Honkai, Transmigrating into Otto, Path to Godhood

Even though the thing he valued most in the game only resulted in a minor, inconsequential punishment for surpassing the man before him, he ended up getting an extra day of vacation.

Once a year, this was already a great favor; Cecilia was not an ungrateful person. The position of Schicksal's Saintess brought her honor and power, and naturally, it also came with certain restrictions on her freedom—this was only fair;

And based on this, Otto could give her extra pleasure. This favoritism, absent in anyone else, was enough to make her ecstatic when she was still a young girl.

It was a period of peaceful youth, one to be cherished, to be lost in, and even, to be deluded into believing it would last forever.

Yes, it was delusion.

It was eternity.

"You," Otto rolled his eyes, devoid of any negative emotion, "still need to be disciplined."

The man with the golden hair smiled like Cecilia, but his smile didn't reach his eyes.

He knew, better than anyone, that the more distant something was, the more illusory it became; the more illusory, the more beautiful it seemed; and in the end, the more beautiful something was, the more one would miss it.

Otto clearly understood her thoughts and desires, and he controlled them.

Apocalypse was never straightforward; it was a talent this family possessed from the dawn of civilization.

"Scheming and trickery—those are methods used only when dismantling and destroying,"

The man helped Cecilia to the spot where she had been contemplating, then opened the door—Rita had already left by then.

"We don't need to do that. With Schicksal's resources, engaging in any form of confrontation with World Serpent would be a waste of Schicksal's assets."

Of course, this was before Kevin's combat power returned.

Under the [Finality], the [Savior] was invincible; this was common knowledge from fifty thousand years ago.

If Kevin were to return to World Serpent now and regain his strength, the entire current civilization's combat power combined wouldn't be enough for that old man to fight.

But it wasn't impossible to weaken him a bit... even if he meticulously planned and managed to leave Kevin with only a sliver of health, that guy could still crush the current civilization in countless ways...

The man with the golden hair's thoughts raced as he helped Cecilia onto the sofa.

"Little Cecilia, you don't actually think World Serpent can resolve these issues on its own, do you?"

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

"If they could, they wouldn't be called World Serpent; they'd be called Schicksal Serpent. They simply can't guarantee the loyalty of all their followers while having enough of them."

"Why?" Cecilia asked, her large, saintly blue eyes blinking.

"Everyone has selfish desires,"

Otto sat back in his original seat and patiently explained.

"The selfish desires I'm referring to include the most basic desire to 'survive,' as well as seemingly selfless pursuits like 'achieving self-worth.' Religions themselves, in their initial stages, will definitely capitalize on these 'selfish desires.'"

He tapped his fingers lightly on the table and took out a mug and milk powder from Void Archives' space.

"Ultimately, in a person's life, the 'heart' guides them most of the time. No amount of writing, formulas, laws, beliefs, or doctrines can achieve what the 'heart' can. No matter how noble a religious belief is, if it doesn't follow the 'heart' and satisfy a person's self, then—it is doomed to perish."

"But, aren't there always people who live on because of their faith?"

Cecilia gazed steadily at Otto and said softly.

Her eyes, gentle as flowing water, seemed to hold too many emotions, or perhaps, all her thoughts had transformed into a pure, devout faith.

"...Of course, we cannot underestimate the reverence for greatness in all things;"

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

"It's just that, despite many beliefs, for most people, it's merely a way to control our various instincts—yes, selfish desires, instincts!"

The man said with an admiring tone, then calmly continued.

"Selfless faith is extremely rare, Cecilia. When the revered Holy Son of mortals walked to the cross, his devout disciples denied him; when Kallen walked to the gallows, no one came to her aid but me."

"Deep down, reality, nature, and faith itself, are all about the [Self] for humans. This means that no matter how noble the church's faith is, there will always be people with selfish desires; and where there are selfish desires, there will be betrayal."

He handed the milk to Cecilia. The woman paused for a moment, took it hesitantly, and lowered her head.

"Little Cecilia, do you understand what I mean? Don't feel pressured to answer immediately."

...Is he asking me?

Cecilia frowned slightly, unaccustomed to the situation, and didn't speak immediately. She wasn't foolish; she almost instantly understood the Bishop's meaning—but not entirely.

She understood the literal meaning of his words; what she didn't understand was the meaning behind his words—this was indeed convoluted, but not difficult to grasp:

Simply put, Otto was talking too much right now.

Of course, Cecilia had no intention of finding fault. She enjoyed the atmosphere of having someone speak beside her; it made her feel alive—wait, she also seemed to enjoy the quiet when the Bishop was styling her hair...

Alright, she admitted, whether there was sound or silence didn't matter. What mattered was that the Bishop was by her side.

But then again, why was the current Bishop stating so many things, laying bare all of Otto Apocalypse's thoughts and presenting them to her almost sincerely?

A long time ago, the Bishop had also encouraged her to think, to understand, to analyze—but he had never spoken with such candidness, such detailed explanation, and such seriousness that she felt almost overwhelmed, unlike today.

In the past, his words were concise and condensed; one could say they were guidance, teaching, showing her how to view the world, and helping her grow.

This wasn't unique to Cecilia; as the leader, the Lord of Schicksal, Otto treated every Valkyrie with great potential in this manner;

But... but like this, making her milk, dissecting himself piece by piece before her, laying bare all his actions and thoughts for her to understand and empathize with, this was...

Only those who are close to each other would confide in such detail, right?

The white-haired woman stirred the prepared milk, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. As her arm swept past her eyes, she stole a quick glance at Otto, her gaze cautious.

She saw the blonde man watching her with a smile, his emerald eyes as mysterious as ever, yet holding a tiny reflection of herself.

Cecilia's heart gave a small, accelerated beat.

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

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

Chapter 47: Destiny of Schicksal

"How is it, Cecilia? Any ideas?"

Otto asked, seeing the white-haired woman look up.

Cecilia's scattered thoughts settled, her beautiful eyes feigning calm composure. She took a sip of milk and replied:

"Mhm, personally, I believe what you mean, Lord Bishop, is that the reason a religious organization is accepted and expands is fundamentally to satisfy the needs of the human 'self.' As long as World Serpent remains a world-class organization, and as long as it's not so powerful that it doesn't need numbers to sustain its operations, then there will inevitably be non-devout followers, and the problem can be resolved internally."

"Therefore, World Serpent's current issues won't be solved by rescuing those two hostages, and they might not even be related to them. You simply enticed that gentleman to intertwine the 'rescue' and 'World Serpent's future' into two 'realities' to gain a benefit without cost?"

"I'm truly glad you understand, Cecilia," Otto's smile finally held a trace of sincerity. "When a collective steps into grandeur, 'purity' ceases to exist, and 'faith' becomes merely a pretext, an excuse, a curtain behind which many instincts operate—a fabric for certain instincts to cover shame and blind."

Indeed, World Serpent had mechanical bodies like Gray Serpent, capable of manifesting in countless forms, and archetypes like Feather of Dust, who could single-handedly support half of the Stigmata Project.

But an organization that could recruit mercenaries like Raven, who played both sides for profit until the very end, pseudo-scientists like Jackal, who were useless at everything but harming others, and Chen Tianwu, an ultimate double-dealer and sycophant, could its internal system be any good?

Unless Gray Serpent could truly operate the entirety of World Serpent with just its mechanical body—but as Otto said, he would be delighted if his opponent were reduced to mere puppets.

Five hundred years was enough time for the pinnacle of intellect of the current civilization, the Bishop of Schicksal, to research the technology of external avatars to its fullest extent.

Gray Serpent, in the end, was just a mechanical body, adept at execution rather than creation—this could be seen from the fact that he recruited Jackal.

Therefore, no matter how World Serpent twisted and coiled, as long as Kevin remained in the Sea of Quantum and Su stayed within his Xumi Mustard Seed, it would be a delicacy for Otto Apocalypse to fry, stir-fry, and steam at his fingertips.

"In fact, if Schicksal truly had designs on this organization lacking an Overgod, the question would be how to swallow it as completely as possible."

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

"The wavering hearts of the people will not be able to support the massive serpent's body. When Schicksal signals conquest, we will gradually accept a magnificent and spectacular civilization."

"Beginning with noble ideals, annihilated by base desires. Schicksal was like this in the past, Anti-Entropy is like this now, and World Serpent will be like this in the future."

The blonde man sighed with a half-smile, looking up at the ceiling, his emerald eyes calm and deep:

"For those engrossed in technology, Schicksal can provide more resources;

For those greedy for profit, Schicksal can grant higher authority;

For those yearning to realize their self-worth, Schicksal can perfectly accommodate World Serpent's savior plan and offer even more."

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

"As long as we are willing to expand, without any schemes or tricks, most of them will be driven by their own desires and sell off their vast and fragile organization. The return of Raven and Jackal was merely to lull Gray Serpent into thinking Schicksal would cease its military conflict."

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

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

Otto shrugged, "Obviously—for me, that's unnecessary. I believe I can place my complete trust in Cecilia without the need for Feather of Dust."

"It's the same with World Serpent. After obtaining the Second and Third Divine Keys they cherished, along with the Staff of the Underworld, World Serpent poses no threat at all. I don't need to forcibly take over—as long as their Lord does not appear in the human world, then I, and Schicksal, can do as we please with this automatically operating organization."

"Schicksal can temporarily halt its absorption of World Serpent and wait for an opportunity to consume it effortlessly—an opportunity that I will seize."

The white-haired woman was first startled when her own example was used, and upon hearing the explanation, her beautiful eyes overflowed with sweetness.

"Cecilia Schariac will not fail your words, Bishop."

The woman bent at the waist on the sofa and bowed.

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

Cecilia smiled sweetly and leaned closer to the man.

"So, we don't need to bear the reputation of taking the initiative,"

Otto stood up and threw the finished milk tea, which Rita had brought earlier, into the trash can.

"Schicksal can be righteous. We don't need to interfere with other savior organizations—as long as they don't extend their claws into Schicksal's territory."

"The valuable parts of them will eventually flock to Schicksal's embrace and become a part of us, so there's no need to rush."

He rolled up his sleeves, revealing a silver cross.

"This is the Destiny of Schicksal."

"Yes, the Destiny of Schicksal,"

A black silhouette floated by the bedside, looking down at the sleeping man.

"What a fated coincidence, you showing up here—it allows my plan to be implemented even more smoothly."

"You calculated everything, but you still missed one point—we are allies,"

Their voice was soft, yet carried an indescribable cruelty, "If you can't solve this problem without me, then our alliance will cease to exist..."

"Once a vow is broken, the ally becomes the greatest enemy—I don't want that."

The phantom slowly approached the bedside, settling beside the man.

"Humans once recorded that the weak draw their swords and swing at the even weaker—"

They spoke as if mocking themselves, yet without a trace of embarrassment, "Heh, once I accept my own weakness, then I am invincible."

The phantom extended a hand from the darkness, pointing at the man's forehead from a distance, "Yes, I cannot heal you, but—what's the point?"

They looked up with a smile, but all those within their sight were unconscious.

—Or perhaps, the existence they looked towards was not in this space.

"In the war between you and me, the world is merely a chess piece, and humanity a stage."

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

"A person's body has limits, but your potential... is enough to disrupt everything."