The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

This time, he used almost all his trump cards, but still failed to reclaim his destiny. Otto knew very well that he probably wouldn't be able to regain control of destiny in the short term, and if he couldn't find a weapon stronger than the "godlike body," he might never be able to reclaim destiny... the best tool he had created to revive Kallen.

Since Kallen's death, his life has revolved solely around resurrecting her, and anyone who stands in his way will become his enemy. And clearly, the man named Su Qi has now become his greatest enemy—without the support of Destiny and its resources, hundreds of ongoing experimental projects related to Kallen's resurrection will soon come to a halt.

Therefore, as long as that man remains, his plans and his life will forever remain stagnant.

"There's not enough time and resources to create another 'godlike body,' and besides, without a Herrscher core, even if one were created, it wouldn't be able to unleash its power. As for other weapons... given his strange powers, only something like an annihilation bomb could pose a threat, but that kind of thing requires a surprise approach to detonate, and even then, success isn't guaranteed..."

Otto strode toward the central crystal tree, recalling Su Qi's various abilities as he walked, especially the time he transformed into a magical girl at the Destiny Headquarters and withstood the annihilation bomb, which he found particularly troublesome.

A moment later, he stood at the base of the giant crystal tree, looking at the body sealed inside the trunk. A cold glint flashed in his eyes. "The last trump card... I can only speed things up... But before that, I can't let them easily seize the Mandate of Heaven, otherwise they will immediately turn their attention to me..."

……

"Report: The high-energy reaction in the air has completely stopped."

On the Hyperion bridge, as the latest news arrived, the expressions of the people present varied.

Has a winner been decided?

Theresa's eyes flashed with worry, and she immediately asked, "Can you see the specific situation clearly?"

"Not yet. Although the battle seems to have stopped, there are still a lot of chaotic energy fluctuations remaining, interfering with radar and satellite observations. Moreover, human bodies are too small as targets, and it will take some more time to find them."

"Search with all your might for any remaining energy fluctuations and signs of life in the vicinity."

"Yes."

"Ha, this battle is truly ridiculous. We've made such a big fuss, only to come here just to watch the show."

Cocolia appeared to be mocking herself, but deep down she was both resentful and surprised. The resentment stemmed from the fact that her side was forced to remain inactive and had no chance to gain any advantage, while the surprise came from the power displayed by Su Qi and Otto in the battle.

Hearing news reports from others is ultimately a step away from understanding the situation. It was only after experiencing the clash between the two sides up close, which even surpassed the level of ordinary Herrschers, that she began to reflect that perhaps the power of Anti-Entropy was indeed insufficient to conquer Schicksal.

Einstein calmly replied, "It's a good thing to be able to watch the show from a safe place."

Tesla loudly echoed, "That's right! Cocolia, you violent woman, do you only feel happy when both sides suffer heavy casualties?"

Cocolia smiled faintly, "Of course not. I just don't think this battle will end so easily, and I just wanted to remind everyone to be careful."

"Don't worry, we have a complete plan..."

Just as Theresa finished speaking, Ai-chan's notification sound suddenly rang out, "Enemy naval guns detected charging, all forces prepare for battle, protection system fully activated!"

Immediately afterwards, images of enemy ships firing their cannons appeared in mid-air, followed by a series of explosions, and the entire warship began to tremble and shake.

The large-scale air battle that should have started much earlier suddenly broke out at this moment. However, Su Qi and Theresa had a contingency plan and quickly reacted, focusing on defense and containment while retaliating against the opposing fleet.

Less than half an hour later, the battle that had suddenly begun ended just as quickly. This was because the combined fleet was already larger than the branch fleet, and the combined fleet's high-end forces clearly had the upper hand, especially after Su Qi and Roseril returned.

Without corresponding combat power to counter them, a surprise attack by highly mobile top-tier fighters like Fu Hua and Durandal would inevitably disrupt or rout an ordinary army. Even if the airships have protective shields, their thin, widely distributed defenses would struggle to withstand the continuous bombardment of an S-rank Valkyrie.

Not to mention the existence of an exceptional entity like Rozell, there is absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation with the branch fleet.

Unsurprisingly, the internal strife within the Destiny fleet came to an end. The final result was that the vast majority of the branch fleets were brainwashed and incorporated into the military, while a portion inevitably became casualties and damage reports. After all, this was war; even if the Allied forces primarily focused on defense and containment, it was impossible to avoid casualties entirely, and all of this was undoubtedly Otto's fault.

After that, it was time to clean up the mess.

First, there's Anti-Entropy. Besides the originally agreed-upon conditions, Cocolia also wanted to take advantage of Schicksal's weakened state during the civil war. For example, she proposed assisting in defending against the Honkai in exchange for Schicksal opening up more of its technology and handing over a Herrscher Core, one of the spoils of war, to Anti-Entropy for research.

Su Qi readily agreed and then handed over the technical data and the Plague Gem to Tesla and Einstein. Cocolia expressed strong protest and dissatisfaction, and Su Qi, "helpless," had no choice but to provide a supplementary set of technical data. However, of course, he couldn't hand over the Herrscher core to a madwoman like Cocolia who was always trying to trigger artificial Honkai.

Next came the five governments. Like Cocolia, they certainly wouldn't let this opportunity pass them by. In addition to the original terms, they wanted to renegotiate many treaties with Schicksal, including Honkai cooperation and technical support. Of course, the new treaties would all be favorable to each government.

Su Qi was "full of resentment" and "argued his case with reason." In multiple rounds of negotiations, he debated with the scholars and resolutely defended the interests of the Mandate of Heaven. However, under the strong pressure from the five states and the threat of cutting off resource supplies, he was ultimately powerless to reverse the situation and could only "helplessly" make appropriate concessions on several terms.

Shortly after the tripartite negotiations, through a meticulously designed procedure, and ensuring that the Feather Dust was genuine and that none of the onlookers were subjected to any mental interference, Su Qi threw the Feather Dust into an underground lava lake leading to the Earth's core for destruction.

For ten days afterward, the five nations dispatched special personnel to monitor the lake's mouth, ensuring that no one could retrieve Yu Duchen from the lava lake before finally withdrawing. As for the later appearance of some unidentified individuals lingering there, seemingly trying to find a way to retrieve Yu Duchen, Su Qi paid no attention to it.

Anyway, that Feather Dust was a manifestation of Roselier. It disappeared shortly after being thrown into the lake due to the interruption of spiritual power supply. Even if those people drained the magma deep in the earth's core, they would not be able to find anything.

Another half month passed, and all branches around the world were won over (brainwashed). After everything was ready, Theresa Apocalypse, the current head of the Apocalypse family, finally ascended the throne... no, she took the title of Archbishop and became the new ruler of Destiny.

As for the former Archbishop Otto of Destiny, Theresa personally exposed his crimes, turning him into a major criminal who was anti-human and anti-social, and was wanted worldwide.

Undoubtedly, doing so would severely damage Schicksal's credibility. After all, if even the Supreme Leader is such a villain, it would be difficult for people to believe that the other members of Schicksal are righteous people who are wholeheartedly fighting against the Honkai.

However, after repeated discussions in the Destiny Council, Theresa overruled the objections and decided to expose Otto's crimes. The resulting distrust was then addressed through subsequent actions… including shady deals with various governments and a vigorous public relations campaign to whitewash his actions.

Of course, the PY transactions with various countries were proposed and executed by Su.

Following this world-shaking news, the world did not experience a period of calm; instead, it was turbulent, with changing circumstances and a host of problems emerging.

First, the power of Destiny contracted, ushering in the Theresa era. Various forces seized this opportunity to exert their influence and use various methods to compete for power and profit.

Then, the Honkai disaster intensified, with all sorts of new Honkai Beasts appearing in an explosive surge. All the Honkai Beasts became more aggressive and more intelligent. Compared to before, it was like the difference between easy mode AI battles and hellish mode player-versus-player combat.

In order to cope with the Honkai disaster, which is increasing in intensity and strength, Destiny, Anti-Entropy, and governments of various countries are working together to resist the Honkai. However, even so, remote and poorly defended cities continue to be destroyed in the Honkai disaster, and the number of casualties is increasing by tens of thousands.

This has led to a large-scale migration of people from remote areas to major cities, causing chaos and numerous problems.

Meanwhile, Su Qi wasn't slacking off either. After helping Theresa to initially reorganize the internal affairs of Destiny, he, along with Yu Duchen and Ai-chan, began to play the role of the Heart-Stealing Duo, visiting the high-ranking officials of various forces one by one.

With his abilities, doing something like stealthy... uh, no, stealthy mind-stealing is like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Once he determines the target's location, he can use Feather Dust to brainwash them all the way in, and then combine that with Ai-chan's hacking skills to erase the evidence, making it completely undetectable.

Even in the rare exceptions, with his abilities and keen senses, there is absolutely nothing that can stop him.

In the Heart Stealing Operation, the first unfortunate victim was Cocolia. Apart from Welt, Anti-Entropy didn't have any high-end combat power worth mentioning. Cocolia herself thought that Feather Dust had been destroyed, so she didn't deliberately hide her whereabouts. Therefore, Su Qi investigated and infiltrated her. He didn't encounter too many difficulties along the way and easily brainwashed Cocolia.

Afterwards, under Su Qi's orders, Cocolia, who had become a partner of justice, naturally reformed herself, stopped scheming against others, began to actively ease relations with the conservatives, integrated the power of anti-entropy, and did her best to fight against the Honkai.

Next, Su Qi's targets were important officials from various countries. Because there were so many people, this operation took him more than three months. During this time, there were occasional unexpected events and difficulties, which he resolved one by one.

Then, under the increasing pressure of the Honkai disaster, the governments of the major countries quickly reached a "consensus" and began to promote a huge force called "Human Union" to unite all human forces and aim to "eradicate the Honkai and save the nation from extinction".

Thus, Su Qi's crazy heart-stealing behavior came to an end, and he then arrived at a special place—Chang Kong City in the Far East.

This is the starting point of the Honkai Impact 2 and Honkai Impact manga stories, and also the location where the third Honkai event occurred in the original world line. However, in this world, due to Su Qi's interference and reminders, and Cocolia being brainwashed into becoming a ally of justice, Raiden Ryoma, who should have been captured, was not captured, and the massive Honkai event that occurred in Changkong City, causing the annihilation of millions of people, did not happen.

It was April 2014. Since the Third Great Collapse hadn't yet occurred, the three main characters were still students at Chiba Academy. It was under these circumstances that Su Qi arrived at Chiba Academy.

……

"Mei, Kiana, and Bronya, the three of you come out here for a moment. Someone is looking for you."

During morning class, a teacher suddenly called out the three of them from the classroom door. Well, thanks to the arrangement of the forces behind the scenes, Kiana and Bunnyia were in the same class, and even their seats were very close, which could be described as an excellent yuri environment.

Of the three, only Raiden Mei knew the least; Kiana and Bronya both consciously approached the former, who possessed the Conqueror's Gem.

"Is someone looking for us, or are there three of us together?"

The beautiful girl with long, straight black hair, who was listening attentively to the lesson, paused slightly and subconsciously looked at Kiana beside her. Then, a silly face hidden behind the upright textbook, drooling while sleeping, immediately came into view.

Raiden Mei: "..."

"Mei-neechan, let's go."

In a calm, even voice, the silver-haired loli with double Roman curls sitting in the back slowly got up, holding a yellow Houmu doll, and came to the girl's side.

"Wait a minute, let me wake Kiana up first."

Raiden Mei stood up and reached out to the sleeping girl, intending to gently wake her, but the latter grabbed her and rubbed her face against hers while drooling and giggling, "Hehe, Mei, don't be so stingy, give me another bowl of your sister's juice..."

Raiden Mei: "..."

Ahem, I overestimated my writing ability. I'll write two thousand words today and the rest tomorrow...

Chapter Sixty-Four: The Strongest Male Martial God of Destiny Arrives

A few minutes later, in the school corridor, Raiden Mei, Kiaki, and Bronya walked towards the office building led by their teacher.

"Teacher, who are these people who came to see us?"

Kiana asked casually while yawning.

"I'm not quite sure either. I heard they're from Schicksal..." the teacher said casually, then suddenly changed the subject, "By the way, Kiana, is it comfortable to sleep during class?"

"Uh, teacher, I didn't want to either, but class is just so boring."

"That's why you always come in last place. Come to my office after school, I need to have a serious talk with you."

"Eh~~~"

The girl let out a mournful cry, her face instantly turning long and drawn.

Behind her, Bronya, who had been silently following, felt a sudden tightness in her chest and instinctively clutched the doll in her arms. She knew very well that her adoptive mother, Cocolia, was the leader of the Anti-Entropy radicals and a rival to Schicksal. Even though Schicksal's relationship with Anti-Entropy seemed to have eased recently after Theresa came to power, she would find it difficult to let down her guard against Schicksal in the short term.

Moreover, Cocolia's behavior has been somewhat strange lately, as if she intends to completely abandon her original plans. In addition, Schicksal happened to call out the three of them this time, which made her feel uneasy about this sudden visit.

Should we take Mei and run away now...?

Bronya glanced at Mei, who also looked puzzled and seemed completely unaware of the situation, and after thinking for a moment, decided to abandon the idea.

Since the other party has already come knocking and specifically named three people, they must have made corresponding preparations. She wasn't confident that she could break through the encirclement with just one person, so she might as well wait and see. Moreover, Cocolia's final order was—stay by the target's side for now, enjoy school life, and if a Chinese person comes knocking, obey that man's orders.

Could this person be the one Cocolia's mother was talking about? But why is she the chosen one?

Bronya was filled with deep doubt and temporarily suppressed her restlessness and unease.

On the other side, Kiana, who appeared dejected after being scolded by her teacher, also had a glint in her eye, secretly becoming wary. The reason she had come to Chiba Academy and appeared beside Mei was because someone had guided her here using the identity of her missing father. And since her missing father seemed to be an enemy of Schicksal, she naturally had to be careful of Schicksal as well.

So, of the three, only Raiden Mei, who was being protected too well by Raiden Ryoma, was completely unaware, but she also vaguely sensed something unusual.

A moment later, the three were led to a conference room in the office building, where they met the special agent from Schicksal (as the person claimed).

He looked to be in his early twenties, with black hair and eyes, a cold and stern face. He wore a sharp, tailored black suit, and oval-lensed glasses perched on his nose. His arms were casually resting on the table, his white-gloved hands crossed and supporting his chin. He was expressionless, his eyes cold, looking like a killer from a movie—shrewd, efficient, and utterly ruthless.

"Miss Kiana, Miss Raiden Mei, Miss Bronya, it's a pleasure to meet you three."

As the three entered, the man in black remained unmoved, but the reflection in his glasses revealed two sharp, X-ray-like eyes that swept over them. Kiana and the other two immediately felt a shiver run down their spines, and their bodies involuntarily tensed up.

This man... is very strong!!

Bronya was a mercenary, Kiana was trained by Siegfried from a young age, and even Raiden Mei has been practicing her family's swordsmanship since childhood. So none of them are ordinary people, and they can all feel the overwhelming pressure emanating from each other.

Even Kiana, who is usually very oblivious, couldn't help but tense up, staring intently at the man in black and asking, "Hey, sir, who are you? What do you want with us?"

The latter gestured with his eyes and said calmly, "Don't rush, sit down and we'll talk."

The three exchanged a glance, walked over, and sat down across a conference table from each other.

"Excuse me... what can I do for you?"

Raiden Mei sized up the other person while politely asking questions.

"of course."