Li Sushang had only exchanged a few rounds with Fu Hua.
She said helplessly: "Phoenix Ancestor… both of us are holding back. If this continues, there'll be no end to it."
Indeed…
Fu Hua could also see this. Li Sushang possessed a complete Sword Heart.
If they continued to wear each other down like this, the current her might not be the other's opponent.
As the founder of the Taixu Sword Sect, in Fu Hua's view, this was a battle where both sides had already revealed their trump cards.
And precisely because of that, she knew deeply that there was no chance of winning this fight through conventional means.
I must… break the current situation, break her balance…
With this thought, her gaze passed over the girl and looked toward the distant town.
She made her decision: "Yes… the stage of merely testing each other should end here. From now on… we both need to get more serious. Whether it's you or me, we both have the necessity to end this quickly."
Li Sushang said: "That's impossible. My opponent is the Ancestor after all. Just managing not to lose is already difficult—how could I possibly seek a quick victory?"
Fu Hua said: "That would indeed be the case while our trump cards remain hidden, but neither of us has used our full strength yet. My next strike… I will give it everything I have. If you don't take it seriously, you could very likely… fall here."
"…Oh." Li Sushang's response was very perfunctory.
Fu Hua said: "I'm serious. So, if you wish to fulfill your promise, then reveal your trump card as well, Li Sushang… the time has come."
"…"
Li Sushang said frankly: "Grandmaster simply wants to buy time for that white-haired girl, right? Rakshasa is the same—neither he nor I wish to harm you…"
"Do you truly believe that today, we must reach the point of fighting to the death?"
Fu Hua said: "You should know what Otto intends to do. To me, that is an absolutely unacceptable evil. Five hundred years of history is worth risking everything for."
Li Sushang was still somewhat unwilling: "But, Grandmaster…"
She did not ask the question. More precisely… she didn't even need to ask. If the person before her had ever considered her well-being even once, perhaps she would not be standing here now.
She thought about many things.
In the end, she still said: "Sigh, then… Supreme Freedom Gate's eldest disciple Li Sushang… requests instruction from Grandmaster!"
Once upon a time, she had spoken similar words to many people. It was just that… compared to that long-ago journey, almost everything today had changed beyond recognition.
The only thing that remained unchanged was… whether facing that invincible martial uncle of her time or the living legend before her now, the light in her eyes had never dimmed in the slightest.
"…Taixu Sword Qi, Divine Charm!"
The radiance both were extremely familiar with burst forth at this moment.
"The divine is the utmost of transformation…"
"Wondrous in all things, yet it cannot be captured by form."
"Phoenix Master, you really must be careful with this sword!"
One sword was released, and everything within sight was swept into it. Only a single point of black-gold remained unextinguished amid the torrent that scoured all things.
In the instant when billions of razor-sharp edges from the sword body were about to pour forth, everything seemed to fall into stillness. But for Fu Hua, who was targeted by the sword, she understood that this gap in time was merely an illusion bought by her extraordinary reaction speed.
Even as she thought at high speed, the Divine Charm that had taken form from qi was still pressing toward her forehead.
For her, whose Sword Heart had been broken, this sword was unstoppable and devastating—there was no way to block it.
The sword light that was almost too dazzling to look at directly was precisely the reason she had not voiced earlier: the basis on which the other could truly defeat her.
This truly was the Sword God!
But she also had to receive this sword.
In that instant, countless memories from the past surged into her mind—from receiving the Divine Key, to being condemned for falling into demonic ways, to being killed by her treacherous disciple and having the Divine Key shattered…
Amid these memories that flashed by like a revolving lantern, she found the method to counter it.
"…Taixu Grip!"
One strike was unleashed, and the Divine Charm was extinguished.
Li Sushang was completely shocked: "Eh… this is—the Sword God was actually…?! "
From form to intent, the original Taixu Sword God that had engulfed everything no longer existed. In Fu Hua's hand, the black-gold gauntlet folded out a seemingly solid beam of condensed light, which then turned to dust.
Li Sushang couldn't help but sigh: "Master once said that the Sword God wasn't all that impressive… I thought Master was just talking nonsense. I never expected that in Grandmaster's hands, there would be such a way to break the Sword God."
"This unstoppable, unavoidable Sword God…"
"Grandmaster not only received it, but did so without a single scratch… That technique is truly marvelous! Ah, I should have realized earlier—before a true master, there is never any sure-kill technique…"
"I have already exhausted my true qi and am no longer able to fight… Grandmaster, you win."
Fu Hua shook her head, telling her that she herself was not unharmed, and that in her current condition she could no longer provide assistance to other battlefields.
The two then decided to continue the fight right there…
In the end, the battle concluded with Li Sushang having no more combat ability, and Fu Hua having lost her combat ability.
"Phoenix Ancestor?"
Li Sushang had wanted to continue chatting: "…She's already lost consciousness."
"I never expected to win. What am I supposed to do next? Rakshasa never told me… Wait, doesn't that mean that guy also never thought I would win?!"
"…"
"What Grandmaster wanted to accomplish… she ultimately did it."
The blade of the long sword in her hand shattered piece by piece from the edge, draining the last trace of strength from the one who wielded it.
She swayed, barely managing to stay upright and not collapse to the ground.
She took a few steps back, leaning against the edge of the observation deck, gazing into the distance and guessing what that Rakshasa was doing at this moment.
And at this time.
Otto Apocalypse's consciousness was immersed in boundless void.
He was recalling that spring, that distant afternoon he intended to revisit one last time before the executioner.
"Always messing with boring things again. Have you taken your medicine? Your body is so weak, yet you spend all day holed up in that workshop dirtier than a basement…"
"Hey, don't pretend you can't hear me! Have you forgotten what the doctor told you?"
"Glue, sawdust, dust—all of that will make your condition worse."
"Stop doing useless things, alright? With a body as weak as yours, just being able to live well is already good enough—"
The adult was naggingly lecturing nonstop, while the little boy in front of him paid almost no attention, simply throwing the airplane in his hand and watching it fly over the courtyard wall.
Whether out of spite or wanting to prove himself, he began climbing the wall, intending to go retrieve his airplane.
"—Hey, what are you doing? Can you even climb that wall? You'll fall!"
Thud~
Just as he said, the child fell down and burst into loud sobs.
The man said irritably: "…Tch. How did I end up with such a useless little brother!"
The little boy cried while saying: "Airplane… my airplane…"
At that moment.
"Ah! It flew so high just now!!" A girl suddenly appeared on top of the wall in a way no one could have anticipated, still holding the wooden airplane in her hand: "Is this yours?"
The little boy replied timidly: "…I made it."
The girl exclaimed in amazement: "Wow… you're so amazing! You'll definitely become a great inventor in the future! Too bad it's broken…"
The little boy said: "If you want… I can make another one for you…"
The girl said excitedly: "Really? Thank you!"
He, who had felt abandoned by everyone, heard such positive encouragement for the first time.
The boy was not unaware of his family's concern for him… but they truly disregarded the needs and desires of his heart without consideration.
This was the first time he learned—
That someone could have such expectations of him.
That someone truly needed him to be this way.
The girl said: "My name is Kallen Kaslana. What's yours?"
The little boy answered: "…Otto. Otto Apocalypse."
Kallen asked: "So Otto, can we be friends?"
Otto hurriedly nodded: "…Of, of course!"
Friend. That was a concept the boy had only ever understood from books before.
After all, he was a noble. Normally, he was not allowed to casually interact with the commoners on the streets.
And the children of the other great families had already begun combat training at this age. Those people usually had no time to play with a frail and sickly boy like him.
…Moreover, those people had no interest whatsoever in the things he liked.
Otto asked curiously: "But… don't you need to undergo daily training?"
Kallen answered: "I already finished training at ten in the morning! Who told me to always perform so well?"
Kallen looked toward the adult man: "Oh right, big brother over there—can I take Otto out to play together? In the name of Kaslana, I promise I'll protect him properly!"
The man was somewhat troubled: "This… even if you say that, he's a sick child…"
Kallen said: "My father told me that getting plenty of sunshine and playing a lot will make you healthy and help you grow tall!"
"And haven't you noticed? He's different from the other kids around here. He'll definitely become a great inventor in the future!"
Otto himself lacked confidence: "Ah, that kind of thing…"
Kallen encouraged him: "You must never lose faith in yourself, okay? Um… great inventor, I have a request. Will you promise me?"
Otto asked curiously: "Ah? A request…?"
"Mm!"
Kallen nodded vigorously and said: "When we grow up… come with me to save the world! —And until then, you have to make sure you get really healthy, okay?"
The viewers in front of the television, seeing this scene, were all deeply moved.
They were all discussing it across various channels.
"So this is Otto and Kallen's first meeting? Kallen at this time is simply the light in Otto's life."
"Yeah, putting myself in his shoes—if I were in that situation and met Kallen, I'd definitely fall for her too."
"I think I'm starting to understand why Otto likes Kallen. Who wouldn't like a girl like that?"
"Kallen was the first ray of light in Otto's life. I really did hate Otto before, but now I kind of hope he succeeds."
"Starting from now, I'm an Otto-Kallen shipper. This couple must be locked in forever."
"What do I do? I was the one who hated Otto the most and wanted him dead the most, but now I desperately hope he can revive Kallen…"
"Me too. Who wouldn't be moved by a pure-love warrior who's persisted for hundreds of years? I hope Otto can revive Kallen."
"I feel like I'm just like Li Sushang now—moved by Otto's obsession and wanting to witness whether he can ultimately revive Kallen."
"Hey hey hey… you guys can't all defect! We agreed to drink and celebrate Otto's death together!"
"Actually… celebrating Otto's success wouldn't be bad either, right?"
"No way! Damn Otto must die! Don't let yourselves be fooled."
"…"
In the Fire Moth Interstellar Entertainment Company break room.
Pardofelis asked curiously: "So… Otto became a great inventor step by step after being saved like this? Did he succeed in reviving Kallen?"
Everyone in the entire break room looked at each other.
Pardofelis said in shock: "Wait, you all acted in it yourselves and still don't know the ending?"
Theresa said helplessly: "Our parts only went up to the final confrontation with Otto. The last scenes were all performed by Director Hessian alone. We don't know the outcome either."
"It can be done like that?"
Pardofelis was completely stunned. It was the first time she had heard of acting a drama where one person could perform it all alone.
Actually…
What she didn't know was that Theresa had actually participated in the final scenes, but because there were too many memories and parts of Kallen's past to perform, she couldn't even distinguish which scenes were which anymore.
Eden explained: "Many directors do shoot this way to prevent spoilers, but… personally, I still hope Otto succeeds."
Kalpas also said: "Indeed… I hope he succeeds. But it's still best if he dies."
The viewers who were focused on watching the television had not yet realized that they had gradually shifted from their initial strong desire for Otto to die, to now hoping he could revive Kallen.
The drama on the television continued.
The Void Archives said: "How rare. You're actually reminiscing about your childhood. Are you feeling unwilling about your inevitable fate of death?"
Otto laughed: "Haha. You really know how to joke, Void Archives. Didn't I just tell Theresa and the others?"
"I go to my death willingly, and I die willingly. This is merely a five-hundred-years-overdue final revelry."
The Void Archives said: "…From my perspective, you're just using this method to cover up your own tension and fear."
Otto did not deny it: "Perhaps. I will indeed feel tense, and I will feel fear—after all, my life has already been long enough. Seeing the finish line approaching naturally makes one's heart race."
The Void Archives asked: "…Have you never wished for more?"
Otto said: "Why wouldn't I? If it's merely wishing. But you must also understand, Void Archives—something that is truly impossible was destined to be impossible from the very beginning."
"If you're interested in that… then why not accompany me on a walk through the depths of memory, old friend."
"Before others inevitably clash with us, this should still be within time."
The television screen returned once more to Otto's memory.
Kallen looked at Otto: "Otto… thank you for walking me here. Don't worry. No matter whether this campaign ends in victory or defeat, I will do everything in my power to bring everyone back alive."
Otto said: "No. I've already applied to Father. This time, I will set out with you."
Kallen was somewhat surprised: "…Eh? You've never been on a battlefield before. Is this really okay?"
Otto said: "Don't worry. I won't go to the front lines. I'll just be an apprentice military doctor. But… you know, no matter what, I want to make my own contribution."
"Do you remember? When we first met as children, you told me—when we grow up, you'll take me with you to save the world."
"But…" Kallen seemed somewhat hesitant: "Otto, although it may be very inappropriate for me, someone about to set out on campaign, to say this—"
"—I think war is ultimately not an effective means of saving the world."
"You know, these years the threat of Honkai has risen one wave after another. Thanks to Schicksal's deep involvement in the governance of various nations, disasters like the Black Death could be controlled in time."
"But… deeply intervening in affairs we should not have intervened in has also caused Schicksal, as an organization, to become distracted."
"Your father used to care deeply about the suffering of the common people. In the past, he would personally verify whether the disaster relief supplies sent to each region every year were appropriate."
"But now? Court intrigues from every land fill his desk, and the time he spends in secret meetings every day has squeezed out the time for father-son communication between you two."
"All of this is wrong, abnormal, isn't it?"
"I… I don't know." Otto was also somewhat hesitant: "My only wish is to support you as much as possible. I… haven't thought too much about these things."
Kallen said: "Otto… for this eastern expedition, I truly lack confidence in certain victory. War is a duel that stakes lives… Bringing everyone safely home is my greatest wish at this moment."
Otto said: "…You can definitely do it, Kallen. I believe in you."
The memory faded.
The Void Archives said: "If you let me judge the situation back then… she was seeking deep emotional support from you, but you answered off-topic."