Watching the Herrscher of Thunder begin to float into mid-air, Leo Ash showed no change in expression, but he knew that the worst-case scenario had come to pass.
From the flickering electromagnetic shield on the Herrscher of Thunder's body and her tattered clothes, Siegfried's previous attack must have posed an absurdly large threat to her...
No, that wasn't the right way to put it.
It should be said that Siegfried Kaslana was meant to have this level of strength.
The Herrscher of Thunder had been drained of considerable power by Siegfried and had sustained a certain degree of injury, which was a good thing for Leo Ash.
However, because Siegfried posed such a great threat to her, he had knocked some sense back into her. She was now capable of tactical thinking, and that was very bad.
The power gap between Leo Ash and the Herrscher of Thunder was, one might say, despairingly vast.
The only reasons Leo Ash dared to appear here were, one, he had the HSN serum; two, he had intelligence on his opponent while she knew nothing about him; and three, the Herrscher of Thunder's brain was running slow due to her arrogance.
But now, it seemed her brain had been knocked back into working order...
"Heh, human, what's wrong?"
Having successfully distanced herself from Leo Ash, the Herrscher of Thunder looked down upon the youth from above, the corners of her mouth beginning to curl upwards.
"You talk a big game, but from the looks of it now..."
"—it seems you're having a hard time even touching me."
Oh, take that back. Some sense was knocked into her, but probably just a tiny bit.
But even that tiny bit made things a lot more troublesome.
It wasn't... that there was no way.
Now, it all depends on my acting skills.
"Touching you?"
Having collected his thoughts, Leo Ash looked up at the Herrscher of Thunder in the air and spoke with utter indifference.
"If you truly believe I cannot touch you, why did you flee as if in fear of me?"
"As a so-called 'Apostle of God,' to start fearing an unarmed human right from the start..."
"Perhaps I was wrong."
At that moment, Leo Ash very calmly took a step forward.
"My expectations for an Apostle of God were too high. That's why I held unnecessary expectations for you when we first met."
"As it turns out, the so-called Herrscher... is nothing to write home about."
...Tch.
This guy is provoking me.
Even though I know that, why am I—still so damn angry!
Clutching her tachi, the Herrscher of Thunder stared at Leo Ash walking slowly towards her and once again unleashed a slash of sword ki laced with lightning.
However, just as she thought that this faster slash would at least force her opponent to be a little more serious, the Herrscher of Thunder was stunned to find herself disappointed once again.
Her opponent, with the same completely composed expression, had effortlessly neutralized the terrifying attack.
"A flicker of doubt has appeared on your face. It seems my earlier guess was correct."
Before the Herrscher of Thunder's eyes, Leo Ash waved his hand to dispel the lightning from his body while once again strolling towards her.
"The Apostle of God, it seems, is truly afraid of an unarmed human who can't even use Honkai Energy..."
Though Leo Ash's expression remained calm, the Herrscher of Thunder could sense that the gently shaking head of the youth before her held... a hint of disappointment?
"If you're going to run, then run. At the end of the day, there are many ways you can beat me."
"Relying on your powerful Honkai Energy emission, the authority of the Herrscher of Thunder, and the wings on your back, you could easily wear down my stamina and energy, and eventually grind me to death. There's still hope for you."
He's... even prepared a strategy for me?!
At first, the Herrscher of Thunder suspected this was a verbal trap to lure her in.
But the Herrscher of Thunder wasn't a complete fool. With a little analysis, she would discover that the plan Leo Ash provided actually had a high chance of success.
There were no traps in this plan—and the Herrscher of Thunder felt that if she truly believed that, she would be the stupidest person alive.
An enemy wouldn't guide her on how to fight for no reason.
In fact, when an enemy starts giving you pointers, that's when you should be on high alert.
This plan definitely has some loophole he can exploit.
So... I can't follow this plan, can I?
Damn it...
Damn it.
Damn it!
To be toyed with like this... by a human... a human who hasn't even touched me, hasn't even hurt me?!
"Just go and die!"
This time, pouring a massive amount of Honkai Energy into her lightning tachi, the Herrscher of Thunder raised it with both hands and brought it down heavily on Leo Ash from a distance.
Guided by the Herrscher of Thunder's authority, the lightning-infused Honkai Energy transformed into a colossal blade of light, slashing down towards Leo Ash below.
Siegfried, who was almost able to speak again, saw this attack and his eyes widened in horror as he tried to shout a warning to Leo Ash.
But in the next moment, both the Herrscher of Thunder and Siegfried were completely dumbfounded.
This powerful strike was one that even Siegfried, in his prime fourteen years ago, wouldn't dare say he could easily take without using the Power of Salvation.
However, the instant the blade of light struck Leo Ash, Leo moved.
"A beautiful strike."
He still made no move to evade.
"A pity that it's only beautiful."
Standing his ground, Leo Ash used the same parrying technique as before, allowing the attack to leave not a single wound on him.
In fact, looking at the still utterly indifferent Leo Ash, Siegfried felt—this kid, he doesn't seem to be serious yet.
Are you kidding me? Where is his Honkai Energy?
Why can I still not feel any Honkai Energy being emitted from him?
Could it be that he can block a Herrscher's attack relying solely on his physical body and skill?!
Siegfried was beginning to suspect something.
When this kid fought me earlier... could he have been holding back?
If he really has the power to defend against a Herrscher's attacks, then what I went through just now was...?
Hiss.
This kid is a real one.
His words were full of aggression and dissatisfaction, but in reality, he went completely easy on me.
And now, the situation is much better than I thought.
I originally thought that after losing to the Herrscher of Thunder, I would die at her hands.
Then, after killing me, the Herrscher of Thunder would absorb the surrounding Honkai Energy, stabilize her power, and once prepared, go on a massacre in Nagazora City.
But now, this process of her absorbing power has been interrupted by Leo Ash.
Not only that.
Originally, the Herrscher of Thunder seemed to have some strategic thinking.
But after Leo Ash thought up a battle plan for her, the Herrscher of Thunder suddenly lost her confidence.
Heh, with the Herrscher of Thunder's personality, she would never normally be like this.
After clashing with me, the Herrscher of Thunder realized that a human could threaten her, which made her more cautious.
But this, in turn, caused her to fall into Leo Ash's trap.
The plan Leo Ash told her did indeed have a higher chance of victory, but Leo Ash used the fact that 'I broke the Herrscher of Thunder's shield, making her cautious' to his advantage, leading the Herrscher of Thunder to avoid the correct answer.
Not only that, I'm finally certain now.
Leo Ash is trying to overwhelm the Herrscher of Thunder with his aura.
From the very beginning, Leo Ash approached the Herrscher of Thunder with the slowest possible pace, step by step.
Judging by Leo Ash's physical abilities and reaction speed from our previous fight, he can definitely move much faster than this.
But moving at top speed isn't always the most effective option.
Approaching the enemy step by step.
Then, neutralizing the enemy's attacks with the simplest methods, causing the cracks in the enemy's heart to grow larger and larger.
Next, if Leo Ash has a finishing move...
No, that punch he used to injure me before was undoubtedly a finishing move.
All he needs to do now is unleash that finishing move the moment the Herrscher of Thunder shows an opening, and she might actually be defeated at his hands.
Siegfried's analysis was, for the most part, not wrong.
But he and the Herrscher of Thunder were in the same boat on one matter, which was—Siegfried also had no idea what Leo Ash's trump card was.
Right now, in the eyes of the Herrscher of Thunder and Siegfried, Leo Ash was effortlessly neutralizing the enemy's attacks, closing in on his opponent with complete confidence, step by step.
But only Leo Ash himself knew that right now... he...
Was about to explode.
Not figuratively. In the literal sense, Leo Ash was really about to explode.
From the moment he met the Herrscher of Thunder, Leo Ash had been using a combination of Royal Guard and Mind Like Still Water to block her attacks, absorbing a portion of the power and storing it in his body.
But he appeared calm and unaffected because, while in the state of Mind Like Still Water, as long as he didn't encounter a situation that went excessively against his principles or made him extremely emotional, he could maintain an unchanging expression.
However, an unchanging expression didn't mean there were no changes happening inside his body.
The Herrscher of Thunder had expended a portion of her power in her ultimate attack clash with Siegfried's Judgment of Shamash, to the point of exhaustion.
But at the end of the day, a Herrscher is still a Herrscher.
Even a weakened, genuine Herrscher, when serious, can unleash a strike that can annihilate most living beings in this world.
What's more, the Herrscher of Thunder's authority includes emitting an electromagnetic pulse that breaks the chemical bonds within molecules.
If Leo Ash hadn't injected the HSN serum beforehand, which greatly increased his body's resistance to Honkai Energy, and if the power absorbed by Royal Guard hadn't been too much, even if he could block the Herrscher of Thunder's attack, his body would have been gradually destroyed by her unique authority.
But even now, though he was relying on the HSN serum to alleviate his symptoms, Leo Ash knew very well that the HSN serum could only alleviate this symptom a few more times.
If a few more attacks like that came, Leo Ash figured the Herrscher of Thunder and Siegfried would probably witness him suddenly drop dead right before their eyes, without them having a clue what happened.
So, right now, Leo Ash could only resort to this plan of faking a powerful aura to intimidate the Herrscher of Thunder before him.
The probability of success was not zero.
And since that probability existed, then...!
Suppressing the restless power surging within his body, Leo Ash took a large step forward.
"I'm tired of playing, Herrscher."
"I've given you enough chances. If you still can't give me a good time, then...!"
Royal Guard, release power!
In that instant, unleashing the stored power in his legs, Leo Ash leaped from the ground, charging straight towards the Herrscher of Thunder high in the air.
"You can just die here!"
"You bastard...!"
Looking at the enemy before her, the Herrscher of Thunder felt a sliver of fear for Leo Ash rise in her heart.
And soon, that sliver of fear transformed into extreme rage.
From the start, the Herrscher of Thunder had been suppressed by Leo Ash's aura.
But at this moment of facing her enemy directly, the Herrscher of Thunder realized how ridiculously wrong she had been.
On this battlefield, she was the one with the advantage.
The strong who should be dominating the enemy should have the right mindset, to teach the weak the cruelty of a fight to the death.
But she... was actually scared off by caution?!
Unforgivable.
The Herrscher of Thunder could not forgive Leo Ash for overwhelming her with his aura, and even more, she could not forgive herself for being so easily frightened by the enemy.
So at this moment, a flash of lightning erupted in the Herrscher of Thunder's eyes. She was finally getting serious.
This time, the Herrscher of Thunder did not slash at the enemy with the tachi in her hands.
At such a close distance, the enemy's fist would strike her body before she could swing her tachi.
Therefore...
"Die here!"
At this moment, the Herrscher of Thunder, erupting with a terrifying aura, used her own authority to draw the lightning from the sky and blast it directly at Leo Ash's body.
As the lightning struck Leo Ash's body, Siegfried, who had thought this was in the bag, suddenly wore an incredibly ugly expression.
The instant the lightning hit Leo Ash, Siegfried could see that Leo Ash had not made a timely parrying motion, instead letting the lightning strike his body.
Damn it, why didn't he parry?!
He could clearly do it, so why!
"Hah..."
Having unleashed a full-power strike, the Herrscher of Thunder let out a breath of relief after hitting her target.
It's over.
No matter how you look at it, this time the enemy was hit by her lightning without being able to parry. He should be more or less severely injured.
But soon, the Herrscher of Thunder and Siegfried suddenly felt it—a terrifying power erupted from Leo Ash's body.
"Just as I calculated."
From the moment he leaped up by releasing the accumulated power from Royal Guard, Leo Ash had guessed one thing.
Normally, a person in mid-air cannot change their trajectory unless they have special means.
And at such times, an airborne person unable to dodge is often the best target for an enemy capable of ranged attacks.
Leo Ash made this move knowing this full well.
This naturally meant that Leo Ash, who had been constantly trying to find a path to survival in the face of death, was already prepared.
The instant he jumped, he had already activated the skill Galactica Phantom.
And when he jumped and the Herrscher of Thunder struck him with lightning, others thought he hadn't blocked, but in reality, Leo Ash had already successfully blocked and absorbed the power thanks to the properties of Galactica Phantom.
"The game is over, Herrscher. This battle..."
Pouring the power into his right fist, Leo Ash's consistently indifferent face finally revealed a sneer.
"Is my victory."
Extremely close to Leo Ash and having just breathed a sigh of relief, the Herrscher of Thunder now felt with horror a terrifying power erupting from Leo Ash's right fist.
This, this is impossible!
The destructive power of this strike...!
At such a close distance, the Herrscher of Thunder not only repaired her electromagnetic shield at top speed but also enveloped herself in Honkai Energy, forming several layers of highly defensive electromagnetic veils.
But...
"Glaxy phantom!"
—Before this punch from Leo Ash, all of her defensive measures were utterly shattered by his fist.
Most of the power of Galactica Phantom was neutralized by the shield and veils, but the remaining portion was enough to slam the Herrscher of Thunder from the sky upon impact.
And just like that, the once arrogant Miss Herrscher of Thunder, less than a minute after meeting him, was blasted from the sky and into the ground by a human who, in her eyes, didn't even know how to use Honkai Energy.
How... how is this possible...
I... actually... really lost to a human!
"Ah, ah, the fight is over."
Looking at the battered and sorry-looking Herrscher of Thunder, Leo Ash took out the HSN serum and, without a word, injected it into her body.
"Goodnight, Mei. Get some sleep for now."
Injected with the serum, the Herrscher of Thunder immediately began to struggle frantically.
No!
This thing...!
Damn it!
Why is my power being suppressed!
My consciousness...
Leo Ash... I'll remember you...
Next time we meet... I'll definitely... definitely...!
But for now, no matter what thoughts the Herrscher of Thunder harbored, she could no longer control her body to make any move.
"Ah, mission accomplished."
At this moment, Leo Ash, who had just injected Raiden Mei with some kind of drug, looked like a god of war in Siegfried's eyes.
Taking down a Herrscher in less than a minute, and even having a follow-up measure to suppress her...
Sigh, why is this kid one of Otto's men?
No, I should think on the bright side.
At least he's not one of Cocolia's people.
Otto at least pretends a little, but if Cocolia had such a terrifying subordinate, I can't even imagine what outrageous things she would do.
Then, just as Siegfried was contemplating how to persuade Leo Ash not to deal with him, he saw something unexpected but logical.
Before Siegfried's eyes, Leo Ash, having deactivated Mind Like Still Water, suddenly slid to the ground and sat there, panting heavily.
"Ha... ha... ha... ha..."
[As you gasp for breath, you realize that a Herrscher is indeed no match for you.]
[Less than a minute! You have easily defeated the Herrscher of Thunder! You can be sure that even at Schicksal HQ, you are now a very powerful warrior.]
[The loli-loving maid, the 500-year-old big pillow, the king of surviving high-altitude plane crashes, the amnesiac old lady, the Metal Gear green-haired turtle—all will fall before you!]
[Go, Host! After you've rested, charge into Schicksal and usurp his damn throne!]
Ah, that's enough.
Although hearing your voice reassures me that there are no enemies around, but you praising me like this...
No, wait, you're being sarcastic, aren't you.
[Hehehe, you guess.]
Looks like that's it.
Just now, after defeating the Herrscher of Thunder, Leo Ash did indeed feel an unavoidable sense of inflation for a moment.
After all, the enemy was a Herrscher. He felt that winning against her... was indeed something to be a little proud of.
But the System's words were like a bucket of cold water poured over Leo Ash's head...
Oh no, this is so stimulating, it should be said that a truckload of ice was smashed on him.
Now, no matter how inflated Leo Ash was, he had completely calmed down.
He won partly due to his own strength, but he couldn't ignore other factors.
Siegfried had weakened the Herrscher's power and, to some extent, disturbed her state of mind.
The HSN serum, developed by Dr. Magi and given to Leo Ash by Otto via Rita, weakened some of the terrifying Honkai Energy in his body and strengthened his Honkai Energy resistance, giving him the capital to face the Herrscher of Thunder.
If he were to ignore these factors and become arrogant, attributing the defeat of the Herrscher solely to himself...
Ha, the faster you inflate, the more miserable your death will be.
Among the people the System mentioned, which one isn't a uniquely talented and powerful individual, which one isn't a seasoned warrior with vast combat experience?
Treating them like the Herrscher of Thunder, a powerful newbie with only strength but lacking in mentality and experience... only a fool would do such a thing.
This world is still very dangerous. I should be cautious in my words and actions.
Otherwise, if I die somewhere along the way, others might not even have the chance to collect my body.
[Also, the rewards have been sent to your mailbox. Please check them yourself, Host.]
Ha... I just remembered, there is indeed such a mechanism.
I'm completely relieved. With this 'reminder', I've indeed survived a life-and-death crisis.
Completely at ease, Leo Ash opened his mailbox.
[Ding! The rewards for the Host this time are (Special Item - Super 10x Draw Ticket), (Special Item - Advanced Skill Book Draw Ticket).]
[(Special Item - Super 10x Draw Ticket) - A special item obtained after completing a difficult mission. The holder can consume this item to perform a ten-pull draw, which is guaranteed to yield three high-grade items.]
Seeing this item, Leo Ash felt a pang of bitterness in his heart.
It's not that the item is bad. To be honest, it's much better than the beginner's ten-pull with only one guaranteed item.
But the problem is...
System!
Explain!
Why are there two rewards again?
[Well... ahem, wait a minute.]
[After asking the question, the smart, handsome, and dashing you has already perceived the truth.]
You're suddenly praising me, which makes me even more flustered.
[The Super 10x Draw Ticket is an item obtained only by completing a difficult mission, and the Advanced Skill Book Draw Ticket is an old friend that needs no introduction, so...]
That's enough, you don't need to say more.
Already exhausted, Leo Ash looked at these two items and just felt his legs go a little weak.
Ah, that's enough.
I just survived one crisis, why is another one popping up?
[Although you are dissatisfied with the emergence of a new survival crisis, you quickly pull yourself together.]
[You, who have always relied on yourself, tell yourself—the System is unreliable, the only one you can rely on is yourself!]
No, even if you try to encourage me this way, I...
Forget it, let's just draw.
Powerlessly using the Super 10x Draw Ticket, Leo Ash saw ten white lights appear before him.
Then, before his eyes, three of the white lights suddenly burst with a purple glow, and the last item turned from purple to gold.
Let me see these first ones, ah... another pile of junk.
But please, how can expired milk from three years ago and rotten meat still have the description 'can restore stamina for special ability users'? Are you sure this stuff is edible?
[It is, one of my predecessors' systems trained a host who had a related ability that allowed him to consume these foods without side effects.]
So did he eat it?
[Of course not—the guy was a Magnetic Field Rotation powerhouse, he could heal and restore stamina on his own, why would he eat that stuff.]
Then what's the point of you saying that.
I really don't know if you're being careless or doing it on purpose.
After finishing his complaint, Leo Ash looked at the last three items that appeared.
The first item was a purple skill book [Advanced Honkai Energy Resistance].
[Advanced Honkai Energy Resistance (This World Exclusive Skill) - Overwrites the prerequisite skill upon use. Guarantees that the skill holder's body will not be eroded by Honkai Energy when encountering a large-scale Honkai Eruption.]
Very good, although it's not an active skill—this thing is exactly what I need.
My success this time was ultimately due to good luck, that Otto actually gave me a tube of HSN serum.
Next time I go out, I won't be so lucky.
And Nagazora City... hiss, I was so tense before, I just remembered there seem to be other strong enemies.
Not to mention the awakened K423, the Herrscher of Pestilence Yuno and the Previous Era's Herrscher of Corruption are both in Nagazora City.
And now that I've knocked out Mei, doesn't the remaining Honkai Energy become theirs???
I think I know what crisis I have to face next...
Forget it, I'll see what the second one is first.
A skill book [Energy Conversion]?
[Energy Conversion - After using the skill, you can convert various special energies into another type of special energy.]
[Note: The prerequisite for converting one energy into another is that you have mastered the characteristics of both corresponding energies.]
[Note 2: Universal common energies like electrical energy are not within the scope of this skill's use.]
It seems pretty awesome, but the problem is...
How many special energies do I have to use right now (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻.
Didn't you say that the things I draw would most likely fit me?
Why do I feel like this skill is useless to me right now.
[Why don't you check out the third one?]
At the System's prompt, Leo Ash saw the third reward.
Before his eyes, a stone fragment slowly fell from the golden light.
Just by looking at this emerald-green fragment, Leo Ash could feel...
...the fragment before him was emitting an unsettling wave.
[Special Equipment - Void Demon Stone Fragment (11Eyes)]
[Equipment Description - A product of the shattered Void Demon Stone that originally belonged to the witch 'Liselotte Werckmeister, the Witch of Lust'. This fragment was originally held by Yuka Minase. Equipping it grants corresponding special abilities.]
[Special Ability (Magic Supply) - Even a shattered piece of the Void Demon Stone has considerable magic supply capabilities.]
[Special Ability (Resistance to Mental Attacks) - Due to the characteristics of this fragment, the holder can resist most mental attacks. The attacker will not be aware that their attack has failed.]
[Special Ability (Phantasmagoria) - Through special magic, externalize the target's thoughts and past memories, and pull the target into a special barrier.]
[Note: This ability can rewrite parts of the target's cognition. The success rate is determined by the power gap between both parties.]
[Note 2: Using this barrier can, to a certain extent, weaken the energy intensity of the area/person/creature within the barrier.]
[Note 3: Do not overuse the ability. Exceeding the limit for too long while using the ability will cause the user to disappear from the world.]
Staring at this fragment that was still emitting an unsettling wave, Leo Ash fell into deep thought.
That energy conversion skill, paired with this equipment, would allow me to actively generate Honkai Energy to fight.
And the other skills could also be of great use if used properly.
Although the last note scares me a little, the key question now is...
Mental attack defense, cognition rewriting, ability nullification, energy intensity weakening...
System, this fragment of yours, it wouldn't be for me to use against Otto, would it?
...