Like Eleanor and Kallen, Otto didn't wait for Lihua's reply. He simply grabbed his weapon and rushed into battle, leaving her alone to deal with the chaos.
Otto likes me?
How could he like me?!
It doesn't make sense!
Isn't he supposed to be devoted to Kallen? No matter how sincere other girls are, it was supposed to be impossible for them to win him over!
Isn't he the purest of the pure-hearted lovers?
Her friend had complained about how single-minded Otto was toward Kallen so many times. He had even killed a girl who loved him just because she opposed Kallen!
And now, he was telling her that he had fallen in love with her?
This doesn't make sense. This completely changes the course of the Honkai story.
It was normal for Kallen to like her because she was a lesbian. She had probably just been in denial.
And she had desperately tried to farm Kallen's favorability all these years, it wasn't too far-fetched that Kallen had fallen for her. She was a beautiful older sister who was always kind and helpful. Who could refuse that?
But Otto was a different story!
She had tried hard to farm his favorability too, but that guy never gave her a chance! It had been hard to even see him since those first few years. He hated her food, he didn't see her off when she was forced out of Schicksal, and he even used her as a lab rat to test his medicines! (YOU IDIOT LIHUA!)
And to be honest, Lihua didn't think that she treated Otto very well.
When farming the favorability of Kallen, Lihua had been completely sincere and tried her best to charm her.
But when it came to Otto, Lihua usually just said, "Really?", "You're a great inventor~", "You're my hero!" She had never done anything sincere for him! (really??)
There was no way that someone would just fall for her because she said a few words, right?
Nobody is that easy to conquer, right?
Right?
(Does Kaslana blood really make you dumb, or were you an idiot from the start?)
But the current situation didn't give Lihua time to think any further. Her mind was still overwhelmed by all the information when she heard the calls for help from the civilians and Valkyries. She suppressed her emotions and began to lead them away, while also fighting off the Honkai beasts.
Lihua's combat strength was much higher than that of an average Valkyrie, although it wasn't at the level of Eleanor and Kallen. However, protecting civilians from Honkai beasts was an easy task for her-- because she had picked up a great weapon while she had been dragged by Kallen earlier.
Bang!
Flames burst from the pistol, accurately piercing through a charging Knight-class Honkai beast.
Lihua looked at the powerful dual pistols in her hands, but her heart was still heavy.
The Judgment of Shamash, one of the Divine Keys left over from the Previous Era, possessed the greatest destructive power out of all weapons. They said that if it was fully activated, it could even split the planet in half.
This weapon had been passed down by the Kaslana family. The treasury and cathedral had been destroyed by the Herrscher of Corruption, but this Divine Key had luckily fallen in front of Lihua and Kallen.
It must have been the Kaslana blood that had drawn it to them.
Since Kallen already had the Oath of Judah, the Judgment of Shamash had been handed over to Lihua to defend herself.
Usually, Lihua would have been ecstatic to find a Divine Key on the road. But now, she had no mood to care about such things.
With the power of Judgment of Shamash and the protection of the Valkyries, the civilians were finally able to leave Kolosten. Far away from the source of the Honkai, the number of Honkai beasts and zombies dramatically decreased. They couldn't pose any more threats to the Valkyries.
"Lady Lihua, what should we do now--" The bespectacled Valkyrie came to Lihua's side and asked what she should do next.
But before she could finish her question, Lihua pointed in one direction. "The gathering point is a kilometer away. Lead them over there. It should be safe nearby."
Without waiting for the Valkyrie to reply, Lihua turned around and rushed back to Kolosten toward Schicksal HQ.
Regardless of what Kallen and Otto were planning, she had to go and die.
She couldn't stay in this world full of lesbians and gay people any longer!
"Humans, your strength is laughable."
The Herrscher of Corruption's massive fox tail swung out, sending Eleanor flying. She crashed into the mountain wall. Her fate was unknown.
The Mimicry Judah and Oath of Judah chains were useless now. They were easily shattered like thin threads in front of the Herrscher of Corruption. They couldn't even bind her.
Otto and Kallen were covered in blood and gasping for air. Their defeat was only a matter of time.
The surrounding area was in ruins. Schicksal HQ had turned into rubble, devoid of all life. Even the Honkai beasts that were born alongside the Honkai had been destroyed by the shockwaves.
"Otto, do you have any plans left?" Kallen wiped away the blood on her forehead and gripped Judah tighter.
She couldn't see any possibility of defeating the Herrscher of Corruption. The pressure she was exerting was no less than what she had felt against the Red Immortal.
"I wish I had a plan, but unfortunately, I'm not the Dora-- cough." Blood mixed with organ fragments came out of Otto's mouth. He wasn't a fighter to begin with. He relied on the Void Archive for his strength. His body couldn't compete with that of a Valkyrie.
He had already reached his limit.
"Heh. If only I was like that person in the story, able to pull out amazing gadgets to solve everything…"
"Stop talking and save your strength."
Kallen looked at the enemy in front of them. The Herrscher was looking down on them contemptuously, as if they were insects she could crush at any time. "Save your energy for later."
"Can you use that move?" Otto's eyes held a spark of hope. If Kallen could successfully use the Oath of Judah's Zeroth-rated power, defeating the weakened Herrscher of Corruption might be possible.
"I'm not sure, but I can try." Kallen shook her head bitterly. "But Eleanor was unable to do any damage to the Herrscher with the Abyss Flower. It's likely that she doesn't have a physical body. Judah's Zeroth-rated power may be very effective."