Destiny's Chosen

Even when she surpassed the man before her in the game he valued most, she only received the harmless punishment of a title—and in the end, she even gained an extra day off.

Once a year, this was already an immense kindness. Cecilia was not someone who failed to appreciate what she had. The position of Schicksal's Saintess brought her honor and power, and naturally, it also restricted a certain degree of her freedom—this was fair.

And on that basis, the additional happiness Otto gave her, this favoritism no one else received, was enough to make her, still a young girl at the time, ecstatic.

It had been a peaceful youth, one to cherish, to sink into, even to foolishly dream would last forever.

Yes, a foolish dream.

Of eternity.

"You, honestly," Otto replied with a roll of his eyes devoid of any negative emotion. "You still need some discipline."

The blond man smiled just as Cecilia did, but the smile did not reach his eyes.

He knew. Better than anyone, he knew that the more distant something was, the more illusory it became; the more illusory it was, the more beautiful it seemed; and in the end, the more beautiful it was, the more it was missed.

Otto understood her thoughts and feelings, and he held them in his grasp.

Apocalypse had never been a family of light. Ever since the dawn of civilization, this had been the family's gift.

"Schemes and plots—those are methods only used when one wishes to dismantle and destroy something."

The man supported Cecilia as they returned to the place where he had been thinking before and opened the door—Rita had already left by then.

"We have no need to do that. Given Schicksal's scale, engaging World Serpent in any form of confrontation would be a waste of Schicksal's resources."

Of course, that was before someone like Kevin returned to the battlefield.

Below Finality, the savior was invincible. This had been common knowledge fifty thousand years ago.

If Kevin returned to World Serpent at this moment and recovered his strength, then even if the combat power of the entire Current Era were bundled together, it would not be enough for that old monster to beat up.

But it was not as though there was no chance to weaken him... It was just that even if Otto planned every step and exhausted every scheme until Kevin had only a sliver of health left, Kevin could still crush the Current Era in countless ways...

The blond man's thoughts raced as he helped Cecilia onto the sofa.

"Little Cecilia, surely you don't think World Serpent can resolve what I spoke of on its own?"

Otto asked, then shook his head as though answering himself.

"Then World Serpent would no longer be called World Serpent. It should be called Schicksal Serpent instead. They simply cannot ensure everyone's loyalty while having enough followers."

"Why?" Cecilia looked puzzled, her large blue-green eyes blinking.

"People all have selfish desires."

Otto sat back in his original seat and explained patiently.

"The selfish desires I speak of include the most basic wish to 'stay alive,' as well as seemingly selfless things such as 'realizing one's self-worth.' And religion itself, in its earliest stages, will certainly put great effort into matters of 'selfish desire.'"

His fingers lightly tapped the table as he took a mug and powdered milk from Void Archives' space.

"At the end of the day, throughout a human life, the 'heart' guides most of one's time. No kind of text, formula, law, faith, or doctrine can achieve what the 'heart' can. If even the loftiest religious faith cannot follow the 'heart' and satisfy a person's sense of self, then—they are bound to perish."

"Still, there will always be people who survive because of faith."

Cecilia gazed steadily at Otto and spoke softly.

Her gentle, water-like eyes seemed to hold far too many emotions, yet it also seemed that every thought within them had been transformed into a pure devotion.

"...Of course, we cannot underestimate reverence for greatness."

Otto's hand paused for a moment, then quickly continued, gently stirring the milk in the mug.

"Unfortunately, though there are many faiths, for most people, they are merely the various instincts that rule us—yes, selfish desire, instinct!"

The man spoke as though in admiration, then calmly continued.

"Selfless faith is exceedingly rare, Cecilia. When the Holy Son revered by mortals walked to the cross, even his devout disciples denied him. When Kallen walked to the gallows, no one but me ran about on her behalf."

"At its core, all of reality, all of nature, even faith itself, means only the self to human beings. In other words, no matter how lofty a church's beliefs may be, there will always be people with selfish desires; and where selfish desires exist, betrayal will exist."

He handed the milk to Cecilia. The woman froze for a moment before accepting it uncertainly and lowering her head.

"Little Cecilia, do you understand what I mean? There is no need to rush your answer."

...Was he asking me?

Cecilia frowned slightly, unaccustomed to it, and did not speak at once. She was not foolish. She understood the Lord Bishop's meaning almost instantly—yet she did not understand it either.

What she understood was the meaning of the man's words themselves; what she did not understand was the meaning behind those words—this was indeed convoluted, but not difficult to grasp.

Simply put, the current Otto talked too much.

Of course, Cecilia did not mean it as a complaint. She liked having sounds around her; it made her feel the vitality of life—wait, she also seemed to like the tranquility when the Lord Bishop combed her hair...

Fine, she admitted it. Whether there was sound or silence did not matter. What mattered was that the Lord Bishop was by her side.

But then again, why would the current Bishop explain so much? Why would he lay out all of Otto Apocalypse's thoughts, placing them before her with near-sincerity?

Long ago, the Lord Bishop had certainly told her to think, understand, and analyze—but he had never been as candid in tone, as detailed in speech, or as serious as he was today. It almost made her feel undeservedly favored.

That concise and concentrated manner from before had been guidance, instruction, teaching her how to view the world and helping her grow.

This was not Cecilia's exclusive privilege. As a leader and master of Schicksal, Otto treated every Valkyrie with extraordinary potential this way.

But... but like this, brewing milk for her, dissecting himself bit by bit before her, laying all his actions and thoughts bare so she could understand and empathize with them, that was...

Only people close to each other would confide in such detail, wouldn't they?

The white-haired woman stirred the prepared milk, brushed her hair back behind her shoulder, and as her arm passed before her lashes, she swiftly stole a careful glance at Otto.

The blond man was smiling as he watched her. His emerald eyes were as mysterious as ever, yet they held a small version of her.

Cecilia's heartbeat quickened slightly.

Was Big Brother doing this to show her his inner world?

Was he allowing her to approach him, to understand him more deeply?

Destiny of Schicksal

"Well, Cecilia? Have you figured it out?"

Seeing the white-haired woman raise her head, Otto asked.

Cecilia gathered her scattered thoughts, her beautiful eyes pretending to be calm and composed. She took a sip of milk, then answered.

"Yes. Personally, I believe Your Eminence means that the reason a religious organization can be accepted and expand is, in essence, because it satisfies the needs of the human self. As long as World Serpent remains a global organization, and as long as it is not powerful enough to function without people maintaining it, then there will certainly be followers who are not devout, and it can certainly be dealt with from within."

"Therefore, World Serpent's current problem will not be resolved by redeeming those two hostages, and may even have nothing to do with them. You merely induced that gentleman to mix together the two 'realities' of 'redeeming people' and 'World Serpent's future,' thereby gaining a benefit at no cost?"

"I am so glad you understand, Cecilia." A trace of sincerity finally appeared in Otto's smile. "When a collective grows grand, purity no longer exists. Faith becomes nothing more than an excuse, a pretext, a curtain through which many instincts operate—a cloth that conceals and obscures certain instincts."

Indeed, World Serpent had mechanical bodies like Gray Serpent, who possessed countless incarnations, and an ideal type like Feather Rabbit, who supported half of the Stigmata Project by herself.

But it also had mercenaries like Raven, who worked for money and ended up betting on both sides, pseudo-scientists like Jackal, who could do nothing right but excel at harming others, and ultimate traitorous bootlickers like Chen Tianwu. In an organization where such existences could become high-ranking cadres, how good could its internal system possibly be?

Unless Gray Serpent truly operated the entire World Serpent alone through his mechanical body—but then, just as Otto had said, he would be delighted for his opponent to have downgraded into a collection of puppets.

Five hundred years were enough for the Lord Bishop of Schicksal, standing at the pinnacle of Current Era human intellect, to research the technology of external incarnations to its limits.

At the end of the day, Gray Serpent was merely a mechanical body, skilled at execution rather than creation—one could see that from the fact that he had even recruited Jackal.

Therefore, no matter how World Serpent twisted and coiled, as long as Kevin remained in the Sea of Quantum and Su did not leave Sumeru, it was a fine dish for Otto Apocalypse to steam, stir-fry, pan-fry, and deep-fry at his fingertips.

"In fact, if Schicksal truly intends to seek something from this organization lacking a supreme god, then what it should consider is how to swallow it whole as intact as possible."

Otto continued.

"It began with religion, and now it can only be trapped by religion."

"Shifting human hearts cannot support such a massive serpent's body. When Schicksal releases the signal of conquest, we will gradually receive a magnificent and spectacular civilization."

"Born from lofty ideals, extinguished by vile desires—the Schicksal of the past was like this, Anti-Entropy of the present is like this, and the World Serpent of the future will be like this as well."

The blond man made the remark with a faintly amused smile, then raised his head toward the ceiling. His emerald eyes were calm and deep.

"For those obsessed with technology, Schicksal can provide more resources.

"For those greedy for profit, Schicksal can grant greater authority.

"For those hoping to realize their self-worth, Schicksal can perfectly accommodate World Serpent's plan to save the world, and offer them even more."

"Schicksal can be the superior choice for World Serpent."

"As long as we are willing to expand, there is no need for schemes or plots. Most of them will be driven by themselves to package up and sell that massive yet fragile organization. Returning Raven and Jackal was merely to numb Gray Serpent and make him believe Schicksal would abandon armed conflict."

"But if that is the case—why let them go?" Cecilia still did not quite understand. "No matter what—they are important figures in World Serpent, aren't they? Wouldn't weakening World Serpent even a little be better?"

"Do I need to use Feather of Dust to control you?"

Otto shrugged.

"Clearly—for me, that is unnecessary—I believe that without Feather of Dust, I can place my complete trust in Cecilia."

"The same goes for World Serpent. After obtaining the Second and Third Divine Keys, as well as the Staff of the Underworld, World Serpent poses no threat whatsoever. There is no need for me to forcibly take control—as long as their sovereign does not appear in this world, then I, then Schicksal, can decide the life and death of this self-operating organization."

"Schicksal can delay devouring World Serpent and wait for an opportunity to consume it completely without effort—an opportunity I will naturally be able to grasp."

The white-haired woman was stunned when he used her as an example. Once she heard the rest, her beautiful eyes overflowed with sweetness.

"Cecilia Schariac will certainly not disappoint the Lord Bishop's words."

The woman bent forward on the sofa and saluted.

"I believe you," Otto nodded. "You are the person I trust most."—Relatively speaking.

Cecilia smiled sweetly and leaned much closer to the man.

"So, there is no need for us to bear the reputation of taking the initiative."

Otto rose to his feet and tossed the milk tea Rita had brought earlier, which had already been finished, into the trash can.

"Schicksal can be righteous. We do not need to do anything to other organizations dedicated to saving the world—as long as they do not extend their claws into Schicksal's domain."

"The valuable parts of them will sooner or later enter Schicksal's embrace and become part of us, so there is no need to rush."

He rolled up his sleeve, revealing a silver cross.

"This is Destiny of Schicksal."

"Yes, Destiny of Schicksal."

A black phantom floated beside the bed, looking down at the sleeping man.

"What a fateful coincidence. You actually appeared here—this will allow my plan to proceed even more smoothly."

"After all your calculations, you still missed one point—we are allies."

TA's voice was soft, yet it carried an indescribable cruelty.

"If you can resolve matters without needing me, then the alliance will cease to exist..."

"Once an oath is broken, allies become the greatest enemies—I do not want that."

The phantom slowly approached the head of the bed and descended beside the man.

"Humans once recorded that the weak draw their blades and swing them at those weaker than themselves—"

TA spoke as though mocking herself, yet there was not the slightest trace of embarrassment in her expression.

"Heh. Once I accept my own weakness, then I am invincible."

The phantom extended a hand from the darkness and tapped the man's forehead from afar.

"Yes, I cannot heal you, but—what need is there for that?"

TA raised her head with a smile, but everyone within her sight was unconscious.

—or perhaps, the being she was looking at did not exist within this space.

"The war between you and me has the world as nothing but chess pieces, and mankind as nothing but a stage."

Light swirled around the man's head, and for a moment, even the wrinkles on his face seemed to smooth away.

"The human body has limits, but your potential... is enough to throw everything into chaos."