Chapter 157: Cenotaph

Chapter 157: Cenotaph

After the mighty sword strike, there was nothing left in front of Mei, whether it was the snow, the wreckage of the spaceship, or Cocolia, they had all disappeared. The ground under her feet was cut open, forming a smooth gully.

Mei didn't feel the joy of revenge in her heart, but a feeling of finally being liberated.

The culprit who destroyed her family and rewrote her life died under her sword.

The power born out of her conspiracy eventually became the reason for her life to dissipate. This can also be considered a kind of cause and effect.

Kirataka glanced at the large crack that was cut by Mei.

He had already used up 80% of his strength after he and Mei fired that Railgun Plus that spanned dozens of kilometers, but it was obvious that Mei still had more than enough.

It must be said that the Herrscher-level Honkai energy reserve is really enviable. If he had the "Honkai energy" of Mei...

After being envious for two seconds, Kirataka took action.

In addition to Cocolia, there is actually another survivor at the scene, and we have to deal with it first.

Let Mei stay where she is to accompany Bronya for the time being, Kirataka flashed to the other side of the spaceship wreckage.

He could feel that Gray Serpent was a very lucky guy as he did not die in the spaceship crash.

This group of guys who were accidentally born because of Mobius's experiment... are indeed very tenacious in terms of vitality. At the end of the last civilization era, they didn't even rely on the hibernation chamber of the Fifth Divine Key but relied solely on their own vitality to withstand the attack of the Doom that destroyed the surface.

In other words, every gray serpent that has survived to the present has a long life experience like the pioneers of the previous civilization. Even considering that there is no assistance from the hibernation chamber, their real life is even longer than theirs.

It was just a spaceship crash, which didn't even kill Cocolia, let alone take their lives.

Soon, Kirataka saw the gray serpent, which was running at full speed on the snow, trying to leave the area.

The pitch-black gray serpent was too dazzling on the pure white snow.

Kirataka stretched out his hand and exerted control over it. Under the influence of electromagnetic force, the fleeing gray serpent gradually became unable to move and was forced to stop.

——The transformation of his body into one containing a large number of mechanical prostheses has such a defect. For him who can control electromagnetism, it is very easy to sense the existence of the gray serpent and restrict its ability to move.

Then, Kirataka took a light step and jumped in front of the gray serpent.

Knowing that he could not escape, the gray serpent stopped struggling and turned around and said:

"Kirataka, a student of Saint Freya Academy, a survivor of the third eruption... We ignored you before."

By focusing too much on the Herrscher of Thunder, Raiden Mei herself, they overlooked the real threat that seemed insignificant.

It was very sure that the main force that destroyed their and Cocolia's plan to capture the Herrscher of Thunder was not the Herrscher of Thunder herself, nor Bronya, but the young man in front of it.

——This is the skill of observing people that its long life has given it.

Gray Serpent continued:

"... Serpents are not creatures that fear death. One day we will dig out your secrets and bury you."

Now that it is known that Kirataka is not a simple person, the World Serpent will also start paying attention to him.

Although it will definitely die here, the "Gray Serpent" will not die, and the information about Kirataka will continue to circulate. After that, the World Serpent will no longer ignore Kirataka and will keep a close eye on and investigate him.

"Are you threatening me?"

Kirataka smiled and pointed a finger at the gray snake's chest:

"Unfortunately, I am not afraid of your threats. Besides, maybe in the near future, you will treat me as a guest of honor."

"What do you mean..."

This gray serpent did not understand the meaning of Kirataka's words, nor did it have the chance to understand it.

A hole pierced by thunder appeared on its chest, taking away the long life of this artificial life.

"Huh... In this case, this incident is completely over."

Kirataka breathed a sigh of relief.

Not even a trace of Cocolia was left, and the gray serpent that had cooperated with her had also been dealt with.

Next, there is some cleanup work to do.

The death of Cocolia and the return of Raiden Ryoma are bound to bring new changes to the subsequent factional struggles within Anti-Entropy.

The death of the leader of the reformists and her secret cooperation and communication with the World Serpent was enough to allow the conservatives led by Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla to regain the upper hand.

Anti-entropy, which had once gone astray, is probably finally getting back on track.

Of course, these things actually have little to do with Kirataka.

For him, the biggest impact of Cocolia's death was probably what happened next with Wendy.

The girl far away in Oceania was eroded by the desire gem and gradually began to develop malice towards Schicksal and humans, almost going berserk, and eventually leading to the outbreak of the fourth Honkai eruption.

In the original time, after some efforts, Kiana and the others had basically persuaded Wendy, allowing her human side to overcome the malice in her heart again. However, Cocolia suddenly interfered and used the biochip in Bronya's head to forcibly control her to attack Wendy and capture Wendy and Mei, eventually leading to the death of the girl.

Now that Cocolia is dead, Wendy's matter may see a big turn for the better. The Fourth Herrscher... may become a Herrscher who fights for humanity like Mei.

Well, Kirataka still hasn't forgotten his ultimate goal - to safely spend the last day with Kiana and the others, and it would be even better if they could achieve a better ending than the original one.

Before that moment comes, it never hurts to have as much combat power on the human side as possible.

After cleaning up the gray serpent, Kirataka returned to the two girls.

Bronya had remained motionless and silent since the beginning.

Although she usually doesn't talk much, her current state is obviously a little abnormal.

Kirataka glanced at the silver-haired girl and said to Mei:

"Mei, you go back to Uncle Ryoma first. Bronya and I will go back later."

"…Um."

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

…

After Mei left, Kirataka 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 Kirataka 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.

"...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.

Kirataka 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."

…

Kirataka 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.

Kirataka landed in front of the door holding Bronya and 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 Rozaliya and Liliya 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 Homu, Seele and the sickle, Sin 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 mother Cocolia 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 she was able to open an orphanage under difficult conditions, or taking in a killer like her as her own daughter.

But, she doesn'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.

"Kirataka...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.

Kirataka nodded and said:

"Well, if you want to do it, go ahead and 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.

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