"Kiana, stay close to me!"
Durandal gritted her teeth, riding her warhorse as she swung Black Abyss in her hand.
Again and again, she carved open passable routes through the long corridor!
The overwhelming power of a top-tier S-rank Valkyrie!
The perfect fusion of Schariac bloodline and the Kaslana family!
The legacy of Cecilia, the strongest Valkyrie in Schicksal's history!
At this very moment—
All of it was pushed to the absolute limit!
Yet the most powerful thing of all—
Was still Durandal's will!
Otto's voice from earlier echoed as if from beyond the heavens.
And right now—
They were still very far from Otto!
But time would not wait for them!
"Roger!"
Kiana's voice followed immediately.
Even with only seventy percent of her combat strength remaining—
She still carried the resolve and conviction of certain victory.
Mei's support.
Teacher Himeko's everlasting presence in her heart.
The hopes of all her companions.
All of it granted Kiana boundless strength!
[Hu Tao: Go!!!]
[Xingqiu: Go!!!]
[Yanqing: Come on, everyone!!]
[Chongyun: Go!!!]
[Charlotte: Go!!!]
[Sushang: Go!! Beat that Rakshasa!!]
[Kamisato Ayato: Go!!!]
[Tesla: Go!! Kiana!! You can do this!]
[Silver Wolf: Go!]
[March 7th: Go!! Don't let Otto succeed!]
[Honkai · Himeko: Kiana, I believe in you. You'll be the greatest Valkyrie!]
[Rita: Lady Durandal… Rita has never doubted your conviction.]
[Durandal: Future me… charge forward!]
[Raiden Mei: Kiana, I… will always believe in you!]
[Honkai · Bronya: Bronya will also always believe in Kiana.]
[Einstein: Give it your all, everyone of the Hyperion.]
[Otto: Go, Bianka. And Kiana.]
[Theresa: Ah—Grandpa?!]
[Kiana: ?????]
[March 7th: Cough cough… what is going on…]
[Durandal: Archbishop?!]
[Tesla: You bastard, don't put on an act now!!]
[Otto: Hehe. If my blessing feels abrupt, then I apologize.]
[Otto: But I truly mean it, you know?]
Within the scene—
As Durandal and Kiana continued breaking through obstacles, advancing toward the cathedral where Otto was—
Elsewhere—
Inside the cathedral.
Otto stood elegantly, holding a golden cube, conversing with it.
"My old friend. Long time no see."
Otto Apocalypse smiled in satisfaction at the golden box in his hand.
Half a year ago, he had handed this secret treasure to Kevin Kaslana—
In exchange for the beacon he required.
And at this moment—
"Heh. Wasn't it because he saw through your tricks and kicked me out?"
The golden box spoke within Otto's mind.
For some reason—
This artificial intelligence that had existed for fifty thousand years sounded even younger than Otto, who was only five hundred.
"Tricks? You mean when I jokingly suggested to him that you could secretly replace me as Archbishop of Schicksal?"
Otto spoke lightly, a teasing smile on his face.
The words alone shocked everyone watching.
Back then—
Otto's deal with Kevin had even included allowing Void Archives to impersonate Otto and rule Schicksal?!
Of course—
Neither Otto nor Kevin would ever take such words seriously.
"You jest, my old friend. He is Kevin Kaslana."
"How could he not understand your true value? Within you lies all the knowledge the world of the past fifteen hundred years needs."
As he spoke, Otto lifted the golden box.
"Ah, I really do worry that after I'm gone, World Serpent—armed with your knowledge—might ravage this world beyond recognition."
"After all, think about it. Right now, it's only because my plan has objectively exhausted the Honkai energy that Imaginary Invasions haven't descended upon everyone."
In an instant—
Everyone froze.
The information contained in Otto and Void Archives' exchange was enormous!
[Keqing: Otto really used Void Archives to exchange for the beacon… still hard to believe.]
[Jean: Perhaps Otto was confident that Void Archives wouldn't end up in Kevin's hands after all?]
[March 7th: Void Archives got kicked out?!]
[Honkai · Himeko: Kevin must have sensed something was off and sent it straight back.]
[Keqing: Otto let Kevin use Void Archives to impersonate him and rule Schicksal?!]
[Hu Tao: Th-That's insane!]
[Sushang: That actually sounds like something Otto would say…]
[Kafka: But Kevin wouldn't be naive enough to believe that.]
[Tesla: Otto and his nonstop nonsense!]
[Kiana: Otto… actually worrying about World Serpent destroying the world??]
[Einstein: Wait—]
[Einstein: Otto said he drained the Honkai energy here, delaying Imaginary Invasion?!]
For a moment—
Everyone was stunned by Otto's words, unable to verify their truth.
Within the scene—
Void Archives responded with open disdain.
"Hah. If you truly wanted what's best for this world, you should have stepped down as Archbishop sixty years ago."
Just as Void Archives said—
Otto's goodwill toward the world was merely incidental.
Then the golden box sighed.
"What a pity… the First Herrscher of this era. In your heart, his place was still inferior to that eternally childlike clone."
Instantly—
Everyone understood who it was referring to.
An eternally childlike clone—
Wasn't that Theresa Apocalypse, the granddaughter Otto acknowledged?
And the First Herrscher of this era—
Welt Joyce.
The Herrscher of Reason whom Otto once chose as Schicksal's successor—
Only to kill him after Welt refused Otto's request.
Void Archives' implication was—
In Otto's heart,
Theresa was more suitable to inherit Schicksal than the First Herrscher.
"But weren't you also a First Herrscher who fought for humanity?"
Otto replied calmly, poking Void Archives' sore spot.
"How about this—after I'm gone, you assist Theresa?"
The moment those words were spoken—
Theresa froze before the screen.
Grandpa… had truly chosen her as Schicksal's next successor?
In Otto's heart—
She was even more suitable than the First Herrscher of Reason?
He even wanted to leave Void Archives behind to help her?!
Theresa parted her lips—
Only to find her throat unbearably dry.
A sour ache surged into her chest.
And then she noticed Otto's wording—
"After I'm gone."
Gone?
Where… was Grandpa going?
That phrasing felt far more like—
Entrusting an orphan—
Rather than someone about to sacrifice the entire world!
But now—
All doubts and speculation could only swirl in Theresa's mind.
Durandal and Kiana's journey on-screen was nearly complete.
The arrow was already on the string.
There was no time left to think!
Within the scene—
Facing Otto's "entrustment," Void Archives sneered like a true old friend.
"Give it up. For five hundred years, I've been soaked in your colors and aura. Do you really believe they'd be willing to cooperate with me? To obey me?"
"I don't believe it. But then again, you never truly care about them anyway, do you?"
"Indeed. I only serve the concept of humanity."
"By that logic, I'm not so different from World Serpent."
Otto neither confirmed nor denied it.
But for precision, he still excluded one man.
"Perhaps. But Kevin Kaslana is the exception."
"That's why he let you come back—why he tacitly allowed you to assist my plan."
"True. He even threw me out himself."
"I may indeed have lost my value as a tool—but what benefit does that bring him?"
"It's simple. Because he envies me, and so he was willing to fulfill my wish."
"Though comparatively, I should be the one envying him more."
"Huh? Did you forget how he looked down on you the last time you met?"
"'Obey—or be destroyed. Choose.'"
"You envying him makes sense—but why would he envy you?"
"No, no, Void Archives—you've completely misunderstood."
"Our mutual envy has nothing to do with power."
"It's because I can do something he cannot."
"And he, fifty thousand years ago, did something I can never do."
As Otto dropped this inexplicable riddle—
The entire chat fell silent.
Then a flood of question marks followed.
[Lisa: ????]
[Silver Wolf: ????]
[Sushang: ?????]
[Keqing: ?????]
[Furina: ?????]
[Xiangling: ???]
[Kaedehara Kazuha: Huh?]
[March 7th: Do you hear what you're even saying???]
[Einstein: ]
[Star Rail · Himeko: Is Otto… speaking our common language?]
[Kafka: Sorry. I'm not sure either.]
[Rita: The Archbishop's meaning… seems rather complex.]
[Kiana: Mei… my head itches!]
[Paimon: A-Are we growing brains now?!]
[Tesla: Damn riddle-speaker!!]
[Charlotte: Thank goodness—if I had to interview Mr. Otto, I'd lose a lot of hair.]
[Hanabi: Is this some fun word puzzle? What's the answer then?!]
Just like the audience—
Void Archives became everyone's spokesperson.
"Enough with the riddles. What exactly are you talking about?!"
Its tone even carried a hint of frustration.
After all—
It was the First Divine Key, a near-infinite knowledge space, the embodiment of human wisdom!
And yet it had been tangled up by Otto's riddle?!
Did Divine Keys not deserve dignity?!
"Easy, easy, my old friend."
"You know that retracing time by fifty thousand years today is impossible;"
"But fifty thousand years ago—an era even more technologically advanced than ours—he did not choose to make a choice similar to mine today."
"Otherwise, he and I would not exist in the same world."
"Are you suggesting he was overly attached to his own life?"
Void Archives finally digested Otto's meaning and proposed a guess.
But the next second—
Otto burst into loud laughter.
"Hahahaha—of course not."
"Quite the opposite, Void Archives."
"It is precisely because that man valued his own worth so little…"
"That he envied me—and why I envy him even more."
Otto let out a long sigh.
What he said—
Was incomprehensible not only to Void Archives—
But also to all the extraordinary beings watching.
Yet the core implication…
Seemed to be praise for Kevin.
Kevin valued his own life lightly—never a coward clinging to survival.
And Otto's feelings toward Kevin—
Were closer to admiration.
As if saying—
They were the same kind of people.
Before the chat could continue debating—
Within the scene—
Otto looked upward.
Within the peril-filled corridor—
The speed of his two guests—
Far exceeded his expectations!
And yet—
Otto's face bloomed with deep satisfaction.
As always, he lifted an elegant smile.
"My old friend, I enjoyed this reunion."
"But our guests are about to arrive, so let us end it here."
"Perhaps… there will never be another chance like this."
Silence followed.
The usually talkative Void Archives fell uncharacteristically quiet.
And within the corridor—
As Durandal's spear pierced through obstacle after obstacle—
Step by step, drawing closer to the cathedral—
Otto's voice echoed again, unhurried, profound.
"[Domination] has been exhausted. [Binding] has been temporarily nullified."
"But they bought me time—bought me an undisturbed stage."
"Allowing me to transcend the Herrschers…"
"And go straight to [Divinity]!"
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