The Seed of Sumeru
Within the Seed of Sumeru, Su, observing countless worlds, revealed a slight smile.
*Heh, I had intended to take action after some time.*
*But now, under Mr. Otto's orders, Mr. Leo Ash has come to this area on his own initiative.*
*Very good, very good.*
*Once he begins his investigation, I imagine I'll only need to guide him slightly to make Mr. Leo Ash aware of the Key of the Void's location.*
*As for his trial... I'll have to see how things go first.*
Although Su was very satisfied with the progress of events, it didn't mean he would proactively and thoughtlessly hand the Divine Key to Leo Ash.
Setting aside the fact that Leo Ash had not yet passed his trial, Su, who had always believed that 'humanity's destiny should be in its own hands,' thought that people do not cherish things that are too easily obtained.
Even though Leo Ash, in Su's observations, was a fighter with a decent disposition, Su had no intention of letting him obtain the Key of the Void so easily.
Moreover, Su had to be wary of one other person.
Otto Apocalypse.
In his observations, Su had seen some of the things Otto had done in other worlds.
In some worlds, Otto Apocalypse had managed to gain control of the Key of the Void through certain means.
And after that, he launched an incredibly insane plan.
In this plan, the Key of the Void could be said to be one of the core components.
And upon launching the plan, Otto prepared one incredibly cruel plan and one relatively gentle one.
The incredibly cruel plan would sacrifice the lives of almost every human in the world.
The relatively gentle plan, however, would only require the cost of his own life.
Su was deeply moved by Otto's desire to save Kallen.
And then—he decided it would be better if the Key of the Void did not fall into Otto's hands.
If he hadn't seen these plans of Otto's, he might have considered whether to give the Key of the Void and the information he possessed to Otto.
But now that he had seen this plan...
Admittedly, Otto himself preferred to execute the gentler plan.
But if Plan A failed, Su felt that the probability of Otto blowing up the entire world of unlucky souls was also quite high.
This man had long been driven mad by his obsession.
Su could not, because of a momentary surge of emotion, gamble the lives of the entire world on Otto's dream.
And now, although Mr. Leo Ash saw that Mr. Otto was not a good person, he still didn't know what Mr. Otto was truly planning to do.
From the looks of it, Mr. Leo Ash has been acting as a spearhead for Mr. Otto, carrying out his missions...
*If he passes the trial, I'll still have to find a way to persuade him not to hand over the Key of the Void and the information I have to Mr. Otto.*
*This is truly difficult. The only method I can think of right now is to show Mr. Leo Ash what Mr. Otto has done.*
*But my trial itself is related to illusions. If Mr. Leo Ash passes the trial, I think with his intelligence, he would probably think I'm using illusions to slander Mr. Otto.*
At this moment, Su truly felt like he didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Because humanity's main anti-Honkai force was in Otto's hands, he had to be this cautious even when giving away a Divine Key.
How should I put it...
—This, too, is probably a form of black comedy.
At that moment, Su, who was contemplating his next move, suddenly saw a man arrive at the spot where he had previously spoken with Gray Serpent.
Well, this man was, in fact, the same Gray Serpent in disguise.
After leaving a piece of paper on the bench, Gray Serpent immediately left the area at top speed.
Seeing Gray Serpent's very strange actions, Su, of course, used his psychic powers to open the note from a distance.
And then, he saw a passage that was both nonsensical and somewhat amusing.
[Mr. Su, it's perfectly fine if you don't want to help us. We support your decision.]
[But please, be extremely careful of this person, Leo Ash!]
[Perhaps in your eyes, he is a reliable junior who has resolved two major Honkai events and defeated Herrschers.]
[But according to my analysis via the Gray Serpent network, his actions are filled with strange inconsistencies.]
[Even if you dislike the Stigmata Project, you know very well that to the Honkai, the Stigmata Project is definitely a threatening plan.]
[And after our analysis, we found that Leo Ash's rate of becoming stronger is too abnormal, and he has been consistently obstructing the development of the Stigmata Project.]
[He, who is so outstanding in fighting the Honkai, may in fact be a vanguard of the Honkai, which is why I suspect—he may have already become the Herrscher of Binding!]
[Please be extremely careful of this man!]
*Well now, Mr. Gray Serpent, your analysis...*
*It seems to make a lot of sense, but in reality, it just strikes me as a bit too imaginative.*
*Growing strong quickly and having the ability to defeat Herrschers and suppress the Honkai makes one the Herrscher of Binding?*
*By that logic, the person in our era who best fits those two conditions...*
*Oh, it's Kevin.*
*No, I suddenly feel like laughing, but I can't.*
I can see Mr. Leo Ash's past, so I naturally know he is no Herrscher.
And Mr. Gray Serpent knows my general abilities, so he should also know that the information I possess is sufficient to prove this point.
*Sigh, Mr. Gray Serpent's loyalty to Kevin is as clear as day.*
*Is it because I refused the idea of saving Kevin that he has fallen into a state of confusion out of frustration, and is thus spouting such nonsense?*
*Kevin is truly fortunate to have such a subordinate.*
*It's just a pity, my dear friend. No matter how guilty I feel, I will not change my mind.*
*After all, the moment you get out, you will definitely launch the Stigmata Project.*
*The people of this era may live more comfortably than we did in ours, but...*
*—Ordinary people simply cannot withstand the terrible torments from you and Mr. Otto.*
..
Meanwhile, in England
After bidding farewell to Mike, who had brought him and Bronya here, Leo Ash and Bronya immediately went to the Schicksal-owned hotel in England and initiated contact with the members of the Far East Branch.
"So, Senior, you're going to be away for a while again?"
Looking at Leo Ash in the video feed, Kiana immediately turned her gaze to Bronya, who was barely in the frame.
"Bronya, keep an eye on him. Don't let him do anything reckless, okay?"
"Big Sister Kiana, Bronya thinks you're asking the impossible."
Hearing Kiana's words, Bronya replied with a deadpan expression.
"If Brother Leo wants to do something reckless, who in our dorm do you think can stop him?"
"...Well, just do your best."
Listening to their conversation, Leo Ash shot Kiana a displeased look.
"Hey, you two, I'm still right here."
"Saying such things in front of my face—what kind of image do I have in your eyes?"
"A gambler who would bet his life if he had even a one percent chance of winning—do you think I should be praising you with 'Senior is amazing, you solo-killed a Herrscher'?"
Looking at Leo Ash's dissatisfied expression, Kiana said, fuming.
"Last time, Bianka and Lord Bishop Otto were there, so I didn't say much."
"You rushed in alone again—if you had just waited for us, never mind myself and Bronya, but Mei definitely could have helped you!"
"It was just an accident. you can't just assume I'm being reckless because I didn't foresee an accident."
"...I can't be bothered to argue with you."
Thinking about the difference in eloquence between herself and Leo Ash, Kiana decisively pulled Mei to her side and said to her.
"Mei, you say something to him too!"
"Well..."
Being suddenly pulled over by Kiana, Mei recalled the words the Herrscher of Thunder had said to her, and her heart was instantly filled with unease.
Before Leo Ash launched his solo assault last time, the Herrscher of Thunder had warned Mei that her ability to be active might be due to the God of Honkai's machinations.
And now, although the Fourth Eruption was over, the frequency of small and medium-scale Honkai outbreaks around the world had not returned to its average level.
For this reason, Kiana and Mei, two rookies, were forced to go out and work overtime every day to deal with Honkai incidents, missing the chance to see Leo Ash.
As for Bronya, it was because Schicksal HQ had issued an order for her to be on standby in advance; otherwise, she would also still be fighting on the battlefield.
The increased frequency of Honkai outbreaks undoubtedly meant that the next major Eruption was approaching.
And since the frequency had increased due to the Fourth Eruption, but hadn't decreased after it ended, it could only mean one thing...
—The Fifth Eruption might also break out in the near future.
Normally, if it were just this, Mei would be worried about Leo Ash, but not to this extent.
But today, after returning to the dorm and sorting through the information, Mei discovered something.
In the past two months, Leo Ash had come into contact with the Third Herrscher and the Fourth Herrscher in succession.
Although both encounters were the result of him proactively rushing to the battlefield, but...
Once is a coincidence, twice is a coincidence, but what about three times?
Moreover, according to the Herrscher of Thunder being able to hear the 'God of Honkai's' voice, the God of Honkai truly exists.
If Mei herself were the God of Honkai, then Leo Ash, who resolved the Third and Fourth Eruptions and delivered the final blow to seal Chiyou, would absolutely be seen as a thorn in her side.
As long as there was a suitable host in London, it was possible for the God of Honkai to directly guide the host to awaken, trigger a Honkai Eruption, and then send the Herrscher to assassinate Leo Ash.
It was just that, right now, it was a bit strange to say many of these things in front of everyone.
After all, these were just Mei's own speculations.
"Leo, please be careful."
After saying this, Mei decided it would be better to write a report later, detailing the events happening within her body and her own conjectures, and send it to both Leo Ash and Himeko.
She believed that with the minds of Leo Ash and Himeko, if they felt something was wrong, they would definitely take action immediately.
"Alright, you guys really don't need to worry so much."
Looking at his companions on the screen, Leo Ash said to them with a confident expression.
"I'm 'Schicksal's Strongest' right now. If the enemy runs into me, you shouldn't be worried about whether something will happen to me, but whether I can hold back and not accidentally kill the source of intelligence."
"Yeah, yeah, Senior's the best."
After saying this, Kiana, seeing Bronya's speechless expression and Leo Ash's unchanging face, proactively ended the communication.
Then, in front of everyone, she began to complain.
"Senior, that guy, how come he feels so much more arrogant."
"'Schicksal's Strongest'... Bianka hasn't even said anything yet!"
"Kiana, try to understand."
Himeko, who had been silent behind the group, now spoke softly to Kiana.
"In terms of achievements, Leo Ash resolved the Fourth Eruption by himself."
"In terms of practical combat, he can indeed be considered Schicksal's number one right now."
*D-dammit.*
*Although I really want to deny it, Senior, who was able to resolve the Fourth Eruption, is indeed very strong in that regard.*
"But, if you become overconfident, you might get careless in battle due to that overconfidence—that's something even I know!"
Listening to Kiana's complaint, Himeko said with a wry smile.
"Yes, something even an idiot like Kiana knows, so how could Leo Ash not know?"
"I understand you're worried about him, but Kiana, that kid hasn't gotten 'arrogant' because of the praise from outside."
"Although Lord Bishop Otto is publicizing it as 'A-rank Knight Leo Ash single-handedly resolved the Fourth Eruption,' I know very well that the kid doesn't have that kind of terrifying strength yet."
"It's just that right now, we at Schicksal need a banner to boost everyone's morale, which is why Lord Bishop Otto launched such a campaign."
"And Leo Ash himself understands this very well, which is why he has to maintain this confident posture."
"So don't overthink it. He's definitely just pretending. He's probably scared out of his mind right now."
"Uh..."
Listening to Himeko's speculation, Kiana said with some doubt.
"Is that so?"
"Of course. His expression was so unnatural, didn't you notice?"
*I guess I really didn't...*
Originally, Kiana was worried that Leo Ash had become too arrogant and would stumble in a future battle with a strong enemy because of it.
But now, after Himeko's explanation, she realized she might have been overthinking things.
Senior was still the same senior, and I...
—am probably still the same foolish me.
*How dare someone like me, who skips class and sleeps in class every day, have the nerve to worry about Senior in this regard?*
Awkward, extremely awkward.
Come to think of it, Kiana, who barely passed her exams, worrying about Leo Ash, who was already out on an internship and had become the strongest in the organization, was in itself a very humorous thing.
The more she thought about it, the more embarrassed Kiana felt. After figuring out the ins and outs of the matter, she immediately ran to her room and locked the door.
"Sigh, this girl..."
Faced with Miss Paramecium who was now in self-isolation mode, Himeko actually felt that Kiana didn't need to be this way at all.
If this were when Kiana had just joined St. Freya High School, Himeko might have tried to use the study habits of Leo Ash, Fu Hua, or even Yuno and Mei to knock some sense into Kiana.
But now, not only could Kiana see the truth, she had even blown the matter out of proportion.
As an heir to the Kaslana family, the strength Kiana could currently wield could be said to have surpassed all her peers in the clan.
She was undoubtedly a genius. Whether in terms of combat sense or her rate of improvement, she would definitely become an S-rank Valkyrie in the future.
But unfortunately for her, she had a Leo Ash in her cohort.
Because Leo Ash's identity after infiltrating Nagazora City was Kiana's senior, Kiana would subconsciously compare herself to him.
And because Leo Ash's growth rate was simply too fast, Kiana would feel that she wasn't good enough.
But the problem wasn't Kiana's own rate of improvement—Leo Ash's monstrous growth rate was simply not something a normal person should use as a benchmark.
And to make matters worse, Kiana was exactly the type to have a strong competitive streak.
*Sigh, this kind of situation has happened before, but when one of them starts to get stuck in a rut, we as teachers can only try to provide psychological counseling.*
At that moment, Himeko suddenly felt a sharp pain wrack her body.
Although she was long used to this pain, when it struck, Himeko almost failed to endure it.
*Time.*
*Everything requires a great deal of time.*
*But right now, I am precisely the one who doesn't have enough time to protect and educate my students.*
*After using the simplified HSN serum on an enemy last time, the organization probably won't use such a precious item on me again in the short term.*
Then, just as she was lamenting, Himeko suddenly heard her communicator beep.
Opening her communicator, Himeko saw a message that had just been sent.
[Major Himeko, I have placed the new HSN serum in the Headmaster's office.]
[I am well aware of your determination to continue fighting the Honkai and your desire not to let your strength decline, so I specifically asked Dr. Magi to prepare this specialized version of the serum for me.]
[After injecting this serum, according to Dr. Magi's calculations, your Honkai Energy intensity index will likely drop to the lower limit of an A-rank Valkyrie.]
[But at the same time, after injecting this serum, your lifespan should be extended by about ten years.]
[I am a person who is afraid of death, but it is precisely because I fear death that I know how precious life is.]
[I hope you can understand one thing, Major—as long as you're alive, you haven't lost.]
Looking at this message, Himeko truly felt that Schicksal was incredibly lucky to have someone like Leo Ash.
Even though the Honkai had destroyed his past and turned him into an avenger seeking revenge against it, he still maintained a relatively sane mind.
During her time with Leo Ash, Himeko could feel that he genuinely cared about his comrades.
Even though his own mental state wasn't very healthy, he was constantly trying to ensure that everyone else's mental state was.
It was just a pity that when it came to fighting, Leo Ash himself didn't follow his so-called creed of 'cherishing life and fearing death,' which led to everyone being afraid that he would die out there.
Otherwise, this handsome young man would be a perfect person with no flaws.
But this time, he and Bronya were only going on an investigation mission.
No matter how unlucky he had been in the past...
—he wouldn't be targeted and set up by the Honkai just for participating in an investigation mission, right?
.
After finishing the call with the Far East Branch, Bronya, who was beside Leo Ash, suddenly turned to look at him as he was sending a message.
"Brother Leo, if you encounter Mother Cocolia... can you not kill her first?"
"Hah, asking such a question—you should know very well what I'm thinking right now."
Upon hearing this, Bronya instantly became extremely nervous.
Although she had long known the depth of Leo Ash's killing intent towards Cocolia, she had always thought that as long as there were orders from above, Leo Ash would still obey them.
But now...
Seeing Leo Ash's eager, fist-clenching posture and expression, Bronya felt she should give up on this naive idea.
Cocolia was her adoptive mother, but at the same time, Cocolia was also the scourge who had nearly killed Leo Ash and had directly killed Yuno's mother and countless residents of Nagazora City.
Leo Ash being willing to give her, the daughter of a criminal, advice was already more than she could ask for.
Right now, Bronya had no right to ask Leo Ash to do more for her.
"You're so smart, there's really no point in deceiving you."
Inside the room, Leo Ash turned to look at the downcast Bronya, his murderous smile gone, and said to her with a calm expression.
"If there are orders from above, I will of course obey them. If Cocolia is willing to surrender obediently, I will of course not kill her."
"Are you serious?!"
"Absolutely. Why would I lie to you?"
Seeing a smile appear on Bronya's face, Leo Ash immediately asked her in return.
"But do you think your ambitious adoptive mother would obediently surrender to Schicksal just because of a few words from you?"
"I told you before, she tampered with the chip in your brain."
"Let's make a bet—do you believe that when your adoptive mother finds out you're looking for her to persuade her to surrender, and that I'm with you, she won't hesitate to activate the backdoor in your chip to screw me over?"
*You're lying!*
Bronya really wanted to say that, but considering her understanding of her own adoptive mother...
If the backdoor Leo Ash mentioned existed, the probability of Cocolia activating it was not zero.
And even if she chose not to activate the backdoor and simply rejected Bronya's proposal, Leo Ash would absolutely not pass up the chance to kill Cocolia without disobeying orders.
"Alright, I didn't come to England this time to hunt down your mother."
*It's just a shame that the moment you and I are separated, your mother will likely seize the opportunity to come looking for you.*
*I'm truly sorry, Bronya—but as for your mother's life, I'm planning on taking it.*
After straightening his attire, Leo Ash walked to the door of the room and said with his back to Bronya.
"I'm going out to gather intelligence. While you're contacting Cocolia, don't forget your own mission."
"...Yes, I understand, Major Ash."
After watching Leo Ash leave, Bronya immediately began frantically contacting Cocolia with her brain chip.
It was just a shame that...
—By the end of the day, Bronya still had not managed to contact her adoptive mother, whose life was nearing its end.
Anti-Entropy Radical Faction, a certain secret base
Ignoring the communication request from Bronya, Cocolia stared at the screen before her and questioned Gray Serpent with a sinister expression.
"Gray Serpent, what on earth did you do to my children!"
"Why, after my regular contact with them, did they tell me that Rozaliya and Liliya were taken away by your people!"
"Oh, Cocolia, you actually think of them as your 'children.'"
Seeing Cocolia's furious expression, Gray Serpent said flippantly.
"I thought that by sending them to be test subjects, you didn't care about their lives at all."
"To be honest, you're kind of scaring me—you actually have feelings for them, yet you were still able to treat their lives as disposable assets."
"Does that mean you're planning to use and discard an ally like me at some point too?"
"...Do you think changing the subject will throw me off?"
Her heart stung by Gray Serpent's words, Cocolia said to him with extreme viciousness.
"Don't look down on me, Gray Serpent. If you really don't want to cooperate—"
"The one who doesn't want to cooperate is you, Cocolia."
Gray Serpent rudely cut Cocolia off and immediately said.
"You failed several times before, yet I didn't criticize you too harshly and chose to support a good-for-nothing like you."
"In the end, not only did you fail to get the gem, but now you can't even get the coordinates to Abyssal City."
"To be honest, I really don't understand what's the point of cooperating with a useless teammate-sabotager like you?"
"You...!"
At that moment, Cocolia really wanted to take her Judgment of Dawn, find World Serpent's base, and deliver some 'warmth' personally.
But considering she had no idea where their base was, Cocolia suppressed her killing intent and forced herself to continue negotiations with Gray Serpent.
On the other side, after mocking Cocolia for a while, perhaps not wanting to push her too far, Gray Serpent's tone finally softened.
"Alright, pointing out each other's flaws won't make our fragile alliance any stronger."
"I'll be honest with you. Those two daughters of yours have potential, so I chose to make them warriors."
"As they are now, with training, they will sooner or later become strong enough to rival an Emperor-class Honkai Beast... no, perhaps even reach the level of a complete Herrscher of Reason clone."
"I just need them to help me complete a mission. After this period is over, I will let them return to your side."
After saying this, Gray Serpent directly cut off communication with Cocolia.
After all, in Gray Serpent's view, the most Cocolia could do was curse him wildly behind his back.
This woman didn't have the means to mass-produce clones. Until she had enough troops, she wouldn't completely burn her bridges with World Serpent.
Of course, if Cocolia could actually get the coordinates to Abyssal City, Gray Serpent wouldn't mind letting the two sisters return to her embrace ahead of schedule.
Gray Serpent had not forgotten his ultimate goal.
What he desired, in the end, was simply the return of Lord Kevin to this world.
Everything else was negotiable.
As for Cocolia, whose call had been disconnected, upon discovering that Gray Serpent was refusing subsequent communication attempts, she immediately flew into an impotent rage, smashing everything in her office.
*Damn it!*
*Damn it!*
*Every single one of you looks down on me—you think I'll just admit defeat?*
*I've already figured out a way to activate the Sky Father.*
*As long as I can activate the Sky Father, and temporarily possess Herrscher-level combat power, I will sooner or later make all of you who look down on me...*
*—Die under the iron fist of the Sky Father!*
...