Schicksal HQ
After receiving Himeko's message at Schicksal HQ, Otto, having disconnected from the Hyperion, fell into deep thought.
In truth, when Theresa had given Himeko the intelligence, she had explained the cause and effect quite clearly.
And a top student like Himeko was certainly not going to make any mistakes when relaying such a short message.
But even so, Otto still found the situation on the ground to be absurd.
Anti-Entropy showing up with their mechs, Siegfried appearing on the battlefield, and even Rita's failure didn't strike him as particularly outrageous.
Aside from his surprise at Rita fumbling the mission, the other developments were actually within his calculations.
But the problem was, the appearance of the Third Divine Key and Chiyou's rampage were clearly outside of his calculations.
Previously, Otto had used the residual memories in Fu Hua's mind to locate some Soulium in the corresponding area.
And based on the information extracted from the residual messages within that Soulium, even if Chiyou, whose power was sealed by Danzhu and Cangxuan, were to act up, a standard main cannon shot from the Hyperion should have been enough to suppress it.
But now, a Divine Key had appeared inside Chiyou.
A Divine Key couldn't possibly have been left inside Chiyou since ancient times, and the possibility of Anti-Entropy finding and using the Third Divine Key during this period was...
—Absolutely zero.
Otto's ace agent, Wraith, who had been sent to infiltrate Anti-Entropy, had been consistently gathering intelligence from the radical faction.
Aside from a special base known only to her and a few researchers, Wraith had already obtained all other intelligence on Cocolia.
And this intelligence made no mention of the Third Divine Key.
Furthermore, Theresa had mentioned that Cocolia's adopted daughter had appeared on the scene and was already in custody, being prepared for transport back to the Hyperion. With that, Otto could basically confirm that this Divine Key had nothing to do with Cocolia.
"Hah, when you think about it, the probability of an individual possessing a Divine Key is extremely low. And the owner of this Divine Key is most likely the one who broke the seal within Chiyou."
A smile touched Otto's lips as he gently tapped the desktop.
"Interesting. To think that besides Anti-Entropy, there's another anti-Honkai organization standing against Schicksal."
Though he was smiling, it was clear that Otto's heart was already filled with vigilance and anger toward this organization.
An organization that knew of Chiyou's existence, had its members enter Jiuyou in advance, and even armed them with a Divine Key, was certainly one with a solid foundation.
And their operation... frankly, it was quite successful.
They released Chiyou, and the Schicksal and Anti-Entropy forces present were nearly wiped out on the spot by Chiyou and the fallen Ji Lin.
Even when Siegfried and Theresa joined forces to suppress Chiyou, the enemy used Chiyou's properties combined with the Divine Key to block them.
If it weren't for Leo Ash's sudden burst of divine might, both Schicksal and Anti-Entropy would have suffered heavy losses this time.
In terms of results, the enemy's plan was very successful; they just miscalculated the strength of this 'B-rank knight,' Leo Ash.
They couldn't be blamed for that.
After all—even Otto didn't know that Leo Ash would become so formidable after just one month.
As for his anger, that was naturally because they had harmed Theresa.
Until certain special circumstances arose, Otto would absolutely not let anyone who tried to harm Theresa get away with it.
And this group had clearly touched Otto's nerve.
Compared to that, Leo Ash's sudden explosion of terrifying combat power was a minor issue.
Leo Ash's burst of power, delivering the final blow to Chiyou, was outside Otto's expectations, but upon reflection, it could be considered somewhat reasonable.
First, the Shenzhou character Stigmata engraved on Leo Ash's hand contained a terrifying amount of Honkai Energy.
Even Otto, if caught unprepared, could have his Soulium body injured by such an energy blast.
Second, Fu Hua had taught Leo Ash the Edge of Taixu. Although it had only been a week, when Immortal Red Kite personally imparts a divine art to a talented young prodigy, he should at least be able to grasp the basics if he practiced seriously.
And for an Avenger like Leo Ash, who was constantly seeking revenge on the Honkai, he was probably not just practicing seriously; Otto was 100% certain he was training like his life depended on it.
Finally, he had obtained the Key of Domination in Jiuyou, and through its properties, the Herrscher of Thunder had lent him her power.
With all these factors combined, Leo Ash had managed to barely shatter Chiyou's battered core when it was on its last breath.
He had performed a great service, but in Otto's eyes, it wasn't that outrageous.
However, the truth was one thing, but Otto didn't need that truth.
In this incident, Siegfried, who was on Anti-Entropy's side, and the Schicksal forces had decisively chosen to cooperate when facing Chiyou.
In Otto's view, this was information he did not want to make public.
For so many years, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy had suppressed each other's achievements during their overt and covert struggles, and now, what Otto wanted to do was essentially the same thing.
Just like during the Second Eruption, when Otto chose to announce to the world that [Cecilia requested the fission missile to be fired upon herself to resolve the Honkai, and Schicksal resolved the Second Eruption alone], Otto felt that...
—Anyway, it's not the first time he's done this. He's a man without integrity to begin with, so if lying benefits him, there's absolutely no reason for him to hold back at a time like this.
If Schicksal's Valkyries were to see 'Anti-Entropy helped Schicksal' in the database, many things would become difficult to explain and execute later on.
For Otto, intelligence that was beneficial to him and his plans was the 'truth'.
Siegfried earned no merits in this incident.
The ones who defeated Chiyou were not him, but Leo Ash and Theresa.
"Amber."
"What is it, Lord Otto?"
Amber, who had been on standby by Otto's side, saw the faint smile on his face and took the initiative to ask.
"Are there any orders for Lady Theresa?"
"She's no longer a little girl who needs my constant concern. I'll leave the follow-up work at the scene to her."
"Ha, is that so..."
*I'll take your word for it, for now.*
"Right now... hmm, pass this on."
"It was Schicksal Knight Leo Ash who defeated the Judgment-class Honkai Beast [Chiyou]."
"When he returns to Schicksal HQ, I will personally grant an audience to this young hero."
...
Hyperion - Infirmary
[Honkai Superman, open your eyes, I am Sa—]
Whoa, don't start with such a kinky play right off the bat.
Leo Ash, who had already regained some consciousness, was instantly shocked back to full awareness upon hearing that familiar yet bizarre voice.
Ha, I know you're never serious, but...
[But—you've long gotten used to this unserious dog of a System, haven't you?]
[And upon waking, you were astonished to find that although you seemingly sacrificed a lot by donning the Lightning Empress armor this time, you actually gained much more at a small cost.]
[Forced to fight for your life against Chiyou, you have now been thoroughly transformed into a death-defying Avenger in the eyes of others.]
[Thanks to this one-time use of the Lightning Empress armor, you have perfectly solidified your persona in everyone's eyes.]
So?
[The good news is, now even if you don't act according to your persona, they'll just think you're putting on an act to hide your inner feelings. You don't have to work so hard at being a top actor anymore.]
Yay—but if there's good news, there must be bad news, right?
[Nonsense, can't good things come in pairs?]
[If you don't act according to your persona, they'll just think you're hiding your inner self and will start to pity you more and more on their own. If this continues...]
[Forget Kiana and Mei, who are already... even Yuno, Fu Hua, and even Theresa and Bronya will sooner or later become your p***y!]
Ah, your censorship is as good as no censorship. I can't even be bothered to comment anymore.
[And, to be more extreme, they might even think 'Leo Ash has finally gone mad,' causing their guilt to skyrocket—even if it's not their fault at all.]
[If this continues, as long as your moral standards slip just a little—]
Then I'll be one step closer to becoming Otto.
[Tch, you're not falling for it.]
You've known me for more than a day, and I've known you for more than a day.
Such boring words... forget it, even if I tell you to stop, you won't.
After ending his conversation with the System, Leo Ash began to examine his injuries.
Even though Raiden Mei had tried her best to control the Honkai Energy, Leo Ash, who had borrowed the power of the Herrscher of Thunder, still paid a price.
The wounds he had inflicted on himself, the internal injuries from punching himself, and the injuries from Theresa accidentally hitting him with Judah had all worsened due to the spread of Honkai Energy.
To be honest, if he hadn't been mentally prepared and somewhat accustomed to this feeling, he would probably be writhing in pain on the hospital bed right now.
But, aside from these issues, the remaining problems... were manageable.
Unlike others, the [Void Demon Stone Fragment] and [Powerful Healing Spell] that Leo Ash possessed allowed him to first weaken the intensity of the Honkai Energy at his wounds and then use the [Full Power] mode of the Powerful Healing Spell to heal all his injuries, old and new, in one go.
Instead of worrying about his life being shortened by excessive Honkai Energy erosion, Leo Ash was better off thinking about how to fool Otto this time.
However, that was a matter for later.
Opening his eyes, Leo Ash looked at what was in front of him.
"A strange ceiling."
"If possible, I'd rather you never see the infirmary ceiling again."
As Leo Ash opened his eyes, a voice tinged with anger suddenly drifted into his ears from beside him.
Turning his head, Leo Ash was surprised to see Bianka "Durandal" Ataegina, who shouldn't have been there, sitting by his bedside with an annoyed expression.
"A few days ago, during Rita's birthday, I saw you and thought you'd learned something, but it turns out..."
"How are you even more reckless than last time!"
"Hah, reckless..."
Supporting himself with his arms to sit up, Leo Ash said helplessly.
"I don't think I was being reckless this time or the last. To put it bluntly, it was an emergency. If I didn't push myself, everyone around me and I would have died."
"As for the result—look, don't I still have my life?"
Seeing Leo Ash's indifferent attitude, Durandal felt her blood pressure shoot up.
"If you can't win, can't you run?! I came over as soon as I heard there was trouble here. Wait for me to get there and solve the problem—"
"Then a lot of people would have died."
*Besides, who knew Otto wouldn't stop you.*
*Even I could tell Siegfried was here. Otto is smarter than me; he must have predicted Siegfried's movements long ago.*
*Unless it was a last resort, how could he possibly risk letting you two meet by allowing you to take action?*
However, Durandal, unaware of Leo Ash's inner thoughts at this moment, looked at his calm face and suddenly felt she had no energy left to blame him.
She was different from Leo Ash. Having forgotten her past, she was, in a sense, happier than him.
Forgetting the past was equivalent to being forced to abandon connections with one's past and friends, but it was also equivalent to forgetting past sorrows.
The girl who once lost everything might have lost some important people over the years.
But compared to Leo Ash, whose parents died right in front of him, Durandal felt she was already very fortunate.
It was precisely because Leo Ash had lost his parents when he was most powerless that he would so pathologically do whatever it took to fight the Honkai and protect those around him now that he had power.
Once she reached this conclusion, Durandal found she could no longer blame him for being reckless.
"Ah, forget it, I can't be bothered to lecture you—just lie down obediently."
Picking up the Abyss Flower she had placed aside, Durandal said to Leo Ash in an annoyed tone.
"The power of Abyss Flower should be enough to heal your wounds, so for now..."
"—Just lie down for me, Leo! Bro! Bro!"
...