Returning to reality from Fu Hua's memory. Otto quickly started to check his pockets and the compartments of his pantaloons.
He let out a tsk at the fact that the various things he stole from the Fire Moth Base didn't transfer into reality.
Still, on his knee, he looked down to see Fu Hua sleeping on the couch and experiencing her memories.
"I wonder what they could be talking about," Otto said to himself, and speaking of Elysia, his mind was trying to wrap around why Elysia barged into Fu Hua's memory.
With his Meta Knowledge, the Original Elysia was dead as hell and disapparated back to the Honkai. Meanwhile, the one in Fu Hua's memory was only a shadow created by the Authority of Origin and Fu Hua's memory, but what attracted Elysia to the memory in the first place.
The Authority of Origin was separated from Reality into the Imaginary Space, a higher dimension even above the 11-dimensional Sea of Quantum.
Using some Loopholes, Elysia managed to bust into Fu Hua's memory, but how did Elysia know Fu Hua was delving into her memories and know which one was Fu Hua instead of some random person in Humanity's Sea of Collective Subconsciousness?
Otto figured it out by himself. The moment his existence, filled with Pathways, Sequences, and Sefirot, came into contact with any form or connection to Elysia (Fire Moth Base Memory)...The Authority of Origin sensed it like a predator and rammed itself into Fu Hua's memory.
He guessed it was curiosity that drove Origin to see him despite the massive 'distance' and Fu Hua's memory-driven into the mix. Now you have a technically Elysia proxy, though luckily, she couldn't descend into the real world and suddenly snipe him.
"...I am basically Herrscher Catnip at this point, and I should avoid the Elysian Realm at this point."
'So it went like this, Authority of Origin has some dormant fragments of Elysia's consciousness.
Sensed me going through Fu Hua's memory because of Chaos Sea, Sefirot Castle, and my other eldritch powers.
Used Fu Hua's Memory of Elysia as a proxy to descend to meet Fu Hua because of those fragments' awakening, but was subconsciously looking for me because I was the first person she met.
Then she had some self-realization that Elysia and the Authority of Origin hated me because I am a Hanged Man and a Father of Devils at the same time. Sweet, now I have to avoid her or talk it out before she crashes out.
Will the same thing happen to Cyrene?... She's HSR Elysia, but heavily connected to the Remembrance, and I don't think Origin connects to Remembrance. So Amphoreus, wait for me, baby!
I hope it doesn't happen to the other Herrschers; otherwise, how am I going to pull off my villainous and evil plan?'
His childish thoughts were interpreted as Fu Hua's azure eyes were laid open, staring at his emerald orbs.
"Were you watching me sleep?" She rubbed her eyes.
"Yeah. I was making sure nothing was wrong. Don't want you getting a Lobotomy. So, how was it? Remember anything useful."
The constant flow of Honkai Energy draining Otto was cut as Fu Hua woke up, and the two Divine Keys shut down.
"I'll speak, but on the condition that you answer a single question...How did you know about Elysia and her identity as a Herrscher?"
Otto quickly stood up and soon flicked her on the forehead. Fu Hua winced at the sudden feeling of pain, but glossed over it as a shroud of gray fog started to cover the room and her entire view.
Her surroundings suddenly changed as the Reality shifted from her dorm to a majestic, ancient palace with a vast dome supported by towering stone pillars that stood above a flickering sea.
An ancient long stone table stood in the middle of the hall, and on the seat positioned in the middle was a figure shrouded in that same gray fog.
The ancient throne "He" sat on was engraved with the symbol of a pupilless eye, "He" wore a black robe that seemingly covered his appearance, and with each glance at "His" figure, it would distort in and out of Reality.
Benath the cloak lay numerous transparent tentacles that squirm like worms, and in his hands lay a silver mirror with ancient patterns on the back and an eye-like pattern on each side at the front.
Faced with such a figure, Fu Hua's body locked into place, and despite the sensation of her fiery instincts fighting against such pressure. She kneeled on the ground with horror-struck eyes.
A single memory flooded her mind, reminding her of the fear she was once struck with. The fear of Death and the same feeling that the Herrscher of Finality that wiped out the Previous Era. As she lay there in shock, "His" mouth soon parted for a single sentence.
"You may address me as the Fool."
Those words soon knocked out the former Flame Chaser of Vicissitude into a deep slumber. Seeing that Fu Hua was out cold from his illusion, Otto walked out of her house and parted his fair share of last words.
"Sweet dreams, Birdy."
To Otto, it didn't matter if Fu Hua decided to go against him or stop him from his Path of Foolishness.
He would wholeheartedly accept it, not just to Fu Hua but to anyone who would try to stop him...It didn't matter if he was seen as Evil or Good; this was the Path Otto (Lin) chose to walk, and just as the Aeons had their Fables.
He would create his own Fable About the Stars, a Miracle that Humanity would transcend Finality, even if he had to drag them kicking and screaming.
Why? If he didn't, then he wouldn't see himself as worthy to travel out into the Cosmos.
It would be a grand and long journey into the Throne of Divinity.
...
In Theresa's office, Luna sat on one of the comfy couches and started sipping on a blood bag. She hummed in contentment as the flavorful bodily fluids went down her throat.
"Do you really have to moan while drinking that?" Theresa asked with morbid curiosity.
"Of course! I gotta savor every drop. After all, it comes from our dearest Grandpa. Want some? I've always learned that sharing is caring." Luna offered.
"No, thank you...I might need to remind you not to drink blood in front of any of the students lest they freak out or find it cute and start bothering you."
"Wow! Are they that open-minded or have some weird fetishes?" Luna nonchantingly remarked.
"Don't say those things! Where did you even learn that?"
"The internet, I had a computer in my room. It was very fun, I got to learn a lot, but Big Sis Theresa, I got a question: why are St. Freya's Battlesuit so skimpy? Are you into that stuff as well?"
"Blame the designers, not the Principal," Theresa shouted. She wanted to continue, but a knock on her door stopped her words.
"Are you kids fighting again? Do I need to go in there and discipline you two with a sandle?" A familiar, endearing voice reached their ears.
Luna put down her food and quickly opened the door to a suited blonde man.
"You two have fun?" Otto asked with a smile.
A white cannonball soon crashed into his firm chest. Otto didn't flinch at the sudden impact of Luna flinging herself at him but cradled her with his arms. The man soon took a seat on the couch and dumped the small protesting vampire next to him.
In her high chair, Theresa let out an exhausted but cherry smile.
"She was a handful, but that's always the case when having another sibling, and I like being the oldest for once."
Otto soon clapped with 'tears' running down his eyes, "You've grown up so much! I used to remember when you were so little (Theresa's height is a lie!), always asking me for help. I can't help but feel proud of you."
"Grandpa, stop cotting me like a child in front of Luna!" Theresa angrily reacted.
"Oh, so you wouldn't mind if I spoiled you if we were alone?" Otto smugly said, and the next thing he knew was a cup launched towards his head. His hand caught the object with finesse and placed it down onto the table.
"My, my, at least you knew how to control your strength; otherwise, if you threw it at full force, your office may have blown up because of the shockwave."
Luna giggled at the display, "Sis, throw one at me, I think I can catch it too."
Theresa shook her head and aimed her gaze at Otto, "You plan on staying for tonight, Grandpa? It's getting pretty late."
"No, I'll have to leave pretty soon. The adult work is always about business." Otto stated.
Hearing this, Luna's face immediately sank into dejection. "You're leaving already, but we barely had any time together!" She whined.
"Reality is often disappointing, but I promise to visit whenever I can, and I'll call you every day. Don't you remember you have a phone?" Otto soon patted Luna's head while Theresa grimaced at the mention of a cellphone.
"Fine...That tips the scales on whether I am staying or not."
"Well, you don't have to listen to this adult's advice, but sometimes learning is a process that one has to go through. Changing to be better is not a simple walk; it's a marathon, so don't slack off. Sloth is a form of an unwillingness or refusal to change one's ways."
"I'll do my best and not...Make the school an entire bloodbath." Theresa gave Luna the side eye for that comment.
"Great...Before I go, be sure to remind your dear 'sister' to drink plenty of milk if she wants to grow, or that limited Pineapple Flavor Bitter Melon Juice she always spends her budget on."
"OATH OF JUDAH!"
Theresa soon threw a stabler at her Grandpa.
...
Back on the private plane.
As Otto sat on one of the comfy seats and took in the silent humming atmosphere of the place, he soon projected a golden coin into his hands.
"Is it safe to promote my Sequence on a plane?" He questioned and flipped it into the air.
Heads.
"Is there any danger in promoting right now?" Another flip.
Heads.
Within his mind, he soon willed a prompt right in front of his face.
[Sequence 6 Faceless of the Fool Pathway is ready. Would you like to advance?]
Otto accepted it, and soon a blackish-green in color liquid went down his throat. As it slid deeper, he felt the sensation of bubbles burping and bursting.
His mouth and tongue numbed to the point of losing their sensation. Otto felt his mind be picked out right from his body, and viewed his untouched "corpse" as a bystander.
His facial features, nose, mouth, eyes, ears, and hair were melting into a sloop of scrotched white wax. Despite the disconnection, Otto felt his body engulfed in the heat of a furnace.
Seeing the sudden change of view, Otto forced his mind to calm as he thought of the image of a golden cube with distorted lines to maintain a state of Cogitation.
After a moment, Otto felt his mind right back into his body and tried every sensation to take control of his body. It didn't matter how small each body part felt; he reined in each aching sense of smell, taste, touch, hearing, and sight to maintain his sanity.
He felt the sensation of his face melting again and his mind trying to pry itself out of his own body, but he refused to lose control and kept his stubborn struggle.
Otto didn't know how much time passed as his body cooled down and his face stopped melting into a slop of pale mush. Feeling that he had regained his bearings, Otto took some time to stand up, as promoting himself felt as if his Mind, Body, and Spirit were wrung like a sponge.
Even as he collapsed onto a nearby couch, Otto felt a little elated that he was now a Sequence 6 and a step closer to Divinity.
Projecting a mirror in his hand, Otto winced at the appearance of his face. The entirety of his exposed skin was covered in dense, pale granules that crawled and squirmed. It felt as if square-shaped worms were his face now.
With a few minutes of Cogitation, Otto took some time to rein in the outward overflowing Spirituality and caused his facial features to turn back to normal.
Regaining his composure, Otto felt a familiar feeling churn within his Soul. He heard the subtle sound of glass cracking within the endless bounds of the Universe, and a sudden prompt answered that sudden sensation.
[Sequence 5 Marionettist of the Fool Pathway is ready. Would you like to advance?]
[Ritual: Consume potion amidst the singing of mermaids 0/1]
'Where in the world...Would I find some mermaids?' Otto thought to himself. Mermaids weren't even mentioned in the World of Honkai Impact 3rd. They might have existed in some distant corner of the world or within a Bubble World.
Starting from Sequence 5, Otto now had to use Rituals as a way to promote himself since pure willpower wasn't going to cut it. Even if Otto did succeed through brute force, he would turn half mad and half sane. Losing Control was a failing game, so he wouldn't take that route.
The use of a mermaid's singing was to anchor one's Spirit Body from turning itself into a Marionette. Each note of their singing induced a stirring in a Spirit Body, and the melody was intoxicating, but it counteracted the process of losing control from the Potion.
Though the Ritual helped the Beyonder, one still needed the willpower to promote themselves, and it was a mixture of external help and internal struggle. Well, for Otto's case...He was definitely gonna cheat.
Otto moved away from the topic of the Ritual and instead shed some light on the new abilities he'd gotten.
On the reflection of the project Mirror Otto's face turned into a mush of wax before quickly shifting into a different face. With chubby cheekbones, light skin, and childish eyes, Otto shapeshifted his face to that of when he was a child.
He transformed it back into his adult one once he tested it out.
The main ability of Sequence 6 Faceless is Shapeshifting.
Otto can now mold his body and flesh, enabling them to perfectly mimic their target's face, body, voice, or even smell to some degree.
In Otto's case, he found the ability quite lacking, as he already could shapeshift thanks to his Soulium body, and with it, he can ignore the current weakness of the ability.
A Faceless cannot change their actual physical gender and has restrictions, including height and mass. They cannot mimic the body proportions of an individual that is too disparate in size from their original body.
With Soulium, it negates the problem of those restrictions...That's why Otto wasn't worried about any Pathways that switched Genders because his Soulium would maintain his current state, but switching Genders was a good use of espionage.
Although Shapeshifting was a meh addition to Otto's arsenal, it did aid in allow him to be good at acting, along with being able to accurately recall the shape and temperament of everyone he knew and recognize them no matter how well disguised they may be.
The other Power Up he got from the potion was his previous abilities being strengthened.
Flame Controlling, Flaming Jump, and other spell-like abilities had become about 30% stronger. Meaning some of their range jumped, paper became stronger, bones could be softened more, and his illusions were effective.
Normal Air Bullets can now pierce through metal, and his invisible pipe from Underwater Breathing was much longer.
'Couldn't I make the pipe beat people up because of Mang, but it's dense as a small straw.'
The most significant quality of life enhancement from the Faceless Potion was the large increase in Spirituality, and because all of the stacking Otto did...His spirituality amount was on the cusp of a Sequence 5. Now he was even more of an unkillable roach.
'Hit me with Thunder, I use Paper Figurine. Hit me with Void, I use Paper Figurine. Hit me with Reason, I use Paper Figurine. They call me 007 for a reason! 0 Wins, 0 Feats, and 7 Tactical Retreats.'
His Divination skill also increased, meaning Otto can stalk his enemies even more. Prep Time was always his greatest tool...Something that would never leave him, unlike Kallen.
Otto let out a heavy breath since his mind was a bit of a mess because of the potion. Well before the man could properly 'rest,' he made one last call.
"Rita...is the target in position. Perfect! Put Miss Emily in the Room. Yeah, the one with soundproofing and meant for dealing with Herrschers...Hmm, it may seem overkill, but I am not taking any chances with the bastard who messed with my grandchild."
...
What did it mean to become an idol?
Was it for the fans, fame, love, or money?
For one of the Shepherds of the Church of Monsters, Emily Rose didn't care for any of that. All she wanted was a Yearning for Blood.
It was a calling towards her Soul as the first sight of blood awakened something within her. That sweet crimson liquid was the only thing that mattered to her, so when presented to feast on the most delicate stem of life.
Luica Bathori Kaslana (Now Luna Apocalypse) was an experiment in the breeding of a Kaslana and a descendant of Elizabeth Bathory.
It was quite easy to make them fall in love with the use of her flowers and watch as the happy family was merely a byproduct of her hunger, but the disappointment she felt from the taste of that little girl was...Revolting and all of her work was for nothing but the birth of an abomination.
Though it wasn't without merit after all, it led her to one of the most appetizing blood bags she had ever smelled within a dream.
Otto Apocalypse, Schicksal of Overseer...Having been shot by the man, she felt the desire to defile and drain him till the very last drop. She never felt such a lechery and lust towards a man; after all, she did prefer women...
Knowing Otto's identity, it didn't stop Emily from pursuing him. It didn't matter if she were to die in Schicksal, and was written as a single line in a History book. Her life and goal were to live and die by blood...It was in the name of Voracity and for the love of the Game!
Walking along the cobblestone path, the blonde crimson crimson-eyed lady made her way into one of the recruitment centers of Schicksal. It was a moderately sized glassed building, and entering the door, she was met with various charming women, from workers to fellow 'idol' candidates.
Emily put a cloth on her nose to cover herself from the hideous smell. Although such flowers were charming, they all reeked of Humanity. Approaching the front desk with a smile, the Shepherd was soon guided to a room further back, away from anywhere else.
The lady soon sat in one of the chairs and looked around the place. It had the appearance of a common interrogation room with a single metal table and two chairs. Walls covered in dense metal and a single one-sided window.
It didn't bring a sense of suspicion towards the Shepherd; Schicksal was known for its dubious methods. Disguising a place to recruit Valkriyes as a place where Idols are born was the most vile strategy she had ever seen.
Well, Emily couldn't judge...She was a War Criminal and one who fed on blood.
Hearing the door open, Emily intended to shift her gaze, but instead, her nose picked up that familiar, delicious, and sweet smell that drenched her undergarments before.
Even faster than she could react, golden chains manifested and wrapped around her limbs tightly till the point of bruising. It Binded her ability and use of Honkai Energy.
A suit blonde man walked with a giant golden cross behind him with a cold smile. He sat down on the opposing side of the chair and muttered a few words with venom.
"Miss Emily Rose...What would you like for your last supper?"
Even confined in her chair, Emily licked her cherry lips and stared at him with growing lust.
"You, of course!"
A/N: Some art I found for Emily: https://danbooru.donmai.us/posts/3664428. Don't worry, she's gonna die.