"Long time no see, Rita."
It had been quite a long time since they last parted, but the girl in his vision was still as beautiful as ever, her beauty not having faded in the slightest.
Her flaxen, shoulder-length hair remained the same, the beauty mark below her waist adding a touch of charm.
The girl's figure was as slender as ever, and an aura of elegance and intellect filled every corner of Rita's being.
Rita was still the same Rita. Apart from the extra experience gained with the passage of time, there was no change in her at all.
Naturally, since neither had changed much, and Brian had left an unforgettable memory in her heart, their interaction would not become distant just because they hadn't seen each other for a long time.
Walking to Rita's side, his gentle fingertips lifted Rita's shoulder-length hair, making the beautiful girl show a soft smile.
"Lord Brian, don't you know that taking liberties with a Valkyrie like me will get you sent flying by my superior?"
Durandal had been displeased with this Inner World Protagonist, Brian, for a long time. She even held a grudge for being unable to get back at him, becoming a bit petty.
Earlier, when welcoming Theresa, Durandal had controlled herself not to look at Brian, lest her anger spiral out of control.
After that, her attention was drawn to more important matters, and she temporarily had no time to deal with this man.
Just like at this very moment.
"I think before I'm done doing everything I should to you, Durandal won't be rushing back to stop me."
The soft waist was embraced by a strong arm. The long-missed intimate contact made Rita's delicate face flush red.
Although she had been treated this way more than once at the Far East Branch, and had her body played with by this guy several times.
But perhaps because it had been a long time, Rita felt her body was more sensitive.
A pink light shone on her lower abdomen!
The Valkyrie was getting excited!
"You're awful!" she said with a coquettish cry. Before things could get out of control, Rita turned and slipped out of the man's embrace, leaving behind a trail of alluring thoughts. "Please don't get handsy with me here. I came to find you for some official business." Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Rita looked particularly captivating.
But as she said, she didn't just come to catch up with her boyfriend.
"You should know that having Lady Theresa inherit the power of the Schicksal Overseer is not Lord Overseer's entire goal. His true objective is still unknown to anyone."
Brian knew, but he couldn't say.
"Durandal feels that Lord Overseer's plan might hinder the overall situation of fighting the Honkai, and has already gone to confront him."
"You want me to protect Durandal?"
"Perhaps you'll be the one protected by her, who knows?" Rita winked playfully, her answer somewhat ambiguous.
Based on his understanding of Otto Apocalypse, Otto would absolutely not let Durandal fall here before she fulfilled his purpose.
Considering Otto's experiments over the past period, this soon-to-be-former Schicksal Overseer's actions were definitely related to the Imaginary Space.
And that mysterious world was not particularly dangerous for Durandal.
The biggest threat to her was...
"Getting lost."
"Lord Overseer possesses the Thousand Worlds and can easily banish Lady Durandal into the Imaginary Space."
"At that time, Lady Durandal might not be in life-threatening danger, but she will definitely get lost in the Imaginary Space due to the lack of coordinates for the Real World."
"Therefore, Rita would like to ask you to pay close attention to Lady Durandal's movements to avoid the worst-case scenario."
The considerate maid always had all the insurance measures prepared for her silly goose.
The Herrscher of Reason might not have the ability to directly locate the Real World like the Herrscher of the Void, but it was not a problem to take a roundabout approach by constructing related equipment or simulating Herrscher powers.
If Durandal was really trapped in the Imaginary Space as Rita considered, then the current arrangement would come into play, allowing Durandal to return to the Real World as quickly as possible and prevent Otto's further plans.
No!
"Rita, have you ever considered that Durandal's return from the Imaginary Space to the Real World is also part of Otto's plan?"
"..." Rita was stunned for a moment, then it dawned on her.
She was just a young girl in her teens, no match for a 500-year-old fox like Otto.
She anticipated Otto's plan, and Otto anticipated her anticipation.
This cunning man had probably already anticipated many more anticipations, making everyone act according to his plan.
"You're right, Rita was a bit careless." The reminded girl became alert, but Rita did not intend to change her mind. "I'll leave Lady Durandal in your care. If you perform well..." Her limpid eyes spun a silky thread, as if to hook away a person's heart like a succubus.
If it were a man of weak will, he might have already fallen under Rita's gaze.
But who was the young Brian?
"Rita, you don't really think I'll do your bidding just because you dangle a carrot in front of me, do you?"
"..."
So it won't work?
The Valkyrie, having failed to get a freebie, sighed in her heart, a little annoyed at this man for not acting without a reward, and also filled with anticipation for the tense and exciting activities to come.
"Please... please don't make any excessive requests of Rita."
"For Lady Durandal, Rita can do anything!"
In an instant, the drama queen Rita transformed into a small, weak woman, pitiful and helpless.
Making one... just want to ravage her fiercely!
"Rita, besides praying, what else do you think a nun can do on her knees?"
"..."
Pervert!
...
St. 1537 Church...
The blond-haired, blue-eyed man, dressed in magnificent attire, stepped into this church that had been abandoned for an unknown number of years.
"St. 1537 Church... a place I have remembered for a lifetime."
A little light shone down from the leaky dome, giving the weeds on the ground a chance to breathe.
The various items that were once displayed here in memory have all turned to nothingness in the relentless passage of time. Even the symbol of God hanging high above has been corroded to the point where not even dregs remain.
This sacred hall, built by the old Schicksal with a large amount of indulgences, could not withstand the power of time, regardless of the sins and light it once contained, becoming a little-known ruin five hundred years later.
Here was the starting point of Otto's ambition.
Likewise...
"It will also be the end of my pursuit!"
With his back to his student, Otto Apocalypse made a declaration.
He would realize his five-hundred-year-long pursuit and ambition here, returning the world to the track he believed was correct!
A villain like him should not live on. This world should belong to that noble Saintess!
"So... what exactly do you want to do?" Durandal still didn't know what Otto wanted to do, but her intuition told her it wasn't a good thing.
The blond-haired, blue-eyed man turned around, his handsome face showing the same calmness as always, as if he had everything under control: "I will use the power of a 'God' to intervene in this world, reconstructing the entire world except for Kolosten, and turn everything back to five hundred years ago!"
The time when the Schicksal Saintess, Kallen Kaslana, died!
Arrogant! Mad! Terrifying!
Durandal didn't know how to describe this fantastical opportunity, nor did her knowledge allow her to comprehend this incredible plan.
But she knew one thing clearly...
"If you succeed, everyone and everything outside of Kolosten will disappear, becoming nothingness without even a record because of your ambition!"
If he succeeds, the world returns to five hundred years ago.
If he fails, there would be no need for the Honkai to act; the whole world would perish together.
This was like the nuclear power plants built by modern nations. When used properly, they are efficient and low-cost clean energy; if an accident occurs, they become a super pollution source and dirty bomb that will bring disaster for millennia.
Whether Otto's chance succeeds or fails, it's not a good thing for this world!
"Otto, your ambition ends here!" The strong-willed and determined Valkyrie unhesitatingly stood opposite Otto, just as her instincts had sensed from the beginning.
She and her teacher were destined to be adversaries, parting ways because of their different pursuits.
Until a winner is decided!
"Durandal, my student." Spreading his arms, an exaggerated aura appeared on Otto.
Although this man was as elegant as a nobleman, flamboyant performance was also one of his characteristics.
"I raised you and trained you to be the strongest Valkyrie in Schicksal. Is this how you treat your mentor?"
Against a villain, Durandal had only one response.
A punch!
BAM—!
THUD—!
Even a body forged from Soulium could not withstand a punch from the strongest Valkyrie. Otto Apocalypse, who was putting on a flamboyant performance just a second ago, slid down the moss-covered wall in the next.
"But you also told me that a Valkyrie's mission is to protect civilization and fight the Honkai, not to sacrifice her precious life for someone's selfish desires!"
In those azure eyes, a firm and powerful will flickered!
No matter who made an enemy of this world, Durandal would crush them without mercy!
Even her own teacher!
Otto propped himself up from the ground with the wall: "Durandal, you've grown up. I'm very gratified."
"I still remember when you woke up from the hospital bed, you looked at me with eyes full of curiosity about this world, and casually set your birthday as January 1st."
"Thinking back now, that time in the sanatorium was perhaps the best period of our relationship."
Nanobots initiated the preset repair program, fixing the wounds on Otto's body one by one.
The essence of a material like Soulium is a powerful supercomputer. As long as not every unit composing Otto's body is destroyed, it is impossible to completely defeat this man.
Durandal's resentful punch just now was merely a greeting in the battle against Otto.
The Valkyrie's face was stern, the determined will in her eyes not wavering in the slightest because of Otto's words: "But you have already betrayed us and become an enemy of Schicksal."
The mission of Schicksal is to fight the Honkai and protect civilization. Otto's current actions go against the philosophy of Schicksal, to an intolerable degree.
Loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty.
A man with such thoughts absolutely cannot be allowed to continue as the Overseer of Schicksal, otherwise the entire world would be like a chariot rushing towards an abyss, never stopping until its destruction.
Dusting himself off, the blond, blue-eyed man had already returned to his previous elegant appearance. Even the clothes on his body had been repaired to new by nanobots.
"This is not a betrayal. We were never like-minded partners, we were just conveniently on the same path before reaching our respective desired destinations."
"Then all those things you did for this world..."
"Were just things my Saintess expected me to do."
"..." Durandal could see that Otto was indeed not lying.
Whether he could fight the Honkai and save civilization, this man didn't care. His previous compassionate actions were merely the expectations of the white moonlight in his heart.
This man's heart was filled with coldness and ruthlessness, completely indifferent to the opinions of others.
He only cared about one person.
"Otto, have you never considered that your Saintess would not want you to save her at the cost of sacrificing the entire world?"
A dead white moonlight is an invincible white moonlight.
It is precisely because she is dead that she cannot be defeated, thus becoming an obsession that has lingered in this man's heart for five hundred years.
For the first time, an expression different from the usual appeared on Otto's face.
It seemed like grief, like remorse, like liberation...
"Whether she will accept all this is not important. What's important is that I must do it!"
He had found a chance to realize his ideal. Even if it was just a minuscule probability, it was enough to risk everything to execute the plan.
The end of the Honkai was approaching, and the research on the Imaginary has reached its final stage...
This very moment is the time for Otto Apocalypse's dream to come true!
"Is that so?"
SWOOSH—!
A whistling sound echoed as the strongest Valkyrie of this generation unhesitatingly threw her lance, aiming to completely pierce this lawless man.
Her agile and powerful body followed closely behind, the terrifying explosive force almost making the world crackle.
Durandal didn't expect to be able to completely eliminate this man. The nature of the Soulium body determined the limit of her attacks.
To completely eliminate Otto, she would need to subdue this man first, and then have another detestable man use Jizo Mitama to completely erase his existence.
"Prepare yourself! Otto!"
BAM—! BAM—!
Her weapon and fist once again made contact with Otto's body, and the Valkyrie's eyes widened.
Failed!
Her attack had achieved nothing, only causing the hem of the man's clothes to flutter in the swirling wind, as if all her power had been completely sealed by the hand he held up.
"Durandal, please do not look at your teacher with such surprised eyes." At this moment, Otto was still lecturing his student. "Knowledge is power. A scholar may be powerless to truss a chicken, but he can also rival a Herrscher after gaining a deep understanding of the world's essence!"
A golden light bloomed, forming golden chains that wrapped around Durandal's arms.
In just a breath's time, Durandal felt as if her arms had detached from her control, completely unable to feel them.
This feeling...
"Judah?"
But Otto did not use the Divine Key in his possession, Void Archives.
Then there could only be one explanation...
"You turned yourself into the Herrscher of Binding?"
"Durandal, I just said, knowledge is power!"
WHOOSH—!
The golden power spread, perfectly affecting the Honkai energy in Durandal's body.
The powerless Valkyrie knelt on one knee, looking up at the man with unyielding eyes.
Otto had no intention of killing his student. As Rita had speculated, he still had some things he needed Durandal to accomplish for him.
And only she could accomplish them.
"Durandal, your mission as a Valkyrie is over!"
A brilliant golden hexahedron appeared in Otto's hand. Under Otto's will, the radiant splendor constructed a steampunk-style locomotive.
Pseudo Thousand Worlds!
Banishment!