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474 Otto Comes Knocking
🕑 Added 2025-07-18 15:00:15 +0000 UTCAs more and more “pieces of the puzzle” fell into place in Kagura’s hands, the grand plan of Otto Apocalypse—the overseer of the Schicksal organization—gradually revealed itself before her eyes.
The terrifying truth hidden within the fog was beginning to unveil its mask.
First and foremost, it was common knowledge that Otto intended to create a controllable Herrscher.
Not a half-baked one, but a fully awakened, complete Herrscher.
That’s why neither Mei Raiden, the Third Herrscher, nor Wendy, the Fourth, met his requirements.
In this era, only the Herrscher of the Void, reborn anew, had truly reached the level of a complete Herrscher.
And thanks to Kiana’s strength and unwavering will, the Herrscher of the Void showed signs of being controllable.
This was the original reason behind Otto’s creation of the Herrscher of the Void—and the clone Kiana (K-423).
According to Otto’s plan, once the Herrscher of the Void was successfully created, he acquired stigmata technology from World Serpent and attempted to use the Herrscher’s power to activate Kallen’s stigmata.
That was Step Two—use Herrscher energy to awaken the stigmata that carried Kallen’s memories.
Stigmata are ancient powers buried in human genes, remnants from our distant ancestors.
They also serve as vessels for the memories of those long gone.
Once a Herrscher gathers an overwhelming amount of Honkai energy, the will and memories hidden within those stigmata can be completely activated.
And thus, with control over a Herrscher’s power, the resurrection of the dead would no longer be just fantasy.
[TL Note – It’s written before any of Otto Apocalypse arc :v]
That… was Otto’s true goal.
His final objective—
To bring back the woman he loved: Kallen Kaslana.
But now, his plan had hit a rather unexpected snag.
The Herrscher… had gone missing.
Although the Herrscher of the Void had been successfully created and was theoretically controllable… Otto couldn’t find her.
Still, that wasn’t a huge problem.
For Otto, the technology to create a Herrscher was already perfected.
As long as he had a suitable vessel, he could produce a powerful Herrscher whenever he wanted.
In fact, if the vessel was strong enough, creating the mythical “Herrscher of the End” wasn't beyond reach.
And so, Otto turned his sights to another candidate—Fu Hua.
In their previous battle, Otto hadn’t killed her, even in his rage.
Still, due to his attack using the simulated Judgment of Shamash, Fu Hua had lost consciousness entirely, slipping into a coma.
Now, she could only appear in the memories of others, supported by the power of Fenghuang Down.
But Fu Hua carried with her thousands of years of subconscious memory.
Even if much of her strength was gone, the memories etched into the depths of her soul would never fade.
And memories…
Memories were not only power.
They were also the key condition needed to trigger stigmata resonance.
If Otto could turn Fu Hua into a controllable Herrscher, she would become the strongest one in history.
Perhaps even rivaling the Herrscher of the End itself.
Moreover, with her deep and ancient memories, Fu Hua was much more likely to fully awaken Kallen’s personality and memories—bringing Kallen Kaslana back into the real world.
A possibility far more viable than using the Herrscher of the Void.
And so… Otto once again embarked on a path of self-destruction.
What he was attempting now could only be described as a plan of ultimate madness.
Compared to Otto’s true intentions, the movements of World Serpent were child’s play.
After all, the Serpent merely wanted to destroy a single city—Sky City.
But Otto?
That madman… was willing to destroy the entire world just to see his beloved once more.
Once Fu Hua was successfully turned into a Herrscher, and the stigmata technology was ready, only one final piece remained:
A genetic stigmata that carried both Kallen Kaslana’s memories and personality.
Stigmata slumber within the human genome and can be activated through specific triggers.
And who carried Kallen Kaslana’s genes?
First and foremost—her descendant, Kiana Kaslana.
Second—Theresa Apocalypse, a clone created using Kallen’s DNA.
She, too, had the potential to awaken Kallen’s stigmata and could serve as a vessel for her resurrection.
And thus…
The final battle begins.
———————————————————————
Early Morning – Heliopolis, patrolling near the Anti-Entropy base
‘Beep—beep—bzzzzt!’
The bridge doors slid open with a hiss. Kagura entered, still yawning.
“Yaaawn… is the captain already up?”
“Pfft—!”
Blood—splattered—everywhere!
(Not really.)
“Hey! Don’t talk like Theresa!” Himeko nearly choked, spitting out the red wine she’d secretly sipped, “You nearly scared me to death! It’s rare enough I get to sneak a drink on duty!”
“Hehe~☆”
Kagura posed cutely, striking her signature moe act.
“But drinking on duty is still a no-no, isn’t it, Himeko-senpai?”
“Hmph, mind your own business.” Himeko turned her head dismissively and picked up her hidden wine bottle again. “Wine is a wonderful thing, you kids just don’t get it.”
“Fine, fine~” Kagura raised her hands in mock defeat. “I guess good old soda is still more my style…”
‘Woooooo—! Woooooo—!’
Suddenly, the bridge was flooded with blaring alarms.
“Unidentified objects detected ahead! Preliminary analysis—airborne warships!”
“No IFF response! They're enemies!”
“Optical scan complete—the ships are Schicksal-class vessels!”
“Seventeen… twenty-one… twenty-three… still increasing!”
“Captain! We’re surrounded!”
The string of rapid-fire reports instantly shattered the previously lazy atmosphere of the bridge.
Himeko sat upright.
“All hands, listen up! This is not a drill! Full battle stations! Raise defensive barriers, charge all weapons, engines to maximum output!”
“Schicksal, huh…”
Kagura narrowed her eyes, but her lips curled upward in a cold smile.
“Otto, Otto… I haven’t even come looking for you, and here you are, knocking on my door.”
She walked to the bridge’s viewing window and gazed at the massive fleet approaching from the distance.
“Well then. Let’s settle this here and now, Otto Apocalypse.”
“Let’s see which of us wins this—”
“Will you sacrifice the world just to revive the woman you can’t let go of…”
Kagura clenched her fists.
“Or will I shatter your foolish dream and give this world the future it deserves?”
———————————————————————
Above Heliopolis – Schicksal Airspace
Otto stood upon the wide deck of a floating battleship, hands clasped behind his back, staring calmly at the silver-white warship before him.
A confident smile played on the blonde man’s face—like everything in the world danced at his fingertips, mere toys in his grasp.
“Just a little longer… Just wait a little longer…”
Otto whispered softly.
“Kallen… No matter what becomes of this world, be it Honkai… or humanity…
None of it matters anymore.”
“For five hundred years, I’ve committed unforgivable sins, walked a path no one could ever understand—just to see you again…”
‘KRACK-BOOM—!’
Suddenly, a blinding thunderbolt tore through the blue sky.
Moments later, a shower of crimson feathers rained from above, blanketing the air like a surreal snowfall.
Honkai surged.
A Herrscher…
Descends.
