The stand-off began.
Siegfried had reluctantly gone over to stand on the other side, next to Amber, who stood beside Otto as he claimed one of the couches without a hint of indecision.
Seiya sat across from him, his legs folded over each other, sipping the wine that Otto had poured for him as a token of goodwill while making himself comfortable.
A calm look was stretched across his face, no strong emotions visible, much to Otto’s appreciation for his pragmatism.
Cecilia… stood in the middle, leaning slightly towards Seiya’s side.
A conflicted expression stretched across her face, unsure of which side to choose and which person to support, which made Otto pause slightly.
Had Seiya… already pulled an S-rank Valkyrie to his side in one evening, to the extent that it overpowered years of devotion to him as Overseer of Schicksal?
Otto’s eyes shone.
Wonderful charisma, really.
Exactly what one would want from a leader.
Sirin stood behind her brother, her hand outstretched, ready to attack as soon as Seiya gave the word.
A cacophony of emotions surged through her.
Given the Valkyries’ deference to this golden-haired man, he had to be someone of high standing within that… organisation.
As such, Sirin held a degree of resentment towards him.
But…
She closed her palm, dispelling the Void energy.
Brother hadn’t instructed her to act, and therefore she’d remain a faithful shadow, watching over him.
Welt sat off to the side, with the [Star of Eden] left behind by Fu Hua and [Fenghuang Down] as she lay unconscious in the car.
Bella, Agata, and Galina had been ushered back into the vehicle by Seiya moments prior, ensuring no interruptions would occur from over-emotional teenagers defending their saviour.
Once Bella noticed Seiya finish his wine, she dutifully stepped forward to refill his glass with an elegant bow.
Though a tinge of genuine respect could be seen in her eyes for the violet-haired young man, she remained composed.
She carefully wiped the rim of the glass as she did so, removing any impurities.
Otto’s eye twitched.
Seeing no sense in delaying any further, Seiya set his glass down and opened his mouth to speak… but was interrupted.
“I won’t be so arrogant as to come in blazing with demands.
You’ve thoroughly bested me, and therefore, you deserve the right to present your requisitions.”
Otto sighed calmly, but to anyone who knew him… that was absolutely jaw-dropping.
Otto Apocalypse… was admitting defeat?
Siegfried almost dropped Shamash.
Cecilia’s grip on [Black Abyss, White Flower] loosened.
Welt’s glasses nearly slid off his nose.
Amber’s breath hitched.
Sirin tilted her head at their expressions in adorable confusion.
Seiya didn’t let this opportunity go to waste.
“Leave Sirin and me to Anti-Entropy.”
He raised one finger.
“Keep Siegfried.”
A second finger.
“We’re taking Cecilia and Fu Hua.”
A third.
“And every girl in Babylon Labs is now under Anti-Entropy’s protection.”
A fourth.
The violet-haired saint made absolutely unreasonable demands with a straight face, an innocent smile adorning his features as he raised a finger with each demand he listed.
As though he weren’t casually dismantling half of Schicksal’s interests in Eastern Europe.
Otto didn’t react either, though the others sighed with a tinge of incredulity.
Those terms… were absolutely ridiculous.
Welt sighed as he looked away.
It was to be expected.
His (hopefully) protégé still had a lot to learn.
It was only natural, he supposed.
The boy didn’t have much education or experien—
“Alright.
Sounds reasonable.
I agree to those demands.”
Otto nodded with a smile on his face, raising his teacup before taking a sip.
Everyone—in the bluntest way possible—lost their shit.
“Lord Overseer, those demands are ridiculous!”
Cecilia whipped her head around so fast that it almost hit Seiya in the face, the gust of wind blowing his hair back and earning her a glare from Sirin, who now looked thoroughly disgruntled.
Siegfried nearly dropped the Judgement of Shamash.
His wife was being signed away like chopped liver!
Amber… didn’t put up as much of a fuss as Otto had expected.
Objectively speaking… a singular Valkyrie whose loyalty was already shifting, in exchange for potentially having the Herrscher of the Void deployed in times of crisis?
A worthy sacrifice.
The girls at Babylon Labs…
They were already test subjects that Otto was willing to discard.
Though they’d be useful as individuals with high Honkai resistance, they were ultimately not worth antagonising a Herrscher over.
“Of course, I’m not completely unreasonable.
You can keep [Black Abyss, White Flower].”
Seiya extended a courtesy that surprised Otto.
Cecilia gaped.
Not only was she getting politicked into a rival organisation… but now her weapon was also being negotiated away?
“That’s far too kind of you.
I’ll accept it graciously.”
In truth, this kindness was laced with an ulterior motive.
In truth, I just want Durandal to have her weapon.
I don’t know how much of her potential was enhanced by it… but it’s better not to mess with the god build.
And now, for the final concession.
This one was the most important.
He needed a way to hand over enough resources for Otto to fully create and develop his K-423, his beloved Tuna.
For this, he was willing to sacrifice almost anything.
For one simple reason.
Fighting Finality?
HELL NO!!
Kiana not being born—and therefore not becoming the Herrscher of Finality and embracing the Cocoon—would mean a fully realised ultimate Herrscher hell-bent on eliminating humanity.
Thus, for the time being, keeping Otto Apocalypse alive was indispensable.
To his utter dismay… he couldn’t throw Sirin at him to annihilate him quite yet.
‘I’ll have to wait at least until the Golden Goose has fully realised her potential and the Bubble World has been inserted into her.’
As for Fu Hua…
She’d put her trust in him.
He couldn’t betray it like that and hand her back over to Otto.
That was… just against everything Seiya believed in.
He’d return kindness tenfold and animosity a thousandfold.
Otto… didn’t fall into the category of animosity.
He was simply ultra-focused on one specific goal, and nothing and no one else mattered.
If Sirin died, Seiya would probably do the same, albeit with better morals.
In that sense, they were kindred spirits.
“Ah, in return, I can offer you the Gem of the Void and allow you to keep your dignity.”
Though the phrasing was off, the terms were more than agreeable.
Otto was more than pleased with the arrangement.
It showed that Seiya wasn’t completely unreasonable.
He understood that antagonising Otto was a terrible idea.
Even if Otto’s favourability towards him as Kallen’s successor wouldn’t decrease… Seiya had no way of knowing that.
That, at least, was what Otto imagined Seiya’s reasoning to be.
“I simply want one thing in return, apart from what you have already stated.”
Otto began, and everyone tensed.
He had taken this far too well for his final demand to be anything good.
Otto set his glass of wine down and smiled.
“Canonisation.”
“Both Anti-Entropy and Schicksal will recognise Seiya as an official saint, with the Purple Edelweiss as his symbol.”