Meanwhile. Schicksal HQ
Inside Schicksal HQ, Miss Cioara, who had been enjoying a relatively leisurely time, felt her heart sink when she saw the broadcast today.
She had thought that after defecting to Schicksal, she would only have to worry about retaliation from the World Serpent.
But to her surprise, not only had World Serpent been quiet for the past month, but they even had a spy come forward to show goodwill to Schicksal, sharing intelligence about the 'singularity' with the higher-ups.
Meanwhile, Otto, the Archbishop of Schicksal, after being missing for some time, decided to pull a stunt like this today.
If World Serpent's Stigmata Project made them seem possibly insane, then Otto's current actions could only convince Cioara that he was one hundred percent, completely and utterly mad.
Honestly, everyone had some inkling that Otto wasn't a good person.
But even if he wasn't, as long as he could lead Schicksal to continue fighting the Honkai, the uninformed would see him as a saint, and most of those in the know would choose to turn a blind eye.
Even after the incident with the Herrscher of Sentience's surprise attack, Schicksal HQ was still Otto's stronghold in Cioara's eyes.
But what Otto was doing now...
Who declares they're a villain in their own headquarters while simultaneously wiping out the families of everyone inside?! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
If I had known... known what?! Who could have guessed that Schicksal HQ, the safest place in the world, would turn into a living hell today just because Otto had a psychotic break!
Just moments ago, Cioara had even seen several hot-headed Schicksal members, shouting things like 'Lord Bishop Otto can't be wrong, it must be the work of World Serpent and Anti-Entropy!' and 'This woman is a former World Serpent executive, it must be their doing!', charge at her, ready to kill her on the spot.
If it weren't for her status as a prisoner of war, Cioara would have definitely used lethal force against them then and there.
But considering the situation was still unclear, she could only take the trouble to knock these weaker individuals out and try to find Himeko and Theresa, who hopefully hadn't lost their minds, to seek protection.
Then, she suddenly saw a passing Valkyrie stop in front of her.
"You are... Miss Cioara."
Rita, having just effortlessly knocked out a group of Schicksal colleagues, visibly relaxed when she saw the few colleagues lying around Cioara, clearly unconscious but not dead.
"Ah, yes, that's me."
Seeing that Rita's expression was clearly different from the others who had entered a frenzied state, Cioara, as if seeing a savior, immediately said to her.
"This situation isn't right. I think we should contact Bishop Theresa immediately!"
"Yes, I think so too."
Confirming the other had no hostile intent, Rita said to Cioara.
"I was also on my way to find Lady Theresa. In that case, Lady Cioara, please follow me."
"The situation is critical. We cannot afford to split our forces any further."
Having reached a consensus, the two wasted no more time on chatter. They sprinted, exchanging information along the way, until they reached the vicinity of Theresa's office.
Near Theresa's office, Theresa and Himeko, already in their battlesuits, looked at the fallen colleagues on the ground, feeling that the problem was spiraling out of control.
Even with the timely arrival of Rita and Cioara, the situation was so chaotic that adding one or two more high-level combatants wasn't enough to solve the problem.
Moreover, both the Theresa-Himeko pair and Rita and Cioara had a significant, even massive, power gap compared to the others, allowing them the luxury of holding back.
But with Schicksal in utter chaos and colleagues attacking each other like madmen, could they really expect everyone to continue holding back?
That was obviously impossible.
Whatever madness had possessed Otto this time, one thing was certain: his actions were aimed at driving everyone insane.
Broadcasting the footage of him destroying Kolosten directly in Schicksal HQ—even those with the utmost faith in Otto would surely have their minds thrown into disarray.
What's more, Himeko and Theresa knew all too well that Otto was perfectly capable of doing such a thing.
With Schicksal in chaos, in a time like this...
—the one who benefits the most is definitely the Honkai!
If the Honkai were to make a move now, the people of Schicksal would be completely unable to respond.
And even if other branches wanted to send aid, if Otto was broadcasting this at HQ today, how could he possibly spare the other branches?
"Wait."
Recalling the gossip she had heard today, Himeko realized a major problem.
"Rita, isn't Leo Ash with you..."
As the question left her lips, Himeko instantly understood why Rita was acting alone.
Whether Leo Ash had anticipated Otto's move in advance, or had just learned of it, he would not have continued to wait idly by.
"Leo, he already left earlier today."
Confirming that the people before her were trustworthy, Rita said to the four present.
"Perhaps it was because Leo's actions forced him into a corner that Otto chose to play this trump card at this time."
Then, Rita looked at Isla Ash, who was following Himeko and Theresa, and said softly to her.
"Isla, you must not, under any circumstances, leave Lady Theresa's side."
"Schicksal HQ is too chaotic right now. If you leave Lady Theresa, you could be in danger at any moment—understand?"
"Yes, I understand, Aunt Rita."
Isla nodded slightly at Rita and then gave everyone a military salute.
"Isla Ash promises not to hold anyone back!"
"Hmm, we need more controllable combat power right now..."
Just as Theresa was about to say something, she suddenly saw a cat sprint over to them.
"This cat is..."
"Ah, that's Stan."
Seeing the group of Schicksal members chasing after Stan, Cioara volunteered and charged forward.
Anti-Entropy and Schicksal had joined forces, and World Serpent seemed to have no intention of causing trouble for the time being.
With Schicksal in deep turmoil because of Otto, if she wanted to live a better life in the future, she couldn't afford to slack off anymore.
Schicksal was in chaos, and at the same time, the 'enemies' weren't that strong.
In Cioara's eyes, these people were practically free merit points for the taking!
"I don't have any intelligence anyway. You guys continue your discussion, I'll handle these colleagues!"
"Remember to leave them alive."
Watching Cioara charge forward without hesitation, Himeko and Theresa weren't worried about her safety.
They knew Cioara's strength. A powerhouse who could threaten a Herrscher with a Divine Key was still a formidable expert even without it.
If it weren't for the bizarrely increasing number of powerhouses in the Far East Branch where she was semi-imprisoned, a warrior of Cioara's caliber could have easily become the leader or second-in-command of a combat unit in any ordinary branch.
As for Stan, Himeko looked at the cat, which hadn't transformed despite being chased, and thought it was actually quite sensible.
Stan, who possessed the combat power of an Emperor-class Honkai Beast when he unleashed his power, could have dealt with the Schicksal warriors chasing him with just a swipe of his paw.
But he chose to retreat instead of fighting them, which showed that the cat had, for the most part, curbed its murderous instincts after being forced to join Schicksal.
Although no one would blame Stan for taking a life in self-defense at a time like this.
But for Himeko and Theresa, with Schicksal HQ in such a mess, it was a good thing if fewer people died.
But at that very moment, Isla seemed to sense something and frowned slightly.
Seeing Isla frown, Stan seemed to realize something as well. It leaped at Isla, clinging to her leg and refusing to let go.
"This cat... Isla?!"
In the next instant, Theresa's face turned pale as she watched Isla and Stan suddenly vanish at the same time.
It wasn't that Isla had never acted alone before, but the last time, it was because Leo Ash was in danger, and the Key of Binding, which had a strong affinity with the Herrscher of Binding, had guided her. That was how Isla knew what to do.
But now, Isla had just promised not to run off, and in the next moment, she disappeared from right before their eyes...
"Contact Bronya, have her check the coordinates of the tracker on Isla!"
"Hey, something's not right here!"
Cioara, who had thought she could continue her slaughterfest, now faced Schicksal members who had suddenly gained special abilities. She immediately abandoned her attempt to score points and turned to the others for help.
"Give me a hand! These people are like the Previous Era's Herrscher of Domination..."
Ducking a wind blade, a look of terror appeared in Cioara's eyes.
"I'm sure of it! These members of Schicksal HQ have all become Herrschers of Domination!"
"They can use super-weakened versions of various Herrscher powers! This is proof that their Herrscher transformation is complete!"
???
!!!
Watching Cioara get beaten black and blue, her hair nearly burnt off, Rita charged forward without a second thought.
Facing these colleagues, she still didn't draw Skadi of Celestial Frost.
But the fact that she had now materialized Aphrodite, a Pantheon-class weapon, was enough to show that she could no longer knock them out as easily as before.
As for Himeko and Theresa, they too decisively joined the fray.
After a chaotic battle, the four of them looked at their all-unconscious colleagues, the unease in their hearts growing.
Up to this point, Theresa just felt that things had gotten very troublesome.
But Rita and Himeko, who were adept at thinking, had already realized the gravity of the situation.
Since her promotion to 'Vice-Archbishop,' Himeko, who no longer had time for drinking, had spent her free time reading many documents she previously lacked the clearance to access.
And in Schicksal's database, it was clearly recorded that the 'Herrscher of Domination/Herrscher of a Thousand,' could not only fight using miniaturized versions of various Herrscher abilities but could also communicate with each other through quantum entanglement.
The fact that these people were still mindlessly charging at them could only mean that the newly transformed colleagues hadn't calmed down yet, leading to this 'suicidal charge' situation.
But once they successfully established contact with others via quantum entanglement, the problem would become severe.
In the past, the hosts for the Herrscher of Domination were mostly ordinary people, yet even they were enough to throw that world into chaos.
But now, a large number of members within Schicksal were showing signs of Herrscher transformation...
Every single one of them was an elite. A group of elites who fought against the Honkai, now turned into pawns of the Honkai out of despair. This wasn't funny at all, and the problem would only be more severe than in the Previous Era.
When one walks down the wrong path, the greater their ability, the greater the destruction they cause.
A prime example was Otto.
No one would deny Otto's capabilities, but having gone astray, the things he had done now truly made him the biggest bastard of them all.
Now, a group of elites had all turned into Herrschers of Domination.
And because the individual strength of a Herrscher of Domination is far weaker than a normal Herrscher, their awakening doesn't trigger a powerful Honkai Energy surge.
In other words, unless they were thoroughly examined, there was no way of knowing who was a traitor and who was a colleague who hadn't yet despaired.
At this moment, Himeko thought and thought, but couldn't come up with a solution.
She was good at analyzing situations and gathering intelligence, but if the core problem wasn't solved, no amount of analysis would matter.
The culprit behind this incident was clearly Otto, hiding somewhere unknown.
And he was clearly aware of the disaster his actions would cause.
As the former Archbishop of Schicksal, Otto was a symbolic figure, even a pillar of spiritual support for some of his colleagues.
And now, Otto, with this status, chose to tell everyone—Hey, you've all been deceived. Not only did I not want to suppress the Honkai, I was actually letting it develop.
The betrayal by someone they trusted most was truly enough to drive some people to despair.
What was even more terrifying was that, aside from their outstanding abilities, some of the Schicksal colleagues who could enter the HQ shared a common trait with Leo Ash.
They chose to fight the Honkai not because of some noble aspiration or goal.
They chose to throw themselves into this hellish battlefield simply because...
—having had everything taken from them by the Honkai, they wanted to use every means at their disposal to take revenge on the Honkai.
This group of people, who had placed their hopes for revenge on Otto, would only fall deeper into despair upon discovering his betrayal.
Once these completely despaired individuals were fully converted by the Honkai, then...
At that moment, Himeko suddenly found that even she, who already knew part of the truth, couldn't suppress the negative emotions rising in her heart.
Ever since Welt and Schicksal had joined forces, Himeko had long realized that Welt Yang was her former teacher, who hadn't even bothered to change his name.
At the time, Himeko had keenly sensed that her father's death was connected to her former teacher.
However, whether it was to focus on fighting the Honkai or because she didn't want to face it, Himeko ultimately chose not to meet with her teacher alone to discuss the past.
Because of this, Himeko, who never knew the truth, suddenly had some thoughts surface in her mind after Otto mentioned that he had 'killed many Schicksal colleagues in the past'.
Could it be that Dad's death back then... no, it must have been Otto's doing!
Dad repaired the Fourth Divine Key back then, it's recorded in the files!
There are only a handful of people in all of Schicksal who can repair a Divine Key. Back then, Dad was undoubtedly a talent who could threaten the Honkai.
And after he repaired the Fourth Divine Key, he died...
Otto!
That scoundrel, he said it himself, he had killed many Schicksal members who had discovered his true intentions!
It must have been him! He was afraid Dad would threaten the Honkai or had sensed something was wrong, so he killed him!
"Himeko, you..."
Seeing the terrifying killing intent radiating from Himeko, something rarely seen, Theresa immediately shouted at her.
"Murata Himeko, calm down!"
"Calm down? How do you expect me to calm down?"
Even though she knew Theresa was right, Himeko suddenly roared at her in anger.
"Your grandfather killed my father, and you're telling me to calm down now!"
?
Huh?
Grandfather did something like that???
Theresa, who had absolutely no faith in her grandfather's character, took a guilty step back at Himeko's roar.
After all, she had to admit, after today's events, she felt that her grandfather was capable of such a thing...
No, not just capable, he had probably done it many times.
Murata Ryusuke, Himeko's father. The man was indeed a high-level researcher in Schicksal in the past.
Having repaired the Fourth Divine Key, he was undoubtedly one of the potential targets of her grandfather's hunts... so it was normal for Himeko to lose control of her emotions.
As the anger in her heart was completely ignited, Himeko suddenly realized that she no longer felt like herself.
My emotions are not right, doesn't that mean I've also...!
Her expression suddenly changed from before. She tried to say something to the others, but as she opened her mouth...
—just like Isla Ash, she completely vanished from before their eyes.
"Himeko!"
Seeing Himeko disappear as well, Theresa turned to Cioara and Rita with extreme nervousness.
After Isla, Stan, and Himeko inexplicably vanished before her eyes, she was truly worried that her remaining companions would suddenly disappear too.
The situation was already this chaotic. If the missing people couldn't be rescued in time, they would inevitably face dangers beyond Theresa's imagination.
And, even if Kolosten was blown up, Theresa still had to dispatch rescue teams to save any potential survivors there.
At the same time, Leo Ash, who had teleported himself into Theresa's office, witnessed the moment Himeko disappeared, and his expression instantly turned grim.
"Leo, you..."
"Sis, I already know the situation from Bronya."
After taking a deep breath, Leo Ash said to Rita, Theresa, and Cioara.
"Leave this to me."
The three of them watched as blood dripped from Leo Ash's tightly clenched fist.
"I will definitely..."
"...make Otto pay in blood!"