At this moment, Edison's side also held two Divine Keys: the Ninth Divine Key, Star of Eden, wielded by Einstein, and Vill-V's Second Divine Key, the Cosmic Juggernaut.
For the sake of caution, Otto had raised the stakes beyond Black Abyss White Flower—bringing out a Divine Key as well was only natural.
Moreover, while ordinary Divine Keys truly could not restrain Vill-V's Second Divine Key, the Cosmic Juggernaut, the Tenth Divine Key—the Oath of Judah—just so happened to counter it perfectly.
Within the Honkai energy nullification barrier of the Oath of Judah, even the Cosmic Juggernaut would be unable to exert its authority over space.
And it was not only the Cosmic Juggernaut. Einstein's Star of Eden would likewise become nothing more than an ordinary glass orb before the Oath of Judah.
That also meant that if war truly broke out, it would be two S-rank Valkyries plus one Divine Key against a group that possessed no usable Divine Key and outdated weaponry.
Facing the ill-intentioned Valkyrie, Edison made a hand signal. The laboratory's employees quietly unfastened their belts and placed their hands over their holsters.
Everyone present had been loyal confidants of Edison since the days of the General Mechanics & Electronics Consortium, GME. They were fully aware that Schicksal was about to become their enemy.
Reanna, meanwhile, subtly shifted to stand between the two sides, prepared at any moment to prevent a clash.
She knew very clearly—if a battle started here... no one would be Katrina's opponent.
The monstrous strength of the Kaslana family, combined with the Oath of Judah and the power of a Valkyrie Battlesuit—unless Reanna personally intervened, Edison's side...
Not a single one of them would survive even one exchange against Katrina.
But if battle truly erupted, Reanna would of course stand on Katrina's side. Edison's side had no chance of victory.
The ending had already been decided before the fight even began. Just as in the past, Archbishop Otto always held the situation firmly in his grasp. The only thing she could do was minimize the casualties on Edison's side as much as possible.
Katrina Kaslana, the wielder of the Oath of Judah, let her gaze pass over Edison and linger on Joachim for a moment. After confirming he was unharmed, she explained, "I did not come with hostility. Joachim is our token of sincerity."
Not long ago, this Valkyrie had received a direct order from the Archbishop of Schicksal to bring Joachim here.
However, the moment Joachim had stepped through the restaurant's doors, he had vanished without a trace—even the launcher of Judah had failed to detect anything.
She had now experienced the strangeness of the Second Divine Key firsthand. Still, she was not worried. No Valkyrie would shrink back merely because an enemy's ability was strange.
"You say you bear no hostility?" Edison raised a brow, exposing Otto's ploy. "You bring one of our people here and call it sincerity? Isn't this just a display of force—a warning that Schicksal can monitor the movements and even the lives of our loved ones at any time?"
Otto's carrot-and-stick approach—bringing Joachim... perhaps with a one-in-ten-thousand chance it could be considered his so-called sincerity. But two S-rank Valkyries and two Divine Keys—one of which countered the Cosmic Juggernaut—was a naked demonstration of Schicksal's military power.
Katrina paid no heed to Edison's hostility. She did not see any issue with it. "We found Joachim at the Norfolk Naval Base. That place has already been reduced to ruins. If you doubt it, you may inquire about the situation there."
Edison frowned. Was that a threat?
The Norfolk Naval Base reduced to ruins? What exactly had happened there? Had Schicksal discovered their plan to relocate the 'potential hostages' and intervened?
In truth, there was no need to ask the people at the base. The Finn looked toward his son. As the person involved, Joachim should know.
Joachim had already sensed the gravity in the air and stopped playing his game earlier, so he heard Katrina's words clearly. When his father looked at him, he timidly nodded.
Receiving confirmation, Elias turned his head away and did not press young Joachim further.
Joachim is still young. He probably cannot explain clearly what happened, Elias thought.
In reality, Joachim was far more mature than Elias imagined. After all, he frequently visited the laboratories of the two scientist sisters. Naturally, he was far sharper than other children his age—even Welt could not out-argue him.
The reason Joachim did not speak of what he had experienced was because Sister Reanna's colleague—Sister Katrina—was a good person.
Although she had indeed intended to take him as a hostage under orders, Joachim understood her difficulties. Adults always had things they could not help.
When he suddenly appeared before his father, he had assumed everything was over. Since that was the case, there was no need for him to say anything more and tarnish Sister Katrina's name.
So when Joachim returned, he said nothing at all, as though nothing had happened.
Katrina did not concern herself with what Joachim was thinking. Bringing him here had already fulfilled the Archbishop's task. From this point on, they would go their separate ways. There would be no more daring rides on Judah together.
Compared to how Edison's side would handle Joachim, the Archbishop's other task for her was far more important.
Katrina withdrew her thoughts and addressed Vill-V. "Miss Vill-V, Archbishop Otto of Schicksal wishes to speak with you."
"Oh?" Vill-V's eyes lit up. "And what does he have to say?"
In truth, Vill-V had long been lying in wait through a strategy of retreat to advance, waiting for Otto to extend the invitation.
The Current Era, as the human civilization destined to defeat the Honkai in the future, held far too many things worth studying.
For example, the Herrscher Cores of this era, after undergoing Elysia's modifications, could allow a Herrscher to reclaim human consciousness and stance.
Or the Honkai research of this era. Though not as deep as that of the Previous Era, the Current Era possessed Stigmata. Their research into Stigmata had even surpassed that of the Previous Era, after all. They had abundant samples for reference, whereas the Previous Era had remained largely theoretical.
Records of the Previous Era preserved in this era. The Divine Keys of this era... and so on.
Even though Vill-V possessed knowledge of the future, she was not omniscient. Having truly arrived in this world, she still had to rediscover everything step by step.
If she could obtain the assistance of the Archbishop of Schicksal, all of this would naturally be within easy reach.
But she would not.
Otto did not need partners, nor would he value you more simply because you knew more—unless you knew how to resurrect Kallen.
Vill-V was not Prometheus pretending to be the Will of Honkai. She did not possess that level of grandeur.
More importantly, cooperating with Otto required both intellect and strength. Otherwise, he would fixate on your weakness and exploit it without hesitation. Betraying allies was something Otto never hesitated over.
When facing the Honkai, he would act submissive. When facing allies, he would strike with a heavy fist.
Vill-V could not defeat Otto. She could not defeat Fu Hua. She could not even defeat Reanna before her, nor the Oath of Judah.
Vill-V was merely a scientist. Expecting her to fight head-on—did they truly believe that a baby holding a gun could defeat a special forces soldier with bare hands? And besides, Reanna and the Oath of Judah had not come unarmed.
Perhaps one day Vill-V would study martial arts and become a warrior.
But that was not today.