People who'd met Francis's daughter all said: "Your daughter is truly a great genius!"
In Austria, the genius girl named Kallen had quite a reputation.
Supposedly this child could speak within three days, walk within seven days, perform addition and subtraction within ten by one month old, had mastered calculus by age three, and knocked down a pack of coyotes by age seven.
Now at ten years old, she was proficient in poetry, painting, eloquent debate, dance, swordsmanship, and combat—truly accomplished in both civil and military arts.
There were even rumors this child was a non-human born with innate knowledge.
However, because her father Francis was a councilor with pivotal influence in the United Government, many negative rumors hadn't troubled Kallen's growth.
But here, Kallen felt she needed to clarify.
The rumors saying she was born with knowledge... weren't actually rumors.
Kallen had a secret hidden for ten years—since her birth, strange memories kept surfacing in her mind.
From these memories, she gained various skills and knowledge, becoming the genius people spoke of and the outstanding youth of the neighborhood.
This situation continued until a year ago. Seemingly because her brain had fully developed and could finally bear these massive memories.
Thus, one afternoon a year ago.
Kallen finally recalled another life spanning a full five hundred years.
In another world, she commanded the massive organization called Schicksal, leading humanity smoothly through five hundred years.
"I remember, I completely remember!"
"I'm Kallen, Kallen Kaslana, Schicksal's Archbishop!"
That was an era far more backward than the present. Humanity had just emerged from ignorance. The world was still in the feudal age.
Then she'd also been born in Austria, Europa. Her father was also named Francis. But differently, their name was followed by the surname Kaslana.
She, Kallen Kaslana, was the daughter of the Kaslana family patriarch—one of Schicksal's three great families—and simultaneously Schicksal's S-rank Valkyrie, wielding the Divine Key Oath of Judah.
In that life, everywhere her gaze reached showed Schicksal's decay and corruption.
After the Eastern Expedition failed, Schicksal's issuance of indulgences pushed contradictions to the peak.
Then she was still naive, so she donned opera costume, wore a mask, became the phantom thief Violet Iris robbing the rich to help the poor, practicing the simple justice in her heart.
But she quickly paid the price for her naivety, becoming a tool in the political struggles of Schicksal's old geezers.
When she discovered that no matter how hard she tried, she was only dancing in the cage these people had set, always leading results toward worse directions, she realized she had only one final method of resistance left.
—Death.
Thus, the once strongest Valkyrie of Schicksal, her fists that could punch through Emperor-class Honkai Beasts now bound by chains, quietly awaited death's arrival in prison.
History's course should have been thus.
But Kallen could never forget that day when Otto, whom she'd always thought weak, actually knocked down the prison guards and chiseled open the chains binding her.
Then said to her: "Just like you said, Schicksal shouldn't be like this. So Kallen, will you change it together with me?"
In that moment, Kallen found the meaning of living again.
So they rallied resistance forces everywhere, ultimately succeeding in overthrowing old Schicksal.
But the result was... Otto fell on the eve of dawn.
At her dear friend's departure, Kallen was grief-stricken, but she had to continue forward.
She'd originally thought to temporarily hold the Archbishop position for a while, then pass it down when a suitable candidate appeared.
But unfortunately, she waited five hundred years and never again saw anyone more suitable than Otto to serve as Archbishop.
Thus it was—under her command, Schicksal led humanity stumbling through five hundred years.
Kallen knew her abilities were insufficient. The only reason she became Schicksal's Archbishop was circumstances forcing her. Although leading humanity through five hundred years, still so many, many people fell under Honkai disasters.
Whenever she chose to sacrifice the few to save the many to quell Honkai disasters, she increasingly felt disgusted with herself.
She who'd overthrown old Schicksal together with Otto had actually become like the Nicholas she once despised during five hundred years!
And whenever this happened, an unrealistic fantasy arose in her heart.
"If it were Otto, he definitely wouldn't sacrifice the few to save the many, right?"
"He was so clever—he'd definitely lead more people to survive, right?"
Since this thought began growing and continuously developing in her heart.
Originally this was just an unrealistic fantasy. Until time entered the modern era, as understanding of Honkai deepened, Kallen suddenly realized this idea might actually be achievable.
So after setting this goal for herself, she used her own genes and Honkai's super mutation factor to create a descendant.
After cultivating them into a qualified Archbishop, she completed a plan with unprecedented worldly wisdom accumulated over five hundred years.
The process was quite complex, but the result indeed achieved her wish.
By touching the 'Imaginary Tree' to obtain pseudo-divine power, at the cost of her complete annihilation, she returned to that point five hundred years ago when Otto died.
Save Otto who died because of her, thereby opening a world line where Otto survived, letting him replace her in commanding Schicksal, letting more people survive.
Ultimately, beneath that 'Tree' with branches numerous as Ganges River sands, she departed toward Otto's death point five hundred years ago.
She succeeded, but also failed.
Only because... she crashed!
Who could have thought going against time's flow could also result in a traffic accident?!
When about to reach that time point of Otto's death, she actually collided with another existence also carrying pseudo-divine power.
Vaguely, she seemed to hear words like "Kallen" and "survive."
This was mockery, right? This must be mocking her?!
Damn it!
She'd schemed for hundreds of years, finally about to reach victory's finish line, only to be elbowed into crashing at the final moment.
Not only was her pseudo-divine body smashed to pieces, the collision of two pseudo-divine powers completely lost her in time's flow—even her consciousness nearly annihilated!
Don't let her know who did this, or she'd definitely make them understand what Schicksal Archbishop's fury meant!
After the 'accident,' when she awoke again, it was already a year ago.
Until now, standing beneath the high wall before her, little Kallen placed hands on hips, face showing confident radiance.
"Hmph! Fire Moth is incompetent, the United Government short-sighted. How can these insects save the world?"
"Looks like I must take action!"
Although Kallen didn't think much of her own abilities, comparing with Fire Moth and the United Government's old geezers, she suddenly felt what she'd done as Archbishop seemed pretty good?
Through analyzing current information, she'd confirmed this should be the pre-civilization period, naturally also knowing pre-civilization's final outcome.
She knew this era would most likely perish, but she could find ways to let more people survive.
Of course, besides this, Kallen also had a small selfish motive—obtaining pseudo-divine power again, searching for her original world line, completing her cherished wish.
After all, although many similar people existed here, ultimately this wasn't her world.
After over a year of thinking, she'd finalized her plan.
That was... rebuild Schicksal!
But to accomplish such an enterprise, she needed companions.
And the moment she thought of companions, Otto's appearance naturally surfaced in Kallen's mind.
"Although not the one I knew, based on counterpart similarity, he must have similar talents. As long as I guide him well, he'll be tremendous future support..."
"With my teaching, he'll become a suitable leader."
Standing beneath this high wall, Kallen suddenly thought that once upon a time, she'd also climbed over a wall before asking Otto if he wanted to save the world together with her.
"Fate really is marvelous~"
Based on counterpart similarity, Kallen wasn't worried Otto would refuse her request.
Standing beneath the high wall, Kallen lightly bounced a few times as warm-up, then began climbing up the high wall.
Under residual pseudo-divine power's enhancement, although her current strength was far inferior to before, climbing a wall over ten meters high was still no problem.
"Heave-ho! Heave-ho!"
Stepping on slightly protruding stones, Kallen scurried up in a few moves.
"Great inventor, quickly come save the world with me..."
Just as Kallen was about to cross the high wall, she heard a buzzing sound.
Following this sound, Kallen saw something like a backpack flying in the sky.
"What's this?"
Before she could see the white thing clearly, she suddenly noticed something rapidly appearing in her vision. When it got closer, Kallen finally saw clearly.
"Oh, it's just a wine bottle..."
"Bonk!"
Accompanied by a pleasant sound, Kallen's azure eyes gradually lost focus, soon spinning like spirals.
"So... so dizzy!"
"Thud!"
...
Beyond the wall, Lucius and Otto were conversing.
"Me from the future, can you take me away?"
Looking at the soft-faced little Otto before him, Lucius asked: "Of course I can, but I want to ask you—why do you want to leave?"
"I... I don't like it here. It's like a cage."
"And in the cage there's a lion ready to devour people at any moment, right?" Lucius smiled as he supplemented.
Otto's eyes dimmed.
At this moment, Lucius placed his hand on his head, gently rubbing before saying:
"Why avoid his edge?"
"This kind of incomprehensible old geezer—watch me send him to Black Dolphin Prison to pick up soap!"
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