Kiana once again condensed her Flamescion greatsword: "Otto?"
Otto said: "No need to be tense… you two mighty warriors."
"You truly did, in a single instant, reverse the rules above the false god, turning my spirit into the wandering ghost it is now."
"Soon, everything will settle according to your will…"
"Before that happens, allow me to congratulate you."
"Congratulations on overcoming Domination and Constraint. Congratulations on stopping me from destroying your history and your comrades."
"Of course… congratulations to myself as well—for finally being able to bid farewell to my life without regrets."
Durandal hurriedly said: "…Bishop, we've stopped that mad plan you spoke of. Now it's time for you to tell us your true purpose, isn't it?"
Otto gave a weak laugh: "Ha… you really are quite persistent, Bianka."
"What's the matter—even now, after everything has come to this, you still refuse to see me as an enemy?"
Durandal said: "I can never forgive the things you did to me, but I will not forget the nurturing you gave me either."
"And even now, I still believe…"
"Deep in your heart, in some form, you still believe in the things you taught us to believe in."
Otto gave a helpless, bitter smile: "Heh… what a stubborn child."
"To be honest, from the very beginning today, I hoped all of you would stand on the opposite side of me, treat me as an irredeemable villain—"
"While the former succeeded, the latter, as expected, failed."
"Sigh, should I feel regret, or relief?"
"…In any case, you truly defeated me, and in that instant, you also surpassed the One behind me."
"That is a remarkable achievement—by making full use of that experience, you will ultimately overcome Honkai and bring lasting light to the world you cherish."
"And I, too, will finally have the chance… to do something similar for the world I hold dear."
"More precisely, to return a lost torch into her hands."
Kiana realized: "Her?"
Durandal also thought of it: "Could it be…"
Otto laughed: "Haha, looks like you've both guessed the answer, haven't you?"
"That's right… before you shattered me, though I came infinitely close to godhood, I was ultimately nothing more than a slave of the Imaginary Tree."
"I was firmly bound to the eigenworld. Though I truly held the power to reshape it, I had no freedom whatsoever."
"So from the very beginning, I made this gamble—"
"I bet that the human will could create a miracle in an instant, that it could cause the laws of the Imaginary Tree to falter and submit in that brief moment."
"Kiana Kaslana. The child I once called K-423. In the past, the power of love allowed you to accomplish this once—"
"Now, I have proven that the power of rage can do the same."
"I staked the last hope of reviving Kallen on this… and the facts prove that I won the bet."
"The miracle only the Herrscher of the Void can create—the renormalization of Imaginary Space that halts even the infinite in an instant—"
"It allowed the wedge of that world, the origin point I so carefully chose, to take root and sprout in new soil because of this opportunity."
"This was something I could never have accomplished while holding authority yet remaining a slave."
Durandal said: "In other words… to reshape the world of five hundred years ago, you had to transcend reality, become part of Imaginary Space, and become a slave to the Imaginary Tree…"
"And to change that world, to change that person's fate, you had to exile yourself from it?"
"Even though the result of doing so would be… your death."
"Even your very existence would come to a complete end."
Otto said: "Of course. Don't you think the way things are now is a happy ending for everyone?"
"Just like Prometheus who stole heavenly fire—"
"In that miraculous instant, I was able to bring the power beyond reality from the Imaginary Tree to the wedge of the world."
"It created a fork in history, and at the same time spared me from having to destroy the world you all love."
"Though the latter isn't particularly important to me, still…"
"Thank you, for allowing me to witness, at the very end of my life, a miracle that belongs only to her and me."
"I will die carrying all my sins with me; while for all of you who have chosen to move forward…"
"The ladder to conquering Honkai has now revealed its first step to you; the path is winding and arduous, almost impassable—"
"But at its end, there truly is light."
"Farewell, heroes."
He suddenly thought of something: "Tell Theresa… I'm sorry, but her grandfather cannot attend her coronation ceremony."
"…"
The man's presence completely vanished from before the girls.
Under their gaze, his soul drifted toward the distance, toward nothingness, toward the final destination of fate.
At this moment.
The audience's hearts were filled with melancholy. Otto's death did not bring them great joy.
Especially after hearing these words, their moods became even more oppressive.
But the drama gave them no time to reflect.
The scene shifted.
It arrived at the Other Shore of Will.
Otto staggered forward toward the Imaginary Tree ahead. Every step was arduous, every step looked as if he might collapse at any moment.
In the instant he was defeated by the two, though he gained freedom, his soul was already broken beyond repair…
As he walked, he said to himself: "Life… really is such a fragile thing."
"When I was young, my sister died on the battlefield…"
"They told me her soul was immortal."
"That her spirit ascended to heaven."
"Generation after generation, humanity has always loved to deceive itself with such lies."
"Believing in an afterlife, believing in the eternity of consciousness."
"They pretend the human world is free of death…"
"Until death suddenly invades their lives, descending upon those they love."
"And even then, they double down on the deception—"
"Believing that love can transcend all things, firmly convinced that feelings can last forever."
"Indeed… love, and emotions in a broader sense, can indeed create miracles…"
"But the creators of miracles can only be those who are still alive in that very moment."
"As an ordinary person once deceived by them…"
"I too once fantasized that human souls exist in a higher dimension;"
"Fantasized that one day, the one I loved could return to the world in a new body, living on in a better future."
"Unfortunately, the rules of the world are not so…"
"Death truly is the dissipation of consciousness, the end of everything—"
"We cannot reconnect those scattered starlights that have already faded."
"Unless…"
"We reverse time and awaken the silent island of graves;"
"Reinfuse the evergreen waters of life into the past that buried everything."
"The forked paths will unfold there once again."
"The choice between life and death will from that moment form two worlds."
"And the price… is merely the death of one person, the destruction of one person…"
"And the Honkai that already sought to bring about our deaths."
He took a deep breath… even walking now seemed far more laborious: "Unfortunately, by the time I came to understand this truth."
"Otto Apocalypse was already a notorious villain known throughout the world, thoroughly hated by the very power he needed most."
"But that truly doesn't matter. She has indeed proven—"
"That rage born from love possesses the same power as love itself."
"And behind such heroes—"
"Theresa, my dear granddaughter."
"You are growing into a great leader…"
"In time, you will make people forget your grandfather, let his rights and wrongs, his merits and faults, fade into history, vanish into idle chatter."
"But…"
"Occasionally eat some fruits and vegetables besides bitter melon too."
"You always stay up late; your body needs more nutrition."
"Do you know… for tomorrow's coronation ceremony, Grandpa sewed the Archbishop's stole by hand for you…"
"If you don't mind it, then use it to begin your era, and wash away the stains Grandpa once left upon it."
"…Theresa."
"My old friends…"
"Phoenix, the Herrscher of Reason…"
"They are truly good people. They will surely help you forge a path that belongs to you."
"And Bianka, my last student…"
"I manipulated your life, planned your destiny."
"While genuinely nurturing you with care, I also treated you as a pawn, taking and using as I pleased."
"Do you know… everything I showed you in these last ten years."
"Was only so that after I vanish like this, someone might erect a wordless monument for me."
"I don't need anyone to judge me…"
"After all, these long yet brief five hundred years"
"Were merely everything one man could offer for his own one-sided wish."
"He has now reached the end of his journey—"
"What he sought to accomplish, to witness, to redeem…"
"They have already taken root and sprouted within the Imaginary Tree."
"All that remains is for the lost messenger to deliver the final message before everything concludes."
"That moment will not come too early, nor too late."
"It will become a requiem crossing death, a hymn heralding the descent of miracles."
"The world will turn for one person alone in that instant…"
"Letting the imposed sins vanish into smoke, allowing the terminated will to continue onward."
"Baseness, I shall carry into the grave;"
"Light shall stretch into the future because of you."
"…"
"I deceived friends, deceived kin, deceived the world and the rules above it…"
"All for the sake of granting the one true you a second life."
"I have returned, Kallen."
At this moment…
Countless viewers across the nation began to regret. They regretted what they had done last week, regretted forcing Hessian to write Otto's death.
They truly hadn't known Otto was this kind of person.
In an instant, the chat groups exploded.
"Wuwuwuwu… Otto, I actually cried for Otto, but when he talked about the stole for Theresa I really couldn't hold back."
"At a time like this, the one he was still thinking of was Theresa, but Theresa will never hear these words."
"No, I'm so sad—what do I do now that I don't want Otto to die?"
"I admit I really hated Otto before, but that was because I didn't understand him. Now I regret it. Please don't let Otto die, okay?"
"Ah… Otto is truly a real man, so pure in his love—I'm about to cry."
"Same here. I realize I've fallen for Otto. I don't want him to die."
"Please, director, don't knife us anymore. Let Otto fulfill his wish—I'm really going to cry myself to death."
"He just wanted to revive the person he loved—what's wrong with that? He only wanted Kallen."
"Wuwuwuwu… when a bird is about to die, its cry is sorrowful; when a person is about to die, their words are kind. I'm actually crying myself to death."
"Dog director! I was wrong. Last week I should've let you die instead of Otto."
"I'm such an idiot—why did I want Otto dead last week? Why was I so damn petty?"
"Is there really no way to turn this around? I regret it. I truly regret it. Please don't let Otto die, okay?"
"…"
In an instant, audiences across the nation were filled with remorse. After truly understanding Otto, none of them wanted him to die. Many were already shedding tears while watching this segment.
Even within the company.
Kalpas, who had been shouting for that dog Otto to die all along,
now said to Hessian: "Director He, can we not let Otto die? I've realized he's actually really manly."
Hessian said decisively: "Impossible! It's already filmed. Regret won't change anything. Wasn't this the explanation you all forced out of me last week with the chainsaw?"
Smack!
Kalpas slapped himself hard across the face: "How could I have been so impulsive? Why did I do that?!"
Then he looked somewhat angrily at Theresa and the others: "You all had the script—why didn't you tell me about Otto's monologue?! If you'd told me earlier, we could've made Director He change it!"
Theresa sniffled and wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes: "I didn't know either. This part was filmed entirely by Director He alone. If I'd known earlier, I definitely would've begged him to change it too."
"Wuwuwu… my grandpa… my cooking magic will never work again. The ingredients on the table will never turn into delicious food anymore…"
Seeing even Theresa crying so hard because she was too immersed in the role,
Kalpas had nothing more to say. He could only sit to the side in regret, full of remorse, and slap himself once more.
The actors who had shared his mindset last week—who had all thought they'd be happy once Otto died—were now filled with regret as well.
SAKURA watched with heartache: "…Otto… did I misunderstand him all along?"
Mobius looked at the lounge where most people were wiping tears, then at Hessian who was looking smug and pleased, and said helplessly: "Your plan really is too cruel. Seeing everyone regret and cry—aren't you happy now?"
Hessian could barely suppress the corners of his mouth: "Am I that kind of person? I'm just satisfying the audience's strong demands. How can their regret be blamed on me?"
"Sigh~"
Mobius shook her head helplessly…
They all knew this guy loved causing trouble, holding grudges, and making mischief—and yet they still provoked him. Well, now they got what they deserved, didn't they?
Regret was useless now.
However…
This wasn't even the most torturous part.
The real torment was that now the entire nation's audience regretted demanding Otto's death so strongly.
And in the midst of such regret, they still had to keep watching—watching Otto step by step toward his death.
Just like Kalpas and the others now.
With hearts full of remorse, they once again turned their eyes to the television.
On the screen.
Otto continued walking forward.
"When a person truly wants to change the world, only then do they realize how insignificant individual power truly is."
"The Saint gave everything for the people, yet what she received in return was merciless shackles and the noose…"
"The world is so chaotic. It is neither fair nor reasonable. It persecutes heroes, nurtures villains, ugliness everywhere, beauty nowhere…"
Ahead of him, countless Imaginary puppets blocked his path.
They radiated malice—malice toward Otto, revenge for his deception of the divine, for daring to approach the Imaginary Tree.
They would slay Otto here, sparing no effort to ensure he never touched the sacred Imaginary Tree.
"Let the malice of the world be severed by the villain himself!"
Otto extended his hand. A golden greatsword—the Judgment of Shamash mimic—appeared in his grasp. Throughout this final journey, the Void Archives still accompanied him.
He charged forward with the mimic Judgment of Shamash toward the endless puppets.
The greatsword swung, flames bursting forth.
Like a nuclear blast, it incinerated all the puppets ahead.
But the next moment.
Countless puppets reappeared, all lunging toward him.
Otto swung the greatsword, pressing forward toward the great tree.
The mimic Judgment of Shamash in his hand transformed into the mimic Abyss Flower, piercing through several charging puppets. But as more and more came, the mimic Abyss Flower could no longer advance a single step.
"This is the distance between her and tomorrow. This is the world's merciless counterattack against her."