No… something is wrong. Very wrong.
Otto's expression slowly hardened.
A minute ago, he had been fully distracted by that absurd scene — the Fourth Herrscher demanding ice cream, the apparently revived Herrscher cores, and a battle that defied all reasonable logic.
But now that his mind had cooled, he finally realized something crucial:
This shouldn't be possible.
The Fourth Herrscher's core…
The Core of Reason inside Bronya…
Even the Skyfire core within K423…
He remembered clearly:
The Second Herrscher who reappeared recently possessed six full Herrscher cores, including the Fourth's and Reason's.
Her abilities and the systems' readings both confirmed this.
So how…
How were the cores suddenly back where they used to be?
Did someone defeat the revived Second Herrscher?
Impossible. Even if she fell, the cores wouldn't magically redistribute themselves.
Unless—
Unless the Honkai Will itself intervened.
Otto exhaled slowly, leaning back in his chair.
"Is this what you're doing…? What are you planning this time?"
His thoughts grew darker.
But he couldn't dwell on it—
there was business to attend to.
The leader of the World Serpent had finally agreed to speak with him.
Otto rose from his seat, leaving the mess of unanswered questions behind him.
Whatever happened in Sky City, whatever mysteries lay behind the Herrscher cores — none of it mattered compared to the one thing he absolutely must obtain:
The Locator of the Second Divine Key.
Without it, his long-prepared plan could never begin.
With it, he could chase the truth —
and reshape the world.
Sky City
"Why can't I connect…? Did something happen to Kiana?
Or World Serpent…?"
Durandal frowned at the blinking error message on her communicator.
Something was wrong.
After Kevin left, Durandal had tried to contact the ship escorting Kiana back to HQ.
No response.
The Valkyrie transport teams didn't fail to respond. Ever.
Unless—
They had been attacked.
Worse, even Otto wasn't answering her calls, but that didn't surprise her much.
He had told her beforehand he was going to handle "a crucial matter" and would be unreachable.
Durandal clicked her tongue.
She had no choice but to regroup with Rita first.
As for the Fourth Herrscher…
Durandal shuddered slightly.
She had seen it with her own eyes:
Wendy casually caught Heavenly Fire's Zero Output — a strike Durandal herself would not dare receive head-on.
And Wendy did it with one hand.
Who was she… really?
Teresa's Question
"Wait, Durandal."
Teresa stepped forward, brows tightly knit.
"You want to ask about Kiana, don't you?" Durandal replied quietly.
"Tell me the truth… Did you take her?"
"Yes. On Bishop Otto's orders."
Teresa fell silent.
She expected this answer — and hated it.
If they wanted Kiana back, they would have to go into Schicksal HQ.
And fight their way out.
"…I see." Teresa stepped back. "Go, then."
Durandal nodded once, then vanished into the night.
Teresa watched her leave in silence.
Against Durandal, force meant nothing.
Even if they beat her — which was doubtful — it wouldn't bring Kiana back.
Wendy and Ice Cream
"Bronya, do you have other flavors? I want to try different ones!"
The Herrscher of Sentience had already buried her head inside the portable freezer Bronya brought, rummaging for ice cream like a hyperactive child.
"C-class… I… this… why…"
Bronya stared blankly at her "squad leader," who was behaving very much unlike the squad leader.
Has Fu Hua's personality really changed that much?
Did head trauma do this?
Bronya rubbed her forehead. Perhaps this was the "new normal."
Meanwhile, Wendy was sucking on a popsicle, staring at something far away.
"Humans, that's your ship, right? Looks fun~"
"Ship?" Teresa blinked. "Where—"
She followed Wendy's gaze—
And nearly jumped.
The Hyperion was approaching.
"Wendy… what are you planning?"
Wendy shot her a lazy look.
"Relax. Your ice cream is tasty. Wendy won't kill you~"
Teresa: "…"
This Herrscher really… has no reverence for life whatsoever…
No surprise — that was normal for Herrschers.
What wasn't normal—
Was that Wendy had not destroyed cities, not slaughtered humans, not triggered disaster.
She was wandering around eating ice cream and watching movies.
Because she wanted to.
A Herrscher… who acted like a bored, overpowered child.
Teresa found herself whispering:
Do you… still have your own consciousness, Wendy?
A faint memory of her days as Wendy's teacher flickered through her mind.
Terms of Peace
"Do you have movies on that ship?" Wendy asked abruptly.
"Wendy hasn't watched movies in forever. Everyone in this city disappeared. It's a pain to even find a screen."
"…We do." Teresa hesitated. "But you can't—"
"Hurt humans?" Wendy interrupted, rolling her eyes. "If Wendy wanted to hurt you, do you really think you'd still be alive?"
"…"
Teresa's heart pounded.
She inhaled deeply.
Then I made a decision.
"Wendy… as long as you don't hurt humans, we can provide you with unlimited ice cream. And movies. All you want."
She was effectively promising to babysit a nuclear warhead.
But for humanity's sake, she had no choice.
If they could keep Wendy calm — even let her help occasionally — it would be worth any price.
Wendy blinked.
Then grinned.
"Oh? That actually sounds fun. Fine~ Wendy will stay with you humans for a while."
Teresa exhaled in relief.
Wendy staying close meant stability.
And fewer destroyed cities.
For now.
Reinforcements Arrive
"You all alright?"
Einstein walked down the Hyperion's ramp toward them.
"Yes, we're fine," Teresa answered. "The Hyperion—"
"As soon as communications came back, I had Yang fly the Hyperion here," Einstein explained.
"We also brought heavy mechs. They'll support us from the air."
Teresa nodded.
They finally had breathing room again.
Somewhere in the Imaginary Space
Kiana…
Within the depths of the imaginary space, Sirin stood alone, watching the unconscious girl float before her.
Her expression was unreadable.
What was she thinking?
No one knew.
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