[Hu Tao: Otto's prestige is way too high…]
[Keqing: Sigh, Changguang was right after all…]
[Keqing: Theresa really was away at the Far East Branch for a very long time…]
[Keqing: It would be hard for her to establish authority overnight.]
[March 7th: And so much happened in between—Hubert and Schicksal even ended up on opposing sides…]
[March 7th: That kind of misunderstanding would definitely hurt the public's impression of Theresa, right?]
[Furina: But… it seems Otto always intended for Theresa to inherit the Archbishop's position, didn't he?]
[Honkai: Star Rail · Himeko: I feel like… Otto deliberately had those town residents moved back as well?!]
[Ningguang: Miss Herta was probably right… Otto really was paving the road for Theresa on purpose.]
[Jean: Th-this… was all part of Otto's plan?!]
[Jing Yuan: Most likely, yes.]
[Rita: This… does seem consistent with the Archbishop's usual style…]
[Sushang: That guy… he really went to a lot of trouble.]
[Sushang: All just to help Theresa take over Schicksal more smoothly…]
In the scene itself, after parting ways with Changguang,
Theresa encountered Schicksal's Archbishop's secretary—
Amber.
"Amber… have you been waiting here for me this whole time? Did something happen?"
"Ah… no, Lady Theresa. Quite the opposite… there's nothing left for me to do now."
"Huh?"
Amber fell silent for a moment.
"Not long ago, Lord Otto suddenly told me that his plan no longer required me. He said that I… was 'free'."
There was a trace of confusion in Amber's voice.
She couldn't understand what Otto meant by freedom.
It was also the first time since gaining consciousness
that she had ever faced such a situation.
"Before, I always handled all kinds of administrative matters as a secretary. Even when Lord Otto temporarily left headquarters, I never felt at a loss."
"But after he said that just now… I suddenly don't know what I'm supposed to do anymore."
"..."
"I thought… perhaps I should come assist the next Archbishop—Lady Theresa. I really want to help you, help everyone in Anti-Entropy, but…"
Amber looked down at her hands, pondering for a long time.
"But I don't know whether I have the qualifications or the standing to do so… after all…"
Amber hesitated, stopping mid-sentence.
Unlike Changguang, who was traveling alongside them,
Amber looked more confused than ever before.
[March 7th: Another one who got fired…]
[March 7th: Otto really thought of everything.]
[Keqing: This is basically leaving a whole lineup of trusted aides for Theresa to use…]
[Jean: From an organizational transition standpoint, this minimizes instability.]
[Honkai: Star Rail · Himeko: And Amber and Changguang would both be enormous assets to Theresa.]
[Kamisato Ayaka: Up to now… Otto has pushed all of his confidants toward Theresa, hasn't he?]
[Furina: Secretary Amber… Research Director Changguang…]
[Silver Wolf: Plus Durandal and Rita—the strongest Valkyries in Schicksal.]
[Sushang: And if we count Fu Hua from before… and Li Sushang, who just awakened…]
[Sushang: Otto basically packaged all of Schicksal and handed it to Theresa, didn't he?]
[Kiana: ]
[Sparkle: Tsk tsk, starting to feel like a nagging elder now, huh?]
[Hu Tao: Otto really is… thorough.]
[Theresa: I'm sorry… Grandpa…]
[Rita: Lady Theresa, become the Archbishop you wish to be.]
In the scene, facing Amber's uncertainty,
Theresa couldn't help but sigh inwardly.
(Grandpa… it seems he's truly serious about stepping down…)
"…Amber."
"If you wish to remain in Schicksal and continue handling affairs as before, I'd be very happy."
"In that case, why don't you help me deal with the immediate problem first?"
"Huh? Wh-what problem?"
"You know Otto's plan could endanger the town's residents. I want to evacuate them as quickly as possible. Perhaps in the process of helping everyone, you'll naturally discover what you truly want to do."
"What I truly want to do…?"
"Yes. Not something assigned by anyone, not part of any official duty—something you want to do simply because you are you."
"I understand, Lady Theresa. Amber is willing to act alongside you."
Just as everyone had expected,
Amber began helping Theresa with complete sincerity.
After a round of evacuation work—
"How did we end up near the Hyperion without realizing it?"
At that moment, Einstein was waiting in front of the Hyperion.
Seeing Theresa and Amber, she asked calmly,
"Lady Theresa, did you come back to retrieve something? …Hm, Miss Amber, hello."
"…Dr. Einstein."
Einstein: ""
""
An awkward silence followed.
Clearly, Einstein wasn't yet ready to fully accept Amber.
And Amber, too, felt that her position had shifted far too quickly.
Einstein: "…Standing around like this won't solve anything. Care to come in for a cup of coffee to wake yourselves up?"
"Thank you for the offer… but I am a bio-engineered being. Caffeine doesn't help much with alertness."
Einstein: "I see. That's a pity."
Einstein: "I don't like beating around the bush, so let's be direct."
She turned to Theresa, her expression serious.
Einstein: "Lady Theresa, there's something I must make clear—"
Einstein: "We are currently in an adversarial position with Otto, and until yesterday, Amber was one of his confidants."
Einstein: "I have nothing against her personally… but you know I must ensure the safety of everyone on the Hyperion."
"..."
Theresa: "Doctor, I understand your concerns. But I have my own considerations."
Theresa: "First, for Otto as he is now, it wouldn't make sense for him to interfere with us in such a roundabout way. And Amber truly is helping me evacuate civilians."
Theresa: "We're short on manpower, and I'll be acting together with Amber, so please rest assured regarding safety."
Theresa: "Of course, I know wounds take time to heal, and trust must be built slowly. But since Amber wants to help, we should give her that opportunity."
Einstein: "..."
Einstein: "Understood. I won't place the blame for Otto's actions on you—but I also can't simply erase them from my memory."
"I understand."
Einstein: "If we are to blaze a new path together in the future, then remember this—sincerity and openness are the foundations of all trust."
"I'll remember that, Dr. Einstein."
Not long after, when they encountered Dr. Tesla,
she also made her stance toward Amber clear.
"I think whatever I wanted to say, Chickenhead already said for me. She's got a better temper and probably explained it more clearly."
"In short, I'm not fond of arguing. Since we might be colleagues—or even comrades—in the future, it's better to get along starting now."
This not only signified Einstein and the others' acceptance of Amber,
but also marked Amber's formal integration into the Hyperion—
and her official role as secretary to the new Archbishop of Schicksal,
Theresa Apocalypse.
This, too, was likely something Otto had foreseen.
Or rather—another step within his plan.
To ensure Theresa could smoothly assume the position of Archbishop,
to ensure Schicksal could be passed on to her whole and intact—
Otto seemed to have truly considered everything.
Legitimacy: Otto publicly announced Theresa as his successor as Archbishop of Schicksal before the entire world—live broadcast, universally known.
Prestige: He gave Theresa practical opportunities, allowing her to interact with frontline staff and civilians, learning how to establish authority.
Talent:
Research Director Changguang.
Secretary Amber.
Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie, Durandal.
And Durandal's adjutant and closest companion, Rita.
Even—
the last S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, awakened after five hundred years of slumber, Li Sushang.
What Otto handed over to Theresa
was a complete, fully flourishing Schicksal.
[Jean: Otto really did think through every angle…]
[Furina: Perhaps only after doing all this could Otto finally leave with peace of mind…]
[Furina: Making sure Theresa could properly take over Schicksal—maybe that was his final wish?]
[March 7th: This guy… so irritating…]
[March 7th: Why does he have to be this sentimental…]
[Herta: Leaving Schicksal whole to Theresa might indeed be the best outcome for humanity.]
[Herta: After all, Anti-Entropy is still a young organization—its scale and maturity can't compare to Schicksal.]
[Herta: To fight the Honkai, Schicksal's centralized leadership is still necessary.]
[Hu Tao: Was this also… part of Otto's consideration?]
[Einstein: I will never forget Otto's crimes.]
[Einstein: But I will not deny his achievements.]
It could be said that
for Theresa's growth, for her smooth succession as Archbishop,
Otto truly spared no effort.
Just as Void Archives, the First Divine Key that had been entangled with Otto for five hundred years, once lamented—
"The First Herrscher of this era holds less importance in your heart than a clone child who will never grow up."
For that clone child,
the love Otto poured out…
likely exceeded what most people could ever imagine.
And for Void Archives,
Otto had once joked—
"After I'm gone, how about you assist Theresa?"
Back then,
everyone thought it was merely a joke.
No one understood what Otto meant by after I'm gone.
But now—
with Otto's true plan laid bare,
with him trading his own annihilation for Kallen's revival—
those words no longer sounded like a joke.
Otto truly wanted every possible force to support Theresa.
Aboard the ship returning to Schicksal Headquarters,
Theresa's expression grew ever more burdened with guilt and remorse.
If not for this evaluation—
she might never have known, even after a very long time,
just how much thought her grandfather had poured into everything…
At that thought, Theresa clenched the hem of her nun's habit even tighter—
the very habit Otto himself had once carefully washed by hand.
And just as everyone sighed in reflection—
the scene shifted.
It seemed to return to Kiana and Durandal—
or perhaps… to Otto himself.
[The man's presence vanished completely from before the girls' eyes.]
[Under their gaze, his soul drifted far away—toward nothingness, toward the final path.]
The next instant—
a land of vivid crimson appeared on screen!!
It was the red desert Durandal had once set foot upon.
The Imaginary Space?!
But this time—
what made all viewers shudder in shock—
was the figure appearing within it.
It was the back of Otto Apocalypse,
the very man who had been exiled by Kiana's Herrscher of the Void authority!
Otto Apocalypse!!
At this moment, Otto looked exactly as he had before defeat—
his Archbishop's robes immaculate, not a speck of dust upon them.
Yet he still clutched the wound on his arm, weak,
slowly pressing forward.
[Furina: Wait…]
[Ningguang: Th-this… Otto?!]
[Keqing: He looks almost… unchanged from before…?]
[Honkai · Himeko: Wasn't Otto… erased by Kiana…?]
[Rita: The Archbishop's physical body no longer exists… yet this…]
[Durandal: The Imaginary Space!!]
[Kiana: This red desert…]
[Kamisato Ayaka: His wounds haven't healed? But physical wounds…]
[Hu Tao: Wait—where is Otto going?!]
[Sushang: Th-that is… what is that?!]
[Silver Wolf: !!!]
[March 7th: That's—?!]
Under the shocked gazes of countless viewers,
the distant scene unfolded clearly.
Otto staggered forward.
His steps were slow—
yet incomparably firm.
And ahead of him—
within a field of ruined, abandoned structures,
countless fragments floated in the air.
At the center stood a tree—
unreal, unreal beyond description—
its radiant branches reaching into the heavens,
a colossal, luminous Tree that connected sky and earth!
Mysterious.
Primordial.
Impossible to gaze upon directly.
Standing tall at the very edge of the firmament—
The Imaginary Tree
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