Otto said: "Everyone isn't united because of me, but because of the myth of the Saint."
Tesla replied: "The myth of the Saint? Schicksal's Saint… you mean Kallen Kaslana?"
Otto nodded: "Of course. As far as I know, there is no second Saint in the world I come from. Kallen… she died because of me. I once couldn't bear this sin, and all I could think about was escaping from myself in the meaningless second half of my life."
"At that time, I didn't dare, didn't want to, and didn't have the ability to face a world that had lost her."
"I fled to a small island that the Venetians used as a cemetery, and there, under the name of a priest, I opened a monastery that took in special orphans."
"After all, I was still a noble, so even in destitute days I could still do the things I wanted to do."
"But the ordinary people under Schicksal's rule—even if they were utterly disappointed with life—could only endure unbearable days day after day."
"Perhaps it's precisely because most people cannot escape their own lives… that the Saint, as a kind of faith, began to spread among the people."
Durandal noticed: "You said… faith?"
Otto nodded: "Yes. They believe Kallen is the only Saint in this world. They believe Kallen's death was an atonement for all people who are born sinful."
"They worship everything related to the Saint, using this spiritual sustenance to resist Schicksal's dark rule."
Tesla said: "And then you cleverly took advantage of all this, turning them into your stepping stone to inherit the position of Bishop?"
Otto looked surprised: "This… why would you have such an angle of thought…"
"Hah?"
Tesla said as if it were obvious: "Isn't it just that when we look at your face, we feel you would definitely do something like this?"
"With that face, you secretly plotted against the inventor who created the Throne of the Moonlight, forced the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal to her death, and murdered the First Herrscher who fought for humanity!"
"With that face, for some damned scheme, you blocked the successor of the First Herrscher, let the Second Herrscher go free, and caused tens of millions of innocent people to ultimately lose their lives!"
Theresa hurriedly shouted: "—Calm down, Dr. Tesla! The person you're accusing has no direct connection to the man standing in front of you."
"…Tch."
Tesla was somewhat unwilling, but had to admit: "Indeed, you are you, and he is him. He's an utterly shameless despicable villain, but that doesn't necessarily mean you are too."
"I'm sorry, I shouldn't judge by appearances. But I do hope you understand that in our understanding, the man named Otto Apocalypse—"
"—has all sorts of labels attached to him, but the word 'good person' is definitely not one of them."
"…"
Otto was silent for a moment, then said: "No, thank you."
"…Huh?" This directly left Tesla stunned.
Otto continued: "Your words have helped me confront myself, future Doctor. Deep in my heart, there truly is a void that even time cannot fill."
"The more I chase after the light of the Saint, the more this void sinks my soul into dark suffering. It is indeed an incurable poison."
"I have conducted human experiments, and I have killed comrades who admired me. Indeed, as you said, I carry the terrible risk of falling into boundless darkness."
"For me, becoming a person as universally loving as the Saint… is a form of asceticism, a kind of discipline, a form of self-restraint."
"I…"
"Everyone—if after this strange encounter I can still return to my own world—I will give up my position as the first heir to the Bishop of Schicksal."
Theresa was shocked: "—!"
Tesla was also somewhat stunned: "…"
Otto continued: "In this civil war, I have already systematically reorganized and reformed the structure of the new Schicksal. Even without me, it should be able to operate on its own."
"Haha. Rather, only a Schicksal that can still function on its own after the Bishop leaves can come closer to the ideal the Saint herself held."
"So this right of succession, to me—has only ever been a symbol of how to confront the obsession in my own heart."
"Thanks to all of you, I can now look at it from a new perspective… and arrive at a completely different conclusion."
These words directly stunned the audience in front of their screens.
People who had previously been shouting in the group chat that Otto must be killed were now confused.
They started asking in the group:
"What's going on? Is this person really Otto? Why does he feel completely different?"
"Fake, right? Someone like Otto—even five hundred years ago—was definitely rotten to the core."
"This guy definitely isn't Otto. Must be a Herrscher pretending. There's no such thing as a good Otto in this world."
"No… what is this drama even doing? I can't follow anymore. First it's about killing Otto, now a new Otto appears?"
"That damn director isn't planning to keep Otto in the show by creating a good Otto on purpose, then killing one and claiming 'Otto is dead,' right?"
"If they really dare to fool us like that, tonight is the director's death day!"
"Whether he's real or fake Otto aside—this Otto really does love Kallen. Even fourteen years after her death, every time he speaks he carries her name."
"Yeah, Otto may not care about other people, but Kallen… he really can't forget her."
"I bet this episode's plot is: failing to revive Kallen, then Otto goes to his death?"
"…"
Clearly, even the actors themselves didn't quite understand this plot.
Everyone kept turning to Hessian from time to time, hoping for answers, but Hessian sat by the door and remained silent.
The drama continued.
Durandal said: "Your capacity for self-reflection is truly admirable, Mr. Otto from another world. However, we currently still have some problems that need to be resolved, so we don't have time for everyone to sit down and have a long heart-to-heart talk."
Tesla said: "Indeed, new enemies have appeared on the radar again. Everyone, prepare for battle!"
Right after she spoke—
Several Honkai Beasts tied with threads appeared.
Durandal charged forward without a word. These Honkai Beasts were completely powerless before her.
In just over ten seconds, they had all been slain.
After finishing,
she returned and said to Tesla: "Dr. Tesla, could you please check whether there is some kind of thread-like special spatial anomaly on Mr. Otto's body?"
The so-called thread-like special spatial anomaly was precisely the threads that had been on those Honkai Beasts earlier.
Tesla said: "Huh? We just finished cleaning those things up, why did your train of thought suddenly jump to—"
She suddenly realized: "Oh, I get it. That's actually possible. Worth a try!"
Theresa scratched her head on the side, completely lost: "Uh… what are you two suddenly talking about…"
"You'll understand once we get the result!" Tesla threw out the sentence, then turned to Otto: "Come, Mr. Otto, stand here and don't move! This check might help you return to your own world!"
A moment later.
"How is it?" Theresa asked.
Tesla handed her a pair of glasses: "I've already adjusted the parameters. Here, put these on and take a look too."
Through the glasses,
Theresa clearly saw the puppet threads wrapped around Otto's body.
"Could it be… the little accident we encountered earlier is also related to the Herrscher of Domination?"
Tesla said proudly: "Heh heh… once we discovered this, what happened earlier is no longer just some 'little accident'."
"No wonder we could never find that damn Herrscher core before… look, it's even wrapped itself around an innocent person from another timeline now!"
"Come on, the current S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal should come take a look too! This clue was only discovered so quickly thanks to your miraculous way of thinking!"
Durandal took the glasses and examined them carefully: "Yes, this is indeed very similar to the puppet threads described in the report. Doctor, if we just follow these threads, can we—"
Tesla replied: "Ah, it's not that simple. After all, the other party is very likely not in the same dimensional base as us."
"But don't worry: thanks to those puppets that kept messing with us, Anti-Entropy can now be considered experts at dealing with this kind of trick."
"In short, as long as we have enough data, we can calculate the coordinates of the core—and then borrow the power of the Herrscher of the Void to seize it in one fell swoop."
"That way, not only will the abnormal spacetime be resolved, but Mr. Otto here should also be able to return to his own era."
Otto asked: "What do you need me to do?"
Tesla said: "Walk back and forth! I mean, we need to observe this puppet thread from different points—the straight-line distance between each point should preferably exceed 300 meters."
"During this time, I'll repeatedly refine the calculation accuracy based on the observation data, and I'll also notify Kiana on the Hyperion to prepare accordingly."
Durandal said: "Then Theresa-senpai and I will take on the corresponding escort duties. Everyone moving together can also avoid concerns about splitting up."
Theresa nodded: "Mm. But first we should inform everyone on the Hyperion about the current situation. Schicksal shouldn't have any objections to that, right?"
Durandal replied: "No objections. That's perfectly reasonable."
The three immediately contacted the Hyperion.
On the other side, Einstein and Nagamitsu had also obtained some clues.
They told Tesla that to fully collect the relevant data, they needed to go to St. 537 Church, St. 1491 Square, and the eastern section of Kaslana Street.
In other words, the northeast, due west, and southeast directions of the town.
While Theresa was planning the route, Einstein interrupted her: "Ms. Theresa, Kiana herself has something she wants to say to you all."
Kiana came to the communicator: "Principal, I can understand your desire to keep us as safe as possible, but right now Schicksal's Immortal Blades and Miss Nagamitsu are both working hard to help us. Everyone wants to end the chaos caused by the Herrscher of Domination as soon as possible."
"In this situation… as someone who possesses the power of the Herrscher of the Void, I want to do more of what I should be able to do."
"—Please at least let me join the exploration team, Principal."
"That way, everyone can adapt on the fly during the operation and use my power more flexibly."
Bronya also stepped forward: "Bronya understands Kiana's feelings. This time Bronya may not be able to help directly… but Kiana was originally part of the plan."
Fu Hua also said: "If the Principal is still worried, then let me accompany Kiana. Bronya and the others can fully handle defending the Hyperion."
Seele said: "We will all do our best to help Dr. Einstein and big sister Bronya!"
Theresa hesitated: "Mmm… I really understand how you feel, it's just…"
Durandal, who was beside her, also spoke up: "—If possible, please allow Kiana to join our exploration as well, Theresa-senpai."
"We met once before in Arc City and North Africa; and her feat of defeating the Herrscher of Domination two months ago is truly worthy of respect."
"…I genuinely hope to build a better relationship with Miss Kiana."
Tesla also chimed in: "Sigh, as long as that… you-know-who person doesn't come to make trouble… I think things should be fine no matter what, but—"
Suddenly Nagamitsu spoke: "Durandal won't let you worry about that kind of thing happening, Tesla-senpai."
"…Eh?" Durandal herself was surprised.
Nagamitsu said helplessly: "You, honestly, you're good at everything except being a bit slow with words. Sorry for teasing you a bit—but if Mr. Otto ordered you to destroy the world bubble you were previously protecting, what would you do?"
Durandal answered: "This… to be honest, I would of course never obey such an order."
"I may be his subordinate, but that does not mean my life's value and mission belong to him."
Nagamitsu said: "See, this realist honest person's thinking isn't actually that different from yours. Moreover, the matter she originally asked Otto for has finally reached some form of resolution recently. Now she is a far freer Valkyrie."
Durandal reminded: "You're saying too much, Nagamitsu. No one should use their own unilateral reasons to demand others change their views."
She then looked at Theresa: "In any case, Theresa-senpai, in the upcoming exploration operation, the Immortal Blades will provide full and unreserved support to you and Anti-Entropy."
Seeing this,
Theresa could no longer refuse.
She decided to first rendezvous with Kiana, then head together to the target locations for exploration.
A few minutes later,
the group met in front of the Hyperion.
Seeing Kiana again, Durandal felt a touch of emotion: "Long time no see, Kiana Kaslana."
Kiana also said: "Yeah. Back when I escaped from you all, I definitely never imagined there would come a day when we could fight side by side like this."
Durandal smiled: "You could say it is the fight against Honkai that has brought our paths together once again."
Nagamitsu nodded repeatedly: "That's right, that's right. Let all the unpleasantness of the past remain in the past—the future of the Schicksal organization will ultimately belong to our generation."
"Before resigning, Mr. Otto Apocalypse also found his true path. His future will most likely never intersect with ours again."
As soon as these words were spoken,
everyone present was stunned.
Tesla was shocked: "What!?"
Theresa asked in confusion: "What do you mean by 'no intersection'?"
Durandal stared at her: "Nagamitsu, you…"
Nagamitsu said decisively: "Ah, let me clarify first—this is only a conjecture, though I believe it's a reasonable one."
"Let me give the conclusion first: I believe that in the previous experiment, Mr. Otto truly found… a way to return to the past."
Theresa quickly asked: "Return to the past? You don't mean time travel, do you?"
Tesla immediately rejected it: "That's impossible! As long as the physics that allow this world to function normally exist, time travel cannot possibly be supported!"
"Even this strange Otto we caught couldn't possibly really be Otto from five hundred years ago!"
Otto, hearing himself mentioned, said from the side: "Uh… okay, I understand your reasoning."
Nagamitsu nodded: "Exactly, Tesla-senpai is right. The kind of time travel in science fiction where spacetime is twisted into a fatalistic pretzel is indeed impossible."
"But… from an ontological perspective, I believe Mr. Otto still has a way to 'return to the past' in some sense."
Tesla immediately questioned: "Hey hey! You're not playing some kind of word game, are you?"
Then, Nagamitsu began to explain the concept of time in detail.
Finally she reminded them: "You should know that our world is not the so-called limit of existence—beyond the world, there are still the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta influencing our world."
Tesla instantly realized: "Wait, are you implying the possibility of an observer existing outside the world?"
Nagamitsu nodded: "This is precisely one of the gains from our successive experiments—from the activation experiment of the Second Divine Key, to the attempt to connect world bubbles to the Imaginary Tree—"