"This should be the last puppet, right…?"
"Correct." Kevin glanced at the cores he had secured.
"The numbers add up—actually, there's even a surplus… How did over a hundred puppets drop nearly four hundred cores?"
"What's so confusing about that? Like we discussed before, this rabble is greedy and short-sighted. If they weren't all connected through the same network, they'd probably have torn each other apart before we even found them."
Mobius wore an expression that suggested she'd long stopped being surprised by anything.
"So, after the Theater of Domination was destroyed, these idiots naturally weren't about to risk spreading the cores and getting caught by Schicksal or Anti-Entropy. That means the only place for the cores to end up was in their hands."
"The only issue is… after the Theater's destruction, most of the puppets caught in the blast had their cores scattered into Imaginary Space."
"Processing them like we're doing now won't be easy—those cores retain a degree of self-will. They'll pick new hosts on their own… so that headache's going to be Schicksal and Anti-Entropy's problem."
"Of course, compared to them… this last puppet here is the one that really piques my curiosity."
"Otto Apocalypse… are you coming out on your own, or do I have to have Kevin break down the door?"
"Oh my, no need for that, no need at all. You must understand, I've always held the greatest respect for you forerunners of the Previous Era—for that one named Su, for Kevin, and for you… naturally, the same applies."
With a creak, the door before them swung open, revealing the golden-haired figure behind it—the final puppet, Otto.
"Flattering me now won't do you any good." A green glow flickered in Mobius's hand, and a viscous, dark green liquid began to spread from her body, slowly enveloping the entire room.
"You'd be better off thinking about how you're going to explain yourself to me… about how you killed Lynelle on the battlefield during the Second Eruption."
This isn't a friendly visit…
Otto furrowed his brow slightly.
He'd suspected as much, but seeing her like this, it seemed like there was absolutely no room for negotiation.
He could only say it was a good thing he hadn't clung to any false hope and had sent Void Archives away beforehand.
Otherwise, if she'd found a way to control it and then come after him, Otto might actually have been in real danger of losing.
"If I told you now that it was all a misunderstanding, I'm afraid it's too late for that… Speaking for myself, I'm willing to pay any price for that mistake—my life included." Otto gave a slight bow.
"Of course, if you're intent on thoroughly killing me, you might have to wait a while. I can assure you, within six months, I'll be dead as a doornail anyway. How about that?"
"Ha… you're quite the negotiator." Mobius let out a cold laugh. "And what if I insist on killing this puppet of yours right here and now?"
"Then please, wait just a moment. I have one question… Kevin, is this your intention as well?"
Otto didn't reply immediately. Instead, he looked towards Kevin, who had been silently observing.
"My deal with you remains valid."
"I see…"
A glimmer of understanding flashed in Otto's eyes. It seemed things weren't entirely without a chance.
The good news was, she wasn't intent on annihilating him right that second.
The bad news was, Mobius had also presented him with a choice—a dilemma.
According to Otto's original plan, after the conclusion of the fight against the Herrscher of Dominance, he would steal its authority.
For his plan to revive Kallen, this step wasn't strictly necessary; acquiring only a portion of the cores would still allow him to complete it.
However, the Herrscher of Dominance's authority, far exceeding his expectations, could provide ample security and redundancy for his plan.
With the authorities of Dominance, Earth, and Binding in hand, combined with the Void Archives and the Blank Key, even if Kevin held back, he'd still have the ability to protect himself.
But… with Mobius's interference now, the situation was completely different.
Otto was forced into a binary choice.
If he used the one-time favor Kevin owed him here, Mobius couldn't touch him, and Otto could smoothly acquire the Herrscher of Dominance's authority as planned.
But… that would also mean Kevin wouldn't intervene for him at Kolosten.
He'd face a multi-pronged siege from Schicksal and Anti-Entropy, involving over a dozen combatants at the S-rank level or higher.
On the other hand, if he let Mobius kill him here, while Kevin would honor their deal and ensure he wasn't disturbed until he became a false god, it also meant entrusting his fate to someone else.
Letting Mobius erode this body would completely scupper his plan to seize the full Dominance authority.
If Kevin chose to tear up the agreement before he became a false god… the consequences would be unthinkable.
Trust in his own strength, or trust in Kevin's word…
After a moment, Otto sighed helplessly.
There was no choice to make. He had to trust Kevin now.
After all, in his previous plans, he'd repeatedly been proven wrong by Lynelle whenever he thought, 'I can handle her.'
And now, she'd used some unknown means to blow the Theater of Domination—which had given him headaches just to watch—sky high.
At this point, Otto couldn't predict what kind of trump card she might pull out.
Even if he managed to get his hands on all three authorities, he doubted he could overcome a group that included Lynelle.
"As expected of one of the Previous Era's three most brilliant doctors… A simple dilemma you toss out, and you've got me hesitating."
"Enough stalling. Tell me your choice." Mobius snorted lightly.
"If you choose to use your deal with Kevin, I'll turn around and leave right now. Why waste time with you when I could be spending it with Lynelle?"
"But, if you do choose to keep that favor… then get ready to experience one of the limits of a MANTIS."
"Better not. Arc City is one of Shenzhou's major cities too. Causing a big scene here, with my identity, would just raise the world's panic level."
Otto smiled bitterly, then plunged his hand directly into his own chest, pulling out two cores—one large, one small.
"The large one is the Herrscher of Earth's core. But given the current state of Anti-Entropy and Schicksal, there probably isn't a suitable candidate for it… I suggest you just store it away safely, or maybe feed it to that Judgment-class Honkai beast, Benares."
"The small one is the Herrscher of Dominance's core. It also serves as one of the puppets' central cores. As for the Herrscher of Ice's authority, it's already been returned to Ana. Even if you wanted it, I don't have it."
"Is this sufficient, Madam Mobius?"
"This body of yours, and the other one not too far away observing the situation—I'm taking them both."
"Don't try to delete any data inside. The Void Archives isn't on you. If you make any suspicious moves, the Corruption virus will definitely be faster."
"Fine, fine…"
Otto raised his hands, sighing in resignation.
"Kevin… I hope you'll honor our agreement when the time comes."
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.