The gun fired, but the 'bartender' who had just pulled the trigger wore a look of surprise that shouldn't have been there.
The Wraith, who should have had her head blown open by this shot, had vanished from right under his nose at the last second.
Not only that, but the 'bartender' now found vines coiling around his body where there should have been none.
*This is that little bitch Yuna's ability?!*
No, these vines were too fragile.
The 'bartender' shattered them with a bit of force, his expression turning incredibly sour.
Someone who possessed both spatial transfer and vine creation abilities...
—Isla Ash!
Why would that little girl make a move at a time like this!
Of all the things he had calculated, the 'bartender' never imagined his plan would fail for such a reason.
Although he had used Fenghuang Down to interfere with the Wraith's perception, how reliable could a mimic Fenghuang Down be?
It was obviously too late to find that brat now and finish off the Wraith.
*To think that even a plan like this could fail. My luck has been terrible lately.*
*Nothing to be done. Truly nothing to be done.*
*Capturing Isla Ash is a tempting idea, but I didn't bring the Staff of the Netherworld with me today.*
*...I must be going crazy. An ace like the Staff of the Netherworld should be saved for the most troublesome enemies.*
*Forget it, forget it. Whether I'm exposed sooner or later, it's still exposure. For now, I'll proceed under the assumption that the Wraith will spill everything once she wakes up...*
*What????*
The 'bartender' was suddenly stunned by the voice that connected directly to his mind.
*God, what do you mean by this?*
After listening to the message, the 'bartender' nodded slightly and immediately chose to leave.
Although he could use his Soulium Body to disguise himself as anyone, having failed twice in this regard, he no longer expected this trick to fool anyone.
Back then, he had been unmasked in front of that group from Anti-Entropy.
And now, facing an A-rank Valkyrie who managed intelligence, he had been seen through the moment they met.
After these two failures, if he still thought he could deceive others with his appearance alone, he'd be a moron who treated everyone else like an idiot.
*Forget it, forget it.*
*God is on my side now. I'll take His word for it for the time being.*
*For the next little while, I should probably continue to lay low.*
*Once my plan is complete...*
—*The Herrscher of the Void, the Thousand Worlds, they will all be in my grasp sooner or later!*
..
Next day. Anti-Entropy Headquarters
Inside Anti-Entropy's headquarters, Seele, who was waiting for someone, looked around with extreme nervousness.
However, Rozaliya and Liliya, who were beside her, didn't feel tense at all.
"Big Sister Seele, what's wrong with you today?"
"Eh? I... I'm fine!"
Seeing her two companions from the orphanage gathered around her, studying her expression, Seele gave a dry cough and smiled at them.
"I was just thinking, what should I say when I see Big Sister Bronya later."
"Oh, so that's it."
"That makes sense. Back at the orphanage, Big Sister Seele was always very close to Big Sister Bronya."
A pang of guilt arose in Seele's heart as she watched the two of them immediately believe her.
And at the same time...
[Seele, you've changed. You've really changed.]
*My other self?*
[Not only can you lie without batting an eye, but you've even started using Big Sister as an excuse.]
*That's... well...*
[You were clearly thinking about what to say to Leo Ash, yet you used Big Sister as a shield?]
[Your skin has gotten so much thicker. I'm so proud.]
*Don't, don't say that!*
*I was also thinking about what to say to Big Sister Bronya!*
[Mm, that's true.]
[But the balance... sigh.]
[What's so good about him anyway.]
*What you're saying is strange. It's more like...*
—*What's so bad about Brother Leo?*
Hearing Seele's righteous retort, the other Seele truly felt that Seele was a lost cause.
It had only been a few days, and she had already imagined so many sweet nothings. She seriously suspected that with Seele's current affection for Leo Ash and her ever-growing courage...
—*She might just climb into Leo Ash's bed within three days!*
*No, not that, please not that. If something like that is going to happen...*
—*Then at least wait another ten months!*
Faced with the other Seele's one-woman show, Seele retorted in exasperation.
*My other self, I can hear all these thoughts you're not even trying to hide.*
[Oh, oh, my apologies, my apologies. I won't disturb your pining for him any longer.]
*Sigh, you...*
Seele couldn't refute the teasing words of her other self.
After all, no matter how flippant her tone was, what her other self said...
—*Was all true.*
Although they hadn't known each other for long, Leo Ash's image was already firmly engraved in the depths of Seele's heart.
Even if she tried her best to deny it, Seele found that Leo Ash's importance to her was on par with the Bronya she missed so dearly.
Whenever she thought about how she was prioritizing a crush over a friend, Seele felt she was being a little inappropriate.
But, but...
[But Brother Leo is so handsome, right—how did you become such a lovesick fool.]
*But, but it's the truth.*
The other Seele couldn't be bothered to repeat these tired old lines.
The other Seele didn't want to talk right now.
She just truly felt that while Seele hadn't yet completed the ritual of love with Leo Ash, she had already been completely molded into his shape.
Moreover, to the other Seele, there was a huge problem with Seele's current mental state.
No matter how much Seele longed for Leo Ash now, it didn't change the fact that her love was unrequited.
Of course, from a normal perspective, if a sweet-tempered, good-looking girl with a great figure like Seele took the initiative to confess, no one would refuse her.
But Leo Ash...
*Damn it, I don't want to admit it, but he's handsome and a great fighter. A guy like that would have a ton of women chasing after him if he were even slightly normal.*
*Like that busty blonde from last time. She's clearly interested in Leo Ash.*
*Seele doesn't know what kind of predicament she's about to face.*
*But I think I can already imagine what kind of hell awaits her.*
"Ah, it's Alliance Leader Welt."
Seeing Welt, the leader of the alliance, appear before them, the three of them tensed up, standing at attention and trying their best to maintain good posture.
But faced with the girls' overly serious attitude, Welt, feeling a bit of guilt and helplessness, truly thought...
*Sending these good kids to be subjects for the X-10 Experiment... Cocolia, you were a real son of a bitch.*
*Sigh, they still don't know about Cocolia's death.*
*Hopefully, when they see Bronya later, Bronya will understand my hints.*
*The death of a mother is too great a shock for children of this age.*
*I'll keep them stable for a while, and use AI-synthesized videos to fool them later on.*
*Perhaps they'll discover the truth in the future, but before that...*
*One day of ignorance at a time.*
"Um, Alliance Leader Welt."
Looking at the calm-faced man before her, Seele spoke timidly.
"Can we... still not see Mother Cocolia?"
"Yes. I'm sorry, but that's the one thing you can't do."
Hearing Seele's question, Welt pushed up his non-prescription glasses and spoke to the three with utmost seriousness.
"Although Cocolia is your adoptive mother, it's an indisputable fact that she used innocent children from the orphanage as test subjects."
"Adding on her crimes of triggering the Third Eruption and inciting internal conflict, having her carry out a classified mission to remove her from the management circle and atone for her sins is already the most lenient punishment we could give her."
"I see..."
Hearing Welt's description, Seele let out a sigh of relief, though she was still worried about her adoptive mother.
For the girls who had survived in Siberia, a harsh environment wasn't a huge problem.
For them, who had lived through blizzards, being alive meant not losing.
Some of the things Cocolia had done in the past were certainly not good in Seele's eyes.
It was precisely because of this that Seele didn't direct her negative emotions toward Welt Yang, the man who had 'punished' their adoptive mother.
"Alright, let's put your mother's matter aside for now."
Welt deliberately changed the subject, showing the three pitiful children a kind smile.
"Right now, Anti-Entropy and Schicksal have a tentative partnership. Today happens to be our day for exchanging intelligence, and I've already informed Bishop Theresa in advance."
"And Bishop Theresa has agreed to let you go to Schicksal HQ to meet your friend. When you get there, you can have a good long chat with her."
"Yay!" x2
Although they already knew about this, Rozaliya and Liliya still shouted with joy.
As for Seele, while she didn't shout like the other two, the smile on her face clearly told everyone that she was very happy right now.
Looking at the three children before him, Welt could only feel that they had endured hardships that no one their age should have to.
Seele was used as a subject for the X-10 experiment and ended up in the Sea of Quanta for some unknown reason.
If it weren't for the sudden appearance of an unparalleled expert like Leo Ash who fished her out, she would have likely spent the rest of her life wandering the Sea of Quanta as a lonely spirit.
And Rozaliya and Liliya shouldn't have had to face such a fate either.
But because of Cocolia, those children were handed over to World Serpent as hostages.
And the unscrupulous, bottom-line-lacking World Serpent, upon discovering Rozaliya's and Liliya's talents, would of course quite readily transform them into humanoid weapons known as 'MANTISes'.
Although the two unlucky twin sisters had now been freed from control by Welt and Su, because Liliya's body had been weakened when Rozaliya absorbed some of her power to strengthen herself, Liliya was showing symptoms of some weakness.
Of course, compared to losing her life, just having a problem with 'periodic narcolepsy' was already incredibly lucky.
When the appointed time arrived, Welt activated the Quantum Teleportation System and arrived at the location designated by Schicksal.
The moment Welt arrived, he frowned slightly.
It wasn't that Welt suddenly had an issue with Theresa; it was just that the atmosphere on-site was a bit off.
"Alliance Leader Welt, you've arrived."
Seeing Welt arrive with the three promised children, Theresa spoke to Isla Ash beside her.
"Isla, take these... aunties to find Auntie Bronya."
"A-Aunties???"
The lively Rozaliya, hearing Theresa address her in such a way, found the situation to be ridiculously bizarre.
"I'm only a teenager! Why am I being called an auntie?!"
"Ah, you must be Auntie Rozaliya. My name is Isla Ash."
Isla Ash bounced over to Rozaliya and smiled at the girl who was slightly taller than her.
"I'm only a few months old. To me, Auntie Rozaliya is old enough to be my elder."
"Eh, is that so?"
Hearing Isla Ash's words, Rozaliya whispered to Liliya beside her.
"Liliya, why do I feel like something's not right?"
"Silly Rozaliya, what she said is completely right. We should just accept it."
"Yeah, accept it—I'm an elder now!"
Seeing Rozaliya immediately break into a happy smile, Seele and Liliya exchanged a glance and both gave a helpless smile.
"And you must be Auntie Liliya."
"Mmm, that's right."
"Then you must be Auntie Seele?"
Looking at the naturally reserved Seele, Isla Ash leaned in close to her face and nodded slightly.
"Just as Auntie Bronya described. Auntie Seele, you really are pretty."
"Alright, although I'd love to keep chatting with you aunties, this is where Grandma Theresa and Grandpa Welt are discussing important matters. We should probably leave for now."
"Mmm."
"O-kay!"
"Got it."
Watching a months-old child lead away three teenage girls, Welt couldn't help but marvel.
*As expected of Mr. Ash's daughter, showing such intelligence from such a young age.*
*If I didn't know she was really only a few months old, I would have thought she was the oldest of the four.*
"Alliance Leader Welt, before we exchange intelligence today, I'd like to ask you something first."
Theresa, seated, asked her ally before her with a rare, incredibly serious tone.
"Besides your Anti-Entropy and World Serpent, who else do you think..."
"—could possess a Quantum Teleportation System?"
"This question..."
Hearing Theresa's grave tone and guessing that something had happened at Schicksal, Welt didn't probe further on the topic.
While it was true that he was Theresa's savior, if something had happened now, then based on her tone, anyone who could use a quantum teleportation system was under some suspicion.
If he continued to press the topic, from a third-person perspective, it would look like he was purely fishing for information.
Instead of doing something that would only increase suspicion on himself, Welt's choice was, of course, to try and find the real culprit.
"Besides Anti-Entropy and World Serpent, I have given access to the Quantum Teleportation System to Mr. Ash, Mr. Su, and Mei."
"Other than them... forgive my bluntness, but there's likely only one other person who could have access to a quantum teleportation system."
Seeing Welt's hesitant attitude, Theresa immediately spoke the answer in her heart.
"Are you trying to say my grandfather has this system as well?"
"At the very least, after cooperating with World Serpent, the possibility of Bishop Otto obtaining this system shouldn't be too low."
Listening to Welt's analysis, Theresa felt a massive headache coming on.
Last night, Schicksal's A-rank Valkyrie and head of intelligence, the Wraith, was suddenly attacked by someone.
If Isla Ash hadn't used the weakened Herrscher of the Void powers she inherited from Kiana to teleport the Wraith away in time, the severely injured Wraith would have been a goner for sure.
However, even though Isla Ash saved her in time, the Wraith still suffered extremely severe burns.
These burns were so bad that even Schicksal's medical equipment couldn't treat them. At this point, Theresa could only ask Durandal, who possessed a Divine Key, to see if she could bring the Wraith back from the brink of death.
Only after receiving treatment from Durandal's Abyss Flower were the Wraith's injuries finally healed.
However, after treating the Wraith, Durandal had told Theresa a piece of information with a grim expression.
And now, listening to Welt's analysis, Theresa felt that...
—*The information that child Bianka gave me should be correct.*
Back when she healed the Wraith's injuries, Durandal had stated bluntly that the wounds were clearly burns.
And based on the files she had read, this was damage that could only be caused by the Judgment of Shamash.
But at the same time, Durandal pointed out something else.
If Kevin had attacked with the Judgment of Shamash, Isla Ash would have had no chance to save the Wraith.
Now, after hearing the reports from her subordinate and her ally, Theresa analyzed the situation for three seconds and then gave up.
*If my brain isn't fast enough, I'll let someone with a faster brain think about these troublesome matters.*
With that thought, Theresa laid out all the information she had for Welt.
"Hmm, I see. In that case, I think I have an answer."
After hearing Theresa's description, Welt, who had instantly arrived at a conclusion, looked at her with a complicated expression.
"I already know who the culprit is. Bishop Theresa, are you sure you want to know the result?"
"Who is it?!"
Hearing Welt state so directly that he had an answer, Theresa said angrily.
"The Wraith is my subordinate, and this is my territory!"
"Who was it? Who dared to beat up my people on my turf?!"
"Well, the answer is simple. Miss Wraith was injured by a weapon resembling the Judgment of Shamash, so we just need to eliminate the possible users of the Judgment of Shamash one by one."
"First, we eliminate Lord Kevin Kaslana of World Serpent."
"Ah, about that, I never suspected him."
Theresa, who had seen footage of Kevin in battle, said with lingering fear.
"If he saw the Wraith and wanted to kill her, she wouldn't even leave behind ashes, right?"
"Mmm. Then the second suspect is, naturally, me."
Welt used the power of the Herrscher of Reason to construct a pair of Judgment of Shamash and placed them on the table.
"As the Herrscher of Reason, after analyzing a Divine Key, I can also consume Herrscher energy and Honkai Energy to replicate something with almost the same power."
"Of course, the quality of the Divine Keys I replicate isn't great, but quality issues aside, I am capable of doing this, so I am also a suspect."
Looking at the forthright Welt, Theresa shook her head slightly.
"...Sigh. But now that you've said that, I'm sure it wasn't you."
"Oh? And the reason?"
"There are many reasons, but the most fundamental one is this—I trust my intuition."
...
*While being trusted is a good thing, Bishop Theresa, you trust people too easily.*
*What made you this way? Is it the Kaslana bloodline?*
Seeing the trust in Theresa's eyes, Welt was suddenly reminded of Siegfried raising the Judgment of Shamash against Otto fourteen years ago.
*Sigh, the Kaslanas.*
*Every single one of them is so valiant and full of righteous conviction.*
*Although they can be too reckless at times, having someone like that as an ally is much better than being allied with Otto.*
"But if it's neither you nor Kevin, then there's only one answer left."
"Yes, there's only one answer left."
Facing his ally, Welt spoke the name that Theresa had already faintly guessed.
"Your grandfather, Otto Apocalypse."
"After thinking it through, I can only conclude that he is the perpetrator of this attempted murder."
"In terms of motive, Otto has struck down his own people who might have discovered the truth on more than one occasion."
"In terms of power, Otto's Divine Key, Void Archives, can mimic the power of other Divine Keys, though this mimicry results in reduced strength."
"And this, ironically, indirectly proves that the culprit is Otto. After all, if the real Judgment of Shamash had been fired, the chances of a normal Valkyrie surviving would certainly be low, not high."
"Yes, you're right. Everything you said... is right!"
Realizing that her grandfather had not only neglected his duties this past month but was also attacking her own people, Theresa erupted in anger.
*Damn it, damn it all.*
*Now I have to wait for the Wraith to wake up. For my grandfather to try and silence her directly, she must have uncovered some crucial information.*
*That guy, it's bad enough he's doing nothing at such a critical time, but why now...*
—*How can he so shamelessly hold us back! Aaaaaahhhhh!*
.....
Meanwhile, in another room
In the room, Bronya, who had already breached Schicksal's firewall, was looking through files that ordinary Schicksal members had no right to see.
The more she looked at this information that should have been hidden from everyone, the more Bronya felt...
—*That man, Otto, is definitely far crazier than her mother.*
Just the clues Bronya had uncovered were enough to make the young girl's hands tremble slightly as she swiped through the light screen.
If she were to dig up the whole truth behind this information...
*Forget it, I'd better not.*
*The deeper I dig, the greater the chance I'll be discovered.*
*For now, we just need to know that Otto is not a good person, that he is helping the Honkai, and that he is an enemy we must defeat.*
Closing the light screen before her, Bronya, who had only just returned to Schicksal today, let out a deep breath.
Sometimes, knowing too much really isn't a good thing.
"Um, Auntie Bronya, are you free right now?"
Suddenly hearing a voice call out from outside the door, Bronya opened it.
And then...
"Big Sister Bronya!" x3
The moment she opened the door, Seele, Rozaliya, and Liliya, who hadn't seen Bronya in a long time, all pounced on her, tackling her to the ground.
"Seele... Rozaliya... Liliya???"
Seeing the three companions she had been planning to use Schicksal's power to rescue suddenly appear before her, Bronya was so shocked that she momentarily lost the ability to speak.
Honestly, just two days ago, she was still thinking about borrowing the power of others to gain more influence in Schicksal, in order to rescue her friends who were abducted by World Serpent and had fallen into the Sea of Quanta.
And then, less than two days later, the friends she had been thinking about day and night, whom she wanted to save, all appeared before her as if nothing had happened.
Seele's rescue was undoubtedly a joyous occasion.
And Rozaliya and Liliya's rescue was undoubtedly a joyous occasion as well.
Logically, when two joyous occasions overlap, this double joy should have brought even more happiness.
But at this moment, Bronya, unable to believe what she was seeing, suddenly burst into tears in front of the three of them.
"B-Big Sister Bronya?"
Seeing Bronya suddenly burst into tears, Seele, who had wanted to give her a surprise, immediately began to check Bronya's body in a fluster.
"Did we push too hard? Are you hurt somewhere?"
Meanwhile, Liliya, looking at the weeping Bronya, whispered to Rozaliya.
"Silly Rozaliya, you didn't push too hard just now, did you?"
"Um... probably... not?"
Watching Bronya begin to wipe away her tears, Rozaliya added, very unconfidently.
"Probably not?"
"Don't blame Rozaliya. I'm just too happy."
Facing her companions with whom she had grown up, Bronya hugged the three of them tightly, sobbing.
"Everyone is alright... That's wonderful..."
"Really... wonderful."
Seeing Bronya's deeply moved expression, the three of them suddenly felt that, compared to her, they seemed a little heartless.
"Alright, Big Sister Bronya, don't cry, don't cry."
Taking out a handkerchief to wipe away Bronya's tears, Seele spoke softly to her.
"We're all fine."
To comfort Bronya, Rozaliya and Liliya, in a moment of perfect sync, placed their hands on their hips and declared confidently.
"That's right, that's right, we're all fine."
"Big Sister Bronya, look how healthy we both are."
"But..."
It was because of this very act meant to comfort her that Bronya, having dried her tears, noticed something.
"Rozaliya, Liliya, what's with the horns on your heads?"
...
...
Upon hearing Bronya's question, the two realized...
—*Oh no, this backfired.*
"You two... what did World Serpent do to you?!"
Seeing the two of them step back with awkward expressions, Bronya, who had just been questioning them, suddenly seemed to understand something.
Back when he appeared at the Far East Branch to save the captured Natasha Cioara, Gray Serpent had used a serum to transform into an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
This had become one of the pieces of evidence that led everyone to believe that World Serpent possessed outstanding achievements in biotechnology.
With that in mind, looking at the Honkai Beast horns on her two friends' heads, how could Bronya not realize what had happened to her companions?
*While I didn't know, Rozaliya and Liliya have already fallen victim to World Serpent's machinations.*
*And the culprit behind all this is undoubtedly World Serpent.*
*But, Mother...*
—*Why did you hand everyone over to World Serpent back then!*