Fu Hua's laughter stopped.
Crimson blood trickled from her lips, splattering on the ground like vibrant flowers of blood.
Then, using almost all the strength she had left, Fu Hua gave her answer.
"...Friend?"
"Otto, your words hold not a shred of conscience, only a bottomless pit of selfishness and lies..."
"You trample on the feelings of others, you play with their destinies... and not for a single moment do you think you're a villain..."
"Otto Apocalypse, from the bottom of my heart, I find you pathetic and loathsome..."
"BOOM—!"
A clap of thunder rolled through the deep, dark clouds as darkness gradually consumed the sky.
It also masked the expression on Otto's face.
Golden flames converged into a stream of light, forming a handgun in the man's hand.
Mimicry—Judgement of Shamash.
He silently aimed the muzzle at the woman on the ground.
After a few seconds of silence, he finally made his choice.
"Immortal Celestial... I did not lie."
'BANG—!'
With the sound of a gunshot, the screen faded to black and vanished.
---o---
After the vision ended, everyone turned their gaze to Fu Hua.
Her face was expressionless, but her hands were clenched tightly into fists.
So it's true. She and Otto were never the same kind of people.
For the sake of his own goals, Otto would stop at nothing, ignoring the unimaginable pain and suffering caused in the process.
And that was precisely the kind of person Fu Hua despised the most.
"Principal, I accept your earlier invitation," Fu Hua said to Theresa after a long silence.
"Really?"
Theresa's eyes instantly lit up.
Well now, this was what you'd call an unexpected and pleasant surprise.
"After witnessing Otto's true face, do you think I could possibly continue to coexist peacefully with him?" Fu Hua asked with a self-mocking smile.
"Don't worry, Fu Hua! As long as you're with me, I will never let you be wronged!" Theresa declared, patting her unremarkable chest as a guarantee.
"Then the situation is now very clear," Bronya said. "Evidently, Kiana's future transformation into a Herrscher is all due to Otto pulling the strings. His goal is to gain control of a Kiana who has overcome the Herrscher consciousness."
"As much as I hate to admit it, he did succeed."
"Now, based on the previous visions, Bronya will conduct a complete timeline analysis of the information we have obtained so far. If there are any omissions, everyone can add to it."
After speaking, Bronya paused to give everyone a moment to digest the recent intelligence before continuing.
"First, regarding the future visions we have seen, the timeline of the scene we just watched should be the earliest. To make it easier to remember, let's call that scene 'Backstabbing the Class Monitor.'"
"..." The corner of Fu Hua's mouth twitched. She fought back the urge to comment and remained silent.
"From Otto's words, we can deduce that Kiana becoming a Herrscher was orchestrated by him. Judging by the background at the time, if Bronya is not mistaken, it should be at Schicksal HQ."
"Combining this information, we can infer that at some point in the future, Otto will capture Kiana and take her to Schicksal HQ. He will infuse her with a massive amount of Honkai energy and Herrscher gems, forcing the awakening of the Herrscher consciousness, Sirin, within her."
"And this is only the first stage of his plan."
"Subsequently, his scheme is to have the Herrscherized Kiana fight us from St. Freya, leading to the logical sacrifice of one of us. This is meant to reawaken Kiana's consciousness. If that happens, his plan will be a success."
"Now, let's look at the other visions."
"The second vision: Kiana's suicide. The timeline for this should take place after the 'Backstabbing the Class Monitor' incident."
"From the information here, we can deduce that Teacher Himeko sacrificed herself to save the Herrscherized Kiana. Kiana regained control of her body and did not fall into Schicksal's hands, but instead escaped."
"However, perhaps fearing that her body would be taken over by the Herrscher consciousness again and that she might harm us, Kiana did not regroup with us, choosing instead to flee alone."
"Following that is the scene where Kiana, driven to despair by the Herrscher consciousness, is about to commit suicide when the Class Monitor appears to stop her."
"But this is where Bronya is a bit confused. Why would the Class Monitor appear there? And in such a strange form, staying by Kiana's side."
"If we hadn't seen the 'Backstabbing the Class Monitor' scene, Bronya wouldn't have this question. But now, Bronya truly cannot understand. Did Otto fail to kill the Class Monitor, instead allowing her to escape?"
As Bronya reached this point, she looked towards Fu Hua.
"Class Monitor, can you explain?"
Fu Hua hesitated for a moment, but then spoke.
"The 'me' by Kiana's side... was likely just a single feather."
"A feather?"
Hearing Fu Hua's words, everyone showed expressions of surprise.
"In my hands, I hold the Eighth Divine Key, Fenghuang Down."
As Fu Hua spoke, she gently raised her palm, and a single pink feather, glowing with a faint light, appeared in her hand.
"Fenghuang Down is the Key of Consciousness. It can manipulate a person's brain signals to create illusions."
"As for the me in that vision, if nothing unexpected happened, it should be that just before Otto killed me, I activated Fenghuang Down's Zeroth Power, separating my spirit from my physical body and entrusting it to another living being."
"The Eighth Divine Key..."
Everyone stared blankly at the feather in Fu Hua's hand, swallowing nervously.
That ability was way too powerful, wasn't it?
Not only could it create illusions, but it could also allow one to resurrect in another body?
And it was clear that Fenghuang Down's abilities didn't stop there; Fu Hua had simply not elaborated further.
"Is that what Grandfather used to alter my memories back then?" Theresa asked in a low voice.
"Yes and no. Otto possesses the First Divine Key, the Void Archives. The Void Archives can simulate all things in the world, which naturally includes my Fenghuang Down. Although a Divine Key simulated by the Void Archives is far inferior to the original, it is more than sufficient to alter a person's memories."
"Then, Class Monitor, have you ever used this to change someone else's memory?" Kiana asked curiously.
Fu Hua shook her head.
"Memory is a person's most precious possession. Unless it is absolutely necessary, I will never lightly touch this forbidden zone."
Except... for my own.