I Am Honkai

How many sins must a man commit...

To bring her back to the dawn at the end of hell?

How far must a man walk...

To reclaim his original self at the end of time?

A bad man? Perhaps... My original self? Heh, I have never changed, have I?

"...." Sprawled on the ground in a starfish position, Otto slowly closed his eyes, as if lost in reminiscence.

His "skin" had taken on the appearance of corroded blackened metal, with rust spreading like a poison. Ceramic-like surfaces of his body were cracked and exposed in large areas.

The once-handsome face now bore the marks of destruction.

Purple-red Honkai energy particles clung to him like a bone-eroding toxin, spreading across his body. Purple-black light spots emitted the hissing sound of acid eating away at metal.

"Though I've never considered myself a good person..."

Seconds later, Otto slowly opened his eyes, a glint of self-mockery flickering in his emerald-green gaze. "But to be accused as a heinous villain by a Herrscher... how ironic."

His faint rebuttal was met with nothing but Alyssa's piercing, judgmental glare.

"Hmph!"

It was evident that Alyssa, deeply wary of Otto Apocalypse, the Archbishop of Schicksal named explicitly by Selene, wasn't buying his excuses.

Kicking his hardened soulium body, Alyssa showed no interest in hearing Otto's defenses. "What's the Queen doing right now? I just want to return to her side quickly…"

"But no," Alyssa shook her head, dismissing her wandering thoughts and placing her hands on her hips. "The Queen's task must be completed."

Though her heart ached with unspoken sorrow at being unable to keep up with her Queen, Alyssa stood firm in her resolve. Completing the Queen's entrusted mission—even if it meant dealing with this scoundrel—took precedence.

The command center under Alex's command had already been relocated from the outskirts of Vienna, in Korosten, to the floating Schicksal headquarters over the Mediterranean Sea. Along with it, most Astartes Legion high-command personnel and captured members of the Hyperion crew had also been transferred.

Currently, only a small number of Astartes warriors remained near Alyssa, alongside her personal Battle Nun contingent and the elite Sisters of Silence of the Imperial Guard.

Particularly the Sisters of Silence, whose mere presence, even without deploying containment fields, inflicted immense discomfort upon Otto. The self-repair capabilities of his soulium body had been suppressed almost entirely.

Yet despite his dire situation, Otto still clung to the hope of turning the tables. His story was not over—not yet. It couldn't end here, nor did he dare let it end.

Indeed, the soulium bodies he had brought to Korosten had been almost completely destroyed under the relentless assaults from his granddaughter Theresa, Alyssa, and the mass deployments of Imperial forces.

But as someone who had meticulously ruled Schicksal for five centuries, Otto's contingency plans were as numerous as they were intricate. Perhaps even he would need considerable time to fully account for them all.

Just for the purpose of preventing assassination attempts, Otto had scattered numerous soulium duplicates across Schicksal's headquarters, its global branches, and his own private bases, prepared for any eventuality.

Normally, if Otto desired, there would be almost no one in the world capable of instantly killing him, and escape would naturally not be an issue.

Unfortunately, Otto's current situation was dire.

There was no more time, perhaps not even a chance, and he knew it well.

In the days surrounding his resignation as Overseer of Schicksal, the global concentration of Honkai energy began to surge wildly, reaching levels several times higher than before.

Though no longer the acting Overseer, Otto was far from disconnected from the world. He placed great importance on intelligence gathering.

However, something peculiar occurred: despite the Honkai energy's exponential rise, apart from localized Honkai Beast outbreaks in major disaster zones, no large-scale Honkai catastrophes occurred.

This looming storm initially made Otto suspect it was the result of his dealings with the Will of Honkai, but the appearance of Alyssa jolted him to a different conclusion.

The colossal army that followed, the skies filled with airships and spacefaring vessels... all of this confirmed Otto's suspicions.

Why did a Herrscher have so many human followers? Why did this companion Honkai Beast bear such a striking resemblance to Benares? And why was it so enormous?

Unfortunately, Otto had little time to ponder further. Not only had he been beaten senseless, but more importantly, a supernatural roar that shattered reality triggered an unprecedented imaginary-space storm.

The stirring caused by Selene's intervention completely severed the connection between physical space and imaginary space, destroying and even consuming all the arrangements Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and even World Serpent had established there.

Due to the most violent imaginary-space storm in history, all of Otto's efforts in the imaginary space were rendered void. Both World Serpent's involvement and Anti-Entropy's covert observations were utterly erased.

The storm raged on without pause, showing no signs of stopping. Otto was entirely barred from re-entering the imaginary space.

Simultaneously, Otto's current soulium body was surrounded by Sisters of Silence—the so-called "Herrscher of Binding" units. He was completely immobilized. What use was an infinite supply of soulium vessels for revival under such circumstances?

Since waking from his Honkai-induced unconsciousness, Otto had been pondering one question relentlessly: why had the Will of Honkai reneged on their deal?

Based on his prior experiments and reasoning, if the Will of Honkai had honored its promise and granted him the Herrscher of Binding's power, combined with the half-power of the Herrscher of Domination that he had previously stolen, Otto could have transcended into a pseudo-divine state.

In this form, he could lead Kiana and Durandal into the imaginary space. Using the energy from their final confrontation, he would briefly break free from the world's constraints and reach the deepest recesses of imaginary space.

There, if he could withstand the backlash of the imaginary realm, Otto could finally realize his lifelong wish upon the imaginary tree.

But the Will of Honkai had not followed Otto's script. The first step, the most critical one, was never taken—the Will of Honkai had ghosted him entirely.

I was only one step away from fulfilling my wish—just one step! Success was within reach... So why did the Will of Honkai go back on its word?! I am not reconciled to this!!

Unless... the Will of Honkai had found a better alternative.

On this point, Otto could only form one definitive conclusion—a new Herrscher had emerged!

This Herrscher was extraordinary, wielding multiple Herrscher abilities, and there was likely a significant connection to the Herrscher of the Void, Sirin.

"This lovely lady here is called Alyssa? And how should I address you, Your Majesty??"

As he speculated, Otto's remaining functional eye darted around, seizing upon the scant clues Alyssa had revealed in her words and probing her with cautious reasoning.

For Otto Apocalypse, neither dignity nor the weight of five centuries of leadership mattered. On the path to fulfilling his lifelong wish, he was willing to sacrifice everything!

"That 'Queen' you speak of—is she your superior Herrscher? Benares, the Second Herrscher of the Void, Sirin… No, impossible. She should have perished long ago."

Noticing that this child, resembling Benares, Sirin's companion Honkai Beast, seemed relatively easy to deceive, Otto deliberately mentioned keywords like "Benares," "Herrscher of the Void," and "Sirin."

Even though he knew the odds were astronomically low—so low it bordered on self-delusion—he chose to act. Any sliver of information that might help him escape his predicament was worth pursuing.

Life persisted, and so would he—for her…

"Benares… How do you know that? As I thought, you are a bad person!" Alyssa's face darkened instantly upon hearing Otto name her surname.

Selene had given Alyssa her full name: Alyssa Benares.

The surname "Benares" symbolized her origin, nodding to the original Honkai Beast Benares. Her first name, Alyssa, was Selene's affectionate choice, signifying that this Benares belonged to Selene, not Sirin.

Boom!

A sudden, explosive kick struck Otto. It felt as though a cloudburst bomb had detonated on him, sending shockwaves through his body, throwing him into the air, and slamming him hard into the ground below.

The impact caused such a commotion that nearby auxiliary troops and servants halted their activities. Even the combat nuns turned their heads. Only the Sisters of Silence stood motionless, as if completely unperturbed by the spectacle.

Rip—

"Oh, little Alyssa, I've come to fetch you…" Selene's calm voice carried as she elegantly stepped out of a spatial gate, wine glass in hand. Yet the swirling sandstorm that greeted her made her cough, "Ugh… so much dust."

Waving her hand to disperse the dust cloud, Selene wrinkled her nose and cleared the air.

"Otto…" She glanced at the scene, noticing Alyssa repeatedly stomping on Otto.

"Your Majesty!" The imperial troops present, led by the Sisters of Silence, saluted in unison.

Nodding lightly, Selene lifted her hand in a graceful motion, signaling for her soldiers to rise.

"Still at it? Been at this all day?"

"Queen!"

Alyssa stepped away from the creaking soulium structure she had been pummeling. Her sky-blue eyes gleamed with a mix of sternness and excitement as she said cheerfully, "Hehe, Alyssa beat up Otto!"

But as she continued speaking, her voice softened, and her excitement waned. "But it's so boring… Sitting around all day… Queen, where are we going now?"

"Schicksal Headquarters. There's a banquet waiting," Selene replied, recognizing Alyssa's unspoken desire for praise. She ruffled the little one's hair fondly and handed over her fruit wine.

"Mmm…" Accepting the glass with both hands, Alyssa took a small sip and beamed with satisfaction, softly exclaiming, "Hehe, I knew the Queen wouldn't forget me."

No, I almost did. If Esdeath hadn't reminded me, I might have left this little dummy out here overnight, Selene thought to herself with a wry smile.

"Yes." Riding on the moment, Selene replied with a calm expression, "I came specifically to fetch you. The banquet has already started, and there are plenty of new friends assigned under your command."

"New friends? Assigned under my command?" Alyssa placed one hand on her hip, striking a cool pose. "My combat nun unit isn't for just anyone. If they want to join, they must pass my test."

Selene chuckled. "Still acting tough? Don't worry about their qualifications. Besides, it's not your combat nun unit—it's a newly established Valkyrie division. You're just there as the Grand Executive Commander."

"Just a figurehead? What?! At least let me—" Alyssa's indignant protest was cut short when Selene unceremoniously placed her hand over Alyssa's face and shoved her aside with a dismissive, "Step aside."

Turning around, Selene set her sights on Otto, who lay deeply embedded in the ground.

To her surprise, as she focused her attention on him, Selene felt unusually calm—eerily so. Her mind was devoid of any anger, her emotions like a still pond. All the cutting, venomous taunts she had prepared evaporated.

There was no wrath, no desperation, no hatred—just the singular desire to bring an end to him. Nothing more.

Otto had created her—or rather, he had created K-404, her biological vessel. But it was her adoptive parents, Brauchitsch and Katie, both mere mortals, who had raised her.

Twisted, disfigured, utterly broken—gone was the grandeur of Otto Apocalypse, the former Overseer of Schicksal. What lay before her was pitiful, a grotesque shadow of his once-glorious self. Embedded in the scorched earth, Otto resembled a grasshopper writhing in molten lava, his breaths and groans barely audible.

Click, clack.

"Life… truly is such a fragile thing, isn't it, Otto Apocalypse?" Selene's white boots with golden trim pressed against the charred ground as she spoke softly.

"Finality…" Otto murmured, straining to lift his neck as much as his damaged soulium body would allow.

Otto didn't have detailed information about the Herrscher of the End, but the half-core of the Herrscher of Dominance he had absorbed was quaking in fear.

For a Herrscher's core to experience a visceral, bloodline-deep fear—there was only one possibility aside from the Honkai Will itself.

"You look so much like her. It's uncanny. Cecilia… Is that you? Is this my retribution?" Otto's battered voice trembled as he gazed at her.

Her flawless, fair skin; a perfectly proportioned nose; eyes of pure crimson untainted by any impurity—every feature was crafted with extraordinary precision. Combined, they formed a visage that transcended mortal comprehension.

"I regret to inform you—it is not. Under your command, Cecilia was reduced to ashes alongside the Honkai Fission Bomb."

Sizzle.

As Selene stepped closer, the Herrscher of the End's energy waves agitated the Honkai energy embedded within Otto's soulium body. The volatile particles began to react violently, intensifying the damage.

"So… that's how it is." Otto lowered his head slightly. New cracks formed on his soulium face, splitting open his synthetic flesh in grotesque patterns.

"For the Herrscher of the End to deliver you to the end itself—I suppose it's a fitting fate for Otto Apocalypse, the man who ruled for five centuries." Selene calmly extended her hand as the radiance of annihilation began to shine.

She had no intention of drawing this out. Torture wasn't necessary—denying Otto his dream of "Kallen is alive" was punishment enough.

"Will you grant me one last chance?" Otto's fragmented body trembled as his plea emerged—a final, desperate hope.

"Just one chance!" Purple-red liquid oozed from the cracks in his soulium body. "No matter the cost, I am willing to pay… I beg you."

"No."

Buzz—

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