"Welcome, my dear friend across the ages—Schicksal's foremost S-rank Valkyrie."
"—Had you arrived an hour earlier, Durandal, I would certainly have greeted you like that."
Otto spoke with elegant courtesy.
Seeing the solemn expression on Durandal's face, he seemed to already know the purpose of her visit.
Durandal, however, went straight to the point.
"Someone told me that in your upcoming plan, you intend to destroy the present and then choose the past anew. What exactly does that mean?"
"Hm… judging from the phrasing you used, that must have been Changguang who told you, wasn't it?"
Otto didn't need to think—he immediately guessed who had leaked the information.
But he didn't seem to mind. With a casual wave of his hand, he began explaining to Durandal.
"No matter. You have the right to know the truth of this matter."
"I once asked Changguang to design several different world-reconstruction proposals. But in brief, the plan with the highest cost is also the most stable."
"If I were to jump straight to the conclusion, you'd likely find it baffling, so allow me to start from the beginning."
"I've explained this to you before, from different perspectives—both Changguang and I have. In our world, the flow of time is irreversible. Like a river in nature, it surges forward and never turns back. Yet just as a river is replenished by rainfall and melting snow—"
"If we are bold enough to raise our perspective to the level of the Imaginary Tree, then human time is nothing more than data recorded on a magnetic tape."
"What we call history is the portion already recorded on that tape. What we call the future is the unknown yet to be written."
"And our present is the tape's single, unique read head."
"The present is special. It separates the known from the unknown, the possible from the impossible. It is the only platform upon which every sentient being exists."
"If we preserve the special nature of this read head—this 'now'—and forcibly move it back onto the tape of the past, what do you think would happen?"
Otto explained with calm elegance.
Whether it was Durandal or the viewers watching through the screen, all were drawn into his words, frowning as they thought carefully.
"Our present… would be grafted onto the past?"
"Exactly. Much like those extraterrestrial intelligences you've encountered—only they graft themselves onto other worlds, while we would be grafting ourselves onto our own."
"Imagine this—the disaster of the Second Eruption could be wiped clean with a single stroke. And people like us, modern humans, would carry our experiences with us, helping humanity grow anew."
"Even though the Honkai would not disappear, and we would still have to face challenges as scheduled—the benefits humanity would gain would far outweigh the losses."
Otto's argument gradually became clearer.
Many of the extraordinary beings listening realized that his reasoning did indeed hold some merit.
Under such a rollback, existing technology would undeniably provide humanity with greater advantages—especially in resisting the Honkai.
But…
They also sensed something else.
Otto was skillfully steering everyone's thinking toward what humanity would gain—deliberately avoiding the price required to complete this graft.
Immediately, Durandal frowned and countered.
"Then the 'cost' you speak of is the energy required for this grafting process."
"Yes. With the experience from the previous exploratory experiment, you grasp my plan quite easily."
Otto nodded in satisfaction, clearly pleased with Durandal's sharpness and understanding.
"To achieve this goal of grafting ourselves onto ourselves, I require three conditions."
"First, a method to explore, contact, and ultimately reach the Imaginary Tree."
"Second, the equipment and energy to support such an operation—specifically, the Second Divine Key, Cosmic Juggernaut, and a sufficient amount of Honkai energy."
"Third, a spacetime coordinate suitable for completing the graft—that is, a stable region that can be locked onto using Cosmic Juggernaut's beacon."
"And the methods to reach the Imaginary Tree, and the means to obtain such vast Honkai energy—where do they come from?"
"They all come from the Will of the Honkai, Durandal."
"—What?!"
Durandal froze. The term was clearly unfamiliar to her.
Otto patiently explained.
"Yes—the Will of the Honkai. The source of all Herrschers, the origin of the present Honkai. It has been revered as a god throughout Schicksal's five-hundred-year history."
"But so-called gods are not unreachable. As long as one walks the same path and gazes upon the same destination… humans, too, can make contact with gods—and even strike agreements with them."
"Frankly speaking, I do not like World Serpent's Stigma Project. But Schicksal has already missed the best chance to stop it."
"Returning to the origin is also a way to create opportunities for ourselves—to reconstruct the balance of the world."
"And it… is quite willing to appreciate such a play that overturns spacetime. The Will of the Honkai has lowered the gate of the Imaginary Tree for me; and I, in turn, shall become its agent in the human world."
"From the perspective of authority, you could say so. However, contact with the Imaginary Tree will inevitably make me an existence different from a Herrscher—one that even surpasses them."
"Though I must pay the price of my own physical existence, the authority I gain will be enough to reorganize the world."
At once—
Otto's words sent a chill through everyone listening, Durandal included.
Up until now, everything he said—
the first half—matched exactly what Changguang had revealed.
But the latter half…
was increasingly terrifying.
Otto had effectively become the agent of the Will of the Honkai on Earth—the very entity that sought humanity's destruction!
For the sake of resetting time to five hundred years ago, Otto was willing to sacrifice all present humanity and five centuries of history!
Had Otto now… truly become a completely selfish madman?!
He had actually struck a deal with the Will of the Honkai—
the very demon humanity had resisted for tens of thousands of years!
[Klee: Otto is a big bad guy! He teamed up with the Honkai!!]
[Silver Wolf: Relying on the power of the Honkai?!]
[Hu Tao: Is this… betraying humanity?]
[Sushang: Th-this is way beyond any bottom line!]
[Kiana: Really… Otto must be stopped!]
[Theresa: Grandpa… how could you make a deal with the Honkai?! That's the Will of the Honkai!!]
[Himeko (Honkai): Damn it… sacrificing everyone so lightly?!]
[Herta: From a cost–benefit standpoint, Otto's plan isn't entirely without merit.]
[Herta: At the very least, it does grant humanity five hundred extra years and a greater chance of victory.]
[March 7th: B-but that's not a reason to destroy the world!]
[Himeko (Star Rail): Indeed. And this is only Otto's one-sided claim—it may not even be true.]
Seeming to understand the look on Durandal's face, Otto continued.
"I wish to win additional time for you all to deal with the Herrscher of the End and the Stigma Project. And the Will of the Honkai is also satisfied with the result of being reset."
"A win-win situation, wouldn't you say?"
At this moment—
facing Otto, who was still trying to persuade her with righteous conviction, Durandal finally spoke.
"But what about the world itself? Every word you've said implies power on a scale that could shatter heaven and earth!"
"You're not wrong. But as the saying goes—without destruction, there can be no rebirth. Without destroying the old world, how could a new one ever be born?"
"That's not the kind of abstract promise or reasoning I want to hear. From the very beginning until now, you've deliberately avoided speaking of the true cost of your plan."
Durandal's gaze turned cold.
The expectations she once held for Otto were steadily fading.
She could hear it… see it clearly now.
There was only one reason Otto avoided the subject—
because the cost of this plan was unimaginably horrifying, matching the scale of its consequences.
Yet Durandal still clung to a final shred of hope and asked in a low voice,
"To achieve everything you've listed… what exactly do you intend to pay?"
"Now."
The answer was only two words.
Otto's expression flattened, losing its former warmth.
"I already told Theresa—I will erase these five hundred years of history from the branches of time, returning the world to the state where Kallen Kaslana was still alive."
"The price I pay is the flow of time upon the Imaginary Tree—or in other words, the present itself."
"That may sound abstract, so let me put it another way."
"Human civilization itself gives rise to the Honkai. Every member of Schicksal should understand this."
"But what if we consider the problem from the Will of the Honkai's perspective?"
"To it, Herrschers likely represent ultimate freedom, while our civilization is instead a shackle that binds and distorts the Honkai."
Otto's words grew ever more chilling.
No one had ever viewed the issue from such an angle before.
Did the Honkai… also have its own standpoint?!
"Yes. From this perspective, it isn't that the Honkai arises from civilization. Rather, civilization is a special, solidified form of the Honkai."
"Therefore, what I will pay is the Honkai inherently contained within contemporary civilization as a whole."
"I will mobilize all the potential energy hidden between reality and the Imaginary—energy that once served as a major power source for the Herrschers. Now, we can use it to reorient the world."
"If you do this, then what will become of the present—of the reality before us right now?"
"Outside this town, it will vanish without a trace. And this town will become the sole epitaph of our annihilated era—standing in place of sacrifices that would be even more unbearable for humanity."
Otto met Durandal's gaze directly.
At last, he spoke the price that filled everyone with dread and terror.
Vanished—without leaving a single trace.
And at the moment he revealed such a horrific cost, Otto's tone remained utterly calm.
Even Durandal, an S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal, couldn't help but let her voice tremble as she confirmed,
"You mean… outside Kolosten—"
"Outside Kolosten, everything that was born or destroyed over these five hundred years will completely cease to exist in the river of the world."
"That is the price of starting over. And it is the price corresponding to the plan with the highest success rate—the one I am about to execute."
Otto held nothing back.
Yet his calm was enough to make one shudder.
Durandal clenched her teeth.
"You despise the Stigma Project, yet you're willing to make the entire world pay a price even heavier than that?! You're practically murdering every person alive, Overseer!"
"Yes. That's correct."
Otto nodded.
"But humanity… will still be humanity."
At that moment—
with Otto's admission, he had completely placed himself on the opposite side of Durandal.
Or rather—
on the opposite side of all humanity.
Whether it was Anti-Entropy, World Serpent, or Schicksal itself—
everyone would stop him at any cost!
Otto was no longer Schicksal's Overseer who protected humanity.
At this moment—
Otto Apocalypse had become the public enemy of all mankind!
[Kiana: Damn it…]
[Raiden Mei: Otto… you've truly crossed the line! This is outright betrayal of humanity!]
[Himeko (Honkai): Cooperating with the Honkai… this is madness!]
[Herta: But in a certain sense, Otto's logic isn't wrong.]
[Ningguang: Yet the price humanity must pay is no lighter than that of the Stigma Project…]
[Theresa: How could you do this… Grandpa…]
[Rita: Lord Otto… have you truly forgotten Schicksal's original purpose…]
[Tesla: Stop talking!! Durandal!! Hit him!!]
[Otto: Heh, Dr. Tesla. After all these years, shouldn't you have learned to temper your temper?]
[Tesla: You damned bastard!! Working with the Honkai?!]
[Einstein: What's truly unexpected… is that the Will of the Honkai actually agreed.]
[Sparkle: Hehehe~ perhaps it's because this is entertaining to it?]
[Sparkle: Rolling back all of human civilization by five hundred years just to see whether these ants can defeat it—could that be its idea of fun?]
The chat erupted.
Countless extraordinary beings were chilled to the bone by Otto's madness.
Sacrificing all of humanity's present, its history, everything civilization had ever created—
all to rewind time five hundred years.
Yes, it might greatly aid humanity in fighting the Honkai.
But everyone knew—
even if it brought humanity no benefit at all, Otto would still do it without hesitation.
Helping humanity had always been merely a side effect.
From beginning to end, the only thing Otto truly cared about…
was reviving Kallen.
To every human alive today—
this was nothing short of murder.
And worse still—
this act of global annihilation was to be carried out by Otto himself.
Otto Apocalypse!
The Overseer who commanded Schicksal, fought the Honkai, and protected humanity for over five hundred years!!
Now standing on the side of the Honkai—
and intending to personally erase all of humanity?!
How could that not make one's blood run cold?!
On the screen—
Durandal understood this better than anyone.
Bianka Ataegina—
Otto's most loyal subordinate!
Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie!!
She understood this more clearly than almost anyone alive.
At once, Durandal spoke in a deep voice,
"But what meaning does this have?! We protect humanity—what we protect are living, breathing free wills! Not some hollow abstraction!"
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