Honkai, Traversing Otto, Path to Godhood

"Mm, okay... Oh, right, Cecilia," the blonde man thought for a moment before speaking. "Since you're not sure how to be a mother right now, how about... we meet under the name of a former S-rank Valkyrie?"

Chapter 53: Cecilia VS Durandal

"Did you hear? Lord Bishop is back!" "I know, I know! I think I just saw him outside the simulation room!" "Ah, is he here to watch Miss Durandal's S-rank Valkyrie exam?" "It must be! Don't forget how doting Lord Bishop is on Miss Durandal!" "Honestly, I feel like Miss Durandal and Lord Bishop are more like family than Miss Theresa and Lord Bishop..." "Yeah, they're both blonde after all..." "Shh! Don't just say things like that!"

Lord Bishop is outside the simulation room?

After completing her second-to-last S-rank Valkyrie exam, Durandal, who had paused for a break, heard the surrounding chatter. She tightened her grip on her lance.

Otto is outside, which means... Cecilia is outside too?

Could she stop her exam now and confront the Bishop to ask him directly... Durandal thought this and almost acted on it.

If she could, she almost couldn't wait to pry open Otto's head and see through all his evasiveness.

What exactly was her relationship with Ms. Cecilia?

The young girl's thoughts drifted, recalling conversations from a few days prior. Ever since then, she had been pondering her past. Without neglecting her training or missions, and without Rita's help or guidance, she had been clumsily investigating the past.

It wasn't that she wanted to dwell on the past... However, the aura emanating from Cecilia was truly captivating... How wonderful it would be to fall asleep in her embrace once more... Huh? Why "once more"?

Wait?!

She suddenly remembered that time when she had stumbled through expressing her desire for a hug to Ms. Cecilia, and Ms. Cecilia's eyes had been full of agreement, but—but—but how did it all get so muddled and pass by in a haze?

Where's my hug?

A miniature version of herself yelled in her heart. She tried hard to keep it from showing, but she couldn't stop thinking about it.

She wanted to dismiss this immature thought with a laugh, just as she would look back at her childhood self. But she didn't succeed.

It was like a small blade of grass, stubbornly taking root and sprouting in her heart, eventually growing into an overwhelming sense of bewilderment.

Anyway, Bishop Otto and Cecilia have returned from England, Durandal thought. She would go to his place later, find her, and confess her lingering thoughts to her.

Whether she was misunderstood or ridiculed for being childish, she would resolve all the questions.

Let her... have one last moment of willfulness during the years she should have been carefree.

The young girl unconsciously sighed, picked up her lance, and walked back into the simulation room, preparing for her final Valkyrie exam.

She had to perform well, not embarrass herself in front of her senior.

Thinking this, Durandal arrived at the center of the simulation room, awaiting her opponent.

—And then, she saw the Cecilia she had been longing for standing right in front of her, holding the Black Abyss White Flower.

"?!!...!!!"

"Hello, Miss Atagina," the white-haired woman's holy blue eyes were full of tenderness. "I am the examiner for your final test, Cecilia Schariac."

"..."

"Ahhh! It's Cecilia!" "When did Schicksal's simulation room get Cecilia's combat data?!" "Ahhh! I actually get to see my childhood idol here!" "I'm staying in the Schicksal simulation room this afternoon! Until I refresh Cecilia's simulation model!"

The commotion outside the simulation room brought Durandal back to her senses. She took a deep breath and assumed a fighting stance.

"You can call me Durandal, or Bianca,"

She held her lance horizontally and said sternly, "Now then, Bianca Durandal Atagina, please guide me!"

A flash of sharpness, and then in the Schicksal simulation room, the clanging of lances echoed continuously!

Neither of them used their killing moves—the exam rules were for them to duel with pure skill, testing Durandal's combat ability through the clash of lances.

"Clang!"

One move used, both retreated. Cecilia looked at Durandal, offering an encouraging smile, then her expression changed. She lunged forward with her lance, her moves becoming more fierce.

That was just a probe. Now, she was holding nothing back.

Durandal clearly recognized this. She nimbly retreated a step, used the momentum to spin her lance, and struck the white-haired woman's lance from the side, then aimed to stab at her wrist.

However, the white-haired woman's delicate hand moved, dodging the attack with incredible flexibility. Then, she flicked her lance, and a torrent of attacks rained down, her spear techniques clearly changed.

Cecilia's footwork suddenly became intricate. She weaved through the continuous thrusts, fluttering like a dancer.

But her eyes were serious and passionate. Her boots tapped lightly, as if she controlled the rhythm of the battlefield. During one of Durandal's attacks, she found her opening, stepped on her toes, and in the gaps between the back-and-forth of the lances, thrust towards the blonde girl's chest!

However, Durandal showed no surprise. Her slender waist twisted, and with the same incredible flexibility, she let the lance pass by her peak. Then, reversing the weapon, she clashed with Cecilia's lance once more.

The two lances were knocked apart. The white-haired woman slightly retreated her right foot, while Durandal advanced against the momentum of the lance, thrusting her own weapon forward, aiming directly for her opponent's chest!

Cecilia blocked with her lance, but as she rotated the tip, Durandal's hand, which held the lance, suddenly pushed forward, throwing the weapon directly. She then closed the distance, stepping in close and swinging a fist towards the white-haired woman's forehead!

But the white-haired woman showed no panic. Her head tilted back, and her long legs spread into a split. Both actions were completed almost simultaneously, perfectly evading Durandal's punch and thrown lance. She then placed her right hand on the ground, her legs spun, and she transitioned from defense to offense, sweeping horizontally at Durandal!

The blonde woman leaped up, dodging the attack. The two began to exchange blows, engaging in close-quarters combat.

"How do you feel?"

Otto stood at the entrance of the simulation room's hidden door, asking Cecilia as she walked over.

"My child is amazing," the white-haired woman said, wiping the sweat from her brow with satisfaction. "I wasn't this strong back then."

"Little Goose's potential is something even I marvel at."

The blonde man produced a towel and gently placed it on Cecilia's fair cheek. The woman let out a shy "eep," showing none of the heroic spirit she displayed moments ago.

"As I said before, she possesses the strength of Kaslana and Schariac, and has obtained a pre-civilization divine artifact capable of splitting continents. She carries the vastness of a world—our little Kiana, she is destined to surpass both you and I, and walk towards a more distant future."

—Provided he doesn't advance further.

"I wish," Cecilia replied with a wry smile, "that she could just be an ordinary girl, not burdened with the responsibility of saving the world, and grow up safely."

"Safely, I can guarantee," Otto shook his head. "Ordinary... is impossible. Durandal—or Kiana, she is destined to shine brightly."

They fell silent for a moment. Otto wiped the water droplets from Cecilia's pretty face, then gently caressed her fair, swan-like neck. Finally, his fingers lingered on her slender digits, feeling each other's touch through the towel.

During this process, Cecilia's breathing gradually quickened.

"Alright,"

After a long while, Otto finally released the white-haired woman's delicate hand.

"Since you don't know how to tell her the truth, think about this first—regardless, I think Little Goose will be very happy about your return."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something and pursed his lips.

"Right, there's one more thing..."

He looked at Cecilia, his expression growing serious.

"I cannot make the decision, but Cecilia, do you wish... for the current Durandal to bear the name of Kaslana and Schariac's daughter again?"

PS: Please collect and vote! Chapter 54: Kitty, Puppy, Little Raven

Darkness was like a malevolent demon, crawling over the entire Prison Chair, eroding Raven's heart.

She didn't know how long she had been trapped here. A day? A week? A month? She didn't know, but the reality of her captivity and the silence of the darkness made this period feel as long as several years.

Raven struggled, and the chains on her body clinked, as if mocking her predicament.

Ha... I really fell for Jackal's trick...

Raven shook her head, a hint of bitterness in her wine-red eyes.

This was her own greed, wasn't it?

Thinking back now, that Schicksal Lord Bishop had already planned to use her own scheme against her when she was "preaching."

Raven couldn't help but recall the events of that day: less than a second after she struck Otto, she was first surrounded by Valkyries who were as skilled in dark combat as she was. Then, that brown-haired woman descended from the sky and snatched the Divine Key from her hand.

It was then that she realized their target had always been the Divine Key... Ironically, she had the chance to send the Seven Thunders of Repose back via quantum transmission. But for safety reasons, she had asked it to transform into a katana and be worn at her waist, preparing to use the Divine Key to break through if she couldn't escape.

Heh, at the time, she was thinking that if she didn't have to use it, she wouldn't, so as not to displease the precious Divine Key.

But they were after the Divine Key from the start. Within seconds of the battle beginning, they shattered her transmission device.

Yeah, why would they bother capturing her? She was just a weak, helpless, and pitiful little Raven.

It was a stroke of luck that she could still maintain consciousness.

She wasn't afraid of death. As a mercenary, walking between life and death was a daily occurrence. Those who aimed to earn enough money to buy a villa and a private island, then retire peacefully—ninety-nine out of a hundred would fall along the way.

As a friend from Shenzhou, who had already met Death, put it: since you're in this line of work, your head is on the line, ready to be taken at any moment.

She wasn't afraid of the dark either—laughable, how could a mercenary be afraid of the dark—

But she was afraid of what lurked behind the darkness.

That man still seemed to be hidden in the darkness, sitting on Schicksal's throne, laughing with wicked amusement, looking down at her struggles from on high.

Just like that day when she was "preaching," he had accurately entered the trap and then captured them all.

"Click."

The lights suddenly turned on, and a strong beam shot into the woman's pupils, forcing her eyes to adjust for a long time. She struggled to look up and saw a blonde man sitting there with his legs crossed, a mocking smile on his lips.

It was that man, Otto Apocalypse.

Raven couldn't help but shudder—this posture was exactly as she imagined Otto, just that he hadn't yet ascended to Schicksal's throne.

She lowered her head, glancing to her right with her peripheral vision, and then, she saw a familiar face.

It's Jackal.

"Congratulations. After Gray Serpent, on behalf of World Serpent, provided data sufficient to improve Artificial Stigmata and fully repair the Fourth Divine Key's weather satellite, you two are permitted to return."

"In one hour, you can leave Schicksal and return to World Serpent."

Otto said with a smile, twirling a feather in his hand.

—The man intentionally didn't mention that Gray Serpent had also provided some related data from Void Archives.

He was surprised that it was useful. Yet, he felt it was only natural—as for the reason—heh.

"..."

Raven remained silent, while Jackal had already recovered and was glaring fiercely at Otto.

Her mask was off, and she exuded a sense of weakness all over. Although her gaze was ferocious, upon closer inspection, her eyes held an imperceptible emotion different from anger.

It was as if she harbored a fear she herself didn't understand.

"Otto, you son of a—"

Damn it.

Raven gasped and twisted her body with all her might, distancing herself from the madman beside her.

Did they not hear? Did Gray Serpent ultimately have to trade resources for the two of them?

Repairing Divine Keys... improving Artificial Stigmata... which of these isn't incredibly precious?!