Otto—I Really Brought This on Myself!!

"So that was your true goal. Hmph—hahahahahaha! What a brilliant scheme! Impressive! I admit it, Elias—you've won this round."

Otto ground out the words through clenched teeth, staring at the boy in front of him.

The Godsbane Suit, Vermilion Knight: Eclipse, had undergone a dramatic transformation after the integration of the core from the Previous Era's Herrscher of Reason. Where once the armor was only black and red, it was now adorned with blue and silver.

As if fighting for dominance, the powers of two Herrschers clashed within Elias' body. Fortunately, he was long accustomed to handling multiple types of Herrscher authority.

"Construct: Blades of Truth!"

Recalling the structure of a particular weapon in his mind, Elias activated the power of the Herrscher of Reason.

Immediately, a dozen massive blue-and-white high-tech swords materialized, floating around him. Each looked like a fusion between a greatsword and a laser cannon—ideal for both slashing and ranged bombardment.

They hovered, six on each side, like a pair of angelic wings. Radiant yet menacing, flexible yet devastating.

(Well, this'll have to do for now. To truly unleash the full potential of the Herrscher of Reason's authority, I'll need to understand the construction of powerful weapons. Right now, I'm still in phase one.)

That didn't worry Elias at all.

This Herrscher Core, after all, had once powered the First Divine Key—Void Archives.

It naturally contained vast stores of knowledge.

It held a massive trove of Previous Era data, ready for Elias to study and absorb.

As long as he had the time to digest that knowledge, his combat strength would skyrocket.

"Otto, your expression right now—truly worth photographing. Is that look because you disapprove of how I used Void Archives? Or are you mourning your old companion of 500 years?"

Elias teased, as the twelve floating Blades of Truth reformed behind him into the shape of a throne—a gleaming, regal seat fit for a ruler.

"Why would I be upset~"

Otto, seeing Elias already wielding the power so fluently, felt only disbelief.

Any other Valkyrie would have died in minutes from the Honkai corrosion after embedding just one Herrscher Core into Vermilion Knight: Eclipse.

But Elias wielded both the volatile Herrscher of Fire and now the composed Herrscher of Reason effortlessly.

You'd think this armor had been custom-built for him by the Previous Era itself.

"I'm simply impressed by your ingenuity, Elias. Truly. To destroy Void Archives and extract its most precious gem... not even I imagined that route. Remarkable."

Otto clapped sincerely, even as he silently began formulating his plans to counter Elias.

"Heh. Using Void Archives is risky, after all. It did spend 500 years with you, Otto. Who knows what kind of twisted thoughts and 'wisdom' it picked up? It could've turned into a mini-you."

"You knew about Void Archives' true nature all along?"

"Of course~ Honestly, I would've preferred you offer it up over the Gem of Desire. But this was your choice, Otto. So if you want to blame someone—blame yourself."

"Fine, fine~ Well played. I thought I had overestimated you. Turns out, I still underestimated you."

Otto looked down at the shattered remnants of Void Archives on the floor. This was, without question, the first true defeat he had experienced in centuries.

Not even the Herrscher of the Void during the Second Eruption had managed to best him like this.

Elias had completely outplayed him.

Not only had giving up Void Archives failed to achieve Otto's intended goal, it had also significantly strengthened Elias.

The end result? Otto had lost his most-used Divine Key—oh, and an S-rank Valkyrie, too.

And let's not forget those three hundred B-rank Valkyrie suits. A complete waste in hindsight, since the Cosmic Juggernaut beacon was already in Elias' hands. There was never any need to barter for intel on Kevin Kaslana in the first place.

In short, Otto had been thoroughly scammed.

"Ah~ but this is kind of Welt's fault, too."

"Cough! Cough cough—what does this have to do with me?!"

Welt nearly choked on his tea. His whole body shivered as he looked at Elias in shock, still unable to fully process what had just transpired.

He had always known Elias was extraordinary—but this extraordinary?

Compared to the boy who once defied fate with sheer will during the Second Eruption, the Elias of now had become utterly mind-boggling.

This was Otto Apocalypse!

And yet Elias had gotten him to give up hundreds of suits, an S-rank Valkyrie, and his favorite Divine Key.

Welt couldn't help but marvel at what a terrifying young man Elias had become.

He had been feeling relieved—at least he hadn't made an enemy of Elias.

Until he heard that.

"Who told you no back then when you asked for the Herrscher of Reason's core? If you'd given it to me, I wouldn't have had to turn to Otto, now would I?"

Elias chuckled and patted Welt on the shoulder.

"So rounding things up, this was a group effort. We scammed Otto together, right?"

"Heh heh, yes—absolutely!"

Welt's expression lit up.

Just knowing that he had contributed, even indirectly, to thoroughly screwing over Otto gave him an indescribable sense of satisfaction.

Perfect. A world where only Otto suffers had been achieved.

"Was that really necessary? Building joy on someone else's pain—that's not something a good person would do."

Otto spread his hands and looked helplessly at the two of them.

"If you have a complaint, keep it to yourself. Oh, and speaking of which, this Vermilion Knight: Eclipse Godsbane Suit—wasn't it a gift from you? I really must thank you, Overseer Otto. Without it, I wouldn't have been able to scam you like this."

"Cough, cough! Y-You're welcome..."

Elias' heartfelt gratitude made Otto feel even more attacked.

He really had done this to himself.

If not for the Key of Blankness—a suit of armor from the Previous Era specifically designed to embed Herrscher Cores—Elias never would have become this powerful.

Even if he'd obtained Void Archives, he couldn't have harnessed the Herrscher of Reason's core without this armor.

That was the difference between the Previous and Current Eras.

Previous Era Herrscher Cores were dead.

Unlike their modern counterparts, which could integrate into new hosts and grant them full Herrscher powers, the old cores had no such function.

That's why the Previous Era had used them to create Divine Keys instead of manufacturing new Herrschers.

But the Key of Blankness, created by the genius Dr. Mei, was the only method to channel those dead Herrscher Cores into living Herrschers.

"All things have form, and the void can contain all—Key of Blankness."

Elias: (No wonder. She looks like my Mei, but her talents are polar opposites. Impressive.)

Just then—

"!!!"

The roar of massive warship engines thundered overhead.

Everyone looked up to see three Schicksal battleships descending, hovering directly above them.

Elias narrowed his eyes, activating the analytical authority of the Herrscher of Reason.

He immediately noticed that the warships' weapons were fully charged and primed to fire at any moment.

"Everyone, relax. They're just here to pick me up. I've already issued the order: unless something unexpected happens, they are not to open fire."

"No need to be so tense, Otto. I never intended to keep you here for dinner."

Elias chuckled lightly.

He knew Otto was running. The Overseer feared he might strike and take back the beacon of the Cosmic Juggernaut by force.

After all, Elias' moves had completely blindsided him.

On the surface, Otto appeared calm.

But inside, he was shaken and scattered.

The staggering loss he had suffered—one unlike anything in centuries—made it clear to Otto that he needed to regroup and overhaul his entire strategy.

(Think whatever you want, Otto Apocalypse. I still have cards you haven't seen.)

Elias wasn't concerned at all.

Otto only knew him as a dual-core Herrscher of Fire and Reason. He had no idea Elias was also the Herrscher of Rebirth.

(Soon, it'll be time to head to Schicksal's New Zealand branch and rescue Wendy... and acquire the Herrscher of Wind's core.)

Elias was ambitious—he would never stop seeking strength.

"Alright, the guest is gone, time for us to get back—uh, why are you all looking at me like that?"

Just as Elias was getting excited about testing his new power—perhaps even molding some mecha figurines with his Reason powers—he was hit by a wave of intense stares.

Theresa, Rita, Welt, Fu Hua—they were all looking at him with awe and admiration.

"Elias, you were amazing!"

"I've never seen anyone put Lord Otto at such a disadvantage before. Truly impressive."

"By general reason, this outcome is... exceptional."

"Perhaps more than your Herrscher powers, it's your intellect that defines your true strength, Elias."

Suddenly showered with praise, Elias scratched his head, a bit embarrassed.

He was proud, sure. Outsmarting Otto Apocalypse was no small feat.

But he wasn't cocky.

He knew that his success came from foreknowledge of the plot—and meticulous preparation.

Still, as he continued to change the course of fate, the future would become increasingly unpredictable.

But that was exactly what Elias craved.

His goal was to create a perfect story. One with no regrets. No tragedy.

"Alright, everyone, back to business. I've got a lot on my plate. Welt, don't leave yet—I need you to teach me how to use the Herrscher of Reason powers properly. At the very least, show me how to recreate Star of Eden."

He couldn't let the ancestral talent of the Herrscher of Reason go to waste.

"And then there's Edge of Taixuan training, and receiving the 300 B-rank Valkyrie suits from Schicksal... oh, right! Kiana—here, a parting gift."

Elias casually tossed over the twin Judgment of Shamash pistols.

The paramecium panicked and barely caught them in time.

Seeing the warships overhead had worried Kiana. She, Bronya, Seele, and Himeko had rushed over as soon as they noticed the situation.

"For me? Wait, isn't this your weapon, Elias? Hold on... I remember that old man's weapon looked just like this..."

"Ahem, this isn't actually my weapon. It's a Divine Key passed down through the Kaslana family. I met your dad at Anti-Entropy—don't worry, he's fine. I healed his arm, and he's been hanging out with Mei's dad."

"Really? Hmph! I finally tracked you down, you stupid old man!"

Kiana clenched her tiny fists.

If Siegfried were here, she probably would've delivered a roundhouse kick right to his face.

Elias smiled and ruffled her hair affectionately.

"Want me to take you to see him?"

"...Nah. I can't be bothered with that idiot. Maybe later. I know where he is now, and that's enough."

Kiana hesitated, then shook her head.

It sounded harsh, but the truth was—she just didn't feel the urge to see Siegfried anymore.

It wasn't that their bond had weakened.

It was just... this stray kitten had finally found a home.

Once, she'd wandered the world in search of Siegfried because she had no other goal. But now...

She had companions. She had purpose. And she had her very own external brain.

This little Kiana had no intention of moving anywhere else.

Siegfried? He could do whatever he wanted.

She had Elias now. Why would she need a dad who couldn't even cook and just burned everything with Judgment of Shamash?

"Hey, Elias, you seemed to really like these pistols. Are you sure you're okay giving them to me?"

"Of course. I promised Siegfried I'd return them to a Kaslana. And honestly, I'd rather give them to my adorable Kiana than that unreliable guy."

"Hehe~ Then if you ever want to borrow them, just say the word. What's mine is yours, Elias! Don't be shy!"

Kiana grinned and struck several cool poses with the twin pistols. She was clearly overjoyed.

"Just remember: don't use the Zeroth Power. You can't handle it yet. Sure, it's powerful—but the enemy might survive while you definitely won't."

"Oh! Got it!"

The paramecium nodded obediently, then resumed happily swinging the pistols around.

...

Though they'd already held a celebratory feast at lunch for Fu Hua's return, tonight called for another one.

After all, winning a standoff with Otto Apocalypse was no small feat.

So plans were made for a proper dinner.

And arrangements had to be made for their newest addition—Rita. Naturally, she would be staying in the Valkyrie dormitory.

No one else could be trusted to keep watch on an S-rank Valkyrie with spy and assassination expertise.

That said, Elias still politely asked her opinion.

"Rita, you'll be staying with us in the dorm. Is that acceptable to you?"

"Of course. I'll abide by your arrangements, Lord Elias. However..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"If I may—hasn't this villa already reached capacity?"

Rita had taken a quick mental tally of the rooms versus the number of current residents.

It appeared there wasn't a spare room left.

Was she going to have to sleep on the couch? Or the floor?

"Oh, no problem. I'll just expand the place."

"...Eh?"

"What kind of room do you want? Just tell me."

As he spoke, Elias placed his hand on the dormitory wall.

And to the amazement of everyone present, he used the Herrscher of Reason's authority to expand and rebuild the villa from its foundation.

In the blink of an eye, what was once Himeko's private home had doubled in size.

Bronya: "Ah, Elias has discovered yet another strange way to use Herrscher powers. Bronya is not surprised."

Rita: "This... is a remarkably convenient ability..."

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