As the fluttering golden feathers slowly descended, Otto clearly saw Leo Ash's body become incredibly relaxed in that instant.
Although he didn't fully believe Leo Ash yet, Otto's first impression had now etched the erroneous image even deeper into his mind.
In Otto's eyes, it was only after being hit by Fenghuang Down that Leo Ash completely shed his nervousness and entered this state of utter relaxation.
"Secrets? If I have to say, I had a strange dream about a week ago."
At this moment, although Leo Ash maintained a blank facial expression and vacant eyes, his tone of voice carried a hint of confusion.
"At that time, I met the legendary immortal from our Shenzhou legends, Immortal Red Kite, in my dream."
"The Immortal taught me the divine art that martial artists of legend dream of, the 'Edge of Taixu.' But at the time, the Immortal told me there wasn't enough time, so she only taught me three of the five skandhas of the Edge of Taixu: Heart, Form, and Spirit."
"But it's so strange. It was obviously a dream, so why would there not be enough time..."
Seeing Leo Ash frown slightly, Otto immediately applied a new suggestion.
Leo Ash was clearly much stronger than a month ago. Facing the current Leo Ash, Otto couldn't guarantee that Fenghuang Down would still have its original stable effect.
Fenghuang Down was said to rely on its equipment characteristics for consciousness hypnosis, but in essence, it was still inseparable from the core mechanism of a Divine Key—Honkai Energy intensity.
If he were facing an enemy on the battlefield, Otto certainly wouldn't worry about these issues.
When using Fenghuang Down on the battlefield, Otto only needed to hypnotize the enemy for a single moment to gain an advantage from their brief lapse in concentration.
But this kind of long-term hypnosis was different.
Against a warrior like Leo Ash, with his strong will and high Honkai Energy intensity, the hypnotic effect of Fenghuang Down would clearly weaken over time.
If Leo Ash were to get caught up in a question that troubled him, the hypnotic effect of Fenghuang Down might show a slight crack.
Otto could accept a crack appearing in this hypnosis session, but it was in his best interest for that crack to appear after he had finished extracting information.
"Don't worry about such a small matter. Why don't you tell me what you've been doing this past week after meeting Immortal Red Kite?"
"Could a mere week of hard training have given you the power to effortlessly destroy dozens of Titan mechs?"
"That's obviously impossible. How could I be that powerful."
Upon hearing Otto's question, Leo Ash very naturally gave the answer he had prepared long ago.
"Last time, after my Stigmata acted up, I had an idea. The Honkai Energy intensity of this Stigmata is so high, so what if I could release the Honkai Energy externally to assist me in battle."
"Compared to directly strengthening my body with Honkai Energy, releasing it to attack enemies through other means would significantly reduce the corrosive effect on my body."
"And among the Edge of Taixu techniques the Immortal taught me, the Heart Skandha and Form Skandha are for enabling the body to control more Honkai Energy. So when I saw those Titans that I normally couldn't beat, I thought of something."
"What if I release a large amount of Honkai Energy from my Stigmata, then control it with the Heart and Form Skandhas, and finally strike with the attack method of the Spirit Skandha? Wouldn't that be enough to severely wound the enemy?"
"With that thought, I took a gamble, and I won—that's the truth."
"It looked like I wiped out a group of Titans in an instant, but in reality, if my control over Honkai Energy had been even slightly off, I would have lost control and self-destructed on the spot."
Listening to Leo Ash calmly state these words, even the mentally prepared Otto felt a wave of... lingering fear.
He wanted Leo Ash and K423 to go on a mission together to deepen their bond, yes, but this mission...
If not for Leo Ash's talent and ruthlessness, he would have died right in front of K423.
And if that had happened before their relationship was properly cultivated, it could very well have caused problems for Otto's plan.
As for Leo Ash's self-deprecating words, Otto didn't doubt them in the slightest.
Destroying dozens of Titans in a single blow was something even an S-rank like Rita couldn't do with her Pantheon-class weapon.
A fighter as strong as Rita would have had to dismantle those Titans one by one.
Although there was an element of gambling, just looking at Leo Ash's performance against the Titans, his destructive power had undoubtedly surpassed that of an ordinary S-rank.
To have reached this level of strength after only a week of learning the Edge of Taixu.
Ha, at this rate, his strength might just get closer and closer to Bianka's.
For me—this is fantastic news.
After learning how rapidly Leo Ash's strength was growing, Otto was genuinely happy from the bottom of his heart.
His plan required a 'K423 who is alive, has overcome the Herrscher Personality, and has mastered the Herrscher's powers'.
And at such a time, the stronger Leo Ash and his team were, the better.
Only with sufficient combat power could these 'sacrifices' better help him complete his plan.
One had to understand that when they fought each other, if their strengths were too similar, even if these 'sacrifices' had a chance of defeating the Herrscher of the Void, they might not be able to stop their killing blows at the critical moment, leading to K423's death in the Eruption Otto was about to trigger in the future.
Only if their strength surpassed the Herrscher of the Void's by more than a small margin could this group end the battle before the Herrscher of the Void could escape with her powers.
Otto still had some patience, but he certainly didn't want K423 to die, forcing him to spend ages on another test subject to resurrect the Herrscher of the Void again.
From this perspective, Leo Ash's progress in strength was very much in line with Otto's interests.
And now that he had gotten his answers from Leo Ash, Otto didn't need to question him further.
He was also familiar with the Edge of Taixu. Knowing Leo Ash's approximate level of mastery, everything Leo Ash had done afterward made sense.
With the cooperation of the Herrscher of Thunder and the Key of Domination, given Leo Ash's current mastery of the Edge of Taixu, it was plausible that he could borrow the Herrscher of Thunder's power to crush Chiyou's core.
"Alright, then listen to my advice, Leo Ash."
Otto smiled and patted Leo Ash's shoulder, giving him one last suggestion.
"Live a good life. And remember not to be so reckless in the future."
Haha, Otto is telling me to live a good life...
Leo Ash, still wearing the Title: Cold, Handsome Man, felt like he was about to lose his composure.
You're going to cause such a huge incident in the future, forcing everyone to duel the Herrscher of the Void, and you're saying this to me now...
Although he was absolutely speaking from the heart, I wouldn't be moved like an idiot because of something like this.
For now, I can only continue to act as a pawn.
But in the future, the day I flip over your chessboard...
—Heh, I really look forward to the expression on your face that day.
......
That night. Himeko's home.
After a busy day, Fu Hua, having returned to her dormitory, immediately sent a communication request to Otto through her glasses' communicator.
"Haha, my old friend, you're always in such a hurry."
Upon seeing that punchable face, Fu Hua didn't respond to Otto's words but instead suppressed her inner rage and began to question him.
"Otto, is there nothing you want to say to me?"
"...Ha, old friend, seeing you like this, you must be truly angry this time."
Facing the incredibly furious Fu Hua, Otto also dropped the exaggerated expression from his face, replacing it with a serious one.
"You and I have known each other for many years. You know I'm not a good person, but my plan needs you, so naturally, I would not offend you."
"Ha, who knows."
Fu Hua pushed up her glasses and said to Otto with extreme coldness.
"The people Kiana cares about, the crisis on the scene, the possibility of Siegfried appearing in Jiuyou, the fact that Jiuyou is filled with Honkai Energy—with all these conditions gathered together, you're not going to tell me that assembling these prerequisites for your plan was a coincidence, are you?"
Despite telling herself not to show her anger, Fu Hua could feel that her tone was now laced with an emotion that shouldn't be there.
"...Ha, no wonder."
Listening to Fu Hua's analysis, Otto sighed helplessly.
"Indeed, although it was actually a coincidence, under these conditions, the fact that I could then proceed with my plan is irrefutable."
"But old friend, I can understand that your trust in me is very low. But I hope you believe me when I say that I truly had no intention of causing trouble in Jiuyou this time."
"With Theresa's personality, she could rush into Jiuyou at any moment if she knew something was wrong. No matter how much of a monster I am, I would never push Theresa into a pit of fire."
Listening to Otto's explanation, although Fu Hua was still burning with rage, she couldn't voice any more reprimands or questions.
The reason was simple—the reason Otto gave her was completely convincing.
Otto was a monster, that was true.
But his concern for Theresa was also absolutely genuine.
Fu Hua didn't consider herself clever, but she could confirm this one point.
After being deflected by Otto, Fu Hua could only unhappily change the subject.
"Then what about Shincheng Pharmaceutical? Don't tell me you never realized there was a problem with this company."
"Ha, well, thank you for thinking so highly of me, Immortal Red Kite."
Hearing Fu Hua's words, Otto knew that her anger had already subsided considerably.
"But I hope you understand one thing. I, Otto, am indeed clever, but being clever doesn't mean I know everything about everything."
Having organized his thoughts, Otto spoke to Fu Hua with a helpless tone.
"Shincheng Pharmaceutical is definitely hiding some things, I know that. But over the past ten years, the most my corporate spies could get were their clinical trial reports for new drugs and some data."
"As for a consultant possessing a Divine Key, I think unless the other party is an idiot, they definitely wouldn't be broadcasting that information throughout the company."
She was furious.
But Fu Hua was helpless.
She was a person who reasoned, and the answers Otto gave were consistent with her cognition and logic.
When she confirmed that reason was on the other side, no matter how angry Fu Hua was, she couldn't be unreasonable.
After all, from the current perspective, Otto's concern for Theresa and his failed probing of Shincheng Pharmaceutical were all quite reasonable.
Even if Fu Hua were to lash out at Otto now, she would only be venting her emotions and wouldn't solve any problems.
"Alright, I know you care deeply for Shenzhou, so this time I've already dispatched professional personnel and Valkyries to Shincheng Pharmaceutical's Shenzhou branch immediately."
Seeing that the dissatisfaction on Fu Hua's face was gradually being suppressed by her, Otto asked her with a smile.
"How about it? Are you satisfied with this arrangement?"
"...Then one last question."
Fu Hua took a deep breath and asked Otto quietly.
"What do you plan to do with Leo Ash?"
Oh, that question?
Fu Hua lashing out at Otto was within his expectations.
After all, even if she had lost her memories, she still cared deeply for Shenzhou. This time, Shenzhou was almost destroyed. If Fu Hua wasn't angry, she wouldn't be the Immortal Red Kite Otto knew.
But at this moment, Otto truly hadn't expected Fu Hua to ask him this question.
"Old friend, your question is very strange."
Facing Otto's irritating demeanor, Fu Hua's expression remained calm.
"Stop playing dumb. This mission was clearly led and completed by Theresa. Why are you pushing all the credit onto Leo Ash?"
Only, in Otto's eyes, a calm Fu Hua was clearly someone he needed to take more seriously than an angry Fu Hua.
"Leo Ash is a genius of my Apocalypse family, and Theresa doesn't need the merits—the future Archbishop will be her, and can only be her, anyway."
"And now, Leo Ash already possesses sufficient strength. I naturally want to give him a hand, to provide a little help for his promotion. I believe that in the future, this little fellow will become Theresa's capable assistant."
After stating these reasons, Otto said to Fu Hua with utmost sincerity.
"These are all my true feelings."
"I know I have no credibility in your eyes, but this time..."
"—Immortal Red Kite, I am not lying."
Hearing Otto's words, Fu Hua hung up the communication without another word.
Then, she collapsed onto her bed, burying her head in her pillow.
I wanted Leo Ash to have more trump cards to survive, so I taught him the Edge of Taixu.
But not only did it make him more aggressive on the battlefield, it also made Otto 'value' him more.
What I wanted was clearly not this result...
—When did things start going so wrong?
At this moment, the incredibly frustrated Fu Hua dug her nails into her palm with such force that they pierced her skin.
Feeling the sharp pain from her palm, Fu Hua suddenly felt like a complete failure.
She had lost so many memories, and now all that remained was the obsession to protect Shenzhou.
But Fu Hua, having lost much of her power, could only rely on her contract with Otto to 'protect' Shenzhou.
And now, the junior she wanted to help was, because of her actions, drawn even closer to the path of self-destruction.
Because of her actions, Otto had also taken notice of Leo Ash, treating him as a mature and convenient tool.
From the past to the present, the so-called 'Immortal Red Kite' was nothing but a joke.
I, who couldn't protect anything...
So incompetent that I have to rely on Otto...
—What have I protected at all?
Shenzhou was almost destroyed just now. If it weren't for Leo Ash, could I have defeated Chiyou even if I had used Moon Wheel and my full power?
I, who have an empty title but am so useless...
—Haven't I failed to protect anything!