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Across a vast, flat snowfield that stretched as far as the eye could see, the scenery was far from peaceful. A swarm of emerald-green, bird-like monsters crowded around Herta, who was currently in her small, vulnerable body. Their leader stood like an iron tower at the rear, firing arrows of energy that glowed with a toxic fluorescent green light.
Every time an arrow neared the besieged girl, she used the mirror in her hand to replicate and cancel the attack, causing waves of turbulence to ripple across the desolate landscape. If this were the usual Madam Herta, she could have crushed the creature with a flick of her finger. But in her shrunken state, her physical stats were at an all-time low. Even an ordinary dagger could threaten her, so she dared not be careless.
Just as the monster leader fully charged its bow again, shards of purple blade fragments fell like a torrential downpour. They ground the bird-minions into powder and left jagged wounds all over the leader's body. The sudden turn of events left both Herta and the monster stunned.
Upon seeing Hiroshi, Herta breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew... You're finally here..."
The monster leader glanced at Hiroshi, but after a brief hesitation, it aimed at Herta once more. In its cold, simulated logic, a blood-stained, limping youth was far less of a threat than the girl with the staff.
"Damn it! There's no time!"
Desperate to draw fire, Hiroshi held the Demon Blade Thousand Blades in a reverse grip. Using the repulsive force of the blades separating and reorganizing, he propelled himself forward, reaching Herta's side in a blur. He reflexively grabbed her slender waist and shoved her to the ground.
BOOM!
The energy arrow exploded behind them, kicking up a spray of snow that dyed the tops of their heads white. Hiroshi looked back in horror at a funnel-shaped crater a meter wide, its edges scorched black. He swallowed hard. If that had hit them, they wouldn't just be bruised—they'd be vaporized.
As they got up, Herta finally saw Hiroshi's condition up close. His left sleeve was dark with dried blood, a crimson trail hung from his lip, and his clothes were shredded. He looked more like a vagrant than a Department Head.
Herta's lips twitched with worry. Why did he come here despite being so badly injured? Didn't Screwllum tell him he could just restart? Angrily, she contacted Screwllum in her mind. "Screwllum, didn't you tell him!"
"Statement: I advised Mr. Hiroshi many times," Screwllum responded with a heavy mechanical sigh. "But he insisted on continuing because he was worried about your safety."
Herta looked at Hiroshi, her eyes swirling with a mix of frustration and profound affection. What a fool. He's usually so timid... She sighed and sent a final command. "Teleport us out now."
"Received. The process will take a moment," Screwllum replied.
"Madam Herta, look out!"
Hiroshi's shout snapped her back to reality. While she had been distracted, the Stormbringer had fired another arrow point-blank. There was no time to dodge. In the split second before impact, Hiroshi lunged forward and shoved her out of the way.
The explosion swallowed the young man's figure. A large, red prompt reading "You Have Died" appeared before Hiroshi's fading consciousness.
Herta, sprawled in the snow, watched in stunned silence as the white light of the teleportation sequence began to envelop her. Then, her expression shifted. Her face turned frostily cold, her eyes darkening with a terrifying, ancient power. Propping herself up with her staff, she summoned her mirrors.
Dozens of Herta images appeared, moving in perfect synchronization. Countless cross-shaped streams of brilliant starlight converged into a singular, devastating rainbow that descended from the sky.
"BOOM!!!"
The world-shaking explosion echoed for miles, the earth trembling so violently it triggered a massive avalanche. When the smoke cleared, the monster was gone.
The white light finally teleported her out. When she opened her eyes, she was back in the Main Control Module of the Space Station.
"Unfortunately, an accident occurred during Mr. Hiroshi's teleportation," Screwllum's gentle voice reached her. "One doesn't truly die here, but his unique constitution has caused some impact on his consciousness. He will need time to wake up."
Herta looked at the unconscious Hiroshi beside her and rubbed her forehead. She had designed this entire "Hero saves the Girl" scenario to test the system and give Hiroshi a win. He was supposed to find her, they were supposed to defeat the boss together, and he would feel like a protector.
She hadn't expected him to ignore the rules of the simulation, endure real pain, and actually sacrifice his life for her.
"Sigh... As it turns out, I really don't understand him at all..."
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