Schicksal's patrol drones locked on with pinpoint accuracy. Almost the instant Otto gave the order, several units began monitoring Lynelle from different directions.
Of course, both sides were well aware that these drones were probably also under Welt's surveillance.
And so, with this unspoken understanding and mutual pretense, Otto—finally done with his immediate tasks—appeared before Lynelle.
"Long time no see, Miss Lynelle."
Otto performed a flawlessly courteous gentleman's bow. "Delighted to see you safe and sound."
"I might've actually believed your pleasantries if, a few days ago, you hadn't crushed my heart like bubble wrap."
Lynelle's lips twitched, her tone dripping with sarcasm.
"Oh? Hahaha… My apologies, my apologies. The situation was rather urgent at the time—I'm afraid I didn't take your feelings into consideration. A genuine oversight on my part. Besides, your stay with Anti-Entropy these past few days had me rather concerned. After all, their expertise in life sciences is, compared to Schicksal's, still somewhat… amateur."
Otto's apology sounded sincere enough. "But rest assured, if you could grant me just one more second this time, I promise your departure will be painless."
"When someone is both genuinely trying to recruit me and genuinely planning to kill me, I honestly don't know whether to commend your honesty or not."
Lynelle sighed in exasperation.
"You flatter me, Miss Lynelle. After all, like you, I am someone well acquainted with death."
Otto spoke as if stating the obvious. "So I understand your perspective perfectly. Life, to us, is merely a renewable resource—that holds true for me as well."
"Precisely why I see no need to avoid such topics with you. After all, one death isn't an unacceptable price for either of us, now is it?"
"You're not wrong. But even the smallest chip holds its own value. And that value can differ wildly depending on the person."
A card materialized abruptly in Lynelle's hand.
"For myself, dying a few extra times doesn't really matter. But unfortunately, my friends tend to be stubborn—even if I can revive, they treat the value of my life as if it were their own. So… I'll have to decline your proposal."
"And besides…"
"Not all resurrections are created equal, Otto. You'll soon understand what I mean."
Lynelle crushed the card in her hand violently.
"A hidden card up your sleeve? Very well, then. Show me what trump card gives you the confidence to face me alone."
Otto didn't bother attacking during Lynelle's "transformation sequence." For one, Welt was lurking in the shadows—launching a sneak attack wouldn't gain him much. And secondly… he was genuinely curious about Lynelle's abilities.
As a flash of light faded, Lynelle's appearance… seemed completely altered?
While she still had pink hair and eyes overall, the shape of her face had shifted subtly. Streaks of white now highlighted her hair, and a touch of crimson gleamed in her gaze.
"A transformation? Is this Honkai Beast genetics? No, that doesn't seem right… Not mechanical modification either… Fascinating. Truly fascinating, Miss Lynelle. You never fail to surprise me."
A series of astonished expressions flickered across Otto's face. He could clearly sense that Lynelle, who moments ago had possessed an ordinary human constitution, now radiated power that had surged to the level of a standard A-rank Valkyrie.
In truth, the original strength of this form was far greater—but the transformation was limited by Lynelle's own base capabilities. Boosting her to this level was already the maximum possible.
Of course, Otto wasn't particularly concerned. The strength of a typical A-rank Valkyrie was, to him, trivial—even several at once would be a minor nuisance.
"Well then… Let's test your capabilities."
A golden cube materialized in Otto's hand, morphing instantly into a slender longsword. In the next moment, he flashed in front of Lynelle.
Instead of dodging, Lynelle drew the greatsword that came with her transformed state and met his strike with an upward swing from below.
Clang!
A clear, sharp ring echoed as their blades met and parted. In that brief contact, Otto had already deduced the likely composition of her weapon.
"Snapping this weapon is out of the question, then. In that case…"
Otto retreated half a step, lowered his sword, and thrust forward again.
This time, however, he had no intention of testing her strength head-on.
He leveraged the agility of the Xuanyuan Sword pseudo-weapon to its fullest—his blade never clashing squarely with Lynelle's heavy sword, instead deftly deflecting, withdrawing, then striking again as the greatsword's momentum left her exposed, leaving fresh cuts on the girl's body.
After all, in the five centuries he'd spent preparing for Kallen's resurrection, Otto had perfected every possible preparation—including his own martial skill.
"Is Welt still not showing himself…?"
Otto's brow furrowed slightly as he watched the girl accumulate more wounds, her dress gradually staining red.
He had finished gauging Lynelle's strength. Granting an ordinary person the physical prowess of an A-rank Valkyrie, even temporarily, was impressive as a hidden card—but to Otto, it was merely adequate.
The one who truly posed a threat to him was Welt.
Even though the man had suffered defeat after defeat in their previous encounters, Otto had to admit that Welt remained a force he couldn't afford to ignore.
"In that case… let's raise the stakes. I refuse to believe Welt will stand by if I move to kill Lynelle now."
His next steps decided, Otto used the force of Lynelle's counterattack to leap back. The one-handed sword in his grasp transformed into a familiar greatsword that gave Lynelle a sense of déjà vu.
"Next, I won't hold back… Hm?"
Otto froze.
He realized that the heavy greatsword he'd swung down with force had been blocked effortlessly by Lynelle. Even the flames wreathed around the pseudo-Judgment of Shamash were held at bay by a faint purple aura, dealing her no significant harm.
"So you've finally lost your patience."
Lynelle wiped the blood trickling from the corner of her lips. "Well then, thanks for the help lowering my health. Going by the script, I suppose now I should say…"
"This pain is nothing. But you—you will suffer a thousand times more!"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.