Otto said: "To make a request, one must pay a price. What will you offer in exchange for my promise?"
"..."
He sensed Kevin's pause.
Excellent!
This proved that, up to now, the conversation remained under his control. But next, he had to be very careful—extremely careful—
Kevin spoke: "I don't need your promise. Obey or be destroyed—those are your only two choices."
Otto said: "No, no no—this is not a good decision. You see, no matter how powerful you are, this world is still sustained by my Schicksal."
"Imagine the worst case: Schicksal would exhaust all resources and strength, fighting World Serpent to the last moment. Yes, Schicksal would lose—but you would certainly lose time."
"You would lose the most precious time. That way, you couldn't complete the Stigmata Project before doomsday arrives. You wouldn't want that outcome, would you? I think it's time we talked properly."
"After all, I don't wish to go to war with World Serpent either."
Kevin asked directly: "What are your demands?"
—Here it comes!
The conversation was heading exactly as he had anticipated.
He spoke: "I too have my own plan—one that must be completed before Finality arrives. But the Honkai is intensifying, at a speed far beyond human imagination. As civilization evolves, its nemesis evolves as well."
"The irregular Honkai outbreaks spreading worldwide are precisely the precursors to the next imaginary invasion—the Fifth Herrscher is about to descend."
"Indeed." His words received Kevin's confirmation.
Otto continued: "You have your mission; I have my long-cherished wish. But if the Herrscher of Finality descends, all this will cease to exist."
"Time flows—for you, and for me as well. Rather than deadlock in meaningless conflict, I believe... cooperation is a better choice."
The moment had arrived.
Otto had waited for this. He had seventy percent confidence... No—he must succeed.
—Otto played his winning piece.
"I need one thing—something in your possession, but of no value to you anymore. With it, my 500-year wish will be fulfilled."
"In exchange... at that time, the person Otto Apocalypse will completely disappear—from you, from World Serpent."
Before Kevin could speak,
viewers nationwide watching Honkai Impact 3rd shouted in unison.
"Agree! Whatever the demand—as long as dog Otto disappears, agree!"
"You have to agree! Even if it means giving him the Herrscher of the Void—as long as this dog vanishes, we're okay with it."
"Holy crap—what a deal? Agree right now—dog, hurry and disappear!"
"This is the best news I've heard all week—dog Otto actually disappearing himself, hahahaha!"
"Exchange! Must exchange—dog Otto can't back out now!"
"Yes yes yes yes—what great terms. Kevin can't possibly refuse."
"Have to admit, dog Otto negotiates well—no one could refuse this."
"..."
Even the actors watching in the company clenched their fists, whispering: "Agree! Agree!"
As for why not loudly...
Simple—they feared Hessian retaliating like with Kiana.
On TV, Kevin asked: "What do you need?"
Otto said: "The Second Divine Key—the Key of Eternal Calamity, Cosmic Juggernaut. I know its beacon remains in your hands. The Divine Key Schicksal obtained is incomplete—its most important part, 1500 years ago, was sealed with you in the Sea of Quanta by that pioneer."
"Only guided by the beacon can its zero-rated power fully activate."
Kevin understood his intent: "You want to reach the Imaginary Tree."
Otto didn't deny it—or rather, no need to: "Correct. Observation is not the true purpose of the Key of Eternal Calamity. It was created to recreate the Herrscher of the Void's power—to open a gate to the Imaginary Tree."
"Beyond that gate lies the eternal instant, the origin of endings, the birthplace of all truths and laws... the endpoint I must reach."
Kevin said: "You know the consequences of doing so."
Otto replied calmly: "I know—and so do you. Precisely because we both understand—this transaction has value. Give me the beacon, and you gain everything: peace, resources... and time."
"..."
Kevin fell silent.
This bottomless silence enveloped the world, and Otto's myriad thoughts quieted with it.
He had played his piece. Now—he waited.
Waiting was a word Otto knew all too well. He had waited long; he could wait longer.
Then, under his gaze, the white-haired man spoke: "To make a request, one must pay a price. What will you offer in exchange for it?"
Otto smiled.
He smiled from the heart.
"Hahahaha—excellent, excellent!"
"Yes—equivalence! Equivalence is the foundation of everything, the pillar. To complete this historic cooperation, I must offer sincerity of equal value."
"Power, wealth, knowledge, technology—I know these worldly things are worthless. Only this gift befits you—"
"With it, you gain a perfect puppet—one who, after I depart, can still manipulate Schicksal... Now, I return the Void Archives to you!"
What exactly is the Honkai?
Over long years, Otto continually sought the answer to this question.
He spent five centuries, reviewed literature spanning two eras—his understanding of the Honkai ranked absolute first among Earth's seven billion lives.
The more he knew, the less he knew.
Ultimately, Otto realized he understood nothing about the Honkai—
Where did It come from? Where was It going?
What force drove It? Toward what end?
Why was It born? Why end? Why continue? Why stagnate? Why erupt? Why fall silent—
Was It a personified existence, or some eternal rule?
Questions, questions... questions like surging tides drowned Otto, swept him, shoved him into the darkest, most terrifying abyss—the abyss called the unknown.
He wanted to advance, but knew not the path.
He wanted to set out, but knew not the destination.
He explored, doubted, failed, lost his way.
He worried, experimented, suffered, burned with anxiety.
Five centuries passed—hypotheses innumerable, rejected conjectures uncountable.
Answers emerged in his mind, arranged, shifted, combined—forming blueprints, paintings—torn and reassembled, reassembled and torn...
In this endless cycle, in the 599th winter of his life, Otto found the path to truth.
He explored the Sea of Quanta, surveyed ether anchors, sought imaginary constructs, claimed that massive Divine Key.
He faced setbacks, obstacles, predicaments, bathed in failure, harvested countless impossibilities.
But Otto needed no impossibilities.
Because he had decided—it must be possible—
Otto Apocalypse would reach the domain of gods.
Otto Apocalypse would climb the Imaginary Tree.
Seeing Otto's inner monologue, the audience was stunned.
They realized they had never truly understood Otto—from the start, only hatred.
Now recalling his purpose?
No answer—only knowing his human experiments, that he caused Kiana's tragic life, allowed the Herrscher of the Void, triggering the Great Collapse.
And Theresa was one of his creations, an experiment.
But... why did he do it?
Only now did everyone realize—the drama had never explained.
Some asked in groups.
"What exactly is Otto's goal? What has he spent 500 years pursuing at all costs?"
"Didn't he say? Reach the domain of gods—probably wants to become the Honkai god."
"That makes sense—dog Otto wanting to be god is totally in character."
"Yeah, a guy like Otto wouldn't tolerate Honkai above him—definitely wants to become its god."
"No no no—not that simple. Damn, I suspect dog director did this on purpose—too little info on Otto, less than Kevin. I only know he's super dog, super deserves death!"
"That's enough—knowing he deserves death is fine. Whatever his goal—as long as the deal makes him disappear."
"Yeah—makes sense. Dog Otto! Hurry and disappear."
On the drama,
Otto was genuinely pleased the deal succeeded: "I'm very glad this meeting achieved the perfect outcome. Let's complete the beacon handover soon. Any requests for time or place?"
Kevin said: "You decide."
"Hmm... let me think... I don't want to wait anymore. I want it to prove its value immediately." Otto pondered: "Activating the Second Divine Key requires massive Honkai energy—massive... Ah, perfect! There's a most suitable location right now—Nagazora in the Far East."
Kevin knew the place: "That's where the Third Eruption occurred."
Otto nodded: "Correct! Three years ago, it left a singularity connected to the Imaginary Tree. Even with the Third Herrscher dormant, Honkai energy still flows endlessly from the singularity."
"That energy, catalyzed by the Great Collapse, is amplifying—nearing critical eruption."
"What perfect coincidence! In three days, Schicksal will transfer Cosmic Juggernaut to Nagazora. Upon receiving the beacon, I'll begin the first experiment."
Kevin said no more, rose, and left directly.
With his steps, the golden light enveloping the world dimmed and dissolved.
"...Ah, leaving already? What a pity—I wanted to toast with you. Kevin Kaslana, I believe today's meeting holds profound significance—for you, for me, for the entire world."
"—To the union of Schicksal and the Serpent—cheers."
The TV screen switched to Nagazora.
Tesla and Mei were here searching for Kiana.
Hours ago, their Far East monitoring station detected a strong Herrscher reaction in Nagazora—brief as an instant, but matching Arc City's sample. Afterward, no further detections.
The only certainty: Kiana had been here—and left some clue.
During their search,
Mei found a lost child. While caring for her, she learned Nagazora's current state—and that their nest held over a dozen disaster-surviving orphans like him.
But they had a caretaker: their teacher, Raven.
Through talking with Raven, Mei learned Kiana was here.
Raven, grateful for Mei's help with the nest's children, agreed to lead her to Kiana.
Not far from the destination,
Raven stopped: "Now, the Herrscher of the Void is mere steps away. She's dangerous—could lose control anytime. Even sending her elsewhere won't stop the deterioration. I'm eager to see what you'll do."
Mei gripped her weapon, facing her: "I'll take her away!"
Raven said: "I'm afraid you'll only take a corpse. Before that—I'll kill her."
"..." Mei said firmly: "I won't let that happen."
Her blade unsheathed, pointing at the black-robed woman.
As if awaiting this moment, the other returned a faint smile.
"...Heh heh—excellent."
The next instant, Raven became a black shadow—the two clashed instantly.
"Clash" might overstate it.
Current Mei was no match. In mere breaths, Raven pinned her against the wall, claws pressing her blade: "You won't let that happen? World Serpent knows your history clearly. Without the Gem of Conquest, you're just an ordinary girl."
"You couldn't protect her before—how could you now?"
Mei strained against the blade: "I don't understand... why fate is so unfair to her... because of her identity... her past...?"
"Or simply because she was born a Herrscher—though she never wanted to hurt anyone...?"
"She's so kind... so gentle... yet the world is so cruel...!"
Hm?
Raven noticed Honkai energy gathering wildly with Mei's resistance: "You're throwing your life away?"
Mei ignored it, continuing to absorb: "...If sacrificing my life brings her back... I'd gladly...! After all, she saved my life...!"
"I know—I always hid behind her, always running—but I have nowhere left to run... I must protect her—as long as I breathe..."
"I won't let you hurt her!!"
Countless lightning bolts erupted from Mei, blasting Raven away.
Crackling electricity subsided. Mei stood shakily—eyes reverted to purple.
Raven touched her scorched gauntlets—soul-steel claws smoking, unable to endure more.
She confirmed—that power was genuine.
"Impressive resolve—I like it. Take her."
Raven pointed to Kiana's location: "The farther the better. Don't let her hurt anyone again—that was your promise. Thank yourself—in the end, you provided proof. Go—before I change my mind—"
A gust swept by—Raven vanished, only her words echoing long in the air.
"Raiden Mei—we'll meet again. If you seek me, you know where—"
Mei exhaled deeply.
Dragging heavy steps, she headed where Raven indicated.
There—the ruins once guarded by Benares, now fully exposed after their defeat of it.
She climbed the broken wall, reaching behind.
"Finally... I finally found you... Kiana."
On screen, Kiana lay unconscious on the ground—body covered in Honkai erosion marks, on the verge of collapse.
Mei carried her quickly back to the Helios.
Dr. Tesla urgently treated Kiana's body.
Mei stood before the sealed door, face worried, heart burning with anxiety.
Overcoming layers of obstacles, she had finally seized Kiana back from Schicksal and World Serpent—ending four long months of searching.
For four months, not a day passed without Mei longing for reunion with Kiana.
...Yet when the moment truly came, no joy showed on her face—only fear.
"Kiana..."
Exhausted in body and mind, she dared not close her eyes—for closing them brought visions of that person's suffering struggles.
She couldn't believe the girl smiling at her just two days ago now lay unconscious, wrapped in bloody stigmata patterns...