Kallen's Death, His Apocalypse

Back then, Otto couldn't see what Kallen truly needed, and he was too arrogant, even believing he could protect the strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal with his own strength.

And the truth proved that he couldn't do anything.

"Eleanor? Is... that her?"

Kallen was stunned, hearing a familiar name again.

It was a name that brought back powerful memories. Eleanor was the first person to be cured of the Black Death, and hearing her name helped Kallen's own memories start to come back.

It wasn't just the memories from the game, but older memories, ones that had been blurry and confusing, were starting to become clearer.

"She inherited the name Schariac, a special Stigmata Awakener..."

Kallen couldn't help but look at Cecilia and Durandal, wondering if they were somehow connected to this Eleanor. She was starting to put pieces together, but she still had so many questions.

"Uh, Mom, wouldn't she be our ancestor?" Kiana asked, pointing at Cecilia with a curious expression.

"Maybe. You should ask Overseer Kallen about this. After all, she was from that era,"

Cecilia replied casually, glancing at Kiana before going back to playing with her little Sirin doll.

Cecilia knew a lot about the history of the Schariac family, one of the three most important families in Schicksal. But she didn't know if their special powers, the abilities that came with their Stigmata, had always existed.

If she was playing the game, she would think this was all related to Otto somehow.

But Cecilia wasn't playing a game. This was real life, and things were getting complicated.

"Back then, Grandma's robbing the rich and helping the poor was a righteous act, wasn't it?" Theresa asked, thinking about what Kallen had told them.

"Maybe," Kallen said. "But from today's perspective, the basic idea is still the same. It's about taking from those who have too much and giving to those who need it."

"Besides, little Theresa... if I were to rob the rich and help the poor, you'd be the first one I'd rob!" Kallen chuckled, tapping Theresa's forehead with her finger.

Theresa gasped and closed her eyes, clearly surprised.

"You're always running a deficit. I don't know where all that money goes!" Kallen teased, shaking her head. "You spend money faster than you earn it!"

"Uh, grandma, don't talk about the past!" Theresa said, looking a little embarrassed.

Then she remember something, "I've audited my academy account and it's now positive!" Theresa answered proudly, puffing out her chest.

"Theresa... almost all of it is from Luo Mo's MiHoYo Company." Kallen said, her voice calm, but a hint of a smile played on her lips.

" ...and I've read your financial statements, and there are some numbers that don't match... Can you explain that?" Kallen asked, her smile turning a little scarier.

"Haha... grandma... it's not what you imagine... eee eh oh, Luo Mo is taking care of this year's accounts!! Grandma, you should ask him about this!" Theresa said quickly, trying to avoid Kallen's gaze.

-----

As for that journey, regardless of the outcome, she did find redemption within her heart, even if it was fleeting and false.

Even though she later learned that her supposed robbing the rich and helping the poor, her nocturnal escapades, had already been exposed, Otto had used his achievements in saving the Black Death through human experimentation to cover it up, leaving the executives fuming but powerless.

The aftermath of this event was the exposure of Otto's hidden human experimentation, leading to the official split between their wills.

…

The story that followed unfolded into a tragedy cloaked in absurdity.

Otto... he ultimately made the most foolish decision of his life.

Night-time, a corner illuminated by candlelight, shadows reflected on the wall, two voices whispered in conversation.

"What's wrong, my dear brother? Shouldn't you be at the church, mourning our father?" a sharp voice asked, laced with sarcasm. It was Lisa, Otto's sister.

"...Then why are you here, Lisa?" Otto replied calmly, not bothered by her words.

"Well... because I hate that old geezer, I don't want to put on a show there – is that reason good enough?" Lisa said, her voice dripping with disdain.

Otto said calmly, "Father was poisoned. I know who the killer is."

Silence hung in the air for a moment. Lisa fell into thought, frowning at him. She didn't believe he had any evidence, and she knew he was hiding something.

Besides, why would he come to her instead of telling everyone?

It was a clear sign of what he was planning.

"...Oh? Who is it, I'm quite curious." she said, her voice laced with sarcasm.

"Stop your feigned ignorance." Otto said coldly. He was in a difficult situation. He needed help, but he didn't want to trust anyone.

If he had the strength, he wouldn't have needed to bargain with someone like Lisa.

He just needed to offer Lisa something she wanted, and she would naturally choose what to do. He knew how to play the game.

Otto, a skilled doctor, had easily determined that his father had been poisoned. And his nephew, Marcel, was controlled by Lisa. The death of his older brother, Ferdinand, was also connected to her in some way.

As for why he would poison his father, it was easy to deduce.

— During the family meeting, he had personally stated that he would pass the position of Archbishop to Otto. That old fox wouldn't be so kind, it was just a deal.

It could only be said that Lisa didn't understand the true meaning of the situation.

The old man had actually planned to pass the position on to Marcel, his grandson. But he never expected to be "killed by his own family" before that could happen.

However, this had nothing to do with her, it only gave her more bargaining power.

"You need the seat of the Archbishop of Schicksal... and I need to complete a deal."

"Kallen Kaslana, right? You really are fond of her."

Lisa looked at him with an icy sarcasm, her gaze filled with a kind of disgust.

This brother, who she once thought was useless, was starting to make her nervous.

He had been playing his cards very carefully, especially during the Black Death.

She shook her head, looking at him with a playful sneer. "Too bad, she's going to be hanged tomorrow. Swinging from the rope, becoming a corpse that will never wake up."

"——And it's her own choice, isn't it?"

"...We forced her down this path. We're all guilty." Otto said, his voice cold and hard. He clenched his fists, his eyes locked on Lisa.

"Since our father could be murdered like this, I believe you must have a way to save Kallen." He continued, his tone now laced with desperation.

"After it's done, we guarantee we'll leave – we won't covet the Archbishop position you have your eyes on."

"Hmm... you make a good point," Lisa said thoughtfully.

"But the current situation, no one wants to save that Kallen..." Lisa chuckled slyly.

Whether Kallen lived or died didn't really matter to her.

What mattered was getting rid of Otto, and now... he was in need of her.

She held all the cards.

"You... won't help me?"

"Don't rush, Otto, my dear brother... As long as... you're willing to get your hands dirty..."

The venomous woman gave her request. Her cold words made Otto's pupils constrict.

As long as you're willing to get your hands dirty... dirty... hands.

In the long silence, he nodded.

He knew what it meant, but he knew even more what Kallen meant to him.

Unbeknownst to him, he would regret this decision for the rest of his life.

…

"You know, Otto... sometimes I'm really jealous of your sister."

"Back then, I carefully crafted countless traps for you, big and small, and you never fell for them—"

"——But all she did was hand you a shovel, and you managed to dig yourself a grave?" Void Archives continued, its tone almost mocking.

"They say human emotions can make them lose their minds; but this is truly beyond comprehension." Void Archives admitted, still baffled. It couldn't understand how Otto could be so cunning and smart in some ways, but so foolish in others.

Otto, in front of it, was as cunning as a ghost. But handing everything over to Lisa was a series of blunders, a terrible mistake. It directly cut off his original inheritance rights and gave Lisa everything she wanted.

Otto sighed softly, a hint of longing and regret in his eyes. A sense of helplessness washed over his handsome, delicate face.

"Try to put yourself in my shoes, Void Archives. Besides blindly trusting her... what else could I have done back then?"

"Or, if you had been willing to let me use the full power of the Divine Key back then - to save her, I would have agreed to any other condition on the spot."

"Tsk. It's all my fault, is it? That's the real reason you've been binding me for five hundred years."

Void Archives clicked its tongue, a mix of resentment and regret, but it was all in the past, it was too late to regret it.

"Heh... who knows?" Otto chuckled and moved on. He wouldn't let the past hold him back.

"Anyway, neither of us have any regret pills to take, do we?" Otto said with a wry smile.

[Hahaha... Void Archives worked its whole life, and it wasn't as good as a casual bet someone made]

[If Void Archives had been willing to lend Otto its power back then, he would have been willing to pay any price, it's just a shame...]

[Handed him a shovel, he dug a grave, haha, quite vivid]

[He pre-emptively took out the old fox, wasn't he paving the way for her?]

[Comment…]

-----

"So... what are they talking about?" Kiana frowned, confused.

She really didn't know about this. Did she miss something in history class?

The political struggles within the Apocalypse family weren't as dramatic and tragic in the real world as they were in the game. But considering how biased historical records can be, it was understandable.

"Maybe it's a little-known secret of Schicksal," Bronya said seriously.

"Uh... is it real?"

"Maybe."

Bronya snorted. As for whether it was real or not, she knew, of course. It wasn't in the Schicksal archives anyway.

"Is it the Honkai Beast incident after the execution...?" Kallen guessed, already suspicious of that Honkai Beast. It didn't make sense.

No matter what, the place where Schicksal imprisoned people was still a distance from the execution ground. Unless it was released intentionally, the other circumstances were too coincidental, almost impossible.

And if it was a Honkai Beast, she thought of the giant sword in her dream, the golden flames falling down. In that moment, it wasn't just the Honkai Beast that was cut down, but also the invisible shackles on her.

She felt a sense of clarity, and from that point on, everything went smoothly.

It was like she had been set free.

Luo Mo heard her question.

In the game, Kallen eventually learned about Otto's actions. But clearly, Kallen in this world hadn't met Otto after that, and only remembered the giant sword falling from the sky. And Otto was incredibly lucky to miss the third slap...

Could it be said that... there were gains and losses?

No, no, no. Maybe Otto doesn't hate it?

As he thought about it, Luo Mo's gaze began to wander, starting to speculate in a strange way.

Even Kallen's scolding, Otto probably wants to see it again.

…..

"He's willing to make a deal with a villain just to save the one he loves?" Eden sighed and shook her head. She was fascinated by Otto's story.

His experience was enough to write a great play. The ups and downs, the love and hate, made this story destined to be extraordinary.

"It's just... not the protagonist who promotes truth, goodness, and beauty. Maybe it has a more dramatic effect," Eden said with a gentle smile.

She gracefully sipped her sweet drink, her eyes filled with amusement.

"Void Archives is quite talkative. I didn't expect it to have this ability - does it change its speaking style depending on its owner?"

"Hmm, maybe it really is in the shape of Otto, come to think of it, it feels weird."

Vill-V, bored, whistled and mumbled to herself.

Well, Void Archives does have her creative input, it's her work, after all. It's not good if it turns into something she doesn't recognize.

Doesn't that mean there's a problem with her technology!

"What does she mean by getting her hands dirty...? Hmm, I don't quite understand. Mobius, my dear Mobius~"

Elysia pondered for a moment, then decisively chose to ask for help.

As for who to ask, hmph, she knew who was interested in this. That Mobius always said she wanted to study Otto.

She must have collected information about him in this world. Even if she didn't, she could cross-reference it with Kallen's experiences in history and the game.

"Cut it out, why are you asking me? What if I said... I don't know?"

"Mobius is so bad, she doesn't even know this. Fine, I'll go ask Vill-V."

Elysia pouted, her disdainful look made Mobius bristle. She couldn't stand being compared to Vill-V.

"You! ... Hmph, dirty things, they're definitely things that everyone would find unacceptable,"

"Schicksal back then, at least on the surface, was still an organization fighting Honkai. They wouldn't easily violate their principles or make it public. So... the dirty thing must be related to Honkai. At worst, Otto could collude with Honkai, lure out a Honkai Beast to attack civilians..."

Mobius said casually. She couldn't admit that she was bad.

"But... don't you usually call dear Eden, dear Eden? Why are you suddenly calling me like that?"

Mobius's expression turned suspicious. What was going on with her?

It made her... a little uncomfortable.

"Hmm! ?"

Elysia chuckled lightly. "Then I'll call you that more often, get you used to it."

"Guessing... it seems to make sense. And is Void Archives really that fun? It's pretty smooth to talk to."

Her eyes lit up, like she had seen some interesting toy.

Although she thought Void Archives was mediocre as a weapon and not very pretty,

She was curious, if she had a Void Archives, would it turn into a pink cube, transforming into a beautiful girl? That was what she was most looking forward to.

"Fun?! It's completely different from my original design, okay? Although it's still a library..."

Vill-V's voice rose slightly, her surprise growing. Her head was starting to spin.

-----

A gentle breeze rustled through the air, and flowers bloomed in vibrant hues.

The white mist dissipated, and sunlight poured down, illuminating a verdant stone monument before them. Ink-black inscriptions etched the passage of time,

Kallen Kaslana's name was etched upon it.

1453-1477.

Her brief, brilliant life ended at that moment, her life story completed in the form of a Saint. Along with her departure went all of Otto's heart and soul, leaving him unable to forget her for five hundred years.

Her passing was truly an apocalypse for Otto, the end of everything.

"..."

"Oh, she's dead. That was truly your apocalypse."

"Five hundred years have passed in a flash... now, you finally have the chance to change this moment."

Void Archives said slowly.

Even it could sense the turmoil in the man beside it. The most important person to him was resting here.

"Ah, or perhaps, for you, time has never truly passed?"

Void Archives asked. It still couldn't see through the man's true face.

He hid too deeply, wearing mask after mask, never taking them off, never truly revealing himself.