In an instant—
the entire audience was shaken!
[March 7th: What on earth is Otto talking about?!]
[Ningguang: "I will erase these five hundred years of history from the branches of time, returning the world itself to a state where Kallen Kaslana is still alive."]
[Ningguang: Otto's true objective… is probably very different from what we imagined!]
[Silver Wolf: This isn't reversing time—this is… loading a save file?!]
[Kafka: Exactly. It's forcing the Imaginary Tree to read a world-state from over five hundred years ago.]
[Himeko (Honkai): Going back five hundred years… then what happens to everyone in the world now?!]
[Tesla: Has this guy completely lost his mind?!]
[Tesla: How could this possibly be done?! Even if Otto stole the Authority of Domination, this is pure insanity!]
[Einstein: To achieve something like this… the price would be unimaginable.]
[March 7th: He makes it sound like he's doing everyone a favor!]
[Sparkle: He said he'd protect everyone in Kolosten—but what about the world outside the city?]
On-screen, the people aboard the Hyperion froze for a moment.
Silence filled the command bridge for several seconds—
until the ever-blunt Tesla spoke up first.
"Hey! Has Schicksal's Overseer finally gone insane? What kind of smoke-and-mirrors nonsense are you spewing now?"
"Reversing time? Forget the technical feasibility—do you think we don't know how much energy that would require even in theory?!"
At Tesla's words, the others nodded in agreement.
Otto's plan—and the means to execute it—sounded like sheer fantasy.
But…
these words were coming from Otto Apocalypse.
Someone like him would never spout meaningless delusions.
"What if I told you," Otto said calmly,
"that I've already reached an agreement with an entity known as the Will of Honkai?"
In an instant—
the room erupted again.
"And what if I told you that the price I paid was the flow of time upon the Imaginary Tree—perhaps even the present itself?"
"Besides, whether you believe me or not hardly matters. You only need to wait peacefully aboard the Hyperion for another twelve hours."
"After that, the truth will reveal itself."
"That sounds an awful lot like you're giving us twelve hours to challenge you," Einstein said coolly.
"Oh? As expected of Dr. Einstein—remarkably composed. Yes, you're quite right."
"If you do not agree with my methods, then you're welcome to come to that same church and defeat me in person."
"Of course, in that case, my loyal subordinates will naturally attempt to stop you within the city."
"—From a personal standpoint, I'd prefer it if you didn't turn your blades against one another."
Otto rested his chin on his hand, speaking unhurriedly.
Einstein frowned slightly.
"So on one hand, you provoke us. On the other, you hope we'll remain idle. Why?"
"Heh… it seems you're eager to find a flaw in my words."
Otto shook his head with a faint smile.
"You only need to know this: if I succeed, the world will grant humanity an additional five hundred years to fight the Honkai."
"And the cost is merely this—
that during those five hundred years, every mortal except those present today will return to an unborn state."
"As for this very transmission, you should view it as an opportunity I'm granting you—
a fair chance to contend over values themselves."
In an instant, Otto's words sent shockwaves through everyone present—
and through all the viewers beyond the screen.
The price of success he had just named—
To return everyone else to a pre-birth state?!
That meant forcibly restoring the entire world to how it was five hundred years ago!
Wasn't that equivalent to erasing all of humanity outside Kolosten?!
How was that any different from destroying the world?!
Theresa's pupils trembled.
She clenched her teeth and glared at her grandfather.
"We'll do exactly as you wish—and defeat you properly!"
"Excellent. Very good, my dear granddaughter. Your reaction is even better than I expected."
"So, just like last year—once you're serious, be a woman of action, Theresa."
"I'll be waiting for you at Saint 537 Church."
With that, Otto took one last, lingering look at Theresa and ended the call.
The former Overseer of Schicksal once again did what he always did—
after stating his intentions, he unilaterally cut off communication.
Erasing time and history.
A pact with the Will of Honkai.
The final twelve hours…
Every key point he mentioned lay far beyond common understanding.
Unable to determine whether Otto was telling the truth, Theresa turned to the two Anti-Entropy doctors.
"I need to confirm something, Dr. Einstein, Dr. Tesla."
"Go ahead."
"The Will of Honkai—do we really know nothing about an existence by that name?"
"…Regrettably," Einstein replied, "from a technical standpoint, that is indeed the case."
Tesla added,
"Although the Herrscher of Reason's core severed Welt's connection with the Will of Honkai—allowing him to fight for humanity from the very beginning—"
"the flip side is that Anti-Entropy lost any opportunity to study the Will of Honkai by any means."
"…So under the current circumstances," Theresa said quietly,
"we may have no choice but to treat Otto's words as something we cannot dismiss outright."
"I hate to admit it, but that's probably true," Tesla spat.
"Damn it! We know he's leading us by the nose—he's doing it on purpose!"
"On the battlefield," Fu Hua said calmly,
"such situations are sometimes unavoidable. No commander can control every variable at all times."
"A forced decisive battle… may simply be inevitable."
"Let's move out," Theresa said firmly.
"We'll gather everyone as we go—and discuss tactics on the way."
Her expression was resolute.
At this moment, Theresa had already made up her mind to stop Otto.
Not only because his plan was utterly insane—
but because it ran directly counter to her beliefs, and to the very ideals upon which Schicksal was founded.
This was the destruction of history itself.
[Keqing: "Returning everyone except those present today to an unborn state"… that sentence…]
[Furina: Th-this is basically destroying the world, isn't it?!]
[Kiana: Absolutely not!!]
[Himeko (Honkai): Has Otto truly lost his sanity…]
[Tesla: That madman…!]
[Theresa: We must stop Grandpa!]
[March 7th: He actually made a deal with the Will of Honkai?!]
[Raiden Mei: But… why would the Honkai even agree to that?]
On-screen, as the Hyperion entered its highest alert state,
the once-quiet internal corridors were now filled with tense, chaotic noise.
And among the loudest voices—unsurprisingly—was Dr. Tesla.
"Listen to me! That twelve-hour deadline is obviously just a delaying tactic!"
"We should concentrate all our firepower, fully prep the Hyperion, then punch straight through along the shortest route and storm that damn church!"
"This isn't a game of tabletop war, Dr. Tesla," Einstein countered calmly.
"Your plan might blow up Schicksal personnel still inside the city."
"Besides, we still know almost nothing about Otto's true hand. Rushing into a decisive battle could expose us to risks we can't anticipate."
"Hah?! All he's got is a stolen Authority of Domination! We beat the real Herrscher—why fear a knockoff?!"
"Don't forget, Dr. Tesla…"
Einstein met her gaze steadily.
"That man's name is Otto Apocalypse."
Those words alone were enough to quiet Tesla.
"The losses we've suffered at his hands," Einstein continued,
"are probably more numerous than the coffee beans needed for a cup of espresso."
She turned to Theresa.
"What do you think? Don't mind that chicken-head—you're the one commanding this operation."
"I actually agree more with Dr. Einstein," Theresa said after a pause.
"At present, we've only detected the movements of those Soulium puppet bodies—but they're just decoys."
"We know nothing about the movements of the S-rank Valkyries, nor the exact terms of Otto's pact with the Will of Honkai."
She spoke thoughtfully, formulating the plan.
"Therefore, our operation must be divided into two phases."
"In the first phase, we'll split our forces—fighting while scouting, gathering as much intel as possible before the decisive battle."
"In the second phase, once we regroup, we'll confront him head-on with a more stable, methodical approach."
With Theresa's firm declaration,
the overall strategy for the assault on Otto was finally set.
Outside the screen, everyone held their breath.
At last—
was the final battle truly about to begin?!
Otto Apocalypse—
having relinquished the authority of Schicksal's Overseer—
was finally standing as the ultimate antagonist against everyone else.
Even though he had led Schicksal for five centuries in humanity's fight against the Honkai.
Even though he had saved many, and made immeasurable scientific contributions.
The countless atrocities he committed
were etched deeply into everyone's hearts, one by one.
And now—
For the sake of a plan so mad it would destroy history itself,
and trample the will of all humanity—
Otto had placed himself squarely against Anti-Entropy and St. Freya alike.
Was this…
the moment of the final confrontation?
After receiving Theresa's orders,
the Hyperion's frontline combatants assembled at the designated location within five minutes.
Kiana, Bronya, Fu Hua, Seele, Rosalia, and Liliya—
beneath an ominous sky, each wore a grave expression.
They waited for their commander's signal.
"Everyone, time is short, so I'll be brief."
Though small in stature, Theresa radiated unquestionable authority.
With her arms folded, she bore an air strikingly similar to Otto's.
Unknowingly, she had grown through years of his guidance and influence—
now carrying herself with the bearing of a true Overseer.
And yet, inevitably, Otto's shadow still lingered.
"First: according to Otto's own statement, he has entered a pact with the so-called Will of Honkai, granting him the ability to forcibly trigger a reversal of time."
"He intends to use this to push the entire world outside this town back over five hundred years—so that Saint Kallen may gain a second life."
"Second: not long ago, Anti-Entropy's scientists confirmed that Otto has, by some means, stolen the Authority of the Herrscher of Domination."
"The puppet replicas surrounding the Hyperion are all being controlled through that authority."
"For these reasons, I'm dividing our frontline forces into three units."
"Unit One: Bronya, Seele, Rosalia, and Liliya. You'll advance along the main road in the riverside district toward the church."
"Unit Two: Kiana and Fu Hua. You'll depart shortly and take the mountain route, seizing control of the upstream bridge."
"You'll act as a surprise force—approaching Saint 537 Church unexpectedly to probe Otto's true situation."
"Unit Three: myself, the two Anti-Entropy doctors, and Hyperion support personnel."
"We'll install and upgrade the Spartacus System, doing everything we can to disrupt the Herrscher of Domination's special communication channels—and provide support."
"…Operation begins!"
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