Deep within the Imaginary Space.
At this moment, it was as quiet as midnight.
The girl gazed up at the starless firmament, silently digesting everything she had just experienced.
She knew that a truly decisive battle was still waiting for her to rejoin the battlefield—
But just as she was using Genius to reposition the Sumeru Mustard Seed,
An external communication cut in at precisely the wrong—or perhaps right—moment.
It was using a communication channel that the girl knew all too well, one she had not heard from in a long time.
It brought her memories back to five years ago, back to the days when they had walked side by side.
"This is Durandal. Please speak."
"Lady Durandal!"
"Rita, is that you?!"
"Of course, Lady Durandal! Are you all right? Did you encounter any danger?"
"Ah, I'm fine. Sorry for making you worry."
"Haaah… no, as long as you're safe, that's all that matters."
Rita let out a huge sigh of relief.
The tremor in her voice quickly settled down.
And this—
This was the first time all the viewers had ever seen Rita lose her composure like this!
It could even be described as panic…
And the reason…
There was naturally only one!
—Concern leads to chaos!
[Rita: As long as Lady Durandal is safe…]
[March 7th: Huh?? Rita's voice sounds off!]
[Hu Tao: Exactly! First time I've seen the always-calm Rita this flustered!]
[Paimon: Rita's heart is in turmoil!!]
[Lumine: Paimon! Don't blurt out the truth like that!]
[Silver Wolf: Hm… this feeling seems kind of familiar?]
[Durandal: cough cough cough…]
[Otto: Rita really does care a great deal about this child, Bianka, doesn't she?]
[Tesla: And you still dare show up in the chat?! You pig-headed Otto!!]
[Otto: ?]
On screen,
Rita quickly regained her usual gentleness—the ultimate gentleness of a maid.
"Then—shall Rita report on the current situation in real space, Lady Durandal?"
"Mm, I'll have to trouble you."
The dull goose—Durandal—did not notice Rita's abnormality.
Still immersed in the immense amount of information she had just gained, she nodded subconsciously.
After that,
Rita explained to Durandal what was currently happening in real space.
"The Authority of Binding? This…"
Durandal was clearly shocked!
"It seems I really do need to hurry back."
"That may be so, but choosing the correct timing is just as important."
Another nostalgic voice sounded from Genius. She was the true owner of this communication channel.
Two years ago, she had once fought side by side with the two Valkyries, through life and death.
"Dr. Schrödinger?!"
"Hi, long time no see, Bianka."
Schrödinger's voice carried a hint of teasing.
"Actually, I wanted to find a way to contact you earlier—but Rita insisted on keeping it from you for the time being."
"Mm… she was probably worried that Otto the Archbishop would see through me too easily."
"Heh, very good. The trust between you really is enviable."
"All right, back to business—precisely because Otto is currently wielding the dangerous Authority of Binding, you must be especially careful about timing when you return."
"Because you're worried I'll be intercepted by that authority on the way back?"
"That's part of it."
Rita nodded at the side.
"And the other reason—according to the intelligence I gathered using the Sumeru Mustard Seed, Lady Theresa will likely use a special method to directly confront the Authority of Binding."
"That is, the Divine Key Oath of Judah, Zero Rated Output."
Immediately,
Durandal guessed Theresa's intention.
"—She plans to let the authorities of the Herrschers cancel each other out?"
"Very likely. Which means that while you're returning, Lady Durandal, you may be affected by both of them at once, making the situation even more dangerous!"
"But… I can't just stay here."
Durandal frowned.
Even after understanding the danger of returning at this moment, she still spoke in a low, firm voice.
"I was fortunate. Though I was once trapped in this Imaginary Space, because of that—I gained new power, and also learned… no, never mind."
"In short, I believe I have a responsibility to continue the inquiry I previously raised against the Archbishop."
"After all, this is a responsibility of being a member of Schicksal; and after all, this time, he may truly be trying to negate the entire world."
At once,
Faced with Durandal's persistence—
Faced with the persistence of this S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal who sought to stop Otto and protect the world, the person Rita valued most—
Rita fell silent for a brief moment.
"I understand, Lady Durandal. What you've said is indeed important…"
"But Rita also hopes you will trust Dr. Schrödinger's judgment!"
"After all, even if we look at this purely from the perspective of opposing the Archbishop… her stance is far more resolute than ours, isn't it?"
Durandal listened quietly, then finally sighed.
"You're right. I was too impatient just now."
"It's all right. Rita understands this feeling. And precisely because of that—"
As she spoke, Rita looked straight into Durandal's eyes.
"There is something… something only Lady Durandal can do, that we wish to entrust to you."
After that,
The screen slowly faded to black.
When it lit up again—
It had already returned to the moment when Theresa charged into the God's Grace Barrier!!
[—What happened? Did it work?]
[The Imaginary Seed has shattered. The gears in the sky are gradually disappearing. The Authority of Binding no longer exists.]
[—That's great…]
Theresa's vision began to blur, and the sound of the wind in her ears gradually faded.
She wanted to speak, but her lips—no, her entire body—had already lost all sensation.
She could no longer feel the wind. Only the gears drifting farther and farther away, and the strands of hair sweeping across her vision, reminded her of that fact.
[—Kiana… Bronya…]
[—Everyone… as long as you're safe…]
Still the familiar voice—Theresa's inner thoughts!
And in the howling wind!
Under the gray sky!
Theresa's petite body began to fall helplessly!
But at that very moment!!
[A sacred white light shot down from the heavens. It carried no sense of threat—on the contrary… it brought reassurance.]
[In Theresa's memories, she had only ever seen such holy light on one person.]
The next instant!
All the viewers suddenly understood!!
In that moment!
What the turning point was!!
That radiance—so similar to the light that once belonged to Cecilia!
It was the very symbol of Durandal's inheritance!!
"Cecilia…"
And then, in the very next second,
Theresa had already fallen into Cecilia's warm embrace.
Or rather—a soft embrace.
Durandal's voice came through.
"Sorry, I was delayed a bit earlier, Senior Theresa."
Durandal's face looked especially holy under the illumination of the sacred light.
Gentle radiance, like that of an angel.
[The knight returned from Imaginary Space, slowly descending from the sky.]
[Black Abyss White Flower responded to her call, letting warm white light spread upward from the ground, enveloping Theresa's exhausted body.]
In an instant!
The chat erupted into cheers!!
[Hu Tao: I knew it!!]
[Kiana: That's great!! That's great!!]
[Raiden Mei: Principal is safe!!]
[Rita: Lady Durandal… she made it back safely!]
[Ningguang: Cecilia's holy light—of course. The turning point was always Durandal.]
[Bailu: So great, so great! To celebrate, this young lady is going to eat a huge meal!]
[March 7th: Theresa is safe! And Durandal made it back!]
[Tesla: Then next up!!]
[Furina: Otto!]
"I am the black from the abyss, I am the white from the clouds;
Born before creation, existing after annihilation;
I shall freely grant the water of the Fountain of Life to those who thirst."
"Divine Key · Black Abyss White Flower, Zero Rated Output—Release!"
Healing light illuminated the entire night sky, singing an apocalyptic hymn for the wounded.
The knight who descended from the heavens gently set down the girls' principal, letting her rest quietly beside the Herrscher of Reason.
Everything felt unreal, making Seele at the side stare in a daze.
Durandal then looked toward Seele.
"You are Miss Seele, correct?"
"Ah! Yes—are you Valkyrie Durandal?"
"Mm. It seems Black Abyss White Flower likes its new owner quite a bit."
"No, I only wanted to save Sister Bronya—"
Before she could finish speaking,
Durandal had already split the Black Abyss White Flower into two.
"It's all right. White Flower is a special weapon meant to save lives. I also hope that on this occasion, it can take care of more people."
"For example, may I entrust you with looking after Senior Theresa? The nature of her injuries is special—it will take quite some time for her to fully recover."
"Mm… of course, leave it to me!"
Seele nodded firmly.
"She's everyone's principal, after all."
"Thank you."
Durandal watched Seele's busy yet resolute figure. She remembered someone once saying that the gentlest children grow into the strongest people.
White Flower continued to emit warm light, while Black Abyss was now held firmly in her hand.
(In the upcoming battle, I only need the part that brings withering.)
(This crisis was caused by Schicksal's former Archbishop—naturally, it should also be stopped by Schicksal's Valkyries.)
Just as Durandal made her decision,
Preparing to resolve her conflict with Otto alone—
Her actions were noticed by Kiana at the side!
"Wait, Durandal! You come back without a word, and now you're planning to go fight Otto alone without a word again?"
"…"
"Let me be clear—I've got a whole lot of accounts to settle with that guy."
"I know."
"Then you should also know what answer I'm expecting."
"…"
Durandal hesitated.
It wasn't that she bore any prejudice against Kiana Kaslana.
It wasn't that she believed herself strong enough to handle everything alone.
It wasn't that she doubted whether this Herrscher, who had endured so much, could still take care of herself when facing Otto again.
She gradually realized that what she truly needed—
Was to trust the other's growth, through concrete action.
"…All right. Let us fight side by side, Kiana Kaslana!"
"That's more like it! If you're worried about holding the rear, we've got Seele—and we can also have more people come from the Hyperion!"
"Indeed. Although it was my first meeting with Seele just now, she seems quite capable. It should be enough for her to look after everyone after they've given their all."
"Yeah, Seele is really strong."
At that moment,
Dark Seele spoke from the side.
"Hmph, obviously. But speaking of which, Durandal—you suddenly reappeared at just the right timing, didn't you? And… you even changed clothes?"
"Haha, that does need a proper explanation."
Durandal briefly explained to the two of them how she had contacted Rita in Imaginary Space, omitting the parts related to the Kaslana family.
"Alright, seems like there are plenty of hidden matters within Schicksal too. But those aren't that important right now—because at this very moment, that Otto is our common enemy."
"My relationship with him is a bit more complicated than just 'enemy'… but as things stand, we must defeat him."
"Do all you S-rank Valkyries talk in circles like this? I already said those details don't matter—can't you be a bit more straightforward?"
"Seele, Durandal has her own position. Let's not make things too hard for her."
Seeing Dark Seele's tone turning sharp, Kiana spoke up to smooth things over.
"Fine, fine."
"According to what was said earlier, he plans to reverse everything outside this small town back five hundred years before sunrise tomorrow."
"The church before us has already been breached, yet he shows no intention of appearing."
"—I think he is currently somewhere in Imaginary Space."
Durandal said thoughtfully.
"He seems to have made contact with the Imaginary Tree in some way. If he wants to operate on the world itself, he must place himself outside the world—going to spaces closer to the Imaginary Tree than reality."
"When Otto left, he said he would take over the authority of the gods one by one."
"He always speaks like that. That should refer to different Herrscher authorities. Following that logic… since the Authority of the Void still belongs to you, the only spatial movement method he can use should be the Divine Key that shares the same origin as your power—Thousand Realms in One Ride."
As Durandal laid out her deductions,
Kiana—and all the viewers watching—suddenly understood!
Kiana immediately reacted.
"So that means as long as we can find the traces he left when departing reality, we can follow the trail and use the Herrscher of the Void's power to pursue him?"
"That should be correct. And with you by my side, I shouldn't need to worry about getting lost in Imaginary Space again."
At once!
As Kiana and Durandal discussed and reached their conclusion!
The hearts of all the viewers grew tense as well.
It seemed that…
All the grudges and entanglements with Otto.
🌟 The story is already written… waiting to be unleashed.Part One is officially complete — and it's now available
Go check it out and dive into the full experience.
Claim early access here: [email protected]/plotwired
🔓 You hold the keys to bonus chapters:💬 10 reviews unlock 1 bonus chapter🔷 100 Power Stones summon another
🔥 Your power determines how fast the tale unfolds.