The Wall of Restraint (Binding)

"Ah, is that so?"

"Alright, I do have some things I'm keeping from everyone."

"But unfortunately, I can't tell you at this point in time."

"And... Bianca, to be blunt, I was just stalling for time. And now... it's too late for you to do anything, Bianca 'Durandal' Atagaina."

Otto, lying on the ground, suddenly raised his head, a smug smile playing on his lips. Black energy emanated from him, swirling around his body.

He had completed his own ascension, unbeknownst to anyone.

Durandal looked around in panic, the pressure of the space dragging her towards an unknown location. She found herself unable to resist this force, clearly indicating that Otto had planned this.

Otto spoke softly but firmly:

"Gnius+, force coordinate shift!"

"The door to the Imaginary Space is now open. I, as a 'God,' command—"

 "He wants the chess piece in front of him to be temporarily removed from the chessboard."

Durandal lacked the necessary faith and strength, so... she shouldn't be here right now.

So Otto chose to remove Durandal from the scene.

The Black Edge Hundred Flowers fell from the sky, landing in the ground not far away. Its owner was now transported to an unknown location.

As for Otto, he would remain here, awaiting the arrival of his next guest.

[Durandal: I was careless, didn't dodge!]

[Otto even tricked the big goose, what a jerk!]

[Hmm... it seems like Otto doesn't see her as an enemy at all.]

[In the name of God? Did Otto become a Herrscher?]

[Comment…]

-----

"Uh..." Durandal scratched her head sheepishly, looking around at the others. Their expressions were varied, all staring at her with a strange look.

"Ahem——, after all, Durandal is the student that Lord Otto has been with for decades. If she can easily attack the opponent without mercy...I am afraid, then she is not Lord Durandal."

Rita offered a Défense with a slight smile.

As always, Rita wore her maid outfit, the black and white colours highlighting her elegant figure. She stood beside Durandal, the valiant warrior, creating a surprisingly harmonious contrast.

While they were in a safe space for rest and discussion, she didn't wander around like Kiana and the others.

"That's true," Kallen nodded slightly, not paying much attention to the situation.

After all, Otto was a master of scheming and trickery, and few could escape his schemes unscathed. This was also why Kallen trusted him.

"Don't worry, Overseer, I won't make that mistake again."

Durandal tried to refute something,

"So... if I asked you to attack me, you..."

Kallen's eyes shifted, and she sighed,

The way she said that... it was just like Durandal, unchanged. If the same situation happened again, it seemed like she could only rely on herself.

She said that... it was just like Durandal, unchanged. If the same situation happened again, it seemed like she could only rely on herself.

Did that mean she should attack her directly and quickly?

While Kallen understood that Durandal didn't mean it that way, she probably meant being more cautious and careful. But in many situations, it was difficult to avoid being caught off guard, unless she did as Otto said and killed him without hesitation.

However, Kallen was just joking at this moment, wanting to see Durandal's reaction.

As expected, Durandal's face was filled with confusion, realizing she had misspoken again. Her eyes couldn't help but glance towards Rita, hoping she would help her out.

The others watched the scene in the game where Otto expelled Durandal, sighing slightly.

It wasn't that Durandal wasn't strong, but her mind was completely under Otto's control.

Otto's words might not have been false, but he must have already anticipated that Durandal wouldn't choose to attack. He had such a strong grasp of human nature, clearly a master of politics.

…

"Hiss... maybe I should try harder too?"

Mobius took a deep breath and slowly spoke.

"What are you trying to do? You wouldn't be thinking of learning from Otto and making such a dangerous plan, would you?"

Elysia immediately felt a chill run down her spine. Was she also thinking of making a plan that spanned five hundred years? Or was she trying to ascend to godhood?

Kevin also glanced at Mobius, his gaze lingering on her for a moment.

"... Sigh, I meant trying harder to lure you into the lab. You see, Otto could even trick Durandal completely. We've known each other for fifty thousand years, it's not impossible to charm you, right?"

Mobius realized she had let something slip. She glared at Elysia and said with a hint of annoyance.

As for her inner thoughts, she silently added the method of adding time to her agenda. It wasn't a real solution, but at least she had some ideas.

Elysia's words were a good reminder. She realized that if Elysia could accomplish something, she could too.

"Uh, hehe, how could that be? If you've charmed me, you've already done it~ Elbow, come into the house with me tonight."

Elysia chuckled, hoping that Mobius wouldn't go through with those strange plans. It seemed like a recipe for disaster.

"Hehe, if you were lying on the experimental table, I might consider it..."

Mobius said expressionlessly. This guy, she was twisting her words again.

-----

Then time returned to the present.

Kiana looked at Otto in front of her with suspicion. His dignified Overseer's robes accentuated his tall stature, and behind him stood an ancient, pure white church.

The Black Abyss White Flower lay on the floor before him, like the aftermath of a defeat of someone.

"The second guest arrives just in time."

Otto slowly shifted his gaze from the gun handle to the visitor, revealing an inscrutable smile.

"Se...cond?"

Kiana's alarm bells went off. Having just had a heart-to-heart with Durandal about life and goals,

Seeing the weapon in front of her and Otto's words, she instantly understood who the first guest was.

"Hehe, I don't want to fight anymore. For your safety, it's best if we keep this Black Edge Hundred Flowers as a boundary,"

Otto advised, not paying attention to Kiana's actions or opinions.

He simply got up and walked towards the back.

A golden light curtain in the sky enveloped the entire church at a visible speed. The golden light curtain emanated an inhuman pressure, making Kiana feel like she was under a watchful eye.

He declared solemnly, his voice holy and majestic.

"I will take over the powers of 'God' one by one, until twelve hours later—"

"I will present you with a new world full of miracles."

Her inner instincts told her this was her last chance. The heat of Starfire surged within her. Two steps, one step... the enemy's back was within reach.

But when she tried to cross the light curtain to continue the pursuit,

She felt her hair stand on end, as if every cell in her body was preventing her.

Then... she watched in horror as the greatsword touched the light barrier.

The flame-forged greatsword, capable of cutting through anything, dissolved within the curtain. The dense, compressed Honkai energy dissipated directly.

One step forward, and she would die.

"That's right, that's good,"

"Come and stop me, Durandal, Kiana, and... Theresa."

Otto's voice echoed from the darkness as he stepped into the church, as if he longed to be defeated more than anyone.

His wild ambition and plans surged within him, he had bet everything on this, win or lose.

"Consider it your... farewell performance for me."

He looked towards the light that enveloped the outside of the church. It was so holy, like the steps to heaven in myths.

But it brought about a fatal death.

To fight with Honkai energy, how could one not be bound by it?

This is the Herrscher of Binding.

[This... this can't be... a Barrier?]

[So this is how he dealt with Durandal?]

[The big sword just broke, the energy just vanished, back to square one.]

[Tuna: My quad-core great-sword!]

[Comment…]

In short, under the restraint of the light barrier, the Herrscher of Flamescion great-sword shattered.

-----

And seeing this situation, the Flame-chasers who had participated in that battle all frowned in unison.

They hadn't expected the power of restraint to reappear here.

"This is... the Herrscher of Binding? Otto? His so-called ascension, his so-called becoming a god... is he becoming this Herrscher?"

Kallen said in a deep voice, her eyes filled with caution and coldness.

She had already learned about the tragedy of the Binding disaster through various materials, but to be honest, she didn't fully grasp it. The energy restraint was too terrifying, it could kill.

Valkyries also relied on Honkai energy... no, everything relied on energy. This opponent was difficult to deal with.

The best solution she could think of was... Herrschers. The Herrscher of Binding wouldn't instantly kill things of the same essence, especially if ten active Herrscher cores attacked at once.

But this was just a rough idea in her mind, it needed careful consideration.

Honkai energy Binding was simply too harsh. Maybe she could try other conventional weapons, silver bullets? Kallen felt a headache coming on, but she suppressed her thoughts for now.

"If it's restraint, then it's definitely a problem. But true restraint wouldn't just cover a single church..."

Mobius stared at the screen, seemingly trying to find a non-existent flaw.

She had to admit, the restraint manipulated by humans was significantly less harmful. It didn't even expand slightly, allowing Kiana to move away.

The best solution might be what Elysia and Luo Mo had been hoping for all along, turning all the Herrschers into forces for humanity.

Because compared to the Restraint from the previous era, the difference was clear, the pros and cons were obvious.

This one seems much less threatening.

"Oh my, let's see how they deal with the restraint, I'm curious. If it's the protagonist, there shouldn't be too many sacrifices, right? ... Anticipation?"

Vill-V chuckled, her fingers moving dexterously. The hat twirled around her fingertips before she placed it back on her head.

"Humph... Binding, we'll fight sooner or later!"

Kalpas snorted coldly, his anger flaring. Herrschers that could provoke his emotions were rare indeed.

The last few Herrschers had shown a significant improvement compared to the previous ones, their targeting of human civilization was too strong.

"Black Abyss White Flower..."

Durandal stared at the weapon stuck in the ground. She was a bit confused. She wouldn't have been so careless with her weapons, or was this something Otto intentionally left behind?

However, the Black Abyss White Flower wasn't very compatible with her. She could use it, but getting the Divine Key recognition wasn't easy.

But speaking of compatibility, she did feel that the holy sword named after her was better suited, combined with the power of the stars (World Bubble) Inside her.

However, she was sure she would soon be even more eager to experience the true power of the Kaslana Stigmata.

It could only be said that Durandal was too rich, she didn't lack power.

-----

Even for someone like Kiana Kaslana, the barrier encasing the church was a real head-scratcher.

She could only observe the shimmering wall with bated breath, desperately searching for a weakness of that barrier.

Thankfully, Bronya and the others eventually showed up, recounting their own experiences, observations, and theories.

And wouldn't you know it, their comms decided to kick back to life at that very moment. It was fate! (Or maybe just convenient timing.)

They quickly looped in the old geezers (that's what Tuna calls them, don't judge) back on the Hyperion to brainstorm some countermeasures.

They managed to identify the type of energy binding the barrier, and with that, a plan began to form.

They planned to use the Moonlight Throne to fire a shot to check the situation,

Well, it worked...sort of. While it did neutralize some of the energy, the darn thing just regenerated itself. Turns out, the barrier had some OP auto-repair function. 

On the bright side, it meant the Moonlight Throne could theoretically overload the barrier, they just needed a lot more juice. Like, way more than even the Hyperion could dish out at once.

It was a classic case of "right idea, wrong power level." Back to the drawing board...

When several people were having headaches, Bronya stood up and calmly said that she could create the Moonlight Throne Array... to fill this gap.

She needed an extremely large amount of Honkai energy and...to completely activate the Herrscher core in her body.

Talk about a high-risk, high-reward situation. But with the clock ticking down to that ominous 12-hour mark, it was their only shot.

Kiana, Seele, Liliya, and even the usually Rozaliya stepped up, channeling their Honkai energy to their resident Silver Wolf.

Bronya calmly dissected, analyzed, and sorted out every detail of the Moonlight Throne, feeling as if her brain was almost exploding.

Bronya got to work, dissecting, analyzing, and optimizing every single detail of the Moonlight Throne's design. Her brain was basically on fire, but even with the Herrscher of Reason's powers streamlining things, replicating such an advanced piece of tech was no walk in the park.

It was like trying to speedrun a PhD in astrophysics...blindfolded...while riding a rollercoaster.

And then...Bronya's consciousness drifted. She found herself face-to-face with a familiar figure from the past.

The first-generation Welt was looking at her silently, surrounded by the ashes and remnants of war, with black ruins scattered all over.

-----

"Wait... Moonlight Throne?" Vill-V and Mobius exchanged bewildered glances.

The name rang a bell, but it shouldn't have existed in this era, right?

If it really was the same weapon they had created, then obliterating that barrier would be like swatting a fly. So then...did this mean someone had managed to reverse-engineer their tech?

"Moonlight...Throne? Hmm, that sounds familiar..." Kiana mused, tilting her head towards the ceiling.

Suddenly, she found herself the center of attention, everyone staring at her expectantly.

"What? Don't look at me like that! You really think someone would give me something like that as a...birthday present?" While the name did trigger a distant memory, Kiana was quick to deny any personal connection.

After all, her mom was still around, keeping a watchful eye on things. No way a fake Kiana could pull that off under her nose!

"But...it seems like it could actually work! Finally...it's Bronya's time to shine!" Bronya declared, her eyes gleaming with excitement as she observed the schematics unfolding on the screen.

No problem at all! From now on, this was the standard she'd strive for!

Moonlight Throne? She'd build it! It was go big or go home for the Herrscher of Reason!

Bronya gritted her teeth, determined to see this through.