Taixu Sword God! (4k)

Yet Otto did not step into the tide of Titans. He merely leaned against the Oath of Judah, occasionally using the mimicked Fehu Rune behind him to deal with incoming attacks for them, his face so relaxed it was as if... he were watching a show?

—What was he still doing? Thinking? Waiting?

"Go!"

Welt finally lost his patience and urgently activated the offensive capabilities of the mech domain, preparing for his next move.

With a wave of the man's hand, the Titan mechs surged forth on the wind, kicking up dust and sand that filled the sky!!!

The lance and scythe danced together, stabbing and cleaving in rapid succession. With Durandal and Rita's skilled techniques and seamless coordination, cracks appeared across the mechs' bodies. Those cracks swiftly split open the mechs' surfaces, rendering them unable to move.

Yet under Welt's precise control, the mechs underwent an almost "regenerative" reconstruction through the circulation of Honkai Energy, making their attacks nearly futile.

Honkai Energy fissures covered the Titan mechs' frames. Like ancient warriors awakened by an evil summoning ritual, they launched an all-out assault against those who had entered this land where no one could rest, fighting to the death!

"Ha!"

Durandal panted lightly as she swept away an iron fist for Rita. Excitement glimmered in her eyes, though there was also a faint trace of concern.

So this was what fighting a Herrscher was like?

It seemed that even though I had just passed the S-rank Valkyrie exam, I still wasn't strong enough.

I need to keep working. The road ahead is long... This kind of Titan tidal-wave assault really tests one's adaptability. Later, I can mention it to the Lord Bishop and have him raise the maximum difficulty for Titan simulations.

But no matter what, wiping out the Titans before us is the most important issue... But how?

If Lady Cecilia were here, how would she handle this? Would she also just fight them head-on like me?

She could probably break through them, right?

If the Lord Bishop were here... No, wasn't Otto right here? What was he doing?

"Very good," the blond man's voice rang across the battlefield. "Data collection complete. Welt II, the precision of your control over Herrscher abilities has truly exceeded my expectations—it has even given me some inspiration for using Void Archives."

"However, exceeding my expectations is easy. Surpassing my plans—that is rather difficult."

"First Divine Key, Seventh Plural Mimicry—Void Archives, Rain of Myriad Flowers."

The mimicked Fehu Rune extending from the black hole finally unleashed once more the power it had displayed by the River Thames. A large-scale Heavenly Fire attack erupted again. Compared to Honkai Beasts, mechs were clearly more vulnerable to blazing flames. In an instant, Heavenly Fire swept the ground, and Titans exploded one after another, turning into black-red dust!

Welt frowned and raised his hand. This time, he did not continue constructing mechs. Instead, countless weapons materialized from the air, forming a defensive perimeter around him.

He had already simulated the power of space. As long as those weapons held them off a little longer, Welt could leave St. Freya unscathed. Then Einstein and the others would meet him, and he could return to Anti-Entropy...

Just a little... Just stall for a little longer...

"Hmph, Welt Yang—did I permit you to leave?"

PS: A clarification: the current date is January 2, 2014. Durandal has just passed her S-rank exam—this was mentioned earlier, and can also be considered a clue for this volume—while Rita is still A-rank. In the game's story, both became S-rank in 2015.

That was why Old Yang could temporarily hold his own. Lu Bu might have been fierce, but those generals could still exchange a few moves with him.

Besides, with these three fighting Old Yang, defeating him is only a matter of time. Capturing or killing him is still difficult, though, considering how Yang can always get back up.

Of course, Old Yang could not escape. The Lord Bishop was here to hold the field. This had been planned for a long time.

Too! Void! Sword! God! (4k)

The weapons that were about to be completed instantly shattered. His so-called defense collapsed like rotten wood, and golden feathers drifted before Welt's eyes, making his mind waver—

Although he quickly broke free of the interference from the mimicked Feather of Dust, his escape was clearly slowed. Fu Hua seized the moment, leaping through the air with the force of a dragon and tiger before driving a punch into his body surrounded by Divine Keys!

That unremarkable body erupted with force capable of shaking mountains. Welt could not help letting out a muffled groan of pain, and Durandal seized the opening, spinning Eternal Silence and thrusting viciously toward Welt's heart!

Welt raised a hand and constructed a shield, barely blocking Durandal's attack. Then, enduring the shock, he stepped back to the right—and blood flowed from his back. Rita had taken the opportunity to reverse-grip Skadi of the Eternal Frost. Silver-white and jet-black intertwined, whipping up a cyclone across the battlefield that wounded flesh and lungs alike!

"Your declaration of war against me truly is frightening, Welt II." Otto chuckled softly, the mockery in his voice undisguised.

"Hmph, Otto Apocalypse." Welt retreated several steps, one hand pressed to his chest. His voice was hoarse yet forceful. "It is only a clone, and three Valkyries. Are you... underestimating me too much?!"

Along with Welt's response, Otto felt as though everything before him began to stir. The temperature around them steadily rose, and lightning elements leaped through the air with crackling sounds.

At the same time, a black-red cannon-like object appeared in Welt's right hand. The Star of Eden erupted with power beyond its limits. A gravity field spread out from the black-haired man, and everyone's movements suddenly stalled, their bodies seeming to be pinned beneath towering mountains!

"This is the true Divine Key, the true Herrscher..."

Deep within Welt's eyes, scarlet light burned. One hand held gravity, while the other commanded lightning.

Yes, this was the true terror of the Herrscher of Reason. Though he could not, in the truest sense, command the world's electromagnetic force like the Herrscher of Thunder, nor manipulate gravity at will like the Herrscher of Earth, the Herrscher of Reason was born skilled at learning and simulation. So long as he wished it, he was the master of lightning, a god who suppressed the world!

"Tyrant of the heavens—"

Welt Yang looked at Otto Apocalypse and spoke, word by word, the words Welt Joyce had once said to the blond man fifty years ago.

"Witness how stars shatter!"

With that roar, the power of the Star of Eden was completely unleashed!

Even without a chant, the Herrscher of Reason could freely command Divine Keys and effortlessly crush all ordinary combat power.

It was like a mortal who had obtained only a fragment of a god's power, yet could still contend with the greatest martial emperors of the world!

The Soul Steel Star of Eden transformed into an unfathomable black sphere. Countless bolts of mighty lightning filled the space around it. Welt Yang seemed only to lift an arm, yet all four of them were drawn into his gravity field!

It was as though an enormous gravitational force had been born from the ground, frantically forcing them to prostrate themselves. Their heads, arms, legs, backs, and chests—every part of their bodies was pressed downward by equal force, all converging to crush them to the ground!

And that force continued to intensify. Tenfold, a hundredfold, a thousandfold... If they could not escape it, even the strongest body would have its bones crushed and bleed to death from every orifice!

The restless air grew ever more scorching, as though the entire atmosphere had to submit to the overwhelming radiance of a god.

Near-S-rank Valkyrie Rita and barely S-rank Durandal braced themselves against their weapons to keep from falling—after all, neither had yet equipped fourth-generation Valkyrie armor, nor could they wield the power of a World Bubble. In this battle, they truly could do little.

Otto, too, found breathing somewhat difficult. The air he inhaled was scorching, and the lightning elements throughout the space had fallen into chaos, seeming ready to erupt at any moment.

"Is that so? Me? A tyrant?"

Yet his face remained calm as he raised his head coolly.

"Ignorant Herrscher—"

The ancient sovereign gave a cold laugh, his eyes filled with golden arrogance and pride.

"Witness the death ordained by Schicksal!"

A fierce wind howled past, sending his white coat fluttering like a battle flag. The sensation of being suppressed beneath a mountain receded like a tide. Fu Hua, Durandal, and Rita regained their freedom, swiftly evading the lightning and attacking Welt again from three directions!

A crimson sun suddenly ruled the entire forest. Vast Heavenly Fire rippled out from a sphere like a blazing sun, burning from the center all the way to the surrounding weeds and sealing off the ground where they stood into an isolated space!

Brilliant violet lightning exploded amid the flames. Even gravity multiplied a thousandfold could not suppress the sweeping Heavenly Fire. Welt fell awkwardly from the sky, and just as he constructed a shield to block it, the crimson sun abruptly vanished—

Then came the lance, the scythe, and the fist. The three Valkyries' attacks descended again in a torrent of unbroken strikes!

Though the four had never coordinated before, their exceptional combat instincts gave them tremendous tacit understanding:

Otto unleashed Honkai Heavenly Fire from afar, interrupting Welt's sneak attacks again and again. Fu Hua and Durandal dominated the frontal battlefield, breaking through the defenses he hastily formed. Meanwhile, within the shadows and darkness, an ice-blue scythe appeared and disappeared. The most inconspicuous girl watched for his weaknesses, and every strike she landed left wounds that could not heal quickly!

Dark violet and deep crimson intertwined and burned as though they would tear space apart. Phantom spirits and mechs collided, seemingly accompanied by roars. Black Abyss White Flower and mimicked Divine Keys clashed, erupting with the most dazzling colors in the world, as if they would annihilate everything around them into endless void!

In an instant, three people and one Herrscher exchanged hundreds of blows. Pulsing red-black crystals burst apart, and thunderous sounds echoed through the forest. Nothing could be seen; this land had become a wasteland of slaughter from ancient myth!

The dust and dazzling lightning prevented Otto from seeing what was happening inside. Relying on his perception of the three Valkyries, he helped them block hidden attacks.

Yet the snapping of tree trunks, the impacts of fists and feet, the hissing gasps of those struck, and the sounds of bones cracking never ceased, allowing him to tell just how brutal the scene within was.

The blond man's attacks were no longer as fierce as before. The Heavenly Fire used purely for defense had even dimmed considerably, as if that earlier eruption had merely been a fleeting bloom, and this five-hundred-year-old man could only flare up to such an extent.

—Was it truly only a fleeting bloom?

"Bianca!"

He suddenly shouted, short and forceful. Golden light flowed through his pupils as Void Archives activated once more, constructing an opening before Durandal that led straight to Welt's chest!

Durandal immediately understood Otto's intent. In perfect sync, she reversed Eternal Silence in her grip. Then she hurled the lance forward with an unstoppable momentum, like the rise and fall of an ocean, carrying a vast, world-ending fury!

"Cough, cough, cough...!"

The armor Welt instantly constructed over his chest shattered. The shockwave from the lance forced him back a step, but it was not a fatal injury.

After all, Durandal had only just passed her S-rank exam. She had also been worn down by the Titans, gravity, and lightning, and did not yet possess the absurdly powerful strength she would have in the future...

—But just as he thought the attack had ended and he could shift tactics during the lull, a lance he knew all too well appeared before him again. Otto raised the Divine Key, Black Abyss White Flower, high overhead and drove it into his chest!

When had battle ever been a turn-based match where you struck once and I struck once?

No, it was a relentless slaughter, one wave rising higher than the last, until someone died!

And after Durandal's attack—though not overwhelmingly powerful, it had been majestic in momentum—Otto sprang forward. Using his Soul Steel body, he forcibly activated Black Abyss White Flower, then brought down the lance with incomparable force, successfully inflicting severe damage on Welt!

"Argh!!!"

Welt flew backward and crashed beneath a tree. At last, he struggled to stretch out a hand, barely twisting aside from Rita's hidden ambush. Then, under Fu Hua's perfectly timed punch, he endured the pain and used the force to launch himself into the sky, finally stumbling free from the four's chain of attacks.

Blood covered his body. His clenched fists trembled as he looked down at the four people below with shadowed eyes. Lightning coiled around him, his bones jolted and reset, and Honkai Energy repaired his body.

Otto, meanwhile, planted Black Abyss White Flower into the ground and raised his head, meeting the Herrscher's gaze. Deep within his eyes shone a brilliant light—that was... anticipation!

An invisible force of presence collided in the space between them, making hearts tremble.

Welt did not move first, and Otto seemed to have given up pursuing his advantage. Both sides appeared to be waiting for an opportunity, a moment for a killing blow.

"What happened over there?!"

"It looks like the Lord Bishop... Ah, and three Valkyries!"

"Huh? Isn't that Teacher Yang? Why is he here?"

"Why is he opposing the Lord Bishop?"

"Everyone, hurry and get Principal Theresa!"

Noisy voices carried over from afar. Welt frowned, and the battle intent he had gathered involuntarily weakened a little.

He was distracted.

Having taught at St. Freya for many years, Welt naturally did not want the filthy games played by those in power to affect his students.

—Though from this day onward, they would surely no longer be his students.

And the more people there were, the more disadvantageous it became for him.

Then...

"Are you thinking of leaving again, Welt II?"

Otto suddenly spoke, exposing his thoughts in a single sentence.

Welt did not deny it. Instead, he answered solemnly:

"Do not force me, Otto Apocalypse. I do not want to harm the students here. But if I insist on escaping, the team you brought can at most leave me seriously injured once again."

"Hahaha." Otto laughed as if he had heard a joke. "Seriously injured once again?"

"One Soul Steel body, three Valkyries..."

Welt heard the ridicule in Otto's tone, yet he continued scanning his surroundings as he answered.

"I still do not believe this is a lineup meant to deal with a Herrscher."

"Yes, Welt II." Otto actually nodded in earnest. "I think so too."

"After all, you are the Herrscher of Reason, the Herrscher most skilled at returning from death."

"Our team can defeat and severely injure a wounded you, but capturing or killing you? Even I think the odds are not high."

"But... my old friend, have you not noticed that something is wrong?"

"After successfully inflicting severe damage on you, I should have pursued and denied you even the slightest chance to speak. Yet now, I am allowing you to recover on your own and inspect every possible route of escape."

"You are even wondering whether I have suddenly become so talkative at a time like this, aren't you?"

"Opportunities wasted on chatter. I believe you are mocking me like that, hahaha."

Welt hovered in the air, looking at the motionless man in confusion. He did not understand what Otto meant, but the unease in his heart grew stronger.

"Actually, I never intended to rely on the people here to deal with you, Welt II..."

Otto raised a hand. Void Archives simulated the Herrscher of the Void's ability and teleported the three Valkyries dozens of meters away.

"You did not honestly think," the man placed a hand atop the Oath of Judah, his gaze arrogant, "that when I declared your death, I would give you any chance to survive, did you?"

"Eleventh Divine Key, activate!"

A vast field of restraint spread out, completely sealing off Welt's ability to draw Honkai Energy from outside. He frowned, intending to break the situation quickly, but suddenly stopped breathing—

At the same time, Otto's cold laugh reached his ears. A glowing scepter pressed against the center of his back, and in that instant, he could no longer wield the Herrscher of Reason's power!!!