Two dark blue eyes slowly opened to the world, gradually absorbing the light and focusing on the surroundings.
"The sleeping beauty has finally awakened!"
Cao Cao was greeted by the familiar, cheerful voice of his brother and friend, Alexandre Ikuse, who was sitting in a chair beside the bed where he lay.
When the boy fully regained his senses, he sat up abruptly but winced as pain coursed through his body.
"Hey, don't make such sudden movements. I asked Kuroka to use Senjutsu to heal you, but don't overdo it."
Alexandre said as he helped the boy sit up on the bed.
"Alex, what happened…" the boy's eyes suddenly widened. "What happened to Ares?"
"No need to worry about him; Ares is dead. You killed him."
Hearing his brother's words, the boy's face was in shock.
"So, tell me, Cao Cao, what's it like to awaken your Balance Breaker?"
The boy's eyes widened at his brother's words.
Although he had awakened his Longinus a long time ago, he still hadn't reached the point of achieving Balance Breaker.
No, that wasn't entirely accurate. He had certainly reached a level where he could awaken it, but he had never actually done so.
Cao Cao felt he could activate it, something he sensed when he faced Ladon, but when he tried during training afterward, he couldn't.
"I must say, it was sublime. A Subspecies Balance Breaker—you killed Ares with just two strikes, truly worthy of being called a Supreme Longinus."
Alexandre nodded calmly at the boy.
It was then that the descendant of the Chinese Hero noticed something and turned to his brother.
"Alex… did you know Ares was behind it?"
The Hakuryuukou had a mysterious smile on his face.
"You want to know about the village incident? Well, yes. A few months ago, I discovered that Ares was collaborating with an organization called the Khaos Brigade, which gathered dangerous individuals from various mythologies. Ares seemed to be trying to build an army of werewolves due to their regenerative capabilities and abilities, while using his own Authority over War to strengthen them. If he hadn't been stopped, he would've assembled a dangerous legion under his command."
The wielder of the White Dragon explained calmly, maintaining a composed smile on his face.
"So… you sent me to that place knowing I'd have to face a god…"
"Yes, because I had confidence in you," Alex nodded firmly. "I thought it would be a good catalyst for you to awaken your Balance Breaker…"
The Balance Breaker was the final activation of a Sacred Gear, considered a forbidden power that broke the world's balance.
Some Balance Breakers could be achieved through training alone, making the user's body strong enough to withstand the activation.
That's how Alex achieved the Balance Breakers of [Regulus Nemea] and [Divine Dividing].
However, a strong body wasn't always enough.
The Balance Breaker was often triggered by intense emotions combined with a shift in the wielder's heart or spirit.
Usually, when someone reached the level of Balance Breaker, they would unlock the original Balance Breaker of the Sacred Gear.
But there were exceptions. Even upon reaching the level of Balance Breaker, a person might not awaken it due to another factor.
A Subspecies—a form of Balance Breaker created by the wielder's desires and feelings, granting abilities the Sacred Gear wouldn't normally have.
The Sacred Gear would absorb the wielder's desire, becoming the vessel to fulfill it. A Subspecies could only be awakened by the user's emotions.
The original Balance Breaker of the Holy Spear was [True Longinus Götterdämmerung], but Cao Cao had never managed to use it.
Alexandre realized it was because of his friend's feelings. The Holy Spear was adapting to suit Cao Cao's desires, creating a new Balance Breaker.
But a catalyst was needed for it to awaken.
Regular training wouldn't do; Cao Cao needed to face a powerful enemy he couldn't defeat, so that when his emotions surged, the spear would respond.
The battle against Ares was the catalyst for that.
"But if you think I'd leave you alone, you're wrong. I watched the battle with my magic and would've intervened if necessary. I considered that battle necessary for your growth."
"I understand."
Cao Cao nodded, though he felt a bit upset that his brother hadn't said anything. He understood Alex's point.
"Next time we fight, I'll beat you with my Balance Breaker."
"Hahaha, it'll take you a hundred years to think you could beat me."
Alexandre laughed heartily while Cao Cao huffed.
"So, the prodigy boy's awake, nya~"
Cao Cao looked to the side, seeing the familiar black cat Youkai, Kuroka, at the door with a smile on her face.
"You're the one who healed me, right? Thanks."
"No worries, prodigy boy. I already got my reward. Your brother knows how to thank a girl, nyahahaha~"
Kuroka laughed cheerfully while Cao Cao huffed at the cat's vulgar manner.
"So, Cao Cao, I think you're good, so how about we invade the Norse Pantheon?"
Both Kuroka and Cao Cao turned to the White Dragon Emperor with incredulous eyes at his suggestion.
"Alex, are you thinking of messing with that Valkyrie or going after Freya? I'm really not in the mood."
"You're mistaken, Cao Cao," Alex said with a surprisingly serious tone. "We're not going there for reasons like that."
"We're going to the base of the World Tree, toward the Well of Knowledge."
The boy's eyes widened in shock.
Above the skies of Europe, there was an entire kingdom hidden from the human world in another dimension. This was the Kingdom of Asgard, created by the Norse Gods.
Hidden within the Dimensional Rift, the dynamic duo of brothers observed everything silently.
"Tell me again, why did I agree to this?"
"Because I'm your super awesome brother who saved you when you were on the brink of death, and more importantly, I'm your legal guardian, which means I'm in charge."
In response to Cao Cao's question, Alexandre said cheerfully with a smile, making the spear wielder huff.
"I hate you."
"I love you too, you ungrateful brat."
Alexandre said cheerfully as he raised his hand, a magic circle with various formulas and diagrams floating rapidly and shifting.
"Can't we just barge in like we usually do?" Cao Cao asked, not understanding why they were waiting.
"It's not that simple," Alex said, shaking his head. "The Norse Faction's realms are divided into layers, each guarded by tons of spells and, above all, divinity."
"All the realms are covered by an extreme divine power that acts as a protector and stabilizer. Their Authorities are really troublesome. Remember Freya's effect on you?"
Cao Cao nodded slowly, recalling how he couldn't help but be drawn to Freya and couldn't resist due to her aura. He was able to gain resistance to it thanks to the sacred protection of the [True Longinus].
"The Authorities of the Gods are their sources of power; it basically works as 'making something happen because they have the right to make it happen.' While combat-oriented Authorities are scary, those that manipulate emotions are too. As humans, we can't fully resist them, only gain resistance."
Cao Cao recalled the passive effect of Freya's Authority, which made everyone fall for her. Love Gods could basically manipulate feelings at will.
Of course, Alex and Cao Cao had resistance thanks to Alex's magical barriers in his mind and the spear for Cao Cao, but even so, the Authorities still affected them slightly.
[You're diving into the realm and territory of gods, which will make their power and Authorities much stronger,] Albion commented to the two, appearing as a blue light in Alex's right hand.
"We're basically fighting privileged guys on their home turf," Cao Cao said sarcastically. "Why can't we just invade like usual? You've done it plenty of times."
"The difference is the place we're going," Alexandre explained. "If it were Asgard or one of the Nine Realms, I could use [Dimension Lost] to bypass the protections and sneak in, but the place we're headed is impossible to do that."
"Though I could enter with [Dimension Lost], the moment I did, we'd be detected instantly. This is basically the most protected place in the Norse Faction. The only way to get in without alerting everyone is essentially to have an invitation."
"And I suppose you have one?" Cao Cao asked, looking at his brother.
"Why do you think I kept invading the Valkyries' home and provoking their Queen, and also slept with Freya? The Valkyries manage everything in the Nine Realms, and they have the key to this place."
Cao Cao stared at his brother with blank eyes.
"You really think I slept with Freya and kept provoking Brunhilda for fun?"
"I do."
"Damn, you're right."
Alex grumbled as Cao Cao sighed, now understanding that his brother's plan had been in motion for a while.
Who would've thought his brother's perverted adventures in the Valkyries' realm were to figure out how to reach the most protected place in the Nine Realms?
Alexandre turned his gaze forward, a golden magic circle in his hand as formulas swirled around him.
"Well, let's start a tutorial on how to sneak into the realm of the gods."
Alexandre raised his hand and touched a point in space.
"Here it is…"
With a cracking sound, the space in front of Alexandre split, and a portal appeared.
"Sneaking into the Realm of the Gods may seem hard, but it's easier than it looks if you remember one thing."
"Gods love having internal conflicts. Since most problems arise from gods messing with each other…" Alex used his magic to stabilize the opening in space. "And in Asgard, we have a trickster."
"You mean Loki?"
"Exactly," Alexandre smiled as he looked at the portal, unconcerned that he had used pure, simple magic to break through the defenses of an entire pantheon.
"If you liked the tutorial, please leave a like and subscribe for more."
Cao Cao looked at Alex with a blank stare.
[Not a fan, seems complicated.]
"Where's the button to unsubscribe and mute this channel?"
"Idiots."
Alex grumbled as he finally entered Asgard, followed by Cao Cao.
After arriving, they found themselves in an extremely lavish corridor filled with statues of gods and the like.
"My eyes hurt," Cao Cao grumbled, seeing so much shine. "Why are we in Asgard, anyway? Weren't we going somewhere else?"
"Our shortcut is here."
Alex commented as he began walking with Cao Cao at his side.
"Who's there?" The two suddenly heard a strong voice that caught their attention.
Several meters ahead stood two extremely beautiful women with red hair and purple eyes, likely sisters. One had long, loose hair, and the other had long hair in a braid. Both wore particularly revealing Valkyrie armor.
[I want to shake the hand of whoever made those armors.]
"Probably Odin, that pervert."
The two Valkyries raised their weapons, pointing at the duo. Cao Cao prepared to summon his halberd.
In response, Alex raised his hand.
"Identify—"
The two Valkyries were suddenly thrown against a wall, creating two massive holes before they fell to the ground unconscious.
[Rip.]
"Rip."
Cao Cao blinked in surprise, especially since it made no sound, courtesy of a sound-isolating barrier created by Alex.
"What was that?"
"I'm trying to create my own version of Ajuka Beelzebub's [Kankara Formula], basically using formulas and calculations to manipulate the space around them. I think I need more practice to get close to the Maou."
Alex commented with a shrug.
Cao Cao sighed. "So, what do we do with them?"
"We can't let them report us."
Alexandre extended his hand, gathering his magical power to fire at the women.
[You'd better not do that, Alex,] before the human could make the Valkyries disappear, he heard Albion's voice.
[The entire realm is connected to the divinity of the main gods. Any attempt to kill someone protected by the local gods will alert everyone,] Albion said, making Alex raise an eyebrow.
"Seriously? Now that I've already gotten in, it doesn't matter much…"
[Want to be chased by a bunch of gods who could potentially rival my power since they're in their own territory?] Albion made his point, causing Alexandre to lower his hand.
"You know what, after thinking about it, I see it's not a good idea to kill them," Alex said as Cao Cao sighed.
"But I need to do something…"
Alex snapped his fingers, creating a magic circle beneath the Valkyries that quickly began healing their bodies. Then he pointed a finger, firing two small, glowing lasers that hit the Valkyries' heads and vanished.
The two Valkyries slowly stood up and looked at the duo.
Cao Cao expected some reaction like hostility, but imagine his surprise when the two quickly bowed.
"L-Lord A-Alexandre and Lord Cao Cao, what are you doing here?"
The older-looking Valkyrie with loose hair stammered while looking at Alexandre with what Cao Cao could only describe as pure admiration.
Continue…