Otto: WTF, There's a Cow!

"Durandal has gone to London to rescue Rita. My old friend Fu Hua is heading to Jiu You in Shenzhou to investigate the Xuanyuan Sword. Theresa is at St. Freya Academy. Of the three S-rank Valkyries, half aren't at Heavenly Mandate headquarters."

"Many of the internal defense system's turrets have temporarily failed due to the power system's paralysis. Fortunately, the Schicksal AEsir can still be used, though expecting those things to stop that bunch of lunatics is rather wishful thinking."

"Once my Soul Steel body is deployed, it'll most likely become Ksitigarbha's prisoner. I really have been studied inside and out. The last time I faced such a major crisis was with Joyce. How nostalgic."

Otto spoke freely of his own predicament, analyzing Heavenly Mandate's miserable current state. His words made it sound as though defeat was already certain, yet there wasn't the slightest hint of surrender in his tone. On the contrary, his voice was brimming with confidence.

Amber, who knew Otto well, held a tablet with her usual calm demeanor. "Bishop, I have just sent a distress signal to Lady Durandal. At her speed, she should be able to rescue Miss Rita in about three hours, then return to Heavenly Mandate to face the enemy. Lady Fu Hua is already on her way back as well. I have also informed Lady Theresa. As long as we wait for them to launch their attack, everything will get better."

"I know." Otto's relaxed, amused expression vanished, replaced by a serious look. He said decisively, "Amber, report the number of Valkyries at Heavenly Mandate headquarters."

"Seventeen A-rank Valkyries, one hundred and fifty-three B-rank Valkyries, C-rank—"

"Is that all? My Heavenly Mandate truly has no usable troops left. Mobilize all Valkyries above B-rank. Activate S-rank alert status. Notify the people at Jotunheim Laboratory. I want the Herrscher of the First clone deployed within ten minutes. At the same time, have Chang Guang adjust the Key of Blankness within half an hour. It doesn't matter if it breaks. I want maximum output."

"But the Key of Blankness has yet to find a suitable wearer. Even an A-rank Valkyrie, if she puts it on rashly without prior adjustment—"

"If there's no wearer, then I'll become the wearer myself."

Otto merely smiled. The other side had deliberately attacked while Heavenly Mandate's strongest forces were absent. Their target was obviously him.

In other words, they would not stop until they killed him. If so, why couldn't he, the bishop, become a trump card that secured victory?

A chess player was sometimes the strongest chess piece.

Because chess pieces could only move on the board, while two chess players could pick up the board and smash each other over the head with it.

But trump cards had to be saved for the end. Before he took the field, he would first use the "pawns" to test his opponents' strength. Besides, he needed a little time to make some targeted arrangements.

Transport aircraft carrying B-rank and higher Valkyries, along with Schicksal AEsir units, delivered the combat forces to their designated positions in the shortest possible time. The instant they arrived, the cabin doors opened, and one Schicksal AEsir after another descended from the sky alongside the Valkyries, blocking Qianyi and the others' path.

Unlike the foggy-lung mechs from games and manga that the protagonists could casually beat around, every real Heavenly Mandate mech was equipped with weapon systems that gleamed with a cold light. Their armor was covered in intricate, precise patterns. No one doubted that an ordinary Valkyrie facing these things would most likely be beaten into Valkyrie fragments.

And now they were coordinating with the Valkyries like infantry and tanks, immediately multiplying their danger several times over. Even ordinary S-rank Valkyries would have to avoid their edge. Unfortunately, their opponent was not the Crash King, Rita.

Qianyi took out his phone and photographed the mechs and Valkyries lined up in neat ranks. "So futuristic. As expected, mechs are a man's romance. Has anyone reserved these mechs?"

"Me, me, me! I want all of these mechs! I'm taking them back to mine with them!!" Seele raised her hand like a diehard fan spamming 111 beneath a game gacha post.

"Mining? You want to take such fine mechs back to mine?" Talulah was furious.

"Then what else can they do?" Seele asked unhappily.

"At the very least, use them to farm." Talulah tried to correct Seele's mindset. "Mining has no future. Farming is where the future lies."

Artoria Castor, clutching her staff, trembled at the side. "Uh, isn't this kind of challenge a little too difficult for me?"

Those AEsirs' arms were thicker than her entire body. If one punch came down, she would probably turn into Artoria-chan!

"Artoria, have some confidence. You've fused with the Sword of Heracles, the ultimate holy sword. One beam cannon and the entire screen gets cleared. Mere Schicksal AEsirs are nothing but chickens and dogs before you." Qianyi comforted Artoria.

"Ah... these Valkyries have no character at all... They feel like recolored models. Can I go back?" Hiiragi Tina looked listlessly at the Valkyries in standardized equipment, their faces obscured by masks, and thought Heavenly Mandate's standardized gear had atrocious aesthetics.

If she designed them, at the very least their backs would be exposed, with openings on both sides so people could easily reach in from behind and grab that thrilling milky-white pair in front. All skirts would be replaced with short skirts, preferably the kind where one could almost see panties at any moment, yet always remained just barely out of sight, giving off a hazy beauty that tested the very edge of the boundary. Their legs would also need stockings in every color—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet—paired with garter rings.

Oh, right. They also needed decorations like bells, ribbons, butterflies, and collars. Only then could they be considered wholesome.

After casually subduing two charging Valkyries, Seele asked Raiden Mei, "So when will your Anti-Entropy mechs arrive?"

"My father said it'll take around five hours to prepare all the mechs. Once Kiana opens a space portal to send them over, it'll probably take seven or eight hours," Raiden Mei said.

"Seven or eight hours? Can that still be called Blitzkrieg?!" Toyokawa Shoko no longer had the strength to complain.

"So I left him behind and brought you all straight here to rush Otto's tricycle. Blitzkrieg only needs Seele." Qianyi did not want a pile of scrap metal to impede his charge. By the time Anti-Entropy regrouped its forces, the flowers might have withered.

"Why is Seele alone enough?" Seele asked in confusion.

"Because Seele will protect everyone and make sure we can all eat bread that costs five hundred thousand Silvermane Credits." Qianyi smiled.

"So, with this many enemies, how exactly are we supposed to break through?" Toyokawa Shoko, the only one unable to defeat enemies and able only to serve as a high-defense target, asked weakly.

"I'll do it." Qianyi stepped forward confidently, intending to unleash Tens of Thousands of Proverbs and deal massive, universal, all-target damage three times.

"Tens of Thousands of Proverbs again? Do you only have this move in your skill bar? Can you show a little originality?" Kiana felt Qianyi was practically a repeating trash monster.

"I can also use Tens of Thousands of Proverbs with Like the Act of Nation Founding, focused Tens of Thousands of Proverbs, and Tens of Thousands of Proverbs with a bunch of buffs added." Qianyi retorted.

"What's the difference?!" Kiana was speechless.

Whenever he faced enemies, Qianyi basically always opened with Tens of Thousands of Proverbs, then spammed Tens of Thousands of Proverbs like mad. And somehow, he really did beat the enemies' brains out.

Qianyi said nothing and merely spun the Propeller.

"Because this move really is useful." Qianyi had not expected anyone to criticize his skills for being too monotonous. Fortunately, he had recently learned a new move. "Is that so? Then I have no choice. Let me show you the skill I learned recently. Artoria, let me use you."

Artoria nodded.

He picked Artoria up, gripped her legs with both hands as the sword hilt, aimed her head at the enemies as the sword tip, and then shouted:

"Witness the fusion of the Sword of Heracles and the holy sword concept—the ultimate, strongest holy sword, EX--calibur!"

"Is that even your skill?!"

Two hours after Heavenly Mandate was invaded, the enemy troops had already reached the foot of the Cathedral Building.

Heavenly Mandate had no usable troops left.

It was hard to imagine that someone could overturn an organization that had ruled the world for nearly five hundred years, one regarded by countless people as invincible, in merely two short hours.

Yet the Cathedral Building, symbol of Heavenly Mandate's supreme authority, remained a paradise untouched by the slightest tremor.

"Nice to meet you all. Please allow me to introduce myse—"

"Divine Fire Judgment!!"

The instant Otto stepped out of the Cathedral Building and greeted everyone, Siegfried unceremoniously threw his ultimate move straight at him.

Flames.

They swept through the surrounding area almost instantly.

The Divine Key known as Divine Fire Judgment was the most powerful of all Divine Keys. It was the very embodiment of destruction and ruin!

BOOM—!!!

The monstrous heat wave expanded outward without restraint, making everyone across the entire Floating Island feel as though they stood inside a volcano.

A body made of Soul Steel, famed for its defense and resilience, was smashed to pieces in an instant, leaving behind nothing but fragments and twisted wreckage.

The others might not hate Otto quite as much, but Siegfried was different. Day and night, he dreamed of killing that bastard Otto.

If killing Otto could bring Cecilia back to life, he would be willing to do it!

"Ah, Siegfried. Is this how you greet an old friend?"

Like the host of a meticulously prepared ball awaiting the arrival of honored guests, the blond man slowly stepped out of the building. As he approached, the scenery around him gradually came into focus, as if everything had silently rehearsed for his arrival.

His long golden hair was tied in a ponytail draped over his left shoulder.

His emerald eyes gleamed with raven-like wisdom. He wore a purple bishop's robe with gold trim and a shoulder cape, paired with a red cravat. The first impression he gave was one of elegance, composure, and nobility.

To that, Siegfried replied, "Otto, fuck your ancestors for eighteen generations!"

He also raised a middle finger with one hand to show his respect.

"Is this the value of the older generation? A zero-frame opening move, impossible to guard against." Qianyi was stunned. He had thought Siegfried would discuss some grudges with Otto, but instead, he went straight for the attack.

"My dad has my style." Kiana nodded, thinking, As expected of my dad.

"That's not something to be proud of..." Toyokawa Shoko wiped nonexistent sweat from her forehead.

Otto shook his head and replied, "Unfortunately, Siegfried, my true ancestors for eighteen generations have long ceased to exist. If we have to count, all that remains is my granddaughter Theresa, and Durandal, who can barely be considered my adopted daughter. So, are you sure you don't want to take back what you said?"

"..." Siegfried crashed for two seconds, then hurriedly patched things up. "Theresa cut ties with you long ago. You're no longer her grandfather! And Durandal is my daughter. You're just a sinister villain who took advantage of her vulnerability!"

"Siegfried, does Cecilia's death truly make you hate me that much?" Otto could already see that Siegfried's momentum had greatly weakened.

"When Kallen died, I seem to recall someone crying like a fart goblin whose toe had been stepped on." Seeing her father falter, Kiana immediately joined the father-daughter battle.

"Heh. I never expected you to know even that, Kiana. But do you think that can hurt me?" Otto shook his head, thinking Qianyi must have told Kiana that information. The other side knew far too much, as though they had personally witnessed those events.

"Your wife ran off with the Pink Donkey," Kiana suddenly said.

"Kiana, save that childish provocation."

"The Kallen you liked ran off with the Pink Donkey, Yae Sakura."

"Kiana, I have long since moved on from the past. Besides, I do not hold much dissatisfaction, jealousy, or hatred toward Yae Sakura. On the contrary, I am grateful to her."

"The Kallen you loved one-sidedly, who never loved you at all, ran off with the Pink Donkey, Yae Sakura."

"K423, I think regarding your mother and your own origins—"

"You're mad. You're mad. You're mad!"

Kiana knew very well that reasoning with someone like Otto was useless. He would only mislead her and drag her into his rhythm, so she had never intended to reason with Otto from the start!

She would just insist that Otto was a pathetic simp and a cuckold. Even if he was not, she would firmly keep slapping that label on him. It cost her nothing, so she had nothing to lose.

I'll stand on the moral high ground and point fingers at him!

While Kiana crazily drew Otto's attention, she also asked Qianyi about the progress on his side through the chat group.

I want to eat Mei-flavored instant noodles: Qianyi, how's your progress over there?

Steel Prison Big: Stay calm. The encryption program here was improved based on a firewall designed by Doctor mei of the Previous Civilization's Fire Moth. It's all top-tier specification. Even Ksitigarbha will have trouble cracking it. It'll take quite a while.

Lower District Flying Head Barbarian: How long exactly?

Steel Prison Big: Five minutes.

Everyone: ...

What kind of ultimate humblebrag was that? We thought it would take at least five days, but you said five minutes. Does that count as taking a long time?!

Steel Prison Big: Calm down, don't panic. Otto has plenty of backup plans. Winning won't be difficult. The difficult part is killing him. Banning his Soul Steel body is only the beginning. He might even have planted a bomb inside it and forcibly trade one-for-one with my Ksitigarbha.

Steel Prison Big: But I never expected to one-shot him with Ksitigarbha from the start. With five hundred years of planning plus the Previous Civilization's legacy, if he were resolved that easily, I'd instead think I had fallen under Feather of Dust. So I have carefully prepared several ways to kill him. All of you had better take this seriously later. Not even a fragment, a speck of dust, or a single atom of this guy is allowed to escape!

I want to eat Mei-flavored instant noodles: Received!

Lower District Flying Head Barbarian: Received!

Talulah: Received!

Child of Prophecy: Received...

After the group members gradually confirmed receipt, the battlefield changed once again. Otto suddenly received notice that his own base was under invasion. Rather than being surprised, he relaxed and chuckled.

His opponents had finally entered a field he was familiar with. When fighting this bunch earlier, he had felt as though his punches were landing on cotton. No matter what he did, he could not escape the rhythm of these lunatics. He held power and authority like a king, like a god, yet these lunatics rolled around throwing tantrums like dancing aunties in a public square, cursed at him like elementary school students, and used an overwhelmingly stupid aura to erode him. They were trying to drag him down to their level, then defeat him with their abundant experience.

Now it was fine. Their stupidity had merely been an act to confuse him. Everything was still within his plan.

"Let this childish game end here!"

The blond man smiled and spread his arms. The next instant, countless experimental pods within the laboratories beneath the Cathedral Building opened abruptly, and one blond, green-eyed man after another stepped out.

They gathered behind Otto without prior coordination. Every individual wore Valkyrie armor designed with Heavenly Mandate's highest technology and scientific standards. Every individual possessed strength no weaker than a Rita.

If the strongest S-rank Valkyrie, Durandal, needed a month to resolve Honkai incidents across the globe, then if Otto himself acted, that time would be shortened to three days!

Because...

"Your next line is, 'I alone am an army of thousands!'" Qianyi suddenly answered for him.

"I alone am... what?!" Otto was startled.

"Your army of thousands is very good, but now they are my army of thousands!"

Qianyi raised Ksitigarbha high.

???

Far East Branch, St. Freya Academy.

A certain history teacher who had just finished class suddenly received a phone call, and his expression changed from calm to shock.

"What? Someone is attacking Heavenly Mandate headquarters?"

"They've already reached Otto?!"

"Good! Well done! That was satisfying! I don't care where this force attacking Heavenly Mandate came from, but as long as someone is attacking Heavenly Mandate, I, Welt, have to go lend them a hand!"