System, this fragment of yours, it wouldn't be for me to use against Otto, would it?
After Leo Ash said this, he immediately heard a response from the System.
[If possible, I hope the Host does not treat Mr. Otto as some comedic character that can be toyed with and killed at will.]
I don't see him as that kind of comedic character either—in fact, I'm still afraid he'll find a chance to kill me.
[As for why you drew this fragment, this System can only say that its lottery module determined that, among the prizes in the pool, this one was relatively suitable for you.]
Cut the crap.
My first few skills came from a martial artist, a devil hunter, and a mercenary fighter, all focused on strengthening frontal combat.
And now you're telling me a magic-side item like this pops up, are you sure this thing is really suitable for me?
[Whether your first few skills determine the path you take later on, that's up to you.]
[This System can't explain that either—after all, it was indeed an item drawn after the lottery module's judgment, which is not under this System's control.]
Fine, whatever.
Then I have a question—can this thing block Fenghuang Down's mental attacks?
[Get real. This demon stone is just a tiny one-seventh fragment of the original Emerald Tablet, the 'Void Demon Stone'. You'd need the complete stone and its original owner to even have a chance.]
...I was thinking too much.
[But it can definitely block that imitation thing Otto has, which is inferior to the real Fenghuang Down.]
[After all, although this is one of the seven fragments, it's the magic-enhancing fragment used to activate Phantasmagoria. You could say that a portion of the legendary witch Liselotte's power in illusions is already attached to the fragment.]
You're deliberately trying to scare me by telling me half the story, aren't you.
But thinking about it, it makes sense. It's not like Otto's Fenghuang Down has never been broken.
In the Alien Space manga, Murata Ryusuke, with his alien Sugars ally 'Peppermint', easily broke free from Fenghuang Down's control and deceived Otto.
And based on the pressure Welt Yang felt from Murata Ryusuke when they met, which was on the level of a 'Judgment-class Honkai Beast', we can deduce that Murata Ryusuke and Peppermint together have the strength of a Judgment-class Honkai Beast.
However, this doesn't mean that one needs Judgment-class strength to break free from the imitation Fenghuang Down's control.
Otto used a golden feather against Murata Ryusuke, and when Peppermint devoured the golden feather, Otto, a powerhouse who could suppress Herrschers, felt absolutely no energy fluctuations at all.
From this point of view, Otto's imitation Fenghuang Down was a minor problem for Peppermint, something that could be 'easily solved without using much power'.
Of course, there's also the possibility that Otto saw Murata Ryusuke as an ordinary person and didn't use the full power of the imitation Fenghuang Down.
But the Void Demon Stone fragment in Leo Ash's hand is quite strong, and he himself is a bona fide ordinary person...
Alright, without equipment and skills, he's really not much stronger than an ordinary person.
In that case, it wouldn't be strange if Otto's feather had no effect on him.
[Also, although I've already reminded you, this System must say it again.]
[Remember not to overuse the ability. Exceeding the limit for too long while using the ability will cause the user to disappear from the world.]
Yeah, I know.
The upper limit of this fragment is not low.
But the original owner who used this thing to interfere with the real world later disappeared directly.
[Exactly. The holder of this fragment, Yuka Minase, was absorbed by the original owner of the fragment after overusing its power.]
[Although the original owner of the fragment doesn't exist in this world, that doesn't mean there's no price to pay for overusing its power.]
[Don't think that disappearing means being transported to another place. Without a backup plan, disappearing is equivalent to death.]
[This System revived you once, but that doesn't mean this System will revive you again the moment you die in the future.]
[Although saying it so directly might seem a bit impersonal, it's better to be clear about some things beforehand—lest you mess up and die cursing this System.]
Well, thanks for that.
But these words... why do I feel like they're full of stories and accidents.
[It involves an accident.]
So it really was an accident!
[One of my predecessors, his creator added 'character templates' to the lottery system.]
[Character templates, you know, the gap between the upper and lower limits is absurdly large, but getting a good one is like getting a full set of divine equipment and skills.]
[But the awkward part is, the character template only gave the abilities and skills, not the equipment.]
And then?
[And then one of his testers drew the template for Wildcat Qin Hong.]
Oh, isn't that pretty good?
[But Wildcat Qin Hong's template was taken from his period of madness. He needed a First Generation Dream-Creator Computer for his brain to function normally.]
...Don't tell me the person who got it didn't have the computer implanted and insisted on using the template anyway.
[Congratulations, you've learned to answer your own questions.]
[My predecessor tried to persuade him, but his words weren't severe enough, so that idiot thought he was the Chosen One and fused with it directly.]
[And then there was no 'and then'.]
[So after learning about this, this System feels that for dangerous items, it's better to explain them clearly.]
[Don't want you to overuse it, turn into a ghost, and curse this System behind its back. That wouldn't be good.]
...
I really don't know what to say.
Speechless, Leo Ash used the other item, the [Advanced Skill Book Draw Ticket].
After seeing a flurry of skills flash by, Leo Ash saw a blue skill book floating in front of him.
[Skill Book - Powerful Healing Spell]
[Powerful Healing Spell - Can be activated with magic. The spell has three casting methods.]
[Instant Cast - Consumes a small amount of magic to instantly cast a healing spell, moderately healing the target.]
[Quick Cast - Consumes some magic to quickly complete a healing spell, significantly healing the target.]
[Full Power Cast - Consumes a large amount of magic and requires one minute of casting time. After casting, the target character receives a massive amount of healing, which can, to some extent, heal old injuries.]
[Note: Regardless of the casting method chosen, you cannot move your body while using this skill.]
[Note 2: If you cannot maintain a stable state of mind while casting magic, it may cause the magic to fail and result in a backlash against the caster. Please be careful.]
Wow, that's awesome.
[Alright, the reward collection is now complete. Let this System see...]
[As the reward collection ends, you feel your confidence grow.]
[Offense, defense, support, control, healing—you are now, one might say, an all-rounder!]
[You have the confidence that, as long as you can continue developing at this pace, sooner or later, you will no longer have to live with a bunch of cameras around you...]
[Oh, my apologies for the correction. Due to the awakening of the Herrscher of Thunder, all surrounding electronic equipment has been fried.]
[In short, you feel very powerful right now, powerful enough to even one-punch that son of a bitch Otto to death!]
If possible, I'd prefer you not to add so much drama for me when you write the narration.
I'm not some super righteous person... besides, even a super righteous person wouldn't just kill Otto on sight.
You guys really shouldn't think of him as some comedic character who can be killed easily.
He's very strong.
And he's very useful.
[Otto is very useful—you are sure that this judgment you've made is not problematic.]
[He has ruled Schicksal for five hundred years, suppressing the entire world while guiding the Schicksal knights and Valkyries to save countless people.]
[Even if he is an out-and-out villain, his merits cannot be denied because of it.]
[The Previous Era wrote the strategy guide, and Otto is undoubtedly the most suitable person to execute that guide, so you decide...]
[—to let him be smug for a few days, wait for him to get things done, then find a chance to kill him, charge into Schicksal, and usurp his damn throne!]
You've been reading Water Margin recently, haven't you.
Alright, I get it, there are no cameras around, right?
Strange, why aren't you replying.
[Um, Host, let this System say one last thing.]
[This System won't skimp on necessary explanations, nor will it be lazy with the narration, but...]
[Talking too much nonsense gets you scolded. I hope you can understand that.]
...Fine.
After resting on the ground for a few minutes, Leo Ash slowly stood up.
After helping Mei up, Leo Ash took out the white plastic chair he had drawn earlier and let Mei lean against it.
At the same time, Siegfried, who had recovered his minimum mobility, picked up the Judgment of Shamash from the ground and looked at Leo Ash with extreme vigilance.
Although from the previous battle, Siegfried had roughly guessed that Leo Ash had held back when they fought.
But that didn't mean Siegfried would completely let his guard down around the youth before him.
The other party was, after all, from Schicksal.
And he was someone who believed in Otto, not Anti-Entropy... well, to be precise, someone who believed in Otto, not Cocolia.
There was nothing inherently wrong with that. If Siegfried hadn't been a victim of Otto's evil deeds and didn't know Otto's true nature, he would most likely have made the same judgment as Leo Ash.
After all, Cocolia was truly foolish and despicable, completely unworthy of any trust.
But now, facing one of Otto's subordinates, if he were to just go over with a smile and say 'Hey kid, thanks a lot, if there's nothing else I'll be on my way'...
This youth was capable, bold, and not stupid. Trying to fool him with such words would most likely just make the other party think 'you must take me for a fool' and successfully anger him.
And seeing Siegfried before him, Leo Ash suddenly had an idea.
Although the System told him not to overuse the Phantasmagoria ability, the thing is, when you get a new weapon or piece of equipment, if there's a chance to test its performance in a safe environment, it's of course better to do it beforehand.
That way, you can more accurately judge when to use the skill in actual combat.
Just like before, when Leo Ash was fighting Siegfried, he actually had the idea of using Galactica Phantom.
But because he had never used the skill before and couldn't accurately grasp the charging time, Leo Ash ultimately couldn't find an opportunity to use it.
After all, Siegfried was a powerful warrior. If he saw Leo Ash starting to charge up in place, even if Leo Ash could unleash Galactica Phantom, Siegfried would probably be able to dodge it beforehand and then seize the opening Leo Ash revealed after using the punch to take him down.
Leo Ash didn't know if the enemies he would face in the future would be like Siegfried, with rich combat experience.
But it was better to be safe than sorry. Preparing now was always better than being unsure later and ending up dead at the enemy's hands.
So...
Fei-ge, I'm sorry!
Siegfried, who had been wary of Leo Ash, suddenly felt a strange fluctuation in the space before him.
And in the next instant, when Siegfried saw the world before him shatter like a mirror, Siegfried, who couldn't react in time...
—was pulled into another world.
....
"Dad? Dad!"
After hearing a shout, Siegfried slowly opened his eyes.
Strange, today I feel... feel... feel what was it again?
"Dad, wake up!"
In front of Siegfried, an angry white-haired girl, seeing Siegfried only stir slightly, stomped on his quilt in annoyance.
"...Guh!"
Hit in the abdomen, Siegfried let out a cry of pain and sat up from the bed, clutching his stomach.
"Kiana... I told you not to..."
"You said it yourself, there's a company meeting today, you can't be late!"
Facing Siegfried's disgruntled attitude, Kiana pointed menacingly at the alarm clock.
"It's eight o'clock!"
"Sigh, work starts at nine, isn't it still early..."
Staggering out of bed, Siegfried sleepily rubbed the back of his head and glanced drowsily at his left arm.
My left arm... is still here?
Isn't that obvious? I have both my hands, a beautiful wife, and two lovely daughters...
Alright, the two daughters aren't that lovely.
But I am undoubtedly very happy!
With this thought, Siegfried hummed a cheerful tune and walked out of his room.
"Honey, you're finally awake."
Seeing Siegfried, his wife, Cecilia Schariac, stood with her hands on her hips and said to him.
"Hurry up and wash your face. Uncle Otto already said that today's meeting is very important."
"Cecilia..."
Looking at his wife, Siegfried was momentarily captivated.
"Um, honey?"
Noticing that Siegfried's expression was off, Cecilia suddenly said with some unease.
"If you're really not feeling well, how about I ask for leave from Uncle Otto..."
"No... I'm fine."
Haha, my wife is still here.
Why did I freeze for a moment over such an ordinary thing.
"Mom, I'm heading out first."
At the entrance, a girl with long golden hair turned back and said to Siegfried.
"Dad, I'm celebrating Rita's brother's birthday with her outside today, so I won't be home for dinner tonight."
"Oh, then have fun, Ki..."
At that moment, Siegfried froze again.
Then, he blurted out.
"Bianka."
"Got it."
Watching the girl named Bianka leave, Siegfried found himself a bit too tired.
From a while ago, I've been feeling a bit dazed...
Ha, I must be too tired from working overtime on the game yesterday.
Seeing the trace of fatigue on Siegfried's face, Cecilia said very gently.
"It's the second test meeting for the new project today, but you don't have to push yourself so hard."
"I can't help it."
Picking up a piece of bread from the table, Siegfried looked at Cecilia and said helplessly.
"If possible, I'd still like for us to move to a bigger house."
"So—I have to work overtime when I have to."
"Honestly... your health is the most important thing."
Watching Cecilia sit there pouting, Siegfried suddenly broke into a smile.
My wife is so cute.
So, I...
I...
Me?
Strange, what was I trying to say?
Glancing at the calendar and confirming that today was September 23rd, Siegfried chose to bury his head and eat.
Don't overthink it. For my wife and daughters, I must work hard.
..
That morning, Siegfried arrived at Schicksal HQ on time. After enduring the disgruntled looks from his colleague Shigure Kira for a long time, he finally saw President Otto arrive in the meeting room.
And after Siegfried's cousin, Amber Kaslana, presented the data from the second test, Siegfried saw a satisfied smile on Otto's face.
But looking at that smiling face, Siegfried didn't know why...
He felt like he wanted to punch his wife's elder twice.
Then he felt strange again.
Strange, Uncle Otto has taken good care of us, and he even promoted me to be the producer of this new game...
I should be grateful to him...
I should be grateful, right?
In the following time, Siegfried lived a happy life.
Although work was busy, his wife supported him, his subordinates trusted him, and his daughter, though in a rebellious phase, didn't cause any major problems.
With a happy family and a smooth career, Siegfried finally finished making that game.
"'Honkai 3: Restart Beginning', abbreviated as 'Honkai 3RB'."
On the game's presentation PPT, Siegfried said to the colleagues and leaders present.
"Restart Beginning. 'Restart' implies a connection to the previous work, 'Honkai 2: Impact', and 'Beginning' means that although it's connected to the previous work, it is essentially a new beginning."
"I've already introduced the gameplay, and the game has now entered the testing phase. I believe that this work, which has absorbed the experience of 'Houkai Gakuen' and 'Honkai 2: Impact', should bring joy to the players and help us obtain sufficient... profit."
"Mm, well said."
At this moment, Otto tapped on his terminal and displayed some data on the light screen in front of everyone.
"This is the game-related data after the third test. So far, the response has been good."
"It looks like we just need to release it on time on October 14th."
"Siegfried, you've worked hard during this time."
"Ah, not at all."
Strange, why do I feel the desire of my left hand to punch Uncle Otto... is even stronger?
Have I been too tired lately?
After a full day of discussions, the mentally and physically exhausted Siegfried walked out of the main gate of Schicksal HQ.
But at that moment, he saw a young man.
A young man he recognized, but who for some reason had a face full of guilt.
"You are... ah, it's Leo Ash, right?"
Recognizing the young man's identity, Siegfried suddenly said with some worry.
"Did Bianka ask you to find me? Wait, something hasn't happened to her, has it!"
"Please rest assured, Bianka is fine."
After saying this, Siegfried suddenly felt the surrounding space fluctuate.
And with the sound of a mirror shattering, Siegfried suddenly saw that everything before him had changed.
At the same time, a flood of memories reconnected with Siegfried's brain.
"Ha... haha... hahaha..."
Cecilia, Kiana, and also Kira, Patrick, Salome, Lixue, Shub...
So that's how it is...
So that's how it is.
Otto... Apocalypse!
Looking at Siegfried, whose face had become incredibly terrifying, the guilt in Leo Ash's heart grew even heavier.
Originally, he just wanted to test this ability.
And the reason for choosing Siegfried was simply because he wanted to familiarize himself with the ability as soon as possible, in case of emergencies.
According to Siegfried's strength, after having experienced the illusion created by Sirin fourteen years ago, he should have had some resistance to this kind of illusion.
But soon, Leo Ash discovered that he had made a mistake.
Siegfried indeed had a way to defend against this kind of attack, but...
He actively chose not to resist this power.
Siegfried, who had been aware that something was wrong, still chose to give up resisting this power.
This was certainly due to his subconscious not detecting any hostility from this attack, but the deeper reason was actually very simple.
This hero who failed to protect his wife and child did not want to leave this illusion.
Even if it was a false illusion, Siegfried, who was in it, still hoped to see his deceased wife again.
A person who truly loves his wife may not always say 'I love you', nor will they necessarily post on the internet every year to 'commemorate' her.
For many people who love their deceased wives, many things do not need to be said out loud.
At this moment, Leo Ash, who had caused all this, felt from the man before him an endless love for his family, and a despairing sadness.
Once the strongest person in history, who had even defeated a powerful enemy, he ended up exhausting his power to protect others, only to have his wife killed and his daughter die as a result of the betrayal of the Bishop he served.
And now, he can't even get revenge, only able to watch his other daughter walk into the trap that the enemy has already set.
And it is precisely because he has been in this self-blame brought by sorrow that Siegfried, who had the ability to break free from the illusion, chose to continue to slumber.
He desperately needed a place for his spirit to rest.
However, what is false is ultimately false.
In the end, looking at the man before him, Leo Ash still chose to undo the cognitive rewriting ability of Phantasmagoria.
"...Haha, it really was fake, after all."
After completely waking up, only a bitter smile remained on Siegfried's face.
Then, he looked at the guilt-ridden youth before him and asked.
"Little brother Leo Ash, you were just holding back before, weren't you."
"If you had used this ability earlier, I would have been captured by the enemies of Schicksal or even killed on the spot by now."
Looking at the middle-aged man before him, Leo Ash remained silent for a long time before finally responding.
"...Why don't you curse at me a couple of times."
"No, how about you beat me up instead."
"...Are you a masochist?"
Looking at the youth before him, Siegfried couldn't hold it in and burst out laughing.
"It's not that serious, I could feel that you didn't have any hostility towards me when you used this ability."
"And, I want to thank you, little brother Leo Ash."
"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have been able to see Cecilia again."
"...But it wasn't real."
"Yeah, but... she was still Cecilia."
Recalling everything he saw in the environment, a hint of nostalgia appeared on Siegfried's face.
"I will never forget her every smile, every glance. Everything about her is forever engraved on my soul."
"But I'm just an ordinary person after all. Even if I'll never forget my wife, I'd still want to see her again..."
Speaking of which, Siegfried scratched his head in embarrassment.
"Haha, sorry for making a fool of myself, but this is the real Siegfried Kaslana."
"A middle-aged old man who couldn't protect his wife and daughter... heh, this is the real me."
And after saying that, Siegfried's expression became incredibly solemn.
"No matter what, thank you, Leo Ash."
Looking at the man before him, Leo Ash now felt that he had finally discovered the flaw of Phantasmagoria.
Modifying others' cognition seemed like a very powerful ability... no, in fact, this ability is very powerful.
After modifying an opponent's cognition in battle, as long as you make them think of you as a good friend, the probability of them defending against you when you make a move will decrease a lot.
However, this ability has a flaw.
Or rather, for Leo Ash, using this ability requires paying a certain price.
This price has nothing to do with magic.
Modifying someone's cognition, letting them indulge in happiness, and then telling them through actions that this happiness is fake...
This is enough to deal a huge blow to an ordinary person with an average state of mind.
Just like Kiana in the main story, who indulged in Cecilia's motherly love. Even though she knew Cecilia was dead, she would still gradually fall due to overindulging in false happiness.
Not only that.
Even Sirin back then, due to an operational error, ended up becoming Cecilia's daughter.
In the year 2000, Sirin finally discovered that Cecilia had not been hypnotized at all.
And Sirin, who believed that 'Mom' was deceiving her, broke down on the spot because of this deception.
Sixteen years later, K423, also because of the same thing, broke down again after Fu Hua revealed the truth.
Letting others indulge in happiness, then telling them that none of it is real, and taking away this false happiness...
In Leo Ash's eyes, this was undoubtedly the most vile method of attack.
Even if Siegfried, this good-natured senior, had no intention of blaming him.
Even if Siegfried was sincerely thanking Leo Ash.
But at this moment, a thought still popped into Leo Ash's mind.
I... am no different from Otto...
I... really deserve to die!
Using a skill on someone else, and the victim doesn't break down, but I, the perpetrator, break down instead...
Hahahahaha, this feeling... is so stupid.
Is this the price of using Phantasmagoria?
What a terrible experience.
"Hey, no, that expression of yours..."
Seeing the guilt on Leo Ash's face grow heavier, and even a hint of collapse appearing in his eyes, Siegfried became a little anxious.
"I'm not lying to you, I'm really grateful to you."
Damn it, it's because you're like this that I feel even worse.
After taking several deep breaths, Leo Ash finally stabilized his mind.
Then, he looked at Siegfried before him and said to him very seriously.
"Regardless of your feelings, I believe I did something wrong, so..."
"—I am truly sorry."
Wow, this kid is surprisingly straightforward in this regard.
If you're like this, I'm worried that in the future, you'll end up like me because you're too straightforward.
"I know that apologizing is useless, so I will do my best to compensate Mr. Siegfried."
"Ahaha, it's not that serious..."
"Let me tell you a piece of information first."
After letting out a deep breath, Leo Ash said to Siegfried.
"Mr. Siegfried, although that illusion was fake, some parts of it were real."
"Your daughter, Kiana Kaslana, who you thought had died, did not die back then."
...!
"Are you serious?!"
Looking at Siegfried's incredibly shocked eyes, Leo Ash didn't respond to his question, but continued on his own.
"Back then, after she fell from the sky, although she was severely injured, she did not die just like that."
"The Valkyries of Schicksal recovered her and brought her back to the headquarters."
"After that, having lost her memories and with a changed appearance, she chose to change her name to Bianka 'Durandal' Ataegina after her body recovered."
"She met many companions, went on many adventures, and became much stronger, but..."
"At the same time, Bishop Otto, after learning of her qualities, personally trained her."
"And because of this, she trusts Bishop Otto and is working diligently for him."
"She has now inherited Abyss Flower and become Schicksal's strongest S-rank Valkyrie."
"I don't know if you believe what I'm saying, but I can guarantee that everything I've said..."
"...is absolutely true."
...