A.N. Speedrun.com (last time skip)
The bar was quiet and warm. Soft two tone red-striped carpet stretched across the floor, patterned like old hotel hallway. With brass accents, and blue glass panels casting everything with a faint cyan light. On a small stage to the left, instruments floated in the air as though held by invisible hands, plucking out a slow, dreamy tune that drifted through the room. It felt lived-in, even though it hadn't ever been used.
I was sitting at the counter, one elbow propped up, just listening. Thinking. Letting my brain idle.
The door opened. Otto walked in, coming from the direction of the Divine Key. He stopped just inside the entrance and looked around with that amused expression of his.
"This is quite charming," he said.
"It's based on a bar on the planet of Penacony, in the land of sweet dreams." I spoke up.
He laughed, then sat down at the bar.
His gaze drifted to the floating instruments. "A stage too. Very nice. How long did this place take to create?"
"Quite a long time, after all, I couldn't use the mental interface. After all, if I could do that I could have always used the Second Divine Key's simulation mode. The projection system handles everything" I said, waving a hand around, "But the drinks here are real."
"This place cost almost as much as the Memorial Arena." Otto commented.
"Well, it uses the same technology, just for a different purpose." I noted, before waving at a retro looking tv sitting in front of some low recessed couches, "I watched your broadcast, very theatrical."
Otto just smiled, "Is this any less theatrical?"
"Good point." I replied.
Otto said what he had come to say, "Speaking of which, Rita and Durandal are almost here, separately of course."
"Okay." I stood and moved behind the counter.
I started pulling bottles down, taking my time with each one.
Otto leaned an elbow on the bar. "What are you making?"
"Not yours. Mine."
He laughed again. "And what are you making for yourself?"
"Antifreeze."
It was actually one of the few drinks I knew how to make.
I poured, measured, and stirred. The green color glowed faintly in the light.
"I noticed the banner outside."
I smirked. "Yeah. I thought it was funny."
I slid the finished drink onto the bartop, then came around to sit next to him instead of behind the counter. The stool creaked a little under me, very realistic. After all, Schicksal had spent a long time and a lot of money improving the virtual battlefield of the Memorial Arena. How the projections actually could interact with the physical world? The omnipotent power of the Honkai of course. I had to be very careful in this place.
"Maybe once this is all over, someone can turn this place into a VR lounge," I said. "Sell virtual experiences."
I picked up the drink with one hand. Holding it with three fingers, before sighing.
"Are you worried about how things will go?" Otto asked.
"I'm not anymore." I drew in a slow breath. "Everything's already moving. Looks like everything is all going to work out in the end after all."
"You know Kiana and the others may try to bring you in," Otto said.
I snorted. "I could take them."
"Yes. You could. You could also beat the Herrscher of Finality almost without effort. But you won't."
"Right." I glanced at the drink, then at my reflection in it.
He nodded. "You still have Judgement of Shamash."
"Yeah. Can't use it, though." My fingers tapped the glass again. "I still need to decide who it's for."
"I thought you would give it to Kiana." Otto seemed surprised.
"Could give it to Kiana. Or save it for someone I haven't met yet. A hopeful future friend." After all, Stelle could tank a beam from a planetary weapon, they could probably wield Judgement of Shamash right?
"And your future friend. How would they wield a divine key without Honkai energy?"
I took a sip of my drink. It burned in a clean, bright way. "You can power divine keys with Path energy."
"Then why haven't you used any?"
"Because Yaoshi's gift keeps me alive, but it is incompatible with the Honkai. Divine keys are born from the Imaginary Tree. You can fuel them with Imaginary energy just fine. But the bond that lets someone actually use them? That's usually made through Honkai Energy. I can't make that bond. So I can't use them. But someone else could." I explained.
I sat in silence, mulling it over for a few seconds before deciding, "Yeah, it's better in Kiana's hands. But first…"
"She has to pass your little trial." Otto noted.
I just nodded.
"What about Himeko?" Otto asked.
"Still on the Lunar Outpost. I wonder how long it will take for Theresa to find that information."
"I locked the file for the Lunar Outpost, she won't know about it until after this is all over."
"Thanks."
I continued to sip at my drink, and Otto got up.
"I will go welcome Durandal and the others."
As he walked out the door, someone else entered.
"This place is so different!" Li Sushang said, before sitting in the chair that Otto had vacated.
"Hello, Li Sushang." We hadn't really interacted, even though she had been awake for several months at this point.
"Ah, you know the language of the Far East! Hey, do you know Raksha's plan? He tried explaining it to me but it was completely confusing."
"Well, basically he is trying to create a new branch of the Imaginary Tree, rooted at the events 500 years ago." I started to explain before being cut off.
"Ah, you see! That doesn't make any sense at all! What's this Imaginary Tree you keep talking about, and what's a branch?" said Li Sushang.
Well, it's time to give up on explaining this.
"Well, it's fine if you don't understand, you just have to know that it's genuine."
"However, this plan, the others, they will suffer as a result?" Li Sushang began, before hastily saying, "I will help, I owe it to Raksha after all, and I've already decided. But, he didn't seem up for explaining it. But he resigned from his big position right? What's that all about?"
"Only in the worst possible outcome. In the best possible outcome, everyone gets exactly what they want." I explained.
"Oh, and how do you think this will happen?" Li Sushang asked.
"I think the best possible outcome is almost certain. I believe that everyone will meet expectations." I said, it was true. This is the power of plot.
After listening to Li Sushang ramble on about how she couldn't believe it when Raksha had said that this place was entirely fake, and how neat all this cool high technology stuff was, before eventually leaving. I decided to make myself another drink.
Sitting behind the bar top, I sat and watched the TV. Soon everything would all be going down.
Act one would basically be the same, with one of Otto's soulium bodies with a copy of his oldest memories placed into it serving as bait for the last Herrscher core. After the 1000 cores were combined to create a complete Core of Domination, after that several of the cores could be installed into the Second Divine Key. After all, each of the cores of Domination were linked to the same Imaginary Singularity, located in Imaginary Space. When Otto became a dual core Herrscher, the Imaginary Singularities should combine, additionally increasing the output to each of the cores of domination. In order to reach 'Outside' Space, it was calculated that 17 cores of Domination would be needed, each siphoning energy into the Previous Era's core of the Void.
I had no idea if the connection to the imaginary singularity could be maintained in 'Outside' space, but I did have a few ideas just in case.
Honestly, in terms of leaving, I really didn't know how I felt.
Shamash was more concerned than I was, he was busy playing all of his favorite games, and making sure that he had downloaded all of his favorite media was downloaded. After all, he would be coming with me.
As for me… well, I was just kinda sitting here.
I was fine.
One of the reasons why I had avoided Kiana and the others so much, throwing myself into solving mysteries about the past was because I didn't want to have any attachments to this world when I left.
And honestly, I had succeeded. I was still much more interested in exploring an entire universe then I was staying here. Honestly, as much as Yaoshi's blessing had saved me, and was honestly overpowered, it was somewhat unfit for this world. After all, in this world most advanced technology was Honkai based, it was somewhat annoying for me to be unable to use stuff like Honkai mental control interfaces, and divine keys.
As for leaving behind my relationships…
I almost pulled up the system interface, but stopped myself.
Hey buddy. I said into my mind.
[System: What? You talking to me?]
Yes.
[System: That's nice, I thought that you had forgotten about my existence. (╥﹏╥)]
I thought you were busy doing… whatever the hell you were doing.
[System: I can multitask! It also didn't take that long to complete! (˶˃⤙˂˶)]
You could have told me that.
[System: You were so boring, so I didn't bother. If you hadn't promised to get into romance once this was all over, I might have left already.]
What? You want me to get into romantic relationships and then leave everyone behind.
[System: Your plotting is so boring, I only did this because I thought that your awkwardness and foreknowledge along with your affection for the characters would result in an interesting outcome, but instead you closed yourself off.]
This wouldn't have happened if you had just dropped me in Honkai: Star Rail instead of Honkai: Impact 3rd!
[System: Whatever, anyway I finished playing through a bunch of games that I had saved in my library. So I was fine. ≽(•⩊ •マ≼]
So you were just playing video games the whole time! You can't complain!
[System: I can complain, your reactions with Durandal and Rita and the other members of the Immortal blades was interesting, but after you faked your own death you stopped interacting even with them. You even had Himeko all to yourself and barely even talked with her.]
Again, I was planning on leaving only a few months later! Why would I build a relationship with someone I will never see again!
[System: That's why you're boring. Real protagonists romance everyone, regardless of the potential consequences. ദ്ദി(˵ •̀ ᴗ - ˵ ) ✧]
That's my least favorite kind of genre! People should stick with exactly one romantic partner!
[System: That's boring, I've prepared a few surprises to spice up your life once you leave.]
What's that supposed to mean?
[System: It means that when I was plotting out the future, I made it less boring. Consider it compensation for me having to sit through 6 months of your boring research.]
What's wrong with archaeology! The stories from the Previous Era's are super interesting! Are you the kind of person who skips all the backstory and lore and just pays attention to character interactions and big fights!
[System: Yes.]
Damn lore skipper. Honestly fuck you.
[System: I don't care.]
[System: BTW, you haven't used a single system point at the shop.]
Ah yes, the completely useless shop. I'll gacha it all when I get to HSR.
[System: You have enough for 82 rolls of the gatcha. Considering that is several years worth of achievements. You are officially terrible at romance.]