When Leo Ash's consciousness returned to the real world, he could feel that he had already formed a connection with something.
However, considering he was in a lounge at Schicksal HQ, where a certain man might have installed surveillance cameras, Leo Ash definitely didn't dare to act recklessly.
He had no idea what information Otto had seen in Void Archives' database.
And now, if Leo Ash were to summon a strange tachi in a place Otto could potentially see, it would already be highly suspicious.
If Otto had also seen the design schematics for Jizō Mitama and instantly recalled its function, the problem would become massive.
In fact, if Otto were even slightly more paranoid, the moment he saw Leo Ash summon this tachi, he would use Fenghuang Down to hypnotize him and make him summon the weapon again in his presence.
If Leo Ash didn't produce it then, all his past disguises would be exposed.
But if he did produce it... would Otto, a man who could mercilessly kill Siegfried and Cecilia, spare someone capable of summoning the Key of Corruption?
Jizō Mitama was Otto's perfect counter, yes, but that was predicated on the user having perfect control over it.
Although the current Leo Ash was much stronger than he was fifteen days ago, his power was an amalgamation of skills and items he'd drawn, plus the techniques he'd honed in his dreams.
The overall increase in his strength had granted him the power to fight a Herrscher.
But that didn't mean his weaknesses had vanished.
Even a veteran A-rank powerhouse like Shigure Kira would have her arm corroded by a Divine Key just by holding Abyss Flower in the past.
If the Shigure Kira from back then hadn't been thrown into some bizarre places, according to Schicksal's current Valkyrie ranking criteria, she would be a hundred percent an S-rank on par with Rita.
Even someone like her would suffer a huge burden just from touching Abyss Flower, whose core was 'dead'. Using this as a reference, Leo Ash felt it was best not to get too arrogant in this regard.
What's more, this core was 'alive', and the Key of Corruption's power of corrosion would undoubtedly erode a person's body at a much faster rate than the Key of Creation, even unconsciously.
I've got an ace up my sleeve, but I can't even play it.
No, I shouldn't think like that.
No matter how strong the Key of Corruption's power is, its essence is still the corrosion of the body by Honkai Energy.
If I wrap my right hand in Holy Blood, I might be able to slow down the key's corrosion on myself.
But cutting myself open every day isn't a long-term solution...
It seems I still need more HSN serum.
Before I transmigrated, I just thought this serum was somewhat impressive.
But looking back now, Dr. Magi was a genius whom even Otto, a man who fancied himself the smartest person alive, would sincerely praise.
If he hadn't produced a sufficiently outstanding creation, why would Otto praise a traitor who had betrayed him?
As the wielder of a Divine Key who possessed Void Archives, Otto's scientific research and development leaned more towards improving and replicating technology from the Previous Era.
But Dr. Magi, who had basically no access to that database, managed to create something like this...
It's quite terrifying when you think about it.
In the future, if I want to use a Divine Key, unless I can draw a higher-level resistance to Honkai Energy, the HSN serum will be a necessity for me.
Moreover, if I request too much HSN serum, Otto will definitely become suspicious—he knows better than I do how crucial the serum is in high-stakes battles.
Thinking about it this way, I can't request too much when I apply for it.
And I'll have to set aside a portion of the serum I get to analyze with my [Pharmaceutical Mastery] skill.
After the analysis is complete, I'll need to study the ratio between the serum and Holy Blood to see if I can create the God-Slaying Spear.
Even an incomplete God-Slaying Spear would be enough to become a new trump card for me.
As for the complete version, even the three-cored Sirin, after absorbing the [Gem of Serenity] and the [Gem of Conquest], would feel a sense of dread upon seeing it.
Now that things have come to this, Otto is bound to stir up some major trouble involving Kiana in the future.
Although the Gem of Conquest and the Gem of Serenity are with Mei and Yuno respectively, who knows what the future, already shattered beyond recognition, will become.
Damn it, the original story never had bizarre plots like 'Raven releases Chiyou' or 'Gray Serpent builds a clone army'.
And now Yuno has become the Herrscher of Death...
So, why have so many strange things happened in the past fifty-one days?
And now, Wendy has been captured too.
In 2016, Wendy's resentment grew and grew until she eventually became the Herrscher of Wind.
But it's 2014 right now...
In the next instant, Leo Ash suddenly realized he'd had a truly monstrous thought.
Just now, he actually thought it would be great 'if Wendy became a Herrscher and blew up World Serpent's base'.
Enough, how could I have such a thought?
And considering the bizarre circumstances of the original story, if Wendy manifests, she'd better not get tied down by Gray Serpent's clone army, only to be sneak-attacked by Cocolia's Titan mech squadron in a classic reenactment, and end up having her Gem taken. That would be a real joke.
In the original story, Gray Serpent was constantly coveting the Wind of Desire in Cocolia's hands, and he later did succeed through his schemes, making the Gem of Desire the catalyst for Kevin's return to reality.
Less than 25% of 2014 has passed, and Kevin might already be getting out of his cage?
Rescue Wendy.
I must rescue Wendy.
Right now, Leo Ash truly felt that this situation had become a complete mess.
Cocolia and Gray Serpent are working together, so as soon as Cocolia gets the specific coordinates of Abyssal City, Gray Serpent can just go over and drop the Gem.
Of course, that's assuming Gray Serpent actually has a Gem... well, he does have one now.
Although in Chapter 3 of the original story, the main trio's dialogue clearly states that the Gem of Desire has stabilized within Wendy's body, stabilization is one thing, but coalescing back into a core that can be used is another matter entirely.
But Leo Ash didn't dare to gamble.
He didn't know if Wendy would transform into a Herrscher due to emotional turmoil.
Even if Wendy could hold onto her true self, Leo Ash didn't dare to bet that Gray Serpent wouldn't, in a fit of desperation, throw Wendy, a Herrscher candidate with a Gem inside her, directly into the Eye of the Deep to force a breakthrough.
If he lost the bet, Gray Serpent would, at worst, lose a very valuable but unusable item.
But if Gray Serpent won the bet, Kevin would be released ahead of schedule...
Then Leo Ash, who could barely hold his own against a Herrscher, would be facing Kevin...
Normally, in a situation where the sky is falling, the leader of the organization should be the one holding it up.
But considering that Leo Ash's current boss is a certain Mr. Run-for-the-Hills who likes to hide behind the scenes when at a disadvantage, gets cocky with the upper hand, directs all his fire at his own people, and vanishes the moment trouble starts, he felt that counting on Otto to step up was less reliable than hoping the System would give him a more powerful cheat.
[Alright, stop hinting. Even if you've hinted at me several times today, I'm not going to break the rules.]
[You know the rules—]
Fine, I get it, forget it if you're not giving me anything!
I have so many cards in my hand. The key to breaking this deadlock might be hidden among these trump cards and the intelligence I possess.
But speaking of which, I think I just remembered something.
As drowsiness washed over him, Leo Ash finally recalled...
Oh, I remember wanting to go to sleep a few minutes ago.
Well, I should probably get some sleep first.
Raven handed over the intel, but I haven't even checked out some of the bases mentioned in her report.
...Jizō Mitama!
That's right, World Serpent's bases should be interconnected.
Even though Gray Serpent would definitely wipe the data after knowing Raven had sold them out, but—faced with the corrosive power of the Key of Corruption, he might be able to use Jizō Mitama's abilities to view some of the data in World Serpent's computers.
As for the reason...
Heh, Leo Ash is an Avenger.
Leo Ash, who lost his parents, became an avenger against the Honkai. So it's perfectly normal for Leo Ash, whose sister was beaten into a coma, to want revenge on World Serpent.
Besides, this time it wasn't some tedious role-playing.
I genuinely want to kill these sons of bitches.
Kill...
Kill.
Kill!
I'll sleep on it, and tomorrow I'll submit a report to Otto, asking him to send me to plow through all of World Serpent's bases with Jizō Mitama!
Damn it, once I've turned all of World Serpent's bases inside out...
—I refuse to believe I won't be able to get the coordinates of their other bases!
.
Next day. Otto's Office.
"About this application..."
Looking at the mission request the young man had just submitted, Otto said to Leo Ash with a smile.
"I'm sorry, but it's denied."
"But, Lord Bishop—"
"Leo Ash, hear me out."
Motioning for Leo Ash to calm down, Otto maintained his smile and said.
"I know you're in a hurry, but this time, you really don't need to be."
You don't need to be in a hurry?
I think you don't understand the gravity of the situation.
If I can find World Serpent's main base sooner and rescue Wendy, Kevin will have to stay in his prison cell.
And as long as Kevin stays in prison, you can carry out your plans in peace!
But right now, Leo Ash certainly couldn't voice his inner thoughts.
So, in Otto's eyes, Leo Ash was clearly panicking but didn't know how to explain the situation, which was why his anxiety was so palpable.
But this time, no matter how anxious Leo Ash got, it was useless.
Just yesterday, while Otto was hypnotizing Yuno to test her powers, he had also taken a look at Leo Ash's actions through the surveillance system.
And at that moment, watching the monitor, Otto truly felt...
Leo Ash's mental burden was far too severe.
Although he tentatively believed that Leo Ash was still within the control of Fenghuang Down, Otto was, after all, a very suspicious person.
In any case, he had turned Schicksal into a semi-automated system, so under these circumstances, Otto still had the time to spare to see what the 'strongest Knight of Schicksal' was up to.
And then, Otto was baffled by what he saw Leo Ash do on the screen.
It wasn't that Leo Ash's morale-boosting actions in the bar were bad.
For Otto, he had already started building up Leo Ash's reputation and did indeed want to create an atmosphere that 'humanity already has warriors powerful enough to easily defeat Herrschers' to give his subordinates a more positive mindset.
He had been letting the Honkai develop, yes, but that was something that had to be done secretly behind the scenes.
Otto usually spent a lot of time on his public image.
And because of this, those who knew nothing of the inner workings would see Otto as a righteous and infallible savior, while those who knew a part of the truth would only see him as a cold, emotionless tool for salvation.
As for those who knew most of the inside story...
Aside from the unlucky bastards in Anti-Entropy whom he had made miserable, the only other person who knew his secrets, besides Fu Hua, had been taken care of by Otto in advance.
Ha, if my true nature were exposed, my life as the Bishop of Schicksal would be over.
Thankfully, my act is good enough now. Even high-ranking warriors like Bianka and Leo Ash, who have noticed I'm not a good person, are willing to work for me to fight the Honkai.
But the problem now is that Bianka is fine. Although she works hard, she knows how to regulate herself.
After all, she has lost her past memories, so she doesn't have to grieve over the tragic and unfortunate events of the past.
But Leo Ash is different.
Having lost his parents, he has truly become an Avenger.
Leo Ash, who puts on a brave face in front of everyone to give others confidence, not only showed a weary expression when he returned to his room but was even startled awake after just three minutes of sleep.
Seeing Leo Ash in this state, Otto immediately decided that if the situation didn't improve, he would have to extend Leo Ash's mandatory leave from fifteen days to thirty.
And now, Otto knew very well that Leo Ash was anxious not only because World Serpent was an enemy organization of Schicksal, but also because World Serpent had injured Rita, which was a major reason.
Leo Ash, who valued family ties, now wanted to rush out and seek revenge on World Serpent. Otto could understand that.
But understanding was one thing; he understood plenty of things. Understanding didn't mean he had to agree.
He also understood that the people in Anti-Entropy wanted to kill him, their sworn enemy.
Just because he understood their thoughts didn't mean Otto had to immediately put a Judgment of Shamash to his own head.
Leo Ash was ostensibly the warrior representative Otto had promoted, but in reality, he was the most important piece on Otto's chessboard besides K423.
He didn't want Leo Ash to work himself to death before he even stepped onto the stage.
"You want to go after World Serpent, don't you—alright, don't look so shocked."
Looking at the stunned Leo Ash, Otto smiled and tapped on the holographic screen in front of him, displaying the battle reports he had received a few hours ago for Leo Ash to see.
"World Serpent, this organization poses too great a threat to our Schicksal."
"Although I am a useless old man, I am also, for the time being, the Bishop of Schicksal."
"Right now, the intel Miss Cioara submitted has been sorted by our intelligence department. So, I immediately had our warriors from other branches dismantle all the World Serpent organizations within our sphere of influence in one fell swoop."
Upon hearing Otto's words, Leo Ash immediately said.
"Then I request to be dispatched to those battlefields to gather intelligence!"
"Sigh, don't be so on edge."
Looking at Leo Ash's current mental state, Otto's relaxed smile faded, and he spoke to Leo Ash with great seriousness.
"Fine, I won't be polite with you anymore."
"Leo Ash, you'll be eighteen in another six months. You're not a child anymore."
"I know you're desperate to destroy World Serpent because of what happened to Rita, but you should know by now that I am promoting you to be Schicksal's foremost warrior."
"As a warrior of Schicksal, you should not only have the courage to charge into the fray, but you should also understand this—everyone has their own specialty."
"The fighting is over. Gathering intelligence is the responsibility of the intelligence department's hacker teams. You shouldn't get involved."
Damn you!
Hearing Otto's words, Leo Ash was so furious he almost pulled out Jizō Mitama and went berserk on Otto right then and there.
Gathering intelligence was the most important thing for him right now, but what happened...
Otto, who was usually so passive, was suddenly being extremely proactive today.
Otto proactively dealing with World Serpent was, for the most part, a good thing for Leo Ash.
But the problem was—the timing was all wrong!
Otto, who was usually the mastermind and the one dragging his feet, had, for a rare change, been proactive.
But this proactive Otto had, in essence, passively hindered Leo Ash just as he was about to use Jizō Mitama to gather intelligence.
Son of a bitch, has this bastard maxed out his specialization in obstruction?
How could he screw me over even like this.
At this moment, Otto, completely oblivious to Leo Ash's thoughts, only felt that Leo Ash was getting more and more anxious.
But he knew very well that people like Leo Ash responded better to a soft approach than a hard one.
If he were to forcefully order Leo Ash to rest now, without resolving his inner turmoil, it could very well lead to his mental problems worsening.
Again—for Otto, Leo Ash could die, but he couldn't die at any other time or place. He had to die at the right moment, in front of K423, for it to be a good death.
Right now, rather than forcefully suppressing Leo Ash's impulse to fight, Otto felt that distracting him was the best solution.
"I know your determination to resist the Honkai, but I've already explained the reason."
At this moment, Otto, while tapping on the holographic screen, switched his expression to one of concern and said to Leo Ash.
"Some things are not for you to do. You should trust your other comrades within our organization."
"They may not have your immense power or terrifying talent, but in their respective professional fields—our people at Schicksal are the elites of the elite."
Ugh, that's it.
I think I'll just ask Raven directly in private.
Noticing Leo Ash's helpless gaze and silent demeanor, Otto knew his approach was probably working.
Then, Otto opened a mission list, tapped on one of the missions, and presented it to Leo Ash.
"If you're really that restless, don't worry, here's a mission that's perfect for you."
"This mission was originally assigned to Rita, but since she was injured and still hasn't woken up, you can take over her work."
Looking at the holographic screen, Leo Ash's expression suddenly changed.
Oho, this mission...
Suddenly, I feel like things aren't so bad after all.
On the screen before Leo Ash, he saw a mission titled 'Search for the Key of the Void'.
According to the mission description, the Key of the Void was related to the Arthurian legends of England.
Therefore, Otto needed to dispatch a sufficiently capable and intelligent Schicksal member to various regions in England to search for traces of the Key of the Void.
But for Leo Ash, this mission was absolutely fantastic.
Ever since he transmigrated to this world, the plot had been continuously hurtling towards collapse from its original foundation.
But no matter how messed up the plot was now, the underlying logic and settings of the story shouldn't change too drastically.
The future Otto, after completing his plan, would become a terrifying enemy known as the 'False God'.
And the prerequisite for Otto becoming a 'False God' was that he was confident in completing his plan.
For Otto, among the several items needed to complete his plan, the only one he currently possessed was the still-immature Kiana.
The Thousand Worlds and the beacon that Otto needed were not in his hands right now.
Working backward from these conditions, as long as Otto wasn't confident, he wouldn't become the False God.
And as long as these conditions weren't met, he wouldn't be confident.
So—as long as I don't let him find out where the Key of the Void is, I can stall for an insane amount of time!
Hehehe, I know exactly where the Key of the Void is.
As long as I stay away from the Thames River, then as long as Gray Serpent isn't a complete idiot, he wouldn't be bored enough to bombard the sky above the Thames and make the Key of the Void manifest before Otto's eyes.
Yes, looking at it this way, I've already written out my plan for the near future.
Get the coordinates of the other World Serpent bases from Raven.
Then find a workhorse to help me sort through the intelligence.
During the day, I'll pretend to be working hard in England, and at night, I'll continue to build up my strength.
If this continues, I can drag out Otto's progress on my end, and I'll have a chance to track Gray Serpent on the other.
The plan is perfect, but...
Why do I have a nagging feeling that something will go wrong?
"I accept this mission. But, Lord Bishop Otto, I have two requests."
Seeing the frown on Leo Ash's face smooth out, Otto said with a very natural smile.
"Heh, requests... you don't have to be so formal."
"You have achieved great merits time and again. I should have rewarded you already—go on, what are your requests?"
"First, I want some HSN serum for personal protection."
At this moment, Leo Ash, as if recalling some terrible experience, said to Otto with lingering fear.
"This may sound strange, but I have a feeling that I... and Herrschers, might share a bit of an unwelcome fate."
"If I can carry HSN serum with me, should I really run into a Herrscher, I'll at least be able to escape."
Able to escape?
A trace of helplessness flickered in Otto's heart as he heard Leo Ash's words.
He's not planning to use the serum to brute-force a kill on a Herrscher, is he?
Never mind, subordinates are human too. It's normal to have some ulterior motives.
"I'll grant this. Go find Dr. Magi later."
"I haven't punished him. He is still the chief scientist of Schicksal's Third Research Institute. Go to him and get the HSN serum. Take as much as you want."
Oh, so generous?
No, not generous.
In the eyes of outsiders, Dr. Magi is a traitor who betrayed Otto, but in Otto's eyes, he's a tool to help him create Herrschers and shift blame.
What's more, as long as Dr. Magi is alive, he can continuously improve the HSN serum's formula, and Otto can also gain a good reputation for 'Lord Bishop Otto even forgiving a traitor like Magi'.
That explains it.
"My second request is that I hope to have a companion accompany me to England for this mission."
After a moment of thought, Leo Ash stated the reason he had prepared.
"For this search mission, I think I might need an assistant with strong capabilities in this area to help me process the information I gather more efficiently."
"Heh, it seems you already have someone in mind."
"Yes—the Far East Branch's B-rank Valkyrie, Bronya Zaychik. I believe this companion of mine can assist me in processing the information we obtain more efficiently."
As expected, it's that little girl.
Forcing K423 on him at this point would be too blunt.
Besides, Kiana's affection for Leo Ash should be high enough by now, right?
So be it. I won't play matchmaker any further in this matter.
However, Bronya Zaychik... Theresa trusts this girl, but I won't trust her completely.
But if she acts alongside Leo Ash, and if she has any secrets, it might attract the attention of her adoptive mother, Cocolia.
Heh, Cocolia. That woman's Herrscher Clone technology is no less advanced than mine.
It's just a pity that Wraith couldn't delve deeper into the core technology she possesses.
Let's see if there's a chance to use this little girl to lure out her mother this time.
If I can use Bronya to lure out Cocolia, and then obtain mature Herrscher Clone technology and Joyce's DNA from her, then I too can mass-produce Joyce clones, just like World Serpent.
Putting their strength aside, when that fellow Welt sees 'a part' of Joyce being desecrated like this, he will be furious one hundred percent of the time.
If he and the rest of Anti-Entropy get desperate and reveal a weakness, it will be easier for me to deal with them.
So many benefits. Even if Leo Ash fails to complete the mission, the subsequent paths this opens up for me are more than enough to let me make my move.
After instructing Leo Ash to 'still rest well for a week', Otto saw him off and began to sort through the intelligence he had recently received, alone in his office.
During this period, Otto had witnessed the capabilities of the World Serpent executive 'Gray Serpent'.
Unlike Cocolia, who seemed more like a Schicksal special agent, World Serpent's executive, Gray Serpent, truly acted with his brain.
Originally, after Leo Ash killed the pseudo-Herrscher army, World Serpent was already in a desperate situation.
But Gray Serpent, at that very moment, perfectly calculated that I would dispatch Durandal to the scene to suppress the Herrscher, and he sent out a final small team to take down Rita and abduct Wendy.
Furthermore, Gray Serpent is collaborating with Cocolia, and both are notoriously obsessed with Herrscher Cores...
Cocolia aside, it's strange that Gray Serpent wants a Herrscher Core.
Doesn't the Key of Judgment also contain a Herrscher Core?
If he simply craves a Herrscher Core, then he could just use the core within the Key of Judgment, rather than going to such great lengths to cause so much trouble.
Could it be that the Gem of Desire within Wendy's body is somehow different from the Herrscher Cores left in the Divine Keys of the Previous Era?
The mysteries are truly piling up.
And, these people will indeed become obstacles to my plan.
However, although World Serpent seems to be causing me a lot of trouble right now, overall, they are less troublesome than Anti-Entropy.
Welt may be crippled, but he still has the courage to fight to the death, considerable combat skills, and intelligence.
And although Siegfried's body must be in a terrible state after using Judgment of Shamash several times, I haven't forgotten the sword strike he delivered in Siberia.
Compared to those two, World Serpent is truly lacking in high-end combat power, aside from being good at hiding.
Their only Divine Key wielder has now become one of us.
Whether Cioara is loyal or not is unimportant. As long as she isn't a fighter in the enemy's hands, that's enough.
This time, I'll have Wraith search more carefully. If any clue is found...
—Even if I have to act myself, I will seize the opportunity and annihilate this troublesome organization in one go!
....
About a week later. England. Near the Thames River.
Near the Thames River, a disguised Gray Serpent looked up at a certain spot in the sky above the water.
Taking out a phone, Gray Serpent, disguised as an ordinary traveler, randomly keyed in a string of numbers and dialed a subordinate's number.
However, this was all just a smokescreen.
He didn't think Schicksal had agents lying in wait nearby, but taking a few extra precautions was never a bad thing.
After finishing these preparations, Gray Serpent hung up the phone and spoke faintly to the empty sky above.
"I believe you should be able to see my true form, Mr. Su."
"An old friend has come to visit. A polite and humble gentleman such as yourself wouldn't be ignorant of how to treat a guest, would you?"
After Gray Serpent finished speaking, he saw a leaf suddenly flutter down before him.
And in the instant that this leaf drifted past his eyes...
"In these one thousand five hundred years, you have rarely had the time to visit me, a 'traitor' who betrayed your Lord."
"So, what purpose do you have in visiting me here today?"
—Within Gray Serpent's visual organs, a figure that only he could see had appeared.
....