To be honest, even if Leo Ash was afraid of dying, he wouldn't start scaring himself after gaining some strength.
Especially when the System explicitly said that ordinary Herrschers couldn't threaten him, Leo Ash could only consider other possibilities.
In this world, there were only a few beings whose strength surpassed that of an ordinary Herrscher.
Su was an ally, so cross him out.
Siegfried was also an ally, and his good friend Welt certainly wouldn't beat him up for no reason.
Otto... Otto probably didn't know his true intentions yet. In this situation, Otto was likely the person most worried about Leo Ash's safety, so the threat probably wasn't from him.
Setting aside those extremely low-probability events, Leo Ash, no matter how reluctant, had to face the facts.
Kevin. It had to be that Kevin was out.
But if it was Kevin...
—Kevin is only worth an [Advanced Skill Book Lottery Ticket]???
[Isn't that obvious? It's not like he'd go out of his way to kill you.]
[Improving this much in less than three months... if there were enough time, Kevin would probably treat you as a key asset and train you to death.]
Oh, that makes sense.
In the original story, when he faced a coreless Bronya and a half-dead Welt Yang, he didn't take advantage of their weakness.
So, logically, he should first try to persuade me to join World Serpent, and then I'll decide whether to refuse.
If I don't refuse and just join World Serpent, he would have no reason to beat me up, right?
[You'd do that?]
Of course. That's Kevin Kaslana we're talking about.
Is it shameful to play dead in front of that man?
[Good point, but... hehehe.]
[The reward has been given to you. Your next move is up to you.]
[This system will make an exception and give you a hint—don't forget, this world stopped being normal a long time ago.]
After that, the System said no more to Leo Ash.
And after the System went offline, Leo Ash, while telling Mike to keep an eye on further intel from HQ, immediately used the strangely-timed lottery ticket.
As a purple light, mixed with a streak of gold, flashed by, a purple skill book appeared before Leo Ash's eyes.
[Skill Book - Grand Cross (Castlevania Series)]
[Grand Cross—The ultimate technique of the Belmont vampire hunters. When used, it releases a powerful, large cross-shaped attack on surrounding enemies through mana, with extremely high destructive power.]
[Note: The user enters a brief state of invincibility the moment this skill is activated.]
[Note 2: After activating this skill, the user will continuously pull enemies towards them, forcing them to endure the attack from the Grand Cross.]
[Note 3: The above are all basic uses. The user can research this skill on their own to develop other methods of use.]
Ah, a very powerful move.
Which is why I feel even more panicked now.
There's always a supply drop before a big battle. Now that such a powerful skill has arrived...
Logically, Kevin definitely wouldn't kill me.
But... how many times has it been? I'm still thinking logically.
Damn it, if there was any logic in this world, four Herrschers wouldn't have popped up in three months.
No more overthinking. Time to pack up and prepare for battle.
With my luck, the Herrscher is definitely coming for me.
With this thought in his mind, Leo Ash, who was already mentally prepared, received a communication from HQ, just as expected.
"Hello, hello, Leo Ash, can you hear me? It's Theresa!"
"Headmaster, just tell me what's wrong..."
Hearing Leo Ash's listless tone, Theresa immediately panicked.
"Are you too tired from fighting the Honkai Beasts? If so, find a way to escape in the opposite direction right now!"
"The Herrscher that just appeared has suddenly gone crazy for some reason and started rushing from the eruption zone towards your location."
"You won't make contact with it yet, but in a few more minutes—anyway, don't be reckless, reinforcements are on the way!"
"Ah, I understand. Please don't worry, Headmaster."
After hearing Leo Ash hang up, Theresa still felt extremely uneasy.
"Seriously, why did a Herrscher have to appear at this time—and wasn't it less than three days since the last one!"
"Himeko, has Bianka been dispatched?"
"Yeah."
Looking at the information on the screen, Himeko replied calmly to Theresa.
"Bianka has already departed on the fastest transport plane."
"But... I don't think you need to be so worried."
"You, how can you say that!"
Hearing Himeko's seemingly heartless words, Theresa became even more anxious.
"Leo Ash's tone just now was so tired. He must be exhausted from the previous battle."
"Even if he managed to survive his encounter with Yuna, now—"
"Alas, the past is the past, and now is now."
Seeing Theresa's extremely anxious expression, Himeko said calmly.
"He's carrying the Blank Key and the Seven Thunders of Retribution. His strength is already much greater than before."
"And with that kid's love for acting, if he really felt the situation was bad, he'd be putting on an energetic front, telling us not to worry."
"Instead of worrying about Leo Ash's safety, I think you should be thinking about what you're going to say to *her* when she comes back."
"Her?"
Although Himeko didn't specify who 'she' was, her attention successfully diverted, Theresa immediately remembered something.
During the Fourth Eruption, World Serpent took her student, Wendy, from the Oceania Branch.
And the reason her student Wendy participated in the Artificial Herrscher Experiment was because Theresa had recommended her.
No matter how many reasons Theresa had, from an objective standpoint, she had wronged Wendy in this matter.
Now someone outside has become a Herrscher, and Wendy happens to have a Herrscher Gem inside her...
Seeing Theresa bury her head in her hands in distress, Himeko felt her plan had backfired.
Her intention was mainly to stop Theresa from worrying so much about Leo Ash.
But as it turned out, after she said those words, Theresa's long-suppressed guilt, now fueled by her speculation that 'Wendy might have become a Herrscher,' completely overwhelmed her.
Alas, being too emotional is one of Theresa's strengths, I suppose.
But it's because you value emotions so much that you're still leagues away from Bishop Otto.
Although having a human touch isn't a bad thing, but Theresa...
Bishop Otto was already openly making trouble during the Fourth Eruption. If he continues in this style, he will definitely cause more suffering.
When that time comes, you'll have to fight him, but if you still maintain this naive attitude...
—you'll be manipulated by him until you wish you were dead.
But then again, Theresa was worrying too much, but still...
"Eh, Grandma Himeko?"
Noticing Himeko's gaze shift towards her, Isla Ash, who was looking at a tablet, asked Himeko in confusion.
"What's wrong?"
"Listen here, Isla, I'm only 27."
Walking up to Isla Ash with a dark expression, Himeko's mouth twitched as she leaned in close to the girl and said menacingly.
"Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate to call a 27-year-old unmarried woman 'Grandma'?"
"But, but I'm from Shenzhou."
Looking at the imposing woman before her, Isla Ash asked, utterly perplexed.
"We in Shenzhou place great importance on seniority. Using the wrong terms of address for elders isn't something a good child should do, right?"
I-I can't refute that.
This child... has she really only been conscious for a few months?
Looking at the innocent-faced Isla Ash, Himeko felt that if she had a kid, they probably wouldn't be as clever as Isla even in their teens.
And what's more...
Hey!
That's Schicksal's work!
Why are you the one handling it!
Watching Isla Ash methodically handle some of the less complex affairs, Himeko glanced back at Theresa, who was still holding her head, and felt that this world was just too surreal.
But considering that this world had been abnormal since the moment the Honkai appeared, Himeko suppressed her urge to complain and asked Isla Ash softly.
"Isla, hearing that your father might be in danger, aren't you worried about his safety?"
"Grandma Himeko."
Hearing Himeko's question, Isla Ash closed the screen before her and looked at Himeko with a strange glint in her eyes.
"I'm calm, not cold-blooded."
"Of course I'm worried that Father is in danger, but..."
"—if I were to cry and throw a tantrum like a child, not only would I waste your and Grandma Theresa's time, but if Father found out, he would surely get distracted."
"If I cause Father to lose focus in a fight and he loses because of me, I think I would never forgive myself for the rest of my life."
Thinking back on the students she had taught, and the classmates she had known in university, Himeko, looking at Isla Ash, felt that...
Never mind, I'd have to add at least ten years to that age.
For what reason does this child possess such intelligence at this age?
Alas, if I weren't afraid the question would hurt her, being an artificial human, I'd really like to ask what she went through from her birth until she found Leo Ash.
And besides, let's not even talk about others now.
Even though Kiana has matured a lot, she's still no match for her daughter.
The mother is a brat, but the daughter is so well-behaved...
Could it be that Yuna and Leo Ash's genes successfully suppressed the genes from Kiana?
Meanwhile, inside the transport plane.
After communicating with HQ, Leo Ash immediately put on the Blank Key and took out the Seven Thunders of Retribution from its Soulium case.
"Mike, follow HQ's instructions for now and retreat in the opposite direction."
"Oh, okay, sure—sure, my ass!"
Glancing back to see Leo Ash already suited up in the Blank Key and holding a Divine Key, Mike felt his eye twitch uncontrollably.
"According to Headmaster Theresa's orders, we are supposed to retreat."
"And you look like you're about to fight a Herrscher to the death—don't do this!"
"If something happens to you, those girls you hang out with will tear me to pieces!"
"Ah, about that..."
Seeing that Mike was genuinely panicking, Leo Ash said with a wry smile.
"Don't be ridiculous. They're all reasonable people."
"When they find out, they'll immediately realize that I was acting on my own. You absolutely won't be blamed."
"Also, I think you need to get one thing straight..."
"—when a Herrscher comes for me, I'm not the one who should be scared. She is."
"It's just a Herrscher. It's not the first time I've knocked one to the ground."
"Well said, but utterly meaningless."
Hearing Leo Ash's sophistry... okay, Mike didn't think it was sophistry; it was the truth.
But there was still a problem with that statement!
Seeing Leo Ash stand up, ready to jump from the plane, Mike immediately spoke at top speed.
"You wait a minute this Herrscher is flying here from somewhere else which means she's flying at high altitude you can't hit her she has air superiority you won't be able to touch her and you'll just get kited to death—what the FUCK!"
Watching Leo Ash jump out of the plane right in front of him again, Mike just felt...
—God damn it, after this is over, I'm definitely going to report Leo Ash's condition to Headmaster Theresa!
It was already terrifying enough that he brought armor out to hunt Honkai Beasts, but when he encounters a Herrscher, he just jumps out to face it without a second thought...
With his attitude, if his mental issues aren't treated soon, it's going to lead to big problems!
But for now, looking at Leo Ash falling below, Mike could only fly the transport plane away from the area as fast as possible.
He was worried about Leo Ash, but he hadn't completely lost his mind.
When the Herrscher arrived, the Honkai Energy shockwaves from the fight between Leo Ash and the Herrscher alone would be enough to blow his plane out of the sky.
Staying here would not only be of no help, but it would also successfully hold Leo Ash back.
Leo Ash was going crazy fighting the Honkai, but in other aspects, the guy was truly loyal.
Mike had no doubt that if his transport plane were shot down, Leo Ash would come to rescue him in a heartbeat.
And when fighting an enemy of the Herrscher's caliber, a moment's opening is often enough to decide the outcome.
Damn it, Bishop Otto doesn't seem like a good person, but that's pretty normal.
But for Schicksal's strongest knight, Leo Ash, to be this crazy...
Whatever, I'm retreating.
I don't even have the right to worry about him. I'd better report this to HQ quickly and have them speed up the reinforcements.
...
At this moment, Leo Ash, falling from the sky, was not as frantic as Mike imagined.
In fact, even without activating Mind Like Still Water to calm his mind, he felt no panic at all.
Everyone is afraid of dying, but no one thinks they'll die from drinking water and thus stops drinking.
A low-probability event is still a low-probability event. Since the System isn't even giving him a reward, it means this enemy is one he can definitely defeat.
Moreover, Leo Ash had another purpose for bringing the Blank Key and the Divine Key out this time, one he hadn't told anyone else.
He had new equipment and new skills from the System, and he hadn't had time to test them.
On this trip, he had originally wanted to find a suitable time to test his own power, to see just how strong he could be.
Especially now, having basically confirmed that Kevin was out, Leo Ash felt it was even more important to know just how strong 'the strongest Leo Ash' could be.
Only by knowing the limits of his own strength could he make the most correct judgments in the battles to come.
As for what would happen to the enemy...
He still had the God-Slaying Spear. If worse came to worst, he could beat the enemy to near death, use the spear to suppress the Herrscher Personality, use a Powerful Healing Spell or a Full Rejuvenation Potion to heal their body, and finally use Phantasmagoria to rewrite their cognition.
After all that, even if they were crippled or traumatized by him, he should be able to heal them completely.
In mid-air, Leo Ash released his mana, solidifying it into a parachute to allow himself to descend slowly and steadily.
At the same time, sensing the powerful Honkai Energy fluctuations coming from ahead, Leo Ash condensed his mana around his body and, for the first time, activated a [Dominus Glyph] he had never used before.
Glyph - Lord of Dread, activate.
Upon activating this glyph, which had the potential to harm himself, Leo Ash could feel an incredibly intense pain.
But along with the pain came immense power and a terrifying 'malice,' descending upon Leo Ash simultaneously.
"Heh, so this is the power of Dracula..."
Leo Ash, clearly feeling his body being constantly injured, felt not a single shred of panic in his heart.
But, after activating this glyph that 'could temporarily allow a powerful being to descend upon him and amplify his strength through mana,' Leo Ash could feel the violent emotions he had always suppressed within him almost spiral out of control.
It made sense. As the representative of 'evil' in the Castlevania universe, Dracula naturally possessed the power to corrupt the minds of others.
In *Order of Ecclesia*, the mage Barlowe, who originally intended to use glyphs to defeat Dracula, had his mind corrupted by Dracula's power and unknowingly became his pawn, using his own life to bring the sealed Dracula back to the world.
Even with Mind Like Still Water activated, I can only slightly suppress this emotion welling up from the depths of my heart.
Heh, power is something you really have to test to know how to use it.
After temporarily overcoming the problems with his body, Leo Ash activated a second glyph in the direction of the enemy.
Glyph - Dominus.Odio, activate.
Upon activating this second glyph, Leo Ash could feel five surging streams of power gush from his fingertips.
As he released the glyph, these five seemingly slender but actually condensed beams of powerful light shot directly towards the enemy, who was drawing ever closer.
After using this move, Leo Ash, as expected, felt a bit more pain.
Using the abilities of both the Lord of Dread and Dominus.Odio simultaneously was different from the 'fusing other glyphs' mentioned in the system's prompt.
What Leo Ash was doing now was using the two glyphs separately to augment himself and attack, without combining the two powers.
However, even without fusing the glyphs to attack, both glyphs were now placing a certain degree of burden on Leo Ash.
Alas, next time I have to fight for my life, I think I'll need to be ready to chug potions at a moment's notice.
Using two glyphs separately is this uncomfortable. Unleashing and fusing three glyphs simultaneously...
I'd probably be crippled before the enemy even gets here.
After escaping from Abyssal City and getting away from that white-haired man, Wendy finally let out a long sigh of relief.
Even from a distance, Wendy still couldn't muster a single shred of fighting spirit against that terrifying man.
It's not my fault I can't beat him. It's not that I'm too weak; it's that he's a monster.
What I need to do now is, is, is...
Right, Schicksal!
Everyone in Schicksal has been deceived by Otto!
No, I'm an idiot, that's one thing, but are the others really idiots?
They... they might be helping him even though they know what kind of person he is...
Villains!
Those guys are all villains!
At this moment, Wendy was completely unaware that her thoughts about her Schicksal comrades were becoming increasingly extreme.
Under the guidance of the Honkai, Wendy, who had originally planned to 'warn everyone about Otto's danger,' had been successfully tricked into deciding to 'kill a few of Otto's lackeys first.'
However, as she sped towards the Schicksal transport plane, Wendy suddenly sensed several beams of extremely dense energy up ahead.
"An enemy? Hmph, do they think I can't dodge these beams!"
Wendy, easily dodging the beams, revealed a cold smile.
But before the smile could fully form on her face...
—Wendy, having just dodged the beams, felt a violent impact from behind, which directly pierced through the Wings of Wind she had formed.
.....