Bang! Bang! Bang!
"Argh, that bastard Otto—!" (the rest was a string of Anti-Entropy profanity)
On the Hyperion, Tesla slammed both fists on the table.
Reports from all over came in: Anti-Entropy bases were falling one after another.
In just a few days, Schicksal had crushed multiple strongholds—swiftly and brutally, giving them no time to react.
"What the hell is Otto up to now?!" Einstein's normally calm face flushed red with fury as she muttered words unfit for a physicist.
They had been too confident in Anti-Entropy's strength. They'd thought they could hold their own against Schicksal—but it turned out Schicksal had simply not bothered with them until now.
The moment Otto made a move, it was thunderous, absolute—he left them no room to breathe.
"Theresa, what's your grandfather doing this time?" Tesla demanded.
"How should I know? I haven't been in contact with him for months." Theresa threw up her hands helplessly. Otto's assault had been clean, precise, and ruthless—no theatrics, just pure extermination.
"I'll ask him myself then," Theresa said.
"No need. I'll explain."
A voice cut through the room.
Koji appeared before them, causing the room to freeze. Everyone stared at him in shock and suspicion.
"Nice to meet you all. I'm Koji—the traveler between worlds." He placed a hand over his chest in a polite bow.
"Doctors of Anti-Entropy," he continued calmly, "Otto's goal now is to defeat the Honkai. He's done playing these petty faction games. You can either resist and be destroyed, or surrender and cooperate."
"Otto? Fighting the Honkai?" Tesla scoffed. "That man's word is worth less than a fake patent!"
Koji shrugged. "That's all I'll say. Believe it or not, it's your choice."
Tesla's expression darkened. If what he said was true, Anti-Entropy wouldn't last six months.
"Oh, by the way—Theresa, Himeko is with Schicksal now."
"What? Himeko's alive?!"
Theresa's breathing quickened. Everyone had assumed Himeko was dead—Theresa herself had been preparing her funeral rites.
Koji nodded. Without hesitation, Theresa spun the Hyperion's helm, changing its course directly toward Schicksal Headquarters.
No one stopped her. In truth, they were all curious about Otto's sudden change—what was that madman planning this time?
…
In the Quantum Sea, Koji found Kevin.
"Kevin, I'm here to discuss terms."
"Terms?" Kevin eyed him cautiously. He didn't even know who this stranger was.
"My name is Koji. You've heard from Grey Serpent—I was one of those who arranged for Elysia to enter the Elysian Realm."
Kevin's gaze sharpened. "And? What does Elysia think of the Herrscher?"
"She likes Kiana a lot," Koji said plainly. "By the way, Kiana has Kaslana blood. She's your descendant."
"I am Kevin," he said flatly. "The Kaslanas mean nothing to me."
Koji nodded. "Fair enough. The point is—Schicksal's archbishop has decided to go all-in against the Honkai. Your Stigmata Project can wait."
Kevin's eyes narrowed. "You trust that man to defeat the Honkai?"
He'd heard of Otto from Grey Serpent—a manipulative genius who ruled humanity's strongest faction for over five hundred years. Compared to the Fire Moth's paralyzed leadership in the Previous Era, Schicksal was a model of stability.
Still, defeating the Honkai was no simple task.
"You can call Otto ruthless, but you can't call him incompetent," Koji replied. "He's had one goal from the start—to save his white moonlight. Fighting the Honkai is just the means to that end."
He wasn't flattering Otto. It was simply fact—no one truly knew how terrifying Otto could be when he went all out.
"I'll see this archbishop for myself," Kevin said at last. "If he can truly fight the Honkai, then the Stigmata Project can wait."
"Want me to bring you out?" Koji offered.
"No need," Kevin said, shaking his head. He raised his hand—light gleamed between his fingers. "I already obtained the Gem of Desire."
A Herrscher Core—the Gem of Desire, once belonging to the Herrscher of Wind—floated in his palm.
Koji fell silent. Wendy, seriously?
He couldn't help but think of the other Wendy—Emperor of the Winds—who could blow apart mountains. And you? You got shot down by a Titan ambush.
"I stayed only to observe what that Herrscher outside plans to do," Kevin said. "Walter's barrier is nothing. I could've broken it anytime."
"Understood. Then I'll leave you to it."
Koji nodded and disappeared, leaving Kevin deep in thought.
A visitor from beyond this world… at least he's not an enemy.
…
When Koji returned to the Hyperion, Tesla and Einstein approached him immediately.
"Mr. Koji, can you confirm—Otto's really focused on defeating the Honkai?" Einstein asked carefully.
"Yes," Koji said. "He and I made a deal. Once the Honkai is destroyed, he'll finally obtain what he's been chasing all his life."
"Ha! That golden-haired lunatic? No way he can pull that off," Tesla snorted.
"The odds aren't bad," Koji replied. "This world's Honkai isn't infinite—it can't grow endlessly stronger."
He gave a small smile. "You've been fighting Otto for decades. Surely you know what he's capable of."
Einstein said nothing, but Tesla's face darkened. She couldn't argue with that.
If Otto had truly wanted to crush Anti-Entropy long ago, they would've been erased already.
"If Otto really intends to fight the Honkai," Einstein said at last, "then we can cooperate."
Tesla exhaled and nodded. "Yeah. For now, that's all we can do."
Someday, when Walter returns—
"What happened to Anti-Entropy?"
…He's not going to like the answer.
(End of Chapter)
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