"Kiana, run!"
After shouting this, Leo Ash's eyes shot open.
Then, after scanning his surroundings, Leo Ash wasn't sure if he should be relieved or not.
In that final moment, Leo Ash had sensed that Rin, the [Previous Era's Herrscher of Corruption] inside Yae Sakura, was about to cause trouble, so he had thrown Kiana, who was next to him, away a step ahead.
And now, inside this Japanese-style room, besides the just-awakened Leo Ash, Mei, Bronya, and Theresa were lying beside him, still in a deep sleep.
The fact that Kiana wasn't pulled into this space meant that Leo Ash had avoided the worst-case scenario.
If Rin, who could launch psychic attacks on others, encountered Kiana, whose mental state was already unstable, the resulting chemical reaction could be far more terrifying than Kiana facing any other Herrscher.
As for why Leo Ash, someone with resistance to psychic attacks, was so easily captured in this space, the reason was also quite simple.
He was too tired, with barely any energy left.
Even with a skill to resist such attacks, if the user themselves is overly fatigued, it naturally increases the probability of an enemy's psychic abilities taking effect.
But being hit by Rin's attack didn't mean Leo Ash had completely lost the ability to fight back.
This was indeed the Stigmata space where Rin and Yae Sakura resided, and for Rin, this was her home turf.
The problem was, Rin, within this space, perhaps due to being sealed for too long, had long forgotten the most terrifying application of her [Herrscher of Corruption] authority.
In the Previous Era, Rin had only activated her authority after being killed.
Relying on the power of the Herrscher of Corruption, she instantly seized control of humanity's remaining weapon launch permissions, wiping out most of the human race.
It could be said that if Rin still remembered how she had slaughtered humanity in the past, she could find a time to secretly cause trouble, and the humans of this era, if not wiped out, would at least face a disastrous outcome with heavy casualties.
But the Rin in the Stigmata space had completely forgotten how to 'fight'.
And now, Leo Ash, inside this space, though he still felt exhausted, was in much better shape than before when he felt he would pass out just by closing his eyes.
Mind Like Still Water is usable... heh, in that case, there's no need to worry about many problems.
I see.
Part of my fatigue is mental, and the other part is physical.
Right now, I'm only acting within the Stigmata space, so the physical fatigue naturally can't interfere with me. So my condition has actually recovered a bit... huh?
The principle doesn't really matter. The crucial thing now is—I must find a way to suppress and seal the Herrscher of Corruption here.
In the original story, she chose to stop causing trouble because Theresa bore no resentment towards Otto or her.
But the problem is, just because Theresa could subdue her that way, it doesn't mean Leo Ash can just as easily make her behave.
The plot is already in such a mess; the original story can only serve as a reference at this point.
And no matter how things are handled after the battle, this fight is unavoidable.
Rin may have forgotten how to wield her authority over these fifty thousand years, but during that time, her aversion to humanity has only grown.
Whether you want to reason with her or use violence to make her submit, in the end, you need sufficient power.
Just Mind Like Still Water and Royal Guard are not enough. The cognitive rewriting effect of Phantasmagoria... ha, it'd be a miracle if that skill worked easily on a Herrscher who manipulates people's minds.
It's not that there are no options, but to face an expert of this level at my weakest moment...
What a headache. I'm just an agent with no armor and no Stigmata, why do I run into so much trouble.
After glancing at the still-sleeping Theresa, Leo Ash felt he might understand why things turned out this way.
As a clone synthesized from Kallen's DNA and Honkai Beast genes, Theresa naturally carries a hint of Kallen's aura.
And in the original story, after Theresa was injured by Yuno, Yae Sakura came over, drawn by the scent.
Even though the original story is already such a mess, the events of [Theresa being injured by Yuno] and [Yae Sakura being drawn by Theresa's scent] have both recurred.
In a way, is this what you'd call fate?
"Where... where is this... Bronya..."
While Leo Ash was still pondering the situation, he suddenly saw Bronya, who had been unconscious just a moment ago, now clutching her head as she sat up from the floor.
Then, upon seeing Leo Ash, whom she had met once before, Bronya's expression instantly changed.
"You...!"
Damn it, after being injured by the Herrscher, was Bronya captured by this man?
Although he didn't kill Bronya last time, there's no guarantee he'll be as merciful this time.
As expected, Bronya should...
"What, you want to continue our fight here?"
At that moment, Leo Ash gazed at the girl who was warily watching him and spoke nonchalantly.
"Right, after all, you were already helping your mother prepare to trigger a Honkai Eruption. The lives of millions are just a number in your eyes, so I suppose..."
"—Killing me here wouldn't be a big deal for you either, right?"
If she had heard Leo Ash say these words before, Bronya would probably have just thought, 'This guy is trying to shake Bronya's resolve, don't listen to his nonsense.'
But after witnessing Yuno's tragic state, Bronya found that she could no longer see the people who died in Nagazora City due to the Third Eruption as a mere 'number'.
Bronya Zaychik was, at her core, a highly intelligent and gifted girl.
She had been able to numb herself with various excuses before because she hadn't seen the miserable state of the victims.
But now, having seen someone turn into a 'demon' who killed their own family because of her assistance, how could the highly intelligent Bronya not know what a tragic future awaited the other victims.
"What's wrong?"
Watching the small girl with her evasive eyes, Leo Ash took a step forward.
"Use your Quantum Mech, just kill a Schicksal agent. Isn't that simple?"
"Do it."
"You... stay away!"
Yes, it should be such a simple thing, but why... why does Bronya want to run away?
"In this space, your legs have returned to normal, and the effects of your emotion circuit should have disappeared as well."
Watching the girl who was now frantically backing away, Leo Ash crouched down and spoke to Bronya in a very gentle tone.
"If you don't want to fight, then just listen to a story I have to tell."
"There was a little brat who had a very ordinary but happy family."
"During his rebellious phase, he argued with his parents, but they all knew they saw each other as the most important family members."
"If it weren't for those things, this family would have lived on happily. It's just a pity..."
Upon hearing this, Bronya subconsciously asked.
"A pity about what?"
"A pity that a phenomenon called [Honkai] exists in this world."
"The Honkai is a merciless natural disaster. When it comes, it pays no mind to the weak."
"In the city where the boy lived, a Honkai Eruption occurred."
"His father was turned to ash on the spot, and his mother became a Honkai Zombie before being eliminated by the Valkyrie who arrived on the scene."
"And then, that boy, in a single night, lost everything."
Hearing this, how could Bronya not know that this was Leo Ash's story.
However, the girl, who seemed to have already guessed what Leo Ash was going to say next, suddenly whispered.
"Don't..."
"Don't say any more."
"It's just a very ordinary story. What are you afraid of?"
After saying this with a sneer, Leo Ash continued.
"After that, the boy was adopted by the Valkyrie. But because the Valkyrie wasn't much older than him, they referred to each other as brother and sister."
"And the boy... after losing everything, he did indeed gain a new family, but no matter how good the new family was, it could never replace the parents he had lost."
"So in the end, he broke."
"He put on a facade of indifference, but in the end, he chose to plead with his adoptive sister to let him join Schicksal, claiming he wanted to fight for all that is beautiful in the world."
"But only the boy himself knew that he joined Schicksal not for others, but for himself."
"He wanted to kill the Honkai—his sole purpose for joining Schicksal was to get revenge on the Honkai."
Looking at Bronya, who had no more room to retreat, Leo Ash decisively grabbed her by the collar, lifting the petite girl off the ground.
"As smart as you are, you've guessed it. This is my story."
"Because of the Honkai, everything I cherished disappeared. And someone like me is still considered lucky, because I at least have a chance to take revenge on the Honkai."
"In our organization, many people have had similar experiences. But, no matter the reason, we are all fighting against the Honkai. But now—what about you Anti-Entropy?"
"Actively guiding a Herrscher to awaken in a city with millions of living people. Have you ever thought about how many people will die, how many will lose their future, how many will have what they cherish snatched away because of your actions?"
Of course, she had thought about it.
But, Bronya, who had once pondered these things, was now completely unable to speak in front of a victim of the Honkai.
For this plan, Cocolia had made many preparations and had also come up with many justifications for Bronya.
Even Bronya herself had come up with many reasons to convince herself, to help her adoptive mother carry out this incredibly vicious plan.
Everything for Seele—that's what she thought.
In the past, within the radical faction, no one would say these things to Bronya.
And Bronya, having completed her self-deception, naturally wouldn't deliberately think about things that would interfere with the plan.
But today, with this facade torn away right in front of her, Bronya was forced to confront the things she had tried to forget but could never abandon.
After assisting Cocolia in triggering the Third Eruption, she was burdened with a great sin.
Even if Nagazora City was not completely infested by the Honkai Energy from the Third Eruption due to some special reasons, the sin on her would not disappear because of it.
Because even so, countless people had died in the Honkai because of her and her mother's actions.
If Bronya were just a child soldier completely devoid of moral values, she might not be in so much pain right now.
But ironically, the originally cold-blooded, machine-like soldier Bronya had become so 'weak' precisely because of the warmth given to her by her adoptive mother Cocolia and her companions at the orphanage.
Yet it was this very Cocolia, who had given her warmth, who was also the executioner responsible for the deaths of others.
The true culprit who killed those people was undoubtedly the Honkai phenomenon.
But Cocolia and Bronya, who forced the Honkai to erupt in this place, were undoubtedly also guilty of a great crime.
It was precisely because she had received warmth from others that Bronya was now using normal emotions and morals to examine her past actions.
For Seele.
Those simple words, now that her companion had disappeared into the 'sea', had become the girl's inner demon.
"What's wrong? Never mind not summoning your mech, you can't even look at me anymore?"
Looking at the guilt that Bronya could hardly conceal on her face, Leo Ash said with extreme indifference.
"Since you firmly believe you are right, why are you hesitating at a time like this."
"If you think you are wrong, why not stop."
"You may feel some guilt now, but you still want to help Cocolia complete her plan, and Cocolia's plan will undoubtedly harm more innocent people."
"Instead of wavering here, you might as well kill me now, otherwise—as long as I'm alive, I will definitely find a way to kill that mad dog Cocolia."
"Don't... force me!"
The girl, whose mind was on the verge of collapse, even forgot to maintain her usual speech pattern.
"I... I didn't want things to turn out like this either! If it wasn't to save Seele, I... I... I..."
"Oh, I see. For the sake of this Seele you speak of, you can harm others."
At this moment, Leo Ash brought his face close to Bronya's, making it impossible for her to look away.
"Come on, look me in the eyes and answer me loudly—by killing those millions of people, can you save this Seele you speak of?"
Bronya didn't know the answer to that question.
But after being pushed to this point by Leo Ash's words and demeanor, the nearly frantic girl's thoughts became even faster than usual.
And soon, Bronya arrived at an answer that she had, in fact, already known in her heart.
"See? You know it very well."
Letting go of the girl's collar, Leo Ash said with utter indifference.
"You feel guilty, you feel remorseful. This shows that you yourself have no confidence that you can save your important friend after slaughtering millions of people."
"You may think I'm being too harsh, but I can tell you that right now, I am already exercising a great deal of restraint."
Yes, this man... his reaction was indeed calm enough.
Just by putting herself in his shoes for a moment, Bronya realized that Leo Ash was now calm to an abnormal degree.
But at the same time, the anger and sorrow in Leo Ash's eyes were undoubtedly not fake.
When he spoke of his past, Leo Ash was truly saddened by what happened to his family.
And when he talked about Cocolia's actions, the man was genuinely enraged by them.
He... I... Mother Cocolia...
"What on earth should I do..."
"Oh, the Saintess of Anti-Entropy doesn't know what she should do?"
"Are you brainless? Why are you asking someone from a hostile organization what to do?"
At that moment, watching Bronya, Leo Ash knew his performance had been a success.
What he had said before was a mix of truth and lies; it couldn't be called the whole truth.
Those experiences were fabricated, but his anger towards Cocolia was genuine.
As for the sorrow and anger the girl saw in his eyes...
Heh, I really do want to kill Cocolia, so of course that anger is real.
As for the sorrowful eyes... that's real too, of course.
It's just that the reason for my sorrow isn't because of something like my parents' death.
That is 'Leo Ash's' experience, not my experience.
The thing I'm truly sad about is actually very simple.
I don't have a family...
From birth until now, I have never had a family that accepts me and that I accept.
Living alone all this time, I don't usually wallow in self-pity over these things.
But just now, thinking about how 'Leo Ash' had a family in the past, I naturally felt a little bit of sadness and envy.
I'm getting more and more skilled at this.
By using this method to force myself to produce the corresponding emotions, I made the girl I was deceiving misunderstand.
What a scumbag.
But for this accomplice to a villain, I will not feel any guilt.
After all...
"After actively causing the deaths of so many people, trying to act pitiful and innocent now is a bit too late."
"Um, while what you said does make sense, and Cocolia is indeed quite detestable, but..."
Theresa, who had woken up at some point, now stood protectively in front of Bronya with a helpless expression.
"Don't be so harsh on this child. Look, she's about to cry."
"Branch Commander Theresa, I believe that as a great hero in the fight against the Honkai, you should be well aware of one thing."
Turning his head to the side, Leo Ash said with utter indifference.
"After being questioned by me, she might shed a few tears because of the conscience that hasn't completely disappeared from her heart."
"But the innocent people who died because of her mother, they probably couldn't even save their ashes, let alone their blood and flesh."
"Seeing as this one is a minor and was likely manipulated, the fact that I didn't snap her neck last time was the last bit of kindness I could show her."
"...You're right."
Shielding Bronya behind her, Theresa spoke to Leo Ash helplessly.
"Cocolia deserves to die, and if this child was Cocolia's accomplice, even if she was manipulated, she indeed made a mistake."
"But, she's still young, if it's possible..."
"She's still young, but among the people who died because of the Nagazora Eruption, there were surely children even younger than her."
Looking at the somewhat bewildered Theresa, Leo Ash said indifferently.
"Although I don't belong to the Far East Branch, I'm willing to give Branch Commander Theresa some face."
"You are, after all, a great hero fighting the Honkai on the front lines. If you wish to protect her, I personally have no objections."
Honestly, if the young man's tone had been unkind, Theresa might have felt a bit better.
After all, a young man like that, in Theresa's eyes, would seem more like an ordinary 'human' due to his rich emotions.
In her many years of fighting against the Honkai, Theresa had seen far too many people whose happiness had been destroyed by it.
Some of those people moved on from the shadows, but many more could be said to have 'died' on the day they were attacked by the Honkai.
Even if their bodies survived, their souls had been completely transformed into vengeful ghosts who only wanted revenge on the Honkai.
And the Leo Ash before her gave her exactly that feeling.
Leo Ash appeared very rational when facing Theresa, but to Theresa, who had woken up a while ago and had been eavesdropping on their conversation, the Leo Ash who had angrily berated Bronya earlier was the real Leo Ash.
Having had his happiness stolen by the Honkai, he had undoubtedly transformed into a vengeful ghost seeking revenge against it.
Under such circumstances, the fact that he restrained his hatred for the Honkai and didn't kill the relative of Cocolia, who had 'assisted the Honkai', was truly commendable in Theresa's eyes.
But ah, even so, this young man was still very dangerous.
His eyes were calm.
But hidden beneath that calmness was utter madness.
"In the end, even if I kill you, those people in Nagazora City won't be resurrected just because an executioner died."
After composing himself, Leo Ash pushed open the room's door and said to the two behind him.
"The two of you are not in good condition, so just stay put and wait for the problem to be resolved."
"Miss Bronya Zaychik, I don't know if you're genuinely remorseful or just acting, but right now, we're all trapped in this strange world, so we're all in the same boat, so to speak."
"If you want to get out, don't even think about pulling any tricks at a time like this."
After throwing out those words, Leo Ash disappeared from their sight.
And Theresa, who had wanted to chase after him, suddenly felt that something was wrong the moment she stood up.
"Strange... my body..."
Looking at her own powerless hands, a hint of panic flashed through Theresa's eyes.
Her physical constitution, due to Kallen's DNA and Honkai Beast genes, was supposed to be among the strongest in Schicksal.
But now, she felt a sense of powerlessness that she had never experienced since birth.
On the other side, Bronya, who had already noticed the abnormality in her own body, quickly suppressed her guilt and tried to summon Project Bunny.
However, at that moment, she was horrified to discover that she couldn't contact Project Bunny at all.
Something is wrong with this space.
If Project Bunny couldn't appear, Bronya's combat power would be basically zero.
So now, forget about going out to help that man, can't Bronya even protect herself?
.
After leaving that room, Leo Ash walked directly towards the living room from which the sounds of arguing had been coming.
Along the way, he tested the power within him and found that the bonus skill from the Void Demon Stone Fragment (resistance to mental attacks) had surprisingly blocked all of Rin's weakening effects on him.
According to the original story, when Theresa's mind was forcibly pulled into the Stigmata space because of the Rin within her Stigmata acting up, she initially lost all of her power.
But now, the fact that Leo Ash could use all his skills and powers meant that Rin pulling him into the space and weakening him was also considered a mental attack.
Thinking about it, it makes sense. In the end, what she did back then was basically pull people's minds into the Stigmata space to torture them, trying to make Yae Sakura break down by torturing Theresa so she could take over Yae Sakura's body.
Looking at it this way, my chances of winning against her have indeed increased.
Those three people in the room...
Mei will likely continue to sleep for now.
As for Theresa and Bronya... I don't have time to protect them either.
Even if Rin can manipulate energy in the Stigmata space to manifest those villagers, the power she can control is ultimately limited.
If I want to get out of this space, the only way is to defeat her.
Her power is limited, and if she diverts some of that limited power to attack Theresa and Bronya, then the power allocated to fight me will be slightly less.
Although this is equivalent to using them as bait, it's better for everyone to do their part and try to break through than to shout useless nonsense and then get wiped out by the enemy before a proper strategy is formed.
After quickly walking to the place where the argument was coming from, Leo Ash directly pushed open the door.
"Lady Miko, those outsiders—"
A villager who was accusing Yae Sakura saw Leo Ash and was suddenly stunned.
Completely caught off guard that these outsiders would be so bold, he even temporarily forgot his words of accusation.
Then, the scene erupted into an even louder chorus of curses.
"As the miko of Yae Village, to think you'd even bring back a strange man!"
"Shameless, how could you do such a thing!"
"Hurry up and sacrifice him to the gods, or the gods will be angry."
Ah, enough already.
After glancing at the bewildered Yae Sakura, Leo Ash converted his mana into Honkai Energy and gathered the power in his right fist.
"All this chirping is so annoying. If you really want to fight so badly..."
"—Then come at me head-on!"
He threw a punch.
Leo Ash, using Galactica Phantom, slammed his fist heavily onto the ground before him, causing the power contained within it to spread out wildly in all directions.
In that moment, the villagers who were cursing him were dispersed by the force.
The Head Priest Yae, who had been watching the show, was also dispersed by this power.
Except for Yae Sakura, who hadn't reacted to the situation at all, all the 'people' at the scene were directly 'scattered' by this single punch.
"...How did you see through my disguise."
After the psychic attack lost its effect, a large fox suddenly appeared in front of Leo Ash.
"My ability should be impossible for ordinary people... no, even for the strongest Valkyries, it shouldn't be easy to see through my power."
"Does that matter?"
Looking at the large fox before him, Leo Ash said indifferently.
"You're not going to let me out anyway, so if I want to get out, I'll definitely have to take care of you."
"We're enemies, so what's with all the chatter? In the end, it's still going to come down to a contest of strength."
"No, not necessarily."
Looking at Leo Ash, Rin spoke with great apprehension.
"My power has no effect on you... Hey, human, want to consider working with me."
"I heard what you said to that little girl earlier. You, you hate the human named Cocolia, right?"
"You hate her, but you can't kill her. Don't you find that frustrating?"
...
Although I know this creature is trying to tempt me, I really can't argue with that point.
If I had enough strength, I would indeed try to kill Cocolia at the first opportunity.
"See, you're silent."
Seeing Leo Ash's reaction, Rin continued.
"You need more power."
"But right now, your power is insufficient. Without a Stigmata, without powerful equipment, what will you use to kill your enemy?"
"Oh, well said—is the next line going to be something like 'I can lend you my power'?"
Listening to Rin's words, Leo Ash sneered and assumed a fighting stance.
"We're not fools. Take a guess, do you think I'd believe such nonsense as 'someone is willing to give me something for free'?"
"I didn't say it was for free."
At that moment, Rin took two steps forward, getting close to Leo Ash's face, and tried her best to squeeze out a smile.
"After all, it's quite boring for me to exist only within a Stigmata. Of course, I'd want to experience the outside world."
"After I help you kill Cocolia, I hope you'll find a suitable body for me."
"Meaning you want me to help you kill someone? Then there's nothing to talk about."
"Aren't you planning to kill someone yourself?"
"After killing the enemy, I can just use her body to resurrect myself—like Cocolia, for instance. After you get rid of her, you wouldn't still want to do something with her body, would you."
At this moment, Rin narrowed her eyes, trying to make her smile appear more friendly.
Recalling a line from a manga she had seen in the past, Rin said to Leo Ash.
"Make a contract with me, and become a magical boy."
"After obtaining power, you'll be able to do many things you want to do now but can't, and you'll naturally be able to live more freely."
Yae Sakura, watching all of this from the side, recalled everything from that year and felt a chill run down her spine at the sight of that smile.
Back then, Yae Sakura had harbored resentment towards the entire village because her sister, Yae Rin, had been forced to her death.
But if it were just that, she would have buried that resentment in her heart and lived out her sad life.
But on that day, she came into contact with this fox, and the fox induced the evil thoughts in her heart.
In the end, even though Kallen stopped Yae Sakura and even managed to seal the fox, the villagers all died because of Yae Sakura's rampage.
Thinking back now, did those villagers really deserve to die?
Yae Sakura didn't know the answer.
But she knew very well that this large fox was a demon that could manipulate the evil thoughts in people's hearts.
Once a contract was made with her, the other party would, without realizing it, have their evil thoughts amplified, ultimately leading to an irreversible tragedy.
However, just as she was about to speak, she suddenly saw the man move.
Faced with Rin's temptation, Leo Ash's course of action was, of course...
"Galaxy Phantom!"
—Too lazy to waste any more words, he smashed a fist right onto her big nose.
The Rin of the past, at the moment she was killed, was undoubtedly a victim.
Even if those warriors killed Rin because their hatred for the Honkai was amplified by Aponia's commandment to 'never give up hope in the fight against the Honkai', what they did in that matter was undoubtedly wrong.
But after that, the deceased Rin used her authority to kill many humans, and from that moment on, she also became a perpetrator.
From then on, Rin, who harbored malice towards humanity, was already a Herrscher standing in opposition to them.
Facing such an enemy, Leo Ash, who was very tired and also very irritable due to his fatigue, felt that she wasn't worth his time to reason with.
No matter what he said, this Herrscher would still want to kill humans, so what was the point of talking so much.
"You...!"
Feeling the sharp pain from her head, Rin immediately began to flail her sharp claws wildly, trying to drive the enemy away from her.
Then, Rin, whose eyes were streaming with tears from the intense pain, looked at Leo Ash with a gaze full of resentment.
"You... you actually rejected my goodwill!"
"Cut the crap. You call that goodwill?"
Blocking the claw attack with Royal Guard, Leo Ash landed a heavy punch on Rin's claw.
"All that talk about finding someone else's body is just a front. To put it bluntly, you just want to inhabit my body, let the resentment in my heart grow slowly, and eventually take over my body just like you did with Yae Sakura, right?"
"You're already lusting after my body in this way, and you still expect me to talk to you nicely?"
At this moment, Leo Ash, after making Rin wince in pain with this counterattack, jumped directly onto Rin's fox head and, converting his mana into Honkai Energy, began to beat her on the head.
"Are you stupid? Are you stupid? Are you stupid?"
"You... get off me!"
After forcefully shaking Leo Ash off, Rin angrily opened her mouth and spat flames at the enemy before her.
From that previous claw attack, Rin had discovered that the enemy could block her claw attacks with a strange power.
Although this was a Stigmata space, such an attack was undoubtedly a 'physical attack'.
After the physical impact proved ineffective, Rin remembered that she could shoot flames at her enemies.
No matter how strong his body is, or how good his skills are, he should... when facing my flames at a time like this...
"Ah, an elemental attack."
Faced with the blazing fire, Leo Ash once again chose to use Royal Guard to block it.
However, as he attempted to block, a mana shield suddenly appeared in front of him, separating the flames from him.
Ever since obtaining the Void Demon Stone Fragment and possessing the special energy source known as mana, Leo Ash had easily mastered simple techniques like 'mana release'.
Only a few hours had passed, so Leo Ash's mana release technique was certainly no match for an expert's in terms of precision.
But releasing a shield to block an enemy's attack was not a difficult matter in essence.
Relying on the properties of Royal Guard, Leo Ash used this strange blocking method to stop Rin's fierce flames.
"What are you surprised about, monster."
Having easily completed the block, Leo Ash beckoned to Rin with his finger.
"You didn't really think I came to fight you unprepared, did you?"
"You bastard!"
Seeing her flames being directly blocked, the disbelieving Rin once again spat out several fireballs.
However, after watching Leo Ash easily block several more fireballs, the disbelieving Rin found that she might have to admit one thing.
Her opponent... seemed to be able to block even this kind of attack without taking any damage.
On the other hand, Leo Ash, who was still acting calm and composed, had actually already activated his Mind Like Still Water ability.
It was because of this ability that he could put on a relaxed facade.
Leo Ash had indeed managed to easily block the fireballs with a combination of mana and Royal Guard, but the problem was—his mana regeneration was fast, not infinite.
Under these circumstances, if he continued to show off and catch fireballs, his mana would be depleted after a few more hits.
It looked like he had the upper hand, but in reality, Leo Ash could already feel his body starting to get uncomfortable.
It seems the problem I have to face now is not just a lack of mana, but even in the real world, my body is also being eroded.
The remaining mana... can't be wasted any further.
Looking at the enemy before him, this time, Leo Ash fully activated the power of the Void Demon Stone Fragment and unleashed Phantasmagoria on Rin.
"The warm-up is over. Now..."
"It's about time I ramped up the intensity for you, stinky fox."
At that moment, Rin suddenly saw space-like fluctuations, as if a mirror was shattering, appear around her.
And the moment these fluctuations appeared, she actually felt...
—Her own power was actually being weakened by her opponent???
..