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Boom!
The battle raged on.
The exchange between Suzaku and Inugami Gyobu didn't last long.
Their grudge was long-standing and deep-rooted, this wasn't something that could be resolved with words. Neither side had any intention of backing down.
Gyobu's yokai aura surged violently, and he alone was enough to hold off most of the Inner Sanctuary's top-tier combatants.
Suzaku and the other Sacred Beast hosts, along with the Four Fiend Sacred Gear wielders, had split into two teams to take on Gyobu and Onra respectively.
Meanwhile, the Oz mages' entry into the fray forced another formidable combatant to emerge from the Five Great Clans' side.
A woman in a pristine white mage's robe stood before them. The hem of her skirt, split high along the thigh, fluttered with each gust of wind stirred by magic, revealing a sheen of dark stockings.
On her head sat a pointed sorceress hat. Golden hair spilled from beneath the brim like ripe wheat. Her features were elegant and striking.
"Well now… to run into Glenda's little protégé here? I didn't expect that," the elderly Augusta narrowed her eyes, her tone amused.
At her words, the temperature plummeted.
White frost spread visibly through the air around them, a biting chill utterly at odds with the season.
The source of this frost was the golden-haired girl standing across from Augusta.
Her name: Lavinia Reni.
Orphaned at a young age by a tragic accident, she was taken in by the Southern Witch of Oz, Glenda. As she grew, she was sent to train under the Grey Magus Order.
Years later, her master was attacked by Eastern witches of Oz. Since then, Lavinia had hunted them relentlessly, seeking answers.
She had once clashed with Augusta in the past, but the old witch had slipped away. This time, Lavinia wouldn't let her escape.
"That glare of yours is chilling, hard to believe you were Glenda's apprentice," Augusta said with a mocking smile.
"You made me this way."
Lavinia's eyes were cold and full of hatred.
"Where is my master?!"
Augusta continued smiling. "I'll tell you, if you come with me… Ice Princess."
With that, her figure vanished.
Lavinia didn't hesitate. She knew Augusta hadn't gone far, just somewhere prepared. She triggered her magic and pursued the traces left behind, fully aware it could be a trap.
But there was no turning back.
Walburga remained at the front lines.
The youthful witch smiled brightly as she rallied her comrades from the Night of the Witches.
"Let's give them a proper riot, shall we?"
She raised her hand, and a magic circle bloomed above her palm, spewing forth a blazing fireball.
Fireball Spell, one of the most basic offensive techniques.
Though humans could learn demonic magic, few became truly skilled. Despite flying through the skies, most of these witches were on par with low-ranking exorcists from the Five Great Clans.
As always, the real tide of war depended on the clash between elites.
All of Tokyo had descended into chaos.
To Rod, it looked about as messy as an English pie staring up at the stars.
But he had his own goals.
Two missions, defeat the two great yokai, or help them break through the sanctuary's barrier.
At first glance, it seemed he could only pick one. But Rod had never believed in choosing between "either/or."
Why not both?
Given the current state of the battlefield, destroying the Inner Sanctuary's barriers seemed like the quicker path.
Boom!
Another earth-shaking blast thundered across the battlefield.
The third barrier finally collapsed under the combined assault of the Hollow Cicada members and the yokai forces.
Only two layers remained, the strongest ones. And the exorcists' resistance had grown increasingly fierce. They clearly knew they couldn't afford to fall back any further.
The advance slowed, bad news for Rod.
He pushed his Presence Concealment EX skill to its limit. So long as he didn't waltz right up to someone's face, none of the defenders would notice him.
If it was a barrier, there had to be a core, an array eye.
Rod didn't know how to identify those, but thankfully, the system had marked every key location for him.
All he had to do was follow the arrows and smash things.
No brainpower required.
Following the system's guidance and armed with his concealment, Rod stealthily destroyed the key nodes of the fourth barrier.
With a deep rumble, the barrier shattered.
The spellcasters assigned to its defense were completely baffled. They had no idea what had just happened.
But before they could regroup, the fifth and final barrier around the Inner Sanctuary's estate began to shimmer and distort.
And then, in full view of everyone, it shattered into light.
"The fifth barrier's down! What the hell is happening?!"
Even Suzaku, locked in battle with Gyobu, couldn't hide her shock.
Those very barriers were the reason she'd dared leave the sanctuary to fight.
Now that the final layer was gone, panic rippled through the entire Five Clans' defensive lines.
"No... the seal inside the sanctuary... we can't let them get to it!"
Suzaku's eyes widened.
All the talk about ancient grudges and revenge had just been a distraction.
Their real goal was the Treasure of Uji.
That ancient vault within the Inner Sanctuary contained sealed relics: the heads of Japan's three greatest yokai demons, Shuten-dōji, Ōtakemaru, and part of the golden nine-tailed fox's remains.
It also held sacred relics of legendary monks, the lost "Cloud-Hid Scroll" of The Tale of Genji, and countless other priceless artifacts.
Gyobu and Onra had played the role of vanguard, drawing the clan's heavy hitters into open battle.
Meanwhile, the Oz witches and Hollow Cicada saboteurs harassed the remaining defenders.
And finally, a small elite team had slipped through, dismantling the barriers and infiltrating the vault.
Damn it!
She should've seen this coming!
Though the sanctuary's barriers were powerful, if the attackers included Oz mages armed with intel from traitorous ex-clan members, breaking through wasn't impossible.
Realizing this, Suzaku began to retreat. She ordered the others to hold the line while she flew toward the sanctuary estate.
Rod, meanwhile, had no idea what this "Treasure of Uji" was.
He simply saw the system message pop up:
[Mission "Assist in breaking the Inner Sanctuary's five barriers" completed!]
[Reward: Reputation +10 with Night of the Witches, Tokyo Yokai, Abyssfall, and Hollow Cicada. Item acquired: "Senzu Beans" ×50]
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