14. Love, Devils, and Clones
In many stories, there's always this kind of plot.
The massive organization the main characters have been working and fighting for is revealed, halfway through the story, to actually be the biggest villain behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, the enemies the main characters have been desperately fighting against turn out to be a resistance organization fighting for the world. This classic, quintessential plot twist is something Gao qi could casually name one or two stories off the top of his head.
Anti-Entropy is exactly like this. Whether in Honkai Gakuen or Honkai Impact 3, they start off as enemies. In Honkai Gakuen, there was even a worldline reset. Compared to Welt in the "Rebirth" chapter, Otto seems like a benevolent good guy.
However, in Honkai Impact 3, the blame for this was shouldered by the Anti-Entropy radical faction – and rightly so – while the "old fogies" of the conservative faction are the ones truly protecting this world.
They not only have to fight the Honkai, but their methods of resisting the Honkai shouldn't harm humanity itself, unlike those of Schicksal and the radical faction!
Just look at the Valkyries who died in Otto's Gem experiments, and the children who died in the Anti-Entropy X-10 experiment. Are those things that humans should be doing?!
But, as the saying goes, good guys always get the short end of the stick, and redeemed characters are always weakened. Ever since joining the protagonist's side, Anti-Entropy has taken its fair share of beatings.
But that doesn't stop Gao qi from admiring them. Putting aside everything else – not only are there Einstein and Tesla, but also Schrödinger, Edison, and Planck. Each one is a genius of humanity, and each one is a beautiful girl. Now that's what you call "In books, there are beauties like jade"!
Anti-Entropy is also Gao qi's ideal ally – as long as you stand opposed to the Honkai, Anti-Entropy will always be your friend.
And when that soft, lazy, and familiar voice sounded by Gao qi's ear, he knew that his best partner had arrived.
Soon, a holographic projection emerged from a communicator on Siegfried's waist, revealing a girl with blue-green hair and blue eyes.
"Ah, a pleasure to meet you. Praise to you, Lieserl Albert Einstein – the greatest scientist in human history, the embodiment of genius, the one who changed how humanity perceives the world."
Placing his right hand on his chest and his left hand at his side, Gao qi bowed deeply to the Ein before him, his act as exaggerated as a stage announcer.
"Of course, even more praiseworthy than these scientific achievements is the love between you and the First Herrscher – Look, everyone praises the power of love. Perhaps love will become the bridge for our reconciliation with the Honkai?"
Pure and simple, poking the bear. Gao qi clearly saw the nearly imperceptible frown on the face of this over-sixty-year-old beautiful girl after hearing his words.
"You are quite knowledgeable, Mr. Gao qi. But the problem we face is the Second Herrscher, and there is no complicated connection between me and the former Anti-Entropy leader as you imagine – that kind of hormonal impulse does not bring any increase in power."
However, being an executor of Anti-Entropy with years of experience, Einstein did not react further to Gao qi's "provocation," maintaining her composure.
"Our great scientist doesn't like her love life becoming gossip. Then let's change the subject."
Like a shrewd merchant, Gao qi brought his thumb and middle finger together in front of his chest, forming a coin-sized circle, and proposed another deal.
"Interested in knowing the whereabouts of Mr. Welt Yang? I only need a small reward."
In his past life, Gao qi really liked that mischievous old man who stuck out his tongue. Even if in the Honkai world she became a permanently fresh, beautiful girl, Gao qi didn't mind teasing her a bit more.
"No, I must decline. I don't think Anti-Entropy can currently offer a reward suitable for a fair trade – however, Mr. Siegfried, we can at least confirm that he is not one of Otto's people."
Since the end of the Second Honkai War, Anti-Entropy has maintained contact with Siegfried and Theresa. Both sides know that the other is truly committed to protecting the world from the Honkai, and they remain vigilant together against Otto's ambitions.
But Ein didn't expect Siegfried to suddenly introduce such a... devil-like man to her.
Dealing with the devil, even knowing the final result is selling one's soul, countless people still rush towards it.
When he mentioned Yang's name, Ein did have a momentary impulse to ask, but the scientist's reason cooled her down – thankfully a certain red-haired twin-tailed girl wasn't here.
"What a pity. Forget it. Since you've called Anti-Entropy, let me tell you the story of the MANTISes. You have some Divine Keys, so you naturally know about the Previous Era..."
Taking a little time, Gao qi explained the concept of MANTISes to Siegfried and the others.
Learning that their power came from people of the Previous Era, who, in despair, fused humans with Honkai beasts to create warriors to battle the Herrschers, and that these genes were ultimately passed down to the modern era, Siegfried actually felt relieved – at least it wasn't some family curse.
"So, the question is, our esteemed Archbishop now wants to seize the power of the Kaslana bloodline for himself – K423 is a good, sensible girl who looks very much like Kiana. In the future, she will certainly be an excellent warrior capable of mastering Herrscher powers."
With the small talk over, Gao qi rubbed his hands together and looked at these people, who were destined to do one thing in history.
"I believe Anti-Entropy would want to stop this – So, Siegfried, in order to take K423 away, to give Kiana a little sister, are you willing to break all ties with Otto, risk being permanently hunted by Schicksal, and leave your current stable life?"
The remaining question was just whether Siegfried and Theresa would agree.
And at this moment, they were truly struggling.
After all, for Siegfried and Theresa, Kiana was their everything. For the sake of their daughter and niece's healthy growth, sacrificing the future of one clone might not be such a difficult decision...
Seeing Siegfried's internal conflict, Gao qi knew that in the original story, it was Kiana herself who, after discovering the documents about K423 that Siegfried had collected, urged her old man to go save her, ultimately leading to her becoming [Durandal].
If left to Siegfried's own decision, he might not have been able to resolve himself.
"Ah, the love of parents everywhere. It's not easy being a single father. I've been an older brother before, so I understand your feelings very well. How about this, I'll give you some information for free – this is some ultimate gossip."
This time, however, Gao qi had another method to force Siegfried's hand.
"You all should know the name Kallen Kaslana, right? Siegfried's ancestor."
Hearing this name, Theresa immediately patted the heavy golden cross beside her and pulled out a bottle of bitter melon juice from it – this was also her storage space.
"Of course I know that! She's a hero of Schicksal, one of the strongest Valkyries. She ultimately sacrificed herself to protect the people. My Oath of Judah was once Kallen's weapon. I heard she was even engaged to Grandpa Otto..."
Theresa stopped mid-sentence when she saw Gaoqi smile.
She hadn't known Gaoqi for long, but she'd already learned that when Gaoqi smiled, it meant she might have said something foolish again.
"No, no, no, Miss Theresa, you're mistaken on that point. To be precise, she was the object of Otto's unrequited love, his white moonlight, his only confidante and best friend, the eternal void in Otto's heart. Her death took away that righteous and brave youth – leaving behind a devil who would stop at nothing to resurrect Kallen."
Gao qi narrated this secret, unknown to everyone present, with great emotion, like a bard singing the praises of a man who sacrificed everything for love.
But to the other three people present, the story sent chills down their spines.
A man who devotes everything for love is truly admirable and touching—but only if that man isn't the most powerful person in the world, and the "everything" he devotes includes the entire world!
"To resurrect Kallen, Otto needed to seek power beyond humanity, the truth of the world, the origin of all knowledge—the Honkai!"
And Gao qi spoke the cruelest truth.
"The Honkai is the only hope for Kallen's resurrection. Before Kallen truly returns to Otto's side, what do you think the attitude of this Archbishop of Schicksal towards the Honkai will be? To destroy the Honkai that killed Kallen?"
Smiling as he looked at the three, Gao qi knew they had already reached the answer. After all—they had all suffered at Otto's hands before.
"No, he won't eliminate the Honkai. On the contrary, he only wants to control it, to make the Honkai serve his purposes, maintain a delicate balance, explore the power of the Honkai, and might even... promote the Honkai." As a former member of Schicksal's North American branch, Einstein quietly stated the correct answer. She had experienced Otto's methods around the time of the First and Second Honkai Eruptions.
Nurturing a threat to justify one's own power—this was Otto's attitude towards the Honkai.
Decades had passed, and she had remained vigilant against Schicksal, pondering the reason for Otto's actions. But no matter what, she never imagined the answer would be so... frivolous?
It sounded like a blatant lie concocted by Gao qi, yet... it made perfect sense.
Only then did she realize that in Schicksal's teaching materials, the praises sung for Kallen, this Valkyrie, exceeded those for all others.
"A madman, a madman! Just for one person, he would... sacrifice the entire world? How is that possible—" Siegfried's eyes widened with fury, his hatred for Otto barely contained.
Even without that Honkai Fission Bomb, Cecilia would have died from excessive blood loss. She willingly sacrificed herself for the people of Siberia—over the years, Siegfried had always comforted himself with this thought, numbing himself with Otto's contributions to the world.
But if those contributions were merely Otto's means to research the Honkai for his own selfish goals, then the Second Honkai Eruption, and even this recent resurrection of the Herrscher of the Void, were likely all Otto's deliberate actions... Then he and Kiana would never know peace!
And just as Siegfried was struggling internally, a whisper sounded by his ear:
"How is it impossible? Mr. Siegfried, love is a powerful thing. Think carefully, what if Cecilia could return to your side?
"That beautiful, kind, lovely, gentle girl who made you fall in love at first sight, could she come back to you—giving you a sweet good morning kiss when you wake up; offering a comforting hug from behind when you're tired; your daughter could run around joyfully by her mother's side; as the sun sets, your big hand holding her small one, three shadows stretching long into the distance; deep in the night, with your daughter placed between you, your eyes meet, quietly recounting her growth and future..."
The seductive words, like the voice of a Herrscher, drilled into Siegfried's mind, making him imagine that blissful scene, the love of his life—
"And the price for all this is just... people unrelated to you. They are merely numbers. Their deaths could bring Cecilia back to you. What choice would you make—the Honkai is omnipotent... Ow, what? Hey, that hurts!"
Beside him, Theresa finally noticed something was wrong. She lifted her small foot and kicked Gao qi in the shin.
"Stop, Gao qi, don't say any more, you bad guy!"
Soon, Siegfried reacted as well.
"Enough! Don't even think about it! Cecilia would never allow me to do this! Gao qi, you devil, stop whispering your temptations in my ear! I would never do that!"
He threw a punch at Gao qi without hesitation, but it was much slower than before. Gao qi easily dodged with a sidestep.
"In the end, it's just that Cecilia wouldn't allow you to do it, right, Mr. Siegfried?—See, everyone, how powerful the force of love is!"
Gao qi rubbed his shin, sat down on the sofa, looking somewhat innocent.
"Shut up, shut up, shut up! All you have is a sharp tongue!"
Theresa, puffing her cheeks in anger, walked over to him, reached out her small hands, and started poking him repeatedly in the ribs.
"Alright, Mr. Gao qi, I admit your theory has merit. Love is powerful. But please, stop talking."
This time, even Einstein began to stop Gao qi from speaking. This guy really was like the devil in Faust, his every word seducing people towards corruption.
"Right, stop talking, you bastard! But... damn it, you're right. If Otto is really that kind of person, then as long as Kiana stays by his side, she'll be used by him forever. Everyone would be the same—Come with us to take K-423 away. I'll agree to all your demands."
Finally, Siegfried recovered, let out a long sigh, slammed the table fiercely, his eyes no longer conflicted—he had to take Kiana away from Schicksal.
"Then, the deal is struck. I apologize for bringing up your painful memories—and actually, you don't need to be so conflicted."
A satisfied smile appeared on Gao qi's face. He dropped the act, went to Siegfried's side, and put an arm around his shoulder like a good buddy.
"With your brains, even if the Honkai taught you everything it knew, you couldn't accomplish anything. You don't have the IQ for it—Just focus on being the hero and father I admire, Siegfried."
"—Gao qi!"
After finishing his teasing remarks, Gao qi immediately bolted. Realizing he had been made a fool of, a furious Siegfried chased after him, leaving only Theresa, holding the communication terminal, and Einstein's projection, looking at each other helplessly.
"What do you think of him?"
"He might not be able to beat anyone in a fight, but he might just be able to piss Otto to death."
[Just like that, you formed a simple alliance with Siegfried, Theresa, and Anti-Entropy. Your plan was to enter the research institute on the outskirts of the town, take away Kiana's clone, K-423, and thwart Otto's further plans.]
[Originally, Siegfried intended to proceed gradually, waiting until after Kiana's birthday to act. But, true to his bumbling nature, he accidentally let Kiana discover his plans—although everyone suspected it was your doing, you were truly innocent this time.]
[Kiana always believed her father was a hero. After learning about K-423, seeing herself as a hero, she immediately and proactively demanded to join the plan and save her "little sister" together.]
[Although Siegfried disagreed at first, he couldn't withstand Kiana's persistent begging and wheedling. Plus, Kiana also turned her charms on you, so you ultimately allowed her to join.]
[On December 7th, Kiana's birthday, you began the operation.]
[And thus, the future of everyone involved was changed.]
Note: I'm new to translating so please be kind and tell me any mistakes you all find, I will try to release a chapter a day but don't expect much
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Raw: 崩坏模拟器,你找的人是我么?