To be honest, after watching this segment, many viewers in the livestream found it hard to hold back their emotions.
Of course, they weren't surprised that they couldn't hold it in. As mature Honkai Impact 3rd players, tissues had been prepared long ago.
They just didn't expect the first scene to break them would be Otto's self-reflection.
Elysia was the same.
Thus, when the game screen switched back to Kolosten, she didn't control the character for a while, remaining silent.
She thought of the chapter title: Dusk of the Fool.
The "Fool" undoubtedly referred to Otto. As for "Dusk," combined with the prior events, it clearly signified an ending of sorts.
"Walking one's own path, reaching the end at dusk—that, too, is a form of romance."
"I hope Otto's ending… won't be too tragic."
Elysia sighed softly.
Then, she quickly gathered herself and moved the character forward to trigger the story.
A line appeared on the screen:
Behind the door, Otto Apocalypse awaits.
Please select battle difficulty.
[Easy Mode]
[Normal Mode]
This time, there was no [Hard Mode]?
Elysia couldn't help but be surprised.
"Only [Easy] and [Normal]?"
"What's wrong with that?" Hokuto asked beside her.
"Of course it's a problem."
Elysia immediately responded, "Without [Hard Mode], how can I showcase my veteran player skills?!"
"…I see."
Hokuto was a little speechless, yet slightly amused.
So he replied, "Don't worry, you'll get your chance to show off."
"Hmm?" Elysia was intrigued, but before she could ask, the game had already entered the cutscene, defaulting to [Normal Mode].
Otto's voice echoed.
"Welcome, my dear old friend, Schicksal's premier S-rank Valkyrie."
"If this were an hour earlier, I would've greeted you in that manner, Durandal."
The straightforward Durandal had no intention of making small talk with Otto.
"'Destroy the present, then reselect the past'—what does that mean?"
Facing Durandal's question, Otto patiently explained.
A long explanation.
In short, it was still the previous plan of sacrificing 500 years of history to start over.
Unable to accept the enormous price Otto intended to pay, Durandal decided to stop the elder who had fallen into madness.
Otto, in turn, was willing to give his prized pupil a chance—a chance to kill him and halt his plan.
"Kill me, and my plan will vanish along with me."
…
"I think… I get it now."
Hearing this, Elysia suddenly spoke up.
"Really? Seriously?" The first to express surprise was Theresa.
"Theresa, your blunt doubt is making me a little sad~~"
"…Sorry."
"Oh dear, Theresa, no need to be so serious. How could I ever be mad at the super cute Theresa?"
"Uh…"
Though they'd known each other for a while, Theresa still struggled to handle Elysia.
Fortunately, Hokuto stepped in to ease the tension.
"Elysia, care to share your thoughts?"
"I'm sure many in the chat are curious too."
[Probably another one of her whimsical takes. Typical Elysia.]
[Logically speaking, that's to be expected.]
"You guys… I'm not just some single-cell pink fuzzball! That's mean~!"
Pouting, Elysia began a 'serious' analysis.
"I think Otto's actions could be seen in two ways."
"First, his plan to 'revive Kallen' actually requires Kiana and the others to defeat him, so he's been provoking the Valkyries—not out of emotion, but because of some hidden scheme."
Everyone was taken aback.
She actually got it right.
And Elysia wasn't done with her 'serious' analysis.
"Second, Otto genuinely wants Bianca to stop him. After all… I remember Bianca was someone Otto prepared long ago to prevent his future self from going completely mad."
[Elysia, you have awakened.]
[An analysis based on sound reasoning.]
[Cognitive limits successfully breached.]
These comments, along with the earlier banter, were clearly not from ordinary viewers, but from Honkai Impact 3rd characters watching the stream.
Because they knew what kind of person Elysia normally was, they were now teasing her with great interest.
Far from being annoyed, Elysia was rather proud of herself.
"Of course~~ I'm super amazing! Obviously!"
"I'm just usually low-profile."
"You guys wouldn't understand."
…
After basking in her glory for a while, Elysia continued the story.
Durandal, facing Otto's offer to kill him, fell silent.
Though she had prepared for this confrontation, when it truly came to this, she hesitated.
Because Otto had indeed treated her well over the years.
Seeing this, Otto provoked her again.
"The person before you is but a collection of sins and desires.
He knows virtue yet discards morality, understands ethics yet tramples them.
He craves wisdom solely for personal gratification; he worships beauty only to deny ugliness.
He believes this world is full of surplus people, so much so that life's value has been trampled into worthlessness.
Only when his own life is marked with a rest symbol… will Otto Apocalypse gaze upon the pure sky, trembling in the sanctity it brings his soul."
Though familiar with Otto, Durandal didn't fall for the provocation, yet had no choice but to fight.
The battle began.
Elysia controlled Durandal to strike at Otto.
A series of skillful combos sent Otto sprawling.
Everything seemed to be going smoothly.
But the more she fought, the more something felt off.
Why was Otto's HP so hard to whittle down?
Something's not right! There's a problem!
Elysia slowed her attacks to assess the situation.
Just as she noticed Otto shielding himself, he unleashed a new move.
Simulated Judah!
Golden crosses unfurled in the cathedral, with countless golden chains ensnaring Durandal.
"Otto is this strong?" Elysia was a little surprised. "He can hold his own against Durandal?"
And she wasn't alone.
Countless players progressing through the main story while watching the stream had reached this point.
[We once demanded Otto show his health bar, only to realize we can't beat him even with it displayed.]
[No wonder there's no Hard Mode.]
[I'm not worthy. I can't win.]
…
As the chat exploded.
In-game Otto continuously simulated attacks using various Divine Keys, overwhelming players with their variety.
From both the player and viewer perspectives, the battle's difficulty was palpable.
Once a frail, sickly boy 500 years ago, Otto was no longer the same.
Who knew how much time had passed.
Elysia focused entirely on the fight.
Finally! Otto's health bar was nearly depleted.
She was just about to relax.
On screen.
Otto distanced himself from Durandal: "Bianca, you've grown remarkably well."
"Heh~"
He chuckled softly and waved his hand: "Void Archives!"
Void Archives floated before him, transforming the cathedral as four towering pillars aided Otto in summoning a simulated Black Abyss.
Otto's HP instantly returned to full.
Elysia, caught off guard by this next phase, froze momentarily.
That moment of hesitation was enough.
By the time she realized she needed to destroy one of the pillars before Otto's Black Abyss simulation descended to gain invincibility—
The Black Abyss had already crashed down.
A nuclear blast obliterated Durandal.
The game screen cut back to the cathedral exterior.
["Veteran Player Skills"]
["No Hard Mode, huh?"]
["Normal Mode can't satisfy me"]
Elysia: ???
What's with these comments!
"You see, I told you you'd get to show your skills." Hokuto remarked beside her.
"..."
"'Otto'-san… you know."
Elysia's tone grew cold: "If you can't say anything nice, maybe don't say anything at all."
Shattered by Otto in-game, shattered by Otto out-of-game.
What is this—some kind of 4D experience?
"Ugh…?"
"Well~~ never mind."
Elysia didn't bother to dwell on it, regathering her spirits: "That was just my first try. I wasn't familiar with the mechanics."
"Second attempt, guaranteed victory!"
She pressed forward, stubbornly selecting [Normal Mode] again.
The battle resumed.
This time, she was far more cautious, engaging Otto in a tense back-and-forth.
At last… clinging to a sliver of health, she furiously mashed her keyboard and barely drained Otto's HP.
Cleared!
"Whew~~"
Elysia let out a breath, instantly disregarding how close she'd been to another defeat, her voice cheerful.
"Easy peasy, very simple."
"I said it, didn't I? The first time was just unfamiliarity. Second run, guaranteed clear!"
As soon as she said that, the livestream chat flooded with 'Yes, yes, yes,' 'You even called it "very simple" again,' 'Miss Elf is invincible~~'...
And in-game, the post-battle cutscene began.
After a grueling fight, Durandal successfully defeated Otto.
"It ends here, Overseer."
"Lay bare all your thoughts… while there's still time. Go and sit down with Theresa for a proper talk."
Otto smiled: "Heh… I told you. You should've approached this with the intent to kill, not with such half-measures."
Even as he spoke, a strange aura enveloped him, his Honkai energy surging.
"This power… Overseer, you—"
"Hahahahaha…"
Otto laughed: "Whatever you do now is too late, Bianca Ataegina."
Seeing this, Elysia's earlier worry for Bianca resurfaced.
Though Durandal was standing and Otto was kneeling, based on the plot, Otto had clearly turned the tables.
Thus, Durandal… after raising so many flags before coming here…
"MiHoYo, calm down! Don't do anything reckless!"
[Durandal—!]
[MiHoYo! Don't!]
[Otto, spare her! That's your student!!]
Bullet comments filled the screen, as if Bianca would be lost in the next moment.