In a remote area, a good distance from the Schicksal Far East Branch.
All personnel in the vicinity had long since been evacuated. Not a single living creature remained on the ground, and all technological products in the area had been cleared out. Wires and cables had been cut and removed.
In a very short time, this place had become a desert of civilization.
And in one of the houses, in a basement a full twenty meters below ground, stood two people.
Otto and Fu Hua.
The basement was pitch-black, so dark you couldn't see your hand in front of your face.
But at that moment, a gentle male voice rang out.
"God granted me the classics, to know the art of war, to devise strategies, King of Laws."
As Otto's words fell, a table appeared out of thin air in the otherwise empty basement. On the table, a single candle was lit.
The candlelight illuminated the entire room.
Fu Hua leaned against the wall with her arms crossed. She felt no surprise at the sudden appearance of the table and candle.
This must be something Otto constructed with Void Archives, she thought.
But Otto simply smiled. He didn't have Void Archives. He hadn't seen that Divine Key, the one that lusted after his body, a single time since he transmigrated.
That was probably for the best. Otto didn't think his early-game self could have outplayed Void Archives.
The power used to create the table and candle was, in fact... from the Herrscher of Reason.
Holed up in the Far East Branch these past few days, through his own probing and research, Otto had discovered that he could use the Herrscher Authorities that belonged to him.
However, the Honkai energy consumption was immense.
If he tried to wield the authorities of two or more Herrschers simultaneously, the energy drain would increase exponentially.
Otto had merely experimented with the feeling of being a "triple-core processor" once, and it had nearly drained all the Honkai energy he had absorbed over the past few days.
They really are a bunch of demanding little vixens.
And so, Otto had given himself a mental suggestion: whenever he spoke a phrase related to a specific Herrscher, he would unlock the corresponding Herrscher power.
It was equivalent to building a remote control for himself, one that could change the channel.
He just didn't know what would happen to the original Herrschers when he used their powers.
He couldn't exactly ask Welt directly.
He'd have to use Mei as a test subject later.
Still, a smile touched Otto's lips. With this power, his safety was guaranteed.
It was just that, like many illiterate Herrschers, he, as a human, couldn't fully comprehend the entirety of a Herrscher's authority. He could only use the power that floated on the surface.
But that was more than enough.
Otto took the Black Box out of its Honkai-insulating container and placed it on the table.
This place was completely isolated from the civilized world.
Although it seemed like an extreme measure, Otto had to do it.
Because sealed inside the Black Box was the final straw that broke the back of the Previous Era.
Once the Herrscher of Corruption escaped, this "electronic ghost" would become a nightmare and a catastrophe for modern civilization.
That was why only he and Fu Hua could be here. If it were any other Valkyrie, she would likely be corrupted.
After all, the Herrscher of Corruption could corrupt not only machines, but also living beings.
Back then, Yae Sakura had been corrupted by her, losing her mind.
Otto looked at the Black Box. In truth, he didn't need to be so worried. A weakened Higokumaru had been sealed by Kallen back then. Now, after another five hundred years, she would only be even weaker.
But... what if?
That was why he had only allowed Fu Hua to accompany him.
Otto had complete confidence in Fu Hua. How could a Celestial who possessed Fenghuang Down possibly be corrupted by the Herrscher of Corruption?
Besides, having the Shenzhou Flatboard by his side gave him a great sense of security.
"Well then, let's begin," Otto said slowly. Fu Hua remained silent, her arms crossed.
But her azure eyes were fixed intently on the Black Box.
Unlike Mei, the being sealed inside this was likely a berserk Herrscher.
This gave Fu Hua a bit of a headache.
Lately, Otto had been playing with fire.
Dealing with one Herrscher after another.
And this guy always made her clean up his messes.
Otto raised his hand and extended a single finger. More than half of the Honkai energy in his body was concentrated at its tip.
His current physical body, much like Durandal's, a MANTIS's, or a Herrscher's, could contain a massive amount of Honkai energy.
To him, Honkai energy was just another form of energy, like protein.
However, as the amount of Honkai energy in his body increased, he only felt his physical fitness improve slightly, with no other apparent changes.
Fu Hua stared at Otto's finger, her expression grave. She could sense the extremely dense Honkai energy gathered there.
And that energy gave her a very dangerous feeling.
The sheer amount... seemed a bit ridiculous.
Fu Hua narrowed her eyes.
Otto pressed his fingertip against the Black Box. He could feel the Honkai energy concentrated there draining away rapidly.
It wasn't that the Black Box was devouring his energy; rather, Otto was forcing his Honkai energy into it.
To open the Black Box, a sufficient amount of Honkai energy was required.
So, Otto was forcibly pumping his own energy into the box to help the Herrscher of Corruption break out from the inside.
A slight smirk played on Otto's lips.
He felt like a large power bank. If anyone was ever short on Honkai energy, they could always come to him for some mana replenishment.
After a short while, he had poured all the concentrated Honkai energy from his fingertip into the box, but he noticed that nothing seemed to have changed.
Shouldn't a whimpering, "ying ying ying" creature and its bonded Higokumaru pop out?
Then he would secure the "ying ying ying" girl, secure Higokumaru, and obtain Jizo Mitama.
But the script seemed to be a little different.
Did I not give it enough Honkai energy?
Otto's gaze sharpened. He was pondering this, about to stuff some more Honkai energy into the box.
But then, several crimson cracks suddenly appeared on the box's originally sleek, black surface, like the interlocking fangs of a wolf. And now, that mouth seemed about to open.
Otto was puzzled. Could it be that he had injected too much Honkai energy and cracked the Black Box itself?
It's only just begun, and Higokumaru can't take it already?
He subconsciously took a step back. Fu Hua, who had been observing from the side, frowned. Seeing Otto step back, she thought, did this guy screw up?
Looks like I'll have to clean up Otto's mess again.
"Sigh."
Life wasn't easy. Fu Hua sighed.
But in that instant!
A crimson tint washed over Fu Hua's normally azure eyes. Dark red markings appeared on her face, and her train of thought was severed.
Then... the invincible Celestial pitched forward.
Her fall was completely without warning.
"Dong!"
The Celestial had no cushions like Rita or Mei. The Shenzhou Flatboard was a near-perfect fit for the flat ground. Fu Hua's head smacked directly onto the floor.
The last shred of clarity in her consciousness made her extend a finger, wanting to point at the Black Box.
She wanted to tell Otto—the Herrscher of Corruption's attack had begun without anyone noticing.
But Fu Hua's consciousness faded almost instantly. Her hand could only fall limply to her side.
Otto was startled by the sudden noise.
He looked at Fu Hua, who had collapsed on the floor, and saw her gesture of pointing while lying prone.
Is she telling me not to stop?
Or maybe...
But his thoughts stopped.
Because Otto's own eyes were now stained crimson.
He, too, fell forward.
But in the instant he fell, a sliver of clarity returned to his crimson-covered eyes.
Otto collapsed to the ground, but his fall didn't hurt.
Because he had a good cushion named Fu Hua.
Otto fell right on top of her.
In the dim basement, both of them closed their eyes, as if they had both fallen into a deep slumber.