Within the World Serpent base, Jackal and Gray Serpent faced each other, having maintained their silence for a long time now.
It was a bit humiliating to admit, but both Gray Serpent and Jackal had been left somewhat demoralized by the setbacks they encountered at St. Freya High School.
There was nothing wrong with Jackal's serum; the injected Gray Serpent had indeed become an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
In terms of strength, there was no issue with the cat Jackal had modified either; it genuinely possessed the power of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast for the allotted time.
Even Cocolia's part of the operation had gone off without a hitch.
According to the after-action review, if the three First Herrscher clones had successfully attacked the three regions, Cocolia could have created even greater chaos, allowing her to rescue her adopted daughters while also taking Raiden Mei.
So, if there were almost no problems on their side or their ally's, where exactly did the problem lie?
Furthermore, although World Serpent usually lay dormant, their comrades were spread far and wide, with some even having infiltrated Schicksal's inner ranks.
Based on the intelligence sent back by the World Serpent spies within Schicksal, Gray Serpent had conducted a combat strength assessment.
Ultimately, Schicksal only had a handful of top-tier combatants.
Durandal was usually as busy as a spinning top.
Murata Himeko needed to connect to the Nexus System to unleash power approaching S-rank.
Rita Rossweisse was still not fully awake after her recent injuries.
Although Theresa Apocalypse was a wielder of a Divine Key, she must have been severely weakened after the battle with Chiyou.
Hua, the pioneer from the Previous Era, was perhaps their most formidable opponent to watch out for, but according to spy intelligence, Hua usually kept a low profile, showing none of the flair she had as the Immortal Red Kite.
It was for this very reason that Gray Serpent had felt a single Pseudo-Herrscher would be sufficient to hold Hua back and allow them to complete their mission.
All variables had been calculated; in terms of combat strength, there should have been no problems.
But now, no matter how unwilling Gray Serpent was to admit it, the operation had completely failed.
No matter how Gray Serpent and Jackal racked their brains, they could only conclude that the failure of this operation was all because of that man.
Schicksal's B-rank knight, Leo Ash—no matter how you looked at it, the problems with this operation stemmed from the absurd level of this man's strength.
Originally, a B-rank knight returning from Schicksal HQ to the Far East Branch should have been of no consequence to this joint operation between World Serpent and Anti-Entropy's radical faction.
But who could have known that this B-rank knight would possess strength surpassing that of an S-rank?
"Leo Ash...!"
Spitting out the name through gritted teeth, Jackal spoke to Gray Serpent with immense frustration.
"According to intelligence, he was supposed to be just a Schicksal agent a month and a half ago!"
"It's only been such a short time, how can he be this strong!"
"Yes, under normal circumstances, it would be impossible."
Gray Serpent, who had already accepted reality, completely discarded his dejected and frustrated thoughts and calmly addressed Jackal.
"However, a Leo Ash who displays this kind of strength is clearly no ordinary Honkai Energy warrior."
"Right now, the situation can be broadly divided into two possibilities."
"One is that he had this strength from the very beginning, and Otto concealed his power for some reason, making him appear to be just an agent on the surface."
"In fact, this conjecture makes sense. As Rita Rossweisse's adoptive brother, for Leo Ash to have been just a low-level agent before he officially came to prominence seems strange no matter how you look at it."
"And during the Third Eruption, he calmed Raiden Mei in advance, protected Siegfried's daughter, thwarted Cocolia's plans, suppressed the Herrscher of Thunder, and saved Theresa..."
"It was precisely because his actions were so outrageous that I previously believed he suppressed the Herrscher of Thunder using the HSN serum."
"But looking at it now, that was the wrong answer—he is the trump card Otto has had hidden in the shadows all along."
At this point, Gray Serpent's words suddenly paused.
And at that moment, as Gray Serpent fell silent, Jackal held her breath, waiting for him to continue.
"Honestly, the one I find most terrifying isn't Leo Ash, but the Otto behind Leo Ash."
"Such a terrifyingly powerful subordinate... to think he would keep him completely on the shelf just to have a hidden card, letting him only complete agent training and assignments, using that resume to deceive others..."
"Leo Ash is the first trump card he has revealed, but we will never know how many more terrifying cards Otto holds in his hand."
"Gray Serpent, I really think you're overthinking this."
Upon hearing Gray Serpent start to 'flatter' Otto in this manner, Jackal, who had always looked down on Otto, retorted irritably.
"I admit I misjudged him in the past. Perhaps he has some skill, but—is it possible that Otto himself didn't know Leo Ash was this powerful and capable of completing so many extremely difficult missions?"
"Jackal."
Gray Serpent turned his head towards Jackal and paused for another few seconds.
Then, he said to her.
"In the future, I will not be giving you command authority over these missions."
"Hey!"
Listening to Gray Serpent's mechanical voice, Jackal felt as if she could hear palpable disappointment and helplessness within it.
"No, why do all of you think Otto is so infallible? Is that even reasonable!"
"Let's look at this step by step. First—the HSN serum was only recently developed by Otto's subordinate, Dr. Magi, and this trump card for suppressing Herrschers was given to Leo Ash by Otto via Rita."
"Second, although Otto mobilized three S-rank combatants—Rita, Durandal, and Theresa—to Nagazora City during the Third Eruption, if we review the situation with Raiden Mei, we can see it was always Leo Ash in charge."
"With a mind like his, it's impossible for him not to have known whose body contained the Gem of Conquest. So from this perspective, the probability of Leo Ash being Otto's trump card is even higher."
"I won't elaborate on the subsequent events. The proof that Leo Ash is Otto's trump card is everywhere if you just look closely."
Seeing the unconvinced Jackal, Gray Serpent suddenly let out a long sigh and spoke his true thoughts.
"Besides, there's another reason I think this way."
"I would rather admit that Leo Ash is a trump card Otto was hiding than for my second guess to be correct."
"The second possibility?"
"The second possibility is that, just as you said, Otto indeed wasn't infallible, and Leo Ash's ability to achieve so much had little to do with Otto."
"And that would prove that Leo Ash might have really just been a low-level agent originally, and now—forty days later, he can kill a Pseudo-Herrscher without taking any damage."
...
Even Jackal, after Gray Serpent broke it down for her, could no longer fail to understand the situation.
A Pseudo-Herrscher might seem worlds apart from a Herrscher in terms of power, but in this world, the Joyce clone was already considered a very strong, high-level combatant.
In Gray Serpent's eyes, the only people in Schicksal with strength above that level were the four Divine Key wielders: Otto, Theresa, Fu Hua, and Durandal.
And yet, the Joyce clone was killed by Leo Ash without taking a single hit.
Of course, the power gap between them wasn't absurdly large, but as an intelligence analyst, Gray Serpent knew very well that the mind was an integral part of combat.
As an agent, Leo Ash's ability to adapt and think on his feet was definitely very strong.
And after he gained power, a Leo Ash who combines immense strength with sharp thinking and adaptability is clearly even more terrifying than the average powerhouse.
"Fine, I admit it, he's very strong—but what's so scary about that!"
"You still haven't realized the gravity of the situation, Jackal."
At this moment, Gray Serpent spoke to Jackal earnestly.
"Back then, the time it took for our Lord to grow from a high school student into an outstanding warrior was far longer than the time it took for Leo Ash."
"Don't give me that 'how dare you slander the Lord' look, Jackal. You should know how loyal I am to our Lord."
Hearing this shocking secret from Gray Serpent, a stunned Jackal spoke with a trembling voice.
"You, you, you're not trying to tell me that he might become a powerhouse on the same level as our Lord, are you?"
"You're mistaken. Of course, that's not what I mean."
"Then I can, re—"
"What I mean is..."
At that moment, Gray Serpent interrupted Jackal in an incredibly bitter tone.
"Lord Kevin, possessing the bearing of Leo Ash—in terms of the speed at which he's growing stronger, Leo Ash has already surpassed Lord Kevin."
"This is the situation I don't want to face. Do you understand now!"
Looking at the now-frozen Jackal, Gray Serpent could only think that it was a good thing he was just a cyborg.
It was because he was a cyborg that his ability to withstand pressure was far greater than that of a normal person.
On the surface, World Serpent's operation had only resulted in the loss of a few 'Gray Serpents' and some valuable serums, but to Gray Serpent himself, the crisis facing World Serpent was far greater than that.
The lack of high-level combatants in World Serpent wasn't even the biggest issue now.
What they needed most was time.
Whether it was for Hare, who was not yet ready to make a move, or for their plan to rescue Lord Kevin, they needed enough time.
However, Raven had been captured.
To be honest, even after entrusting the Seven Thunders of Retribution to Raven, Gray Serpent had never completely trusted her.
It wasn't that he had anything against Raven; anyone other than Kevin received the same treatment from Gray Serpent.
But even if Raven had a sudden change of heart and chose to die rather than give up World Serpent's intelligence, the crisis facing them would not change in the slightest.
Otto Apocalypse possesses the Void Archives, which can mimic Fenghuang Down.
Pioneer Hua herself is the wielder of Fenghuang Down.
In the face of Fenghuang Down's power, Raven's already unreliable loyalty would instantly become a colossal joke.
If Gray Serpent hadn't withheld all of World Serpent's intelligence from Raven, the pressure he'd be facing now would be even greater.
However, if other intelligence was leaked, World Serpent would only lose some bases.
But Raven knew that the Key of the Void was in Britain!
And while they could move other bases and data, control of the Key of the Void was in the hands of the pioneer Su; they couldn't transfer the Divine Key.
This meant that the Thousand Worlds would sooner or later become Otto's property.
The current situation was tantamount to World Serpent Inc. sending a delivery girl, Cioara, to pick up a Chiyou sashimi takeout for the CEO, Kevin. But before the CEO returned, Cioara was knocked out, abducted, and forced to reveal the company's trade secrets.
Remembering his orders this time, Gray Serpent felt nothing but regret.
Leo Ash... Damn him!
If it weren't for him, if it weren't for him...!
It was no use. No amount of anger or regret would change anything now.
Gray Serpent immediately sent a communication signal through Cocolia's channel and began to wait for the woman, who had nearly lost everything, to answer the call.
After a screen of light appeared before Gray Serpent and Jackal, they saw, as expected, Cocolia's weary face.
"Gentlemen, if you have something to say, just say it."
Cocolia, busy dealing with a mess of problems, leaned back weakly in her chair.
The strong woman who would never normally reveal her weakness was now too mentally and physically exhausted to bother hiding her fatigue.
"Let's skip the part where we blame each other. Neither of us has any time to waste."
"Yes, I feel the same way, Cocolia."
Gray Serpent, as if having made a decision, spoke to Cocolia in an incredibly gentle voice.
"It's true that neither of us is to blame for the problems with this plan. But regardless, we must both face the fact that we have suffered heavy losses."
"So?"
A mocking expression suddenly appeared on the face of Cocolia, who had always been the one asking for Gray Serpent's help.
"Have you come to squeeze the last bit of value out of me?"
"I should say, I've come to offer you a way out, Ms. Cocolia."
Gray Serpent said to the woman before him, words she had already anticipated.
"I have witnessed the power of the Pseudo-Herrschers you created. They are indeed very useful."
"But I imagine you no longer have the funds to support the continued creation of these Pseudo-Herrschers, am I right?"
"The technology was provided by my side. And now, there's a good deal in front of you. It's up to you whether you take it or not."
Listening to Gray Serpent's persuasive words, Cocolia said mockingly.
"You just want the Herrscher of Reason's genes, don't you? Just name your price, Gray Serpent."
"If the price is right, I will naturally choose to cooperate with you."
"Excellent! We'll provide the money and the personnel. You'll be responsible for bringing the genes. Half of the mass-produced Pseudo-Herrschers will be under your command—don't try to haggle. This is the absolute limit of what I can offer."
"Deal. In three days—"
"We've run out of time, haven't we?"
After interrupting Cocolia, Gray Serpent watched as she gave him a deep look, then said no more, simply nodding before hanging up.
Jackal now looked at the equally exhausted Gray Serpent with great confusion.
"Didn't you say before that you didn't want to work with her? Right now, our World Serpent still needs funds to complete the Stigmata Project. Giving that money to Cocolia..."
"Jackal, remember one thing. Without sufficient power, everything else is meaningless."
Gray Serpent, while starting to contact the other Gray Serpents, spoke to Jackal with a sense of helplessness.
"If this continues, we won't be able to protect World Serpent's home base or our plans. At a time like this, all we can do is increase our own strength to prevent the other side from just wiping us out later."
"Right now, our course of action is simple."
"Spam units, create high-end combatants, and first go seize control of Abyssal City and a certain gem."
"And once our Lord returns, under his world-suppressing leadership, our World Serpent will no longer have to worry about funding."
"Only with a sufficiently powerful army can we ensure that these plans can be carried out."
"To buy time, sacrificing some funds is an unavoidable necessity."
"Next, we need to transfer our data to a base with no risk of exposure, and then, once we have enough Pseudo-Herrschers..."
"—We will go directly to Schicksal's Oceania Branch, bring that Valkyrie named Wendy back to World Serpent headquarters, and find a way to extract the Gem of Desire from her body!"
...
Schicksal HQ, Medical Bay
In the medical bay, Fu Hua, having completed her treatment and physical examination, looked at Otto beside her and spoke to him irritably.
"May I ask what you want, Lord 'Bishop' Otto."
"There's no need to be so formal in private, old friend."
Otto smiled at Fu Hua, then sighed theatrically.
"I believe I already explained those matters to you before. Today, as soon as I heard you were injured, I had you return to HQ for treatment immediately."
"So tell me, how has the insidious and cunning clown Otto provoked the great Immortal Red Kite this time?"
Ignoring the mix of mockery and self-deprecation in Otto's words, Fu Hua recalled the recent events and asked him coldly.
"Thinking back on it, a person like Cioara should have been an excellent source of intelligence for you."
"This time, you didn't bring her back to Schicksal but left her at the Far East Branch—what are you plotting now?"
Hearing Fu Hua's words, Otto showed a baffled expression.
"I thought it was something serious... Old friend, old friend."
"I know you think I'm a deceitful villain, and I've never denied that. But this time, although I did have some calculations, the main reason lies with you."
Facing Fu Hua, who wore an expression that screamed 'what nonsense are you talking,' Otto adjusted his expression and said to her with utmost seriousness.
"I'm not joking. The reason I didn't take the action you mentioned is indeed because of you."
"Old friend, honestly, although we weren't exactly inseparable before, our cooperation has been pleasant enough."
"I helped you suppress the riffraff near Shenzhou, and you have helped me a great deal in secret. It is because of these things that I have always respected you."
"However, since the Third Eruption, I can feel that your dissatisfaction with me seems to be growing more and more severe."
"Hah, and what reason do you think that's for?"
Hearing Otto's words, Fu Hua replied coldly.
"I may not be clever, but with a little analysis after the fact, it becomes clear that there were many things you had the power to prevent."
"Cocolia was the main culprit behind the Third Eruption, yes, but—with your intellect and Schicksal's hard power, if you had intended to, would the Third Eruption have really happened?"
"You sat by and watched Cocolia commit evil... Perhaps I should have understood long ago that you never cared about the lives of ordinary people."
"Of course."
Listening to Fu Hua's condemnation, Otto admitted to the accusations quite openly.
"It's not the first day you've known me. I am indeed that kind of person."
"In order to ensure the Thunder of Conquest successfully found a new master, I did indeed sit by and let all of this happen."
Hearing Otto's incredibly candid words, Fu Hua completely lost it.
"And you still have the nerve to ask me why I don't trust you!"
"Hey, don't be angry, don't be angry. It's not good for your health to get worked up over someone like me."
After pushing the agitated Fu Hua back down, Otto said to her with a smile.
"You see, I act according to my character, and you think my inaction is outrageous. But..."
"—If one day I were to genuinely start being a good person, wouldn't you then start to suspect that Otto must be preparing some kind of conspiracy?"
Hearing Otto's question, Fu Hua was stunned for a moment before nodding decisively.
"You see, that settles it."
Otto's face was now filled with helplessness.
"In truth, everything else is secondary. The reason I didn't act this time, in the end, is that—the trust between us has been completely shattered by your suspicion of me."
"The same goes for the Jiuyou incident. You even suspected that I planned to conduct experiments in Jiuyou to harm Shenzhou. Tell me, would I still dare to act recklessly?"
"Not touching Cioara was, to put it bluntly, leaving her at the Far East Branch for you to interrogate."
"Only in a situation where I have had no contact with her whatsoever will you learn from her mouth that—I truly did not interfere in this incident."
Fu Hua wanted to retort or question Otto, but...
—Again, Fu Hua was a reasonable person.
When she found that Otto's words all made sense and that this matter seemed to have nothing to do with him again, she couldn't possibly continue to press him.
It even seemed to Fu Hua that Otto had developed some habitual strategies for placating her, but—he hadn't said anything wrong, so what reason did she have to criticize him?
"You see, that's why I think we should communicate like this more often."
Seeing the anger on Fu Hua's face dissipate again, Otto said to her with a smile.
"I have great respect for the Immortal Red Kite, which is why I was willing to give you the initiative in interrogating Cioara."
"So, old friend, I also hope you can understand that I truly value you."
"On a personal level, I respect you as the guardian of Shenzhou."
"From a pragmatic standpoint, I do need someone to help me keep an eye on K423 at St. Freya High School."
"Even if you don't trust my character, you should trust that I'm not a fool—offending you brings me absolutely no benefit."
Looking at Otto's sincere smile, Fu Hua, of course...
—didn't believe a single word.
In truth, Otto's words were very reasonable. After thinking about it rationally, Fu Hua genuinely felt that Otto wasn't lying to her this time.
But for some reason, she felt subconsciously that she shouldn't trust this man.
This subconscious feeling, hidden in her mind, was even interfering with her actions now.
"Alright, seeing you like this, you should understand my good intentions."
Seeing that Fu Hua had no intention of questioning him further, Otto slowly walked towards the door.
Just before he left, he suddenly seemed to remember something and asked Fu Hua.
"By the way, old friend. You should have seen Leo Ash's combat record from the Far East Branch this time, right?"
"Ah, what about it?"
Seeing Fu Hua's puzzled expression, Otto asked with a smile.
"Do you think... the speed of his progress now is a bit too fast?"
"What, you think there's a problem with Leo Ash himself?"
"No, no, a genius of my Apocalypse family being able to easily defeat a Pseudo-Herrscher is, by all accounts, a good thing to be happy about."
Hearing Otto's words, Fu Hua, who had already grasped his thoughts, gently shook her head at him.
"Your research and combat experience with the Edge of Taixu are far inferior to mine, which is why you have such thoughts."
"Leo Ash seems to have had it too easy this time, but if you actually analyze his actions, you'll find there's nothing wrong."
"The moment he spotted the enemy, Leo Ash instantly began to accumulate Honkai Energy at his fingertips and then fired it at the enemy's body in one go."
"In my opinion, this is a technique that can be achieved by manipulating the Honkai Energy within one's body through the Heart Skandha of the Edge of Taixu."
"And Leo Ash himself is undoubtedly a genius. In fact, before I taught him the Heart Skandha, his precision in controlling Honkai Energy was already quite high, so this strike doesn't seem excessive to me."
"As for his performance afterward—his opponent wasn't very bright, fell for Leo Ash's taunts, and even ended up just spacing out on the battlefield..."
Looking at the combat footage, Fu Hua gently shook her head and said to Otto.
"To have power without the right mindset and experience... for such a Pseudo-Herrscher to meet such an end against a true expert is really not strange at all."
"Alright, if the expert says so, then I'll take it as the truth."
After saying this, Otto immediately chose to leave Fu Hua's sight.
My old friend's analysis... although somewhat biased, isn't entirely wrong.
I was overthinking it. After all, this Pseudo-Herrscher couldn't even handle that little girl named Yuno. His mind was weak to begin with, and he ran into the meticulous Leo Ash, so being killed so easily isn't that strange.
However, the speed of his progress is still far beyond my imagination.
My plan requires a life-and-death struggle to stimulate K423's consciousness to fully awaken and transform.
If Leo Ash continues to progress at this rate, then even if K423 is suppressed by Sirin, my plans may not proceed down the path I envisioned.
What a headache. A subordinate being this capable is actually affecting my plans.
I originally intended not to be so hasty, but now it seems all plans must be accelerated.
Before Leo Ash progresses to an irreversible point, I must prepare the bait for the Queen of the Honkai.
As for other matters, they'll just have to be put on the back burner for a bit.
But then again, with Leo Ash growing stronger so quickly, in a sense, my plans can clearly be completed much faster.
The biggest problem with this plan now is whether the feelings between K423 and Leo Ash can reach the point I desire before the plan begins.
Hmm, this plan cannot have any mistakes, so...
Perhaps I should find some time to give them a push in that direction.
This young man Leo Ash is really great at everything, except he's too stiff when it comes to relationships.
I'll set up an opportunity for K423. As for whether she can seize it...
—I hope that Siegfried fellow taught his daughter well how to act in these matters.
....
That night, at Himeko's apartment
"I see, so that's how it is."
After hearing the helpless words from his friend on the other end of the line, Leo Ash said softly to Bianka.
"In that case, once Big Sister wakes up, remember to contact me immediately."
After hearing the farewell, Leo Ash hung up the phone and lay quietly on his bed.
After finishing his discussion with Himeko, Theresa, and the others, Leo Ash was shooed back to his dorm by the two of them.
He had originally intended to join the patrol team, but the two of them forced him back to his dorm on the grounds that 'you've already dealt with an Emperor-class and a Pseudo-Herrscher, you must be tired'.
To be honest, not having to fight a strong enemy was, of course, a good thing.
But the current Leo Ash, whenever he thought about how everything was accelerating, felt his heart fill with unease.
Although it was just his earlier speculation, the Anti-Entropy Invasion incident had been fast-forwarded from about six months in the original story to just forty days after the Third Eruption.
From this perspective, if all events were accelerating, then the three years between the start of the Third Eruption and the end of the final battle could very well be shortened to about a year.
Everything else was secondary; at this rate, Kevin would be showing up in a few months.
He had just bullied World Serpent today. When Kevin gets out, Gray Serpent and Jackal...
—would one hundred percent tattle to Kevin and have him come sort him out.
.