Schicksal HQ, Otto's Office.
Inside the office, Otto maintained his usual composed and confident demeanor, but only he knew how panicked he truly was.
Originally, thanks to Rita's efforts yesterday, Leo Ash and the others had more or less been convinced that the young girl was a creation of World Serpent.
Under those circumstances, Otto felt he could likely extricate himself from the situation.
Truth be told, Otto had done many terrible things in his life; he never considered himself a good person.
But this time, after being wrongly accused by Fu Hua for a rare change, he discovered that the feeling was—as expected—still incredibly frustrating.
As for Rita's own little schemes, Otto could guess the gist of them without even needing to use Fenghuang Down.
To put it bluntly, Rita was still worried about Leo Ash, yet she didn't dare to defy Otto. That's why, after waking up, she tried to maneuver behind the scenes, attempting to delay the Herrscher of the Void's awakening.
Taking Bianka to the seaside—Otto only had to think about it for a moment to guess that Rita was trying to drive a wedge between Kiana and Leo Ash.
In the past, although Otto wouldn't have punished Rita, he would have given his subordinate a small rap on the knuckles for trying to obstruct his plans.
But now, all Otto could say was—Rita, you've done well!
I was desperately hoping someone would help me pump the brakes!
However, while Otto supported Rita's intentions, the timing wasn't quite right.
It was precisely for this reason that Otto had summoned Rita and Bianka back to headquarters at this moment.
In his mind, after laying out his plans, he was even prepared to directly dispatch the two to the Far East Branch for a temporary assignment, creating the perfect conditions for Rita to pull the handbrake.
But now, the problem had become a bit more serious.
Fu Hua, who should have been placated by Rita's words, was acting as if she was on a warpath today. She completely ignored her 'disguise' and, with immense forcefulness, chose to return to Schicksal HQ with Rita and Bianka.
If any other Valkyrie had acted so recklessly, forget Otto, even Rita would have stopped them.
But in Otto's view, Rita probably knew full well the deep connection between Fu Hua and him, which is why she didn't interfere.
But now, the problem was huge.
Ever since Fu Hua had taken the Blank Key from Schicksal HQ, Otto felt that his old friend had changed a lot.
He didn't know if it was because she had gained confidence after mysteriously recovering from her injuries, or if she was simply having a sudden menopausal fit and was looking for a fight.
In any case, the current Fu Hua was clearly no longer the same honest person Otto could easily persuade with words.
Right now, Otto's plans were in tatters due to all sorts of unexpected events. If Fu Hua chose to make trouble at this juncture, Otto felt his situation would only worsen.
What gave him an even bigger headache was that while Rita could easily fool those teenagers, fooling Fu Hua...
Fu Hua was an honest person, yes, but first, she didn't trust Otto. Second, Otto had genuinely done similar things before. And finally, Otto had made an incorrect assumption yesterday and shot himself in the foot.
Otto could figure it out with his feet that Fu Hua was here to make trouble.
Moreover, last time, Otto had given the Blank Key to Fu Hua, which stabilized her mood.
This time, Otto couldn't think of anything else he could use to placate her.
In the past, Fu Hua cooperated with him because of his promise to protect Shenzhou, but...
In reality, as soon as Fu Hua came to her senses, she would realize that the current Otto was so preoccupied with his own plans that he had no time to meddle with Shenzhou.
And if Otto wasn't meddling with Shenzhou, then the small to medium-scale Honkai eruptions that occurred there could be handled by Shenzhou's own martial artists and mechanical patrols.
If a large-scale Honkai Eruption or even a Herrscher were to appear in Shenzhou...
In the past, that would have been a headache for Fu Hua.
But the current Fu Hua, whose condition had clearly improved, could single-handedly travel to Shenzhou and suppress an ordinary Herrscher and any Honkai forces weaker than a Herrscher.
The promise between them now depended entirely on whether Fu Hua was willing to give Otto face.
From the moment Immortal Red Kite was 'reborn', the initiative in their relationship had already shifted from Otto to Fu Hua.
Of course, Otto could also choose to throw a fit and use Schicksal as a 'weapon' to threaten war with Shenzhou to coerce Fu Hua.
But taking that step would be tantamount to completely severing their relationship.
Although Otto was worried to death right now, he didn't think the current situation was any worse than the past.
For hundreds of years, the Otto of the past had wracked his brain and tried countless methods without finding an answer.
But now, not only did he have an answer, he could even see that everything needed for the plan was right in front of him.
All he had to do now was clear the obstacles, and he would have all the capital he needed to complete that plan.
On the eve of his plan's success, to ask Otto to risk delaying or even failing the plan by going to war with Shenzhou in exchange for Fu Hua's assistance...
—He wasn't an idiot. Who would do something with such minimal returns and enormous risks unless they were cornered?
Sigh, but I can't be too pessimistic.
An old friend is still an old friend. Even if she's going through menopause, at her core, she's still that gentle, good person.
Back then, when I stood in front of Kallen, she held back.
So many years have passed, and she's still the same person.
As long as I appeal to her with emotion and reason, even if my old friend holds a grudge against me, she probably won't resort to direct conflict.
I should lower my stance and my goals for now.
I can't expect my old friend to continue helping me at this point. If I promise her some benefits and get her to keep her cool at the critical moment and not beat Sirin to a pulp, that would be a great victory.
This is so difficult.
I'm still trying to figure out how to deal with Su, and now my old friend has recovered her strength. It's only a matter of time before they meet and talk.
Once the two pioneers of the Previous Era meet, they only need to talk for a moment to form an alliance. They will become the fourth major power outside of Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent.
A faction with only two people, but possessing three Divine Keys and two fighters at or above the Herrscher level...
The Thousand Worlds!
My Thousand Worlds!
Why did it have to be in that man's hands!
Otto felt that his arrangements and plans were meticulous enough, but during this period, he had profoundly felt the meaning of 'plans can't keep up with changes.'
During the Nagazora City incident, when Otto learned that Leo Ash, an agent he had previously paid no attention to, had become his 'ace', he felt nothing but surprise and delight.
And after Leo Ash returned to Schicksal HQ, Otto at the time was only considering nurturing Leo Ash's personal strength and his relationship with Kiana, to see if he could survive the chaos of the Herrscher of the Void's awakening.
A month later, the blow Leo Ash dealt to Chiyou made Otto feel that he could invest more resources in cultivating him.
After all, the Leo Ash of that time had already displayed terrifying aptitude. In Otto's eyes, Leo Ash was a 'low-investment, high-return' quality asset.
It's just that the Otto of that time hadn't realized how ridiculously wrong he was.
Only twenty days had passed since the Jiuyou incident, and Leo Ash had become an expert 'capable of surviving against a single-core Herrscher under specific circumstances.'
Before Otto could even react, Leo Ash, who had returned to the Far East Branch after a trip to England, directly demonstrated a powerful compatibility with the Blank Key and Divine Keys.
It definitely hasn't been a month since Su became a guest of Schicksal. Otto felt that failing to deal with a master who could 'teleport instantly, had enhanced mental strength, and was a formidable fighter himself' in under a month wasn't really his fault.
But time waits for no one.
Otto's plan to assassinate Su had yet to be fully launched, and now it seemed the plan was already dead in the water.
To obtain the right to use the Key of the Void, Otto couldn't get around Su.
And now that he couldn't kill Su, the only option left was probably...
But the problem is, Su isn't like Fu Hua!
He wasn't an easy-to-fool honest person like her. Otto felt that the difficulty of tricking him was obviously off the charts.
Originally, Otto might have been able to trick Fu Hua into acting as a lobbyist to persuade Su to lend him the Key of the Void.
But now, he had angered Fu Hua as well.
There's a good saying in Shenzhou—as long as your thinking doesn't slip, there are always more solutions than problems.
But coming up with a suitable solution and executing it takes time.
Otto could certainly devise a new scheme to plot against Su, but the problem was, he couldn't keep up with the speed of Leo Ash's power progression.
What Otto needed now was a large-scale turmoil powerful enough to suppress Leo Ash's strength, injure, or even kill Su.
But the problem is... where could he find such a turmoil?
A single-core Herrscher, Su and Fu Hua could reliably defeat.
Moreover, the HSN serum developed by Dr. Magi could even weaken a Herrscher's power to some extent if injected into them.
Even if a Herrscher as powerful as Sirin from fourteen years ago were to appear, the current Fu Hua already possessed some of her former glory. Otto had no idea if Fu Hua could still unleash that supremely powerful sword strike.
Right now, only the appearance of a sufficiently powerful Herrscher, or a powerhouse of equivalent strength who stood against Su and Fu Hua, could help Otto solve these vexing problems he faced...
Wait...
I think I've found the answer.
Fourteen years ago, when Anti-Entropy honored their oath and transmitted the data from the Soulium to me, I saw the images within.
In those images, the combat records of the Previous Era warrior, Kevin, were documented.
That was a man who, in coordination with the Moonlight Throne, could injure the Herrscher of Finality.
And, according to Cioara, he is also the Lord of World Serpent, and the Stigmata Project is his brainchild.
My old friend would definitely not agree to a plan as insane as the Stigmata Project.
In other words, if I can find the warrior Kevin, then...
No, this is too crazy.
World Serpent has been suppressed by me to this extent, and yet warrior Kevin hasn't made a move. This suggests that he might really be, as Cioara speculated based on intelligence, 'not in this world' at all.
...
Gray Serpent has always had a fixation on Herrscher Cores.
Kevin is most likely not in this world, or is unable to act.
Then—isn't the problem already solved?!
I still have a Gem of Haste in my possession, and this Gem of Haste...
This plan is too insane.
But it's not without merit.
Although I'm only one step away from the success of my plan, the current situation is a complete deadlock for me.
Only by breaking this deadlock can I find an opportunity to continue executing my plan.
"Lord Otto, Lady Rita, Lady Durandal, and Lady Fu Hua have returned to headquarters."
Looking at the message on the light screen in front of her, Amber, who hadn't wanted to disturb Otto's thoughts, ultimately chose to inquire.
"Shall I summon the three ladies to this room?"
"...Have Durandal and Rita stand by for now. I have a few things to discuss with my old friend alone."
"I understand."
After relaying Otto's command, Amber immediately left the room.
Otto trusted his secretary, Amber, deeply. But since Otto said he wanted to talk alone, Amber naturally wasn't qualified to listen in on their conversation.
A few minutes later, Amber looked at the furious Fu Hua and bowed slightly as she always did.
"Lady Fu Hua, Lord Otto has been waiting for you for some time."
"...I know."
After saying this, Fu Hua, whose tone was clearly off, entered the room in a very uncharacteristic manner and shut the door behind her.
Facing Fu Hua, whose mood was clearly off, Amber could only think that today's Fu Hua was markedly different from usual.
Fu Hua, hailing from Shenzhou, had always been a person who paid great attention to etiquette.
But today, after Amber greeted her, Fu Hua merely gave her a cold glance and didn't even return the courtesy.
You see, as one of Otto's closest confidants, Amber had seen Fu Hua many times.
In the past, it was true that Fu Hua was rarely happy when she met with Otto, but no matter how bad her mood was, she seldom treated a 'bystander' like her with such an attitude.
Something's wrong. Lady Fu Hua, what on earth happened today?
Could it be that Lord Otto did something terrible to her?
That's not right either. Lady Fu Hua isn't someone who would vent her emotions recklessly. Today, she...
Never mind, I'd better not overthink it.
Lord Otto will handle this. My wild guesses are meaningless.
In the moments that followed, Amber, waiting outside the door for Otto's summons, suddenly heard a loud bang.
Otto's office was supposed to be very well soundproofed. For Amber to hear such a noise under these circumstances, it meant...
"Lord Otto!"
Worried about Otto, Amber frantically opened the door and saw Otto and Fu Hua.
But unlike usual, Otto, who always maintained a composed and confident demeanor in front of everyone, was now...
—like a dead dog, his head smashed into the floor by a single punch from Fu Hua.
"Oh, it's just Amber."
At that moment, Amber saw a look on Fu Hua's face that she had never seen before.
The current Fu Hua, after beating up the Archbishop of Schicksal, Otto, showed no sign of panic or unease. Instead, she wore a smile of utter satisfaction.
"Go tell everyone that I've killed Otto."
"From today on..."
"—I call the shots in this Schicksal!"
Amber wasn't worried about Otto's current state.
Ever since the Lord Bishop developed the Soulium body technology, he had, in a sense, become 'immortal'.
It looked like Fu Hua had killed Otto with one punch, but for Otto, his only losses were a Soulium body and a portion of his memories.
However, looking at the smiling Fu Hua, Amber saw a hint of 'madness' in her eyes.
And something was wrong, very wrong.
I know Lady Fu Hua is an expert, but—why is my bio-android energy sensor telling me that the person before me has Herrscher-level Honkai Energy readings???
Could it be that Lady Fu Hua...
—has become a Herrscher?
...