So, where exactly was the mastermind behind all of this?
The moment that question arose in his mind, Leon already had the answer.
It couldn't be helped; he had already altered the weather of this entire pocket dimension, drenching all of Kuoh Town in a torrential thunderstorm. Yet, even so, there was one place that seemed to be under special protection. While every other area was being riddled with holes by falling lightning, that spot alone remained perfectly unscathed.
It was a vast plaza located in the center of Kuoh Town.
The plaza was surrounded by supermarkets, hotels, restaurants, and cafes—the very picture of a commercial center.
Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!
Breaking sounds echoed from the horizon one after another as Leon and the others flew in, landing in the plaza.
There was still no one here, not even those black monsters. Only a thin layer of mist drifted through the air, causing the members of the Eligos Peerage to feel a surge of vigilance.
"Over there!"
Yukino Yukinoshita, whose magical detection abilities were outstanding, locked onto the enemy's position almost instantly and pointed in one direction.
There, within the drifting thin mist, several figures slowly stepped out and came before the group.
"Yo, long time no see, Master of Eligos."
A young man dressed in hanfu was the first to emerge from the mist. A familiar, fearless smile hung on his face, and his eyes burned as bright as torches as he looked at Leon's group, greeting Leon like an old friend.
Over his shoulder, he carried a spear longer than his own height. The divine fluctuations emanating from the spear made everyone present feel goosebumps erupt across their skin; it was a sensation of horror, an instinctive dread.
"That... that spear is—?!"
Ravel could not hide her agitation, her voice trembling.
"Dangerous!"
Ram, Rem, Asuna Yuuki, Utaha Kasumigaoka, and Mahiru Shiina all stared intently at the spear as if they were looking at a monstrous beast.
"The True Longinus—"
Yukino Yukinoshita murmured, her voice unable to mask her wariness.
Only Leon looked at the Saint Spear user opposite him with an expressionless face and spoke.
"What's the reason this time for the Hero Faction and the Old Maou Faction to be hooking up together?"
This wasn't exactly a cross-examination, just a slight curiosity.
After all, although the Hero Faction and the Old Maou Faction belonged to the same organization, as two factions with different ideologies, their relationship was far from good.
The Old Maou Faction was a group of warmongers who looked down even on Angels and Fallen Angels. Their greatest ambition was to completely eradicate both and let Devils dominate the world. How could people like that respect a group of humans using relics left behind by the God of the Bible?
The Hero Faction was no different. To prove that humans could overcome the strong with weakness, they viewed all supernatural beings as challengers that must be transcended. The fanatics of the Old Maou Faction, who placed extreme importance on Devil bloodlines, were bound to be targets they wished to strike down.
One could say it was a miracle that these two factions could coexist in one organization.
If it weren't for the fact that both sides planned to use the leader's power to achieve their own goals, these two factions would surely have been the first to start a fight with each other.
From what Cao Cao had said last time, it was clear they held those of the Old Maou Faction in contempt.
As it turned out, the incident with Luffy Trix last time was one thing—they had only provided technical support and hadn't taken the field themselves—but this time, they had come in person.
"Don't be nervous. We in the Hero Faction are still like fire and water with those arrogant Devils; we don't get along at all," Cao Cao said with a laugh, tapping the Saint Spear against his shoulder.
"This time is purely a rare opportunity. They wanted to do something to the big shots of the Three Great Powers, while we were more interested in you. So we simply struck at the same time, but we didn't plan to act as one."
"I'm sure you've noticed by now, right? Only the Eligos Peerage is in this pocket dimension. Everyone else is absent."
"Therefore, this battlefield belongs only to us—to the Eligos Peerage and the Hero Faction."
As Leon and the others had suspected, no one else was here. Perhaps they were in the real world, or perhaps in another pocket dimension, separated from them.
The Hero Faction and the Old Maou Faction must have agreed beforehand to deal with their respective targets of interest without interfering with one another.
"What is your ultimate goal?" Yukino Yukinoshita demanded. "Why target us specifically?"
"The reason is very simple, second young lady of the Yukinoshita family," Cao Cao said, flashing a bold smile at Yukino. "Zenith Tempest, Incinerate Anthem, Absolute Demise, Holy Sword Creation, Create World—these rare and powerful Sacred Gears should have been the precious property of humanity, the few powers weak humans can rely on to overcome other races."
"If these powers belonged to our Hero Faction, our confidence would undoubtedly grow much stronger."
"It should be said that you, who possess these Sacred Gears, should have been the talents we craved. To think you were led astray by Devils... don't you think that's a pity?"
"So, we chose you as opponents for three reasons: first, to let you witness the power of humanity and make you regret reincarnating as Devils; second, because most of us are Sacred Gear users, it's only natural to be interested in you who hold rare gears; and third, if we eliminate you here, these Sacred Gears will choose new hosts. In the future, they might come to our side and become our strength."
As he spoke, Cao Cao raised the Saint Spear in his hand and pointed it at Leon.
"Of course, wanting to settle the score between the number one and number two Longinus right here is also one of the reasons we targeted you. However, that is my personal wish and has nothing to do with the Hero Faction as a collective."
A scorching battle lust burned in Cao Cao's eyes as he stared at Leon.
That intent was as thick as Vali's.
Clearly, like Vali, Cao Cao was essentially a battle maniac.
Since Leon had already been targeted by him, he naturally wouldn't let go easily.
"You didn't fight to your heart's content last time, right?" Cao Cao said cheerfully. "This time we can let loose, Master of Eligos."
Hearing this, Leon smiled.
It was a smile devoid of much emotion.
"You're going to regret why you didn't finish the fight last time and just take me out."
Leon spoke those words.
"It's not too late now."
Cao Cao countered sharply.
The two stared at each other, and a tension-filled atmosphere instantly permeated the air.
In the next second, both vanished from their spots simultaneously.
Boom!!!
Almost at the same moment, a deafening roar erupted in the sky above the plaza.
The figures of Leon and Cao Cao had soared into mid-air at some unknown point. One unleashed a vast expanse of heroic thunder, while the other released a torrent of light. The two powers collided in mid-air, instantly triggering a terrifying shockwave.
The shockwave, like invisible colliding stars, surged violently, shaking the atmosphere and the earth until the entire world seemed to vibrate.
Under these conditions, Leon and Cao Cao engaged in a fierce battle in mid-air, with roars and shockwaves erupting one after another.
"Minister!"
"Lord Leon!"
Seeing this, the girls of the Eligos Peerage were about to act when they were intercepted.
Swish!
A figure darted out from the thin mist at an incredible speed, charging straight toward the girls and swinging a pitch-black blade at one of them.
Clang!
Amidst the sound of clashing metal, the pitch-black blade was blocked by a thick wall of ice, causing ice shards and sparks to fly out together.
"It's you?!"
Standing behind the ice wall, Yukino Yukinoshita's expression changed as she looked at the person who had suddenly attacked her.
"It's me."
The girl smiled sweetly, yet her entire body radiated a terrifying killing intent.
Blonde hair, blue eyes, an exotic beauty wearing a veil and a nun's habit, holding a pitch-black blade shaped like a fang in each hand—
Who could it be but Sharon Holygrail?
"We meet again, Yukino Yukinoshita."
The smile on Sharon's face was very beautiful and her voice was sweet, but her gaze was colder and more intimidating than the ice wall in front of Yukino, sending a shiver down one's spine.
"Tch." Yukino clicked her tongue audibly. "You really are like a persistent ghost."
"That is also thanks to you," Sharon said with a smile. "Knowing I am a persistent woman, you should have killed me directly last time instead of just freezing me. Didn't that just give me the chance to be rescued and regroup to seek my revenge?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Sharon kicked through the ice wall in front of her and swiftly swung her blades toward Yukino.
That brilliant black slash contained visible, exquisite technique. It was fast and urgent, giving Yukino the feeling that Sharon seemed to have grown stronger again.
But she wasn't the only one who had grown stronger; Yukino Yukinoshita had also grown at an incredible pace.
"It seems you have joined the Hero Faction."
Without Yukino appearing to do much, her body seemed to be blown back by a gust of fine snow. She drifted backward lightly, dodging Sharon's black slash while posing her question.
"Yes, I joined the Hero Faction long ago." Sharon narrowed her eyes. Looking at Yukino, who was becoming increasingly at ease in their confrontation, a momentary shadow passed over her face before her smile returned. "After being heavily injured by your master at the Yukinoshita residence, I received an invitation from the Hero Faction and joined this group of descendants of human heroes."
"These dual exorcist swords—Devil Slayers—are weapons the Hero Faction prepared for me."
"Because I am not a Sacred Gear user but carry Devil factors in my body, they prepared these weapons for me."
"The reason I appeared in that labyrinth pocket dimension last time was because I personally requested to go."
Sharon bit her finger and fed her blood to the fang-like black blades in her hands.
The black blades devoured the blood with near-greedy intensity, immediately emitting a terrifying malefic aura that enveloped Sharon's entire body.
Next, Sharon lowered her body into a charging stance.
"This time, I will definitely eliminate you."
Sharon's voice was cold and filled with malice.
In the past, Yukino surely would have been intimidated by such a Sharon.
But now, she was no longer the person she used to be.
"Did you think I was still my old self?"
Yukino's eyes turned an icy blue, and a freezing chill erupted from her entire body. Behind her appeared a three-meter-tall heteromorphic princess, causing her hair to flutter in the freezing wind.
"This time, I will also wipe away my past disgrace and truly defeat you."
The current Yukino Yukinoshita was qualified to say such words.
Sharon said nothing; she simply stomped on the ground, her body shooting out like a bullet toward Yukino.
At the same time, the rest of the girls were also blocked by Hero Faction members who suddenly appeared from the mist.
Clang!
Asuna Yuuki was trading blows with a blonde, foreign older woman. The sound of blade meeting blade was clear and pleasant to the ear, causing clusters of sparks to scatter as the two were forced apart.
"You're also a Holy Sword user?"
Asuna was somewhat surprised as she looked at the sword in the other's hand.
It was a rapier radiating a divine aura.
Undoubtedly, it was a Holy Sword.
"Hehe." The blonde woman smiled playfully. "Aren't these things available in whatever quantity we want for us?"
The blonde woman reached out her other hand and actually created another Holy Sword in it.
Yes.
She could create Holy Swords.
"You—"
Asuna was stunned.
"Allow me to introduce myself." The blonde woman licked her lips and smiled. "I am the one who inherited the soul of the Holy Maiden of Salvation, Jeanne d'Arc, and I am also a 'Holy Sword Creation' holder just like you."
Although the Sacred Gear "Holy Sword Creation" was rare and powerful, it was not a Longinus and therefore not unique.
While the occurrence of two "Holy Sword Creation" holders in the same era was incredibly rare, a case was encountered right here today.
"You can just call me Jeanne, little sister," Jeanne said with a giggle. "As fellow users of 'Holy Sword Creation,' why don't we have a nice chat to build our rapport?"
Asuna did not speak; she simply grew serious, her gaze turning sharp.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
On the other side, a grand series of explosions was taking place in the plaza, with the sound and the blast waves appearing simultaneously and sweeping across the entire area.
The source of the explosions was an extremely tall and burly man.
He was wildly swinging his fists at Utaha Kasumigaoka. Wherever his fists passed, whether they touched surrounding obstacles or the barriers she suddenly deployed, they would immediately trigger an explosion.
"Where did this bomb-man come from?"
Utaha opened a barrier to block the man's fists, shouting out her sarcasm.
"Who's a bomb-man?"
The man spoke in a gruff voice.
"I am the inheritor of Hercules' soul and the user of the Sacred Gear 'Variant Detonation.' Remember it!"
-----------------------------------------------
I handpick only the finest and most captivating novels for you. Don't forget to check out my other novels!
p@treon HongMengZi