He Wants to Erase 500 Years of History

The whispers about Otto's plan in the hall were still limited to a select few, and even fewer knew the specifics of each step.

Luo Mo wouldn't divulge information without authorization, and Vill-V and Mobius weren't keen on broadcasting their knowledge to others.

As a result, the shadow of doubt surrounding Otto's plan continued to linger in everyone's minds.

From an outsider's perspective, Otto's actions practically screamed "I'm about to do something evil," leaving little room for doubt.

The plot, however, was steadily plunging into a deeper, more bizarre abyss. His true plan was gradually surfacing, though still shrouded in mystery, it was no longer a mere whisper in the wind.

-----

The three Valkyries soon arrived at the location designated by Otto, ready to receive their assignment.

Otto, a mere ethereal projection on the comm screen, maintained his signature smirk, utterly at ease. The three Valkyries, however, remained silent, their gazes cold and wary.

He didn't seem to mind their silence, instead, he continued to lay out his plans.

But as Rita had pointed out, the situation was in flux. Durandal couldn't simply ignore his orders. She couldn't help but question him, her voice laced with a hint of defiance.

She had a reason, a right to question him. After all, her priority had always been the people.

"But what about the cost?"

Durandal's blue eyes were unwavering, fixed on the figure who had once been her mentor, but now stood on the opposite side of a chasm. She repeated her question, her voice firm.

"Since you're truly going to 'another world', what's the cost of achieving all this?"

"Ah, the cost. Indeed, everything comes with a price. But I'd like to correct a subtle point first."

Otto paused, then chuckled.

He looked at his last student, a flicker of amusement in his eyes.

He understood, of course, her intentions and her next move.

But wasn't that exactly what he wanted?

Besides... he didn't dislike her kindness. It reminded him of Kallen.

Those who inherited Kallen's spirit, as long as they didn't interfere with his plans, he held no ill will towards them.

"——I am indeed leaving 'this world'; but strictly speaking, I'm not going to 'another world'."

"My destination is the 'other side of the world': it's the boundary between worlds, a place where we can redefine 'time'."

Otto smiled as he explained to the three Valkyries. Seeing their confusion, he elaborated further.

Time, in this world, was naturally fixed and immutable, moving forward in a linear fashion. The Imaginary Tree, however, connected to multiple dimensions...

"If we can find a way to walk on the Imaginary Tree... then time could flow backwards before our eyes."

Durandal stared at him, her expression grave. Could time truly flow backwards?

This was a concept that countless philosophers had pondered, a promise whispered by countless truths. Yet, in Otto's words, there was a glimmer of possibility.

It should be impossible, a mere delusion of a madman.

But it was clearly a difficult feat. He sighed, admitting frankly,

"I can't make time flow backwards. No one can."

"But from another perspective, time is simply the direction of the Imaginary Tree's growth, nothing more."

"Therefore, as long as we can manipulate the Imaginary Tree itself, it wouldn't be difficult to choose a new point for the world to 'grow' from."

"What... you're not manipulating time, but the world itself?"

Durandal's face was a picture of disbelief. She had never heard of such a thing.

Otto chuckled, but a chill ran through his words, sending a shiver down everyone's spines.

"If we can rewind the Imaginary Tree's 'growth point' back to five hundred years ago..."

"The world of five hundred years ago can discard our present, discard this future that has already become history—"

Discard... the present world? Return to the past?

The Valkyries were stunned, staring at the smiling man.

They didn't fully understand, but it was easy to grasp the devastating impact such an action would have on the world they knew.

If they went back five hundred years, and Kallen was still alive... what about now?

[A cold sweat broke out. It... it might actually be possible?]

[Time is irreversible in this dimension, but what if we ascend to a higher one?]

[No, it can't be!]

[Damn, how is that even possible? According to this world's lore, it seems like it might actually be feasible!]

[Comment]

-----

Even in the comment section, the discussion about Otto's plan had begun, and the calls for his blood had dwindled. Of course, they didn't know they were in the same world, or they'd be worried about becoming sacrifices themselves.

"Is this really possible?"

Elysia furrowed her brow. This wasn't her area of expertise. As a dropout from the nine-year compulsory education system, she couldn't fully grasp what Otto was saying.

"In terms of feasibility, yes; but in reality, there are many more problems to solve. Even if Otto doesn't care about this world, it's almost impossible for an individual to achieve this."

Mobius pursed her lips, a hint of surprise in her serpentine eyes.

She had guessed it, but she still couldn't believe he would take this approach. It could very well lead to the extinction of civilization.

And the energy, consciousness, resistance required... would be immeasurable.

In other words, with that kind of energy, wiping out any Herrscher wouldn't be a problem. This was a thankless task.

"But that still doesn't make sense. If this is his plan, Kiana and the others shouldn't be involved. Or, the previous performance was meaningless..."

"Wait, the Herrscher of the Void, haha, no wonder he always emphasized the Herrscher of the Void is necessary!"

Vill-V rested her chin on her hand, pondering. Suddenly, she had an epiphany, slapping the table excitedly.

"But will the Herrscher of the Void help him?" Mobius questioned with a moment of doubt.

"Whoever wants to help can help, I won't." Sirin had somehow joined them, eavesdropping on their conversation. She puffed out her cheeks and declared.

She thought her own life was miserable enough, but seeing her in-game self made her realize that her current NEET life was actually quite comfortable. And she didn't have that old geezer constantly pestering her.

But she still felt a deep unease, a mixture of anger and fear, towards that man called Otto.

"If even the Herrscher of the Void won't help... Kiana in the game wouldn't help either."

Elysia twisted her head, though her tone wasn't forceful, she was certain Kiana wouldn't be so kind as to help her enemy.

"No need to help... or rather, let's see what Otto does. I'm curious too. If he can actually rewind five hundred years, that would be a significant advancement."

Vill-V scratched her head. She didn't actually believe in this plan. After all, even Theresa could see through Otto's act. Who would believe this was his complete plan?

But she had to admit, the word "time" caught her attention.

If they could truly rewind the pre-civilization era by five hundred years... no, even fifty years, they might be able to defeat Honkai.

"But... I remember Kevin was there too, would he agree?"

Elysia glanced at the stoic figure in the distance, asking Vill-V.

"Kevin... speaking of which, the tenth Herrscher is supposedly taken care of, right?" Vill-V smiled, throwing out an unrelated topic.

"Huh...?" Elysia tilted her head, a questioning sound escaping her nostrils.

"Kevin, he doesn't like the Finality, he doesn't like that plan."

Vill-V said with a playful smirk, locking eyes with Elysia.

...

The results of the final experiment were in, and the energy intensity of the internal Imaginary Core didn't match up at all.

As expected... someone had gotten there first.

There was only one person who fit the criteria and had the ability. It wasn't hard to guess, it was Otto's doing!

Tesla couldn't help but stomp his feet in anger, letting out a string of curses.

Meanwhile, in the ancient, gray town outside, countless golden-haired men in conspicuous attire stood or sat, their gazes varying as they looked towards the distant Hyperion, the silver battleship.

As expected, a battle was about to erupt.

The power of the Herrscher of Dominance, the Thousand-Man Herrscher, had truly fallen into Otto's hands. Thinking back, his promise to give the Herrscher core to Theresa was nothing but empty words.

The true core, the Imaginary Singularity, was already in his grasp.

Within mere hours, the alarm bells on the ship blared.

Over a hundred beings, each resembling Otto, the Overseer of Schicksal, approached the Hyperion. The few people in the cabin exchanged glances, already guessing what power he had used.

The ship's communication was then connected, and Otto's figure reappeared.

After all these events, no one believed his lies about having no ulterior motives. His plan had already unfolded, waiting for them to fall into his trap.

"Goodnight, everyone, please celebrate for the future of humanity—"

Otto maintained the elegance of the Schicksal Overseer, greeting everyone present with a courteous tone, ignoring their angry stares.

He smiled, slowly unfolding his topic,

Using his usual tone, he claimed the moral high ground,

As if everything was for their benefit, even though they were enemies, making it a blatant provocation.

"In terms of results, I will sacrifice myself, gaining an extra five hundred years for humanity from the Imaginary Tree, giving you ample time to fight Honkai."

"Five hundred years..." Theresa's expression changed dramatically, her eyes fixed on him.

She wasn't sure what he meant by "gaining an extra", but this number coincided with Kallen's incident...

Meaning, he was going to cause trouble in this world?

"Hehehe... it seems little Theresa has grown quite a bit, she's already realized something."

Otto glanced at Theresa, nodding slightly.

His granddaughter had indeed grown rapidly during the numerous battles. Good, very good. That gave him some peace of mind.

"I recall mentioning not long ago, 'I will soon embark on my final journey, to the other side of the world to find that one and only existence'."

"——I will erase this five hundred years of history from the 'branches of time', returning the world itself to a state where Kallen Kaslana is still alive."

"Of course, you all needn't worry about your existence being erased by this process:"

"Everyone who has come to Kolosten today, regardless of your stance—Otto Apocalypse will protect you from the flow of time."

He made a worthless promise. He never intended to destroy everything here.

"...And you, returning to the past, will surely be able to help the Saint achieve her ideals."

"Rewind time? That Schicksal guy, have you lost your mind? Do you think we don't know how much energy that requires?"

Tesla scoffed, not taking him seriously.

That energy level, even with all twelve Herrschers combined, might not be enough. A mere Otto...

"...What if I've reached an agreement with an entity known as the 'Will of Honkai'?"

"What if the price I pay is the flow of time on the Imaginary Tree, or 'now' itself?"

Otto didn't mind their words. After all, they were no less advanced in the pursuit of science than he was.

But that also meant... things beyond their imagination, things they believed couldn't exist in reality, would never come to pass.

It undoubtedly restricted their imagination.

Therefore... they never guessed the thoughts of a madman.

Tesla's eyes widened, speechless.

"....Besides, what does it matter if you don't believe me? Just wait twelve hours, and you'll see."

"It sounds like you're deliberately giving us a twelve-hour challenge."

Einstein remained calm, pondering the meaning of Otto's presence here.

Strange, very strange. If this was his lifelong ambition, he wouldn't tolerate any interference. Even the slightest impact on his plans in the past would have led him to strike mercilessly from behind his allies.

Therefore, she didn't believe his claims of caring for them for a second.

Otto maintained his smile, looking at his old friend. Einstein, in turn, stared back at him coldly.

Otto muttered "not good, not good" under his breath, then sighed, indicating that he was simply willing to give them this chance.

"All you need to know is, if I succeed, the world will grant humanity an extra five hundred years to fight Honkai—"

"And the price for it, is simply that all mortals, except those present today, will 'return to an unborn state' for those five hundred years."

"And this communication... can be understood as giving everyone present a fair chance to compete."

As his voice faded, the final image gradually dissipated.

Destroying time and history, an agreement with the Will of Honkai, the final twelve hours...

Every word Otto uttered during this visit struck a heavy blow against everyone's defenses.

[Fu Hua needs to call upon her Little Senti! She has experience! Fighting Otto, she's the expert!]

[What? Help from the Will of Honkai? How could the Will of Honkai agree to that?]

[Will of Honkai: I look around, everyone's just slacking off and rebelling. Can't I shuffle the deck?]

[Honkai: I'm so done! Reset!]

[Comment]

-----

"Hiss... it's actually the Will of Honkai? This... I can't be certain."

Tesla said in frustration, looking at her own constantly being berated. She couldn't help but scratch her red hair.

"Don't be discouraged, Doctor Tesla, you still have hope."

Einstein quietly added a critical blow, causing Tesla to bristle.

"Huh? What do you mean I still have hope? Am I about to die?"

"Well... that's something a doctor can tell you. I don't know."

"Tch, what they said inside is right. Yang fighting for humanity is a good thing, but we've also lost the opportunity to research Honkai. I'm just annoyed about that."

"Oh? I thought Doctor Tesla was realizing the risk of future baldness and taking preventative measures."

Einstein said calmly, but if you looked closely, she had taken a step back.

Check, daily teasing of Tesla, complete.

"Ha?!?"

…

"You know, why would the Will of Honkai help that guy? Even if they've met before, it's not like they'd just help out of the blue, especially when it costs their own energy."

Kiana asked with some confusion, tugging on Luo Mo's sleeve.

"Uh... Kiana, what would you do if you got a bad hand while playing cards?"

Luo Mo thought for a moment, asking a seemingly unrelated question.

"I'd message Mei to cook! That way, I can get out of the situation and get a good meal!"

Kiana said proudly, her intelligent eyes sparkling.

"...Shouldn't you just discard it and start a new game?"

"Eh? But then... Bronya wouldn't play cards with me."

"No... Bronya won't play cards with you now, in the future, or ever!"

A voice, filled with anger yet cold and distinct, rang out.