Honkai Diary: Start With Picking Up A White-Haired Treasure

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In the ensuing battle, Siegfried felt utterly frustrated.

It wasn't that he lacked power or speed; truth be told, if it came down to a direct punch, even both clones combined would stand no chance against him.

However, his combat rhythm was completely disrupted.

Siegfried felt less like fighting and more like performing a marionette show. Zeke was the puppeteer, while Siegfried himself was merely the marionette.

He took a step forward, plunging into a barrage of lasers. A deep pit suddenly appeared beneath his feet as he stepped back, causing him to stumble dangerously close to falling before being swept by another wave of laser fire.

Whenever he attempted to charge recklessly at Zeke to end the fight or unleash a powerful wide-area attack, a formidable spear materialized instantaneously, targeting his vital points, forcing him to halt and defend.

This was followed by yet another round of relentless pummeling.

Despite emerging battered and disoriented, Siegfried's confusion remained intact.

To put it simply, the damage inflicted was minimal, but the humiliation was immense.

Time ticked away relentlessly, with Siegfried unable to break through the seemingly impenetrable blockade formed by the two clones.

His stamina dwindled rapidly, and his body signaled increasing pain, indicating its limits were nearing. Siegfried grew increasingly anxious, sensing despair creeping over him unmistakably.

'I guess I'm still as useless as before. After all this time, can't even enter the base?'

'But, I cannot stop here!'

"Shhh! Shhh! Shhh!"

Lasers pierced through Siegfried's body, yet he stood firm, advancing step by step towards "Zeke."

In the distance, the time-defying lance arrived as expected, aimed directly at Siegfried's heart.

Siegfried's expression remained unchanged, and so did his steady pace.

'I'll take a gamble! Betting that in this state, my heart can be repaired before death claims me!'

"Zing!"

Without wasting time to defend, the lance effortlessly penetrated Siegfried's chest, continuing on to embed deeply into the ground behind him.

Despite the gaping hole in his torso, Siegfried swung his Greatsword with force.

"Slash!"

The strike, initially targeted at Zeke's neck, only managed to sever one of his arms.

Zeke's mechanical expression showed no change, allowing blood to spurt freely as he silently retreated. The swarm of black spheres enveloped him like loyal guards protecting their king.

Simultaneously, from afar, "Sin" ceased her attacks as well.

Breathless and coughing up blood, Siegfried leaned heavily on the Cleaver of Shamash, dropping to one knee.

He couldn't understand why Otto hadn't delivered a killing blow outright. Was it to avoid losing the "Zeke" clone, or was there some other scheme at play? Regardless, he had been granted a brief respite.

This momentary respite was invaluable. The hole in Siegfried's chest slowly began to heal, but his life continued slipping away. Any further attack at this point could disrupt the delicate balance and instantly kill him.

"I can't sleep..."

"Must hold on..."

"I'm not...ready to die yet..."

Siegfried wrestled with death itself, facing unimaginable peril, but he couldn't yield—not until he saved Kiana, not until it was time to reunite with Cecilia!

Just then, two petite figures gracefully descended from the sky.

"Well, well, isn't that Siegfried? Famous family head of the Kaslanas and husband of Saintess Cecilia. How did you end up looking so wretched?"

"All power, no honor—a traitor through and through. Trash will always be trash; how unfortunate for Cecilia to have been forced into marriage and childbirth with someone like you. If she were watching from heaven, I bet she'd deeply regret it! Let us correct this mistake in her stead!"

The newcomers were two awe-inspiring young girls—one dressed in white, the other in black—both bearing charming yet menacing smiles.

"Maria Schariac and Angelia Schariac!"

Indeed, Otto had dispatched these formidable Valkyries from House Schariac, also Cecilia's cousins, to tie up loose ends.

Rumor had it that they were once candidates for Holy Maiden of Heaven's Fate, making them far stronger than most Valkyries.

And Siegfried knew this to be true. Though officially classified as A-rank Valkyries, their actual abilities were practically indistinguishable from those of S rank. The only reason they remained at A was due to lacking certain qualities deemed worthy by Otto and not accumulating enough achievements.

Siegfried opened his mouth, momentarily considering defending himself before Cecilia's relatives—Cecilia married me willingly! We're deeply in love, you know! But the blood welling up in his throat stifled his words.

At the same time, he sorrowfully realized these two were yet another pair of opponents against whom he couldn't bring himself to strike ruthlessly.

As Cecilia's cousins, she had privately expressed her affection and concern for them on multiple occasions. Based on that alone, Siegfried dared not attack them fiercely.

With a thud, Maria delivered a swift kick, sending the recovering Siegfried flying.

The relentless onslaught continued as Siegfried, temporarily unable to resist, endured the beating under the Scherniat sisters' combined assault.

Time ticked away slowly.

Suddenly, Maria halted mid-attack, seemingly receiving some command.

"That's enough; let's finish him off," Maria declared as a pristine lance appeared in her hand. Angelia nodded, and her greatsword materialized beside it.

"Farewell, traitor of Schicksal. Apologize to Cecilia in the next world... Oh wait, no, scum like you will end up in hell while Cecilia undoubtedly goes to heaven. You won't even meet again, what a pity!"

Maria sneered maliciously, aiming her long lance at Siegfried's head.

In the following instant, gravity intensified by hundreds, if not thousands, of times. The sudden pressure caused both Scherniat sisters to collapse onto the ground.

Siegfried, whose consciousness was fading, suddenly jolted awake.

"This power is...Welt?" he murmured.

As if on cue, a meteor streaked across the sky, slamming into the earth about a hundred meters away, disintegrating into countless fragments.

Amidst the dust, a figure emerged, brushing debris from their clothes, slowly approaching.

"Welt? How did you?"

"Sigh! I just couldn't bear to watch anymore..."

Welt pulled Siegfried to his feet and injected him with a serum.

"Yikes! What's this stuff?"

"It'll help repair your body, but I'm not sure how effective it will be yet. Hopefully, it aids you... Otto, show yourself. I know you're watching us. Is manipulating hearts and emotions truly that entertaining for you?"

After giving a brief explanation, Welt ignored the Scherniat sisters immobilized under the crushing gravity, raised his head, and addressed the colossal City in the Sky.

Otto responded promptly.

"Not particularly, just passing the time. Besides, without some intrigue, why would you appear, Welt?"

"So all this was just to draw me out?" Welt's expression darkened, anger surging within him.

"What choice did I have? After the Second Honkai War, we lost track of you, but Anti-Entropy maintained the facade that you were still around... It's been quite vexing." Otto's voice echoed from every direction, carrying a slight sigh.

If it was all bluster and Otto took the bait, sending forces to ambush Anti-Entropy only for the First Herrscher to emerge, he'd lose both his chance at victory and valuable troops.

But if there was truth to the threat, Welt's prolonged absence would remain suspicious. Otto didn't want to miss this opportunity to eliminate an unpredictable variable either.

So, he played along with Siegfried's game—both as a way to pass the afternoon tea time and confident that if Welt could still fight and remained alive, he would inevitably show up.

"As you wished, I'm here now. However, I intend to take Siegfried away. Do you have any objections?"

"Don't be in such a hurry to leave! I've prepared a special reception just for you. On this splendid day bathed in sunlight... wouldn't it be fitting to attempt removing the First Herrscher?"

"If you choose war, I assure you, your base will plummet from the skies within moments."

"Oh, is that so?"

As the last word echoed, the massive floating city suddenly vanished without a trace, revealing nothing but clear blue sky above.

"Why would you think I'd know Siegfried was coming, anticipate your arrival, and still leave my base here unchanged? Do I seem that reckless to you?" The voice echoed from all directions, tinged with confusion yet filled with mockery.

Siegfried suddenly lowered his head, letting out a weary sigh.

"So, not allowing me to enter the base wasn't about undermining my confidence but rather concealing the fact that it's no longer here. Does this mean everything I've done so far has been futile?"

"Let's withdraw for now. There will be future opportunities," Welt comforted him. He wasn't overly surprised by the absence of the base; Otto indeed seemed capable of such maneuvers.

The most pressing concern now was that with the base missing, Otto could unleash any lethal move at will. Figuring out how to depart safely became the real challenge.

Welt knew that if he were at full strength, even a dragnet wouldn't deter him, and Otto, recognizing the difficulty, likely wouldn't invest excessive power solely on eliminating him.

However, the problem lay in Welt's current weakened state. Without the Sky Base as leverage, they truly had no choice but to confront Otto head-on.

Valkyrie forces, mechanized units, long-range firepower... The army densely surrounded them, signaling that the true war had likely just begun.

In some distant, unknown location, Otto let out a deep sigh.

"He's indeed still alive; I'm unsure whether to feel relieved or regretful. However, if we can obtain the core of the First Herrscher and combine it with the power of the Void Archives... Hmm, there might be something worth anticipating now."