Schicksal Far East Branch, Chaldeas.
The Lord Overseer of Schicksal stood within the Chaldeas facility, awaiting the return of the mission operatives who had departed not long ago.
Given his status as Otto, the Overseer of Schicksal, he could have easily delegated this task to someone else instead of observing in person.
But this experiment was different from all the others.
This was the one that, if successful, could bring the soul of the Kallen from five hundred years ago into this world and resurrect her.
Otto was a man accustomed to failure.
In the long five hundred years, he had grown used to experiment after experiment, failure after failure.
In the end, he had even forgotten what disappointment felt like.
But this experiment was a turning point.
This was the one he held the most hope for.
Thus, in the heart of a man who had grown accustomed to disappointment, the feeling of hope had, for a rare moment, begun to stir.
Even if the price for this flame of hope was the invasion of the main world by a bubble universe from the Sea of Quanta and the subsequent birth of a Herrscher of Time.
He was still willing to wait for this flicker of hope and pay any price for it.
The journey to reverse time had already begun.
All that was left was to wait.
The man, who had cultivated an impossibly profound patience through countless failures, quietly gazed at the transfer pod, lost in thought.
If this failed, his only remaining option was the Herrscher of Death from the Artificial Herrscher Project.
And if even the Herrscher of Death could not revive Kallen…
Then he would have to climb the Imaginary Tree, travel to the world on the other side, and search for the answer there.
The man, who had met "God" during the Second Honkai War and learned much from Their lips, wore an expression of calm.
He quietly watched the pod, waiting for an answer.
And then—
"REPORTING TO THE LORD OVERSEER! HEADQUARTERS HAS RECEIVED A RETRIEVAL REQUEST FROM THE DIRECTOR AND LADY DURANDAL!!"
The researcher's voice, filled with ecstatic joy, broadcast through the Chaldeas communication system, echoing throughout the entire facility.
In the next moment, the whole of Chaldeas erupted in cheers.
Following the success of the Artificial Herrscher Project, the Human Order Security Project had also officially succeeded.
This was undoubtedly a monumental success in the history of humanity's fight against the Honkai.
The successful construction of the Human Order Security Organization, Chaldeas, meant that humanity could now manipulate time, intervene in the past, and eliminate the factors that would lead to its own extinction, thereby ensuring the continuation of human civilization.
But for Otto, the success of this experiment held another meaning entirely.
He and his collaborator had successfully completed their mission objective. They had retrieved the soul of the Saintess from five hundred years ago—the soul of his goddess, Kallen!
An immense wave of joy, like a tsunami, crashed into the heart of the man so accustomed to failure.
His body began to tremble uncontrollably.
Kallen's soul… has returned!
"Retrieve them at once!!"
Casting aside all semblance of decorum, the man named Otto roared like a beast that had lost all reason.
At the Overseer's roar, the celebrating researchers immediately fell silent and scrambled back to their workstations.
Through their coordinated efforts, the esoteric device known as the Spiritron Transfer System activated once more.
The Director, the Strongest Valkyrie, and the backup operative, Seele, who had departed earlier, materialized within the pod.
"Hah~ It's good to be back in the world five hundred years later. I almost missed it."
Without any incident, the Director of Chaldea reverted from his quantum state, opened the pod door, and stepped out.
Durandal and Seele emerged after him. As they were not Otto's primary concern, they were quickly whisked away by medical staff to have their physical conditions checked.
In an instant, only Li Zihan and Otto remained before the transfer pod.
"My dear friend, I am delighted to see you again so soon."
Otto, who had thought this experiment might take several months, addressed the young man who had clearly completed his mission, his tone warm and friendly.
"But of course."
The young man, having returned from five hundred years in the past, spoke with a casual air.
This trip to five hundred years ago had actually gone quite smoothly.
After reaching a 'friendly' accord with Higokumaru through purely physical means, Li Zihan had easily made her turn Miss Yingyingying into a Pseudo-Herrscher before sealing both of them away together.
Then, he had actively drawn the attention of Schicksal's arrest squad, guiding them to capture Kallen.
What followed was a reenactment of history.
Kallen was sentenced to death.
Otto, deeply in love with Kallen, redeployed all of Schicksal's armed forces and released a large number of Honkai Beasts to sow chaos, preparing to escape with her.
Kallen once again slapped Otto, then turned without a second thought to save the innocent citizens being harmed by the very Honkai Beasts Otto had released.
Then, in her weakened state, she died under the assault of a Honkai Beast.
It was at that exact moment that Li Zihan had taken Kallen's soul.
After that, he had simply chosen to return.
"Now then, do you require me to construct a suitable body for Kallen?" Li Zihan asked the man whose joy was almost impossible to contain. He figured he would have to return to the Type-Moon world in a while anyway to get a body for Yae Rin.
"No, that won't be necessary."
Otto, who had preserved Kallen's body all this time and had samples of her cells, capable of creating a new body for her at any time through biotechnology, politely declined.
"Alright then."
Li Zihan shrugged and held out his hand. A translucent, crystalline gem appeared in his palm.
Within the gem, the phantom image of a white-haired woman slept peacefully.
That phantom was the soul of Kallen Kaslana.
No further explanation was needed.
The moment Otto saw the gem, he understood. He carefully took the gem, his movements as gentle as if he were stroking the feathers of a fledgling bird.
"My friend, I believe you are also in need of some assistance."
After obtaining Kallen's soul, Otto laughed with immense relief. He clapped his hands, and a golden cube floated out.
It was the First Divine Key—the Void Archives.
The payment for this operation.
Li Zihan did not reach for it directly.
From the tachi at his waist, a dense black mist swirled up and flowed into the cube. Only then did he extend his hand and grasp it.
"Thank you for your help."
The young man, having easily obtained the First Divine Key, smiled faintly and tossed it into the shadow behind him.
"Oh, by the way, may I ask you about something?"
Having received his payment, Li Zihan decided to inquire about the current situation.
"What is it?" Otto nodded, his mood excellent now that he had Kallen's soul. He didn't mind answering a few questions for Li Zihan.
"Do you know the current status of Raiden Mei and K423?"
The young man, who had steeled himself for the impending shuraba, posed his question to the ruler of this world's largest organization.
Author's note:
PS: Eight thousand words done, I'm dead.
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