Otto looked toward the dark clouds in the sky: "Whether it's K-423, Durandal, Theresa, or Welt… you could say that each of them has inherited Kallen's mantle from different angles."
"Heaven and Earth are not benevolent; they treat all things as straw dogs. For the world before us, it truly does not need Kallen's brave heart to beat again from the grave."
The Void Archives saw through his essence: "Some people pretend to be confused while fully understanding, but you—perhaps you should be called someone who understands perfectly yet deliberately acts confused."
"Hahahaha…" Otto laughed: "That's exactly what you don't understand, Void Archives. The so-called emotions of humanity—it is originally a kind of hope that would rather harm others and oneself than stop being released."
"It's just that, by general definition, good people are ultimately skilled at using reason to rein in their emotions, while evil people are accustomed to letting emotions dominate their reason."
"As for the so-called rational evil people… they have turned their lives into machines that only calculate benefits, not even worthy of being called human."
The Void Archives said: "Is that so? I actually think that right now, you fit perfectly as one of those rational evil people."
Otto said with a smile: "I haven't denied that I'm unworthy of being called human. But I am well aware that I am merely the ultimate embodiment of such dregs."
"Didn't I say it before… Humans always emotionally believe that the ones we love are immortal and eternal. And I am merely a fool who lets such emotions dominate my reason, constantly calculating benefits for that purpose."
"—Look, the first person coming to settle accounts with me is already close at hand."
Otto Apocalypse's consciousness awakened from the void.
He looked toward the person stepping into the church: "Welcome, my dear old friend, Schicksal's foremost S-rank Valkyrie—"
"—If it were an hour earlier, I would surely have greeted you in that manner, Durandal."
Durandal asked directly: "Someone told me that you might destroy the present in the upcoming plan and then choose the past again. What exactly does that mean?"
Otto answered: "Mm. From the phrasing you quoted, it must have been Nagamitsu who told you. No matter. You have the right to know the truth of this matter."
"I once asked Nagamitsu to design several different world reconstruction plans—but to put it simply, the plan with the highest cost is also the one with the greatest stability."
Durandal asked: "Highest cost… what exactly does that refer to?"
Otto said: "If I stated the conclusion outright, you would inevitably find it baffling. So allow me to take a moment and explain from the beginning."
"Nagamitsu and I have both explained to you from different angles that within our world, the flow of time is irreversible."
"It is like a river in nature, surging forward without ever turning back. However, just as a river is replenished by rainfall and melting snow—"
"If we become even bolder and elevate our thinking to the domain of the Imaginary Tree, then human time is merely data recorded on a magnetic tape."
"What we call history is the portion already recorded on this tape; what we call the future is the unknown yet to be presented on it…"
"And our present is the single unique reading head on that tape."
"The present is special. It distinguishes between the known and the unknown, the possible and the impossible. It is the only platform for survival possessed by every sentient being."
"Then let us assume one thing—"
"If we preserve the special nature of this reading head in the present and forcibly move it back onto the tape of the past… what would happen?"
Durandal understood: "Our present would be grafted onto the past of history?"
Otto nodded: "Correct. Just like those extraterrestrial intelligences you've dealt with—except they need to graft onto someone else's world, while we are grafting ourselves onto ourselves."
"Imagine it—disasters like the Second Honkai could be erased entirely; and modern people like us would bring our own experience to help humanity grow anew."
"Although Honkai would not disappear, we would still have to face the challenges that arrive on schedule—but the benefits humanity would gain would far outweigh the losses."
Durandal asked: "…Then what you call the cost is the energy required for this act of grafting."
"Yes."
Otto said: "With the experience from that previous exploratory experiment, you can indeed understand my plan very easily. To achieve the goal of grafting ourselves onto ourselves, I need three conditions in total:"
"First, a method to explore, contact, and even reach the Imaginary Tree;"
"Second, equipment and energy to support the above operation—specifically, the Second Divine Key, Cosmic Juggernaut, and sufficient Honkai energy;"
"Third, a spacetime coordinate suitable for completing the graft—that is, a stable region that can be locked onto using the beacon of Cosmic Juggernaut."
Durandal continued: "The method to reach the Imaginary Tree, and the means to obtain sufficient Honkai energy—what exactly are they?"
Otto answered: "They both come from the Will of Honkai, Durandal."
"—What?!"
Durandal had absolutely no understanding of that term.
Otto continued to explain to her: "Correct, the Will of Honkai. The source of the current era's Herrschers, the origin of today's Honkai. It is revered with the name of a god and has existed throughout Schicksal's five-hundred-year history."
"But so-called gods are not unreachable. As long as one walks the same path and gazes toward the same endpoint… humans can also come into contact with gods, and even reach agreements with them."
"To be frank, I do not like World Serpent's Stigmata Project. But now, Schicksal has already missed the best opportunity to stop it. Returning to the starting point is also creating an opportunity for ourselves—to restructure the situation of the world."
"And It… is also happy to enjoy such a drama of overturning spacetime."
"The Will of Honkai has opened the gates of the Imaginary Tree for me; and I, in this matter, will become Its agent in the human world."
"The agent of the Will of Honkai…" Durandal's expression grew grave as she questioned: "Bishop, are you planning to actively become a Herrscher?"
Otto nodded: "Mm. From the perspective of authority, it could be said that way. However, coming into contact with the Imaginary Tree will inevitably make me something different from a Herrscher—even something that surpasses it."
"Although that will require me to pay with my own physical existence as the price, its authority will also be sufficient for me to reorganize the world."
"I wish to win extra time for all of you to face the Final Herrscher and the Stigmata Project, and the Will of Honkai is also satisfied with the result of being reset."
"A win-win situation, isn't it?"
Durandal would never believe there were so many perfect solutions in the world. There must be a price.
She continued to ask: "But what will happen to the world itself? Every word you've said so far seems to correspond to world-destroying levels of authority."
Otto said: "You're right. However… as the saying goes, without destruction there is no construction. If we do not destroy an old world, how could we possibly welcome a new one?"
Durandal said: "What I want to hear is not this kind of abstract promise or reasoning. From the beginning until now, you have consistently avoided mentioning the true cost of your plan."
"To achieve all the purposes you listed earlier—what exactly are you planning to pay?"
Otto answered: "The present!"
…?
??
Seeing her confusion, Otto explained: "I already told Theresa earlier—I will erase these five hundred years of history from the branches of time, allowing the world to return to the state where Kallen Kaslana is still alive."
"The price I pay is the flow of time on the Imaginary Tree—or rather, the present itself."
"—That may sound too abstract, so I'll answer your question from another angle."
"Human civilization's activities naturally give rise to Honkai—this is something every member of Schicksal should understand."
"—But what if we look at this issue from the perspective of the Will of Honkai?"
"For It, Herrschers probably represent ultimate freedom, while our civilization is instead a shackle that imprisons Honkai and causes it to become distorted."
"Yes. From this angle, it is not that Honkai is born from civilization; rather, civilization should be described as a special solidified form of Honkai."
"So what I must pay is the Honkai that contemporary civilization naturally contains as a whole. I will mobilize all the potential energy hidden between reality and the Imaginary—"
"In the past, it was an important source of power for Herrschers; now, we can also use this power to re-navigate the world."
Durandal asked: "If you do this, then what will happen to the present before us, to this reality at this very moment?"
Otto gave the final answer: "Outside of Kolosten Town, they will disappear without a trace. Kolosten Town will become the only epitaph of our annihilated era—"
"—Thereby serving as a substitute for sacrifices that would be far more unbearable for humanity."
Durandal could hardly believe it: "You mean… outside of Kolosten Town…"
Otto stated it even more clearly: "Outside of Kolosten Town, everything that has ever been born and destroyed during these five hundred years will be completely erased from the river of time, ceasing to exist."
"This is the price of starting over!"
"This is the price corresponding to the plan with the highest success rate that I am about to execute."
"…"
Hearing this mad plan,
the viewers watching the drama all felt as though they had been betrayed.
Just moments ago they had developed some goodwill toward him because of his love for Kallen, and now his true nature was exposed once again.
"Fuck you, Otto! Sure enough, you're a damn Otto, a complete madman! You should still fail and die!"
"Holy shit, this guy is actually insane—truly insane. This is destroying the world!"
"Damn it, I'm instantly furious again. Damn Otto is still damn Otto. I must have been possessed earlier. Now I take back everything I said before."
"This method is even more terrifying than rewinding time—it's equivalent to forcing everyone to relive every Herrscher descent all over again."
"This is ridiculous. I thought he was going to be redeemed, but he's still disgustingly vile."
"No, wait—this doesn't feel right. Although it seems like something Otto would do, it still feels off."
"I feel the same—there's a sense of dissonance. At the beginning, Otto's intentions weren't like this at all. Why has the plan suddenly turned into this?"
"Who cares? Damn Otto deserves to die. For a woman who doesn't even love him, he's gone completely mad."
"I can't stand this. If I were Durandal, I'd have shot him already."
"With Durandal's personality, once she knows Otto's goal, she'll definitely try to kill him!"
"…"
Every group, every viewer watching the drama, had gone completely crazy.
The break room at the company was also in an uproar.
SAKURA couldn't help but say: "He's too insane. No one would allow such a plan to be carried out. Anyone who learns of it will try to stop him."
Kalpas snorted coldly: "Didn't Kevin agree to it? He even specially gave him the Void Archives."
Kevin was dumbfounded: "Huh? Did I agree?"
Kalpas said irritably: "…I'm talking about the Kevin in the show!"
Eden laughed: "I originally thought Kalpas was just a brute, but I didn't expect he could think of this point. Indeed, it feels very off. If Otto's plan really were this, Kevin would never agree."
Kiana said: "Eden-nee, didn't the earlier plot say Kevin needed time?"
Eden explained: "They do need time, but this kind of plan doesn't give them time. None of them are in Kolosten Town, are they?"
Mei suddenly realized: "So… this isn't Otto's real plan at all. He deliberately said it this way to achieve some other goal of his own."
"Exactly."
Eden took a sip of wine: "This episode really isn't simple. This Otto is truly extraordinary. Everyone and everything is within his calculations. I'm afraid… he deliberately positioned Durandal as his opponent."
Elysia had also seen through it: "Yes. As long as he hadn't said all this to Durandal, she would never have raised her hand against him. Now I'm really curious about Otto's final goal."
"I see!"
Theresa and the others all suddenly understood.
Kalpas and Li Sushang quietly forwarded the two people's analysis to the fan group.
In an instant,
the viewers in the group all had their realizations. Even the voices cursing Otto had noticeably decreased.
Quite a few viewers said it was a good thing they were smart; otherwise they would have been easily fooled by Otto like some idiots.
This naturally sparked quite a bit of arguing.
But without exception, everyone became even more eager for the continuation of this episode.
The television continued.
After hearing Otto's words, Durandal was filled with rage: "This is too insane! You dislike the Stigmata Project, yet you plan to make the entire world pay an even heavier price than the Stigmata Project would require?"
"You are practically murdering every single person in the world, Bishop!"
Otto smiled: "Mm, that's correct. But humanity… will still remain humanity because of it."
Durandal argued back with fury: "But what meaning does that have? What we protect is humanity—the living free wills—not some vague concept!"
Otto remained calm: "You're wrong, Durandal. I am precisely trying to save a living free will from the vague concept called humanity."
"You know her name."
"Kallen Kaslana."
"…" Durandal sighed helplessly: "You finally mentioned her after all, Bishop."
Otto said: "Yes. After circling such a huge detour, we have finally arrived back at the very beginning of everything."
"Kallen Kaslana should not have died the way we know she did. This is not my mistake alone; it is the mistake of all humanity."
Durandal said: "That is not a reason to attempt murdering every single person in the world—especially since that era is long gone, and the only person still alive from it is you."
Otto said earnestly: "Mm. Every normal human would think that way. Therefore—as a representative of normal humanity—Durandal, I will give you an opportunity."
"Kill me. That way my plan will vanish into thin air along with me."
"…"
The current Durandal was indeed furious—even filled with hatred for his selfishness.
But she still could not bring herself to act.
Otto continued to persuade: "The person standing before you is merely an aggregate composed of sin and desire. He knows morality yet does not uphold it; he understands ethics yet tramples upon it."
"He craves wisdom, yet only for the sake of personal satisfaction; he worships beauty, yet only to deny the existence of ugliness."
"He feels that the world is filled with superfluous people—so many that the value of life has been utterly desecrated by them."
"Only when his own life is finally brought to a close… will Otto Apocalypse gaze up at the pure sky and savor, for a fleeting moment, the sacred tremor it brings to his soul."
Durandal did not strike. She continued to gaze at the Bishop before her: "A fine villainous speech. But Bishop—this seems to further prove that you are still holding something back. You said I have the right to know the truth, yet your words are full of rhetoric, leaving people lost in the fog."
"Five years ago, I once encountered a true world-destroyer in the Sea of Quanta… and your mental state is completely different from hers."
"Hehe…"
Even Otto couldn't help but laugh: "Perhaps at this very moment, I am indeed still concealing certain things. But does that really matter?"