Although his companions were shocked by the power Leo Ash was unleashing, he himself didn't give much thought to defeating the enemy before him.
If anything, the moment he killed these clones, he experienced a sensation he had never felt before when taking another's life.
This wasn't the first time Leo Ash had taken a life, but in the past, he had merely grown accustomed to the feeling.
This time, however, with the rampant violence in his heart having no other outlet, killing these mindless lifeforms actually gave Leo Ash a trace of...
Pleasure?
Realizing this, Leo Ash looked at his own trembling hands and was instantly jolted back to his senses.
Did I really just feel that after killing someone?
...Ha, perhaps I've just been too tired lately.
Has the 'balance' in my heart started to tip slightly due to excessive fatigue and the acceleration of the Honkai?
[Hoh, you figured it out in just two or three seconds. The System thought it might have to give you a little reminder about this.]
It seems my earlier guess wasn't wrong.
Although the [Sphere - The Wavering Scales] has immense potential, this piece of equipment, much like the Void Demon Stone Fragment, shares a certain characteristic.
Great power is inevitably accompanied by risk.
Overusing the Void Demon Stone Fragment's Phantasmagoria ability will cause me to disappear from the world entirely.
And now that The Wavering Scales has been implanted in my body, it naturally comes with its own risks.
Because of my inner agitation and unease, I've actually started to develop a tendency for 'killing for pleasure.'
In this constant state of fluctuation, if I were to lose my normal judgment, the problem would become immense.
But then again, this enemy was pathetically weak.
It might be strange for me to say this, but—do you really think these guys are worth an Intermediate Lottery Ticket?
[Ahem, the System never said you got the lottery ticket because of them, did it?]
Just as the System said this, Leo Ash suddenly heard a series of beeps.
In that instant, the four of them, sensing that something was wrong... no, even Stan, leaped backward to dodge the sudden attack.
The Joyce clones that had been killed in front of them suddenly exploded like bombs.
As a shower of fragments rained down from the sky, the clone Herrscher soldiers Leo Ash had just killed were completely obliterated from this world, leaving not even a corpse behind.
Seeing this, Leo Ash immediately turned to look at the three girls behind him.
Of the three, Bronya, having experienced the most, was only slightly stunned and didn't show a particularly horrified expression.
However, Mei and Kiana, who were in a sense witnessing 'death' for the first time, turned pale and covered their mouths, the scene being too overwhelming.
Even though they had prepared themselves before stepping onto the battlefield, they never imagined they would have to witness such a horrifying sight.
Seeing their current state, Leo Ash breathed a sigh of relief.
He had been worried that excessive stimulation would cause Sirin to awaken prematurely in Kiana.
But now, it seemed Kiana was much stronger than he had imagined.
Ha, I can rest easy for now.
Meanwhile, Bronya, having regained her composure, fought back her nausea and walked toward the fragments.
Among them, she unsurprisingly found pieces of broken mechanical devices.
"These things..."
Observing the shattered machinery, Bronya suddenly recalled what Leo Ash had told her before.
[The chip your mother implanted in your brain actually has a backdoor to control your body's actions.]
Why were these mindless clones able to condense their power in such a perfectly synchronized manner to form a powerful protective shield?
The moment Bronya saw the broken devices and connected them to Leo Ash's words, she had her answer.
From birth, these clones had been stripped of their self-awareness and implanted with mechanical devices and bombs to control their actions.
And this person named Gray Serpent was a cyborg with a cyberbrain.
By connecting his cyberbrain to these devices, he could naturally make these clone Herrscher soldiers his 'limbs,' allowing him to unleash their collective power.
And the bombs inside their bodies, besides destroying their corpses after defeat to prevent enemies from studying them, could also be used for a cheap shot against opponents who had just let down their guard.
After reaching this conclusion, an uncontrollable fear and sorrow welled up in Bronya's heart.
From the moment they were born, these soldiers were used as tools. Even in death, they couldn't even keep their bodies intact. This was enough to make Bronya, a fellow soldier, feel a sense of sorrow.
And the fear came from Bronya remembering certain things.
In the past, Bronya had always believed that Cocolia had given her precious warmth by allowing her to abandon her identity as a Russian soldier.
But now, seeing Cocolia's collaborator use such methods on soldiers, no matter how much Bronya wanted to remain rational, she couldn't suppress the questions bubbling up in her mind.
Although Mother Cocolia gave Bronya warmth, was what Bronya did under her command really any different from the past?
Bronya went from being an uncared-for soldier to a cared-for... soldier.
And the matter Brother Leo mentioned, if it was true, didn't that mean...
Mother Cocolia had never fully trusted Bronya?
But now, no matter how upset Bronya felt, she had no time to dwell on it.
She had already made a grave mistake in the past, and now...
Sins could not be atoned for, but at the very least, she wanted to do more good deeds as a Valkyrie to ease her conscience.
"Brother Leo, these devices are, as expected, what was used to control their bodies."
Picking up a broken device, Bronya turned and said to Leo Ash.
"The one Brother Leo attacked first just now probably only lost one body."
"If I'm not mistaken, his other bodies elsewhere should already know what happened here through his cyberbrain."
"Ah, that's just like you."
Listening to Bronya's analysis, Leo Ash thought for a moment and then said to the three of them.
"I'll go on ahead. Bronya, you stay here and analyze the intel—don't worry, I brought you out here specifically for this kind of work, not to help with the fighting."
"What about us?"
Kiana, still pale, endured the lingering nausea and, for once, spoke to Leo Ash in a firm tone.
"Senior, I now have the Godsbane Armor that Lord Bishop Otto made for me. I won't hold you back anymore!"
"Yeah, I believe you—but the thing is, I'm not moving ahead because of combat power."
As Leo Ash spoke, he mobilized the power within him, and through his will, the Grips of Taixu in his hands began to change.
The unique Grips of Taixu he held were originally formed by combining Ji Lin's Xuanyuan Sword with his Star Ring Vortex.
In the fallen Previous Era, the ability of the Tenth Herrscher, the [Herrscher of Domination], was to use a portion of the powers of the first nine Herrschers.
Therefore, by absorbing Honkai Energy, the Key of Domination could convert it into various powers corresponding to the first nine Herrschers.
Under certain conditions, it could even continue to absorb other Herrscher abilities or, relying on its excellent morphing capabilities, transform into various forms of weaponry.
The Grips of Taixu Leo Ash currently held not only possessed the abilities of the Key of Domination but had also bizarrely fused with part of the Star Ring Vortex's structure, retaining its small-scale Honkai Energy reactor.
After Leo Ash used the Key of Domination's ability to transform it from gauntlets into combat boots, he immediately said to Mei beside him.
"My Key of Domination can absorb Herrscher power to operate."
"Mei, in a moment, direct the power of the Herrscher of Thunder at my Key of Domination—don't give me that 'you're still as extreme as ever' look. Trust me, it's fine."
"With just a portion of the Herrscher of Thunder's Honkai Energy, I can use the residual Honkai Energy reactor on the Star Ring Vortex to further stimulate the Key of Domination's power, achieving rapid battlefield arrival through continuous electromagnetic acceleration."
"You really are planning to leave us behind, aren't you!"
Listening to Leo Ash's explanation, Kiana felt her blood pressure skyrocket.
"It's always like this—"
"Calm down, let me finish—Mei, ignore her, just hit me with it."
Leo Ash, who had been organizing his thoughts, wore a helpless expression and said to Kiana.
"I don't have time to explain the details. In short, I have to stop Yuno first."
"But things have reached this point. The enemy has already sent troops. Yuno will be ambushed over there, and you'll be ambushed here too."
"Although these guys aren't as strong as that stupid blue-haired shorty from before, if their numbers increase, Yuno will be in danger."
"And after I bring Yuno back, there will definitely be pursuers on our tail—you'll have to deal with the enemy while preparing to provide support for me. Also..."
Seeing Kiana stunned into silence by his barrage of words, Leo Ash, while using Precision Control to regulate the Honkai Energy Mei was blasting into his Key of Domination, pulled out his Schicksal internal communicator.
When he tried to contact headquarters, he was met with a busy signal, just as he expected.
"See? Whether it's Cocolia or World Serpent, they both have a few tricks up their sleeves when it comes to electronic warfare. We've lost contact with HQ and the Far East Branch, so we're on our own now."
"I'm sure Bronya can solve this problem, but she needs time—she's our tactical comms tower right now. You don't bring your support personnel charging to the front lines to rescue people."
After saying this, Leo Ash stomped heavily on the ground. Using the Honkai Energy reactor to complete an electromagnetic acceleration, he vanished from sight.
"In short, protect Bronya, re-establish contact with HQ and the branch, report the situation, and deal with any pursuers that follow."
"You have plenty to do, so don't just stand there thinking I'm abandoning you to go it alone!"
"Get to work! All of you, get to work!"
Mike, who had caught up to them, stared at Leo Ash's departing figure and asked blankly.
"Ah, I'd heard he was like this, but..."
"—Ladies, has Leo always been this decisive?"
"I feel like his speaking speed just shot up to double time."
"Well..."
Mei, watching him leave, gave a wry smile.
"He's actually much better now. At least he tells us what to do before rushing off alone."
"Back then, he would've definitely tried to solve everything by himself."
Wow, that intense.
Listening to Mei's explanation, Mike nodded as if he'd figured something out.
That kind of Shenzhou machismo... heh, no wonder all the young girls around him are so devoted to him.
There are even people back at HQ who wanted me to ask Leo out... Well, it's perfectly normal for a man like that to be popular.
He's decisive when facing enemies, yet he can promptly reassure his comrades and lay out subsequent battle plans.
He charges into danger alone but still considers his comrades' feelings.
A guy like this deserves to have a harem.
And in terms of background, he's practically a non-blood relative to Branch Commander Theresa and Lord Bishop Otto.
Tsk tsk, if he doesn't die, he'll probably make it to Schicksal's second-in-command without any problem.
And he's handsome too... Damn it, how does he have so many high-scoring traits?
Although he had this thought half-jokingly, Mike genuinely felt that Leo Ash deserved it all.
He's skilled, has high emotional intelligence, and is responsible. The higher a person like that climbs, the better it is for grassroots members like them.
Sigh, but then again.
People like him are like a flash of light. Dazzling, yes, but they can also vanish in an instant.
I heard he single-handedly turned the tide back in Nagazora City.
He risked his life in Jiuyou to stop Chiyou's rampage.
When someone ambushed the Far East Branch last time, he quickly suppressed the enemy.
And this time, he's charging ahead again.
Someone who rushes in so fast also encounters more danger.
If he's not careful...
—the day he rushes in too fast and dies on the battlefield, all these young girls and Branch Commander Theresa will probably go insane.
.....