Hearing Himeko's words, the group fell silent.
She was right. Although the people in the parallel world were comical, like something out of a comedy, who wouldn't want to live in a world like that if they could?
To spend every day happily playing with friends, with no schemes or conflicts.
For everyone to live in harmony, where no one would die and no one would grieve. How wonderful would that be?
"Auntie Himeko, even if our world isn't so perfect, I believe that as long as we work hard to change the bad parts, it will eventually become the world we hope for," Kiana said earnestly.
Himeko was taken aback for a moment, then she shook her head and chuckled. She reached out, hooked an arm around Kiana's neck, and gave her head a vigorous noogie.
"You little rascal, using my own words to lecture me, are you? How did you get so smart?" she teased.
"Owww—Auntie Himeko, stop rubbing! You'll mess up my hair!"
---o---
[Question 15: During the Second Honkai War, when Welt Yang was about to kill the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, who intervened and stopped him?]
[A: Otto]
[B: A Pseudo-Herrscher]
[C: Benares]
[D: The Will of the Honkai]
"The Second Honkai War..."
Hearing those familiar words, Tesla and Einstein froze, their expressions turning grim.
The pain caused by the Second Honkai War was difficult to soothe even to this day, and now, those memories had been reawakened.
"The Herrscher of the Void?"
Kiana stared blankly at the question. Ever since she learned that she was the vessel for the Herrscher of the Void, she had spent a great deal of time searching for information about the Second Honkai War and Sirin.
Unfortunately, it seemed that all information regarding the event and the Herrscher had been deliberately hidden by someone, making it completely impossible to find any relevant data.
Even with Bronya's help, they had only found a few insignificant clues.
Although Bronya could use her hacking skills to infiltrate Schicksal HQ's database and steal the information, she would definitely be discovered, so they had to give up on that idea.
But now, it seemed she finally had the chance to witness the Second Honkai War with her own eyes, and to see... the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin.
---o---
"Theresa, I remember you participated in the Second Honkai War. Didn't you say you beat the Herrscher of the Void senseless with Judah? Do you know the answer to this question?" Himeko asked.
"Er..."
Theresa's expression instantly stiffened.
"W-well... I, I seem to have forgotten. I can't help it, it's been so many years..." Theresa stammered, seeming to find the topic difficult to speak about.
"Huh? As I recall, weren't you taken out by the Herrscher of the Void in a single blow? It was Welt and Siegfried who arrived just in time to save you."
Tesla showed Theresa no mercy whatsoever, exposing the truth on the spot.
Theresa: "..."
"I'm telling you, Theresa... can you please stop bragging in the future?" Himeko sighed, rubbing her forehead. While she knew Theresa's stories were likely exaggerated, she never imagined the truth was so far from what she had claimed.
How could you have the nerve to brag about being one-shotted? How is your skin so thick?
"I-I was just saying it casually! Who knew you'd take it seriously," Theresa said defensively.
"Forget it. Dr. Einstein, do you two know the answer to this question?" Himeko had lost all hope in Theresa and could only turn to Einstein and her colleague.
"We do know some things," Einstein said. "We weren't on site, so we aren't clear on the specific situation. But according to what Welt told us later, a blond man wearing a clown mask suddenly appeared and stopped him."
"It makes me mad just thinking about it. If it weren't for that guy, we would have finished off the Herrscher of the Void long ago. None of the later events would have happened," Tesla said angrily.
"A clown mask? Blond hair?"
Theresa muttered to herself, a sudden feeling of unease washing over her.
There were only four options in the answer. The only one who seemed to fit that description was...
"Theresa, it seems you've thought of it as well," Einstein said. "Originally, we didn't know who that mysterious person was. But now, it seems we do."
There was no helping it. With only four options, once you eliminated the wrong ones, even someone with a lower IQ than Kiana couldn't possibly choose incorrectly.
"Otto."
Bronya said the name aloud.
Otto. It was Otto again.
Everyone felt a headache coming on.
Why was this man always involved in every bad thing?
"But, I don't understand. Why would Grandpa stop Welt from killing the Herrscher of the Void?" Theresa asked, her voice filled with pain.
"That is a question we also couldn't understand... until we saw the videos of the future," Einstein stated calmly.
"It's obvious. The power of the Herrscher of the Void is something Otto greatly desires. For that, he would even allow Sirin to grow stronger and would not permit anyone to kill her."
"But he failed. During the Second Honkai War, the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin, escaped to the moon. There, she obtained four Herrscher gems and her power increased dramatically."
"Although we were ultimately victorious, we paid a terrible price. Even Cecili—"
Before Einstein could finish, Tesla stopped her.
Einstein tilted her head, followed Tesla's gaze, and then realized her mistake. It was indeed inappropriate to speak of Cecilia's death in front of Kiana.
Even if she was just a clone of the real Kiana, to her, Cecilia was still her mother.
"...In short, it was precisely because of the failure during the Second Honkai War that Otto set his sights on Kiana, seeking to control a Herrscher of the Void who possessed a human consciousness."
"With that, everything can be explained."
Theresa's mouth opened, but no words came out for a long time.
It was true. Otto's actions had all been laid bare. With just a little analysis, it was clear that everything Einstein said was correct.
"Of course, if you still have doubts, then this should be the most persuasive method, correct?"
Einstein spoke. "I choose A."
[Answer... correct.]
[Congratulations, you have received one blueprint for a Quantum Converter.]
[Quantum Converter: Can convert any living or non-living object into a quantum state. The more energy the target possesses, the more difficult the conversion, and it may even fail.]
With the system's confirmation, everyone had no choice but to believe it.
For his own selfish desires, Otto Apocalypse had indeed spared a Herrscher who was filled with malice towards all of humanity.