Honkai: Strijder
Chapter 453: Retribution
"Glug… glug…"
Inside the transparent, pale-blue experimental chamber, the specially designed Honkai-diluting buffer liquid emitted faint bubbling sounds.
Wearing a thin white experimental garment, Theresa stepped up the platform one step at a time, stopping in front of the chamber.
Otto halted below the steps, looking at her back as he let out a quiet sigh.
"Little Theresa, it's not too late to change your mind. No one will blame you. At worst, I can go find—or create—another test subject." Otto spoke with a trace of melancholy. He hadn't said anything like this along the way, but now, at the moment Theresa stood before the chamber, he finally voiced his true feelings.
Nothing was more important than Kallen.
But aside from Kallen, Otto still retained a part of himself as a human being. He had emotions. He had people he wanted to protect, people he didn't want to hurt.
And Theresa, without a doubt, was the one he had poured the most emotion into in this era—second only to Kallen.
Theresa turned back and smiled at Otto, shaking her head.
"Grandpa, in the field of science, I might know almost nothing compared to you all—but I'm not stupid. I believe you would allow me to back out, and I believe you wouldn't blame me. But if things were really that simple—if my existence were so easily replaceable—then you and Sigurd wouldn't have come to me."
"…"
Otto kept one hand placed at his abdomen, maintaining his usual elegant posture, while the other hand behind his back clenched tightly into a fist.
He had no response.
Strong emotions, sufficient conviction, an exceptional physical condition, and long-term use of Judah—allowing her to freely deploy the Divine Grace Barrier.
In terms of qualification as a Herrscher candidate, and her compatibility with the Authority of Binding, Theresa was indeed irreplaceable.
Amid Otto's silence, Theresa turned back toward the chamber. She reached out and touched the cold, transparent glass, her expression tinged with nostalgia.
"Come to think of it, I was originally born from a place like this, wasn't I? Being able to come into this world—I'm truly grateful. It feels like… I've never properly expressed that gratitude before. Thank you, Grandpa. Thank you for bringing me into this world."
"Theresa…"
Otto looked at her slender back. Both his fists tightened until they trembled, and his shoulders suddenly slumped—as if he had suffered a heavy blow.
A moment later, he lifted his head again, wearing a warm and gentle smile.
"What silly things are you saying? You're my most beloved granddaughter, after all."
"And you're the best grandfather in the world… as long as we ignore the fact that you're also an unforgivable villain."
"Heh~ That stubborn yet adorable personality of yours really hasn't changed at all!"
Otto smiled, though it took considerable effort to suppress the pain in his heart beneath that expression.
Theresa smiled as well—this time with a playful glint, clearly pleased at having teased Otto. For this brief moment, she set aside her usual rejection and dissatisfaction toward him.
After a while, her lighthearted mood settled. Still touching the cold surface of the chamber, she spoke softly:
"I've never participated in a Herrscher experiment before, so I can't really claim to understand it. But from all the Herrschers I've met, it seems that the prerequisite for becoming one while retaining a human heart… is to have humanity in the first place."
"If I succeed… would that prove that I, this originally artificial doll, truly possess a human heart?"
Her voice softened into something like a murmur to herself.
Regarding her own origins, Theresa still carried a lingering knot in her heart. Cecilia's recognition had resolved most of it—but in quiet moments, late at night, she still sometimes wondered whether her sense of self was somehow false.
Otto stepped forward in a few quick strides and pulled Theresa into his arms.
His body moved before his thoughts. After holding the small, slender girl for a long moment, he finally spoke slowly:
"Theresa, you possess a human heart far greater than mine! Among the countless people in this world, you are more truly human than most! Theresa—you don't need any proof."
"Really? That's what you think, Grandpa?"
"Yes. That's what I think. And I'm far from the only one who does."
"Haha! Look at you, Grandpa… we've delayed long enough. We can begin now."
Theresa laughed lightly, her voice carrying a carefree innocence and acceptance. Then, she slowly extended one hand into the pale blue buffer liquid.
"Grandpa, let go. We both have our responsibilities. You've already told me how important this experiment is. If it's not me, then someone else will have to step in anyway—I don't want anyone to take my place… Let's begin."
"…Alright."
Otto released his hand and watched as Theresa passed through the semi-solid transparent barrier, finally becoming fully submerged in the blue liquid.
…Sigh…
Otto couldn't quite describe what he was feeling at that moment. But his rational mind told him that the most correct course of action now was to cast aside all distractions and focus entirely on controlling the experiment—and that was exactly what he did.
One translucent interface after another projected from the floor, ceiling, and walls. Different colors—red, green, and blue—indicated the activation status of various data points within the experiment.
Otto stepped before the main command interface, looking up at its numerous settings. After a final, almost self-comforting check, he spoke:
"Little Theresa, our first step is to reverse your stigmata. The naturally inheritable stigmata created by Dr. Mei are the result of deep research into Herrschers. In a sense, they share the same origin as Herrscher authority and Imaginary pathways—but they've already diverged onto a different path."
"The artificial stigmata I created based on the first-generation data have deviated even further. To bring you closer to a Herrscher, I must erase the artificially designed components of your stigmata and return them to a more primitive, fundamental structure."
"This will be a very painful process. You'll need to endure it, little Theresa."
Otto's expression was solemn, his voice calm and composed.
Within the blue liquid, Theresa's silver-white hair and the hem of her white garment drifted gently. Hearing his words, she curved her lips into a soft smile—gentle yet still adorably bright—and nodded to him.
The frail girl in the laboratory, her eyes filled with warmth and quiet resolve—such a sight would easily stir sympathy in anyone who saw it.
But for Otto, it felt like a dagger driven straight into his heart.
He lowered his gaze, suppressing the turmoil within, and activated the program on the command interface.
Bzzzt!
A sharp burst of electrical noise rang out. Honkai energy surged wildly from the stigmata on Theresa's back, flowing into the buffer liquid and rapidly spreading, forming branching golden patterns like the limbs of a tree.
From a distance, it looked like golden lightning frozen behind her—like a pair of radiant, otherworldly wings.
Yet in stark contrast to that sacred and beautiful image, Theresa's face turned deathly pale. Her entire body trembled faintly. Her expression stiffened, and tears seeped from her wide blue eyes, drifting upward in the liquid like tiny, transparent bubbles.
"Ahhh!!!"
Her piercing scream echoed through the futuristic laboratory.
Otto clenched his fists tightly, unable to bear it as he closed his eyes.
Once, he had allowed countless innocent girls onto experimental tables just like this. Back then, he had watched such scenes with cold detachment, even a trace of amusement.
He knew that it was painful—for those inside the experiment and those outside of it.
But only now, when the person inside was Theresa, did he truly understand the weight of that pain.
This isn't your retribution… it's mine, little Theresa…