Thus Spoke Apocalypse: The Priest's Version (5K)

"So, in other words, the Otto priest of this world... didn't conduct human experiments, so where did Aunt come from?" Kiana asked, after all, the story mentioned that Theresa was a planned android.

"Uh... maybe, perhaps, would be more suitable for Kallen to give birth to..."

When Otto saw this scene, he almost jumped out of bed in excitement.

Theresa tells Bronya and Seele that Mrs. Lieserl from the next town has offered to adopt Joachim, and he has agreed.

"He's running away," Bronya pointed out bluntly.

"Perhaps leaving here will allow him to start anew with a completely new life."

"But in this way, he will never be able to resolve his inner conflict."

"Many times we understand the truth, but there are some things in our hearts that are difficult to let go of." Theresa said like a close sister, "If it were you, I wouldn't be able to let it go all at once."

As they talked, Theresa realized it was getting late, but the priest hadn't returned yet, so she decided to go out with Bronya and Seele to look for him.

At a fork in the road, they decided to split up to search. Bronya and Seele walked to the end of the road but did not find the priest. So they decided to go back and find Theresa to meet up.

Behind Bronya, Seele's smile gradually faded.

"Well done, Seele..."

"We're very close to our goal..."

Seele couldn't help but ask herself, was this really the right thing to do?

"It's alright, Seele. Everything we've done is just to leave this place and return to reality with my sister." The female voice was almost seductive, like the serpent that tempted Adam and Eve in the Eden.

"... Seele understands..."

"Would Seele betray Bronya?" Kiana asked worriedly. Bronya completely trusted Seele right now, and if Seele betrayed her, Bronya would be in grave danger in the Sea of Quanta.

"Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Bronya's attitude was firm, and she gripped Seele's hand tightly.

Seele wasn't paying attention to Bronya at the moment; instead, she was talking to another version of herself inside her.

"How could this be! How could I call her 'Big Sister'?! That Yaqing is completely making things up! I'm going to go out and tear him to pieces!"

"My other self... don't be angry."

"Also, I never recorded this, Seele, you didn't record it, did you?"

No.

Theresa looked at the screen and said, "This plot is testing the estrangement between Bronya, Joachim and the priest, and the estrangement between Bronya and Cocolia. It's similar, yet different."

Rosalia exclaimed excitedly, "Could it be that, like Kiana, Seele underwent an experiment and was also injected with Herrscher Core, thus developing a Herrscher personality?"

"Rosalia can actually think?!" Lilia exclaimed in disbelief.

"Hey! Lilia, what do you mean?!" Rosalia was very dissatisfied.

"It's not impossible. During that song that was played halfway through, Seele already showed another form, which could very well be the Herrscher of Death from the current civilization."

Himeko thought about it seriously. The image of 'Seele' in that MV had left a deep impression on her. Anyone who sees a soft and weak girl in real life become ruthless and decisive in the story would be impressed.

"So Seele is also Herrscher?" Rosalia grabbed Lilia's hand and said energetically, "Then Rosalia will become Herrscher too!"

"Yes, Lilia wants one too!"

The lively twins quickly quieted down after experiencing Bronya's iron fist.

"Don't make noise in the movie theater."

Gemini covered her head, tears welling up in her eyes.

Chapter 177 Thus Spoke Apocalypse / Priest Version (5K)

[Just as they returned to where they had parted, Bronya and the others heard Theresa's anxious cries and rushed over, only to find Father Otto unconscious in Theresa's arms.]

Bronya told Seele to stay where she was and went back to the orphanage to get help. Strangely enough, on her way back, she encountered Honkai Beasts, and their numbers kept increasing.

Suddenly, the Honkai Beasts stopped attacking and returned to the snowfield as if controlled by puppets. Immediately afterwards, Feather of the Wind reappeared in front of Bronya in the form of Fu Hua.

After introducing himself and explaining why he was there, Bronya finally understood why there hadn't been Honkai Beasts attacks near the orphanage.

Feather of the Wind informed Bronya that Father Otto was nearing the end of his life, and also told her about the priest's unresolved issues, which he wanted to entrust to Joachim so that Feather of the Wind's power could be passed on.

"However, there was an insurmountable barrier between him and that person."

This is not only a knot in the hearts of Father Otto and Joachim, but also a knot in Bronya's heart.

Bronya was completely bewildered by Feather of the Wind's words.

Feather of the Wind quickly provided an explanation.

Bronya's reason for leaping into the Sea of Quanta was to seek the answers within herself. Moving forward, she will one day step out of the past and find her own path.

Feather of the Wind dissipated across the snowfield.

"It's the class monitor!" Kiana exclaimed in surprise.

"Speaking of which..." Bronya said with a strange expression, "Yaqing really does have a lot of affection for the class monitor. The class monitor has a role in almost every movie."

"Hey! That's right!" Kiana realized. "The class monitor has appeared in every movie, and even in web series."

Little Knowledge, who was sitting behind them, couldn't sit still any longer.

"You old fogey, it's you again! You... you... you!" Little Knowledge was so angry that she couldn't speak, just like a child.

"I don't know!" Fu Hua felt extremely innocent. She really didn't ask Yaqing to give her more screen time, but no matter how she explained, Little Knowledge just wouldn't believe her.

"Old fogey, tell me honestly." Little Knowledge suddenly looked serious.

Fu Hua listened attentively.

"Do you sneak around every night...?"

Before Little Knowledge could finish speaking, he didn't even notice that Fu Hua's face had turned completely dark. With a bang, this was the heaviest punch Fu Hua had ever given Little Knowledge in his life.

Little Knowledge stars and almost fainted.

"The Eighth Divine Key can even enforce the law across worlds? What kind of scientific principle is that?" Vill-V put on black-rimmed glasses, Vill-V much more refined than before.

"Honkai energy already exists, and you still care about scientific principles?" Mobius glanced at her.

"Anything that doesn't conform to physics can be attributed to Honkai energy. Honkai is omnipotent, right?" Mei said.

Kevin has given up. He went to the movies with his partner, but they barely interacted, while his partner was chatting with her colleagues the whole time. Could this be considered NTR (Netorare)?

After bringing Father Otto back to the cabin, he slowly woke up. Father Otto, upon waking, didn't care about his injuries; his first thought was about the bitter melon cakes he had promised Theresa, which had already gone cold.

Theresa was very worried about Father Otto's injuries and asked him anxiously.

"It's nothing, just a minor illness. I'll be fine after a night's sleep." From the priest's weak tone, it was clear that he simply didn't want Theresa to worry.

Just then, the door was suddenly pushed open, and Joachim rushed in, calling out anxiously, "Father!"

Upon seeing that Father Otto had awakened, Joachim's expression returned to normal.

Father Otto tried to stroke Joachim's head, but the man instinctively tried to avoid it.

So he withdrew his arm and touched the cross on his chest. He intended to give the cross to Joachim, hoping that Joachim would also receive God's protection.

Joachim did not reach out to take it, but covered his forehead, as if he were expressing emotions that had been hidden deep in his heart for a long time.

"God's protection? You can gain God's protection by killing in the name of good?"

"Joachim ... what are you saying!" Theresa was provoked. In her eyes, Joachim had no idea what it meant for Father Otto to give him the cross.

"You're the one who understands nothing!" Joachim hysterically left behind these words and stormed out.

"Wait, Joachim ..." Father Otto struggled to get out of bed, but lost his balance and fell to the ground.

"It's really hard to hate Otto like this." Kiana sighed. As someone who had been manipulated by Otto, she felt a pang of sympathy when she saw Father Otto's heartfelt worry.

"Teacher Yang is really outrageous! She just doesn't know how to make the priest worry less." Kiana seemed to have found an outlet for her frustration.

"Silly Kiana, Uncle Yang is still a child in this world. It's enough that he can remain calm and make sound judgments in the face of the murder of his father." Bronya spoke up for Welt Yang: "We can't expect so much from a child."

"Kiana, I also think Bronya makes a good point."

Upon hearing Mei speak, Kiana readily admitted that she had misspoke.

"Escape is shameful, but for a child, it's useful." Upon reading this, Mei's fear of unruly children intensified, making her even more reluctant to have children.

If Kevin finds out...

Bronya chased after him and found Joachim in the snow, but Joachim was now completely deaf to any advice.

"Car!"

The sudden appearance of the Honkai Beasts caught Bronya off guard. Just as Rigua was about to harm Joachim, a gunshot shattered the Honkai Beasts. Upon closer inspection, it was none other than Father Otto, wielding the Judgement of Shamash.

"Thank goodness...you're all alright..." As if the Judgement of Shamash had drained the last of Father Otto's strength, Bronya rushed forward to hug him as he collapsed.

Father Otto has lost consciousness.

Bronya struggled to help Father Otto up and asked Joachim to come and help.

Joachim stood there, stunned, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Seeing the other party like this, Bronya felt a surge of inexplicable anger. She grabbed the cross from the ground and angrily threw it at Joachim.

"What are you trying to run away from?!"

"You're just running away from yourself, you coward!"

Faced with Bronya's angry rebuke, Joachim clutched his head in anguish, unsure of what to do. Bronya tried to dissuade Joachim by sharing her own experiences, and with the help of the children who had arrived after learning of the priest's disappearance, they finally returned to the cabin.

"Bronya's line was so philosophical," Himeko praised Bronya.

There isn't really that much right and wrong in this world, only the right and wrong of actions, not people. So everyone can be right or wrong, it's just a matter of the responsibility they have to bear after doing something.

"It's all thanks to Teacher Himeko's excellent teaching..." Bronya said modestly.

Upon hearing this familiar conversation, Theresa did not speak again, but instead gave a soft snort and turned her head away.

Noticing Theresa's slight moodiness, Bronya added, "Of course, the headmaster's guidance is also indispensable."

Upon hearing this, Theresa smiled again.

"Sister Bronya, Mom will be so happy for you when she sees this." Seele's voice was like a clear spring, washing away Bronya's worries.

In an orphanage far away in Siberia, Xing struggles to care for all the children, including Seele, Rosalia, and Lilia, feeding the infants, getting the children who are standing on the table down, and comforting the children who are crying from fright.

"Ah!!!" Xing was about to collapse. She had never longed to see the sisters Seele and Arlene, so much at that moment.

Cocolia sat in a wicker rocking chair, looking at the children with loving eyes. Only when she heard Bronya angrily rebuking Joachim on the projection screen did she turn her gaze to the screen.

"Bronya, you've really grown up." Cocolia hadn't seen Bronya for a long time; in her memory, Bronya was still this small.

The next morning, Joachim's room was empty, which made Theresa very disappointed. Father Otto called the children to the innermost room.

Father Otto lay on the bed, struggling to turn his body towards them, crimson stains spreading across his body as if to tear him apart.

"Theresa, it seems my crucifix has fallen into the snow." Father Otto's voice was extremely weak.

Theresa agreed to go and find it for him, her voice already trembling with tears.

"It's alright, no need." Even at this moment, Father Otto still cared about Joachim, understood Joachim feelings, and knew his pain and torment.

"Right and wrong cannot answer all the questions in this world. I always ask myself, was there another way to save his father at that time?"

"But no matter what I thought, on that day, I still chose to kill him."

"Perhaps it's because I saw my past self in him... the self I wanted to end."

"Father..." Theresa murmured, holding back her tears.

In a weak voice, Father Otto recounted his past, revealing that he had once been involved in forbidden experiments until the Saintess stopped him. Together with the Saintess, he escaped the organization and sealed away the evil.

But sin had already cursed them. The Saintess died two years later. On Saintess deathbed, he asked her if she regretted her choice.

"And now, I will convey her answer to you."

"A person will experience three stages of growth in their life."

"The first time is when you understand right and wrong."