Chains infused with the power of Binding wrapped tightly around him, rendering him immobile.
In this predicament, Otto stared at the spirited white-haired girl not far away and asked such a question:
"You... aren't actually Theresa, are you?"
No, rather than a question, the tone sounded more like a statement of fact. He was simply stating this as a fact.
"Hmm? What are you talking about, Grandpa? Of course, I'm Theresa."
"Could it be that you can't even recognize your own granddaughter?"
"If that's the case, it would make 'me' quite sad~ Grandpa~"
"...."
"Indeed, no matter how I look, you are my most adorable Little Theresa.... Even the Void Archives cannot find any trace of falsehood."
"But.... my heart denies it!"
If one were to ask why, it would likely be because—
"Although I'm reluctant to admit it, my Little Theresa wouldn't display such a reliable side."
Indeed, Otto admitted he held high expectations for Theresa and believed that perhaps one day, his granddaughter would mature into someone even he could hardly recognize. But it would never be like this, advancing at lightning speed as if she'd eaten some super-growth fertilizer.
No one knew the granddaughter better than the grandfather.
He understood one thing very clearly—only when things were dire, when forced by necessity, would his granddaughter occasionally show a maturity starkly different from her usual immaturity. Normally, she was much like her appearance suggested, quite childish at heart.
Wasn't the appearance of the Binding authority urgent? Of course, it certainly was.
Yet... he saw not a trace of panic, not a shred of hardship in the girl's eyes before him. All that existed in her eyes was the 'confidence' of certain victory and the composure of Mount Tai—Do you think I don't know my own granddaughter?
Otto saw in [Theresa] the tenacity of Kallen, the spiritedness of her youth, and also saw traits belonging to himself.
This perfect inheritance didn't resemble the not-so-perfect Theresa at all; instead, it felt more like a deliberate act.
As someone who was himself a habitual imposter, how could he possibly fail to notice the abnormality!
"How rude, Grandpa...."
"I was actually planning to see you off in this guise."
"But since you've already figured it out, there's nothing to be done." The girl in the holy white attire sighed, one hand on her hip.
"It really is you! Br... Big Brother Jiang Qiao!"
This act of completely dropping the facade instantly clarified the situation for the accompanying group. Miss Blue Wendy, in particular, beamed with joy. If they weren't in the middle of a battle, she probably would have already lunged forward—though she subconsciously blurted out a more familiar address before quickly correcting herself.
Of course—it wouldn't really matter if she had called him that, since Miss Bronya was currently fast asleep and wouldn't offer any opinions or harbor any petty feelings, right?
The white-haired tuna was also somewhat excited, though her tsundere nature made her pout:
"Pfft, I knew it was you!"
"....I was wondering how that Theresa could suddenly become so reliable. So it was you...." Siegfried also looked at the certain Mr. Jiang currently using 'Theresa' with complex feelings—his attitude towards this kid was incredibly complicated.... Honestly, he didn't particularly like him.
As an old father, he naturally harbored great hostility towards any scoundrel approaching his precious little Tuna, especially one who directly used his darling daughter's body.
But... once Jiang Qiao entered [Kiana] mode, the super-Tuna persona he displayed made it somewhat difficult for this old father to let go or resist.
"Jiang Qiao... is it? So that's how it is.... So that's how it is... So everything that has happened until now was your interference."
Hearing this name, Otto was stunned, followed by brief contemplation and deliberation, finally ending with a self-deprecating laugh.
All along, he had felt a strange sense of incongruity about everything, as if a large hand was manipulating events from behind the scenes.
But lacking complete information, he couldn't unravel the cause and effect, feeling only a tangled mess.
And now... upon discovering this truth, the brilliant Otto, the Schicksal Overseer who had ruled for five hundred years, finally understood everything.
It turned out that everything was related to that most inconspicuous 'ordinary person' whom he had barely paid any attention to.
He laughed aloud—after hunting geese all his life, he was finally pecked blind by one.
Sighing for a long time, Otto asked:
"How is Theresa now?"
"She's fine."
Without needing to ask, Jiang Qiao didn't think Theresa would be in any trouble on the other side.
—And indeed, that was the case.
Although incredibly annoyed by Bad Jiang Qiao's speed in approaching pretty girls, after devising a series of meticulously prepared plans like 'Operation Best Friend 2.0' and 'Operation Steal Bad Jiang Qiao,' Elysia naturally warmed up to Theresa.
Besides, she already liked pretty girls, and Theresa was the relatively rare 'loli type'.
Although Miss Pink Elf was exceptionally inept and disappointing when trying to conquer a certain Bad Jiang Qiao, and although Theresa harbored significant wariness towards this pink-haired woman she suspected of being a pervert...
...given Theresa's track record of being easily swayed by Cecilia, how could she possibly resist the fierce offensive of Elysia, this cunning lesbian?
Someone attracted by Cecilia's sincerity couldn't possibly reject Elysia's 'true self (EGO)'.
Moreover, Miss Pink Elf, a veteran lesbian, was incredibly experienced and extremely aggressive.
Currently, Miss Theresa was already showing signs of...
'Contentment here, forgetting Cecilia,' and 'Cecilia, don't come looking for me, I'm afraid Elysia will misunderstand.'
What? Cecilia can't come looking? Your next Cecilia doesn't have to be Cecilia!
Of course, what fueled this line of thought more was actually... the workload from the Far East Branch!
As the Director of the Far East Branch, her workload was anything but light.
Working diligently every day.... work.... Why work! Can't I just sleep soundly!
The mentally and physically exhausted Miss Theresa felt this 'vacation' was simply a godsend.
A reward bestowed by God for her hard work!
If possible, she even hoped this exchange could last longer. Although the male body was somewhat inconvenient, somewhat... strange, for Theresa, after overcoming the initial embarrassment... it actually seemed quite convenient.
At the very least, she was quite satisfied with being able to stand rather than squat when using the restroom.
"Hah...."
Otto let out a breath after receiving the answer.
"In that case, then.... allow me to fulfill the duties of a host."
Still not much panic.
Before anyone else could intervene, the next moment, an Imaginary fissure appeared out of thin air, swallowing him.
Leaving behind only an empty space and an echoing voice:
"If you wish to stop me, then follow."
What he had shown was far from the full extent of this power—retreating here wouldn't serve Otto's purpose either. Therefore... he inevitably had to move the battlefield to a more suitable location.
Only by dying there could he move one step closer to his goal.
After Otto's hurried departure, the group stood bewildered, instinctively looking towards [Theresa]—Jiang Qiao.
"Otto has seized the power of a False-god and will consolidate the authorities of the Herrschers one by one over the next twelve hours."
"If he fully completes this consolidation, we will face an enemy no less formidable than the Herrscher of Finality."
"Huh? Then we need to deal with him quickly!" The white-haired tuna sounded urgent, wishing she could charge in right now and use her Flame Fist on the old geezer.
"The False-god is connected to the Imaginary Tree; its body is immortal."
"Ordinary means cannot defeat Otto now that he has become a False-god."
"....Can't be killed? Is even the Herrscher of Death and Life's authority useless?" Seele asked, puzzled.
Veliona manifested as an external projection, interjecting:
"Yeah, even if Seele can't do it, you can, right? If you use this power, you can definitely do it."
She could exist independently now, but because she didn't want to be separated, she still stuck close to Seele.
"...."
Seele's expression became somewhat subtle~ —Although this seemed to be the truth, and she knew her control over this power wasn't complete, only a part of it, still... Other Me, what's with that eager look on your face?
A faint sense of frustration and slight dissatisfaction welled up, causing Miss Blue Wendy's cheeks to puff out slightly.
Completely unaware and unconcerned about this, [Theresa] spoke:
"Indeed, the authority of Death and Life can bestow the concept of 'death' upon him. However, the False-god's immortality actually stems from its connection to the Imaginary Tree."
"Therefore, as long as this connection isn't severed, even the authority of the Herrscher of Death and Life, even if I were to wield it, cannot change anything."
"Everything depends on Kiana."
"Me?"
Hearing this, the white-haired tuna froze instantly, pointing at herself with a look of astonishment.
Me, fighting a False-god? Seriously?
She desperately wanted to take the Lance of the Void and beat up that old geezer Otto, but if even Seele couldn't take him down, what use would she be?
Should she banish the old geezer into the chaotic flow of Imaginary Space and let him star in 'Otto's Drifting Chronicle'?
"The Herrscher of the Void possesses the ability to manipulate Imaginary Space. Therefore—only the power of the Herrscher of the Void can capture the connection between the False-god and the Imaginary Tree."
"The reason Otto particularly anticipated the Herrscher of the Void stems from this."
"Only the Herrscher of the Void possesses the power to truly kill the False-god."
"Eh...."
Kiana stared blankly for a moment, then grew somewhat excited—for her, this kind of thing was clearly quite exciting. After all, both 'only my power can defeat so-and-so' and beating up that star-crossed old geezer fit the white-haired tuna's personality perfectly.
However, after thinking carefully about what Jiang Qiao said, she hesitated slightly: "....If that's the case, then why don't you use my body?"
"?"
The latter looked puzzled.
The white-haired tuna blushed slightly, half shy and half annoyed, whispering:
"After all, according to you.... if it drags on too long, it'll be troublesome.... Although this young lady doesn't think her control over this power is too bad... to prevent any accidents, it's probably safer for you to use this power, right?"
Her words revealed a slight apprehension and lack of confidence.
Jiang Qiao felt a bit helpless.... Compared to the original Kiana, the current white-haired tuna still seemed quite lacking.
If it were the original Kiana, she probably would never have said such a thing—instead, she would have said, 'Leave it to me,' right?
However, this wasn't entirely strange.
After all....
The Kiana of that time had few choices.
In that short yet long life, she was often forced by people, by reality, to move forward, forced to mature.... And she didn't have many things she could rely on.
....Forget it, maybe it's a good thing.
After all, mature children are always the most heartbreaking.
"Don't worry, Kiana."
"There are some things you'll only realize after doing them once—if you don't try, how will you know it wasn't actually that difficult?"
"I will guide your way forward."
Gently taking her slender hand, [Theresa] met her gaze, his clear sky-blue eyes filled with utter trust and encouragement.
That undisguised sentiment was conveyed to Kiana through this simple gesture.
It moved the latter deeply.
She nodded.
"Mm."
"Then, let's set off."
Due to the special nature of the False-god and the Imaginary environment, Siegfried, Wendy, Rita, and Blue Seele, who would have difficulty fighting effectively, all withdrew from the team.
Thus, the members of the subjugation squad became Kiana, Durandal, and [Theresa]—Jiang Qiao, wielding the power of the Herrscher of Binding.
As for Bronya?
Bronya was sleeping.