"This is... Kallen? Not just Yae Sakura, who was sealed away with the Herrscher of Corruption five hundred years ago, but that boy named Ren Amamiya can even summon Kallen?!"
Above the Mediterranean Sea, on the Schicksal floating island, within the Overseer's office.
Otto Apocalypse rested his crossed hands on the desk, his chin lightly placed upon their backs.
His emerald eyes stared intently at the live feed Rita was sending from Nagazora City. His handsome face wore an extremely rare expression of seriousness and solemnity, his brow slightly furrowed from the storm of thoughts raging in his mind.
His secretary, Amber, standing beside him, put down the bottle of high-end red wine she held. She had already filled the stemmed glass on Otto's desk with the fragrant, enticing wine.
However, Otto now treated the beverage he usually adored as if it were nothing, not even glancing at the glass.
Before connecting with Rita, Otto had planned to savor the fine wine and enjoy a brief moment of respite.
But after hearing Rita's report on the situation, Otto immediately instructed Amber to postpone all scheduled plans, focusing entirely on analyzing the live feed Rita sent, meticulously scrutinizing every frame of the battlefield at Chiba Academy.
As the Overseer's secretary, Amber was technically responsible for correcting Otto's tendency to slack off.
However, after also hearing Rita's report, Amber silently followed Otto's instructions, delaying all of the day's planned activities and issuing notifications to Schicksal's various departments.
Amber knew clearly what truly mattered most in Otto's heart.
It was, naturally, the Saint of Schicksal who had died five hundred years ago: Kallen Kaslana.
Pushing all other matters aside, Otto silently gazed at the virtual screen before him. Initially, he managed to maintain his composure.
Five hundred years had passed since Kallen's death. Otto had tried countless times to revive her, but every plan he meticulously executed ultimately ended in failure.
Otto had long learned to accept everything with a calm heart.
Even when Ren Amamiya summoned a being that resembled Kallen, Otto didn't immediately become ecstatic. His sharp intellect instinctively made him question it.
Otto tried to analyze whether the Kallen currently on the battlefield in Nagazora City's Chiba Academy was truly the martyred Saint from his memories.
However, the more calmly he analyzed, the wider his emerald eyes grew in disbelief, and the Soulium heart within his chest beat increasingly faster.
During these five hundred years of listless existence, like a walking corpse, Otto recalled, for the first time in ages, the feeling of uncontrollable trembling excitement coursing through his entire body.
It was as if a bright light had suddenly pierced the darkness, illuminating the entire world.
Otto abruptly felt the sensation of being truly alive again.
"Kallen died in Kolosten Town, the old Schicksal headquarters... Even if Ren Amamiya somehow managed to revive the real Yae Sakura, conventionally speaking, being in the Far East's Nagazora City, he absolutely shouldn't be able to summon the real Kallen..."
"But, five hundred years later, I am the one most familiar with Kallen in this world. I can see it. The person currently fighting those Titan mechs on the Chiba Academy battlefield... is undoubtedly Kallen herself!"
Otto swiftly dismissed the fleeting thoughts flashing through his mind. He watched the figure of Kallen on the virtual screen before him, effortlessly suppressing hundreds of Titan mechs single-handedly.
Otto's eyes grew brighter, his breathing becoming heavy and ragged due to the emotional turmoil.
Over the past five centuries, Otto had endlessly replayed every moment he spent with Kallen. He was more familiar with Kallen's figure and mannerisms than Kallen herself probably was.
Just like the search term Ren Amamiya had used online: "Phantom Thief Violet."
The Kallen appearing on the Chiba Academy battlefield wore the fitted purple suit Otto himself had chosen for her, the purple iris mask obtained from Shakespeare adorning her exquisite face.
Her graceful and flashy combat movements, her fluid and swift offensive style, her ingrained fighting techniques, the battle habits unconsciously revealed during intense combat—this purple phantom thief was identical to the Saint Kallen etched in Otto's memory.
In the footage sent by Rita, Phantom Thief Kallen suddenly swung the twin Mosin-Nagant Sunwheels like clubs, punching a nearby Titan robot away. She then rapidly fired follow-up shots, blasting the deep-blue robot's body with several fiery rounds, reducing it to mangled scrap.
"...Very classic Kaslana family brute strength. Even taking a huge leap back, if she isn't Kallen, she's definitely a Kaslana with pure blood."
Otto paused for a moment, then slowly offered his assessment.
"And although she uses twin pistols as weapons, she's not employing modern Kaslana Gun Kata, but rather the Kaslana martial arts techniques from five hundred years ago..."
Kaslana Gun Kata was a modern development, a special technique combining firearms and martial arts. The Phantom Thief Kallen was using the prototype of that Gun Kata—the power of Kaslana martial arts.
Though doubt still lingered, the scales in Otto's mind had tipped drastically towards one conclusion.
"Is that... Cocolia's secretly made Herrscher of Reason clone? Ultimately just an unpresentable counterfeit. Can't even compare to the real Herrscher of Reason, Welt Joyce, let alone Welt Yang who inherited Joyce's power."
Seeing the Welt clone swagger onto the scene before Kallen, Otto instantly recognized his identity. He sneered dismissively at the clone's arrogant demeanor, completely unaware of his own true nature.
However, Otto's brow quickly furrowed slightly. To him, the Welt clone was just an insignificant clown.
But for Phantom Thief Kallen, an enemy who was a clone of the Herrscher of Reason was still quite troublesome.
Otto felt a twinge of concern for Kallen's safety.
Only when Kallen put down her pistols and reached out to summon the heavy golden cross did Otto's brow slowly relax.
"That's—the Oath of Judah?! But, shouldn't the Oath of Judah be in Lady Theresa's hands?!"
Seeing Kallen effortlessly lift the golden cross in the live feed, Amber, standing quietly behind Otto, couldn't help but gasp instinctively, her usually calm voice laced with clear astonishment.
Five hundred years ago, the Key of Binding, the Oath of Judah, was gifted by Otto Apocalypse to Saint Kallen Kaslana.
But now, in the modern era, with Saint Kallen long dead, the Key of Binding should have been inherited by Theresa Apocalypse, the clone created from Kallen's genes.
...That's right. Nagazora City is in the Far East, under the jurisdiction of Schicksal's Far East Branch.
If that white-haired girl—who resembles Kallen and is definitely of Kaslana blood—asked Theresa to borrow the Oath of Judah...
Considering Theresa's intelligence and disposition, Amber thought it wouldn't be strange for her to lend out the Key of Binding.
"Correct. The true Key of Binding is currently in little Theresa's hands. The one appearing in Chiba Academy is merely a replica... If she truly is Kallen herself, then being able to produce a replica of the Oath of Judah isn't entirely unbelievable."
Otto narrowed his eyes slightly, suppressing the fervent emotion welling within them, and explained calmly to his secretary Amber.
"Theoretically, Herrscher authorities can be learned and mastered. A Herrscher Core is like a mold, easily shaping Honkai energy into forms suitable for wielding its authority's power. But after wielding the authority through the Core numerous times, the user themself can memorize how to utilize that power. Even without the Core's assistance, shaping Honkai energy into such complex forms using one's own power alone is entirely feasible."
As Otto elaborated to Amber, the Welt clone, driven by fear, had already thrown the small black hole at Kallen.
"Take this Herrscher of Reason clone, for example. He doesn't possess the Herrscher Core within him. Yet, relying on Joyce's physical memory of using the Ninth Divine Key, Star of Eden, he can still manipulate gravity, just with an output many times weaker than the second Herrscher of Reason, Welt Yang."
Otto directly used the Welt clone demonstrating Star of Eden's abilities on the screen as a live example.
"Kallen held the Key of Binding for a long time. It wouldn't be unacceptable if she grasped the ability to manifest the authority of binding using Honkai energy."
Otto's eyes flickered uncertainly.
Phantom Thief Kallen's noble character—seeking only to defeat, not kill, human enemies—and her ability to manifest the power of binding into the form of the Oath of Judah, undeniably overlapped with the true Saint Kallen in his eyes.
And when the purple iris mask Kallen wore was nearly sucked away by the intense gravity of the small black hole...
The stunningly beautiful face revealed beneath instantly shattered Otto's carefully maintained composure.
Otto's emerald eyes widened subconsciously. His upper body leaned forward unconsciously, almost pressing against the live feed screen. His heartbeat seemed to skip a beat.
Amber, standing behind Otto, silently pressed her lips together, her slender hand lightly touching her own cheek through the obstruction of her goggles.
The goggles' transparency was adjusted to the minimum, the previously orange-red lenses becoming clear as glass.
Revealed behind the goggles was Amber's own exquisite face—hidden until now, yet identical to Phantom Thief Kallen's on the screen.
Otto strictly controlled Saint Kallen's genes; no one could obtain her genetic sequence from him. Only Otto himself possessed the ability to cultivate Kallen clones.
And with most Kallen clones having already been destroyed...
This purple phantom thief, possessing a personality and appearance identical to Saint Kallen's, could absolutely not be some unauthorized clone!
"Physical stamina far exceeding her prime, seemingly tireless... capable of shaping the power of binding into the Oath of Judah... and... that power to manipulate ice, similar to Siegfried Kaslana after awakening his bloodline... Although there are many similarities to Kallen, there are also differences."
However, those differences were all achievements Kallen herself could potentially have attained.
"Rather than observing and speculating idly from Schicksal headquarters through Rita's live feed, perhaps I should personally take a trip out. Go to Nagazora City and get acquainted with that boy named Ren Amamiya."
Otto rubbed his chin thoughtfully. Having decided on his next course of action, he reached for the stemmed glass that had been sitting on his desk for some time. He gently swirled the blood-red wine within, then brought the glass to his lips.
And just then...
[It's up to you now! Annihilate all enemies in one go—Siegfried!!]
"Pfft—!!"
Hearing the name Ren Amamiya shouted loudly on the live feed, Otto, who had just taken a sip of wine, completely lost his composure. He sprayed the wine unceremoniously, then descended into a violent coughing fit.
"Cough, cough... Sieg-Siegfried?! It's really Siegfried?! What on earth is going on?!"
Astonishment filled Otto's eyes. Siegfried was indeed in Nagazora City, yes, but he should currently be missing his left arm. Furthermore, he shouldn't have had any contact with Ren Amamiya, making it impossible for Ren to summon him in that peculiar way!
[Might of An-Utu, RELEASE!!!]
Watching the figure of Siegfried on the virtual screen raise the Might of An-Utu greatsword high, unleash an incredibly powerful fiery blast that annihilated all enemies, altered the terrain itself, and then slowly faded away...
Otto fell into a long silence.
"Amber, prepare my highest-spec Soulium combat body for emergency deployment. Ensure it can be sortie-ready in the shortest possible time."
The deterrent power of the Might of An-Utu was simply too immense.
And judging by Ren's willingness to use such overwhelming force without hesitation, like using a cannon to swat a fly, Otto naturally deduced Ren could repeatedly summon Siegfried to use this self-destructing ultimate technique.
To be safe, it was better to be thoroughly prepared before heading to Nagazora City.
"One more thing. Rita, assemble the Immortal Blades team. It's time we delivered some small measure of Schicksal's 'warmth' to Anti-Entropy's Ms. Cocolia."
Phantom Thief Violet looked like Kallen, sounded like Kallen, acted like Kallen, and her abilities were indistinguishable from Kallen's.
Regardless of whether the Phantom Thief Violet beside Ren Amamiya was the real Kallen or not...
Otto could absolutely not let the fact that she was attacked by Cocolia's Titan mechs and Herrscher of Reason clone go unpunished!
Forget the suspected Kallen herself.
Even Theresa, a clone who merely shared Kallen's noble character, was given the Apocalypse surname by Otto, regarded as the next successor to Schicksal, and entrusted with everything.
As long as Theresa didn't interfere with Otto's plans to revive the real Kallen, Otto would dote on Theresa almost without limit.
If he could do that much for Theresa, who only resembled Kallen in personality and had the body of a child...
Upon discovering Phantom Thief Violet, who seemed 100% identical to Kallen herself in every way, the surge of excitement and impatience within Otto was naturally immense.