In the time that followed, Leo Ash disconnected the Key of Binding and the Blank Key, instead having Yuna cooperate with him on a Herrscher Core connection experiment.
However, the connection experiment with the Gem of Serenity was clearly not as smooth as the previous connections with the Divine Keys.
In Chapter 19 of the original game, after defeating the Herrscher of Rimestar, Raiden Mei mentioned that those two cores were 'alive'.
Leo Ash now understood why Mei had emphasized the word 'alive' back then.
Although I defeated the Herrscher of Death on the outskirts of Singapore and brought back Yuna's consciousness, that doesn't mean the Herrscher of Death's personality has vanished from the core.
Even after Kiana became the Herrscher of Finality, the evil side of Sirin still remained within her. I just gave the Herrscher of Death a beating; there's no way I could have obliterated that personality on the spot.
And now... Tch, so you don't dare to face me head-on and can only obstruct me from the shadows while I'm connecting to the core?
"...This is getting ridiculous."
Yuna, who had her hand on the Blank Key, suddenly let out a cold snort.
And after Yuna's snort, Leo Ash suddenly felt the consciousness that had been obstructing him vanish as if it had never been there.
Wow, what powerful suppression.
The Herrscher of Death's personality is just a baby compared to Mei's [Stigmata Personality] and Kiana's [Evil Sirin], but you cower the moment the main personality lets out a cold snort...
Whatever, you're not on my side anyway, so be a coward if you want. Ultimately, this is a good thing.
Himeko, who was watching them from the side, frowned slightly as she observed Leo Ash mobilizing the Herrscher's powers.
Based on Leo Ash's performance when connecting to the [Key of Judgment] and the [Key of Binding], Himeko had thought he should have had an equally brilliant display after connecting to the Gem of Serenity.
But now, even with Yuna, the gem's owner, assisting him, Himeko could tell that Leo Ash's use of the Herrscher of Death's powers was far less proficient than his use of the other two Herrschers' powers.
When he released the Herrscher of Thunder's lightning, Himeko could feel Leo Ash's high degree of control over it.
The lightning, which should have been arcing wildly, was contained within the palm of his hand.
And the power of Binding was even more out of the question. Leo Ash played with the binding field like it was modeling clay, shaping it into any form he pleased.
Although the binding field and the Divine Grace Field weren't exactly the same thing, considering Theresa became half-crippled every time she used her Divine Grace, Himeko really felt that Leo Ash's clay-molding performance was a bit too terrifying.
It was precisely because the first two connection experiments went so smoothly that Himeko felt something was off with the current Leo Ash, who was clearly struggling with the powers of Rebirth's restoration and the Fog of Decay.
But soon, she realized.
It wasn't the current Leo Ash who was off, but the previous one.
Today was Leo Ash's first time attempting to connect a core with the Blank Key. In Himeko and Theresa's eyes, this should have been an extremely dangerous endeavor.
Leo Ash's current inability to fully command the Herrscher's powers was the outcome they had expected.
Alright, it was now proven that the first two experiments were the anomalies.
Although Leo Ash's progress in this area was terrifying, his mastery over the Herrscher of Death's powers was still within their range of expectations.
Strange, his proficiency with the Herrscher of Thunder's power could be explained by him having adapted to it beforehand, but the power of Binding...
How could he be so skilled with it?
At that moment, Himeko suddenly felt a chill.
It wasn't that she felt a gaze on her, but rather that she was reminded of a certain unlucky student of hers who had already graduated.
Wendy, the genius girl designated by Schicksal HQ as a potential candidate for the fourth S-rank Valkyrie, had another identity before she went to the Oceania Branch—a student of St. Freya High School.
But because Wendy's talent was so exceptional, she graduated smoothly at the age of thirteen, even though her academic scores weren't quite up to par.
And then, disaster struck.
At the time, Otto suddenly requested that each branch recommend a sufficiently powerful and young A-rank Valkyrie to be sent to HQ.
Theresa, having heard from somewhere that Otto was planning to implant Herrscher Cores into Valkyries for his Artificial Herrscher Experiment, was worried sick for days.
Otto would usually indulge Theresa when it came to small matters.
But this was clearly no small matter. No matter how much she thought about it, Theresa knew Otto would not indulge her this time.
So, in the end, Theresa made a helpless choice.
Without informing Wendy about the nature of the experiment, she directly recommended Wendy as the Far East Branch's A-rank Valkyrie candidate to Otto.
For Wendy, this act was undoubtedly a form of 'betrayal'.
But Theresa's single-track mind had a simple line of reasoning for this matter.
Wendy was strong; if she went, she had a chance of survival.
Anyone else with insufficient compatibility would likely die instantly if they participated in the experiment.
Of course, everyone knew what happened next.
Wendy failed to become an Artificial Herrscher, but the Gem of Desire stabilized within her body.
However, Himeko, who knew the inside story, looked at Leo Ash, who had just completed his connection with the Herrscher Core, and suddenly thought...
—The Bishop wouldn't notice this, kidnap Leo Ash, and implant a Herrscher Core in him, would he?
The only difference between Wendy and Leo Ash was that Leo Ash had demonstrated his compatibility with Herrscher Cores *after* already displaying S-rank strength.
If Lord Bishop went crazy...
Though the Bishop was a cold-blooded man, he shouldn't be crazy enough to do that, right?
If something happened to Leo Ash, those two little girls, Mei and Yuna, would definitely be the first to go insane.
If two Herrschers went berserk in the Far East Branch, Theresa, who hadn't yet recovered from her injuries, wouldn't be able to stop them.
Even for Theresa's safety, Lord Bishop probably wouldn't target Leo Ash for an experiment with such a low success rate... yeah, right.
I remember now!
I contacted Wendy after she went to the Oceania Branch, and she told me that the Bishop had said to her, 'Complete this experiment, and you will gain Herrscher-level power, allowing you to help more people.'
If the Bishop used that excuse to fool Leo Ash—the kid would fall for it hook, line, and sinker.
Looking at Leo Ash, who had now disconnected from the Herrscher Core, Himeko maintained a calm expression and said to him.
"Alright, that's it for today's experiments—Yuna, go back and keep an eye on him."
"I know you like to pretend you're fine, but after switching connected cores three times in a row, you must be incredibly weak right now, even if you don't look it."
"No, that's really not the case."
Major Himeko is right, though. After switching cores three times, theoretically, I shouldn't be sprawled on the ground like a dead dog, but I also shouldn't feel just a little uncomfortable like I do now.
But facts are facts. No matter how wrong I think this is, I can't change the fact that I can connect to Herrscher Cores smoothly.
Although the time I spent connected to each of the three cores during today's experiment didn't exceed a minute, and the total time was less than the time Dr. Mei spent fusing with the Herrscher of Thunder's core.
But, Dr. Mei's connection was forcibly terminated after 201 seconds due to overload, whereas I...
I feel like I could last at least a few more minutes.
When I swallowed that Pseudo-Herrscher Core before, I only conducted a 'military exercise' in advance because I was considering the worst-case scenario.
But now, I think I have to face reality.
If I can easily accomplish something as difficult as connecting to a Herrscher Core, then next...
—Damn you, Honkai, you're really targeting me, aren't you?
This problem is a bit serious now.
I can guarantee that I won't instantly break down when the Honkai throws a core at me, but—that's all I can guarantee.
And I can only guarantee my willpower is tough enough when I'm at my peak. In other words, if I ever show a major weakness, the Honkai will absolutely not hesitate to throw a core at me and force me to go berserk.
I've had similar suspicions before, but this time, I finally get it.
The difficulty of future battles just went from hard to 'Souls-like'.
At this moment, Leo Ash and Himeko looked at each other, and the same thought surfaced in both their minds.
I have to talk to Leo Ash in private sometime.
I have to have a good talk with Major Himeko sometime.
His problem is very serious right now. I must make him realize just how dangerous Lord Bishop Otto is.
It seems that the God-Slaying Spear, this [Herrscher Killer], is best left with Himeko, who doesn't usually see Otto and is unlikely to be interrogated with Fenghuang Down.
This kid is a good seed. I don't want him to walk Wendy's old path.
Himeko's strength may have declined due to the HSN serum, but her mind is still sharp. The 'failsafe' I need has to be someone with a good head on their shoulders.
But right now, that girl Yuna is here, so I can't speak openly.
But right now, Yuna is by my side, and she still trusts Otto. I can't talk to Himeko directly in front of her.
At that moment, Yuna, holding the Seven Thunders of Retribution and dragging the Oath of Judah, glanced at the two of them and said to Leo Ash.
"Senior, take off the Blank Key."
"I'll take these things back to the armory—even if you're trying to be tough, don't touch the Divine Keys anymore."
"Yes, yes, I know."
Leo Ash, having taken off the Blank Key, helplessly placed the suit of armor on the Honkai Energy vines summoned by Yuna.
"Yuna, have you noticed that you seem to be getting more and more naggy?"
"It's proof that I'm mentally and physically healthy, you know."
As she passed by Leo Ash, Yuna shot him an annoyed glance.
"Did you really expect me to watch you rush into things all day and approve of your bad habits?"
"Alright, Yuna, that's enough."
Himeko looked at the vines that were constantly being 'decomposed' by the Oath of Judah and 'reborn' by Yuna's power, feeling that it was truly strange.
Yuna's control and precision over her powers were clearly on par with Mei's.
But for some reason, Yuna, as the Herrscher of Death, could only control the destructive aspect of 'Death by Decay' and not the restorative aspect of 'Life by Rebirth'.
At first, she thought it was just a simple imbalance, but thinking back now, the imbalance was far too severe.
"Leo Ash, you rest here for a bit. Yuna and I will take these things back to the armory."
As for talking with Leo Ash, Himeko certainly wasn't going to pull him aside for a private chat right now.
This matter was of great importance; she had to be discreet, discreet, and even more discreet.
If Otto ever found out she was 'slandering' him, her life would definitely become difficult.
Himeko wasn't afraid of death, but that didn't mean she enjoyed trouble.
Now that her lifespan issue was more or less resolved, in this situation, reminding a junior to be a bit more covert to avoid being targeted by the boss... she wasn't an idiot, so why would she go looking for trouble?
As the two left, Leo Ash sat down cross-legged and finally closed his eyes.
However, the Leo Ash who closed his eyes was not resting, but silently reciting the Sword Heart Mantra that Fu Hua had taught him, trying to stabilize his mind with Sword Heart and Mind Like Still Water.
[I'm telling you, you're being overly cautious.]
[This connection experiment was clearly a success, yet the first thing you do after it ends is start reciting the mantra...]
[Sigh, well, it's not a bad thing.]
What's with you today? You've suddenly stopped making jokes. I'm actually not used to it.
[It's nothing. It's just that I occasionally think that if some of my previous hosts were even one-tenth as cowardly as you, they wouldn't be six feet under or scattered at sea right now.]
[Looking at it this way, your choices might not be the most correct, but they are relatively safe.]
Wow, you're being really serious today.
So, Mr. Serious System, could you help me figure out what I should be paying attention to right now?
[What else is there to pay attention to—you pervert, you can recite the Sword Heart Mantra while talking to me at the same time???]
Well, I started researching this special technique of multitasking specifically to prevent you from suddenly speaking up, getting me distracted, and causing another misunderstanding with everyone.
[You can research that?!!!]
How should I put it—Hmph, all it takes is a brain!
[Wow, that was a very smug brat-like thing to say.]
[Alright, no more jokes.]
[Ever since I reminded you to use Phantasmagoria less, you've just been messing around.]
[Although swallowing the Pseudo-Herrscher Core and connecting with Herrscher Cores haven't had a major impact on you yet, that doesn't mean you're truly fine.]
Wow, that sounds scary. So where exactly is the problem?
[You should have heard of the phrase, 'illness from chronic overwork'.]
[The Full Rejuvenation Potion can only heal your physical injuries, but it can't block the effects that these items you possess have on you in other ways.]
Yeah, I know that.
[And now, because of your overuse of the Phantasmagoria, you are getting closer and closer to a state of existential erasure.]
[In this situation, your body already has a 'hidden danger'. So, what do you think will happen when all your other problems erupt at once? Can your 'chronically overworked' body really support you in battle?]
You're hinting at it so obviously.
[This is me telling you outright. Be a little more careful.]
[The holder of that Void Demon Stone Fragment you have was able to return from a state of 'existential erasure' to a normal person in the original story because a powerful figure pulled them back.]
[But you, you haven't found that powerful figure who can pull you back yet.]
This is just great.
If I fight the Honkai with all my might, I might get a core thrown at me and go berserk.
Not fighting the Honkai with all my might and just slacking off seems like one way to go, but on second thought—now that the Honkai has its eyes on me, even if I don't go looking for trouble, trouble will come looking for me.
That's not a way out, that's a dead end.
Ultimately, it's because I'm not strong enough.
[No, you're going to grind even more?]
The probability of surviving the tribulation is ninety-nine percent, what's the difference between that and suicide—not to mention my odds are far lower than ninety-nine percent.
[Um, that's not what I meant when I said all that...]
My mind is made up!
After relaxing at the beach for a few days, I'm going to come back and keep grinding.
If the grind doesn't kill me, I'll grind myself to death. Let's see if the Honkai gets me first, or...
—The Honkai gets ground to death by me!
.....
Schicksal HQ, Otto's Office
At that moment, Otto stared at the surveillance monitor, feeling utterly distressed, even sweating profusely.
In over five hundred years, the progress bar for his plan to save Kallen had never advanced as quickly as it had in the past two months.
But the closer the progress bar got to one hundred percent, the more desperate Otto became.
Originally, in Otto's view, although he had been forced to give the Blank Key to Leo Ash, given Leo Ash's aptitude, he shouldn't have been able to connect to a Herrscher Core so easily, even with the Blank Key.
After all, ever since discovering that there was something not right about Leo Ash, Otto had conducted a comprehensive physical examination on him during his first visit to Schicksal HQ.
Most of the information from that examination was made public, but a small portion was known only to Otto.
And in that small portion of information, Otto had confirmed that Leo Ash's compatibility with Herrscher Cores wasn't completely zero, but it was abysmally low.
Leo Ash's compatibility in this area was so low that Otto couldn't even be bothered to waste funds on an experimental gamble.
But today, Otto discovered that the situation had taken a turn for the worse.
He had no intention of spying on Leo Ash and the others.
But as it happened, today Otto suddenly saw Theresa run back to her office crying, shouting 'Judah is a stupid idiot' while furiously pounding her desk.
Concerned for his granddaughter, Otto had, of course, long since installed surveillance cameras in all the places Theresa was likely to be.
And after pulling up the recorded footage from those cameras, Otto fell silent.
In the footage, Leo Ash was conducting a connection experiment between the Blank Key and the Divine Keys.
This was within Otto's expectations. If it were only this, Otto wouldn't be feeling this constant sense of dread.
But then, when he saw Leo Ash effortlessly manipulating the Herrscher of Thunder's powers, and even being actively wrapped by Judah's chains around his arm, Otto knew something was very wrong.
Theresa being 'betrayed' by the Oath of Judah would normally be... well, it would be a big deal.
But if the Oath of Judah betrayed Theresa *because of* Leo Ash, then the matter was even more serious.
In the footage, Leo Ash displayed terrifying adaptability after connecting to three different Herrscher Cores separately.
Moreover, Otto hadn't forgotten one thing.
Leo Ash's mind was usually online most of the time. The only reason he could keep him in check was purely due to the fact that 'Leo Ash wants revenge on the Honkai and will therefore follow the Schicksal Bishop's instructions'.
But now that Leo Ash could switch cores with the Blank Key, he could simply carry two Divine Keys with him when he went out and completely toy with Herrscher-level enemies by switching his weapons and powers.
As for Sirin...
Otto felt awful.
Even if Otto found a time to implant the Gem of Haste into Kiana's body right now, then pump her full of Honkai Energy to let Sirin take control, he felt that Sirin would have a very difficult time defeating Leo Ash on her own.
And now, the Far East Branch had veteran experts like Theresa and Fu Hua, as well as two Herrschers, Raiden Mei and Yuna.
With Leo Ash himself on top of that, Sirin now had absolutely no chance of victory.
A large part of why Sirin acted so arrogant during the Second Eruption was because she didn't encounter any enemies strong enough while she was being arrogant.
Now, if Sirin had even a shred of sense, she wouldn't choose to show herself with so many experts around Kiana.
If Sirin didn't show herself, Otto couldn't obtain the 'complete' Herrscher of the Void, and his plan would be stuck at this step, completely deadlocked.
And now that the Fourth Eruption was over, although the signs of a Fifth Eruption had diminished somewhat, diminished didn't mean they were gone.
It hasn't even been half a month!
God of Honkai, why are you in such a hurry!
In the past, Otto had wanted Leo Ash to rest and not die on the battlefield, which was why he had forcibly confined him to the Far East Branch for a month.
But now Otto felt that while his decision was correct, a small error had occurred elsewhere.
The Honkai was accelerating, and the start of this acceleration happened to coincide with when Leo Ash made his debut.
In other words, if Otto were to make a bold guess, then—the Honkai was undoubtedly wary of Leo Ash.
This was a ridiculous speculation. After all, the Honkai was the enemy of all humanity. For such an existence to be wary of a single human—if Otto said this to anyone else, five out of ten would think he had gone mad, and the other five would think 'the Bishop seems too tired and needs a rest'.
But now, Otto was convinced that this baseless speculation was the correct answer.
He had confined Leo Ash, and in a sense, it was the right move.
But now, what Otto should be worried about wasn't Leo Ash being killed by the Honkai, but Leo Ash getting stronger too quickly.
Leo Ash gets stronger too quickly → The Honkai becomes more wary of Leo Ash → The Honkai accelerates the creation of large-scale Eruptions to spawn Herrschers → Otto has less time to execute his plan.
And in this process, there were some branching paths to consider.
These two branching paths were—
One, the Honkai is wary of Leo Ash → The Honkai attempts to suppress Leo Ash → Leo Ash dies to the Honkai → Leo Ash doesn't die at Sirin's hands → Otto's plan is delayed again.
Two, the Honkai is wary of Leo Ash → The Honkai attempts to suppress Leo Ash → Leo Ash is stimulated by the Honkai's suppression and becomes even stronger like a compressed spring → Leo Ash strengthens rapidly → After two more Eruptions, Leo Ash becomes strong enough to easily defeat Sirin → Otto's plan is either forced to change or it fails completely.
To Otto, Leo Ash had now become a huge problem.
If he made a move against Leo Ash, his plan might be delayed.
If he didn't make a move against Leo Ash, his plan—damn it, might also be delayed.
And the Honkai was accelerating. A delay in the plan was equivalent to a massive increase in the probability of failure.
Faced with this predicament, Otto just wanted to ask...
—It's only been two and a half months since Leo Ash got his Stigmata in Nagazora City, is it really reasonable for him to have gotten this strong???
Bianka at least went through so many things and trained for so long!
But unfortunately, even if Otto roared these questions in his heart, no one could tell him why things had turned out this way.
The self-proclaimed smartest man in the world, Lord Bishop, felt that if this continued, he would probably be driven mad by that vengeful boy.
And although Schicksal had a wealth of talent right now, in the battle fourteen years ago, Otto had essentially exhausted his reserve of talent.
The cards Otto held in his hand now were far too few.
Oh, that's not quite right.
If he only wanted to fight the Honkai, Bianka and Theresa would be his reliable fighters.
Even Siegfried and Welt might be forced to fight the Honkai alongside him under Otto's schemes.
But before resurrecting Kallen, Otto didn't want to kill the Honkai but to nurture it, and under this premise...
Reliable, capable, obedient, and not too bright... Bianka counts as one.
But she just had to be from the Kaslana family. Her sense of justice was one thing, but her on-and-off intuition was also a nuisance.
My old friend has almost recovered to her peak state. It was only thanks to my acting skills back then that she didn't turn against me directly, so I can't rely on my old friend anymore.
Theresa... sigh, my dear granddaughter, you certainly wouldn't help me with these things either.
Leo Ash would have been an excellent pawn, but now, this pawn has become too strong, even threatening my plan.
Indeed, I still need a reliable and obedient helper.
Sigh, I originally didn't want to wake her up so soon.
But now, the Jade Knight is almost complete, and the 'cards' in my hand are running out, so...
Indeed, I can only wake her up ahead of schedule.
Although she is a bit naive in her dealings with the world, what I need is a powerful comrade like her who trusts me.
In my eyes, she, who is completely clueless about the situation, might be able to help me overcome these difficulties.
Having made his decision, Otto quickly walked out of his office and arrived at the location where the Fifth Divine Key [Hibernation of All Things] was stored, opening the Divine Key before him.
As the Divine Key was opened by Otto, the girl who had been inside it finally opened her eyes slightly.
Facing the girl with vacant eyes, Otto showed a smile to this friend he had known five hundred years ago.
"Hey, do you still remember who I am?"
And looking at the man before her, the girl was stunned for a moment before realizing that he seemed to be a very important foreign friend of hers.
Completely bewildered, the girl slowly asked the man before her a question.
"Is that you..."
"Raksha..."
Facing the girl's question, Otto smiled and nodded.
"Yes, it's me."
"Long time no see, Sushang."
...