This... this couldn't be happening.
The cascade of failures hit Cao Cao like a series of car crashes, each one more devastating than the last.
First, the man who should have been humanity's strongest was beaten without contest. Then Samael, the ultimate trump card, the Dragon Eater, the weapon specifically engineered by divine curse to annihilate anything with draconic blood, proved completely useless. And now the True Longinus itself, the spear that had allegedly killed the Son of God, the weapon ranked number one among all Longinus-class Sacred Gears, the one armament in existence that could theoretically wound even the Infinite Dragon God...
...had bounced off this kid's chest like a plastic fork hitting a brick wall.
Was he dreaming? Because this had all the logic and coherence of a fever nightmare.
The True Longinus. The True Longinus. The God-killing spear. The weapon that, upon successful contact, could draw blood from Ophis herself.
So why was this guy standing there without a mark on him?
"HEY! Cao Cao, snap out of it!"
Siegfried's voice tore through the haze. The six-armed swordsman had already leaped into the air, all six demon blades descending in a synchronized overhead strike.
CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG-CLANG!
Six impacts. Six sparks. Six blades stopped dead against Bokue's body, ringing out like hammers striking an anvil. Not one of them penetrated so much as a millimeter.
From a spectator's perspective, the scene looked eerily similar to the Justice League dogpiling Superman on a bad morning. Every weapon in the arsenal was pressed against the target, technically making contact, technically surrounding him, and accomplishing exactly nothing.
"Sacred Gears are accessories, not life support systems. They can enhance strength you already have, but they can't compensate for strength you never had. How do you not understand that?"
Bokue covered his mouth and yawned, completely unbothered.
He lowered his hand, glanced at the two men boxing him in with their weapons, and shrugged.
"Alright. You've had your fun. Let's wrap this up."
He reached out and ripped the True Longinus from Cao Cao's grip with nothing but raw physical strength. Then, in a single sweeping arc, he swung the spear horizontally through Siegfried and Georg.
One hit each.
Both men detonated mid-air like bags of wet cement hurled against a wall, bursting apart into clouds of red mist before they could even register what had happened.
Without pausing, Bokue reversed the spear and drove it straight through Cao Cao's chest.
"GUHK—!"
The True Longinus punched clean through. Cao Cao doubled over and vomited a torrent of scalding blood. The wound was instantly, unmistakably fatal.
But he didn't die.
A steady current of spiritual energy flowed down the spear shaft from Bokue's hand into Cao Cao's body, holding his vital functions in a state of suspended animation. Not alive enough to recover. Not dead enough to stop feeling.
"Oh, right. You said something earlier about the Three Factions Peace Summit being brokered under my leadership. That if people found out my 'true intentions,' it would undermine the other mythological factions' confidence in the alliance. Yeah?"
As if the thought had just resurfaced, Bokue brought it up casually.
"There's actually a detail you got wrong. I didn't broker those talks. They just insisted I serve as witness."
...What?
Agony and the encroaching fog of death had nearly shut down Cao Cao's ability to think, but a thin thread of consciousness still clung on.
He didn't broker the peace talks? What did that mean?
"Exactly what it sounds like."
Bokue continued, his tone conversational. Almost bored.
"Like I said, they asked me to be the neutral party. Given how tense relations were between the mythological factions, another war on the scale of the Great War wasn't just possible, it was likely."
"But none of the major factions wanted to fight on their own turf. So they'd pick a weaker mythological territory as the battlefield."
"Japan, for example."
"This isn't something the locals love hearing, but let's be honest: Japan's supernatural power structure is paper-thin compared to the Chinese or European pantheons. It would've been ground zero the moment the big players started throwing punches."
"Which brings us to the real issue."
Bokue looked down at the impaled man from above.
"Their war would've spilled into my territory."
"And they know full well what happens if that occurs. I show up at their front doors and twist their heads off one by one."
"So let me make this very clear. I didn't ask them to form an alliance. Whether they get along or slaughter each other is none of my concern. But if they don't want to lose their heads, they'd better keep the peace and mind their own business."
"Anyway. Goodbye."
Bokue shifted his wrist, preparing to withdraw the spear.
Then he paused.
"Actually, hold on. Not quite goodbye yet."
?
"That black sludge your people threw at me earlier. That came from Hades in the Realm of the Dead, correct?"
A flicker of genuine interest crossed Bokue's face.
"Since he was a co-conspirator in this little assault on Itogami Island, I'll be paying him a visit soon. If you end up in his domain after you die, we might just run into each other again."
"Maybe I'll see you there."
With that, Bokue flicked his wrist and pulled the spear free.
Crimson blood erupted from the hollow in Cao Cao's chest in a violent spray. But none of it reached Bokue. Every droplet dissolved into motes of light before touching his body, evaporating in midair along with Cao Cao's corpse and the lingering blood mist from Siegfried and Georg's remains. All of it, cleaned away in an instant, as if it had never existed.
Only after the rooftop was spotless did Bokue turn around, flash a peace sign at the assembled group, and grin.
"All done. Nothing to worry about."
"WHOOO! That's my former host! Even the ultimate dragon-killing weapon couldn't do a thing to you!"
Ddraig was the first to rush over, practically vibrating with relief now that Samael was gone. She circled Bokue, patting his back, grabbing his hands, giving him a full inspection from head to toe for injuries.
Ophis drifted over as well, floating silently through the air. She extended her slender arms and wrapped them around Bokue, her expression unchanging.
"Bokue Keikain. Protected. Me. Thank you."
The hug lasted approximately one and a half seconds before someone peeled her off from behind.
"Thank him all you want, but keep your hands to yourself. Bokue is mine, meow."
Kuroka slid into position with practiced efficiency, claiming Bokue in a possessive embrace and tilting her face up toward him.
"So, Bokue. You're heading to the Underworld next, aren't you, meow?"
"Yes."
Bokue didn't hesitate.
"I've got a conversation to have with Hades. Shouldn't take long, though. I'll probably be back the same day."
"That said, there's something worth mentioning."
Vali's voice cut in.
"Killing a god sends shockwaves through that god's entire pantheon. If you take out Hades, the Olympians' stance toward the alliance could shift dramatically."
"And?"
Bokue shrugged.
"If they have a problem with it, they're welcome to pick a fight. Assuming they've got the nerve."
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