บท 347: Beyond the Will
He continued walking towards the distance, step by step, like a winding ladder ascending, leaving footprints on the crimson desert.
A giant tree stood tall and proud, untouched by anyone.
It had seen everything and everyone, but it remained unchanged.
He let out a short, humorless laugh and went on with his story.
His voice was tired, but there was still a lot of feeling in it.
"Believe in the so-called afterlife;"
"Believe in the eternity of consciousness."
"They disguise the mortal world as if death doesn't exist..."
"Until death suddenly invades their lives, descends upon those they love."
"Even then, they deceive themselves even more - believing that love can transcend all things, believing that affection can be eternal."
"Indeed... love, and even broader emotions, they can all work miracles..."
Otto kept moving forward, deep inside this strange, imaginary Space.
His body was weak, one arm dangling uselessly, but he didn't stop. He had to keep going.
All his plans had been accomplished, his final calculations had come to an end.
He would reach the end, he would revive Kallen.
This wasn't a reminder to himself, but a candid statement. It was something that would inevitably be accomplished, a bet he had placed with everything he had.
He whispered, with a deep sigh,
"But the creators of miracles can only be those who are still alive at that moment."
"I also once fantasized that human souls exist in higher dimensions;"
"I imagined that one day, my beloved, she could return to the world with a new body, living in a better future."
"Unfortunately, the rules of the world are not like that..."
He stopped for a second, catching his breath.
He was so tired, it looked like he might fall over at any moment.
But his determination was stronger than his weakness.
He wouldn't give up.
Yes, he had conducted countless experiments, but none had achieved their goal.
The revelation of the Will of Honkai wasn't wrong either. It was simply a life for a life...
The rules of the world, heh...
"Death is indeed the dissipation of consciousness, the end of everything - we cannot reconnect those stars that have already faded."
"Unless... we reverse time, awaken the silent graveyard island;"
"Pour the water of eternal life back into the past that buried everything."
"The path will split again,"
"There will be two choices, life or death, and they will create two different worlds."
"And the price... is simply the death of one person, the destruction of one person... and the 'Honkai' that was already trying to kill us."
"Unfortunately, when I realized this truth,"
"Otto Apocalypse, he was already a notorious villain,"
"He had already been thoroughly consumed by the very power he needed most, hatred."
He said it with a little bit of self-mockery.
It was a shocking confession.
He had planned it all from the beginning.
"But it doesn't really matter."
"She's proven it – anger born from love has the same power as love itself."
Love can create miracles, and so can hate.
Even though he missed those powers, stood against them,
It didn't matter. He still had a way to make it happen.
[Otto... unbelievable!]
[Is it really possible to revive someone?]
[Will of Honkai: You lied to me! *&%*￥…]
[The world where only Honkai is Get lost has been achieved]
[Comment…]
-----
The hall was silent, the warm breeze of the setting sun flowing through, but everyone felt a chill run down their spines. They were stunned by Otto's words, by his actions.
Even Kiana, usually full of energy, was quiet, watching him carefully as he gave his final instructions. Little Senti, usually quick to speak, scratched her head, holding back whatever she wanted to say.
Kallen's eyes were a little glazed over as she looked at her former comrade.
His understanding of life and death, his trust in emotion,
His understanding of life and death, his belief in the power of emotions, it showed how much he had been through. The Kallen clone, Theresa, Amber, the mistakes he made during the Second Eruption... it all added up to this moment.
And before all that, his journey to China five hundred years ago, his rise and fall over five centuries.
He never gave up, never lost hope.
"His final journey?"
"He'll succeed, he's already come this far."
Kallen answered her own question. There were so many things she wanted to say to him, about what was important, what was worth it. She wanted to comfort him, to scold him. But she wouldn't get the chance.
The details of her dream became clearer in her mind. The figure falling, the golden sky breaking, the flames, it was almost as if she could see it all.
The Overseer outfit, the face, the hair… it was Otto, there was no doubt.
Her heart tightened, watching the figure struggling to walk, step by step.
…
"Unable to reconnect the fading starlight, choosing to reverse time, to form a second world?"
Mobius repeated word for word,
No matter how unbelievable it was, the possibility, however slim, was clear in the hands of someone named Otto.
The road ahead was not easy, she knew. The Imaginary Number Tree would retaliate, she knew that too.
But she was even more certain that he would succeed.
"Truly... a magic that will shock the world, a magic that will last through the ages. Even now, countless people are shocked by it."
Vill-V took off her hat. The magic hat didn't dance at her fingertips, but rested quietly in her palm. She should pay her respects to such a person.
But then her eyes flickered, a spark of excitement ignited within her.
Why couldn't she perform such a magic trick?
If she wanted to, she could.
"Even the Will of Honkai can be deceived... well, I'll try my best too."
The so-called con artist said lightly. She wasn't one to give up easily.
------
Otto kept walking, even though he was tired and his legs felt heavy.
He never quite made it to the big tree he was aiming for, but he didn't mind.
The journey was long, but he would eventually reach the end. Just like his journey of five hundred years.
Compared to that... at this moment, the end was already visible!
He couldn't help but think of those he cared about, his granddaughter - Theresa.
"Theresa, my dear granddaughter, you are growing into a great leader..."
"One day, you'll inspire people so much that they'll forget all about your grandfather. The good and the bad, the triumphs and the mistakes, will all fade into history, lost in the whispers of time."
"Only..."
His voice paused, a hint of sadness in it.
He wouldn't be there to see it. Theresa still had so much to learn, so much to experience.
She needed someone to guide her, someone to love and cherish her, someone to simply be by her side.
But Otto knew he couldn't fulfil that role anymore.
He could only sigh softly:
"Occasionally eat some fruits and vegetables besides bitter melon."
"...You always stay up late, you should be getting more diverse nutrition."
As he spoke, his foot slipped. His weak body almost couldn't support him. Those watching couldn't help but feel a pang in their hearts.
But he didn't fall. He continued to express his concern for Theresa, as a grandfather.
Perhaps he realized that his words sounded a bit outdated, a bit too paternal for the strong, independent woman Theresa had become.
But he was old, nearing the end of his long journey.
And as his time dwindled, he couldn't help but fall back on the familiar patterns of love and concern that had defined his relationship with her.
"You know... for tomorrow's coronation ceremony, Grandpa hand-sewed the Overseer's shoulder robe for you..."
"If you don't mind, wear it as you start your own era. Let it wash away any stains that I may have left on it."
"My old friends, the Red Kite Immortal, the Herrscher of Reason... they are truly good people, they will help you find your own path."
[Old friends... they were all 'good friends' you tricked, but...]
[Starting to break down... maybe he did have genuine moments with Theresa]
[Otto acknowledges their qualities and spirit, but he has a plan he must complete]
[Another familiar cut, I'm getting used to it, and I'm starting to accept it... I'm becoming Mihoyo myself]
[I've fought the good fights, I've walked the paths I should walk, I've guarded the paths I should guard. From now on, a crown of justice will be reserved for me.]
[Comment…]
-----
Theresa pouted, her cheeks puffed out, then she couldn't help but sigh.
Looking at the direction Otto was walking, she couldn't help but feel a mist in her eyes.
Although she wasn't very fond of her so-called grandfather, and still harbored some resentment for being wronged,
But along the way, whether it was his overt and covert concern for her, or his deep and burning affection for Kallen, it all made her sigh.
As for the bitter melon, staying up late, and vegetables... Teriri didn't know anything about that, okay?
Theresa's eyes drifted, then met the gaze from above.
Kallen silently looked at her, a strange light in her eyes, focused on Theresa's, without speaking.
"Ahem, Grandma, how could I be that kind of person?"
Theresa coughed awkwardly, trying to change the subject.
Kallen just placed her hand on Theresa's head, silent, continuing to watch the screen.
-----
"And Bianca, my last student..."
"I shaped your life, guided your destiny."
"I poured my heart into nurturing you, while also using you as a pawn to take and demand as I pleased."
He sighed, the weight of his actions pressing down on him.
Bianca, the exceptional Valkyrie he had trained, had ultimately rejected his teachings, choosing her own path. He had foreseen this, of course.
How could he expect her to embrace the darkness he had embraced?
How could he ask her to fight against Honkai with the same ruthless methods he had employed?
Theresa... wouldn't do anything to her either.
Otto knew that. And as for little Theresa... he hadn't lied to her, not about this.
He had always believed in her strength, her ability to rise above the darkness.
Look, isn't she doing exceptionally well?
"You know... everything I showed you in the last ten years,"
"Was just so that after my disappearance, someone could erect a nameless tombstone for me."
"I don't need anyone to judge me..."
He had made his choices, embraced his darkness, and now he was ready to face the consequences.
He didn't seek forgiveness, nor did he crave understanding.
Otto dragged his feet, looking at the tree that was getting closer and closer.
His voice was almost a whisper, a touch of self-deprecation in his tone.
"They've already taken root and begun to grow within the Imaginary Tree,"
"They're waiting, patiently, for the lost messenger to deliver the final message. Only then will everything truly come to an end."
"That moment won't come too soon, nor too late,"
"It will be a song of farewell, a requiem that transcends death itself. It will be a hymn heralding the arrival of a miracle."
"The world will turn for one person at that moment..."
"Let the imposed sins vanish, let the extinguished will move forward."
"The darkness, the ugliness, I will carry it with me to the grave,"
"But the light, the hope, will shine through you, guiding the world towards a brighter future."
[Let the world turn for one person at that moment... Charge, Overseer Otto!]
[I will fall into darkness, in exchange for your return to the light!]
[The world is not simply black and white, but a delicate shade of gray, permeating all boundaries]
[Farewell, former Archbishop of Schicksal]
[I didn't expect to feel like crying when saying goodbye to him in the end]
[Comment…]
Otto's final words were barely a whisper, carried away by the gentle breeze. Despite being on the brink of death, a strange sense of peace and even contentment settled over him.
"Heh..."
"I tricked my friends, I deceived my loved ones, I even fooled the world and the very laws that govern it..."
"All to give the only true you, a second life."
He looked at the Imaginary Number Tree that was now right in front of him,
A gentle smile touched his lips, and his emerald eyes, usually so filled with sorrow, now burned with a fierce determination.
Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Otto spoke, his voice trembling with emotion.
"I'm back..." he whispered, his gaze fixed on the tree.
"Kallen."
-----
"He wasn't after power or authority for himself. He did countless bad things for his beloved... such a person is truly contradictory."
Eden's golden eyes lowered, gently swaying the wine glass in her hand. The red liquid swirled, reflecting a complex expression on her face.
Otto... she couldn't bring herself to judge him.
His actions were driven by a love so profound, so all-consuming, that it defied easy categorization.
"...If Kallen were alive, I believe he would have inherited that spirit from Kallen. The spirit he taught the next generation of Valkyries wasn't a delusion. He just wanted to find the original inheritor, even though the people of later generations didn't need it..."
"But he needed it."
Elysia's eyes sparkled, her words firm and confident.
Everything Otto inherited, everything he passed on to others, stemmed from his deep understanding of Kallen.
If those ideals, those echoes of her spirit, could have brought her back, he would have clung to them with all his might.
But they couldn't.
What Otto truly craved wasn't the comfort of knowing her legacy lived on in others.
He yearned for the original light, the warmth of Kallen's presence itself.
She spoke with anticipation, her initial aversion to Otto turning into a complex mix of admiration and respect.
"Some say that the most profound influence on a person isn't necessarily a specific event, but a certain person who appears at the right time."
"The people Otto met later may not have lacked kindness, but it was she, Kallen, who appeared at the top of the wall when he needed encouragement the most."
That, Elysia realized, was the key to understanding Otto.
That ray of sunshine, that brief moment of connection with Kallen, had been enough to change his life forever.
Even if the warmth he found later in life was more enduring, it was Kallen's initial light that had chased away the cold in his heart.
"Then... let's start witnessing his final act, okay?"
Elysia said softly, her gaze gentle as she looked at Kallen, whose eyes were filled with unshed tears.
Kallen nodded, her throat tightening, a lump forming that made it impossible to speak.
She wanted to say something, anything, but the words wouldn't come.
"...Hmm," she managed, her voice choked with emotion, tears finally spilling down her cheeks.
The only true self...
Otto had found the truth, but only by turning back time, by creating a second world.
And that world, Kallen realized, was unfolding before her very eyes.
He had proven, with every fiber of his being, that she was more important than the entire world.
His love, his sacrifice, transcended everything.
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