In the time that followed, Leo Ash immediately sought out Dr. Magi.
Ever since that incident, the old man hadn't made any significant moves. Instead, he had been coaxed by Leo Ash into dedicating all his time to in-depth research on the HSN serum project.
Because of this, Dr. Magi, who had poured all his energy into the HSN serum, had developed different versions of it, even though he couldn't create the God-Slaying Spear without the Holy Blood.
After all, when his brain wasn't malfunctioning, he was still a genius acknowledged by Otto. Once his mind cleared up, Magi himself could surely see that the initial version of the HSN serum had too severe of a kickback for Valkyries.
Kiana, who was officially B-rank but possessed A-rank strength, was incapacitated by a single shot. If an ordinary Valkyrie were injected with the initial HSN serum, the consequences could be much more severe.
During this period, he developed a new, lightweight version of the HSN serum.
The first person to use this serum was Murata Himeko, and her experience with it had already proven that Dr. Magi's approach was sound.
By balancing the priorities of 'extending a Valkyrie's lifespan' and 'weakening Honkai Energy corrosion', the new lightweight HSN serum was already capable of significantly boosting the user's Honkai Energy resistance while ensuring they retained some combat capability.
And now, Dr. Magi felt a sense of relief upon seeing Leo Ash arrive in his laboratory.
After all, just now...
"Leo Ash, can you explain what's going on?"
As soon as Leo Ash arrived, several Schicksal members had burst into Dr. Magi's research lab, yelling at him, "Doctor, give me a shot, quick!"
Honestly, seeing his colleagues suddenly rush in so frantically with such expressions, shouting such baffling words, it was only natural for the old man to be alarmed.
"This..."
Looking at these colleagues, Leo Ash, who had already used quantum entanglement, knew that they were all Herrschers of Domination.
It was only because the judgment transmitted by The Wavering Scales had led them to make the right choice that they now understood clearly that falling from grace would only turn them into pawns of their true enemy, the Honkai.
But making the right judgment doesn't mean one can act with complete rationality.
People are emotional creatures. Even Leo Ash, the holder of the Sphere of [The Wavering Scales], couldn't achieve complete rationality even in his state of Mind Like Still Water.
For these Schicksal members who had been betrayed by Otto, knew they had gone astray, but couldn't endure the negative emotions in their hearts, the most correct path was, of course...
—To first render themselves incapable of fighting.
"Well... I can only trouble you, Dr. Magi, to use the HSN serum to help everyone suppress the corrosion from the Honkai."
Looking at his colleagues, Leo Ash let out a deep breath and said to the assembled crowd.
"Everyone, please endure it for just a little longer."
"Earlier, when our other colleagues lost consciousness, the cores within their bodies vanished immediately."
"Once the Domination cores leave your bodies, they will attach to others and continue to guide them into becoming apostles of the Honkai."
"So right now, everyone must concentrate on resisting the Honkai's corrosion."
"Alright, enough talk."
One of the Valkyries, dressed in light gauze, snatched the serum from Dr. Magi's hand and injected it into her own arm.
"None of us really know how long we can hold on."
"After you implanted the core, you must have felt it too. That damn son of a bitch is the core of this whole incident."
"We'll serve as 'cages' to seal the cores. As for the main culprit, we're leaving him to you."
After confirming there were no further issues on site, Leo Ash immediately used the Quantum Teleportation System to arrive at Bronya's room.
But after arriving and forcing his way through the metal door, Leo Ash didn't see Bronya.
During such a chaotic time, Bronya, with one of the highest IQs among them, would certainly not be running around recklessly.
So, for her to have disappeared from her room...
*God damn it.*
The authority of the Theater of Domination was just that unreasonable.
And after communicating with my colleagues via quantum entanglement, I discovered that the Herrschers of Domination this time also possess the Previous Era's characteristic of 'one simplified Herrscher ability per person'.
In other words, as long as enough Domination cores are gathered, that Herrscher of Domination can use multiple abilities.
Even if these abilities are weakened by who knows how many times, they're useless in a head-on fight.
But more abilities mean more tactical options.
Plus, the 'master' of the Theater of Domination this time is Otto. Say what you will about his other aspects, but his ability to piss people off is maxed out.
Bronya being pulled away... others might not know, but I know for a fact that she is also one of the 'chosen'.
In other words...
Using the Quantum Teleportation System to go to Anna's room and breaking down the door once more, Leo Ash, as expected, did not find Anna.
Moreover, he could see a cup of still-steaming tea on the table in her room.
*It seems my guess was right. Anna was also 'picked up' suddenly.*
Anna, Bronya, Himeko... and even Chen Tianwu, whom I haven't seen at all.
The four of them have been 100% targeted by the Honkai. Combined with Otto's annoying tactics and the Theater of Domination's ability to manifest the 'dead', it's all too easy to mess with people's minds.
As for this ability to manifest the 'dead', it's not something Leo Ash was just pulling out of thin air.
In the original story, one of the Domination Puppets that the main characters dealt with had a name.
An puppet named [Devana Kaslana] was the official designation for one of the puppets that appeared on the battlefield.
And this Kaslana warrior was not, in fact, appearing in Honkai Impact 3rd for the first time.
The weapon description for the Ranger Pistols mentions a Valkyrie squad called the Dusk & Dawn Squad, which was completely wiped out while fighting an Emperor-class Honkai Beast.
And the Ranger Pistols were the weapons used by Devana Kaslana when she fell in battle.
Years after her death, this puppet appeared in the Theater of Domination. When fellow fans discovered this, they began to speculate.
Could it be that some of the puppets appearing in the Theater of Domination are created based on the 'dead'?
And now, Leo Ash had to prepare for the worst.
The disorganized mobs in the original story were able to use the wounds in people's hearts to try and drag the other Seele, Kiana, and others into the abyss.
But now, the leader of the Herrschers of Domination was Otto.
A ruthless Otto who possessed a vast amount of intelligence could, if he wanted, use the Herrscher's characteristics to create more than enough artificial hells, causing Anna, Chen Tianwu, Himeko, and Bronya to all undergo Herrscher transformation at the same time.
On top of that, Leo Ash's daughter had also been teleported to the Theater of Domination. The number of Herrscher Hosts gathered there now was far greater than in the original story.
Originally, Leo Ash had thought that after forcibly implanting the Domination core into himself, he could enter the Theater of Domination as a Herrscher of Domination himself.
But after implanting the core and setting everyone on the right path, he knew he had oversimplified things.
When he implanted the core, he could feel a flood of negative emotions pouring into his mind.
But at the same time, as he launched his counterattack with The Wavering Scales, he also used quantum entanglement to confirm that one of the Herrschers of Domination was not at the headquarters.
And this Herrscher of Domination was the very culprit behind this whole disaster—Otto Apocalypse.
Otto, wanting to probe Leo Ash using quantum entanglement, had mixed his consciousness in with the other despairing Herrschers of Domination.
And at that time, when Leo Ash used the Sphere of the Scales, Otto was naturally also guided onto the 'right path'.
However, the 'right path' as judged by Otto and the one judged by Leo Ash were not the same.
Unlike his colleagues in the organization who sought to save the world or take revenge on the Honkai, Otto's goal was never that from the very beginning.
For Otto, who wanted to resurrect Kallen, he was undoubtedly on the right path right now.
*A world without Kallen is meaningless... Kallen's death is the fault of all humanity...*
Sensing that Otto still held these two beliefs, Leo Ash felt that he now completely understood Otto.
He understood the fact that—'as long as this old geezer is alive, nobody gets to live in peace'.
And now, Otto, walking his 'right path', was the 'Herrscher of Domination' acknowledged by the Honkai.
Leo Ash's authority regarding the power of Domination was far inferior to that of the Honkai-backed Otto, so he naturally couldn't freely enter and exit the Theater of Domination in a short amount of time.
*But just because I can't right now, doesn't mean there isn't a solution.*
In the original story, Otto used the Key of the Void to enter the Theater of Domination. So now, having Su, an old hand who has controlled the Key of the Void for fifty thousand years, use it would surely allow for an easier entry than Otto's.
*And if my deductions are correct, after Otto enters the Theater of Domination, it's only a matter of time before Kiana is teleported to that godforsaken place as well.*
He still needs the power of the Herrscher of the Void, and once he sets his sights on Kiana...
*—No matter how Kiana came to be, she is still a Kaslana.*
*There's more than one solution. Now it's a race to see whether we can enter the Theater of Domination faster, or if Otto can break everyone else faster.*
Meanwhile, inside the Theater of Domination.
Bronya, who had been suddenly teleported here, summoned Project Bunny and began to warily survey her surroundings.
She had never seen this place before, but from the moment she entered, she felt an unsettling sensation emanating from the area.
She already knew that Isla Ash had vanished right from Theresa's side.
And now, confirming that this was not Schicksal HQ, Bronya was almost certain that Isla must be here too.
Although Isla Ash was certainly not an ordinary child, in everyone's eyes, no matter how smart or mature she was, she was still just a child.
Bronya, who had endured a difficult childhood, knew very well that even if Isla wasn't in immediate danger, she would surely feel anxious.
If possible, Bronya definitely wanted to protect Leo Ash's daughter at a time like this.
*After all... I still owe Brother Leo Ash a lot of favors.*
With this thought in mind, Bronya began to use some of the scanning equipment on Project Bunny to search for any other living beings in the vicinity.
Then, before Bronya had gotten far, her detection equipment found a life form nearby.
"Who's there...!"
As she aimed her cannons at the 'life form', Bronya felt that the man before her...
"No, that's not right. How is this possible!"
The man who appeared before Bronya was dressed in a military uniform and had striking short silver hair.
Of course, those weren't the main points.
The main point was that Bronya had once looked up this man's file in Anti-Entropy's database.
*He... he can't possibly be here!*
"Ah, that hair, that face..."
The man slowly emerged from the darkness. Looking at Bronya's panicked expression, he asked in a trembling voice.
"Are you... my and Alexandra's daughter?"
Hearing the man's words, no matter how much Bronya's mind tried to deny the fact, she couldn't help but ask.
"Are you Alexey Zaychik..."
"My... father?"
"Ah, yes."
Seeing the expression on Bronya's face, a look of comfort appeared in Alexey's eyes.
"You now..."
Looking at Bronya's body, Alexey suddenly cut himself off.
"I can see happiness in your eyes."
"You must be living a happy life now. In that case..."
"—I can finally be at ease."
....