Raven: I've Saved Enough, I Quit! I Retire!

Schicksal's Floating Island—

Inside a deeply concealed cryo-storage base, a beautiful girl with long brown hair slowly opened her eyes.

"Welcome, welcome to this era, Miss Sushang. It's been a long time."

"Hm? You're... Raksha?"

The brown-haired girl stared blankly at the blond man before her, slowly regaining her senses.

Memories from five hundred years ago flashed through Li Sushang's mind. The swordswoman-like girl scratched her head and asked,

"I... how long did I sleep?"

"Not long, just about five hundred years."

"What?! Five hundred years?!"

Hearing Otto say she had slept for five centuries, Li Sushang widened her eyes in shock.

Looking at the advanced technology around her, she realized why everything felt so unfamiliar upon waking—

To someone from five hundred years ago, a modern society might as well be another world. Fortunately, Sushang was highly adaptable and cheerful by nature.

In just half a day, she had collected herself.

She changed into the fourth-generation Godsbane Suit, Jade Knight, as her new outfit.

Standing atop the observation deck of Schicksal's floating island, she curiously took in the unfamiliar new age.

"Raksha, didn't you once say that waking me from that so-called cryo-chamber would be the moment you fulfilled your lifelong wish? Has that time come?"

"Yes, Miss Sushang. Although... it's a bit earlier than I expected for the final phase, this moment is definitely one of the most important stages."

Otto glanced at the large force of Schicksal troops assembling behind him. Though his tone was calm, it burned with intense emotion.

Even he had adjusted his soulium body for combat.

"Honestly, I had hoped to awaken you at the final moment, but my opponent is more capable than I imagined. To avoid things falling apart, I must now deploy every piece of strength I have."

"Fine by me. I'm a woman of my word. But let's be clear—I only promised to fight one battle for you. Whatever happens after that, what I do, where I go—that's my decision."

Li Sushang stretched her body and stopped gazing at the scenery.

Though the view from the floating island was grand, anything seen from such a height seemed small. She believed that to truly understand the world, one had to see things face-to-face.

Otto smirked, showing no displeasure.

"Of course, that's only natural. Rest assured, I'll arrange a worthy opponent for you. Hehe~ I look forward to seeing the two of you meet."

"Ugh, Otto... Raksha, you're up to no good again, aren't you? Whatever. More importantly, do you have someone strong I can spar with? After sleeping for five centuries, my joints are stiff."

Li Sushang rotated her wrists and ankles. Though her sword techniques were ingrained in her muscle memory—even five hundred years of sleep couldn't erase them—

She knew well enough Otto's shameless character meant her upcoming battle wouldn't be easy.

She had promised to fight, and she intended to do it seriously. She didn't want to slip up, so she figured a warm-up match would be best.

"Of course I do. Let's see... Durandal should still be in the training room at this time. I'll have someone take you there. You can go all out against her."

Otto activated his communicator to call over a Valkyrie to guide Li Sushang.

"Lord Overseer, what are your orders?"

A Valkyrie with chestnut brown hair and pink eyes quickly approached and saluted.

"Ana Schariac, take Miss Li Sushang to the training room and have her spar with Durandal. Oh, and remind Durandal—try not to accidentally destroy the whole facility."

"Yes, Lord Overseer! This way, Lady Li Sushang."

"Oh, no need to call me Lady or anything. Just 'Sushang' is fine."

"Th-That won't do! You're one of the only three S-rank Valkyries of Schicksal!"

The girl named Ana Schariac replied nervously, with both awe and admiration. She was still just a B-rank Valkyrie.

Judging by her surname alone, it was clear that she would at least become an A-rank in the future.

But S-rank remained a distant goal.

After all, becoming S-rank wasn't just about lineage—it required personal talent and strength. Every S-rank Valkyrie was a one-woman army.

They were icons—idols to the other Valkyries.

"Fine, fine. But this S-rank thing is just a title that Raksha slapped on me without asking. Once I'm done with this one promised battle, I might just quit right away."

Li Sushang casually expressed her intent to resign, even though this was technically her first day on the job.

"R-Really? But for the Overseer to summon even Schicksal's last S-rank Valkyrie… and with all the A-rank Valkyries from the branches gathering recently... I can't imagine what he's planning."

"I doubt it's anything good..."

"Eh?"

Ana blinked blankly. Clearly, she was one of many Valkyries misled by the image Otto had carefully crafted. She had no idea what kind of scum the Overseer truly was.

But then again, that was relative. Just like how—aside from Elias—no one else in the world currently knew that the girl named Ana Schariac would one day become the Herrscher of Ice.

...

"Your Eminence, A-rank Valkyries from all branches and half of the B-rank Valkyries have assembled. All warships are fully charged, weapon systems checked—ready to deploy at any time."

Amber relayed the updates shown on her visor.

Yet despite this overwhelming force, enough to obliterate a nation, Otto shook his head in dissatisfaction.

He simply muttered:

"Mm. As cannon fodder, their numbers will suffice."

"Your Eminence, aren't you being a bit too cautious this time? Even the A-ranks—"

"Aside from Li Sushang, Durandal, and that thing I just repaired... who here could survive a single draw of the Judgment of Shamash? Who could stand against the Herrscher of Thunder's attack?"

As Otto spoke, he pulled a glass of red wine from who-knows-where and gently swirled it. Amber was left speechless.

Yet despite his grim words, Otto showed no signs of worry. Instead, he asked:

"Has the guest I invited arrived?"

"Yes, they're in the reception room. But... are you really going to collaborate with such a suspicious organization?"

"Hahaha~ Don't put it that way. If we're talking pure existence, they might even predate Schicksal. That's an anti-Honkai group that inherited the will of the Previous Era—the World Serpent."

Otto's eyes narrowed slightly. His tone was respectful, but in truth, this old fox only ever thought about one thing: how to squeeze every last drop of value out of whoever he worked with.

...

Inside Schicksal's reception room—

Grey Serpent sat quietly on the sofa, his mechanical eye gleaming with a dangerous red glow.

Though he was indeed a cold, cunning snake—

In the presence of Otto Apocalypse, even the deadliest serpent seemed harmless and pure by comparison.

"Mr. Otto, this is truly surprising. I never thought you'd reach out to us, the World Serpent, to propose cooperation. You said you have a way to bring our Sovereign back from the Sea of Quanta—is that serious?"

Grey Serpent kept his tone composed.

Just yesterday, Schicksal's Overseer had personally contacted the World Serpent—an organization still secretly growing and racking its brain for ways to retrieve Kevin from the Sea of Quanta.

Initially, the World Serpent had planned to completely ignore Otto Apocalypse, a dangerous and unpredictable man, until Kevin returned.

But the information he brought was too important to disregard.

"I'm curious—how did you learn the Sovereign's whereabouts? And... as I recall, not long ago, Lord Overseer deployed two S-rank Valkyries to steal the Second Divine Key—Cosmic Juggernaut—which rightfully belonged to us."

"Let's leave the past in the past, Mr. Grey Serpent. Let's focus on the future. I sincerely want to form an alliance with the World Serpent."

Otto placed a hand over his heart and smiled as if he were offering his genuine sincerity.

Grey Serpent resisted the urge to roll his eyes—or stab him outright.

Even as a mechanical bionic being created by Mobius in the Previous Era, Grey Serpent found himself utterly outmatched by Otto. He was already caught in the madman's rhythm.

"Next, I plan to launch an operation against St. Freya Academy. I hope your organization can send someone capable to assist me. In return, Schicksal will offer a generous reward."

"For us, the greatest reward would be the Sovereign's return. So, Mr. Otto, what exactly do you intend to use to pay this price? Don't tell me you mean the Cosmic Juggernaut—which was ours to begin with?"

"No, of course not. I intend to use it."

Otto shook his head and slid a photograph of Elias across the table.

"From what I've gathered, this young man possesses powers related to quantum manipulation. He can help you retrieve Kevin Kaslana from the Sea of Quanta. Here, video evidence."

"!!!"

Grey Serpent's mechanical eye blazed with red light.

Upon seeing the video where Elias opened a passage to the Sea of Quanta with his own power and sent the Honkai Beast Chiyou inside, Grey Serpent leapt to his feet in shock.

Seeing his reaction, Otto smiled.

"My goal is the Herrscher of the Void. But that boy will undoubtedly stand in my way. So I'd like to borrow your strength. When this is over, the Herrscher of the Void is mine, and you may take the boy—how's that sound?"

"The World Serpent has no reason to refuse."

Grey Serpent didn't hesitate.

Frankly, he had no real choice.

Lately, the World Serpent had exhausted itself trying to find a way to bring Kevin back from the Sea of Quanta.

But every effort had failed—

Cosmic Juggernaut was in Schicksal's hands, Eye of the Deep was with Anti-Entropy, the X-10 Experiment had been declared a failure, and even Cocolia, the sly old fox, had mysteriously vanished.

With Herrschers emerging one after another in the current era, they had to retrieve Kevin quickly to begin executing the Stigmata Plan.

If this boy in the video truly could open the Sea of Quanta, the World Serpent would do everything in its power to secure him.

"The World Serpent agrees to the alliance. But before we send our people, may I ask to hear the details of your plan, Mr. Otto? I believe it's crucial for our cooperation."

"Of course. Since we're now allies on the same front, I won't hide anything. I, Otto Apocalypse, have always been open-hearted with my friends."

Otto spread his hands and laid out... a small portion of his plan.

Grey Serpent scanned it—and his mechanical body trembled ever so slightly, caught off guard.

He stared at the man before him, dread filling his synthetic being.

In his heart, Grey Serpent knew—though in different ways—Otto was every bit as dangerous as Kevin. (Though both had been ruthlessly outplayed by Elias.)

"What a terrifying plan... Are you sure you're even human?"

"Hahaha~ Of course I'm human, my friend. Do you think a demon could come up with such ideas? No—only humans can be this cruel."

"Indeed. Still... I'm shocked."

Grey Serpent re-read Otto's plan, analyzing his mindset line by line. It felt like peering into an endless abyss.

But what startled him more was that this abyss of a man was also wary—deeply so.

"I had always thought of Mr. Otto as a proud and confident man. Yet this plan of yours... it's exhaustive. There's no arrogance, only despicable schemes, filthy contingencies, and an overwhelming fear of unexpected outcomes."

"Naturally. That boy is an enemy worth such thoroughness."

"Oh? Is he truly that formidable?"

Grey Serpent was suspicious. To him, Otto Apocalypse was the most dangerous person alive. And yet, Otto was this wary of a mere boy?

Just who was this Elias? He only hoped the boy wouldn't obstruct the World Serpent's future Stigmata Plan.

"He's truly formidable. The only opponent in centuries who's made me suffer real losses. And... he's grown far faster than I anticipated. Not long ago, he even stole an S-rank Valkyrie right out from under me—you believe that?"

"...I see. The world's brimming with unexpected talent. Still, is all this really necessary? Isn't this... a bit much?"

Grey Serpent's tone was a little odd.

He had expected Otto's plans—however devious—to carry a sense of elegance and poise, matching the man himself. Like a seasoned hunter sizing up prey.

But based on what he'd seen, Otto wasn't treating this like a hunt at all.

It was more like two equally matched hunters setting traps for one another.

And yet... Elias had only tricked Otto once. In return, Otto had mobilized all of Schicksal's power, sought external support, and devised viciously intricate plans. Wasn't that a bit... petty?

Given the sheer maliciousness of his plans, anyone unaware of the context might assume Elias had stolen Otto's lover.

"Aren't you being overly cautious, Mr. Otto? The boy's age doesn't even add up to a tenth of yours."

"I don't deny it. But he's special. My instincts scream at me to go all out against him—otherwise, I may end up failing just like last time."

Otto shrugged, utterly serious.

He looked at the photo of Elias.

In Otto's eyes, Elias was no longer a mere youth—but a worthy, dangerous opponent.

And the Herrscher of the Void was a key step in reviving the Holy Maid. He would ensure success—no matter what. No room for failure.

"Well, having a cautious partner isn't bad. As a saying from Shenzhou goes: 'Fear not a godlike enemy, but a pig-like ally.' Clearly, Mr. Otto, you're not the latter."

"And I trust the World Serpent isn't either. By now, you must have decided who to send to support me. I expect someone formidable."

"Of course. I assure you of her strength."

Grey Serpent replied confidently.

What he didn't tell Otto was that the World Serpent only had one such fighter.

He himself was an intel specialist—zero combat value. Jackal was a scientist—also zero combat value. Most future combat leaders hadn't joined yet.

So there was only one viable option.

"Let me proudly introduce the World Serpent's elite agent—codename: Raven. She's currently ranked #1 on the mercenary leaderboard, with strength comparable to Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries."

"She also wields the Third Divine Key, the Seven Thunders of Retribution. Anyone struck is instantly annihilated."

As he spoke, Grey Serpent dialed Raven's communicator.

The next moment:

Raven: "Hey, Grey Serpent? Just a heads up—I've saved enough money. I'm quitting the World Serpent. Effective immediately."

Grey Serpent: "..."

Otto: "..."

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