In the mysterious space, Otto lay exhausted on the divine throne.
I only said two sentences to Walter, so why do I feel so drained?
Is my body too weak?
No, impossible!
If just saying a few words leaves me spent, how am I supposed to have Kiana and the others bear a whole soccer team for me?
Since the problem wasn't with him, then the System had to take the blame.
Otto suspected the System had given him a shoddy, counterfeit product.
[The host subconsciously attached energy to your words. Although attaching energy can imbue your words with a certain power, the energy in your body is already nearly depleted. Therefore, you will feel some fatigue after the energy deficit.]
[However, there is no need to worry. The host simply needs to replenish his energy.]
"Replenish energy? How?"
[You can replenish Imaginary energy from the Imaginary Tree, or you can replenish Quantum energy from the Sea of Quanta.]
"Give me something more practical."
Otto said helplessly. What kind of existences were the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta? If the Will of the Honkai went crying to its parent, what would he do if the Imaginary Tree casually erased him?
[The host can also absorb Honkai energy. With your current body, you can accommodate infinite Honkai energy. However, the absorption speed is limited. A sudden intake of a large amount of Honkai energy will cause irreversible effects on the host.]
[Furthermore, containing all the Honkai energy in the world within your body will trigger an irredeemable event. The host is advised not to court death.]
Initially, upon hearing that he was as formidable as Durandal with her world bubble, Otto had considered absorbing all the Honkai energy into himself. Wouldn't that be an alternative way of clearing the game?
Unfortunately, the System had warned him off that path before he could even start.
"System, you just said my words would have a kind of power. What kind of power is it, exactly?"
[For example, when you said, have you gone to the bathroom?, it would cause the target to feel the urge to go to the bathroom.]
Otto's eyelid twitched.
First the urge to use the restroom, then the urge to eat...
Old Yang, I really didn't mean it.
My second sentence was honestly just the most common greeting in Shenzhou.
However, Otto wasn't particularly worried. If Welt Yang were to succumb so easily, then Joyce really must have been blind.
In certain matters, Otto still trusted Welt.
"In that case, what happens if I don't imbue my words with energy?"
[You can carry out a relatively normal conversation.]
"That works."
Otto looked at Welt's name on the system panel and continued to speak to him.
[Heh. First Herrscher, Joachim Nokianvirtanen.]
[Do you know who I am?]
Otto didn't use the name 'Welt Yang', but rather Old Yang's name from before he became 'Welt'.
---o---
Far away in the St. Freya Academy restroom, Welt stared at the wall. The Sovereign of Anti-Entropy had managed to suppress those urges. The immediate priority now was to find out who was behind this.
A psychic ability...
Could it be that person from Schicksal...
But then, he heard a name in his mind that he hadn't heard in a very long time.
It was a name he had abandoned.
When he took up the name 'Welt', the name 'Joachim Nokianvirtanen' was cast aside.
Anti-Entropy needed Welt, but it had no need for Joachim.
In his youth, he had once fled from Anti-Entropy, trying to escape this responsibility.
But gradually, he came to understand the weight of the name 'Welt', and the banner he was meant to carry.
To this day, Welt Yang had become the spiritual pillar of Anti-Entropy.
Hearing this familiar name from within his mind, Welt simply felt a pang of nostalgia.
However, he felt that this wasn't the work of Schicksal's Azure Empyrea. She had always been open and honorable. This, on the other hand, seemed more like something that scoundrel Otto would do.
And yet, Welt already had an answer in his heart.
"The Will... of the Honkai!" he slowly uttered the title.
Welt had lived through the Second Honkai War. As the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy and the First Herrscher, he was privy to certain secrets.
But...
How was the Will of the Honkai able to communicate with him?
In the distant past, even Joyce had not been influenced by the Will of the Honkai. So why was he, the second-generation Herrscher of Reason, being sought out by It?
Has the network cable been reconnected?
This is not good.
Welt clutched the front of his shirt, where the Core of Reason resided within him.
---o---
Otto was a little surprised. He hadn't even fabricated an identity yet, and Welt had already filled in the blanks for him.
[First Herrscher, I can give you a chance.]
[A chance to return to the Honkai.]
"I don't need it," Welt refused with unwavering eyes. He would never become an apostle of the Honkai. His mission was to save humanity and defeat the Honkai.
But Otto did not stop speaking.
After all, a god does not care for the thoughts of a mortal.
[As long as you kill Otto Apocalypse, you can return to the Honkai and once again become an apostle of a god.]
So Otto decreed.
"Why?" Welt had not expected to hear that scoundrel Otto's name.
[He possesses the potential to lead humanity to victory over the Honkai.]
[As my apostle, you are obligated to eliminate him, and to eliminate the greatest threat, Schicksal.]
Otto imbued his latter sentence with energy.
As his words fell, a killing intent was guided forth from the depths of Welt's heart.
This killing intent was aimed at Otto, at Schicksal.
But Welt's expression changed. The Will of the Honkai truly did possess the power to bewitch the hearts of men.
He suppressed the abrupt surge of murderous intent.
"Otto is currently standing on the side of humanity. Although I do not agree with his actions, the fact that he, as the Overseer, commands all of Schicksal to fight against the Honkai will not change."
"In certain matters, I also respect the contributions he has made for humanity."
"Unless he commits an unforgivable crime, I will not choose to kill him."
Welt stated calmly. Otto listened quietly. In Old Yang, he could indeed sense the bearing befitting the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy.
[First Herrscher.]
[The Honkai will always be watching you.]
After saying this, Otto severed the connection with Welt.
Gods should be riddlers.
Saying too much can make you lose your mystique and blow your cover.
If he were to be exposed, he felt like it would be social suicide.
But he figured he could just be shameless about it if that time came.
---o---
Welt stood alone in the bathroom stall. The whispers were gone, and the earlier urges had gradually faded.
He rested his forehead against the door, replaying what had just happened.
Unknowingly, he was drenched in sweat.
He was being targeted by the Will of the Honkai.
His right hand gripped his own throat.
But the fighting spirit in his eyes never faded.
However, he recalled the reason the Will of the Honkai wanted him to kill Otto.
Otto... will lead humanity to defeat the Honkai?