When Siegfried awoke from his unconsciousness, the first thing he saw was the defeated Sky Father on the ground.
"What... what on earth happened?"
Clutching his head, Siegfried stood up from the ground and scanned his surroundings, finally waking up completely.
This Schicksal-funded hospital was built in the suburbs, so when Cocolia sent her Titans to attack, there were relatively few innocent people around.
Under these circumstances, although the Sky Father and the Titan mech squadron had startled the civilians in the area, they hadn't caused any major casualties.
However, when Siegfried took out his terminal and checked the time, he found that since he had been teleported here, only... three minutes had passed???
Wait, this big hunk of metal took a blast from my Judgment of Shamash, but that shot went wide, and it still only lasted three minutes...
Oh, right, I forgot Cocolia sent the mechs to capture that young man, Leo Ash.
With Leo Ash around, that explains everything.
Leo Ash's current record includes a suspected solo defeat of the Fourth Herrscher. Even if he's injured, dismantling a large Titan really isn't a difficult task for him.
And besides...
Siegfried ran over to the wreckage of the Sky Father. Looking at the large hole in its exterior and the ravaged interior, he couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath.
Siegfried wasn't the sharpest tool in the shed, but when it came to combat, his mind was much stronger than the average person's.
The strength of a Honkai Energy warrior, aside from secondary factors like combat skills and experience, primarily depends on the intensity and application of their Honkai Energy.
As a veteran Honkai Energy warrior, Siegfried could of course tell that the robot before him had been taken down in a single blow.
Using a powerful attack to pierce the robot's outer armor at a single point, then causing the power to erupt a second time inside...
If this move were used on a person... Hiss, what a terrifying technique.
Thinking back to his encounter with Leo Ash in Nagazora City two months ago, Siegfried felt that Leo Ash was a terrifying person in every sense of the word.
At first, Siegfried just thought he had some strange techniques. And considering that even though he was a member of Schicksal, he didn't seem like a bad person, so he didn't go all out, not even using much Honkai Energy.
But looking at it now... thank goodness I didn't get on his bad side back then.
Just a few hours after parting with Siegfried, Leo Ash had displayed incredibly terrifying power.
He parried the Herrscher of Thunder's attacks with a special technique, defeated her in a single blow, and then completely suppressed the Herrscher with the rumored, incredibly powerful HSN serum.
In Siegfried's eyes, that battle was one where a supremely confident young talent, having calculated everything, systematically resolved the situation.
And the second time they met was inside Jiuyou.
This time, when the combined attack of Siegfried and Theresa failed to kill Chiyou, Leo Ash directly fused with the power of the Herrscher of Thunder and shattered Chiyou's heart with a single punch.
The third time they met was on the outskirts of Singapore.
Although Leo Ash didn't see Siegfried this time, Siegfried saw an exhausted Leo Ash collapse into the arms of what was presumably... well, he was convinced Bianka was his daughter.
Lately, the more Siegfried looked at Bianka's photos, the more he felt she was his kid.
Anyway, Leo Ash, who collapsed into Bianka's arms, later became the hero who resolved the Fourth Eruption.
And this time, the giant robot that appeared before Siegfried was actually quite strong, otherwise Siegfried wouldn't have had to use Judgment of Shamash Unleashed right from the start.
But this time, for some reason, his heart softened, and he couldn't make Judgment of Shamash Unleashed successfully take down the enemy.
And this enemy that he had considered a threat was one-shotted by Leo Ash.
Wow, that's really scary.
If back then I had... oh, back then I was actually quite rude to Leo Ash.
The first time we met, I shot up his motorcycle with the Judgment of Shamash...
Thinking about it, the fact that he saved me several times later without holding a grudge is really decent of him.
If he were the type to hold a grudge, then I'd be... one hundred percent dead by now.
The more he thought about it, the more Siegfried felt a lingering fear.
Before, he had even had the thought, 'If this kid dares to wrong my daughter, I'll definitely teach him a lesson.'
Looking at it now, who would be teaching whom... there's no question about that.
My Judgment of Shamash Unleashed requires some time to gather energy. For an ordinary opponent, this opening isn't very large.
But for a monster like Leo Ash with his fast reaction speed, I probably wouldn't even have a chance to put my twin guns together.
And he's saved me twice, from the Herrscher of Thunder and this giant robot...
Sigh, the debt of gratitude is getting bigger and bigger, I'm not sure how I'll ever repay it.
After settling the pitiful child clone beside him, Siegfried felt his head begin to ache.
He didn't understand economics, but looking at his old friend Ryoma's haggard face, he knew very well—Anti-Entropy was short on cash right now.
And with Anti-Entropy being broke, Cocolia had just wrecked this suburban area in England.
Although thanks to Leo Ash's efforts, Cocolia's foolish actions didn't result in any casualties, but still...
—Someone has to pay for this, you stupid woman!
How can you be so efficient when it comes to holding everyone back!
Right now, because of Cocolia's previous foolish actions, the radical faction had already been forced into hiding like rats scurrying across the street.
So the compensation for the damage in England this time...
Otto definitely wouldn't care.
And you really couldn't blame him for this incident.
The final result would be that the destruction caused by Cocolia would turn into a bill that would make Ryoma's eyes turn red...
Thinking of this serious consequence, Siegfried's killing intent towards Cocolia instantly surged by at least fifty percent.
Then, after rushing to an area with residual Honkai Energy, Siegfried suddenly saw...
—Leo Ash and a blood-covered girl simultaneously popping a bottle of champagne and spraying it into the sky.
"Good riddance—time to pop the champagne!"
Beside them, Cocolia, who had already been stabbed dozens of times, looked for all the world like a dead dog.
Looking at Cocolia's miserable state, Siegfried just felt...
"Good riddance, pop the champagne!"
He didn't mourn Cocolia's death for even a moment—because in Siegfried's eyes, that bitch should have died long ago.
"Ah, Mr. Siegfried."
Hearing the voice from nearby, Leo Ash spoke to the relaxed-looking Siegfried.
"You woke up fast."
"Heh, I don't have any other strengths, I'm just hard to kill."
Looking at Leo Ash before him and Cocolia lying in a pool of blood, Siegfried felt a sense of complete relief.
"This woman... is finally dead."
"Yes, she's finally dead. It's just a little strange..."
After the initial ecstasy, Yuna took out a second handkerchief to dry the champagne from her face, a look of confusion on her face.
"I remember this woman possessed a technology that could teleport objects and people to other areas at any time."
"With such technology, why didn't she use it when I was hunting her down?"
"Oh, the reason is simple."
Taking out a jamming device from his pocket, Siegfried looked at Cocolia on the ground with a cold smile.
"We've been developing a jamming device specifically for the Quantum Teleportation System for a while now, and I brought the latest model with me when I came over."
"Within this device's jamming range, the Quantum Teleportation System prevents the user from teleporting to other areas, and it also prevents them from teleporting reinforcements from other areas."
After turning off the jamming device, Siegfried continued speaking to the two.
"Of course, if someone else has a Quantum Teleportation System, they could one-way teleport reinforcements from an area not covered by this device, but it's a pity that..."
"—This woman probably had no one she could trust, which is why she didn't give access to the Quantum Teleportation System to anyone else."
After hearing Siegfried's explanation, although Yuna understood how Cocolia had died, new questions arose in her mind.
"That being said—Mr. Siegfried Kaslana, why are you telling us this information?"
"We are, after all, from Schicksal..."
"I have a problem with Otto, not Schicksal."
After saying this quite frankly, Siegfried pointed at Leo Ash beside Yuna.
"I have plenty of old friends in Schicksal, and besides—Leo has already saved me twice. It wouldn't be right for me to still be wary of him."
Wow, although there's nothing wrong with that reasoning, how should I put it...
He's truly Kiana's father. In this respect, they're cut from the same cloth.
"Sigh, if Mr. Siegfried really considers me his savior, then please listen to a piece of my advice."
Recalling the battle from a few minutes ago, Leo Ash said with great helplessness.
"If possible, could you please reduce the number of times you use Judgment of Shamash Unleashed?"
"It's only been two months since the Third Eruption, yet Teacher Wraith told me that you used it again over in Singapore."
"Using Judgment of Shamash Unleashed four times in two months... an ordinary Kaslana would die after using it just once. Even if you're hard to kill, you can't be this reckless."
"Oh, you have the nerve to talk about me?"
Seeing the fleeting helplessness on Leo Ash's face, Siegfried retorted irritably.
"So young yet you fight so desperately. I can see it now, every time you go out, you're fighting in the big leagues."
"Including that robot that was on par with a Judgment-class, in the few missions you've been on, you've taken care of two Herrschers and two Judgment-class enemies—fighting so desperately, if you kick the bucket one day, my..."
Siegfried, who was about to say 'my daughter will go berserk because of you,' managed to hit the brakes just in time.
About four years ago, the other personality inside Kiana's body, due to its excessive hatred for Siegfried, seized control of her body.
In the end, Siegfried, who fought her, was unwilling to kill his own daughter and lost an arm to her.
After that, to avoid overstimulating Kiana, he distanced himself from his beloved second daughter.
But now...
Kiana has new friends, and the relationship between her and Leo Ash is clearly more than just that of ordinary friends.
This wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but the problem was—Leo Ash himself was not only an avenger but also rushed into battle way too quickly.
Honestly, back when he was still working for Schicksal, although Siegfried never slacked off, he had to admit he was never as proactive in eliminating enemies as Leo Ash was.
If a person like this has a smooth journey, they will indeed become a god of war who annihilates all enemies.
But you can't walk by the river without getting your shoes wet. The more you fight, the more experience and skill you gain, but the probability of screwing up also increases.
Whether considering his personal feelings or his daughter's mental state, Siegfried hoped that the young man before him could calm down just a little bit.
"So, I really don't want to have to emphasize this to everyone I meet."
Looking at the hesitant Siegfried, Leo Ash spoke his true feelings with a sense of helplessness for the nth time.
"I, Leo Ash, am really afraid of death."
"You people, you all think I don't care about my life when I fight. Do I have to write this phrase in my personal file in the future and wear a hat with the words 'afraid of death' on it when I go out?"
In the instant Leo Ash said this, Yuna and Siegfried exchanged a look and immediately reached a consensus.
Ah, here he goes again.
This person is starting to treat everyone like idiots again.
It's really not that we're worrying for no reason—just look at what you do right after saying something like that!
[Sigh, I feel like you don't even need to act anymore. Even if you don't use Cold, Handsome Man, they'll be like Otto and start wildly speculating the moment they see you.]
That may be so, but... sigh, it's still a bit annoying.
And now that you've popped up, I have a question for you.
Looking at the other Advanced Lottery Ticket that appeared in the system prompt, Leo Ash confirmed that the expert he thought would appear was actually the combination of the child clone and the Sky Father.
Honestly, the strength of this combination couldn't be called low, but its weakness was just too obvious.
Because the kid controlling the machine was in a poor state himself, the machine's internal structure could be directly destroyed by an energy explosion. That's why Leo Ash was able to target the weakness and one-shot a relatively strong enemy.
To be honest, although he, as a beneficiary, shouldn't think this way, he really felt that—this time, the enemy didn't deserve to be ranked 'Advanced.'
[...I really don't know if you're underestimating the enemy or overestimating yourself.]
Ah, was it really that dangerous?
[First, let's talk about the judgment criteria.]
[You drew some items and skills before and after the Fourth Eruption, and then spent some time in the illusion to train your combat skills and skill proficiency.]
[Because of this, the System judged that your strength has been enhanced to a certain extent.]
Yeah, nothing wrong with that.
To put it bluntly, in these last two encounters, Yuna had Dr. Magi's HSN serum on her side, and for the Sky Father, Siegfried had already depleted some of its power for me.
But this judgment still feels...
[You still don't get it.]
[The real threat wasn't the enemy. The reason this System has been telling you to adjust your mentality is because of this.]
[Impaired judgment might not seem like a terrible price to pay, but in reality, a creature that has lost its judgment will have problems not just with judging good and evil, but even with its basic biological instincts.]
[A creature with imbalanced judgment can't distinguish the consequences of its actions. If you get this Debuff on the battlefield, forget about clone soldiers and the Sky Father, even a single elite soldier with a pistol could potentially kill you.]
...Is it really that scary???
[Yes, it really is that scary. After your judgment becomes imbalanced, you might even lose the ability to judge how to walk.]
[In that case, saying an elite soldier could take you down is no exaggeration.]
Damn, looking at it that way, 'Advanced' is actually a low rating, isn't it.
[Hehehe, go ahead and guess.]
At that moment, Leo Ash profoundly felt the malice of the world.
He usually liked to joke about risks, but every time he reviewed the powerful items he drew, he could feel just how 'terrifying' these powerful items were.
Some disappear after too much use, some cause you to lose your judgment if used improperly, and some will likely kill you if you use them in combination...
Oh, and his basic skill set included Honkai Energy, which was a classic example of something that causes more problems the more you use it.
He had a feeling that if he drew a prize now, he would just get another life-burning item.
With this thought, Leo Ash opened an Advanced Lottery Ticket on a whim.
And as a flash of purple light mixed with a hint of gold passed by, Leo Ash saw a glyph floating before his eyes.
As this glyph, radiating a blood-red mana, appeared before him, Leo Ash simultaneously received its information.
[Special Item — Glyph - Dominus.Odio (Castlevania Series)]
[Item Description — A glyph fragment housing a certain powerful being. By using mana, you can allow this powerful being to temporarily descend upon you to enhance your own strength.]
Behind this glyph, just like the previous two glyphs Leo Ash had obtained, there were three additional notes.
But what was different from the previous two glyphs was that this one had an extra, very simple note.
[Note 4: The certain powerful being is the lord of Castlevania, Dracula. Using this glyph for too long will corrupt your body and mind. Be careful.]
Yes, what an unsurprising item.
System, I'm really grateful for all the great gifts you've given me, but the problem is...
—Damn it, how is every cheat you give me more dangerous than the last!
[Hey, how is this the System's fault? Why don't you reflect on what's wrong with you?]
How is this my fault?
[Isn't that obvious? This System has said it before, the things you draw will, in a sense, match the person drawing them.]
[You were an orphan in the past, so deep in your heart, you've always had thoughts like 'I can't rely on others' and 'you only get rewards if you pay the price.']
[Having these thoughts isn't necessarily a problem, but when these thoughts become obsessions, even engraved deep in your soul, your every move will unconsciously align with them.]
[That's why you still chose to be a tryhard even when you knew Kiana could solve the problem in the future.]
[And because of that, the powerful cheats you draw have such a high probability of being these life-for-power artifacts—you have yourself to blame for having such an obsession.]
[This is the path you chose for yourself, and it has absolutely nothing to do with this System.]
So, so that's how it is?
[What else? This System only gets entertainment if you're alive. You think this System wants to give you these items?]
[Take it easy, bro. Forget about the others, even this System is scared looking at you.]
[The more you struggle, the more the Honkai sees you as a threat. The higher your threat level in its eyes, the greater the danger you'll have to face.]
But if I don't struggle, as someone who's already a thorn in the Honkai's side, it will definitely seize any opportunity to kill me.
I feel like the root cause of this isn't me.
It's all the Honkai's fault—if it didn't exist, my life would be so much better right now!
"Um, Leo..."
Seeing Leo Ash suddenly space out, Siegfried waved a hand in front of his face and then asked with a tense expression.
"Have you... been hearing any strange voices lately?"
"...I'm fine, just a little tired."
Feeling the incredibly nervous gazes of Siegfried and Yuna on him, Leo Ash immediately retorted irritably.
"You two, stop looking at me with those 'is he going to be turned into a Herrscher by the Honkai' eyes."
"My will is firm, I'm nowhere near despair, I'm even an enemy of the Honkai, and I've resolved two major Honkai events."
"Under these circumstances, as long as the Honkai's thought process is even slightly normal, it wouldn't choose someone like me, who is completely impossible to bring under its command, to become a Herrscher."
"Besides, I've already been tested at HQ. My fusion rate with a Herrscher Core is actually dead low. Forget the Honkai giving me a core, even the artificial implantation route has little hope."
Of course, there's one condition—without using the Implant skill, I'm indeed not a compatible host.
Even if the Honkai is really bored enough to want to turn me into a Herrscher, I'll just activate the Implant skill, do a second-stage implant to weaken the burden of the Herrscher Core...
With the self-hypnosis trick of Phantasmagoria, the probability of me forcibly stabilizing my mind should be very high, right?
Lately, I've been getting more and more paranoid, thinking of everything in the worst possible way.
Even though everyone is now forced to be a tryhard with me.
Even though Su is already preparing to come out and help me.
Even though in a little while, once Su finds a chance to heal the other big shots, I can get ready to take a break.
Why now...
—is my heart filled with such unease?
The moment this thought appeared in his mind, an information screen suddenly popped up from Leo Ash's communicator.
On this screen, a certain man whom Leo Ash least wanted to see was currently sizing him up and asking a question.
"Leo Ash, how are you feeling right now?"
Although there was a hint of concern in Otto's tone, and Leo Ash even knew that the man was genuinely worried about his life...
Yet, upon seeing this scoundrel, Leo Ash instantly understood where his bad premonition was coming from.
Ah, Cocolia's death is a good thing.
But in the end, her capacity for destruction in this world was only so-so.
No matter how bright the future may be...
—As long as that scoundrel Otto is alive, I will probably never be at ease.
...