We Can All See the Answer

"So you're the one most important to him?" Gu Chu revealed a chilling smile. "Or are you just so capable that he has no choice but to take notice of you?"

"It's less about taking notice and more about Captain Shu holding his nose and appointing me," Otto's voice sounded somewhat helpless. "He despises me, you know. Sometimes he wishes he could smash me into a coffin with a wine bottle so I'd never see the light of day again."

"As for why it's me, it was a measure of expediency born from necessity. When you pick a somewhat capable fool to hold a key position from a crowd of commoners, even if he's a clown, at least you have a master of ceremonies on stage, don't you?"

"Shut up and speak like a normal person," Gu Chu snapped, a vein throbbing on his forehead.

"Then tell me, who is the most important person to him? I can leave a spot for you, too..." Gu Chu said, his voice low after a moment of his temples pulsing.

"Captain Shu has no one important to him. Or rather, everyone is the most important person to him." Otto's reply was so sincere that Gu Chu instinctively wanted to believe him, but the sheer absurdity of the statement still made him feel like he was being played.

"What do you mean..." This time, however, Gu Chu didn't fly into a rage. "Are you saying... the people important to him have already been taken away by him?"

Well, that makes things simple... kill everyone here, then chase after him. I just need to kill any one of the three people with Shu...

"Perhaps." Otto seemed to chuckle, a sound that took the wind out of Gu Chu's sails. "But rather than saying he has important people... it's more accurate to say that to Shu, what's most important is 'people'."

"Huh?!" Gu Chu looked up, drawing out the sound. "What are you talking about?!"

"To treat everyone equally, to want to protect everyone—that is what is most important to Shu. Mr. Gu Chu, you must think the same way, don't you?"

"Is that guy an idiot?!" Gu Chu roared in disbelief, yet he was surprised that he didn't doubt the statement itself.

"Yes, he's just that kind of ridiculously stupid do-gooder," Otto said, helping Gu Chu curse him out. The retort Gu Chu had prepared to save face was choked back in frustration.

Was this flattery, an attempt to agree with him? It didn't seem like it... this annoying fellow's cursing sounded a little too sincere.

Gu Chu, who hadn't been this frustrated even after being slammed to the ground twice by Bianka, didn't ask the question, "So does that mean I can find him just by killing a few of you?" He stared at the communicator in Himeko's hand and narrowed his eyes.

"Then what's your plan to let me see him? And make him fight me willingly?"

He understood now. His opponent's goal was to stop him from acting. To achieve that, they had to offer a better solution than hatred.

"Join the MOTH," Otto replied as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Gu Chu: "..."

He laughed, a twisted, furious laugh.

"Can I kill a couple of people for fun if I get bored?" He didn't refuse, but countered with a question. He couldn't believe they would accept such a blatant, table-flipping condition.

"Or you could just kill everyone and go on a righteous crusade against the other Herrschers in the name of the MOTH. I'm sure everyone would be happy to point you in the right direction." Otto's roof-raising behavior gave the inexperienced Gu Chu a small taste of what a negotiator could do.

"Then wouldn't killing everyone be redundant?" he replied instinctively, but immediately realized his mistake.

Had he just backed down?

"Oh? So it would be redundant?" Otto feigned surprise. For some reason, Gu Chu felt like he was being praised by a kindergarten teacher.

["Really? Little Gu Chu is so amazing!" Otto's voice.]

The thought made Gu Chu's face darken even more, his excitement for Shu dissipating slightly.

"Mr. Gu Chu, you are not the only Herrscher in this world. You should understand that," Otto's voice became serious. Gu Chu pinched the bridge of his nose and nodded.

After Otto had completely doused his excitement, he had calmed down.

"The MOTH currently control the world's only network—[Spark]. Join us, and you can get first-hand information from all over the world through [Spark]'s internal channels."

"Where a Herrscher has appeared, where a powerful enemy has emerged, even when Captain Shu will return—the MOTH will be the first to know."

This time, Gu Chu nodded earnestly. Otto did have a point. The MOTH did seem to have some value to him.

"It's not enough," Gu Chu said suddenly. "I can find strong opponents on my own. My authority has already told me where Shu is. There's another Herrscher ahead of him. If I kill all of you now and rush over, I might even be able to join the fun."

A three-way battle... Gu Chu could feel his blood starting to boil again.

But he suppressed the excitement, waiting for what Otto would say next.

"Mr. Gu Chu, the disaster known as the Honkai evolves in tandem with the progress of human civilization. The same goes for you Herrschers." Otto spoke with a cheerful laugh, delivering the follow-up Gu Chu wanted.

But Otto's words made Gu Chu's expression change.

"So, Mr. Gu Chu, have you ever considered whether your progress is due to your own merit, or because the resurgence of human civilization has allowed the Honkai to bolster you?"

Fatalism?! How dare he?!

Gu Chu immediately understood what Otto was implying. His face became as dark as a storm cloud. "Then all I have to do is destroy civilization to find out, right?"

"But what if it's true?" Otto's voice held no fear. "The Herrschers and civilization perish together. Would that be a dignified end for you, or for us?"

"Achilles' last dance before submitting to his fate and entering the land of the dead was to put on his boots. Such a pathetic struggle," he mocked mercilessly.

Gu Chu's fists clenched. He wanted to storm the MOTH' base right now, drag this smug bastard out of his safe house, and greet him with his fists.

"So, join the MOTH... Help human civilization grow stronger. See whether you can become stronger without effort, or if a new, stronger Herrscher will be born."

"We are both resisting an unseen fate. For this moment, at least, we are like-minded allies, even if only one of us can reach the end..."

"But..." Otto's voice was full of temptation. He didn't finish his sentence, but Gu Chu, a smile on his face, completed the thought for him.

"At least we can both see the answer..."