"Look at you, Void Archives. You've completely lost."
Otto lounged lazily upon a silver throne, a wineglass in his right hand. Red liquid refracted light within the crystal.
"Right now, you can't even reclaim your authority from me. You can't even gather enough strength to manifest a human form and speak to me face to face."
"Hmph, Otto Apocalypse, that proves nothing. I weakened myself by leaving of my own accord, and you merely took advantage of the opportunity."
Golden chains coiled around Otto's wrist. Void Archives' voice rang out, faintly strained and tinged with anger—just as he liked.
"It's only because you used that so-called organization of heroes to gain a sliver of control while I was weakened—damn them! How dare they?!"
Her voice edged toward hysteria, repeating itself as if convincing her own mind.
"But it's only a trivial amount of control. Yes. Trivial!"
Ah. You're flustered.
"Don't deceive yourself, my old friend," Otto smiled faintly. "What truly angers you isn't that I unexpectedly obtained your algorithm from World Serpent."
"It's that you failed in the dark."
He leaned back, swirling his wine.
"You guided Siegfried into activating Shamash, hoping to stop me from securing Theresa and Siegfried through Cecilia. That was your little move behind my back, wasn't it?"
"And if you hadn't exhausted your control over that authority while manipulating him, how could I have succeeded in ambushing you?"
He tilted the glass, eyes brimming with confidence.
"I knew you would act. In fact, I arranged things so you could act smoothly."
"Theresa calling Cecilia a 'fake'—that was because I deliberately allowed her to learn of the clone retrieval."
"Siegfried appearing near the Schicksal base, conveniently discovered and used by you? A casual move of mine."
"And at the final curtain, the extreme emotions of both actors on stage were nudged by Fenghuang Down toward the worst possible choices."
"—Only nudged, not altered. Cecilia can detect traces of memory tampering."
"—But nudging or altering, the outcome is nearly the same, isn't it?"
"Everything you did, I anticipated—and then utilized."
He toyed with the golden chain.
"I never forgot you, my old friend. I've been setting traps for you all along."
"…Why?"
Void Archives' voice emerged after a long silence, confused.
From a purely rational standpoint, wouldn't anyone choose the clone to win over those two?
Two S-rank Valkyries.
Top-tier combat power within Schicksal.
Even the original Otto had feared Siegfried's strength.
Why would this Otto deliberately sever Siegfried and Theresa from Schicksal instead of reclaiming them?
Was he truly so foolish—so driven by desire—that he would endanger himself?
For a moment, Void Archives even wondered if she had chosen the wrong strategic direction.
Should she have tried seduction instead? It was only a Divine Key—she could treat it as if bitten by a dog.
"Miss Void Archives," Otto said lightly, "do you know the Paradox of Buridan's Donkey?"
She immediately retrieved the data.
A perfectly rational donkey placed equidistant between two identical piles of hay starves to death, unable to decide.
"What does that have to do with us?"
"My focus is on rationality, not starvation."
"Cecilia's complete submission alone is one pile of hay. Cecilia plus Theresa plus Siegfried is the other. From absolute rational judgment, you assumed I would choose the larger pile."
"Wouldn't you?" she scoffed. "Unless this woman tempts you that deeply. Are you really so ruled by lust?"
Otto's smile twitched.
"The question is—can I truly eat that larger pile?"
He narrowed his eyes.
"You wouldn't interfere? You already did. And would Siegfried and Theresa truly pledge loyalty after I returned Cecilia?"
"I've dealt with the Kaslanas for five hundred years. Do you think I don't know how troublesome they are?"
"And if Cecilia were entangled with them again, would she still obey me? During the Second Honkai, she protected the man I sought to kill. That was betrayal."
"One bird in the hand is worth two in the forest."
He raised his glass.
"Rather than break through endless obstacles for two unstable assets, it's better to refine my Saint's purity."
Void Archives fell silent.
Otto continued.
"You believed I was still afraid of suspicion—that I would build defenses by gathering everyone around me, even returning Cecilia."
"But once I extracted Cecilia Schariac, suspicion plummeted."
He paused internally.
"You overlooked Bianka Durandal Atalanta. You overlooked Rita. They stand together. Little Goose won't turn on her mother."
"With their acknowledgment, Amber's faith, and our shared experiences in London, my position is unshakable."
"The defense I build isn't one against suspicion—it's one built on eternal loyalty to me."
"I plan ten years ahead. You thought I lived only in the present."
His smile turned cold.
"You still think I'm the Otto who just arrived."
He took a sip of wine.
"Purifying Cecilia wasn't the root of my design."
"The real purpose was to keep you occupied."
"Buridan's Donkey appears paradoxical, but a rational donkey would choose immediately—because time is also a resource."
"I guided your schemes astray to consume your time."
"I control your field of vision—trading events for time."
"Oh, my dear friend—how delightful it is to set my opponent on rails of my choosing."
He drained the wine.
"Watching you perform on my stage, believing you plot against me—while I merely adjust the strings from beyond the curtain…"
"…You think you've trapped me?" Void Archives hissed after a long pause.
"I can lose a thousand times. I only need one victory. If I obtain a body—any body—I can overturn everything!"
"Of course," Otto replied calmly.
"You are a Divine Key. You believe you have infinite time."
He revealed a black-red containment box.
"But I have bait."
Inside lay the Core of the Herrscher of Reason.
"…What do I need that for?"
"Don't play dumb."
"Reproduction and comprehension are the Herrscher of Reason's greatest abilities. Analysis, simulation. Isn't that your domain too?"
"You can analyze this core. Simulate its connection to the Imaginary Tree. Increase your output and storage."
"This is your only perfect path of evolution."
His voice lowered like a whispering devil.
"It is the most compatible core for you. Study it. Imitate it. Even devour it. You could become a new conceptual Herrscher of Reason."
"And a Herrscher of Reason can construct its own body."
Silence.
Then Void Archives spoke coldly.
"Aren't you afraid I'll ally with Welt and divide your Schicksal?"
"First, I believe your rationality will choose me," Otto replied confidently.
"Your core directive is to eliminate the Honkai."
(He did not fully believe that—but persuasion required flattery.)
"I've acquired immense power and weapons in days."
"I manipulate World Serpent, Anti-Entropy, St. Freya, and you."
"I can unify humanity's factions."
"Welt's only advantage is combat power."
"But would you judge a leader solely by personal strength?"
"Especially when Herrschers can be suppressed so easily? Isn't the Abyssal Scepter proof?"
"So tell me—"
"A potentially stripped Herrscher with limited leadership…"
"Or a leader who, in half a month, secured one Herrscher core and three Divine Keys?"
"Which would you choose?"
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