Mr. Otto, Please Advise

The out-of-control machine collapsed with a crash, and judging from its pitiful state riddled with holes, it will probably be unable to move again for some time.

Then Durandal turned around and saw countless humanoid and Honkai Beast silhouettes moving in and out of the black mist below.

"Is this... looking at me?"

Durandal was locked onto by countless scarlet gazes. Even as a battle-hardened Valkyrie, she couldn't help but feel a chill in her heart amidst this eerie scene.

"This sword can devour everything it slays and, if necessary, release them back to my command. Kallen's homeland is right before me; I don't want to linger any longer. Valkyrie, please rest here for a while."

Yae Sakura's soft, sorrowful voice came from the mist.

Immediately, countless people and Honkai Beast enveloped in black flames, like a horde of demons flying out of hell, engulfed Durandal's golden figure in the blink of an eye.

Yae Sakura appeared a hundred meters away on the ground, turned around, and wanted to take advantage of the moment to go to the ancient ruins of Kolosten ahead.

"Call out!"

A flash of white light streaked past.

Yae Sakura dodged almost simultaneously, but still managed to leave a bloody mark on her face.

She turned around.

From the place where the vengeful spirits and ghostly shadows had been swallowed up, a golden radiance suddenly burst forth, heading straight for Yae Sakura.

"Bang!!!"

Yae Sakura only had time to parry with her sword before being blasted back a hundred meters, leaving a long trail on the ground.

Durandal did not pursue, but instead looked at her fist, a knife mark on the back of her hand, black energy constantly seeping into it, bringing an ominous and dangerous feeling.

"What a bizarre power!"

Durandal is a person who trusts her intuition. Sensing something was wrong, she immediately grabbed her wrist with her other hand and channeled energy into it.

"Smack!"

The hand that was injured by Jizo Mitama instantly burst into blood. She used the most brutal method to expel the energy that had invaded her body, which also destroyed the hand in the process. The flesh and bones were exposed to the air, a gruesome sight.

But the next second, the Black Abyss White Flower flew back into his hand, and the power of life surged, causing the destroyed hand to regrow flesh and blood at a speed visible to the naked eye.

After this brief delay, Yae Sakura had already arrived in front of Durandal.

"I'm sorry, are you alright? This knife is dangerous. Just in case, could I check it? I'm really not your enemy, and I don't want to hurt you."

Yae Sakura said somewhat anxiously, her sword already sheathed, her expression filled with sincerity and worry.

Durandal remained silent for a while.

Then, she put down her lance and stretched out her newly grown, white hand, gesturing for Yae Sakura to examine it.

Yae Sakura breathed a sigh of relief, quickly approached, and carefully examined Durandal's hand. After a long while, she finally let out a long sigh of relief and said apologetically:

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"... No, it's not your fault."

With Durandal forced herself to speak, barely suppressing her embarrassment.

If we're going to test the waters, this is about enough.

Her physical strength far surpasses Rita's, though not quite reaching his own, but still comparable to a humanoid Emperor-class. Her swordsmanship is exceptionally refined, at least befitting her physical strength, and capable of unleashing effective lethality.

That knife was indeed strange; it could seize control of the machine god and manipulate the undead it had slain in the past. If she hadn't effectively expelled the power from her wounds, she, Durandal, would probably have become one of the undead contained by the knife, just like those vengeful spirits from before.

In conclusion, it truly lives up to its name as the Key of Erosion; its abilities are indeed bizarre and difficult to resist.

Finally, regarding the issue of personality stability—well, he is indeed a gentle and kind person!

Seeing Yae Sakura's relieved expression, and the sincere apology and relief in her eyes, Durandal clearly distinguished between public and private matters, also felt a bit apologetic.

"You were too reckless. Your whole palm is split open. Doesn't it hurt? And what if it leaves lasting damage? Is it really healed? Maybe I should go look for some herbs nearby that might be useful..."

"It's all alright now. The Black Abyss White Flower possesses the strongest healing ability. Anyway, I misunderstood. I'm sorry to bother you. I have something to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

Durandal felt even more reluctant and apologetic at Yae Sakura's gentle murmurs, but since her mission was over, she simply took to the air and left first.

"Why is this child so impatient... just like you were back then, Kallen. I hope she's really alright."

Yae Sakura murmured, sighed softly, and then looked in the direction of Kolosten, a heartbreakingly sad smile gradually appearing on her face.

"Kallen, I've come. Do you still remember me?"

She said this, then turned and headed towards her destination.

This is a typical deserted ancient town.

Everywhere there were dilapidated and collapsed houses, and tenacious weeds grew everywhere. Insects and small animals could be seen from time to time, but no human voices could be heard.

However, upon arriving at her destination, Yae Sakura was once again lost and confused.

Although we know this is Kallen's hometown, which abandoned house is Kallen's home?

"But, Kallen, if it were you, there must be traces of you everywhere here, right?"

Clutching her sword, Yae Sakura smiled as she wiped away her tears and wandered aimlessly through the abandoned streets.

"Kallen, I've come to see you."

"You said you would come back to see me, but I waited and waited in that dark world, and you never came back."

"I'm worried that something might have happened to you, but I promise you I'll stay there and wait for you, and I won't let the seal be broken."

"When I saw this world again, I realized that five hundred years had passed... I heard that you sacrificed yourself to save the people."

"That's so typical of you! Once you find something you want to do, you forget everything else, even your own life and our promise!"

Yae Sakura walked through street after street, past ruin after ruin, pouring out the words she had wanted to say to Kallen for the past five hundred years, sometimes resentful, sometimes smiling, sometimes aggrieved, sometimes laughing and crying at the same time.

It was as if Kallen were walking beside her right now, listening with a smile.

Much later, as if she were exhausted from walking, or perhaps her mind and emotions could no longer hold on, she sat down on a dilapidated stone step. She hugged the knife, closed her eyes, bowed her head deeply, and remained motionless.

Time passed by.

The sun sets, and the starry sky covers the earth.

Under the moonlight, Otto, who had been following her for a long time, finally stood in front of Yae Sakura.

"You've been following me for a long time; your footsteps and breathing can't hide from me. Is there something you need from me?"

Yae Sakura didn't look up, but asked in a weak, empty voice, as if she were speaking in a fading light.

Otto stood with his hands behind his back, looking up at the moonlit sky.

He hadn't been here for a long time. In the past, he would occasionally come alone to talk to Kallen, but he gradually stopped coming—not because he didn't want to see Kallen, but because he knew that Kallen would definitely not accept what he had done.

Therefore, Otto learned to keep everything locked in his heart and never share it with anyone, anything, or anyone else.

Now, Yae Sakura, talking to herself as she wanders through the ancient town, reminds Otto of his past self.

So, he stopped using a smile to hide his feelings, and with a hint of sorrow, asked in a low voice:

"Do you hate her? I mean Kallen."

Yae Sakura stiffened for a moment, as if the question had touched on something.

She raised her head and looked at Otto blankly with her red eyes.

After a long while, she shook her head.

"I don't hate her, I love her."

Yae Sakura spoke slowly, a happy smile on her face, as if she had pulled something sweet and wonderful from the bottom of her heart.

Otto took a deep breath, the conflicting emotions in his eyes gradually replaced by gentleness, and he nodded—did you hear that answer, Kallen?

Chapter 141 Mr. Otto, nice to meet you

"Come with me."

After a long stare, Otto looked calmly at Yae Sakura and finally made a decision.

Yae Sakura frowned in bewilderment.

"But who exactly are you..."

"I'll take you to Kallen's grave."

"What!?"

Yae Sakura stood up almost instantly.

Otto paid no attention to her reaction, turned around, put one hand behind his back and placed the other hand casually and elegantly in front of him, and walked towards a path.

Yae Sakura had no choice but to follow closely behind.

"For a long time, I didn't accept that it was Kallen's tombstone because I always felt that it wasn't over yet and that I would definitely find a way—but in the end, I realized that it was her final resting place."

Under the moonlight, Otto left Yae Sakura with a lonely silhouette, talking as if no one else was around, more like talking to himself than confiding in her.

"Fate truly loves to play tricks on people. I've searched for five hundred years, and every hope I've had has shattered into nothingness. But you, whom no one has ever expected, have suddenly appeared before me—have you come back from the dead?"

"I don't think so. I didn't die back then. I just couldn't get rid of Hiyomaru, who was still very crazy at the time, so Kallen had to seal me away. In fact, I never died."

"Ha! Just as I expected, it was another dream come true. I'm so fed up with God's cruel jokes."

Otto remained calm and composed, his expressionless face devoid of any emotion.

He didn't ask what Hiyomaru was, nor did he ask about Yae Sakura's specific experiences over the past five hundred years.

Because none of that matters anymore. Since it's not a resurrection, it has no value for him to explore now.

So Yae Sakura had no choice but to swallow back the story she had prepared, which was nine parts truth and one part personal agenda, thus saving herself some trouble.

The two walked until they reached a place that resembled a cemetery.

The dilapidated tombstones, covered by weeds, exuded a chilling aura under the moonlight. In the world of supernatural movies, this would be a perfect setting for a story.

Otto stopped in front of the only old tombstone, but the body and surrounding area were kept very clean.

He stroked the stone tablet and whispered:

"You don't understand the language here, do you? Would you like me to read it to you?"

"No... I know, Kallen wrote it to me, this is her name."

Yae Sakura slowly walked to the tombstone, squatted down, reached out and touched the name, then suddenly pulled back as if she had been electrocuted.

After a while, she reached out again and gently touched the words, a gentle smile on her face.

"How strange..."

"I thought I was going to cry very loudly..."

"But now, I'm suddenly so happy."

Yae Sakura murmured, staring at the tombstone with fascination, her smile growing ever brighter.

Otto watched silently. He didn't try to guess Yae Sakura's reaction, because he knew that emotions were things that couldn't be precisely calculated, so any reaction was possible.

However, in Otto's eyes, that smile looked very natural.

"Tick-tock!"

Until tears dripped from Yae Sakura's eyes.

Tears blurred her vision, and her mouth was open as if she wanted to say something, but no sound came out.

True grief is often silent.

Otto lowered his eyes, remaining silent. He didn't want to scheme anymore in front of Kallen, especially not against the person Kallen loved. So he had nothing to say, only silence.

Then, Otto watched as Yae Sakura slowly embraced the cold tombstone and gently kissed its surface.

"I've come to see you, Kallen ..."

Her face was pressed against the tombstone, tears streaming down her face, yet she smiled radiantly. Without a thousand words, this trembling utterance conveyed all her longing, grief, and love.

There is no need for anyone else here.

If Kallen were still alive, she would probably also want to be alone.

Otto belatedly realized what was happening, so he turned around and left silently.