Regarding the question of whether one thousand lives are enough to beat Honkai Impact 3rd.

Otto Apocalypse acted as if he were truly welcoming long-lost friends, completely oblivious to his previous actions and the rough way the two had entered.

The man's smile was sincere and warm, and his long hair that fell to his shoulders, along with his well-made and elegant formal attire, made him look like a modern poet.

If someone unaware of the truth were to see him, they would only think that he was a Western nobleman who loved peace, was suspected of having some artistic talent, and was generally gentle and kind.

But both of them present understood that the current Bishop of Destiny was not as consistent as he appeared.

Moreover, in Su Qing'an's eyes, the other party's true character and thoughts would be revealed through appearances. With the ability to observe the soul and the intuition of the Manas consciousness, they would be transformed into a vague impression, as if all appearances had been stripped away to reveal the core.

--color.

The boy can glimpse the mental images woven together by colors.

Otto Apocalypse gives the impression of chaos arising from the surge of numerous black flames.

A myriad of colors danced and swirled around the edge of the black flames, like a filthy river.

But the closer it flows to the center, the purer and clearer it becomes.

Once they reached a certain range, they all harmoniously and gently clustered around the beam of white light, no longer getting any closer, like devout believers.

That is the last pure land in the hearts of the people before us, filled with the holy maiden who died five hundred years ago to protect the people.

Even though this bishop's heart and actions were filled with despicable malice, when it came to matters concerning Karen, this malice seemed to be completely cut off and ceased to exist.

It's really... contradictory.

Su Qing'an never actually met the Empress of that timeline, but he understood that Fu Hua had also gone down a similar path and displayed terrifying potential, inflicting even greater trauma on humanity in the original world in another form, creating more unspeakable sins and unforgivable history.

So, at this very moment.

Although Su Qing'an didn't think she could empathize with or forgive the other person, she could still understand the reasons and root causes of the other person's madness.

Ultimately, the future he experienced, accepted, and desired was largely born from the madness and obsession of this Bishop of Destiny.

From this perspective, Su Qing'an was not actually angry about what Otto Apocalypse had done.

At this moment, he thought the same as before: he had found a reason to openly make things difficult for the other party and to use his manas consciousness to shackle and bind them.

The boy recalled the phone call he had with the other person on the Walking Marriage Bridge. It seemed to be the only point of contact between the two. The cause and effect and the grudges between them were hard to explain, but at least it was not an unpleasant conversation.

Su Qing'an stopped reminiscing, not directly mentioning the "grand ceremony," and said softly:

"Nice to meet you, Bishop Otto."

Otto was not surprised by such a civilized and polite opening, but the impression the other party gave him made him feel somewhat heavy-hearted.

This has nothing to do with outstanding appearance. For him, who can create any body with soul steel, no physical form is of any importance, and any praise related to it is just hypocritical social flattery.

But this eerie aura that even someone like myself cannot avoid and feels close to is truly terrifying.

Otto wasn't good at dealing with this kind of person.

Or rather, Su Qing'an's overly sacred and gentle image easily reminded him of his beloved.

And with the existence of the soul clearly known in the records of the previous era, this similarity becomes even more meaningful.

Of course, Otto Apocalypse did not believe that the other party was the reincarnation of Kallen Kaslana. As the husband of the Red-Eyed Immortal, this being recorded in the "Immortal Chronicles" was clearly not the same person as her.

But this kind of holiness, similar to that of Karen, always made him hallucinate that the other person saw all that he had done so far. It was like a prisoner being watched by the only tender lover left in his heart, and his rotten conscience and humanity came back to life, undergoing torture and torment.

Otto looked at Su Qing'an, a rare moment of unease stirring within him, but on the surface, he responded as usual:

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Su."

The man smiled generously and said:

"You two have come from afar. As the defeated party, you have every right to demand reparations and an apology."

"Of course, I would be extremely happy to do so."

The bishop of Destiny chuckled shamelessly and said:

"Our friendship has lasted for five hundred years and will surely continue to do so in the future."

"Well, I see that you two have been reunited after so long, and I've also heard about the wedding banquet eight hundred years ago that the entire land of China attended. If my old friend is interested, why don't we have Destiny host the event and collaborate with [Chao Xian] to hold another wedding that takes place worldwide?"

Before the two could respond, Otto calmly prepared to throw out the next bargaining chip. As the weaker party who was clearly no match for them in terms of combat strength, if he wanted to take control of the situation, he could only explain the value that only he himself could provide before the other party made their demands or acted impulsively and harbored murderous intent.

"For hundreds of years, Destiny has always dealt with the remains of Honkai Beasts by burning and destroying them. Only a small portion is left to be studied in various research institutes. I heard that [Chaoxian] has been collecting such items for a long time, so they must have their own way of containing these 'waste' items."

"I think that the Mandate of Heaven under my rule would be happy to establish corresponding channels of cooperation with it."

"If we can save each other some trouble and worries, and also reduce the amount of Honkai Beast corpses that could erode the environment of this world, then everyone will be happy."

This bishop of destiny clearly despised the world, so arrogant and despicable, yet he was able to put aside his pride without any psychological barriers, and even genuinely and sincerely show sincere humility. His smile was not stiff, and not even a trace of humiliation or resentment rose in his heart.

Otto Apocalypse.

This man possesses a calm and unwavering confidence that allows him to remain composed and unafraid of failure in any environment or situation.

Of course, he also feared death.

In essence, this was simply a fear of dying a life of mediocrity, unable to welcome the return of the Holy Maiden.

To avoid that outcome, they wouldn't hesitate to fawn over passersby, even if it meant begging for mercy like a stray dog.

Ultimately, the attitude Otto displayed towards his sister back then, in an attempt to save Kallen's life before her execution, was far more humble and helpless than it is now.

However, in the end, all that blood relative did was give Otto a shovel that led to his death, letting him dig his own grave, leaving him in a wretched and empty state.

The girl grasped the other person's slender hand and gently scratched their palm. She thought for a moment, then asked:

"Do you need me to crush his steel-faced soul?"

Su Qing'an silently shook her head and replied:

"No need, there's no need to vent my anger like this."

"As long as his cognition and memory are modified, he can go home in a little while."

Although using words and threats might be useful in the current situation, the demands he was making were ultimately too troublesome, to the point that even if the other party obeyed, it would be difficult for them to fully comply.

Therefore, he had no interest in negotiating with Otto from the very beginning.

The boy raised his palm, as if about to make a move.

At that moment, Otto Apocalypse's mind went on high alert. The instinct for danger caused his steel body to fluctuate, his pupils contracted, and the smile on his face faded.

Modify memory and cognition?

The Bishop of Destiny was naturally aware that Yu Duchen possessed such abilities, but in the past, he would never have believed that the other party had the ability to easily modify and deceive his consciousness.

But after witnessing the power of the Crimson Iris Immortal, which far exceeded his imagination, he had to admit that the Crimson Iris Immortal could very well have extracted this terrifying power that subverted humanity from that Key of Consciousness and interfered with him.

Otto trusted the Red-Eyed Fairy and her partner completely in terms of their character. He knew that they would not strip him of his authority or inflict any mental humiliation on him, but they were very likely to transform him into some kind of virtuous person, or even forget his obsession with Kallen.

Because... that's the real reason he would do evil without any scruples.

But for Otto Apocalypse, this outcome was tantamount to death, so when he heard the two men's unreserved words, he disregarded all decorum and began to transmit his consciousness.

Even the Key of Consciousness cannot trace and control an empty Soul Steel body. Once he leaves this body, there are countless spare bodies in the world. He has a way to keep the other party in a tug-of-war and eventually reach a mutual negotiation.

but……

Before the man could react, Manas had already trapped him within his body like a fishing net, preventing him from leaving.

Su Qing'an seemed unwilling to hear the other party utter any unpleasant words, and thus, with a few casual remarks, she froze the thoughts and consciousness of this Bishop of Destiny.

For Otto, who was powerless to resist at that moment, that instant of confinement and manipulation was like a wild beast that had lived in a dark cave since ancient times seeing a god who had shattered the heavens and earth. He then lost the ability to think and sank into endless light, losing himself.

Su Qing'an looked at the man who was as still as a statue and felt a little displeased with his actions and what he was about to do.

Even with heinous criminals, he believed that it was gentler to kill them rather than to try to correct their character and ego.

But this time, he wasn't completely distorting the other party's will; he was merely adding some instructions as a safety net, while ensuring that Otto remained Otto.

These instructions and rules, unfortunately, are the result of something that cannot be achieved through negotiation and communication.

Without further hesitation, the young man extended his fingertip and gently touched the other's brow. His lips parted slightly, as if giving a divine revelation, and he whispered softly:

"Otto Apocalypse, follow your original will and pursue the path to resurrect Kallen Kaslana."

"In this process, you can cooperate with me regarding sacrifices related to human experimentation. The Black Abyss White Flower can replace unnecessary sacrifices."

Su Qing'an paused for a moment. He had actually seen the definitive definition and related information about the soul from the other party's consciousness. It seemed that the butterfly effect caused by the partial overlay of the [Personal Record] had indeed manifested in all aspects.

This also proves that my actions of coming here and stabilizing this most crucial element with the Manas consciousness were not wrong.

If we simply wait for time to pass, Otto today will provide a completely different answer for the future.

Neither Theresa nor amber will ever be created.

The subsequent changes to the world line are self-evident.

Su Qing'an thought about it and decided to make a patch to this:

"Until an individual you believe to be similar to Karen is born, you will no longer ponder the definition of the soul, or the significance of this concept for Karen's resurrection."

This is tantamount to adding a logical blind spot to Otto's logic. Unless someone outside strongly reminds him of this, no matter how intelligent he is, he cannot break free from this constraint.

After doing all this, he also gave Otto a series of hints and reinforced his impressions to ensure that the future path would not collapse the foundation.

Although changes are inevitable in the present and future, some things still need to be preserved.

Fu Hua glanced at the very quiet Otto and felt much better. She asked:

Is that enough?

Su Qing'an replied:

"Yes, he can't break free from this constraint."

"For the next few decades, it will probably continue on the same trajectory."

"As for the Honkai Beast corpses and other miscellaneous things, the exchange has been completed in one go."

Fu Hua asked:

When will he wake up?

Su Qing'an responded:

"About ten minutes later, he would sit back at the bar drinking red wine, and then he would be completely unaware of what had just happened. He would only remember that we had a friendly yet threatening negotiation and established a 'friendly' relationship that did not interfere with each other."

The girl tugged at the wrinkled stockings on her thigh, nodded her chin, and said:

"Should we go back to London to have a meal with those kids, explain what happened, and then travel around England for a while, or should we go straight back to Shenzhou and wake up Shishi and Rongyue?"