"A tremor in Nagazora, and part of an abandoned warehouse's wall was smashed from the inside. And yet, there's no trace of Honkai energy? Interesting."
Countless papers were spread all over the Overseer's desk, ranging from news articles and research on tectonic plates to online conspiracy theories. One strip of paper, however, evidently stood out with a short text written on it.
All of it pointed to a small incident that had occurred in the Far East. Due to the mysterious nature of the case, Schicksal naturally had to get involved.
They quickly sent a small specialist team there to investigate the cause, but whoever was behind it had done a thorough job. The traces appeared completely clean at first glance; every time the investigators thought they caught a lead, it led them to a dead end.
That cycle continued until they finally found a strip of paper tied to a tree branch at a local park, located 67 kilometers away from the warehouse. Since the text written on it explicitly mentioned Schicksal's Overseer, they had no choice but to notify the man, even if it meant interrupting his research.
"'Otto Apocalypse is bald. He wears a wig to hide the real truth that he's balding from spreading.'"
His eyebrows twitched after Otto finished reading the 'important clue' the specialists had dug up during their investigation. Then, he looked up at the team leader standing before him, his voice dropping to a low, flat, and intensely threatening register.
"Who else has seen this?"
"Only me, which is why I immediately—"
Pschew.
The man collapsed to the floor with a thud and remained completely motionless. Right around his neck, a tranquilizer dart was deeply embedded, a bit of its sharp needle piercing the skin. The remaining liquid inside the barrel looked toxically green, clearly meant to put someone down in a single shot.
Otto pressed a speed dial button and called in the usual cleanup crew to dispose of the corpse and scrub away any traces from the floor. It took only a few seconds for them to arrive and quietly execute their duties without a single word spoken to him.
Otto leaned back into his chair, briefly glancing at the slip of paper again before crushing it in his hand and tossing it into the trash can.
"Did someone catch wind of my plan? I was planning to turn that abandoned warehouse into another research facility, but now that it's all over the news, I'll have to cast the idea aside."
The man who had lived for over five hundred years chasing a single goal pondered for a moment. A couple of names surfaced in his mind, with Anti-Entropy standing out among them.
The human who inherited the First Herrscher's power: Welt Joachim Nokianvirtanen Yang. The de facto leader of Anti-Entropy, and the man who should have died after the war with the Second Herrscher on the Moon.
Knowing the kind of power the First Herrscher possessed, Otto knew it wasn't out of the realm of possibility for someone as brilliant as Welt to bounce back to life through alternative means.
A normal person couldn't accomplish such a miracle. However, Herrscher Cores, especially the Core of Reason, were a special case unlike any other. They contained thousands of data-souls, making it impossible for someone without an iron will to inherit their power.
If Welt Yang had somehow thrown his soul into the mix as well, it was entirely possible he could reconstruct his physical body as many times as he pleased. An immortality unlike mine, the corners of Otto's lips curled into a smirk.
"But this isn't like his usual M.O. Far too much noise. Then... is it a third party after all?"
What made this case so intriguing was the total absence of Honkai energy. To trigger a tremor that shook an entire city, no conventional man-made weapon could accomplish such explosive force without leaving behind a massive trail of collateral damage.
Yet, the only thing destroyed had been a single exterior wall. That was it, no other structural anomalies, or Honkai remnant were found anywhere near the area.
That completely ruled out Anti-Entropy from the equation.
It wasn't some deep, dark secret known only to a select few; anyone could look up the Overseer's identity on the internet, seeing as Otto didn't go out of his way to scrub every single trace of his digital footprint.
It was worthless and, frankly, a waste of time.
He couldn't ask his granddaughter to take on the case either. Despite being stationed in the Far East branch, which was right next to Nagazora, she was already buried under responsibilities regarding her new role as the Principal of St. Freya High.
Ever since the war with the Second Herrscher, Theresa had dedicated her entire focus to building a safe sanctuary for Honkai victims and those who had been subjected to horrific experiments. It was her fervent desire to help them control their powers and become splendid Valkyries, preventing others from suffering the same tragic fate.
It was an admirable goal, and Otto had no reason to oppose it. Though his ultimate aims didn't perfectly align with hers, having an institution capable of nurturing future Valkyries on a much larger scale than Schicksal's private reserves was undeniably useful.
That left only one other person he could rely on at a time like this.
Once again, Otto reached forward and dialed a different number. It took a minute before the other end picked up, and he greeted his very 'good friend ' — who had not only recently awakened from a long coma, but had also recovered a small fraction of her memories.
"Old friend, I have a little job I'd like you to assist me with."
...
[Akiharu's POV]
[★ Feat Achieved! Otto Apocalypse was amused by your little prank!]
[You gained x1 Skill Silver Ticket!]
"Oh? He found the paper slip, did he?"
I couldn't help but chuckle quietly as I imagined the kind of expression the clown prince would make upon receiving his little 'gift'. I wondered if Durandal was the one who stumbled across it, or just some nameless throwaway mob character?
Knowing Otto, it was likely the latter. He wasn't the type to waste time moving personally unless a matter directly served his grand objective.
Well, that had been a fun little distraction, and it even netted me a free ticket. Now, where was I? Oh, right. Checking out the new ability I'd just rolled from the silver ticket while dragging myself through homework.
[Acid Rain]
|Rare Ability|
Allows you to summon heavy, black storm clouds that rain down harsh acid, capable of melting flesh, tarnishing metals, and amplifying all Poison-attribute abilities within range. The radius of the storm and the potency of the acid scale directly with the amount of energy expended.
I seriously doubted I'd ever find a practical use for this one. Unless I had a reliable way to protect myself, maybe a Wind Cloak could do the trick, the same definitely couldn't be said for any future allies I might make.
A kamikaze-style ability was fine on its own, but I preferred something a bit more versatile. With that in mind, I figured I might as well cash in my brand-new ticket.
[Rolling the Skill Silver Gacha.]
[Novice Total Concentration Breathing]
|Uncommon Skill|
Demon Slayer — You have grasped the absolute basics of the Total Concentration Breathing technique, a specialized respiratory method that forces a massive influx of oxygen into your bloodstream, supercharging your muscle fibers and granting you a temporary superhuman physique for as long as the breathing is maintained. As a novice, you only possess the crude fundamentals, but the technique can be vastly improved through rigorous practice.