Within the Stigmata space, Leo Ash slowly opened his eyes.
Not much time had passed since he had forcibly sealed Rin with Phantasmagoria, but upon returning to this Stigmata space, he was met with the sight of an incredibly vigilant Yae Sakura and Rin, who had already begun to corrode the mana chains with her power.
"Tch, you're quick on the uptake."
Seeing that Leo Ash had already entered the space, Rin clicked her tongue in dissatisfaction before revealing a cold smirk.
"Fine, it doesn't matter. It looks like you can't use that power of yours frequently anyway, so..."
"Oh, then by all means, give it a try."
Unleashing his mana to cast Phantasmagoria once more, Leo Ash created even more mana chains than before, binding the Rin before him again.
"If you were here at your full strength, I'd have been 100% corroded by you by now, my mind stolen away."
"But it's a pity. Fifty thousand years of long slumber have left you with very little power."
"If this is the extent of the threat, it's not nearly enough to make me feel despair."
Sensing that Phantasmagoria was weakening her power again, Rin maintained her composed demeanor, but the cold sweat trickling down her forehead betrayed her inner thoughts.
After a period of rest, Leo Ash had recovered a significant amount of his previously overdrawn mana, thanks to the Void Demon Stone Fragment's mana recovery ability.
Under these circumstances, the Phantasmagoria he cast was naturally far more powerful than the one he'd used when he was running on empty.
If the previous Phantasmagoria and mana chains could only temporarily restrain this 'old senior' from fifty thousand years ago, then the now-strengthened Phantasmagoria, amplified by more mana, was enough to seal Rin for a very long time.
After all, just as Leo Ash had said, the current Rin was in her weakest state in fifty thousand years following her defeat.
Coupled with the fact that she had been attacked by Leo Ash within the Stigmata space before, she had indeed temporarily lost all hope of turning the tables after he strengthened her restraints.
"Benefactor... did you sense all of this and appear here for that reason?"
At that moment, gazing at the man who had once again sealed the 'demon', Yae Sakura suddenly knelt on one knee before Leo Ash.
"Thank you for freeing me from this curse."
"Freedom, huh... How about you stand up first."
Looking at the woman before him, Leo Ash felt a headache coming on.
Based on the details in the original story, although Otto Apocalypse and Yae Sakura were technically love rivals, he didn't seem to hold any animosity towards her in the plot.
Unlike the persecution he suffers in official materials and some fan works, Otto even created two pairs of dual pistols, [Holy Pistols - Kallen] and [Spirit Pistols - Yae], to commemorate Yae Sakura and Kallen.
However, this was just information revealed in the details scripted by the officials, an idea derived from everyone's speculation.
Speculation was, after all, just speculation; it could never be guaranteed to be 100% accurate.
No one could guarantee that Otto wouldn't suddenly have some radical ideas upon seeing that Yae Sakura was still 'alive'.
Leo Ash was the master of this Stigmata. If Otto went crazy, he was sure he wouldn't be able to escape responsibility.
He had to find a way to disguise this place and Yae Sakura.
He couldn't bet his life on Otto's rationality; in a sense, that man was the most capable and, at the same time, the most terrifying madman of this era.
As for whether Otto would want to inspect everything within the Stigmata space...
Again, Leo Ash didn't want to bet his life on Otto's curiosity.
Now that the Nagazora City incident was resolved, he had to organize his thoughts and figure out how to face the difficulties that lay ahead.
Even with the HSN serum, he couldn't explain the things he'd done in Nagazora City.
Even though he had tried his best to confirm certain information with the System to avoid exposing too much of himself near surveillance systems, the mere fact that [Leo Ash resolved the Third Herrscher with HSN serum] was enough for Otto to interrogate him with Fenghuang Down.
If the person using Fenghuang Down wasn't Otto, or if it were at a different point in time, Leo might not be this worried.
But the problem was, this was the Otto of 2014.
First, one thing had to be affirmed: Otto was one of the most intelligent people in the current era. A man like that using Fenghuang Down would certainly be harder to deal with than an ordinary person.
Moreover, this was after the Murata Ryusuke incident of 2005.
In 2005, Otto had used a mimicked Fenghuang Down to hypnotize Murata Ryusuke.
However, at that time, although Murata Ryusuke was on the verge of death, he still managed to resist the power of Fenghuang Down with the help of Peppermint, an elite of his alien allies, the Shoggoth Clan, and told a lie right to Otto's face.
After that, Otto confirmed that Murata Ryusuke had indeed lied while under the influence of Fenghuang Down.
How could an Otto who knew Fenghuang Down could fail be so convinced by the words of someone who'd 'fallen for it' afterwards?
Only if what Leo Ash said was logical would Otto think, 'Ah, this kid can't resist the power of Fenghuang Down.'
From now on, Leo Ash had to weave a lie that was logical enough to fool Otto.
To be honest, this was extremely difficult.
If it weren't for his information advantage, with his level of intelligence, he'd be exposed in minutes in front of Otto.
[Heh, a lie? The thought of what you were just considering makes you find it a bit laughable.]
[Lies are for the weak. If you were strong enough, you could just crush Otto directly, take his Soulium body...]
Stop right there.
If possible, I'd prefer you didn't continue. I really wouldn't do that, I wouldn't even think about it.
[Oh, so you mean you actually have thought about the other things the System said before...]
I haven't!
[Host, the System has truly misjudged you.]
Ah, whatever, I can't be bothered to say anything more.
But seriously, you were right about one thing.
Lies are the weapons of the weak. That statement is indeed correct.
If I were strong enough, I wouldn't have to consider troublesome things like tricking Otto.
[Exactly. So, what do you plan to do?]
If I draw the lottery now, can I get a piece of equipment that lets me instantly kill Otto so I don't have to think about this stuff?
Forget it, I know that's impossible.
Even if I got powerful equipment, I wouldn't necessarily be able to use it effectively.
[That is indeed the case. Whether it's skills or equipment, even powerful ones, the user may not be able to bring out their full potential right after acquiring them due to unfamiliarity with their use or lack of adaptation.]
[Regarding this point, the System believes you've already had a firsthand experience.]
Yeah, overusing Phantasmagoria would make me disappear, and Mind Like Still Water failed because I wasn't prepared to kill...
Tch, that's right.
Even in games, there are things like skill proficiency, equipment requirements, and costs.
In reality, proficiency and equipment limitations don't disappear; they become even more real.
Just like now.
In the original work, at its strongest, Phantasmagoria could create an independent space.
A space used to prevent those holding fragments of the Void Demon Stone from escaping, and it was at least the size of a city.
But now, Leo Ash, who could only use Phantasmagoria through the ability attached to the fragment, clearly couldn't create such a large-scale independent space like that witch could.
But if he thought about it differently, by shrinking the space's range but increasing the density of Phantasmagoria's power, he might be able to do something similar, provided he understood the principle.
For example...
[Whoa whoa whoa, you're playing for high stakes.]
Ah, I have no choice.
To fool Otto, a measure of this degree is necessary.
Leo Ash, now with a plan in mind, began to cover the area with Phantasmagoria according to the design in his head.
"Benefactor, you...!"
"My apologies, Miss Miko."
At this moment, Leo Ash converted the Honkai Energy from the Stigmata into mana through [Energy Conversion] and began to construct a narrow alternate dimension with it.
"Lend me your power!"
Leo Ash didn't know whether Yae Sakura's strength as a Pseudo-Herrscher was considered strong or weak.
But she had been squatting in the Far East for five hundred years, and the Honkai Energy accumulated in her Stigmata far exceeded his imagination.
Relying on the Honkai Energy Yae Sakura had accumulated, the alternate dimension Leo Ash was constructing was gradually stabilizing.
And watching everything this man was doing, Rin finally understood—this guy could absolutely not be her 'colleague'.
The Herrscher of Binding didn't have such a bizarre ability!
"Who... who in the world are you!"
"Does that even matter anymore?"
After manipulating the power to throw both Rin and Yae Sakura into the alternate dimension, Leo Ash looked at the utterly shocked Rin and said with a sense of helplessness.
"Trust me, this really is for your own good."
"Don't cause trouble. If that Valkyrie's fiancé from five hundred years ago finds out that the Herrscher who hurt his wife is right here, I don't know if I'll die—but you'll definitely be tortured to the point where death would be a mercy."
"You...!"
Before she could say another word, Rin, bound so tightly that only her face was visible, was thrown into the alternate dimension along with Yae Sakura by Leo Ash.
After finishing all this, Leo Ash felt a sharp, stabbing pain in his head.
Even though he had barely managed to complete this grand magic by relying on Yae Sakura's Honkai Energy and his Energy Conversion ability, but... an operation like this, as expected, came with a price.
[That's right. If you pull off this kind of overload operation a few more times without sufficient strength, then the System will have to start looking for the next Host.]
Yeah, yeah, I know.
But I'm not done yet.
Without using Phantasmagoria, just converting Honkai Energy into mana that I can control more easily, and then condensing the mana into the simplest, most brutish mana bombs.
Before Otto comes in, I'll tell him this Stigmata is highly unstable. If he really intends to enter the Stigmata space, and it triggers a mana explosion, the two Herrschers in the alternate dimension will be fine. The only ones in trouble will be Otto and me, who entered the space.
Then I'll act the part, create a scene of Honkai Energy going out of control—if that doesn't fool him, then I'm out of options.
[No, the System finds this strange.]
[Why do you think Otto would target you to this extent—to him, you're just a pawn who has rendered meritorious service, someone to be considered for further use and exploitation in the future.]
Nonsense, better safe than sorry.
If he really thinks I'm weird and wants to investigate my background, I can't explain how I resolved these matters without revealing the Stigmata.
And if I do reveal the Stigmata without making preparations beforehand, what will Otto see—a Herrscher and his love rival.
He's a smart man!
When Kallen is involved, that clever Soulium brain of his will spin at least thirty times faster than usual!
Seeing Yae Sakura will make him think of Kallen, and thinking of Kallen while seeing a Herrscher, what do you think the odds are that Otto will remember Kallen was tormented by that Herrscher?
[Oh oh, that seems to make some sense.]
Then he finds that Herrscher right here in this Stigmata space. If he gets even a little agitated, what do you think my chances of survival are?
[...You don't have to be so pessimistic.]
[Most of the time, he's very rational.]
But Kallen is his weak spot.
Sigh, forget it, let's not talk about it.
I'm feeling really dizzy. Before I pass out—System, add points!
[If possible, please just use items normally. That meme is way too old.]
[Ding! (Special Item - Advanced Item Lottery Ticket) has been used. Commencing item draw.]
After the System's announcement, Leo Ash saw countless items flash before his eyes.
But in the end, a purple light appeared before him.
Oh, a purple item... Hmm, wait.
Then, from within that purple light, a golden brilliance suddenly erupted.
It can be gilded????
[Under normal circumstances, there is no gilding.]
[But special circumstances call for special treatment.]
Within the golden light, Leo Ash saw a fragment.
And engraved on the fragment was a woman he had seen before, but who should no longer exist in this world.
[Special Item — Valkyrie Fragment - Cecilia Schariac (Mutated, 30% Awakening)]
[Item Description — A fragment containing a portion of the power of the Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie 'Cecilia Schariac'. Due to special reasons, this item has mutated.]
[After mutation, this item contains a part of 'Cecilia Schariac's' soul. The abilities obtained by the holder will increase according to the awakening level.]
[Special Ability (Holy Blood Burst) — Through the fragment's power, induce a genetic mutation in oneself, allowing one's blood to be temporarily transformed into Schariac Holy Blood.]
[Note: Genetic mutation does not increase the body's blood volume. Please be mindful of your blood loss when using this ability to avoid fainting from excessive bleeding.]
...I have a question.
This fragment, does it really contain...
[Correct. This fragment hosts the soul of this world's 'Cecilia Schariac'.]
If I remember correctly, she's been dead for fourteen years.
[That's right.]
Then what in the world is going on? Although this fragment is really powerful, but—am I being possessed by a female ghost???
[Possessed by a female ghost? The thought of that word makes you instantly... lose interest.]
[You must admit, you do possess a peerless beauty that makes men jealous and women infatuated.]
[But in your view, you're not so attractive as to so easily draw in even a female ghost.]
Although your awkward attempt at a compliment that isn't a compliment makes me feel a bit awkward, I think so too.
Being handsome can attract the soul of a dead Valkyrie?
Then Kallen's soul would 100% be attached to Otto's bo... wait, that's not right!
If Valkyries' Dining Table is considered a canonical IF route, then Kallen's soul is bound together with Yae Sakura's.
Can these things even be connected?
[In short, after thinking about some random things, you realize the situation is like this.]
[You came into contact with Siegfried Kaslana and showed him kindness, and he is Cecilia Schariac's lover.]
[You came into contact with Bianka "Durandal" Ataegina and have a close relationship with her, and she is Cecilia Schariac's biological daughter.]
[You came into contact with Kiana Kaslana, and in her and others' eyes, you risked your life to save her, and she is the pitiful child that Cecilia Schariac wanted to save.]
[Even as Cecilia was dying, she held her in her arms, truly treating her as a beloved daughter.]
[After forming bonds with all three members of Cecilia's family, you realize—it's not actually surprising that Cecilia's soul was drawn to you.]
No, I think the key point of the problem is that both of her daughters are outside right now.
Don't tell me Cecilia's soul never left, and has been on Bianka's person this whole time...
This is suddenly turning into a Honkai horror ghost story.
Whatever, for now, I'll stuff this fragment into my storage space.
And now, all the preparations are complete. So, next...
—I hope Mr. Otto will just treat me like a kite and let me go.
......
Anti-Entropy Headquarters, Medical Room
In the medical room, Tesla, Dr. Einstein, and Siegfried surrounded a pale-faced Welt, the helplessness in their eyes evident to one another.
Whether it was Siegfried, the two elders of Anti-Entropy, or even the Executors not currently present, it was no secret that Welt Yang's health was poor.
In fact, the Anti-Entropy Sovereign's long absence from headquarters would make any member with half a brain suspicious upon learning of it.
And now, the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy had returned.
But as they all looked at Welt's current complexion, there wasn't a hint of joy from a reunion of old friends.
To put it bluntly, if Anti-Entropy lost anyone else, it would be like losing limbs.
But if something truly happened to Welt, Anti-Entropy's heart would basically explode, and they could pretty much wait for death.
Welt was not just the leader of Anti-Entropy and a friend to all; he was the very root of the organization.
Once his death was confirmed, Otto would absolutely not let the opportunity slip by and would find a time to wipe out Anti-Entropy.
As for Welt reviving again with the power of the Herrscher of Reason...
On one hand, the difficulty was truly high. On the other, even if he did revive, seeing his state after resurrection, everyone knew that this so-called revival was merely going from certain death to having a single breath left.
"Cocolia!"
At the thought of that detestable woman, Siegfried felt an irrepressible killing intent surge within him.
"How far will she go with her villainy!"
"Mr. Siegfried, you...!"
Watching Siegfried, who was now emitting a powerful pressure, Dr. Einstein suddenly took a step back in alarm.
"Chicken-head, what are you... what the hell!"
Seeing the carapace that had appeared on Siegfried's face, Tesla felt like her eyes were playing tricks on her.
"Siegfried, your face—no, didn't you tell us before that you couldn't control the [Power of Salvation] inside you anymore?"
"Huh? This..."
Touching the carapace on his face, Siegfried immediately forced himself to calm down and removed it.
This carapace was clearly something that only appeared when Siegfried activated the [Power of Salvation/super-variable factors].
But after the Second Eruption, Siegfried's body had been overloaded and severely injured in the battle, leaving him unable to use this power again.
And yet now...
"Actually, we wanted to ask earlier. What happened to your arm?"
Looking at Siegfried's completely regenerated arm, Dr. Einstein frowned slightly.
"Did Yang heal your arm with Abyss Flower?"
"He didn't."
After completely suppressing that power, Siegfried said to the two of them.
"I met a member of Schicksal. Although he's from Schicksal, he didn't treat me as an enemy."
"And after meeting him, my arm started feeling itchy for some reason, and then—it just grew back."
"It just seems that I've recovered more than just my arm, but also the power I used to be able to wield."
Feeling the super-variable factors still stirring within him, Siegfried said with a hint of excitement.
"I can feel that some of the old hidden injuries on my body have disappeared."
"Although I can't use this power like I did during the Second Eruption, at least my body won't be as severely injured as before after using Judgment of Shamash Unleashed."
"...I see. This is a good thing."
"Yes, it is a good thing—Ladies, it's not that I don't respect you."
Thinking back to the topic they had just been discussing, a flash of unconcealable killing intent crossed Siegfried's eyes.
"But Cocolia must die."
"For both public and private reasons, I believe that woman absolutely cannot be allowed to live."
"You're right. On this point, I believe Dr. Tesla shares the same opinion as us."
Dr. Einstein, twirling a strand of hair with her fingertip, spoke to the two beside her with a helpless tone.
"But right now, we have to deal with some troublesome issues first."
"Huh? What could be more important than killing Cocolia right now?"
Upon hearing Dr. Einstein's words, the hot-tempered Tesla, her anger flaring, shot back at her friend.
"That woman is insane beyond measure. Every extra second she's alive, I feel like she'll stir up some more crap that not even a dog would do."
"If we don't find a way to kill her now, I suspect she'll definitely find a chance to kill us—just like how she set up Ryoma!"
"You're right, but now—the radical faction has already cut off contact with us on their own initiative."
Thinking about the intelligence she had processed in The Ark, Dr. Einstein felt like her head was about to split open.
Honestly, they probably didn't have such a headache even when they were researching the Moonlight Throne.
"Hmph, that woman... Is our electronic warfare technology still not enough to dig her out?"
"It's not enough. That's the other problem I was about to mention."
Dr. Einstein, though still maintaining a languid expression, her tone had become several shades deeper.
"While you were rescuing Yang, I discovered that Cocolia has teamed up with someone from outside the organization."
"That outsider is an expert in electronic warfare. With his protection, we won't be able to find Cocolia for a while."
"And now, Anti-Entropy's reputation has been utterly ruined outside because of Cocolia."
"Otto...!"
Thinking of the agreement Otto had made with them, Tesla felt like she was about to grind her teeth to dust.
"I knew it! His so-called 'not kicking us while we're down' was a load of crap!"
"This isn't directly related to Schicksal. This time, he might not have been lying."
Finding a chair to sit down in, Dr. Einstein lightly tapped the air in front of her, opening an intelligence light screen and displaying the information on it for Siegfried and Tesla.
Siegfried glanced at it and found that—the densely packed words looked very complicated.
But even so, he could understand that the countries outside were launching a fierce moral offensive against Anti-Entropy.
"Schicksal hasn't acted directly, but the major powers within Schicksal's sphere of influence will certainly act as their mouthpiece."
"Although Ryoma has established a foothold in the Far East, it's still Schicksal's territory at the end of the day."
"And now, our Anti-Entropy has initiated a Herrscher awakening on Schicksal's turf. Under these circumstances..."
"—North America can't protect us, the major powers under Schicksal's influence are attacking us directly, and the remaining neutral nations are starting to distance themselves from us."
"Fuck!"
Thinking of the frustrating situation, Tesla couldn't help but let out a curse.
"We're the fucking victims too! Those guys, talking like this at a time like this?"
"We can't find Cocolia now, so we have to take the blame—in front of these people, saying 'Cocolia is a traitor to the organization' won't solve any problems."
"And now that Cocolia has cut off contact with us, we can't even get her to give us a reason or come forward to explain."
"Anti-Entropy only has this little territory. If we don't find a way to explain this clearly now, then when our reputation is ruined, those neutral nations will join Schicksal."
"At that point, many things will become even more difficult to handle."
"So, before we finish dealing with these matters..."
Looking at the ceiling, Dr. Einstein let out a long sigh.
"I don't think we have time to deal with anything else."
Looking at the exhausted Dr. Einstein, Tesla also felt that she couldn't get angry anymore.
Finding a sofa to lean on, Tesla took off her glasses and closed her eyes wearily.
"One plan ruined Anti-Entropy's reputation, forced Welt out into the open to get seriously injured, squandered all of ME Corp's and Ryoma's arrangements in the Far East, and delivered Ryoma's daughter into Schicksal's hands."
"If Cocolia is a mole, then I have to admit..."
"—That son of a bitch, her operation this time was a fucking success!"