Golden patterns crawled from Kiana's body onto Otto's. He could see the Stigmata on Kiana's back fading.
And the detached feeling in Kiana's body was gradually fading too.
*It's working!*
This discovery delighted Otto, but if Kiana was safe, it was time to consider his own situation.
Looking at the golden patterns crawling up his arms, he knew this was pure Honkai energy. Yet he felt it had a life of its own.
*It wants to devour me.*
The thought sent shivers down his spine.
But he felt somewhat reassured. This was just his Soulium body. If the Honkai energy's effects became too severe, he could simply commit suicide and respawn.
That would trap the Honkai energy within this body, making it available for Schicksal's research.
So Otto waited, waiting until the golden patterns had completely covered his body before he would immediately commit suicide.
However, glancing at his hands, still trapped against Kiana's body, he spoke.
"Miss," Otto addressed Kiana, remembering how Rita used to call her "Miss." "When I tell you to act, you need to punch me until I'm dead. Can you do that?"
Unable to kill himself, Otto ordered Kiana to do it.
A flicker of confusion crossed Kiana's face. Why would Otto ask her to kill him when everything seemed fine?
*Could it be because of these golden patterns?*
"It's alright. I can revive," Otto explained concisely, his nose catching the faint scent of the girl. He harbored no improper intentions.
Kiana hesitated slightly, but under Otto's steady gaze, she eventually nodded.
*Since this mess started because of me, I should be the one to end it.* Though she truly didn't want to kill Otto, knowing it would break her heart, she understood he likely had means to survive or revive. Kiana knew him well—he was surprisingly fond of his own life.
Still, ending a living being's life was a terrifying prospect for a young girl.
*But I have to do this. All I need to do is throw a punch and smash Otto's head.*
The thought left Kiana feeling melancholic. She resolved to strike quickly, sparing him the chance to feel pain.
Time ticked by. The golden patterns had now crept onto Otto's face, lending his handsome features an unsettling, demonic aura.
Otto's mind was hazy. He'd let his guard down. He couldn't open his mouth, couldn't even move his fingers.
Even though all he had to do was speak and Kiana would kill herself, he couldn't speak, couldn't move a muscle.
He'd let his guard down.
It felt like his entire body was being devoured. In an instant, he lost all control.
The golden patterns had spread across Otto's body, writhing like living things. As the patterns spread, the Stigmata on Kiana's back faded into her skin, as if their power source had been removed.
Something was being born inside him. It felt like the very essence of Otto was about to be erased.
*I'm gonna die.*
Otto squinted. The girl before him hadn't noticed his predicament. Her small fists were clenched, waiting to strike him down the moment he opened his mouth.
But how could he speak?
*Sigh.* Void Archives' voice echoed in his mind. *I'll handle this.*
A golden flame greatsword materialized above Otto's head. Kiana snapped out of her trance just in time to see the sword descending toward his neck.
Void Archives intended to kill Otto and then revive him in another body.
But the golden patterns on Otto's skin seemed to come alive, reaching out from his flesh and colliding with the flame greatsword.
Sparks splattered across Otto's face, freeing his hand from Kiana's grip and sending it clattering to the ground.
His face burned painfully, but Otto was still alive.
The flame-encrusted greatsword, deflected mid-strike, lunged at his chest. At that moment, Kiana realized what was happening—Otto couldn't speak for some reason.
She had to follow his orders and kill him.
Without hesitation, Kiana's fist shot toward Otto's head. As expected, the golden patterns resisted, letting out a grating *crack* as her fist crumpled against them like it had struck diamond.
But the Void Archives had found a gap in the patterns' defense. She slipped through it, aiming to pierce Otto's chest.
A hand reached out to grab the golden-flame blade. Otto's left hand clattered to the ground as the golden patterns took control of his body, forcing his severed limb to block the Void Archives' strike.
The greatsword sliced through his hand, but the blade that should have pierced his chest was trapped by the golden patterns, only its tip breaching his skin.
His left hand was gone.
Otto stared at his severed wrist, his consciousness fading, teetering on the edge of sleep.
*Devour it!*
*Devour it!*
*This is the last one!*
***
Incomprehensible whispers reached Otto's ears, not from the Void Archives, but from other entities.
Something felt wrong. Everything had been fine when he was with Kiana, but the moment he touched her, it latched onto him like a bone-rotting maggot.
This wasn't a deliberate plot against him, but an accidental discovery of his existence.
His touch had attracted this thing.
**[** Devour it, devour it all! **]**
**[** This is the last one! **]**
**[** The last Otto Apocalypse! **]**
"Hey, you really are Honkai's favorite, aren't you?" the Void Archives teased in his mind. Those golden patterns were intensely concentrated Honkai energy, energy of Finality.
Yet they had abandoned Finality and settled on Otto, as if he had a higher priority.
"I'm going to die," Otto thought, his vision already fading to black.
He had a feeling that if he was devoured and died, he might not be able to revive.
"You won't die," the Void Archives drawled. "Though I don't know why Honkai has its sights on you. Your future self committed so many sins; being targeted is hardly surprising."
"Maybe Honkai sees you as nothing but a nuisance?"
So Honkai had its sights on me.
Did my future self sow this disaster? Poor me, stuck being the scapegoat.
Otto thought, since he couldn't fight back, he might as well ponder other things.
"Honkai wants to devour you. But Honkai isn't invincible."
Void Archives' voice was leisurely, but Otto suddenly felt a gravitational pull tugging at his body.
He was blind, but he sensed a massive void opening behind him, leading to endless darkness—the Sea of Quanta.
Void Archives had opened a portal to the Sea of Quanta.
The closed eyes of the body snapped open. Void Archives now controlled it. She looked at Kiana, frozen in place, and raised her left hand—then stopped halfway, realizing her hand was gone, and switched to raising her right.
"Wait for me."
Void Archives waved at Kiana, tidying up after Otto. Without pausing, she toppled backward.
"Wait!" Kiana lunged forward, trying to grab Otto as he fell into the Sea of Quanta, but her hands closed around empty air.
The portal to the Sea of Quanta snapped shut.
And Otto... plummeted into the Sea of Quanta.