Truthfully, Leo Ash's plan was to take care of all his official business before moving on to other things.
The problem was, after his conversation with Yuna and Mei was interrupted by Li Sushang, he realized...
Oh, it seems like there aren't that many important things left to discuss.
Everyone knows Otto's true colors now, so it's highly unlikely they'll be fooled by him again.
Before Otto launches his plan, there's really not much Leo Ash can do.
With Otto in hiding, until that old geezer decides to show himself, Leo Ash can't proceed with his own plans, even with Jizō Mitama in hand.
*Sigh*, still so passive.
That old geezer has been lying in wait for five hundred years, with a mountain of backup plans.
Now that the Honkai is accelerating, and he hasn't obtained any of the key elements for his plan, he's bound to get desperate.
The next time he appears will likely be the final battle.
In the original story, there weren't so many variables, allowing Otto to calmly gather everything he needed, biding his time with the authority of Binding until he became a False God.
Now, the conditions for him to become a False God are incomplete, the authority of Binding is with me, and his own power is no longer a threat to me.
"What are you thinking about?"
Walking down the street, Mei pressed herself against Leo Ash and whispered softly.
"Even with that expression, we can tell you have a lot on your mind."
"You've already worked so hard. It's okay to relax a little at a time like this."
"Yeah, exactly."
Yuna, keeping a few steps away from them, looked at Leo Ash's seemingly calm face and sighed.
"Now that we're done talking about work, is there anything else you need to worry about?"
"Or is it that the streets are too crowded, and you can't quiet your mind?"
Looking around, Leo Ash suddenly felt that Yuna wasn't wrong.
*That's right, the people coming and going on the street don't know about the existence of the Honkai.*
*Some of them are smiling happily, some look weary from work, and some, like me, seem to be lost in thought with troubles on their minds.*
*But everyone is trying their best to live, yet all their efforts could be wiped out at any moment because of that one beast's actions.*
*Ugh, no, thinking about this just makes me want to kill Otto even more.*
Seeing that her words didn't seem to have the intended positive effect, Yuna quickly gave Mei a look.
*Do something, Mei! I've tried my best to change the subject, if you don't make a move, I'm out of ideas!*
[That's right, you should make a move.]
[Look at what Poison Ivy is doing. You're clinging so tightly to Leo Ash that she's deliberately keeping her distance to avoid any misunderstandings.]
[If you don't do something soon...]
*W-what are you suggesting?*
[Let me take over. It's just a matter of saying a few words—]
*You didn't succeed last time either.*
[...That was an accident!]
[I even dared to lay a hand on him, you think I can't say a single sentence?!]
Right now, although Mei wanted to keep arguing with the Herrscher of Thunder, seeing the anxiety in Yuna's eyes, she decided it was better not to stoop to her level.
In any case, the Herrscher of Thunder was right about one thing.
Yuna had already tried so hard to help her, so she...
"Leo Ash, if you think it's too noisy here, why don't you come for a walk with us in the countryside?"
"Ah, you can count me out."
After giving Mei a 'you got this' look, Yuna immediately said to them with a cheerful smile.
"I have to go somewhere else first. Let me know if anything comes up, okay?"
Watching Yuna's departing figure, Leo Ash could only think...
—*Sigh, that was so forced.*
[Yeah, really forced.]
*System, can you pull up Yuna's character profile for me?*
[Wow, how rare.]
[But since you asked so sincerely, this System will graciously grant your request.]
After saying that, the System instantly displayed Yuna's character profile.
[Name: Yuna (Surname Abandoned)]
[Identity: Your junior at Schicksal, the Herrscher of Death holding two cores.]
[Current Affection: 71... 70... 71... 70...]
[Note: Stop looking, she's really hard to pursue.]
Honestly, the character profile hadn't changed much since last time.
But what really bothered Leo Ash was Yuna's affection level constantly jumping between 70 and 71... what on earth did that mean?
[You can figure it out yourself. Anyway, today...]
*Today?*
[Hehehe.]
*Oh, hehehe.*
[No, wait, why has your reaction become so boring?]
*We've known each other for so long, do you still expect me to be on edge and jumpy all the time like I was at the beginning?*
*I can't say I completely understand what Yuna is thinking, but I have a rough idea of some of her and Mei's thoughts.*
[So, your approach is to...]
the System said, sounding slightly surprised after sensing Leo Ash's intentions.
[You've really changed a lot after nearly being reduced to nothingness.]
*Maybe it's my instincts awakening, who knows.*
[Going from a herbivore to a carnivore in an instant, in a way, that's practically a sudden mutation.]
*Ha, compared to being a beast of burden that's ordered around and then consumed after being used up, it's obviously much better to be a dominant tiger.*
"Yuna..."
Watching Yuna's retreating figure, Mei could genuinely see a hint of loneliness in her silhouette.
They were companions who lived together every day, but at this moment of Yuna's departure, Mei still couldn't figure out what Yuna was truly longing for.
As for Yuna, who had already chosen to leave, she started humming a cheerful tune.
Her mind was clear; she simply felt that with the atmosphere at this point, she didn't need to worry too much anymore.
Leo Ash, after returning from the Sea of Quanta, hadn't completely changed as a person, but he had certainly become more proactive in some aspects.
Today...
*Oh well, after getting everything done, I should probably stop overthinking things.*
*This happens to be the Class Rep's territory. I'll leave this to Senior for now. I'll go to Mount Taixu again and see if I can meet the Class Rep today.*
*Sigh, the Class Rep hasn't been back to Schicksal HQ for a while now. It must be related to when she injured Senior during her Herrscher Personality's rampage.*
*I wonder if Senior...*
Yuna suddenly recalled what happened the day before yesterday.
Leo Ash happened to be away from Schicksal HQ, and they happened to visit Mount Taixu, and the Class Rep's subordinate just so happened to tell them that the Class Rep was busy at that time.
Yuna hadn't thought much about it before, but looking back on it now...
*Hmm, after Senior returned to us, the first thing he did was resolve Kiana's mental issues.*
*From that perspective, his actions are still the same as before.*
*If he has the ability and opportunity, he will definitely try to handle all problems as soon as possible.*
*And based on this line of reasoning...*
Gazing at the distant Mount Taixu, a complex expression appeared on Yuna's face.
*Combined with Senior's previous action of stealing a kiss from the Class Rep...*
*The day before yesterday, could Senior have secretly gone to see the Class Rep alone, and then...*
After imagining a plot of about five thousand words in her mind, Yuna's desire to go to Mount Taixu grew even stronger.
Although Senior's actions were to comfort Kiana, he had indeed become more aggressive than before.
Whether he and the Class Rep actually did those things would become clear once she saw the Class Rep.
*The core inside the Class Rep is the Herrscher of Sentience core, which [Controls Consciousness]. As long as I stand in front of her and imagine a scene of her and Senior going all out, I can just watch her reaction.*
*Eh, wait, could that be a bit bad?*
Suddenly remembering something, Yuna turned around in horror to look at where Leo Ash and Mei had been.
As a result, the two who were supposed to be there had already quickly walked into a small alley and disappeared from sight.
Others might not know what the two were up to, but Yuna, who had previously been teleported into an alley by Leo Ash using the Quantum Teleportation System, knew very well that Leo Ash had just actively led Mei away from her sight.
In Yuna's view, this should have been something to be pleased about.
However, considering that when Bronya gave her the intel, she also gave her a rundown of the exploits of certain Previous Era Herrschers.
In the Previous Era, the reason Su became a MANTIS was because the Previous Era's Herrscher of Sentience caused a terrible disaster.
That disaster caused a large number of humans worldwide to fall into a coma. From this perspective, the range of the Herrscher of Sentience's authority should be quite large.
Even if the current Herrscher of Sentience has a physical body and can't run rampant as exaggeratedly as the one from the Previous Era, we are currently in an area near the Herrscher of Sentience's active zone, aren't we?
Doesn't this mean...
—*The Class Rep can see everything Senior is doing?*
At this moment, looking back at Mount Taixu, Yuna covered her face in despair.
*No, Senior, you should have been able to figure this out.*
*But the things you're doing now...*
*If my guess is right, then what you're doing now...*
—*Won't it really make the Class Rep angry???*
.....
Meanwhile, on Mount Taixu.
On Mount Taixu, Wendy, who was practicing her sword skills, suddenly felt the surrounding temperature drop slightly.
After raising her wrist to check her smart bracelet, Wendy suddenly felt that maybe she was just a bit too tired.
*Strange, the temperature, compared to just now, hasn't dropped at all. In fact, it's risen by a degree or two.*
*But why do I feel so cold?*
At the same time, Fu Hua, who was sitting cross-legged, suddenly opened her eyes, her expression complex as she looked in a certain direction.
[Hey! Old-timer! What are you spacing out for!]
[Don't you dare say I'm interfering with you and that's why you can't use your authority! You saw it yourself! That little bitch from the Far East, how dare she seduce our disciple like that!]
[You can tolerate this? Even if you can, I can't!]
*Don't say that.*
Listening to the voice in her heart, which was clearly in a state of rage, Fu Hua sighed softly.
*Mei is a good girl. She's incredibly gentle, not the 'little bitch' you call her.*
*A kind person like her deserves happiness. As her friends, we should be happy for her.*
[Whose side are you on! That little bitch, how dare she... how dare she!]
To be honest, Fu Hua wasn't entirely unable to understand the source of the Herrscher of Sentience's anger right now.
A Herrscher Personality is, after all, born from the Herrscher Host's body. Therefore, in terms of emotional tendencies, the Herrscher Personality will share the same inclinations as the host's own personality.
Fu Hua, who had felt guilty towards Leo Ash, was actively granted a core by the Honkai. The Herrscher of Sentience that was born from her would naturally be emotionally biased towards Leo Ash.
And at that time, Leo Ash had secretly kissed her...
*Alright, thinking back now, Fu Hua discovered from the Herrscher of Sentience's memories that the day Leo Ash secretly kissed her was coincidentally the day she felt her injuries had fully recovered.*
*Although she didn't know where Leo Ash got such a bizarre healing method, in retrospect, Leo Ash's kiss at that time was clearly for the purpose of healing, not an expression of romantic feelings.*
But the Herrscher of Sentience, unaware of this, took it as a kiss of oath.
Coupled with the fact that Leo Ash himself was handsome, strong, and very reliable, it was quite normal for the newly born Herrscher of Sentience to fall for him because of this misunderstanding.
And now, while Fu Hua could understand what Mei was doing, to the Herrscher of Sentience, a newly born personality, Mei was clearly stealing away someone important to her.
[Hey! How can you be so calm! That vixen is about to steal our disciple away!]
*Actually, I personally don't object to Leo Ash doing this.*
[Huh???]
[Old-timer, have you really gone senile! The other person is already getting so brazen, don't tell me you're going to be modest at a time like this!]
*If you've seen Yuna's thoughts, then you should also know that the first person Leo Ash completed the rite of love with was Kiana.*
[...W-what are you trying to say?]
*If you think that a latecomer is a vixen who is stealing Leo Ash away, then actually...*
—*In this regard, our position is no different from Mei's.*
.....