Outskirts of Kamakura City!
Ayato, Erica, and Liliana appeared here.
"There are spells here to ward off ordinary people and create illusions. It seems we've found the right place."
After looking around, Erica nodded, then said to Ayato, "King, what should we do next?"
"Just walk right in."
Ayato shrugged and led the two women forward.
These two types of spells only worked on ordinary people.
To them, they were nonexistent.
Soon,
The ground ahead collapsed, vaguely revealing exposed ruins.
Their appearance also immediately caught the attention of the uninvited guests inside.
"Haha, what perfect timing. Which unlucky bastard has come to die?"
"Don't you all fight me for them."
Amidst sinister laughter, one robed figure after another, flapping their Devil wings, soared up from the ruins.
Terrifying magical energy instantly shook the surrounding area, causing the very ground to tremble.
But...
Looking at these Devils,
The expressions of Ayato and the other two didn't change at all.
These Devils were numerous, but the strongest among them were only Mid-Class Devils.
"Wait, doesn't this man look a bit familiar?"
A Devil looked at Ayato, his pupils contracting sharply.
As if remembering something, his expression turned to terror. "R-Run quickly, he is..."
Crackle!
Before he could finish his sentence, a bolt of lightning descended from the sky.
Boom!
With a roar,
That patch of ground and all the Devils turned to charcoal.
"Let's go."
Ayato leaped and entered the ruins.
Seeing this, Erica and Liliana quickly followed.
[Origin +36]
[Origin +43]
Looking at the sight of the ruins, Ayato raised an eyebrow slightly and warned, "Be careful. The magic barrier in these ruins is still active. There should be some traps."
"Yes, King!"
Hearing this, Erica and Liliana became alert.
The three walked slowly, gradually delving deeper into the ruins.
"Some of the marks here are new. It seems the Khaos Brigade has beaten us here."
Liliana said, "King, should we speed up?"
"No need. Just take it slow."
Ayato's eyes flickered as he gently waved his hand.
He could sense a fairly strong presence deep within the ruins.
Presumably, that was the Devil from the Khaos Brigade.
But the other party seemed to be breaking something and was stuck in a stalemate.
In that case,
It was better to wait for the right moment and take the spoils.
Just then,
A strange aura seemed to spread from all directions.
The three turned to look and saw that, before they knew it, giant serpents seemingly composed of black mist were coiled around the stone pillars all around.
"The aura of these snakes... interesting."
Ayato looked, his eyes flickering slightly.
He was now certain that these ruins might indeed be related to Athena.
These black snakes actually had a faint, almost imperceptible aura of a Heretic God.
"King, leave this to me."
Erica stepped forward, a flash of sharpness in her eyes.
Just now, Ayato had acted too quickly against those Devils. She hadn't even reacted.
Now, as a qualified follower, how could she let her King lead the charge every time?
"Lion of Steel... and he who begets you, the Lionheart. Heed the oath made by knight Erica Blandelli! That which is the essence of the battle, reveal yourself in my hands! Cuore di Leone."
The pleasant voice of the incantation echoed from Erica's lips like a melody.
A silver-white Western sword, resembling a knight's sword, was now grasped in Erica's hand.
This was Cuore di Leone!
A famous magic sword in the magical world.
Swoosh!
A tearing sound rang out as magical energy flowed and surged through Cuore di Leone, ultimately unleashed with a single swing from Erica.
The next instant,
A silver-white slash swept in all directions.
The surrounding black snakes that lunged forward were instantly split in two, dissipating into faint black mist in the air and disappearing.
"She-fox, don't steal the spotlight all by yourself."
Liliana leaped up and also began to recite her incantation:
"My wings. Steel that becomes the form of my phantom blade! Il Maestro, grant me power!"
As her voice echoed, a silver-white saber appeared in Liliana's hand.
This was Il Maestro.
A magic sword whose fame in the magical world was no less than that of Cuore di Leone.
Her figure turned into afterimages. Wherever she passed, the heads of black snakes were severed.
Seeing this,
Erica refused to be outdone.
The two women cleared the path, one on the left and one on the right. No black snake was a match for them.
They were originally geniuses of an unprecedented caliber.
Now, after becoming Devils, they had broken the limits of humanity. Their progress was advancing by leaps and bounds.
On the other side,
The core of the ruins.
This was an ancient hall with an antique design.
Magical energy flickered back and forth, and the terrifying momentum constantly surged.
Creuserey was struggling against a barrier, a light sweat on his forehead.
He hadn't expected that even with the power of Ophis, making him strong enough to rival a Satan,
Breaking this barrier would be this taxing.
"Dammit, just break you damned barrier!"
With a roar, his magical energy exploded to its utmost limit. A vast, brilliant magic circle unfurled beneath his feet.
Finally,
The barrier could no longer hold and shattered with a crash.
Boom!
A terrifying explosion accompanied the roar.
But it was quickly drowned out by a burst of mad laughter.
"Hahaha, finally got it."
Creuserey reached out his hand, and an ancient medallion was now in his grasp.
"With this, even that Athena will have to cooperate with us."
But the next moment, a calm voice reached his ears.
"I must say, thank you for the hard work of breaking the barrier. But I'm very interested in this item. Can you hand it over?"
Creuserey's pupils contracted sharply as he immediately looked toward the direction of the voice.
There,
A man and two women had appeared at some point and were leisurely watching him.