"Ah~ Welt, my old friend. Fate has actually brought me to meet you here… it truly makes me recall those delightful times of the past～"
The smile on Welt's face froze instantly. His previously relaxed back tightened like a drawn bow, even the knuckles gripping his cane turned pale, revealing a tension that not easy to notice.
He followed that familiar yet detestable voice,
A blond man with green eyes stood not far away, wearing the bishop uniform that he could not be more familiar with.
At this moment, the man's lips carried that usual effortless smile, his gaze filled with a condescending amusement, as though he were examining an interesting toy.
Kiana☆, Fu Shi, and Mei☆ were stunned at the same time, their voices filled with surprise: "Otto!"
Welt spoke right after. He immediately raised his cane, the tip slightly leaning forward like a sword poised to strike, his tone fully exposed with undisguised vigilance.
"Otto! Why are you here?"
Otto walked forward unhurriedly, the calm smile on his face never wavering, as if they weren't enemies meeting on a narrow road, but long-lost friends meeting by chance.
"Welt, don't be so tense. Isn't it normal for old friends to hug and weep for such a fortunate reunion?"
Welt's eyes remained full of caution.
"Save your hypocritical tricks, Otto. There is no such thing as a 'reunion of old friends' between us."
"Sister Himeko, that guy called Otto looks a lot like Luocha… Uncle Yang seems really tense seeing him?"
March 7th tugged on Himeko's sleeve and whispered, full of curiosity.
Himeko quietly replied: "It's the first time I've seen Welt like this. He's very likely an enemy, prepare for battle."
Otto acted as if he did not hear Welt's warning. He stopped at a distance of exactly three steps, just far enough to be safe, yet close enough to apply pressure.
The amusement in his smile deepened. He even placed a hand over his chest in mock pain.
"Oh~ old friend, your words truly wounded me."
He tilted his head slightly, his gaze sweeping over Welt's tense jawline and the tight grip on the cane, speaking with a hint of mockery,
"What's wrong? After all these years, I thought you might have let go of those insignificant grudges between us."
"Cut the nonsense!" The tip of Welt's cane flickered faintly as he questioned sharply, "Answer me, why are you still alive? Why are you here? What is your purpose? What scheme are you plotting?"
He knew Otto too well. Every smile, every glance of this man hid countless calculations.
Otto chuckled softly, the sound carrying an unreadable tone, like he was both mocking Welt's naïveté and sighing for something unknown.
"A scheme? Welt, you always think of me so poorly. Can't I be a partner of justice just once?"
(Ahem, audience, would you rather believe Otto is a partner of justice, or believe the author is Shaoji?)
Immediately after, he paused, then suddenly threw his head back and laughed.
"Hahaha, fine, fine, I won't tease you anymore, Welt. I have no objective. I'm only here to confirm, did you receive the letter I asked that friend of mine 'Luocha' to deliver to you earlier?"
Fu Shi's eyes flickered with understanding. She quietly let out a breath, thinking: 'Fu Lin, you're way too into character! That smile, that expression, even that punch-worthy tone, you're copying Otto perfectly.'
Welt's heart jolted. Images of Luocha flashed in his mind, blond hair, composed demeanor, that casual tone so similar to Otto.
His grip on the cane tightened, knuckles turning pale, anger suppressed in his voice. Even the energy at the tip of the cane began to surge.
"So it was you! Eden Star, zeroth limit..."
"Wait! Let's talk! Calm down, Welt!"
Otto, no, Fu Lin, who was pretending to be Otto, didn't expect Welt to attack instantly. His "bishop composure" shattered.
But Welt ignored everything. At this moment, all he saw was Otto, danger and fury. He wanted to eliminate this unstable factor first.
With a cold snort, a black hole formed at the tip of his cane, devouring the surrounding light.
"Hmph! Whatever you have to say, say it inside my Eden Star!"
Before the words finished, a tidal-like gravitational field swept toward Fu Lin. Stones and dust were pulled into the black hole, even the air distorted.
"You're serious?? Welt, seriously?? Aren't we from the same place?! In a strange universe, shouldn't we help each other?! Aaaaah, I'm gonna die!!!"
Fu Lin's pupils shrank. After muttering a couple of complaints, he abandoned Otto's persona entirely and bolted.
He narrowly dodged the first gravitational wave, while the ground behind him was carved into a neat trench.
Welt did not relent. He condensed a second black hole and gave chase, determination blazing, nothing of his usual composure remained.
"Otto, stop running! If you dare appear in front of me, be prepared to be ripped apart by gravity!"
"Put down the Eden Star and I'll stop!"
"You stop and I'll put it down!"
"Impulsiveness is the devil!"
"The devil is right in front of me!"
....
Thus, what was supposed to be a tense standoff became an absurd chase scene.
No one knew how long they ran. Welt finally leaned against a wall, breathing hard. His bangs stuck to his forehead with sweat, and even his hand holding the cane trembled.
He stared at Otto's disappearing silhouette, anger still burning in his chest as he growled: "Otto… I will catch you!"
At that moment, something in his mind suddenly cleared, the confusion he felt in this foreign universe vanished with Otto's appearance.
A clear objective rooted in his heart:
He didn't know how Otto was alive, but Otto's presence would bring disaster to this universe. And he must stop whatever he was planning.
Suddenly, his surroundings distorted. Welt's consciousness was pulled into the depths of the cosmos.
A centaur-shaped figure holding a longbow, the Aeon of the Hunt, appeared in the void. Sharp eyes pierced through the stars, falling on him.
"..."
(And just like that, with Fu Lin's enthusiastic assistance, Welt stepped onto the Path of Hunt. Congratulations～ Cheers～ 「dog head」)
???
In the teahouse, March 7th lay on the table spinning her teacup. Seeing Welt push the door open, she jumped up and rushed to him.
"Uncle Yang, you're back! Did you catch that guy?"
Welt wiped the sweat from his forehead and rested his cane against the table, still slightly out of breath.
"He ran. Next time I see him, he won't leave."
Fu Lin, who was sipping tea, nearly spit it out. He quickly set down the cup and coughed twice, trying to hide the grin tugging at the corner of his mouth.