[80]The Past that Haunt's You

-????? POV-

That day, when I returned to Europe, I was welcomed with chains and nooses. I was to be executed under the crime of "theft" and betrayal of the church. And I welcomed my fate with open arms.

I can still feel the cold fibers wrapped around my neck, the crowd of people watching as I was about to be executed.

Did I feel... resentment? No, never. I just wished I could have lived a bit longer, even if it was just a little more, to save just one more life.

And at the final hour, a tide of Honkai beasts attacked. I did everything I could to save those innocent people. When the time came, while protecting that innocent child, I fully intended to give my life to save her. If I was going to die, at least I would die doing what I wanted—saving another life.

But... the moment the Honkai beast's hand pierced my chest, the wound miraculously disappeared.

"Kallen, live..."

Those were the words I heard before the Honkai beast vanished into thin air, a cloud of dust suddenly picking up in its place.

I recognized that voice.

It was... Otto.

After the Honkai beast was defeated, my execution was ordered again, effective immediately.

But I couldn't. Not yet—not until I saw him again. Yes, I was still angry at him because of the human experiments he conducted with the "Black Box," all in the name of defeating the Honkai. But after hearing his voice at the brink of death, I had to see him, to give him a piece of my mind.

But... I never found him. No, it was as if he never existed. Everyone had forgotten him, his entire existence erased from the face of the planet. I even asked around, inquiring with people who were close to him, and they all said they didn't know anyone named "Otto Apocalypse."

I never saw him again.

For the rest of my life, which should have ended much earlier, I lived as a rogue, traveling the world while saving others. And at the end of that life, I somehow awakened in a foreign world—as a baby.

A different world. The Kalsna clan, a branch of the main clan, Pendragon. And I was reincarnated as Kallen Kaslana, just as in my previous life. Even my parents were the same—Francis and Clare Kaslana. The joy I felt in that moment was indescribable, and seeing them again brought tears to my eyes.

As the years went by, I began to learn more about the world I was born into and the clan I belonged to. Besides the Kaslanas, there were also the Schariacs and the Apocalypse clans. The moment I heard the name of the last clan, a flicker of hope grew in my heart—hope that I could see him again.

But before I could even begin my search, the uprising against the Pendragons began—a joint coup between the Kaslanas, Apocalypse, and a few other branch clans. They failed and were all slaughtered. Only a few survivors were left, scattered across the world. One of them was me, along with my little cousin, Kevin Kaslana.

Years passed by.

Everything was fine and peaceful... until he showed up—my best and oldest friend.

Otto Apocalypse.

-3rd POV-

{Ding! New mission added!}

{Mission: A Place to Call Home

Description: Peacefully (without any deaths, yes, I'm looking at you) obtain Rita into your custody. The Gremorys' acceptance is required (willingly or not).

Reward: [Random Memory Orb] (Otto Apocalypse Edition), [12th Divine Key—Jizo Mitama]

...Tch!

'I guess killing Sirzechs and Zeoticus is out of the question,' Otto thought with a scoff.

'Looks like I'll need a more "peaceful" approach in case they insist on taking Rita back.'

"There you are, Rias," called out a red-headed man—obviously her father.

Wow, even the way he dressed made him look like an even bigger prick.

"Dad?" Rias exclaimed in surprise, her eyes shifting between me and her father. She seemed to realize who my enemy was.

Zeoticus gave Rias a gentle smile before turning his gaze toward me and Rita.

"So, you're the man Grayfia told me about, Otto, right?" Zeoticus asked, reaching out his hand for a handshake. I gave him one of my best "smiles" as I reached out and shook his hand.

"I'm Rias's father. It seems you've been taking care of my daughter."

*Fwoosh*

A sudden burst of aura emanated from him, his power pressing down on me. Even his grip on my hand tightened.

Sigh.

I don't have time to measure egos with this man-child.

I stared into his eyes, unmoved by the respectable strength he displayed through his magical energy.

*Sigh*

"You should really stop with these games, Father," spoke another voice from the upstairs railings.

Just like Zeoticus and Rias, this man had crimson red hair and looked to be in his late twenties.

"Brother?" Rias said, once again surprised. Really, she should know when her family was visiting.

Sirzechs's eyes brightened as he spotted Rita.

"Rita!" he shouted, racing toward her with open arms.

Before he could get close, Rita reached for the purple smoke she had manifested beside her and drew out her scythe. Its incredibly sharp edge wrapped around Sirzechs's neck before he could approach.

He didn't flinch. In fact, his smile only widened.

-3rd POV-

Sirzechs was overjoyed. The little sister he thought had died was alive and well in front of him. She had even grown stronger, judging by the speed with which she swung her scythe.

"Come, give your big bro a hug!" Sirzechs exclaimed, smiling despite the scythe at his throat.

"Fuck off," Rita spat, her words dripping with venom.

Sirzechs visibly recoiled at the intense hatred she projected. But he couldn't bring himself to respond. He knew why she looked at him with such loathing, and he wasn't sure how to make amends.

"Maybe..." Sirzechs muttered under his breath, his eyes drifting toward the blonde bystander, deep in thought.

Otto Apocalypse.

An orphan from Europe who had transferred to Japan as part of an exchange program.

From the information he had gathered, Otto should have been a normal boy, along with the friends he came with.

But the truth was far from that.

He was of peak Ultimate class—at least, that was the estimation based on his fight with Riser in the rating game. Otto had manhandled Riser from start to finish, even after Riser powered up into an Ultimate class devil.

And maybe... Sirzechs could convince him to...

"No, if you want to make amends, do it yourself" Suddenly spoke up Otto, surprising Sirzechs.

'Can he read minds?' Sirzechs wondered. 

He soon shook his head, if he had used some sacred gear or magic to read his mind, he would have been able to sense even the slightest trace of its influence.

So that wasn't a possibility. Either he's super smart, or his thoughts were written all over his face.

"Sigh. Sirzechs, and Zeoticus, I'd appreciate it if you two would get straight to the point. I don't have time to play mind games with the two of you" Spoke once again Otto in annoyance, surprising everyone in the room, including Rita.

She of all people knew how much Otto loved playing mind games with others and then crushing them completely in them.

If he didn't want to deal with it right now then it means that Otto was annoyed, very much so.

Zeoticus growled in annoyance, he, the head of the Gremory was being talked in such a way by a human?

He probably would have killed him if he were anyone else, but that wasn't the case.

Not only is he ultimate class(Not Confirmed), but he's also good friends with Rias, and he's also extremely close to his long-lost daughter, Rita.

Zeoticus wanted Rita to come back to their clan, so killing off her supposed "Master" wasn't a good way to get her back peacefully. 

As he was about to speak, Otto suddenly cut him off.

"Rita, portal to coordinates 34.6937° N, 135.5023° E" 

Rita didn't hesitate in creating a purple fog that swallowed them both, disappearing from Kuoh completely.

-Otto POV, Osaka Japan-

FUCK! FUCK! FUCK! FUCKFUCKFUCKFUCKFUCK!

The Honkai energy in Osaka is rising!

It's as if something was coming, something dangerous.

A Herrsher?

No, it wouldn't feel as if the Honkai energy was approaching our universe instead of being absorbed in one place.

But if that's the case, why is it coming?

I never planned for this, Shit!

As me and Rita arrived at a specific spot in a forest, we could see a small pink ripple in space that was going on every second.

it was like a wound in space that was ready to reopen at any second.

I took out [Chastiefol] from my storage and to my hand, Rita was the same with her scythe and ready to fight.

Now I just need to wait for the others to come, I'm sure they also felt the sudden spike of Honkai energy.

But I didn't have a chance for backup as the tear in space opened violently, sending violent waves across space.

As the first hand came out, me and Rita readied our attacks, but...the supposed invader ploped to the floor lifelesly.

Me and Rita looked at each other in confusion, before looking back at the unmoving figure laying on the floor.

I slowly walked closer until I was only a few feet away. i couldn't see her face, but her skin was ashen grey with many pink lines spread across her body.

Some sort of Honkai energy disease?

She also wore a torn and worn red armor, a lot of it shattered and scorched...and her hair.

It was a deep crimson color that I could recognize anywhere.

As my heart sank, I moved the body to the side gently, revealing her face.

it was Himeko