Watching Rhode leave, Jeanne quickly chased after him. "Where are you going?"
"To find Ophis, obviously."
"But those devils are still inside. Let's just wait a bit."
"We could wait, but there's no need." Rhode took it as a matter of course. He wasn't their subordinate; waiting outside for a few minutes was already giving them plenty of face.
"Eh? Wait!" Jeanne realized what he meant, but Rhode was already further in. Left with no choice, she followed.
Rhode navigated toward the depths of the building. The system map had kindly provided an arrow pointing directly to the Infinite Dragon God. The further they went, the fewer people from other races they saw. Instead, the number of devils increased, and the security grew tighter.
Finally, at the last door, Rhode was stopped by two devil guards.
"Halt. This is not a place for you to be."
"Uh, see? Rhode, let's just go back. It'll be our turn soon anyway." Jeanne let out a small sigh.
Thump! Thump!
Before she could even finish her sentence, she heard two muffled thuds. When she snapped back to her senses, she saw the two devils lying on the ground, already entering a deep, peaceful sleep.
Hey! No sleeping on the job!
"E-eh?!"
While the girl was in shock, Rhode had already walked through the doors. The interior of the room had been completely renovated. There was no furniture, only a "battle-worn" aesthetic that resembled a shrine, albeit a slightly dilapidated one. The space inside was much larger than it appeared from the outside, likely due to some spatial expansion magic.
There were only two figures in the room. No men, only two women. The system helpfully provided their status panels: Katerea Leviathan and Ophis, the Infinite Dragon God.
One stood below the dais—a tan-skinned beauty with smooth brown hair. She wore a tight leather suit that outlined her curves perfectly. Perhaps because the weather was too humid, the zipper was pulled down all the way to her navel, revealing a vast expanse of bronze skin.
[Katerea Leviathan: ( · V · )]
The fabric of the suit disappeared at her thighs, exposing a pair of long, well-trained legs to the air. Below that, she wore purple knee-high boots.
"Sss—!"
When Rhode saw Katerea, he couldn't help but suck in a breath of cold air. He hadn't thought much of this villainess when he watched the anime, but seeing her in person, he realized she was absolutely in the same tier as Rias and Akeno! As expected of a descendant of the Old Satan Faction—she certainly had the "assets."
The other woman was Ophis. Her jet-black hair reached her waist, tied with purple ribbons. Her dark silver eyes were vacant and innocent. She wore a black gothic lolita dress; compared to Katerea, she was covered in far more fabric, and there wasn't much to comment on. She was a petite lolita.
As Rhode entered, Ophis turned her gaze toward him.
In that instant, Jeanne beside him felt a pressure like an endless abyss. The sheer weight of it nearly made it impossible for her to breathe. That alone was enough for Jeanne to confirm that this was indeed Ophis.
Rhode, on the other hand, was completely unaffected.
The pressure on Jeanne vanished quickly. Ophis lacked complex emotions; she was simply turning her attention toward the two intruders. Rhode's performance, however, actually piqued a sliver of curiosity in her. Usually, anyone who met her for the first time exhibited some form of abnormal behavior. In front of the Infinite Dragon God, acting normal was actually the most abnormal thing one could do.
Katerea narrowed her eyes. "Who are you? Didn't I tell them to let no one in until I left?" Her voice was cold, carrying an air of arrogance.
In the next second, a bone-chilling cold surrounded Rhode and Jeanne from all sides. Katerea noticed the two sleeping guards at the door. Her expression turned icy. "Unless you have a logical explanation, you can die."
Seeing this, and before Rhode could act, a finally-recovered Jeanne spoke up. "Don't attack. We're the Hero Faction. Like you, we're here to join the Khaos Brigade."
The chill in the air lessened slightly. Katerea's Old Satan Faction had also come to join after hearing Ophis had become the leader. Of course, Katerea's main objective was the Dragon God's power. By consuming the "snakes" Ophis gave out, one could obtain massive power instantly, allowing her to jump a full tier in strength and reach the level of a true Devil King. This power was essential to overthrowing the current government.
"Hero Faction?" Katerea murmured the name.
"It's an organization founded by the descendants of the famous heroes of history," Jeanne added.
Hearing this, the killing intent on Katerea's face vanished completely. While she was displeased that Rhode had knocked out her men, she didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble before the plan began. Although the human faction wasn't particularly strong in this world, those humans who had been branded as heroes in history had achieved some brilliant feats. During the ancient Three-Way War, humans had participated on all sides.
Seeing the tension ease, Jeanne began to explain the Hero Faction's philosophy and goals.
"It seems the Hero Faction of this era only amounts to this much." After listening, Katerea looked at Jeanne with a mocking smile. "You want to prove the strength of humanity to us, yet here you are, joining the Khaos Brigade to seek the protection of Ophis."
Jeanne froze. If it had been before, she would have retorted immediately. But having already had her convictions shaken by Rhode's words, and now hearing Katerea say the same thing, she began to doubt the Hero Faction's current path even more.
"I told you my thoughts were correct, Jeanne. The current Hero Faction is no different from a pyramid scheme."
"I told you it's not a pyramid scheme..." Jeanne retorted instinctively, but her heart was in disarray.
At that moment, Katerea smiled slightly, her eyes fixed on Rhode. "Are you also with the Hero Faction? You... interest me."
In truth, Katerea had been paying close attention to Rhode since Ophis looked at them. Under the dual pressure of Ophis and herself, Jeanne had looked panicked, yet this man hadn't shown a trace of unease. Katerea was surprised; even she hadn't been this composed when she first met Ophis.
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (216 Chapters – Ongoing)
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