After transferring his consciousness into a soulium body, Otto gained many advantages. Although, in Elias' eyes, someone with self-awareness and faith could still be considered human—
From a biological perspective, Otto was no longer human. He had become a machine—something akin to Prometheus.
That, in turn, made him a valid target for the Herrscher of Dominance's power. As long as the entity wasn't a living being, Elias could manipulate it like a puppet, fully controlling its every action.
Now, even the slightest malicious thought from Otto could be detected instantly.
And with all his means of survival destroyed, his life and death rested entirely in Elias' hands.
Yet Otto felt no regret. Once the two reached an understanding, they immediately began preparing the plan to create a false god and reach the Imaginary Tree.
"Oh, right, let me be clear in advance—I don't plan on saving Kallen during this Tree Run. I already have more than enough on my plate."
"Erasing the Honkai from this era, bringing a few people back to my world, and traveling fifty thousand years into the past—that'll keep me busy. I won't have any strength left over."
"So saving the saint will have to wait until I return to the Prime World. From a temporal perspective, no matter when I do it, it will still take effect five hundred years ago."
Elias spoke casually while using his puppet strings to make Otto perform all sorts of ridiculous movements, as if to amuse himself.
But no matter what, Elias always kept his promises.
"No problem. I trust the Deliverer's word. You could've simply hidden this from me, yet you still told me the truth. Your integrity is truly admirable."
"Then admire away. To be honest, if your moral level is the ground, then mine is the sky—you have to look up."
"Hahaha~ Fine, fine, I get it. But... could you please go easy on me? My reputation before my Valkyries is utterly ruined."
Otto sighed helplessly. Now that he was Elias' puppet, he truly understood what it meant to lose control.
Once, in the eyes of Schicksal's Valkyries, his image had been noble and dignified. But under Elias' control, his body had been forced to do handstands, roll on the floor, strike embarrassing poses, and make ridiculous expressions.
He could clearly hear the Valkyries whispering things like, "So that's what kind of pervert the Archbishop is."
Even his soulium face could barely handle the shame.
"You deserve it. Keep working."
"Eh~ Yes, master."
"..."
Behind the white mask, Elias' eye twitched. He wasn't sure whether to be amused or disgusted by the mix of satisfaction and unease that followed.
That said, he couldn't deny that treating Otto like a puppet was deeply satisfying. He made a mental note: once he returned, he'd definitely do the same to the Prime World's Otto.
When he grew bored, he'd hand the puppet over to Welt and the others. He was sure the people of Anti-Entropy would have great fun with an Otto doll.
"Although things didn't go exactly as I expected, your efficiency is astonishing. All preparations are complete—you can ascend to godhood now."
Otto's tone was filled with excitement.
But that was only natural.
Both he and Elias stood at the pinnacle of their respective civilizations. When two such beings collaborated on a single goal, not even the gods could stop them.
"If everything's ready, then let's begin."
"Not so fast, Deliverer. Let me brief you first. You'll need to meet with the [Will of Honkai], convince it to cooperate with our plan, and then let it help you connect further with the Imaginary Tree—to become its apostle, a False God."
Otto's tone grew solemn.
Convincing the [Will of Honkai] was the critical part of the plan. In his estimation, success would also grant Elias the next Herrscher position—the Herrscher of Binding.
"It might sound impossible—asking Honkai itself to aid us—but I don't think it will refuse. After all, our era is... quite special."
Otto's lips curled into a faint smile.
Their goal was to rewind time by fifty thousand years, restoring everything to the beginning—and preventing the so-called Herrscher of Origin from sacrificing herself to save the others.
There was no reason for the [Will of Honkai] to oppose such a plan. After all, just think of the Herrschers of the Current Era: four were weaklings, six were turncoats, and most of them had sided with humanity.
If Otto were Honkai itself, he'd want to restart from scratch too.
However...
"Otto, did you misunderstand something?" Elias tilted his head slightly as he looked at him.
"Uh... what do you mean by that?"
"The [Will of Honkai] is already one of our allies. She's actually an artificial intelligence we implanted into the [Cocoon of Finality] back in the Previous Era. By the way, she and I get along quite well."
"..."
Otto was stunned. He had never expected that the Will of Honkai was actually humanity's undercover agent!
He was speechless, his face shifting into one of awe as he silently raised a thumb in admiration. The message was clear—"Your Previous Era really was insane. You sent an undercover agent who became the enemy's leader!"
Elias: "Damn right. Don't underestimate us~"
Of course, Prometheus couldn't fully control Honkai. Her influence was limited.
She could only do things like ensure the Herrschers of the Current Era aligned with those of the Previous, create a backdoor to siphon power from the Cocoon, and leave a path leading to it—"that's about it."
But having her quietly sign off on humanity's "False God Project" while Honkai wasn't paying attention? That was child's play.
Prometheus: "I'll even throw in the authority of the Herrscher of Binding for free. Go, Elias, you can do it!! (≧▽≦*)!"
Otto: "Ah, I see. Then there's no issue. I was even preparing an elaborate excuse to deceive the Will of Honkai. Seems that won't be necessary. Now, there's only one question left—please tell me, Deliverer, what is your weakness?"
Elias: "Hm? You planning to betray me?"
Otto: "You must be joking~ How would I dare? It's just that once you become a [False God], you'll gain literally infinite power—but also become a slave to the Imaginary Tree."
At that point, Elias would lose his freedom. Only by defeating him and finishing the job with the Herrscher of the Void's power could he be liberated.
After that, he would be free to defy the Imaginary Tree itself—to reshape the world however he wished.
In short, the plan was simple: steal the False God's power from the Imaginary Tree, break free from its control, then strike back against it!
"Your power is already terrifying. As a False God, it will become infinite. Only by using the Herrscher of the Void's 'Imaginary Reformat' can it be reduced to something finite."
"And once you're defeated, you'll be freed from the Tree's control and reach its true form. So..."
Otto smiled expectantly, motioning for Elias to reveal his weakness. He was clearly eager to hear it.
Elias' eye twitched beneath the mask. He barely resisted the urge to use his puppet threads to make Otto strangle himself on the spot.
"My weakness? I don't even know what it is myself."
"Er... Deliverer, this is kind of important. Please don't joke about it."
"Click! I'm not joking... Fine. You figure it out for me. Here—this should give you an idea of what I'm capable of."
Since he planned to drag this damn schemer down with him later anyway, Elias didn't mind. He materialized a massive book that detailed his abilities and tossed it over to Otto.
Honestly, even Elias was curious about where his own weakness might lie. Maybe Otto could help him find and patch it.
"..."
Otto stared blankly at the brick-thick tome in his hands. He flipped through a few pages—and froze in shock.
Tens of thousands of Honkai Beast abilities. Twelve Herrscher authorities. Artificial Cascade, quantum manipulation, basic temporal control, the Schariac stigmata, the Kaslana stigmata, the Herrscher of Death stigmata, the [Deliverance] Signet, the [Eternal] Signet, the power of the [Palatinus], twelve Divine Keys...
How in the world was there supposed to be a weakness in all that?!
Even if Elias stood perfectly still, and his strongest trump card—Durandal—unleashed her full might to pierce the stars, she probably still couldn't defeat him.
"You're... too strong, Deliverer," Otto said awkwardly, sweat beading on his soulium forehead.
So many powers—without a single weak point.
He finally began to believe the Void Archives' words: that the Current Era's existence wasn't because Elias couldn't defeat the Herrscher of Finality—but because he chose to spare her.
"Eh, it's fine. If we're being honest, there are still two beings who could overpower me," Elias said with a shrug, as though admitting his minor imperfection.
"Who? I'll summon them immediately!" Otto replied, startled yet determined.
"A Planet-class Honkai Beast... and the Herrscher of Finality."
"...Right, forget I asked."
Otto's expression darkened. He hadn't expected the plan to falter simply because the Deliverer was too powerful. At this point, Elias could probably annihilate the entire Current Era without breaking a sweat.
Elias, however, appeared utterly unconcerned.
"Don't worry. I'll have a solution when the time comes."
"Oh? You have a plan?"
"Of course. Isn't it obvious? The only one who can truly defeat me... is myself."
Elias' eyes narrowed, gleaming with a dangerous excitement. It seemed that an extraordinary battle awaited him—though he already knew he'd have to hold back with everything he had.
Otto raised an eyebrow, the meaning clicking in his mind. His lips curled upward. It appeared he would soon witness something utterly beyond imagination.
...
The next day, after all preparations were complete—
Otto issued a worldwide announcement: he would step down as the Archbishop of Schicksal and pass his position to his granddaughter, Theresa Apocalypse.
The news naturally caused an uproar. Soon after, the Hyperion carried the members of St. Freya Academy and Anti-Entropy to the floating island of Schicksal.
"Grandfather, what kind of scheme are you plotting this time?!"
Theresa and the others glared at Otto warily.
From their perspective, Otto would never resign without reason. After five centuries as Schicksal's leader, such an abrupt announcement could only mean trouble.
They braced themselves for the possibility of battle.
But Otto merely smiled and shook his head.
"No, not this time. I am about to witness the arrival of a miracle—to see someone transcend infinity itself, reaching beyond the flow of time to reshape the world."
"My resignation is real, but it also serves another purpose—to bring you all here, so that together, we may witness... the birth of a god!"
Also present were Gray Serpent and Jackal.
Both had been briefed in advance on the situation. After hearing the full plan, they had fallen silent for a long time, unable to speak.
Jackal: "Gray Serpent, should we really let Lord Elias go through with this? It's too dangerous!"
Gray Serpent: "...I don't know. But I will obey our lord's will. He has never been wrong. Though he claims selfish motives, all I've ever seen him do is save the world."
Otto: "Indeed. His will cannot be swayed. As members of the world he saved, our only duty is gratitude and remembrance. And now... the moment of ascension has come!"
BOOM—!!
The sky turned gold as an explosion of ultra-dense Honkai energy erupted over the floating island Otto had offered as the stage for the False God's descent.
Thus, the being who inherited the Eleventh Herrscher's power was born—the False God.
Elias: "HAAAH—!!"
A massive Elysion Pedion spread across the heavens.
When his Herrscher Core linked with the Will of Honkai—Prometheus—Elias gained its support, officially becoming the Eleventh Herrscher of the Current Era: the Herrscher of Binding.
At the same time, he forged a connection with the Imaginary Tree... and ascended as the False God.
But with the power he gained, Elias also fell under the control of the Imaginary Tree. If no one were to defeat him—freeing him—then the world would, without question, face its end.
And before anyone could confront the might of the False God, his divine Elysion Pedion—soon to engulf the entire planet—had to be stopped.
As for who could possibly accomplish such a feat, who could stand against a Deliverer like Elias... the answer was obvious: only he himself.
Thousandfold Elias: "Oath of Judah—Zeroth Power! Elysion Pedion, neutralize it!"
A second divine barrier spread across the floating island of Schicksal. The two Elysion Pedions clashed, canceling each other out.
The collision erupted into a downpour of golden light, turning the battlefield into something both sacred and magnificent.
Those unaware of the truth could only stare in disbelief—for before them stood over a thousand white-haired youths, all facing off against one of their own.
Elias: "Good! That's more like it! But now comes the main course. Don't tell me a thousand and one of me, wielding all my Herrscher powers, abilities, and Divine Keys, can't even defeat the False God me who's been left with nothing but divine power!"
Thousandfold Elias: "Of course not! We'll soon free you—me—from the control of the Imaginary Tree! And honestly... fighting myself? This is exhilarating!"
On the plaza of Schicksal's floating island—
Elias stood against one thousand and one versions of himself.
After all, if no one else in the world could defeat him, then he would simply defeat himself!
Beforehand, he had used 1,001 Herrscher of Dominance Cores to create 1,001 replicas of himself.
He then distributed his powers among them—Honkai Beast abilities, Herrscher authorities, Stigmata, and Divine Keys—and completely severed the link between their cores and his own.
Thus, he now faced 1,001 versions of himself as worthy opponents. Though each was weaker due to the division of power, their sheer numbers more than made up for it.
Some might worry about rebellion—but Elias did not. Every clone shared his will. They all sought to end this endless cycle of tragedy.
And so—
False God Elias: "Come, then! Let's fight—to reshape the world into what we desire! To set the frozen flow of time in motion once more!"
Thousandfold Elias: "Fight! To reshape the world into what we desire! To end this final cycle once and for all!"
—
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