We entered the castle and saw several figures standing atop the building ahead: Cao Cao, Siegfried, and two others, a hulking man and a beautiful blonde woman, both clad in light armor.
Seeing them here meant they were likely top brass in the Hero Faction.
"You made it here without losing a single person. The ones we sent were mid-tier members, but they were still Balance Breaker users. You've proven yourselves to be strong."
When we fought earlier, I sensed it a bit, but now it's clear, these guys aren't looking down on us like Diodora did. They're observing us carefully, watching. Honestly, it's unnerving.
Still, now's not the time to be rattled.
"Where's Yasaka-san!? Hand her over, now!"
At my demand, Cao Cao shifted his gaze toward a bush just off to the side.
There, flanked by two Hero Faction members, was a blonde, buxom beauty, just like the photo Ikki had shown us before.
Damn! Ikki's going to have that for a mother-in-law? Lucky bastard!
But something was wrong, her eyes were vacant. She was clearly unconscious.
From what I'd heard, Yasaka-san is a Nine-Tailed Fox, a Youkai whose power ranks with the Maous. And if she taps into Kyoto's spiritual power, she can go beyond that, so why was she being restrained so easily?
It made my blood boil. Treating someone's family like this...!
Cao Cao, still calm as ever, lightly tapped his spear against his shoulder.
"I told you, didn't I? We need her cooperation for an upcoming experiment."
Yeah right. Look up "cooperation" in a dictionary, you psychopath.
As soon as he slammed the butt of his spear onto the ground, Yasaka-san suddenly began writhing in pain.
Her body glowed with a bluish-white aura, rapidly intensifying, until she transformed into a giant fox with nine massive tails. The light faded, revealing her majestic new form.
"The legendary Youkai, the Nine-Tailed Fox!"
I knew this wasn't the time to be impressed, but the sheer pressure she exuded was incredible. It reminded me of when we fought Tannin at full strength.
"The Nine-Tailed Fox is among the highest-ranked Youkai. And Kyoto, deeply connected to her, is a city built upon complex ritual arrays, one giant power spot. By combining her strength with the city's, we can summon Great Red into this dimension. Ideally, we'd use a Dragon King as a catalyst, but… well, this was the best we could manage. We considered using the Red Dragon Emperor or Vritra, but sealed Sacred Gears don't work well as sacrifices."
These bastards! So they were planning to abduct me or Saji if necessary!?
But more importantly, did he say Great Red!?
"Why go after Great Red!? He's harmless, he just swims through the Dimensional Gap!"
"True. But our boss is the only one in existence who views Great Red as an enemy. Apparently, he was forcibly evicted from his home, and now wants revenge."
Ugh... okay, I guess that makes sense. Still feels wrong though.
"So what? You lure Great Red here… to kill him!?"
That doesn't make sense. Even Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God, can't defeat Great Red. No matter how powerful their Longinus is, it seems suicidal.
"Maybe not kill. Just trap him, and gather data before he escapes. If we turn the unknown into the known, we might find a weakness. Like… seeing how much damage the Dragon Eater can do to the Red Dragon Emperor."
Dragon Eater? That's different from a Dragon Slayer, right?
"I don't care what you're planning! We're taking Yasaka-san back!"
Azazel-sensei once said no one could predict what might happen if Great Red were tampered with. Maybe nothing. Maybe everything. The risk is too great to let these lunatics get their way.
"Issei's right. Your actions threaten the world. Eliminating you here is the logical response."
"I agree with Xenovia."
"Same here!"
With Xenovia in the lead, the sword-wielders each drew their blades, Durandal, Holy Demonic Sword, and a Light Sword.
"Man, everything turns into a death match when I'm with the Gremory peerage," Saji muttered, scratching his head.
"Sorry about that. This is how we roll."
"Well, if it's for my friends… Vritra, we're going all out today!"
As Saji summoned his power, black serpents coiled around his arms and legs, and a huge spectral serpent appeared behind him.
That looked like a scaled-down version of Vritra from the Loki fight.
"My fragment, who's our prey? The Longinus? The Fox? ...Or shall we burn them all equally?"
Whoa, it talks?
Just then, an overwhelming surge of holy energy burst nearby, Xenovia had raised her new Durandal skyward, unleashing a massive pillar of light.
"Let's be strong. Take this!"
ZAPAAAAAAAAAAAN!!
A torrent of pure divine energy slammed down, engulfing Cao Cao and the others.
Moments later, the blast cleared, revealing a crater where Nijō Castle once stood. The whole area had been flattened.
Xenovia wiped her brow with a satisfied grin.
"Hmm. Just a test swing to get a feel for it, but it looks like it's working fine."
"Test swing!?" I shouted. "That was a freakin' MAP nuke!"
"I did hold back, you know? Heh. Durandal fused with Excalibur isn't even close to full power yet."
"Wait, what!? You fused Durandal with Excalibur!?"
That's two of the strongest Holy Swords in one weapon! How busted is she!?
Xenovia, seemingly smitten with her new blade, lovingly stroked its hilt with a dazed smile.
Oof. Girl, come back to us, you're scaring people.
"Oh, and I gave it a name: Ex-Durandal. If only that had finished them off."
As she turned to the crater, Cao Cao and the others climbed out of the dirt, like zombies from a grave.
They looked unharmed, surrounded by a faint purple mist, Dimension Lost must've shielded them.
"Impressive," Cao Cao said, grinning. "You're nearly on par with high-class devils already. We saw the video of your match with Diodora Astaroth, you've come a long way. Honestly, if Shalba or Creuserey were still around, they'd probably get crushed by you now."
"Well, Shalba was literally crushed," I muttered.
"Haha! Yeah, that video went viral in the Hero Faction. We even uploaded a loop of Shalba getting stomped on, great stress relief."
Cao Cao and Siegfried were chatting like it was nothing. Damn, they're too casual, it's unnerving. And poor Ikki… he's become a meme.
"Before we begin, let me introduce our new allies, Jeanne, Heracles."
"Yo!"
"Hii~!"
Two figures stepped forward. So these are the new additions...
"These two carry the souls of the legendary Joan of Arc and Heracles."
Oh come on! First the descendants of heroes, now the heroes themselves reincarnated!? What is this, a celebrity discount sale!?
"With both Fallen Angel Governor and Maous waiting outside the barrier, we shouldn't waste too much time. Georg, begin the experiment."
"Understood."
At Cao Cao's command, a man in a red coat and glasses, Georg, began activating multiple magic circles around us.
"Judging by his use of Norse, demonic, Fallen Angel, white, black, and elemental magic… he's quite the versatile caster."
=============
40+ Advance Chapters Available on Patreon.com/Veltoria