Chapter 328

However, conventional Herrscher authority cannot affect the Power of Light, which means that the methods Otto is using now are not as simple as ordinary Herrscher authority.

And just as she had imagined, as someone who had learned a great deal of knowledge from a young age and was able to examine the world from a perspective that transcended his time, Otto's power now gained from the Power of Light was closer to the power of the Herrscher of Reason: to analyze, understand, and reconstruct the myriad laws of this world.

The magic array before him was a means by which he manipulated the laws of the world through his research on the Authority of Binding, in order to achieve the same effect. Because it did not follow the path of the Herrscher authority, even the Power of Light would be interfered with.

Fortunately Durandal had anticipated this, so she only paused at the beginning before quickly returning to normal. With a wave of her hand, a powerful energy surge instantly tore apart the "magic circle" constructed by Otto, seemingly without any impact.

However, Otto had already anticipated Durandal's actions, so the magic circle he had just used was merely a trick to delay her. At the same time that Durandal was slowed down, a magic circle large enough to cover the entire space had already quietly taken shape.

Even Durandal would find it difficult to completely destroy such a large-scale magic array in a short period of time. As long as she cannot break free from the influence of the Authority of Binding, she will gradually fall into a disadvantageous position until she completely loses her power.

Even so, Otto's face showed no sign of relaxation, because he vaguely realized from the previous exchanges that such methods would hardly pose a real threat to Durandal.

And indeed, after the initial sluggishness caused by the sudden interference, Durandal's subsequent movements were completely unhindered, as if the Authority of Binding had no effect on her at all.

"Bianca that powerful?" Elysia noticed this as well and couldn't help but ask in surprise, "Could it be that her ability is immune to interference from Herrscher authority?"

"It's not that it's specifically targeting Herrscher; it's just that the nature of her power happens to counter the power of restraint." Ai Yue naturally understood the principle behind this, so he explained with a smile, "The characteristic of Durandal's ability is actually very simple: it allows her power to remain unaffected by external factors."

As a diligent genius, Durandal possessed terrifying talent that was difficult for ordinary people to match from birth, but her achievements today are more due to her hard work and diligent training. In her opinion, no power is more reliable than the power that she has obtained through her own hard work and training.

It is precisely because of this that when such a will finally blossoms and bears fruit under the "irrigation" of the Power of Light, what is gained is a powerful mind that is "self-sufficient and does not need to seek externally."

Durandal's power may be depleted during use, but it will never dissipate or decay due to such interference. To defeat her, one must break through her head-on and overwhelm her with absolute power.

In other words, interference at the rule level has extremely limited effect on Durandal. Not to mention being twice as effective for half the result, even ten times the power would hardly have any effect.

If Otto were using the Herrscher of Thunder or Herrscher authority of Herrscher of Flame, which possess powerful destructive abilities, or even just a pure energy bombardment, Durandal wouldn't be able to move so easily as she does now.

Fortunately, Otto wasn't stupid. After realizing that his conjecture had been confirmed, he decisively changed his strategy, removed the magic circle that Authority of Binding, and began to use the powers of the Herrscher of Reason to engage in a direct confrontation with Durandal.

Although he was no match for Durandal in direct combat, Otto, relying on his strong foundation and home advantage, temporarily suppressed Durandal with an overwhelming numerical advantage.

Then he saw a white light shooting into the sky from not far away.

That was the power released by Kiana.

Chapter Thirty-Nine: I Was Beaten Three Times

If someone were to conduct a survey within Schicksal and ask who the most talented Valkyrie of the current generation is, the vast majority would probably vote for Durandal.

After all, she possesses both the unique bloodlines of Kaslana and Schatten, and is a training fanatic who spends all her time in the training room when not on missions. She has all the innate and acquired qualities, so it is only natural that she becomes the most talented Valkyrie of Schicksal.

It is said that Durandal had already met the standards to become S-rank Valkyrie when she was a teenager, but because she was too young, Schicksal did not directly bestow this title upon her.

But if you were to ask Durandal herself this question, she would probably name another person: her sister Kiana Kaslana.

This wasn't due to a lack of self-awareness, but rather a genuine belief that Kiana was indeed more talented than her in combat.

However, compared to the professional training she's used to, Kiana is more suited to... a more natural approach.

For example, right now, without any extra preaching or hands-on guidance, when Durandal reveals the portion of power she possesses to Kiana, she believes her sister will definitely be able to learn something from it.

So when that towering white beam of light illuminated the entire space, Durandal wore a knowing smile.

Meanwhile, Ai Yue, who was watching the battle, shook his head. "It seems the outcome is already decided."

"Huh, really?" Elysia said with some doubt. "Otto seems to have some trump cards up his sleeve."

"Don't I know what he's got?" Ai Yue chuckled. "Forget about his trump Kallen over, he could only hold out for another five minutes at most."

"After all, his current state is merely a preliminary form before Kiana's full awakening."

Just as Ai Yue said, Kiana had already put immense pressure on Otto even before she had fully participated in the battle.

Because this space is gradually slipping out of Otto's control.

Besides the Herrscher authority he initially mastered and the Herrscher authority Binding power he now uses in battle, Otto's third Herrscher authority comes from the Herrscher of Dominion. The main purpose of this power is to maintain this special "Domination Theater" to create the most favorable environment for Otto.

But with Kiana's intervention, this once Domination Theater is now gradually slipping out of his control.

The pitch-black background was gradually stained with pure white light, and wherever it went, Otto's power was being gradually eroded and decomposed. If Kiana continued to encroach on it like this, Otto's last bit of advantage would soon disappear completely.

Otto, of course, would not choose to sit idly by and wait for his doom, so he made a desperate gamble, intending to fight with all his might for one last time.

Then he lost.

This is to be expected, since dealing with Durandal alone had already made him somewhat overwhelmed, and now Kiana was exuding an aura even stronger than Durandal's. Under such circumstances, how could Otto possibly hold on?

Therefore, he lay on the ground after only thirty seconds.

The light faded away from him like flowing water, transforming the surrounding environment from the previously bizarre and dark space back into the ancient and desolate church.

Otto looked at the reliefs on the church ceiling and couldn't help but laugh.

He did lose, but he also won.

"You've achieved your goal." Durandal stood to the side, watching the man lying on the ground laughing heartily, unsure of what to say. "How do you feel?"

"It's pretty good." Otto sat up, his smile still wide. "Although there are still some minor flaws, it's not bad at all, right?"

"A minor flaw?" Kiana sheathed her greatsword and looked over curiously. "Is there anything that wasn't done perfectly?"

"Originally, according to my plan, the energy reaction generated by the final battle would be enough to open a passage to the Imaginary Tree," Otto explained seriously. "That way, I could go there and see what other timelines look like, just like in the original timeline. Unfortunately, the result was completely the opposite."

"Uh," Kiana scratched her head, then gave a somewhat subtle look, "Um, sorry?"

Otto's wish failed because Kiana, after awakening, directly and overwhelmingly seized all the powers he possessed. Not only did she have control over space, but she also took away the army he had created, resulting in no violent energy explosion at all—it was a pure dimensional reduction attack.

Without the energy burst as a means to open the channel, Otto was naturally unable to achieve his goal.

"There's no need to apologize, after all, this was an outcome I expected." Otto quickly composed himself and stood up again. "Anyway, there will be other ways in the future. In any case, congratulations."

"Thank you." Durandal nodded subconsciously, then realized, "Uh, what should we do next?"

"I don't know," Otto replied, looking somewhat bewildered by the question. He paused for a moment before saying, "Well, my script ends here... Don't you have any plans for that?"

"I think it was... uh, a victory celebration?" Kiana scratched her head, thinking carefully for a moment. "Come to think of it, it seems that after they brought us in, Yae Sakura and the others went back to prepare the meal?"

"Yes, I heard that too," Durandal said with a complicated expression, as if she had remembered something important. "And I also heard Teacher Kallen say that she was going to show us something..."

"Huh? Really?" Kiana's expression changed immediately. "Hopefully Yae Sakura and the others can stop Kallen, otherwise... should we go back later?"

"Unfortunately, it's too late." Durandal took out her personal communication terminal, which displayed Rita's image. "Rita sent a message as soon as communication was restored."

"Is it really that exaggerated?" Otto looked at the two people who seemed to be facing a formidable enemy, and immediately showed a speechless expression. "I remember Kallen's cooking was pretty good, wasn't it?"

Upon hearing this, Durandal and Kiana looked at Otto with immediate respect. "Can something like that be considered 'okay'?"

Only then did they realize that the man in front of them had spent over five hundred years with Kallen, and had probably developed an immunity to her.

"In short, Kallen still knows what she's doing... I guess," Otto smiled, not intending to dwell on the topic any longer. "You guys should go back now."

"And you?" Durandal's eyes immediately lit up with suspicion. "You don't have any other plans, do you?"

"Of course not," Otto shook his head, then looked up. "But I guess the teacher should be coming to find me by now, right?"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Ai Yue appeared beside him, "What a big shot, Otto, making me come to you in person?"

"Teacher!"

Kiana, who was standing nearby, saw Ai Yue and excitedly approached him. "I did pretty well today, right?"

Ai Yue smiled and looked at her, "Do you want to hear the truth, or do you just want to be praised?"

"Uh," Kiana naturally understood Ai Yue's implied meaning, and immediately lowered her head. After hesitating for a long time, she finally prepared herself for a scolding, "I'll just listen to the truth."

"Just kidding, the truth is you did a great job." Seeing Kiana's pained expression, Ai Yue couldn't help but laugh, patting her head. "Alright, hurry back, don't keep everyone waiting."

After Kiana and her sister left, Ai Yue turned his attention back to Otto.

"Since the teacher is so satisfied with Kiana, it seems I haven't done a good enough job," Otto said, lowering his head. "I'm sorry, I've embarrassed the teacher."

"It's not exactly embarrassing, anyway, not many people know about this today." Ai Yue didn't seem to care, only staring at Otto. "I just want to see how long you can keep up this act."

Otto gave a bitter smile upon hearing this. He wanted to say something, but blood gushed from his mouth before he could speak—clearly, bearing the power of Ai Yue had overwhelmed his body, and the damage was beyond Otto's ability to heal himself.

He had been acting nonchalant all along simply to keep Kiana and the other person from noticing anything amiss.

Just as Otto was about to collapse, Ai Yue reached out and pressed his hand on his shoulder. An unreasonable force surged into Otto's body from the point of contact between the two, and in an instant, the pain in Otto's body was completely relieved.

Feeling his body brimming with energy, Otto smiled and said, "I knew with the teacher here, everything would be fine."

"But that's no excuse for you to be so reckless, is it?" Ai Yue shook his head helplessly. "So, what exactly is the reason that makes you willing to risk your life to go to this extent?"

Seeing Otto about to speak without hesitation, he added, "Don't give me any of that 'for the sake of the world' nonsense—don't put on that noble act in front of me."

"This isn't an act, teacher," Otto argued. "I learned this magnanimity from you!"

"Alright, alright, I guess you know how to flatter," Ai Yue waved his hand. "Let's just say that's one reason. And then what?"

"And then, naturally, it's also for my own sake," Otto smiled and said frankly, "It's always been the students who've been bothering you, so this time I want to do something to help you... although strictly speaking, it's still helping ourselves."

Otto knew very well that everything Ai Yue did was out of his own subjective thoughts, without expecting anything in return. However, just because he didn't expect anything in return didn't mean that humanity could enjoy all of this with a clear conscience.

At least, as someone who had been rescued from a filthy and chaotic fate by the other party, Otto knew that he had to do something.

This wasn't just about repaying a debt of gratitude; it was also about putting my mind at ease.

That's why we're seeing this scene today.

Durandal indeed exceptionally talented, and Kiana is a Schicksal one, but they are still a long way from achieving the same kind of "enlightenment" as they have today.

After all, enlightenment requires sufficient accumulation, but even with their experience and memories from two lifetimes, breaking through this barrier is not easy.

Otto, through his own methods, helped the two of them bridge that distance without them even realizing it.

The ability to Domination Theater, allowing those within to be interfered with and controlled by the power of domination, was transformed in Otto's design into the sharing of experiences and insights. Coupled with the assistance of Ai Yue's own power, Otto's goal was successfully achieved.

The price was that Otto himself was almost crushed by the burden of this slight power. If it weren't for Ai Yue's treatment, he probably would have died on the spot.

However, Otto had no way to deal with this matter, but he was not worried at all—after all, Otto knew very well that Ai Yue would not sit idly by.

Everything went exactly as he had predicted, except that Ai Yue, who had been outmaneuvered, was clearly displeased and unlikely to be fooled by Otto.

Knowing that he shouldn't engage in conversation at this moment, Otto chose to play dumb and started to walk out. "Um, teacher, if you don't have anything else, I'll be going..."

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a hand pressing on his shoulder.

"Go? Where are you going?" Ai Yue's deliberately sinister voice rang in Otto's ear, "I misjudged you, Otto. I never imagined you had such a broad mind—"

"In that case, I'll leave the rest of the plan to you. You won't refuse, right?"

Feeling the growing chill behind him, Otto could only nod in agreement.

Thus, a month after the "Bishop of Schicksal Succession Incident" ended, the Twelfth Herrscher was successfully defeated.

In this Post-Civilization where there is no Golden Courtyard and no Raiden Yae Sakura to contact the Honkai Consciousness, the only one responsible for "guiding" the Twelfth Herrscher to the world is Otto, who rashly stole the power of Ai Yue.

After accepting the Kiana sisters' doubles challenge, Otto once again welcomed a group battle against the six Herrscher.

This battle was uneventful. After all, the Twelfth Herrscher was not Herrscher skilled in combat, and Otto was no match for the group. Therefore, he didn't even have the thought of struggling and simply lay down.

But compared to what happened next, these were minor matters.

After all twelve Herrscher were defeated, the real test finally began.

The "Stigmata Project," as the final step in the complete fusion of the Perfect Timeline and "reality," silently enveloped the entire Earth at the turn of day on a certain day.

This time, Kiana and her friends will have to face...

"Otto, it's you again?"

Chapter Forty: Weaving the Future

Although the "Stigmata Project" has long lost its original meaning in this Perfect Timeline, it has not been cancelled because the Perfect Timeline needs to be completely integrated with "reality" in order to truly revitalize the entire civilization. Instead, due to its unique nature, it has become the most crucial link in the project.

Within the vast dreamscape created by the "Stigmata Project," which envelops the entire world, people will experience a Perfect Timeline and reality in an absolutely safe environment, and thus dream of their original selves from the original timeline.

Of course, due to the mechanism of dreams, apart from those who are deeply connected to the timeline and can retain these memories, everyone else will forget them after the dream ends, as if it were just a strange dream.

Kiana and the others naturally assumed that Ai Yue would preside over such an important ceremony, but they never expected that when they arrived at the core of the dream, they would see Otto Apocalypse's hateful face again.

"Gentlemen, how have you been?" Otto greeted everyone with his usual smile and waved. Only after they all simultaneously raised their weapons and aimed at him did he quickly adopt a serious expression. "Ahem, I know what you're thinking, but unfortunately, this is the teacher's arrangement."

"But why?" Kiana couldn't help but ask, "How could the teacher abandon such a crucial step?"

"Probably because he thinks we can do it well," Otto asked with a smile. "Don't you have that confidence, senior sister?"

"I..."

Kiana looked hesitant—she certainly wanted to say that she was confident, but a deep-seated unease prevented her from speaking with conviction.

After all, she knew very well that, not to mention her current self, even if she grew for another hundred years, she would never be able to catch up with Ai Yue's strength.

In that case, it's only right that such an important matter should be handled by the other party.

But at that moment, she felt the warmth of another person on her hand.