Honkai, Traversing Otto, Path to Godhood

This was essentially telling Schicksal not to make any moves regarding her return.

"Is that so..."

All the petty emotions within the woman quickly vanished, but the surging emotion and gratitude left her eyes completely dazed. She leaned quietly against Otto, like a white flower blooming from him.

Cecilia shifted slightly, closed her eyes, and allowed Otto to lead her forward.

She listened to his familiar breathing and suddenly felt an illusion of their breaths merging, becoming one.

"Really... I can never repay you enough..."

The Saintess murmured softly, the affection hidden in her heart blossoming, growing lush no matter how hard she tried to suppress it.

The moonlight reflected a few wisps of cloud, like scattered feathers, falling from the tranquil sky. They spread and diffused layer by layer, dyeing the night peaceful and serene. The entire Schicksal floating island was bathed in a dreamlike silvery-gray by the moonlight.

Cecilia's nostrils twitched slightly as she quietly savored the bliss of being doted upon.

Brother Otto carried a cool, clear fragrance. Golden strands of hair hung down beside his pale, cold earlobes, gleaming with a beautiful luster. She followed that austere yet alluring scent, like a cat seeking affection, naturally leaning against his arm, letting her unhappiness and worries dissolve in his warmth. The world of the two under the silver glow was filled with his calm yet doting voice, and the lingering sweetness of the rich soup...

A long, harsh winter. A pure Saintess. A scheming Bishop.

Night fell, and the world was as gentle as a fairy tale.

PS: An additional update for the reader "Hypocritical Daoist 110". I just realized I received a massive reward, my goodness, I hadn't even seen it yet.

According to the usual rules on Mao Ke, a ten-thousand reward means an additional update of two thousand characters. However, I don't want to split chapters, and it's my negligence that I only saw it so late, so I've added two thousand characters.

Thank you, thank you!

Chapter 65: Defeat · Void Archives

"Look, Void Archives, you've completely lost."

Otto sat lazily on a silver throne, a wine glass in his right hand, the red liquid refracting light within the cup.

"Now, you can't even reclaim your authority from me, nor can you condense into human form to speak with me."

"Hmph, Otto Apocalypse, this doesn't represent anything. It was my voluntary withdrawal that led to my weakness, and then you took advantage of it."

Golden chains coiled around Otto's wrist as Void Archives' voice rang out, possessing a hint of weakness and anger as the man desired.

"It's just... damn it, damn it! You, through that Serpent organization, added a trace of insignificant control when I was weak—Damn them—How dare they do this?!"

Her voice gradually became frenzied, repeating herself over and over, as if trying to convince herself, to strengthen her resolve.

"But no matter what, a trace of insignificant control, this doesn't mean anything. Yes, it doesn't mean anything!"

Oh, you're getting flustered, you're getting flustered.

"Don't deceive yourself, my old friend. The reason you're so enraged now isn't just that I accidentally obtained your algorithm from World Serpent, but rather... your hidden failure,"

Otto's lips curled into a smile.

"Inducing Siegfried to activate Fehu Rune, preventing me from obtaining the two great powers of Theresa and Siegfried through Cecilia—these were your little schemes behind my back, weren't they?"

"And if you hadn't done everything in your power to scheme against Siegfried, exhausting your control over that authority, how could I have successfully ambushed you?"

He leaned back, swirling his wine glass, his eyes full of victory.

"I knew you would do this long ago—and you know what? It was I who laid the groundwork in secret, allowing you to carry out this matter so smoothly."

"The reason Theresa Apocalypse called her a 'fake' was something I intentionally let Rita and the others know when they went to the St. Freya basement to retrieve Cecilia's clones;"

"The reason Siegfried Kaslana appeared near the Schicksal base, the reason you were discovered and exploited, was also a move I made casually;"

"Even at the moment of the curtain call, the various emotions of the two individuals on stage were guided to extremes by me using Feather of Dust, leading them to make the worst possible choices at that time."

"—However, it was guidance, not control. Cecilia could still have seen the traces of Feather of Dust's consciousness rewrite."

"—But guidance and modification, the results are clearly similar, aren't they?"

"Everything you did, I knew it like the back of my hand—and then, I utilized it."

He fiddled with the golden chains, his mouth grinning.

"My old friend, look, I've never forgotten you. I've been trying every way I can... to set a trap for you."

"Why?..."

Void Archives finally asked after a long time, her tone filled with confusion.

She didn't understand, she truly didn't understand. Wouldn't a normal person choose to use a clone to win over those two people?

Those were two S-ranks!

They were among the top five strongest within Schicksal!

The original Otto feared Siegfried's power! The existence that he wanted to kill in Siberia and then restrain using Kiana!

No matter how she thought about it, Otto should have made those two treat this "Cecilia" as Cecilia, sincerely recruit her, and have her protect Schicksal and him, Otto, once more, right?

But why... did he seem to be doing the exact opposite, wanting to sever Siegfried and Theresa from Schicksal?!

Was this guy really so brainless that he'd rather satisfy his so-called desires than protect his own life?

Void Archives even doubted if she was heading in the wrong direction with her scheming.

To obtain a body and gain freedom, shouldn't she have tried seduction (bai gei)? It was just using Divine Keys anyway, might as well let a dog gnaw on them???

"Miss Void Archives," the blonde man said with a smile, "Do you know Buridan's Donkey?"

"Buridan's Donkey?"

Void Archives immediately pulled up the relevant data from its database:

Buridan's Donkey is a paradox named after the 14th-century French philosopher Jean Buridan. It states that a perfectly rational donkey, placed exactly between two equal piles of hay of equal quality, would starve to death because it could not make a rational decision about which pile of hay to eat.

"What does this have to do with us?"

Void Archives asked, confused.

"My emphasis is on rationality, not averages or starvation,"

Otto replied.

"Right now, Cecilia's complete submission alone is one pile of hay. Cecilia, Theresa, and Siegfried's submission is another pile of hay. From an absolutely rational judgment, you must think I would choose the three portions of hay, rather than just coveting Cecilia alone."

"Otherwise—is this woman's temptation so great for you? Are you so lustful, with your mind full of golden worms?"

???

Void Archives's Prometheus, if I don't fill your head with golden worms, I'll take my surname from Future Durandal.

"But the problem is—can I really eat the three portions of hay?"

Otto narrowed his eyes with a displeased expression and retorted, "Won't you try every means to stop me? — Oh, this shouldn't even be a question anymore; you are doing just that now. After I return Cecilia, will Siegfried and Theresa truly be convinced?"

"Heh, don't even start. For the past five hundred years, ever since I first encountered this family starting with Kallen Kaslana, all the way to Siegfried Kaslana, how could I not know how difficult they are to deal with?"

"And finally, once Cecilia becomes entangled with these two, will she still be obedient to me? Not to mention anything else—what did she do during the Second Honkai Outbreak, we all know that perfectly well."

"No matter what, her protecting someone I want to kill is a betrayal of me."

"A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush,"

Otto concluded, raising his wine glass. He looked through the red liquid as if gazing at something, "In fact, rather than breaking through numerous obstacles to bring in those two, it's better to find a way to remove them and increase the purity of my Schicksal Saintess."

"..."

Void Archives did not respond, and Otto continued enthusiastically:

"My old friend, perhaps I know what you're thinking:"

"You think that I am still in a state of fear of being suspected, so based on rational judgment, the defense I build would try to win over everyone as much as possible, even resorting to flattery and appeasement. Returning 'Cecilia' to Siegfried would be natural;"

"However, in reality, once Cecilia Schariac is taken out by me, that possibility has been reduced to the lowest point—yes, the possibility of me being questioned has been reduced to almost zero."

Not to mention the authenticity of this Cecilia, the blonde man paused, speaking in his mind, then continued:

"You've overlooked Bianca Durandal Atagina, you've overlooked Rita Rossweisse. They are definitely a unit; Little Goose wouldn't attack her mother."

"Then, with the acknowledgment of the three top Schicksal combatants, plus Amber's firm belief,"

—because Amber knows clearly that the fact "Cecilia is alive" is known only to the two of them, "and with our interactions and adjustments during the London incident, I have long been in an invincible position."

"The defense line I've been clamoring to establish is a Bishop's defense line that believes in me and is eternally loyal to me, a Schicksal defense line I can use for a lifetime, not the self-defense line you're thinking of, which can protect me when I'm suspected."

"I am planning for the next ten years, while you only think I am living in the present."

The blonde man's smile turned sinister:

"I have long been Otto Apocalypse, but Void Archives, in my calculations, you still think you are in the time of my initial arrival."

"Of course, purifying the Saintess is not the fundamental reason I planned for you to induce Siegfried,"

He took a sip of red wine and said, "The most fundamental reason is to have you tied up by this matter, to have you constantly active on my stage."

"Buridan's Donkey seems like a paradox, but in reality, if it were perfectly rational, it should have chosen a direction to eat the hay, given the equal quality—because time itself is a resource, and the most extremely important resource."

"Inducing you to do as I wish, guiding your plans in the wrong direction, will consume your time and make you lose the thought to consider other ideas."

"I have always controlled your gaze, exchanging events for time."

"Ah, my old friend—how interesting it is to arrange for the opponent to be on the track I desire!"

Otto drained his red wine, completely invigorated.

"Those so-called opponents' ridiculous performances, their self-important schemes and tricks to deal with me, never expected that I was actually outside the stage, merely occasionally pulling the strings to adjust my image on stage."

"They—or rather, you—are always trapped on my stage. All plans were deliberately induced by me, all actions are within my grasp—hee hee, my old friend, this feeling is just as exhilarating as making the Saintess take on my color!"

"...You think you've trapped me like this?"

Void Archives remained silent for a long time, then gritted its teeth and asked.

"Don't forget, I can be manipulated by you countless times, but I only need one win! As long as I obtain a Soul Steel body—no, not even that, just an ordinary body will do—I can turn the tables at any time!!!"

"Of course, of course,"

The blonde man swirled his wine glass and replied unhurriedly, "You are a Divine Key, and I assumed that no matter how foolish you were, you'd have endless time to waste with me. However, my dear Void Archives—"

He twisted his wrist, revealing a black and red containment box.

"Herrscher of Reason core—I have this bait as well."

"...What do I need this for?"

"Don't play dumb, Key of Revelation,"

Otto said.

"We both know what your true nature is."

"[Replication] and [Comprehension] are the Herrscher of Reason's strongest abilities. Analyzing matter and simulating operations—these are things you and this core excel at. So, isn't simulating the original form of a Herrscher also a form of comprehension?"

"Herrschers link to the Imaginary Tree through imaginary gates to obtain Honkai Energy. When the Honkai Energy concentration reaches a certain level, a Herrscher core condenses—this is the traditional understanding of how Herrschers are formed."

—He was using a method that the Void Archives could currently understand, not the new theory from before his transmigration.

Because this guy hadn't reached that level yet. It wasn't appropriate for him to spread the [Cocoon of Finality Theory] at this stage either.

It was always good to keep something in reserve; what if it was useful later?

"The principle of Divine Keys is much the same. It's just that because the 'gate' linking to the Imaginary Tree is quite 'ancient,' the speed at which Honkai Energy is obtained is extremely slow, leading to the Divine Key's maximum output power being merely a single strike from a Herrscher."

"Output power and stored Honkai Energy—these are the two great chasms for Divine Keys. But Void Archives, here is an opportunity to break through those chasms before you."

"You can analyze this Herrscher of Reason core, simulate its connection to the Imaginary Tree, and increase your output power and storage capacity, thereby reducing the gap between you and the Herrscher of Reason."

"This is the only, most perfect path to evolution I've thought of for you."

Otto's voice was seductive, like a demon's whisper:

"It's the Herrscher core with the best compatibility for you, and the one you're most likely to successfully analyze. Imitate it, study it, mimic it, and even if possible—devour it. Then, as a Divine Key, you can become a Herrscher of Reason in a completely new conceptual sense."

"And the Herrscher of Reason can construct its own body and more efficiently achieve the ultimate directive from the previous civilization within your mechanism."