When Rin was released from the Stigmata Space, her first feeling was, of course, elation.
Although the current Rin had not yet given up the trace of resentment in her heart, who would enjoy being locked in a lightless cage?
Putting future matters aside, being able to stroll around outside was far better than being tied up with turtle-shell-like bindings in the Stigmata Space every day.
But soon, Miss Rin, who had just returned to this world, sensed that something was not quite right.
This was Leo Ash's room, correct?
Oh, the Leo Ash lying on the bed has opened his eyes. This is indeed his room.
So why are there two little girls standing in his room...
At that moment, the way Rin looked at Leo Ash instantly changed.
Previously, Rin's impression of Leo Ash, besides being the 'bad guy who ruined her plan', was limited to what she knew from the illusion.
In the illusion, Leo Ash had no romantic entanglements with any woman.
Even after being slapped with the 'hero who sealed a Herrscher' label by Leo Ash, she, who could move about the base with a certain degree of freedom, had asked others in the illusion about him.
The result of her inquiries was that Leo Ash was always as busy as a spinning top, and she never saw him have any intimate contact with any beauty.
Although this was something that people wouldn't normally see, these pieces of information still led Rin to believe that Leo Ash was the type of person who'd say, 'Women, stay away from me, I need to kill the Honkai.'
But now...
Oh, I remember seeing these two little girls.
Aren't they the Herrscher of Thunder and the other white-haired brat who were near him when I ambushed him last time?
Oh, so that's how it is.
As if she understood something, the way Rin looked at Leo Ash had now taken on a hint of contempt.
[Upon discovering that this Herrscher girl you've suppressed dares to look at you with such eyes, you've decided—as expected, you need to find an opportunity to properly let her know who's the boss of this house!]
*Oh, what reassuring nonsense.*
Having just questioned Kiana and Mei, Leo Ash, upon hearing the System's nonsense, very calmly asked it.
*So, what are you going to blabber about today?*
[Hehe, let's observe the situation first.]
[You can notice that the expressions on Kiana's and Mei's faces are stiff, clearly unprepared for how to lie their way out of this.]
[But as a master of picking up girls, how could you expose the young ladies' predicament and make things difficult for them?]
[Right now, you decide to—]
*Forget deciding. I'm going back to sleep.*
[Hey, wait a minute.]
[You just let Higyokumaru out, and you dare to sleep? Host, you've changed.]
[Has the ever-cautious Leo Ash died?!]
*Originally, I wasn't planning to sleep peacefully.*
*But seeing you ramble on so much, I think I can relax a bit.*
*You've shown up without giving a reward, which means at least we're not entering a combat phase, so what do I have to fear?*
[...Tsk.]
While the System was at a loss for words, Mei and Kiana exchanged a very awkward glance and immediately understood each other's meaning.
*Mei, don't say anything yet. Watch me bullshit my way through this!* *Okay, Kiana, I'll leave it to you!* Nodding at the same time, the two of them turned completely to face Leo Ash.
But even now, Leo Ash could still see that their bodies were incredibly stiff, a clear sign that they were about to lie but weren't ready for it.
"Senior, it's like this—forget it, I'll just cut to the chase."
Kiana, knowing full well her mind couldn't out-spin Leo Ash's, chose to skip the long-winded explanation to avoid slipping up, directly throwing out the excuse she had just painstakingly come up with.
"Let's go to the beach—anyway, everyone will have some time off soon!"
"Cocolia is dead, Yuna is fine, so no matter how hard we push ourselves, we should take a good rest—especially you, Senior!"
Listening to Kiana's explanation, Mei could only think... it felt very forced.
[Heh, forced? Do you really not get it?]
[This white-haired girl usually seems like an idiot, but now... Hmph, I underestimated her.]
*Ah, is there something more to such a forced change of topic?*
[You're too close to the situation to see clearly. It seems you really don't understand.]
[Originally, there was no way to explain why you and she appeared here.]
[But now, by directly shifting the topic to 'let's all go to the beach for a party', she's gone full-force, aggressively demanding that Leo Ash relax. This is tantamount to implying that Kiana cares a lot about him.]
*Ah, would Kiana... think that way?*
[Heh, think what you want, but as I've said before, love is war.]
[Even if she doesn't consciously have such thoughts, her instincts are driving her to use this method to increase Leo Ash's affection for her.]
[That's why I said I underestimated her. The intuition of the Kaslana clan is indeed terrifying.]
*No, I don't think this has anything to do with the Kaslana clan's intuition...*
*Can't Kiana just be purely worried about Leo Ash?*
[Whether it's related to her bloodline or not is quite irrelevant. The key is...]
[Hmph, forget it. You wouldn't listen to what I say anyway, and you even conveniently pinned the blame on me.]
[Figure it out yourself!]
After the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly vanished in a huff, Mei subconsciously said to Leo Ash.
"Kiana is right. Actually, I had the same idea—that's why we both came to find you at the same time to talk about this."
*Ah, you two... this topic change is so forced.*
*But whatever, forced is forced. It's better than all of us standing here staring at each other awkwardly.*
"About this matter... I think we should talk about it tomorrow morning."
Letting out an exhausted yawn, Leo Ash said softly to the two of them.
"Don't make me out to be some kind of tryhard who works overtime every day. I came back this time intending to relax properly too."
"Let's find a time for everyone to discuss this. We'll decide after that."
Every...
...one?
After Leo Ash said this, although Kiana and Mei smiled and said their goodbyes before leaving the room together, now...
*—Oh no, it seems Senior really didn't notice some things.*
*But he actually wants everyone to go together?*
Kiana, now back in her room, felt that the situation was a bit strange.
She had originally come to Leo Ash's room in the middle of the night because she was worried about an enemy attack.
But now... okay, wanting to ask Leo Ash to the beach was also one of her original ideas.
But now, what was supposed to be a private date between the two of them has turned into a beach party for everyone...
Kiana didn't dislike everyone in the dorm.
But why did I have to say something like that at this particular moment!
Mei was also there, so me saying that just means 'let's all go to the beach for a party'!
Ahhhhhhh, I'm so mad—and I'm the one who said it!
Kiana, rolling around on her bed, felt that she couldn't sleep.
Why, why did things turn out this way (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻.
......
Meanwhile, Mei, having returned to her dorm room, was also a bit out of it.
*We think Leo Ash is an important person to us, but in his eyes...*
*Everyone is probably about the same.*
*Um, can you hear me?*
[I can't hear you!]
[I'm so mad, I haven't even settled the score with you for selling me out!]
[Coward, you've gotten bold, huh? No guts to kiss a man, but you're quicker than anyone to betray a comrade.]
*Um, well... you didn't take that step either, did you?*
[...]
*I'm not blaming you. It just shows that, in essence, we are the same.*
*You also felt that doing so was wrong, which is why you hit the brakes at the last moment.*
[No, thinking back on it now, I purely felt—I don't even like him, so why should I be the one to do something like that.]
Mei, who was beginning to understand the Herrscher of Thunder's temperament, smiled helplessly and continued to say to her.
*Yes, right, I believe that's what you were thinking.*
*But, you're still on my side, right?*
[Not anymore!]
*What do you think... I should do next?*
[Go buy a bolder swimsuit—wait, why am I giving you ideas.]
[Figure it out yourself!]
Noticing that the Herrscher of Thunder had gone offline again, Mei could only sigh in her heart.
*Actually, her nature isn't that bad, is it?*
[Screw you! I am the demon who destroys all, the apostle bestowed with His power—sooner or later, I will beat Leo Ash until he kneels on the ground and let him know that I am much stronger than him!]
*Alright, alright, I know.*
*Aigh, she seems so irritable, but those words... who would believe them?*
*However, her suggestion isn't without merit.*
*Perhaps... I should go pick out some nice swimsuits tomorrow?*
.....
Back in his room, after seeing the two of them off, Leo Ash felt that something was not quite right.
Putting other things aside, normally, when the System sees a situation like this, it should be hyping things up like crazy.
*So, what big move are you planning now?*
*Don't tell me you can't speak because an enemy is about to kill me.*
[Oh, no, nothing like that. This System was just chatting with its senior.]
*And?*
[And well, this System feels that it wouldn't be good to cause a ruckus at a time like this.]
*Wow, is that senior of yours so virtuous that they could correct your twisted hobbies?*
[Setting aside the fact that this System's heckling hardly counts as an unhealthy hobby, the reason this System isn't making a fuss is mainly...]
[Survive, Host.]
*...Why did the topic suddenly get so weird?*
[Mainly because, this System was just chatting with its senior, and it told me that the host it's currently training just ran into some big trouble.]
*Oh, and then?*
[The host it's training just went to the beach, and then...]
[Three powerful enemies suddenly appeared at the beach.]
*...Hiss, how could it be so terrifying?*
*Is its host using a Kaixa Gear?*
[Not that bad. Its host managed to resolve the crisis without any real danger. But, after reading the message from my senior, this System took a look at your situation...]
[A beach plus a group of Herrscher Hosts, all of whom like you. Oh boy, you're doomed.]
[That host was able to resolve the crisis without any real danger, but if the enemies he faced appeared before you, I'd have to give you two ten-pulls right now.]
*Two, two of them???*
[Well, the powerful enemies over there are three Herrscher-level masters... Hmm, their average level is around Herrscher-class.]
[Two ten-pulls are your reward before you win. If you win, of course, there will be two more.]
If Leo Ash were playing a game, he would definitely be happy to hear the System was giving out rewards.
But now, since Leo Ash wasn't playing a game but was being forced to risk his life, this news was not good at all.
He now understood that the System's usual nonsense and hype were just for fun.
If it really wanted to mess with someone's mind, speaking in a worried tone about these inexplicable things was actually the most terrifying.
*It's that dangerous—then give me the rewards now!*
[No way. This is just this System's prediction. I never said there would actually be three Herrscher-level masters ambushing you at the beach.]
[It's possible that in the end, the life-threatening danger you face won't be of that kind, so the rewards will be pushed back a bit.]
*Don't be like that. Leaving your words half-finished is even scarier, you know.*
*What do you mean, 'other kinds of life-threatening danger'? Besides powerful enemies, what other life-threatening danger could I possibly have?*
[The scales are unbalanced... Oh, that's not it.]
[Hoh, this piece of information is quite interesting.]
*You know that riddle-makers get strung up and beaten, right?*
[First, this System is not a person.]
[Second, you can't beat this System.]
[Finally, if you want to know, this System will just tell you.]
*...You're being this cooperative?*
[Of course. It's more interesting to say it out loud.]
*This feeling you're giving off, like 'he's about to have his last meal, so I'll give him a good one,' is making me feel more and more uneasy.*
[Host, please prepare yourself mentally.]
[After all...]
[If nothing unexpected happens, you might have to start raising a child.]
*What????*
[Aigh, what a pity, what a pity.]
[A pity there's only one Leo Ash.]
*No, wait a minute, explain all of this clearly.*
Finding that the System had just gone silent like that, Leo Ash felt the situation was becoming more and more unsettling.
The bullshit the System was spouting was extremely information-dense, but many things were left half-said, which was worse than not saying them at all.
*Wow, I thought I could relax a bit this month.*
*But on the very first day, I get so much stimulating information...*
*Logically speaking, with Su joining Schicksal and keeping Otto in check, I should be able to relax a bit.*
*But now it seems, the way things are going...*
*—How is it not quite matching what I imagined?*
...
The next day. Schicksal Headquarters.
Inside Schicksal HQ, Otto, who had just left the library of Void Archives, felt truly infuriated.
Well, normally, he shouldn't be this angry.
In the five hundred years since he gained control of Void Archives, it had always used 'library search permissions' to blackmail him.
And during this time, Otto, wary of Void Archives, naturally wouldn't let it act freely just because of this.
But this time, after Su's appearance, Otto had wanted to trade some operational permissions for information on Su.
However, this time, Void Archives, which had always longed to escape Otto's control, actually changed its strategy.
[Su? That man is here?]
[Hehe, if you want to know the specific details and design plans for him and the Thousand Worlds, then you can find them yourself.]
[Don't glare at me like that, Otto. Haven't you been doing this for the past five hundred years?]
Otto, who had always suppressed Void Archives, was outplayed by it this time.
Although Otto had never underestimated his 'old friend', at a time when the dangerous figure of Su had appeared before him, this move from Void Archives successfully disgusted him.
The most crucial thing was that Otto couldn't do anything about Void Archives either.
In the past, Void Archives' greatest desire was to regain its freedom.
But now that it had actively 'abandoned' this desire, the slacking Void Archives had, in a sense, become invincible.
For the sake of his plan, Otto couldn't just smash it or dismantle it.
As long as it didn't want to cooperate, even with Void Archives in his hands, if Otto wanted to find information in the library, he could only do it himself, one book at a time.
And another problem that disgusted Otto even more now was—he was out of time.
Less than two weeks had passed since the Fourth Eruption.
Originally, Otto, who had already determined that the Honkai's descent was accelerating, thought that the next Eruption would be a major event that would only break out several months later.
But now, the Lord Bishop, who had been angered to his wits' end by Su and Void Archives, discovered that something was not quite right.
Before a large-scale Honkai Eruption where a Herrscher descends, there are signs.
And the easiest sign to identify is that before a large-scale Eruption, the frequency of small-scale Honkai outbreaks around the world will suddenly increase dramatically.
Normally, this sign had temporarily stopped for about ten days after the five-minute conclusion of the Fourth Eruption.
But just yesterday, after Leo Ash returned to the Far East Branch...
—Otto was shocked to receive news from Amber.
The 'sign' that should have disappeared had reappeared all over the world.
Although the frequency of Honkai outbreaks this time was a tiny bit lower than last time, this frequency was still terrifying enough.
Originally, Durandal, who had been fighting all over the world, had already resolved 30% of the Honkai incidents known to Schicksal globally.
But with this development, Otto made a rough estimate and found that Durandal would not be able to finish these missions in a short time.
Otto was panicking like this not because he suddenly started caring about the lives of the common people.
What Otto truly cared about was—the time of the next Honkai descent.
It was true that fifty days had passed between the Fourth and Third Eruptions, but the Fourth Eruption could be said to have been orchestrated by Otto himself.
Even the Third Eruption was something Otto had watched from the shadows, letting Cocolia bring about the awakening of the lightning of conquest.
So in Otto's eyes, although these two large-scale Eruptions had occurred, they couldn't be considered part of the 'God of Honkai's plan'.
In his eyes, a large-scale Eruption should still be the kind of super-large disaster that occurs after a long period and gives birth to a Herrscher.
If the interval between large-scale Eruptions was still within his estimates, then everything was fine.
His plan was now nearing completion. As long as he could work overtime to finish all the tasks at hand, he could complete his plan before the Honkai ended humanity or humanity defeated the Honkai.
But, if the Honkai suddenly changed the rules of Herrscher descent to a state of 'a large-scale Eruption every ten-odd days', then this...
—Forget about ordinary civilians, even Otto couldn't handle it!
He needed time for his arrangements, and in this situation, even if ten-odd days were extended to a month, humanity would face the Herrscher of Finality in the coming year.
If Su was still alive after a year, unless Otto saw a flaw in Su and killed him, he wouldn't even be able to get his hands on the Key of the Void.
Without the Key of the Void, how could he save Kallen? If he couldn't save Kallen...
—If he couldn't save Kallen, then what meaning was there for this world to exist!
And this was the real reason Otto was so disgusted by Void Archives and Su.
He was out of time, yet these two sons of bitches were dragging things out with him.
If Void Archives and Thousand Worlds weren't so important, Otto felt the probability of him getting desperate and trying to kill Su regardless of the cost would continue to rise sharply.
And now, after knowing Su for just one day, Otto felt that this man was truly too dangerous.
After obtaining partial authority over Schicksal from Otto, Su immediately began his arrangements.
Although Otto couldn't see the full picture of Su's plan, from his actions in dispatching Schicksal members, Otto could roughly tell that Su was preparing to save people.
Combined with the information Fu Hua had told him, Su might... still retain some of his goody-two-shoes qualities.
But thinking of the demeanor Su had shown yesterday, Otto felt that even if Su was still a good person, he was a mad one.
He had no confidence in suppressing him, and now that Su had adopted this 'I'm really here to save people' stance, it seemed unlikely that Otto could count on Durandal to help him beat Su up.
Durandal still worked for Otto despite knowing he was not a good person because she judged that helping Otto could, to some extent, help the world.
And now, with Su directly setting out to save others, even if Durandal was emotionally more inclined towards Otto, she wouldn't be fooled into attacking Su after just a few words.
As for Fu Hua... oh, don't even think about it.
The fact that Fu Hua hadn't immediately rushed to Schicksal HQ to beat Otto up alongside Su was already showing him a great deal of respect.
Otto didn't know what memories Fu Hua still had, but he could feel that her attitude towards him had been getting more and more irritable recently.
*Aigh, if my old friend really remembers that Cheng Lixue, who was killed by Sirin in the Second Eruption, was her disciple, and that she was delayed and failed to deal with Sirin in time because she was helping me...*
*She will definitely have a complete falling out with me.*
Theresa couldn't be counted on. Rita was not strong enough in combat and hadn't woken up yet.
In the end, to deal with this squinty-eyed Su, did he really have to rely on a grown-up Leo Ash?
After being beaten up by Su, Leo Ash's attitude towards him was clearly not good.
Perhaps he, like Durandal, would endure his anger because Su was 'saving people'.
But precisely because his first impression of Su was bad, there was room for manipulation.
Furthermore, when Leo Ash and Su fought, Su did not directly make a move on the Key of the Void.
In other words, even when he was confident, he would not make a move on a precious Divine Key.
...Heh, I've got it.
Once Leo Ash has adjusted, I'll set up a plan.
When Leo Ash and Su meet, they might not necessarily fight.
But that's no problem. I can create a problem to make the two who are already on bad terms fight at some point.
When Su judges that his opponent is 'just Leo Ash', he will focus all his attention on him.
And that will be my moment to strike.
Just like when Sirin and Joachim fought back then, once they started fighting, they certainly wouldn't have the energy to pay attention to me.
And that would be the perfect opportunity for me to backstab Su.
The ownership of the Key of the Void... Hmph, I can't wait a year.
As long as the holder of the Key of the Void dies, its ownership will naturally fall into my hands.
Aigh, a pity there's only one Leo Ash.
If there were two, I wouldn't have to be so conflicted and worried about his safety.
He is, after all, the best offering for the Queen of the Void. Using him in this dangerous plan is not what I desire.
But the Key of the Void is equally important, so...
Let's think about a countermeasure.
I need Leo Ash and Su to fight, and at the same time, I need someone to protect Leo Ash's life.
Mm, I've got it.
When Durandal returns to report, I'll summon Leo Ash to headquarters and find a way to induce a fight between him and Su.
If Leo Ash is attacked, Durandal won't care who Su is; she will only want to help Leo Ash.
And with Durandal and Abyss Flower present, the probability of Leo Ash dying at Su's hands is practically zero.
Even then, as long as they start fighting, Su might not have the chance to tamper with the Key of the Void.
...This plan seems simple, but many details still need to be refined by me.
During this time, I should try to maintain a state of 'Otto is still wary of Su'.
This is not only the truth but also fits my persona.
If I were to actively try to get on good terms with Su at this time, he would, on the contrary, become even more vigilant because of it.
This is very risky.
But I must do it.
If my estimation is correct, in the future where Herrschers are about to awaken one after another, the time I have left is running out.
And now, the affection between Kiana and Leo Ash should be high enough, but she hasn't even managed to complete her awakening.
Without the appearance of a human [who holds the power of the Herrscher of the Void], my plan cannot proceed to the next stage.
But now, Su has become a stumbling block in my subsequent plans... no, he's not a stumbling block, he's a tiger blocking the road.
If I don't deal with him, Su, holding the Key of the Void, can easily interfere with the battle between Sirin and Leo Ash.
If, at that time, when Sirin begins to awaken, it's not Leo Ash who defeats her or is killed by her, but Su who appears and interrupts her attack, then my entire plan will be ruined.
As for my old friend definitely having a falling out with me after learning of Su's death... I can't be bothered with that anymore.
Life is full of choices, and in the face of necessary choices, only those who can make the right trade-offs can walk the path to success.
The Key of the Void is right in front of me. If I don't act quickly at a time like this, there will surely be endless trouble in the future.
However, looking at it this way, the plan against Su must be even more perfect.
After all...
—If you don't die, I will be very troubled.
.
Meanwhile. Anti-Entropy Headquarters. The Ark.
Inside The Ark, Welt and Siegfried were originally planning to discuss some future actions.
But at that moment, the eyes of both men suddenly sharpened, and they simultaneously took out their Divine Keys, looking with extreme vigilance at a spot that should have been empty.
"Who's there?!"
"Someone from World Serpent? Or—an attack dog of Otto's?!"
"Gentlemen, there is no need to be so vigilant."
Su, who had appeared in The Ark, looked at the two wary men before him and said with a smile.
"I have not come here to fight with you."
"If possible, could I ask you both to calm down and have a proper talk with me?"
"After all, right now..."
After glancing over Welt's and Siegfried's bodies, Su said helplessly.
"Even if you wish to guard against me, you should pay some attention to your own bodies."
"Mr. Welt, because you betrayed the will of the Honkai, your body has been eroded by the core. Coupled with Mr. Otto's machinations, your physical condition is no longer sufficient to activate the Zeroth Power of the Star of Eden."
"As for Mr. Siegfried, unleashing the Judgment of Shamash four times in two months... that frequency is a bit too high."
"Forgive my bluntness, but if you two were to fight me here..."
"—Before you are defeated by me, you might be consumed by your own weapons first."
.....