The Twelve Trials Starting from Zero

"Be careful."

"Don't worry, after this battle, we can clear the level and take a break."

Su Qi skillfully set a flag for himself, severing contact with Roselier. He then looked at the Otto clone lying not far away, took a deep breath, and exhaled with puffed cheeks.

In an instant, the energy surged forth like a cannonball, piercing the air and creating a powerful shockwave that struck Otto's clone directly. It blasted it to pieces, scattering flesh and blood everywhere, leaving no trace of its original form, only blood and gore splattering across the ground.

A master of all trades, this is true verbal sparring!

Then he looked up at the ceiling, bent his legs slightly downwards, and suddenly sprang up.

boom!!

With a sonic boom and a blast of air, Su Qi shot out with a bang, smashing through six layers of steel plates over 100mm thick with his head in an instant, soaring directly into the sky from a secret underground base.

"It should be that direction."

He calibrated his bearings under the vast sky, then let his body land naturally, slamming into the ground with a thud that left two deep craters. He then bent over, assuming the starting stance of an Olympic sprinter, slightly raising his head to look in the direction of his target, and suddenly uttered a soft shout, "Secret Technique: Run Seriously!"

The next instant, before the words could even spread, the ground beneath Su Qi's feet exploded as if a landmine had been planted, sending mud and dust flying everywhere.

Immediately afterward, the afterimage vanished, the sound barrier was broken, a sonic boom erupted, and a hurricane rose from the ground, spreading outwards while rushing forward, swirling wildly in all directions, stretching across the vast land into a rolling dust dragon, crossing countless mountains and extending to the horizon.

……

On the other side, Otto was teleported to a magnificent, golden hall. A statue of the goddess of youth, holding a golden apple, stood in one corner. The hall was decorated in a luxurious and elegant style, surrounded by flowers and vines, in a classic Nordic style, resembling a fairyland from mythology.

"Karen..."

Otto floated to the center of the hall, where a crystal coffin rested on a golden platform. Looking in from the outside, one could see without any obstruction a beautiful young woman lying inside, sleeping peacefully.

She wore a gorgeous white evening gown, her hands clasped in front of her chest, her long silver hair flowing freely, her features delicate, her complexion rosy, and her expression serene and peaceful. She looked as if she had just taken a short afternoon nap on a soft lawn bathed in sunlight and flowers, and did not resemble an ancient person who had been dead for five hundred years.

Indeed, the girl lying in the crystal coffin was Kallen Kaslana herself, not a clone created by Otto. For the past five hundred years, Otto had meticulously preserved her body, even regularly using Black Abyss White Flowers to repair her damaged tissues and maintain her vitality. But even though her body appeared to be no different from that of a living person, she was actually just a mindless corpse.

"This day has finally come..."

Otto approached the crystal coffin, leaned down and gazed at Kallen sleeping inside. His expression remained calm, but his slightly trembling hands and flickering eyes betrayed the fact that he was far from being as composed as he appeared.

“Kallen… I promised… I would protect you, and no one could take you from me, not even death… Now, it’s time to keep my promise…”

As he spoke, impatient with entering layers of keys to open the coffin lid, he casually waved his hand, and the ideal fluid transformed into an invisible blade, easily slicing through the upper half of the crystal coffin, which was strong enough to withstand a nuclear explosion. Then, with a gentle roll, he lifted the coffin lid, leaving no obstacle between Kallen and Otto, who were sleeping inside.

"O heroic spirit slumbering in the past, Karen Kaslana, answer my call and return from the other side of the dead's abode..."

Otto leaned down and gently placed his palm on Kallen's forehead. Then he slowly closed his eyes and began to mobilize the almost inexhaustible Honkai energy within him, circulating the part of his power that belonged to the Herrscher of Death.

Upon becoming the Herrscher of the End, "God" inscribed the program for resurrecting the deceased into his consciousness. Although, like other Herrschers, he couldn't fully understand the specific principles and details, it didn't matter. As long as Kallen could be resurrected, and as long as the resurrected Kallen wasn't a fake, he would be satisfied.

It's here, I can feel it...

Otto focused his mind and activated his abilities like never before, attempting to revive Kallen.

Gradually, through the rules controlled by the Herrscher of Death, he sensed wisps of information, or what could be called "remnant souls," mysterious entities seeping out from the void, coalescing as if crossing the ancient barrier of time to arrive in the present. In his careful combination, they pieced together bit by bit the existence he knew so well and longed for.

Finally, after an unknown amount of time—a moment that felt like an eternity—Karen's "soul" was fully restored and placed into her original body under his guidance.

Then, he once again used the Herrscher of Death's power to restore Kallen's body to its perfect state. He then raised his hand, nervously watching the girl's sleeping face, holding his breath and waiting.

One second, two seconds, three seconds... After a moment that felt like an eternity, Otto finally saw Karen's long eyelashes tremble slightly, and then... she slowly opened her beautiful, turquoise eyes.

Time seemed to freeze in that instant. Otto gazed greedily into those familiar and captivating eyes, lost in the memory of the countless hardships he had endured alone over the past five hundred years in his quest to resurrect Kallen. An indescribable, uncontrollable emotion surged from the depths of his heart, filling every cell of his body, ready to burst forth.

Click...

The dam of reason, which had remained steadfast for five hundred years toward a single goal, finally crumbled, shattered, and collapsed with a deafening roar at this moment.

Love, longing, ecstasy, emotion, relief, and rebirth... an incredibly complex torrent of emotions poured out in one breath, and even the Archbishop of Destiny, who was known as cold and ruthless in the eyes of everyone, couldn't help but have his eyes mist over at this moment.

"Kallen...Kallen...Kallen..."

He slowly reached out his hand, gently stroking the girl's cheek while tenderly murmuring her name.

Karen blinked her bright eyes, then stretched out her slender, snow-white arm to gently stroke Otto's cheek, and whispered, "Otto... are you... crying?"

Otto's body trembled slightly. He raised his hand and pressed down on the other's hand that was stroking his cheek, his eyes filled with tenderness as he smiled. "How could that be? It's not like when I was a child. How could I... cry?"

He tried his best to suppress his overflowing emotions, not wanting to show any weakness in front of his loved one, but his voice still trembled slightly.

Chapter Sixty-Nine: Tragedy Follows Comedy

"Yes, it's definitely not like when I was a child anymore."

Karen smiled, gently pulled her hand away from Otto's grasp, sat up, looked around, and frowned slightly. "But I remember I should be dead, so why am I still alive, without a single wound on my body? And where am I?"

Otto raised his hand, feeling a pang of loss at the other's gesture. He longed to hold the girl tightly in his arms and soothe the longing he had felt for five hundred years. But considering her feelings, he ultimately did not dare to be presumptuous. He tried his best to suppress his emotions and said softly, "This is an underground base in Antarctica, five hundred years in the future. The reason you are alright is that I managed to revive you."

"Five hundred years later?"

Karen was stunned. She looked down at her hands and body, which were exactly the same as she remembered, and said in disbelief, "Have I been sleeping here for five hundred years?"

Otto smiled faintly and said, "Of course not. I often come over to chat with you, it's just that you haven't answered me in a long time."

Karen's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at Otto, her eyes and tone incredibly complex, "Otto..."

Five hundred years of waiting, five hundred years of saving... Even though the other party didn't say any details, she could imagine how difficult it was to resurrect a dead person, to live to this day, and to endure five hundred years of such a long time.

As a price, the other party will definitely pay a lot, much more than you can imagine.

“Otto…you don’t have to go to this lengths for me.”

For the first time ever, Kallen felt Otto's intense, burning passion for her, a passion so intense it seemed to stretch to eternity. The sheer intensity of the emotion, like a black hole capable of swallowing everything, even filled her with a sense of dread.

Because the person Karen Kaslana loved was already destined, but it wasn't Otto, or even a man.

She knew Otto had romantic feelings for her, she'd known that since childhood. But in her heart, Otto was always the younger brother she needed to protect, or a close friend who would always support her, not a man who could make her heart flutter and whom she would consider a marriage partner.

Therefore, she always pretended not to understand Otto's various advances, or changed the subject. She thought that Otto, who was still young at the time, was very intelligent, but also surprisingly sensitive and delicate, so she didn't want to hurt him by directly rejecting him, and thus kept delaying.

Otto, naturally aware of Karen's attitude, also didn't want to risk their relationship, so he quickly suppressed his feelings and silently stayed by her side as a friend.

Since they were already engaged, they would inevitably become husband and wife if things continued this way. As for this, although Karen felt that she did not love Otto, she did not dislike being with Otto as family and friend.

But this situation was disrupted by a woman named Yae Sakura.

Karen had never imagined she would fall in love with a woman, but love is irrational. She eventually fell hopelessly in love with the beautiful witch from the Far East, making it impossible for her to marry her childhood sweetheart, Otto.

Therefore, she felt guilty towards Otto, and now that Otto has done so much for her, she felt somewhat panicked because she was unable to give him the same in return and didn't know how to face him.

As for the guilt and unease in Kallen's eyes, Otto simply said calmly, "It's alright. This is something I wanted to do myself. I don't see it as an ordeal, and you don't need to feel any guilt or unease, because... being able to resurrect you and bring you happiness is the best reward for me. I'm willing to do anything for Kallen."

He said that on the surface, but was it really "it's okay"?

How is that possible?!

Because he loves her, he cares; because he loves her, he wants to possess her; and the deeper the love, the stronger the possessiveness. And how deep is Otto's love for Karen? Five hundred years of waiting is enough to answer that.

No one knows how many dark, brutal, bloody, insane, and inhuman thoughts swirled in Otto's mind when he locked himself in a dark room in a hysterical state after learning that a woman named Yae Sakura had taken away his love.

Although his deep love for Karen ultimately led him to forgive her, it doesn't mean he's willing to remain a cuckold forever.

(Harmony) He was the one who came first, he was the one who fell in love with Karen first, and he did so much to support Karen. How could a witch from a rural village in the Far East, who suddenly appeared, take away his most precious treasure? How could she steal Karen's heart?

He was determined to win back Karen's heart no matter what. So he spared no effort for it, so his obsession grew deeper, and so... he became the extremely selfless yet extremely selfish Archbishop of Destiny he is today.

His advice to Karen not to worry was partly heartfelt, not entirely unfounded. But he also knew that the more he said that, the more Karen would care, because that was just her personality. And with this as an opportunity, he would have a chance to open a breach in the heart of the one he loved and win her back.

He simply couldn't believe that his five hundred years of dedication would be lost to that woman's mere few months.

However, Otto was unaware that Lily was destined for this world, and his plans had no chance of succeeding (lol).

“Otto…”

Kallen gazed deeply into Otto's eyes. At this moment, she was indeed moved and shaken by his dedication and sacrifice, and a strong sense of guilt and a desire to make amends arose in her heart; however, just as she was thinking about how she could respond to his dedication, the instincts of the once strongest Valkyrie, which were gradually awakening from her long slumber, finally made her realize something.

"Wait a moment!"

Her pupils contracted slightly, and her gaze instantly turned serious. "Otto, your eyes... why have they turned golden!? And such a powerful Honkai energy fluctuation... you've been corrupted by Honkai energy!?"

As the most powerful Herrscher of the End among the Herrschers, even though Otto tried his best to suppress the Honkai energy fluctuations on his body, just a trace of it leaking out was enough to rival an Emperor-level Honkai Beast. At the same time, because the First Herrscher had not yet appeared in Kallen's era, she subconsciously thought that Otto was just an Infiltrator who had been severely corrupted by Honkai energy.

Otto stiffened slightly, then tried to make his tone and expression natural as he said, "No, I am not a corrupted being, but rather I have taken the power that belongs to the Herrscher."

It's impossible to hide this kind of thing later, so it's better to confess on the spot.

"A Herrscher!?"

Although the First Herrscher had not yet appeared five hundred years ago, Kallen knew what the Herrschers were through the records left behind by the previous generation of civilization. They were the pinnacle of Honkai creatures, mobile natural disasters, kings who commanded millions of Honkai beasts, and apostles of God (the Will of Honkai).

She instinctively became wary, frowning as she stared at him. "Otto, can I still trust you?"

Otto met his gaze and said with utmost seriousness, "Of course, no matter when, where, or what the circumstances, I will never betray your expectations."

"But you are a Herrscher now... are you really not tempted to destroy humanity?"

"of course."

He said without changing his expression, "Don't worry, as long as the Herrscher personality born within the body can be suppressed and eliminated, the Honkai will does not have absolute control over the Herrscher. For example, in the Great Honkai in Berlin in 1953, the first Herrscher of this generation, Welt, was born in that Honkai, but for some reason, he not only successfully suppressed the Herrscher personality within him, but also did his best to help humanity and created the 'Anti-Entropy' organization, which is comparable to Schicksal in its ability to fight against Honkai."

To dispel Kallen's doubts, he used his Herrscher of Reason ability to project a large number of files and information related to Welt around him while speaking, and even went so far as to slightly praise his old rival.

Kallen glanced at the detailed data projected around her, her doubts lessening slightly, but she was still not entirely at ease. She said in a deep voice, "Otto, I'm willing to believe you, but is there really no harm in using the power of the Herrscher? I don't believe the Honkai will capable of destroying the previous generation's civilization can be so easily fooled."

"Karen, I understand your unease, but the truth is right in front of you. If you really can't trust me..."

As Otto spoke, he used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to materialize a mimicking Black Abyss White Flower, held the lance horizontally, and handed it to Kallen, saying solemnly, "Then for the sake of all humanity, use this lance to pierce my heart. If it were you, I would never resist."

Kallen was slightly startled, then said apologetically, "I'm sorry, Otto, I was too nervous. If you were my enemy, you wouldn't have gone to the trouble of reviving me. Besides... Yae Sakura is also a pseudo-Herrscher, and she's not a bad person. I shouldn't have doubted you so much."

When she heard the name "Yae Sakura," her eyes softened more than ever before, revealing a deep sense of longing and love.

That one look felt like a knife to Otto's heart. He had achieved his goal, gained Kallen's initial trust, yet felt no joy, only a burning jealousy searing his heart, and then…

Puff!

As the lance thrust forward, blood splattered, and the Black Abyss White Flower in Otto's hand suddenly pierced through Kallen's body, the tip of the lance penetrating the bottom of the crystal coffin and deeply embedding itself in the ground.

“O...Tor…”

Karen froze, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth. She stared wide-eyed at Otto, her eyes filled with shock and disbelief, followed by deep worry. Then... she slowly closed her eyes and breathed her last.

Tick-tock... tick-tock... tick-tock...

Warm blood slid down the tilted gun barrel and onto the ground. Each tiny drop of water sounded like a thunderclap to Otto's ears, shattering his reason and consciousness time and time again.

His face was stiff as he stared blankly at Karen, whom he had pierced. After a long while, a faint light returned to his dull eyes, which were so withered they were almost lifeless. A strained, almost groaning sound escaped from between his teeth, "Why...why...why did this happen? Why...why...did I...kill Karen?"