Beyond the fissure lay a world completely different from reality.
Chaotic space, turbulent ground underfoot—everything proclaimed the confusion and disorder here.
This was the place closest to the existence of the Imaginary Tree.
"Project Bunny, I'll leave the rest to you. Forge a path for us."
[Theresa], taking the first step and observing the not-so-unfamiliar environment, spoke thus.
Following closely behind was the steel figure—undoubtedly Bronya's Project Bunny.
Although Bronya was currently immersed in high-quality sleep and not participating in this subjugation battle against the False God, out of the necessity for 'participation,' Mr. Jiang had conveniently 'borrowed' Project Bunny.
After all, during this process of forging a path, having some kind of driving tool was somewhat more appropriate.
Originally, Kiana and Dudu would have used the latter's awakened Stigmata creation, Krishna. But unfortunately, due to various changes, Dudu hadn't foolishly gone looking for Otto, and therefore, hadn't been thrown into Imaginary Space by the old geezer—correspondingly, she naturally wouldn't connect with the Kaslana Stigma Space or obtain the power belonging to Equinox.
However, although there was no magical horse to forge the path, substituting Project Bunny was much the same.
Representing the Reason of civilization, the latter was hardly inferior to Equinox, which represented the principle of time's passage. It was simply more comprehensive.
Seeing Project Bunny appear, the white-haired tuna grew somewhat excited.
She had seen Jiang Qiao, and that Bronya girl, ride Project Bunny before—she had always wanted to try riding Bronya's Project Bunny. Ghostly motorcycles were really cool, weren't they?
Unfortunately, that Bronya girl was too stingy, never letting her touch Project Bunny, hmph.
She subconsciously assumed she was about to ride a motorcycle.
But the next moment, Bunny, as if receiving a command, transformed.
And turned into...
"...A... a tricycle?!" Kiana, initially full of anticipation, stared blankly at the transformed Bunny, uttering its name with disbelief.
Indeed, this vehicle had three wheels, incredibly small, like a shrunken car.
Of course, it had a more commonly understood name.
—'Old Man's Joy.'
Even the usually serious and proper Dudu was somewhat stunned, her expression subtle:
"Uh... Mr. Jiang Qiao, are we riding this?"
"Of course."
"What's with those expressions? This is new energy... Alright, get in!"
"So lame..."
Kiana couldn't help but comment. Although somewhat disdainful, she still got in.
Amidst their subtle expressions, Project Bunny—Old Man's Joy form—set off!
"..."
Otto, who had been secretly watching, also wore a somewhat subtle expression.
Although this pseudo-god's Imaginary domain indeed required special 'vehicles' to keep up and avoid getting lost...
Still...
Looking at that comical little car, he couldn't shake off a sense of incongruity that made him want to both laugh and cry.
Oh well... it wasn't anything important... important...
He initially didn't want to pay too much attention, but Otto suddenly noticed that the somewhat abstract little car seemed... off...
Wait... this speed...!
Before Otto could react, the demonic little car crossed the spatial distance following the young girl's loud shout:
"Run him over, Project Bunny!"
The car... got closer and closer... at a terrifying speed, Otto didn't even have time to react. Or rather, by the time he did react, this bizarre Old Man's Joy was already in his face.
'Bang—!'
Caught completely off guard, Otto was sent flying, crashing heavily against a wall.
Awesome!
Seeing this scene, the white-haired tuna, as a passenger, was thrilled, though she then grew puzzled.
"This car... how is it so fast?"
It was just one step on the gas, they hadn't even seen Otto's shadow yet, and the next moment, they directly smashed into Otto's face.
"Just a simple application of Imaginary authority," replied the perpetrator, Mr. Jiang, who had just harmed a centenarian, with perfect calm.
In reality, piloting the vehicle was just part of the process.
He directly used his portion of Herrscher authority to lock onto the old geezer—and then, within this Imaginary space, all that was needed was surface warping.
Who actually races cars seriously? Certainly not him.
Just run 'em over!
Of course—more importantly, it was because this unit was really useful.
Due to the intimate connection between [Theresa] and Otto, he could leverage this connection to lock onto the old geezer's head.
However, this level of impact was clearly insufficient to cause any significant harm to the immortal False God.
Otto, the False God in his avian form, quickly regained his posture.
"An unexpected blow, but merely this is not enough to shake this power that surpasses Herrschers."
"So, what will you do next?"
A thread of seriousness entered his light tone. The Schicksal Overseer of five hundred years seemed to be getting slightly serious.
Although the consolidation of Herrscher authorities was still in its initial stages, it didn't change the fact that the False God was immortal.
Therefore—no matter what, the advantage is mine!
"Beat him up!"
[Theresa]'s reply was concise.
This was undoubtedly the plan most agreeable to both Kiana and Dudu.
Regardless, giving this guy a good beating first was always correct and satisfying.
"Hehe... truly a simple and crude response. Then allow me to fulfill the duties of a host as well!" Otto sounded slightly resigned, yet his smile held a hint of abandon and indulgence.
The power of the False God began to stir.
Terrifying Honkai Energy brewed.
In the next instant, it would blossom into hundreds, thousands of beams of light.
Seeing this formation, Kiana and Dudu immediately prepared to defend using their respective methods.
But the next moment—
"Boom—!"
A hair-raising sonic boom echoed. A black shadow sped past—a giant cross, moving with lightning speed, smashed into Otto's face, making the Soulium material clang loudly.
It was the Oath of Judah!
Clang clang.
Chains manifested from the void, shooting out like sudden thunderclaps.
And Otto was slammed viciously into the ground by the cross.
He looked dazed at this moment.
This familiar feeling...
The Oath of Judah, close at hand, the side facing Otto cracked open with a loud kang, a red stream seemingly brewing within.
The next moment.
"Boom—!"
Like a siege crossbow, the short spears contained within the Oath of Judah were forcefully stuffed entirely into Otto's mouth in a point-blank ultimate move.
This brutal scene made Kiana instinctively tense up.
She considered herself quite ruthless in fights... but after seeing [Theresa]'s little combo, Kiana really wanted to say: You're one ruthless individual.
Look at this smooth little combo! An observer would know for sure that without some personal grudge, it couldn't be pulled off like this.
Not to mention the relationship between these two was 'grandfather and granddaughter'.
This wasn't 'grandfather-granddaughter' at all; it had to be at least 'revenge for killing one's father'... No, this was probably the level of having one's entire family wiped out!
"What are you spacing out for!"
"Oh!"
Hearing [Theresa]'s reprimand, the somewhat stunned Dudu and Kiana instantly snapped back to reality, wanting to join the limited-time event of beating up Otto.
The latter wanted to resist, but... was undoubtedly thoroughly 'outplayed' and 'damaged'.
Eh, wanna cast a skill? I'll just activate Binding, silence you directly!
Wanna pull away? Chains will tie you up tightly! Then I'll carry Judah's Oath while Project Bunny rams your face relentlessly—after Jiang Qiao's adjustments, the valiant Project Bunny, fully determined to carry Bronya's share, unleashed the power belonging to the Herrscher of Truth.
Shocking! Five-hundred-year-old man brutally beaten by his beloved granddaughter and two delinquent girls! The reason behind it is heartwarming!
A long time later.
"Overseer, was this truly worth it?" Durandal looked at Otto, bound to the cross, hesitated for a moment, and asked this question.
The latter just chuckled softly.
Was it worth it?
Void Archives had asked him a similar question before.
And the answer Otto would give, of course, inevitably, was only one—Worth it.
A life unlooked for welcomed a new dawn—at that moment, that young boy received salvation for his entire life.
And that Saint became the sole meaning of the boy's existence.
His voice was hoarse, low, yet held no negativity, only brimming with anticipation and melancholy:
"Do it, Kiana."
"Avenge your mother—and I, too, can embark on the final journey of my life."
"..."
Kiana, holding the spear condensed from Imaginary power, listened to his words, her face expressionless, her thoughts unknown.
"Can't bring yourself to do it?"
[Theresa]—Jiang Qiao asked. The latter remained silent for a moment... "I don't know... what I should do."
Kill Otto?
Indeed, it was a good way to get revenge—and simultaneously, it was Otto's expectation.
Precisely because of this, after understanding Otto's plan, Kiana felt somewhat lost.
If she were filled with hatred, perhaps she could have swung her blade without hesitation.
But knowing everything now, even knowing what an evil-filled existence Otto was, yet... she truly felt lost.
Not because of whether she should kill him or not, but simply... she lost the motivation to swing the blade.
A Kaslana could wield weapons to protect the people; she would strive to defend all that is beautiful. But facing someone like Otto... she found herself unsure why she should swing her blade at all.
"...I understand."
[Theresa], having understood something, sighed—because of his own influence, Kiana now had this opportunity to think slowly and make an appropriate choice.
But for certain problems, especially in battle, acting unthinkingly, purely out of instinct, might actually be the easier option.
Thinking back, in the original storyline, Otto probably understood that Kiana, Bronya, and Theresa were all like this. That's likely why he deliberately chose to provoke hatred, playing the villain to the very end, only revealing everything when his success was a foregone conclusion.
"Then..."
Leave the rest to me.
He intended to say this.
But...
Someone was already a step ahead.
"Squelch..."
Hot blood sprayed.
"Bianka?"
"Big Sister?!"
They looked on, surprised and shocked, as the golden-haired girl took the initiative, using the weapon 'snatched' from Kiana to end Otto with a single strike, her cheek stained with blood.
The latter stated calmly:
"Since you cannot make up your mind, then it is most appropriate for me to do this."
Whether as Bianka, or... as Kiana Kaslana.
Unlike Kiana's confusion—Dudu's tone, though tinged with melancholy, was incredibly firm, without a hint of wavering.
In the altered present, Kiana actually didn't harbor much hatred for Otto; even the existing resentment wasn't very pronounced.
But Bianka was different.
She was a true victim of Otto's machinations—it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say her family was destroyed.
Therefore, she certainly had the right to claim retribution from Otto.
However, the incredibly mature Dudu, even knowing all this, didn't let her heart sink into this hatred. This wasn't solely because she lacked past memories and the sensations weren't truly visceral; more importantly, having experienced another world, she had matured to an unimaginable degree, mature enough not to let things like hatred cloud her judgment.
She would only make her own choices based on her own thoughts.
And now, that was precisely what she did.
Furthermore—from another perspective.
Dudu was still Otto's student.
So, facing her teacher's final request, how could she possibly let him down? Let this five-hundred-year-old wish go down the drain?
The debt of tutelage is unforgettable...
Thus, clearly understanding everything, Dudu, both enemy and student, took the initiative to fulfill her complex teacher's wish.
And with this, past kindnesses and grudges were wiped clean.
"...I didn't expect... at the final moment, the one to fulfill my wish would be you... haha... my most prized student, Bianka..."
"Thank you."
"I should thank you too, Overseer."
"The kindness of your past teachings, I will forever hold in my heart."
This applied to both Otto's great kindnesses and his great evils.
The False God died, and the Imaginary Space belonging to the False God gradually disintegrated, returning them to reality.
The waiting crowd surged forward, filled with anticipation, nervousness, and various emotions.
"The specific details can't be explained in a moment..."
"If you want to know, go ask Bianka."
[Theresa] kicked the ball to Dudu, stating calmly:
"Next, can you let me be alone here for a moment?"
Her sky-blue eyes reflected the dilapidated, moss-covered statue of the Saint. The young girl's voice echoed softly in the air.
"I probably still have some things I need to take care of."