Collapse of iron, but I am the Supreme Strange

"I do not want to."

An Yi's words suddenly rang out, bringing Bronya back to her senses.

“………………huh?”

Bronya's eyelashes trembled and her eyes stared blankly at An Yi.

An Yi turned his head towards the girl and spoke slowly: "I never said I would help everyone in Beloberg, okay?"

"...but...uh——"

Bronya opened her mouth wide, as if she was choking on a breath, and couldn't make any sound.

It took her a long time to connect her thoughts. After understanding An Yi's words, she suddenly felt as if her heart was being squeezed.

That's true... An Yi has no obligation to help Beloberg's people...

Bronya slowly lowered her eyes, her face pale, and the ups and downs of her emotions made her face full of loneliness.

"I... that... uh..."

She seemed to want to say something, but her mouth felt dry and she had difficulty breathing. Every syllable was stuck in her chest and she didn't dare to say it out.

Bronya couldn't help but hold the wine glass and drank all the drink inside - then, the sour and spicy taste that came up in an instant rushed straight into her nose, making the girl cough.

“H-Hold me, cough cough… Sorry—”

An Yi patted her on the back. Bronya took a deep breath, then put down the wine glass in a panic and said to An Yi:

"Lord An Yi... I understand that this request is very abrupt and unreasonable... I also understand that in the eyes of a person like you, we in Beloberg have no value, but, but I still want to ask you... please help the people of Beloberg!"

The girl carefully considered every word she said. She understood that the future fate of the world was in the hands of the man in front of her. It depended on whether she could ask him to help.

An Yi looked at the girl with a smile - he seemed to be smiling all the time, and Bronya felt that this man had never shown a troubled or serious expression.

"I don't like the look of you, Bronya." An Yi said with a smile.

So Bronya pressed her chest, took a deep breath, and felt her frantic heartbeat gradually become steady and strong.

The girl looked at Anyi, then stood still, bowed solemnly and saluted: "Lord Anyi - I, Bronya Rand, on behalf of all the citizens of Beloberg, ask for your help... Beloberg will pay any price, even if it means following in your footsteps from now on, anything you want -"

"That's not what I want to hear." An Yi interrupted Bronya.

So the girl's next words were stuck in her throat, her eyes revealed anxiety, and her body was shaking slightly.

"Ms. Bronya." An Yi pressed her shoulders and asked her to sit on a chair beside him: "Dear Bronya..."

An Yi exhaled, and then said to her: "What you said is exactly what I want to avoid. "Follow my footsteps"? No. You can't and shouldn't follow me."

"...I...I don't understand, Master An Yi..."

"I am not a creator, nor do I want to be a god. If Beloberg's civilization can only rely on me from now on, it would be such a sad and boring thing." An Yi said: "The reason why I want to help everyone in the lower district is just because I am a person who follows my heart. You can say that I am kind-hearted or that I just want to have fun, it doesn't matter, I have nothing to deny-"

"But, but you really made everyone live a good life!" Bronya suddenly grabbed Anyi's hand and spoke in an almost pleading tone: "You saved everyone. You made miners no longer risk their lives to mine the earth's marrow, made wanderers no longer die of hunger, and made it possible for children to see the sky and the sun... Please, you must--"

"Bronya."

An Yi spoke softly.

"I am helping Beloberg avoid the path of self-destruction. If I transform the entire world into your dream now, are you sure that this world will not worship me as a god and live like a believer?"

"I……"

"Bronya, I was once a mortal. You can't imagine what I have paid for my current power, so I still respect every civilization in my heart. I don't know how other people with powerful powers do it, but for me, I monopolized the future of a planet with my own power... This is not redemption, Bronya, this is arrogance."

An Yi slowly stood up and continued before Bronya could speak: "But, this does not mean that I won't help Beloberg——"

"……Eh?"

Bronya raised her head, a light flickering in her eyes.

"I need to make sure that the people on this planet are worthy of me doing this." An Yi said, "If the Beloberg people have no intention of resisting and changing in the face of oppression and difficulties, then even if I help you, you are doomed to self-destruction in the end. Redemption without any struggle and effort will only lead to a wrong future. The help I provide to you should be to assist those who are still passionate and still dare to challenge difficulties - so..."

"So you want to... see our determination to save ourselves?" Bronya asked tentatively: "But... what do you plan to do? Or - what do you want us to do?"

An Yi stared at Bronya in silence for a while, then slowly spoke:

"I think you know what I'm talking about, right, Bronya?"

Bronya was stunned for a moment, her eyes trembling, and then she slowly uttered the name word by word in a trembling voice.

"You...you mean...Mother..."

---------------

Chapter 4: Red-Warm Cocolia (k)

Bronya's palms were slightly sweaty. She stared into Anyi's eyes, and An Yi responded with an unchanging smile.

"Mother...Mother is...uh——"

Bronya lowered her eyes, not knowing how to respond.

It is difficult for her to say now that the current Grand Guardian Cocolia is always thinking about Beloberg.

Before, she was wavering between An Yi and Cocolia, wondering who was the one who could truly guide Beloberg, but now the answer has been slapped in her face by An Yi's magic - her mother's decisions seemed to have always had a negative impact on the people in the lower district, and An Yi's arrival changed the fate of everyone in the lower district.

After thinking for a long time, Bronya lowered her head.

She felt that she could no longer speak for her mother. In front of An Yi, wasn't her mother the obstacle to Beloberg's survival?

"I'm sorry... Master Anyi." Bronya said, "When we were in the upper area before, the Silver Mane Guards and I took the initiative to hunt you down..."

"You are just following Cocolia's orders, it's nothing." An Yi shook his head.

"But... why..." Bronya looked very sad: "Why did mother become like this..."

"Because of the star core."

An Yi replied: "The star core has established a connection with your mother. It has been hinting to her through telepathy since Cocolia was still a girl."

"Eh?"

Bronya looked up. This was something she had no idea about.

"After decades of voice harassment, Cocolia has long been brainwashed by the Star Core - now she is just a puppet of the Star Core."

An Yi said: "So it is normal for Kokolia to make decisions that go against common sense. This is not necessarily what she thinks in her heart, but the star core controls her to do so."

Bronya widened her eyes. After thinking about what her mother had done so far, she found it hard to say that An Yi was wrong.

"I...but...I still can't accept this fact." Bronya frowned and bit her lips.

An Yi looked at Bronya quietly. He knew that for a daughter, this kind of thing was beyond common sense and unacceptable.

Bronya's mind was in a mess. She pinched her chest and gasped for breath.

"Does it mean that we must overthrow Mother in order to let Beloberg survive?"

She asked.

"Whether to overthrow is not decided by you and me." An Yi replied: "It is decided by all citizens of Beloberg. Bronya, when people really rise up against Cocolia, your will will be swept up in public opinion, and you will be forced to make a cruel but correct choice."

Bronya was silent. She stood up, leaned on the railing, and stared at the sea in the distance in a daze.

The waves crashed on the beach, and Bronya's thoughts rose and fell with the waves.

"You need to take over Cocolia's position after everything is over and become the one who truly leads Beloberg into the future."

An Yi patted Bronya's shoulder.

The girl nodded slowly.

"Actually... Mother is not my biological mother." Bronya suddenly said.

"Oh?... Well, no wonder your hair color is different."

Bronya leaned on the railing and tilted her head to look at Anyi: "Yesterday, when Seele and I went to Rivet Town, we found the orphanage where I used to be... Of course, Seele was there when she was a child. It was my mother who brought me to the upper district when I was very young and trained me as the future successor to the Great Guardian."

"So you're from downtown too."

"Hmm..." Bronya rubbed her fingers together: "But, mother is still mother after all... So, I want to persuade her one last time, okay?"

"Even if you know it's useless?" An Yi asked.

"Yeah..." Bronya nodded.

An Yi looked at Bronya, smiled, then turned around and drew a circle in the air.

"Just do what you want." An Yi said, "The answer in your heart has always been correct."

A golden portal appeared in the sparks, stirring the air. An Yi walked over slowly, stood on the other side and waved to Bronya.

"I have to go take care of some things and will be back soon. During this time...you will see Cocolia clearly."

After leaving these words, the portal closed, and An Yi's figure disappeared into the air along with the sparks.

----------------

Meanwhile, in the upper district of Beloberg, Klipperburg.

Cocolia, the current Grand Guardian of Beloberg, is now lying on the bed with various instruments attached to her body for detecting vital signs.

Cocolia has been in a coma since the day the outsiders attacked the Great Guardian.

Belloberg's doctors had run her through every possible means, ruling out every known medical condition, but they couldn't figure out what was wrong with her.

There were no external injuries, her internal organs were intact, and her brain was not damaged. She was just like a normal person. The doctors were scratching their heads and couldn't figure out why Cocolia remained in a coma.

Of course, these poor doctors never thought of the existence of a soul.

These days, Cocolia's soul has been struggling to swim back from the hill where the star core is located - but to be honest, Cocolia can't swim, or rather, no Beloberg person can swim.

On polar planets, water basically exists in frozen form, so how could anyone know what "swimming" is?

What's more, Cocolia was swimming in the air. Her soul was like a big toad, bending her legs, straightening them, moving her hands to the sides, and moving her body with difficulty.

Lo and behold, after two days of full speed, she had finally swum the distance that once took her only a few hours.

But in the past two days, she has been brainwashed by the Star Core, and her head is filled with the harsh voice of the Star Core every moment.

After Xinghe realized that she had been detected and locked by An Yi, she accelerated her control over Cocolia like crazy. She screamed and used various means to erode Cocolia's brain.

"Kill them! Kill them!"

"Outsiders - all outsiders are enemies of Beloberg!"

"Catch them all! Execute them all!"

"They are bewitching the Belobergs! They are deceiving the Belobergs!"

"In the future, when Beloberg is reborn, they are enemies that must be eliminated!"

"A despicable deceiver! A stranger who wants to destroy Beloberg!"

Such words kept hitting Cocolia's brain, making her feel nauseous but unable to resist.

Her spirit passed through the glass and walls and wandered around Klippelburg.

After swimming through the corridors and rooms, I finally found my body.

"what--"

Cocolia's soul waved her arms.

"Finally! Finally back!"

She kicked the air with her feet and twisted her body, her arms reaching forward to reach her body lying on the bed.

At the moment when the soul and body intersected, Cocolia, who was lying on the bed, suddenly opened her eyes.

"what!"

She took a deep breath, feeling the long-lost feeling of air filling her chest and lungs.

She sat up in bed - yes, it was great to feel the touch of objects with her hands!

She tore off all the instruments and wires on her chest, and the electrocardiograph that had lost its connection began to beep.

"Damn An Yi! Damn outsider!"

She threw the instrument and its wires to the ground, screaming, "How dare you do this to me! I swam for two days and two nights before I came back! I almost got lost in the blizzard! Bastard!"

But then, Cocolia's chest suddenly hurt - she felt that the energy of the star core seemed to penetrate into her body, and with several times the power of before, it firmly occupied her mind.

Her eyes lit up with a golden light as the Star Core tightened its control over Cocolia with all its might.