Schicksal. A certain secret base.
About an hour after the battle between Kevin and Leo Ash, Otto used his inside line in Schicksal to obtain intelligence regarding the events at Jiuyou.
Regarding everything that had happened, Mr. Otto Apocalypse had only one feeling: utter bewilderment.
Before releasing Kevin today, Otto had been pondering how to seize the Key of the Void from Su, how to cool down the relationship between Leo Ash and Kiana, and how to obtain the beacon.
Then, in less than twenty-four hours, Leo Ash—Schicksal's ace enforcer who had escalated from a lucky charm to a major threat in Otto's eyes—had become the Herrscher of Binding and easily defeated Kevin.
But after defeating Kevin, he had vanished due to excessive power consumption.
Kiana, arriving on the scene at just the right moment, had her body seized by Sirin.
And after taking Kiana's body, Sirin had immediately snatched the Herrscher Cores from Raiden Mei and Yuna, instantly upgrading herself to a three-core Herrscher.
One could say that the key parts of Otto's plan—seizing the Key of the Void, giving Sirin the opportunity to awaken, and the chance to grow stronger—had all been automatically completed without Otto lifting a finger.
Logically, Otto, whose plan was proceeding on its own, should have been popping a bottle of red wine to celebrate, even if he wasn't jumping up and shouting "Hooray!"
But as the old saying in Shenzhou goes, once bitten by a snake, one fears a rope for ten years.
Not long ago, Otto had been delighted that Leo Ash's appearance had caused his plans to proceed smoothly.
But less than two months later, the very same Leo Ash who had smoothed the way for his plan had gradually become a major obstacle.
And now, the plan was once again proceeding smoothly. At this point, Otto, who had developed a certain psychological trauma, really didn't dare to celebrate prematurely.
The closer he got to success, the more Otto felt he had to tread as if on thin ice.
Only by doing so could he execute his plan more precisely in the future.
As for Li Sushang leaving the base, there was nothing Otto could do about it.
Although Li Sushang, capable of using the Edge of Taixu, was a formidable combatant when Otto had few cards to play, he still considered her an old friend. In his view, granting her a bit of freedom when unnecessary was no bad thing.
If he treated her purely as a tool, she would sense something sooner or later, even if she was only fifteen.
If it wasn't necessary, Otto certainly didn't want to cross swords with Li Sushang at this stage.
Just as Otto was contemplating his future moves, he suddenly received a secret communication from Amber.
"Hm, is this the encrypted footage of the meeting between Theresa and the Anti-Entropy Sovereign?"
Before opening the video, Otto didn't think much of it.
Fourteen years ago, Welt had saved Theresa's life.
Also fourteen years ago, when Theresa began to doubt the reason Otto had Amber give—that 'Cecilia requested HQ to fire the fission missile to perish together with the Second Herrscher'—Otto had used Fenghuang Down on Theresa immediately.
But to avoid over-stimulating the Honkai Beast factors within Theresa, Otto had only modified a part of her cognition, causing her suspicions to gradually fade.
However, Otto hadn't tampered with Theresa's other memories.
So, for Theresa, meeting with her savior, Welt, wasn't something she needed to be particularly wary of.
In fact, from Otto's perspective, a meeting between Theresa and Welt wasn't necessarily a bad thing.
Otto knew in his heart that the people in Anti-Entropy had only split off purely because they couldn't stand him personally.
Once Theresa took over and Otto completed his plan and got the hell out of this world, the probability of them giving up their struggle with Schicksal was quite high.
If Welt was willing to bend the knee to Theresa in the future, Otto would be quite happy to see the two of them establish contact ahead of time.
As for them joining forces to ruin his plan...
LMAO, as if they wouldn't try to ruin his plan if they didn't meet.
Once Otto's plan reached its final stage, it would inevitably be revealed to the world.
And the plan Nagamitsu had prepared for him required actions that modern people would absolutely never accept.
Of course, the plan Otto actually intended to complete was another one with fewer sacrifices, but that didn't mean Otto had completely given up on the first plan Nagamitsu had prepared for him.
The second plan involved fewer sacrifices, but if it failed, then to save Kallen, Otto would unhesitatingly sacrifice the lives of everyone else in the world.
And at that point, Theresa and Welt would inevitably lead a team to obstruct his path.
The future was more or less set, and Otto was already mentally prepared.
Given that, since he had already predicted their actions, many things no longer seemed so important in his eyes...
That's what he had thought.
Until he saw Welt in the video, a tachi awkwardly tucked into his belt, and Otto's expression became incredibly colorful.
The Welt carrying Jizō Mitama, being a good person in the broader sense, certainly wouldn't just stab his ally Theresa upon meeting her, attempting to use its power to corrupt and control her, thereby controlling Schicksal.
But as someone who was completely countered by Jizō Mitama, Otto, seeing Welt carrying this tachi around, knew very well...
—This little bastard is doing it on purpose!
He's using this blade to provoke me, to tell me he knows I'm hiding in the shadows, plotting something!
Moreover, at this meeting, the attendees from Anti-Entropy included not only Welt as an ally but also Su, who was accompanying him.
Seeing Welt and Su mixed up together, Otto now felt a headache coming on, even if his head were made of Soulium.
A Welt with Jizō Mitama, plus a Su who possessed a wealth of information...
*Good thing Sirin already took the Key of the Void, otherwise if Su used instant teleportation to take Welt on a tour of Schicksal HQ, my revival program would probably be toast.*
And now, during the negotiations, Welt was actually planning to take a stroll through Schicksal HQ?!
*Theresa, don't you hesitate and prepare to agree!*
At this moment, Otto felt, more than ever, that his seemingly not-so-bright secretary, Amber, was truly reliable.
As one of Theresa's secretaries, upon hearing Welt's request, Amber decisively overstepped her authority and refused.
And facing Theresa's hesitation, Amber whispered a few words in her ear and managed to persuade her.
After watching the footage Amber sent him, Otto knew this was Welt's overt scheme.
He knew, in fact, that it was impossible for him to enter Schicksal HQ.
The only reason he brought Jizō Mitama to the negotiation was that Welt and Su had judged that Otto would definitely see the recording of their meeting.
Therefore, Welt carried Jizō Mitama to send a message to Otto—if you continue to hide in the shadows and don't return to defend Schicksal HQ, I will eventually come to tear it down with Jizō Mitama.
*He's forcing me to return to Schicksal HQ.*
*How troublesome. I admit I underestimated you in the past, Joachim... no, Welt Yang.*
*As you are now, you are indeed worthy of being my nemesis.*
*It's just that both the previous Herrscher of Reason and the current one can only be pushed into a corner by me.*
*I was able to kill Joyce, so naturally, I can kill you too.*
*First, I'll give Amber an order to keep a close eye on Anti-Entropy's movements for the time being.*
*As for Sirin, now that she has the Key of the Void and three Herrscher Cores, she won't be able to sit still for long.*
*It won't be too late to proceed with the next step of my plan after she begins to make her move.*
*During this time, I must hurry up and research that project.*
*Dr. Magi is truly a genius. The HSN serum he developed, according to experimental data, actually has a chance of fusing with Schariac Holy Blood in a specific ratio to form an even more powerful 'Herrscher Killer'.*
*The Herrscher Killer is also very important to my plan. During this time... Hmph, that guy Magi, it's impossible to expect him to work for me obediently.*
*I'll have to do it myself.*
*As for a new sacrifice, Kevin won't give me Siegfried, and Leo Ash is most likely dead. So, the most important person to Kiana right now...*
*...is probably her daughter.*
*Come to think of it, that little brat is indeed a very suitable sacrifice.*
*Let me think, what method should I use to create a suitable stage for her and her mother?*
.....
When Leo Ash sensed a slight stirring, he naturally, slowly opened his eyes.
But when he did, he didn't find himself in a Schicksal HQ infirmary, but rather...
—in a classroom at St. Freya High School?
[That's right. In fact, your deathmatch with Kevin was just a dream.]
[No, more than that. The extra hits, suppressing the Herrscher of Death, teaming up with Su, defeating the Herrscher of Wind—that was all stuff you did in a dream.]
[In reality, you're just a lazy bum who loves to sleep in class, just like Kiana.]
*Alright, you can stop now.*
*The moment you showed up, I knew...*
Seeing Himeko next to him, staring at him with a complicated expression, Leo Ash knew that there was definitely something wrong with this classroom.
As for the nonsense the System was spouting, he didn't believe a word of it.
Phantasmagoria's ability to rewrite cognition and create illusions was essentially like making people dream.
It could be said that, in this world, aside from the Herrscher of Sentience, Leo Ash was the person who understood 'dreams' the best. How could he not be able to distinguish between dream and reality?
[What if this System told you that even the so-called Void Demon Stone Fragment was something that only appeared in a dream?]
*Give me a damn break.*
*I'm perfectly fine right now. I can even feel that my Void Demon Stone Fragment, Herrscher of Binding Core, the three Dominus Glyphs, and the Wavering Scales are all still here, none of them missing.*
[But don't you feel like you're missing something?]
*The joystick is here too!*
[That's not what this System was talking about!]
[Damn it, how is it that this System hasn't even made a dirty joke yet and you're already going down that road yourself?]
*Isn't it because I caught it from you?*
Seeing Leo Ash's eyes glaze over, Himeko sighed helplessly.
"Forget it. I know you're tired from yesterday's mission. You should go get some rest."
"Seele, take Leo Ash to the infirmary."
"I understand, Teacher Himeko."
Watching a girl with black hair streaked with blue walk toward him, Leo Ash emotionlessly stood up and followed her.
*In the previous battle, I nearly ceased to exist because I overused Phantasmagoria.*
*But...*
*Was it because Bianka used Durandal to tear through space?*
*At that time, I used the authority of the Pseudo-Herrscher of Reason Core, combined with the Honkai Energy squeezed from my Herrscher of Binding Core, to forcibly reshape my body.*
*As a price, after excessively draining the power of the Herrscher of Reason, that core completely vanished within me.*
*It's just that because of the spatial turbulence, I couldn't reshape my body in that world and was instead forced into the Sea of Quanta.*
*That's the only way to explain why the girl in front of me seems more real than anyone else here.*
*Seele Vollerei, the unlucky girl who was thrown into the Sea of Quanta by Cocolia.*
*Theoretically, she should be trapped in a World Bubble by Kevin.*
*But now...*
*Strange. I remember the World Bubbles related to St. Freya High School were made by old Welt, and old Welt is alive and well outside.*
*The World Bubble Kevin made was related to the Fire Moth base. This World Bubble is completely different from the one he should have made.*
And ahead of Leo Ash, Seele, who was leading the way, was actually having a conversation with another voice in her mind.
*Other me, do we really have to do this?*
*Using other people is a bad thing.*
[You idiot. Using other people is bad, but is staying here any better?]
[Have you forgotten? Big Sister is waiting for you outside.]
[Seele, you wouldn't want Big Sister to be sad and heartbroken for the rest of her life because she can't see you, would you?]
*Bronya-oneechan... Of course I want to see her.*
[See? That's the spirit. Just listen to me.]
[This man's origin is unknown, but it's precisely because of that that I feel he holds the key to breaking this stalemate.]
[So later—do whatever I tell you to do, you hear me?]
At that moment, the thought of Bronya made Seele, after a moment of internal conflict, nod weakly.
*Then... you have to promise not to hurt this big brother, okay?*
[Hey, I just want to get out. Why would I hurt him?]
[I know you're a kind-hearted girl. I promise you, if I get the chance, not only will I not hurt him, I'll even give him a hand and bring him out with us.]
*Really?*
*Other me, you're so nice!*
[So as I was saying, since you think I'm so nice, then later, you must listen to me.]
*Mhm, okay. So what should we do?*
At that moment, Seele opened a door and said to Leo Ash behind her.
"Senior Leo Ash, we've arrived at the infirmary."
[Okay, don't be in a hurry to leave.]
*Mhm, I was thinking the same thing. Should we stay and take care of him?*
*This big brother named Leo Ash seems to be in a daze. He really doesn't look well.*
[No, that's not what I meant... Never mind. Give me control of the body. Let me handle this.]
Just as he was about to speak, Leo Ash saw Seele's eyes suddenly flash red and felt that something was not right.
*Hey, I just want to talk.*
*But you suddenly switching personalities and showing emotional fluctuations gives me a bad feeling...*
*Do I not even get a moment's rest before I have to deal with something I don't want to deal with?*
[Well, you could say it's your destiny, and also...]
[Look! A new beautiful girl! A big-busted beautiful girl! And she even has a split personality, she can be soft or hard, loli or onee-san! Buy one, get one free! You can't miss this, Host!]
*Oh, for heaven's sake.*
*System, I'm really grateful to you, but could you please, just once, when I'm trying to have some respect for you...*
[Name: Seele Vollerei]
[Identity: Your junior in this World Bubble, a Stigmata Awakened.]
[Current Favorability: 5 (Being handsome lets you do whatever you want)]
[Note: Getting her means getting two Seeles, which means getting Bronya. It's not buy one, get one free, it's buy one, get two free!]
*Fine, I'll just completely retract any respect I had for you.*
[If you could maintain this state, then this System would be relieved, but...]
[From the very beginning, your emotional fluctuations have been very abnormal. You know this yourself, don't you?]
[Having just accepted your self-sealed memories, although you revived yourself with the power of the Herrscher of Reason, your mental state is terrible.]
[Sometimes, a vigorous bout between the sheets can relax the body and mind.]
[You've already worked so hard. Sometimes, even if you're a little selfish, no one will blame you.]
*...Well, thanks for that.*
*But for now, let's just forget it.*
[What's wrong, gone holy on me?]
*No. It's just that I feel she's already been through enough, being betrayed by her adoptive mother.*
*To do that kind of thing to her without any emotional foundation...*
*—An Avenger should just be an Avenger. Why should a perfectly good Avenger do something so beastly?*
......