Within the pure white space.
Kallen covered her mouth slightly, her eyes trembling.
Everything had happened far too quickly.
She hadn't expected Otto to strike so mercilessly when facing another version of himself.
Even though… it was merely a soul-steel lifeform.
Even so… it bore the image of the Otto she knew best from her memories.
Outside the screen, the audience's emotions were still unsettled.
Even after understanding that the "kind Otto" lying on the ground was nothing more than a soul-steel body carrying copied memory data—
nothing more than a perfect bait Otto had prepared to lure the escaping Herrscher of Domination core,
nothing more than a chess piece destined to be sacrificed in Otto's grand scheme—
…after hours of interaction, after learning the essence of Otto five hundred years ago,
everyone still felt pain at the loss of a life that possessed self-awareness.
And they felt anger—deep anger—at Otto's ever-present conspiracies and cold calculations.
On screen, Otto seemed to sense their turmoil.
"That is precisely why that individual firmly believed himself to be Otto Apocalypse of the year 1491," he said calmly.
"He believed he had just led an uprising to overthrow Old Schicksal. He believed everything he did was for the Saint in his heart—"
"And for that very reason, he preserved intact the most lethal darkness buried deep within that heart."
At this point, a trace of chill appeared in Otto's eyes as his gaze swept over Theresa, Durandal, and the others.
"Do you require me to remind you of the real history?"
"A leader of a so-called New Schicksal, who rose to power through rebellion, spent five hundred long years betraying every comrade in order to mend an unspeakable wound in his heart—"
"—and in the end, lived on as the embodiment of evil in Anti-Entropy's eyes, with even his closest subordinates serving him only to maintain order."
"And the 'other him' you encountered was standing precisely at the starting point of that long and dark journey."
"He was like Macbeth after meeting the witches—driven by personal delusion, arrogantly deciding the fate of everyone else."
"And the result is exactly as you witnessed: the sole escaping Herrscher core, without any suspense, parasitized his body."
Otto stood with one hand behind his back, his posture lonely—
as though mocking himself.
His words made it clear that he fully understood how others judged him.
He understood even why people like Durandal still chose to serve Schicksal.
Durandal voiced what many were thinking:
"So you manufactured such a consciousness… and then personally extinguished it for your own ends?!"
Otto made no attempt to deny it. A faint sneer touched his lips.
"Yes. But is this the first time you've heard of me doing something like this?"
"For instance… I once saved someone's life five hundred years ago, yet five hundred years later I still pointed a gun at her. That is exactly the sort of thing Otto Apocalypse would do."
Outside the screen, Fu Hua's expression darkened slightly.
"For another example… in order to study Herrscher power, I once seized the Second Herrscher from Anti-Entropy. At that time, Mr. Welt was nearly prepared to eliminate her on behalf of humanity."
Aboard the Astral Express, Welt quietly adjusted his glasses—
though the subtle twitch at the corner of his eye betrayed his unrest.
"After that, I killed her, resurrected her, and tortured nearly everyone aboard the Hyperion to exploit her power. These, too, were things Otto Apocalypse did."
"Durandal, you understand the causes and consequences of these events better than most—yet now you grieve over a mechanical consciousness that existed for only a few hours?"
Otto spoke lightly, even with a hint of humor.
Yet his eyes were utterly calm.
He had always known the harm he caused.
He had always known what kind of villain he was.
And still—he did it.
Otto Apocalypse weighed all benefits and costs with absolute clarity, then chose the most advantageous path without hesitation or mercy.
That realization sent a chill down the spines of those watching.
[Hu Tao: Otto… is terrifying.]
[Ningguang: So he's always known how others see him.]
[Fu Hua: As he said himself—he is a rational villain.]
[March 7th: But… he knows all this… so why…]
[Kamisato Ayaka: Emotions seem to have very little influence on Otto.]
[Kiana: Even Theresa… Otto doesn't seem willing to change his plans for her.]
[Herta: Otto nearly achieves absolute rationality in decision-making.]
[Herta: And he's an extreme egoist.]
As Otto spoke, those present finally understood:
The Otto standing before them now—
was not the gentle consciousness they had just met.
This was the real Otto.
In an instant, their anger reignited, easily provoked by his words.
They glared at that elegant, handsome face—one that made people want to tear it apart.
Even Durandal fell silent.
Indeed…
she had personally witnessed Otto commit countless deeds that enraged both heaven and humanity—
yet she had never confronted him like this.
"Oh dear, are you angry because of what I just said?" Otto chuckled.
"Then I suppose I can apologize—"
"Because in my view, acting with caution out of fear of consequences is not something shameful."
"I know you're no longer a child, Bianka."
"Over these years, you have upheld your duty—choosing to tolerate this world's darkness, and the necessary evils I carried out."
"I must say, that is not shameful."
"In this matter, you've shown maturity and resilience far beyond your age. And for that, I will declare to the entire world—"
"—that you, Durandal, are the finest student I've had in five hundred years."
His voice echoed through the ruined church.
Durandal's expression turned indescribably complex.
"You…"
She opened her mouth, but no words came—
only a glare tinged with lingering resentment.
"Oh, come now, don't sulk, my dear children. And you too, Theresa—why stare at me like I'm some murderer?"
Otto spoke gently, almost coaxingly, as if addressing his own family.
Yet outside the screen, many clearly saw the loneliness in his eyes—
a quiet sorrow of being misunderstood.
Even his gentle tone carried a subtle melancholy.
"Your grandfather isn't a devil. No matter what, I don't kill people indiscriminately."
"In the past, due to unavoidable reasons, I did commit excessive acts against you and your subordinates."
"But my children… haven't you noticed that all those unpleasant matters are already in the past?"
"My resignation is genuine. My departure from Schicksal is genuine."
"You must understand—after crossing mountains and seas for five hundred years, I have finally found my ultimate destination—"
"—a treasure beyond price, worth offering everything I have."
Otto spoke as if murmuring to himself.
And yet, his face visibly lit up with a singular brilliance—
the glow of someone approaching the final purpose of his life.
Theresa struggled, her expression conflicted.
"What exactly have you found?!"
"A moment in time. A sacred soul that has not yet died."
"You know—many die too late, while others die far too early."
"She believed she had found her death, yet everyone knows it was never the right time."
"If I could choose my own death—
I would use it to prove to her what it truly means to die of one's own will, to die in the right place."
"Only then would she realize what radiant humanity her life could still release in that once-stagnant future."
A gentle smile appeared on Otto's face as he looked at the small girl—
his granddaughter, filled with anger and confusion.
"Come now. If we are to preserve our relationship in the future, then please accept this gift first, my dear Theresa."
With Otto's soft words, dazzling golden light erupted.
The Herrscher cores—like stars filling the sky—
gathered one by one, streaking like meteors,
until they fused into a single form in the blond man's hand.
With a casual flick of his sleeve, as if tossing candy to a child,
he dropped the precious gem into Theresa's palm.
"There. Try making use of its power, Theresa.
It may become a rather perfect weapon."
Otto looked at her gently.
Theresa froze, visibly shaken.
But recalling what Otto had just done,
she turned her gaze aside in irritation.
"Thank you for the suggestion. Anti-Entropy's scientists will study it."
Outside the screen, silence fell.
The more people learned about Otto, the less they felt they understood him.
He seemed perpetually shrouded in layers of mist.
Elegant, noble, gentle on the surface—
yet capable of ruthless cruelty.
Call him an absolute villain,
and one could still see undeniable flashes of brilliance:
He led an uprising to overthrow Old Schicksal's tyranny.
He commanded New Schicksal for over five hundred years in humanity's war against the Honkai.
He protected human civilization.
In his early years, he even ran orphanages and took in children.
And yet—his obsession ran too deep.
Five hundred years of relentless pursuit hardened him, numbed him, twisted him.
For Kallen's resurrection, he abandoned all restraint, committing countless unforgivable sins.
And still—
moments ago, everyone had felt sincerity in his apology.
He neither denied his evil nor fled from his crimes.
But there was no denying it—
Otto Apocalypse was a man whose hands were soaked in sin.
Otto… was an incomparably complex existence.
[Ningguang: Humanity… truly is the most complex thing of all.]
[March 7th: But… no matter how well he speaks, his crimes can't be erased.]
[Himeko (Star Rail): At least, he doesn't deny what he's done.]
[Kafka: And he just handed over the Herrscher core like that…]
[Silver Wolf: Hard to believe.]
[Venti: You can tell—Theresa is shaken too…]
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