vodka Sisters it might have been better, but whether it was Sin Mal or Bronya, neither was the type to yield to threats of force, especially when their side had absolutely no intimidating power.
Forget about doing anything scary, what were they going to do with a baseball bat?
“Ahhh! This is so frustrating!”
Kiana was clearly infuriated by Sin Mal’s attitude and that mocking look in her eyes. She raised the bat as if to strike Sin Mal, but the next moment Mei grabbed her arms. Even while struggling, she continued shouting:
“Mei, don’t stop me! I’m going to beat this accomplice to death, this shark-mouthed shorty!”
“Forget it, even if you beat her it won’t be useful.”
Elysia sighed and also spoke up to dissuade her.
Unfortunately, none of the people present were the type who could steel themselves to use harsh interrogation methods.
Even Kiana, who was shouting about beating Sin Mal to death, would definitely hold back if she actually struck.
The gentleness that belongs to young girls is sometimes truly a shackle.
But looking at the stubborn Sin Mal, Elysia still wanted to try once more.
She could see that although this child appeared very fierce and obstinate, she had a kind heart.
“Your name is Sin Mal, right?”
“That’s right, this young master’s name is Sin Mal! What about it? You guys are wasting your time, I won’t say anything!”
Whether it was her imagination or not, Kiana always felt that this shorty’s attitude was noticeably gentler when facing Elysia compared to when facing herself.
What was the meaning of this? Discriminatory treatment?!
“I heard him mention that you and Bronya are both trying to save a certain girl, right?”
“…You!?”
Sin Mal looked at Elysia in front of her with some surprise and uncertainty.
About Seele’s matter, aside from Bronya, herself, and Mama Cocolia, there absolutely wouldn’t be a fourth person who knew about it. Sin Mal was completely certain of this.
But this person in front of her knew about this matter. Did that guy Bronya leak it? No, impossible! Bronya cared about that timid girl even more than herself, how could she possibly reveal it!
The “him” this person mentioned, who exactly was it?
While Sin Mal was speculating, Elysia continued speaking on her own:
“I don’t know what kind of person that girl is, but… if she knew that you did such things to save her, sacrificing an entire city’s worth of people, would she… really be happy?”
Of course she wouldn’t be happy, how could she possibly be happy?
With that timid girl’s personality, if she knew about their actions, she would definitely be very angry and blame herself.
For the gentle girl named Seele Vollerei, if she learned that saving herself required paying such a price, then without a doubt, that child would rather not be saved than have her Bronya onee-chan and the important people around her bear such heavy sins.
Sin Mal knew this well.
It’s just that unlike Bronya, if Elysia said such words to Bronya, the effect would undoubtedly be outstanding – even directly defecting wouldn’t be impossible.
But Sin Mal was different.
“Hmph, I don’t care whether she’s happy or not! I just simply want to save her back, that’s all. As for the rest, I don’t care!”
Bronya would care about that timid girl’s feelings, but she really disliked that timid girl!
“I see.”
Seeing that persuasion had failed, Elysia felt somewhat disappointed.
For some reason, seeing Elysia like this, Sin Mal couldn’t help but feel her heart tighten.
So when Elysia and the others gave up on continuing to seek information and prepared to advance directly, Sin Mal’s voice rang out:
“Mama Cocolia is in the depths of the base.”
“?”
Kiana, who had been somewhat indignantly dissatisfied, showed an expression of disbelief upon hearing this.
Wait, you’re actually telling us? What’s the meaning of this? When I was pointing a baseball bat at you, you were coldly defiant and kept your mouth shut, but that stinky sea king said a few words and you opened up? Are you targeting me or what?
“Don’t misunderstand. Even if I tell you this kind of thing, it doesn’t matter anyway, since you won’t be able to make it back alive.”
“Also, that man… what’s your name?”
“Hmm~ For now, just call me Jiang Qiao~”
When asked for a name, Elysia was no longer disappointed, but smiled and said the name of this body’s owner in a subtle tone.
“Jiang Qiao? I’ll remember you. You don’t need to say those kinds of words to Mama Cocolia earlier, she won’t listen.”
Unlike Bronya and herself.
As Cocolia’s daughter, Sin Mal knew well that this mother of hers was extremely obsessive.
As long as it was to achieve her goal, she wouldn’t even blink an eye no matter how many people were sacrificed in the process.
“Is that so? But this kind of thing, you won’t know unless you try, right?”
Elysia didn’t take this warning to heart.
Although she also harbored some anger toward Cocolia, who had orchestrated the Nagazora City Honkai eruption.
But in her heart, she couldn’t help but have the idea of trying to persuade her just like she had tried to persuade Sin Mal.
If she could make a disaster disappear without a trace through words alone, wouldn’t that be the best possible outcome?
However, Yunyun wouldn’t be able to continue participating in the upcoming battle.
Not only because her time limit was almost up.
But also because—
“This world has no magic power at all.”
Yunyun was somewhat troubled.
For mages, they generally use their small source, which is their own magic power, to communicate with and channel the magic power of the great source. This not only has greater power but also saves magic power.
But the world of Honkai is different, magic power doesn’t exist in this world.
Under the differences in world rules, the battle with Sin Mal, who had a certain degree of time manipulation abilities, had left even her, a member of the Crimson Demon Clan, almost out of magic power.
Although Honkai Energy is often jokingly called omnipotent, she definitely couldn’t use this dangerous energy.
Understanding the situation, Elysia nodded readily:
“Mm, then you should go back first. We should be able to handle the situation from here.”
In the chat group, there was still one powerful combatant waiting on standby.
And even better news was—
The battle from 50,000 years ago was about to reach its conclusion!