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EX Chapter: Durandal and Durandal

Bianka Agilina is a survivor of a certain Honkai incident, having lost her past memories and her parents. She grew up in a sanatorium and orphanage.

But in reality, her true identity is not so simple—

At the end of the Second Eruption, out of fear of the unknown power within Siegfried's bloodline, Otto ordered the launch of Honkai energy fission bombs, intending to bury Siegfried and his wife along with the Second Herrscher.

After learning the truth, Siegfried decided to confront Otto. Otto frankly admitted that he had once wanted to kill Siegfried but explained it as "not wanting Siegfried to accidentally kill his daughter."

Now, Otto praised Siegfried's control over that power while also stating that he would not allow the future strongest Valkyrie to lose her father at a young age—yet it was Siegfried who caused her to lose her mother.

As long as Siegfried could ensure Kiana's healthy growth, their cooperation could continue.

Siegfried was furious with Otto's attitude but had no choice except to back down for the sake of fighting Honkai. However, Siegfried did not realize that this temporary concession would not lead to a brighter future but rather to an even more insane plan.

Schicksal retrieved the body of the Second Herrscher, Sirin, and through research developed a spacetime fracture system, significantly enhancing the Valkyries' combat capabilities.

At the same time, Otto also embarked on a mad plan: to resurrect the Second Herrscher.

Otto conducted numerous experiments and ultimately confirmed that the Herrscher of the Void's core needed to be implanted into a special host to resurrect Sirin. The first condition for this special host was sufficient Honkai adaptability.

After the failures with Schariac and Kaslana clones, Otto set his sights on a clone of Kiana Kaslana. Even so, after many experiments, he could only cultivate a vegetative state until… K423 began to show brain activity…

Meanwhile, Siegfried and Anti-Entropy discovered that Otto was conducting resurrection experiments. Anti-Entropy was powerless to stop him at the time.

They approached Siegfried, hoping he would step forward and stop Otto, but Siegfried knew that if he failed, his daughter Kiana would be implicated.

The worst-case scenario was that Otto would use Kiana as a vessel for the resurrection of the Herrscher of the Void.

Therefore, even knowing what Otto was doing, to honor the deceased Cecilia and ensure Kiana had a peaceful childhood and could grow up healthy and happy, Siegfried's only choice was to endure it.

Otto's plan continued steadily while Siegfried grew increasingly worried.

One day, young Kiana noticed her father's distracted state and went to tidy his room, unexpectedly uncovering the truth. Knowing she could not ignore it, she volunteered to help her father carry out his planned lab raid.

"I can even find out Dad's secret. What's the big deal?"

Siegfried initially rejected the idea but eventually succumbed to Kiana's persistent pleading and agreed to let her help steal the experimental subject.

At the time, Kiana had no idea that this event would completely change the course of her life and the lives of many others. Most importantly, it laid a "good" foundation for the beginning of the Honkai Impact 3rd storyline.

That day, Siegfried and Kiana drove away from their home, a place they would never return to, and headed to a development center on the outskirts of Kolosten. Kiana casually played with a Rubik's Cube in the car before getting out and heading to Siegfried's private training room.

It seemed Kiana wanted her father to teach her a few gun-fu moves, but once inside, she climbed through a window into an unused changing room next door. Siegfried, disguised in a hazmat suit and posing as a maintenance worker, had been waiting there. Kiana hid in a scrap bin, and the father and daughter made their way to the scrap yard together. Kiana climbed through an opening into the core area of the experimental layer and began sawing through a window.

Meanwhile, Siegfried brought in a stealth fighter jet and parked it outside. Then the father and daughter stormed into the laboratory where K423 was located.

Upon arriving at the laboratory, Kiana saw K423 in the experimental chamber and became very excited. She even asked her father whether she could call her "little sister."

The two stole K423, triggering the alarm without question. But that did not matter; the guards could not stop them. All they had to do was board the fighter jet, escape, and meet up with Anti-Entropy.

They could hand over K423, who contained the Herrscher of the Void's core, and the nightmare yet to come would end immediately.

The father and daughter would have a new home, a new life, and Kiana's happy childhood could continue… if they arrived in time.

However, Anti-Entropy's response was far from timely. Schicksal had already dispatched Valkyrie units to pursue them. The stealth fighter was severely damaged and exploded. Kiana was ultimately struck in the head by shrapnel from the explosion, lost consciousness, and fell into the snow-covered mountains along with the burning wreckage.

A year later, a girl suffering from amnesia awakened in a hospital bed, where a blond man was treating her. It was said that the girl had been severely injured and everyone thought she was doomed, but the blond man successfully saved her using technology still in its experimental stage. The only side effect was that her original silver hair turned blonde.

Guided by this blond man, the amnesiac girl finally chose a new name for herself—Bianka Atagina.

But during this sorrowful period, she met a person who would change her life—Ragnar, Himeko's superior.

Ragnar was a Valkyrie of Schicksal who resisted Honkai. When she volunteered as a teacher at the orphanage, she had a profound impact on Bianka's worldview.

Later, Ragnar was killed in action during a mission. The entire squad, except for Himeko, was wiped out. To follow in her teacher Ragnar's footsteps, Bianka resolutely embarked on the path of a Valkyrie.

She did not choose St. Freya Academy, feeling that its relaxed educational environment was not suitable for her, and instead opted for military-style training at Schicksal headquarters.

Perhaps her choice was right. A few years later, at the young age of 12, she rose to the rank of A-class Valkyrie.

Moreover, she became the youngest A-class Valkyrie in Schicksal's history.

After a subsequent miraculous adventure, she also broke the record and became the youngest S-class Valkyrie.

That was the story of "Durandal."

In 2012, the 12-year-old A-class Valkyrie Bianka, along with her 16-year-old adjutant Rita, went under Otto's orders to investigate a special World Bubble in the Sea of Quanta.

In this world, one can encounter various people from different eras and even different parallel worlds.

However, although they share the same names, they are essentially not the same beings as the historical figures.

After her experiences in this world, she encountered some strange things.

The entire European continent was trapped within a massive wall formed of Honkai energy and teeming with monsters.

As the concentration of Honkai energy increased, this world would inevitably be destroyed.

Therefore, destroying the wall and defeating the monsters behind it became the mission and destiny of the young but righteous Durandal.

To achieve this, the power of the legendary Holy Sword "Durandal" was required.

Durandal's true identity was a superweapon forged in the ancient era and equipped with artificial intelligence. Its power rivaled that of the Divine Key.

However, because its AI's learning ability was so strong, it even developed a human emotion—"boredom."

Because it was too bored, the Holy Sword Durandal chose to shut down and enter slumber.

Later, for unknown reasons, she drifted into the Sea of Quanta, arrived at the World Bubble, and became an "empty shell."

Therefore, to fully unleash Durandal's power, the seven gems on the sword needed to be collected.

Durandal obtained one gem from Shakespeare and sensed the locations of the other six, scattered throughout the world.

Thus, Bianka and her adjutant Rita embarked on an adventure to collect the gems.

During this time, she encountered all sorts of people—Shakespeare, Thales, Michelangelo, Darwin, and Dracula.

(However, these characters were all surprisingly beautiful girls.)

Even Schrödinger and Shigure Kira, fellow countrymen who drifted from the original world during the Anti-Entropy independence incident, joined her.

They resolved various incidents and stopped the Omnic Crisis in Alexandria.

On the Yucatan Peninsula, they defeated the Serpent King Zahhak.

On Larui Island, they saved Sanada Yukimura.

Incidentally, she also attended a concert by Shigure Kira.

Finally, she successfully collected the seven gems: Courage, Confidence, Compassion, Kindness, Vitality, and Calmness, reactivating the Holy Sword.

Then she launched an attack on the enemy on the other side of the Honkai wall.

Bianka wielded the Holy Sword Durandal, cleaving the entire European continent in two and sending it flying.

She wanted to save the only intact continent, Europe, and its inhabitants from this dissipating World Bubble.

However… countless Honkai beings in this world coalesced into a terrifying entity—La Niña.

No one was a match for her. Even the legendary Holy Sword Durandal was easily broken.

It seemed the World Bubble was about to face destruction.

At this critical moment, Bianka opened her eyes and suddenly understood everything.

The power of the Holy Sword Durandal lay not in its blade but in the seven gems.

Then, Bianka used her own body as a vessel for the Holy Sword, reforging it with her own flesh.

Finally, Durandal, transformed into a humanoid Holy Sword, successfully defeated La Niña.

But… the world's crisis was not over.

Since La Niña had effectively become the foundation of this world, defeating her temporarily stabilized the World Bubble, but its destruction remained inevitable.

Therefore, La Niña synchronized her Honkai energy with the Anchor Point. After eliminating her, Bianka was forced to shoulder the responsibility of the entire world, using Little Du's gems to seal the entire Anchor Point, along with the World Bubble itself and its Honkai energy, into her body.

From then on, as long as Bianka lived, this world could continue to exist…

Afterward, Rita activated the travel device, and the two returned to the main world.

Because of this, Bianka gained the power of the legendary Holy Sword "Durandal," merged with it, and acquired a new name—"Durandal."

Three years later, the little girl had blossomed into a beautiful young woman, and due to her immense power, she became the world's youngest S-rank Valkyrie.

The cat-like Honkai Beast, who had fought Rita to a standstill, was instantly defeated by her with a single punch.

This even led Otto to consider creating a new S-rank or higher designation called "Durandal."

Later, after Schicksal obtained the Second Divine Key, Otto Apocalypse required Durandal to participate in the activation experiment.

After the experiment began, Durandal was pulled into the Seed of Sumeru World Bubble by Su and survived the trials he created based on his own experiences.

At the end of the third trial, Durandal saw through the illusion and made a different decision from Su during her confrontation with Rita.

Su believed that even though the outcome was different, Durandal had still passed his trial.

As compensation, he helped Durandal stabilize the World Bubble within her, allowing her to wear it as star armor, and gave her the key to activate the Second Divine Key, instructing her to pass it on to Otto.

----

Chapter 258: A New Beginning: Sushang Awakens, the Archbishop Abdicates

"Yesterday, with everyone's full assistance, the experiment can be considered a complete success. Next, I believe it won't be long before the Schicksal organization takes a decisive step forward in humanity's fight against Honkai!..."

On the high platform, the spirited Archbishop of Schicksal passionately recounted the new path he had found to combat Honkai and the bright future that this path would bring to Schicksal and all of humanity.

Below the platform, the Valkyries listened with rapt attention, their eyes filled with anticipation for a better future. They grew increasingly excited and impassioned, wishing they could immediately rush out, drag out the remaining Herrschers and even the god Honkai, and give them a good beating...

Except—a certain white-haired girl.

"Ugh, so boring."

Unlike everyone else, Lin Ling yawned widely. "I thought it was something important, but it's just Otto making empty promises? I'm not putting up with this anymore. I was exhausted yesterday and only slept for twelve hours today—not enough to go back to sleep."

Then this one of Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyries, looking utterly disgruntled, swaggered away with her hands behind her head, showing no respect for the Archbishop.

But suddenly, she stopped halfway through her walk.

Because she became very interested in what the Archbishop of Schicksal was about to say.

"For the great cause we are about to accomplish, I have decided to reactivate an S-rank Valkyrie who has been dormant for five hundred years to help us through the darkest hour before dawn..."

"Five hundred years? Five hundred years..." Lin Ling muttered, then suddenly realized.

"Hiss! How could I have almost forgotten about her?!"

...

"I remember I went to Mount Taixu before and brought all the good stuff from there over. Where did I put it?"

Back in her dorm, Lin Ling immediately started rummaging through drawers and cabinets, searching for something.

"Seriously, I was exhausted yesterday and I only slept for thirteen minutes today. Can you please not disturb my sleep?"

Her movements quickly woke up her other "roommate." A doll-sized, chibi-style Durandal doll slowly awoke from the slightly disheveled soft bed.

"If you really have to bother me... then transform into a catgirl and be my body pillow! I know you can transform, right? Hehe~ That'll give you even more ways to play!"

Since Durandal and Lin Ling returned to Schicksal from the Sea of Quanta, the Holy Sword Little Du had also come to reality. And it seemed to have become attached to Lin Ling, following her everywhere, even while she slept. (However, essentially, she was just a sword; besides being a sight to behold, she couldn't do anything else.)

"No! Just keep sleeping. I have things to do today."

Lin Ling ignored Little Du and continued rummaging through the wardrobe.

This caught Little Du's attention. She rubbed her sleepy eyes and curiously observed what Lin Ling was up to.

"Hmm~ This is it! It's exactly the same as Old Immortal's. It'll definitely give that Sichuan girl a big surprise, right?"

"Sichuan... girl?" Although she didn't know what "Sichuan girl" meant, since it was called "girl," it must most likely mean a beautiful girl. So Little Du immediately flipped over and leaped behind Lin Ling, angrily questioning.

"Ling, you're so disloyal! Why didn't you invite me to this good thing? I went to great lengths to set you up with Bianka last night!"

"Go away," Lin Ling spoke irritably. "You call that setting up? You called it seduction! No, you were instigating Dudu to attack me! That woman is usually too serious and straightforward. What if you persuade her to actually attack me... I'll be in real trouble! Rita is already troublesome enough, and if another one comes along, I'll really... Hey, stop looking. Go out first."

Lin Ling complained about Little Du's "aiding the enemy" behavior yesterday while forcibly pushing her out of the bedroom.

"Seriously, what's with being shy about a sword? Tsk, you even sealed off the space! Let me see!"

Outside, Little Du's voice continued its incessant chatter.

"And besides, yesterday you seemed to be having a lot of fun, didn't you? You wouldn't happen to be that... um... what's that word again? Let me check... oh, a little seductive uke, right!?"

"Nonsense! I'm a fierce top! And... what are you learning all day long? I should have just unplugged your internet. Well, I'll let it slide today. Okay, all changed..."

"Wow~!"

With the door opening, even Little Du, who was used to seeing top-tier beauties like Durandal, Rita, and Shigure Kira, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise.

"I'm awake, but all is but a dream; everything forgotten, where is my home?"

Before her appeared a fairy-like girl clad in an antique, ethereal Shenzhou Taoist robe and sporting a spirited high ponytail. She even casually placed one hand behind her back and recited a philosophical, enigmatic poem.

However, the fairy's composure vanished instantly.

"Hehe." She chuckled at Little Du. "How about it? Handsome, right? Come on, didn't you want to see a beautiful girl? I'll take you to meet my good grand-disciple."

...

The girl's consciousness slowly rose from the bottomless abyss of darkness.

The most intense memories of her life surfaced first.

Who... who was she? Did I kill her?

The girl felt as if her heart were being torn apart.

Although her memories were fragmented... the thorns of guilt had already begun to pierce her heart.

The other person should be—

No. Whoever lay in that pool of blood, the girl had undoubtedly betrayed her trust and kindness.

Water droplets fell on the girl's cheek, awakening her consciousness.

She felt as if an empty gaze was looking at her.

Following that gaze, the girl tried to turn around—but her weak body no longer obeyed her commands.

(Ah... so she cares about me too... but why does she seem to be crying? Is it because of that promise? But your gaze isn't on me. What are you sad about?)

Water droplets fell on the girl's cheek.

She lost consciousness again...

"...Glug glug..."

Unlike the cold raindrops before, a warm and comfortable feeling enveloped the girl's entire body, making her feel as if she were in her mother's womb, everyone's first home.

"...Don't be nervous, you just had a nightmare."

But suddenly, a voice, seemingly from a distant place, broke the silence. The girl tried to open her eyes, but it was pitch black.

"Ah. Your vision hasn't recovered yet, but don't worry, this is normal during deep sleep."

The mysterious voice and memories gradually overlapped. The girl realized that "the one outside" and the person in her dream were the same person.

"An hour... ah, half an hour later, your body will return to a perfectly healthy state. Before that, let me help you confirm some basic information about the era. By the way, do you know who you are?" the somewhat familiar voice continued.

"If you know, just nod."

The girl struggled to control her muscles. After a few seconds, she slowly moved her head up and down.

She wanted to stretch, but her arms wouldn't obey her commands.

"Very good, but you don't need to rush to move your limbs; they will regain sensation on their own. Now, back to the point. This year is May 2017. Sorry, that wording will only confuse you more. In other words, it is now the era 520 years after you fell asleep..."

"Ugh, so useless! Watch this!" a somewhat impatient female voice interrupted the previously calm male voice.

Then the girl felt something flicker before her blurry vision.

"Hmm! What is this?!"

The next moment, the girl felt a magical power suddenly surge from outside, coursing through every acupoint and meridian in her body—a tingling, gentle, delicate sensation that repaired her body from the very foundation...

Soon, the recovery that had supposedly taken half an hour completed quickly, and her vision regained clarity.

She then realized she was enveloped in a pale blue transparent liquid. She seemed to be inside a large water vat. Looking out, the foreign man from her dream was observing her with a half-smile.

Closer to her, a celestial being in a plain-colored long dress had her eyes slightly closed, her hand pressed against the outer wall of the "water vat," emitting specks of white light that shone through the liquid onto her. Presumably, the incredibly comfortable power she had felt earlier came from this.

However, as her body gradually recovered, the girl's memories also began to return.

Everything that had just happened didn't seem like a dream. This blond-haired foreigner seems to be... a Rakshasa?

Then this ethereal girl healing her was—

"Grandmaster!?"

Having regained her memories from five hundred years of slumber, Li Sushang immediately uttered a title that seemed inappropriate for their appearances.

"You... how did you get here? Where is this? And your hair is all white?"

"Wrong." The white-haired immortal slowly opened her eyes, revealing Lin Ling's kind, half-smiling face.

"Not Grandmaster. Grandmother."

"Eh?! Grand-Grandmother?!"

...

"Sushang, my dear grand-disciple, come here and let your Grandmother hug you"

"No! You little brat, you never learn to behave, always lying! Don't even think about fooling me again this time. I asked the Rakshasa yesterday, and I'm actually five hundred years older than you! How could you possibly be my Grandmaster's wife?"

In the blink of an eye, another week had passed since Li Sushang awoke.

During this time, Durandal, Rita, and the others were busy with the Overseer's "last chance" and were rarely seen. Bored, Lin Ling could only tease this "cheap grand-disciple," hoping to squeeze some Edge of Taixuan techniques out of her. After all, although she now possessed considerable power, her fighting skills were still far from adequate.

Right now, the master and disciple were engaged in a harmonious and loving, yet superficial, exchange.

She was toyed with by Lin Ling using various Herrscher abilities and Honkai Beast transformations.

"Oh dear, you've slept for five hundred years and haven't grown at all, neither physically nor mentally, so it doesn't count. Besides, as the saying goes, 'the accomplished are teachers,' so since you can't beat me, you might as well obediently acknowledge me as your grandmaster."

"Hmph! I'm not fighting anymore. If it weren't for your demonic magic that allows you to transform into a bewitching demon, I wouldn't be afraid of you at all!" Li Sushang retorted defiantly. "If you're so capable, let's fight three hundred rounds with real skill!"

"Ah, those versions of me are still me, and of course they're also my power. By the way, if you want to become cute, maybe I can get Snake to help you. Also, I'm not lying to you. If you don't believe me, go ask your Grandmaster Jingwei if I'm her wife—oops, I misspoke, her husband!"

"Hmph! I don't want to." Li Sushang pouted. "You know perfectly well that my Grandmaster and I are currently in opposing organizations and can't see each other at all. How can I confirm it? Besides, who knows if you used your sorcery to bewitch my Grandmaster? Otherwise, how could the dignified Jingwei, who has protected Shenzhou for thousands of years, marry someone who is also a woman and can transform into a demon beast?"

"Well, I'm sure you'll find out soon. By the way, who says girls can't be together? If you don't believe me, go ask the Archbishop, that Rakshasa you mentioned, and ask him who his fiancée's true love is?"

"Yes, Rakshasa." Li Sushang immediately turned to Otto and asked, "I don't think I've ever heard you mention this before. Doesn't your fiancée like you?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, the man who had been watching from the sidelines with a mysterious smile since his return froze. He then chose to skip the topic.

"Don't worry, Miss Sushang. I believe you'll soon be able to see your great-grandmaster."

"Oh! Really?"

Hearing that she could see her great-grandmaster, Sushang immediately became interested. After all, although there were some grudges, the two had settled their differences. And given the Shenzhou people's strong respect for their teachers, she might be her last remaining relative in this world.

"Of course it's true," Lin Ling replied for Otto. "That old rascal is cunning; he might have woken you up to deal with your great-grandmaster."

After saying that, Lin Ling turned her gaze to Otto again.

"Right, Archbishop, the Master Strategist?"

"Hehe, how could I possibly have such intentions?" Otto regained his initial smile. "However, who can say for sure what the future holds?"

"Yes, the future is uncertain, so..." Lin Ling pressed on. "What about the past?"

"The past? Hehehe, Miss Lin Ling is quite amusing. The past, of course, is history and naturally cannot be changed."

"Oh~" Lin Ling drawled. "Really?"

"Hmm..." Li Sushang, her head full of question marks, glanced back and forth between the two, but they both blatantly feigned ignorance.

"Why do I always feel like there's something hidden in your words? You two... don't speak in riddles with me!"

Months later—

October 13, 2017, Friday.

"Hello, friends all over the world. I am Overseer Otto Apocalypse of the Schicksal organization."

A blond man's figure appeared simultaneously on major news channels around the world, telling everyone a secret that most people might never know in their lifetime.

"As some of you already know, on our planet Earth, a periodic disaster known as 'Honkai' occurs. Yes, for secrecy, it has been vaguely referred to in past news reports as 'unknown disasters.' As far as Schicksal knows, Honkai are catastrophic phenomena that arise with civilization, grow stronger with civilization, and have the ability to shatter civilization itself. But there's no need to panic—just recently, in August, Schicksal's Far East branch, in cooperation with the American Anti-Entropy organization, eliminated Honkai's latest apostle. In the past two months, Honkai disasters have decreased significantly worldwide, and you have probably all felt it to some extent in your daily lives. In my opinion, this may mark the beginning of a new era in the confrontation between human civilization and Honkai—an era in which humanity shifts from defense to offense, and completely eradicates Honkai from our world is about to arrive. The Honkai is running out of steam, while a new generation of heroes is emerging among humanity. At this time of change, you need the truth about the world. Schicksal needs fresh blood."

"Damn it! What's this guy up to now? How could he reveal all these secrets!"

For a long time, whether it was the relatively rigid and conservative Schicksal, the more enlightened Anti-Entropy, or even the World Serpent from the previous era, everyone maintained a tacit understanding: to avoid causing panic, events related to Honkai had always been kept secret from the public.

But today, that Archbishop of Schicksal broke with convention and proactively revealed everything.

Tesla was naturally furious. She spoke angrily.

"Does he not want to be the Archbishop anymore? This is bound to cause a riot!"

But as if a self-fulfilling prophecy had come true, Otto's next words shocked Tesla and everyone else.

"In conclusion, I, Otto Apocalypse, hereby resign from my position as Overseer of Schicksal and withdraw from the organization completely, effective immediately. My successor, Theresa Apocalypse, leader of the Far East branch, will soon assume the position of Overseer and assume full leadership of the Schicksal organization. I believe that under her leadership, the world and the Schicksal organization will surely have a brighter future..."

————————————

 Ex Chapters: Li Sushang

Li Sushang was the daughter of Li Shen, the master of Yijian Manor, and Qin Suying, the seventh disciple of The School of Taixu. She was also the grand-disciple of Jingwei, a legendary figure in Shenzhou.

Born in 1481, Li Sushang weighed only two jin and three liang (approximately 1 kg and 1.5 liang), almost the weight of a sword. Fortunately, thanks to the care of her maid and mother, Qin Suying, Sushang survived. On Sushang's one-month birthday, Li Shen invited the renowned fortune teller "Little Half-Immortal" to the manor. Little Half-Immortal declared Sushang "born with a sword-like destiny, an extraordinary fate, a dragon among men, a supreme being!"

In 1482, as far back as Sushang could remember, she was always accompanied by a sword. Su Yi taught her to recite the sword heart mantra, while Li Shen meticulously taught her the Twelve Forms of Memory Sword Manual. However, even after Sushang mastered the Twelve Forms, she still couldn't meet Su Yi's expectations. To prevent Sushang's talent from going to waste, Su Yi requested that Ling Shuang take Sushang as her disciple.

In 1486, five-year-old Sushang, carrying the Xuanyuan Sword "Ink-Dyed Fragrance" and the hope of becoming the greatest swordsman in the world, went to the Northern Desert. Through Su Yi's introduction, she became a disciple of Cheng Ling Shuang, the greatest martial artist of the time, and learned the Edge of Taixuan. She first cultivated her Sword Mantra, then practiced the Sword Form. The Xuanyuan Sword was taken by Ling Shuang, to be returned to Sushang only after she had mastered the sword.

"You must live, Sushang. You must live well. Promise me."

The Desert Sword Test

In 1496, to verify whether she had fulfilled Su Yi's expectations, Sushang, following Ling Shuang's orders, sought out the Jinsha Gang, who roamed the northern deserts without fear, for a sword test. She defeated the four Jinsha Gang members guarding their home and learned that the gang had gone on an expedition and would only return that evening. The Jinsha Gang's expeditionary force of 113 members exceeded Sushang's expectations. To successfully achieve her goal of dueling with the Jinsha Gang leader, Eagle, Sushang borrowed the disguise and infiltration strategy of Yan Shilu, the protagonist of the story "Sacred Fire Jade Lotus Platform," and volunteered to enter the "Black Prison" to await the opportunity for a one-on-one duel.

However, the four gang members Sushang had coerced betrayed her upon Eagle's return.

"...There are a few of you. Only four? Where are the others? I want the truth."

Upon seeing Sushang, with her hands and feet shackled and after she had taken a "Qi-Suppressing Powder" to seal her internal energy, Eagle angrily slapped her twice. She was then locked in a dark cell with a Rakshasa (Otto), and the Xuanyuan Sword was confiscated by Eagle. Because of Otto's dashing appearance, Sushang mistakenly assumed he shared her purpose and thus began to explain her purpose and troubles. Intrigued by Sushang, Otto helped her unlock her shackles. After confirming Sushang's confidence in defeating Eagle, he led her out of the dark cell.

Once out of the dark cell, Sushang easily defeated eight members of the Golden Sands Gang in the courtyard, snatched the Xuanyuan Sword from Eagle's hand in two moves, and repelled him.

Eagle feigned a challenge, proposing a mere fistfight. The naive Sushang believed him and planted the Xuanyuan Sword in the ground. During the ensuing fight, Sushang slapped Eagle, but this allowed Eagle to understand Sushang's character. Eagle feigned an opening, seizing the opportunity to grab the Xuanyuan Sword and strike Sushang. At that critical moment, Sushang instinctively intercepted the blade, sending the Xuanyuan Sword flying. In that instant, Sushang grasped the essence of swordsmanship, but Eagle still held onto the Xuanyuan Sword. Though filled with regret at losing hope again, Sushang refused to admit defeat, determined to die alongside Eagle as he struck.

"—No!"

Ultimately, with Otto's intervention, Eagle's Honkai ability was restrained, rendering its sword strike powerless.

After piercing Sushang's abdomen, the sword loosened its grip, and Sushang's palm strike shattered half of its skull. Knowing that Otto had helped her, Sushang called out to him after her victory.

Sure enough, Otto emerged from the darkness and healed Sushang with the mimicked Black Abyss White Flower.

Reflecting on this eventful day, Sushang felt as if it were a lifetime ago.

A mixture of satisfaction and emptiness, joy and sorrow, and other indescribable emotions swirled within her. When Otto expressed a desire to see Jingwei, Sushang immediately agreed, taking him to see Ling Shuang, who knew Jingwei's whereabouts.

On the eighth day of Sushang's sword trial, in order to heal Otto's internal injuries from using the Black Abyss White Flower, the two rode at breakneck speed. Just as they were about to reach the Freedom Gate, they were attacked by Ma Feima, who was also heading there. He arrogantly demanded to fight Otto. To protect Otto, Sushang stepped forward to face Ma Feima, only to be instantly defeated. Even severely injured, Sushang refused to admit defeat and insisted on standing up. This pleased Ma Feima, who returned the Xuanyuan Sword to Sushang, demanding that she focus all her attention on killing him.

Realizing that her sword aura was not yet fully developed, Sushang viewed this duel as a second test of her swordsmanship.

“Yes, uh, I’ll come back! You… you will definitely… get what you want.”

As Sushang stood up, she briefly exchanged glances with Otto.

In that moment, she was completely convinced that Otto would intervene.

So, focused entirely on her sword, Sushang used her Taixuan: Dust Strike against Ma Feima's Taixuan: Mountain Striker. Otto seized the opportunity to seal Ma Feima's true energy.

Unfortunately, the battle-hardened Ma Feima abandoned the already formed Crimson Shadow of the Mountain Striker, unleashing a second attack with his left fist. This deflected Sushang's attack, and Crimson Shadow flew past her, pulling her left shoulder into the sandstorm. The suction dragged Sushang backward.

A surge of new and old pain overwhelmed her, causing her to faint.

“This is… a test of my sword!”

She was determined to take revenge.

The unconscious Sushang and Otto were taken back to the Sect by Ma Feima. Upon waking, Sushang begged Ling Shuang to restore Otto's inner strength so he could heal himself with the Black Abyss White Flower.

After Ling Shuang dismissed Ma Feima, Sushang learned from Ling Shuang the devastating news of her parents' deaths. She should have cried her heart out, but Sushang felt no desire to cry, nor did she particularly miss them.

After Otto's encouragement, Sushang recognized her true feelings: she wanted to see her parents when she returned home, and she wanted to avenge them against Jingwei.

Finally (approximately 520 years ago, around 1497, in May 2017), Li Sushang and Jingwei settled their score, and Sushang fell into a deep sleep.

---

Chapter 259: Snake Disappears? Lin Ling Disappears?!

Smack!

In the conference room of the Salt Lake Base, a girl with twin ponytails slammed her hands heavily on the table.

"Don't go! That guy just wants to lure you back to get arrested!"

This girl was none other than Dr. Tesla, one of the Anti-Entropy executors, known for her fiery temper.

Before Dr. Tesla stood the white-haired girl she was "kindly advising"—Theresa, the former headmaster of St. Freya Academy and head of the Far East branch of Schicksal.

She frowned slightly, her expression full of doubt.

"Grandpa... he shouldn't be like that..."

Just now, Archbishop Otto of Schicksal delivered an explosive abdication speech through all major media outlets, prompting Anti-Entropy and the members of St. Freya Academy to immediately convene a high-level meeting to discuss how to respond.

Of course, everyone agreed that the man who had ruled the world for almost five hundred years wouldn't so easily and inexplicably relinquish power.

He was definitely plotting something terrible behind the scenes; the so-called succession of Theresa was most likely just a smokescreen.

However, while Otto was certainly not a saint, Theresa knew that during his more than five hundred years as Overseer of Schicksal, he hadn't always been wicked. In his youth, he had actually performed many good deeds and acts of charity, such as adopting orphans, advocating for the people, and overthrowing the incompetent former Overseer of Schicksal.

“How could it not be? Humph! You’re just too kind-hearted, Theresa! Tell me, how many of us on this ship haven’t been tormented and schemed against by him? — Joyce, Reanna, Joachim’s father, Cecilia… We haven’t even had a chance to settle these scores with him yet! And Miss Fu Hua, Miss Himeko almost got poisoned too… Ah… I’m sorry.”

Perhaps realizing she had gone too far, Tesla, who had been excitedly listing Otto’s sins, sat back down and shook her head helplessly.

"I shouldn’t have complained about these things in front of you. Even if we hate that guy… he’s still family, isn’t he? I’m sorry, I think I got a little too emotional just now.”

“N-no, it’s nothing…” With mixed feelings, Theresa looked away.

Of course, she knew what the other woman said was true, and she knew that this hot-tempered doctor was actually showing concern for her in her own way.

“However, based on past experience, Otto does indeed have a different kind of affection for Theresa than for others, but even if he wanted to bring Ms. Theresa back, he wouldn't resort to such a crude trick, unless…” At this point, Dr. Einstein analyzed.

“What other bait does he have that forces us to go…”

“So this was the real bait?”

Jut then, Welt, the current leader of Anti-Entropy, flashed some characters in his eyes. “Everyone, just now, I received another fax from Schicksal—consistent with Otto’s statement in the news, they invited Miss Theresa to the old headquarters in the suburbs for a succession ceremony as the new Overseer of Schicksal, and…”

Welt paused here.

“And what!” Theresa, one of the parties involved, asked anxiously.

Welt adjusted his glasses and added, “They claim to have discovered the location of the true core of the Herrscher of Dominance and hope we can go there ourselves to retrieve it.”

“The core of the Herrscher of Dominance…”

In the last Herrscher of Legion operation, although Lin Ling, Kiana, and the others ultimately defeated the Herrscher of Dominance, regrettably, or rather strangely, they failed to retrieve the final Herrscher core.

It wasn't that the battlefield cleanup wasn't thorough enough. Lin Ling and Kiana, both possessing the authority of the Herrscher of the Void, had searched meticulously through the wreckage of the Theater of Domination, but to no avail, as if the Herrscher's core had been taken by someone else first.

Now, however, the truth has finally come to light.

"So Otto secretly took the Herrscher of Dominance's core? Damn it, he was nowhere to be seen during the fight, but he's faster than anyone else at snatching loot!" Dr. Tesla became furious again upon hearing this.

But anger aside, someone had to resolve this matter.

Dr. Einstein cautioned, "You all know how terrifying the Herrscher of Dominance is. We absolutely cannot let this core fall into Otto's hands."

"Ugh~ What are you guys doing?" The Herrscher of Sentience shook her head repeatedly. "One Otto? What's there to be afraid of? I single-handedly destroyed half of his headquarters. Now we have five Herrschers—one, two, three, four, five! Won't we just turn Schicksal's headquarters upside down? If you ask me, why don't we just go and wipe them out?"

"And..." Kiana chimed in, "Speaking of which, I wonder if the same is true for you guys? Ling hasn't contacted me at all lately. She promised to call me every now and then, but... surely she's having so much fun in the Valkyrie's lair that she's forgotten about us, right?"

Himeko frowned. "You mean that little one might be missing?"

The group exchanged glances. Indeed, given Lin Ling's personality, it was highly unusual for her not to contact them after such a significant event.

"Since that's the case," Fu Hua, the eldest, adjusted her glasses, "it seems we have no choice but to attend this trap."

And so, they unanimously decided—

All the Herrscher girls, along with Seele, an Awakened Stigmata user, Theresa (who was no less powerful than an S-rank Valkyrie), Tesla, Dr. Einstein (red and blue), and their mechs, would board the most powerful battleship, the Hyperion, and set off in a grand procession toward Schicksal headquarters!

...

Let's rewind to a short time ago.

Recently, since the mysteriously vanished archbishop's return, Schicksal has become busier than ever, perhaps even busier than when dealing with the Herrscher of Legion. And thanks to everyone's efforts, Otto, the Overseer of Schicksal for five hundred years, seems to be finally showing signs of fulfilling his last promise—finding a new path for humanity to resist the Honkai.

That is—Kolosten, the small town where the old Schicksal headquarters is located, is experiencing many strange phenomena.

For example... haunting.

At first, only a few scattered local residents and Valkyries on night duty reported seeing mysterious figures.

Later, the sightings became more and more frequent.

Finally, now, even in broad daylight, one can easily spot people or objects in ancient attire that shouldn't be there.

Fortunately, even if one encounters them, there's no need to panic. These phantoms are like two non-colliding game models, simply passing right through you without affecting you in the slightest. Or, to be more precise, these things seem to be merely three-dimensional projections from five hundred years ago, nothing to worry about.

At least, that's how it is now.

"Finally, it will all be over."

After another long night of work, Archbishop of Schicksal Otto, unusually, strolled around the town, looking up at the sky.

Although the sky was devoid of sunlight, only a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere prevailed, and the ground was filled with strange, terrifying "will-o'-the-wisps," he still couldn't help but sigh from the bottom of his heart.

"Hmm the weather is really nice today"

Now.

His final preparations were nearing completion; everything would finally end, and he would no longer be so busy.

However, besides Otto, two girls were leisurely chatting and strolling on a platform not far away. They were the only two idle people in the entire Schicksal at that moment.

The one with long brown hair came from ancient Shenzhou, five hundred years ago. She's completely ignorant of modern technology, so even if she wanted to repay the Rakshasa for saving her life, there's nothing she can do. The white-haired one, however, is even more formidable; she's the most arrogant and free-spirited person in all of Schicksal. Without sufficient benefits, even the Archbishop couldn't command her.

"Um... well, Miss Lin Ling, look, this town is 'haunted' everywhere! Honestly, I haven't slept well for several nights in a row. Should we go somewhere else for a while? You don't have to work anyway."

It sounds like the brown-haired girl is asking the white-haired girl for something.

"Hmm, no, I love ghosts, especially cute female ghosts Just thinking about it is exciting. I wonder if I could kidnap a white-haired nun ghost Oh, by the way, my dear grand-disciple? Why do you suddenly want to move out with me? Are you scared? Come on, don't be scared, let Grandma hug you~"

The white-haired girl suddenly pretended to get close to the brown-haired girl beside her~

Li Sushang skillfully dodged Lin Ling's sneak attack

"Hmph! Who's afraid of these things?! I already know that these guys and Rakshasa are doing some kind of 'breaking through the boundary between the past and present,' which is why we saw the scene from five hundred years ago."

"Oh, really? So you're not scared anymore I wonder who was so scared when they first saw these ghostly figures, calling out 'Grandma' and desperately trying to crawl into my arms Look, I even recorded it."

Lin Ling pulled out her phone with a mischievous grin, revealing that her lock screen wallpaper was the image of the brown-haired girl crawling into her arms.

"Ugh!" Li Sushang's face flushed crimson.

With a flick of her wrist, Honkai materialized into a longsword, instantly cleaving Lin Ling's ill-fated phone in two. She then casually held the sword to Lin Ling's neck.

"Don't mention this again! Forget about it! And how many of these strange little boxes do you have?! Give them all to me!"

"Sorry, Sushang, just kill me then."

Lin Ling looked like she was facing death with unwavering resolve. "The only way to make me forget someone as adorable as you is through this~"

"You!"

Li Sushang's expression shifted several times. Finally, she gritted her teeth and withdrew her sword.

Though she feared nothing in her life, she had an absolute fear of ghosts and gods.

To put it more politely, she had awe of ghosts and gods; to be blunt, she was afraid of ghosts.

Not only was she initially confused and terrified by the sudden appearance of these phantoms, but even now, knowing they were just mirages, the sight of them still sent chills down her spine.

Lately, these ghostly figures have even started appearing in her bedroom at night, leaving her unable to sleep alone.

"Hahaha~"

Just then.

Accompanied by hearty laughter, Otto walked over. "You two ladies seem to be having a lot of fun. It seems your relationship is getting better and better."

"Of course, it's true what they say, the older generation loves the younger generation more." Lin Ling nodded affectionately.

"I'm not some distant relative of yours! And you, Rakshasa, which eye of yours saw us getting along well?" Li Sushang shrugged helplessly. "She's clearly just toying with me. By the way, aren't you her sect leader? Her boss? Tell her to get back to work! Stop bothering me."

"That won't do. I have an agreement with Miss Lin Ling; she only needs to do the tasks she likes. I can't force her to work, so I'm sorry, Miss Sushang," Otto said apologetically. "Besides, why don't you spend more time with her? You're a bit bored by yourself, aren't you? You seem to be enjoying it quite a bit."

"Sigh~ It seems that's the only way." Li Sushang sighed again helplessly. "But how long will this boundary you've crossed between the past and present last? This town is haunted everywhere; I'm getting really impatient."

“Oh? Nagamitsu told you even about that? But let me clarify beforehand—I didn't actually summon spirits from five hundred years ago. I merely 'projected' information from the past. This place was an ancient battlefield over five hundred years ago. These are projections of certain powerful consciousnesses from the past. However, they are ultimately just remnants of time. If you're not interested, you don't have to pay them any attention.”

Just then, a person bearing a resemblance to Otto suddenly emerged from one of the "will-o'-the-wisps."

He was disheveled and bloodied, and angrily shouted at the soldiers rushing towards him, "You fools! I am Marcel Apocalypse, head of the Apocalypse family, the rightful Overseer of Schicksal! I'll see who dares to kill me!"

"Oh, look, this seems to be my poor nephew Marcel. He was a puppet Overseer his whole life, yet he never realized he was just a pawn in someone else's game." Otto recounted the villain's history casually, as if telling a joke, not his own flesh and blood.

After hearing Otto's nephew's story, Li Sushang glanced at Lin Ling, whose expression was even more indifferent than Otto's, as if she had known all along.

"..."

"...Huh? Even if I abandoned Marcel, I only gained a relatively dignified death? -- So, you really did know everything in the past, didn't you? My dear brother Otto?"

"Ah~ This is my sister Lisa."

Otto then used the opportunity to tell the next story about the will-o'-the-wisp, this time with a hint of pleasure on his face. "Dignified? Yes, it was one of the 'deaths' you meticulously planned for Kallen. Lisa, even if I forgive anyone, I will never forgive you or myself. Because the two of us are the very culprits who killed Kallen."

"It seems you're quite sentimental, huh? Well then~" Lin Ling suddenly pointed to a phantom of a little girl covered in wounds, "What about that one?"

“Is this... Sasha? The child who was tortured by Schicksal's human experiments and fell at the last moment of this war. I'm sorry, Kallen, she fought for you, but I failed to protect her in the final battle.”

“Don't pretend. You also played a part in those human experiments—no, and in the last five hundred years as well. How can you say your contribution was merely a 'part'? You were practically indispensable! Do you remember your Tower of Babel laboratory?”

“...”

For once, Otto's unusually bright smile stopped. He then took a few more steps.

“Well, ladies, let's take a walk here. It's quiet here, and we won't be disturbed by the remnants of time.”

“...”

Li Sushang looked at the two of them. Although she didn't quite understand, she seemed to sense a strong tension in their conversation, and this seemingly handsome man seemed... not so glamorous behind the scenes.

“Oh, right! Speaking of human experimentation, I remembered someone who likes to do this. Where’s my snake? I haven’t seen her in ages. I heard Nagamitsu said you went to her lab before she disappeared. Could it be...”

Lin Ling looked at Otto suspiciously. “She was kidnapped by you, wasn't she?”

“Kidnapped? No, no, no~ Miss Lin Ling, you’re really wronging me. How could I kidnap Miss Mobius? She’s my most admired scientist from a previous civilization.” Otto waved his hands repeatedly, then smiled mysteriously.

"However, to be precise, we reached some mutually beneficial deals. If Miss Lin Ling doesn't believe me, you can go find her in the Theater of Domination. It’s about time; she probably needs you right now.”

“A new... Theater of Domination?”

---

Chapter 260: Returning to Ten Thousand Years Ago

In a shattered, purple, misty space, the once magnificent Gothic complex was now nothing more than floating ruins.

This was the Theater of Domination, destroyed by Lin Ling and her companions and only recently barely repaired by Otto Mobius and her team.

Now, floating amidst these ruins was a perfectly intact, rather ornate, and enormous golden floating island.

“Hmm? How did Snake manage to make this place like this? Did she bring Schicksal’s floating island here?”

Curious, Lin Ling entered and saw various advanced experimental equipment and a dazzling array of Honkai Beast samples.

“You’re here, Guinea Pig~”

Mobius, wearing a white lab coat, greeted Lin Ling without turning around, currently fiddling with some kind of microscope-like instrument.

“Long time no see, Snake Wife... um...”

Lin Ling, her professional instincts kicking in, intended to tease Snake as usual, but suddenly she noticed Snake’s ankles still sporting the characteristic ball joints of a doll and asked curiously.

“Why are you still using this doll’s body? Aren’t you going back to your original body?”

“Heh? Back?” Mobius put down the microscope with a look of disdain on her face. “You mean that outdated robot body? That’s not as convenient as this doll body.”

Otto’s Soulium body was the result of five hundred years of continuous research and improvement, possessing a technological level decades or even centuries ahead of other regions of the world.

But in Mobius’s eyes, it was nothing special. After all, the knowledge Otto learned from the Void Archives was based on the science and technology of the Previous Era, led by her, Mei, and Vil-V. Moreover, it seemed they had not mastered it yet. Modern human civilization still could not manufacture the most basic anti-Honkai material, Soulium, and could only obtain it by excavating the ruins of the Previous Era.

“Well, it’s still prettier than this doll’s body. At least it’s cuter on the outside~” Lin Ling commented.

“Cute? I think Lin Ling’s body is the cutest to me~ Or...”

Mobius looked Lin Ling up and down, her eyes filled with undisguised greed. “Are you planning to offer your body to me?”

“Hiss~”

After being stared at like a snake lurking in the shadows, Lin Ling involuntarily shivered and tightened her clothes.

“Um, Snake, could you please stop drooling when you see me? Are you that greedy for my body?”

Mobius’s reply was to lick her lips even more greedily. “Hehe, Guinea Pig I’ll get you sooner or later When that time comes, I’ll definitely devour you completely!”

“Ahem.” Lin Ling coughed lightly twice. “Alright, Snake, let’s get down to business. I heard you made a deal with Otto? That guy isn’t exactly a saint. Be careful not to get scammed.”

“Hehe” Mobius chuckled softly. “That guy is certainly no saint, but I am no saint either. I have what he wants, and he can provide the help I need. We’re just mutually benefiting.”

“Is that so...” Lin Ling’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Then... what is it that you want? I wonder if I can get it for you?”

“Hehe, Sister Lin Ling~ I know you really want to help me, but this is far from enough for you alone. Even if you possess the Herrscher of Reason’s ability to create anything out of thin air with Honkai, as Hua would say, ‘Even a skilled cook can’t cook without rice.’ Without a sample, you can’t create it.”

Lin Ling tilted her head. “A sample?”

Seeing Lin Ling’s apparent confusion, Mobius turned back and quickly flipped through the controls.

Then the entire laboratory began to shift with light and shadow. Countless strange and complex diagrams, symbols resembling atomic and molecular deconstruction, and double-helix patterns swirled, pieced together, and merged around Lin Ling’s body...

“What is this?”

Looking at the strange scene before her, Lin Ling became increasingly confused, but her expression also turned serious—

Lately, although Otto had been mysteriously keeping Schicksal busy with a bunch of inexplicable things and Schicksal’s unusual activity had made Anti-Entropy, far away on the other side of Earth, feel uneasy—

Lin Ling remained quite calm. She would tease Dudu, play with Sushang, have tea with Mei, and teach her how to play games.

As for Rita... well, she was a bit dangerous.

In short, she ate and drank as usual without letting anything bother her. When she was tired of playing, she would go back to her room and sleep soundly. Life could not be more carefree.

Because, as a transmigrator, she knew very well what big scheme Otto was up to—going back in time to save Kallen.

Moreover, under Lin Ling’s corrections, Kiana, Mei, Bronya, and the others had gained their due powers just like in the original story, and everything was on track.

Lin Ling figured that even if she did nothing, nothing major would go wrong. Since that was the case, she might as well take a good rest.

But now, the only “variable” she needed to worry about had appeared: the Mobius before her.

Through a series of butterfly effects, this dangerous MANTIS Memory Replica had broken free of the constraints of the Elysian Realm and entered the real world. She wondered what kind of terrible trouble this terrifying being, capable of even plotting against her own body, and Otto, the biggest schemer in Honkai’s early to mid-stages, would cause.

However... Lin Ling stared at the surrounding images for a long time but still could not understand them.

“Snake, stop being so mysterious. What are all these?” she asked.

“It’s very simple.”

Mobius pressed a button one last time, and all the graphic symbols quickly gathered together, finally transforming into a humanoid, naked girl—Mobius herself.

“Oh dear~” Lin Ling feigned shyness, covering her eyes and then peering intently through her fingers at the life-size model before her. “Snake, really? How could I possibly do this?”

“Sister Lin Ling~ What are you thinking? You’re such a pervert! This is just the purest human form. Or perhaps you have some strange thoughts about me? But if it’s Sister Lin Ling, it’s not impossible...” Mobius chuckled.

“Eh!? This... this isn’t good, is it?”

Although Mobius was undeniably a stunning beauty, she was also a ruthless woman. Lin Ling was still a little scared to be with her; she might wake up one night to find her kidneys ripped open or herself sliced up.

Mobius, seemingly consumed by jealousy after being politely rejected by Lin Ling, scoffed, “Hmph! You just called me ‘wife,’ and now you’re rejecting me? Do you really look down on me that much? What do I lack compared to your girlfriends?”

“Ah, well, no, I didn’t... I also like... uh, isn’t this a bit too fast? Let’s talk about it after we save the world.”

However, offending Mobius wasn’t a good idea, so Lin Ling deliberately dodged the question.

“Pfft.” Seeing Lin Ling’s flustered state, the previously angry Mobius burst out laughing. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Actually, I just want you to help me find my body.”

A smile played on Mobius’s lips as she pointed to her own projection in front of her. “My real body.”

Lin Ling raised an eyebrow in surprise. “You... your real body?!”

“Yes. Since Guinea Pig, you’re unwilling to offer your body to me, then I’ll have to go find my original body.”

“Really? Your original body? Hmm...” Lin Ling scratched her head sheepishly. “I thought you were the type who would give up being human for immortality or evolution.”

“Heh, you’re right. What’s wrong with giving up being human to pursue immortality?”

“And you?”

“Heh, that’s because my former body successfully underwent the MANTIS surgery. If I can get it back, I can definitely have a 100% success rate and become a MANTIS again, becoming the complete Mobius!”

Mobius finally revealed her deal with Otto—

It turned out that Otto needed all the Herrscher of Dominance cores to realize his final plan, including the one Mobius possessed. His reward was to help Mobius return to 50,000 years ago to collect the materials necessary for a complete “rebirth.”

Then Snake led Lin Ling, using the core of the Herrscher of Dominance and following Otto’s instructions, to find an imaginary singularity. Lin Ling then used the power of the Herrscher of the Void to tear open a portal to a world from 50,000 years ago.

...

“Hey, Snake, come over here quickly. There’s no one here.”

Inside a laboratory unlike anything in Schicksal’s style, a white-haired girl crept stealthily ahead, cautiously peeking around a corner before quietly calling to Mobius behind her.

Behind her, a green-haired girl strolled leisurely down the middle of the corridor, completely unperturbed.

“What are you doing, Guinea Pig?” Mobius asked.

“Shh, Snake, keep your movements quiet!” Lin Ling quickly turned and called out. “Don’t alert the guards. This is Fire Moth’s base. If we encounter a mental MANTIS like Su, my Herrscher of Sentience ability might not be effective.”

“You’re already stuck in the mire, child, but don’t worry. Please come with me, and I will do my best to cleanse your sins.”

Perhaps Lin Ling’s jinx had come true, for just as she was worrying about encountering Su, a voice filled with compassion and love suddenly rang out behind her.

Su did not appear, but Aponia, also a psycho-sensory MANTIS and the strongest one at that, appeared.

“!” Lin Ling was immediately startled and frozen in fear.

Now, even if she encountered Kevin, she would not worry. Even if she could not win, she could still run. But if it were Aponia, it might not be so simple. Her incomplete Herrscher of Sentience power was terrifyingly weak on a mental level, making her no match for her opponent.

In that case, perhaps this entire timeline would be...

Meanwhile, in the main world—

At the old headquarters of Schicksal outside Vienna—

“Your Excellency, the Hyperion from the Far East Branch has sent a communication. Due to inspection considerations, Lady Theresa and the main members of the Far East Branch will arrive at the Old Palace headquarters at 3 PM local time tomorrow.”

In Otto’s study, a white-haired girl wearing what looked like a strange eye patch—but was actually high-tech AR glasses—was reporting the current progress to Overseer Schicksal.

“Very good.” Otto, who had been leisurely reading, put down his book and a knowing smile spread across his face. “Everything is unfolding according to plan. Even though they know this is bait I set... they have no choice but to take it. Next, on the stage I’ve arranged, they will gain a profound and perfect understanding of what exactly Otto Apocalypse is thinking. And this understanding itself is precisely the ‘most crucial’ variable in the entire plan.”

“Ahem.” After listening quietly to Otto’s seemingly smug explanation, Amber asked with a hint of inquiry, “Then, Your Excellency, will I be in charge of the reception tomorrow afternoon?”

“No.” Surprisingly, Otto refused his secretary’s suggestion. “I have other work to give you tomorrow. As for the reception of the Hyperion, I have other considerations, so I’ll delegate it to someone else.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

“Alright, go and rest. This coming weekend—it’s going to be a rather long 48 hours.”

With the secretary, who had served Otto for many years, quietly leaving, the Overseer’s study returned to its usual resolute silence.

“The dice have been rolled. The few remaining uncertainties... can only be left to fate. Otto Apocalypse hereby confirms—in this gamble more extravagant than life and death...”

Otto stood by the window, gazing at the moon, which was almost full, and murmured to himself, now clearly audible.

“I have prepared everything I could...”

—+——————————

 Chapter 261: Reforging the Serpent's Body / Hyperion Arrives at Schicksal

"Look how scared you are! Aren't you always attracted to pretty girls? Why are you so afraid of Aponia?"

While Lin Ling stared in disbelief, Mobius calmly walked straight to her side, facing Aponia without fear, and even teased her.

"Or is there some secret you're hiding that you don't want Aponia to find out?"

Strangely, Aponia appeared completely oblivious to Mobius's actions.

"Hmm?"

Confused, Lin Ling noticed that Aponia's gaze wasn't focused on her or Mobius.

It simply passed right through them.

Lin Ling quickly turned around and saw a masked man passing by at the other end of the corridor.

"Hmph! Get lost!"

Kalpas, stopped by Aponia, cursed at her viciously without hesitation and then, with a flourish, quickly disappeared in the other direction of the cross passage.

After watching Kalpas disappear, Aponia sighed softly.

"It seems Kalpas is becoming more and more obedient."

Then she continued walking slowly toward Lin Ling, showing no sign of stopping even as she was about to collide with her.

"Huh?" Lin Ling quickly stepped aside to make way for her.

"Phew~" After Aponia and Kalpas had both disappeared, Lin Ling finally breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her voice to ask Mobius beside her.

"Snake... what's going on? They seem unable to see us?"

"How silly. You didn't need to lower your voice at all," Snake calmly explained.

"Of course they can't see us. Do you really think we've gone back 50,000 years?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Lin Ling didn't understand.

"What you're seeing now is merely a gap—or rather, a window, or... a vulnerability—opened in the Imaginary Tree through your Herrscher of the Void powers. Then, I used some hacking-like methods to project information from a specific point in time into this 'Theater of Domination.'"

"So..." Lin Ling understood. "This is just a piece of information from 50,000 years ago? Similar to what Otto did outside?"

"Well, while not entirely accurate, with Guinea Pig's intelligence, that's a fair interpretation. Come on, follow me to my lab. If I remember correctly, at this point in time, 'I'm' conducting a final detailed analysis of 'myself.' If we miss it, we'll have to start all over again."

"Hmm..." Lin Ling remained silent for a long time, then sighed softly. "Sigh... even if it was all for nothing, it really wasn't that simple."

At first, she thought Mobius from the Previous Era was capable of even manipulating the God Honkai and might possess some advanced technology unknown to Otto and truly allow her to travel back 50,000 years. But now it seems she was just like Otto outside, simply projecting information from the past.

The only difference was that Otto projected information from 500 years ago into the present-day town of Kolosten, while Mobius projected information from 50,000 years ago into the Theater of Domination.

"Wait!" Suddenly, Lin Ling realized something and quickly caught up with Mobius. "If it's just a projection without a physical form, how are you going to create an original body?"

"It's simple." Mobius turned and smiled at Lin Ling.

"Use this, and... this."

Then she pointed to her eyes and her head.

"Huh?"

Lin Ling, of course, couldn't understand the meaning behind Mobius's actions.

...

"Excellent, my body analysis is complete, the Meta-Morph factor is ready, and the current success rate is... greater than zero. Everything is ready..."

In a dimly lit laboratory, a green-haired woman with heavy dark circles under her eyes and wearing a white lab coat excitedly watched the monitor in front of her.

Her appearance was very similar to Mobius. However, considering her voluptuous figure, mature face, and her words just now, this should be Mobius—or more accurately, Mobius in her human form and preparing to cease being human.

However, in a different dimension completely undetectable to Mobius herself, there were also two girls, one white and one green, one large and one small, in the laboratory.

"Damn it, I can't catch this at all!" Lin Ling reached out to grab the "Giant snake" in front of her, and her fingers passed directly through its body like a ghost.

"Of course you can't catch it. Didn't I already say? We're not even in the same time and space. This is just a projection from the past... Wait, where are you trying to grab me?"

Lin Ling scratched her head awkwardly. "Ahem, a slip of the hand."

"Never mind, you can't touch it anyway."

Mobius ignored Lin Ling's rudeness and went straight to another monitor. Here, the various strange formulas and symbols Lin Ling had seen in another lab were rapidly changing while remaining orderly arranged.

It looked like some kind of data monitor.

"Very good. Looks like I've come at the right time. The experiment has just begun." Mobius stared intently at the screen, then said to Lin Ling, "From now on, you just need to protect me from disturbances."

"Protect you? Didn't you say this was just a projection?" Lin Ling pointed at the "Giant snake" and asked curiously, "Can a projection hit you?"

"Of course 'I' won't hurt me, but they might."

"Huh?... Them?"

Perhaps having left her "comfort zone," where she knew the plot's direction, Lin Ling, who knew nothing, felt particularly puzzled today. It seems that even if she intentionally tried to maintain control, with her continued interference, the history of this Honkai world was increasingly deviating from its original course.

And before she could ask any more questions—

"Whoosh!"

A massive dark-gold greatsword suddenly shot toward Mobius from afar.

Fortunately, Lin Ling reacted quickly, leaping forward and catching the blade with her bare hands, firmly gripping it. This allowed Mobius to continue watching the monitor unharmed.

Then, following the direction the greatsword came from, Lin Ling saw a familiar enemy—Husk - Nihilism.

Moreover, Lin Ling could feel strong spatial fluctuations emanating from all directions. Clearly, there was more than one enemy.

"Although the projections won't harm us, will the Imaginary Tree's protection mechanism eliminate us hackers? I understand, Snake. I'll hold them off for you. Hurry up."

...

At this moment, Mobius was completely preoccupied with absorbing all the data displayed on the screen and etching it into her brain—no, into her soul. Absolutely no mistakes were allowed.

And so, an unknown amount of time passed.

Finally!

Almost simultaneously, the large and small Mobius faces were filled with immense excitement and exclaimed in unison. "I succeeded!"

Immediately afterward, a strange light distorted, and everything from the Previous Era and the Imaginary Tree creations returned to nothingness...

This world once again resembled the ruins of the Theater of Domination.

"Phew... finally finished. It took forever. I was almost exhausted..."

Lin Ling then sprawled out in the floating island's laboratory, panting heavily and looking utterly exhausted.

"Good job, Guinea Pig Not bad. Now it seems that besides your body, I'm growing to like you more and more on a soul and consciousness level." Mobius praised Lin Ling with satisfaction. "Really, I'm increasingly wanting to possess you completely"

Then she turned on a device and began inputting something again.

After resting for a while and feeling slightly recovered, Lin Ling stood up again, wanting to see what Mobius was doing.

"By the way, you're done? Is your body back? I feel like nothing's changed?" Lin Ling asked curiously, then exclaimed, "Hmm? This is... DNA?!"

Although she couldn't understand everything, Lin Ling recognized the words "gene editing."

Suddenly it dawned on her. "Oh, I see! Did you memorize all the DNA information from your original body and then use that DNA information to clone yourself? That's terrifying! I've heard that the length of a human DNA molecule can reach 100 billion kilometers, which is nearly eight times the diameter of the known solar system and 26,000 times the distance between Earth and the Moon. It could travel to and from the Moon 13,000 times! No wonder you're one of the most powerful brains in the Previous Era. You can remember all that!"

"Huh? Ten thousand round trips between Earth and the Moon?" Mobius seemed to have heard some outrageous fallacy and stared at Lin Ling like she was an idiot. "Where did you hear that nonsense? Don't keep reading those marketing accounts spouting rubbish. The human genome is about 3.16 billion base pairs. If you stretched them all out, the length would be about 0.68 × 3.16 billion nanometers, or 2.15 meters. Saying it's a hundred billion kilometers would require connecting the genes of every single cell in the body. And if it's just cloning, we don't need that many. Just the DNA of one cell is enough."

"Hmm..." After hearing Mobius's explanation, Lin Ling awkwardly scratched her head. "Well, even one cell's DNA has over three billion base pairs. It would be terrifying to remember them all. It's inhuman."

"Hehe, actually, this isn't entirely correct either." Mobius turned and gave Lin Ling a look, gesturing for her to look at her hands.

Several wires extended from the puppet's fingers, connecting to a computer.

"The human brain can't possibly remember so much data in a short time, so I modified this body's eyes into electronic eyes beforehand, giving it the ability to memorize quickly. Besides, the genome isn't just about memorizing numbers one by one. Back in the Previous Era, I developed a special method of representation that mixes graphics, text, formulas, and numbers, which can compress genetic data as much as possible... well, you wouldn't understand anyway." Mobius explained briefly, then, seeing Lin Ling still full of questions, gave up.

"Next, I need your Herrscher of Reason ability to help."

Lin Ling plopped down in the chair next to Mobius, then slumped listlessly onto the table.

"Ugh~ No, I'm so tired. Can't I rest for a bit? You already have your complete genome information, so why not just clone yourself?"

"Huh? You think cloning is that simple? You think the cloned you will be a perfect one-to-one replica? Did you know that the first cloned sheep only lived half as long as the original? Do you know why Kiana is K423? Because the previous 422 subjects all failed. And your perpetually immature aunt—do you know how many clones failed before her? Due to limitations in technology, materials, and theory, cloning is rarely a perfect match for the original. At best, it results in various congenital diseases and weakness; at worst, it leads to stillbirth. Moreover, the time required for a cloned embryo to develop from scratch and mature is considerable. I don't have that much time to wait."

"Ah... well, okay then. But you know I don't know as much as you, Dr. Mobius. If the clone turns out to be flat-chested or short and clumsy, don't blame me."

"Hehe, don't worry. Just temporarily hand over control of your body to me and let me use the Herrscher of Reason's powers."

"Ah, this..."

Perhaps sensing Lin Ling's hesitation,

Mobius shrugged and explained, "Don't worry, this isn't the Elysian Realm. Neither physically nor mentally do I possess the power of MANTIS anymore. I'm just an ordinary human—oh no, not even an ordinary human. There's no way I can win against you in a physical contest. Besides, now I don't just want to take your body anymore because I've discovered that the complete you is what's truly valuable for research. If I'm going to possess you, I must possess the whole of you~"

Having said that, Mobius once again greedily licked her lips at Lin Ling, as usual~

...

October 14, 2017, Saturday, 2:50 PM—

With the roar of its engines, the Hyperion docked at the seemingly ordinary town of Kolosten.

"Kolosten... the former headquarters of Schicksal before the floating island... I'm back."

Stepping off the warship and looking at the familiar scenery, Theresa couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion.

"Captain Durandal of Immortal Blades, on the orders of Overseer Otto Apocalypse, is here to welcome Lady Theresa Apocalypse of the Far East Branch."

Following this, Durandal, along with the Valkyries of Immortal Blades, immediately welcomed the incoming Archbishop Theresa.

"No need to be so polite." Theresa looked around and, sure enough, the man didn't appear. She then asked, "Durandal, you should know that the situation is very complicated right now, so I'll get straight to the point—what are your Overseer's plans for what's to come? And where are the clues to the Herrscher's core?"

----

EX Chapters: Investigating the ‘Space-Time Projection’

“The Overseer said she’s busy with the aftermath and can’t spare the time. So she ordered me to fully assist you in exploring this area affected by the remnants of the Herrscher of Dominance."

Durandal explained and added, “Previously, the Overseer contacted the Imaginary Tree through the remnants of the Theater of Domination and the Second Divine Key, ‘Cosmic Juggernaut,’ so he speculated that perhaps that previous action caused this area to become connected to the Herrscher core.”

“What? What did you just say? Otto used the remnants of the Theater of Domination? When was that?” Tesla asked immediately.

Durandal thought for a moment. “About a month ago.”

“That’s a long time after the Herrscher of Dominance was defeated. Even Anti-Entropy can no longer detect any trace of the Herrscher of Dominance. Why could he still use the Theater of Domination?” Einstein asked in confusion.

As a representative of military personnel, Durandal naturally did not understand the principles behind these matters. She shook her head. “I’m sorry, I don’t know about that. Perhaps the Overseer himself can answer your questions, but I can’t contact him at all right now... This is indeed very embarrassing, but it could also be called his consistent style of working.”

Theresa was well aware of Otto’s character so she smoothed things over for Durandal.

“It’s not your fault. Grandpa has always been irresponsible. Especially... when she’s secretly plotting something.”

“Perhaps, but in any case, it was with hus help that I was able to reconnect the World Bubble which I had originally protected myself to the Imaginary Tree to some extent... For this, I have nothing but gratitude toward him.”

After listening to Durandal’s words, Einstein frowned slightly and thought to herself:

Reconnecting a World Bubble back to the Imaginary Tree? That’s an impossible challenge. She never imagined Otto could do that. What conspiracy is he plotting?

However, at this stage, we still can’t speculate on Otto’s true purpose in this matter... but we can clearly sense that he's using Miss Durandal...

Thinking this, Einstein continued. “Miss Durandal, let’s return to the main topic. You mentioned earlier that ‘clues to the Herrscher core appeared near this old headquarters.’ What exactly did you mean?”

“Literally, I meant ‘an anomaly in the spacetime environment.’ The Archbishop believes this anomaly is likely related to the power of spacetime. Based on this premise, the missing Herrscher of Dominance core is naturally our primary suspect,” Durandal continued to explain.

After listening to Durandal’s explanation, Tesla nodded reluctantly. “It’s not entirely untenable... However, it depends on what exactly you mean by ‘anomaly in spacetime.’”

“The specifics still require investigation. But based on what we know so far, it seems that spacetime information from a certain period in the past has been projected into our current spacetime.”

“‘Information from a certain period in the past has been projected into our current spacetime’?”

Tesla repeated Durandal’s somewhat convoluted words, then her expression changed drastically. “Huh? The ‘spacetime projection’ that Mophead researched? Do you know what you’re saying, Valkyrie of Schicksal?!”

“In front of outsiders, you should address me as ‘Dr. Einstein,’ Dr. Tesla,” the blue-haired girl called Mophead corrected her with a slight hint of anger. She immediately explained for Tesla, “However, Miss Durandal, Dr. Tesla certainly has reason to lose her composure. In our reality, spacetime curvature already requires considerable mass or energy, and ‘spacetime projection’ even more so. Generally, it can only occur in the Sea of Quanta or deep within the Imaginary Tree, not openly appear on Earth’s surface. If what you say is indeed true... then Miss Durandal...”

Einstein’s expression turned grave, but she didn’t continue. Tesla, equally serious and worried, quickly added.

"This place will experience another ‘imaginary invasion’ after Nagazora City—the phenomenon of ordinary space being eroded by a singularity and assimilated by imaginary space. Oh no! Could it be caused by the out-of-control Herrscher of Dominance? Speaking of which, that core does indeed possess a power similar to the Herrscher of the Void, connecting to imaginary space. No, we must retrieve it as soon as possible, or the tragedy of Nagazora City might repeat itself here!”

“It seems Otto has really given us a huge burden. Like...” Einstein sighed, “like the Second Eruption.”

“Ladies, regardless of the truth, since everyone has such serious concerns—” seeing the two doctors becoming increasingly serious, Durandal suggested, “why don’t we use this opportunity to explore the area where the anomaly was discovered together? After all, stopping Schicksal and Anti-Entropy... is our inescapable duty.”

“Indeed,” Theresa nodded in agreement but added, “However, because of the presence of a certain Overseer, our troop deployment is somewhat stretched. How about this—you and I will go verify the situation first. What do you think?”

Upon hearing that Theresa wanted to act alone with Schicksal’s strongest Valkyrie and Otto’s strongest subordinate, Tesla naturally disagreed.

"Hey! Theresa, isn’t that too risky?!”

However, Theresa calmly analyzed, “It’s alright. Even from the perspective of being Schicksal’s hostage, I’m currently the most suitable person on the Hyperion.”

“Hmm...” Seeing that the others seemed somewhat distrustful, Durandal thought for a moment and suggested.

"After the series of events before, it’s normal for Theresa-senpai to have such concerns. Therefore, please allow me to appoint some civilian staff from Immortal Blades to remain on the Hyperion to facilitate subsequent communication work. What do you all think?”

Exchanging hostages for fairness and to gain trust?

Durandal’s actions slightly changed Einstein’s opinion of her and even reminded her of the knightly Leona she once knew.

Since the other party had expressed sincerity, they should make their work more thorough this time.

Thinking this through, Einstein agreed to Durandal’s suggestion but added a condition. “However, Ms. Theresa isn’t a technician, and her efficiency in intelligence gathering and analysis might be limited. Therefore, I’d appreciate it if you two could bring Dr. Tesla along during the on-site reconnaissance.”

“If she has basic self-defense capabilities, then there’s no problem,” Durandal replied.

Einstein confidently stated, “No problem. Her mech piloting skills are world-class.”

Durandal nodded. “In that case, on behalf of Schicksal, I agree to Anti-Entropy’s arrangement.”

“Hey, you guys agreed so easily. Didn’t anyone ask how I felt?!”

A certain red-haired, twin-tailed doctor, feeling betrayed, protested indignantly.

---

Chapter 262: The Giant Mobius and Ling and the Ultimate Perfect Creature

“Guinea Pig~ Guinea Pig, wake up...”

Gone was the former naivety, and unlike her past greed, a gentle and intellectual voice filled with sincere gratitude roused the girl from her deep slumber...

“Hmm... what is this?”

The awakened girl was unsure whether she was still lingering in a beautiful dream or simply overwhelmed by the wondrous sight before her.

She stared blankly at the older woman in front of her for more than ten seconds, her eyes wide with confusion...

Then she unconsciously muttered to herself, “...So... so beautiful...”

“Huh? You white rat, what are you saying?”

Only when the other person spoke did the girl snap out of her daze. She immediately turned her head away awkwardly, “Ahaha, n-nothing. I was still half asleep. By the way, Snake, why aren’t you dressed properly?”

“I just came out of the petri dish, and I think I forgot to prepare clothes that fit. This body can’t fit into those children’s clothes right now.”

At this moment, Mobius’s mature and graceful body was only wrapped in a thin bath towel that rose and fell with her curves. If one looked closely, they could see glistening water droplets flowing from her still slightly damp green hair to her delicate cheeks, making her appear both languid and alluring.

Seeing Lin Ling’s seemingly shy demeanor, Mobius deliberately moved closer, wanting her to look directly at her.

“But tell me, Guinea Pig, how do I look in this body?”

“Ahem.” Lin Ling pretended to look around at the scenery, though she couldn’t help stealing a few glances. “It’s... big, I guess. No wonder I fall in love with every single one I see... Huh!? What are you doing?”

Before the girl could react with her usual rambling to hide her embarrassment, Mobius had already grabbed her hands and intertwined their fingers tightly.

Leaning forward slightly, she sincerely whispered in Lin Ling’s ear.

“Thank you, Ling. With your help, I’ve finally become a complete Mobius.”

“I-Is that so? Well then~ congratulations...”

“So~”

Mobius stepped closer, allowing Lin Ling to clearly feel the warmth and humidity emanating from her body—they were almost touching.

“Ling, I’ve decided to give you another gift~”

...

“Snake, didn’t you say you were going to give me a gift? Where is it?”

Some time passed.

Lin Ling, who had initially been somewhat distracted, returned to her bored and listless state and idly spun around in a swivel chair in the lab.

Meanwhile, Mobius had changed into the researcher’s outfit Lin Ling had prepared for her—a white lab coat—and was fiddling with advanced equipment that Lin Ling couldn’t understand.

“Don’t rush. I not only brought my own genome map, but I also wrote down some other important data. However, this is a bit complicated, so we’ll have to wait a while.”

“Oh.” Lin Ling sat back in her chair and propped her chin against the backrest. “So what exactly is it? What’s it for?”

“Guinea Pig.” Mobius turned to Lin Ling and asked, “Have you heard of Project Chimera?”

“Chimera? I’ve heard of it. Apparently Kevin wasn’t only injected with Ice Pig genes but also fused with a lot of Honkai Beast genes. Oh? Speaking of which, you did the same thing to me last time and gave me a lot of Meta-Morph factor injections. Does that mean I’ve become a Chimera now? Can I beat up Kevin?”

“No.” Mobius shook her head. “The significance of the Chimera Project lies in breaking through the limits of the MANTIS Project, allowing a human warrior to transplant multiple Honkai Beast genes. But that’s not all. Guinea Pig, try changing your body first. Hmm, what should you change into? How about becoming a cat?”

“Alright, I’ve got nothing better to do anyway.”

With that, Lin Ling slowly closed her eyes and attempted to manipulate the Honkai within her body to undergo a deep transformation.

“Meow~”

Then, accompanied by a meow, a pair of cat ears sprouted from her head, and a long fluffy cat tail emerged from under her skirt.

“Hmm, a white cat. Very cute. Pardo would definitely love to see you like this.” Mobius praised Lin Ling a few times before continuing.

“Now, Guinea Pig, try growing dragon horns and wings on top of your catgirl form.”

“That’s right! If that’s the case, does that mean I can possess the power of two Honkai Beasts at the same time? Hmm...!!”

Thinking this, Lin Ling mustered all her strength and tried to transform into a dragon princess form on top of her catgirl form.

As she exerted herself, a pair of horn-like phantoms faintly appeared above her head.

But at the very last moment, just before they fully formed, the light from the dragon horns exploded and vanished.

“Huff... huff...”

Lin Ling panted heavily.

Now she was back to being an ordinary human, and even the cat ears she had just grown had disappeared.

She looked incredibly weak...

“No.” Lin Ling shook her head regretfully. “These two powers clash. I can’t manifest them simultaneously. In fact, if it weren’t for my Herrscher of Death powers, I might have been seriously injured.”

“I knew it.” Although Lin Ling had failed, Mobius didn’t seem surprised. She calmly explained, “You’re not the real ‘Chimera’ right now. You’re just a forcibly fused ‘Frankenstein’ monster. In terms of MANTIS power alone, you’re still far from being a match for Kevin.”

“Ew~” Lin Ling looked disgusted. “‘Frankenstein’ sounds awful.”

“Well, to be precise, it’s not even Frankenstein’s monster. While fusing many Honkai Beasts has enhanced your basic physique, you still can’t use the powers of multiple high-level Honkai Beasts simultaneously because they conflict with each other.”

“Then what should we do? I remember Kevin has some kind of succubus—no, demon form—that seems to possess characteristics of several Honkai Beasts?”

“That’s the gift I’m about to give you—the Chimera Project. The Chimera Project isn’t just about fusing the powers of multiple Honkai Beasts. Just like fire and water combine into steam, sometimes more types of power aren’t necessarily better. We need to selectively optimize and combine these complex and powerful abilities to develop the perfect ultimate life form possessing the advantages of all Honkai Beasts—‘Chimera’!”

“Oh, you mean I can continue to upgrade?!”

Lin Ling’s eyes lit up immediately. She naturally wouldn’t refuse a method to increase her strength.

“Then how do I do it?”

Just then, before Mobius could answer, the lab’s voice broadcast system announced:

“Research progress—99.99%, 100%. Ding~ ‘Meta-Morph Factor—Sesa’ injection complete.”

“It’s simple.”

Accompanied by the completion notification, Mobius took an injection gun from the equipment beside her and spoke to Lin Ling with a friendly smile.

“Be a good girl, turn your backside toward me, and bend over...”

---

 Chapter 263: The Death of Otto (?)

“Now, let me continue with the basics.”

In the investigation team consisting of Durandal, Theresa, and Dr. Tesla, Durandal considerately explained the recent strange phenomena to the other two.

“According to our preliminary investigation, our vanguard’s spacetime overlaps with information from the 15th century. Seeing is believing, so let’s start by confirming the light field over there.”

In some areas of the spacetime projection and overlap, they discovered fragments of information from ancient times. These fragments generated 3D-like illusions that perfectly recreated everything that had actually happened in the past.

These fragments could be audio-visual snippets or even emotional reflections, allowing people to truly experience what it meant to be there.

Durandal added, “You can experience it for yourselves; there’s no danger.”

Then, to prove there was no danger, she reached out and touched one of the distorted phenomena.

“Hmm, quite amazing…”

Theresa then tried touching a distorted space, and she indeed saw the drastically changed town and its tense and panicked people.

“What is this!?...”

Suddenly, Theresa felt as if her limbs were bound by something. Her head was spinning, and she could only sense that she was lying flat.

Something... cold touched her abdomen...

She felt herself bleeding, but she felt no pain.

The spinning sensation intensified...

Just as she was about to savor the feeling, all sensation suddenly vanished...

“What’s wrong?”

Perhaps noticing Theresa’s unusual state, Tesla asked with curiosity and concern as the suddenly frozen Theresa stood there motionless.

“I…” Theresa touched her lower abdomen, looking dazed. Looking down, she saw nothing amiss, as if the sensation of being pierced had been an illusion.

“It’s nothing…”

…

“Hmm… this really wasn’t a comfortable experience. The lives of ancient people are terrifying. But one thing at a time, it seems the extent of the corruption by imaginary numbers here is much worse than I initially anticipated.”

After investigating and personally experiencing the mutations in the town of Kolosten, Dr. Tesla’s brow furrowed even more.

“Wait a moment.” Then she took out a small electronic device and said, “I’ll configure a program based on the degree of corruption here to see if I can find the source of the anomaly…”

As countless command lines scrolled by along with the agonizing sound of typing, the monitor finally froze on a strange mathematical graph.

“Oh, the city center? What a coincidence.”

Although the result seemed quite incongruous, as if someone had deliberately manipulated it, the data didn’t lie. So, after a moment’s thought, Dr. Tesla finally decided.

"Let’s go check out the city center square. We should be able to find some useful clues there...”

“Vera! Vera... where are you? Damn it! What are these?”

But as the group headed toward the city center, a cry for help grew clearer.

“What’s wrong? Why is someone calling for help here? And that voice...”

Although the tone wasn’t quite right, Durandal was very familiar with that voice.

Of course, Theresa and Dr. Tesla felt the same way.

They exchanged glances, nodded in unison, and then each drew their weapons or piloted their mechs.

Finally, the group dealt with a group of Honkai beasts in the town square. Then, Dr. Tesla’s mech’s cannons were fully charged and aimed at a blond man who had just been surrounded by Honkai beasts—

“Otto!”

...

“Anyway, let me sort this out first. Is this 2017 AD?... You’re all from five hundred years in the future, and you all know me?”

After everyone explained things to each other, the blond man who had suddenly appeared and looked exactly like Otto was very confused.

Theresa retorted, “Otherwise, why would I call you Grandpa!?”

Of course, this reason was far-fetched. The man shook his head and directly pointed out the biggest flaw in their story.

“But even if what you’re saying is true, how am I supposed to live for five hundred years?”

“You discovered Soulium from the Previous Era and created a mechanical prosthetic body for yourself. And you kept changing it,” Durandal explained.

On the other side, although she had stepped out of the mech, Tesla still maintained a considerable safe distance from Otto, who claimed to be from five hundred years ago, and spoke fiercely.

"Hmph! Yes, you even stole other people’s bodies using Trojan programs. But I don’t trust you at all. At the very least, you have to prove that you are indeed from the 15th century. After all, your existence is too abnormal. Although information from the past timeline exists here, a living person like you shouldn’t theoretically be able to appear!”

“Uh... although that can indeed be a reason for you to be wary of me... I always feel that I really did a lot of things that you can’t accept.”

“It’s more than just unacceptable!! You… never mind.”

Tesla became increasingly agitated but ultimately lowered her raised fist. “If you really are his other self from the 15th century, then beating you up now would do any good. I can’t worry about his parallel future self.”

Otto (?) nodded thoughtfully. “Parallel worlds, huh? That seems to make sense. If that’s the case, there won’t be any time paradoxes.”

“Hmm, that’s basic philosophical common sense, isn’t it? Wait, this isn’t the time to talk about that.” Tesla stopped herself in time and asked the other two, “So, Durandal, Theresa, what should we do with this guy?”

Seeing the twin-tailed girl’s extremely hostile attitude, Otto (?) spoke somewhat awkwardly.

“Ah, it seems this future me has done a lot of terrible things to you.”

“Do you know what despicable, shameless, and vile things the person with that disgusting face of yours has done? Want me to list a few for you?!”

“Dr. Tesla, please control your emotions.”

Durandal stepped in front of Tesla, who had become agitated again. “I know the Overseer has wronged you in the past, but compared to past grievances, we have more pressing matters to attend to now.”

“It’s this chaotic time itself, isn’t it? To you, I am someone both familiar and strange, appearing out of nowhere... but to me, it was only a fleeting moment. The battlefield that had just ended became utterly bizarre, and everyone around me vanished without a trace.”

For this Otto (?), he had just led the rebellion to overthrow the corrupt Schicksal headquarters, annihilating the ‘Overseer’s Guard,’ and then lost contact with his disciples…

“Annihilate the main Schicksal forces…” Tesla astutely grasped the key point in the other’s words. “You’re from the time when you led the rebels to overthrow your nephew and sister?”

In Schicksal’s history, it was said that Otto at that time wasn’t entirely beyond redemption. In fact, he performed many good deeds beneficial to the world, such as abolishing indulgences and ending the corrupt rule of the Schicksal forces.

“To be precise, we’re united not because of… but because of the 'Saint.’”

“The Saint? You mean Schicksal’s Saint—Kallen Kaslana?”

“Of course. There is no other saint in the world I know. Kallen… she… died because of me.”

Unlike the spirited Otto that Tesla and the others knew, this past Otto was always very depressed.

Now, mentioning that woman’s name, his voice became even more filled with guilt and self-reproach.

“I couldn’t bear this sin. My mind was filled with nothing but escaping myself in a meaningless second half of my life. At that time, I dared not, did not want to, and was incapable of facing a world without her. I fled to a small island used as a cemetery by the Venetians, where I opened a monastery under the name of a priest to take in special orphans... with my noble salary, I could perform a kind of atonement that couldn’t redeem anything.”

“...” Hearing her grandfather say this, Theresa also fell silent. If it weren’t for dire circumstances, who would willingly become a bad person?

“Hmph!” Tesla, of course, still looked skeptical. “Perhaps he wasn’t this bad in the past, but that wouldn’t make up for his current sins.”

“But...” Otto (?) continued recounting his past. He didn’t spend the rest of his life in a monastery seeking solace. In a turbulent world, who can remain untouched?

“The ordinary people under Schicksal’s rule, even those utterly disillusioned with life, could only endure their unbearable days. Perhaps because most were unable to escape their lives, the ‘Saint’ began to become their spiritual totem, their faith. They believed Kallen was the ‘only Saint’ in the world, that Kallen’s generous sacrifice was truly atonement for ‘all those born with sin.’ They worshipped everything related to the Saint. They used this spirit to resist Schicksal’s dark rule... In the end, they would either perish in silence or erupt in silence...”

Seeing Theresa and Durandal becoming increasingly less hostile under this man’s words, Tesla interjected with dissatisfaction.

“Ha? In the end, you cleverly used all of this, letting the rebels sacrifice themselves to become a stepping stone for you to ascend to the throne of Archbishop Schicksal?”

Otto (?) looked somewhat puzzled and even surprised. He asked. “This... why do you think this way?”

“Huh? Isn’t it because just looking at your face, I know you would do something like this? With this face, you plotted against the inventor of the Moon Throne, forced the previous strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal to her death, murdered the First Herrscher who fought for humanity, and then killed the previous strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, not even sparing her daughter! With this face, I don’t know what kind of bullshit you were plotting, blocking the successor of the First Herrscher and repeatedly letting the Second Herrscher go, causing tens of millions of innocent people to die!”

This time, before Durandal and the others could stop her, Tesla unleashed her pent-up resentment and anger.

Theresa stood on tiptoe and placed her arm around Tesla’s shoulder. “Calm down, Dr. Tesla. The person you’re accusing isn’t the one in front of you. He has no direct connection to him.”

“Indeed, you are you, and he is he. His utterly shameless and despised smile doesn’t mean you necessarily feel the same way. I’m sorry...”

After venting her anger, Tesla regained her composure. “I shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I truly hope you know what sins this man named Otto Apocalypse has committed!”

“...”

The blond man remained silent for a long time. Then, facing this unwarranted accusation, he bent down and sincerely spoke to Tesla, “No, I’m sorry. Thank you.”

“Huh?” Tesla was taken aback. She had expected him to be furious or at least dissatisfied, but instead, he offered an apology and gratitude.

“Your words have helped me confront myself, future Doctor. There is indeed a void within me that no amount of time can fill. The more I pursue the saint’s light, the deeper this void plunges me into dark torment. I have conducted human experiments, murdered those who admired me, and even caused the deaths of… five hundred years from now, perhaps I truly will… everyone.”

Otto (?) raised his head from deep self-reproach. “If I can return to my world after this, I will relinquish my first right of succession to become Archbishop of Schicksal.”

“…”

“…”

“…”

The three remained silent, but even Dr. Tesla seemed to show a slight easing of the hostility in her eyes.

“Hmph, all talk and no action. Who knows what you’re really thinking?”

However, just to be on the safe side, they decided to take this guy—who claimed to be from five hundred years ago but was suspected to be Otto in disguise—back and investigate him thoroughly.

After all, they couldn’t afford to be careless when dealing with that man.

As they continued their investigation, this Otto indeed displayed aspects completely different from the real Otto.

He was humble, filled with remorse, and genuinely offered advice and strategies for their investigation, which proved quite effective.

This caused Theresa and the others, even Tesla, who hated Otto the most, to feel conflicted. This Otto... didn’t seem so unforgivable after all.

But soon, the man helped them clarify and resolve this Otto who had caused them so much confusion and contradiction.

...

“It’s time, Rita. Retrieve our experimental equipment.”

Inside the church, with the calm and composed command of the Archbishop of Schicksal, a figure as cold as ice descended from the darkness and swiftly wielded a sharp blade, taking away Otto—Otto from five hundred years ago...

————————

Chapter 264: Performance\Trap\Herrscher of Dominance Core

“Let’s revisit this matter.”

Otto retrieved an orange crystal from 'Otto’s' corpse; it was the core of the Herrscher of Dominance. Strangely, however, purple blood—no, it was more like some kind of viscous fluid—flowed from 'Otto’s' body, as if he weren’t human.

“Months ago, test subject K423, known as ‘Kiana Kaslana,’ defeated the Herrscher of Dominance and saved her companions. However, while the Herrscher of Dominance perished, its Herrscher core disappeared. Fortunately, with the help of the Second Divine Key, I managed to enter the ruins of the ‘Theater of Domination,’ and there I discovered a crucial clue. The Herrscher of Dominance’s core, due to its unique nature, is partially hidden in the Imaginary Space, seeking new targets and new opportunities. It is well known that the Herrscher of Dominance is most interested in those who are filled with despair and willing to let the world fall into destruction. And my retrieval plan begins from there.”

“I don’t understand!" Durandal’s confusion was tinged with anger. “What does this have to do with Mr. Otto, who was just attacked by Rita?”

“Calm down, Durandal. Consider my situation this way: when we entered the ruins of the Theater of Domination together, I collected 999 Herrscher cores that had returned and been distributed. But that last one—she cunningly lurked in the depths of the dimensional rifts, making it difficult for me to locate her. So I decided to throw bait to this core: a host she could not refuse. That’s right, it was myself, ‘Otto Apocalypse’ himself.”

“Why?” Theresa still didn’t understand.

“Didn’t that ‘Otto’ already tell you? The saint died because of him, leaving those he served living like zombies. Perhaps I’m no longer as fragile as I once was, but I know the ‘Otto’ from five hundred years ago. No one’s heart was darker than his. So I decided to use this as a foundation to provide an unparalleled stage—a brilliant trap—for the escaped core of the Herrscher of Dominance.”

“First, I used my Second Divine Key to project the results of specific spacetime observations from the Imaginary Tree onto this town. In this way, I neither distorted spacetime itself nor leaked information from another time into ours. Once I prepared a ‘real Otto from five hundred years ago,’ this custom-made trap, tailored to the Herrscher of Dominance’s preferences, was complete.”

“You mean what we see of the past is really just fragments of information, merely pure copies? Yes, it’s all just a side effect of luring the snake out of its hole. Nothing more than information can infiltrate. Everything you see is regenerated in our own world. And in the end, I did indeed deceive the core of the Herrscher of Dominance. As for that ‘Otto,’ he is, of course, just a simulation program. The simulated subject was created from real, complete historical information that traveled through time. Because of this, that individual firmly believes he is ‘Otto Apocalypse’ from 1491. He firmly believes that the uprising he just led overthrew the old Schicksal, and he firmly believes that everything he has done is for the saint in his heart. Therefore, he retains that deadly darkness deep within his heart exactly as it was.

Do we need to remind you of the real history? A new Schicksal rose to power through an uprising. Its leader, to conceal the unspeakable wounds within his heart, betrayed all his comrades for five hundred years. He ultimately became the epitome of evil in the eyes of Anti-Entropy, with even his closest confidants choosing to serve him only to maintain order.”

“But... from what you’re saying, you artificially created this consciousness and then personally destroyed it for your own purposes.” Durandal still couldn’t understand.

“Heh, yes."

A smile, whether mocking or self-deprecating, appeared on Otto’s face.

“But is this the first time you’ve heard that I’d do something like this? For example, I saved someone’s life five hundred years ago, but five hundred years later I still drew my sword against her. That’s more like what Otto Apocalypse would do. Or, for example, to study the power of the Herrschers, I ambushed Mr. Welt when he was about to kill the Second Herrscher, saving her. After that, I killed her, resurrected her, and tortured almost everyone on the Hyperion for her power. These are all things Apocalypse did. Durandal, you clearly know more or less the cause and effect of these things—yet now, you’re concerned about a mechanical consciousness that only existed for a few hours?”

“—”

Durandal said nothing further, but her slightly clenched teeth betrayed her true feelings.

“Oh dear, are you angry because of what I just said? Then I apologize—because in my opinion, ‘being afraid to act for fear of harming others’ is not shameful. You’re not a child anymore, Bianka. Over the years, you’ve upheld your mission, choosing to tolerate the darkness of this world and the necessary evils I’ve manifested. I must say, it is not shameful. In this matter, you’ve shown maturity and fortitude beyond your years, and for that, I will not hesitate to tell the whole world that you, Durandal, are my best student in five hundred years.”

“You!—”

“Alright, alright, stop arguing, my good children. Theresa, why are you looking at me like that? Staring at me like a murderer? Your grandfather isn’t a devil; he wouldn’t kill people randomly. I did do bad things to your friends and subordinates, but my children, haven’t you noticed that all those terrible things are in the past now?

My resignation is voluntary. My departure from Schicksal is voluntary. You should know that for the past five hundred years, I’ve traversed countless mountains and rivers to find my final resting place—”

Although Theresa scoffed at the first part of Otto’s words, she couldn’t ignore the latter. She frowned.

“What exactly did you find?”

“I found a period of time. I found a sacred soul that hasn’t died yet. You know—some people die too late, and some die too early.”

Otto held up the core he had just dug from 'his' body. Then countless orange lights gathered in his hand like stars, merging into one and making the previously dim core shine brightly.

He flicked his sleeve, tossing the gem into Theresa’s palm as casually as tossing candy to a child.

“Heh, try using its power for yourself, Theresa. It might become a rather perfect weapon.”

Theresa: “...Thank you for the reminder. The scientists at Anti-Entropy will study this.”

“Hmm, I’m not worried about that. After all, they always do excellent research. They’ll definitely help you solve the most difficult intellectual problems. Don’t be too angry with me, Theresa. The established handover will proceed as scheduled. I guarantee you will become the fully fledged ‘Archbishop of Schicksal.’ I will soon embark on my final journey to the other side of the world to find that one and only being—a hero familiar to everyone.”

With that, Otto left without looking back.

Theresa wanted to chase after him for clarification, but as soon as she stepped outside, Otto mysteriously vanished.

“Amber.” She then turned to Otto’s secret technique.

“Where is your Overseer?”

“I’m sorry, Lady Theresa. The Overseer instructed me to protect his privacy. However, now that you have obtained the core of the Herrscher of Dominance, why not take it back to Hyperion to study further?” Amber replied.

“Of course I will take it back to Hyperion for study.” Theresa then turned her gaze to Durandal. “Durandal, will you come along?”

Durandal hesitated. “...I’m not sure right now...”

But Rita immediately added, “Of course, Lady Theresa. We will return to Hyperion with you.”

“Hmm?” Not only Theresa, but Durandal was also somewhat surprised.

Rita smiled and continued explaining, “Of course, you can consider this our service to Lord Otto having ended. In the foreseeable future, we will serve you, Lady Theresa.”

“This was also approved by the Overseer,” Amber added.

“Well, let’s all go back first. Anyway, now that we’ve finally captured the Herrscher core intact, it’s time to officially witness the end of that series of events.”

Then the group returned to the Hyperion.

Theresa immediately handed the core to Dr. Tesla and Dr. Einstein for research.

...

But things didn’t go as smoothly as Theresa had expected.

“Damn it! Ugh, I’m so angry! This damn broken core—I might as well smash it and be done with it!”

October 14, 2017, 4:18 PM.

Dr. Tesla’s roar echoed throughout the Hyperion for the third time.

And the cause of this incident dated back to more than twenty minutes earlier—

---

Chapter 265: I Need You to Keep Traveling Through Time

“Hmm... Is that all? I don’t feel anything. Except for a little pain when you first poked me.”

After being injected by Serpent again, Lin Ling felt nothing except for a slight pain in her buttocks at first and even felt a little comfortable.

“Pretty much. Last time, taking advantage of the opportunity to have the Herrscher of Dominance absorb the side effects for you, I injected too many Honkai Beast genes into your body. Now your body has basically been trained to withstand any Honkai Beast gene.” Mobius explained proudly. “You are already my most satisfying creation. Just now, I injected you with my fused Sesa Honkai Beast, which will grant you near immortality. I also edited and modified the expression sequence and logic of your Honkai Beast genes. Try unleashing all your power and see.”

“I’ll try...”

...

“Emmmmmm...”

Looking at the girl in the mirror—with cat ears, dragon horns, one half angelic with flawless white wings and the other half bat-like with dark membranous wings, along with a long, thin tail ending in a heart-shaped tip—

Lin Ling fell silent.

“Oh my, it feels...” Mobius carefully examined Lin Ling for a while and chuckled. “Hmm... pfft, in modern terms, it feels like she has too many cute elements? Not as adorable as a catgirl or dragongirl? But in a certain sense, she seems to possess a strange allure, like a succubus from mythology.”

“Ah, this seems a bit... but more importantly...” Lin Ling suddenly let out a deep breath. “Maintaining this form seems a bit tiring.”

“Of course. According to the law of conservation of energy, the power within your body cannot be generated out of thin air. Transforming into this form greatly enhances all aspects of your strength, but your stamina becomes relatively weaker. However, this comes with powerful explosive force. You can give it a try.”

“Is that so~”

Upon hearing this, she casually threw a light punch toward the sky, tearing through space without using the Herrscher of the Void’s power.

“Stop! You idiot, are you trying to destroy this place?” Mobius quickly stopped her.

“Wow.” Lin Ling stopped and examined herself, touching here and there. “I definitely feel like I’ve gotten a lot stronger, so... can I beat Kevin now?”

“Hmm... Kevin in his normal form is fine, but the Diabolic form is another story, let alone the Deliverance Form.”

“Sigh?” Lin Ling deflated, her body flashing as she reverted to her ordinary human form. “So all that work for nothing?”

“Don’t worry, Guinea Pig, let me finish. Although you can’t win now, your potential is undoubtedly much higher than his. It’s just a pity that some high-level Honkaimon have temporarily disappeared, so you can’t fuse with more powerful Honkai Beast for the time being.”

“Ah, is there any way?... That’s right!”

Lin Ling suddenly had a brilliant idea and reminded her.

"Can’t you observe information from the past? Could we do it a few more times? Collect the genes of those powerful Honkai Beasts from history?”

Mobius nodded, revealing a delighted expression.

“Smart. That’s exactly what I was thinking. So get ready—we need to keep traveling through time.”

...

————————

Chapter 266: Unlocking the Herrscher's Core\Otto's Destination

"...Hmph. Despite all the disgusting things that happened, the Herrscher of Dominance incident seems to be nearing its end."

Seeing Theresa return unharmed from Otto's presence, Tesla finally felt a weight lifted from her heart. She took the core Theresa brought back and placed it in a floating device, skillfully operating it while explaining to everyone:

"Let's complete the final inspection here. Just to be safe, let's inject a little Honkai energy into it and test whether this core is also 'alive.' However, theoretically speaking, it's definitely 'alive,' with a 99.7% probability."

"Alive?" Durandal asked curiously. "Does this refer to the difference between the Herrscher cores born in our era and those in the Divine Key?"

Tesla nodded somewhat reluctantly. "You could say that, although I don't think you've truly grasped the fundamental difference. Mophead, you seem to be researching this. Why don't you explain it to them?"

Einstein disagreed. "Most of those theories are still just conjectures and lack direct experimental evidence. They might cause more problems than the conjectures themselves."

"What does it matter? Just listen to headquarters, okay? The upcoming experiments will definitely prove you right. Besides..." Tesla gestured for Einstein to look at the Schicksal personnel. "Wouldn't it be good for them to hear different perspectives from Otto?"

"Yeah, yeah, tell them more! As for Herrscher cores, the Alliance Leader himself is the First Herrscher of Anti-Entropy; he must have many unique insights, right?"

"Alright, enough with the formalities. I've simply conducted a comparative study of the cores from the two generations, and the conclusion is—"

Seeing everyone's curious expressions, Einstein didn't insist further and began recounting her findings:

Why can Herrscher cores exist in two states: 'dead' and 'alive'?

The current civilization, under suitable conditions, can even allow previously unrelated individuals to become Herrschers.

Even when Mei and Kiana reawakened as Herrschers, the Gem of Conquest and Gem of Haste disintegrated on their own.

However, the Herrscher cores of the Previous Era can no longer do this. They can only be used to adjust to their fixed 'rated power' and cannot even develop any new functions.

This indicates that the two types of Herrscher cores possess a more fundamental difference—an imaginary singularity.

The Herrscher cores of the Previous Era contain only a zero-dimensional singularity and lack any dimensional information.

The current civilization's Herrscher cores are better described as imaginary rings than imaginary singularities because they possess a one-dimensional ring, which means they can contain more dimensional information. It is this ring that makes them "alive" and gives them the "elasticity" to be reactivated.

"Hmm... is that a fair way to put it?"

After listening to Dr. Einstein's long, rambling explanation filled with jargon that Kiana and the others had never heard before, Nagamitsu summarized.

"The Herrscher cores of the Previous Era were static; once separated from the Herrscher's body, they ceased to change, so they appeared dead. The Herrscher cores of the contemporary era are dynamic and capable of changing on their own in response to external stimuli, so they appear alive."

"Oh~"

After Nagamitsu's concise and straightforward explanation, the women barely managed to move from confusion to partial understanding.

However, Einstein's next sentence immediately plunged them back into a deep abyss of bewilderment.

"Well, that's roughly the idea, but I want to reiterate that this is just a guess and has not yet been confirmed. If the imaginary singularity inside this Herrscher core is also ring-shaped, it would further increase its credibility. Otherwise, how can we believe that the underlying architecture of this world is more complex than we expected..."

"Ah! Mophead, you jinxed it!"

Suddenly, Dr. Tesla's panicked scream interrupted Professor Einstein's lecture.

"What happened?" Einstein frowned, realizing something was wrong. "Could this living Herrscher core also be a point-shaped singularity?"

"I really don't know how to explain this experimental result! How is this possible? Does this even qualify as a Herrscher core?!"

Tesla held the experimental results in front of Einstein. "See for yourself."

"What!?"

Einstein was shocked. This core didn't contain any ring-shaped or point-shaped singularities. It was like an empty shell.

But previous tests clearly showed it could absorb Honkai energy and even use Honkai energy to distort the Law of Powerlessness.

...

Upon hearing the doctors from Anti-Entropy suggest that the core provided by Otto might be fake, Durandal, as a member of Schicksal, appeared somewhat embarrassed.

"His Holiness went to such lengths, even murdering himself, to obtain the core. It couldn't possibly be a counterfeit, could it? Perhaps something went wrong with the experiment?"

"Hmph, who knows what your cunning Overseer is plotting? He was already very kind by helping us find the core this time. That guy has never been so generous when helping others for free," Tesla said disdainfully. "Maybe he deliberately provided a fake core to deceive us and divert our attention while secretly plotting some conspiracy."

Nagamitsu analyzed, "However, perhaps because the Herrscher of Dominance isn't an ordinary Herrscher, it also possesses a unique Theater of Domination. According to string theory, closed strings can move across spacetime dimensions, so perhaps we just haven't detected it. After all, all instruments have a sensitivity limit."

"That certainly makes sense, but if the issues are related, then to verify it, we need..." Einstein turned her gaze to Kiana and Bronya.

Kiana glanced at Bronya, her eyes filled with confusion.

But Bronya understood everything.

"Doctor, do you mean to use the power of the two of us Herrschers to blast open this Herrscher core?"

"That's right!"

Tesla raised both hands, clenched her fists, smashed them together, and then opened them simultaneously.

"Since the problem might be due to insufficient sensitivity in our current instruments, we'll have to use the quantum collider and blast it open."

...

"Listen to the doctors. The experiment later requires extremely high energy control precision. In that case, everyone go get some fresh air. Dismissed."

Theresa then announced the dismissal, allowing everyone to prepare for the new experimental plan.

Unfortunately, Nagamitsu, also a top researcher, couldn't join them; the Schicksal staff needed to go at four o'clock to help Otto with some final preparations for his "performance."

...

Finally, everything was ready.

The two girls, one in red and one in blue, stood at opposite ends of the Herrscher of Dominance core respectively, preparing to release their power.

Bronya, with her superior intellect, precisely controlled the power output using data, while Kiana, relying on the Edge of Taixuan given to her by Fu Hua, calmly released her own power to match Bronya's output...

Kiana and Bronya exchanged a glance and said in unison:

"Herrscher Core, Directional Release!"

Then two streams of power, one red and one blue, erupted forth—

The two beams of Honkai energy were perfectly equal, expanding seamlessly around the Herrscher of Dominance core as their point of contact without the slightest energy leakage.

The Herrscher of Dominance core, which had remained silent in previous experiments, also emitted a unique and faint glow.

The two doctors from Anti-Entropy meticulously recorded all the data with their equipment.

The experiment was a complete success; now they only needed to await the analysis results.

...

“Hello everyone, my dear S-rank Valkyries~”

In the projection, Otto, inexplicably excited today, greeted everyone enthusiastically.

“…”

Then he was met with unanimous disregard from Durandal, Rita, and Li Sushang.

“Hmm, everyone is staying silent? Well... perhaps it’s because you have nothing to say in the face of this unreal projection. However, if my recent actions have annoyed you, then please allow me to apologize.”

After saying this, Otto bowed sincerely to the three.

Then he returned to his previous demeanor, though slightly toned down.

“After all, as someone about to leave this world, my current desire to perform is indeed excessive. I’m sorry, my Valkyries. Please forgive your Overseer’s final act of capriciousness.”

"So, you really are going to another world?"

At first, Durandal was skeptical that Otto, who had been the Archbishop of Schicksal for five hundred years, would leave. But now, after his repeated insistence, she began to doubt herself.

At the same time, she was deeply worried—wanting to go to another world to resurrect Kallen was something neither the Second Divine Key, Cosmic Juggernaut, nor the Sixth Divine Key, Black Abyss White Flower, could accomplish.

If Otto truly had a way, given his past actions, it might harm the entire world.

So Durandal didn't waste words and asked directly:

"Then I'll get straight to the point—what's the cost of doing this?"

"Ah, a cost. Indeed, everything has a cost. But I want to correct a subtle point first—I am indeed leaving 'this world,' but strictly speaking, I'm not going to 'another world.' My destination is 'the other side of the world,' a place of peril between worlds, a place where we can redefine 'time.'"

"..."

Li Sushang, being from ancient times, naturally didn't understand at all and frowned in dissatisfaction.

"Is there a simpler way to put it? When you said that last time, I didn't understand what you were trying to say."

"Alright, let's use an analogy. For example, when we walk on a beach, we leave a series of footprints..."

As Otto spoke, a projection of a beach appeared before him, constantly changing with his words.

"When we look at these footprints, we can clearly trace the way we came. However, while footprints on the beach fade easily, in other situations, things become much more complicated.

Imagine a garden with forking paths, where each path is formed by different branches merging together and then extending into new branches... and when looking back, our footprints are gone. Now, such a garden appears in each of our minds—let's use it to represent a more abstract concept: time.

The garden of time is forever branching and leading to countless futures. When we consider these branching paths together... we realize that it is a great tree whose roots and canopy extend infinitely. This tree does not exist in any dimension we can directly perceive; therefore, we call it the Tree of Imaginary Numbers."

"But the mechanism of the Imaginary Tree is far more intricate and complex than simple parallel worlds. Remember what I said earlier? Time branches on the Imaginary Tree. If we carefully consider the rules implied by this fact—

we will find that if we can discover a way to freely traverse the Imaginary Tree, then time can flow backward before our eyes."

Durandal spoke, "But... in reality, we have never heard of time flowing backward."

Otto replied, "Of course, because it is indeed very difficult. But you should have heard of the competition between the Imaginary Tree and the Sea of Quanta, right? It is this competition that defines the direction of time for us. The essential difference between time and other dimensions lies precisely in the fact that the direction of time cannot be violated."

Durandal asked, "Since the direction of time cannot be violated, then how do you intend to reverse your own time?"

"But from another perspective, time is merely the growth direction of the Imaginary Tree; it has no other meaning. Therefore, as long as we can manipulate the Imaginary Tree itself, reselecting the point at which the world 'grows' is not difficult. If we can push back the 'growth point' of the Imaginary Tree to five hundred years ago... the world from five hundred years ago can abandon our present moment and these futures that have become history. Starting from its own point of origin, it can evolve again from a new benchmark..."

"Abandon... re-evolve..."

Durandal seemed to finally understand Otto's profound theory, but the more she understood, the more uneasy she became.

"Then, what will happen to our world now that has been abandoned?"

"Actually, nothing much will happen. In essence, this abandonment is mutual. Your own people won't disappear, and your familiar environment won't change much."

"Impossible. There's no such thing as a free lunch."

Durandal naturally didn't believe it.

"Of course," Otto frankly admitted before continuing to keep things mysterious. "But the price to be paid for this is none of your concern. Alright, enough small talk. Now for your task. I need you to help me guard the area between Dawn Observation Deck and Danny's Path, preventing any outsiders from entering, including... Theresa from the Hyperion."

Durandal keenly sensed something was wrong and uttered something she would never have said to her superior before:

"Why?"