Collapse, I save everything alone

"……Um."

The purple-haired girl glanced at Bronya who was silent beside her and nodded obediently.

……

After Mei left, Mingyu came to Bronya.

"You're sad."

"…Bronya knows that this is the right thing to do, but she still feels sad."

She did not deny it.

The reason why she left the opportunity to kill Cocolia to Mingyu and Mei was not only because she thought they should do it, but also because... she really couldn't do it.

No matter what Cocolia is like now, she is still... the mother who raised her. The affection and respect they once had made her somewhat shaken.

The silver-haired girl slumped, leaning slightly on his chest.

"……Feel sorry."

she said softly.

Even though Cocolia was indeed guilty of heinous crimes, she was once her most beloved mother.

Bronya did not act on emotion and let Cocolia go, but she still felt sad after Cocolia finally had her own ending.

Mingyu patted Bronya's back gently and said softly:

"If there's anything you want to do, I can accompany you."

"Um……"

After a long while, the silver-haired girl raised her head:

"...Bronya wants to go somewhere."

……

Mingyu crossed the sky covered with wind and snow and arrived somewhere in Siberia under the command of Bronya.

This looks like an orphanage.

The courtyard is located in the snowy Siberia. The walls are made of dark bricks and stones. They look thick and solid, as if they can withstand all the cold and storms.

The walls are covered with traces of time, and the long-term erosion of wind and snow has made the brick and stone surface mottled.

The building's roof is steeply sloped and covered with thick snow, which looks like a white hat from a distance. The eaves of the roof are covered with icicles, which are crystal clear and reflect the sunlight.

The entrance to the orphanage is a heavy iron door.

Mingyu held Bronya in his arms and landed in front of the door, then put her down.

The silver-haired girl pushed open the door and entered.

"…This is the orphanage where Bronya used to live."

The silver-haired girl said with some nostalgia as she looked at the familiar open space in front of her.

——Cocolia Orphanage, where many children once lived.

However, perhaps because no one has lived here for a long time, this place has become neglected and the ground is overgrown with weeds.

It seems that Rosalia and Lilia should be the two youngest "daughters" of Cocolia. After they left the orphanage and officially joined Anti-Entropy as warriors and started activities, the orphanage was abandoned.

"...Follow Bronya."

The girl spoke softly, took a step, and entered the orphanage with ease.

The orphanage's building was made purely of wood. It made a creaking sound when people stepped on it, and it looked a bit dilapidated and desolate.

The rooms on both sides also have wooden doors, and each child’s nameplate is hung on the door, with small patterns on the sides that symbolize the child’s personality. Judging from the workmanship, they are all handmade by the children themselves.

Bronya and Hom, Seele and the sickle, Apricot Mal and the hour hand, and the Vodka sisters' cherry and blueberry.

After passing through the children's area, the two came to a slightly larger room.

This room has a completely different decoration from the previous children's room. The door of the room is made of dark solid wood with exquisite carvings on it. It is obviously an adult's room.

Bronya pushed open the door and walked in. The interior was quite simple without too much decoration. This might be related to the fact that Cocolia was once a soldier.

The furniture is all made of solid wood, and the surface is simply polished to show the natural wood grain and luster. A large desk is placed by the window, on which are placed stationery and books.

The windows are hung with light white curtains, swaying in the cold wind. Through the windows, you can directly see the snow-capped mountains and woods in the distance.

"…This is the room where Cocolia's mother used to live. At that time, she lived with us most of the time."

Bronya said with nostalgia.

The original Cocolia was indeed a kind-hearted person, whether it was opening an orphanage under difficult conditions, or taking in a killer like her as her own daughter.

But, I don’t know when she started to change... becoming more and more unfamiliar.

The silver-haired girl began to tidy up the room, gathering up the few items that Cocolia had left here, packing them up and arranging them into a package.

"Mingyu...I want to build a cenotaph for Mother Cocolia."

After doing all this, Bronya stood up and spoke softly.

She had indeed gone astray and committed many heinous crimes, but she had also paid the price for it with her life.

After everything was over, as a "daughter", she should take care of Cocolia's funeral.

Mingyu nodded and said:

"Well, if you want to do it, go ahead and do it. I'll accompany you."

The dead Cocolia is the good Cocolia. He would not bother with a dead person.

For the next period of time, he accompanied Bronya and took Cocolia's relics back to the crash site of the spacecraft. They dug a small grave and erected a simple tombstone for the former upright soldier, the mother of homeless children, and now a villain.

Chapter 158 The Moonlight is So Beautiful~ (6K)

By the time Bronya and Mingyu finished their work and returned to the anti-entropy base, it was already night.

The moonlight illuminated the snowfield, making it even whiter and more flawless. Every snowflake on the snowfield was reflected by the moonlight, crystal clear, as if countless shining diamonds were inlaid on the earth.

Mingyu descended from the sky and put Bronya down.

Not far away, Mei was talking to Ryoma. It was a long-lost father and daughter reunion, and they must have a lot to talk about.

Noticing their return, Mei stood up and waved to them.

Ming Yu came in front of the two people, looked at the mature middle-aged man, and greeted him politely:

"Hello, Uncle Longma."

"Hello, Mingyu. Mei just told me a lot about you."

Raiden Ryoma said with a smile.

Then, he said to Mei:

"Mei, I have something I want to say to your friend alone."

"Okay, then I'll go do something else with Bronya."

The purple-haired girl nodded obediently, and pulled Bronya away briskly.

Although Cocolia is dead, there are still many serious matters that need to be dealt with.

For example, collecting evidence of her secretly imprisoning other executives, and her collusion with the third organization, the World Serpent.

Naturally, this kind of work is mainly done by Bronya.

Looking at his daughter's gradually departing figure, Raiden Ryoma said with a low laugh:

"She's changed a lot during the time I wasn't around. To be honest, I was a little worried at first... I wondered if she had grown taller, if she would still cling to me like before, and if she... still had her own self."

As a father, there are always such concerns, especially since Mei has become a Herrscher, a creature that can no longer be defined as a human being.

Even though the leader of Anti-Entropy is the First Herrscher... there have been beings like the Second Herrscher in this world who intended to destroy humanity. Therefore, before seeing his daughter again, he was always afraid that she would become a stranger he was not familiar with.

Fortunately, that sad future did not occur.

“Are you afraid of becoming strangers to each other?”

Mingyu asked.

"Well, after all, something like that happened. Besides, Mei had always been well taken care of before. I really can't imagine... how she managed to hold on after that."

Her family fell into poverty, their prosperity and wealth were gone, and the halo that had once been around her disappeared completely. She fell from heaven to hell almost overnight.

Ming Yu: "Mei is a very strong girl. She was not defeated by those difficulties."

Raiden Ryoma laughed softly, and a hint of warmth appeared on the steady face that was unique to middle-aged people.

He stretched out his hand, gestured and said:

"You know what? When Mei was born, she was so tiny, only this big. At that time, her mother and I were always worried about whether we could raise her.

"I have devoted my life to fighting the Honkai. To be honest, I used to worry that I would die without knowing why. But when I saw Mei for the first time, I suddenly felt that death was not such a terrible thing.

"Because in Mei, I saw the continuation of my own life. After that, I felt that it wouldn't matter if I died one day because of the Honkai, because she would still live anyway."

As the old father spoke, his eyes slowly closed and a smile appeared on the corners of his mouth, as if he saw a precious scene in his memories.

"When Mei was born, the ME company that I founded as the executive officer of Anti-Entropy was growing rapidly. Before she came into this world, the meaning of my hard work was to give her mother a better life and to provide sufficient financial support for Anti-Entropy."

This is a necessary job as an anti-entropy executive, and it is also the care that a husband should give to his wife.

"After Mei came into this world, my work has gained another meaning - I hope she can grow up healthily and live a happy life."

"...I can understand your love."

Mingyu said silently.

As a father, who doesn’t want his or her children to be safe and sound all the time?

However, Raiden Ryoma was not so lucky and this little wish did not come true.

"When Mei was eight years old, her mother passed away because of... the awakening of the stigmata. I tried everything I could to save my wife, but in the end... I could do nothing. I could only watch her leave this world in pain."

Raiden Ryoma smiled silently, with a look of helplessness and relief towards his fate.

At that time, he was on the verge of collapse.

——Because the awakening of the holy scar in his blood took away not only his wife’s life, but also almost took Mei away.

"Because of her bloodline, Mei was also tortured by the awakening of the stigmata. At that time, she was almost halfway to death. I didn't want to lose my wife and daughter at the same time, so I took the risk to apply to Alliance Leader Walter and made that decision..."

What Raiden Ryoma was talking about was, of course, the operation to implant the Conquest Gem into Mei's body.

This was a very risky thing to do. After all, the second collapse had occurred just a few years before.

Implanting the Herrscher's Gem into the human body is generally not approved. It is too risky for both Mei and the world, and it is very likely to lead to the birth of the Herrscher of Thunder.

However, Alliance Leader Walter was a reasonable man and he finally agreed to the operation.

Fortunately, Raiden Ryoma's decision was correct. The power from the Herrscher Gem did temporarily suppress the awakening of Mei's own stigmata, maintaining a delicate balance in the girl's body, allowing the eight-year-old Mei to survive.

"It was also from that time that I began to fear death... not because of myself, but for Mei. Her mother had already left this world, and I was afraid that if I died one day, Mei would become helpless and be bullied by others.

“…That’s why I started teaching her Beichen Ittoryu, letting her learn and master this family sword technique, hoping that she can become strong enough to live well on her own even if I’m gone one day.

"Later, I did leave... and left her alone in the Far East in a way that I didn't expect. I have always felt bad about this."

Raiden Ryoma said with a sigh.

He had a miserable life and had imagined himself being torn to pieces by Honkai beasts countless times, but he never imagined that the real threat was the knife stabbing from the Anti-Entropy's followers.

“…This is not your problem, you don’t have to feel guilty.”

Mingyu said in a low voice.

If it weren't for Cocolia's conspiracy, nothing would have turned out like this. Mei could live and grow up like a normal person, and Raiden Ryoma wouldn't have to endure this imprisonment.

"I understand this, and I'm thankful that during my absence, Mei has come out of the haze and has met many trustworthy partners, such as Mingyu."

Thunder Dragon Horse smiled and said:

"I know Mei's character very well. Even though she didn't tell me directly, I can tell that she likes you very much."

"Yeah, I like Mei, too."