Fighting Welt Yang (4k)

Otto snorted.

"What was that... Back when I played a game with the Honkai God, now that was exciting. A mere Fehu Rune, what's so..."

—He did not mention that, in that game, he had apparently played the part of a toy.

"Lord Durandal nearly rushed out," Rita said with a charming smile. "Fortunately, Senior Fu Hua stopped her."

That was because of her mother...

Otto glanced at Durandal, only to find the girl looking at him, her eyes filled with concern.

"Bishop," Durandal said, "is your consciousness all right?"

Oh? The little one had grown up?

"Not bad," Otto said, raising an eyebrow in mild surprise. "One round of burning in exchange for a Divine Key. I'd say that was worth it."

"Otto."

The gray-haired woman suddenly spoke. Fu Hua, already clad in armor, walked up to him.

"Is something wrong, my old friend?"

Otto looked the woman he had used for five hundred years up and down. At last, his gaze settled somewhere, and he shook his head regretfully.

What a pity.

Fu Hua tilted her head. She felt as though she saw nothing but malice in the man's eyes.

Yet she had no idea where that feeling came from, so she continued, "Your plan... is too insane."

"When have I not been insane over these past five hundred years, my old friend?"

Otto smiled wantonly.

"Rest assured, I have prepared everything—unless you still feel some sympathy for him?"

"I know that ill-timed mercy will only bring about more terrible consequences." Fu Hua frowned.

"Good, Red Kite Immortal."

He replied leisurely, then stepped forward. In an instant, space twisted, carrying him to the edge of the forest.

"Hello, old friend." He patted the man before him on the shoulder and smiled. "Long time no see."

Ever since crossing over, his smiles had always carried mystery and concealment. But now, no disguise could hide the ambition and arrogance at the corners of his lips.

Even his vacant eyes, left dull after enduring the world's most agonizing heat, bore terrifying greed and desire, as if monstrous sins lay hidden within them—unforgivable and beyond redemption.

"My target... has always been you, Welt Yang."

"Immortal Blade Vice-Captain Rita Rossweisse, reporting."

The brown-haired maid stepped lightly like a cat. Her rose-red eyes held a teasing smile as she gracefully bowed behind Welt.

"Newly promoted S-rank Valkyrie Bianca Durandal Atagina, ordered to intercept."

The blue-eyed girl swept her long golden curls behind her, leveled her lance, Eternal Silence, and blocked Welt's right side.

"Fu Hua, here to seek instruction."

On his left stood the Shenzhou Immortal in a moon-white robe. She cupped her fists solemnly, her long sleeves drifting as she stood with elegant poise.

"And finally—Schicksal's Bishop, Otto Apocalypse."

The blond man raised his hand. The cross around his wrist slowly extended and planted itself before him.

"Here to send off Anti-Entropy's leader, Welt Yang."

Schicksal's strongest forces stood in all four directions around Welt, forming an encirclement.

"So," the brown-haired man said as he adjusted his glasses and imperceptibly stepped back half a pace, "your visit to St. Freya Academy this time... was actually to attack me?"

What else?

Otto sneered inwardly. Was Siegfried worth taking a Fehu Rune blast just to use him as bait?

"Surprised, aren't you?"

The blond man's tone was casual, carrying a relaxed ease that sent chills down Welt's spine.

"My old friend, did you still think that you and I had some invisible agreement? That we shared an unspoken understanding to ignore each other?"

He could not help laughing. "Hahaha, yes, of course I know. The old me did not mind the existence of something opposed to Schicksal—but Welt II, people can change."

Otto bared his teeth, his smile as arrogant as ever.

"The fact that you were at St. Freya—I knew it, and I did not know it. When I do not wish to know, I will not know. When I wish to know, I will know."

"When all is said and done, neither you nor Anti-Entropy got beaten for resisting Schicksal because I was in a good mood before and did not feel like beating you."

The man drew out his words, a trace of tyranny in his voice.

"But now, I find you unpleasant to look at."

The original Otto had not paid much attention to Welt Yang. At the same time, he was wary of the power a Divine Key could unleash in a Herrscher's hands. Even though the other man had hidden in St. Freya for years, Otto had been too lazy to bother with him.

After all, he could not affect Otto's plans.

But the current Otto cared more about himself than before—and more about Schicksal as well.

The actors on the stage were entertaining when they chirped and sang, but if there were something beyond control that might affect the established plot?

—Then sorry. Disobedient actors had to leave the stage, no matter the method.

Otto Apocalypse had never been a good man.

Anti-Entropy itself was merely the North American branch, but the Herrscher of Reason was someone who could genuinely threaten his life and could not be won over.

Otto could certainly force the other party into submission through all kinds of means. A single line of "You wouldn't want Anti-Entropy to be destroyed, would you?" would be enough to make him obediently work for Otto.

But the question was—what qualifications did Welt have to be worth Otto's effort? Just because of the Herrscher of Reason core?

Foolish. Kill him, and the core would be Otto's too!

Even Kevin, the savior who had gone beneath the sea—well, into the Sea of Quantum—Otto selfishly wanted to cut him down a notch, despite Kevin being a trump card the Previous Civilization had left for the present age against the End.

Let alone Anti-Entropy's leader, Welt Yang, the Herrscher of Reason, who had never gotten along with him.

Siegfried Kaslana's ambush had merely been an unexpected delight from an idle move. It helped Otto sever Cecilia's attachment, and it also brought him the Divine Key, Fehu Rune. The blond man's true purpose in coming to St. Freya had actually been to subdue this Herrscher of Reason.

Schicksal's Bishop looked toward Anti-Entropy's leader, vicious killing intent flashing through his eyes.

Although the plan had changed slightly and this ambush lacked Cecilia, Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie, it was still enough.

—As long as he was here, it was enough.

"So just now, the reason you put on an act like you were going to kill Siegfried," Welt said, feigning calm as his gaze gradually turned grave, "was to exhaust my strength?"

If he had not sent Siegfried away just now, Anti-Entropy's leader could have tried to simulate the Herrscher of the Void's power and leave quickly.

But the severe wounds from the Second Honkai Outbreak made it difficult for him to complete another simulation of the Herrscher of the Void anytime soon.

(This injury had not fully healed even by the time the little bug entered St. Freya. In the manga's Anti-Entropy Invasion arc, he would weaken even after killing a clone that the little bug had already defeated.)

(Though that plot was his own fault for trying to show off. Something that could have been solved with one strike had to be turned into a fight with ten-thousandfold gravity.)

The Herrscher of Reason's ability might come close to that of an omniscient, omnipotent god, but his output determined that this power was not truly all-purpose.

Even Welt Joyce, the first Herrscher of Reason, had needed to sacrifice himself to save a city when faced with a Honkai Energy Fission Bomb.

Let alone him, a second-generation successor inferior to the former in both mentality and ability.

Thus, helping just now had truly been like a clay Buddha crossing a river—unable to save himself, yet still thinking of helping Siegfried Kaslana. And now, he could no longer teleport himself away.

Of course, someone like him would not regret saving a person who stood against Otto.

They were friends.

Well, although Anti-Entropy's inadequate rescue efforts had caused the real Kiana to fall from ten thousand meters in the air, although Anti-Entropy had made Siegfried take the little bug with him so nothing would happen on their territory, although Anti-Entropy had persuaded Siegfried to give the name Kiana to the little bug, Welt Yang still believed that he and Siegfried were friends.

"Heh—what is Siegfried supposed to be?"

Otto tilted his head, not denying Welt's guess.

"Was he worth me enduring that burning for so long? Worth me being slain by Cecilia?"

"Yes." Welt sighed and nodded. "I should have realized something was wrong long ago, from the moment you waved Fehu Rune at Siegfried in front of Cecilia."

"Watching you kill someone close to her, Cecilia would have reservations no matter what—even if he was a clone. I should have known that unless it benefited your plan, a hypocrite pretending to be kind like you would never do something that shook the minds of those around you."

"So... so you were only exhausting my strength."

—From his perspective, Cecilia would become estranged from Otto because Otto had killed Siegfried.

"What family? That may not be the case anymore."

The blond man narrowed his eyes.

"He dared to attack me. In a few days, he will no longer be one. I will personally help Cecilia dissolve the contract, with every Kaslana and Schariac as witnesses."

"What I bestowed upon him, he did not know to appreciate. Therefore, I can take it back as well."

For some reason, Durandal's body swayed, and her gaze turned unfocused for an instant.

"Besides, my old friend Welt II, what you should be thinking about now is not that bastard Siegfried Kaslana, but..."

The blond man raised his hand, and Schicksal's three greatest combatants simultaneously lowered into fighting stances.

"But how to barely survive under the combined assault of me and Schicksal's Valkyries!"

Fu Hua responded with a punch. Purple lightning danced over her gauntlets, Anuda of the Broken Light, as her short, forceful inch punch shot toward Welt in an instant!

"Hah!"

Durandal shouted, thrusting Eternal Silence forward with tremendous force!

Rita moved swiftly as well, silently appearing behind Welt. Twisting her waist and turning her wrist, she activated Skadi of the Eternal Frost's freezing power. Its sharp blade drove straight toward the man's heart from behind!

"Ganging up on one man... Otto, Otto, you are still as despicable as you were ten years ago."

Welt gave a helpless, bitter smile, then raised his hand as black-red Honkai Energy spread outward!

Several heavy clangs rang out. Fu Hua's forceful punch struck a purple metal block, while the lance and scythe were guided together by precise control.

With a mere lift of his hand, he had neutralized the attacks of Schicksal's three greatest Valkyries!

"This is your honor, Welt II."

The blond man answered. Behind him, golden-rimmed portals appeared, and countless firearm versions of Fehu Rune lit up.

"Every trump card Schicksal possesses save the Saintess has been deployed, all to... kill you alone!"

Before his words had faded, the golden simulated firearms erupted with heavenly fire, and Honkai Energy surged toward Welt!

At the same time, the three Valkyries had adjusted their states. Commands were chanted from their lips, armor covered their bodies, Honkai Energy flickered and leapt around them, and autonomous phantoms whispered as they circled. They raised their weapons and awakened the tremendous power around them, glaring at the First Herrscher before them!

"Hmph! Otto Apocalypse, do not get too full of yourself!"

Welt was finally provoked into anger by the blond man. He crossed his hands, metal covering his joints and protecting vital points. Then he retreated several steps as Titan mechs silently gathered along the Valkyries' paths of attack, like a surging flood!

"On behalf of Anti-Entropy, in a way even mortals can wield—I declare war on you, on Schicksal!!!"

Countless mechs quietly emerged within the field, like ghosts stepping into this place from another world. Crimson evil light shone from their empty eyes, as though wicked flames burned within.

They raised their massive cannons high. Even while merely standing ready, their momentum already blotted out the sky and covered the earth!

During the Second Honkai Outbreak, Welt Yang had once used this to fight the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, using humanity's weapons to shake a god's authority.

Though his old wounds had not healed and he could not recreate the glory of divine weapons covering the wilderness, sixty years of accumulation—especially the breakthrough he achieved in battle while fighting Murata Ryusuke, who possessed an Outer Key—had granted him a deeper understanding of the Herrscher of Reason's authority.

Perhaps he was now far inferior to the naturally born Herrscher Welt Joyce, and his power did not match what it had been during the Second Honkai Outbreak, but in terms of the precision with which he controlled this ability, none could surpass him.

Just as now, he could construct this flood of mechs capable of trapping the three great Valkyries at the smallest cost, cycling and replenishing them efficiently whenever they destroyed Titans, while simultaneously gathering the ability he had learned from the Herrscher of the Void to drive everyone back at the fastest speed and return to safety!

—As long as...

Welt looked at the motionless man, his gaze grave.

Within the Titan flood, Rita and Durandal stood back-to-back, while Fu Hua assumed the ready stance of traditional martial arts and stood alone.