[Meanwhile, at Schicksal Headquarters...]
In a dimly lit room, two children were playing happily.
"Kallen, give me the plane!" The golden-haired boy chased after her, panting heavily.
"If you want it, come catch me!" Kallen ran ahead, laughing joyfully.
Otto watched silently, as if gazing upon a dream forever out of reach.
"Lord Otto, an urgent report from Siegfried has arrived."
The report shattered the tranquil atmosphere. Otto frowned.
"Is there new progress on the Babylon Tower investigation?"
"No. According to Siegfried's report, they encountered the leader of Anti-Entropy near Babylon Tower—The First Herrscher, Welt!"
Otto pondered aloud. "Welt?! The debt from 1955 remains unsettled... Still, for him to come personally, this incident must be tied to the Second Herrscher."
He pulled up the surveillance feed from Babylon Tower and immediately scowled.
"…He's already inside?! Damn it... Siegfried is such an unpredictable loose cannon."
When Otto saw Welt's appearance, he froze. "Wait!! That's not Welt."
But soon, Otto grasped the key detail and began scheming—once his new body was ready, he would swoop in and reap the rewards.
[Theresa]: "So this is Grandma Kallen? She really is so gentle!"
[Tesla]: "Who would've thought a stinking scoundrel like Otto had such pure memories in his heart?"
[Jing Yuan]: "The lethality of a white moonlight is truly unmatched."
No one understood the destructive power of a white moonlight better than Jing Yuan.
Yingxing and Dan Feng had committed unspeakable sins to resurrect their lost Baiheng.
[Argenti]: "Everyone holds a piece of purity in their hearts. So, my friends, will you acknowledge that the beauty of the Aeon Idrila is peerless under the heavens?"
[March 7th]: "Wait, is no one paying attention?! That Otto guy said Mr. Yang isn't Mr. Yang! But isn't he right there? Are there two Mr. Yangs?"
[Stelle]: "Yeah, exactly!"
[Honkai: Star Rail - Welt]:
"March, in a way, Otto isn't wrong. I am the successor to the First Herrscher of Reason, Welt Joyce.
My original name is Joachim Nokianvirtanen.
In 1955, when I was still very young, an accident occurred, and I inherited the name 'Welt' along with the Authority of Reason.
At the time, to maintain the organization's stability, we never publicly announced Uncle Joyce's passing."
[Kiana]: "I had no idea Mr. Welt's childhood was so tragic..."
[Stelle]: "March and I won't make you angry anymore!"
[Mobius]: "A Herrscher Core can be inherited? In our era, such a thing was unheard of. Perhaps, from the very structure of the Imaginary Singularity, the Herrschers of our two eras are fundamentally different."
[Elysia]: "A First Herrscher who fights for humanity? How wonderful! Though it'd be even better if you were a cute girl~ If you ever want to visit the Elysian Realm, the Pink Elf is always happy to entertain!"
In the Sea of Quanta, after barely surviving Kevin's one-sided beatdown, Welt saw Elysia's message—only for Kevin to glare at him coldly again, as if threatening to kill him several more times if he dared refuse.
Welt: "...Speechless doesn't even begin to cover it."
[Anti-Entropy Operation]
Anti-Entropy split into two teams: Tesla led the Titan forces stationed thirty miles outside Babylon Tower, while Welt and Einstein infiltrated the tower for investigation.
"Thank you for your cooperation, Overseer. Let us begin our investigation near the Honkai Reactor."
Einstein half-opened her eyes and remarked coolly:
"I assume you both are aware that beneath the reactor lies a prison holding experimental subjects."
Inside the prison, Einstein meticulously examined the children's Honkai energy levels—none exceeded the threshold.
Just as everyone hit a dead end, Theresa suddenly remembered something urgent.
"Wait... There was a girl with purple hair missing."
"Did we spook her into fleeing?" Einstein mused. "Lord Welt, can you sense her location?"
Welt concentrated briefly before answering gravely. "I can't detect her. She's no longer in Babylon Tower—she must have torn through space and escaped."
"Then we'll proceed with the contingency plan." Einstein produced a test tube filled with purple liquid and addressed Theresa.
"Please lend me Judah's Oath."
As she poured the solution onto Judah, she explained:
*"Judah's Oath and Siegfried's Divine Key, Judgement of Shamash, were both forged by ancient civilizations.
By infusing Judah with the target's Honkai energy, we can activate its Pursuit Mode—maximum tracking radius extends up to 200 kilometers."*
Watching Theresa familiarize herself with Judah's newly revealed function, Welt frowned.
"They didn't even teach her the proper usage of a Divine Key?"
Soon after, under Theresa's command, Judah's Oath dispersed into countless golden chains, scouring the area for their target.
[Vill-V]: "See? Pursuit Mode came in handy after all! Oh, and Theresa—Judah's Oath has way more functions than just these few. As for what else it can do... consider that a magician's surprise~"
[Herta]: "Fascinating. The design behind these weapons is quite intriguing—Divine Keys, Herrschers... connected to the Imaginary Tree? Worthy of further study."
[Theresa]: "Huh? Oh! Right! Over the years at St. Freya Academy, I've actually developed a lot of useful functions for it!"
[Murata Himeko]:Tch. "If you don't start training properly soon, people will just call you 'The Valkyrie Judah and Her Launch Platform.'"
[Theresa]: "Himeko~ Careful, or I'll dock your pay~"
[Kiana]: "Aunt Himeko's right! During the Third Honkai Impact, you almost got wrecked by a pseudo-Herrscher. At this rate, you really will just become Judah's launch platform!"
Almost wrecked? A Valkyrie's battles can hardly be called failures! Victory and defeat are natural in war—using whatever tools work best doesn't make someone a mere platform!
Cheerful laughter echoed through St. Freya Academy.
[Kiana]: "Hey deadbeat dad! Does your Judgement of Shamash have cool functions like this?"
[Siegfried]: "Uh... it can turn into a greatsword? Does that count?"
[Kiana]: "Pfft. Lame."
Aboard the Astral Express, two pairs of eyes gleamed with excitement as they stared at Welt's cane—only for him to sigh and explain:
"The Star of Eden doesn't have flashy abilities like that. As for why it changed from an orb to a cane... I simply gave it a more inconspicuous shell."
"Aww..."
The two youngsters exchanged glances before promptly losing interest in Uncle Yang's walking stick.