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At Otto's answer,
Li Sushang broke into a bright smile.
"Then—maybe in the future, I won't just have to repay you for saving my life. I might also have to come and settle accounts with you?"
"You could settle accounts right now if you want."
The Luocha man spread his hands wide, completely open—full of fatal openings.
If someone struck at that moment, in theory, a single blow would be enough to end his life.
"Alright, alright, you're cheating!" Li Sushang pouted. "If we clear the new score now, there'd be no way to repay the old debt. You know that goes against the code of the jianghu."
"I've never heard that Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries have to follow jianghu etiquette."
"You—!"
"Ah, don't mind it. I'm not arguing for the sake of it. And honestly speaking, I'm actually quite afraid of dying. Otherwise, why would I have clung to life in this world for five hundred years?"
The Luocha man laughed even more cheerfully.
It was hard to tell whether that expression was sincere—or utterly false.
Li Sushang huffed softly.
"…You really are something."
Otto smiled and continued,
"Alright. The timing outside should be about right."
"There's a news broadcast currently being streamed worldwide. I thought you might want to take a look as well."
With Otto's cryptic words,
the perspective suddenly shifted—
Straight to a scene everyone knew all too well: the Hyperion.
[—A short while earlier, 8:00 AM North American Mountain Daylight Time.]
The warrior named Fu Hua casually wiped the sweat from her brow with a towel. She had just finished her morning training and was about to take a hot shower to relax her body.
Recently, the outside world had been unexpectedly peaceful.
Life for everyone had gradually settled into a calm routine.
Along the way, she chatted idly with Dr. Einstein of Anti-Entropy, and Fu Hua could clearly feel just how precious this rare moment of peace was for everyone around her.
Even though the Herrscher of Domination incident had not ended perfectly—the crucial Herrscher core was still missing—
Even though everyone knew far greater challenges still lay ahead—
—none of that stopped them from quietly enjoying the stability of the present.
In the shower room,
Warm water washed away her fatigue, granting Fu Hua a brief sense of detachment amid the soothing white noise.
She rarely dreamed, nor did she have any strong personal desires that demanded her attention.
This wasn't because she had long transcended humanity with power—ever since her days as a student fifty thousand years ago, she had lived like this: ordinary and restrained.
It was this mindset that once made her seem like a good-natured pushover;
It was also this mindset that later forged her into a cold, unfeeling wielder of the blade.
The naive, kind-hearted girl.
The soldier who only knew how to obey orders.
The immortal who slew demons without mercy.
The prematurely mature class monitor.
The close friend of the Overseer of Schicksal.
They were all her.
And yet, none of them truly were.
Two months ago, after their victory, the Herrscher authorities stolen by the Herrscher of Domination had returned to their original cores.
This time, however, the one bound at the other end of the chain chose an even more extreme course.
She severed the flow of all energy along the chain, rendering the Herrscher of Sentience's core into a useless, inert shell.
(…Come to think of it, I haven't really had a proper talk with the Headmistress lately.)
[Keqing: Sigh, this hard-won peace…]
[March 7th: They have no idea Otto is plotting something huge, do they?!]
[Tesla: Not just Otto… World Serpent… and damn Honkai too!]
[Tesla: When will this world ever truly become a good place?!]
[Kiana: I believe it! As long as we work together, we can turn this flawed world into the one we hope for!]
[Raiden Mei: I'll be with you, Kiana!]
[Silver Wolf: First we have to deal with the immediate mess. Otto is clearly about to make a big move…]
[Himeko (Honkai): Sigh… at least Otto's goal isn't completely insane. World Serpent is the real headache.]
[Anti-Entropy · Salt Lake Base, Hyperion's Dedicated Landing Platform]
"Headmistress."
"Hm? Oh, it's you… Fu Hua."
"Are you inspecting the Hyperion's routine maintenance?"
"More or less. Or you could just say I can't sit still."
Theresa sighed and stretched her small body.
"Although the core of the Herrscher of Domination is still missing, only three Honkai-related incidents have occurred globally over the past two months."
"Sigh… Even though the Herrscher was truly defeated, this strange, inexplicable peace actually feels more unsettling."
"In the Previous Era, this same sense of unease appeared right before the Eleventh Herrscher was born."
"But what followed… no, I shouldn't make that comparison. We won't repeat those mistakes today."
Fu Hua recalled quietly, then spoke with firmness.
Theresa nodded just as resolutely.
"After all, whether it's Kiana and the others, or Mr. Welt—everyone is gentle, mature, and rational."
As she spoke, Theresa fell silent.
Fu Hua noticed her hesitation at once.
"What's wrong, Headmistress?"
"Fu Hua… what kind of person do you think I am?"
Theresa looked directly into Fu Hua's eyes, asking a question that had troubled her for a long time.
"I've actually been thinking about something lately. You know, Grandpa served as Schicksal's Overseer for more than five hundred years. It's not like everything he did was wrong."
"When he was young, he did many good deeds—adopting orphans, standing up for the people, overthrowing a tyrannical previous Overseer…"
"And when I think about it… many of my decisions may have been influenced by him without me realizing it."
"Founding St. Freya, rebelling against Schicksal Headquarters—these are all things Grandpa once did. In the end, they're still his ideas."
"But this can't continue. If I want to walk a different path, I have to step out of his shadow…"
Theresa sighed, her expression tinged with sadness—
Yet her dependence on Otto was unmistakable.
"The shadow he left in my heart… might be deeper than I thought."
"Sorry… I just realized these are immature complaints. Please forget what I said."
Seeing this, Fu Hua felt a pang of sympathy and gently comforted her.
"You really don't need to put so much pressure on yourself, Headmistress. You've already done very well. You should give yourself more room to breathe."
"Just like what happened with Bronya before—breaking free from the influence of one's family is never easy."
"Thank you, Fu Hua. Still, I am the Headmistress, and also the director of the Far East Branch. When the time comes, I'll make the necessary decisions for everyone."
And then—
Right as Theresa and Fu Hua were talking—
Without any warning, the tactical communication device emitted its distinctive alert tone.
Einstein's voice came through.
"Ms. Theresa, apologies for contacting you through an emergency channel. Schicksal is currently broadcasting a news video worldwide. I believe you need to see it immediately."
At those words, Theresa's heart skipped a beat.
She opened the live feed.
Otto's holographic image
appeared instantly on the screen.
And this—
Was the very broadcast Schicksal was pushing to the entire world.
On screen,
Otto wore a gentle smile, his Overseer's uniform spotless.
"To friends all across the world, greetings. I am Otto Apocalypse, Overseer of the Schicksal Organization."
In that instant,
Everyone sensed it.
Otto's big move… had arrived.
"As some of you may already know, disasters known as Honkai occur periodically on our Earth."
"Yes. For the sake of confidentiality, they were previously glossed over in the news as 'unidentified natural disasters.'"
At this moment,
Not only was the entire world stunned—
The Hyperion erupted into shock as well!
This… was a public disclosure of Honkai's existence?!
Otto had gone mad?!
Didn't he fear plunging the entire planet into panic?!
Yet Otto's voice continued steadily.
"According to Schicksal's understanding, Honkai is a disaster born alongside civilization, growing stronger with civilization—and capable of destroying civilization itself."
"However, there is no need to panic. Just this past August, Schicksal's Far East Branch cooperated with Anti-Entropy of the Lighthouse Nation to eliminate Honkai's latest apostle."
"Over the past two months, Honkai-related disasters worldwide have decreased significantly. Surely, all of you have felt this change in your daily lives."
"In my view, this may signify that humanity's struggle against Honkai has entered a new era—"
Otto paused.
His expression grew confident, stirring hearts.
"An era in which humanity shifts from defense to offense, and drives Honkai entirely out of our world—is about to arrive!"
"Honkai is losing momentum, while a new generation of human heroes continues to rise! In this time of change, the world needs the truth—and Schicksal needs fresh blood."
As Otto spoke,
Not only were Theresa and the others confused—
Even the chat group was completely lost.
Otto…
What was this supposed to be?!
What exactly was he planning?!
And then—
Before anyone could speculate further,
Otto's expression hardened.
"Therefore! I, Otto Apocalypse, hereby resign from the position of Overseer of Schicksal, effective immediately, and will withdraw entirely from the organization!"
"My successor, the Far East Branch's leader—Theresa Apocalypse—will assume the office of Overseer in the near future, taking full command of Schicksal!"
"I firmly believe that under her leadership, both the world and Schicksal will step into a brighter future!"
!!!
In an instant—
As Otto's words fell—
The Hyperion, and the viewers before their screens alike, were plunged into absolute silence.
What…?!
Did they hear that right?!
Otto… stepped down?!
Had the world gone insane—
Or had they?!
[Keqing: Huh???]
[Hu Tao: What is going on?!]
[March 7th: Is this… hallucination? Is that guy really Otto?!]
[Tesla: Has Otto lost his mind?!]
[Tesla: Did the Will of Honkai invade his brain or something?!]
[Bailu: Very possible!!]
[Theresa: Grandpa?! What is this supposed to mean?!]
[Fu Hua: Is this Otto's plan… starting with stepping down as Overseer?]
[Durandal: The Overseer has never hinted at such intentions before.]
[Sparkle: This is getting more and more interesting!]
[Himeko (Honkai): Otto's successor… Theresa Apocalypse?!]
[Himeko: So that means the Headmistress will become the Overseer now?!]
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