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25% Honkai Impact: Aeon of Apocalypse / Chapter 1: The Kraken (Ch1)
Honkai Impact: Aeon of Apocalypse Honkai Impact: Aeon of Apocalypse original

Honkai Impact: Aeon of Apocalypse

Author: Turritopsis

© WebNovel

Chapter 1: The Kraken (Ch1)

It was a night of utter chaos; the raging storm violently tossed the ship, and the thunderous rupturing of the dark clouds mirrored the turmoil in my mind.

Ugh...

When I woke up, the dizziness and the aching mind calmed down.

Where... am I?

I looked around, only to find the flickering lantern hanging from the ceiling; the books were scattered throughout the ground, seemingly fallen from the violent swaying of the ship.

Boom!

The loud boom of the explosion reverberated through the air, drowning out all other sounds. Under the storm, the panicked cries and muffled voices of people screaming resounded like whispers.

When I stood up, I almost stumbled to the ground. Fortunately, I managed to grab the table to maintain my posture.

Somehow, my body felt a lot weaker than before. I only passed it off as having a hangover; However, how did I arrive at this place?

My memories were blurry.

I reached for the door at the edges of the walls, using my right hand to guide me while carefully treading through the dark room.

Huh?

As I stepped outside to the ship's deck, I stared at the view, which seemed straight out of a fantasy action movie.

Boom!

I saw a crew of men wearing antique sailor uniforms that seemed to resemble the old eras in the modern world while drenched in the cold storm.

"Avast ye scurvy-ridden bilge rats! Blast me, cannons! Why in Neptune's name be me guns failing me now?!" (Dammit! Why aren't the cannons working against this monster?!)

"Shiver me, timbers! Could you lend a hand, ye lubbers? Ahoy, help me, I beseech thee!" (I am terrified, can anyone help me? I need help! Somebody!)

I was baffled. These guys looked like they were shooting a movie, and a giant octopus monster had latched onto the ship's deck.

'Isn't this monster way too big? They must have used a large budget for this movie shooting.'

They spoke strangely funny and almost sounded like they were part of Monty Python's comedy show.

'Who am I? Where am I?'

I constantly asked these questions in my mind, yet the chaotic situation did not subside; it only worsened as if it was about to reach its climax.

"Ahhhh! No!-"

As I opened my mouth wide, the man who had screamed, 'Shiver my timbers,' was pulled into the abyssal waters.

'Hey, wasn't that too violent? His head just hit the deck fence.' I stopped as I touched my lips and felt the cold splint of salt and water dripping from the violent thrum.

There was also a bloodstain on the once-torn deck fence as if a metal baseball bat had slammed into it.

I looked up at the looming colossal Kraken, which raised its mighty arm before slamming it into the deck. An unlucky man on the crew's ship turned into an unrecognizable mess when the blow struck him.

"Huh?"

One of the Kraken's tentacles crept towards me as the cannon had recently hit it but dealt no damage.

"I am dreaming, right?"

The sailors glanced at me with a look of apprehension.

"Lord Otto! Arrr, me hearty! Make haste and flee! The Kraken be readyin' to unleash another blow upon us!" (Lord Otto, please run away! The Kraken is about to attack us again!)

'Otto?'

'Why does that name sound so familiar?'

He wasn't lying as I saw the Kraken's crimson eyes had already befallen me.

'Isn't this a movie show?'

I stood blankly in confusion and dread at the sight of the monstrous figure.

Oddly, it looked familiar when the lightning from the gloomy sky erupted. I could see the slight features of this horrific creature. The Kraken had purplish linings and a white scale resembling a giant Honkai Beast.

-'What are you doing? Do you want to die?!'

"A ghost?!" I gasped in shock.

I heard a voice that seemed to be between a man and a woman. However, I did not have enough time to think as the Kraken's arm was about to flail in my way.

'Am I going to die? Isn't this just a movie shooting?' Those were the last thoughts I had in my mind while my body's nervous system sounded the alarms of the impending end.

I was too confused to know what was going on and it felt like there was a mental block towards my memories with intertwining strings of memories unrelated to me.

As the Kraken's arm descended, a glowing child pulled me aside, saving me from the blow that shook the entire ship.

-"You're a fool, Otto. I thought we had made a promise?"

"A promise..?" My voice shook as if I was in a trance at those thoughts.

I sat on the ground as the child glanced down at me before saying it in a resounding voice.

-"To bring back Kallen Kaslana. In exchange'th for thine body. Is it not what you have bargained with for thine measly life?"

Suddenly, the memories of Otto's Apocalypse, which initially seemed blurry, were now transparent.

The life of Otto Apocalypse flashed before my eyes. The strings of memories are organized to form a small ball of incandescent light.

It was a clichéd, but it worked. My head ached with pain but it woke me up from my stupor.

My mind felt like I had been hit with a battering ram, however, I slowly got up as if igniting a strong desire.

'Kallen.'

At this moment, I had become something I hadn't anticipated throughout my life. It felt like a dream. 

'I am Otto Apocalypse.' 

It was a fact I couldn't deny. It was like suddenly ending up becoming another person the next day. The memories did not deny I had transmigrated into this Honkai-riddled world.

I gritted my teeth as I bared my eyes at the Kraken. There was a strong will in my mind—the indomitable willpower brought by madness from the obsession of Otto Apocalypse, the villainous antagonist.

I unclasped my hands as if pulling something from the air. It wasn't me. But Otto Apocalypse in muscle memory, all of the fear was gone, as the will of Otto Apocalypse overtook my body to fight for survival.

[ Mimicry: Judgment of Shamash - Dual Guns ]

Two dual pistols materialized from my hands as I gripped them tightly; the fiery flames of Honkai Energy radiated intensely from them.

-"Hehehe. Thou finally remembered."

Listening to the snort of the Void Archives, I ignored it as I frowned at the inexplicable pain of being torn into shreds.

"..."

I quietly closed my eyes to calmly breath through my nose. It wasn't my first time dealing with danger, and neither was it my first using firearms.

Most importantly, it wasn't my first time dealing with pain.

Combining all my memories of my previous life as a Special Force Soldier in World War 3 and Otto Apocalypse's life was comparable to a century of fighting experience.

"By Davy Jones' locker! Someone lend a hand! It's got me in its clutches!" (Goodness! Someone help me! I am caught!)

I lifted my gun at one of the Kraken's many tentacles while aiming it at the Kraken's arm that held the sailor, I pulled the trigger and the pistol roared as it struck the Kraken's tentacle like a torpedo.

Bang!

Boom!

The explosion's aftermath burnt the insides of the tentacle intensely, hitting the nerves like over-cooking octopus seafood as the flames permeated the internal system of the Kraken's arm, causing it to jerk in pain.

The sailor collapsed to the ground while agape at the sight.

The shrieking agony of the Kraken resounded like a tsunami as it burst everyone's ears on deck.

The Kraken dropped its arm back underwater as it glared toward me.

'It finally recognized me as a threat?'

Thud!

I continued to fire at the Kraken, however, its arms were countless, and I didn't have enough Honkai Energy to prolong this battle of attrition.

I firmly planted my feet on the ground as I prepared my body to approach the monster.

'It's my first time fighting a monster in mythology.' I smiled bitterly.

My body was not in good condition to fight a prolonged battle, so I mustered all my strength and poured most of my limited Honkai Energy reserves into the Judgment of Shamash.

Due to its recoil, the proper form of the Judgment of Shamash took the wielder's lifespan. After this, I might not be able to wake up for a week or more.

'I have to take a life-and-death risk. Even my mind agreed that this action was the only way.'

[ Mimicry: Judgment of Shamash - Cleaver Form ]

I sprinted towards the Kraken, and the dual pistols in my hand combined into a Cleaver. Flames erupted from the combination process before I even reached the Kraken.

Shriek!

The Kraken trembled under the might of the Judgment of Shamash, which caused it to go into a frenzy due to fear, sending two of its tentacles to tear me into pieces.

In response, I swung the Flaming Cleaver diagonally with both hands to counter its attack. A destructive force of burning light tore through the air like magma. The Cleaver sliced effortlessly through the Kraken's tough skin, and the flames from the blade scorched its skin layers and insides.

The crimson flames swept the dark surroundings as the fire lit the abyssal waters like a raging firestorm.

Swoosh-

Thud! Boom!

Both tentacles crashed and burned to the ground as I ran towards the deck taffrail, jumped, and swung the Flaming Sword downwards.

My sword dug into the Kraken's head as it shrieked in agony; the tides of the ocean were so violent as the Kraken rampaged in anger; I was drenched with freezing seawater.

I held on as I brought the sword to the Kraken's head and thrust it downwards, digging deeply into its convulsing head.

-"You crazy bastard! What are you doing?!-"

The Void Archives couldn't believe it. After all, how unexpected was it to find its host, Otto Apocalypse, whom it thought to be the most cunning human ever to exist, suddenly become so reckless as to jump into the Kraken's head in the middle of a storm?

The people on deck were shocked as they watched a heroic act unfold. They proclaimed it the work of a legendary warrior supported by a transcendent entity known as God.

"My Lord!"

"Arr, do ye bear witness to this spectacle? Methinks I'm amidst a surreal reverie! Hail the Lord!" (Do you all see this? It feels like I am in a dream! Hail the Lord!)

The Void Archives could only frown at the sight; it felt so anxious for the first time. It wondered if it was because of Kallen's death that he had acted this recklessly.

-' I can't have that idiot die too early.'

The Kraken rose through the sky as it tried to slam its head on the ocean's surface. I brought the Cleaver above and swung it down once more as flames that scorched the ocean's surface emitted steam as if a volcano had erupted.

Boom!

The Kraken stopped for a bit, however, it shook the dizziness with a fierce roar as it tried to dive to the bottom of the ocean.

My arm felt weaker, my breathing was unstable, and my sight was blurry. I held my consciousness through sheer willpower.

"Dammit! Just die already!"

With one last chance. I gritted my teeth, as thunder and fire raged around me while I mustered all my strength that would determine the fate of everyone aboard this ship.

'One more time.'

I pulled the Flaming Cleaver from above and the Cleaver emitted a brilliant dazzling light.

My hands felt numb to the bone despite it being scorched by the fire.

My body felt like it was giving up as my surroundings started to look darker.

However, I couldn't give up here, so I glared at the Kraken and poured the rest of my Honkai energy reserves into its head.

"Ah!!! Die!" I swung the Cleaver as it started to burn my arms once more. The blow landed on its head with sheer speed and might.

The Kraken convulsed from the overwhelming heat and force; the flames of the Judgment of Shamash radiated through the surroundings before utterly destroying half of the Kraken's head until its remaining burnt body slowly submerged below the abyssal waters.

'Sh*t.'

I tried to keep my consciousness by biting my lips til they bled, but unfortunately, my surroundings darkened with no regard to my will.

The only shred of memory I had was a golden lasso, but aside from that, I temporarily lost memories of what happened.

.

.

.


Chapter 2: Awakening (Ch2)

Otto.

The hauntingly familiar yet distant voice echoed through the haze of dreams.

It's all your fault.

When I woke up, I was facing a white ceiling with pain throughout my body.

(VA decides to speak in a modern tone.)

-' Well, you certainly are not in good shape. It's been over a week.'

-'... The apothecary nursed you for half of the week and it's a surprise they didn't ask for any remuneration.'

The trip from Sarandë to Venice took a few days due to the tumultuous storm, so they had to wait it out.

'Does that mean the sailors transported me while I was asleep?'

When I turned my eyes to the side, I saw the glowing ghost child sitting on a chair with a book in hand.

'That must be... the Void Archives?'

It felt bizarre to be interacting with one of the characters in the game, but it was even more strange to find myself in the body of the mastermind.

"What happened?"

Despite my exhaustion, I asked the Void Archives next to me about the situation from last time.

-' If it weren't for me, you would already be sleeping in the Ionian Sea.'

The Void Archives paused before closing the book while turning its head towards me with a smile.

-' I took control of your body after I pulled you with the golden lasso... not only that, I took care of the voyage. Honestly, your body wasn't in any good condition so I had to use Honkai Energy to make you walk or talk... Ask the crews from the port; you'd be surprised at what they brought back.'

"What they brought back?"

I asked with a frown from my eyes due to the headache.

It threw the book away while staring at me intently.

-' Are you not supposed to be thanking me?' The Void Archives asked playfully.

My eyes twitched with a sense of helplessness, so I rose from the bed and slightly bowed.

"Thanks for saving me."

-' Huh?'

-' What did you say?'

The Void Archives shook as if it was in disbelief.

"Thanks for saving me?"

I tilted my head while not showing my inner smile.

'If you are going to play with me, I'll do the same.'

-' What's wrong with you? Are you Otto?'

"Am I?"

-'...'

-' Hmph. It seems you suffered some mental concussion. I'll leave you for a while.'

The Void Archives hurriedly left as if it looked uncomfortable.

'It was as easy as that.'

I laid my head on the linen pillow and relaxed.

I started to recall my previous life.

July 6th, 2163

'A nuke was detonated in the middle of the capital city when I was escaping from the mission in Russia when I successfully managed to eliminate one of the faction leaders of the extremist supporters of the President.'

'And I kicked the bucket before other elite commanders on the battlefield.'

My time as the Ace of the Navy Seals seemed to have made me prefer to join the frontlines; after all, we were short on the workforce, so I also had to step up myself after assigning all of the missions to my men for this vast operation, which saw countless branches of the military join in for this war.

Well, that was my life as the Grimm Reaper, who managed always to evade death throughout thirty years of service.

But it seemed that my luck ran out during my final mission when I successfully killed the extremist of the Russian Army, who preferred to nuke cities to win a war despite the already nuclear fallout of the world.

'That psycho bastard activated the timer on a nuke in the middle of the capital city. I ended up dying in that war.'

'I never thought there were a lot of Supreme Leaders in that world. It was a big world.' (Referring to North Korea's Leader)

Whenever I thought about my previous life, it made my stomach churn. It wasn't a lovely world to be in.

It was filled with many hypocrites, shouting the banner of gender equality and how there were many genders aside from the two genders in the Human Rights Law.

'Forget those mental ward patients. There were also those insane women. I swear if I had the chance. I would limit social media and carefully use artificial intelligence only for specific jobs and assistance to teams.'

I didn't want to see drones or droids raining bullets from the skies.

When I thought about it, the world back then was a mess.

Plus, I was never proud of serving my country, and the country's people never showed respect for my sacrifices and my comrade's sacrifices. I was only there because I was needed for my experiences as a Navy Seal Captain and my mercenary experience as the Grimm Reaper.

The reason why I was even alive for more than thirty years was because of my lack of honor. There were times I was punished for disobeying orders that would've resulted in the death of me.

My superiors in the military were inexperienced and hadn't even been through fighting on the frontlines.

Of course, I would know better! Those damn rascals.

But now, after I had died, I reincarnated into the body of Otto Apocalypse, and strangely enough, my body felt abnormal.

I could not tell what was happening with this body, but it was strange.

However, I stopped thinking about those things and thought about what I needed to do.

.

.

.

When I finally recovered after a week, I went to the edge of the City of Venice's St. Mark's Basin where sailors usually park their ships to transport goods to their warehouses for selling.

"Avast, Lord Atto!" (Hello, Lord Atto!)

"Ye simpleton, pay proper respects to his Lordship!" (You idiot, be respectful to Lord Otto!)

Their bearded captain slapped the head of the sailor next to him in embarrassment as he turned his head to me with a kind smile.

The sailors seemed to look at me with stalwart awe as if looking at an idol.

"Arr, Lord Otto! Hail and well met in the City of Venice! By the blackened sails of Davy Jones, our voyage from Trieste was a cursed endeavor, but by your guidance, we've navigated through tempests and perils to find safe harbor."

(Oh, Lord Otto! We've finally arrived in the City of Venice! We went through a dangerous journey, but through your guidance, we made it safely.)

'Didn't these guys take care of me when I was sleeping? Or did the Void Archives actually take command while I was out?' It was strange. However, I didn't spend too much time thinking about it as I moved on to another topic.

"Verily, I am heartened to behold thy well-being. Prithee, might I now lay mine eyes upon the storage?" I spake as though 'twere but natural.

(I am happy to hear that. Can I ask if I can see the storage?)

"It's a pleasure, Lord Otto. We've stowed it in the warehouse. 'Twas a mighty thing, but by the grace of Neptune, we managed to cram it within!"

(It's my pleasure, Lord Otto. We stored it inside the warehouse. It was heavy cargo, but luckily, we managed to fit everything inside!)

It wasn't difficult to incorporate Otto's knowledge and experience of his language in the 15th Century since I had much experience in all sorts of languages from different countries.

It was like doing a play.

"How doth the condition of the other cargoes fare, my good fellow?" My voice felt odd like I was in a TV show, so I decided to act, the same as before.

(How is the condition of the other cargoes, my friend?)

"Tis in fine condition, My Lord. Ye may inspect it; not a single shred of taint shall ye find!" (It is in fine condition my Lord, inspect it and you will see no damage nor dirt!)

"Fantastic news." 

I checked the cargo, which was the corpse of Eleanor, who was no different from a zombie equal to an Emperor Honkai Beast.

I silently gazed at her before covering the lid again, which was tightly shut by numerous locks and preservation.

There was also a gigantic honkai beast plastered on a sailor's net, which was the Kraken.

'I don't think preservation is necessary since Honkai beast's corpses won't disappear like in the game. It was quite unlike the process of a decaying human body from what I've observed in Otto's memories.'

"Dispatch it all to the Isle of St. Michele." (Isola di San Michele if anyone is wondering)

"We'll do as ye command, Milord!"

Since I had two Emperor Honkai Beasts for the experiment, it was time to return to the mansion, and get Kallen who was lying inside a coffin.

My heart churned when I looked at the coffin and imagined the girl whom I had unintentionally killed due to desperation.

"I am sorry..."

I carefully cleaned it; I didn't allow anyone else to touch the coffin since it was where she was lying asleep in eternal slumber. The coffin was enclosed tightly inside a cargo to keep it from being drenched in the rain. So the sailors only needed to carry it through a wooden trolley.

My heart felt empty, regretful, and guilty of what I had done.

Otto Apocalyse's feelings were conveyed to me as if I had become him. It was a dangerous feeling, like an endless void gnawing my heart.

Shortly, Otto attempts everything possible to bring Kallen back to life. When he discovers the data retrieved by Durandal from Su, he has a new hope.

The sacrifices made by him and the people he sacrificed were not made in vain as he successfully changed the timelines.

That led to him indirectly saving the world through the birth of Kiana and giving her time and challenges to grow.

When I thought about how Otto saved Kallen, a sense of peace washed over me, I knew that his future self could resurrect her, even if it meant sacrificing himself and millions of lives at the cost.

"You sick bastard."

I couldn't help but feel a sense of dread at what was inside me.

'Was the soul of Otto Apocalypse still lingering in my body? If so, why hasn't he responded to me intruding inside his body as an interloper?'

'Dammit. How did I end up in this poor state?'

I gritted my teeth as I turned my head away from the coffin as I could not endure the overwhelming feeling of sadness and guilt, which would soon consume me if I did not move my attention to other things.

'I should head to the mansion.' I opened the crate and brought the Coffin to my back as the sailors watched curiously with awe and respect.

They didn't know what was inside the coffin, however, they only knew that Otto was a hero to them.

As I headed back, I stopped midway to sit on a bench nearby to rest before placing the coffin beside me while glancing at the drifting boats and the distant orange sun. My hands still felt extremely numb and my coughing did not subside.

'I'll rest here for a while.'

The City of Venice was lovely, and its natural beauty was that it was slightly submerged due to the rising sea level.

'They surely made the foundations of this place quite well.'

Unfortunately, this place will not last long due to the rising sea levels caused by the nukes in the future.

As for the future, I was lost.

Shall I continue the story? Take Shicksal's throne, get rid of the corruption, build an empire from the shadows like in the main story, and become a tragic villain to save the world.

What reason, for what purpose?

I sighed. It was conflicting.

I closed my eyes, feeling the gentle flow of the sea wind.

A ruler?

Throughout my life, I held no ideals. I cared not for the people or the world around me.

I lived solely for myself, indifferent to how much blood I spilled to accomplish my missions.

Why now did I seek purpose when all I'd ever done was try to survive? Perhaps it was the nearness of death. It reminded me of that final moment—when tinnitus rang in my ears, and the crippling pain consumed my flesh and bones as they turned to dust.

Yet, here I was, alive, having endured those excruciating last moments before another nuclear detonation finally claimed me.

But I still felt empty.

The emptiness clung to me, even in death.


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