Staring at the Imaginary Tree before him,
Otto's pupils trembled ever so slightly.
At this moment—
It felt as though all thoughts,
all distractions,
had left his mind entirely.
This was the end point he had pursued for five hundred years.
The destination he had searched for, for five hundred years.
To reach this place,
he had deceived the world.
Deceived friend and foe alike.
Deceived Schicksal, deceived Anti-Entropy, deceived the Hyperion.
Deceived the Will of Honkai, and even deceived the Imaginary Tree itself.
All for this—
The one and only method that could fulfill his wish.
The only way to pull Kallen out of the river of time.
At that unforgettable moment in history—
To create a worldline where Kallen did not die.
To create a world where Kallen, and her will, could continue to exist.
And the price required?
Merely that his own existence be erased.
To Otto—
Was that really so heavy?
A cardinal steeped in unforgivable sins
perhaps should have met such a dark ending long ago.
And if the Saint's will could be passed on—
Then in Otto's eyes,
this bargain could not be fairer.
Lost in these thoughts,
Otto breathed weakly.
Step by step,
he moved steadily toward the Imaginary Tree.
This should have been exhilarating—
Yet all Otto felt
was an overwhelming, unexpected lightness.
Slowly, he extended his hand.
It was time for everything to end.
[Ningguang: Finally… is it ending?!]
[Keqing: He really reached the Imaginary Tree!!]
[Furina: QAQ I'm tearing up again…]
[March 7th: No matter how many times he falls… Otto always stands back up because of that belief…]
[Hu Tao: Everything… is finally coming to a close!]
[Sushang: Otto… really succeeded in the end!]
And just as everyone in the chat group let out a sigh of relief—
As Otto softly exhaled—
In the very instant his hand was about to touch the trunk—
Without any warning whatsoever!
A brilliant spray of blood exploded from his chest!!
His emerald-green eyes contracted violently!
At the same moment—
In another space—
The nun shielding civilians,
the warrior of the Kaslana family,
Saint Kallen—
In the piercing scream of a child—
Was impaled through the body by the Honkai Beast's barbed spike!!!
As if in slow motion—
The entire world fell silent.
In that instant!!
These two scenes played out in perfect synchronization,
reflected before the eyes of every viewer.
Time slowed to a crawl.
So did everyone's thoughts.
What… just happened?!
On screen—
The man slowly lowered his head,
staring blankly at the dark-green tendril that had pierced his chest.
His face was filled with stunned realization.
The next instant—
The fallen monster unleashed countless tendrils once more!
Otto's body was pierced again and again—
shoulders,
chest,
arms—
Under the relentless thrust of stone-hard spikes!
Blood flooded Otto's vision,
blurring everything before him.
Black corruption crept up the side of his face.
Behind strands of golden hair,
his expression could no longer be seen.
He reached forward weakly.
His fingers trembled—
But he could no longer summon any strength.
Like a bird with broken wings,
he lost everything holding him aloft
and fell toward the abyss.
A faint sound was forced from Otto's throat—
Barely audible.
At that moment—
The chat fell into total silence.
For a long, long time.
Everyone's heartbeat seemed to skip.
[Hu Tao: Wh–what is this…?!]
[Keqing: !!!]
[Xiangling: !!!]
[Charlotte: Ah!!!]
[Jean: What just happened?!]
[March 7th: Otto and Kallen both—what's going on?!]
[Yanqing: It's that Honkai Beast!!]
[Yanqing: That Honkai Beast… it wasn't completely dead?!]
[Tesla: Damn it…]
[Silver Wolf: …I knew it.]
[March 7th: His head was completely destroyed!! How is it still alive?!]
[Einstein: This… strictly speaking, it isn't just a Honkai Beast.]
[Einstein: It's a projection cast by the Imaginary Tree, using the beast as a template.]
[Einstein: Calling it an "Imaginary puppet" might be more accurate.]
[Kiana: Then… what do we do now?!]
[Himeko (Honkai): Damn it… he was this close!!]
[Furina: QAQ No way… don't tell me it fails here?!]
[Hu Tao: It was just one step away!!!]
[Rita: Archbishop… with injuries like that…]
[Yanqing: It's probably impossible for him to keep fighting…]
[Tesla: Damn it… Otto always leaves himself a backup! Don't you dare give up now!!]
[Tesla: If you lose to a Honkai Beast here, I'll never forgive you!!]
[Durandal: For Kallen… for the Saint… please keep fighting, Archbishop.]
[March 7th: Otto… don't give up!!]
[Kafka: Just one step remains.]
[Fu Hua: My old friend… walk this final step.]
[Rita: Archbishop…]
[Sushang: Go!! Finish this last step!! Kallen is still waiting for you!!]
As always—thank you to all readers. Much love.
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