Facing the man, Kiana didn't feel any overwhelming pressure from his aura.
To be honest, compared to Rita, who had wielded the Xuanyuan Sword earlier, this man before her clearly lacked the killing intent of a warrior.
The problem was, his aura wasn't intimidating, but...
—Honkai Energy intensity doesn't lie.
The moment he gathered Honkai Energy in his palm, Kiana sensed that its intensity far surpassed the limits of what she could currently wield.
No, it wasn't just her. Even Yuno, whose body and mind had been dominated by the Honkai back in Nagazora City, might not have been able to definitively overpower him in terms of sheer intensity.
"First Herrscher—you're Anti-Entropy's sovereign, Welt???"
Kiana glared at the blue-haired man before her and suddenly snapped.
"Didn't Dad say the sovereign of Anti-Entropy wasn't a bad guy?! You look like a major villain!"
"Huh? Dad?"
The blue-haired man who had appeared before them wore a puzzled expression, completely unable to grasp what Kiana meant.
"I don't know who your father is, and don't think you can build a connection with that kind of talk, little girl."
Something was wrong.
Upon hearing his words, Kiana immediately felt that there was something fishy about the man in front of her.
Although she hadn't been present for the final battle against Chiyou, Bronya and Mei hadn't hidden the fact that Siegfried had been there when they returned to the Hyperion.
So, in Kiana's mind, her deadbeat dad, Siegfried, was in a state of 'Ah, I'm busy working for Anti-Entropy and saving the world, Kiana, you take care of yourself,' which was incredibly frustrating.
But now, this man claiming to be the First Herrscher was saying he didn't know her dad?
Was her idiot father deceived?
Or—was this guy an impostor?
Sensing the Honkai Energy fluctuations from her opponent, Yuno felt the situation was dire.
Kiana could only sense that the opponent's Honkai Energy was strong, but Yuno, who was now stronger than Kiana, could clearly perceive that his power was definitely above her own.
Yuno was currently suppressing her Herrscher Personality, which prevented her from freely operating her Herrscher Core and reaching her peak Honkai Energy intensity.
This was also why she had forced herself to undergo combat training, relying on novel ways to use her powers to compensate for her current shortcomings.
The enemy was strong. If Kiana remained by her side, she wasn't confident she could protect Kiana while successfully defeating him.
As for Kiana's role in this battle...
It was hard to say this to Kiana, but the twin pistols, [Light & Shadow], in her hands could hardly inflict any effective damage on the enemy.
The Light & Shadow pistols worked by using a strong electromagnetic field to force a reaction between two mutually repulsive Honkai Energy particles, thereby drawing away the surrounding thermal energy—in short, they were for applying a freezing effect.
The problem was, when the enemy's Honkai Energy intensity was too high, Kiana's bullets couldn't even freeze his body, let alone break through the Imaginary Shield that some Herrschers possessed.
Letting Kiana stay here would not only make things more difficult for Yuno, but when Kiana realized she 'couldn't do anything,' her already fragile mental state might collapse even further.
She had to find a reason to make her leave.
"Kiana, go somewhere else. The enemy is here, and the two of us are likely the first students in all of St. Freya High School to know about the attack."
"Go and inform everyone to prepare for battle. I suspect this so-called 'First Herrscher' isn't the only enemy who has come to ambush us."
"...I understand."
Listening to Yuno's instructions, Kiana didn't spout any sentimental nonsense like, 'No, I want to fight with you.'
An enemy had arrived. While Yuno confronted him, the others still didn't know that the enemy had already reached St. Freya High School.
Normally, aside from Valkyries like them who had just returned from a mission, most of the Valkyries' equipment was stored in the armory.
If they didn't let everyone know an enemy had arrived, and if the high command didn't issue tactical orders, her classmates might face a one-sided slaughter.
"Heh heh, a good idea, but..."
Watching Kiana already beginning to retreat with her White Comet's thrusters, the man raised his right hand and flicked a finger through the air in her direction.
"Did I say she could leave?"
As the man flicked his finger, a terrifying shockwave shot through the air, heading straight for Kiana's back.
But in the instant he completed this action, Yuno, who had already pressed her palms to the ground, activated her powers.
"She's leaving. When did she ever need your permission?"
In the path of the shockwave, over a dozen trees formed from Honkai Energy materialized as shields, forcibly mitigating the shockwave's destructive power with their sheer numbers.
Although the trees ultimately failed to completely nullify the shockwave from the man's finger, the weakened blast that hit Kiana merely caused her to stumble, failing to knock her down instantly.
Knowing he could no longer keep the girl from leaving, the man's sickening smile vanished, replaced by a look of displeasure as he glared at Yuno.
"You're quite insolent, little girl."
"I was going to play with you for a bit, but on second thought—I don't think I need to waste my time on you."
Watching the blue-haired man, Yuno felt his Honkai Energy continuing to rise, leaving her even more shocked.
This guy's Honkai Energy intensity is still increasing???
Could he really be the First Herrscher?
But that's not right either.
I met Kiana's father last time, and his attitude toward us was very friendly.
Kiana's father is on the side of the First Herrscher. This man's actions clearly don't align with the intelligence we received before.
I see. Someone intends to use the First Herrscher's name to slander the people from Anti-Entropy.
I heard from Bronya and Class Rep Fu Hua that there might be something wrong with Shincheng Pharmaceutical. It turns out—they have a Herrscher-level trump card hidden away. This is a huge problem.
Remaining vigilant, Yuno dodged two black energy spheres thrown by the enemy and glanced back at the ground where they had struck.
The spots hit by the energy spheres didn't look like they were blown apart or annihilated by Honkai Energy, but rather as if they had been crushed by something.
"Very nimble. Fits my impression of a rat."
Seeing Yuno dodge his attacks repeatedly, the blue-haired man simply opened his right hand.
"But—can you dodge this?"
Seeing his gesture, Yuno couldn't understand why he would suddenly make such a cryptic move.
But unless the enemy was an idiot, he wouldn't make a meaningless gesture in a life-or-death battle.
Dodge, I have to dodge, or else...!
With this thought, Yuno instantly generated a vine on the other side with her powers, yanking herself away from her original position.
And in the instant she was pulled away, the ground where she had been standing...
—was instantly and completely crushed.
Seeing this, Yuno finally understood what her opponent's ability was.
This power was clearly gravity manipulation.
This is tough.
Vines and trees are crushed the moment they appear under the power of gravity manipulation.
And as for ranged attacks and venom... they either lack the power to break through his Imaginary Shield or have their trajectories altered by gravity, causing them to miss.
This guy's abilities completely counter mine.
If I want to win...
"You still have time to be dazed?"
!!!!!
In mid-air, Yuno saw the gravitational fluctuations below, hardened the vine, and kicked off it forcefully.
Using this makeshift mid-air maneuver, Yuno managed to reposition herself just barely before being crushed by the gravity.
Damn it, and I actually thought I could beat this guy.
What I should be thinking about right now isn't winning...
—but surviving.
...
Almost at the same time, inside Himeko's house.
Inside Himeko's house, Mei looked at the letter on the table and smiled with relief.
After the Jiuyou mission ended, Mei had to write reports and debrief, so she couldn't immediately read the letter Siegfried had given her.
Today, when she opened it and saw the handwriting inside, Mei was finally certain that her father, Raiden Ryoma, was indeed alive.
In the letter, Raiden Ryoma didn't say much about his current situation.
But from the words he wrote, Mei could still feel her father's concern for her.
"Father, I'm so glad you're okay."
This way, I can finally be at ease.
Even after everything that happened in Nagazora City, my father is still alive, and I can somewhat control my Herrscher powers now.
If I just keep working hard, during the next operation, I won't drag Leo Ash down. I might even be able to stop him from fighting so recklessly.
At the thought of the boy who had gone to Schicksal HQ, the smile on Mei's face gradually faded.
This time in Jiuyou, Leo Ash's actions had made it clear to everyone that he hadn't, as he claimed, completely let go of his hatred for the Honkai.
Focusing the Herrscher's power into his weapon and then relying on his own formidable control over Honkai Energy to deliver the final blow to Chiyou.
The process seemed brief, but as the one who provided the power, Mei knew very well that if there had been the slightest mistake, Leo Ash would have been vaporized into atoms by the power of the Herrscher of Thunder.
If Mei hadn't known at the time that even if she tried to stop Leo Ash, he would find other ways to stop Chiyou, she really wouldn't have wanted to attach this power to Leo Ash's body.
Saying he was afraid of death and had moved on was all a lie.
How could someone who was truly afraid of death choose to stand in front of us at the critical moment?
Mei now understood that neither the admonitions in the dorm nor the regular psychological therapy at St. Freya High School had any effect on Leo Ash.
If she really didn't want him to rush ahead so fast and die outside from carelessness, then...
—she could only become stronger and solve the problems they faced before he did.
Before coming to this realization, Mei had once felt pained by the fact that she was a Herrscher.
But after thinking it through, Mei was even a little grateful for what she had been through.
When she was breaking down, Siegfried and Leo Ash had saved her.
And now, she had enough potential.
As long as she could convert this potential into strength, many problems would no longer be problems.
As for that other matter...
Thinking of something, Mei suddenly blushed and shook her head.
Even if I went to find Leo Ash now and told him how I feel, he probably wouldn't have time for it.
I'll wait a little longer. The time will be right, at least after things have settled down a bit.
Having buried that thought back in her heart, Mei suddenly began to actively channel her Herrscher powers.
And the moment she began to channel this power...
[Hmph, coward. Did you actually choose to call upon me voluntarily?]
That voice, which Mei dreaded, appeared in her mind as expected.
[For a coward like you to voluntarily call on me when nothing's wrong, don't tell me you want to actively master the power that belongs to me?]
*The power of the Herrscher of Thunder was my power to begin with. Right now, I'm just trying to familiarize myself with it.*
*Herrscher, don't think you can interfere with me forever. Sooner or later, I will completely suppress you.*
Faced with Mei's almost provocative words, the Herrscher of Thunder, far from getting angry, replied in an incredibly flippant tone.
[Fine by me. You can work hard toward that goal, though I don't think you'll succeed.]
[But, for you to suddenly make such a resolution...]
[Heh, to think you'd try to touch the power of a god just because you've fallen in love with a worthless insect?]
[How utterly foolish.]
Her thoughts instantly exposed by the Herrscher of Thunder, Mei felt her composure crack slightly.
And with that momentary crack in her composure, she felt an invisible pressure assail her from all directions, suffocating her.
*You...!*
[Don't get angry at me. This isn't my fault. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for not being mature enough.]
[And you need to understand something. I'm not playing any tricks, it's just...]
[You are not on the side of 'God,' yet you wish to steal the authority of 'God.' Do you think God will let you off so easily?]
[As long as you choose to use the Herrscher's power, God will pressure you, the traitor, through the Herrscher Core. Given your current level of control over the core, the time you can last is not enough for you to defeat the enemy that has arrived.]
*What did you say?!*
Hearing the Herrscher of Thunder's words, Mei forced herself to calm down and spread her senses to her surroundings.
The moment she did, Mei truly sensed a powerful wave of Honkai Energy approaching the small villa where they lived.
[Oh, right. I forgot to mention. Although that guy himself has no such intention, his arrival here was undoubtedly guided by 'God' in the shadows, so he can use his full power.]
[If you have the courage to steal the authority of a god, then try to survive.]
[As long as you can prove yourself, I don't mind going a little easy on you in the future.]
*Tch.*
*I don't need you to go easy on me!*
Having confirmed the enemy's location, Mei immediately rushed out of her room, grabbing the MagStorm from the table as she went.
"Big Sister Mei?"
Completely unaware of what was happening, Bronya saw Mei rush out of the villa and immediately followed her.
Then, she suddenly saw Theresa, who had been resting in her room, also run out with a grim expression.
"Bronya, prepare for battle."
Theresa, who hadn't changed into her pajamas yet, looked at the enemy who had appeared in the distance and spoke to Bronya with a serious expression.
"An enemy has come to attack us, and this enemy... is very strong."
An enemy?
One that even the Headmaster considers very strong?
Looking at the man who was now facing off against Mei, Bronya felt that something was off.
Even if Theresa's body was weakened from overusing the Divine Key, and as weak as she was now, she shouldn't be so weak that she couldn't defeat an Emperor-class beast.
For the Headmaster, who could defeat Emperor-class beasts, to think this man was strong... did that mean...
—this man was also a Herrscher-level enemy?
For someone to suddenly attack St. Freya High School at this time, if Bronya were the enemy, Bronya would want to...
Bronya would definitely want to rescue the prisoner and retrieve the Divine Key!
"Headmaster, please notify Teacher Himeko immediately."
Having already summoned Project Bunny, Bronya aimed its cannons at the enemy.
"There's a high probability that the enemy's target is the person from Shincheng Pharmaceutical."
"If there's more than one attacker, then Class Rep Fu Hua, who is guarding him, will also be in danger sooner or later!"
...
On the transport plane, Leo Ash, who had already equipped the Grips of Taixu, looked at the scenery outside and could only think...
—Damn it, that bastard Cocolia, why has she suddenly become so diligent?
In the original story, Cocolia's next large-scale operation after bombing Nagazora City was indeed during the Jiuyou arc.
But the problem was, the time frame was completely off.
Leo Ash didn't know exactly when the Jiuyou incident happened, but after the Third Eruption in the original story, Kiana and the others had their first real combat mission at least three months later.
And their first real combat mission was clearly not a major operation like the Jiuyou expedition.
From a logical standpoint, the main trio in the original story participated in the Jiuyou mission only after gaining some combat experience.
Considering that combat experience takes time to accumulate, that would have to add some more time.
Furthermore, according to the manga, Yuno's Herrscher reaction in Nagazora City only occurred several months later, leading to the subsequent incident where Theresa almost failed twice in a row. This suggests that in the original story, Theresa obtained Yae Sakura's Stigmata several months after the Third Eruption.
And although the Stigmata Mystery arc was retconned, causing Himeko to be inexplicably hospitalized at the beginning of the Anti-Entropy Invasion arc, the timeline still connected.
So, in Leo Ash's eyes, the period from the Third Eruption to the Jiuyou turmoil should have theoretically been at least four to six months.
And now? It's only been about forty days, three or four times faster than the original story!
What on earth provoked that bastard Cocolia to become so impatient?
In Leo Ash's eyes, Cocolia had transformed from an idiot who drove a runaway truck around, crashing into people, into a super-idiot who floored the gas pedal while driving that truck.
And for that very reason, Leo Ash could feel...
—his killing intent towards Cocolia was now higher than ever before.
[Ding! Host has met the conditions to receive a reward. The reward has been sent to the system mailbox.]
Upon hearing the System's notification, Leo Ash's killing intent, which had just reached its peak, instantly surpassed it.
Although he knew a fight was coming after Himeko sent him the message—after all, Himeko was considered the brains of the Far East Branch, and if she made such a judgment, the probability of an enemy attack was high—the problem was that the System's notification had arrived while he was still on the transport plane.
"Hah..."
With a helpless sigh, Leo Ash could only retrieve the reward from his mailbox and use it immediately.
[Ding! The reward received this time is (Special Item - Intermediate Lottery Ticket)]
With a flash of light, a skill book glowing blue appeared before Leo Ash.
[Skill Book - Precision Control]
[After using this skill, the user can perform precision operations.]
[In this state, the user can execute movements with extremely high precision and manipulate special energies within the body more precisely.]
[Note: In a calm state, the precision bonus provided by Precision Control is further enhanced.]
*A subtle skill, but if used well, it could be a good card to have.*
*But speaking of which, why is it an Intermediate Lottery Ticket? I've never seen such a low-grade item before.*
*This overwhelming sense of disdain...*
[First of all, this System must emphasize that an Intermediate Lottery Ticket is not actually bad.]
[In fact, if you hadn't met this System in Nagazora City, you wouldn't have gotten so many Advanced Lottery Tickets—where else would you find so many life-threatening crises?]
*Oh, so in other words, the reward is downgraded because the enemy is weak?*
[The opponent's power is strong, but when you factor in combat experience and combat intelligence...]
[If you die in this battle, this System will definitely laugh its head off before you die.]
*Wow, that's reassuring.*
*Well then, I'll test this skill before I arrive.*
Condensing both mana and Honkai Energy at his fingertips, Leo Ash felt that these two energies, which normally required great effort to forcibly combine, were now clinging together under the effect of Precision Control without suddenly exploding.
It should be known that special energies don't necessarily merge easily with each other.
In fact, when these energies, which could be used for direct attacks, were combined, they often became even more dangerous.
But with the Precision Control skill, Leo Ash, in a calm state of mind, could easily combine two energies that could detonate at any moment.
And this was just an operation he performed without even studying the skill in detail after obtaining it.
Looking at it this way, this skill has a promising future.
"Hey, uh, Commander."
"You don't have to call me Commander."
Hearing the pilot, who had been silent the whole trip, suddenly speak to him, Leo Ash replied.
"Just call me Leo Ash. What's your name?"
"Mike. You can just call me Mike."
Hearing that this newly-promoted genius warrior wasn't putting on airs and was instead responding to him so calmly, the pilot named Mike felt a sense of relief.
It was just that when Leo Ash heard the pilot's name, he felt a sense of déjà vu.
Before he was truck-kun'd, he seemed to remember another pilot named Mike, who...
"Mike, once we get to St. Freya, you don't need to stay. I'll just jump out."
"Huh?"
Hearing Leo Ash's words, Mike wanted to say, 'That's not a good idea.'
But considering that this was the badass who had single-handedly killed Chiyou, Mike suddenly felt his concern was unnecessary.
This person was still officially a B-rank, but everyone knew Otto would promote him to A-rank in a few days.
As long as he didn't die, his promotion to S-rank was only a matter of time.
If an S-rank could die from jumping out of a plane, then there was definitely something wrong with the world.
After making his decision, Mike continued speaking to Leo Ash.
"Leo Ash, it's not that I want to say too much, but while you've seemed calm this whole trip, you can't hide the worry in your eyes."
"I know you want revenge on the Honkai—who doesn't want to kill the Honkai? But even when fighting the Honkai, it doesn't mean you shouldn't rest."
"We're almost at St. Freya now, so there's nothing to be done, but—I personally hope that the next time you're on a transport plane, you don't think too much and get some good rest."
*Wait, even a Schicksal pilot can see how worried I am?*
*Does everyone in this world have their observation skill maxed out to 75 or something?*
[Isn't it obvious? You're thinking about Cocolia still making trouble, and this System's notification just arrived. Even with your 'Cold, Handsome Man' title, the worry in your eyes can't be completely concealed.]
[Plus, you haven't said a word the whole way here. This pilot was bound to notice something—he flies planes for a living, do you think he could do that with bad eyesight?]
*That makes sense.*
*I really can't underestimate others.*
*Those who can work for Schicksal are basically the elite among ordinary people.*
*If Otto didn't rely so much on Fenghuang Down, I might not have been able to deceive him even with my title.*
"Alright, we've arrived at St. Freya High School. You..."
Watching Leo Ash pull open the transport's door, leap out, and even close the door behind him, Mike let out a soft whistle and looked down.
Then, what he saw below made his expression change drastically.
He hadn't paid much attention before, but looking closely now, why were there Honkai Beasts inside St. Freya High School????
They say the atmosphere at the Far East Branch is incredibly lazy, but are they holding this kind of military drill in the middle of the night?
No, wait, this isn't a drill.
This level of destruction... the people at St. Freya High School definitely wouldn't be bored enough to transport a few Honkai Beasts here just to tear the place down.
Did Anti-Entropy attack???
Has Anti-Entropy started using things like Honkai Beasts, too?
..
Within St. Freya High School, Kiana, who was supposed to be notifying others, was now running for her life.
Under Yuno's cover, Kiana had indeed managed to escape the battlefield.
But Kiana, who had intended to follow the original plan, saw a cat slowly walk out of the woods.
Normally, upon seeing a cat, Kiana would quietly approach to pet it.
But today, due to the urgency of the situation, Kiana's brain, which she usually didn't bother to use, began to work frantically.
*Wait a minute, would a stray cat really sneak into our St. Freya High School?*
*Why do I get the feeling that something is very wrong... here!!!!*
The cat, feeling Kiana's gaze, slowly turned its head towards her, its eyes suddenly becoming incredibly sharp.
And before Kiana's shocked eyes, this seemingly ordinary cat transformed into a giant Honkai Beast.
The cat turning into a Honkai Beast was already enough to shock Kiana for a long time.
And now, Kiana could feel that the Honkai Energy intensity of this cat surpassed that of an ordinary Chariot-class.
"An... an Emperor-class???"
And then, Kiana found herself being hunted by this Emperor-class cat.
Now, Kiana not only had to use her thrusters to escape from its sight but also had to be careful not to lead it to the residential area, which would result in her classmates being slaughtered by the Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
What gave her an even bigger headache was that because she had been training with Yuno earlier, her White Comet battlesuit's energy was already quite depleted.
If she continued to flee at full power for another minute, the White Comet would run out of energy and become inoperable.
"Damn it, damn it, damn it, why..."
"—why is this young lady being chased by a cat!"
Though she grumbled, Kiana's mind was still racing.
But the more Kiana thought, the more her head ached.
There was a certain distance between the training ground and Himeko's house, and there were quite a few residential areas along the way.
If Kiana were to stick to her original plan and not involve her classmates, she would have to take a detour.
But if she took a detour, she wouldn't have enough energy.
This led to a situation where Kiana either had to abandon her original plan and her moral compass to screw over her teammates or wait for death.
Of course, she could still hope for a miracle, but after everything she had been through, Kiana felt it was better to dream less.
Her escape from Nagazora City was basically all thanks to Leo Ash pulling her out.
For Kiana, that was already a miracle.
Now that Leo Ash was at Schicksal HQ, it wasn't like she could just shout, 'Help me, Senior!' and have Leo Ash descend from the heavens to knock this Honkai Beast out with a single punch, right?
Then, in the next second, Kiana suddenly heard a sound.
Turning her head immediately, Kiana saw a 'shooting star' suddenly fall from the sky, landing between her and the Honkai Beast.
At that moment, even before the dust settled, Kiana's heart began to race.
That figure, could it be...
"Aah, this kind of landing is pretty exciting once in a while."
As the dust settled, Leo Ash turned to Kiana and said.
"But considering you thought I was too extreme last time, you'd better not copy me, Kiana."
"After all, if you're not prepared for this, you'll end up puking."
Looking at Leo Ash's figure, Kiana suddenly felt like she was about to cry.
*Senior... it's really Senior!*
*I just thought about it, and he really came to save me!*
However, Leo Ash's landing on the ground didn't mean the cat chasing Kiana would stop.
Sensing the appearance of a new enemy, the cat didn't pause but charged straight at the man before it.
"Oh, it's you."
Looking at the large cat, Leo Ash clenched his right fist.
The moment Leo Ash assumed this fighting stance, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast known as Stan suddenly felt a terrifying pressure emanating from him.
It was too late to stop now, but...
—this human isn't even wearing combat armor, how can he have such terrifying Honkai Energy intensity!!!
Watching Stan's actions through the monitoring system, Jackal saw Leo Ash's stance and spoke to Stan in a cold voice.
"Leo Ash... hmph, he's just a kid who got lucky. Don't be afraid, just ram into him—what!!!"
Amidst Jackal's cry of alarm, Leo Ash, who had finished gathering his power, took a deep breath and slammed his fist directly into Stan's head.
"Galactica Phantom!"
As the punch struck Stan's head with incredible speed, the already terrified Stan felt its mind go completely blank.
And in Kiana's line of sight, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast that had been so ferocious just a moment ago was now, under Leo Ash's punch...
—his head was smashed into the ground, and he was forced back into the form of a small, though still intimidating-looking, cat.