"Prepare for the execution!"
As the man in black barked the command, a ripple of unrest surged through the crowd below the platform. Seizing the moment, Hua Yi and Kiana moved with blinding speed, cutting through the throng and charging onto the stage. With a few swift kicks, they sent the black-clothed guards blocking their way sprawling.
Strangely, despite the fact that Kallen Kaslanaa figure of extraordinary statuswas about to be executed, the defenses at the execution ground were remarkably sparse. There were only about a dozen guards in black,
and they carried nothing more than simple longswords. Forget uninvited guests like Hua Yi and Kiana; if the citizens below had chosen to revolt, these meager forces would have been completely overwhelmed.
This was no oversight in the program; it was a reflection of the bizarre reality of this day in history.
It made sense. The Valkyrie units, Schicksal's primary force against the Honkai, would never have maintained order at the hanging of their own captain, Kallen. If anything, those Valkyries would have preferred to break her out themselves.
Schicksal, fully aware of this, must have made arrangementsnot only keeping the Valkyries away from the execution but likely deploying them far from the city altogether.
Hua Yi and Kiana swept aside the remaining guards and reached the platform. The gathered citizens remained eerily quiet, either bound by their pre-set logic or unwilling to spark a riot that might draw more of Schicksal's attention.
Aside from Kallen, only one man in black remained on the stage.
"Old man, we meet again."
Though the man had not removed his plague doctor mask, Hua Yi recognized him by his vein-ridged hands and imposing presence. He offered a faint smile of greeting.
After a brief silence, Arthur reached out. Kiana immediately tensed, shifting into a defensive stance, but Hua Yi remained still. He could see that the gesture wasn't a challenge; it was a guide.
Arthur was indeed pointing the way, his finger indicating a specific direction below the stage.
"Take Miss Kallen and go. There is a small path over there. Follow it to the end, and you will reach the harbor. I have already arranged for a ship to take you out to sea."
This wasn't the awakening of a virtual personality or an AI; it was a true reflection of history.
On that day five hundred years ago, perhaps there were no intruders like Hua Yi and Kiana to save Kallen, but the executioner, ArthurKallen's martial arts mentorhad intended to let her escape all along. Perhaps that was why there were so few guards; Arthur never had any intention of carrying out the sentence.
Kiana's face lit up with joy, and she was about to say something when
Boom!
Explosions rocked several parts of the city simultaneously, followed immediately by the appearance of a massive swarm of Honkai Beasts.
"How can Honkai Beasts be here? The city's perimeter is under a strict surveillance net!"
Arthur's voice was thick with disbelief. The situation was still following the tracks of history; these reactions were all part of the original events. Even with the Valkyries deployed elsewhere, the city serving as Schicksal's headquarters should have been heavily guarded. A sudden Honkai Beast invasion through the outer defenses should have been impossible.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
As the Honkai Beasts began to sow chaos and slaughter the citizens, the sound of steady, unhurried footsteps approached.
"This, of course, was my strategy."
A blond youth glanced at the Honkai Beasts currently escalating the carnage in a city already drowning in the despair of the Black Death. He wore a smile that was utterly discordant with the miserable surroundings.
"My father... that old ghost of an Overseer thought his plan was foolproof. He sent Kallen's subordinates, the Valkyrie units, to far-off missions, thinking no one would have the strength to save her. But he forgot about the Honkai Beasts imprisoned beneath the Cathedral. By releasing them to create chaos, Schicksal's combat power within the city would collapse instantly."
The smile on Otto's face grew more arrogant as everything aligned perfectly with his vision. He spread his arms wide, satisfied with the chaos he had manufactured.
"Now, Kallen, forget about trivialities like Schicksal and the Honkai. Begin a new journey. I have already made the arrangements; your next stop is the Far East, the place you miss most. The person you fell in love with is still there, isn't she? Are you excited to be reunited?"
Slap!
It was a perfectly timed, flawlessly executed strike, as if practiced a thousand times. There was neither too much nor too little force.
With a single slap, Kallen sent Otto tumbling to the ground.
She took a deep breath. Unlike the other virtual personalities, including the young Otto, she didn't speak in clichés or pre-set emotions. Her voice carried a different weight, as if she were confirming her own heart.
"I appreciate the sentiment, but the Kaslana family are the guardians of the people. We are their shield. I will never run away and leave others in danger. Never."
The stage play was nearing its end. From high above, one would see the city beginning to shrink and dissolve. The citizens who had perished at the claws of the Honkai Beasts dissolved back into data, waiting for the next reset. Even the Otto who had been slapped to the floor had vanished.
Otto was truly a tragic figure; he was willing to be cuckolded just to help Kallen, only to be met with a merciless slap. The salvation he offered was fundamentally flawedat least, it was not one Kallen could ever accept.
Otto might have loved Kallen, but he did not understand her. Their vast differences in character meant they could never truly reach one another.
In the original timeline, Kallen had spoken those words, proving herself the strongest Valkyrie and the finest warrior of the Kaslana family, before meeting her tragic end. Acting as a shield, she fought the swarming Honkai Beasts with her bare hands, her body weakened by imprisonment and lack of rest.
And there, she died in battle.
But this was no longer a mere repetition of history. Though the play was meant to end in tragedy, everything changed the moment the intruders stepped onto the stage.
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