To speed up Vill-V's progress and "inform" her, Planck decisively lifted the lockdown on Schicksal's North American branch base.
By the time the sun set and night fell, a dust-covered Vill-V and Reanna finally returned to Schicksal headquarters. They brought with them five severely injured patients—and one irritable lobster-haired doctor.
Looking at Planck, who was leisurely sipping tea and striking an exaggerated "interesting" pose, Vill-V met her gaze and asked silently, "What happened? This wasn't the plan. Who was it that swore before departure that we'd demolish Otto's little treasury entirely?"
According to the original plan, Vill-V and Planck should have been celebrating with Otto's private coffers in their arms by now.
The long-haired elder sister returned a wronged look of her own. "I wanted to! I already took a hit from the Key of Destruction earlier, and on top of that I helped you construct the framework for the quantum base. My Honkai energy was completely drained. How was I supposed to fight Azure Empyrea at full strength? Surviving at all wasn't easy."
Vill-V felt a bit helpless. Clearly Planck had already merged into her two-in-one form, yet her stamina hadn't doubled. Sure enough, Planck's heart is old. Unlike me—still a vibrant eighteen-year-old girl.
"Fine, fine. I know you're short on energy. Let me tell you something—my Cosmic Juggernaut can't be used anymore either. We were swaggering in front of Schicksal earlier, and now we've both turned into sick kittens, haven't we?"
Originally, after pulling off this job, they would have let Anti-Entropy take over Schicksal's assets. Even if neither of them could use their powers, there would have been no worries. After all, everyone in Anti-Entropy was on their side.
But given the current situation, it seemed the two of them would have to help Anti-Entropy... and shoulder the pressure of facing Schicksal once more.
Planck shot back with a solemn look. "Exactly. And don't let that slip. Otherwise Otto will definitely come for our kidneys."
"And whose idea was this mess in the first place?"
The two exchanged glances for quite a while before Otto's voice interrupted their silent communication.
"Friends from Anti-Entropy, I will arrange for you to continue receiving treatment from Reanna. Please follow this maid to the headquarters' medical wing. It houses the most advanced medical equipment in the world, and Schicksal will make it fully available to you."
Otto had changed into the Archbishop's attire.
...Or rather, he had simply switched bodies with practiced efficiency. In truth, he hadn't even experienced the turbulence of the return flight before arriving back at headquarters ahead of time.
He had even received Professor Planck first, reviewed the relevant information, and only then appeared in pristine clothing to greet them in the manner of a host. "It is already late. Please stay here for the night."
It sounded almost as though Otto intended to detain them by force—if not for his next sentence.
"Haha, no need to be so tense. I assure you, I will not do anything inappropriate."
Well, Otto's assurances did carry weight. As for anything beyond what he explicitly guaranteed... that was another matter.
Seeing Otto's smiling face, the lobster-haired doctor was having none of it. "So... anything that isn't 'inappropriate' is fair game, is that it?"
Dr. Tesla had already learned that the Manhattan Honkai Reactor incident had been orchestrated by Otto behind the scenes.
"Haha, how could that be? I have plenty of headaches of my own right now." Otto maintained his customary smile and spread his hands. "Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are now allied. I guarantee that a new agreement will be finalized smoothly tomorrow."
"Besides, with Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie, Reanna, along with numerous Valkyries ensuring your safety, you need not worry."
Although some Valkyries had chosen to defect, the majority still followed Otto. After all, events that had not yet occurred carried little sense of reality. Most Valkyries simply did not care.
As for those who had transferred to Anti-Entropy or retired to the countryside, Otto adopted a laissez-faire attitude, leaving Vill-V unable to discern his intentions. Given Otto's personality, how could he possibly be so considerate?
Dr. Tesla raised her mechanical gauntlet and threatened, "Hmph. It'd better be that way. If you try any tricks, I'll have Vill-V beat you flat!"
"Why me?"
...
Including Vill-V, none of them quite believed Otto would obediently wait for the agreement to be signed.
As they were leaving, they even overheard Otto instructing his subordinates about things like "hypnotic gas" and "odorless sleeping agents." When they confronted him about it, he claimed it was meant to handle other troubles.
Yet this time, Otto truly behaved himself. It was as if the sun had risen in the west. At the very least, Vill-V and Tesla monitored him for an entire night and confirmed that he remained in his office working overtime, with no suspicious actions whatsoever.
"It must be that Otto has recognized how unfathomable Vill-V's technology is, so he dares not act rashly!" Vill-V declared proudly with her hands on her hips.
Dr. Tesla refused to concede. "Nonsense! It's obviously Tesla-sama's destructive power that's making Otto worry his life will end here!"
"Oh, so you do know your destructive power is unmatched!"
The two bickered all the way into Schicksal headquarters' conference hall. At that moment, the upper echelons of Schicksal and Anti-Entropy were gathered together. Also present were two Herrschers and two Flame-Chasers of the Previous Era.
Otto was already seated at the head of the table, waiting for everyone from Anti-Entropy to arrive.
On Schicksal's side, besides Otto and Reanna, there were several individuals dressed in aristocratic attire. They carried themselves with an air of superiority as they swept their gazes over the representatives from Anti-Entropy.
One middle-aged man wearing a tall hat sneered when he saw that Anti-Entropy's core members were all hot-blooded youths. "Hmph. So this is Anti-Entropy's—"
Before he could finish, a Valkyrie stepped forward and sprayed hypnotic mist directly into his face.
"You—... huff... huff... huff—"
He promptly fell asleep and was dragged out of the hall by the Valkyrie.
The other nobles instantly showed displeasure at Otto's actions. However, with a Valkyrie standing behind each of them, they trembled and dared not voice any objections.
Vill-V whispered to Tesla, "Is Otto killing a chicken to warn the monkeys? Trying to intimidate us?"
"No. I know that group," Dr. Einstein, now fully recovered, answered on Tesla's behalf. "They're elders of the Apocalypse family. They hold extremely high authority within the family. Even Otto normally doesn't move against them lightly."
"By acting this way, Otto is demonstrating his resolve for this meeting—and at the same time extending goodwill to us."
These people were precisely the 'trouble' Otto had mentioned earlier. He needed those family elders to manage the assets and influence of the entire Apocalypse family. However, in recent years, due to Schicksal's expansion, they had grown increasingly arrogant and self-important. They had even engaged in numerous dealings behind Schicksal's back that violated its principles.
And this time, Otto had already made up his mind to uproot these festering tumors. Even if it meant shaking the very foundations of Schicksal and the Apocalypse family—or risking total collapse.