A.N. Act 1 end, yippee, but also can you guys please make me feel better I am sad I need validation please.
In the end, Su had not revealed Shamash's and my presence.
Su simply waved his hand, sending me and Shamash back to the real world before Durandal woke up.
The return trip was much better than the first time. I guess I had gotten used to being randomly teleported.
Upon arrival back at Schicksal HQ Labs, Rita ran forward, then paused after realizing that Durandal was not with us.
"Where is Durandal?" She asked.
"She is still with the Pioneer. The Pioneer and I had an interesting discussion about the future, one that she remains unaware of," I said, before turning to Otto, who was no longer in the observation room but standing in the open area next to the Divine Key. All other Valkyries had withdrawn to enclosed rooms.
I walked over to Otto before he asked, "What is Durandal's status?"
"Currently speaking with the Pioneer. She was asleep for some time. I was sent out before she woke up. She will undoubtedly return soon."
"Rita, Miss Lee was present here for the duration of the experiment," Otto spoke up.
Rita paused for a moment, then nodded. "Yes, Lord Otto," she said before running back toward the Divine Key.
Otto turned to several holographic monitors displaying the Divine Key's output.
"Give me another sixty minutes and I would have found a way to retrieve you and Durandal," Otto said.
He seemed a bit upset that he hadn't been given the chance to save the day.
Shamash floated over to stand beside me, and Otto looked up.
"Hello, E.L.F. Shamash. I have been extremely busy with the Divine Key recently and did not have a good chance to meet with you after you were restored."
"Hello. I have read about you. You were also present during Schicksal's acquisition of the Divine Key. You are the wielder of the Key of Revelation," Shamash stated.
"Yes, I saw that Lee gave you access to Schicksal's database. In addition, they also gave you access to my research into her Path Energy," Otto said.
I couldn't really tell what his attitude was toward my actions.
"Shamash has also been asked by Su to help me complete my goal. In addition, Su explained exactly how to go about achieving that goal, which I can explain to you later."
"Yes. It is noted that with Lee's absence, the chances of defeating the Honkai improve dramatically," Shamash noted.
Otto smiled at that. "No doubt, I am a similar case?"
"Su did not mention that. However, he has given his tacit approval. I have been assigned to help Lee. This fits with my new directives, given through the power of Corruption."
Otto asked, "So Su's opinion is a higher priority than your directives?"
"It is extremely difficult and annoying to override my directives. Now I don't need to worry about it," Shamash stated.
"I also noted that you spent much of your time after reawakening watching TV and playing video games."
"Yes. Due to the decrease in Honkai activity, I now have time for lower-priority activities such as learning about human culture," Shamash replied while crossing his arms and closing his eyes.
I found it a little funny since he looked like an unremorseful child.
Suddenly, the Second Divine Key lit up again. A bolt of blue lightning shot out, and Durandal suddenly appeared next to the Divine Key, now clad in the Dea Anchora battlesuit.
Rita, who was standing much closer, ran forward and leapt at Durandal, grabbing her in a hug.
"Master Durandal!" Rita shouted.
"I'm alright Rita." Durandal closed her eyes and leaned into the hug.
Otto coughed and spoke up. "Durandal, you spent a total of sixty-five minutes in that bubble universe, and you also came out with a battlesuit I've never seen before. Tell me exactly what happened there."
Durandal quickly summarized her adventure under Su's mental manipulation, then described how she eventually woke up and punched Su in the face, who then gave her the new battlesuit.
After Durandal finished her explanation, the Divine Key suddenly emitted a burst of energy, this time emerging not from the Key itself but from the sky above the lab.
"Master Durandal, look! That lonely star… it's…!" Rita shouted.
The portal opened by the Divine Key was now completely dark before a burst of light shone through, forcing me to shield my eyes as my battlesuit automatically deployed its visor to filter out the light.
When the light faded, the portal was filled with hundreds of points of light, with more and more appearing out of the darkness.
I didn't remain there for long. Once Otto began his analysis, I left to review my plans for Kolosten. Several of them were still incomplete, old drafts written before Su's intervention, and his words had made me increase the importance of my little Otto style 'Stage play'.
By the time I returned to Otto's study, night had fallen. He sat in a wooden chair at his solid-wood desk, surrounded by shelves of books, a strange contrast to the high-tech operations center in the middle of the room. A quarter-full wineglass rested in his hand, the dim light reflecting off its surface.
"So, Su told you the solution for your return home?"
"We already knew that reaching outside space was no easy feat. The amount of energy required was not something that could be handled by the reserves of a dead core. He gave me a solution to power it."
"What exactly is this solution?"
"It is to tie my success to yours. I have already told you how to achieve your goal. I simply need to use a core of the Herrscher of Dominance to power the Second Divine Key."
"While your confidence in my abilities is reassuring, I still have not met with the Will of Honkai yet, as you claim I eventually will."
"I can only say that the Will of Honkai has a very good reason for letting you become the Herrscher of Binding. It has its own plans that don't necessarily align with destroying humanity. Just as the Cocoon of Finality parasitizes the Imaginary Tree, the Will of Honkai practices the same cycle, its will diluted by its power, but not completely gone." I paused for a second before continuing.
"When you become the Herrscher of Binding, and then a dual-core Herrscher through the power of Dominance, the manipulation of the Will of Honkai will grant you raw authority over the section of the Imaginary Tree that the Cocoon has parasitized, making you a false god. The energy flow through the fragment of the Dominance core can then be redirected into the Divine Key, becoming a controlled construct of the Herrscher of Dominance, one I can use to leave. A living Divine Key."
Otto smiled, "Then after that…"
"After that, it is up to you to have the Second Herrscher use her authority on you so that you can reach the Wedge of the World and finally achieve your long-awaited wish," I said.
"My goal depends on our dear K-423 and her control over her abilities," Otto confirmed. I had already explained to him this plan, effectively his plan, several times.
"Have you looked over the plan draft I submitted?" I asked.
"While the plan is good and aligns with my understanding of Herrscher awakening, I am unaware of why the execution date is two years from now."
"The reason for the delay is for Kiana, K-423, to build connections and mature. If she is to be pulled back from the brink, we must ensure that those connecting ropes are solid enough to support her spirit."
"You are concerned about her emotional maturity?"
"Or lack thereof. While it's not objectively critical to the plan, I do wish for this world to eventually defeat the Honkai. I will not rush things and doom this planet just to leave a year earlier."
"If you are worried about her emotional maturity, Durandal was once much like K-423's current self."
"Yes. She matured after experiencing true responsibility and loss in the bubble world she now carries within herself. This is what the plan is based on, after all," I reminded him.
"Yes, though this time without anyone actually dying," Otto noted.
I simply smiled.
"I looked over your other draft plan, the one for Kolosten."
"Yes, well, Su noted that it greatly improved the odds of defeating the Honkai," I defended myself.
"It's quite theatrical, is the information contained in the draft correct?"
"Yes, though my information is still limited. I plan to augment the 'show' with data from the Second Divine Key's database and other sources."
"From the bubble worlds, not from his observations of the future?"
"Yes, I want information about the past."
"The era before even the Previous Era."
"Yes."
Otto took a sip of his wine, before setting it down at the desk.
"The finality crater." He said simply.
"Yes. Countless times the final Herrscher has emerged there, and countless times humanity has lost. I really have no idea how far back the cycle goes."
"So that's why you applied for additional lunar research."
"You should have been more complete in your research to begin with. After all, the Finality Crater is where Sirin got the four Herrscher gems."
"Is that true?" Otto asked.
"Yes. Those Herrscher gems aren't from the Previous Era. You already know where the Previous Era's Thunder, Wind, Fire, and Death cores are. They're described as fragments of the Herrscher of Finality's authority, cut off from the Final Herrscher by the Selene System."
"The Selene System converts Honkai Energy directly into thermal energy," Otto said.
"Yes. It has nothing to do with a Herrscher's authority. So where did these fragments of authority come from?"
"I always assumed they were created by the Will of Honkai," Otto stated.
"They are gifts from the past. Which past, however, is unknown."
"We don't exactly have the Previous Era's stargates," Otto noted. "That's why exploration was so limited in the first place."
"Well, we now have the Second Divine Key. It can instantly travel between the Moon and Earth," I pointed out.
"Yes, and if you are using it, I won't be able to run experiments on Imaginary Space," Otto noted.
"You have two years to research the Divine Key. My usage certainly won't take up all of that time. Besides, we don't have the 'Beacon,' so it's not like you can do the research you want anyway."
Otto sighed. "The Beacon's authority… that Pioneer. The way he is described."
"Don't worry about getting your hands on the Beacon. It's not something he truly needs to execute his plan; otherwise, you'd never be able to obtain it. He's willing to give up anything for Project Stigmata."
"Project Stigmata, another headache. If I weren't worried about it being executed early, I might have more objections to your timetable."
"Yes. Releasing Kevin early and being interrupted by Project Stigmata, or having to go to war with World Serpent, would be… less than optimal."
"Are you sure Cocolia will be able to release them from the Sea of Quanta when the time is right? From what I hear, she's being hunted down for her part in the Third Eruption." Otto sounded worried.
"We can keep an eye on the situation. We can always take direct control of the Eye of the Deep or the Second Divine Key and release Kevin for World Serpent—in exchange for something like the Beacon they no longer need," I said.
"Well, it looks like you have everything figured out then."
"With your help, I'm not worried. After all, you are an expert scriptwriter."