CHAPTER 462: HERE’S TO A SUCCESSFUL COLLABORATION

In the early hours of the morning, in the corridor outside St. Freya Academy’s emergency operating room, the blinding white light made one feel even drowsier.

But the thought of what was happening inside the OR gradually dispelled the sleepiness. Everyone was caught in this tug-of-war, feeling helpless enough to want to tear at their own hair just to stay awake.

No one made a sound, save for the rhythmic tapping of hard-soled leather shoes on the floor. Each footfall echoed in the hallway like the heavy beat of a classical drum, pounding in everyone’s ears and hearts.

Finally, it was Kiana, who could never hide her thoughts, who broke the silence.

"Auntie, can you please stop pacing? There are seats right here..."

"I... I’m just worried, okay?"

"Alright, Theresa. Your pacing is just making us more anxious," Himeko chimed in with a tone of helpless resignation, landing a perfect follow-up blow.

Theresa sighed softly. She didn’t take the empty spot on the bench Himeko had purposefully left for her, instead leaning her body against the corridor wall.

"You don’t need to worry, Principal. Mr. Michael installed a prosthetic for me before, didn’t he? It shouldn’t be a big deal for him to perform the surgery alone."

Seeing Mei slowly raise her right arm, Theresa swallowed hard. She didn’t tell her that Michael had installed that prosthesis before Mei was even admitted to St. Freya, while Mei was unconscious.

She still didn’t know the truth.

How could Theresa ever fully trust Michael? From the very beginning, he was some "schariac" who appeared out of nowhere. His first meeting with Himeko was also exceptionally coincidental, so much so that it seemed deliberately arranged.

If she could, she really wouldn’t want this dangerous man, who could even chat and laugh with her grandfather, to stay at St. Freya.

Nor would she want him to perform Wendy’s core extraction surgery alone.

But her grandfather Otto, who had promised from the start not to interfere in the academy’s specific affairs, had already broken their initial agreement twice for this man.

But of course, she couldn’t say any of this out loud. Too much of it was based on her own personal speculation. Not to mention, she knew her students—including the class monitor Fu Hua, who was also hiding her identity, and the teacher Himeko—were on good terms with him.

"But... this is just too reckless. At the very least, you need an assistant for surgery, right? He... sigh..."

Though the complaint was a bit ridiculous, still...

WHOOSH—

The door to the operating room suddenly slid open. The light in the hallway seemed to be much brighter than inside, and Michael squinted, unaccustomed to the glare.

"Sorry to keep you all waiting. Wendy’s surgery is complete. Um... she can’t feel her legs right now, so she probably won’t be able to stand up immediately. Could you please take her back to her room? I need to deliver this to the Overseer."

"I understand. You really don’t follow proper surgical protocols, do you?" Theresa said, her eyelids drooping as she shook her head. Her gaze swept over the small case Michael was carrying.

Mei and Kiana didn’t understand any of that. Before Michael could even finish his sentence, they had slipped through the crack in the door. The sound of three girls talking soon filled the operating room.

As for Bronya, she was naturally in another room, looking after Seele.

"Strictly speaking, this wasn’t really surgery. If Herrscher Cores could be removed by physical means, fighting Herrschers would be a lot easier. Not to mention, the way the Gem of Desire existed in Wendy’s body was far more complex than a typical Herrscher Core. It was almost as if it had dissolved into her entire lower body."

His explanation was sound. Theresa knew he had probably used some ability he didn’t want others to see, which was why he had performed this "surgery," which had nothing to do with medicine, all by himself.

"Well then, if there are no other issues, I’ll be leaving."

Michael took off the perfunctory surgical mask, crumpled it into a ball, and stuffed it into his pocket. His gaze passed over Theresa to Himeko, who was leaning back on the bench, ready to catch some sleep now that it was all over. He gave her a nod.

Then, just before leaving, he asked, seemingly casually, "Where’s Fu Hua? Wendy will probably need to stay in the academy’s combat class for observation for a while. Shouldn’t the class monitor come and see her new classmate?"

"They’ve all had a long day. As the principal, I told them all to get some rest. What, you got a problem with that?"

"Of course not."

Michael jokingly raised his arms and glanced sideways into the operating room.

"Well, looks like not everyone went to rest."

Theresa suddenly had the urge to kick the man in front of her. Why did such a normal conversation have to be so full of sarcasm?

Did this guy not want to work for her anymore?!

...

"Yo, the package is here."

Michael walked rather casually into Otto’s personal office.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk. I meant to say this last time you were here. While this battleship of yours is nearly half the size of the Hyperion, the interior is as luxurious as a palace. Tsk, the floor is even plated in gold... Hey, is the toilet gold-plated too? Oh, right, I just remembered, this whole vessel of yours can’t really be called a battleship, can it? It doesn’t even have a single cannon. I say you should change the name. How about the ’Hanging Gardens’? Oh wait, are there even any flowers on this ship?"

Otto didn’t respond immediately. He simply steepled his fingers in front of his lips, watching Michael’s performance with a cool, quiet amusement.

"Forget it. You’re so interesting in front of others, but you drop the act when you’re with me?"

"It is precisely because I am in front of you that I require no disguise."

Otto leaned forward slightly.

Though humans no longer needed to compete with tigers and leopards for prey on the savanna with primitive tools as they did tens of thousands of years ago, some instincts are etched into our genes.

Otto’s posture, for instance, might have been an unconscious movement, but it easily created a sense of pressure. The reason was simple: it was the movement most animals make before they pounce.

To lunge, one must first step back to gather power.

To pounce on prey, one must lower one’s upper body.

Although the two men in the room knew each other better than anyone, they were doing the exact same thing, just expressed in different forms.

They both knew that while it wasn’t far off, the time for them to draw blades had not yet arrived. But every time they met, their bodies reacted instinctively.

After all, Michael thought, in Otto’s eyes, he must be someone who had to be killed.

Finally, Michael dropped the playful expression, and Otto sat up straight, his hands placed palm-up on the desk.

They faced each other in the most direct way possible for another ten seconds. At last, Michael slowly walked to Otto’s desk and placed the briefcase on it.

"I’ve brought what you wanted."

He pressed the clasp, opened the case, flipped it around, and pushed it toward Otto.

Lying quietly inside was a single azure gemstone. It made no sound, but both men present could feel a thrumming from the "inanimate" object, like a heartbeat.

Otto reached out and grasped the Herrscher Core directly. A normal person, even a Valkyrie, wouldn’t dare to touch a Herrscher Core so directly, but with Otto’s Soulium body... it didn’t matter.

He rolled the gem in his palm, then spoke as if in passing, "What a pity. At her peak, Sirin had six gems. Excluding the Cores of Reason and Void, that’s still four. Of those, the Gem of Conquest has already given birth to a new Herrscher, the Gem of Pestilence is in Schicksal’s hands, and now the Gem of Desire has returned. That just leaves the Gem of Serenity, its whereabouts unknown..."

Otto lifted his chin, glancing at Michael out of the corner of his eye.

"I heard that gem was stolen by Cocolia... My, my, Bianca fought Cocolia’s forces in South America just a few days ago. If I had known, I would have ordered her to try and retrieve the Gem of Serenity. Mmm... perhaps she could pick it up on the way back? After all, only with all the gems can Sirin unleash her full power... I just worry the gem is no longer in Cocolia’s possession. Wouldn’t you agree?"

Michael shrugged. He hadn’t originally planned to hand over the Gem of Serenity, but that was based on his initial plan. Now that circumstances had changed, he had to adjust accordingly.

"Here."

A flash of blue light. In a split second, Otto’s left hand balled into a fist, blocking his cheek.

"You could have chosen a gentler method."

Otto grumbled, but that was all.

He lowered his fist, turned it palm-down, and slowly opened his fingers. In his palm, without a doubt, was the Gem of Serenity.

"Hahahaha! Hahahahahahaha!"

Otto clutched his forehead and roared with laughter. To have recovered two Herrscher Cores in just a few minutes, it was hard for him not to be in a good mood.

But this "good mood" bordering on cockiness was just a facade to make his opponent relax. In his heart, only one outcome could be called victory. Every step taken before that was not worthy of celebration.

And so, his laughter ceased abruptly at its peak, replaced by a deliberately lowered, questioning tone, "It seems your plan has changed?"

It was a simple deduction.

Although they both only needed the Authority of Void, having Sirin awaken in her most complete form better suited both their needs. Under these circumstances, Michael had hidden the Gem of Serenity for himself.

It was obvious his original plan required it. Perhaps it was to become a "multi-core" Herrscher like Sirin himself—no, not necessarily.

Some of the data Otto had seen suggested that this First Herrscher also possessed the authorities of other Herrschers, and in a way that seemed far more flexible than simply constructing Divine Keys.

Perhaps it was meant for someone else, or something else entirely. In any case, he had chosen to hide the Gem of Serenity.

Otto had only mentioned it casually, not expecting Michael to hand over the gem so readily.

Other than a change in his opponent’s plan, Otto couldn’t think of a more convincing explanation.

To this, Michael just gave two cold snorts and bluffed without a change in expression, "Ah, I just remembered something. Since a Herrscher like Sirin will unconsciously transfer her consciousness into her Herrscher Core upon death... how can we guarantee that consciousness is stored only in the Core of the Second Herrscher?"

"A few years ago, you ran a little test in Siberia, didn’t you? I saw the report you gave me. Sirin’s consciousness only appeared for a very short time. We can’t rule out the possibility that her personality was fragmented among the other gems. To ensure she awakens completely, it’s necessary to insert all the gems into K423’s body, wouldn’t you say?"

Otto shook his head and chuckled.

He had hoped to use this to learn the details of Michael’s new plan.

After all, over the past two years, Michael had surely picked apart and guessed at his own arrangements, grasping most of them. Yet he himself knew nothing of Michael’s plan beyond a general objective.

This was not how collaborators should be. But his opponent gave him no face at all. It was truly infuriating.

Fine. If his opponent wanted to use such a foolish excuse to brush him off, Otto supposed he should accept it. It was a way for them both to save face. If he pushed too hard...

While it wasn’t yet time to draw blades, that was only because their collaboration had not yet borne fruit.

But if he really pushed too hard, so what if they didn’t cooperate? Otto admitted that his reason for cooperating with this man was purely out of "fear"—fear of his unbeatable power, which could damage his plans with even an accidental move.

But for what reason did Michael choose to cooperate with him? Based on Durandal’s report of his combat prowess, Otto felt it certainly wasn’t for the same reason.

And if cooperation wasn’t born of fear, then it was for profit. Or to put it more bluntly, in Michael’s eyes, he, Otto, probably wasn’t even a collaborator, but a pawn that could benefit his own plans.

Their partnership wasn’t exactly equal. Of course, Otto wasn’t afraid of him either. He had prepared many "gifts" for this man, one of the culprits who had caused Kallen’s death five hundred years ago. It was just that his rational mind told him it was best not to go down that path.

So, he would bow his head for now. It wasn’t the first time. To give her a second life, he would do anything, even abandon his pride time and time again, bowing his head to one of the men who killed her. Besides, his opponent wasn’t in a much better position, was he?

But then again, a normal person wouldn’t see this as bowing one’s head, would they? The lacquered surface of the desk reflected his own silhouette. Otto Apocalypse laughed again, mocking the pride that flowed from his bloodline. But as everyone knows, pride has two sources: one is extreme confidence, and the other... is extreme insecurity.

"Is that so? It had to be you, thinking so carefully. I was about to overlook that. However, giving K423 so many Herrscher Cores at once... if she can’t fully control the Herrscher’s power, her body won’t be able to hold out for long."

Otto erased all his inappropriate emotions and stated this in a flat tone.

"Yes, that’s right. But isn’t that the result we both need?"

The two men looked at each other and smiled, seeing the same indifference and coldness in each other’s eyes.

Michael didn’t linger. He had completed the first step of his agreement with Otto, and even thrown in a generous gift. He seemed to have no intention of dragging things out and turned to leave.

But before he took a step, he turned his head halfway back.

"Ah, that’s right. While we’re at it, let’s bring K423 directly to headquarters."

The moment their eyes met, they once again saw the exact same things in each other’s gazes—

There was tension, and anticipation. There was madness, and determination.

After a long moment, Otto slowly leaned back in his chair, crossed his legs, and, while seemingly inspecting his fingernails, asked in a condescending tone, "Have you thought of a reason?"

"Hmph."

Michael let out a soft grunt but didn’t bother with his opponent’s almost negligible hostility.

"Thought of it long ago. Seele’s condition is complicated, and I’m powerless to help. We need to go to headquarters to find a treatment plan. Also, the Valkyries Kiana Kaslana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya Zaychik performed exceptionally well in the two Honkai eruptions in Arc City and New Zealand."

"Combined with their past performance, they’ve been specially approved to become A-rank Valkyries. However, as per protocol, they need to have their promotion ceremony at headquarters and update their Valkyrie files. How’s that for a reason? Don’t worry, I know K423 well enough. This is a reason she absolutely, absolutely, absolutely cannot refuse."

Otto laughed again, but this time it was a suppressed, low chuckle.

A moment later, with a flash of gold, two glasses of wine appeared in his hands.

"Come, let’s celebrate the perfect success of the first phase of our collaboration. And here’s to the second phase being just as successful."