“Where… is this place…”
As Bianka’s vision cleared, she was startled to find the scene before her had transformed into a public square.
Bianka had seen it in the archives—the architectural style surrounding this square closely resembled that of developed areas in North America from the 1950s.
“A bubble universe? No, I couldn’t possibly have entered the Sea of Quanta so suddenly and without any warning…”
Bianka looked around and noticed very few people on the street. Strangely, no one seemed to find her, with her anachronistic attire, out of place.
After walking around for a few steps, she was shocked to discover that others were completely unaware of her presence. Even when she tried to touch them, her hand passed right through their bodies as if they were made of air.
“An illusion? No, an illusion like this couldn’t possibly deceive anyone into believing it’s real. Wait, that person is…”
Not far ahead, several people were walking across the square while engaged in conversation. Among them, standing on the far right, was a woman with blonde hair and blue eyes. She wore a light gray dress with a pure white cape, and her clothes and boots were adorned with golden decorations.
“Senior Reanna Brigantia?!”
As the S-Rank Valkyrie before Cecilia, and the wielder of the Abyss Flower, Bianka naturally knew of her.
“…So, this is more like someone forcing me to watch recorded footage through some special means… and from at least over sixty years ago…”
Bianka followed behind Reanna, listening to their conversation and learning the identities of the others.
“Welt Joyce, Lieserl Albert Einstein, Frederica Nikola Tesla, and Erwin Schrödinger… So it’s the First Herrscher and the doctors from Anti-Entropy.”
Among them, the one Bianka was most familiar with was naturally Dr. Schrödinger, whom she had met three years ago during her travels in the Sea of Quanta.
However, in the Sea of Quanta, Dr. Schrödinger had always been attached to stones or other objects. This was the first time Bianka had seen her in human form.
Suddenly, a burst of static crackled through the air. The Anti-Entropy group and Reanna immediately grew alert. After a brief silence, it was Reanna who spoke first:
“Stay here in a safe place. I’ll go scout from above.”
Tesla frowned:
“Wait, how are you going to—”
Joyce raised his right hand, signaling Reanna, who was about to move, to wait a moment longer.
“Look, everyone, that’s…”
Following Joyce’s gaze, a man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and an impassive expression came into everyone’s view.
“Elias Nokianvitainen? Good heavens, is that you? Are you alright?”
In stark contrast to Tesla’s agitation, Elias’s mood hadn’t shifted in the slightest.
“Everyone… I received a signal from Edison… using equipment dug up from the shelter…”
Schrödinger asked:
“How is everyone… are they okay?”
“No problems, they’re all alive… Wait, no!”
As if suddenly remembering something crucial, Elias’s voice rose an octave, and the muscles in his face began to tremble.
“What is it?”
“That’s not what I meant to say! I… I…”
“You, what’s wrong with you? Spit it out, don’t be so wishy-washy!”
Seeing Elias hesitate, Tesla snapped at him impatiently.
“It’s all my fault! Because I was threatened by that man! He threatened my child!”
Both the Anti-Entropy members and Bianka, who was listening in, were simultaneously shocked.
“I didn’t mean to! I never imagined the experiment would have such significant consequences! The Overseer… the Overseer only told me he would modify the later data, wasting Edison’s time!”
“He just casually mentioned to me that he didn’t want Edison to claim the ‘groundbreaking discovery’ for himself!”
“How… how could I have known things would turn out like this! I… I had no idea the consequences of the experiment’s failure would be so severe!”
Bianka, who had no context for what had happened earlier, was naturally completely lost. Watching Mr. Elias’s exaggerated expressions and listening to his overly agitated voice, she even began to suspect he might have some form of mental illness.
“You mean to say…”
Just as Joyce was pondering this seriously, Reanna, who had been standing nearby, suddenly acted out of character. In one swift motion, she lunged forward and plunged the Abyss Flower into Elias’s chest.
“What!”
Bianka knew all too well what would happen when the Abyss Flower pierced an ordinary human body.
“You’ve said far too much, you fool!”
The voice that came from Reanna’s mouth was unmistakably that of a man.
“Go quietly and reunite with your family.”
[Reanna] pulled the Abyss Flower out. Elias collapsed before everyone. Under the corrosive power of the Abyss Flower’s decay, there was absolutely no chance of his survival.
Everyone was frozen in place by the sudden turn of events. Only Einstein was the first to react:
“You are not Reanna! Who are you really?!”
“Me? From a physical standpoint, am I not the very same Reanna Brigantia, the S-Rank Valkyrie of Schicksal who has been traveling with you?”
“Hmph. Although my appearance and persona are not truly hers… Fine, I’ll let you die with some clarity.”
[Reanna]’s body suddenly liquefied, then reformed into a figure familiar to everyone present.
[…Mechanical Hippocampus takeover rate, 99.99366%. Soul Steel skin integration complete.]
Otto Apocalypse appeared before everyone’s eyes.
Shocked and furious, Joyce voiced the very question Bianka was thinking:
“Otto… what kind of trick are you playing?!”
“Heh heh heh…”
Otto at this moment wore the expression of a villain reveling in his success:
“Patience, my dear pen pal. My appearance within one of my mechanical bodies shouldn’t really be considered much of a magic trick, should it?”
“Reanna Brigantia, the most powerful Valkyrie in over a hundred years, and the one I relied upon most heavily. What made her so formidable and reliable wasn’t some intangible, noble quality. It was this immortal body I personally crafted for her, selecting from countless relics of the Previous Era!”
The Anti-Entropy members didn’t fully comprehend, but Bianka understood Otto’s meaning immediately.
That Otto possessed numerous Soul Steel bodies was no secret within present-day Schicksal; it explained how he had lived for 500 years.
The reason Reanna Brigantia lived for over a hundred years was the same as Otto’s—her body was also constructed by Otto. Since he had built her body entirely, it was only natural he could install some backdoors within it.
Ultimately, Reanna herself only had the right to use the body; ownership always remained with Otto, just like his other Soul Steel vessels. Whenever Otto wished, he could forcibly transfer his consciousness into that body.
“You!”
“Herrscher, if you live long enough, you too will understand how crucial it is for an immortal to ensure their own combat strength.”
“The specimen before you has simply become far too unruly.”
“How pitiful, my dear Reanna. Did she truly believe that being the strongest Valkyrie entitled her to stand as an equal to the Overseer?”
“To naively think I wouldn’t leave a few backdoor access points while conducting such experiments? Hahaha…”
“Oh, right. I believe I’ve said more than enough. You should consider yourselves honored. After all, there are very few enemies left these days worthy of being executed personally by Otto Apocalypse!”
This disjointed segment of footage froze before Bianka, then began to change.
Although she didn’t understand how this was happening, what she had just witnessed undoubtedly had a tremendous impact on her. The Otto in this event was clearly completely different from the Otto she had met at the Sochi sanatorium.
However, what Bianka didn’t know was that something even more shocking was yet to come.
