Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

"Ensure the scientists are not harmed…" Cocolia said, leading her mech squad back into the ruins, marching past Einstein and Tesla like a conquering hero. Her tone was flat, her words laced with a subtle threat. "Not a single scratch. Understood?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the mechs surrounding Einstein and Tesla turned their weapons on them, pinning Einstein's Titan in place.

Both scientists were stunned.

"Cocolia, have you lost your mind?!" Tesla roared, activating the area comms, her voice echoing through the water. "What the [CENSORED] do you think you're doing?!"

"Don't be alarmed, Dr. Tesla. This is for your own protection," Cocolia replied, her voice condescending. "Now that the immediate crisis is averted, we can resume our work. I appreciate your contributions, Doctors. But I won't require your assistance with this next phase."

"Wh…"

"After all, you are both valuable members of Anti-Entropy. I wouldn't want to be responsible for any… accidents. I wouldn't be able to face the Sovereign if anything happened to you…"

"Hah! You remember the Sovereign now?" Tesla was so furious she almost laughed. Her blood pressure spiked, making her head spin. "Listening to you, one would think you were the Sovereign!"

"I wouldn't dare entertain such disrespectful thoughts," Cocolia replied, unfazed by Tesla's outburst. She held all the cards. "A word of advice, Doctors. I wouldn't recommend any… rash actions. We're at the bottom of the ocean. A leak in your cockpits would be… unfortunate."

"Ms. Cocolia, are you suggesting… a schism?" Einstein's voice remained calm, betraying no emotion. "Do you really think you can control Anti-Entropy by holding us hostage?"

She hadn't anticipated this. Their disagreements had always been internal disputes, even during the ME Corp and Nagazora incidents. They'd never crossed this line.

She hadn't imagined Cocolia would resort to such drastic measures, turning colleagues into prisoners.

Was it because the submersibles and ships were destroyed? Did Cocolia think they were all going to die down here, so she was taking them down with her?

"HQ will send reinforcements. We'll be able to leave soon, Ms. Cocolia. There's no need…" Einstein tried to appeal to reason.

Unlike Cocolia, a relative newcomer to Anti-Entropy, she, Tesla, and Welt had a deeper connection to the organization.

They'd built it from the ground up, nurtured it through its infancy, shared their dreams and ideals within its walls, and mourned countless comrades who had fallen along the way, passing the torch from one generation to the next.

They were proud of Anti-Entropy, a pride born from shared struggle and sacrifice.

Now, the responsibility of carrying that legacy had fallen to them. They couldn't fail their fallen comrades.

This sense of responsibility had made them hesitant to challenge Cocolia's increasingly aggressive ambitions. She didn't carry the same burden. And with Schicksal constantly looming, a predator waiting to pounce, they'd been forced to make concessions to maintain a united front.

Despite their disagreements, they shared a common goal: opposing Schicksal and fighting the Honkai. And Anti-Entropy's decentralized structure, a necessity for survival during its early years under Schicksal's relentless pursuit, had allowed Cocolia to amass power unchecked.

But despite her growing influence and increasingly arrogant behavior, they'd never truly broken ranks.

Even the ME Corp incident had been a carefully orchestrated power play, exploiting Raiden Ryoma's weakness. Dishonorable, perhaps, but not a complete breach of trust.

Even though that incident had escalated their conflict, when Lin Wei had attacked ME Corp, humiliating Cocolia, they'd put aside their differences and stood with her against the outsider's intrusion. Cocolia was still one of them. Internal conflicts should be resolved internally.

Einstein hadn't imagined things would escalate to this, a near-total breakdown of trust.

It was disheartening.

"Leave? No, Dr. Einstein, I think you misunderstand." Cocolia interrupted her, laughing. "I assure you, I have no ill intentions. This is for the greater good of Anti-Entropy. I will apologize for any… inconvenience… later." Her apology lacked sincerity.

"The greater good? Hah! That's rich!" Tesla trembled with rage. "I was blind to trust you!" She was already planning Cocolia's demise. If we ever get out of here…

"Hmph. Still as temperamental as ever, Dr. Tesla." Cocolia scoffed. "Don't worry. I don't intend to harm you. We're colleagues, after all. We need to work together…"

"You're full of it!"

"What are you planning, Ms. Cocolia?" Einstein, ever the calm one, looked past the surrounding mechs. She saw others installing a large energy engine, and further away, mechs collecting the remains of dead Honkai beasts. A chilling realization dawned on her. "You're going to reactivate the ruins, aren't you? Have you lost your mind?!"

"Well spotted, Dr. Einstein. Seeing even you lose your composure… I'm glad I took precautions."

Cocolia chuckled, then continued, her voice tight with frustration, "We've invested so much, taken such risks, suffered such losses. We can't just give up now!" She sounded like a gambler who'd lost everything and was desperate to recoup their losses.

The sunk cost was too high, and the prize was within reach. She couldn't give up. And she wouldn't allow these two obstructive scientists to ruin everything.

You don't understand what unlocking that door, accessing that dimension, could mean for Anti-Entropy, for the world! A hint of madness gleamed in her eyes.

"No! I won't allow it!" Einstein protested, as Cocolia had predicted. "Activating these ruins caused this disaster! We don't even know the extent of the damage in Southeast Asia! And you want to do it again?! Aren't you afraid of causing another catastrophe?!"

"Hmph, what's done is done. What's there to be afraid of?" Cocolia scoffed, then continued, her voice almost seductive, "The gateway to the Quantum Sea is right here. Don't you want to see it with your own eyes?"

"No," Einstein replied firmly, then pleaded, "We've already caused enough damage. We don't know what other dangers lurk within these ruins. Opening a gateway to another dimension could trigger unforeseen consequences, unleashing something even worse!"

"Ms. Cocolia, we understand your eagerness, we acknowledge your contributions, but this is too important. We need to proceed with caution, learn from our mistakes, conduct thorough research, and devise a safer plan. Wouldn't that be better?" Her voice was almost pleading. They were trapped, at Cocolia's mercy. All she could do was try to reason with her.

"Hmph, all the more reason to act quickly!" Cocolia retorted, her voice filled with excitement. "This eruption in Southeast Asia will keep Schicksal busy. They'll loosen their grip on other regions! This is our chance! If we wait too long, Otto will catch wind of this and send his forces here. Do you want a war with Schicksal?"

"You… you're using this disaster to further your own ambitions?!" Tesla roared, finally understanding. "Was this all part of your plan?!"

"Now, now, Dr. Tesla, you're giving me too much credit. This eruption was unexpected. Otherwise, we wouldn't have suffered such losses." Cocolia's voice held a hint of genuine regret.

"But since it has happened, we should make the most of it. This disaster is a perfect cover for us to unlock the secrets of these ruins, to obtain the key to defeating the Honkai. Isn't that a worthy contribution to humanity, even if it was unintentional?"

Tesla was speechless. How can she be so shameless?

"And as for the risks you mentioned, I've already taken them into account," Cocolia continued, smugly. "Learning from our mistakes, I've brought the energy engine inside the ruins. Even if another disaster occurs, the barrier will have a stable power supply. And thanks to the events in Southeast Asia, even if something goes wrong, Schicksal won't be able to interfere!"

The scientists fell silent. There was nothing left to say. They were dealing with a madwoman. The only question was, how could they stop her?

They racked their brains, but they were trapped, powerless.

If only the Arahato were still operational… Tesla thought, seething with impotent rage.

Cocolia received confirmation that the new energy engine was installed and connected.

"Excellent." Seeing that the preparations were complete, she dismissed the scientists and strode towards the engine, her voice ringing with authority.

"Begin!"