Floating Island of Schicksal.
"Who?! Who the hell did this?!"
Otto was losing his mind, staring furiously at the massive central display.
He had just discovered that his rank in Kallen Fantasy IV had dropped… to third place.
By using Schicksal's full-spectrum battle projection technology to play a video game, Otto Apocalypse had once again proved capable of things the rest of the world could only dream of.
But that wasn't the point.
Earlier today, Otto had logged in to clear his daily quests and bask in the glorious sight of his untouchable, record-breaking high score.
Instead, he was greeted with something unthinkable.
He had been knocked down to third place.
And worst of all—
The username of the first-place player made Otto spit blood on the spot.
Bronya's username: Metal Gear Wolf.
Elias' username: Kallen the Saint Doesn't Love Otto.
Otto: "Who is this bastard spouting such blatant truth?! Damn cheater! Amber! Contact the Kallen Fantasy IV devs and run a full investigation on that account… check the second-place player too while you're at it!"
Amber: "Your Eminence, please focus on actual work. You've barely touched today's agenda."
Otto: "Pfft. Otto Apocalypse not doing official work is the greatest contribution to world peace I can make. Countless people out there pray every day that I never take things seriously."
Amber: "...You know what, that actually makes sense. I have no rebuttal."
He really was self-aware.
Amber thought about her boss' laundry list of questionable plans and immoral experiments. Maybe it would be better if he just kept slacking off forever.
Wait—no! She caught herself veering off course.
Even setting aside his inhuman schemes, couldn't he at least help manage Schicksal's affairs? Economic policies, for example—
…On second thought, maybe not.
If Otto ever got full control over Schicksal's finances, she had no doubt the devs behind Kallen Fantasy would suddenly become a multinational conglomerate by the next day.
The man would absolutely funnel their entire budget into game development.
"According to the game company's diagnostics, both accounts are clean."
"Then ban them."
"...Understood."
Amber winced behind her visor. Losing and immediately calling for a ban? Her boss was the definition of petty.
Incidentally, because Kallen Fantasy IV starred Kallen Kaslana as the heroine and Otto's self-insert as the male lead in a blatantly indulgent romantic narrative, a lot of players hated the story.
So while Elias' username was obviously meant to be provocative, Otto didn't think too deeply about it.
He just assumed it was yet another disgruntled player criticizing the plot.
Still—
Looking at that infuriating username that mocked him to his face, paired with a game score that utterly crushed his own, Otto felt like he was going to explode.
The last time he felt this level of emotional damage was probably during the Second Eruption… when he faced the Herrscher of the Void.
A few minutes later—
Otto sighed in satisfaction, swirling his wine glass after reclaiming first place on the leaderboard.
That top spot belonged to him and him alone—
A symbol of his unwavering, eternal love for Kallen.
He would never yield it to anyone.
However—
Username: That's It? Otto, the Loser!
In just ten minutes, Elias' new account reclaimed the top spot, pushing Otto back down to second place once again.
Otto: "Cough, cough! Cough cough cough!"
Amber: (Serves you right.)
Watching her boss nearly choke on his wine, Amber felt absolutely no sympathy.
Otto: "What are you staring at?! Ban him! Let's see if he can grind faster than I can ban!"
Amber: "Ugh… what even is this mess?"
If Otto hadn't been her creator, Amber might've considered quitting. Being the personal secretary to a green-haired Archbishop who barely did his job was exhausting—even for a half-cybernetic maid.
Though she felt bad for the player, she still followed orders and had the game company suspend the account.
But—unsurprisingly—another ten minutes later, Elias' new account was once again at the top. (Thankfully, this was a skill-based game and not pay-to-win.)
This time, however, his username made Otto crush his wine glass.
Elias' new username: This Is My Love for Saint Kallen—You're Not Pure Enough, Clown!
If Otto was just annoyed before—
Now he was genuinely furious.
"Bastard! Who are you calling impure?! My love for Kallen cannot be questioned! Also—does this game not have a character limit on usernames?!"
Otto growled through gritted teeth.
You could question his morality. You could question his ethics. You could even question his hair color!
But the one thing you could never question was Otto Apocalypse's 500-year, unwavering, all-consuming love for Kallen Kaslana!
Amber: "Shall I ban this account as well, sir?"
The game company, sensing the mood, had already sent over admin access. After all, when your top patron asks for something, you comply.
But this time, Otto shook his head.
"No, Amber… there's no need. This is a challenge! A test of my love for Kallen!"
Amber: "Do you even hear yourself right now?"
"They say I'm not pure enough? Fine. I'll show them. Even though power can solve most problems, sometimes… even if the odds are low… you have to rise to the occasion!"
That username had ignited Otto Apocalypse's boundless passion for the saint he adored.
He could have banned the account and preserved his leaderboard rank.
But doing so would be an admission—that his love was, indeed, impure.
So even knowing the odds were stacked against him, Otto gritted his teeth and prepared to fight—to shatter his past records and prove the depth of his love.
Otto: "Ah, Kallen… for you, I would do anything!"
Amber: "…Sir, we have more urgent matters. We've detected mech troop movement from Anti-Entropy. They're en route to Nagazora."
Otto: "Tch!"
Hearing that something actually required his attention, Otto reluctantly set down the controller.
He rested his chin on one hand and began to think.
Originally, he had planned to send Theresa to handle it. But ever since the events of the Second Eruption, his beloved granddaughter had grown increasingly distant.
Although the St. Freya Academy she founded still maintained formal ties with Schicksal, Otto knew the academy was not truly under his control.
Officially, he had no authority to command Theresa or the Valkyries of St. Freya Academy.
Of course, the academy Valkyries would never listen to his commands now. After all… most of the A-rank Valkyries at St. Freya Academy were the very same ones Otto had used as bait during the Second Eruption—and who were saved by the Herrscher of the Void, Elias.
Otto: "Their combat power as A-rank Valkyries isn't that impressive… but they're still a nuisance."
Those Valkyries, rescued by Elias during the Second Eruption, had mostly severed ties with Schicksal afterward.
Many of them left the organization upon learning the truth about Babylon Labs and witnessing Elias' actions firsthand. Their faith had crumbled, and most chose to leave the Valkyrie profession altogether.
Some followed Cecilia to Anti-Entropy. Others joined Theresa at St. Freya Academy as instructors, determined to help train a new generation of Valkyries.
Though their numbers had diminished through each stage of defection, even a few A-rank Valkyries were powerful enough to handle a Honkai Emperor solo. As a result, the current strength of St. Freya's lineup was significantly greater than in the original timeline.
It would no longer be a situation where the entire academy could only muster one S-rank Valkyrie wielding Judah, a covert operative Fu Hua, and Himeko as their only combat-capable forces.
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