Otto, disguised as Catherine, followed her memories to the meeting point with Jackal.
Sensing Catherine's arrival, Jackal began her victory speech with her back turned, full of confidence.
"Heh, Schicksal's Valkyries are nothing special. They fell into my trap so easily. In just a little while, we can eliminate the S-rank Valkyrie, Rita."
"This is all thanks to Lord Jackal's brilliant strategy. It was thanks to you using the Soulium hidden in the stone slate as bait that the Valkyrie took the hook." Catherine bowed slightly to Jackal as a sign of respect. "From the very beginning, Schicksal fell into your trap."
"Although the records in that Soulium weren't fake, the legend of the holy sword was merely a myth based on the deeds of our Lord. Schicksal is still too naive." Jackal turned around and slowly approached Catherine.
"However, Schicksal's Otto has his eyes on the Second Divine Key. I don't think he'll give up so easily. This subordinate believes that Lord Jackal should move the Divine Key to a more secure location."
"There's no need for that. The Second Divine Key is a sacred artifact that mortals cannot touch. Although it has been kept in the most conspicuous place for a thousand years, it is a location that Schicksal will never find, no matter how much they investigate."
Jackal looked at the Catherine before her with satisfaction. A very capable subordinate; she quite admired her.
"Because the Second Divine Key's ability is to control space. It cannot be observed from the outside."
"Thank you, Lord Jackal, for telling me these secrets. Since Lord Jackal trusts me so much, this subordinate will definitely in the future…"
Bang—
Jackal shot Catherine through the heart, and she fell heavily to the ground.
"There is no future. You can use your life as a thank you right now." Jackal blew the white smoke from the muzzle of her gun and put it away. "You've been in contact with Rita. Schicksal will surely track your whereabouts. Only your death is the best form of loyalty to the organization."
"You clever woman. Although I admire you, you've done too many things you shouldn't have." Jackal turned to leave, but at that moment, the supposedly dead Catherine got up again.
"You're really ruthless. What a waste of my good acting. It's very tiring to imitate someone for so long, you know."
Under Jackal's disbelieving gaze, Catherine slowly dissolved and reverted to Otto's original form.
"That face…! You're Otto!! What is going on!!!"
"Take a guess. Why should I tell you?"
"Do you think I'm asking you? I was just surprised." Jackal composed herself from her earlier shock and raised her pistol at Otto. "Do you think you've won?"
"Tsk, if you don't want to know, I'm going to insist on telling you." Otto confidently flicked his hair. Jackal was just an ordinary person. What damage could she do to his Soulium body with that ordinary weapon?
"It all started when I obtained that piece of Soulium. The Soulium Rita discovered was indeed produced two thousand years ago… but the Soulium, the Second Divine Key, the artificial Honkai Beasts, and all the other clues appeared far too coincidentally.
But this was an obvious trap. World Serpent is very good at hiding, so this time, I decided to lure the snake out of its hole.
Rita is a smart person and would certainly arouse your suspicion, so I prepared a sweet bait.
I had Amber select some Valkyries who seemed a bit foolish and airheaded. Between Kiana and Susanna, I hesitated for a solid half-second.
The real Susanna has now been transferred to Schicksal HQ. Amber will arrange other tasks for her. After this is over, I'll transfer her to the Immortal Blades she's been dreaming of.
Then, I used a new model of Soulium body to simulate Susanna's appearance and behavior patterns…"
"Who wants to listen to you ramble on? Otto, you're too arrogant, and arrogance will be your grave."
Jackal sharply interrupted Otto's monologue, but Otto didn't get angry. Instead, he bowed sincerely.
"Ms. Jackal, I sincerely invite you to be a guest at Schicksal HQ. When the time comes, I will explain my plan to you in detail. Also, regarding the Second Divine Key, I have many questions I'd like to ask you."
Seeing Otto's smug face, Jackal couldn't contain her anger and pulled the trigger, firing continuously at him.
"Ms. Jackal, don't waste your effort. This body, made of Soulium, cannot be destroyed."
While Otto and Jackal were confronting each other, far away, the World Serpent executive Raven—Natasha Cioara—was aiming at Otto with the Third Divine Key, set up as a sniper rifle.
"I didn't expect things to turn out like this. Jackal is such an idiot. Tsk, I was originally planning to save this bullet for that S-rank Valkyrie, but now I have to use it to help Jackal escape."
Swoosh—
Sensing the danger, Otto confidently extended his right hand to block Raven's shot. But when the bullet hit him, his expression immediately changed.
"Since we're dealing with something from the Previous Era, it's only natural to use a weapon from the Previous Era to solve it. After being hit by the Third Divine Key, you can wait to be disintegrated into atoms."
Jackal watched Otto's panicked expression with amusement. "Now, the tables have turned."
"Tsk, I didn't expect the Third Divine Key to be in your hands as well." With his body already half-disintegrated, Otto quickly initiated a data consciousness upload.
"This was originally prepared for your prized Valkyrie, but if it can kill the Schicksal Overseer, it's more than worth it."
"What a surprising gift…" Otto's terrified and panicked expression, after the "digitalconsciousnessuploadcomplete100%" prompt appeared, returned to a confident smile. "Ms. Jackal, we'll meet again. However, I hope you live to see that day~"
As his head was also disintegrated into atoms, this body of Otto's was completely dead.
"Tsk, he still got away. He reacted quickly."
"Huff, huff—did we kill him?" Raven, whose hands were suffering from backlash to varying degrees from using the Third Divine Key, walked over, carrying the overloaded and shattered weapon, panting heavily.
"That was just a liquid Soulium body, just a puppet. Even if the body is destroyed, to him, it's just the loss of a set of memories."
"But the Third Divine Key is damaged… such a precious bullet was wasted on a puppet, what a waste…"
"Consider it a lesson for him. If he remains obstinate, I will make Schicksal pay an even greater price. That's all for today. Inform Stan and Hare that the mission has failed and to prepare for withdrawal."
"Okay, but… Jackal, look at that blade of grass. Doesn't it look a bit unusual?"
Jackal glanced at the blade of grass Raven was pointing at. It seemed to be waving at her as if saying hello.
"Let me see… holy crap! Run!!"
Just as Raven grabbed Jackal to run, the blade of grass instantly collapsed into a gravitational singularity, tearing apart everything around it.
"Damn it, in my next life, I'm definitely not joining World Serpent…"
Hum—
With the blade of grass as the epicenter, everything within a radius of dozens of meters turned into a void. Then, a massive amount of air rushed into this space, creating a strange sound.