Faced with Otto's request, Leo Ash didn't just strike him down as Otto had imagined.
And facing a Leo Ash who was actually willing to listen, Otto truly felt...
—Even more uneasy.
If Leo Ash had cut him down immediately, it would have shown that he was still suppressing his internal rage, that his heart wasn't completely calm.
But now, Leo Ash was calmly waiting for him to speak. This made Otto feel that things were not good.
This meant one of two things: either he truly wasn't angry, or his cunning ran far deeper than Otto had imagined.
And neither of those possibilities was good for Otto.
"What is it, Lord Bishop."
Looking at the suddenly silent Otto, Leo Ash prompted him softly.
"Weren't you going to talk about a deal? Go on. What kind of deal could you possibly propose at a time like this."
"I've thought it over, and I really don't see any trump cards you have left to turn this around. So..."
"—Right now, I don't mind granting a former Archbishop some final respect you don't deserve before your death."
"Heh, are you sure?"
Looking at Leo Ash, Otto spoke with slight surprise.
"You should already know about the Rebirth Program, shouldn't you?"
"While such a program is difficult for ordinary computers to house, in my 500 years, I have long since mastered parts of the Previous Era's technology through Void Archives."
"Using this Previous Era technology, I have placed Rebirth Programs and Soulium Bodies capable of resurrecting me all over the world."
"Killing me here and now is meaningless."
"After all, as long as the people in those bases don't receive my daily communication signal, they will determine 'Otto' is dead and immediately activate the Rebirth Program."
"I will die, but Otto Apocalypse will not."
"After I die, the new Otto won't know the specifics of what happened, but he *will* know that he has been cornered."
At this point, Otto, who had just said he didn't want to provoke Leo Ash, had no choice but to use a threat.
"So now, take a guess. What do you think an Otto who has been cornered, realizes he failed to turn the tables, and knows his plan is impossible... will do?"
"Hm. Probably the same as fifty-odd years ago. He'll fly into a rage and launch Honkai Fission Missiles and other weapons at a few places."
"Mm, applause. You're very clever."
After a sarcastic round of applause, Otto smiled at Leo Ash.
"This is indeed a threat, but if it's not necessary, I truly don't want to take things this far."
"I just want to fulfill my wish. After my wish is fulfilled, this body, this core, and the locations of all those Soulium Bodies and Rebirth Programs—I can give them all to you."
"Please, believe in my sincerity. I must admit—having underestimated you, I have truly been forced into a corner."
"Mm. Since it's a deal, please, tell me what you want."
*He... why is he even using 'please'?*
The calmer Leo Ash was, the more uneasy Otto felt.
But things had come to this. With no other way out, Otto could only brace himself and continue.
"It's simple. Since you know Sushang, you also know that I only wish to resurrect Kallen Kaslana."
"Since you could resurrect Cecilia, who was dead for many years, I believe you can resurrect Kallen, too."
As he mentioned this name, a look of nostalgia flickered uncontrollably across Otto's face.
"Compared to a despicable villain like me, Kallen is a holy, kind hero who would sacrifice herself for others."
"I think... you two would get along very well."
"It's only been about four months since you first appeared. While I did misjudge you, I am certain Cecilia was resurrected within these four months."
"How about it? You spare my life, fulfill my wish, and in exchange, all of humanity is spared the threat of a scoundrel like me—that's not a bad trade, is it?"
"Wow. What a deal."
Leo Ash clapped woodenly at Otto's words.
"To be honest, I'm a little tempted."
*Damn it, this guy...*
*I can't tell what he's thinking at all.*
*Leo Ash is a good person. The kind of ridiculously good person who stubbornly refuses to allow any sacrifices.*
*He might not agree immediately, but he should at least consider it.*
*Logically, yes.*
*But why... do I feel like I can't see through him right now?*
As for Otto, who had proposed this condition, he was at least 50% sincere.
He was, of course, still trying to find a way to turn the tables. Otto still wanted to execute his original plan.
But life wasn't just about poetry and distant dreams; it was also about the immediate, ugly reality.
Otto was no fool. Having been forced into a corner, he had more or less accepted reality. The probability of him making a comeback now was lower than a chicken pecking at a keyboard and producing a short story.
In this situation, he had to bow his head when necessary.
Besides, before Nagamitsu had provided a reliable plan, Otto already had a backup: letting a powerful Herrscher of Death resurrect Kallen.
And now, Cecilia was resurrected. A successful example was right in front of him. With no other choice, Otto naturally fell back on this second-best option.
"And... honestly, I truly do admire Kallen Kaslana."
At this moment, Leo Ash spoke to Otto with utmost seriousness.
"In the past, as Bishop Nicholas's attack dog, Saint Kallen invaded Shenzhou. In my opinion, she was wrong to do that."
"But after that, she realized her mistake in time and began to save the people around her as best she could."
"And, when idiots like you and Nicholas released the Herrscher from the black box, she was the first to step up and seal it, preventing the disaster from spreading."
"In the end, after settling everything, she chose death rather than associate with the corrupt Schicksal leadership."
"Her choice might not have been the *best* one, but in my eyes, Saint Kallen truly deserves the title of 'The Greatest Valkyrie of the Past 500 Years'."
With every word of praise Leo Ash spoke of Kallen, the smile on Otto's face grew.
Leo Ash's words meant he genuinely respected Kallen, and if so...
—Even if Leo Ash couldn't stand Otto, he might help resurrect Kallen out of respect for her.
If Kallen could truly be revived, Otto genuinely wouldn't mind dying.
In fact, in his original plan, he wasn't going to survive anyway.
If Leo Ash demanded his life and his backup plans as the price for reviving Kallen, in Otto's eyes, it was practically getting her back for free.
But...
"But... precisely because I admire Kallen Kaslana so much, I will *not* resurrect her."
In that instant, as Otto's eyes widened in shock, Leo Ash finally ran him through, pinning him firmly to the ground with Jizō Mitama.
"Wh-Why!"
Feeling his body being slowly eroded by the Key of Corruption, Otto ignored the discomfort and roared wildly at Leo Ash.
"It doesn't matter if you hate me, but Kallen is innocent!"
"That's right. I think she's innocent, too."
Leo Ash stared dispassionately at the man on the ground, his voice chilling.
"I genuinely feel that Saint Kallen did everything she possibly could within her power."
"Some might think Saint Kallen should have stepped up, led the rebels dissatisfied with the old Schicksal, and overthrown their rule."
"But she was a Saint, not a sage. She got tired, too. For her, physically and mentally exhausted, choosing that method to prove her resolve was, in my opinion, just another way of living."
"The reason I don't want to resurrect Kallen Kaslana... is primarily because of *you*, Otto Apocalypse."
"You... You're taking your anger out on her???"
Hearing Leo Ash's words, Otto roared in disbelief.
"I am responsible for my own actions! If you hate me and want me dead, fine, but she did nothing wrong!"
"Mm, true. Other than helping Nicholas invade Shenzhou, Saint Kallen didn't do much wrong."
"But it's precisely because she is such a kind person that I don't want to torture her."
Leo Ash crouched down, watching Otto's pathetic struggle as he continued.
"In the final moments of her life, Saint Kallen saw her most trusted fiancé release Honkai Beasts."
"For a Saint who chose to sacrifice herself because of Schicksal's tyranny, your actions were even more disgusting than those of the old Schicksal leaders. It was, without a doubt, the ultimate betrayal."
"Saint Kallen, disappointed in all of Schicksal, still held a small bit of hope for you on the day she died. But your actions completely destroyed that last shred of hope, forcing her to face a hell she never should have."
"If there is a heaven, Saint Kallen definitely went there after she died."
"But even in heaven, she must be constantly wondering... why? Why, when you knew exactly what she believed in, did you do something that desecrated her very conviction?"
"What... What nonsense are you spouting!"
At this point, Otto had no time to wonder how Leo Ash knew all this.
Faced with Leo Ash's words, which were tantamount to 'killing' Kallen a second time, Otto, feeling his body gradually losing control, continued to roar.
"Because of *that* reason? Just because... of *that* reason!!!!"
"That's right. Just because of that reason."
Grabbing Otto's head, Leo Ash smashed it directly into the ground, speaking with perfect composure.
"Saint Kallen lived by the creed 'A Kaslana is the shield of the people' until her last breath. A person like her... in her final moments, she probably had the ridiculous thought, 'It's all my fault. If not for me, Otto wouldn't have done this.'"
"That's just the kind of person I see her as. When someone close to her does something wrong, she takes the blame on herself, even when she doesn't have to."
"And now, you want to resurrect her? What happens after she's revived?"
"I refuse to deceive a senior I respect so much. So, when that time comes, she will inevitably learn everything Otto Apocalypse did 'for her.'"
"She will know Otto betrayed all his comrades in Schicksal for 500 years for her."
"She will know Otto allowed the Honkai to spread just to resurrect her."
"She will know so, so much. And when that time comes... Saint Kallen might not fall into despair, but she will absolutely torture herself over it endlessly."
Otto... had considered this, more or less.
And tragically, in Otto's view, what Leo Ash described was *exactly* what Kallen would do.
If, in the past, someone had been able to so clearly and directly state Kallen's virtues with such admiration, Otto would have surely had a joyful conversation with them.
But now, the more Otto listened to Leo Ash's words, the colder his heart became.
"You've always wanted to resurrect Kallen, but just like 500 years ago when you released the Honkai Beasts, you never once considered Saint Kallen's feelings. Now..."
Leo Ash put away Jizō Mitama, grabbed Otto by the collar, and asked with absolute fury:
"What in the hell did Kallen Kaslana ever do to you?"
"Why are you so determined to torture her like this?"
"You... call this torture?"
Hearing Leo Ash, Otto suddenly burst out laughing.
"Haha... haha... HAHAHAHAHAHA."
"What's so funny."
Facing the young man, Otto's laughter abruptly stopped, and he shot back, matching his intensity.
"You're right, it's not funny at all. But your choice will only cause more people to be needlessly harmed because of you."
"You don't want to resurrect Kallen? Fine. I trust that 'Otto Apocalypse' will not disappoint me."
"Mm. I agree."
Facing an Otto who had completely dropped all pretense, Leo Ash nodded slightly.
"I think so too. When it comes to being a bastard, Otto Apocalypse will absolutely not disappoint me."
"And precisely because of that, I am certain—this world has absolutely no need for someone like you."
As he relentlessly corroded the man before him with the Power of Corruption, Leo Ash simultaneously revealed the information he had been holding back.
"Unfortunately for you, I've already considered all of that."
"The Rebirth Programs in those bases? We've already taken care of them with Jizō Mitama. Reviving those Soulium Bodies is impossible."
"You're not an idiot. The moment you saw Jizō Mitama in our hands, you should have known that threat was meaningless."
"As for those high-yield weapons of mass destruction... you didn't think Mr. Su was just slacking off this past month, did you?"
Seeing the undisguised shock on Otto's face, Leo Ash stated calmly.
"We have already secured the controls for all high-yield launch systems."
"I only made my move against you after *all* preparations were complete. This day..."
"I've waited for this day for so, so long."
After completing the corrosion of Otto, Leo Ash decisively snapped his neck.
"You are the last Otto in this world. From now on..."
"Otto Apocalypse must exit this stage for good."
At that moment, as his consciousness faded, Otto truly couldn't believe Leo Ash had made all these preparations in advance.
In the final moments of his life, Otto felt as if he saw the figure of that white-haired woman.
Only, when she turned her head, all Otto could see in her eyes...
—Was deep, profound disappointment.
At the end of his life, seeing this illusion, Otto could no longer deceive himself, all thanks to Leo Ash's words.
After all, while talking to Otto, Leo Ash had used the power of the Sphere, [The Wavering Scales], to grant Otto sufficient judgment before his death.
Possessing this judgment, even if Otto wanted to deceive himself, his newfound clarity would only show him an illusory Kallen... looking at him with utter disappointment.
In Leo Ash's view, for a man like Otto, whose body feared no torture and whose mind was already abnormal, trying to break him with things like videos of 'Yae Sakura marrying Kallen' or physical beatings was pointless.
Compared to those methods, Leo Ash felt that forcing him to see reality, to know Kallen would be infinitely disappointed in him, was the best punishment.
Kill the body, but attack the heart. Killing the body is simple; attacking the heart requires careful effort.
On this day, Otto Apocalypse, the former Schicksal Archbishop—a man who perhaps had some achievements, but who had absolutely brought great disaster upon the world—died at the hands of the Schicksal Knight, Leo Ash, after a pathetic, ugly struggle, filled with loss and despair.
And after accomplishing all this, Leo Ash picked up the Void Archives that had fallen to the ground, and felt...
"Haha... haha... HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!"
—That felt so damn good.
"Finally. I finally did it."
At this moment, Leo Ash covered his face, a wild, manic grin spreading across it.
"The villain who betrayed humanity and aided the Honkai... is finally dead at my hands."
"The feeling of revenge..."
"—It's truly addicting."
....