The Kolosten conquest plans of the various groups proceeded smoothly, eventually converging at the central plaza. However... Bronya, who had tackled one route alone, was nowhere to be seen. Originally, Old Yang had intended to come along, but due to various factors, he chose to stay behind on the SELENE.
And this was the result.
"Could something have happened to Bronya?" Kiana asked worriedly.
"Don't worry."
A young girl's voice interjected timely. Everyone tensed, instinctively becoming vigilant, and looked towards the source of the sound. What they saw was Miss Raven following behind, carrying a certain 'sack' on her shoulder.
Upon seeing them, Rita couldn't help but light up:
"Lady Theresa!"
"Senior Theresa."
Durandal and Siegfried, the father-daughter pair closely related to her, also greeted her successively. The latter waved his hand, acting very familiar:
"Long time no see, Theresa."
"It has been a while. You're still as smooth-talking as ever, Siegfried." The white-haired girl gradually approached, allowing them to clearly see the person Raven was carrying. They gasped:
"Bronya?" "Bronya-Onee-chan?!"
"What happened to her?"
"Nothing much, just a bit careless and got hit by Fenghuang Down," [Theresa] shrugged. "Letting her sleep for a while will be fine."
"Phew..."
Since Jiang Qiao said so, the others naturally wouldn't doubt him—besides, looking at Bronya's 'peaceful' expression, they could tell her sleep quality must be excellent right now.
As for how it happened... no need for excessive detail. Just hearing the words 'careless' was enough for those who knew Bronya to make some connections—the Anti-Entropy group and Bronya's relatives immediately showed relieved smiles.
That Duck, she's so hopeless!
"Is something wrong? Is there something on my face?" Noticing Seele's gaze fixed steadily on her face until just now, [Theresa]'s expression became somewhat subtle—No way, no way? Could it be, I've been recognized?
That can't be right. Miss Raven is one thing, but if Miss Blue Wendy also easily sees through my 'disguise,' wouldn't that make me, a veteran unit pilot, seem too incompetent... Or am I actually piloting some kind of 'Emperor's New Unit'?
"Nothing, sorry... I just felt a sense of familiarity."
"Eh, now that you mention it... kinda feels like that guy who disappeared somewhere..." Kiana also clicked her tongue, then shook her head. "But it's probably just my imagination."
Hearing this, the girl secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
See? My acting is still pretty good!
Although there was no real need to hide, being accurately identified every single time would just make him seem lame.
"Theresa, do you know what Otto is really trying to do?"
"What I know probably isn't much more than what Rita and Durandal know—but if there's something Grandpa is absolutely determined to do, it would be his obsession of the past five hundred years."
"Everything he does, all of it, is for a single goal—to resurrect Saint Kallen, who died five hundred years ago."
Concise and comprehensive. Although simple, the information revealed stunned everyone—because in reality, even Bianka, who was like a disciple to Otto, probably wasn't entirely clear on what her teacher and friend was truly thinking.
As for Rita, even less needed to be said.
Even Theresa herself only knew matters directly related to her.
And this information, although it sounded exceptionally simple, even ridiculously absurd—who would believe that a man like Otto Apocalypse, with immense power and a history steeped in evil, did everything merely to resurrect 'Saint Kallen,' someone who died five hundred years ago?
"Resurrect... Saint Kallen...?!"
Looking at their faces, almost everyone wore an expression of shock.
Striving for five hundred years just to resurrect one person...
For ordinary people, this itself was something difficult to imagine... No, perhaps it should be said, this was already enough to be called a 'miracle'.
Moreover, the act of 'resurrection' itself seemed like pure fantasy.
"Is... is that even possible?" Seele's voice was filled with confusion.
It should be noted, even as the Herrscher of Death and Life, she understood one thing—the dead cannot be brought back to life.
This was an iron law of the world.
If a person hadn't completely died, merely suffered bodily destruction, the authority of Genesis could indeed create a new body.
But if the consciousness itself had dissipated, then it was a finality that even the Herrscher of Death and Life couldn't reverse.
"The world allows consciousness to match with a new vessel, but it does not allow a vessel to contain a dissipated consciousness."
"From a conventional standpoint, this is indeed almost impossible to achieve."
"But from the perspective of the Imaginary Tree, things aren't so absolute."
"Although the hope is incredibly slim, you need to understand—my grandfather, Otto Apocalypse, is the kind of foolish person who, even with just a sliver of hope, will pour everything he has, gamble everything, and not hesitate to pay any price."
The young voice was incredibly calm as [Theresa] quietly explained this fact to them.
"And now, his plan has likely reached its main phase—the current anomaly in this town of Kolosten is proof."
Gloomy clouds covered the entire sky, dampening spirits along with the light.
Kiana seemed melancholic, asking with some confusion, "If Otto's goal is this... then, do we still need to stop him?"
Wishing to resurrect a loved one, that should be a good thing, right?
If Otto was aiming for evil, then stopping his actions would be their undeniable duty. But if his wish was merely to resurrect one person, and a great person hailed as a 'Saint' at that, then even knowing everything, Kiana, who harbored ill feelings towards Otto, found it difficult to make the decision to stop him.
After all, they fought precisely for all the beauty in the world. They wouldn't stop such a wish, such an effort, simply because 'resurrection violates the rules of the world'.
It could even be said that, given the chance, probably everyone present wouldn't mind being like Otto, resurrecting someone important in their lives.
Just like Siegfried.
People don't do it because they believe it's impossible. But if such an opportunity presented itself, who would refuse?
—And the man who put such an 'impossible task' into action, the former Schicksal Overseer Otto Apocalypse, even if his past life was filled with evil, even if everyone present disliked him, yet... this effort and emotion, sustained for five hundred years, merely for this 'miracle,' even if born of selfishness...
It was surely worthy of reverence, of remembrance.
This sentiment wouldn't change based on their respective positions. Even if they remained mortal enemies afterward, it would never affect humanity's praise for a 'miracle'.
"Of course."
Regarding the white-haired tuna's concern, [Theresa]—Jiang Qiao—smiled.
"Didn't I say?"
"Otto Apocalypse, he is an evil man who stops at nothing, disregards sacrifices, to achieve his goals."
"Therefore, even if this wish is beautiful, you still need to stop him."
"As for exactly how to do it, that depends on your own judgment."
His light and breezy words were filled with amusement. At this moment, [Theresa] seemed exceptionally mature, not at all like her childish appearance, but rather like an experienced teacher seasoned over many years.
Even the overcast sky couldn't hide that brilliance.
Beneath the gloomy clouds, the dilapidated old church exuded a faint solemnity.
This ancient cathedral was once the starting point of the Schicksal church. After five hundred long years, it had become what it was today.
Although the doors were intact and the surface seemed presentable, the interior was actually dilapidated and incredibly old.
Just like the man standing inside the church.
Kneeling before him was another man, blond, identical to him in every way except for his clothes.
"...I didn't know our Overseer had a twin brother."
Siegfried, following behind, glanced over and couldn't resist a sarcastic remark.
"Hmm?"
"Well, this is quite... unexpected, such a lively gathering." Gloves stained with glittering golden █ crystals, Otto Apocalypse noticed the newcomers, showing a somewhat surprised, stunned expression, which instantly reverted to normal, transforming into a smile.
"Everyone, welcome to Schicksal's old central cathedral."
Like a tour guide, he welcomed them all.
But most people's gazes remained fixed on the crystal in his hand.
"Is that... the Core of the Herrscher of Dominance?!" Kiana recognized it instantly.
And Jiang Qiao... [Theresa] also glanced at the 'Otto' kneeling on the ground.
No wonder I couldn't find this bait-laying 'Grandpa' while wandering around. Turns out he got arrested directly.
He had originally thought about capturing this tool Otto, perhaps using him as a stand-in substitute after sending off the old geezer. Soulium bodies were super useful for work.
But on second thought, it probably wasn't necessary. Schicksal's workload was minimal anyway. Strictly speaking, it was less than even the Glamoth Iron Cavalry or even the Divination Commission's duties... just a drizzle.
"Hehe... correct. This is the final Herrscher Core that escaped from among the 999 cores."
"I used my former self as bait to lure out the one hiding in the shadows..."
Otto, somewhat talkative and with an exceptionally strong desire for attention, began a masterful performance of concealment and explanation.
Peeling back the layers, examining it inside and out, the message boiled down to three words—Inhuman.
His main point was that he would even kill himself.
Mr. Otto fully demonstrated his depravity.
However, despite his showmanship, he was actually feeling a little... panicked right now.
The reason was simple.
There were... quite a lot of people here.
Kiana, Wendy, Seele... a whole bunch of Herrschers, not to mention his own two subordinates standing there, and even his precious granddaughter was present... plus Siegfried, the star-crossed enemy whose wife he had boosted with enhancements.
Friends and foes, all gathered together.
With this lineup, if they suddenly rushed him all at once, even pulling out the Void Archives wouldn't help.
Otto felt utterly miserable—Dammit, are you guys here on a group tour?!
Of course, the bigger problem was actually this:
He realized that while he was rambling on, sprinkling in some philosophy to act cool and add depth...
These people, especially his precious granddaughter, had just one expression—You keep talking, I'll just watch.
...Otto felt exactly like a monkey being observed.
"Alright, Grandpa... stop putting on your clumsy act here. It's really pathetic."
"Whatever you need to do, just bring it out."
Otto, who wanted to say more, stiffened, but still managed a smile:
"Haha, Little Theresa, Grandpa doesn't quite understand what you mean."
"Don't understand? Then don't bother understanding!"
The latter sighed, then declared righteously:
"Everyone, in the name of the future Schicksal Overseer, I issue the first preliminary order—apprehend this former Schicksal Overseer who attempted to commit crimes against humanity, oh no... now a traitor to Schicksal! Otto Apocalypse."
"Ah...?"
Dudu froze on the spot.
...This direct?
Although after learning her origins, she had indeed thought about beating up this old geezer who ruined her family, she had still relied on Otto for over a decade. This kind of 'fatherly love, granddaughter's glee' order left her unsure how to react.
"Hmm? Are you disobeying the order of me, the future Schicksal Overseer?"
Mr. Jiang directly exercised his limitless authority as Overseer—although not yet inaugurated, he was clearly already adept at this.
Kiana, growing impatient listening to the old geezer drone on—after all, expecting Miss Kiana to listen to this esoteric stuff was pure torture for her—raised the Lance of the Void in her hand, eager to fight:
"I've disliked this guy for a long time and wanted to cut him down!"
What's the point of all this empty talk? Fight first, respect later!
"Theresa, you..."
Otto looked utterly constipated.
—Originally, according to his plan, he was supposed to proceed step by step, using his villainous side to fully provoke the anger and hatred of these people, turning them into his enemies who would then finish him off.
But... he hadn't even done much yet, and his precious granddaughter directly took the lead—What former Overseer? He's a traitor to Schicksal, take him down!
What? I'm not the Overseer yet?
Isn't it just a matter of time? It'll be mine sooner or later.
Disobeying now, you want trouble later?
The main point was clear—My power as the future Schicksal Overseer is limitless!
All of you, attack him! Beat him up!