Chapter 285: Exclusive Stigmata - Otto Apocalypse
The colorful comic book on the living room table flipped its pages by itself in the wind, its owner still frozen in place, unable to let go of her emotions.
The midday sun baked everything with its scorching rays, but Luo Mo only felt a chill in his heart.
He watched as three women argued with each other in a scene that reminded him of a fight in a harem anime.
Luo Mo felt scared and unsure of what to do, so he quietly moved to a corner of the room and stayed there, shaking a little.
Originally, three women were already a handful, but with one silly, one small, and one clever, it was still manageable. However, after adding Irene, the situation gradually spiraled out of control.
This is really not something he can handle, Luo Mo shouted in his heart.
He tried to get up and step forward, but the moment he moved, two of the women glared at him. A chill went straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, and he smiled sarcastically.
Then, he silently crouched back down.
He didn't want to get involved in this mess!
There wasn't any verbal sparring between the two.
They just stood there, locking eyes, a silent battle playing out between them. The air crackled with unspoken tension as if they were communicating through their gazes alone.
There was anger in Kongming's eyes, as well as complaints against Luo Mo; Irene looked at Kongming, and gradually understood the truth of the matter.
Theresa, on the other hand, was still in shock from the unexpected interruption. She hadn't moved an inch, her mind racing to make sense of what was happening.
Luna, the youngest of the group, was completely lost. She looked back and forth between Kongming and Irene, her confusion evident on her face.
In other words, the situation was in a delicate balance.
Safe!
Luo Mo didn't intend to disturb this delicate balance. Although he enjoyed watching women fight, especially arguments between beautiful women, like between Snake and Ellie, or Kiana and Mei...
But if it involved himself, then forget it. He was willing to be a bit more well-behaved.
He knew that pushing his luck could lead to trouble, and he wasn't eager to face the consequences.
"Hehe, is this one also an alternate pair of Theresa-sama?" Irene said to Kongming with a smile.
"And what about you?" Kongming retorted coldly, her voice sharp as ice.
"What's your relationship with Rita?" Her beautiful face was now set in a frown.
There wasn't a specific reason, but Kongming disliked this woman standing before her.
She couldn't shake the feeling that Irene was trying to take something away from her, and it filled her with disgust.
"You're kidding, right?" Irene laughed lightly. "We've never even met, so how could there be a relationship between us? But it seems like you already know Theresa pretty well."
"Not really," Kongming replied, her voice cool and measured. "I actually know more about the person you call 'Captain.' As for Headmaster Theresa... well, it's just a coincidence that we look alike."
Irene raised an eyebrow. "Know more, you say? That's an intriguing claim. Do you really... know everything?" She covered her mouth with her hand as she giggled, her expression playful.
"..., if you understand everything, you won't be even curious at all. It goes against the original intention. There should be a blank space for people to get along with each other. "
Kongming's eyes grew colder as she looked at Irene, always feeling that there was a hidden meaning in her words.
Everything... Hmph, could she be referring to that aspect?
"It's true that a little mystery can be interesting," Irene conceded, her voice smooth and calm. "But it's also not a bad thing to know what needs to be known."
Kongming let out a huff, her eyes narrowing with suspicion. "Is that so?" she muttered, her voice laced with doubt.
Irene's smile didn't waver as she surveyed the villa's layout, already planning out where she would claim as her own space. "Indeed," she replied, a hint of amusement in her eyes.
...
Luo Mo wasn't idle either. He silently opened the system panel.
Although he already knew about the exclusive Stigmata refresh, it wasn't until now that Luo Mo had time to carefully examine its attributes and ponder... whether or not to take this Stigmata.
He was actually quite conflicted. The new Stigmata was... a bit surprising, to say the least. It was a golden retriever.
So... Otto's Stigmata is actually exclusive to Kallen? This was absurd yet somewhat reasonable. What was going on? What was the story behind this?
It seemed like Bishop Otto Apocalypse, the Pure Love Warrior, was so devoted to Kallen that he would even transform into a Stigmata to be with her. Was his love for her really that strong?
Luo Mo couldn't wrap his head around it, but he was definitely amazed.
[Exclusive Stigmata - Otto Apocalypse]
[Function: Physical damage bonus +110, Honkai energy resistance +120, Hidden power: unknown]
[Wearing requirements: Honkai resistance 150 (Note: The true power can only be used by Otto or Kallen)]
[Description: 500 years have not dimmed his ideals, and the world's attention cannot compare to the love for one person. On the final stage he has set for himself, he takes a grand bow and proclaims to the world – I'm coming home… Kallen]
Luo Mo was taken aback by the description, but he quickly made up his mind.
He would definitely try to get this Stigmata for Bishop Kallen. There were many people he wanted to pull for in the gacha, including Sister Rita, the Schicksal Three Families (the main characters), Seele, Theresa, and others...
He wasn't picky, though. He was happy to pull for whoever he came across.
But there were some people he wouldn't even consider, like Little Miss Explosive Raven. She wasn't even a Herrscher, so how could she think she deserved a Stigmata?
Luo Mo believed the Herrschers were the main force fighting against Honkai, so their needs came first. He figured that in the final battle, their power might be the key to victory.
Although Kongming and Irene were also very powerful, according to them, they couldn't help the world "skip class" and it wasn't convenient for them to intervene in Honkai matters.
However, when he encountered those who were suitable for them, Luo Mo might still hesitate. But since he hadn't even encountered them yet, he could only put them on hold for now.
The most important thing now was to get Kiana's Stigmata. Of course, it would be even better to get Mei and Bronya's Stigmata too, just to be safe.
He knew exactly which Stigmata he wanted: the three powers of Finality, Origin, and Truth. He had to get his hands on them.
Without hesitation, he started pulling from the gacha.
Anyway, exclusive Stigmata were guaranteed with enough draws, he was already used to it, and there wasn't any metaphysics involved.
With the fluctuation of the crystal, a crisp sound rang out, and a golden light flashed before his eyes. It was his Stigmata!
[Current crystal count: 25477]
...
At the new long table that Theresa had replaced - after all, the old one was now a bit cramped - even with countless grievances in her mind towards the person who had just 'deceived' her, Theresa still remembered the hospitality her grandmother had taught her.
She thoughtfully replaced the old table with a larger one, usually used during holidays, for dining.
Luo Mo, on the other hand, was still feeling down about what had happened. "Why, why am I so unlucky?" he mumbled, staring off into space.
He couldn't figure it out, really didn't understand.
He had done ten pulls in the gacha, and getting Otto's Stigmata was fine.
The problem was with the other rewards. Even a fly's leg is still meat, as the saying goes.
He had imagined all sorts of possible rewards, but he never expected that the only good thing he would get was a three-star Tesla Stigmata. The rest of the rewards were just junk: Chibi Raven plushies, bitter melon juice, costume exchange coupons, and even a jar of some weird Chinese herbal wine.
Quite heartbreaking.
He was so disappointed that he didn't even care about the two people who were still arguing at the table. He just wanted to be left alone.
Irene had made dinner that night. She said she wanted to practice her cooking skills, but Theresa didn't think it was very polite to serve her guests such a weird meal. No one else wanted to say anything, though. They just avoided looking at each other.
No one, it seemed, wanted to eat bitter melon for dinner.
[...Drawing bonus activated, bonus is: Game production ability extended by 1 month]
[Exclusive Stigmata refreshed: Elysia (Physical)]
[Description: Since fairy magic can't wake you up, I'll have to try the weight of the scepter. The time for magic attacks is over, now... it's time for physical attacks?~ (Note: This Stigmata still requires: a beautiful woman)]
"... Hmm——, um ↑"
Luo Mo stared blankly at the Stigmata description, a bit dazed. Just looking at the name, he even thought the system was malfunctioning.
But... it turned out to be another Elysia Stigmata...
Wait a minute...
Is the system that biased towards Elysia? Isn't Tuna supposed to be the main character?
The description of the Stigmata really made him realize how cheeky his system was being. The most surprising thing was, of course, the Buff he received.
"So it's not all that kind of buff? It's just the probability..."
Luo Mo shook his head and focused on eating, no longer holding high expectations for the following buffs.
In fact, he thought about it later and understood it - it must be the crystal used in Fu Hua Chapter that was tainted with the aura of non-chiefs, which was bad luck!
He would try the crystal gacha again another day, today's feng shui wasn't suitable for drawing cards.
...
Life in the past few days has been peaceful and harmonious, with everything proceeding in an orderly manner.
Unexpectedly, the Harem Shura field (a chaotic and violent battlefield) that Luo Mo had anticipated didn't happen around him.
Even though he didn't know what Kongming and Irene said to each other in private, they always acted friendly and polite around him. They chatted and laughed together, behaving like good friends... if you ignored their initial icy meeting, that is.
This was a relief for Luo Mo, but it also left him feeling a little disappointed.
——Did that mean he secretly wanted to see the women fighting?
After he informed Kallen, she quickly decided to deal with urgent matters and come to St. Freya in a few days - which was today.
There have been quite a few unexpected situations here, and she's curious about them too. Hearing is not as good as seeing, so she decided to come and see for herself.
Whether it's Miss Irene, who resembles Rita, or the exclusive Stigmata that Luo Mo mentioned, she's very interested in both.
If it weren't for a few important meetings recently, she would have decided to come earlier.
She had read the script for the next part of the game's plot and frowned a bit. She needed to discuss the matter of the Herrscher of Domination, which was also one of the reasons.
During their phone call, Rita had also expressed a lot of interest in meeting her "other self."
...
The game's story has recently reached a peak in popularity, and even though things have calmed down a bit, that doesn't mean the game is losing players.
On various websites, people are not only talking about the new bugs in the game but also discussing the possibility of renaming Honkai Impact 3rd to "Fu Hua 3rd."
In the current version of the game, a team without Fu Hua is basically considered incomplete.
Fu Hua characters frequently appear as elemental supports, physical supports, and even main damage dealers, firmly occupying her own unique position.
Fu Hua has basically taken over Honkai Impact 3rd's gameplay, almost as if she's single-handedly competing against all the other characters in the game.
Some people are even taking it a step further and saying that
--- it's not just Fu Hua being a big part of the game, but that Honkai Impact 3rd has become a part of Fu Hua's story!
Whether it's her previous top performance in the idol event or her subsequent combat performance, it all proves that Fu Hua deserves her current status!
Of course, this is mostly just people joking around.
But there's no denying that Fu Hua's popularity has skyrocketed. More and more players are learning about her past as the "Red Kite Immortal" and being deeply touched by the "Saga of the Shattered Swords" story.
I heard that Fuxi and Nuwa are also in a bad mood recently, perhaps because of Mobius giving them an ultimatum?
...
"Well then, let's start the new phase of the story. Hmm... It's strange, why does it feel like there are more and more people here?"
Theresa sighed and leaned back steadily.
The soft sofa supported her small body. Putting aside the occasional cold war, she was very satisfied with the changes in her meals, as they always considered her like for bitter melon.
But most importantly, unlike Rita, this new person, Irene, seemed more interested in Kongming than in her. This put Theresa at ease.
"Alright, I'm also curious. How much has this so-called game that can predict the future actually predicted?"
Irene said with a gentle smile, her eyes as bright as ever.
"Who can know? The past has been changed, so how can we predict the future?"
Kongming said slowly, and the waving feather fan was also a little sluggish.
If the other party cannot help Mr. Assassin with force, then it will be difficult...
And there was that time in her storyline, where her own voice appeared at the end, but she had no memory of the person, while the other person seemed to remember her... Tsk...
However, the other person's purpose was clear from the start, as she had directly stated it at the beginning.
Thanks to her vigilance over the past few days, she had avoided countless awkward encounters. It seemed like every time she took a bath, the other person would "conveniently" end up passing by her room. She couldn't understand how the other person could claim it was "convenient" when their rooms were on completely opposite sides of the house!
But with that sweet smile, it was hard to stay mad at her.
Kongming, who was usually so good at predicting her enemies' moves, was constantly being caught off guard by this newcomer.
"Let's focus on the story for now," Luo Mo suggested, hoping to get everyone back on track.
---
A new chapter in the game's story begins, and it asks a simple but powerful question:
"What is the significance of one person to the entire world?"
This question is asked from the perspective of an everyday person, just like any of us. He's not a hero, a villain, or anyone special. He's just a regular guy, living a regular life. His experiences are ones that we can all relate to.
His days are filled with routine and boredom. He goes through the same motions every day, feeling like his life is going nowhere.
As he falls into darkness, his mind is pulled into a strange and unsettling place. He sees broken stairs leading nowhere, crumbling buildings, and ancient doors worn by time. Puppets hang limply, tangled in strings that control their every move.
The most striking feature of this eerie landscape is a grand theatre in the distance. It's beautiful in its own way, but also grotesque and unsettling. It radiates an ominous feeling in the Darkness.
Suddenly, realization dawns on him, and he bursts into laughter. It's a wild, uncontrollable laughter that echoes through the space, blending with the jerky movements of the puppets.
He looks down and sees his own body wrapped in strings, controlled by an unseen force. It's then that he understands: he is no longer in control.
-- He has already become a puppet.
He is already dead.
…
Since the incident at Mount Taixu, a series of unusual events have been happening around the world.
There was a subway accident in London, a vendetta in Belgrade, a financial crisis in Frankfurt, a mysterious disappearance in Kolkata, and an arson attack in Bloemfontein…
At first glance, these events seemed completely unrelated. But upon closer inspection, investigators discovered strange clues pointing to the presence of Honkai energy.
Undoubtedly, this foreshadows the imminent arrival of a new storm.
The game then shifts its focus to Schicksal, a place we haven't seen in a while.
Through a conversation between Durandal and Rita, we learn that Bishop Otto Apocalypse, the former leader of Schicksal, has disappeared. No one knows where he has gone. Durandal is now in charge, and she's making some big changes.
Unlike Otto, who often kept secrets from other organizations, Durandal believes that Honkai is the real enemy of humanity. She thinks that everyone needs to work together to defeat this threat.
So, she decides to share information with Anti-Entropy and World Serpent, two other powerful Organization in the world.
This starting point is fundamentally different from Otto's.
…
After reuniting with Fu Hua, Kiana and the others were able to break the seal on Mount Taixu, allowing Fu Hua to finally return to St. Freya.
However, things at St. Freya, or rather the Far East Branch, had changed. They had broken away from Schicksal and joined forces with Anti-Entropy.
They were currently residing in the Salt Lake Base, which was Anti-Entropy's new base.
They were completely unaware that the next Honkai eruption was quietly approaching.
Moreover, it would appear in a completely different form to the world.
-----
// Once their soul dissipates, one cannot be brought back to life.
The world allows a mind to find another matching vessel, but does not allow a vessel to gather the pieces of a mind. //
that's what you said.
I thought you died at that time and couldn't see you again.
but now I realize...
you are a false god.
you are the world.
you never die.
You are always here with me.
always guiding me against an uncertain future...
but I'm not satisfied with that, so let this Saint fulfill her most selfish desires.
And now, with this final piece, the world will gather the fragments of a soul and grant a vessel to this broken world.
Let the form known as Otto Apocalypse return.
--- Saint (■■■■■ ■■■)
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone