Chapitre 339: The Fool's Twilight
"Yeah... she's dead."
Otto seemed not to hear Void Archives' question. He lowered his eyes and repeated softly, his voice melancholic and low.
"Huh? Hey, are you even listening to me?" Void Archives asked, a little confused.
"In a lot of places, people try not to talk directly about death," Otto said, ignoring Void Archives' question. He kept talking to himself.
At that moment, Otto felt a mix of sadness and regret, like he was missing something important. But there was also a tiny bit of relief, like a weight had been lifted.
"Death, the permanent dissipation of subjective will, the concept of making existence itself nonexistent, is indeed a constant terror in the face of all wisdom."
"——But when we try to resolve this terror and become blind in the face of death... a self-righteous self-deception is born."
He smiled at the monument before him, not sure who he was talking to.
"We always subconsciously believe that those we love are immortal, eternally unchanging."
"Even though our reason tells us that they are just flesh and blood, our emotions refuse to accept it."
"...You're saying that humans are always afraid of death in some way,"
Void Archives asked with a hint of interest. The other's perspective was always refreshing.
"That's right. We fear death so much that the panic it brings... creates more unnecessary deaths."
"Discrimination, abuse, murder, war... who isn't controlled by the fear of death, casting that shadow on others prematurely?"
"But aren't you the same?" Void Archives asked. "You just don't seem afraid of your own death."
Otto sighed softly.
"Yeah. That's why I'm just a Overseer at best... while Kallen is a Saint in people's minds."
He didn't fear his own death, but he feared Kallen's death, to the point of panic and desperation.
It was his greatest fear.
Unfortunately, it had come true.
Fortunately, it was about to cease being true.
-----
Seeing her own grave felt weird, but Kallen pushed down the uncomfortable feelings. Her heart was full of so many emotions, it was hard to focus on anything else.
"Death... huh? But who in the world can truly escape the shadow of death?"
Kallen sighed, as if offering advice to Otto. He didn't have to do this, as long as he continued on her path to saving the world, it would be enough.
He didn't need to care about her own death.
But he was intelligent, how could he not know?
But understanding doesn't equal acceptance, it doesn't mean wanting it.
What the world acknowledges doesn't mean he has to acknowledge it.
He wouldn't accept Kallen's death, not for a single moment. Never!
…
"Death, heh... I wouldn't accept MEI's death either," Kevin said, reading Otto's words on the screen. He felt a deep agreement inside.
Although he was completely different from Otto, in terms of era, ideology, experiences... everything,
He truly agreed with some of Otto's words from the bottom of his heart.
KEVIN wouldn't accept MEI's death, from the beginning to the end, never.
Even though reality had already shown him what would happen, and even though he could still remember the coldness of her touch and the fact that she wasn't breathing anymore, he never truly accepted Mei's death in his heart.
If it weren't for the constraints of the Elysian Realms, if it weren't for the so-called plan, if it weren't for Mei's advice,
He wouldn't mind making that choice.
After all, the Kaslana Oath, the promise to save the world that flows through every Kaslana warrior, was just his promise to her...
The promise that humanity would defeat the Honkai... it was just his love for her...
The original Kaslana was selfish after all.
…
Sirin watched silently too, thinking about Otto's explanation of death and what it meant.
She too was someone who was controlled by the fear of death, casting that shadow on others.
Before Otto had spoken those words, she never thought she and he would be on the same side, even though they were both wicked and had done terrible things.
But now, she felt confused. She was afraid of her own death, and she was afraid of the death of the person she protected.
It was clear that Otto's attachment was stronger, even though his actions might have been over the line for everyone else.
…
"A Saint? Too bad, Schicksal doesn't have a Saint anymore—"
Theresa couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.
But the Saint in everyone's hearts... so amazing, truly enviable.
The Saint protected the majority of people. She never feared her own death, and she would rise up against the upper echelons for the people.
"You wouldn't be it, auntie~"
Kiana said casually, and even patted her shoulder.
It's worth mentioning that she had intended to pat her head, but at the moment of contact, she shifted to the side, a little afraid of her auntie's temper.
"Hmph—"
Theresa slapped her hand away, a little angry.
"I was talking about Cecilia, when did I ever say it was me?"
Damn it, when will I grow taller?! Theresa was a little furious.
-----
Silence fell between the two.
Void Archives might have been pondering Otto's words, while Otto... he stood before the tombstone, gazing at it with a different kind of expression, mourning.
Just then, the clouds above them parted, and a bright ray of sunshine broke through. It was like a promise of a brighter future, a clear sky after a storm.
Otto seized the opportunity to bring up another topic. "Do you remember the letter I wrote to that 'Welt'?"
"'We are too fragile, so we can only exchange temporary peace through mutual threats,'"
"'And we have to use such high-sounding words as order and morality to conceal those base, selfish motives.'"
"That statement still holds true today. After all, humans always repeat the same mistakes - they even turn a blind eye to this fact itself."
Void Archives turned to face Otto, his gaze fixed on the back of Otto's head.
"I think you should remember that those words could be used to criticize yourself, too."
"That's right, Void Archives."
"Whether it's K423, Durandal, Theresa, or Welt... you could say they all inherited Kallen's mantle from different perspectives."
Otto said with a hint of emotion. These people, past or future, would all stand against him.
But shouldn't those who inherited Kallen's righteousness be the ones to eliminate the evil he represented?
"Heaven and Earth don't play favourites," Otto said, his voice cold and detached. "They see everything as meaningless, like puppets on a string. The world doesn't need Kallen's brave spirit to come back from the dead."
Otto had realized long ago—
It's not me that humanity needs, but the world only sees the Saint as a sacrifice.
But... Kallen Kaslana deserves to live.
She must live.
No matter what the cost.
"...Some people pretend to be ignorant while knowing the truth. And you, perhaps, should be called 'pretending to be ignorant while knowing the truth'."
"That's what you don't understand... Void Archives."
Otto narrowed his eyes and smiled coldly.
"So-called human emotions - they are originally a desire that would rather harm others and themselves, but still want to be released."
"It's just that... good people are good at using reason to control their emotions, while bad people are used to letting their emotions control their reason."
"As for so-called rational villains... they live their lives as machines that only calculate benefits, not even worthy of being called human."
"...Is that so? I think you're a prime example of such a rational villain right now."
"I haven't denied that I'm not worthy of being called 'human'. In fact, I'm very aware that I'm the epitome of such dross."
"Didn't I say... humans always emotionally believe that those we love are immortal, eternally unchanging."
"And I, I'm just a fool who lets my emotions control my reason, and constantly calculates benefits because of it."
Otto said with a hint of self-deprecation.
In front of Kallen, he was always a fool.
A fool... who made countless stupid mistakes.
[Fool? You call that being a fool?]
[The world doesn't need Kallen, but Otto needs Kallen!]
[Reminds me of - no matter the cost...]
[Rational villain... a very standard term, very fitting]
[Comment…]
-----
"Mantle... successor?"
Kallen repeated, her voice soft and thoughtful.
She sighed, her gaze sweeping over the faces of the people Otto had mentioned.
Then she had to admit, each of them had something she admired, a spark of something she recognized.
That's why she was so close to Kiana, Theresa, and Durandal.
"But you're not one of them, are you? Otto..." Kallen said, her voice filled with a complex mix of emotions. Her eyes held a deep sadness, and her heart overflowed with a million unspoken questions.
Why...
Why, even though you were her closest comrade from the beginning to the end, did you refuse to include yourself among them?
Even though you knew the world didn't need Kallen's brave heart to beat again, you still chose to bet everything on her?
Was it all... worth it?
...
"Rational... villain?"
Vill-V stroked her chin with one hand, her lips curling around those two words. It felt... familiar?
"Doesn't that fit you perfectly? Stop looking, it's you, Vill-V~"
Mobius scoffed, her clothes were tight, emphasizing her beautiful figure. Although she and Vill-V were still in two different weight classes.
"Hiss... don't slander me, I'm not evil anymore."
Vill-V puffed out her cheeks, looking at her with dissatisfaction.
She didn't like that evaluation. She preferred to be called... a great inventor? Wait, never mind, she wasn't going to steal someone nickname.
She'd stick with her magician title, the other one wouldn't mind.
"Does it matter to you if you're evil or not? You didn't do those things alone. Before she ever came out, weren't you just a normal person?"
Mobius smiled, her words laced with malice.
Vill-V was annoyed and retorted, "What about you? Aren't you?"
"Rational? Do you think... I'm rational when I'm doing experiments? Infinity is my pursuit."
Mobius's eyes gleamed with madness, her dangerous snake eyes revealing a hint of insanity.
"Heh, what do you think?"
"..."
"You almost got me. But in the end, you're probably not as extreme as Otto. You still care about others."
Vill-V sighed in relief, looking at her with apprehension.
"Oh, your true self, so boring - tsk tsk,"
Mobius shook her head in disappointment, then left... left.
Vill-V hadn't reacted yet, she stared blankly at her, then jumped up.
"Ah? What do you mean?!"
"Explain yourself!"
-----
"——See, the first person who's coming to settle the score with me is already here."
Otto revealed an expression that might have been a smile, looking towards the blonde knight who had arrived.
The clouds dissipated completely, and he returned to reality. Memories were just memories, he had to face her rebirth.
Durandal glared at Otto, her eyes blazing with anger.
And Otto, as always, looked back at her, his last student.
"Welcome, my dear friend, the top-ranked S-rank Valkyrie of Schicksal."
Otto shook off his reverie of the past and began to face the present, the future he had prepared for.
He spread his arms and smiled warmly, welcoming her.
Durandal was here, of course, to get answers. She needed to understand his motives, to understand the plan he had set in motion. She had so many questions about what he had done, why he had done it.
Specifically, she needed to understand what he meant by destroying the present and then choosing the past again...
What did that mean?
Otto explained that if you viewed history and the past as recordings on a tape, and reality as that special pointer,
What would happen if you kept that pointer of reality and forcibly moved it to the past...?
Durandal's expression shifted, her face turning pale, as if she had realized something.
"Exactly," Otto said, a gleam in his eye. "The past would become the present. We'd graft the knowledge and experience of today onto the history of yesterday."
He continued, his voice growing more animated. "Imagine a disaster like the Second Eruption being erased from history. Imagine us, with all our knowledge and experience, still being alive and able to make a difference."
"Of course, the Honkai won't just disappear," he conceded, "there will be challenges we can't predict. But the gains for humanity would far outweigh the losses."
Otto painted a vivid picture of his plan, but he couldn't help but notice the frown on Durandal's face.
It didn't bother him though. In fact, a hint of satisfaction played on his lips.
As expected of someone who inherited Kallen's mantle in his eyes. Her growth had already amazed him. He hoped... she would surprise him even more.
He explained that his plan was nearing completion.
He had collected chips from the Will of Honkai, negotiated a deal with it, and secured coordinates from World Serpent.
All the pieces were finally falling into place.
He paused, then mentioned the World Serpent's movements, a kind of warning.
"Their Stigmata plan is... concerning, to say the least. The best opportunity to stop them has passed, but I believe that... this plan of mine... offers a chance to reset everything."
"It also happens to want to see this play of inverting time,"
"The Will of Honkai has opened the door to the Imaginary Tree for me. And I will be the proxy of the Will of Honkai in this world."
"Lord Overseer, are you going to become a Herrscher?"
Durandal interrupted him, her hand tightening on her lance, asking.
Otto paused; his expression unreadable.
"From a power perspective, you could say that..." he began, his voice measured. "I'll be paying the price of losing a physical body, but the power will be enough to reshape the world…"
He paused again, letting his words sink in. "But for this world, for those who fight the Honkai, even for the Will of Honkai itself, this outcome is something they would welcome…"
"Everyone's happy, isn't that right?"
Otto smiled at her.
"But what about the world itself?"
"You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs... How can you welcome a new world without destroying the old one?"
"...I'm not asking for that. From the beginning to now, you've never mentioned the true cost of your plan."
Durandal simply shook her head, squinting at him.
He used flowery and abstract language to embellish it, but he always avoided the real facts.
"Now."
Otto's answer was concise and direct.
"Huh?"
"The price is now,"
"I will erase the history of these five hundred years from the branches of time, returning the world to the state where Kallen Kaslana was still alive."
"The price to pay is precisely the current world itself."
With these words, he finally unveiled the true cost of his plan. No more vague descriptions, no more evasions. He had clearly and completely explained the potential outcome, the ultimate sacrifice he was willing to make.
Because of this, they could achieve the outcome he desired.
As for lies?
If it wasn't completed, this plan wouldn't be a lie.
État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone