Rin, floating around the academy, looked at the students on campus and found it truly hard to imagine that this place was a 'military camp' for training anti-Honkai warriors.
Although she hadn't had much contact with the Fire Moth organization before becoming the Herrscher of Corruption, after spending some time in the illusion, she had come to understand just how arduous and strict the training was for those soldiers.
Moreover, that illusion was one where 'Leo Ash had already defeated the powerful enemies.' In other words, the training endured by the Fire Moth soldiers in the real world was bound to be even more rigorous than that of the soldiers within the illusion.
Now, seeing the incredibly relaxed environment of St. Freya High School, Rin truly felt as if she hadn't woken up yet.
Aside from a few more practical combat classes, these girls were—basically just ordinary students!
Had humanity in this era become this complacent?
Oh, wait, they have Leo Ash.
Never mind then.
The thought of the man who had proactively given her the chance to move freely filled Rin with incredibly complicated feelings.
Honestly, even now, she was still wary of the man who had once sealed all her powers and taken away her core.
But now, after releasing her, he truly hadn't bothered her again.
Admittedly, the current Rin had no physical form. Unable to touch others or use her powers, she was, in a sense, just a 'ghost.'
But even so, she felt that her life was far more carefree than before.
In the past, she had been sealed in a black box by that detestable woman, and her subsequent plans were thwarted by that white-haired girl and that fool, Yae Sakura.
If she hadn't spent so many years gradually corrupting Yae Sakura's body and mind again, she wouldn't have even had the chance to seize her body and take action five hundred years later.
But now...
"...Am I actually starting to soften up?"
"How ridiculous!"
After forcefully expelling the strange thoughts from her mind, Rin was startled to find that she had unknowingly floated into a lavishly decorated office.
Then, after passing through the wall and seeing the figure inside, Rin felt her non-existent blood pressure suddenly spike.
This, this white-haired shorty...!
Looking at Theresa discussing matters with Himeko, Rin was instantly reminded of that white-haired fool from five hundred years ago.
Five hundred years ago, Rin had the opportunity to possess the body of a high-ranking Schicksal official, thereby gaining a chance to exact her revenge on humanity.
Then she was forcefully sealed by that white-haired woman named Kallen.
As a result, to prevent her from continuing to bewitch Schicksal's upper echelons, that woman took her to the Far East, giving her the opportunity to corrupt Yae Sakura.
And then, she was sealed by Kallen once again.
Now, looking at Theresa and the [Oath of Judah] placed beside her, Rin felt like her PTSD was about to flare up.
Although this little girl and the woman named Kallen were definitely not the same person, Rin could feel a similar aura from her as she did from Kallen.
Damn, damn it, was this another reason why that man let me move freely?
I didn't think much of it when I saw that little girl with white hair and blue eyes last night, but thinking about it carefully now...
—Why are there two battle-ready Kaslanas hiding here!
.....
Meanwhile, in Theresa's office.
"Mm-hmm, a leave request... That's not a problem."
After glancing at the application Himeko submitted, Theresa couldn't be bothered to read any further. She stamped the form directly and handed it back to Himeko.
"For Leo Ash to actually agree to take a vacation...well, that really wasn't easy."
"Yeah, I thought he'd be looking for Fu Hua for extra training every day."
Himeko said with a hint of relief as she put the application away.
"It seems he's human after all. And if he's human..."
"—he'll eventually get tired."
"By the way, I told Kiana directly that she has to achieve results that satisfy you before she can attend this party—so don't you dare let it slip."
"Mm, even if you hadn't said it, I would've demanded that of her anyway."
After saying this, Theresa hopped back into her swivel chair and suddenly looked toward the western wall.
"Strange, Himeko, do you feel anything in that direction?"
"Huh? You must be mistaken."
Following Theresa's gaze, Himeko glanced at the wall with some confusion before suddenly turning back to Theresa with a smile.
"So that's how it is, Theresa..."
"I do see something. That thing—is undoubtedly a ghost!"
???
Rin, who had just passed through the wall, froze on the spot.
This, this little white-haired brat and this red-haired woman can both see me???
No, that can't be right. In my current state, none of the other students in this academy have reacted to me!
"...Cut it out!"
Seeing Himeko's mischievous grin, Theresa snapped irritably.
"I'm not afraid of ghosts anymore!"
"Why are you shouting? Are you feeling guilty?"
"Not at all!"
Watching the two of them start to bicker, Rin finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Ha, good, I was overthinking it.
But I shouldn't linger here. That white-haired girl might have genuinely sensed me just now.
This place is full of hidden masters. Just because some of the soldiers are overly lazy, I actually grew complacent about this place?
That was a mistake.
If I hadn't underestimated those people five hundred years ago, I wouldn't have been sealed by the Kaslana family twice.
Leo Ash... could his reason for letting me act freely be to show me that this place is full of experts, and that even if I tried to cause trouble, I wouldn't succeed?
As the peculiar sensation around her vanished, Theresa's expression instantly turned serious.
"Alright, no more joking around."
"Honestly, Himeko, I've been feeling uneasy for some time..."
"...That's quite scary."
Seeing Theresa's anxious expression, Himeko picked up the tactical terminal on the coffee table.
"Let me guess, you've been so busy lately that you probably haven't read the confidential intel that only high-level staff like us can see, right?"
"...Okay, fine, I haven't."
As expected, as a member of the Kaslana family, Theresa's intuition in this regard is terrifyingly sharp.
Seeing Theresa frantically checking the intel, Himeko didn't say more, waiting for her to finish reading before asking questions.
After quickly skimming the information, Theresa looked at Himeko with a hint of nervousness.
"Is this intel for real?"
"Of course. On the eve of the Fourth Eruption, there were several high-frequency, small-to-medium scale Honkai events around the world."
"These events temporarily stopped after Leo Ash resolved the Fourth Eruption, but just recently—though the frequency is a bit lower, it's a clear sign that the Fifth Eruption is about to occur."
This—this isn't right!
Theresa was about to say that, but she suddenly clamped her mouth shut and swallowed the words.
She had wanted to say that it was impossible for the Fifth Eruption to show signs this soon.
But thinking back to how there were only about fifty days between the Third and Fourth Eruptions, Theresa ultimately chose to remain silent.
"Alright, it's been eleven days since the Fourth Eruption. I can understand why you want to deny this possibility."
Himeko said helplessly, looking at the silent Theresa.
"But—face reality, Theresa. The headquarters' projection could be true."
"Lord Bishop Otto's reason for letting Leo Ash rest well, aside from the risk of him getting into trouble out there, might also be to 'let Leo Ash recuperate and prepare to resolve the Sixth Honkai Eruption.'"
"As for World Serpent, according to the report submitted by the intelligence department led by Wraith, they still need some time to decrypt their encrypted intel."
"In other words, before the Fifth Eruption breaks out, it's already impossible for us to uproot World Serpent's main forces."
"Even if your friends in the conservative faction of Anti-Entropy remain inactive, it's possible that when the Fifth Eruption arrives, we will be caught in a pincer attack from both World Serpent and the Honkai."
To be honest, if it were just a one-on-one fight against World Serpent, Theresa wouldn't be worried.
While the technology World Serpent possesses is tricky, their forces... frankly, are nothing special.
Eleven days ago, Leo Ash had slain a hundred Pseudo-Herrschers in a single blow. Although World Serpent managed to take Wendy away with a blitz attack, their forces should have been severely depleted.
However, if they had to fend off a backstab from World Serpent while facing a Herrscher, the problem would become quite serious.
It was an indisputable fact that Leo Ash had resolved two Herrscher-level Honkai Eruptions.
But Theresa, having fought a Herrscher herself, wouldn't just think, 'Oh, it'll be fine the next time a Herrscher descends.'
No one knew what the scene would be like during the next Herrscher's descent.
No one knew which terrifying Herrscher would appear next.
Moreover, Theresa, who knew the general details of the Second Eruption, was well aware that Sirin wasn't that powerful in the beginning.
Having fought both the single-core Sirin and the six-core Sirin, Theresa knew all too well how special that Herrscher was.
After Sirin was driven off by the Herrscher of Reason, she somehow obtained the cores of four other Herrschers.
But after fourteen years, even Theresa could roughly guess that this matter was definitely related to the Honkai.
If the Honkai could give Sirin four cores fourteen years ago for a massive power-up, who knew if it wouldn't pull another table-flipping move now, fourteen years later.
Besides, last time it was one Herrscher with multiple cores, and it was only because the holder didn't know how to use their power that Siegfried and Cecilia managed to defeat them.
What if the Honkai changed its strategy this time—who knows how many Herrschers might appear.
Sigh, this leave request... no wonder Himeko had that expression.
Leo Ash, after this break, is probably going to become even busier.
If a Herrscher appears, and it's just an ordinary one without Yuna's Gem of Serenity, I could probably use the Divine Grace Field to deal with one myself, saving Leo Ash from facing the risk.
But now, the Honkai is clearly targeting Leo Ash.
Even if I have enough power when the next Herrscher appears...
—Will I be able to reach Leo Ash in time to help him defeat the enemy?
.
At this moment, Leo Ash, the subject of Theresa and Himeko's worries, had finished his patrol. Instead of loitering in St. Freya's commercial street, he went to his private training ground.
Now that he was S-rank, his treatment was naturally different from when he was B-rank.
System, can I ask—
[Alright, stop asking. Even if Otto wants to monitor Theresa, he wouldn't go so far as to install cameras in here.]
[I told you before, installing too many cameras would give him away. He's not that crazy.]
Oh, then I'm relieved.
After completing a scan with the System's radar, Leo Ash took out an item from his storage space that he had obtained long ago but had never used.
The fully formed Pseudo-Herrscher Core from the body of the first Joyce clone he had killed.
Looking at the crystal-clear core before him, Leo Ash tossed it into his mouth and swallowed it in one gulp.
Relying on the [Implant] skill's characteristic of 'after implanting an item, the holder can reduce the item's consumption and negative effects to a certain extent,' Leo Ash successfully shielded himself from the Honkai's corruption...
If only it were that easy.
The moment he implanted the core, Leo Ash felt a darkness that seemed to want to tear his body to pieces surge in from all directions.
If he hadn't already activated Mind Like Still Water, he would probably have been instantly overwhelmed by terrifying negative emotions.
"Ha, this is just a 'fake.'"
After letting out a deep, turbid breath, Leo Ash felt the core 'arrive' near his heart and only then realized his clothes were soaked in cold sweat.
"And yet, just a fake nearly drove me insane."
So that's it. In the illusion, the reason I could so decisively implant the cores of Origin and Reason was not only because the Leo Ash in the illusion was a psychic MANTIS, but also because 'it was just an illusion' after all.
In a normal World Bubble, the dual-core, darkened Welt Yang was defeated by Bronya wielding the Star of Eden.
So, a Herrscher Core from a mere illusion could only simulate a fraction of a real core's negative effects.
As expected, I can't underestimate the corruption from the Honkai.
The risk of directly consuming a core is too great. If I get the chance...
—I really need to find a time to get my hands on the Blank Key that Otto has hidden. Only then can I feel a bit more at ease.
However, after implanting this core, I've also verified my theory.
Although the Joyce clone relied on Joyce's muscle memory to reproduce the gravity manipulation ability of the 'Star of Eden,' even a Pseudo-Herrscher's core still belongs to the power held by the 'Herrscher of Reason.'
Feeling the Authority emerging within his body, Leo Ash could sense that although he lacked the so-called 'muscle memory,' he had truly obtained the power he desired.
As the power surged, an incomparably sharp short blade materialized in Leo Ash's hand.
The Herrscher of Reason's power to analyze all things and then reproduce them had now manifested within Leo Ash's body.
...