Kiana, the two Xuanyuans, Bronya, and Sirin headed to Klostern. Along the way, they saw the strangely-frozen Earth below. Finality's authority granted control over time. Most of the humans on Earth had already been sent to Imaginary Space. Their physical body had long turned into something else. The longer they spend inside the Imaginary Space, the more thorough the transformation becomes—until they fully merge into a Spiritual Adam that empowers those who wield the powers of stigma.
By then, humans will no longer be affected by the honkai and its Proportionality Law, thus quelling all disasters caused by the honkai.
Kiana was preoccupied by another matter.
'...She's struggling to hold it back.'
She looked towards Sirin. The latter hid it 'quite' well, but not from Kiana. Her brewing murderous intent was strong enough to drive someone crazy.
Sirin can forgive Siegfried. She can forgive Welt Yang too. She just so happened to be on the opposite side of humanity during the second eruption. There was nothing wrong with their intent to kill her. There was also Theresa who repeatedly wanted to 'save' her. Fu Hua's attempted murder was also up there.
Even more so was Cecilia. She was the one that planted the seeds of her dream about an 'ordinary life'.
However, there is one man she wouldn't forgive.
Otto Apocalypse.
No matter what happens, even if it is the end of the world, she will kill Otto.
Kiana did not force her to forget about it. Someone as kind as her finds Otto detestable, what more of Sirin whose entire life was ruined due to his actions?
Kiana opened up the mental connection between the two. It is the common trait for those with similar souls that has cultivated an auxiliary technique.
'We will be there soon. Do you want to…'
'Yes.'
The usually silent Sirin decisively spoke out.
'I want to see him die.'
'...'
Kiana said no more.
Sending Otto into the Imaginary Tree will accomplish their mission, and at the same time, cause his complete death. Otto himself wants it to happen. All that's left for Kiana is to push him towards it.
However...
Things might not happen as he intended.
Soon, the five of them arrived at their destination. Across them was the imaginary barrier made by Otto.
Kiana tried using the [Two Phase Art] but to no avail. It is not within the scope of an independent energy system—someone is controlling it.
Bronya summoned a dozen Selene devices at once. They took the form of floating pyramid-shaped beam weapons. The burden of her Herrscher Core, now awakened as Truth, could be handled by her Golden Core Realm physique with ease.
The dozen floating Selene interacted with the imaginary barrier. The temperature around them started to rise. The energy within the said barrier is forcibly being converted into heat.
It did not take long for a hole to melt at the barrier.
The moment it happened, she interacted with the spiritual consciousness belonging to Fu Hua.
She instantly appeared in front of them. Her gaze turned towards Bronya and then to Kiana. It turned complicated when she met the gaze of the two Xuanyuans, and was surprised when she saw the silent Sirin.
Her thoughts ran fast as it turned into a light sigh.
"Did you know about his plans?" She turned and asked Kiana. "He demanded your presence and nothing else."
"Hum. Tian told it to me when he gave the divine key to him back then."
"So that's how it is."
Everything clicked in her mind. Otto was surprised that Kiana wasn't there when he lured Theresa and the others. He did catch Welt Yang and Fu Hua, which partially fulfilled his 'agreement' with the World Serpent. That was what he used in exchange for the Second Divine Key's beacon.
Fu Hua, despite being a Golden Core cultivator with the Herrscher Core of Souls, is very incompatible with the imaginary barrier Otto created.
Ultimately, it was caused by Fu Hua's mishap when looking for Domination's Herrscher Cores. One of them was missing and could not be found throughout Earth. It was Otto who hid it in the imaginary space along with the Theater of Domination.
His "contract" with the Will of the Honkai took place after that. It granted him a bonafide connection with the Cocoon of Finality as well as the unlimited honkai energy reserves. Otto used up Domination to harness the authority of Binding, which led to him harnessing control over imaginary energy itself.
Fu Hua could not do anything to the False God Otto as long as 'he' remained hidden. This resulted in a deadlock where the two could not do anything to each other. That was until Bronya came and easily disabled his imaginary barrier.
"I will meet him."
"Are you sure? He is dangerous."
"Tian left me some assignments to do."
"I will come with you."
Fu Hua did not hesitate to come forward.
"Okay."
Like that, the assignments are completed. Fu Hua, Sirin, and Kiana will head to where Otto is located. Everyone else is responsible for overseeing further changes on Earth.
Kiana channeled her will into her Herrscher Core.
Five minutes ago, it underwent a subtle change.
The Golden Core Realm forcibly opened up the essence of the Herrscher Core itself, causing it to awaken. It is a result of immortal cultivation interacting with the honkai.
Her authority was no longer restricted to the Void. She became the Herrscher of Time. All eleven dimensions, including the temporal dimension, can be interacted with.
With her will, a 'door' appeared in front of them. On the other side was a sea of bright orange light. Kiana created a pathway to the imaginary space at will.
She did not waste much time and set the door's destination to Otto's location, the Theater of Domination.
Gone was the walking Tuna in-game, replaced by a Tuna who abused her teleportation hacks to their fullest extent. The major complaints of her lacking a mount does not matter if she can teleport to their destination instantly.
"I was ready to force you here. I did not expect you to come at your initiative."
His gaze swept Fu Hua.
"What brings you here, old friend?"
His gaze did not stop and paused at Sirin. The latter's murderous intent was thick enough to not notice.
"I never expected we would meet again."
Sirin did not speak. Even if she could, all she will let out are murderous words.
"Shall we continue your theatrics or head to the main part quickly?"
Kiana's question sent Otto's mind into a halt. One of his expectations turned out to be true.
He let out a light laugh.
"He knew about it from the beginning? Nothing less from someone I could not read properly."
Otto did not directly meet Shi Tian, but the latter's abnormal tactics—akin to a huge information gap—bewildered him. Shi Tian was able to read and know Otto's intent, but the latter could not do the same to him.
Otto already had this suspicion when the trade for the Second Divine Key occurred. Once he received the beacon from Kevin and studied it further, he reached the conclusion of needing the Second Herrscher's authority to reach the Imaginary Tree. Only then can he alter its branches and revive Kallen.
Such strict conditions, yet Shi Tian planned three steps ahead of him.
"Let's skip the theatrics this time."
Otto's smile turned into a serious expression.
"Come at me with your strongest, Kiana."
*****
A/N: Bonus chapter.