Honkai, Traversing Otto, Path to Godhood

Cecilia exuded a gentleness from her very core, making one involuntarily want to fall asleep in her embrace.

Durandal, on the other hand, had a face full of youthful valor, striving to shine as brightly as possible.

She's the moon, but she grew into the sun, Otto thought.

"You're the star today too, Cecilia,"

The golden-haired man patted the white-haired woman's head.

"Why don't you put on a mask and join the fun? Dressed so beautifully, it would be a shame not to attend the ball."

Today, Cecilia wore a dress personally designed by Otto. The deep blue gown accentuated her slender waist, her slightly revealed bosom forming a voluptuous curve under the moonlight. Her long legs were brought together beneath the hem, and butterfly wings on her ankles added a touch of lightness.

The dress was elegant, with a flowing grace that seemed to shimmer with a faint, ethereal light. Tiny diamonds sparkled, and the layered skirt billowed with the wind, blooming into a dreamlike spectacle under the sky's lights.

A deep blue silk ribbon was tied around her meticulously styled updo, falling along with her curly hair by her ears onto her exposed, elegant shoulders and neck. Delicate flowers adorned the velvet ribbon.

Her curved eyebrows, illuminated by the starlight, sparkled with a gentle, lustrous radiance like pearls. Her delicate red lips curved into a confident smile, her perfect mouth adorned with a thin layer of lip gloss, appearing even more crystal clear under the light, making one long to kiss them.

"Mmm..."

Cecilia tilted her head, picturing herself entering the ballroom, then chuckled and shook her head.

"I'm already so grown up, how can I steal the spotlight from the children?"

"Are you saying all these people below are Little Goose's fake fans?"

Otto pointed to the corner where Valkyries were fawning over Durandal.

"What if my fans are all quite formidable?"

Cecilia took a small sip of red wine and said with a smile, "Those who saw me as an idol back then are probably in high positions now, right? Look—my cousin Maria is the head of the Schariac family! She'll definitely support me!"

Otto glanced at the woman observing from the side of the ballroom, then followed her gaze to the girl with chestnut hair and pink eyes beside her, raising an eyebrow.

"You mean they'll use their influence to help you gain traction?"

"Exactly, so I won't compete with Little Goose for the main stage spotlight," Cecilia nodded, but then her tone shifted. "However, if Elder Brother were to enter the ballroom with me..."

She took a few deep breaths, downed the red wine Otto had given her, and then, with a slight blush, leaned close to the golden-haired man, her breath like orchids as she whispered in his ear:

"I'll hold your waist~ I won't touch your back~ My right hand will hold your heartbeat, no matter... Eek!!!"

"Stop fooling around."

Otto withdrew his hand, which had lightly tapped the woman pretending to be drunk, and gave Cecilia a deadpan look, pointing behind him.

"There are people here, you know—Miss Rita is still present."

"Ah... Ah???" Chapter 67: The Noble and Pure Saintess

"Oh, this..."

Cecilia glanced back guiltily. The chestnut-haired girl stood in a dignified maid's posture and gave her an elegant smile.

"Rita doesn't know."

"Mhm." The white-haired woman also nodded, and they tacitly dropped the subject.

"This won't do..."

"Elder Brother is changing the subject," the golden-haired man wanted to continue teasing, but Cecilia decided to bury her head in the sand. "Don't you want to dance with Cecilia?"

"You, you," Otto tapped the white-haired woman's forehead. "You just said you didn't want to steal Little Goose's spotlight, and now? If I were to go, it would be impossible not to be the center of attention."

Cecilia smiled sheepishly. "That's true."

"But thinking about the time, it seems about right to prepare for the next step,"

The golden-haired man checked his watch. "Let's go, we'll go award Durandal."

Otto pressed his communicator. Amber, who was in charge of control, understood and gradually lowered the volume of the dance music. At the same time, all terminals displayed a notification for the award ceremony.

Soon, the murmuring voices subsided, and the cheers of Durandal's fervent fans gradually died down. Everyone began heading to the second floor, awaiting the award ceremony.

"Valkyries of Schicksal,"

Right on time, Otto appeared on the stage at the center of the banquet.

"I'm very pleased that you could all be here to attend the award ceremony for Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie."

He paused, then stated concisely, "I have no intention of wasting your time with pleasantries. After all, this is a unique, grand, and unprecedented celebration, a ball belonging to our S-rank Valkyries. As Bishop, I have no need to steal the spotlight and disturb your enjoyment with a long speech."

"He finally knows how much of a bla..."

A young and hot-blooded Kaslana muttered, but he quickly shivered and looked around. He saw Maria Schariac, the current matriarch of the Schariac family, staring at him coldly, her gaze like a knife.

"Alright, let us begin today's award ceremony—"

"Bianca Durandal Atagina," Otto's voice boomed solemnly, "please step forward and stand at the center of Schicksal."

The man with blond hair took a step to his right as he spoke.

A clamor of applause erupted. Several elderly individuals who had worked for Schicksal for many years raised their eyebrows at the mention of "Schicksal Central" and cast knowing glances at Durandal.

Schicksal's center... Otto is making way for Durandal at Schicksal's center...

Did this carry some hidden meaning?

The blonde girl stepped onto the platform and quickly reached Otto's side. She calmly surveyed the noisy crowd, her eyes filled with confidence and grace, showing no hint of timidity.

Of course, she had no reason to be timid. This honor was earned through her accumulated efforts, a reward for her outstanding combat achievements. She accepted it with pride and a sense of fulfillment.

Standing here, Durandal wasn't exactly complacent, but she felt a pride in her phased success.

She met the gazes of envy and longing from the audience, an air of magnanimity and composure radiating from her very core.

This is truly a great milestone. If only... if only she were here to see it...

Even now, she didn't quite understand the source of that sense of closeness... but if she were here, she surely would be able to stand taller with even more pride.

It was as if, facing a mother's warm embrace, a child not yet a year old would give their all, stumbling and crawling through seas of fire and mountains of blades.

Durandal scanned the crowd, subconsciously searching for a familiar face that weighed on her mind, but she couldn't find it. A hint of worry flickered in her pupils.

Was she sent on a mission? — Huh???

Her expression changed rapidly. With a look of shock and bewilderment, she turned to Otto. Amidst the commotion, a white-haired woman was walking down the path Durandal had just taken, a smile and pride in her beautiful eyes.

—It's Cecilia Schariac!

Durandal froze, not snapping out of it even when the white-haired woman reached her side. She stared blankly into those gentle, Holy Blue eyes.

"Oh my god!!!"

A scream erupted from the audience.

"Is that... ???!!!"

"It's Cecilia! It's really Lord Cecilia!!!"

Cecilia Schariac.

Anyone with even a modicum of knowledge about the Honkai's history knew what that name signified.

Schicksal's Saintess, the former head of the Schariac family, an S-rank Valkyrie, the former wielder of the Black Abyss White Flower, the savior of Siberia...

Countless glories shone upon the woman, allowing her to be recognized at a glance even after fading from public view for a decade.

"Lord Cecilia, is it really you?"

"My goodness, Lord Cecilia is still alive?!"

"But... wasn't Lord Cecilia... during the Second Honkai Outbreak..."

"It must have been Lord Otto who saved her! You don't know, Lord Cecilia was once the personal guard of the Lord Bishop!"

"Hmph, it was clearly the work of Schicksal's doctors, and they're crediting Otto..."

"Tsk, Lord Cecilia and Lord Otto... I'm actually starting to ship them..."

"Come on, let's ship them! Welcome to the Otto x Cecilia fan club!"

"Let me tell you a secret, before Lord Cecilia got married, Lord Otto and Cecilia would disappear together once a year..."

"Heh heh, I knew the CP I shipped wouldn't be wrong... How could Bishop Otto give up his Saintess sister..."

"Yes, that's right, everyone present,"

Otto swept his gaze across the crowd with a smile, finally meeting Cecilia's eyes.

"Thirteen years ago, Schicksal rescued our beloved Saintess from the Herrscher of the Void and the Honkai Energy Fission Bomb. However, she was critically injured and near death at the time, only recovering recently."

"As expected!!!"

"As expected of Lord Bishop!!!"

The audience exclaimed and praised, all marveling at Schicksal's might.

Most of those who could come to this event were not illiterate. They understood how insignificant humanity was in the face of a Herrscher, and how terrifying the Honkai Energy Fission Bomb was.

Siberia after the Second Honkai Outbreak was still a land of frozen soil, accumulated with Honkai Energy.

Yet, at that time, in that hellish ruin, to directly rescue someone like Cecilia, who was practically at the center of the battlefield, was beyond their imagination. They couldn't fathom how powerful Schicksal's covert operations had become.

Some enterprising Valkyries even began to wonder if those Valkyries who had seemingly perished over the years had truly departed forever.

Perhaps, like Lord Cecilia, they had been rescued by Schicksal using mysterious technologies that could not be disclosed, and were serving Schicksal from the shadows?

Then... if they were stronger, if they performed better in front of Lord Otto, would the people they missed return to their side at some point in the future, just like Lord Cecilia?

Undeniably, this was a highly seductive motivation.

The maid outfit girl standing in the corner listened to the Valkyries' speculations, an unidentifiable emotion flickering in her ruby-like pupils.

Meanwhile, a certain blonde Valkyrie on stage seemed to realize something belatedly due to the gossip, and looked towards a certain man with a solemn expression.

At this moment, both of them thought of a certain figure.

Her... If— if it were possible, they both really wanted to see her...

"This is truly a moment to celebrate—Schicksal has demonstrated unparalleled technological prowess. Standing on the shoulders of giants from the Previous Civilization, I witness this miracle alongside all of you."

Otto waited for everyone to calm down before continuing, "Here, I announce that Miss Bianca Durandal Atagina will be promoted to an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal and will inherit the Black Abyss White Flower currently held by Cecilia Schariac."

"Huh? This..." Durandal instinctively wanted to refuse—she felt the Black Abyss White Flower would be better utilized against the Honkai in the hands of the woman before her.

"There's no need to refuse—Durandal," the blond man saw through her thoughts, "Schicksal already possesses the capability to create Divine Keys."

Cecilia stepped forward, her silver-purple lance appearing in her fair jade hand: "This is yours now, my dear Little Bianca."

She handed the Black Abyss White Flower to the blond girl. At the same time, Otto turned his arm, and an identical lance appeared across his chest:

"The original Black Abyss White Flower originated from an ancient civilization, accompanying generations of Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries as they fought for the world's peace."

"It symbolizes inheritance, passing from the hands of the previous Saintess to the new Valkyrie leader of today—Bianca Durandal Atagina;"

"And this Black Abyss White Flower, newly developed by Schicksal, is a weapon forged with the power of the gods, specifically for fighting Herrschers."

"It symbolizes blessing, and will be presented by me, Otto Apocalypse, Bishop of Schicksal, to our noble and pure white Saintess—Cecilia Schariac."

"Thank you, Lord Bishop."

Cecilia curtsied and solemnly accepted the familiar yet unfamiliar lance, slowly putting it away.

"Very good,"

Otto smiled, looking at Durandal, who was holding the Black Abyss White Flower in thought, "Next, for the final matter."