After Tesla appeared, the battlefield descended into utter chaos.
Looking at the Titans, Rita already felt the urge to retreat.
If she were the only one present, Rita didn't think she would lose to these Titans.
Even without her Valkyrie armor, the [Aphrodite] in her hands was enough to crush them.
But now, she and the Titans were not the only ones on this battlefield.
Although Siegfried wasn't in good shape, for some reason his severed arm had grown back, and he could now hold his guns with both hands.
Just a moment ago, Siegfried had proven that even with one hand, his judgment hadn't faltered.
Fu Hua, who had been on the verge of taking down Welt with her storm-like assault, was taken out by a single shot from Siegfried when she went all-out.
Rita didn't know what Fu Hua's own defenses were like, but the Judgment of Shamash was, after all, the strongest Divine Key, bearing the title of [Key of Destruction].
Even if Siegfried couldn't use its Zeroth Power now, the bullets fired from its handgun mode were enough to harm Rita and her comrades.
Even now, Rita still felt that Siegfried's killing intent towards them wasn't strong.
But compared to the Siegfried from before, the cornered Siegfried now was clearly not as courteous.
Even if he still had a sliver of 'I don't want to kill my junior Schicksal Valkyries' in his heart, blades have no eyes in a fight. No one could guarantee that Siegfried wouldn't end up hurting someone with the Judgment of Shamash.
Although Rita's comrades behind her could also fight the Titans, now that both Welt and Fu Hua had been defeated, the high-level combat matchup had once again become Siegfried versus Rita.
As for the power gap between Siegfried and Rita...
There was no need to say more. To do so would be impolite.
A one-handed Siegfried could already handle Rita with ease. Now, Siegfried had both hands.
With both hands intact, a Siegfried who could perfectly wield dual pistols using the Kaslana Gun Kata was definitely harder to deal with than before.
Moreover, Lord Bishop Otto's order was only for us to have a friendly spar.
He had explicitly stated in his instructions, [If the situation looks bad, you are permitted to retreat].
We can no longer secure a stable victory over them, so perhaps retreating is also an option.
But now, the initiative lies with Anti-Entropy.
Even if we want to leave, if Anti-Entropy chooses to pursue, we'll be the ones with the headache.
For a moment, the atmosphere on the scene froze.
Both sides, feeling they couldn't show weakness, dared not make the first move to retreat.
[Alright, Rita, come back.]
At that moment, Otto once again projected a light screen and spoke to everyone present.
"Since the spar is over, continuing this stalemate will only waste everyone's time."
"But, Lord Otto..."
Rita said with a hint of worry, her eyes fixed on the motionless Titans.
"I am concerned..."
"Rest assured, Schicksal's Mechanized Units are already on their way. They will bring you and our old friends back."
"As for Dr. Tesla..."
"Otto, you son of a bitch, you still have the nerve to talk to me?!"
Thinking of her past experiences, Tesla felt the anger in her heart burn even hotter.
"Haha, Dr. Tesla, you're just like Joachim. So many years have passed, yet you haven't changed a bit."
On the light screen, Otto looked at the Titan squadron before him and said with a mocking smile.
"You're still so easy to read."
"...What are you trying to say?"
_Hearing Otto's words, Tesla instinctively felt that something was wrong._
"I'm trying to say... Oh, I remember now."
Otto's expression changed, a sarcastic smile playing on his lips.
"My not-so-lovely old subordinate, you are still so naive."
"You...!"
"Hey, hey, hey, don't be angry. Although your 'time' stopped on that day, no one can guarantee that your bodies won't have other problems."
"Calm down. Learn from Dr. Einstein. Don't let me upset you to the point of endocrine disruption."
"You bastard...!"
Listening to Otto's words, Tesla directed a Titan to extend a mechanical arm towards Siegfried while warily guarding against the Valkyries behind Otto.
"Spit it out!"
"Alright, alright, I'll be direct—let my subordinates withdraw. In return, I will guarantee that Schicksal will not kick Anti-Entropy while they're down regarding 'this matter'."
Otto didn't wait for Tesla to speak and continued directly.
"It's not like this is a bad deal for you. With your personality, if you really thought you could win, you would have attacked long ago."
"The fact that you haven't is the best proof that you're already 'scared'. Since you're scared, choosing to back down won't do you any harm, right?"
"Who's scared!"
"Heh, raising your voice like that. Feeling guilty?"
After glancing at Welt, who had started coughing up blood, Otto slowly closed his eyes.
"I told you, you're just like Joachim, so easy to read."
"You came here with a mech squadron. To put it bluntly, it was either to deal with Cocolia or to bring Joachim back."
"After all, in your eyes, saving Joachim's life is far more important than going to war with Schicksal—am I wrong?"
*Damn it.*
Although Tesla didn't say anything, she had already cursed countless times in her mind.
*It's like he saw right through me... This guy is really tough to deal with.*
*No, he's much tougher to deal with now than he was decades ago.*
*Back then, because Reanna chose to stand with us, Schicksal had no other high-level combatants to help him in time, forcing Otto to face Joyce himself.*
*But now, he has more cards up his sleeve.*
*Whether it's the Honkai Fission Missile or top-tier fighters, Otto has too many cards to play.*
*As for our side... after Joyce's death, Welt's body is not strong enough to support the full power of the Herrscher of Reason's core.*
*Although Siegfried is also very powerful, I suspect Otto has thoroughly outmaneuvered him this time, just like me.*
*As expected, the most troublesome thing about this man is that he's both intelligent and shameless.*
*He doesn't even need to use any conspiracies or tricks against me.*
*With just an Overt Scheme, Otto is enough to make me... lead the retreat.*
Once she understood the connections, Tesla felt as if all the strength had drained from her body, leaving her completely powerless.
The dejected, hot-tempered woman didn't spout any more harsh words this time, but instead chose to retreat with great reluctance.
After all, Otto knew them very well. Right now, for the conservative faction of Anti-Entropy, nothing was more important than Welt's life.
Witnessing the Titan squadron, which had been so aggressive just moments before, depart just like that, Rita also breathed a sigh of relief.
Then, she bowed deeply to the Otto on the light screen.
"Lord Otto, you have indeed planned everything."
"But there is one thing I don't understand. I implore Lord Otto to enlighten me."
"Haha, feel free to ask."
"Since they were actually the ones at a disadvantage, then... why did we take the initiative to let them go?"
"Well..."
After a moment of thought, Otto said with a smile.
"I value the lives of my subordinates. Is that not reason enough?"
"...It was my ignorance."
Understanding Otto's meaning, Rita dared not say another word.
Otto values the lives of his subordinates—that statement wasn't exactly false.
After all, training an A-rank Valkyrie was quite troublesome, and an S-rank Valkyrie like Rita was a one-in-ten-thousand talent.
To Otto, they were indeed important subordinates.
But the problem was—Rita felt that the actual meaning behind Otto's words was completely different from the literal one.
His giving such a perfunctory answer was clearly telling Rita 'don't delve any further into this matter'.
Although Rita was S-rank, she knew very well that she was just a high-level tool.
Faced with her superior's orders and hints, Rita, of course, could only choose to obey.
She hadn't forgotten that her parents were still under Otto's surveillance.
Regardless of whether she had a reason to betray Otto, she wouldn't choose to act recklessly, if only for her parents' safety.
"One more thing, Lord Otto... Agent Leo Ash, how is he now?"
"Oh, him..."
A gratified smile appeared on Otto's face when he heard the name.
"He's just exhausted. When Durandal found him, she discovered he barely had any injuries."
"When he wakes up, I will personally commend him. Rita, I must thank you for bringing such a great talent to Schicksal."
Seeing the smile on Otto's face, Rita lowered her head slightly and said to him.
"I dare not take credit. Everything... is the result of his own efforts."
"Alright, I'll skip the pleasantries. Be careful on your way. When you arrive at Schicksal HQ, I promise you will see a completely unharmed Leo Ash."
After Otto ended the communication, Rita's expression remained unchanged, but a helpless sigh echoed in her heart.
*Leo, you've still set foot on this path.*
*After achieving such a feat and being noticed by Lord Bishop Otto, your future will only be filled with danger.*
*If I could, I really wouldn't want you to walk this path.*
*After all...*
*—The battle against the Honkai is far more cruel than you can imagine.*
Schicksal HQ
Inside Schicksal HQ, Otto gazed at the several light screens before him and slowly closed his eyes.
Watching Otto's face, Amber, who was standing beside him, asked with great confusion.
"Lord Otto, are you..."
"—really this happy?"
"Ha, of course."
At this moment, Otto was already covering his face and starting to laugh out loud.
"My plan has taken another great leap towards success, so..."
"—when one is happy, one should naturally laugh out loud, hahahaha."
Otto knew very well what Rita was confused about back on the field.
Anti-Entropy's leader and Siegfried were still there. Was it really okay to just let them go back like that?
And for Otto, he could say to himself with certainty—of course, it was okay.
For Otto, his top priority was to ensure the safety of K423 and Theresa.
And now, Durandal was already heading back to Schicksal HQ with K423, Theresa, and Leo Ash's group.
With that confirmed, this stage of Otto's plan was already a success.
And according to Durandal's report, K423's decision to join Schicksal was clearly for Leo Ash.
If even Durandal could see that, then with a little deduction, Otto could infer—just how important Leo Ash was in K423's eyes.
Originally, Otto's plan was to find an opportunity for K423 to return to Schicksal, stay with Theresa for a while, and cultivate her feelings for others.
But now, the emotional cultivation was more than half complete.
Not just emotions, even the Herrscher of Thunder had been brought back.
In Otto's plan, the four gems—Haste, Conquest, Serenity, and Desire—were all offerings he had prepared for the Queen of the Honkai.
And now, the only one of the four gems that had been at large, the Gem of Conquest, was back in his hands.
For Otto, these events were undoubtedly equivalent to accelerating the progress of his plan.
Although Otto, who had waited for five hundred years, was already full of patience for his plan.
But—if the plan could be completed a day earlier, then Otto would, of course, want to complete it a day earlier and return to that day he could never forget.
As for the Judgment of Shamash in Siegfried's hands and the Herrscher of Reason Core in Welt's body, while these two things were important, they were dispensable compared to K423.
If there was a chance to take down Siegfried and Welt and retrieve those two items, Otto wouldn't mind dealing a fatal blow to his old subordinate and nemesis.
But now, Siegfried's arm had suddenly grown back, and after blocking Rita's attack, he even injured Fu Hua. Continuing the fight would be somewhat unnecessary.
Siegfried had become stronger than when he had a missing hand, but at the same time, Otto had also confirmed that Welt had been mostly useless these past few years.
After confirming that his enemy was difficult to mobilize, another obstacle in front of Otto naturally disappeared.
Under these circumstances, whether he took them down or not didn't make much of a difference.
Moreover, Otto was telling the truth when he said, 'I value the lives of my subordinates'.
His plan had been accelerated. In the time to come, he needed Rita, a subordinate with excellent intellect and skill, to continue completing more work for him.
Although Rita Rossweisse's strength wasn't particularly outstanding, she was sensible, obedient, and had a frighteningly high mission completion rate.
In a situation where fighting might not even yield those two 'treasures', there was no need for Otto to have Rita and his old friends fight to the death with the enemy.
As for Otto's so-called [guarantee that Schicksal will not kick Anti-Entropy while they're down regarding 'this matter']—he was serious about that too.
After all, the leaders of the world already knew about the mess Cocolia, the executor of Anti-Entropy, had made.
Knowing that Cocolia had recklessly triggered a Honkai Eruption, would Schicksal kicking them while they were down or not... really make a big difference?
Otto could have Schicksal not kick them while they're down, but the major powers affiliated with Schicksal were not 'Schicksal'. They would still condemn Anti-Entropy's actions.
And the countries collaborating with Anti-Entropy would also start to pressure them due to the international outcry.
As for the neutral countries...
Heh, even if they said nothing, who would want to ally with an organization that 'actively triggers a Honkai Eruption'?
Even if Welt and the others could return safely to Anti-Entropy's headquarters, they would be swamped with these mundane affairs and the actions of Cocolia's group of radicals.
Busy, everyone's busy.
It's good to be busy.
The busier you are, the fewer obstacles my plan will face.
But let's put the happy thoughts aside for now.
It will still take some time for my plan to be completed, and the closer I get to completion, the more careful I need to be.
Anti-Entropy is in turmoil, and I've already brought K423 back to Schicksal.
Next, I just need to let K423 'grow' while I find the Second Divine Key, which is hidden somewhere, and my subsequent tasks will be much easier.
*Kallen, I...*
Thinking of the woman he had longed for day and night, Otto suddenly shook his head with a bitter smile.
Otto could still not forget how Kallen, upon discovering everything he had done, had slapped him and then chosen to die at the hands of Honkai Beasts to protect civilians.
*Someone like her, knowing that I've schemed against and harmed so many people for her sake, would surely be angry...*
*But... even if Kallen would be angry, there's nothing to be done now.*
*Otto, the 'Great Inventor', died completely on the day Saint Kallen was sacrificed.*
*The me of today cannot stop... and probably can't be stopped.*
.......
On the way back to Schicksal HQ, Kiana chatted a lot with the Valkyrie named Durandal.
And then she learned something that gave her an immense headache.
"Um, you mean..."
Kiana asked again with a troubled expression.
"Valkyrie promotions actually require exams????"
"Ah, of course. Although there are special cases, most Valkyries' regular scores are calculated based on their results in cultural and practical combat classes."
"Those who don't meet the score requirements cannot participate in the promotion exams, and if you remain a D-rank Valkyrie, you naturally cannot participate in frontline battles."
"After all, to step onto the battlefield, you need to be at least B-rank."
*Oh no, my head hurts.*
*Even though I'm a genius, but...*
*Aaargh, I really don't want to look at those textbooks!*
Just the thought of having to face those complicated textbooks in her future made Kiana's head throb even more.
"Hmm, wait a minute...!"
At that moment, Kiana suddenly looked at Leo Ash, her eyes erupting with a light so bright that even Durandal found it hard to look at directly.
"Senior Durandal, I remember you said that Senior also wants to join the front lines, right?"
"That's right."
Completely oblivious to what Kiana was thinking, Durandal asked with great curiosity.
"Everyone goes through the same process, what's wrong?"
"Doesn't that mean..."
*—I can go to school with Senior?*
*Mhmm, although it's nothing special, the thought of it makes me a little happy.*
*I didn't know Senior well before. If I can study with him in the same grade, then I...*
"Um, Kiana..."
Looking at Kiana's increasingly strange expression, Durandal said cautiously.
"What are you thinking about, smiling so weirdly."
"Eh? Me? I wasn't smiling!"
Alerted by Durandal, Kiana quickly composed her expression and changed the subject.
"By the way, Senior Durandal, there was a question I wanted to ask earlier."
"Ah, what is it?"
Looking at the girl's curvy figure, Kiana, trying to forcefully change the topic, found a genuine spark of curiosity rising within her.
"What's your birthday?"
"Huh? My birthday?"
Upon hearing Kiana's question, Durandal answered without thinking.
"January 1st, 2000."
*Ugh, even though it's a randomly filled-in birthday, it's the only one I have now.*
"Year 2000... you're only fourteen????"
After hearing this, Kiana looked as if she had seen a ghost, her gaze sizing up the girl before her with utter disbelief.
"Aren't you two years younger than me???"
"Technically, you were born in December 1998, so you're only one year older than me."
"But still..."
*This butt, these buns, this... this... this...*
*And you're telling me this is a fourteen-year-old???*
*Who would believe that?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻*
But from her interactions with her along the way, Kiana also felt that this earnest Valkyrie wouldn't lie about something like this.
Not only did the Durandal before her give her an inexplicable sense of closeness, but she also exuded a feeling of 'justice'.
She was just like a majestic female knight from a manga, radiating a heroic aura.
But wouldn't the elements of a blonde, big-breasted female knight, when thrown into a Far East manga, be...?
"I feel like you're thinking some strange things."
Noticing Kiana's increasingly bizarre gaze, Durandal asked with some curiosity.
"Is my being a little younger something you need to be so concerned about?"
"Or is it that you want someone younger like me to call you—Big Sister Kiana?"
"No need for that!"
Seeing the other girl say this so seriously, Kiana suspected that if she had asked, Durandal might have actually done it.
"Um, Durandal... Senior."
At that moment, Kiana couldn't hold back and said to Durandal.
"You're a bit too straightforward. This way... it's easy to be taken advantage of."
"Is that so?"
Upon hearing this, a nostalgic look appeared on Durandal's face.
"Haha, Leo Ash and that friend of mine have said the same thing to me."
"I just feel that being straightforward isn't a bad thing."
Recalling the past, Durandal looked out at the scenery beyond the transport ship's window.
"This world may have many bad people, but I don't want to change my personality or the path I want to walk just because bad people exist."
*D-damn it.*
*I don't want to admit it, but right now... you're definitely the cooler one.*
"Also, how long do you plan to keep sleeping?"
After glancing at Leo Ash leaning on the sofa, Durandal suddenly said with a calm expression.
"Stop pretending. I know you're already awake."
[Oh, look! You clearly didn't expose any flaws, yet this woman saw through your disguise with just her intuition.]
[At this moment, you can't help but make a secret resolution in your heart—you must take care of this troublesome woman first, otherwise, she will sooner or later become an obstacle on your ** path!]
*Hold on a second.*
*I've been awake for less than thirty seconds. It's one thing if someone noticed, but what the hell do you mean by '** path'!*
[Oh, you want the truth?]
[The System hadn't thought it through, so I just threw in a couple of asterisks to see your reaction.]
*...Huh?*
[Judging by your current reaction, Host, your mental fortitude is not up to par.]
[You feel the need to retort at anything that seems off. How are you supposed to have a passionate debate with Otto like this?]
*I really don't see any necessary connection between these two things.*
"Ah, honestly."
Seeing Leo Ash still keeping his eyes tightly shut, Durandal walked over to him, slightly annoyed, knelt down, and stared directly into the young man's eyes.
"Playing asleep in front of me—do you really not want to see me that much?"
*Wait, this...*
Watching the atmosphere between Leo Ash and Durandal, Kiana suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of crisis.
*There's something about this atmosphere between Durandal and Senior that just doesn't feel right.*
*Wait, they knew each other before, and they're close acquaintances. Doesn't that mean...*
*—Durandal is Senior's childhood friend?!*