"Issei... you seemed to be having quite the wonderful time in the bath with Asia and Koneko, didn't you?"
Issei froze in his tracks. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he slowly turned around, his face a mask of pure hesitation.
"Rias, listen... now really isn't the best time to be talking about this," he stammered, trying to find his footing.
Rias offered him a sweet, radiant smile, but it didn't reach her eyes. Instead, a dangerous, crimson aura of Destruction began to ripple from her body, flickering like hungry flames.
"Hmph! I couldn't care less about your domestic squabbles, but even a fool should know that now is hardly the time for a lovers' spat," Luminous interjected without a shred of mercy. Her voice was flat, her gaze piercingly cold as a deep red aura began to bleed into the air around her.
Unlike the chaotic, aggressive nature of Rias's Power of Destruction, Luminous's red aura felt strangely disciplined, though it was no less lethal. Even Hinata, seasoned warrior that she was, found it difficult to remain standing near Luminous when she was in this state.
"Ahem! Everyone, please... you might want to pull back those auras before someone notices us," Issei urged, glancing around nervously.
At his words, both Rias and Luminous simmered down, drawing their overwhelming pressure back inside.
"My apologies. That was... uncalled for," Rias murmured, looking away.
"...It's fine. I suppose I can understand the sting of jealousy," Luminous replied. As she accepted Rias's apology, she shot a deliberate, knowing side-eye toward Issei.
Suddenly, Issei was hit by an ominous premonition—a bad feeling so heavy it was hard to put into words.
"Sigh... What am I even doing?" Rias whispered, her usual regal posture slumping slightly. Her smile now looked fragile, almost pitiful. "I'm the one who encouraged the harem idea in the first place, yet here I am, getting jealous over the others."
"It can't be helped. Women are inherently jealous creatures; you shouldn't blame yourself for feeling that way," Luminous remarked.
Rias seemed to find some comfort in Luminous's words, though the same couldn't be said for Issei, who felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him.
Whoosh—!
Suddenly, an unnatural gust of wind swept past them, catching Issei, Rias, Luminous, and Hinata off guard.
"Luminous-sama..." Hinata whispered, her hand dropping to the hilt of her blade.
"I know. It seems our welcome party has arrived." Luminous shifted her focus away from the bickering and toward the horizon.
Rias looked around in confusion, while Issei narrowed his eyes, his instincts screaming that something was fundamentally wrong.
"Issei, tell me what's happening—"
"I don't think an explanation is necessary anymore..." Issei cut her off.
"Why?"
Before she could finish, a thick, purple mist billowed in from all directions, swallowing them whole. For a few moments, their vision was completely obscured, a suffocating silence hanging in the air until the mist finally began to dissipate.
When the world came back into focus, Luminous and Hinata stood there, momentarily stunned by the sight before them.
"We're still in the same place, and yet... the atmosphere is entirely different. What is this?" Hinata asked, her voice tight.
"Longinus: Dimension Lost. It looks like the enemy has caught us in their cage," Issei muttered, his tone eerily calm despite the situation.
"A Longinus?!" Hinata exclaimed, a flicker of panic crossing her face.
Luminous's expression darkened, turning as grim as a moonless night.
"Issei, what's the plan? The only way out is to shatter this space or take down the Longinus user," Rias stated. Despite her earlier flash of jealousy, her absolute trust in Issei remained unshaken.
Issei fell silent for a moment, his gaze scanning the area until it locked onto a specific point.
"It seems the one who invited us is finally showing his face..."
Rias, Luminous, and Hinata followed his gaze instantly. There, standing atop the roof of a nearby skyscraper, was Cao Cao, flanked by Georg, Jeanne, Heracles, Siegfried, and Leonardo. Their eyes were hollow, devoid of any light—Cao Cao himself looked like a machine, stripped of all human emotion.
"Those people... they're dangerous," Luminous remarked, finally releasing the restraints on her power. Her eyes were fixed intently on the holy spear gripped in Cao Cao's hand.
Hinata felt the same suffocating pressure emanating from that spear. She drew her sword, her body coiled like a spring, ready to strike at a moment's notice. Rias, meanwhile, enveloped herself in a dense coat of Destruction, ensuring her defenses were impenetrable.
[Partner, is it finally time to go wild?]
"Our opponent is holding the Holy Spear of the Setting Sun. We don't have the luxury of holding back."
[Hahaha! True Longinus... let's see just how much bite that legendary spear actually has!]
Clink!
The holy spear emitted an unusual radiance—strange, hypnotic, and shrouded in mystery. For a split second, Issei found himself mesmerized by the glow before snapping back to his senses. He checked on Rias, Luminous, and Hinata; seeing them unharmed, he wondered if he had been the only one affected.
[Partner, look out! It's coming!]
"Eh?" Issei looked toward Cao Cao and gasped. The tip of the holy spear was already leveled directly at him. "Evade!!"
Issei lunged upward into the air, Rias dove to the right, while Luminous and Hinata blurred toward the left.
BOOM—!
A beam of light from the spear tore through a dozen buildings as if they were made of paper before erupting into a massive explosion, leaving behind a gargantuan crater sizzling with residual holy energy.
"Oi, oi, oi... since when did the Holy Spear have that kind of destructive power? This isn't like anything I've heard of!"
As Issei muttered to himself, Cao Cao adjusted his aim, pointing the spear's tip toward him once more.
"Ddraig!"
[Balance Breaker!!]
The crimson armor materialized around Issei's body just a fraction of a second before the spear's next strike connected.
DUARRR!
The impact sent Issei hurtling backward, skidding through the air for over a thousand meters before he could stabilize. Seizing the opening, Rias immediately unleashed a barrage of Destruction toward the Hero Faction.
Cao Cao and his team scattered instantly, moving with unnatural precision to avoid the dark red spheres.
BOOM!
The resulting explosion of demonic power simply erased everything within a fifty-meter radius from existence.
"Hmph! I'm just getting started!" Rias shouted, her hands glowing as she prepared to rain down even more destruction.
To be continued...