Inside Singapore. World Serpent temporary base.
Within World Serpent's temporary base, Gray Serpent began to calculate his next move based on the intelligence he acquired from the 'self' that had been killed by Leo Ash.
To be honest, Leo Ash's strength had far exceeded Gray Serpent's expectations.
Although the completion level of these Herrscher clone soldiers was far inferior to the ones Cocolia had previously created, this very fact gave them an advantage the others lacked.
Because their completion level was too low, they had no individual consciousness as separate life forms from the moment they were created.
While such soldiers could no longer be called 'human,' obedient soldiers were exactly what Gray Serpent wanted.
Furthermore, using his own technology, he had implanted small, high-yield bombs and mechanical control devices into their bodies.
After these two things were implanted, these clone soldiers had clearly become even more exceptional.
Under Gray Serpent's control, these soldiers could simultaneously mobilize the small amount of Herrscher power within their bodies, achieving a Honkai Energy resonance that strangely concentrated their power together.
If it were any other individuals, even the closest partners would find it difficult to perform a technique like 'power fusion.'
But in the end, these soldiers were essentially children 'birthed' from the same father.
As twin brothers, the essence of their power was almost identical.
Coupled with the fact that the one controlling them was Gray Serpent, who possessed a cyberbrain for precise calculations, these clone soldiers, though weak individually, could exert an effect far superior to a fully developed Joyce clone when gathered together.
And then, this squad of perfect soldiers, in Gray Serpent's eyes, was instantly annihilated by Leo Ash.
According to Gray Serpent's original plan, he had intended to try and sway Leo Ash with words.
He truly hadn't expected that not only would Leo Ash refuse to listen, but he would also be so decisive in his actions.
After his first probing attack failed, Leo Ash directly condensed Honkai Energy into a spear of light and, with immense power, instantly pierced through the protective shield Gray Serpent had created with his Herrscher soldiers.
Moreover, it was precisely because Leo Ash was so decisive that the shield, after its power was depleted by the first wave of attacks, couldn't replenish its energy in time, leading to his immediate death.
With Gray Serpent, the overall commander, killed, the remaining Herrscher soldiers, even if they were still alive, would descend into chaos without anyone to command them.
From start to finish, the rhetoric and battle plans Gray Serpent had prepared were all turned into empty illusions by Leo Ash's decisive one-two punch.
Furthermore, although Gray Serpent's body was blown apart by the spear of light, the mechanical devices he had implanted in the Herrscher soldiers were connected to their vision.
So, before those soldiers died, he saw Leo Ash's final attack.
After hitting his body, the spear of light transformed into a blade of light, slicing through the bodies of the Herrscher soldiers at maximum speed, successfully killing them all in under a second.
Whether Leo Ash relied on cerebral analysis or pure instinct to carry out the attack, he had indeed killed the enemies before him in the most efficient way possible.
Although there were still a large number of Herrscher soldiers ambushing within Singapore...
—as the unlucky bastard who had faced Leo Ash twice, Gray Serpent was scared.
Leo Ash's rate of improvement was simply too fast.
And the most terrifying thing about him was that his progress wasn't just in strength; his mind clearly hadn't been left behind either.
This person was originally an agent, and the most crucial skill for an agent is adaptability.
But from the moment he stepped onto the battlefield, it was as if he was a fish in water, starting to grow at a rapid pace.
In just fifty days, Leo Ash had transformed from a Stigmata wielder who administered serum to a Herrscher into a Honkai knight with S-rank capabilities.
Admittedly, the Stigmata he absorbed, the Key of Domination he wielded, and his Godsbane Armor provided him with a significant combat boost, but the main reason he was so strong was because of the man himself.
If it were Siegfried, Durandal, or Theresa, all Divine Key wielders, coming alone, Gray Serpent wouldn't be this panicked.
Although the destructive power of those three was far more terrifying than Leo Ash's, their combined intellect and decisiveness probably couldn't match his.
Even though the numerical advantage was still on Gray Serpent's side.
Even though he was a cyborg with a cyberbrain.
The mere thought of Leo Ash currently charging towards Singapore gave Gray Serpent a phantom headache.
"Jackal—can you solve this problem or not!"
Looking at the profusely sweating Jackal, Gray Serpent felt his stress level rise even further.
Jackal, who was usually full of boasts, wasn't boasting now, nor was she bragging. She wasn't even wearing her mask.
On her rather pretty face, Gray Serpent saw endless cold sweat and an expression of utter panic.
"Gray Serpent, I admit, I might have been a little arrogant before."
Faced with Gray Serpent's terrifying pressure, Jackal chose not to be stubborn this time and spoke directly to him.
"But, you expect me, a biological engineer, to quickly crack a problem in the field of quantum mechanics..."
Jackal didn't finish her sentence.
But everything was said in that silence.
Seeing the previously stubborn Jackal now telling him she couldn't handle it, Gray Serpent really wanted to slap her twice, consequences be damned.
But considering the Stigmata Project still needed Jackal, he suppressed his anger.
"But, Gray Serpent, don't lose hope!"
Seeing the silent Gray Serpent, Jackal, knowing she had screwed up, immediately said.
"Although I can't figure out how the Quantum Teleportation System was hacked, even without knowing the principles, I have two ways to solve the problem."
"Speak!"
"Yes!"
At the instant Gray Serpent uttered that word, Jackal spoke at top speed.
"The Quantum Teleportation System went down about an hour ago, which means—Anti-Entropy started messing with us an hour ago."
"Considering you told me that the 'Gray Serpents' in other regions can still use the system, it means only the one here in Singapore is having problems."
"This can only mean that while Anti-Entropy has developed a way to block the Quantum Teleportation System, they need some kind of means to achieve targeted blocking."
"I think, from the simplest perspective—they probably teleported someone over, and had him use a device to temporarily disable our system here."
"...Makes sense."
After hearing Jackal's analysis, Gray Serpent genuinely felt he had been too rash.
He had only thought of such a simple principle after Jackal's reminder.
Moreover, we've already investigated the situation here in Singapore.
Rather than 'Anti-Entropy just sent a random person over,' we're more inclined to believe they sent someone capable of fighting to resolve the chaos.
Raiden Ryoma's combat power is insufficient, and he still needs to clean up Cocolia's messes in the business world.
Welt Yang's physical condition is likely not good, so it can't be him.
Siegfried Kaslana—it can only be him.
This is trouble.
Siegfried may not have a good relationship with Schicksal, but his relationship with Leo Ash is definitely good.
These two are difficult enough to deal with on their own. If they team up...
Leo Ash's adaptability, combined with Siegfried's ability to use Judgment of Shamash Unleashed without dying—that's enough to bankrupt our plan.
"I understand. Let's change our strategy then."
At that moment, Gray Serpent, through his cyberbrain, issued a command to all the Herrscher clone soldiers under his control throughout the city.
"All units, drop what you're doing and await my orders."
"The target is Siegfried Kaslana. We must eliminate this man before he makes contact with Leo Ash!"
...
Leo Ash, sprinting across the plains, felt the Honkai Energy in his Divine Key almost completely depleted and reluctantly came to a stop.
After a period of frantic running, he still hadn't caught up to Yuno.
And now, with the buff Raiden Mei had given him gone, his speed had dropped back to his usual average.
Although the System's alert still hadn't come, which suggested Yuno hadn't yet become the Herrscher of Death, every second counted. No one knew when Yuno would catch up to Dr. Magi and come into contact with the Herrscher Core she shouldn't touch.
I forgot I still have a reward to draw. Might as well use it now.
Having taken out his long-unused motorcycle from his storage space, Leo Ash immediately used the lottery ticket.
But this time, the light he hoped to see did not flash before him.
No purple, gold, or crimson appeared in front of him.
What appeared before Leo Ash was a blue skill book.
[Skill Book - Manipulation (Shin Megami Tensei TRPG Series)]
[Skill Description—A common skill for players in the Shin Megami Tensei TRPG worldview.]
[After using this skill, the user can control nearby items with mana, making them easier to operate.]
[Simply put, if driving a vehicle, it enhances driving skill; if using a weapon, it enhances weapon handling skill.]
[Depending on the intensity of the mana, there will be a certain degree of improvement in the item's performance, such as speed, power, penetration, etc.]
[Note: Please be aware that each item has a limit to the mana it can withstand. Injecting excessive mana can easily lead to the object's disintegration or even a mana explosion.]
[Note 2: Of course, if you want to inject excess mana into a bomb to enhance its explosive power, that's fine too. Please be mindful of your own safety when manipulating objects with this technique.]
Looking at this skill book, Leo Ash, who used it on the spot, was genuinely curious about the System's judgment mechanism.
The System had once said that the items it draws would, to some extent, match the user's own characteristics.
But this... are you sure it matches my characteristics and not my state of mind?
[The System is certain. This is purely a coincidence.]
...Fine, since you put it that way, I won't waste any more time arguing with you.
After using the skill book, Leo Ash directly applied the manipulation skill to the motorcycle in front of him.
As Leo Ash activated his newly acquired skill, he saw strange patterns appearing on the body of the motorcycle.
But right now, Leo Ash had no time to care about such minor details.
The moment he started the bike, he even heard an unsettling roar from the engine.
I feel like I've injected a bit too much 'mana' this time... Holy crap!
The instant the motorcycle began to speed up, Leo Ash saw its speed instantly soar to 300 km/h.
If he hadn't been prepared, he felt he would have been thrown off instantly.
Motherfucker, this skill is awesome.
And the speed is still increasing, holy shit!
"Tsk, Zero Knight: Moonshade, equip!"
To prevent any further harm to his body, Leo Ash, feeling the motorcycle's speed continue to increase, directly put on the Godsbane Armor he hadn't intended to use in this place.
Meanwhile, Gray Serpent, who had just finished commanding the clones from the World Serpent temporary base, received an image from another Gray Serpent.
On the plain, Leo Ash had inexplicably summoned a motorcycle and mounted it.
Then, after starting the bike in the footage, Leo Ash caused its speed to skyrocket.
"Wait, hold on, what the hell is this?????"
Watching Leo Ash shoot off with a 'whoosh,' Gray Serpent was completely stunned.
No, seriously, the speed hit 300 the instant he started the engine, and it's still increasing.
Furthermore, after putting on the Godsbane Armor, Leo Ash even wrapped another layer of Honkai Energy armor around his body.
Otto... damn it, Leo Ash really is the ace he has been grooming all along.
Not only did he prepare Godsbane Armor for him, but he even prepared a combat vehicle.
Otherwise, there's no explanation for how Leo Ash could summon this vehicle out of thin air.
And the armor on Leo Ash now seems to be specialized for defense.
This feature not only ensures Leo Ash's survivability but also allows his body to withstand more terrifying speeds when using the vehicle.
Son of a bitch, the speed has already reached 1150...
1180...
1210...
1224 km/h????
The speed of sound????
No, wait, how is it still increasing!
Hey, your vehicle is starting to fall apart!
No, at this rate, your motorcycle is going to be wrecked.
And speaking of which, after comparing it with the data in the database, the appearance of this motorcycle is very similar to some mundane ones...
Did Otto make it look like this to conceal it?
Why is this man so insidious and cunning, even with such minor details!
I thought that although Leo Ash was trouble, it would at least take him some time to reach Singapore.
But now, if he continues at this speed...
—This kid will definitely be able to reach Singapore and rendezvous with Yuno and Siegfried before we can even catch Siegfried!
At this moment, Gray Serpent admitted that he was even more panicked.
Other Gray Serpents had already sent intel, reporting sightings of the Immortal Blades and other Valkyrie squads nearby.
In other words, besides Theresa, who was injured by her own Divine Grace Field, there were now three Divine Key users in Singapore: Leo Ash, Siegfried, and Durandal.
How...
—How did things turn out this way!
My plan should have been flawless.
Why are Schicksal and Anti-Entropy cooperating so closely in this operation!