Dominus.Odio. This was a powerful Glyph that sealed a portion of Dracula's demonic power.
The green beams of light it fired would, after being released, fly toward the enemy in different attack patterns depending on the user's method.
When Dracula himself used this move, he liked to have the beams rain down from the sky, which led to some Castlevania players giving it the nickname "Light Rain."
However, facing a mid-air Wendy, Leo Ash certainly had no intention of attacking his enemy with a method like "Light Rain."
A Herrscher's Imaginary Barrier was something Leo Ash had tested with his own body.
If he launched a powerful attack, breaking through the opponent's Imaginary Barrier wouldn't be particularly difficult.
But to use a scattered attack like this against an enemy with a barrier...
Honestly, he wouldn't do it even if he had a brain cramp.
As for what to do if the enemy dodged the attack, Leo Ash had already considered that before he even struck.
Wendy's energy levels had soared after her Herrscher transformation, but her mental state was not so stable.
If this were the genius Wendy who had 'graduated from St. Freya as an A-rank Valkyrie at fourteen and was judged by Schicksal HQ to be the fourth S-rank sooner or later,' then Leo Ash might have been a bit more cautious with her.
But the Wendy before him now was an inflated Herrscher whose 'negative emotions had been amplified by the Honkai, making her incredibly extreme.'
For Wendy, who had just obtained immense power but whose mental fortitude hadn't caught up, her first reaction to seeing these beams of light was, "Is that all?" She then began to show off, dodging the assault by a hair's breadth.
If it had been a normal attack, she would have indeed dodged it with such a flashy move and continued her charge toward Leo Ash.
The problem was, a Glyph was essentially the power dwelling within all things, transformed through a formula.
The beams fired by Dominus.Odio were, in essence, Leo Ash manipulating them with his mana through the Glyph to shoot the opponent.
For Leo, who possessed the special ability of Precision Control, manipulating the beams to turn around wasn't as simple as breathing, but it wasn't particularly difficult either.
Wendy had only just dodged the attack when the distant Leo manipulated the beams to strike the Wings of Wind she had created from Honkai Energy on her back.
The moment the attack hit Wendy, the Imaginary Barrier that had automatically activated behind her was naturally pierced.
Along with the searing pain from her back, the previously menacing Wendy began to fall from the sky due to this sudden attack.
"Ah, she crashed just like that..."
At this moment, Leo, who was slowly descending with a mana parachute, saw the look of disbelief on Wendy's face and began to think that maybe he should have held back a little.
Once some things happen, even the Phantasmagoria might not be able to completely erase the psychological trauma...
"I... am... getting... angry!"
Wendy, falling from the sky, suddenly became even more furious due to the pain from her back.
"Otto's lackey..."
"—Knight Leo Ash, I will kill you!"
Seeing Wendy charge straight at him, Leo instantly suppressed the thought of going easy on her.
*Go easy my ass. I'm really regressing with age.*
*No matter how much of a scrub she is, she's still a Herrscher. And when a Herrscher goes berserk, the death toll isn't just one or two.*
*In the original timeline, when Anna's heart hadn't completely fallen into despair, the cold wind she blew could affect the climate of surrounding countries.*
*Given Wendy's mental state, if she were to become a bit more radical, she could unexpectedly do something similar to what Anna did.*
*If a moment of pity leads to more unnecessary casualties—tch, how could I ever tolerate such a thing?*
At that moment, Leo tightened his grip on the Seven Thunders of Retribution, continuously pouring Honkai Energy into the tachi in his hands.
As Leo activated the Divine Key, the Blank Key instantly connected with the Key of Judgment.
And the murderous Wendy suddenly felt an oppressive aura from Leo that she could not ignore.
Although the pressure Leo was emitting was far from that of the white-haired man, it didn't mean Wendy could disregard it.
After all, the moment Leo gripped the tachi with both hands, Wendy could feel the Honkai Energy intensity on his body rapidly increasing.
100HW... 500HW... 1000HW... 1500HW...
Just a moment ago, Wendy hadn't felt any powerful Honkai Energy fluctuations from Leo, but in just a second, she felt that Leo's Honkai Energy had broken through to the 'Herrscher-class' level.
One must know that even with a god's support, Wendy could only reach 2500HW of Honkai Energy. For the young man before her to increase his Honkai Energy to this extent in a single second truly frightened Wendy.
Moreover, 1500HW was not Leo's limit.
Combined with the power of the Blank Key and the Seven Thunders of Retribution, Leo's Honkai Energy intensity was still continuously rising.
In the original timeline, the Herrscher of Thunder during the Nagazora City period, facing Himeko who was connected to the Nexus System, had once fired an energy cannon with a blast of up to 3200HW.
Although Leo couldn't use the Seven Thunders of Retribution to raise his Honkai Energy to the level of the Herrscher of Thunder's strongest attack at that time, as crackling lightning began to appear on the blade, he knew very well...
—A Honkai Energy intensity of 2000HW was more than enough!
Facing an enemy who had finally stopped getting stronger, Wendy had many questions in her heart.
But none of that was the key right now!
Facing an enemy who was continuously emitting powerful energy waves, Wendy, who had originally been charging towards Leo like a gale, now began to retreat decisively.
*No, I absolutely cannot clash with him head-on!*
*The power of lightning is more tyrannical than wind. This guy has the Herrscher of Thunder's core in his hands. In a direct confrontation, I won't be able to take that blow!*
Under the threat of death, Wendy's inflated confidence vanished.
And after that inexplicable confidence disappeared, Wendy's intellect as a genius Valkyrie, spurred on by the fear of death, swiftly took the high ground.
Leo, who had temporarily become the 'Herrscher of Thunder,' now had lightning wings resembling those of a bat appear behind him.
And looking at the enemy who was continuously retreating, Leo, who had activated Mind Like Still Water, instantly vanished from Wendy's sight.
*This is... electromagnetic acceleration?!*
*Damn it, my speed should have been faster!*
At this moment, Wendy, who was retreating in the air, unhesitatingly consumed her Herrscher energy frantically, constructing a defensive Imaginary Shield around herself.
The moment she realized the opponent's speed was greater than her own, Wendy knew she could no longer dodge all the attacks.
All Wendy could do now was to condense a powerful Imaginary Shield on her vital points, ensuring that after the enemy's storm of attacks ended, she could preserve some strength...
—To retreat.
Although it sounded shameful, after Leo displayed Herrscher-class power, Wendy no longer intended to fight him to the death.
After her intellect took over due to the threat of death, the terrified Wendy also discovered something else.
Leo's Honkai Energy intensity was very strong, but it wasn't very stable.
As long as she could escape from Leo's hands, Leo would later fall into a weakened state due to the overuse of 'Herrscher power.'
And this was the biggest difference between the real deal and an imitation.
In a short burst, Wendy was no match for Leo.
But in a prolonged battle, Leo was far inferior to Wendy.
*Yes, that's it.*
*As long as I can ensure I don't die at his hands, I'll have a chance to turn the tables later!*
*After his offensive ends, I must retreat!*
Leo, who was relentlessly slashing at the enemy in mid-air, had of course noticed Wendy's intention to sacrifice her pawns to save the king.
Wendy had protected her vital points with an Imaginary Shield, which, in a way, was a good thing for Leo.
Because this way...
—*I can attack without worry, without having to fear accidentally killing her.*
The first strike, Leo's Seven Thunders of Retribution, tore through the armor at Wendy's lower ribs, letting the lightning paralyze her body.
The second strike, Leo slashed directly at Wendy's right shoulder. The tachi, imbued with the authority of the Herrscher of Thunder, caused the flesh around her right shoulder to begin decomposing, thus disabling her dominant hand.
After two successful hits, seeing that Wendy had completely entered a defensive state and didn't dare to fight back, Leo frantically drew power from the Seven Thunders of Retribution, concentrating it into the Grips of Taixu on his right hand.
"Hmm, wait, you—"
"You what? You think I can't do anything to you just because you're turtling up?"
Looking at Wendy's frantically shielded abdomen, Leo tossed the Seven Thunders of Retribution into the air and then unleashed an incredibly powerful punch at Wendy.
"Judgment—Destructive Fist!"
As this punch hit Wendy's abdomen, an incredibly terrifying amount of Honkai Energy and mana surged into her body at the same time.
Although Leo didn't apply the decomposition authority from the Herrscher of Thunder's power to this punch, the lightning it contained was enough to further paralyze Wendy's body.
And that wasn't all.
Under the incredibly powerful punch, Wendy was hammered from mid-air by Leo towards the ground they were about to land on.
As dust rose, Leo, standing in the middle of the dust cloud, heard Wendy's cry of pain.
To be honest, as a victim, Wendy shouldn't have been treated this way.
But the current Leo could feel that although he was dominating Wendy, the girl was by no means a pushover.
The Wendy who fought three B-rank Valkyries in the main story was the Wendy of 2016, whose mentality had been in decline for several years.
But the current Wendy had only been screwed over by Otto for a few months.
Wendy, who still didn't know what her future held, was clearly in a better state of mind than she would be in a few years.
With a better mentality and skills that hadn't degraded from sitting in a wheelchair for several years, such a person becoming the Herrscher of Wind, in Leo's opinion, would only be more troublesome than Yuna who had obtained the Herrscher of Death's core.
*I can't give her any chance to counterattack.*
*Otherwise, after using a powerful move, I, who might fall into a weakened state, could very well be counterattacked by her.*
*I probably won't die, but—if I can have an easy, crushing victory, why would I create unnecessary risks for myself for no reason?*
In the dust, Leo immediately activated the last Glyph he hadn't used.
Dominus.Aetas, activate!
As his hand touched the ground, Leo poured his mana, enhanced by Dracula's power, into the already cracked earth.
The Glyph [Dominus.Aetas], used to fire powerful mana orbs, actually released spheres more akin to destructive lava balls.
Wendy, who had already endured the pain and was preparing to initiate her escape plan, suddenly saw dozens of mana lava balls appear around her as the dust gradually settled.
Before she could react, before she even understood what was happening...
—The lava balls around her all exploded under Leo's Precision Control.
As all these lava balls were detonated from within by Leo, Wendy, whose defenses had just been breached, was now continuously bombarded by the fragments of the exploding mana spheres.
Of course, if that were all, these attacks would at most injure Wendy, not enough to completely incapacitate her.
Wendy, ready to leave despite her injuries, had already forgotten her earlier plan to 'disengage, stall for time, and then kill him.'
The enemy was too terrifying.
*I am no match for him at all.*
*There's no need...*
*—There's absolutely no need for me to participate in a fight I can't possibly win!*
*And besides, the god said so too!*
*Even the god agrees with me running away.*
*I'm not wrong—what is this guy doing now!*
After bombarding the enemy with mana spheres, Leo didn't stop. He deactivated the power of [Glyph - Lord of Dread] while crossing his arms in front of his chest.
Following this act of self-suggestion, a scarlet cross appeared behind Leo.
When this cross appeared, Wendy felt a pulling and repelling force that was constantly dragging her towards Leo.
If there had been some distance between them, Wendy could have relied on 'wind' to escape the adsorption power of Leo's Grand Cross move.
But now, the distance between them was less than fifty centimeters. At this range, let alone her being severely injured, even if she were in perfect condition, she might not have been able to escape.
Fifty centimeters became zero in an instant.
Wendy, pulled to Leo's side, was hit head-on by the power released by the Grand Cross and was sent flying again.
But at the same time, the pulling force activated again as Wendy was knocked back.
For the next few moments, Wendy was trapped in a cycle of being pulled in → sent flying → pulled in → sent flying.
At the last moment, Wendy, now barely conscious, concentrated all the usable Honkai Energy in her body into her palms, shouting, "I'll take you down with me!" and blasted Leo's body with a strike of up to 1500HW.
But, to her disbelief, Leo took the hit as if it were nothing. He then actively dispelled the power of the Grand Cross and asked Wendy calmly.
"Have you had enough?"
"You... you... you..."
Facing the enemy before her, Wendy had many things she wanted to say, but in the end, the exhausted girl could only roll her eyes back and faint right in front of Leo.
"Sigh, you poor kid."
Looking at the lingering fear on Wendy's face, a pang of sympathy awkwardly surfaced in Leo's heart.
*Alright, her body ended up this way... wait, no!*
*It's Otto's fault her body is like this!*
*If Otto hadn't caused trouble, Wendy might not have become a Herrscher in despair.*
*He's the mastermind. I'm at most an accomplice who delivered the finishing blow.*
In the following moments, Leo used Phantasmagoria to erase the fear from Wendy's consciousness, healed her body with a Healing Spell, and finally hit her with a God-Slaying Spear, at last feeling completely at ease.
Yep, problem solved.
[Wow, what a ruthless person, what a venomous heart.]
[You knew she couldn't beat you, yet you were so merciless. Host, you've really changed.]
*Give me a break. I've always been the same me.*
*The only difference is that the amount of power I have changes some of my policies.*
[That's true. But speaking of which, on a deserted island, a lone man and a lone woman, Host, this is your chance—]
*Chance, my ass.*
*Setting aside the fact that I have no intention of making a move, Theresa must be worried about me and has definitely sent people to help.*
*Rita's combat power isn't enough, and the others aren't stable enough. The person coming is most likely Bianka.*
*Are you telling me to make a move on Wendy when Bianka is about to arrive?*
[You've already made a move, and even drew blood, and even knocked the poor girl out—what's wrong with a threesome!]
*Oh, that's enough.*
*System, you've been too quiet lately. I almost forgot—you're at least ten times more of a pervert than I am.*
[What are you saying—ten times is not enough!]
*So you're actually self-aware about this.*
[What else?]
[This System isn't human. Not being human means I don't need to care about face.]
[Wake up, Host. When face isn't a concern, this System will of course do whatever makes it happy.]
*Alright, you do have a point.*
[If you think I have a point, then you should really consider—]
*But let's just forget about that one thing.*
Helplessly ignoring the System's subsequent temptations, Leo immediately contacted Mike, who was theoretically still on the run.
"Hey, Mike?"
"Leo?! Great, you've come to your senses... no, wait."
Mike, on the transport plane, suddenly choked up as he looked at the terrifying numbers on the Honkai Energy detector.
"...We separated only three minutes ago, right?"
"That's right."
"My Honkai Energy detector tells me there was a Honkai Energy shockwave of over 1000HW nearby just now, right?"
"That's right."
After confirming he wasn't dreaming, Mike stared blankly for at least five seconds before speaking to Leo on the intercom with a deadpan expression.
"I was a real idiot for worrying about you."
"Well, thanks a lot, my dear friend."
After hanging up, Mike still felt like he might be dreaming.
Before, it was five minutes to resolve the Fourth Eruption, but he had privately heard that it was all thanks to Dr. Magi's serum and that girl named Yuna's restraining abilities.
But now...
—*Leo Ash, and you say you can't fight a Herrscher?*
Of course, teasing was one thing.
Regardless, Leo being able to easily suppress a Herrscher was much better than him dying at her hands.
*Sigh, Leo's efficiency at defeating Herrschers and suppressing large-scale Honkai Eruptions is just too high now.*
*He's so capable...*
*Haha, will all future Herrschers be easily taken care of by him alone?*
....