Cecilia, Welcome Home

The woman muttered, her face ashen.

"No wonder... But back then, why... why..."

She suddenly fell silent, staring blankly at the object in Otto's hand.

—It was a feather.

The feather that had fallen into the eyehole of her mask earlier.

"Because all of your emotions... were affected by Mimicry: Feather of Dust~"

Otto said with a smile,

"Actually, aside from that person's sniping location, every development in this plot was under my control."

The man strode back and forth across the clearing.

"Three days ago at the amusement park, I already knew someone was watching from the shadows; the Deadly Soldier attack was also a probe. And a few hours ago, Natasha's preaching was nothing more than a notification to me."

"A notification that you had set up the chessboard and were waiting for me to play."

"I could have chosen not to come. Having Schicksal investigate would have been the safest course."

"However, that would have alerted the enemy too easily. If I mobilized Valkyries from Europe, I could only catch a few small fry and would never land the big fish—even, if you handled things properly, you could have made Schicksal clash with Anti-Entropy."

Jackal frowned and said nothing. She had indeed considered that.

If Otto had continued to hold still, she would have directly handed Otto's location to Anti-Entropy and done everything she could to muddy the waters—then tear a piece of flesh off Schicksal alongside Anti-Entropy.

It would never have turned out like this, where she saw only two people and directly used World Serpent's power to confront them.

"So, my original purpose in coming here was to obtain more information about World Serpent."

Otto paused, then continued,

"Later, during your preaching, did you think the idea of watching a show had hooked me? No, you were wrong. The moment you preached to us, I already knew what you intended—to kill me."

He could not help laughing. "The old Schicksal had that idea five hundred years ago. The Herrscher of Reason had it fifty years ago. The Herrscher of the Void had it ten years ago. Unfortunately, they all failed—tsk tsk, no strength and no brains. You are the worst of them all."

"But your intentions were practically shoved in Schicksal's face, little girl." Otto looked at Jackal with mockery in his eyes. "If I did not turn such a clumsy scheme to my own advantage, how could I live up to my identity? Don't you agree?"

"Obtaining World Serpent's research would greatly benefit Schicksal. Naturally, following the story you set up, using myself as bait to lure the tiger from the mountain, and obtaining the most complete data was the best choice."

"Ridiculous." Jackal's expression grew colder. "Even if you have temporarily defeated me, how could I possibly hand those things over to you?"

Her previous pretense of courtesy and gentleness vanished completely. An icy, crazed aura radiated from her entire body, like an ancient demon resurrected from beneath a glacier.

Perhaps that had been her true nature all along.

"This is why you have been able to gloat for so long." Otto raised his hand, and a golden cube appeared in it. "From my 'death' until the time Cecilia delayed the Kevin puppet in battle, there was enough time for my clever and capable Miss Void Archives to show off her skills, breach World Serpent's network defenses in London, and obtain everything I wanted."

"I have to say," a flash of golden light passed, and the gray-haired, red-eyed figure of Void Archives appeared—this time, only a projection. "Your final line of defense was nearly identical to the basic defenses built by the Previous Civilization. Going there felt just like coming home."

"Tsk tsk, World Serpent today is truly an embarrassment to the Previous Civilization."

Jackal's expression darkened further.

"Traitor," she rebuked.

"What?" Void Archives did not indulge her. "Traitor? Come on, little thing, tell your ancestor here: what was the purpose of the Previous Civilization's legacy? You use the Previous Civilization's legacy to assassinate humanity's leader, and you still have the nerve to call me a traitor?"

(Otto, who had just been about to be possessed: "...")

"When all is said and done, you are nothing but trash that bullies the weak and fears the strong."

Void Archives sneered, then added,

"Also, my former master's directive was to eliminate Honkai, not obey World Serpent. Your snake den may indeed worship the Flame-Chasers of the Previous Civilization, but what does that have to do with a Divine Key like me?"

Jackal visibly lost her composure. Her chest rose and fell, and her teeth ground together with a creak.

Yet the man was never one to fear making trouble worse, and he added more fuel to the fire.

"Oh, right. In fact, not only has World Serpent's experimental base in London been completely taken over by Schicksal, with all its data acquired by Schicksal's computers and Void Archives..."

He snapped his fingers, and Rita Rossweisse emerged from the shadows, holding a violet-black katana.

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

Otto took the weapon and blew on it, revealing a smile that said everything was under control.

"Well? Little girl, can you accept an ending like this...?"

Cecilia, Welcome Home

Jackal froze.

She sorrowfully realized that the other side could see through all her schemes at a glance; every victory she had won was, in his eyes, merely a tactical retreat made because it served his interests.

She had thought her scheme had lured Otto here, but he had merely played along with her.

She had thought using Seven Thunders of Repose could kill Otto, yet it had been something he deliberately lured out.

The killing trap she had painstakingly constructed, one she believed to be flawless, had been effortlessly dismantled by him.

Even... even perhaps Otto had not truly left the stage just now.

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

Haha, the polite and respectful facade she had put on just now was probably mere affectation in his eyes as well.

Was he laughing at her inwardly, at how she put on the appearance of a humble victor while her pride practically overflowed from her heart?

Looking at Otto's posture, Jackal suddenly felt a helpless sorrow rise within her. She felt as if she were standing on a circus stage, her face painted red, yellow, white, and every other color.

She desperately tried to draw his attention, either clumsily reciting famous scripts, extravagantly imitating the gestures of celebrities, or tossing precious objects around to make herself look ridiculous.

She thought these were necessary sacrifices, fantasizing that afterward she could become a bloody yet great artist, elegantly stepping on a god's blood as she entered the supreme hall.

Yet in the end, she discovered that the god was completely unscathed, politely granting her a few scattered claps after she had exhausted every effort.

A clown.

Yes, in his eyes, she was a clown.

"Hahahaha, haha... urgh!"

The anger and grief in Jackal's heart gradually rose, and her pupils slowly turned blood-red. But suddenly, it was as if something had seized her by the throat, and her voice abruptly stopped.

She looked up and saw Otto raise a cross in his hand, its surface reflecting a dazzling gleam beneath the sunlight.

The Eleventh Divine Key, Oath of Judah.

"Don't tell me you still think you have any value left, enough for me to give you time to make another counterattack?"

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

Otto looked at Jackal, bound by Valkyries, and murmured soundlessly.

"The plot... is entirely in my hands."

He looked at Chariot of a Thousand Worlds, shaped like a locomotive, tossing and catching Seven Thunders of Repose, now transformed into a slingshot, as the corners of his mouth curved upward.

This was the first plot he had guided.

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

In the original comic, World Serpent used the Second Divine Key, Chariot of a Thousand Worlds, as bait in the autumn of 2015, using the Third Divine Key, Seven Thunders of Repose, to destroy one of Otto's Soul Steel bodies.

That was why he had hurried to London—advance the plot, then step into this trap he had long anticipated.

Of course, stepping into a trap and following the plot was not for nostalgia. Chariot of a Thousand Worlds's location had been written clearly in the manga.

The main reason he had made the plot unfold roughly as it did was Durandal's earlier experience.

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

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

Since that was the case... why not follow a little of the plot, then obtain everything he wanted?

Spending three days here sightseeing was, while cultivating feelings with Cecilia, also meant to let World Serpent see him and tempt them into launching an assassination plan like the one in the manga.

Putting on a show before Jackal and fabricating scriptures was to buy time, allowing Schicksal to evacuate the crowd while deploying heavy weapons capable of shattering the spatial barrier.

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

Using two bodies was to let Void Archives open her eyes from the other body, thereby leaving behind the contingency that "Amber could see."

Having Rita care for the young boy incarnation took advantage of her fondness for cute things, ensuring Void Archives would not attack or lay an ambush ahead of time.

Allowing his still-weakened self, having just been struck, to meet Void Archives alone was specifically to give her a chance to resist, using the wolf to devour the tiger while deepening his control over her through the cognitive circuit.

Knowing that Jackal still had a Honkai creation in reserve, yet releasing the Kevin puppet anyway, was to force Cecilia to unleash her potential and deal with the more troublesome enemy. Then, when she had exhausted herself and the Honkai creation was making a grand display, he could descend from the sky and stage a heroic rescue of the beauty.

Even initiating the entire outing was, on the surface, to help Cecilia recover her memories, and secretly to set a trap for World Serpent. Yet its fundamental purpose was to keep Amber, Rita, and the others around him busy hunting World Serpent, greatly reducing the time they had to think during the gains, letting them overlook the differences between him and the original owner, and controlling everyone's attention from a broader perspective.

Once all of this was over and they had interacted with him, the boundary between him and the original owner would gradually become blurred in their minds.

One matter after another, one scene after another, all proceeded methodically within his calculations.

He looked down on everything from above, expressionless, carefully reading it all, feeding every beneficial factor into the play, and deriving the appropriate answer.

Even when the factor he invested... was himself.

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

But regardless, he had already made the fullest possible use of Schicksal's current circumstances and everything he knew from his previous life, calculating everything his intelligence allowed him to calculate.

He had acquired two Divine Keys, taken down an important World Serpent base, intimidated Void Archives, and welcomed Cecilia back.

Together with the various scattered benefits he had gained, these results were enough to satisfy him with this plan.

Moreover, he did not need to worry that anyone would guess that all of this had been his handiwork.

Who would know that Otto and Cecilia's trip had been intended to entice an organization Schicksal did not even know about into assassinating them?

Who would know that Void Archives was constantly plotting to devour her master?

And who would know that attacking Chariot of a Thousand Worlds could knock out a Kevin puppet?

A truly outstanding director of life would not let those inside the game feel that a script had been arranged for them.

A brilliant performance required vivid, passionate actors.

Everything came from their own hearts. Everything was of their own free will. Everything seemed like it could be changed through their own hands.

The protagonists and villains thus sang their self-moving little songs, treating the narrow stage as life's great journey.

And he quietly watched the laughter and chatter within that square frame, raising a finger and tugging invisible threads, drawing the plot toward the ending he desired.

They would not be puppets, but puppets were hardly the only things that could be manipulated.

These adorable actors could not see those threads, nor could they discover his manipulation. They would only be pushed along by the plot against their will, despairing and suffering because of the ending, screaming at the top of their lungs as they attributed everything to fate.

Haha, fate.

He did not mind weaving so-called fate for others.

"Congratulations, Lord Bishop." Rita stepped forward, smiling as she bowed and presented a long case capable of isolating Honkai Energy. "You planned from every direction and gained two more Divine Keys."

"No, Rita." Otto finished organizing his thoughts, shook his head, and placed Seven Thunders of Repose into the case. "Humanity's internal strife before Honkai is not worthy of praise."

His right hand curled slightly, as though drawing another round of threads.

Rita was slightly taken aback, unsure how to respond. Then the man's voice rang out again, carrying unprecedented delight.

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

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

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

"I said thirteen years ago that I would never abandon your soul in the underworld, nor let your holy body see decay."

"I did it. So, Cecilia, welcome home."

Cecilia looked at the blond man, her gaze somewhat dazed.

Thirteen years.

Her memories had already become fragmented.

Had it not been for his protection, this life of hers would have been buried forever beneath the snowfields of Siberia.