"Otto—!!"
Byakuya stared at Otto with immense fury. Although he knew that this was just a Soulium body of his, even tearing it to shreds would not affect this guy.
But what he felt at this moment was an uncontrollable rage, like a volcanic eruption! So much so that several Herrscher Authorities briefly went berserk and lost control for a few seconds.
Just as Byakuya was about to use the Herrscher of the Void's Authority to bring Sirin and Aurora back.
Otto's finger, resting on the trigger of the pseudo-Judgment of Shamash, pressed down slightly, as if warning that he would pull the trigger faster.
"Guh!"
"Hahahahaha! How utterly ridiculous! I merely moved a finger, and a Herrscher ceased resisting. Indeed, your humanity, shining like a brilliant gem, is your sole and greatest weakness!"
Otto laughed wildly and triumphantly, and his posture of threatening the young man by kidnapping the girls also drew resistance and disgust from everyone.
"Let go of those girls, Otto."
"Bishop, please don't do that."
"Grandpa, you've gone too far."
"Even if you are the Bishop, you cannot do this."
"Otto, give up. Doing this will only push all of us to oppose you."
Welt, Cecilia, Theresa, Siegfried, and Fu Hua all fixed their gazes on Otto.
Although some of them were Otto's subordinates, they were definitely not his puppets on a string.
They all possessed conscience and morality, and were Valkyries/Herrschers of Human fighting to protect all that is beautiful in the world, and thus would not stand idly by his actions.
However.
"Alright, alright~ I didn't expect all of you, my most capable subordinates, my most beloved granddaughter, my oldest and deepest friends, to choose to betray me and help a Herrscher instead. It's truly heartbreaking... But I admit, Otto Apocalypse deserves this."
Otto sighed deeply, as if regretting, as if disappointed, yet he didn't care at all.
"But before betraying me, you should also rationally consider whether you can lay a hand on me."
"Otto, what do you mean!"
"Hah~ Welt, I think you should first pay attention to your Anti-Entropy. Ten minutes ago, Schicksal launched a large-scale attack on Anti-Entropy. If you don't go to their rescue now, you'll probably only see ruins and corpses."
"What did you say!!"
"Scarlet Finch Immortal, my old friend, don't look at me like that. Don't worry, how could I threaten you? It's just… Li Sushang recently took on a high-difficulty Honkai Beast subjugation mission and has been out of contact for three hours. I think as that child's master, you should be concerned."
"Otto, what did you do to Lixue!"
"Heh heh, finally, Cecilia, Theresa, Siegfried, have you forgotten that your lovely daughter/niece is still on Schicksal's Floating Island?"
"What do you want to do to Kiana!" x3
How chilling.
This was Otto Apocalypse.
This was the five-hundred-year obsession of the Fool.
Even though his own power wasn't particularly strong, Otto Apocalypse was undoubtedly one of the most dangerous people in this world, no, perhaps even the most dangerous!
With just three sentences, he completely sealed the actions of five people, and with just a flick of his finger, he made a Herrscher give up resistance.
He manipulated human hearts to the extreme, using what was most important in their hearts as chains to bind their actions.
"Welt, Fu Hua, go," Byakuya said, clenching his fists.
"Herrscher of the Void, you…"
"Everyone has something they must protect, perhaps a treasure more important than life itself. I understand that feeling more than anyone... You don't need to worry about my affairs, and you wouldn't want to lose the people important to you, would you?"
"Thank you." x2
The images of their important companions/disciples flashed in their minds. Those were indeed things they had to protect, more important than their own lives.
After thanking Byakuya, the two immediately retreated and left.
"You too, Cecilia, Theresa, and who was the other one? Never mind, it's not important. I believe family is the most important existence in this world, so... you shouldn't interfere either. It's the same whether you're here or not anyway."
"Herrscher of the Void, thank you, and I'm sorry."
"...It's okay."
Clap clap clap clap clap~
Applause came from the side. Otto held the gun in one hand, pointing it at Sirin's head, and clapped the back of his other hand as if applauding and cheering.
"How touching, what a beautiful and shining quality. Herrscher of the Void, you are far more human than I am. Now, let us begin. Take your herrscher core, all your herrscher cores, and peel them off one by one."
"Hmph! One day, Otto Apocalypse, I will kill you a thousand, ten thousand times."
"I hope that day truly comes. Rest assured, once you have stripped away all the cores, I will let you and your companions go, and Schicksal will no longer trouble you."
"..."
Byakuya silently raised his hand and reached for his chest.
Large beads of sweat streamed down his forehead.
Soon, a bloody purple gem was dug out, with faint electric arcs flickering on it.
The core of the Herrscher of Thunder, the conquest gem.
"Here!"
Byakuya threw the conquest gem at Otto's feet, his movements like a brat throwing stones at someone.
"Not bad, not bad, keep going, but for the next one, I want the core of the Herrscher of Death."
"Otto, you son of a bitch."
"Whatever, if you can travel to the past, my sister, my younger sister, my mother, you can do whatever you want with them, it doesn't matter, but for now, hurry up and pull out the core."
"Hmph!"
Seeing Byakuya raise his hand to himself again.
Sirin's tears flowed uncontrollably.
"No, don't do this, it's enough, please stop, Byakuya, we are not worth you hurting yourself again and again to protect us, so, please stop."
"What's worth or not worth, Sirin, I'm just protecting the people I love, I'm fine, be good, close your eyes, it will be over soon, cough cough!"
"Byakuya! Byakuya! No, please, I don't want to see you get hurt anymore, why, why are these people doing this to you!"
Sirin felt as if a pair of hands had squeezed her heart. She looked at Byakuya with despair and sorrow, watching her most important person bleed and get hurt again because of her.
Self-blame, guilt, grief, pain, sadness, disappointment, anger, despair, countless negative emotions almost completely eroded her sanity.
The girl questioned herself countless times in her heart.
Why, why did it turn out like this?
Why can she only watch every time?
Why can't she do anything!
How many more times will this happen?
Because of useless burdens, useless wastes like them, how many more times will Byakuya get hurt!!
Enough, enough!
She has had enough of this!
Sirin's eyes were bloodshot and her silver teeth were clenched. Rather than being a burden to Byakuya, letting him get hurt again and again because of her, Sirin hated and loathed herself more than anyone!
So...
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! You bastard! I'll fight you to the death, go to hell, go to hell—!"
"Wh-what?!"
Otto was taken aback. The purple-haired girl he had captured suddenly struggled violently.
Sirin ignored the simulated Judgment of Shamash pressed against her head, even deliberately bumping into the muzzle.
At this moment, she had only one thought in her mind.
Move! Move! Do something!
Since she no longer wants to see him get hurt, then she must protect him!
Sirin, quickly use this wretched, useless life of yours, which he has saved countless times.
Do something for this person!!
It wasn't just Sirin.
Aurora, Agata, and Jialina were also like this, struggling desperately to break free from their restraints, completely disregarding the threat to their lives. No, to outsiders, their appearance was no different from seeking death.
Otto, who had a deep understanding of human nature, instantly understood the thoughts of these Sirin and the others—rather than watching their important person be covered in wounds because of them, they would rather die!
Of course, their struggles were useless. How could a Soulium body be shaken by a few ordinary girls?
However, that extreme sorrow, extreme despair, and the will to protect their important person even if it meant dying themselves, caused Otto to hesitate for a full second.
And with that one second of time.
It was enough for Byakuya to act.
(The chance is now!)
While teleporting Aurora and the others, the wind blade of the ideal fluid instantly severed Otto's Soulium arm that was holding the gun.
The next moment, Byakuya had already snatched Sirin back, and at the same time, he slammed a fierce punch onto Otto's Soulium face.
The force was so great that it directly caved in his entire face, leaving a deep fist print.
"I never thought I'd screw up like this, hmph hmph, ha ha ha, I really underestimated you."
Otto was being held in mid-air by Byakuya, who was choking him.
The Schicksal's Archbishop, who had been so arrogant just moments ago, was now in such a sorry state that it was hard to believe he was the same person.
Especially that handsome Soulium face.
It was now deeply caved into his head, twisted into an ugly shape.
"You'll pay the price, Otto."
"Ahhh!"
The terrifying pain made Otto scream instinctively.
The Soulium body, which should have had its pain completely cut off, now made Otto feel a pain so excruciating that tearing his heart out wouldn't be enough to describe it, as if every cell in his body was undergoing indescribable torture.
This was the Herrscher Authority of the Herrscher of Death, the most terrifying of Byakuya's five authorities when used on people.
Byakuya had instantly endowed this Soulium body with biological properties, transforming it from a machine body of nanomachines into a true human flesh body with flesh and blood and extremely developed pain nerves.
Then, he controlled every cell of this body, dying and regenerating in the most painful way, with this pain continuously cycling.
This kind of pain would make even the most resolute madman scream in agony.
Although the Soulium of the Previous Era was strong, it could not defy the heavens in the face of Herrscher Authority.
"This is the Herrscher Authority of the Herrscher of Death that you've been longing for. Experience it firsthand. I know that even if this body is gone, you won't die, but at least... now I can torture you well."
"Hmph ha ha ha, you're welcome, do as you please, Herrscher of the Void, but don't think this is over."
Even while experiencing the pain of repeated cellular destruction, Otto Apocalypse could still manage a smile, and he also took another look at the purple-haired girl behind Byakuya, Sirin.
If it weren't for this girl's suicidal struggle, things would not have turned out this way.
In the past, Otto had experienced several setbacks, but he had never imagined that one day he would be defeated by a 14-year-old girl like this.
Otto Apocalypse decided to engrave this in his mind: so-called emotions, especially the emotion of protecting loved ones, can indeed erupt with miraculous power.
"Cecilia, Siegfried, Theresa, aren't you going to act? I command you, in the name of the Schicksal's Archbishop, to attack the Herrscher of the Void."
"Sorry, Archbishop, we refuse."
"How could a Kaslana Family member help a tyrant? Don't even think about it."
"Grandpa, you're the one who should give up!"
"......"
Otto coldly watched the three of them.
Cecilia, Siegfried, and Theresa, although they were his subordinates, they were not his puppets and would not unconditionally obey any of his commands.
"Alright, alright~ In that case, you and the Herrscher of the Void can die here together."
BOOM—!!
As soon as he finished speaking, Otto destroyed his own Soulium body. Although the self-detonation was extremely powerful, it could not harm anyone present.
And the next second after death.
Otto's consciousness awakened again.
He reconnected to his Soulium body located on Destiny Floating Island and issued an attack order to the Valkyrie troops already stationed in Siberia.
"All Valkyries, listen to my command: immediately launch a full assault on the Herrscher of the Void. He is the apostle of Honkai who destroys humanity, an enemy we must defeat."
"Furthermore, Cecilia Shaniate, Ziegfried Kaslana, and... Theresa Apocalypse have betrayed Schicksal and sided with Honkai. The latter must be captured alive, the former two are to be killed without mercy."
Otto had already prepared for war.
There was only a gap of a few seconds.
After Otto's self-destruction and retreat, Schicksal's forces took over the battlefield. Hundreds of Schicksal's A-rank Valkyries and various Schicksal's Destiny Machina launched an attack.
Although Cecilia was known as the Saintess and had a very high reputation among Valkyries, most of these Valkyries were personal guards chosen by Otto.
Cecilia's reputation could not shake them too much, let alone the mechanical Destiny Machina.
"Cecilia, Herrscher of the Void, what should we do now? Do we really have to fight these Valkyries?" Theresa asked, conflicted and anxious.
"We can only try not to aim for their vital points. Most of them were deceived by the Bishop. This must be a tactic he used to restrain us by exploiting our personalities, but…"
"If it's just this much! No matter how many more come, it won't be a problem, after all, we have a Herrscher as a companion now!"
It was indeed as Siegfried said.
Leaving him aside, Cecilia and Theresa were both S-rank combatants of Schicksal, each capable of fighting a hundred without issue. With Byakuya, the Herrscher of the Void, as a teammate, there was even less to worry about.
After all, large-scale annihilation was a Herrscher's specialty.
Although these Valkyries had prepared equipment specifically for the Herrscher of Death beforehand, each of them wore Schicksal's black-tech gas masks and anti-gas combat suits to avoid instant death.
But Byakuya could still easily suppress all of them with large-scale damage, just like now.
"Hurricane, sweep them away!!"
Over a dozen hundred-meter tornadoes appeared, instantly disrupting the rhythm of these Valkyries and their Divine Keys.
What could hundreds of Valkyries do?
What could nearly a thousand Divine Keys do?
The wild winds roared, space vibrated, flames burned out, and death mist permeated. Even though the conquest gem had not yet been re-integrated, with four powers, Byakuya was still an invincible existence in the current version.
Not to mention Bella, who was also equivalent to a Herrscher-level combatant. At this moment, she had reverted to her dragon-form Honkai Beast appearance, unleashing Honkai Energy breath, dragon claws, dive attacks, and dragon tail sweeps.
The power of a Judgment-class, near-Apocalypse-class Honkai Beast shocked everyone.
"How is this possible, is this a Herrscher?"
"We can't win at all, damn it."
"Even Lady Cecilia betrayed us."
"Does the Bishop have any other trump cards?"
These Valkyries felt as small and humble as ants. In front of a true Herrscher, there was no difference between an A-rank Valkyrie and a D-rank Valkyrie.
They could only place their hopes in their leader.
And Otto, of course, would 'not disappoint'.
These hundreds of A-rank Valkyries, nearly a thousand Divine Keys, this force, which probably constituted one-fifth of Schicksal's total combat power, in Otto Apocalypse's eyes…
They were merely pawns used to delay Byakuya in place until his true trump card arrived.
"Honkai Energy Fission Bomb, full launch!"
"Schicksal First, Second, Third Armory, full missile launch sequence initiated!"
"Strike range, Siberia coordinates xx, xx, xx, all missiles to be detonated by controlled explosion!"
Thousands of missiles descended from the sky,
Completely covering the battlefield,
Even to prevent Byakuya from escaping using his spatial authority, a ten-thousand-meter radius centered on him was included in the target area for the strike.
All heavy missiles in Schicksal's armory were instantly expended at this moment. Especially the dozen or so Honkai Energy Fission Bombs interspersed among them.
These were Otto's true trump cards.