Start making Honkai Impact III, my boss is Da Bronya.

"So, when will Durandal regain her memory? I'm already getting anxious," Senti said.

After scolding Otto, Senti turned her attention back to Durandal.

Everyone was eager to see Durandal regain her memory and witness a heartwarming father-daughter reunion with Siegfried. Ideally, there would also be a touching sisterly recognition scene with Kiana to bring the story full circle.

"It should be soon. And knowing Durandal's character, she'll definitely be overjoyed to learn she still has a family," Cheng Lixue said with a smile, trying to calm the increasingly anxious Senti.

"I just wonder... Once she recovers her memory and learns about the terrible things Otto did to her family, will Durandal feel guilty for not helping Kiana?" Xiao Lizi sighed deeply.

"Otto... He's hurt so many people for his own selfish desires, and he's completely manipulated the fate of Siegfried's family," Fu Hua said softly.

Even though Otto had made significant contributions to the world, in the eyes of Durandal and others, he was nothing short of an unforgivable devil.

If not for Otto's misdeeds, Durandal could have grown up happy and healthy, nurtured by the love and guidance of Siegfried and Cecilia.

"Hey, why overthink it? Once Durandal regains her memory, she and Kiana can team up and take down Otto—that's it!" Senti declared, waving her fist angrily.

"Whatever grudges or guilt she has, they'll vanish the moment Otto dies!"

"That's true. As expected of the Second Master, your thinking is always so clear," Cheng Lixue said with a small laugh.

Later, Durandal uncovered memories of Siegfried and Cecilia's love, along with a poignant conversation she once had with Shakespeare in the imaginary world.

These memories provided Durandal with profound insights and clarity.

At last, with the blessings of Hou Mei and others, she ascended to the next level of the stigmata space.

Meanwhile, on the other side, the gray-white Homu encountered a mysterious voice that had been lurking behind the scenes.

This voice seemed deeply intrigued by Durandal and used fragments of Siegfried's personality to locate her memories.

This time, the memory revealed a conversation between Durandal and Otto. Through it, players finally discovered the reason behind Durandal's blonde hair:

It was a side effect of the advanced medical technology Otto had used to treat her after a life-threatening injury.

When Otto spoke about the second Herrscher of Anti-Entropy, his words made countless players in the live broadcast room see red; many joked they wanted to hunt him down immediately.

["I killed his father due to unavoidable circumstances, yet he still holds a grudge, choosing to fight me for decades."]

["What can I say? He may not have a father, but he still has me! I can be his guide in life, right? Just like how I trained you."]

The moment these words were spoken, they left Durandal speechless in the game and made Senti, who was watching outside, erupt in fury once more.

"Holy crap! Otto's such a bastard! Is he even speaking human language?! I'm going to beat him to death!!" Senti yelled.

"Calm down! Please, Second Master, stay calm!" Cheng Lixue begged nervously.

Senti had climbed onto a chair in her rage, and Cheng Lixue, worried she might smash the computer in one swift motion, rushed over to restrain her and soothe her temper.

"Isn't this guy just the worst? How can he say such outrageous things with a straight face?" Xiao Lizi muttered, her delicate brows furrowed in disgust.

The thought of working as a pawn for such a heinous villain in the game filled her with indignation. She even considered reaching out to Su Mu to demand a rewrite of the plot.

[Fuck! Otto, are you serious? Revenge for killing your father is enough reason, right? If I were Welt, I'd dig up all his ancestral graves!]

[Wait, don't you feel there's something hidden in Otto's words? He's hinting at Yang Shuoyou!]

[Oh no, it's true. Otto's origins seem so bizarre here. He's just bullying Durandal because she's lost her memory, isn't he?]

[Honestly, if Siegfried were here, I'd hand him the Heavenly Fire Holy Judgment right now!]

[When will Durandal finally regain her memory and end Otto? I'm losing patience!]

At that moment, the live broadcast room exploded with an unstoppable barrage of comments. Thousands of messages flooded in every second, and almost all of them were criticizing Otto.

Even players who typically had a soft spot for Otto or liked his character couldn't resist chiming in with complaints.

After all, liking Otto as a character didn't mean excusing his actions. What stood out about his latest outrageous remarks was that they could be summed up in one word: provocative.

Meanwhile, in the dormitory of St. Freya Academy, Otto, Theresa, Kallen, and the others gathered together. As they replayed Otto's now-infamous lines in the game, even Otto himself couldn't help but feel exasperated.

He had anticipated some backlash, but the sheer level of hatred exceeded all his expectations.

"This is like dancing in someone else's minefield, isn't it?" he muttered wryly.

"Argh! That old man is so infuriating! I just want to punch him in the face!"

Teresa shouted, unable to contain her anger.

"Uh... honestly, let's take a moment to talk about this. It's hard to believe a human being could even say something so disdainful," Himeko remarked, sounding utterly dumbfounded.

"What kind of logic is that? 'I had no choice but to kill his father'? And then, 'He may have lost his father, but he still has me'? What does that even mean? Is he trying to sound noble while controlling everything?"

"It almost feels like Otto's deliberately trying to paint himself as the bad guy in Durandal's eyes. Has he been planning this all along?"

Kallen's lips twitched as she spoke. Though she wanted to scold Otto herself, she couldn't shake the feeling that he had said those words with a specific purpose in mind.

"Perhaps. After all, Durandal is essentially another version of Kallen—trained by me, no less," Otto remarked with a dry chuckle.

"Even if that's the case, there was no need to say it like that, was there? Especially not in front of Durandal! It's like he's criticizing her to her face. I can't even imagine how awful she'll feel once she regains her memory,"

Theresa muttered under her breath, clearly troubled.

Though Otto was her grandfather, Theresa often found herself wishing she could send him packing—for good.

"She won't. Durandal has grown into a strong and mature warrior,"

Himeko replied, shaking her head. Her gaze lingered on Durandal's in-game avatar with a hint of admiration.

"You can tell from her memory fragments and inner monologues that she doesn't dwell on the past. Even without her childhood memories, she's never lost focus or wavered from her goals.

If anything, once she regains her memories, all the pain from her past will only make her stronger,"

Himeko said confidently.

While Kiana transformed from a naive, carefree girl into a mature and resilient warrior over time, Durandal has always embodied strength and determination right from the start.

Her journeys across the globe have given her a level of insight and experience far surpassing that of most people.

You see, Durandal is the undisputed "Long Aotian" of Honkai Impact 3rd.

"Ugh, whatever. I'll just keep playing and wait for Durandal to take down Grandpa,"

Theresa grumbled as she unpaused the game.

Otto: "….."

The exchange left the entire room thoroughly amused.

Durandal found herself in a space blanketed with snow and ice.

It was here that she encountered more of Siegfried's memory fragments.

This time, the fragments revealed critical moments from his life—ones she hadn't seen before.

As Siegfried's life unfolded in vivid flashes, we saw his youth when he first met Cecilia, the joy they shared as they fell in love, the heartbreak of their final farewell, and his profound grief after losing his biological daughter.

Once again, players of Honkai Impact 3rd were left with an overwhelming sense of sorrow.

Siegfried's life, they agreed, felt like a coffee table stacked precariously with fragile glass cups—each destined to shatter.

And it wasn't just Siegfried. The most prominent men in Honkai Impact 3rd seemed to compete over who had the most tragic backstory.

Welt Yang, Otto, Kevin… each one had suffered in ways that could rival the other.

At this point, the mysterious voice that had been lurking in the shadows finally initiated a direct conversation with Durandal.

It seemed to have discovered something uniquely extraordinary about her. Durandal, in turn, wanted to confront the enigmatic presence face-to-face.

With determination, she began uncovering another set of memory fragments.

This time, the memory fragments revealed Siegfried and his daughter Kiana scheming to infiltrate Schicksal, steal clones, and escape its clutches.

While Durandal grew increasingly puzzled by these memories, players finally found answers to some of their lingering questions—particularly about the events surrounding Siegfried's rescue of K423.

Eventually, Durandal came face-to-face with the entity that introduced itself as the Adjudicator.

It revealed that Otto had intentionally sent her to this space. The Adjudicator's purpose, it explained, was to guide Kevin's descendants in awakening the latent power within their stigmata.

"So, this guy is actually the Will of the Stigmata? After all this buildup, I thought it was someone more mysterious,"

Elysia remarked with a sudden realization.

"Now that he's explaining everything, Durandal should understand, right? This is the Kaslana family's stigma space, and yet she's able to resonate with the memory fragments here,"

Sakura chimed in thoughtfully.

"That's not guaranteed,"

Rita teased, a playful smirk tugging at her lips.

"After all, Lady Durandal can be a bit… oblivious about certain things. Otherwise, she wouldn't have earned the nickname 'stupid goose.'"

"Pfft—Sister Rita, you're always so respectful toward Durandal. Don't you hate her nickname?"

Pardofelis burst into laughter and asked with genuine curiosity.

"Not at all! I think it's rather endearing,"

Rita replied with a wide grin.

"Lady Durandal's just a little… absent-minded sometimes. It's part of her charm, really."

With Durandal nowhere in sight, Rita seized the opportunity to jest freely—she might as well dodge some 'taxes' while she could.

"So Otto's true objective is to have Durandal recover her memories in this stigmata space and awaken the stigmata's power? He must have something else planned afterward,"

Elysia mused, tilting her head as her expression turned oddly suspicious.

"Wait a second… The agreement he made with Honkai Will… Don't tell me he's planning to trick Honkai Will?!"

"Eh? Trick Honkai Will? But isn't Honkai Will supposed to be an all-knowing 'god'? How could Otto possibly deceive something like that?"

Pardofelis exclaimed, her disbelief evident.

"Admittedly, it sounds far-fetched, but considering it's Otto… I wouldn't rule it out entirely,"

Eden said with a serene smile.

"Honestly, it's already astonishing that he managed to strike any sort of agreement with Honkai Will in the first place."

[Fuck, Otto isn't seriously planning to outmaneuver Honkai Will, right? If he pulls that off, I might actually have to respect him.]

[Wow, even Honkai Will can't escape being betrayed by a schemer like Otto, huh? Honestly, I almost feel bad for it now.]

[Remember when we thought the Stigmata Will was some sort of mastermind? Turns out, it's more like the guy handing out equipment, helping Durandal revisit her memories, and guiding her to awaken her power.]

[Don't forget, awakening the stigmata isn't easy. Even someone as strong as Siegfried kept failing… Just thinking about it is heartbreaking.]

[Right? And Stigmata Will never understood why Siegfried kept trying, even though he knew he couldn't pass. Of course, it's because he had a daughter out there! How could he accept being stuck in this place knowing she was waiting for him?]

[Siegfried's a real one! But it's kind of awkward that he gave Kiana's name to K423. When Durandal and Kiana finally recognize each other as sisters, isn't that going to get confusing?]

[Not really. There's actually a tradition in Western cultures of naming the next generation after the deceased. For example, in Honkai lore, Welt Yang passed down the name Joyce to Little Joyce. It's about blessings and hopes for the future. Siegfried just never imagined that his biological daughter wasn't actually dead.]

The live-stream chat was ablaze with discussion. While many expressed their sympathy for Siegfried, they were equally eager for Durandal to finally uncover the truth about her origins.

As players watched with bated breath, the Adjudicator unveiled the final memory fragment to Durandal.

This one was a conversation between Otto and Ragnar.

The Valkyrie troops had discovered Kiana after she fell from thousands of meters in the sky, suffering severe head injuries but miraculously clinging to life.

Otto rescued her, but he had no intention of letting her remain Kiana Kaslana.

Instead, he wanted her to transform into someone better—someone who could serve both Schicksal and the world.

Ragna questioned Otto, expressing her doubts: What would he do if the child eventually

["When that time comes, I will provide her with a purpose—one far greater than any personal vendetta. And once she fulfills it, she will achieve her revenge on me as well."]

["Wouldn't that be a happy ending? Don't you think it's perfect?"]

This was Otto's response to the accusation of orchestrating someone else's life.

It became clear that he had contemplated his eventual fate long ago.