67: Chapter 61 Branching Plot

The training ground was so quiet that you could hear the metal debris still sizzling and smoking.

Everyone's eyes converged on the blonde-haired, blue-eyed man at the highest point of the spectator stands.

Otto Apocalypse.

He sat there, one hand resting on the armrest, the other casually hanging by the side of his leg, as if admiring a painting.

Those emerald-green eyes slowly swept across everyone in the arena, finally landing on Kaiwen.

Pausing for a moment.

Then he tilted his head slightly, as if recalling something interesting, and curved his lips into a faint smile.

"The trainees cultivated by the Far East branch are far more outstanding than I imagined."

His voice wasn't loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the echo of the training ground.

"Especially this trainee named Kaiwen."

When he spoke this name, it was as if he were reciting a poem.

"Such an outstanding talent, it is truly a pity to stay at the Far East Branch. Starting from today, she will be transferred to the core laboratory of Schicksal Headquarters, and I will personally arrange the subsequent cultivation plan."

He finished speaking.

His tone was calm, his smile gentle, and there was even a hint of an elder's appreciation for a junior.

But this was not a discussion, nor was it a proposal.

This was an order.

The order of the supreme Lord Bishop of Schicksal.

Under the system of Schicksal, no one had the qualification to question this order.

After Otto finished speaking, he didn't wait for anyone to respond.

He stood up, tidied the collar of his coat, and turned to walk toward the exit of the spectator stands.

Amber followed silently behind him, her long white hair swaying slightly under the light, and her mask concealed all her expressions.

The backs of the two people disappeared into the shadows of the exit.

The training ground fell silent once again.

Kaiwen stood in place, saying nothing and doing nothing.

But deep inside her mind, Kallen's emotions had exploded.

'By what right?!'

Kallen's voice carried repressed anger.

'Five hundred years, five hundred years, he still has this face! He takes whatever he wants, takes away whoever he wants, and never asks if others are willing! It has always been like this!'

Kaiwen said softly in her heart: "Calm down."

'I can't calm down!'

Kallen's voice was trembling. That was not only anger, but also complete disappointment in a person.

'He has never changed. Never.'

Kaiwen didn't speak again.

The first to erupt was Theresa.

"Grandpa!!"

Her voice was so sharp that it echoed twice under the dome of the training ground.

She stared fixedly at the exit where Otto had disappeared, her fists clenched white.

"By what right do you arbitrarily decide the stay or departure of my trainee?! This is Saint Freya! Not your Schicksal Headquarters!"

Dropping these words, she rushed out without stopping, catching up to that corridor.

Himeko reached out to pull her back, but failed to catch her.

Only silence remained in the training ground.

"No one can even think of taking her away."

Kiana stood by Kaiwen's side, her voice very soft, so soft that only Kaiwen could hear it.

Bronya walked quietly to the front of Kaiwen, facing the direction where Otto had left.

Nagi stood on the outermost edge, the smile still hanging on her face.

She lowered her head and spoke softly in a tone full of hesitation and care.

"Um... Did Lord Bishop see something special about classmate Kaiwen before doing this? Maybe there really is something about classmate Kaiwen... that caught the attention of the Headquarters?"

She spoke very carefully, her tone sounding like an ordinary classmate worried about a friend.

Kiana's gaze instantly turned sharp, as if she had realized something.

Otto indeed didn't come for no reason.

There was a reason he targeted Kaiwen.

Nagi breathed a silent sigh of relief in her heart.

The information had been conveyed.

What to do next was no longer something she could control.

Himeko stepped forward, looked around at everyone, and said in a steady voice: "Let's go back first. This is not a place to talk."

...

The Valkyrie apartment.

The moment the door closed, the atmosphere in the room was so oppressive that people couldn't breathe.

Kiana leaned against the wall, arms crossed over her chest, saying not a word.

Bronya sat on the sofa, her terminal placed on her knees, the screen still bright but she wasn't looking at it.

Himeko stood by the window, holding a cup of untouched water in her hand.

Kaiwen sat by the dining table, her gaze sweeping over Mei's empty chair.

"Mei hasn't returned yet."

No one answered.

The room was quiet for a long time.

Finally, Kiana broke the silence.

"I want to take Kaiwen away."

"He wants to take Kaiwen away, I won't agree, and not a single person present agrees. If he insists on forcing it, then we'll leave. Leave the Far East, leave Schicksal, anywhere is fine."

Himeko turned her head to look at her: "Do you know what you are saying?"

"I know."

Kiana's blue eyes looked straight at Himeko, her gaze filled with unshakeable firmness.

"I won't let anyone take her away from me."

Himeko fell silent.

She glanced at Kaiwen.

Kaiwen just sat there, as if the person being discussed wasn't her.

"What about you?" Himeko asked her, "What do you think yourself?"

Kaiwen thought for a moment.

"Let's see the result from Theresa's side first."

As soon as the words fell, the front door of the apartment was knocked on.

Three knocks. Unhurried and slow.

Everyone turned their heads toward the door at the same time.

Himeko walked over and pulled open the door.

Standing outside the door was a brown-haired woman, wearing the Schicksal uniform, holding a document stamped with the Lord Bishop's seal of Schicksal in her hands.

Rita.

She bowed slightly, revealing a flawless, elegant smile.

"Good evening, everyone. Pardon the intrusion."

Her gaze crossed over Himeko and landed on Kaiwen inside the room.

"I am here to convey the official transfer order from the Lord Bishop."