Elsewhere.
Durandal and the other two arrived at their destination.
Otto's projection had already been waiting for them.
"Good day, my dear S-rank Valkyries."
"…"
"Hm? Total silence? Very well… perhaps facing an unreal projection like this really leaves you with nothing to say."
"But if my recent actions have irritated you—then please allow me to apologize."
"After all, as someone who is about to leave this world, my desire to perform has been rather excessive."
"I'm sorry, my Valkyries—please forgive your Overseer's final bout of willfulness."
Faced with Otto's apology, Durandal fell silent for a moment, then met his gaze.
"So, you truly intend to depart for somewhere beyond this world. Then I'll be direct—what is the price?"
"Ah, the price. Indeed, everything has a cost. But first, allow me to correct a subtle point—I am leaving this world, yes, but strictly speaking, I'm not going to another world."
"My destination is the Other Shore of the World—the boundary between worlds. A place where time itself can be redefined."
Confronted with Otto's cryptic phrasing, Li Sushang was the first to lose patience.
"…Could you put that in simpler terms? The last time you explained it like this, I didn't understand a thing."
"For example—"
After a long chain of metaphors and explanations, Otto finally said something that made Li Sushang—and countless viewers—nod along.
"We can stably perceive the flow of time because our existence naturally aligns with the growth of the Imaginary Tree."
"Conversely, if we can push the growth point of the Imaginary Tree back five hundred years, then the world of five centuries ago can abandon our present—abandon these futures that have already become history—and begin evolving anew, using its own time as the new origin."
"Abandon? Re-evolve? Then what happens to our world?!"
"In truth, not much will happen. From the outcome alone, your existence will not disappear, nor will the world you're familiar with change very much."
"There is no such thing as something for nothing in this world."
Durandal frowned slightly.
Whenever Otto described a plan in such beautiful terms, the unspoken parts usually involved an unbearable price.
"Of course. But for this matter, the cost has nothing to do with you."
As he said this, a trace of sincerity flickered in Otto's eyes.
Unfortunately, Durandal failed to catch that fleeting honesty.
Nor would she ever know that—at least in this conversation—
Otto had not lied.
Before she could think further, Otto abruptly changed the subject and issued his orders.
"All right, that concludes the preliminary explanation. Now for the real reason I gathered you here."
"I need you to secure the area between the Dawn Viewing Platform and Danny Path, and prevent anyone from entering—including Theresa from the Hyperion."
"You all know how easily I'm misunderstood—so I'd rather not be disturbed during this time."
"Li Sushang, you will be responsible for—"
"Durandal."
"Rita."
"Orders delivered. Dismissed."
Ignoring Durandal's attempt to press further, the former Overseer once again cut the communication decisively.
From another perspective, he truly was pressed for time—
there was a crucial step of his plan that could no longer be delayed.
[Herta: Reversing the growth point of the Imaginary Tree??]
[Tesla: That's impossible…]
[Einstein: Even if Otto's research path differs from ours, such an act would require an enormous price!]
[Einstein: There's no way it's as easy as he claims—this would take an unimaginable amount of energy!]
[Himeko (Star Rail): It is the Imaginary Tree, after all… influencing it directly—how could Otto possibly do that?!]
[Durandal: But… the Overseer seems to have prepared for this for a long time.]
[Theresa: …Grandpa's plan… isn't going to sacrifice a lot of people, is it?!]
[Otto: My dear Theresa, your grandfather isn't a devil. I wouldn't casually slaughter people, no matter what.]
[March 7th: It really feels like… something huge is about to happen…]
On-screen.
As if to validate the sense of looming conspiracy, aboard the Hyperion—
After an hour of intense analysis, preliminary results from the Herrscher collision experiment were finally obtained.
But the outcome was…
completely beyond Tesla and Einstein's expectations.
No matter how many deductions they ran, no reasonable result emerged.
"Tesla… have you ever considered this possibility…?"
"Huh? What possibility? Don't keep me in suspense—just say it!"
"Before we conducted the Herrscher collision experiment… the Authority of the Herrscher of Domination may have already collapsed into an additional dimension."
"?!"
"What I mean is—someone may have artificially interfered with, or exploited, the Authority of the Herrscher of Domination."
"Th-Then… the only person who could've done that—!"
"Damn it! He still played us!!"
In an instant, Tesla realized the truth.
Otto had tampered with the Herrscher core.
"Notify Theresa immediately! Otto has completely stolen the Authority of the Herrscher of Domination!!"
Only then did both doctors recoil in horror.
What Otto had left them
was nothing more than an empty shell—a core stripped of its authority.
[October 14, 2017 — Saturday, 18:30]
[For the first time, those aboard the Hyperion truly realized the real danger of this Schicksal operation]
[October 14, 2017 — Saturday]
[18:35]
[Inside the Hyperion]
"Report! Continuous anomalous signals detected at one o'clock—estimated over one hundred unidentified lifeforms!"
"Report! Biological infrared data of all targets matches Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse!"
"Report! All engines fully powered—awaiting orders!"
"Report! Main cannon charged—awaiting orders!"
Within moments, reports echoed throughout the bridge.
Theresa immediately ordered full combat readiness.
Up to now, Otto had not committed any outright transgression—
but no one had lowered their guard for even a second.
At the very least, no one yet knew what Otto's true goal was.
"Radar and signal teams, continue monitoring! Engine and weapons crews, hold position—ensure the Hyperion can enter combat at any moment!"
"Ms. Theresa, an unknown external communication source is requesting contact."
"Patch it through. It's about time."
With Theresa's approval,
a mechanical body of Otto appeared on the screen.
Otto (Proxy):
"All Schicksal and non-Schicksal personnel deployed within Kolosten Town—remain in your current positions until further notice."
Theresa frowned immediately.
"Puppet, stop wasting everyone's time. I want to speak to the real Otto Apocalypse."
Otto (Proxy):
"Unauthorized request. Protocol does not exist."
Otto (Proxy):
"All Schicksal and non-Schicksal personnel deployed within Kolosten Town—remain in your current positions until further notice."
Seeing the puppet Otto mechanically repeat the same line, everyone on the bridge grew increasingly frustrated.
Tesla snapped,
"Tch—what is this? His dirty tricks got exposed, so now he hides and leaves us locked outside?!"
Fu Hua, who understood Otto well, spoke calmly.
"…This is his usual tactic when he intends to act unilaterally."
"He uses a decoy to stall others, while he finishes everything behind the scenes in one decisive move."
"Damn it! What the hell is that bastard planning this time?!"
"We don't know—but to be safe, we must move immediately and find him ourselves!"
"As Fu Hua said, if we waste time here, we'll be playing right into Grandpa's hands."
Theresa raised a hand to her chin.
The gesture was nearly identical to Otto's habitual thinking pose.
It was clear proof that, without realizing it, Theresa had learned far more from Otto than she ever intended—and had never truly escaped his shadow.
Just then—
"Well said, my dear granddaughter Theresa. It seems you've grown quite a bit during the time you've been away from me."
Otto's voice suddenly came through the proxy.
Clearly, this body was now being directly controlled by him.
"What? Surprised that I can switch like this anytime, anywhere? I'd think the two Anti-Entropy doctors there wouldn't be shocked."
"After all… you witnessed it once already, over sixty years ago. Didn't you?"
At once, Otto's words stirred deeply unpleasant memories in Tesla and Einstein.
Back then, they had watched helplessly as Otto hijacked Leanna's body
and executed Finlandia right before everyone's eyes.
"Y-You bastard!!"
"Hahaha—please don't be angry, Dr. Tesla."
Seeing Tesla seething, Otto laughed with unabashed malice, as though provoking her were one of life's great pleasures.
"What I'm about to do will be of tremendous benefit to all of you!"
"Benefit?! Fine—then let's hear what kind of self-righteous nonsense you're going to spout this time!"
"Self-righteous… yes. In this matter, perhaps no one is more self-righteous than I am."
Otto raised his hand gracefully, addressing them with almost ceremonial solemnity.
And then he spoke words that plunged the entire bridge—
and everyone watching—into shock.
"Ladies and gentlemen, rejoice for the future of humanity."
"In terms of outcome, I will sacrifice myself—
and from the Imaginary Tree, win an additional five hundred years for humanity."
"Five hundred years, enough time for you to fight the Honkai."
Silence.
Absolute silence filled the bridge.
Otto's single sentence contained far too much to process.
He had just said…
that he would sacrifice himself
to bargain with the Imaginary Tree for five hundred extra years?!
Setting aside whether such a trade was even possible—
setting aside how utterly fantastical it sounded—
Just the sheer magnitude of such a declaration—
Was this really something that could come from Otto Apocalypse's mouth?!
That alone felt more unbelievable than the plan itself.
[Keqing: Uh… did I hear that right?]
[Theresa: Bargaining with the Imaginary Tree… how could that even be possible?!]
[Tesla: Impossible! Absolutely impossible!! (slams bowl)]
[March 7th: Otto sacrificing himself to buy humanity five hundred years?! Is this guy really Otto?!]
[Einstein: Bypassing the Will of Honkai… going straight to the source—but the biggest question is… how?]
[Himeko (Star Rail): This definitely isn't that simple!!]
Amid the speculation—
Theresa, whom Otto cherished most, sensed something crucial.
The number was far too precise.
"Five… hundred years?!"
"Well well—looks like my lovely granddaughter has already realized it."
Otto chuckled, gazing at Theresa with clear satisfaction.
And without any intention of hiding the truth, he laid it out plainly—as he so often did.
In this, at least, many viewers found themselves strangely admiring Otto.
He was not one to hide behind riddles until the very end.
"That's right. To someone as self-important as me, those five hundred years are merely a by-product."
"I recall saying not long ago that I was about to embark on my final journey—to the Other Shore of the World—to seek the one existence you all know so well."
"I will erase these five hundred years of history from the branches of time—returning the world itself to a state where Kallen Kaslana is still alive."
"Of course, you needn't worry about your own existence being erased."
"All of you who have come to Kolosten today—regardless of your stance—
Otto Apocalypse will protect you from the torrent of time."
"And when you return to the past, you will surely help the Saint realize her ideals."
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