Chapter 91: Welt: A Mere Seele Is No Longer Enough to Startle Me
"So that's how it is... I remember now. I remember everything."
Bronya's voice was barely a whisper, trembling under the weight of a dam that had just broken. Childhood memories surged through her mind like a rising tide, washing away the fog of the Supreme Guardian's conditioning. The dusty floors of the orphanage, the shared laughter, the warmth of a certain stubborn girl—it all crystallized into sharp, aching clarity.
"But..." She lowered her gaze, her fingers curling into her palms. A deep unease flickered in her eyes. "Will Seele still forgive me?"
The 'script' Leon had slipped into her mind earlier had outlined many things, but it had conveniently glossed over the exact details of their shared past at the orphanage.
"Seele is actually quite easy to talk to," Leon replied, a soft, teasing laugh escaping his lips. He leaned casually against a rusted metal pillar, entirely unbothered by their grim surroundings. "As long as you show a little vulnerability, she won't make things difficult for you. She has a soft spot, you know."
Before Bronya could process his advice, the heavy crunch of boots on gravel echoed through the alley. A group of Vagrants stepped out from the shadows, their greedy eyes locked onto Bronya. Her pristine, military-grade Overworld attire stuck out like a sore thumb in the grime of the Underworld, practically screaming 'wealthy target'.
Seeing only three people in the group, the Vagrants fanned out, their posture reeking of the classic Underworld cowardice: bullying the weak and fearing the strong. Make no mistake—these men might have originally banded together to survive the harshness of the underground, but desperation had long since rotted them into a pack of opportunistic scavengers.
A short distance away, Sampo Koski was leading the Astral Express Crew through the winding metallic corridors, happening upon the scene just in time.
"Hey, look! It's Leon, Mr. Yang, and that Bronya girl!" March 7th pointed eagerly, her bright eyes catching the standoff.
"Looks like they've run into some trouble," she added, tilting her head.
"Ladies and gentlemen, please don't just stand there and watch!" Sampo hissed, waving his hands frantically. Sweat beaded on his forehead, his voice tight with genuine panic. "This must not get out of hand!"
"The way you put it, I'm even more inclined to watch you suffer," March 7th fired back, planting her hands on her hips with a cheeky grin. She was more than happy to see this slippery, fast-talking conman finally sweat a little.
"Don't worry," Dan Heng said, crossing his arms. His calm gaze swept over the Vagrants. "With Leon and Mr. Yang there, nothing will happen even if we don't step in."
The very idea of these ragged thugs successfully bullying Leon and Welt was laughable. They had quite literally picked the worst possible targets in the entire star system.
"No, no, no, you misunderstand!" Sampo grabbed his own hair, his voice dropping to a frantic whisper. "I'm afraid they'll hit too hard and just... finish off those Vagrants!"
Having personally felt the suffocating, bottomless pressure radiating from Leon, Sampo wasn't worried about the Overworlders getting hurt. He was terrified that Leon wouldn't bother holding back and would turn the alleyway into a slaughterhouse.
"Ha, so that's what you're worried about..." March 7th blinked, utterly speechless.
"Then you have even less to worry about. Brother knows exactly how to hold back!" Stelle chimed in, nodding with absolute, unwavering confidence in Leon's restraint.
Down in the alley, the tension finally snapped.
One of the Vagrants, losing his patience, raised a makeshift rifle. A sharp crack echoed off the iron walls as a silver bullet tore through the air, aimed squarely at Bronya's chest.
Though Bronya was kind-hearted and deeply reluctant to draw her weapon on civilians, she was still the commander of the Silvermane Guards. She wasn't about to stand still and wait for death. Her hand moved toward her rifle—
But before she could raise the barrel, a violent gale ripped through the center of the crowd.
Clang!
Sparks showered the dim alley as the bullet was casually swatted out of the air by a massive, dark blade. A storm of quantum purple energy swept outward, forcing the Vagrants to shield their eyes. As the fierce wind died down and the dust settled, a slender figure stood tall in the center of the chaos.
She held a wicked scythe, her posture heroic, dangerous, and utterly imposing.
"Seele..." Bronya's eyes widened, lighting up with a mixture of shock and fragile hope. She didn't know if the girl standing before her still remembered the promises they made as children.
At that exact moment, a sudden, foreign flood of information poured directly into Seele's mind.
Was this... a script?
The mental nudge was incredibly simple. It didn't force any grand revelations; it merely suggested that she take Bronya to the old orphanage. It promised that the misunderstandings between them would resolve naturally, and the bitter ice between them would thaw.
Bronya shot a surprised look at Leon. The dark-haired man simply offered her a slow, deliberate wink.
A faint flush dusted Bronya's cheeks. She nodded gently, her chest swelling with deep gratitude toward him. He had orchestrated this perfectly.
A few steps away, Welt Yang adjusted his glasses. He looked at Seele, then at Bronya, his face settling into a mask of deep, exhausted acceptance. It was an expression that clearly screamed, 'I knew it would be like this.'
After all, the moment Bronya Rand had appeared in this world, it was only a matter of time before a Seele showed up. Having survived the emotional whiplash of seeing so many familiar faces from his home universe, Welt's psychological defenses had leveled up significantly.
An ordinary counterpart was no longer enough to raise Old Yang's blood pressure.
Sensing the older man's internal sigh, Leon leaned over and whispered, "Don't worry, Mr. Yang. We still have the Xianzhou Luofu waiting for us!"
Welt's eye twitched slightly, but he chose to ignore the terrifying implications of that statement.
"Daring to cause trouble on our turf..." Seele's cold, piercing gaze swept over the trembling Vagrants. "Do you still want to trade more blows?"
She shifted her stance, planting herself firmly in front of Bronya. She raised her scythe, the sharp edge gleaming in the dim light, her entire figure radiating a killing intent as cold as a blizzard.
"Oh no, run!"
The Vagrants, realizing they had just picked a fight with Wildfire's most lethal enforcer, instantly broke formation and scattered like frightened rats into the dark alleyways.
"Hmph. Scum who bully the weak and fear the strong," Seele muttered, spinning her scythe and letting it vanish into a burst of quantum data. She snorted coldly.
"Hehe, Miss Seele! It's incredibly fortunate that you acted in time. Much appreciated!" Sampo stepped forward, clapping his hands together with a wide, ingratiating grin. "These Vagrants have quite the nerve, daring to use force right on Wildfire's turf."
"Shut up, Sampo. You're not getting off the hook for this either," Seele snapped, not giving him an inch of face. "Wildfire has a mountain of trouble to deal with right now. Do you really have to drag more of it down here?"
After thoroughly dressing down the conman, she turned her sharp gaze toward the group he had brought. Her eyes landed on Leon, and her brow furrowed slightly. "It's you?"
She hadn't forgotten him. How could she? This was the same guy who had been sitting around telling those utterly nonsensical, mind-bending stories to Hook and the Moles., with Leon's striking appearance and that infuriatingly relaxed aura, it was impossible not to leave a lasting impression.
"We meet again, Miss Seele," Leon smiled calmly, completely unfazed by her glare.
"You're not from the Underworld either, are you?" Seele's eyes narrowed as she scrutinized his clean, high-quality clothing. "People down here don't dress like you."
"Sharp eyes," Leon nodded approvingly. "I am indeed not from the Underworld. As for the specific reasons why we're here... I'll let them explain it to you."
He gestured casually toward the Astral Express Crew standing beside Sampo.
Seele turned her head, finally noticing the unfamiliar faces of Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle. Her frown deepened. She knew Sampo well enough to know that while he wasn't exactly evil, he was a magnet for absolute disaster.
By the time she turned back to demand more answers from Leon, the space where he had been standing was completely empty.
"This guy..." Seele muttered, her suspicions flaring. But she had no time to chase ghosts. Her gaze snapped back to the Overworld girl standing quietly behind her.
"I heard a Silvermane Guard ran down to the Underworld. That would be you, right?"
"It is," Bronya replied, meeting Seele's fierce gaze with calm determination. "I was brought down here by Sampo."
This part wasn't in Leon's script. Bronya knew that if she acted like her original, oblivious self—spouting Overworld propaganda—she would instantly destroy any chance of repairing their bond. She chose a different path. Honesty.
"Hmph. Brought down here?" Seele's tone dripped with heavy sarcasm. "Living quite comfortably on the Overworld, aren't you? Do you have any idea what the underground has become? Have you ever once considered the lives of the people rotting down here?"
She had never hidden her hatred for the surface dwellers, and right now, her words were meant to cut like a knife.
"The Silvermane Guards are not living comfortably on the Overworld!" Bronya's voice rose, unable to stop herself from defending her soldiers. "The Guards have been fighting on the front lines every single day, defending Belobog from the Fragmentum monsters, bleeding to protect everyone—both on the Overworld and the Underworld!"
Even though her heart ached to reconcile with Seele, she could not stand by and let the brutal sacrifices of her men be dismissed so casually.
"Hmph. Easy for you to say," Seele sneered, stepping closer, her eyes flashing with years of accumulated bitterness. "What exactly have you protected down here? You pulled every last Silvermane Guard up to the surface and sealed off the passage. It sounds noble when you shout about it, but isn't it just to protect those precious 'Architects' of yours?"
Every single word pierced Bronya's heart.
"The Guardian... has her reasons," Bronya started, but her voice wavered.
Recalling the chilling truths she had just remembered, and the horrific lengths her mother, Cocolia, had gone to, the fight drained out of her. She couldn't deny it. Her mother had abandoned these people. Bronya acknowledged this dark history now, and she was desperately willing to change it. But standing in this dirty alleyway was not the time or place for a political debate.
"Hmph." Seeing the fight leave the Overworld girl, Seele didn't push it further. She turned on her heel. "Anyway, come with me. Chief Oleg wants to see you. He has a lot of questions to ask."
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