Seeing Durandal looking at him with a serious expression, a mysterious and unfathomable smile once again surfaced on Otto's face.
"Durandal, I understand the meaning in your eyes. After all, every normal person would think that way."
"So, as the 'representative' of normal people, I will give you one chance… one chance to stop me."
"As long as, here and now, you kill me…"
"Then all my plans will vanish into smoke."
Saying this, Otto even spread his arms wide open, leaving himself defenseless, encouraging Durandal to draw her blade on him.
In fact, before coming here, Durandal had already prepared herself to fight Otto.
But when it truly came to this moment, she hesitated.
At this moment, Otto's voice sounded again.
He once again emphasized his actions, emphasized the sins he had committed over the years.
And to make Durandal strike, he even brought up Van.
"Durandal, don't you want to avenge your senior?"
"Fighting for the beauty of the world, only to end up in such a miserable state."
"Don't you want to change all of this?"
In fact, when Otto said this, Durandal asked herself,
She really did, for a moment, want to pick up the Black Abyss White Flower from the ground and stab it toward her teacher.
But her reason still held her back from doing so.
Because she knew, the words from the man before her were only meant to provoke her into attacking.
"Nice villain monologue. But alas, Bishop, this just proves even more that you're still holding back."
"You say I have the right to know the truth, yet your words are full of rhetoric, leaving everything shrouded in fog."
"Five years ago, I met a true destroyer of worlds in the Sea of Quanta. And your mental state is nothing like hers."
Otto chuckled softly at this and said, "Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I'm hiding something… but is that really so important?"
"It is!" Durandal said firmly. "These past few years, you indeed treated me well. It's precisely because of that, that I need to know your true thoughts right now."
To this, Otto still wore that inexplicable smile and said, "But compared to that, I think there's only one thing you truly need to know…"
"And that is, if you don't stop me, I will certainly bring death to everyone in this world."
Hearing this, Otto no longer continued chatting idly, and instead directly launched an attack on Durandal.
However, just as the battle was about to begin, a purple energy blade suddenly flew in from the distance, cutting across the battlefield and separating the two.
Durandal instinctively turned toward the source of the energy blade, and her pupils contracted instantly.
Because the one who arrived… was the senior she constantly yearned for, Van.
But upon seeing this, there was no joy in the hearts of the people watching in the real world, only a heavy sense of dread.
Because this Van was not a friend, he was an enemy.
———
[Wait, why is Dark Van suddenly showing up to help Otto?!]
[Yeah, wasn't Dark Van supposed to be fighting against Honkai?!]
[But if you think about it, maybe it makes sense, if Otto succeeds, he'll give the people in Kolosten 500 extra years.]
[Still, that's too big a price!]
[Bro, do you think Dark Van is someone who cares about the price?]
———
[Back to the Video]
The moment Durandal saw Van appear, her heart filled with joy.
But that joy of reunion quickly turned into confusion.
Because she noticed something was off.
Though in appearance and power, the person before her looked no different from the senior in her memory, that cold aura made her feel completely unfamiliar.
Just as Durandal was puzzled, Memory Van spoke coldly to Otto, "Otto, go complete the task you've yet to finish, leave this place to me."
Hearing this, Otto cast a meaningful look at Memory Van.
Then he turned and stepped through the door behind him.
Durandal tried to stop him, but was blocked by Memory Van drawing his sword.
"Valkyrie, your opponent now is me."
Looking at the familiar face showing such a foreign expression, the confusion in Durandal's heart vanished.
Even if this man looked exactly like her senior, he would never be the one who smiled and teased her to take more rest.
He would never be the one who threw himself in harm's way to save her.
Thinking this, Durandal smiled slightly, and her gaze grew firm.
Indeed, her senior was one of a kind.
Though Durandal knew there must be a battle between them, she still wanted to ask why he was helping Otto.
But the answer she received chilled her to the core.
"My goal from beginning to end has only been to fight the Honkai. The rest, I don't care about." Memory Van said coldly. "So, if I can gain 500 more years… why wouldn't I do it?"
"So you're just going to watch everyone else in the world die for it?!" Durandal's voice grew colder.
What greeted her was still Memory Van's icy, emotionless stare.
"On that scorched earth, I once made a promise to them…"
"No matter the price paid… humanity will defeat the Honkai."
"And this… is merely a negligible price."
Durandal, "You're a madman. Just like Otto, another madman."
To this, Memory Van gave no reply, as if silently confirming her words.
"Enough talk, let's speak through our blades!"
With that, Durandal drew Black Abyss White Flower from the ground and charged at Memory Van.
Memory Van also pulled a purple longsword from the void and met her head-on.
Black Abyss White Flower clashed with the longsword, creating a massive shockwave.
Durandal spun with the force, the tip of her lance carving a silver arc aimed straight at her opponent's face.
Facing the threatening spear tip, Memory Van didn't retreat, instead, he advanced.
After ducking to avoid it, he swiftly changed form and unleashed several fierce energy blades.
Taking advantage of the moment when his opponent dodged, Memory Van flashed forward again, arriving beside Durandal and slashing out.
Clang!
Durandal raised her spear to block the incoming blade and countered with a sweeping motion.
Memory Van bent his knees and jumped back, easily dodging the strike.
"Looks like that guy taught you quite a few things."
As he spoke, Memory Van's figure flickered, his blade becoming streaks of purple light in the air.
Durandal's pupils contracted. She quickly spun Black Abyss White Flower into an impenetrable shield.
The sound of weapons clashing echoed through the empty cathedral.
But her opponent's relentless attacks were gradually overwhelming her.
After several exchanges, a purple sword light broke through her guard and tore open a gash on her shoulder armor.
"You lost focus," Memory Van said, his sword tip resting just short of Durandal's neck. "Were you reminiscing about the Van who used to go easy on you?"
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