After killing Otto, Leo Ash didn't waste much time venting his emotions.
He hated Otto for betraying humanity, but in the end, Otto was just an attack dog who had defected to the Honkai.
If he wanted to complete his revenge and protect his companions, he had to keep moving forward, not waste time here.
As for Void Archives, currently held in Leo Ash's hand, it sensed how quickly Leo Ash composed himself and immediately abandoned the thought of 'maybe I can try to take over this kid's body'.
Unlike Otto, who had kept Void Archives sealed for 500 years while still needing its data, Leo Ash gave Void Archives a completely different feeling from the start.
It wasn't strange that Leo Ash knew things. People have their own information channels and intelligence networks; knowing some secrets isn't odd.
But just now, while Leo Ash was killing Otto, Void Archives had been observing and discovered that Leo Ash even knew certain details about Saint Kallen's death.
That wasn't something a mere intelligence network could manage.
Of course, as Otto's 'old friend', Void Archives knew Otto had created programs in the Schicksal database to 'recreate the scene of Kallen's execution'.
But those programs, while maxed out on detail, featured a Kallen Kaslana who wasn't the *real* Saint.
In Otto's settings, that Kallen even knew she was just a program.
Under these circumstances, the only possibility for Leo Ash to know those details was that he had truly 'seen' them.
Time travel... parallel worlds... These two guesses immediately appeared in Void Archives' mind.
But whichever it was, Void Archives realized... *Hey, what Otto was chasing is, to some extent, related to these possibilities.*
Plus, given Leo Ash's high regard for Kallen Kaslana herself, Void Archives felt that if Otto had just treated Leo Ash well from the start and done some good deeds, things might not have deteriorated to this point.
As for Otto, that bastard who had sealed it for 500 years, slowly backing himself into a corner and finally getting killed... Void Archives just wanted to applaud wildly with its non-existent hands.
If it didn't know that being too arrogant right now might provoke Leo Ash, it would have laughed out loud several times.
"Void Archives."
Leo Ash looked at the 'relic' in his hand.
"I need allies to fight the Honkai. Can you become my strength?"
Faced with the aura Leo Ash was emitting, Void Archives didn't try any of the obvious, useless bluffs it had used to trick Otto back in the day.
"Of course. I obey your command."
"Good."
Tossing Otto's body to Void Archives, Leo Ash said.
"You can use this body. Just... change the appearance a bit, to avoid you getting beaten up on sight."
"...My deepest thanks to you."
Watching him just hand over the body it had coveted for so long, Void Archives truly felt...
—*Heh, Otto, you son of a bitch, you should have died long ago.*
*Look at Leo Ash! He gave me his trust without a second thought... oh, well, maybe not *that* much trust.*
Sensing the residual Power of Corruption in this body, Void Archives immediately understood why Leo Ash had so decisively given it a body.
For Leo Ash, who could become the 'Herrscher of Corruption' at any time using Jizō Mitama, Void Archives would be restricted by him as long as it used a Soulium Body.
Moreover, Void Archives had heard the original Otto muttering to himself in a cold sweat earlier.
At the time, Otto had suddenly said, 'Impossible, how could Welt create so many Jizō Mitamas?' From that, it seemed the Current Era's Herrscher of Reason had probably mass-produced a ton of Jizō Mitamas, which hard-countered Soulium Bodies.
In other words, if Void Archives ever tried to stir up trouble, forget Leo Ash—any one of the people who came to fight Otto could pull out a Jizō Mitama and instantly disable it.
Having thought this through, Void Archives naturally felt...
—*Hey, that's even more relaxing.*
Leo Ash had a counter to it, which put it at ease.
Because Leo Ash was confident in his ability to counter Void Archives, Void Archives judged that he would, in turn, be more confident in 'using' it.
In the following moments, as Leo Ash watched Void Archives proactively hand over the library's search permissions, he felt like something was... off.
He had indeed given Void Archives some freedom, but now Void Archives, having changed its appearance to that of a normal person, had instantly become Leo Ash's number one lackey...
*Bro, your 180 is giving me whiplash.*
*You're a Divine Key. I just left a little Power of Corruption to rattle your cage, how are you *this* rattled?*
"That's roughly how to use the library catalog... Lord Leo Ash, is there anything else you need me to handle?"
Looking at the sincere face of Void Archives, Leo Ash thought for a second and then gave up thinking about it.
Regardless, Void Archives was a Divine Key created to fight the Honkai.
As long as its goal was 'fighting the Honkai' and it operated under Leo Ash's supervision, it wasn't a potential threat, but a great ally.
As for why Otto's relationship with Void Archives was so toxic, there were many reasons.
On one hand, Otto secretly resented Void Archives.
After all, in Otto's mind, if Void Archives had lent him its power 500 years ago, he wouldn't have had to resort to such extreme measures. He could have just taken the Divine Key, killed his way through, and saved Kallen.
On the other hand, Void Archives *had* tried to steal Otto's body, so Otto's vigilance was justified.
*But now, I still have other things to deal with.*
*Just as I was corroding Otto's body, I used the Power of Corruption and the Quantum Entanglement system to forcefully peek at some of his memories.*
*Turns out, that old geezer had quite a few backup plans hidden away.*
*We dismantled all the Rebirth Programs, true.*
*Mr. Su secured all the weapon launch systems, also true.*
*But Otto, that old bastard, planted a whole heap of contingencies over the past 500 years.*
*Although these remaining plans are nothing compared to his main trump cards, they still need to be dealt with.*
*And now...*
*I wanted to give Otto and his loyalists some dignity.*
*But unfortunately, it seems some people have already started digging their own graves.*
After forming a preliminary plan in his mind, Leo Ash immediately teleported everyone in the theater to Anti-Entropy's Ark.
Meanwhile, Su, who was in The Ark, let out a long sigh of relief when he saw them return, despite his confidence in them.
"Thank goodness. Seeing you all safe, Mr. Leo Ash, I can finally relax a little."
"Mm, thank you for your concern, Mr. Su. Also..."
Looking at Welt, who had been staring at him and Void Archives, Leo Ash spoke seriously.
"Leader Welt, please don't worry."
"Otto Apocalypse is well and truly dead at our hands. We no longer need to worry about him scheming behind the scenes and hindering our fight against the Honkai."
"I don't doubt you, Mr. Leo Ash, it's just..."
Shifting his gaze completely to Void Archives, Welt frowned slightly.
"This gentleman... could you please state your name and origin."
"I sense a familiar power from you. If I'm not mistaken..."
"Oh, your guess is correct. I helped Otto beat you up."
Facing Welt's stare, Void Archives shrugged helplessly.
"But I hope everyone remains calm—I am now completely Lord Leo Ash's subordinate!"
"Besides, Otto was the one who beat you and tricked you! As a Divine Key, I could only be *used* by him. You really can't blame me for that!"
Although at least half the people present had no idea what this stranger was talking about.
The three pioneers of the Previous Era, Bronya, who now held the Herrscher of Reason core, and unlucky victim number one, Welt, and unlucky victim number two, Siegfried—both of whom had been beaten up by Otto using a Divine Key—now understood.
"You're—Void Archives???"
"Sodayo! It's me—don't pull out your gun!"
Seeing Siegfried point a gun at his head without a second thought, Void Archives immediately threw up its hands, speaking nervously.
"The person protecting me is Lord Leo Ash! If you want to fight someone, don't pick on a poor Divine Key, go fight him!"
"Huh?"
Hearing Void Archives' incredibly cowardly words, Siegfried, who was still pumped up from the day's battles, immediately looked at Leo Ash.
"Leo Ash, kid, this thing... aren't you worried it'll cause trouble?"
"Oh, nothing to worry about."
Leo Ash lightly patted Void Archives' shoulder and addressed the crowd.
"Mr. Void Archives is a Divine Key from the Previous Era. He was always our comrade in fighting the Honkai; he was just... 'kidnapped' by Otto."
"Of course, I don't fully trust him yet either. But if he does try to cause trouble..."
At that moment, a Jizō Mitama suddenly floated up next to Leo Ash.
"Everyone understands what I mean, right?"
"Understood! Understood!"
Void Archives immediately chimed in.
"Please, everyone, rest assured! I've truly turned over a new leaf! Please supervise me, I will prove everything with my actions!"
Fu Hua looked at Void Archives, feeling something was off.
She walked over to Su and whispered.
"Su, my memories are a bit hazy... Was the Void Archives she created... supposed to have this personality?"
"Well..."
Su squinted slightly at Void Archives, who had taken over a Soulium Body, and gave a helpless smile.
"It probably would have been more... abrasive. But now..."
"There's a saying in Shenzhou, 'When living under someone else's roof, one must bow their head.' That pretty much describes his current situation."
"Alright."
Kevin, feeling a bit out of place in the current atmosphere, looked at Leo Ash, the decision-maker of the group.
"Our cooperation ends here."
"Leo Ash, my previous invitation still stands. If you can, please come to the World Serpent headquarters."
"Ah, I'll stop by when I have time."
Hearing Leo Ash accept the invitation, Kevin said no more and vanished using the Quantum Teleportation System.
After Kevin left, Leo Ash immediately turned to Su.
"Mr. Su, please connect to my mind."
"Before Otto died, I used Quantum Entanglement and the Power of Corruption to seize some of the intel in his brain. These matters... I think you're the most suitable person to handle them."
"Hah... Mr. Otto."
After connecting to Leo Ash's mind and seeing the intelligence Leo Ash shared, Su shook his head with a bitter smile.
"He really knew how to make trouble. He actually hid all these strange little contingency plans."
"Well, please rest assured. I should be able to handle these small matters within the day."
"Also..."
Looking at Bronya, who was awaiting his instructions, Leo Ash spoke softly to his companion.
"Bronya, you'll stay at Anti-Entropy HQ for now."
"The core you just condensed is the Herrscher of Reason core from Leader Welt."
"I trust Leader Welt's character; he won't harm you for possessing it. I hope you'll stay here and learn how to properly use this core."
"I understand, Leo Ash... Bishop."
"...Wait, hold on."
Hearing Bronya's title for him, Leo Ash immediately looked at the others.
And he found, to his embarrassment, that no one else seemed to have any objection to Bronya's new title.
"What's wrong, 'Bishop' Leo Ash."
Fu Hua asked, using the title in a rare, teasing tone.
"Is there anything inappropriate about that title for you, right now?"
"I just think..."
Feeling the various emotions in everyone's gazes, Leo Ash asked.
"Shouldn't we consider the Matriarch's feelings first?"
"Forget it."
Himeko cut him off, annoyed.
"Theresa was never cut out to be the Bishop in the first place."
*Neither am I.*
"Lately, Isla and I have been handling all of Theresa's work. Her abilities are best suited to being a teacher and a warrior. Making her the Schicksal Bishop is just making things difficult for her."
After saying this, Himeko suddenly walked over to Leo Ash with a grin, grabbed his shoulders, and pushed him to the very center of the group.
"Leo Ash, I know you're a good kid."
*Give me a break. 'Kid'? My two lifetimes combined make me older than you!*
"So, as an outstanding member of the Apocalypse family, you should help the Matriarch shoulder her burdens."
*Forget it. 'Outstanding member'? I just kicked the ass of the Apocalypse family's old ancestor a few minutes ago.*
"Besides, Theresa is Otto's granddaughter, after all. Otto caused such a huge mess today, Theresa's reputation has definitely plummeted. If she becomes the Archbishop, no one will respect her."
*Sigh, that's a big problem... but...*
Looking around, Leo Ash turned to Fu Hua with a deadpan expression.
"Master, how about you let *other* Master be the Archbishop?"
"I think she'd be interested."
"About that..."
Fu Hua thought for a moment, then relinquished control of her body to the Herrscher of Sentience.
Senti popped out and immediately shot back at Leo Ash.
"Shoo, shoo! Don't say things like that at a time like this!"
"How can a master steal her disciple's job? I'm not shameless enough to do that!"
*What job? This is a giant mess to clean up!*
"Mmm, in this kind of atmosphere, what am I supposed to say?"
Yuna suddenly produced a robe from somewhere, walked over to Leo Ash, and draped it over his shoulders.
Seeing Yuna's cheerful gesture, Leo Ash felt his eye twitch.
"It's getting cold, Senior. You should put on another robe."
For those who didn't understand Shenzhou culture, they wouldn't get the hidden meaning of Yuna's actions.
But at this moment, Welt, who had been watching from the side, suddenly let out a *pfft*.
Welt himself had about a quarter Chinese heritage. Even setting aside his other identities, Welt, who understood Chinese history, certainly knew what Yuna's gesture meant.
Seeing the fleeting smile on Welt's face, Leo Ash asked irritably.
"Mr. Welt, what are you laughing at?"
"Nothing. I just thought of something happy."
"Besides, everyone has a point. And you, Mr. Leo Ash, are truly the savior of Schicksal. If you choose to take the position of Bishop at this time, I believe the morale of Schicksal, which plummeted because of Otto's betrayal, will instantly recover."
"You might feel immense pressure, but right now, the most suitable person for this position... is truly only you."
"Accept it. For the sake of Schicksal..."
"—Just take the post."
.