Otto: Now, We Are Comrades

Yae Sakura became anxious, and her beautiful, shimmering eyes suddenly lit up, as if she had seen hope.

Lily smiled confidently.

"Isn't the expert you need right now?"

"Then, please help me! I'll give you anything, just tell me, where should I go to find traces of Kallen?"

"No need for such an exaggeration. Here's what we'll do: I happen to be going to Vienna for an academic exchange, and if you trust me, you can come with me—according to my research, Saintess Kallen's hometown is nearby."

Please allow me to travel with you!

Yae Sakura immediately stood up and bowed deeply.

Lily's smile deepened, and she gestured for the other person to sit down.

At this moment, the staff brought over the coffee, which had a bittersweet aroma.

"Please use it."

Lily said this, picked up the unbearably bitter coffee, and took a sip.

Across from her, Yae Sakura also picked up her coffee, took a sip, frowned slightly, and then drank it expressionlessly.

'Her taste buds are normal. Her body temperature, breathing, heartbeat, and sense of taste are all like a real girl's, like a real, living person. How did she do that?'

Madame Green Lily Otto's heart sank, and she couldn't help but think of the resurrection she had been searching for for five hundred years without success.

But she quickly composed herself and smiled as before, saying:

"However, before you set off, I am very curious about your reasons for seeking the Holy Maiden. Could you tell me about them?"

"..."

Yae Sakura fell silent.

She kept her head down, her dull eyes filled with a deep and profound sorrow, and remained silent.

After a long while, she softly said:

"Feel sorry."

"It doesn't matter."

Otto replied with a slight smile.

Because he also didn't want to tell anyone about those agonizing memories.

"We can book plane tickets for tonight, and we'll arrive in Vienna very quickly. If we leave early tomorrow morning, we should reach our destination by noon. Is this itinerary acceptable, Miss Yae Sakura?"

"... Please wait here for a moment, I'll be right back!"

After a pause, as if remembering something, Yae Sakura pursed her lips, gripped the hilt of her sword, and hurriedly left the coffee shop.

She followed the route she had taken with the gangsters the day before and rushed into a tavern where the smell of blood still lingered.

"It's you! The demon from yesterday! What... what do you want to do?"

"Give me the money, enough to buy a plane ticket."

Yae Sakura slowly drew the black blade of Jizo Mitama and said coldly.

Half an hour later, she returned to the coffee shop carrying a box of banknotes.

"Miss Lily, this is the money for the plane ticket, please help me."

"Uh, actually, you don't need that much."

Lily's lips twitched as she watched Yae Sakura open the box with a serious expression, revealing a whole box of banknotes.

'That's really a lack of common sense. Bringing out something like that is practically proof of being a suspicious person. Besides, you need a passport to book a plane ticket. But then again, after sleeping for five hundred years and returning to the human world, it's normal to feel out of sorts.'

'It's a pity I didn't see her make a move, and I wonder if that knife was the already forged Key of Erosion?'

Lily glanced at the katana in Yae Sakura's hand with a hint of regret, then accepted the money without changing her expression.

That night, Otto made all the preparations and flew to Vienna with Yae Sakura.

Then came the accommodation.

That night, Yae Sakura didn't sleep. She just sat in her hotel room, holding her sword, showing a barely suppressed eagerness and an uneasy feeling.

Otto didn't sleep either; instead, he stayed in his room downstairs, watching Yae Sakura through the security camera until dawn.

When they reunited on the first floor of the building, Yae Sakura couldn't help but ask:

"Miss Lily, when do we leave?"

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid I won't be able to go anytime soon."

"Why!?"

"The Saintess's hometown is in that direction, in the abandoned town of Klostern, a few dozen kilometers away from the city. However, the road there is blocked by Honkai Beast, so we probably have to wait until Schicksal finishes dealing with it before we can go there."

Lily said calmly, yet with a hint of regret.

Yae Sakura remained silent for a moment.

Then, clutching her sword, she walked out in the direction Lily had pointed.

"Miss Yae Sakura, you..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yae Sakura's figure had already disappeared from Lily's sight.

A moment later, the dignified and elegant Madame Green Lily shed her disguise, and standing in the hotel lobby was only the calm and composed Archbishop Otto.

"Durandal, observe, then test the waters. Don't go too far; she might not be an enemy."

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Hearing the response from his capable subordinate in his earpiece, Otto felt somewhat relieved.

If one is the owner of the Key of Erosion, then of the cards currently in hand, only the loyal and powerful Durandal is worth using.

As for the other subordinates or the strategist, they are too prone to making mistakes.

'He's trying to test me!'

"That's normal. He needs to verify your identity and abilities before he'll even bother to drop his mask and negotiate with you. That's just Otto's style."

'His identity shouldn't be a problem. He won't suspect anyone is using Kallen's past to target him, so your preparations will be flawless.'

'The abilities of Jizo Mitama need to be revealed to him, and his strength should be displayed as much as possible, so that he has the right to engage in dialogue. The question now is, who will he send?'

Stan reports that Durandal left headquarters two days ago.

Yae Sakura sped along the road, her heart filled with certainty.

This is an old friend.

With the dramatic scenes concluded, it's time for the pure action sequences.

"Roar~~"

The enormous Honkai Beast strode forward with thunderous footsteps, shaking the earth.

Yae Sakura suddenly accelerated and gripped the hilt of her sword.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

There's not much to say. At her level, tanks, knights, or even the Honkai Emperor are all the same; she can just cut them in two.

The first few giant Honkai Beast collapsed with a roar.

Then, Yae Sakura slowly sheathed her sword behind the horde of beasts.

At the same time, thick, black mist emanated from the giant beast's wounds, engulfing their bodies like countless flying insects and rapidly spreading outwards, engulfing the remaining smaller Honkai Beast that had not yet dispersed.

A thick, dark fog enveloped an area spanning several miles, with mournful and terrified roars of beasts echoing throughout.

But soon, the fog dissipated like morning mist under the sunlight, and the hundreds of Honkai Beasts were nowhere to be seen.

"Call--"

Yae Sakura let out a soft breath, started walking, and continued forward.

Chapter 140 Otto: Now, we're comrades.

"Here you are, here you are! Is your lance-throwing technique your way of greeting me? Typical of you!"

After easily eliminating the Honkai Beast that were most likely sent by Otto, Yae Sakura hadn't taken more than a few steps when she sensed a powerful attack rapidly approaching.

Turning around, Yae Sakura drew her sword and met the immense force head-on with the blade wreathed in black flames.

"Boom!"

The powerful shockwave spread in all directions, crushing all the flowers, trees, and shrubs within a radius of hundreds of meters, creating an exaggeratedly flat area.

After a brief storm, Yae Sakura held her sword horizontally, her massive lance thrusting straight forward, while Durandal descended from the sky, standing atop the lance's hilt.

Their eyes met across the distance, and the air became oppressive, making it hard to breathe.

For an ordinary Quasi-Herrscher, this javelin throw would be enough to resolve the issue. But for Valkyrie to use this power as a casual attack, only Durandal is capable of doing so.

After a brief standoff, Yae Sakura slowly sheathed her sword and said softly:

"You must be the Valkyrie of Schicksal, right? I think there might be some misunderstanding between us, but in any case, I am not an enemy."

"..."

Durandal's mission was to test Yae Sakura's strength and personality stability, so she had nothing to say. She kicked, and the terrifying force of her kick sent the lance flying, turning into a streak of white light that shot straight at Yae Sakura.

Yae Sakura's pupils contracted, and in a flash, she drew her sword again to counter.

"Bang!!!"

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Two terrifying forces collided rapidly within this small space, creating wave after wave of white air currents that churned the air into chaos and shattered the earth.

And this is only a physical collision.

"Queen!"

After a brief probing, Durandal seized the opportunity and summoned the quantum state machine god that had been accompanying her.

A giant white sword, tens of meters long, slashed down from the sky, slamming the unsuspecting Yae Sakura heavily into the ground.

At this moment, Durandal finally landed on the ground for the first time. She casually brushed aside the golden hair that was flying across her forehead, and her crystal-clear blue eyes, like gemstones, were fixed on the huge sword mark that spanned hundreds of meters. She let out a soft breath.

"She should be alright, right? According to His Holiness the Bishop, she should be close to the level of a True Herrscher."

Durandal muttered to herself, picked up her lance from the ground, and strode toward the sword mark.

"Well--"

Suddenly, a sigh filled with helplessness and weariness drifted on the wind.

The next second, endless black mist quickly filled the entire area, obscuring Durandal's vision.

Retreat!

The mysterious black mist, whose true nature was unknown, had displayed strange power during the process of eliminating the Honkai Beast, Durandal naturally did not want to get involved with it.

She jumped high into the air, and before she could even catch her breath, a huge black shadow had already descended from the sky.

"King?"

This time, the greatsword was no longer summoned by Durandal, nor was it aimed at Durandal's enemies.

"Bang!"

The longsword cleaved the earth a second time.

At the same moment, Durandal appeared on the chest of the giant machine god.

"The connection has been severed? Or rather, plundered. Is this the Key of Erosion? Anyway, you should rest now, King!"

Durandal clenched her fist, and a strong golden light emanated from it.

"Ha!!"

With just one punch, countless cracks, like a spider web, appeared on the body of the machine god, and the Honkai Energy injected by Durandal shone with dazzling golden light through the cracks.