"As the Archbishop of Schicksal, I'd like to have a word with you."
Leo Ash was still in shock when he heard Otto say this.
He wasn't shocked because he was seeing Otto.
He had fully anticipated that this man would appear before him—though he had hoped his speculation was wrong.
The real reason Leo Ash nearly shouted was that the moment he saw Otto...
[Ding! Detected that the Host meets the conditions to receive a reward. The reward has been sent to the System's mailbox.]
The System's notification just popped up like that.
Leo Ash still hadn't forgotten that when he received the skills [Honkai Energy Manipulation (Beginner)] and [Galactica Phantom], the System sent them in two separate notifications, reminding him that he would have to face two survival crises in the future.
Leo Ash had already confirmed that one of those survival crises had temporarily ended after he defeated the Herrscher of Thunder and collected his reward.
But on that day, through the System issuing another reward, he confirmed that he would have to face a new survival crisis once again.
Later, after he defeated and sealed Rin, that survival crisis also vanished when he received his reward.
Based on his past experiences, he still had one more survival crisis to face.
However, he had always thought this crisis would be brought on by Otto Apocalypse.
But now, it seemed that was a huge misunderstanding.
Upon meeting Otto, he had received a reward. If this reward wasn't for 'surviving a crisis', then it meant he had to face a *new* survival crisis.
As for who was bringing this crisis—who else could it be? You could figure it out with your feet that Otto was likely the one threatening his safety.
On second thought, if I had failed my mission, Otto probably wouldn't have bothered targeting me out of boredom back at Schicksal...
Damn it, I was too tired before, I never noticed.
If the last survival crisis was, as I guessed, 'I'll die if I don't complete the mission,' then I should have gotten the reward the instant I completed it.
So besides the crisis Otto is bringing me now, I still have one more crisis to face?
[That is correct.]
Don't tell me this is a long-term mission...
[A long-term mission? The moment you said that, you instantly understood where the danger lies.]
[K423, the girl currently known as Kiana, has a personality within her that despises humanity.]
[Once that personality awakens, according to the original story's development, even if you are not by her side, you could lose your life from the fallout of a major Honkai Eruption.]
Oh, so it really is a long-term mission, then.
[That is your own term. The System does not make such precise classifications.]
Fine.
Leo Ash casually claimed his reward and saw an [Advanced Item Lottery Ticket].
In Otto's eyes, the young man before him was tense, his body rigid and his expression nervous.
But for Otto, Leo Ash's reaction was—actually quite normal.
Leo Ash was currently eighteen years old. In fact, by standard birthday calculations, he still had more than half a year to go before his eighteenth birthday.
No matter how capable a boy not yet eighteen was, it wasn't strange at all for him to be nervous in front of a major organization's leader like Otto.
"Alright, no need to be so tense."
Looking at Leo Ash's stiff posture, Otto said with a smile.
"I just plan on asking you a few questions."
"Is, is that so?"
You expect me to believe that!
The System already warned me I'd face a survival crisis if I say the wrong thing. Would it react like this for just a few questions!
System, add my points!
[I've told you not to use that meme. This System can't add points, it can only run lotteries.]
[Ding! (Special Item - Advanced Item Lottery Ticket) has been used. Beginning item draw.]
At that moment, Leo Ash saw the lottery animation, which was usually not that fast, flash by in an instant of light and produce a...
Ah, a deep red?
[Special Item—Title: Cold, Handsome Man, has been acquired.]
[Item Description—Only a holder who is expressionless for longer than the average person, and is genuinely handsome, can equip this title.]
[Special Ability (Poker Face)—You can maintain an expressionless look indefinitely. While maintaining a poker face, your combat effectiveness will be slightly enhanced.]
[Special Ability (Handsome)—Your charm towards the opposite sex will be further enhanced on top of its original basis.]
[Special Ability (Noodle Aficionado)—After consuming noodle-based dishes, you will randomly receive a buff.]
This feels incredibly powerful, yet also full of roastable points...
Whatever, equip!
"Never mind a few questions. Lord Bishop Otto, if there's anything you want to ask, as a member of the organization, I will of course answer your questions."
Seeing Leo Ash snap out of his daze, nimbly get out of bed, and stand nervously before him, Otto gave a helpless smile and said.
"Relax, young man."
"You are a hero of our Schicksal, not a criminal I'm about to interrogate. I just want to have a good chat with you. You really don't need to be this nervous."
"Lord Otto."
Rita, who was standing to the side, heard this and took the initiative to address Otto.
"Now that Leo has been confirmed to be awake, I will not disturb you and him any longer."
"Ah, good. You've worked hard this time as well."
Otto glanced back at Rita and said comfortingly.
"Go to the infirmary and get some proper rest. It's alright if you hand in the mission report a few days late."
"As you command, my lord."
Before leaving, Rita gave Leo Ash a deep look, a hint of worry in her expression.
But in the end, she said nothing and chose to obediently leave the room.
After Rita left, Otto really had to admit that his subordinate, Rita Rossweisse, was truly considerate.
Just now, Otto had only hinted at it, telling Rita 'I'm going to have a chat with Leo Ash' to let her know her presence was inconvenient.
And right after he said that, Rita very proactively chose to disappear from his sight.
Rita was undoubtedly concerned for Leo Ash, yet under these circumstances, her rationality still won over her emotions. To Otto, this was something truly worthy of praise.
As for Leo Ash, after equipping that bizarre deep red title, he didn't actively use the (Poker Face) special ability to make himself expressionless.
By the calculations of Leo Ash's small, questionably clever brain, it was normal for a low-level member of an organization to be nervous upon meeting the big boss.
And while Leo Ash's nervousness stemmed from 'this bastard Otto could actually kill me,' Otto didn't know what he was nervous about.
In his current nervous state, Leo Ash inadvertently fit his public persona perfectly. If he were to actively make himself expressionless at this moment, Otto would probably see through him instantly and realize there was something very wrong with this person.
"Alright, alright, you really don't need to be so tense."
Looking at the rigid Leo Ash, Otto said with a smile.
"Relax, relax."
"Yes, sir!"
If the system gave me a reward notification right now, then I could truly relax.
"Sigh, alright then."
Seeing that Leo Ash seemed to have gotten even more nervous, Otto could only shake his head with a helpless smile.
"I won't force the issue. Well then, Agent Leo Ash, you completed your mission this time splendidly."
"Not only did you bring back Kiana Kaslana, you also captured the daughter of Anti-Entropy's executive Cocolia, defeated and brought back the Herrscher of Thunder, and rescued Theresa who was under attack by the Herrscher."
"If there's any reward you desire, you can ask for it boldly."
At that moment, Otto fixed his gaze on Leo Ash and spoke calmly.
"As long as it's not an overly excessive reward, I can grant it to you on the spot."
Ah, can I retire right now then—Leo Ash really wanted to say that to his face.
But the problem was, after understanding the 'Leo Ash' persona, he absolutely could not do anything that would shatter it.
In the eyes of Bianka and Rita, he had already become a vengeful demon willing to do anything to get revenge on the Honkai.
Rita was Otto's subordinate, and Durandal was practically Otto's semi-disciple.
Even if Otto didn't know about Leo Ash's thoughts now, if he were to ask one day and discover 'Oh, why the sudden change in personality,' then even if Leo Ash didn't get done for today, he would be in the future.
He wouldn't be so foolish as to treat Otto as some random, murder-happy, constantly bullied comedic character just because he'd seen a lot of fan works.
This old bastard had observed countless people over five hundred years. He was cunning as hell.
One wrong move, one wrong word, and Leo Ash could be facing a tragic future.
No choice, I have to operate under the assumption that he will inevitably use Fenghuang Down on me.
"The reward this subordinate desires... is actually very simple!"
At that moment, Leo Ash's mind was racing as he spoke loudly and nervously to Otto.
"This subordinate wants more advanced equipment, to give this subordinate the strength to fight against the Honkai!"
"Oh, that can't even be considered a reward..."
Otto, hearing Leo Ash's answer, asked without a shred of surprise.
"Your reason?"
"Because this subordinate's family died in a Honkai Eruption, so this subordinate does not wish for more people to be tormented and persecuted by the Honkai."
"And..."
Speaking up to this point, Leo Ash's gaze shifted slightly.
"I'm sorry, it's nothing."
"Come now, just say it."
Seeing Leo Ash's evasive glance, Otto said with a gentle smile.
"It's normal for a young man to have some thoughts of his own, but I still hope you can tell me about them."
"If you have any troubles, perhaps I can offer some advice. And our conversation today will remain between us."
"...Alright then."
At Otto's prompting, Leo Ash let out a soft sigh and said to him.
"If possible, I hope to be of help to Sister Rita and Bianka."
"I don't want to stay at home alone, watching the two of them constantly fighting dangerous monsters outside."
Just as I expected.
Observing Leo Ash's demeanor, Otto had roughly confirmed a few things.
What Leo Ash said probably wasn't a complete lie, but he was still holding something back.
From Leo Ash's shifting eyes, the probability that he wasn't telling the whole story was quite high.
But that's fine. I'll use Fenghuang Down later and see what tricks he's really hiding up his sleeve.
"Alright, second question then."
At that moment, a strange light appeared in Otto's eyes as he looked at Leo Ash.
"How did you subdue the Herrscher of Thunder?"
"Besides the HSN serum the organization gave me, I obtained this in Nagazora City."
Knowing Otto wouldn't believe an explanation like 'I just walked up and touched the Herrscher of Thunder,' Leo Ash first covered the back of his right hand with his left, then revealed the Stigmata on his right hand.
"After my Stigmata awakened in Nagazora City, I gained a certain degree of combat enhancement. That's how I was able to seize an opening after Siegfried Kaslana and the Herrscher of Thunder fought to a standstill and inject the HSN serum into her."
"I see. In that case..."
Looking at Leo Ash's current predicament, Otto asked with a hint of curiosity.
"Why are you covering up this Stigmata?"
"This..."
Upon hearing Otto's question, an undisguisable awkwardness appeared on Leo Ash's face.
And this time, he really wasn't faking it.
"Lord Bishop, can you promise not to laugh when you see it?"
"Oh, that's simple."
Watching Leo Ash slowly move his left hand away from the back of his right, Otto said very calmly.
"As the Archbishop of Schicksal, I have undergone professional training in emotional management."
"No matter how amusing something is, I will absolutely not... Pfft."
After seeing the character [Scrub] on the back of Leo Ash's hand, Otto suddenly couldn't hold it in.
If it were a European, even if he understood Shenzhou script, he might not grasp the meaning of the word 'cai' in certain contexts, most likely thinking it just referred to food on a table.
But Otto was not just the Archbishop of Schicksal; he was also an avid gamer.
As a gaming enthusiast, Otto naturally knew what the word 'cai' meant in Shenzhou.
Case solved.
No wonder this kid didn't want to show this Stigmata to anyone.
To be honest, if I had obtained this Stigmata, I wouldn't want anyone to see it either—it's just too embarrassing.
It doesn't matter if others know what the word means; the key is that you yourself would feel a bit annoyed by it.
"Alright, alright, put the Stigmata away."
"Next question—after you dealt with the Herrscher of Thunder, why didn't you deal with Siegfried?"
Otto looked at Leo Ash and posed a new question.
"Back then, after Siegfried's deathmatch with the Herrscher of Thunder, he should have only been hanging on by a thread, right?"
"Well... first of all, although Siegfried Kaslana was injured at the time, I still couldn't beat him."
"And then, Lord Bishop, there was a whole horde of Honkai Beasts over there..."
Recalling the scene, Leo Ash said with utter helplessness.
"I was able to break through the Honkai Beasts' defensive line because I used 20% of the HSN serum on myself, injecting it into my own body to make the Honkai Beasts avoid me."
"But later on, I activated my Stigmata. The Honkai Energy from the Stigmata conflicted with the serum's effects, naturally weakening the serum's anti-Honkai properties."
"Under those circumstances, if I wanted to bring back the Herrscher of Thunder and continue the mission, I believed that fighting Siegfried at that moment would have been a very unwise action. So in the end—I chose to team up with him."
"Mm, a wise choice."
After asking a few general questions, Otto walked over to Leo Ash's side and gently patted his shoulder.
"And now, Leo Ash..."
At that moment, in both their eyes, countless golden feathers suddenly fell from the air, scattering around them.
"Answer my question."
And in that instant, Otto did indeed see the expression on Leo Ash's face vanish.
Leo Ash, who had blocked Fenghuang Down with the anti-mental attack property of the Void Demon Stone Fragment, immediately used the (Poker Face) trait to completely erase his expression.
Of course, in Otto's eyes, this was clearly a sign that Fenghuang Down had successfully activated.
Although Otto's mimicry of Fenghuang Down had failed on Murata Ryusuke back in 2005, it didn't mean Otto had completely lost faith in this Divine Key.
Truth be told, Fenghuang Down had only failed completely that one time. At most, Otto would just be a little more cautious when using it in the future.
Completely writing off a piece of divine equipment because of one failure was, in Otto's view, utterly foolish.
"Alright, now then—Leo Ash, why do you truly want more advanced equipment?"
Otto asked the question again, now awaiting Leo Ash's answer.
"I want... to kill the Honkai!"
Although Leo Ash maintained an expressionless face, Otto could hear a terrifying, murderous intent in his tone.
To think that while under the influence of Fenghuang Down, the kid would still reveal such a tone when speaking on this topic...
His obsession is quite strong.
"Is that all? What about Durandal and Rita?"
"Bianka and Sister Rita... of course I want to help them too."
"But, I still want revenge against the Honkai! My parents! My hometown! They all disappeared because of the Honkai!"
"Alright, alright, calm down."
Listening to Leo Ash's words, Otto genuinely suspected that if he probed any deeper into this question, it might severely stimulate the other's mind and cause him to break free from Fenghuang Down's illusion.
This kid was definitely not telling the truth earlier, but this truth...
It's understandable, after all. These thoughts are indeed a bit too radical.
If you want to climb the ranks in Schicksal quickly, you normally can't let others know that you are a vengeful demon who would disregard friends and family for the sake of revenge.
The decisions of Schicksal's top brass can affect the safety of branch and even headquarters members. If I were a normal Schicksal Archbishop, I would certainly not promote someone so extreme so quickly.
"Then, let's change the subject. Besides wanting new equipment, what is the thing you want to do most right now?"
"Cocolia."
Leo Ash, who in Otto's eyes had calmed down under Fenghuang Down's influence, now spoke again through gritted teeth.
"I want to kill that bitch Cocolia!"
"Damn it, my hometown was destroyed by the Honkai, and that bitch dared to actively trigger a major Honkai Eruption in the city!"
"Kill her! I must kill her!"
...Hiss, I just thought this kid's obsession was a bit scary.
Now it seems I've really underestimated his obsession.
He's a bit dangerous, this kid.
If he's really too extreme, I might have to find someone else to use as a pawn.
"Then, the next question—in order to fight the Honkai, can you sacrifice others?"
"How could I do something like that?"
At this, Leo Ash returned to his previous expressionless state.
"My desire to kill the Honkai is my own business. But if my hatred implicates others, then what's the difference between me and that bitch Cocolia!"
Surprisingly, he has his limits.
Sigh, a vengeful demon who only thinks of sacrificing himself without involving others.
A bit naive.
But that's good. Theresa wouldn't like an unscrupulous, ruthless person as her adjutant.
However, these questions alone are not enough.
"So, what do you think of Otto Apocalypse?"
"Lord Bishop Otto is definitely not some pure-white good person."
Oh, so that's how the kid sees me.
"In that case, I'm relieved."
Hoh, this is getting more interesting.
"Why do you think that?"
"Because the leader of a large organization absolutely cannot be soft-hearted at critical moments. The fact that Lord Bishop Otto has developed the organization to this point shows that his methods and wisdom are definitely up to par."
"What if he isn't a good person?"
At that moment, Otto stared at Leo Ash and spoke with sudden, immense seriousness.
"Working under an Otto who isn't a good person, don't you find any part of that discomforting?"
"That's a strange question. As long as he can fight the Honkai, I don't care if he's a good person or not."
"If he can lead humanity to victory, why should I, a common foot soldier, care about my leader's private morals?"
I thought he was the type to rigidly follow the rules, but I didn't expect... his bottom line seems quite flexible?
"Then, what about Siegfried? I imagine your reasons for letting him go weren't just 'I couldn't beat him' and 'to escape the battlefield'."
"Because Siegfried was muttering things like 'Cocolia has gone too far' and 'how dare she lay a hand on mine and Ryoma's daughter.' So I judged that if he stayed alive, he most likely wouldn't come looking for trouble with us, but would go after Cocolia first."
"Internal strife in Anti-Entropy is beneficial to us in Schicksal."
"And I guided him with my words, telling him that if he took Mei, he would be hunted by both Schicksal and the radical faction of Anti-Entropy, and would most likely be unable to protect Mei. After that, he really did prepare to go kill Cocolia."
"I believe that bringing back the Herrscher of Thunder is a great merit. And by bringing the Herrscher of Thunder back to the organization, Lord Bishop Otto, who is certainly no fool like Cocolia, would definitely make the Herrscher use her full potential to fight the Honkai."
"Doing this helps fight the Honkai and also gives a chance to kill Cocolia, which is why I chose to team up with Siegfried—after all, he's really easy to fool."
Good kid. He's really thinking about what he's doing.
Now, connecting all this information, let's see.
His hometown was destroyed by the Honkai, and his parents died because of it, turning him into a vengeful demon seeking revenge on the Honkai.
For this reason, he despises Cocolia, yet his own moral bottom line prevents him from becoming someone like her.
But because this kid has a good head on his shoulders, he knows that pursuing black and white isn't always necessary, so he doesn't mind if his superior isn't a good person, as long as he has his own principles.
And because he's smart, he analyzes the situation before acting to maximize the organization's interests.
Bringing back Raiden Mei and letting Siegfried go were indeed beneficial to the organization... Heh, I have to say, this kid really fits my criteria.
Although there's a chance Fenghuang Down could fail, assuming it has failed would complicate many things.
Overall, the kid's words are consistent with his background and personality. In my eyes, he is indeed a talent worth cultivating.
But in the end, I can't be careless.
Glancing at the character for 'Scrub' engraved on the back of Leo Ash's hand, Otto posed his final question to him.
"Well then, Leo Ash, can you let me see the internal space of this Stigmata?"
Here it comes.
Leo Ash, who had been maintaining a blank expression with the [Poker Face] ability while desperately trying to spin tales and think of more to spin, knew he hadn't escaped this final trial after all.
The power of a Stigmata can vary greatly, but regardless of its strength, Otto would never just smile and say 'ah, let's leave it at that' after seeing Leo Ash's Stigmata.
The fact that Leo Ash could complete these missions was in itself a very strange thing. And now that everything pointed to the Stigmata as the explanation, unless Otto had a problem with his brain, he would definitely want to see what trump card Leo Ash was holding.
"Stigmata space?"
Upon hearing this term, Leo Ash suddenly looked troubled.
"This Stigmata... it actually has a space you can enter?"
"You haven't been inside before... That's a bit surprising."
"Of course."
Leo Ash suddenly looked down at the back of his right hand and said to Otto in a trembling voice.
"Although I relied on this Stigmata to complete the mission, this Stigmata... I really don't like it."
"From the moment I got it, this Stigmata has given me a sense of unease... I just feel like if I ever enter it, something bad will happen instantly."
Such a story... Heh, if he's really been hypnotized, then that's fine. But if this kid *hasn't* been hypnotized, then that means there's something inside he doesn't want me to see.
In that case, I simply must take a look.
"Don't worry, Leo Ash. You are a talented young man whom I value. If there's a problem with your Stigmata, it's all the more reason for me to help you check if there are any issues inside."
"Relax your mind, and leave the rest to me."
"Yes, Lord Bishop Otto!"
In the next instant, Otto successfully projected his consciousness into the Stigmata space.
And at the same time, in a place unseen by Otto and Leo Ash, the character on the back of Leo Ash's hand suddenly switched from Scrub to Explode.
You forced my hand.
Now, I have no choice.
To survive—damn it, I'll explode along with Otto!
......
Entering the Stigmata space, Otto looked at the area, which radiated an ominous aura, and frowned slightly.
Although Otto had backups of his consciousness data on a computer, it didn't mean his own consciousness was fragile.
It would be a joke to say otherwise; Otto, a long-time user of Fenghuang Down, was practically an expert in the fields of consciousness and mental strength.
So, upon seeing these chunks of mana that were almost solidified, Otto suddenly felt that what Leo Ash had said might be true.
These block-like energies, whose nature Otto didn't understand, were already starting to show terrifying fluctuations.
Without even giving Otto a chance to react, a chunk of mana at his feet suddenly exploded.
Damn it!
Is this a trap?!
After one chunk of mana exploded, the surrounding mist-like and block-like mana began to chain-react, exploding one after another.
And at that moment, Otto, unable to immediately withdraw from the Stigmata space, was caught in the shockwave of the explosions, his expression finally changing drastically.
Damn it!
I was careless!
Although these fluctuations can't destroy my consciousness, they are enough to mess me up this one time.
Was what that kid said all true?
Or did he know my secrets and set up a counter-trap, pretending to be an easy target?!
Careless. This time I was really... too careless!
....
Outside, Leo Ash, realizing that Otto had entered the Stigmata space, immediately unleashed the Honkai Energy from his Stigmata at top speed.
At that moment, he even chose to actively let the Honkai Energy corrode his own body, instantly creating a large number of Honkai energy patterns on his skin.
Otto would definitely be blown away by the mana bombs he had planted inside. When he came out, if he saw Leo Ash completely fine, he would certainly become suspicious.
Even if Leo Ash had told Otto 'Bro, don't go in there,' it would have been useless. That suspicious man might still suspect Leo Ash was playing hard to get.
So if Otto was going to suffer, Leo Ash had to suffer with him.
Without damaging his own foundation, he had to make his body suffer severe injuries due to a 'Honkai Energy rampage.'
Only then would Otto, upon emerging and seeing Leo Ash lying in a pool of his own blood, dispel the doubts in his heart.
Of course, the ever-suspicious Otto might still have his doubts later.
But for now, this was all Leo Ash could do.
What else could he do when he couldn't win? He could only blow up his Stigmata's home base so Otto couldn't see Rin and Yae Sakura, and then start playing the victim card hard.
And as the Honkai Energy erupted from Leo Ash's body, in the next instant, Otto, with a mix of three parts shock and seven parts fury, returned his consciousness to his Soulium body.
But before he could condemn Leo Ash, he saw that the young man's body had already collapsed in a pool of blood.
Ah, wait a second?
No, does a blast within a Stigmata space cause this much damage to the Stigmata's owner?
Looking at the Stigmata on Leo Ash's hand, which had changed back to the character for 'Scrub,' Otto suddenly felt like he understood.
Leo Ash had indeed been affected by his Fenghuang Down.
Everything the boy had just said was true.
'I just feel like if I ever enter this Stigmata, something bad will happen instantly'—those were Leo Ash's exact words.
And according to Otto's analysis, Leo Ash's Stigmata was, in essence, one that housed a vast amount of energy.
The reason Leo Ash could have explosive bursts of combat power was, simply put, because he drew energy from within the Stigmata.
And the reason he didn't want to go inside was that the energy within was not only uncontrollable but also prone to chain reactions if something went wrong.
Otto, on the inside, got blasted.
Leo Ash, on the outside... wait, wait, are those Honkai energy circuits for real???
Seeing the pained expression on the face of Leo Ash, who was lying in a pool of his own blood and had even started coughing up blood because of it, Otto felt a little panicked.
Although Leo Ash was a promising young man, it didn't mean he was indispensable in Otto's eyes.
But the problem was, a pawn this useful was hard to find. If he died here because of Otto's recklessness, where would Otto find another pawn so perfectly suited for K423!
And thinking about it now, Otto felt that this was all because he had been overly cautious.
For Leo Ash to ambush him, the amount of intelligence he would have needed to know beforehand and the preparations he would have had to make were simply too vast.
But, very few people in this world knew that information.
Otto's reasons for Kallen—only Otto himself likely knew.
Why Otto resurrected a Herrscher—again, something only he himself knew.
In Otto's view, unless Otto himself betrayed Otto, it was impossible for Leo Ash, a teenager not yet eighteen, to guess any of these things.
As Otto saw it now, he had, for the sake of a less than one-in-ten-thousand possibility, harmed himself and nearly killed his precious pawn.
Understanding this, Otto, for a very rare moment, began to pray for a poor schmuck he had only just met.
Leo Ash, oh Leo Ash, you absolutely cannot die here.
If you die now, things on K423's end will become very difficult for me.
"Lord Otto, I heard a strange explosion—Leo?!"
Rita, who had just walked in after hearing the commotion, saw Leo Ash lying in a pool of blood, and the expression on her face completely lost control.
"Rita, you've come at the right time."
Otto, having composed his expression, said to Rita with a face full of worry.
"Leo Ash's Stigmata has gone out of control. Transfer him to the highest-level medical bay immediately."
"Yes, Lord Otto!"
Listening to the reactions from outside, Leo Ash knew that his plan was more or less...
[Ding! Detected that the Host meets the conditions to receive a reward. The reward has been sent to the System's mailbox.]
Oh, it was a complete success.
[Heh, a success—having obtained this information, you have discovered something.]
[A man must be cruel to himself. As long as you are cruel enough to yourself, even a super-genius like Otto can be easily deceived by you.]
Haha, easily deceived...
I'm about to die and you're still making wisecracks!
It hurts!
It really hurts!
And I can't even cry out!
[Hey, hey, maintain your master's composure, Host.]
A master, my ass... wait, it's not over yet.
I have to fit the persona, fit the persona, fit the persona... I have no choice.
As Rita gently helped him up, Leo Ash gritted his teeth and, turning to his own consciousness, activated Phantasmagoria.
[Damn, Host, you... you're playing for high stakes.]
Having no energy left to talk to the System, Leo Ash used the last of his strength to alter his own cognition.
In his perception, he had become a pitiful child whose parents had both died because of the Honkai, unable to forget the past.
As long as he successfully regained consciousness, Leo Ash could, through the contradictions in his memory, know that he had altered his own mind.
But while unconscious, Leo Ash would only subconsciously call out for his parents.
If you're going to sell a tragic story, you have to go all in. Only then will Otto's wariness of him decrease.
And after doing all this, with his body wracked with intense pain and his head throbbing, Leo Ash completely lost consciousness.
Rita, supporting Leo Ash as she prepared to leave the room, and Otto, who was behind her already contacting Amber to begin preparations for treatment, both heard the cry that escaped Leo Ash's lips.
"Dad... Mom..."
"Don't..."
"Don't leave me alone..."
"Leo..."
Listening to Leo Ash's cries, Rita felt at that moment just how powerless she was.
She had thought that living with Leo Ash these past few years would have helped him move on, even slightly, from the despairing memories of years ago.
But now it seemed that Leo Ash had not forgotten, and could not forget, the sights of that day.
His father had died before his eyes.
And his mother had become a Honkai Zombie, nearly taking his life.
Come to think of it, if I had faced something like that... I would never be able to forget such a despairing scene in my entire life.
I was too arrogant before.
I thought that with me and Lady Durandal, we could make you forget that painful past.
But in the end, you still...
It's no wonder you chose to fight.
Without the help of others, perhaps for you, the boy named Leo Ash had died on that day his family was torn apart.
But I don't want that.
You could have had happiness, yet you became a vengeful demon.
What will it take for you to let go of the obsession in your heart and live a happy life?