"..."
To put it simply, the Will of the Honkai had unilaterally terminated Otto's communication request.
At this very moment, the one listening to Otto's rambling through the illusory tree within St. 537 Church in Kolosten Town was none other than Selene herself—her true body—who had personally replaced the Will of the Honkai.
"A promise? He wants me to hand over the complete authority of the Eleventh Herrscher—the Herrscher of Binding—according to our agreement? Heh..."
Within Imaginary Space, Selene sat cross-legged atop a violet-red Honkai crystal, idly twirling a lock of Arisa's gray hair between her fingers as she sensed the message Otto was trying to convey.
As for the agreement between the Will of the Honkai and Otto, Selene had no intention of honoring it.
You are going to die anyway. With me here, your five hundred years of obsession are doomed to end in failure. Why should I grant you even false hope?
"Um... Your Majesty, who is Otto?"
Lying across Selene's lap, her nose brushing against the Queen's delicate, flawless skin, Arisa lifted her head. A faint blush colored her cheeks as she pouted slightly, curiosity shining in her eyes.
"Don't call me Queen... Sigh, forget it. Call me whatever you like."
"Heehee..."
Letting out a soft sigh, Selene glanced at Arisa's silly grin and huffed lightly before poking her cheek with a gentle smile.
"Who is Otto? Good question."
"He is an absolutely rational yet willful Archbishop of Schicksal—a man who guarded a single joke for five hundred years of his life."
Otto was the youngest son of the Apocalypse family, one of Schicksal's three great houses in the fifteenth century. Though exceptionally intelligent, he was scorned by his family for lacking combat ability. As the youngest son, he was never meant to inherit the position of Archbishop. His childhood was far from pleasant.
Then there was Kallen—the kind-hearted girl who accidentally wandered into the courtyard that had been Otto's only sanctuary in his lonely youth. She became the sole ray of sunlight in those shadowed years.
Though Otto was not valued by his family, he was still permitted to enter his father's study. There, he learned of Honkai and began researching it. During that process—perhaps due to an artifact he had obtained earlier, perhaps because he was destined to change—his emotions grew increasingly distant, and his values gradually drifted away from conventional morality.
Yet his feelings for Kallen did not fade with time. On the contrary, they deepened. To him, she remained special.
Unfortunately, while Otto's heart held only Kallen, Kallen's heart held only the world—or at least, until the fateful escape.
The tragedy had been inevitable.
"He understands human nature, yet is indifferent to it. As the uncrowned king who ruled Schicksal, he viewed the organization itself merely as a bargaining chip—a tool to achieve his goals."
In that sense... he and I are somewhat alike.
"He is a pitiful and tragic man who requires neither sympathy nor mercy. Any pity shown to him would only insult him."
"Isn't that contradictory?" Selene asked with a faint smile, seeing Arisa's serious yet utterly confused expression.
"Mm."
Though she did not fully understand, Arisa nodded earnestly, sensing the complex emotions hidden within Selene's words.
"Exactly. Contradiction is the point." Selene gently tapped Arisa's nose. "Someone as pure as you... is truly rare in this world."
"Th-then... is Otto a good person or a bad person? What are you going to do, Your Majesty?"
"What am I going to do?"
In the next instant, Selene's tone shifted. A killing intent so pure and cold surged outward that Arisa's hair stood on end.
"Of course I'm going to kill him."
"Corresponding to everything I just said, he is also someone who harbors deep malice toward me—yet, ironically, indirectly played a role in my creation. At the same time, he is an enemy I must kill."
If Otto had simply created her host body and then cast her aside to observe from afar, Selene might never have killed him. With the grace of creation, she might even have repaid him.
But the problem was this—Otto and his researchers had treated her like a lump of rotten flesh, tormenting her through experiments. When they failed, they threw her into the incinerator without hesitation. If Selene had awakened a moment later, she might have been erased at the very beginning.
And he still dared speak of the grace of creation?
The experimental data labeled K-404 was more than enough repayment.
"K-404. Herrscher of the Void host fusion experiment. Failure. Disposal. Incinerator..."
As she spoke, Selene instinctively pressed a hand against her chest. Crimson light flared within her eyes. Veins stood out along her temples.
"Even after all these years, the body's memory still remembers. It keeps reminding me."
"As if every inch of skin were roasted, every cell torn apart, every bone melted, my soul shattered piece by piece... The feeling is unforgettable. It hurts."
For a moment, merely the leakage of fluctuations from the Herrscher of Finality caused Imaginary Space itself to distort. Imaginary internal energy particles twisted violently. A colossal violet-red vortex formed in an instant, stirring the surrounding time and space.
Within seconds, ominous light spread outward from Selene as the center—tens of kilometers, hundreds, thousands—until vast regions of Imaginary Space flickered with oppressive radiance.
"Waaah—! Your Majesty, don't be angry... I won't ask anymore! I won't ask!"
"Hm?"
Snapping back to herself, Selene stilled. The abyssal pressure vanished at once. Seeing Arisa on the verge of tears, Selene's eyes softened. She pulled her into an embrace.
"It isn't directed at you. It could never be directed at you, little Arisa. I'm sorry. I lost control in front of you..."
This time, her apology was sincere.
While the Will of the Honkai had granted Selene knowledge of events across the eras of the Honkai world, it had also repeatedly replayed the deepest memories buried within her mind—the memories of the K-404 experiment.
K-404—the shell that had not yet developed self-awareness. Experimented upon. Corroded by Honkai energy. Reshaped by the Herrscher of the Void Core. The deaths of previous numbered "sisters." Abandonment. The incinerator's flames...
K-404 had known nothing. Understood nothing. Learned nothing of grand principles.
It had only possessed the most primal biological instinct of a living body.
Since returning to the Honkai world, that pure desire for revenge, slaughter, and destruction had constantly influenced Selene.
The moment she saw Otto and the emblem of Schicksal, the impulse to ignite the sun itself and reduce the solar system to ash flashed through her mind.
But now, Selene was the absolute master of this body. The residual physical consciousness of K-404 was nearly nonexistent. Perhaps stirred by the moment, she had simply found someone to confide in.
"Truly... I'm grateful to you. And to Mother Katy, Father Brauchitsch, and Sebas for staying by my side. Without you... I can't even imagine what I might have become."
Otto had only a single ray of sunlight.
She had many.
Gently patting Arisa's back, recalling the warmth of those beautiful memories, the tenderness in Selene's gaze deepened.
No matter how cold she appeared on the surface, Selene had already begun to care about them.
Sebas. Arisa. The foster parents who gave her a warm childhood.
They were the final safeguard of her conscience—the ones who could constantly remind her to maintain the most basic of bottom lines.
It was difficult to imagine what she might have become without them. Without their early guidance and correction. Without those restraints.
Alone—already prone to extremes and isolation by nature—what would she have done once her power swelled without limit and her authority became absolute?
Perhaps she truly would have walked the path of a chaotic evil god.
"All right. Don't cry." She set Arisa down in front of her, one hand resting on her shoulder while the other pointed toward the blond man displayed within the crystalline projection. "See him? That's Otto."
"Mm. I see him." Sniffling, Arisa nodded firmly.
"Hit him."
"Okay!!"
Vrrrr—!
With a flick of her finger, endless Honkai particles within sight began to converge.
Like a tangible violet-red waterspout, they gathered and spiraled at Selene's fingertip. With a tearing rip, a spatial portal hundreds of meters in diameter was ripped open.
"The coordinates are locked. I will grant you partial command authority over the Honkai Beast Legion. I will also deploy the Sisters of Silence. Go—offer him my blessing."
The instant the order was given, Arisa shot forward like a comet, trailing a long blue-violet tail flame that rippled through space as she plunged into the portal.
"Now then... I should tidy up Imaginary Space as well."
Narrowing her eyes, Selene turned her head. The warmth and softness vanished as if they had never existed. In their place stood the cold, arrogant ruler of the Empire.
"It's riddled with holes like a sieve."
Imaginary Space—the home ground of a Herrscher—yet it was filled with all manner of chaotic intrusions, as though anyone could enter and leave at will.
"Well then. At the request of that old busybody, the Will of the Honkai... it's time to clean up the remnants of the Previous Era."
For the trials of the Current Era, the Will of the Honkai had set no specific quotas for Selene. She was free to act as she pleased.
But regarding the leftovers of the Previous Era, its stance was singular.
Eradicate them completely.
Their existence severely disrupted the natural development of the Current Era civilization—and even interfered with Honkai's judgment.
"MOTH. The MANTIS warriors. The Thirteen Flame-Chasers. World Serpent. The so-called Savior, Kevin. Elysian Realm. The traitor Elysia..."
...
Meanwhile, inside St. 537 Church in Kolosten Town, Otto still hovered midair with his eyes closed, arms spread.
"..."
An awkward silence lingered.
Even someone as calculating as Otto felt a flicker of confusion.
The illusory tree behind him still radiated golden brilliance.
But where was the Will of the Honkai?
At least say something.
What about the agreement?
...What had gone wrong?
A chill crept into his bones.
Had even a god—the Honkai God itself—begun breaking promises?
At present, Otto possessed only half of the Herrscher of Dominance's authority, stolen long ago from the core gemstone of the Tenth Herrscher—the Herrscher of Dominance.
As for the promised authority of the Eleventh Herrscher—the Herrscher of Binding—he had received only a partial payment.
Two Herrscher authorities—yet neither complete.
He should have been pleased.
So why did it feel so incomplete?
And then—
BOOOOM—!
"This is bad."
Two deafening detonations erupted outside the church, shaking the earth itself.
It was easy to sense the golden light curtain surrounding the church trembling—cracking.
With a sharp crack!
Under the combined assault of the Herrscher of Reason and the Hyperion's firepower, the golden barrier shattered in an instant, without the slightest sign of regeneration.
It happened in a blink.
Countless golden fragments of varying sizes drifted like shattered petals through the air.
"Theresa... Kiana... impressive."
A flaw had appeared in the plan. Otto's brows furrowed as the thought of retreat surfaced. It was not yet time. Should he activate another contingency?
Suddenly—
Vrrrr—!
Otto turned sharply toward the illusory tree behind him. On the golden halo encircling its trunk, a black spatial tear saturated with dense violet-red light ripped through physical space.
This aura did not belong to the Herrscher of Binding.
It felt more like the Second Herrscher—the Herrscher of the Void. Sirin.
How was that possible?
The similarity exceeded even Kiana's.
Sirin should have long been dead.
Buzz!
A violent gust surged outward from the portal. A suffocating sense of danger enveloped Otto. Even his soulium-crafted body felt an icy chill.
His pupils contracted.
Before the soulium body could react, a tangible shockwave crashed down upon him.
In the next instant—
"ROOOAAARRRR—!"
A world-shaking roar pierced through space itself and struck the church beneath Otto's feet. The entire structure trembled violently as rubble cascaded downward.
Cracks spread visibly across its walls.
BOOM!!
In the next moment, smoke and dust exploded outward as St. 537 Church disintegrated. Its heavy stone walls shattered like tofu, debris blasting in all directions. The resulting shockwave swept nearly a hundred meters outward.
"Y-You're kidding, right, chicken-head? That Honkai energy fluctuation just now—didn't we see that during the Second Honkai Eruption?"
Aboard the Hyperion, staring at the energy readings and monitoring data, Tesla clutched her head and shouted, "What is going on?! She was supposed to be dead!"
"Based on the energy readings and reaction patterns... there's no mistake. That was the companion Honkai Beast of the Second Herrscher—the Herrscher of the Void."
Einstein's fingers flew across the controls. For the first time, a flicker of alarm crossed her otherwise composed face.
If the Herrscher of the Void had truly revived, then disaster loomed. The global devastation she once unleashed remained unforgettable.
Damn it.
Had Otto really gone this far?
This would be a catastrophe for humanity.
On the ground, staring at the blue-white colossal wings slicing through the smoke, Kiana instinctively stepped in front of Bronya. Her pupils shrank as she gasped—
"Benares?!"