Honkai, Traversing Otto, Path to Godhood

"Alright, you don't understand, but what I mean is very simple."

The Schicksal Saintess twirled the Black Abyss White Flower, glancing at the puppet wielding a greatsword and the Jackal frowning in confusion. She spoke in an unchanged tone, calmly, her eyes holding a bright yet not dazzling radiance.

"It's my turn to counterattack."

Cecilia's blood boiled, but her mind was clearer than ever before.

She took a step back, knees slightly bent, holding a Divine Key. Her entire body tensed, every part poised for the most optimal exertion.

The woman's body was accumulating power, ready to explode with the fastest speed and greatest strength of her life at a single trigger, blasting in one direction!

"I am the black that devours all."

Cecilia whispered, as if giving a command.

Black mist rose from the lance, shrouding her in a darkness clearer than any battlefield, outlining a silhouette of absolute darkness, like a silent, dead abyss.

"I am the white that nurtures all."

She took a deep breath, as if inhaling and exhaling the entire world. Her azure eyes were calm, yet seemed to flicker with an unfathomable, dark green. The slender, long fingertips slowly clenched the lance in her hand until the grip left imprints on her jade-like hand.

"Cecilia," the Jackal saw Cecilia's movements and felt a strange tension. "Don't be so stubborn."

She glanced at the puppet. It was calmly watching everything unfold while dispelling the black mist around it, its expression unchanged.

The Lord's puppet could surely handle this, that's why it was so calm, the Jackal thought, her unease slightly easing.

"Born before creation."

Cecilia paid no mind to her. The raging inferno of her anger and warm, sorrowful memories filled her heart, leaving her no time to attend to the Jackal's antics.

Her entire body began to shine with unprecedented brilliance, suffused with a sacred aura. Her three thousand silver strands scattered, dancing behind her in the long winter wind, appearing like a blooming white flower against the backdrop of the abyss-like black mist surrounding them.

"Existing after annihilation."

Cecilia slowly raised her lance, immense Honkai Energy swirling around her.

An extreme sense of calm enveloped her thoughts, mingling with her overflowing anger and warmth, forging a sharp, cold, yet still burning fighting spirit.

The Jackal felt her eyebrows twitch violently, as if sensing a dangerous omen. She looked at Cecilia, whose eyes, where joy and sorrow were indistinguishable, were as dangerous as blades, as if they could unleash divine and demonic killing intent to swallow her at any moment.

The puppet seemed to be waiting for her charge. Only now did it raise its crimson greatsword high, wreathed in soaring flames.

As if it too was waiting for the final explosion of this power.

"Divine Key: Black Abyss White Flower—"

Cecilia's tone finally rose. She felt the lance transmit the same emotions as her, as if man and weapon were one.

Unseen by the woman, her Schariac Stigmata on her back lit up at that moment.

"Holy Lance Bloom!"

Vast, holy white light appeared at the tip of the spear, enveloped by the annihilating black mist, and then, like a falling star from the heavens, it descended upon the Lord's puppet!

"BOOM!!!"

Cecilia and the puppet crossed paths, the entire ruin filled with the roar of mixed airflow and Honkai Energy!

Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Taste of Serpent Soup is Quite Good

The spear fell, the sword descended.

Kevin's puppet lay on the ground, its pupils lifeless, yet a faint smile played on its lips, as if… it was happy about something.

Its head hung limply, having lost the ability to continue operating—unless a specialized Armed Puppeteer repaired it.

Cecilia was also not faring well. Trembling, she slowly crouched down, managing to steady the Black Abyss White Flower on the ground, and then leaned on it.

What a… troublesome opponent.

Fortunately, I won… at least, I didn't fall…

But… with the sudden appearance of such an existence, what comes next… what comes next…

"Damn Schariac," the Jackal's voice came from the side, filled with suppressed rage and undeniable coldness. "You've crossed my bottom line."

Following the Jackal's words, countless monsters crawled up from beneath the River Thames, surrounding Cecilia.

Mortals wielding dual blades, Honkai Beasts swinging hammer-like limbs, mechs corrupted by Honkai Energy… countless World Serpent creations completely encircled Cecilia.

During the battle after killing Otto, the Jackal's attitude towards Cecilia had been one of mere playfulness. Even bringing out Jörmungandr, the strongest Honkai Beast, was just to enjoy the thrill of a cat-and-mouse game.

Her words seemed calm, but in reality… they were just feigned composure after winning everything—of course, she would never admit that.

But the destruction of Jörmungandr almost made her lose her composure; then, the defeat of Kevin's puppet made her unable to control the anger in her heart, her mind filled with killing intent towards Cecilia.

That was the World Serpent Lord's puppet! How could it possibly lose to this woman?!

"Only by tearing you apart can I make up for World Serpent's losses."

"That's right, kill you, kill you."

"Kill you, kill everyone here, and I can continue to receive World Serpent's praise. In the dual honor of slaying a Schicksal Bishop and an S-rank Valkyrie, I will gain everything, welcome back the Lord, and win it all..."

"No one will care about the process, everyone will only see my great achievements..."

The Jackal muttered as if possessed, not even realizing that her thoughts at this moment were more frenzied than ever before.

She controlled the artificial Honkai Beasts and Mortals to surround Cecilia, and even she herself was slowly approaching as if driven mad.

"I'm going to kill you... kill you... kill you!!!"

"Heh, next... it's the beast tide tactic again."

Cecilia looked at the approaching horde of beasts and whispered, straightening her back.

"What a bother."

The dizziness from blood loss interfered with her thoughts, and the exhaustion from overusing the Divine Keys made it almost impossible to hold the Black Abyss White Flower.

But Cecilia still raised her head, looking at the approaching nightmare.

"Then, let's keep fighting."

There was no fear in her heart.

In fact, there was a hint of relief.

This little bit of delay... I should be able to follow Lord Bishop on the path to death, right?

They say people recall all the events of their lives in a final burst of clarity before they die, and Cecilia was truly experiencing that now. The chaotic memories were organizing themselves in the calm before death, and one by one, past events were surfacing in her mind.

I am Cecilia Schariac. A Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie.

This life, I fought for the beauty of the world, and I fought for Lord Bishop.

There's nothing much to regret...

It's just... I didn't get to watch little Kiana grow up... and I didn't die before Bishop Otto...

Over the years, Lord Bishop must have taken good care of Kiana... but I haven't been able to avenge him yet...

Still... a little... unwilling...

Cecilia raised her head, gritting her teeth as she looked at the approaching Honkai Beasts, and tremblingly lifted the Lance in her hand high.

"Black Abyss White Flower..."

But just as she was about to act, her waist was encircled by a pair of arms, and then she was pulled into a warm embrace.

"You did well, Cecilia," the man stroked her silver hair, his voice gentle and calm. "Leave the rest to me."

Behind him, black portals appeared one after another, and golden light illuminated the openings, forming the shape of firearms.

"This world needs no eternal things. Illusions, fleeting moments, are the true reality."

The man spoke, "First Divine Key, Seventh Plural Mimicry - Void Archives, Rain of Myriad Flowers."

His tone was not the passionate, excited delivery of a young boy reciting a spell from an anime novel. Instead, it was very calm, as if... he were simply stating facts.

But as he spoke, the firearms unleashed torrents of bullets like a red dragon breathing fire!

Wave after wave of golden flames surged from the portals, condensing into Honkai Energy bullets that fiercely shot outwards, impacting the bodies of the World Serpent's creations!

"Buzzzzzzz—"

The Honkai Energy bullets collided with the silicon-based bodies, and the creations let out low roars. Their bodies became pockmarked, but before they could react, the flames attached themselves, climbing and spreading all over.

The flames grew wildly, seeming to absorb any substance as nourishment, while at the same time, the bullets suddenly exploded, releasing a corrosive golden mist. In an instant, countless Honkai Beasts turned to dust on the spot!

"Damn you, you..."

Jackal's eyes widened, his golden pupils filled with fear and disbelief. This was clearly futile. The man raised his hand again, and four small swords materialized at his fingertips, spinning around. The patterns on the swords quickly became clear. As the sword bodies finished forming, he pushed his hand forward, and the small swords suddenly grew larger, shooting out from four directions!

"Sheath with the Heart, Nurture the Sword."

He still used a declarative tone.

"Pseudo-Tai Xu Sword God, activate formation."

The four giant swords descended like towering mountains. The sky above the World Serpent's creations, which had been empty moments before, was suddenly replaced by four colossal swords that blotted out the sun. All beings were subdued by their oppressive aura, forced to their knees!

But this was not merely an imposing display. Before the creatures could react further, the four golden giant swords roared in unison, descending like divine retribution!

The sunlight above the World Serpent's creations was completely obscured, making the flames beside them shine even brighter. The golden swords, golden flames, and golden mist seemed to merge into one, enveloping them within a deadly golden sword formation!

"BOOM!!!"

When the entire golden sword formation finally vanished, silence fell around the man. All the creations had shattered under the immense power of the four swords, leaving behind a wasteland!

"Cough... cough..."

Jackal, being a World Serpent executive, had undergone experimental modifications, and his body was barely clinging to life. He crawled up from a pile of fiery gravel, staggering to his feet, and stared intently at the man and woman before him.

Pain and anger contorted Jackal's face, making her appearance look somewhat ferocious.

But the man simply raised his head high, his eyes filled with undisguised amusement:

"Solved in two moves—the taste of snake soup is truly excellent."

Chapter 39: Are You Accepting of This Kind of Ending?

"Brother—Bishop..."

Cecilia looked at the scene of ashes and dust before her, her taut nerves suddenly relaxing, and joy overflowed from her eyes.

She turned around, her hand reaching out as if to touch Otto's face, but then she suddenly realized it was presumptuous. With an embarrassed smile, she instead pressed down on the Black Abyss White Flower.

"It's good that you're still here..."

"You've worked hard," Otto released the hand that had been supporting her waist, patting her shoulder. "Seeing you like this now—have you recovered your memories?"

"Mmm... more or less," Cecilia smiled weakly. "Otherwise, how could I have so skillfully wielded the Black Abyss White Flower?"

"I saw it, the Holy Lance Bloom, infinitely close to the zeroth rated power," the man nodded. "Truly impressive, my Cecilia."

"The Tai Xu Sword God simulated by the Bishop was also very formidable."

"Haha, are we starting to praise each other?" Otto chuckled, then with a turn of his right hand, a golden lance appeared, tapping Cecilia on the shoulder. "However, the Honkai Beast tide, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast, the Kevin puppet—you performed very well today."

"Ah—ha," Cecilia struggled slightly but ultimately didn't refuse Otto's healing. "Thank you, Lord Bishop."

"No need to be so polite," Otto retracted the lance after healing the last wound on her body. "It was my dereliction of duty to let you fight alone for so long."

Cecilia gently shook her head. For the battles just fought, sending any other Valkyrie would have been unsuitable. If the Bishop himself had come, she might have been too hesitant to unleash the killing blow she used against Kevin.

"Alright, no matter what—it's time for things to end."

Otto took a step forward.

"Now, get behind me—no refusal."

With his hands behind his back, he looked at the distorted Jackal. "I told you, you know nothing about Otto."

"So that's how it is... so that's how it is... no wonder Schicksal suddenly attacked above the River Thames, no wonder the Kevin puppet suddenly appeared..."