Upon landing on the ground from the Hyperion and approaching the area, Rita and Durandal immediately...
—Turned on their thermal imagers to scan the surroundings.
Normally, the Hyperion's detection systems would have far more advanced detection capabilities than such handheld devices. The problem was that the moment the Hyperion entered Nagazora City, it was exposed to the Honkai energy caused by the Third Eruption.
The Herrscher of Thunder's Honkai energy interfered with the Hyperion's normal operations, and even now, the ship's functions hadn't fully recovered.
As for Rita and Durandal's devices... the equipment they carried hadn't been directly exposed to the Honkai energy like the Hyperion had been from the start.
Now that the Herrscher of Thunder's energy was slowly dissipating, using this device for a short moment wouldn't result in interference that rendered it inoperable.
And right now, just this single instant was enough.
[Demon Armor: Incursio] could indeed conceal one's presence, but the issue was that the technological level of the *Akame ga Kill* worldview wasn't essentially that high.
The Teigu artisans who created Incursio using special techniques and powerful materials could never have imagined... that Incursio's invisibility ability would be directly cracked by low-end civilian technology from another world.
"Ha... this styling is certainly strange."
Looking at the armored warrior before her, Durandal struggled to suppress her desire to 'test her skills' and actively took a step back.
Rita, who had incredible synergy with Durandal, took a step forward and bowed to Aaron with a smile.
"Sir, could you please deactivate your invisibility and have a chat with us?"
"I believe anyone coming to Nagazora City at this time must have known about this tragedy in advance. Since you risked your life to come here immediately to stop the Herrscher's actions, you must be a hero standing on the side of humanity."
"We at Schicksal are working hard to stop the Honkai. If possible, how about we at least exchange some intelligence?"
Listening to Rita's words, Aaron felt nothing but a massive headache.
Relying on Incursio's properties, he had hidden his presence many times.
But precisely because he had gotten used to it, he forgot that Incursio was, after all, an item from another world.
The fact that an otherworldly Teigu was seen through by modern tools... well, it couldn't be considered too outrageous.
If Lemon-head's magecraft invisibility could be seen through by Kiritsugu Emiya using instruments, then Incursio's properties being countered by electronic devices... thinking about it carefully, there was no problem at all.
And if he revealed himself now, what could he say?
If it was just exchanging intelligence, he wouldn't mind doing so.
The problem was that Rita Rossweisse had a rather high IQ.
Although she had various slip-ups in the storyline, most of the time it was either for dramatic effect or she simply couldn't win the fight. Setting aside those slip-ups, Aaron felt this woman definitely had a mind that spun faster than most.
Aaron knew his own IQ wasn't exceptionally high. No matter how careful he was, he might inadvertently leak information to this beauty before him.
And regarding his voice... although he had turned on the voice changer when he put on the mask, voices could be analyzed...
*Sigh, feels like I can't even open my mouth. Speaking will get my identity exposed.*
*And if I don't speak, I'll be treated as an enemy... Damn it, damn it, damn it! That goose of a young lady over there is still rubbing her fists. Good lord, is that a threat?*
*Thinking about it carefully, I don't seem to have many choices.*
*If I don't agree to talk, I guess we have to fight.*
*If I agree to talk, sooner or later this woman will use various methods to fish for intel... Okay, giving some intel to Schicksal isn't a problem. After all, although Otto is a dog, most Schicksal Valkyries are working hard to protect the world.*
*The problem is Rita Rossweisse definitely won't just let go after getting the intel.*
*What follows will be nothing more than verbal persuasion, temptation with benefits, and moral kidnapping. But knowing Otto's composition, it's impossible for me to actually cooperate with Schicksal.*
*If I don't cooperate, it feels like we'll end up fighting anyway.*
*Mm, thinking it over, I have to fight. Then I might as well not say a word and strike first... Why did things turn out like this?*
*If it were anyone else, I wouldn't be this constrained.*
*If I use [Dimensional Formation: Shambhala] to leave now, the probability of Higokumaru and the Hyperion bumping into each other increases.*
*It's undeniable that the combat power here is sufficient, but Higokumaru isn't a trouble that can be solved by combat power alone.*
*As for explaining things now and then leaving, that's even more whimsical.*
*Honestly, if our positions were swapped, Aaron absolutely wouldn't let a suspicious person appearing in Nagazora City go either.*
*Especially since this suspicious person might hold the Herrscher's whereabouts. He would try to catch them and use torture to extract a confession no matter what.*
*Don't say it's inhumane. Intelligence on a Herrscher could decide the lives of countless humans in other regions. Not knowing the composition of the Herrscher inside Raiden Mei, how could Schicksal let go of any source of information regarding the Herrscher of Thunder?*
It was precisely because he understood their thought process that Aaron abruptly realized he truly didn't have many choices.
*Fine, if we have to fight, let's fight.*
"Rita, maybe I should handle this."
In the few seconds Aaron spent thinking, Durandal frowned slightly, having sensed a hint of uncomfortable atmosphere.
She knew her intellect was inferior to her adjutant's, so most of the time, she wouldn't intervene in matters that required brainwork.
But at the same time, Durandal possessed a very strange intuition.
This intuition had no scientific basis, but it was incredibly accurate. Durandal had relied on this intuition on the battlefield many times... to help her subordinates escape danger.
As for herself, in the current version, she was practically invincible. Unless a Herrscher appeared, no existence in the Honkai faction could pose any threat to her.
And right now, via [Instinct], she sensed something ominous from that silent person.
Her Godsbane Battlesuit was still under testing, and if she used that sword here...
*How should I put it? It feels weird.*
*So, I really should strike first.*
"Lady Durandal, please wait."
Although Rita felt the two sides might not reach an agreement, she still smiled and said to Aaron.
"This gentleman also needs time to think. Rather, if he agreed all at once, I would suspect he already harbored other bad intentions to agree so readily."
*Mm, great. She's still making excuses for me.*
*Actively releasing goodwill. If it were anyone else, I might have relaxed my guard a bit.*
*The problem is, Miss Rita Rossweisse, you are simply too smart.*
*Sigh, not thinking about that anymore.*
*Before Siegfried left, he said something like 'Kiana's matters, I leave them to you.' Leave what to me now?*
*I don't know what will happen to your second daughter in the future, but right now, a fight between me and your eldest daughter is unavoidable.*
*Whatever... Magnetic Field Rotation, 150,000 Horsepower!*
Having decided to fight, Aaron slammed 150,000 Horsepower directly into the ground, blasting magnetic field energy into the earth and launching it toward the two Valkyries before him.
Under the enhancement of the [Perfect Realm], the power of this strike was completely concentrated by Aaron, instantly exploding before the two of them.
Of course, 150,000 Horsepower, even with the Perfect Realm, couldn't pose an unmanageable threat to the two people in front of him.
His Perfect Realm was relatively speaking still too low; it hadn't reached the level where he could "crush others just by Current Push."
Durandal, who had prepared long ago, actively shielded Rita, mobilizing the power within her body to blast out a strike directly.
Accompanying the release of power, she successfully intercepted Aaron's normal attack with this strike.
Relying on the gap created by the opponent defending against the attack, Aaron had already opened up some distance from the two.
However, watching Durandal effortlessly block his strike with an attack, Aaron realized he might really need to consider matters regarding move application.
His offensive special move was ultimately only the [Whale-Slaying Tyrant Fist], and this move required close quarters to use.
He had already tested it in previous battles.
Getting close? Without sufficient fighting techniques, you'd be beaten to a pulp before you could even unleash your ultimate.
He could survive and pull off daily counter-kills by relying on information asymmetry to target weaknesses, and secondly, relying on various burst skills to achieve a "beginner's killer" effect, speedily slaying the opponent before they could react.
His weakness in techniques had always been there; he had just masked it with advantages in other areas.
And now, possessing the Perfect Realm and combining it with the [Pure Eye], Aaron could see exactly what the difference was between Durandal's seemingly ordinary strike and a normal attack.
Durandal's strike probably wasn't any specific move, but being battle-hardened, she already possessed a combat style suited to herself.
Relying on the Pure Eye's ability, Aaron could see Honkai energy flowing ceaselessly through the girl's body.
In that strike just now, Durandal had gathered Honkai energy in an instant, effortlessly condensing it onto the Abyss Flower in her hand, then combined it with the Divine Key's properties to fuse the Honkai energy and complete the attack.
To be honest, Aaron could do it too if asked, but behind this simple attack, Aaron saw that this girl, Durandal, was already a master in the application of Honkai energy.
She might not have thought much about it, but the fact that she could subconsciously combine the characteristics of the Kaslana lineage to complete the attack made Aaron feel she was even more terrifying.
"Oh my, Sir, why must it be like this?"
Seeing Aaron actively reveal his form, Rita said to Aaron with a smile maintained.
"We truly hold no malice. Could you please stop attacking?"
Faced with Rita's words, Aaron didn't respond with a single word.
The thermal imager had served as a reminder, making him remember that there was plenty of technology in this world that could target abilities from other worlds.
This technology might be useless when a fight broke out, but the problem was that intelligence analysis was inherently a crucial link at any time.
He didn't know how outrageous Schicksal's tech was; he only knew that if he uttered a single syllable now, his identity would be plucked out by Schicksal.
Although Schicksal would discover his identity sooner or later if he continued to operate, an identity was something best kept hidden as long as possible.
For most Valkyries, Otto was a great hero protecting the world. But for Aaron, who knew Otto's background, Otto was...
When you didn't hinder him, he didn't care what you thought.
But once you hindered him... well, this hindrance could be as small as 'playing a video game better than him'...
On a small scale, your game account is gone.
On a large scale, your life is gone.
For the former, refer to Cecilia: achieved a high score, instantly banned.
For the latter, refer to Joyce: if he couldn't kill you, he'd use Honkai Fission Missiles to force you to die.
If it were anyone else, facing the Honkai Fission Missiles Otto fired at New York, they might have run away.
But Otto understood Joyce. He knew Joyce wouldn't run and leave those innocent people behind. So, after being humiliated by Joyce, Otto directly brought out the big gun—Honkai Fission Missiles.
If you run, the innocent people behind you die immediately. So, are you running or not?
And then Joyce died of exhaustion.
Aaron didn't know if he and Otto would fall out in the future... forget it, falling out was a certainty.
When the time comes, if Otto tries that Honkai Fission Missile drop on his head again... thinking about it made Aaron feel his blood pressure rising.
Durandal, who was originally confronting Aaron, and Rita, who still intended to persuade him, suddenly felt an intense baleful aura erupt from the enemy before them.
This aura wasn't directed at them, but just because it wasn't directed at them didn't mean they wouldn't be affected.
This aura not only almost formed a tangible force but also gave the two a distinct sense of oppression.
At other times, when Rita felt suppressed by an opponent's momentum, she mostly just felt the pressure was a bit high.
But facing this armored warrior, Rita and Durandal simultaneously felt something bizarre.
Their souls... seemed to be tightly bound by the opponent.
This disgusting feeling was far more terrifying than ordinary pressure.
"Rita, give it up. This guy isn't an enemy who can be persuaded by words."
At this moment, Durandal spoke coldly to the enemy before her.
"I'm going to go all out. Otherwise, I feel..."
"Even I might be defeated by his hands."