"You... can't kill me,"
"Unreconstructable power is absolutely infinite..."
Even though he was so weak, completely unable to fight back, Otto's figure kept rising again and again, seemingly proclaiming the truth of his words.
"Just relying on the measly Herrscher of the Void,"
"You can't do it!!"
Otto continued to provoke them, closing his eyes, letting Kiana and the others attack him.
Kiana watched as Otto, who couldn't be truly injured no matter what, clenched her teeth. She remembered what Nagamitsu and the two doctors had said,
And the weaknesses Otto had exposed himself, those classic "you can't defeat me unless you do this" problems.
"Imaginary Number Renormalization? I don't believe it... I won't let you!"
Durandal charged from afar, using her lance to directly fling him against the wall. The tip of her lance pierced Otto's chest, preventing him from swaying his body.
Meanwhile, Kiana lowered her greatsword, determined to manipulate the powers of the Herrscher of the Void within her, engaging in a game of strategy with the powers within him.
"Let your power go with you to your grave!!"
The sadness she felt as a test subject, the successive deaths of her parents, the sight of her companions being hurt, the red figure falling in the imaginary space, the countless ordinary people who drifted because of this, and finally, the insane experiment that destroyed the world,
"Mom, Dad, Himeko-sensei, Class Monitor... this is what you owe them all!"
The power in her heart gathered little by little, her hatred accumulating.
She was going to completely destroy the person in front of her, also to protect her cherished wish.
At one point, the grief in her heart completely erupted, and the Herrscher of the Void core within her contracted to its limit,
She suppressed the power of the Imaginary Number Tree, even if it was only for a short moment!
Flames and explosions roared, engulfing this world of imagination, turning everything into ruins. Otto was nowhere to be found.
They... won!
[It feels like Otto just let us win, like he was letting us have it]
[Otto... just like that?]
[He kept reminding us of his weaknesses, and basically just defended himself during the fight... there's definitely more to the story]
[No matter what, the journey that lasted for months has finally ended... let's pop the champagne, let's pop the champagne!!]
[Otto's health bar finally disappeared, haha, even though he'll probably get a redemption arc later, it doesn't matter! Let's open a bottle first!]
[Comment…]
-----
This battle also gave us an understanding of the true strength of this Overseer of Schicksal.
Even with the power of a False God as his guarantee, his skillful use of it demonstrated his extraordinary abilities.
But the more important question is, is Otto really dead?
The few people in the hall stared at the black screen, silent, waiting for the final judgment to come.
"Should we pop the champagne?"
Luo Mo suddenly asked. He remembered that Kalpas had bought a whole case, intending to share it after Otto kicked the bucket.
Little Senti had definitely bought a case too, but why was she so restless now? What was she looking around for?
But it didn't matter. He had also won a case from the system, so anyone who wanted to drink could quickly grab one. It would be inconvenient to get it later...
"I think it's fine, no need. Let's wait until everything truly settles down..."
Elysia glanced sideways, avoiding his question.
He was definitely up to no good. That was the premise of everything.
Therefore, she could quickly deduce that he was going to cause trouble again. She decided to avoid him for now, although she didn't really believe he could pull off anything too crazy.
"I have some here. Looks like we can have a good drink today!"
Kalpas, surprisingly, didn't get angry but instead straightforwardly brought out his stash.
"[Please]don't waste food..." Aponia silently prayed, but it was a prayer that made people believe wholeheartedly.
"..." Kallen didn't say anything, looking at the scene in front of her with a headache.
She didn't know what to say, so she could only glare at Luo Mo. He was messing around again.
But everyone present was connected to Otto, even deeply affected by him. She could only block Theresa's eager steps. After all, she was still young... ah, no, he was her grandfather. That would be filial piety gone wrong.
However, Theresa clearly had no self-awareness. She was just curious why there was a Homu Comics on the champagne Luo Mo had brought out.
Besides, she didn't really think of Otto as her grandfather.
Meanwhile, at the company, thanks to the strict confidentiality measures at the end, and the fact that Luo Mo completed the rest of the project himself,
They were aware that something was off, but they couldn't easily give up on the champagne on the table and the bold words they had spoken.
One by one, they analyzed the last part of the project completed by their boss, while preparing to open the champagne to welcome Otto's final words.
They felt confident that even if Otto had some redeeming qualities later on, the dirty and vile actions he took along the way wouldn't be easily washed away.
Therefore, they confidently opened the champagne, ready to welcome the arrival.
But no one expected that Otto's final words would be so gentle and sorrowful. He never denied his own evil.
He wasn't a hero, never was.
He was just too selfish.
So selfish that... only she mattered most.
-----
That space gradually faded back into reality, and the girls returned to where they had started.
A place they had only arrived at recently, but felt subjectively like an eternity.
No matter what, Otto had finally been defeated by them. His cruel plan, filled with mockery of individual life, had come to an end.
But at that moment, a voice carried on the breeze reached their ears, causing the smiles they had shared to vanish, replaced by a look of shock. They became alert, looking around cautiously.
"Well done, Bianca, Kiana..."
A voice of satisfaction echoed from an unknown source, his words faint and elusive, but the two girls who had just faced him couldn't ignore it.
"Otto?"
"No need to be nervous, you two powerful warriors..."
Otto's gentle voice reached their ears, no longer carrying the oppressive feeling of before. Instead, it felt like a voice of advice.
"You truly reversed the rules above False God' in a moment, turning my spirit into the lonely ghost I am now."
"Soon, everything will settle down according to your will... so before that, I want to congratulate you."
"Congratulations on overcoming domination and Binding, congratulations on stopping me from destroying your history and your people."
"Of course... congratulations to myself as well. I can finally say goodbye to my life without regret."
"Since that's the case, can you tell us your true purpose?"
Durandal breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed like he was going to disappear completely.
But then, a sense of conflict arose Inside her.
"What's wrong? Bianca, even now, you still can't see me as an enemy?"
Durandal shook her head and said,
"I can't forgive you for what you did to me. But I won't forget the way you nurtured me."
"And, even now, I still believe..."
"Deep down, you still believe, in some form, in the things you taught us to believe in."
The man's voice paused, as if with a hint of amusement.
"...No matter what, you did defeat me. In that moment, you surpassed the 'God' behind me."
"That's an incredible achievement - use that experience, and you will eventually overcome Honkai, bringing lasting light to the world you cherish."
"And I will finally have the chance... to do something similar for the world I cherish. To be precise, to hand a lost torch into her hands."
Otto's relieved tone was calm and straightforward, but his weakness forced him to pause in the middle.
But both of them understood who he was talking about.
The name that had accompanied Otto Apocalypse throughout his life - Kallen Kaslana.
"She?"
"Could it be..."
"It seems you've both guessed the answer, haven't you?"
Otto chuckled, no longer harboring the animosity of an enemy. He sincerely thanked the two in front of him, allowing him to achieve his dreams and aspirations.
Despite the power of the False God before him, he was bound by the Imaginary Number Tree, unable to accomplish anything he desired, firmly tethered to the world of origin.
"So, I made a bet from the beginning,"
"I bet that the will of humanity could create a moment of wonder, that the 'laws' of the Imaginary Number Tree could be disrupted, subdued, for that brief instant."
His tone was calm, but with a certain madness, a confidence unknown to others.
"Kiana. The child I once called K423. In the past, the power of love allowed you to do this..."
"Now, I have proven that anger can do the same thing."
"I bet my last hope of reviving Kallen on this... and the facts have proven that I won."
Otto spoke weakly, clearly injured from everything that had just happened, yet still filled with a certain smugness.
Ha, he had won -
Now, it was his turn.
Durandal's eyes widened in shock, but she remained rational, analyzing step by step.
"So, to reshape the world five hundred years ago, you had to transcend reality, become a part of the imaginary space, become a slave to the Imaginary Number Tree..."
"And to change that world, to change that person's fate. You had to exile yourself? Even though the result is... you will die. Even your existence will come to an end."
"Of course."
That casual tone, as if he didn't care about the cost at all. He readily admitted it.
"Just like Prometheus stole fire from the heavens..."
"In that miraculous moment, I was able to bring the wedge of power that transcends reality to the world."
"It created a fork in the road of history, and no longer needs to destroy the world you love."
"Although the latter doesn't matter to me..."
"Thank you. You have allowed me to witness the miracle that belongs only to me and her, in the last moments of my life."
Perhaps it was because he was in the final moments of his connection with the world, his words became gradually gentler and more open. He didn't hold back in his warnings for their final journey.
After all, this world wasn't without people he cared about.
"I will eventually die with all my sins; and for you, who still choose to move forward..."
"The ladder to conquer Honkai has revealed its first steps to you. The path is winding and treacherous, almost impossible to traverse..."
"But at its end, there is indeed light."
"Farewell... heroes."
"...Oh," he paused for a moment, as if suddenly remembering, or as if he didn't know how to face it.
So, in the end, he simply said softly -
"Tell Theresa... unfortunately, her grandfather can't attend her coronation ceremony."
The man's presence vanished. He disappeared completely before the girls.
Under their gaze, his soul drifted away, into the void, towards his final destination.
[Goodbye, Archbishop...]
[Kevin knows all this, that's why he envies Otto]
[Sigh, this drink was kind of boring. I didn't expect Otto to have his own brilliance]
[When he was alive, I hoped he'd get his health bar up quickly... Now that he's near death, I can't help but listen to every word of his advice, sigh]
[In the end, I'm tearing up... no matter what, he still cared about Theresa]
[Comment…]
-----
"Love and anger? Knowing about emotions, yet choosing to trample on them, to use them... sigh, really... I don't know how to judge it."
Elysia sighed softly,
He clearly understood and appreciated the miracles created by human emotions, the flashes of love and hate,
Yet he still trampled on them recklessly, ignoring the feelings of others and focusing only on his own goals.
He understood the meaning of good, yet chose to do evil.
A rational villain, she thought with a wry smile. She couldn't persuade someone like that.
"He's not like other villains. He understands the power of emotions best. It's that very power that led him to where he is now, five hundred years later... so, he believes in the power of emotions."
"If reviving someone is impossible, but love and hate can create miracles of equal magnitude, it will take him across countless doors."
Luo Mo said with a touch of emotion.
He was truly a unique individual. As an evil boss, he didn't pursue power, but the miracles triggered by emotion.
It was precisely this that made him the one and only Archbishop of Schicksal.
He sat high above for five hundred years, his heart unchanged, only seeking to revive one person.
Such terrifying willpower... how could it fail?
"Human fools are breeding folly... heh, folly..."
Mobius's face turned grim. She remembered the initial short film, the reason behind his actions... and the secrets of this world.
It gave her a bad feeling.
"A divergent history, the world where Kallen lives...?"
Vill-V also looked up towards Kallen, then quickly shook her head, but her face changed. She was evaluating the possibility.
"No... it can't be true?"
Vill-V couldn't believe it either.
But the connection between the two worlds was already a bit abnormal. Whether it was this game, or that Herrscher of Sentience,
Coincidence? One coincidence is possible, but how many coincidences can there be?
"It's not impossible..."
Mobius was a bit hesitant. If it was truly a world created by him, on one hand, it meant he had succeeded, but on the other hand... it was unbelievable.
To be honest, they hadn't initially made the connection. Reviving someone, reviving someone, what could it possibly have to do with them?
But if Kallen existed, and Otto died, his existence vanished...
"What are you two talking about?" Elysia turned her head and asked, looking at the two who were muttering to each other.
They Ignoring her.
The two exchanged glances and didn't continue the conversation. It was only a matter of minutes, there was no rush to argue about it.
Kallen, on the other hand, clenched her hand tightly, staring intently at the final scene. She became even more convinced that this world was connected to Otto.
It's just... to what extent?
-----
The final scene unfolded. Otto walked alone on the final path, surrounded by a vast expanse of blood-red desert, with a golden 'tree' at its center.
It was completely golden, its branches intertwined, reaching high into the sky, its surface radiating a hazy glow, sacred and untouchable.
Strangely, there were no leaves on the branches. Instead, they were adorned with clusters of radiance.
He barely supported his body, walking towards the tree, his health bar at a single drop, his body riddled with wounds.
With each step he took, he uttered his final words from the depths of his heart.
"Life... is truly a fragile thing."
"When I was young, my sister died in battle..."
"They told me that her soul was immortal, that her spirit would ascend to heaven."
He scoffed at this.
"Heh... generation after generation, humans are always happy to deceive themselves with such lies."
EX
Director, is it wrong for us to take a vacation now? After this story arc, won't the game be released? What about the team? can we...
Luo m.. erm Boss approved our request for a vacation, ah here's a note from him.
...
Eh?!