When Otto appeared before the three of them, whether it was Siegfried and Leo Ash who knew the truth, or Yuna who was completely unaware of Otto's true face, they all sensed a feeling of concern in his expression and tone.
But because their understanding of him differed, their feelings were naturally worlds apart.
To Yuna, who still didn't know Otto's true nature, she only thought, 'Ah, the Lord Bishop is truly concerned about Senior.'
But to the unlucky Siegfried, who had already been victimized, and the equally unlucky Leo Ash, who was basically destined to be a future victim, Otto's concerned attitude was clearly off.
However, Leo Ash, now with a plan in mind, felt he had to keep up the act.
But for Siegfried—he had already dedicated what little composure he had left to fighting the Honkai.
Facing the enemy who had killed his beloved wife, Siegfried naturally couldn't contain the rage in his heart. He pointed at Otto and cursed him on the spot.
"You treacherous dog, what scheme are you planning now?!"
"Hey, hey, hey, Siegfried, don't you go framing an innocent man."
Upon seeing Siegfried, Otto already knew the man would curse him without the slightest hesitation.
He didn't mind being cursed by others, but not minding didn't mean he would let Siegfried tarnish his image...
Alright, he himself didn't really need any tarnishing.
But in front of these two sacrifices, Otto still had to put on a bit of a show.
"The one causing trouble recently is World Serpent, and the one who just wrecked England was Cocolia—isn't she one of Welt's subordinates?"
Looking at the furious Siegfried, Otto said persuasively.
"Look at you, a warrior of the Kaslana family who despises evil. Instead of settling scores with Anti-Entropy, you're taking your anger out on an old man like me who is helping with the aftermath in England. Heh, what kind of a situation is this?"
"You son of a—"
Wow, he was so angry.
But what he said wasn't wrong. This incident was indeed Cocolia's fault—damn it, the thought of that woman screwing them over even in death just made him even angrier!
"Alright, I'm done wasting time with you."
Seeing Siegfried so enraged he was speechless, Otto's expression suddenly turned cold as he addressed him.
"I've been dealing with the trouble World Serpent has caused me recently, but that doesn't mean I can't suppress you if you act out of line."
"Go back and tell Welt that I'm in a terrible mood. He shouldn't get on my bad side right now. The Herrscher Core that Joyce left him, and the life he has struggled so hard to preserve—he shouldn't waste them on emotional outbursts."
After saying this, Otto turned to Leo Ash and Yuna.
"Yuna, after a discussion within the organization, your rank has been promoted to A-rank for the time being."
"When you return to the Far East Branch, I hope you will continue to train your powers and strive to become a true [Herrscher of Death] as soon as possible to help your colleagues in the organization."
"Yes!"
"As for you, Leo Ash—return to headquarters for a physical examination."
With that, Otto revealed a troubled expression.
"Although Yuna should have treated you with her power of [Rebirth], her control over her powers isn't very refined yet. So, to prevent any accidents, you must come back one more time."
"We'll talk about the rest when we meet."
After issuing his commands, Otto ignored Siegfried, who was still shouting curses at him, and directly cut off the communication.
Watching his nemesis disappear before his eyes, Siegfried felt his blood pressure must have shot up to at least 260 mmHg.
"Alright, the Bishop has already disconnected."
Looking at Siegfried, who was now radiating killing intent, Leo Ash spoke calmly.
"Mr. Siegfried, while I know you have a long-standing grudge with Lord Bishop, I hope you won't be too impulsive this time."
"After all, World Serpent is causing a lot of problems. Even for the sake of Anti-Entropy, choosing not to stick your head out and instead watching the tigers fight from a mountaintop is a pretty good option."
"...You're right, but—young man, and you, little lady, you really need to be careful of Otto."
Recalling the past with his beloved wife, Siegfried spoke with utmost seriousness to the two juniors.
"Don't think he's a good person just because he shows concern for you. Before he tried to kill me, he also valued my wife and me very highly."
"Even if you say that, but..."
Yuna hadn't met Siegfried many times, but in their brief encounters, she felt that this middle-aged uncle wasn't some deeply scheming villain.
But compared to Siegfried, Otto did seem more like a villain, yet the problem was—in Yuna's eyes, he had never done anything wrong.
Suspecting your own leader because a traitor from the organization, who might be a good person, said a few words... that just seemed incredibly foolish no matter how you looked at it.
"I will be careful. Let's end this topic here."
Seeing Leo Ash indifferently choose to end the conversation, Siegfried couldn't say much more.
With insufficient information and differing perspectives, words were often useless.
The only thing Siegfried could do now was probably go back to his old friends and discuss their next move.
*Sigh, the way Otto looks at young Leo Ash is really not right.*
*If young Leo were just an ordinary subordinate, I wouldn't have to worry too much about his safety.*
*But he happens to be very close to Kiana.*
*And Kiana's identity is so special... Damn it, that bastard Otto, is he trying to awaken Sirin in a different way?*
Instantly thinking of this possibility, Siegfried used the Quantum Teleportation System to fly back to the previous battlefield, picked up the child, and returned to The Ark.
Now that he had realized this, he didn't dare to speak much more with Leo Ash.
Leo Ash's attitude towards him was friendly, but when it came to Otto, Leo completely disbelieved Siegfried's account.
Without sufficient evidence, saying more would not only fail to make him realize the severity of the problem but might even cause Otto to decide that Leo Ash 'knows too much' and deal with him prematurely.
He owed Leo Ash two lives; he definitely couldn't screw over his savior at such a critical moment.
So... *sigh*, there was no other way.
*I don't know what that bastard is plotting, but right now he says he's going to deal with World Serpent...*
*And after he's done with World Serpent?*
*Not just me, but Kiana was also rescued from Nagazora City by Leo Ash.*
*The two of them already knew each other, and with Leo saving Kiana, knowing my daughter, it's a miracle she hasn't already clung to him.*
*Now, if World Serpent is dealt with and Otto is free, then next...*
*My daughter is going to be tormented by that bastard again?*
*How can I tolerate that!*
"Siegfried, you..."
Tesla, who was about to comment on him using Judgment of Shamash Unleashed again, saw the incredibly ugly expression on Siegfried's face and, for once, reined in her explosive temper.
"Everyone..."
Siegfried, having come to his senses, suddenly looked at the child in his arms and said to the others.
"This child was stuffed into the Sky Father mech by Cocolia to serve as a power core. Right now, he's..."
"Give him to me."
Looking at the Pseudo-Herrscher Cores on the child's body, Dr. Einstein's expression didn't change, but everyone familiar with her noticed a barely perceptible tremor in her voice the moment she saw him.
Under everyone's gaze, Dr. Einstein held the peacefully sleeping child and temporarily left their sight.
Watching Dr. Einstein's somewhat desolate figure depart, Siegfried decisively chose not to press the matter further and immediately shared more important intelligence with the group.
"The Sky Father sent by Cocolia has been destroyed by the Schicksal Knight, Leo Ash. And Cocolia... she has been killed by Leo Ash and that girl named Yuna."
"Excellent!"
Upon hearing of Cocolia's death, Tesla clenched her fists, a smile of grim satisfaction on her face.
"That bitch, she should have died long ago!"
"But, although Cocolia is dead, Otto—that bastard is definitely planning something big soon."
Recalling Otto's gaze on Leo Ash, Siegfried immediately spoke to his three friends before him.
"The way he looked at young Leo Ash was very wrong, and young Leo's relationship with Kiana is extremely close right now—well, in some ways, he might have even replaced me."
Ryoma, Welt, and Tesla, all of whom had quicker minds than Siegfried, heard his words, and their expressions changed drastically.
"You mean—he intends to awaken the Herrscher of the Void?!?!"
Thinking back to the battle fourteen years ago, Tesla immediately became frantic.
"That lunatic, after reviving a Herrscher, he still hasn't given up on that terrifying idea?!"
"Siegfried, I know you have a good relationship with that Knight. Do you think there's a chance—"
"Forget it."
Seeing the hope in Tesla's eyes, Siegfried decisively shattered his old friend's fantasy.
"Dr. Tesla, all of us who know the truth know that Otto genuinely wanted to kill me back then."
"But to outsiders, if you tell them Otto fired a Honkai Fission Missile at his two strongest fighters—even if young Leo Ash and I have a good relationship, he wouldn't believe such a thing."
"Besides, although Otto is treating him well now, considering Otto's attitude towards Cecilia and me back then, I think Otto might be constantly on guard against young Leo as well."
"If I reveal too much information, causing young Leo to show an inappropriate expression while 'not wanting to leave Schicksal', Otto might move against him prematurely."
Watching Siegfried's brain work at high speed, Ryoma couldn't help but sigh. Siegfried truly cared for that young man.
*Sigh, normally, Siegfried would never think of these things.*
*Only when he genuinely cares about certain people or matters does he force himself to think so hard.*
"I roughly understand the situation."
Listening to Siegfried's analysis, Welt rubbed his throbbing temples and spoke to the others.
"Now that Cocolia is dead, the radicals must be in disarray."
"Ryoma, you'll be in charge of reining those people in. I believe that with your skills, you can bring our colleagues back under our command peacefully."
"Tesla, go discuss with Ein later and see if we can speed up the repairs on the Moonlight Throne."
"The forces we have on hand right now, thanks to Cocolia's troublemaking, don't include many remaining Titans."
"And if the Herrscher of the Void awakens... even a Herrscher of the Void with only one core is not to be underestimated."
"We were able to beat her once back then because she wasn't proficient with her powers at first. If the Herrscher of the Void awakens now, she will definitely become humanity's most troublesome enemy, not to mention..."
Looking at the conflicted expression on Siegfried's face, Welt added helplessly.
"Siegfried, you wouldn't be able to bring yourself to deliver the killing blow to that child, would you?"
"Ha, you know me best."
Leaning back in his chair, an unconcealable exhaustion appeared on Siegfried's face.
"She is a Herrscher, but she is also my daughter."
"I know it's strange to think this way, but... if possible, I really don't want her to get hurt."
"Yes, but that's obviously impossible."
After stating this with absolute resolve, just as Siegfried's expression turned grim, Welt suddenly added.
"However, if we work hard enough, we can minimize the harm done to her."
"Siegfried, back then, I was severely injured again by that man's sneak attack, so I couldn't get to you in time, which led to that tragedy."
"All these years, you've never blamed me for it, but honestly, I still feel very guilty."
"So this time, my friend, this time, I will do my best to ensure the same tragedy doesn't happen to you."
"While we protect humanity..."
"—we will do everything in our power to protect your daughter."
.
World Serpent Main Base
Inside the main base of World Serpent, Gray Serpent looked at the report of Cocolia's death without a single shred of grief for his fallen ally.
He just found it a pity.
Three days ago, after Otto's people had smashed a good number of World Serpent's bases and assets, life had become even more difficult.
During this time, Gray Serpent had intended to incite Cocolia to continue causing trouble, using her to attract Schicksal's attention and draw some of the heat off himself.
Moreover, as long as Cocolia was alive, she was the leader of Anti-Entropy's radical faction.
As the leader of the radicals, Cocolia's chances of obtaining the coordinates to Abyssal City were still quite high.
But in the end—Cocolia, as if struck by a sudden illness, chose to go after Leo Ash.
Gray Serpent had perfunctorily agreed to send reinforcements.
But in reality, how could he possibly hand over his few remaining forces for Cocolia to waste?
However, Gray Serpent hadn't expected Cocolia to actually die.
"The Quantum Teleportation System interference device developed by that group from Anti-Entropy's conservative faction..."
Guessing the cause of Cocolia's death, Gray Serpent muttered to himself in the empty base.
"What a significant threat."
"Even without Cocolia handing over all the data, they were still able to develop a device to counter the Quantum Teleportation System."
"I have to say, those two short doctors are truly geniuses."
"It's just a pity that, like that Herrscher of Reason, they are far too pedantic. Otherwise..."
*Sigh, Cocolia, why did you have to die?*
*As an ally, aside from providing me with the Herrscher of Reason's DNA, you were utterly useless.*
*However, the current situation may not be without a silver lining.*
*The fact that Cocolia could temporarily suppress Anti-Entropy's conservatives means that group truly has no cunning when it comes to internal strife.*
*Good people are easy to bully, huh? That's great.*
*I'll send a Gray Serpent over to test the waters, say I want to talk with them.*
*Otto is not one to sit still. After destroying our bases, he will definitely continue to cause trouble.*
*And since that group from Anti-Entropy has a long-standing grudge against Otto... I'll use that to my advantage.*
*As for the Stigmata Project, although it is my non-negotiable bottom line, in front of them, I can pretend that 'the organization has been shattered and I can no longer carry out the plan.'*
*If we can reach an agreement, I'll steal as much intelligence as I can. If I detect anything unusual, I'll just blow up the electronic brains so they can't get any information.*
*This is undoubtedly a last resort.*
*But a last resort is better than being helpless.*
*If we can't form an alliance, at most I'll just waste one Gray Serpent's life.*
*If we can... heh, it's a trade with enormous profits. Why not do it?*
*Playing it safe is no longer an option. Since that failed, I might as well become a gambler and bet all my chips on the table.*
*Of course, even if that Anti-Entropy group joins forces with us, they will definitely be wary and on guard against World Serpent.*
*But that's not important. As long as I can find the coordinates to Abyssal City, World Serpent will still have a chance to complete the Stigmata Project.*
*I never wanted things to turn out this way.*
*Otto, Leo Ash...*
*—All of this, you forced my hand!*
*This grudge, I'll remember it!*
*And in the future, if I get the chance, I won't let either of you who ruined our grand plan escape!*
「Let's just wait and see what happens next」