"Prepare for execution!"
When the man in black said these words, the crowd under the high platform stirred again. But as his voice fell, Evan and Kiana moved swiftly through the crowd, rushed onto the high platform, and kicked over the blocking men in black with just a few moves.
Thinking about it, for the execution of Kallen Kaslana, whose status was extraordinary, the execution ground had surprisingly little defense. There were only about a dozen men in black, and they didn't carry any truly powerful weapons, just simple long swords. Let alone uninvited guests like Evan and Kiana, even if the citizens under the platform had charged, these few men in black couldn't have resisted, right?
This couldn't be an omission in the program. It meant that on this day in history, the situation was truly this strange.
Right. Schicksal's main force against the Honkai—the Valkyrie troops—couldn't possibly be maintaining order at the execution ground while their captain Kallen was being hanged. What those Valkyries would have wanted to do more was likely to rescue Kallen directly. Schicksal, knowing this clearly, must have made arrangements. Not only did they not let the Valkyries maintain order, but they likely also transferred all of them far away from this city.
Evan and Kiana swept aside the blocking men in black unstoppably and arrived on the high platform. Seeing this, the citizens gathered here were strangely quiet, either because there was no preset judgment program for this, or because they didn't want to create a disturbance that would attract Schicksal's people.
Besides Kallen, there was only one man in black left on the high platform.
"Old man, we meet again."
Although the other party didn't take off his plague doctor mask, Evan had already recognized his identity through his vein-bulging hands and extraordinary aura. At this moment, he smiled and greeted him.
After a brief silence, Arthur extended his hand. Kiana vigilantly assumed a defensive stance, but Evan didn't react because he had already seen that this action wasn't for fighting, but more like pointing the way.
Arthur was indeed pointing the way. He pointed a finger in a direction below the high platform.
"Take Miss Kallen and go. There is a small path over there. Follow it straight, and you can reach the harbor. I have already arranged a boat to go out to sea."
This wasn't the awakening of a virtual personality or artificial intelligence, but something that definitively happened in history.
On that day five hundred years ago, perhaps there were no people like Evan and Kiana breaking into the execution ground to save Kallen directly, but Arthur, the execution officer on the field and Kallen's martial arts instructor, had originally intended to let Kallen go during the execution.
Perhaps this was also the reason why there were so few men in black on the execution ground. Arthur had never planned to carry out the hanging.
Kiana showed a happy expression and was about to say something when—
Boom!!
Explosions suddenly came from multiple places in the city, followed by the appearance of a large number of Honkai Beasts.
"How can Honkai Beasts appear here? The outside of this city has a strict security net!"
Arthur's tone carried disbelief. The current development hadn't deviated from the trajectory of history; all these reactions were things originally set.
Even if the Valkyrie troops were sent away to reduce risk, this city, as Schicksal's headquarters, was heavily guarded. Logically, a sudden Honkai Beast invasion shouldn't happen; the defensive forces on the city outskirts should have been reliable.
Tap, tap, tap.
As the Honkai Beasts began to create chaos and slaughter citizens in the city, unhurried footsteps were heard.
"Of course, this is my strategy."
The blond young man glanced at the Honkai Beasts bringing even more terrible slaughter to this city already filled with despair from the Black Death, and revealed a smile—a smile that was truly extremely incongruous with this tragic environment.
"My father... that old ghost of an Overseer thought his plan was foolproof. He transferred your subordinates, the Valkyrie troops, far away on missions, thinking no one had the power to save you, Kallen. But he forgot about those Honkai Beasts imprisoned under the cathedral. Just releasing them to create chaos can instantly disintegrate Schicksal's combat power within the city."
The smile on Otto's face became more and more unrestrained because everything perfectly fit his plan. He opened his arms, feeling extremely satisfied with the situation he created.
"So, Kallen, forget these trivial matters of Schicksal and the Honkai. Start a new journey. I've already arranged it. The next stop is the Far East you miss the most. The person you fell in love with is still there, right? You're going to be reunited with her. Do you feel excited?"
Slap!
Extremely skillful, and extremely perfect. It was a slap with no deficiencies in timing or use of force, as if practiced countless times.
Kallen slapped Otto to the ground with just one blow.
She took a deep breath. She didn't speak clichés with fixed emotions and actions like those virtual personalities, including young Otto. Instead, with different emotions, as if confirming her own heart, she spoke.
"Thank you for your kindness, but a Kaslana is the protector of the people, the shield of the people. I will not run away disregarding the safety of others. Never."
The stage play was gradually drawing to a close. If one looked down from the sky at this moment, they would find the city gradually shrinking and collapsing. The citizens who died in the mouths of Honkai Beasts turned back into data, waiting for the next reset. Even Otto, who had just been slapped to the ground by Kallen, disappeared.
Otto was quite pitiful too. Wearing a green hat (symbol of being cheated on/cuckolded) while trying to help Kallen fulfill her love, only to receive a merciless slap. The method of salvation he chose was full of problems—at least, it wasn't one Kallen could accept.
Otto might love Kallen, but he didn't understand her.
The huge difference in their personalities even determined that they couldn't understand each other.
If things followed the original development, on this day in history, Kallen said those words worthy of the strongest Valkyrie and the most outstanding warrior of the Kaslana family, and also welcomed the final elegy of her life.
Using her body as a shield, dragging a weak body that hadn't received rest or enough food because she was treated as a sinner, without any weapons, she fought bare-handed against the massive number of Honkai Beasts raging in the city.
And then, died in battle.
However, this was not a reenactment of history. Even if the stage play should have been like that, when there were intruders on the stage, it would eventually become different.
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