"…?"
The black shadow did not materialize, but it visibly froze for a moment.
How did he know… him?!
"You think World Serpent is well-hidden, don't you?" Otto's eyes curved with amusement, a playful edge entering his tone. "You think you lurk in the darkness, grasping truth in your hands?"
"A creation of little Mobius—don't assume that just because you've lived a few thousand years longer, you can feign mystery before me. The pride you take in hiding in the gutter, smearing yourself in filth—that sense of superiority—is nothing but a joke in my eyes."
With his hands clasped behind his back, the man stood there seemingly unguarded, facing the shadow.
Unknowingly, the balance of light and darkness had already shifted in their psychological perception.
"…As expected of the Bishop of Schicksal. To have understood us to this extent…"
Grey Serpent's presence had clearly been suppressed; even his voice carried a trace of uncertainty.
"However, the Serpent has no intention of becoming an enemy of Schicksal."
"Heh."
Otto let out a cold laugh.
"A horde of artificial Honkai beasts, armed puppets, Divine Keys, an Emperor-class Honkai beast—and you call that 'no intention of becoming an enemy'?"
"The Serpent also paid a corresponding price…"
"Those are Schicksal's spoils of war—not compensation from World Serpent. And now, you intend to steal them back, to satisfy your habit of hiding behind the scenes, looking down upon humanity, treating theft as if it were safeguarding the course of human history. Isn't that right?"
"…"
Tilting his head, Otto looked at Grey Serpent, who seemed momentarily frozen, and raised a brow.
Riddle-speakers were always like this. Once you grasped the intelligence they prided themselves on, you seized control of the conversation. Their train of thought would be disrupted once the "mystery" was broken.
From that point on, they could only fall into passivity—psychologically suppressed.
Grey Serpent was nothing more than someone who relied on the lingering prestige of the Previous Era to intimidate teenage girls like Kiana.
But when it truly mattered—
Your father is still your father.
That's right. Green-haired snake, I'm the one taking advantage of you.
"…Bishop Otto, the Serpent was indeed discourteous this time," Grey Serpent found his voice after a long pause. "But in truth, the technological principles behind the Scepter of Duat involve Imaginary Space—"
"No need to tell me. The level of technological advancement and the scale of Honkai correlate positively to a certain degree," Otto interrupted. "You believe its existence is too far ahead of its time, forcing you to reclaim it by force?"
"I find people like you rather amusing," he said in a teasing tone. "Clearly, your Stigma Project requires the Scepter of Duat—yet you dress it up as some righteous act for humanity. You pursue self-fulfillment while cloaking yourselves in a sacred mantle of 'for all mankind.'"
"???! …How much do you know about our plan?!"
Shock bled into Grey Serpent's synthesized voice.
Otto curled his lips.
"That is not something you need to know."
Grey Serpent: …
Why did that line sound so familiar?
"…Very well."
After a moment of thought, he looked at the two highest combat forces of Schicksal standing before him and suddenly sighed.
"I hope Bishop Otto will safeguard the Divine Keys and the Scepter of Duat properly."
"Oh?" Otto raised a brow. "Is this… the Serpent retreating?"
"There is an old saying in Shenzhou: 'A wise man submits to circumstances,'" Grey Serpent admitted frankly. "At present, the Serpent does not possess the capability to confront Schicksal head-on. Nor do I possess the ability to reclaim the materials from the two of you."
"Good. You're learning."
Otto smiled pleasantly and waved a hand. The room echoed with layered mechanical sounds.
Only then did Grey Serpent notice that within the laboratory housing World Serpent's spoils, countless heavy weapons lay concealed in every direction.
—Clearly, the other party had anticipated his arrival.
"But please take heed, Bishop Otto," a premonition of unease stirred within Grey Serpent's mechanical mind, yet he pressed on. "The technology behind the Scepter of Duat is of great significance. Please refrain from excessive research, lest it spread too widely and be exploited."
Otto narrowed his eyes slightly.
It seemed the Scepter of Duat held more secrets than he knew.
Understandable. Something capable of turning a Herrscher into a temporary "Herrscher trial version" could hardly be simple.
—Of course, it might also be deliberate misdirection from Grey Serpent. After repeatedly warning him not to study it too deeply and even coming personally to remind him, was this truly just concern for humanity?
Whether ill-intentioned or sincere, Otto didn't care.
Once someone stepped onto his stage, what did it matter if they had their own designs?
Grey Serpent's schemes might influence the script—
But Otto's grand design was never limited to the few acts playing out on stage.
"Ha, I understand," the man replied with a genial smile. "The technology behind the Scepter of Duat is enticing—I understand. So I won't research it. Rest assured, senior World Serpent operative so concerned with the world."
He couldn't be bothered to waste time researching it—
World Serpent had already done so, hadn't they? If they knew the method, then why should Schicksal retrace a path humanity had already walked?
Scientists explore everything.
Those in power make use of everything.
Isn't that how it works?
Grey Serpent froze again, unable to grasp the meaning beneath Otto's words. After another moment of processing, he spoke:
"Very well, Bishop Otto. The Serpent—"
"Hold on, hold on," Otto interrupted for what felt like the umpteenth time. "Such a hasty and anticlimactic retreat hardly suits Mr. Grey Serpent's earlier grandeur. 'Not a burden Schicksal should bear'—my, what majestic phrasing."
"I quite liked your original tone. And—"
The man smiled faintly, mischief flickering in his eyes.
"Since you're already here… won't you leave something behind?"
"If you require this body of mine," Grey Serpent replied, "I do not mind. I can sever its connection to the primary consciousness at any time."
"No, what use would I have for this shell of yours?" Otto cast the shadow a look of distaste. "I'm talking about them—Jackal, and Raven."
"What will you offer to redeem your senior operatives?"
"…"
Grey Serpent fell silent yet again. In these brief minutes, he felt more thoroughly crushed than ever before. Everything he prided himself on lay exposed before Schicksal. Everything he schemed had been casually dismantled by Otto. And now, the man had begun a counteroffensive, demanding further concessions from World Serpent.
Perhaps he should never have come… the thought arose within him.
—But who could have known that after acquiring something as significant as the Seven Thunders of Retribution, Otto would still value other spoils enough to station an S-rank Valkyrie to guard them?
His original plan had been simple: quietly retrieve the Scepter of Duat and toss out a few cryptic remarks along the way.
He had not expected that Otto would anticipate his arrival so precisely—nor understand his status within World Serpent so clearly—and use that very status to restrain him.
"Confident little Mr. Grey Serpent," Otto's voice rang out again, carrying a lofty smile. "Do you dare to declare that you will abandon Jackal and Miss Raven? Do you dare to turn and leave this instant—refusing to answer my question?"
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