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The Cage of the Void, the Garden-in-a-Box.
Two men sat facing each other.
Kevin Kaslana sat calmly, his posture casual, as if he did not regard Otto as a serious threat at all.
Like an unrivaled warrior—unafraid in the face of danger, steady as a mountain.
And Otto Apocalypse—
As the audience would put it,
Just as smug as ever…
Elegant to the point of perfectly matching everyone's stereotypes of him.
An aristocratic posture, arms folded in an aristocratic manner.
Noble blond hair falling to the side.
A faintly frivolous smile playing on his face.
Even though most viewers wanted nothing more than to punch Otto squarely in the face—
They still had to admit it.
Whether in looks, physique, or bearing,
Otto embodied a single word—
Nobility.
Golden light flowed and shifted, reflecting ever-changing scenes.
This domain, created by the Divine Key Void Archives, completely isolated the two from the outside world.
Otto studied the man before him.
Those icy eyes were hollow and empty.
Emotion. Memory. Warmth.
There was not the slightest trace of anything a human gaze ought to possess.
And yet—
That very look made Otto feel an unexpected sense of nostalgia.
Since becoming Overseer,
It had been a long time since anyone had looked down on him.
But at this moment—
Otto felt it.
The Kevin before him placed no value on anything in this world.
In Kevin's eyes, there seemed to be only one goal, one meaning—
To oppose Honkai.
Even so—
Otto welcomed his arrival.
[Keqing: This atmosphere is so tense…]
[March 7th: Th-this isn't really going to turn into a war between the two organizations, right??]
[Tesla: Even though O—Otto is hypocritical and despicable! But… World Serpent is clearly even crazier and more extreme!]
[Tesla: Compared to them, at least Schicksal is still protecting humanity!]
[Ningguang: An organization of this scale wouldn't just start a war so casually, would they?]
[Honkai Himeko: Why does it feel like the air is about to explode…]
As the tension in the chat rose along with the scene,
and countless hearts were lifted into their throats—
Otto was the first to speak.
"Long live World Serpent~"
He even said it with a faintly celebratory tone.
As always, his voice carried that same flippant air.
Instantly!
Outside the screen—
Nearly every superhuman viewer was covered in black lines.
(This atmosphere is THIS tense—and you're cracking jokes?!)
Even Kevin—
"..."
The strongest fusion warrior who had endured countless ages,
the founder of World Serpent—
Was momentarily at a loss for words.
"Haha, just a joke. Starting with something friendly—trying to create a harmonious atmosphere for our discussion!"
"Now, down to business!"
"Welcome—Leader of World Serpent. I knew that one day, I would meet you."
"I know your name. I understand your identity. I admire your deeds."
Otto paused,
His expression turning slightly serious.
"You are the progenitor of Kaslana blood, the hero who led the humanity of the Previous Era in resistance all the way to the End."
"But at the same time, you are the Lord of World Serpent—the executor of the Stigma Project."
"Kevin Kaslana."
"Are you here to declare war on me?"
Otto's voice still carried a trace of a smile.
Even his expression remained gentle.
Yet for some reason—
The viewers outside the screen felt a sharp spike of tension.
Facing Otto's question,
Kevin's expression remained utterly unruffled.
But from his calm voice came words of overwhelming dominance.
"You are mistaken. World Serpent has no intention of becoming Schicksal's enemy."
"I came here for one purpose only—
I want you to assist with the Stigma Project."
Though he said "assist"—
His tone was that of an order.
Instantly, the tension between the two sharpened further.
And what no one expected was—
In the face of Kevin's aggressive stance,
The smile on Otto's face only grew wider!
"When making demands, one must pay a price. What will you offer in exchange for my agreement?"
Opposite him—
There was a brief silence.
"..."
Kevin paused slightly, then continued in that same cold, level voice.
"I do not need your agreement.
Submit—or be destroyed.
Those are your only two choices."
!!
In an instant!
Kevin's undisguised threat shocked everyone watching!
Submit or be destroyed—
This wasn't negotiation. It wasn't a request for cooperation.
It was the command of one standing above all others.
As if—
In Kevin's eyes,
Schicksal before World Serpent—
Or rather, before his overwhelming power—
Was not worth considering at all?!
Could it be…
That these talks were about to collapse entirely?
Was Schicksal about to go to all-out war with World Serpent?!
[March 7th: That's way too much…]
[Silver Wolf: This Kevin… isn't he way too domineering??]
[Tesla: Damn it—World Serpent really is full of lunatics! Even their leader's insane!]
[Hu Tao: There's no way anyone could agree to this, right??]
[Ningguang: Submit… or be destroyed…]
[Jing Yuan: If war is inevitable, then so be it. Victory and defeat are not yet decided.]
Yet, to everyone's surprise—
Otto seemed even more delighted.
He actually laughed out loud.
"Hahahahahaha…!"
Everyone stared in disbelief.
Faced with such forceful, threatening words—
Otto didn't seem worried at all?!
Even Kevin—
Frowned slightly at the sound of Otto's laughter.
Then Otto replied, smiling:
"No, no. That would be a very poor decision."
"You see, no matter how great your power is, the current world is still maintained by my Schicksal."
"Imagine the worst-case scenario."
"Schicksal would pour every last resource and every ounce of strength into fighting World Serpent—until the very end."
As Otto spoke,
Kevin's brow furrowed deeper.
Otto snapped his fingers.
"That's right. Schicksal would lose—but you would lose something far more precious."
In an instant—
Kevin's eyes darkened slightly.
He understood.
He finally understood where Otto's confidence came from.
Seeing that Kevin had grasped his meaning,
Otto continued gently.
"You would lose the most valuable thing of all—time."
"And in that case, you would never be able to complete the Stigma Project before the apocalypse arrives."
At this point—
The two fell into a brief silence.
Outside the screen!
The audience erupted in shock!
So that was it…
Otto was not afraid of Kevin's power at all!
Because his true objective—
Was never simply defeating Honkai!!
He dared to flip the table.
And Kevin did not.
To Kevin, Schicksal itself might be expendable—
But Schicksal's obstruction was lethal and unavoidable!
This was Otto's true leverage!
[Tesla: A madman… he really is a madman…!]
[March 7th: Otto is… threatening Kevin in reverse?!]
[Xianyun: But he's not wrong. Otto really does dare to flip the table…]
[Rita: Truly the Overseer's usual style.]
[Bailu: Barefoot people aren't afraid of those wearing shoes!]
[Sparkle: Ahahaha~ Interesting~ Otto is so interesting!]
[Kafka: What Otto truly cares about… is probably only Kallen, right?]
[Silver Wolf: And Theresa too, I guess?]
[Kafka: Mm, and Theresa.]
[Theresa: Cough… doesn't Durandal count too?]
[Durandal: ???]
Watching Kevin's silence,
Otto knew—
He had seized the initiative.
"You wouldn't want that outcome, would you?"
"I think it's time we had a proper discussion."
"After all, I don't want to go to war with World Serpent either."
As he spoke,
Otto's tone grew slightly more serious.
Kevin's response was exactly what Otto had expected.
"What are your conditions?"
Kevin's voice was still calm.
He showed no anger at Otto's threat.
But those words—
Were precisely what Otto wanted to hear.
The conversation was unfolding exactly as he had envisioned.
He wasn't particularly competitive by nature—
But who could dislike this feeling?
"I have my own plan as well—
one that must be completed before the Herrscher of the End arrives."
Finally—
Otto arrived at what truly mattered to him.
"But Honkai is intensifying—at a pace far beyond human imagination."
"As civilization advances, its nemesis evolves alongside it."
"The irregular Honkai phenomena spreading across the globe are harbingers of the next Imaginary invasion."
"The Fifth Herrscher is about to descend."
At Otto's words,
Kevin nodded.
"Correct."
As Otto said,
The acceleration of Honkai was visibly increasing.
This was precisely why Kevin was anxious—
And why he was willing to compromise.
If Otto deliberately obstructed him,
The Stigma Project might never be completed in time!
Otto's expression hardened slightly.
"You have your mission. I have my long-cherished wish."
"But if the Herrscher of the End descends, all of this will be meaningless."
"Time is passing—for you, and for me."
"Rather than deadlocking in pointless conflict, I believe cooperation is the better choice."
The moment had come.
Otto had been waiting for this instant.
He had a seventy-percent chance—
No.
He had to succeed.
For Kallen's resurrection.
"I need one thing. Something in your possession—but something that has already lost all value to you."
"Once I obtain it, my five-hundred-year wish will finally be fulfilled."
Finally!!
Otto's true purpose was revealed!
All the rhetoric.
All the negotiations.
Threats and gentle words alike—
Everything had merely been preparation for this moment!!
"In exchange, when that time comes…"
"Otto Apocalypse will completely disappear—from you, and from World Serpent's sight."
At once—
Not only did every viewer feel their hearts quake,
Even Kevin's eyes showed surprise for the first time.
What kind of thing…
Could make Otto offer such a price?!
Wouldn't that mean abandoning Schicksal?
Abandoning control over Earth itself?!
Had Otto gone completely mad?!
At that moment—
Even Kevin's poker face finally wavered.
And the audience erupted!
[Tesla: Completely disappear?! What kind of condition is that?!]
[Himeko (Star Rail): Such madness—I've only seen it in gamblers betting everything they have!]
[Aventurine: Hm?]
[Herta: I'm truly curious—what exactly does Otto want?!]
[Ningguang: Such a price must be related to Kallen.]
[March 7th: Could it be technology capable of reviving Kallen?!]
[Durandal: If such a method existed, Dr. MEI wouldn't have died to Honkai erosion.]
[Einstein: But if this deal goes through, wouldn't that mean Schicksal turning a blind eye to World Serpent?!]
[Tesla: Exactly!! Is Otto planning to let World Serpent destroy humanity?!]
[Otto: Hehe, Dr. Einstein, I think you may be misunderstanding something.]
[Otto: My personal departure does not necessarily represent Schicksal's stance toward World Serpent. At the very least, the next Overseer will not betray Schicksal's original purpose.]
[Durandal: You mean… Theresa?!]
[Theresa: Grandpa, what on earth are you planning?!]
[Otto: You'll understand… my dear Theresa.]
Faced with such a deranged Otto,
Kevin finally began to truly regard the elegant blond man before him.
"What do you want?"
A calm question—
But also a statement.
The deal could proceed.
"The Second Divine Key—the Eternal Key, Cosmic Juggernaut."
"I know the beacon is still in your possession."
"The Divine Key obtained by Schicksal is incomplete. Its most important component was sealed into the Sea of Quanta with you fifteen hundred years ago—by that Pioneer."
"Only under the guidance of the beacon can its Zeroth Power be fully activated."
Otto spoke unhurriedly.
Even though this was the part he valued most!
Five hundred years of waiting—
Had already taught him perfect patience.
A little more time meant nothing.
"You want to reach the Imaginary Tree?"
With a single sentence, Kevin saw through Otto's intent!
And Otto nodded frankly, without the slightest attempt to conceal it.
"That's right."
"Observation was never the Eternal Key's true purpose."
"It was created to reproduce the power of the Herrscher of the Void—
to construct a gate leading to the Imaginary Tree!"
At this point,
Otto paused.
In his eyes burned an incomparable resolve.
"On the other side of that gate lies the eternal instant, the origin of the end, the birthplace of all truths and laws!"
"It is the destination I must reach!"
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