Chapter 386

"Speechless? Well, I'm speechless too. After all, I'm just a bishop at best, while Kallen is a saint in people's hearts. Whether it's K423, Durandal, Theresa, or Welt... they all inherited Kallen's mantle from different perspectives... Alright, enough said. The first person to settle accounts with us has arrived."

After the nonsensical conversation ended, Otto turned his gaze to the person walking in through the church entrance. Her long, golden, wavy hair seemed like light shining into the dark world. Durandal appeared before Otto like the most sublime female knight. He had expected someone to come, but he never expected it to be her.

"Welcome, my dear friend despite the age gap, the foremost S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal... If it were an hour earlier, I would have greeted you like this, Durandal."

Otto stood up, a faint smile on his face as if nothing had happened, while Durandal couldn't face him with the same attitude as before. After hearing Changguang's message, she and the person in front of her had a fundamental difference of opinion.

"... Someone told me that in your next plan, you might destroy the present and then choose the past again. What exactly does that mean?"

Without any preamble, she directly stated her question, upright and honest—a style Durandal has always upheld. Taking knighthood as her guiding principle, Durandal ahead fearlessly.

"Hmm... Judging from what you quoted, it must have been Changguang who told you. It's alright, you have the right to know the truth about this matter. I once asked Changguang to design several different schemes for reconstructing the world, but in short, the most expensive scheme is the most stable."

Still with that indifferent expression, what could Durandal do about her own plans? This was something she had been preparing for for five hundred years, and no one could interfere with her decision, not even her most outstanding disciple.

"Highest cost... what exactly do you mean?"

Durandal wanted to get to the bottom of the matter. This bishop seemed to have a penchant for riddles, and Rita seemed to have the same habit as him, giving irrelevant answers that were actually about another issue. Durandal sometimes really couldn't understand it. What was wrong with being more explicit? Didn't speaking in a different way make one seem cultured?

Durandal thought that Shen Gonglin did a great job in this regard, as there were never any problems with this aspect when talking and communicating with him.

"Well, if I just give you the conclusion, you might be confused, so let me take a moment to start from the beginning. Changguang and I have explained this to you from different perspectives before: in our world, the flow of time is irreversible. It's like a river in nature, rushing forward and never looking back. However, just as rivers are replenished by rain and snowmelt, if we're bolder and elevate our thinking to the realm of the Imaginary Tree, then human time is nothing more than data recorded on a magnetic tape."

The main villain began his speech, Otto spreading his hands as he explained his plan to Durandal. In truth, this was indeed his real plan: to return to the beginning of the river and use himself as a shovel to dig a new branch. That was his plan.

"History is what has already been recorded on this tape, the future is what will be presented on this tape as unknown... and our present is the only probe on this tape. The present is special; it distinguishes between the known and the unknown, the possible and the impossible. It is the only platform for survival that every intelligent life possesses. If we maintain the special nature of this probe of the present and forcibly move it back to the tape that belongs to the past... then what will happen?"

Otto posed the question to Durandal, knowing she would surely provide an answer.

Chapter 157 The Price of Saving a Save File

Overwhelmed by the sheer volume of information, Durandal was somewhat bewildered. She forced herself to calm down and think things through. Otto had just said a lot, and according to Durandal's understanding, everything he had said would lead to...

"... Will our present be grafted onto the past of history?"

Otto seemed quite satisfied with Durandal's answer. As expected of his most outstanding student in the past five hundred years, she was intelligent, powerful, and beautiful. It was as if all virtues were embodied in her. Otto nodded with a faint smile, looking like a teacher who was pleased to see his student solve a difficult problem brilliantly.

"That's right. Just like those extraterrestrial intelligences you've dealt with, except they need to be grafted into other people's worlds, while we graft ourselves. Imagine, a disaster like the Second Honkai can be wiped clean; and modern humans like us will bring our own experience to help humanity grow again. Although the Honkai will not disappear, and we will still have to face the challenges that will come as scheduled, the benefits that humanity will gain will actually far outweigh the losses."

Knowing full well about Durandal's experiences in the World Bubble, Otto explained his plan to Durandal, just as he had told Theresa. This was similar to the Seed Plan carried out by the Previous Era, which aimed to pull the strongest fighting force of the present era back five hundred years and start over from that time. In Otto's mind, this was a feasible plan.

"... So what you call cost is the energy required for the grafting agreement?"

There was no rush to refute Otto's plan. So far, Otto's plan had not crossed Durandal's bottom line. However, the Valkyrie knew that this was definitely not the whole picture. Such a massive plan would likely come at a price that no one could bear.

"Yes, with the experience from the previous exploration experiment, you can easily understand my plan. To achieve this goal, I need three conditions: First, a method to explore, contact, and even reach the Imaginary Tree; second, the equipment and energy to support the above operations, specifically the Second Divine Key: Thousand Worlds of Chariots, and sufficient Honkai energy; third, a spacetime coordinate for the grafting, that is, a stable area that can be locked using the Thousand Worlds beacon."

As if he were truly speaking his mind, Otto patiently explained his plan to Durandal. Taking this opportunity, Durandal also raised all her questions. Although he seemed to be speaking his mind, he still hadn't directly answered her questions.

"What exactly are the methods to reach the Imaginary Tree and the ways to obtain sufficient Honkai energy?"

Otto's answer was too abstract, or rather, getting this guy to speak plainly was indeed a problem. Durandal came here with the worst-case scenario in mind. Although he had been nurturing her for so many years and she remembered his kindness, on this ideological difference, Durandal would stick to her beliefs.

"They are all the will of Honkai, Durandal. The Will of Honkai, the source of the current Herrscher, the starting point of the current Honkai, is worshipped in the name of a god and has existed for five hundred years in the history of Schicksal. But this so-called god is not unattainable. As long as we walk the same path and look to the same destination... humans can also make contact with the god and even reach an agreement."

What's going on? How does this guy manage to answer one question and then throw out another? He seems to be surrounded by riddles, making contact with God, reaching agreements. Does this guy even know what he's talking about? Durandal finally understood why Tesla always gritted his teeth when he mentioned Otto. This bishop certainly has the ability to make people angry.

"Frankly, I don't like the World Serpent's Stigmata Plan. But now, Schicksal has missed the best opportunity to stop it. Going back to the beginning is also creating an opportunity for ourselves to reshape the world's situation. And He... is happy to enjoy such a time-shattering drama."

Durandal finally understood what that meant. It was just like how Shen Gonglin usually played games. Although she could complete the game, because it was her first time playing, she didn't achieve a no-damage run or collect everything. So she would just reload the save and start over to try and get it right. What Otto said was similar to what Shen Gonglin did in her games. But when you reload the save, where does the save file you're currently playing go?

"The Will of Honkai has lowered the gates of the Imaginary Tree for me; and I will become its agent in the human world in this matter. From the perspective of power, Durandal, you can think of me as someone who is willing to become Herrscher. However, coming into contact with the Imaginary Tree will definitely make me a different kind of Herrscher, or even a being that surpasses it."

At this point, to Durandal's astonishment, Otto spread his hands and voluntarily became Herrscher. She was increasingly confused about what he wanted to do, but he still hadn't made the price clear.

"Although this requires me to sacrifice my physical body as a price, its power is enough for me to reshape the world. I hope to buy everyone extra time to deal with the Herrscher of Finality and the Stigmata Plan, and the Will of Honkai is also satisfied with the result of being reset... Speaking of which, I wonder if it's because the current Herrscher have all betrayed the Will of Honkai? Think about it, the Herrscher of the Void, the Herrscher of Reason, the Herrscher of Thunder, the Herrscher of Consciousness... And it seems that these Herrscher have all been taken into someone's possession now, so He also wants to reset them."

He told a lame joke, but the key point is that Durandal actually thought Otto made some sense. It seems that almost all the Herrscher of the present era have some connection with Shen Gonglin, except for the Herrscher of Rock... As long as they are women, it seems he intends to include them all.

This is actually a miscarriage of Shen Gonglin. For example, he doesn't have such intentions with Wendy or Anna. He can only re-condense the Herrscher Core on himself with Herrscher who are close to him, such as the Herrscher Core of Wind core or the Herrscher of Ice. Shen Gonglin has never had such a thing before.

Therefore, even Durandal cannot smear someone's innocence. Right now, he only has five cores, which is even worse than the peak six-core Sirin.

"But what will happen to the world itself if you do this? Every word you just said seems to correspond to a world-destroying power."

Shaking aside irrelevant thoughts, Durandal posed the question again: What is the price?

Chapter 158 Kill Me

"Durandal, you're right, but... as the saying goes, you can't build something new without destroying the old. How can we welcome a new world without destroying the old one?"

Otto said this, but Durandal was already tired of his rhetoric. The Valkyrie's eyes were sharp; she didn't want to hear such abstract promises and reasoning. From the beginning until now, Otto had consistently avoided discussing the true cost of his plan—what exactly was Otto willing to pay to achieve the goals he had just listed?

"...Now."

Otto suddenly uttered an abstract term. After a brief moment of confusion Durandal suddenly realized something. Otto said, "Now, all the price I've paid is now."

"I've already told Theresa before, but I'll say it again now: I will erase these five hundred years of history from the branches of time, and let the world return to the Kallen when Kaslana was still alive. The price I pay is time flowing on the Imaginary Tree, or rather, the present itself. That might be a bit too abstract, so I'm going to answer your question from a different angle."

Finally, the name was mentioned. Otto continued to explain what he was about to do. Durandal, Otto wanted her to know everything he was going to do. Only in this way could his best student be elevated, and then, stop him.

"As we all know, human civilization itself gives rise to Honkai. Every member of the Schicksal should be aware of this. But what if we look at this issue from the perspective of the Will of Honkai? For Him, the Herrscher probably symbolize ultimate freedom, while our civilization is the one that imprisons Honkai and creates distorted shackles. Yes, from this perspective, it is not that Honkai is born from civilization, but rather that civilization is a special solidified form of Honkai."

It's hard to imagine that such "treasonous" words could come from the mouth of Schicksal, the leader of the Honkai Organization. When did this man go mad?

Despite Durandal's gaze, Otto continued to speak eloquently. He seemed to be a natural orator, and even though the audience did not agree with his views, he still proclaimed his ideas like an orator on stage.

"Therefore, what I will pay is the Honkai inherent in contemporary civilization as a whole. I will mobilize all the potential energy hidden between reality and imaginary numbers... In the past, it was an important source of power for the Herrscher; and now, we can also use this power to reorient the world."

After Otto finished speaking, Durandal took a deep breath. Although she had already anticipated this, the Valkyrie still held onto a sliver of hope. If she could, she really didn't want to fight her "teacher." But now, all the clues indicated that he had already stood on a side that was opposed to her no matter what. This contradiction seemed irreconcilable.

"If you do that, then what will become of the world we live in right now, right now?"

"Outside of this Kolosten, they will vanish without a trace. Kolosten will become the only epitaph for our annihilation era... in place of those sacrifices that are far more unbearable for humanity."

Although she had somewhat anticipated it, Durandal was still shocked when Otto said it himself. He meant that outside of Kolosten...

"Outside of Kolosten, everything that has been born and destroyed in the past five hundred years will completely cease to exist in the river of time. This is the price of starting over. It is the price corresponding to the plan with the highest success rate that I am preparing to implement."

Durandal closed her eyes to process everything she had heard. When she opened them again, the Valkyrie's gaze had hardened once more. She had expected this, but hearing it from him still shocked her. This was too insane.

"You dislike the Stigmata Plan, yet you intend for the entire world to pay a price far heavier than the Stigmata Plan? You are practically murdering every single person in the world, Bishop!"

Durandal could no longer contain her anger. Even if Otto's plan succeeded, what would be the point? Even if he could save humanity, Durandal was protecting was the living, breathing free will of humanity, not some empty concept!

"Durandal, you're wrong. I'm here to rescue a living, breathing free will from the vague concept of humanity. You know her name, Kallen Kaslana."

Knowing what his best student was thinking, Otto chuckled and shook his head. In his view, the weight of all humanity couldn't compare to the weight contained in that name.

"... You finally mentioned her, Bishop."

"Yes, we've come full circle and finally arrived at where it all began. Kallen Kaslana shouldn't have died the way we know her to have. This isn't just my fault; it's the fault of all humanity."

When this name was mentioned, Otto's eyes softened involuntarily. Although she had long been disappointed in him, and although she might not have liked him at all, it did not affect Otto's desire to keep her alive. She should not die like that, dying by her own hand, dying at the hands of all mankind.

"Bishop, this is no reason to try to murder everyone in the world. Besides, that era is long gone, and you are the only one still alive among those involved."

Durandal shook her head. She simply couldn't understand what Otto was thinking. She even felt that everything Otto said was just an excuse, and perhaps his only purpose in doing all this was to resurrect Kallen Kaslana.

"Yes, every normal human being would think that way. So, as a representative of normal humans... Durandal, I will give you a chance to kill me, and then my plan will vanish into thin air."

Having said that, Otto finally finished his opening remarks. The reason he allowed Durandal to come here was for this reason. He spread his hands and looked at Durandal in front of him.

"Kill me, the man standing before you. He is nothing but a collection of sins and desires. He knows virtue but does not uphold it, he knows ethics but tramples on them. He craves wisdom, but only to satisfy his own desires; he worships beauty, but only to deny the existence of ugliness. He feels that the world is full of superfluous people, to the point that the value of life has been squandered by them to the point of being worthless... So, kill me."

Chapter 159 I'm really amazing, let me tell you.

This should be it...

Finally arriving at the designated location, following the Tesla map, Shen Gonglin arrived at the place where Bronya and the others' signal had finally disappeared. As soon as she arrived, Shen Gonglin felt a familiar power. Looking up at the spatial rift over there, Shen Gonglin finally remembered the source of this power.

Isn't this just like the Domination Theater? Come to think of it, since Otto stole the power of the Herrscher of Domination, then it's only natural that the Domination Theater should also be under his control. Did he drag Bronya and the others into the Domination Theater? Did he really think there were no adults in the house?

[Hey, you idiot, is there any way to directly locate the coordinates of the Domination Theater? I need to get in.]

He touched the spatial rift, but unexpectedly, he didn't enter the Domination Theater. Shen Gonglin could only turn to his incompetent queen for help. Although Shen Gonglin had fully mastered the power of the Herrscher of the Void, he still lacked confidence in such precise positioning. This was largely due to Shen Gonglin's terrible spatial perception. After all, he was a born directionally challenged person.

Don't call me a loser! Last time was an accident, just an accident!

As expected, a certain incompetent queen roared loudly in Shen Gonglin's consciousness. Is this guy going to hold a grudge against her for just one mistake? All she did was accidentally teleport him under the rock from the World Serpent Base. She had already tried her best to pull him out. Couldn't he forgive her properly?

Whether it's an accident or not, hopefully nothing unexpected will happen this time? Don't make a fuss, or I'll post those photos. I want to Domination Theater; can you help me with that?

One second she was calling others a pathetic queen, but the next second Shen Gonglin was ordering them around without any politeness. Who told her to reside in her own consciousness? Shen Gonglin had already recorded the queen crying when she thought she was going to disappear. If she didn't behave, Shen Gonglin would use those photos to threaten her into doing even more shameful things.

[You! You bastard, are you really not going to be human?! You're more suited to be Herrscher than I am, how can you say something like that? Are you even human?!]

The Queen was furious, but Shen Gonglin casually picked at his ear. What could she do? He was just that wicked. After a fit of impotent rage, the Queen could only obediently help Shen Gonglin locate her. When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Even the proud Queen of the Void was helpless at this moment.

[...It's all set. We've connected to that lousy theater. I'm telling you, I'm really amazing. Last time was just an accident...]

The Queen was still babbling on, but Shen Gonglin had quietly blocked her out. After using her, Shen Gonglin ruthlessly tossed her aside. She didn't have time to argue with her now; Bronya was probably fighting Otto right now. Although she possessed the power of the Herrscher of Reason, Shen Gonglin was genuinely worried about Bronya.

Although it was wrong of her, in Shen Gonglin's mind, Bronya had a Herrscher reputation for being unable to defeat a Herrscher. Aside from killing a Honkai Beast Heavy-duty Rabbit when she first gained the power of the Herrscher of Reason, she seemed to have never won a fight. The utterly tactless Shen Gonglin even openly dissed Bronya, almost making the little girl cry. If she were to face Otto alone...

Oh, it's not just one person, there's also Seele, Rosalia, and Lilia, but among them, Rin really feels like they're more of a cheerleader.

With the power of the Herrscher of the Void activated, and using the Queen's location, Shen Gonglin's vision went black. When she opened her eyes again, she found herself in that familiar, dilapidated theater. The absence of any puppets to greet her surprised Shen Gonglin. Now, she had to find Bronya's whereabouts. She hoped that Bronya was alright.

The attack was deflected?

At this moment, in the Domination Theater, Bronya and Rita kept their distance, frowning as they watched the leisurely maid. Only after actually fighting Rita did Bronya realize just how troublesome this maid was. Although she was S-rank Valkyrie, with a mortal body and only relying on Valkyrie Armor, she should theoretically be unable to withstand all of the Herrscher of Reason's attacks. However, Rita was still relaxed and at ease throughout the battle... Could it really be as that idiot Shen Gonglin said?

Is Bronya the legendary Unbeatable Herrscher?

When I get back, I'm going to give Shen Gonglin a good beating. This guy didn't consider a girl's fragile heart at all when he said those things. How could I like such a loser?

"I'm so sorry for offending you, Miss Bronya."

Without using her Star Armor, Rita is still using her fourth-generation Godslayer Armor as a Valkyrie. The reason she was able to withstand Bronya's attack is because Rita is more accustomed to the ruthless killing on the battlefield than Bronya. This is a difference in experience and awareness, but there are other things besides that.

"The warm-up is almost over, Miss Bronya. Isn't it time to show your true colors?"

The maid said respectfully, "So far, neither side has used their trump cards." Bronya's eyes narrowed, and the girl's lips twitched slightly.

"As expected, both sides still have a backup plan."

Come to think of it, how could this maid possibly use all her trump cards at once? To win a quick battle, besides an overwhelming power gap and an unexpected strategy, all that's left is to hone her basic skills to perfection. This is common sense for survival on the battlefield, and Bronya is very familiar with it. In fact, she herself has also adopted the tactic of hiding her trump cards.

"To be honest, Bronya hadn't originally planned to use this... at least not here. Perhaps she wasn't mentally prepared, or maybe she just couldn't make up her mind. But now it seems that's no longer the time to consider those things. Bronya can't stop here, so there's no need to hesitate any longer. This is Bronya's answer. This time, Bronya will use all her strength to defeat you!"

Bronya took a deep breath, wishing that Shen Gonglin was here too. She wanted to show that guy who looked down on her that she, Bronya, was no invincible Herrscher. She could defeat any enemy, no matter what kind of enemy she was, as long as she was serious.

Bronya's legend of victory begins with this maid.

Chapter 160 Put Away Your Disdain

Strength, ingenious strategies, proficiency... If you combine all of these, you often only have one chance. You must patiently wait for the right moment to defeat your enemy in one move... But to defeat her, you may need some more... opportunities.

Bronya continued to stall Rita, pondering a strategy to defeat her. Rita's defenses were impenetrable, and it seemed she truly had no intention of harming her; all she wanted was to keep her there. But Bronya was unwilling to do that!

"It seems Miss Bronya has finally gotten serious. Well then... um? Domination Theater, someone's come in?"

Just then, Rita's expression changed slightly, and the maid immediately put down the scythe in her hand and returned to her perfect maid appearance. Under Bronya's surprised gaze, Rita respectfully bowed in one direction.

"Greetings, Lady Rin. Rita is currently sparring with Miss Bronya here. I apologize for not being able to greet you in advance."

In the direction Rita was bowing, a golden underworld suddenly unfolded, and Shen Gonglin jumped out from within. The maid bowed gracefully, but at that moment, Rita's heart was in turmoil. She hadn't expected Shen Gonglin to come at this time. When facing Bronya, Rita could be elegant, composed, and even bully her a little, but Shen Gonglin... The maid was a little flustered, and she glanced at Bronya discreetly.

Suddenly I'm a little scared. What if this silly little girl tells Shen Gonglin? Rita doesn't want to be an ex-girlfriend.

"Rita? What are you doing here... And you two, are you fighting?"

Shen Gonglin was filled with questions. He thought it was Bronya and Otto fighting, but it turned out to be Rita. Had this maid betrayed him? She clearly knew that Bronya was one of his people, but now she was standing in front of him and fighting Bronya. This made Shen Gonglin a little unhappy.

Like Durandal before her, is she also one of those so-called "doing it for your own good" types?

"No, that's not true. Rita just happened to run into Miss Bronya here. It was all done by Lord Otto. Rita was just passing by."

To Bronya's astonishment, the maid who had always been elegant and composed, seemingly in complete control of everything, had brazenly lied. What did this have to do with Otto? If Bronya hadn't just been fighting Rita, she would have doubted whether it was all an illusion. How could this maid tell such a lie so seriously?

Beneath Rita's elegant and composed exterior, she was already sweating profusely. Although she had prepared herself beforehand, all her previous excuses vanished after seeing Shen Gonglin. Let whoever wants to do it do it; Rita wasn't going to do it anyway. Lord Otto was already ruthless enough; taking another blame wouldn't matter.

"Oh, I see. I thought you were stopping Bronya from going to the church."

Shen Gonglin had no doubts. She thought to herself, "How could Rita do such a thing? This girl always listens to me."

"No, no, I was just talking to Miss Bronya. It won't take long. I'll see you out now. Best of luck in your military endeavors."