Honkai, Traversing Otto, Path to Godhood

The woman murmured, her face ashen, "No wonder... but why was I... why at that time..."

She suddenly stopped speaking, staring blankly at the object in Otto's hand.

—It was a feather.

The feather that had landed in the eyehole of her mask earlier.

"Because, all your emotions... were being influenced by Mimicry: Feather of Dust~"

Otto said with a smile, "Actually, besides the location of that guy's sniper, the development of this entire plot has been within my control."

The man strode back and forth across the open space:

"Three days ago at the amusement park, I already knew someone was lurking in the shadows; the attack by the mortals was a test. And a few hours ago, Natasha's sermon was entirely a notification for me."

"A notification that you all prepared the chessboard and were waiting for me to play."

"I could have not come, having Schicksal send people to investigate would have been the most secure method."

"But that would have been too easy to alert the snake. Mobilizing Valkyries from mainland Europe, I could only catch some small fry, it would be impossible to catch the big fish—in fact, as long as you operated properly, this could have completely led Schicksal into a confrontation with Anti-Entropy."

Jackal frowned, remaining silent. She had indeed entertained that thought.

If Otto had remained inactive, she would have directly handed over Otto's location to Anti-Entropy, doing her best to muddy the waters—and then, together with Anti-Entropy, they would have taken a bite out of Schicksal.

It wouldn't have been like this time, where seeing only two people, they directly used World Serpent's power to confront them.

"So my initial goal in coming here was to obtain more information about World Serpent."

Otto paused, then continued:

"Later, during the sermon, you thought the idea of watching a play hooked me? No, you were wrong. After you preached to us, I already knew your intention—to kill me."

He couldn't help but laugh: "This idea, the old Schicksal of five hundred years ago had it, the Herrscher of Reason of fifty years ago had it, the Herrscher of the Void of ten years ago also had it, but unfortunately, they all failed—tsk tsk, lacking both strength and intellect, you are the worst among them."

"But the idea is almost shoved in Schicksal's face, little girl," Otto said, looking at Jackal with a playful expression, "If I don't use such a clumsy scheme to my advantage, how can I live up to my identity, don't you think?"

"Obtaining your World Serpent's research would be very helpful to Schicksal. Naturally, following the story you set, using myself as bait to lure the tiger away from its mountain, and obtaining the most complete data, was the best choice."

"Absurd and laughable," Jackal's expression grew cold, "Even if you temporarily defeat me, how could I possibly hand over those things to you."

Her previous polite and gentle pretense completely vanished, replaced by an aura of cold madness, like an ancient demon resurrected from beneath a glacier.

Perhaps, this was her true form all along.

"This is why you could be smug for so long," Otto raised his hand, and a golden cube appeared in it, "The time from my 'death' until Cecilia fought Kevin's puppet was enough for my clever and intelligent Miss Void Archives to show her prowess, break through World Serpent's network defenses in London, and obtain everything I wanted."

"I must say," a golden light flashed, and Void Archives, with her gray hair and red eyes, appeared—this time just an image, "Your final defense line is almost identical to the basic defenses made by the Previous Civilization. Going there was like coming home."

"Tsk tsk, the current World Serpent is truly a disgrace to the Previous Civilization."

Jackal's face grew even colder.

"Traitor," she accused.

"What?" Void Archives was not one to be trifled with, "Traitor? Come, come, little one, tell your ancestor here, what was the purpose of the Previous Civilization's legacy? You use the Previous Civilization's legacy to murder human leaders, and you have the nerve to call me a traitor?"

(Otto, who was about to be possessed: "...")

"In the end, you're just a bully who picks on the weak and fears the strong."

Void Archives sneered and added, "Also, my former master's directive was to eliminate Honkai, not to obey World Serpent. Your snake den indeed worships the heroes of the Previous Civilization, but what does that have to do with me, a Divine Key?"

Jackal's composure visibly crumbled. Her chest heaved, and her teeth gnashed audibly.

However, the man, enjoying the show, added fuel to the fire:

"Oh, and by the way, not only was World Serpent's experimental base in London completely taken over by Schicksal, with all data acquired by Schicksal's computers and Void Archives..."

He snapped his fingers, and Rita Rossweisse emerged from the shadows, holding a dark purple katana.

"We also confirmed the whereabouts of Raven, Natasha, and Xiora, and then seized the Third Divine Key she possessed, Seven Thunders of Repose."

Otto took the weapon, blew on it, and gave a smile of complete control, "How about it? Little girl, this ending... do you accept it?"

Chapter 40: Cecilia, Welcome Home

Jackal was stunned.

She sadly realized that all her calculations could be seen through at a glance; all her victories were, in the opponent's eyes, merely strategic retreats made for profit.

She thought her scheme had lured Otto, but in reality, he was merely playing along.

She believed using Seven Thunders of Repose would kill Otto, but it turned out he had intentionally provoked its use.

Her meticulously crafted, seemingly foolproof trap, could be broken by the opponent with ease and no effort.

Even... even it was possible that Otto wasn't actually retreating just now.

Cecilia's terrifying outburst might also have been part of his plan.

Haha, the polite and respectful demeanor she just displayed, in his eyes, was likely just a pretense.

Was he laughing in his heart at her feigned humility, her true triumph already overflowing for all to see?

Watching Otto's posture, a sense of helpless sorrow suddenly welled up in Jackal. She felt like she was on a circus stage, smeared with red, yellow, and white paint.

She desperately tried to attract the other's attention, either clumsily reciting famous scripts, or ostentatiously imitating the gestures of celebrities, or throwing valuable items around to appear comical.

She thought it was a necessary sacrifice, fantasizing that afterward she could become a bloody and great artist, elegantly stepping into the highest hall on the blood of gods.

In the end, she discovered that the gods were unharmed and, after her full effort, politely bestowed a few scattered claps.

A clown.

Yes, in his eyes, she was just a clown.

"Hahahaha, hah... urk!"

Jackal's anger and grief gradually rose, her pupils turning bloodshot, but suddenly, as if choked, her voice faltered.

She looked up and saw Otto holding a cross aloft, its dazzling brilliance reflecting in the sunlight.

The Eleventh Divine Key, Oath of Judah.

"No way, no way, you don't actually think you still have any value, do you? Do you think I'll give you any more time to fight back?"

"When the curtain fell, the result was quite satisfactory."

Otto murmured silently, watching Jackal, who was bound by the Valkyries.

"The plot... is entirely within my grasp."

He looked at the train-shaped Thousand Worlds Samsara, tossing and catching the Seven Thunders of Repose, which had transformed into a slingshot shape, a smile curving his lips.

This was the first plot he had orchestrated through guidance.

Honkai Impact 3rd manga, "Holiday in Fog City" arc.

In the original storyboard, in the autumn of 2015, World Serpent used the Second Divine Key, Thousand Worlds Samsara, as bait, and destroyed one of Otto's Soul Steel bodies with the Third Divine Key, Seven Thunders of Repose.

This was why he rushed to London—to advance the plot and then step into this trap he had long anticipated.

Of course, entering the trap to follow the plot wasn't for sentimentality; the location of Thousand Worlds Samsara was clearly stated in the manga.

The main reason he wanted to operate according to the plot's progression was due to Durandal's previous encounter.

She had met Raven in London and seen a weapon that made her feel threatened.

Clearly, this was the Third Divine Key, Seven Thunders of Repose.

If that was the case... why not follow the plot a little, and then obtain everything he desired?

Spending three days here was to cultivate feelings with Cecilia while allowing himself to be seen by World Serpent, thus tempting them to initiate an assassination plan similar to the manga.

Acting in front of Jackal and fabricating scriptures was to delay time, allowing Schicksal to evacuate the area while deploying heavy weapons capable of piercing the spatial barrier.

Being hit by Raven was to determine her location and seize Seven Thunders of Repose.

Using two bodies was to allow Void Archives to open its eyes from another body, thus leaving a contingency for "Amber to see."

Having Rita take care of the young boy clone exploited her fondness for cute things, ensuring that Void Archives' attack would not be premature or that an ambush would be set.

Allowing himself, who had just been hit and was still weak, to have a solo encounter with Void Archives was specifically to give it a chance to resist, using the strategy of "setting a wolf to fight a tiger" while deepening control over its cognitive pathways.

Knowing that Jackal still had a Honkai creature and had released Kevin's puppet was to force Cecilia to unleash her potential and deal with the more troublesome enemies. Then, while the female warrior was exhausted and the Honkai creature was making a big show, he would descend from the sky and stage a heroic rescue.

Even initiating the entire outing was ostensibly to help Cecilia recover her memories, but secretly to set a trap for World Serpent. However, the ultimate goal was to keep those around him, like Amber and Rita, busy hunting and capturing World Serpent, minimizing their thinking time and causing them to overlook the differences between him and the original host, thereby controlling everyone's attention on a macro level.

Once all this was done and they had interacted with him, the distinction between him and the original host would gradually blur in their minds.

Piece by piece, event by event, scene by scene, everything was within his calculations, proceeding in an orderly fashion.

He looked down from above, his expressionless gaze scrutinizing everything, carefully incorporating all beneficial factors into the play to arrive at the appropriate conclusion.

Even if the factor involved... was himself.

He did not consider himself wise, nor did he think these maneuvers, which exploited the plot and human hearts, were worthy of awe or praise.

But regardless, he had utilized the current conditions of Schicksal and his knowledge from his past life to the fullest extent, calculating everything his intellect could possibly conceive.

Obtaining two Divine Keys, taking down a key base of World Serpent, intimidating Void Archives, and welcoming back Cecilia.

Coupled with the miscellaneous benefits gained, these achievements were enough to make him satisfied with this plan.

Moreover, he didn't have to worry about anyone guessing that this was all his doing.

Who would know that Otto and Cecilia's trip was to lure an organization unknown to Schicksal into an assassination?

Who would know that Void Archives was constantly plotting to betray its master?

Who would know that attacking Thousand Worlds Samsara could unleash Kevin's puppet?

A truly excellent director of life would not make the people within the play feel that they were following a script.

A magnificent drama requires passionate and lively actors.

Everything stemmed from their own hearts, everything was their own choice, and everything seemed to be within their power to change.

The protagonist and antagonist sang their self-congratulatory songs, mistaking their narrow stage for life's grand journey.

And he watched quietly as the lively chatter and chirping filled the square. He raised a finger, pulling invisible threads to guide the plot towards his desired conclusion.

They weren't puppets, but what else besides puppets could be manipulated?

These adorable actors couldn't see the threads, nor could they discover his manipulation. They could only be helplessly pushed by the plot, screaming in despair and pain at the ending, attributing everything to fate.

Haha, fate.

He didn't mind weaving so-called destiny for others.

"Congratulations, Lord Bishop," Rita stepped forward, bowing with a smile as she presented a long case that could block Honkai Energy. "You've planned meticulously and acquired two more Divine Keys."

"No, Rita," Otto shook his head after organizing his thoughts, placing the Seven Thunders of Repose into the box. "Human infighting before the Honkai wasn't worthy of praise."

He subtly hooked his right hand, as if pulling the strings for a new round.

Rita looked slightly taken aback, unsure how to respond. Just then, the man's voice rang out again, tinged with unprecedented joy:

"But I accept your congratulations—not because of World Serpent, but because we have welcomed back Schicksal's Saintess."

"My dear little sister has recovered her memories and officially returned."

Otto looked at the white-haired woman, his affection undisguised.

"Thirteen years ago, I said I would never abandon your soul in the underworld, nor let your sacred body decay."

"I've done it, so Cecilia, welcome home."

Cecilia looked at the blond man, her eyes a little dazed.

Thirteen years.

Her memories were fragmented.

If not for his protection, she would have been buried in the Siberian snowfields for the rest of her life.