Before them stood a blonde, green-eyed beauty. If one could ignore the face that bore a striking yet softer resemblance to Otto Apocalypse, she would indeed be considered stunning. Unfortunately, nearly everyone present had encountered the man known as Otto Apocalypse—or at least one of his counterparts.
And the impression that blonde man had left on them, aside from being a scumbag with a strange green hat, could be summed up in two words: "punchable face."
"I mean... Captain, you look incredibly punchable right now... Especially with the blonde hair, green eyes, and that flippant tone—it keeps reminding me of that TV host whose door got kicked in during a 'water meter check'..."
"Lord Captain, did you possess this world's Otto this time?"
Irene, standing nearby, also showed a look of interest...
"No. To be precise, it's one of this world's Overseer Otto's embarrassing past clones..."
The Traveler of Worlds, Lord Captain, reached a conclusion—
"Oh no, I've become a walking dispenser of Otto's embarrassing past!"
"Wait a minute! Captain, your face... it looks a little like a customer I served at the bar before..."
Bronie scrutinized Miss Captain's new body, her face a mask of question marks.
"A customer? What did she look like—"
Miss Captain's expression turned curious.
"White hair, blue eyes, and she gave me a similar vibe to Delta—you know... that not-quite-human feeling."
"You met a MANTIS?!"
The Captain's face twisted in disbelief...
"No, that can't be right. There are a few white-haired MANTISes... but none with blue eyes, I think... At least, none among the named ones."
"So, what was her name?"
"Hmm, when I was listening to them chat and introduce themselves, that young lady called herself Imhotep... And in this world, there's an organization called World Serpent, which inherited the legacy of the Previous Era's civilization. After a high-ranking veteran executive from World Serpent recognized her, he showed her immense respect..."
"...Hmm, any other distinguishing features?"
"Uh... That Blue-Eyes White Dragon lady's body temperature can drop instantly, causing all the moisture in the room to freeze solid...?"
Bronya offered another misleading description... and this one sent Miss Captain's thoughts completely off track...
"Extremely low body temperature, white hair, blue eyes, a Fusion Soldier who's not quite human... and a secret organization of inheritors from the Previous Era's civilization..."
"I have a bad feeling about this... or maybe it's just a guess?"
"We might be about to unlock a new character for our collection... Irene, what do you think?"
Miss Captain turned to Miss Witch, who was intently watching the battle between Loki and the Witch's Night.
"Ah... Me? This world feels somewhat familiar; hmm... I think I might have been here once before?"
"Eh? Irene, you've been here before?"
Both Bronya and the Captain stared at her with curiosity.
"Hmm... It must have been a long time ago. Back then, I seem to have met a cute little girl with blonde hair and blue eyes... She mistook me for her family's maid..."
"And then? And then?!"
Bronie and the Captain's voices grew increasingly curious and excited—
"Perhaps my appearance... no, my mannerisms were just that similar to the maid's..."
"By the time I left, I had stayed with her for nearly a year... and she still hadn't noticed the difference between me and her real maid..."
"Huh? So the real maid never came back?"
"No... The maid who looked exactly like me seemed to be on a mission and had been away from the little blonde girl for over a year...?"
"Still, taking care of her for that year was a fond memory. And..."
"And?"
Their curiosity was piqued once again.
"And when we parted, the little girl gave me a gift... a truly extraordinary gift."
Miss Witch sighed wistfully, as if recalling something.
"What was the gift?"
"Loki and the others—"
Irene pointed toward the battlefield, where a giant Wolf Spirit, a Thunderbird, and a massive Serpent were locked in combat with the Witch's Night.
"...Rita, now I'm starting to wonder just who that little girl you took care of really was."
"These three... they must be on the same level as Tezcatlipoca, the retainer of the Kaslana Ancestor who once roamed the Sea of Quanta..."
"Hmm... Back then, that child only said she'd found a fun place and caught three cute little animals there..."
Irene shook her head, seemingly recalling how the three "little animals" had trembled in the blonde girl's hands when she took them.
"Sigh... It seems I've been looking after quite an extraordinary child. Perhaps she's something like a Child of God... Hehe~"
Miss Witch chuckled softly, pulling their attention back to the present.
"Anyway, our current problem is this big guy... It's rare to see something fight Loki and the others to a standstill for so long..."
"Should we call Delta over? She's practically a MANTIS now, right? She'd be a good choice for reinforcing our combat strength..." Bronie suggested.
The Captain simply shook his head and pointed to a line of fire on a distant building.
"If your description is accurate, Bronie... I can make a bold guess... The white-haired, blue-eyed girl you saw is very likely the first MANTIS of this world's Previous Era."
"That Mr. Kevin? A woman... Captain, are you serious???"
Recalling a certain top-tier lunatic who roamed the Sea of Quanta, Bronie's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Anything is possible in this world... Otto has a female body, so what's so strange about Kevin becoming Kevin-chan...?"
Miss Captain waved her hand dismissively, as if this were nothing unusual.
"We should be more concerned about our next move... Bronie, hurry and check this body for any self-destruct mechanisms Otto might have left behind..."
"After all, in a way, I've become his walking, embarrassing past..."