What… was that just now?

Looking around, only Miu, Asia, Xenovia, Irina, Ravel, Kunou, and Kiba, a bit farther off, were present. No one else.

What the hell—

A misty haze began rising at our feet. Asia reacted first.

“This mist… it’s like when I was captured…”

“Asia? You’ve seen this before?” Xenovia asked.

Asia nodded. “Yes, I’m sure. When Diodora captured me, this mist enveloped me in the temple, trapping me in that device.”

“Dimension Lost, the Absolute Mist,” Kiba said, approaching us. “One of the Longinus, and a particularly dangerous one.”

Exactly. A sacred gear that even Odin couldn’t dispel, capable of creating impenetrable barriers. Like mine or Vali’s, it’s a Longinus that can kill gods.

If Asia’s right, then this—

“Tch… the terrorists finally showed up,” I muttered.

“The Chaos Brigade,” Kiba added.

“Yeah, damn it. Ruining our school trip.”

A figure landed nearby—Azazel-sensei.

“You kids okay?”

“For now,” I replied.

“Good.” He scanned the surroundings, eyes narrowing. “Everyone else is gone. We’ve been forcibly teleported into a constructed space.”

No warning, just that warm, slimy sensation, and then we were here. The enemy’s clearly a skilled user.

“Is this space like the Rating Game fields demons use?” I asked. It felt similar.

“Yeah,” Azazel said. “The Chaos Brigade likely got their hands on the three factions’ tech. They used the game field framework and the mist’s power to teleport us here. Moving entire groups with no action required—that’s why Longinus are terrifying.”

So, it’s an advanced game field. Terrorists with this tech are bad news.

Kunou, trembling, spoke up. “My late mother’s guards… they said they were engulfed by mist before they died.”

Azazel and I exchanged a nod. So, they came to us. Saves us the trouble of hunting them down.

Our gazes turned to the other side of Togetsukyo Bridge. Figures emerged from the thinning mist.

“Greetings, Governor Azazel, Red Dragon Emperor,” said a young man with black hair, leading the group. He looked about our age, wearing a student uniform under a hanfu-like robe, holding a spear radiating an eerie aura. Just looking at it gave me chills, like nearing a church or seeing a cross.

Around him were others in similar uniforms, young men and women, roughly our age.

Azazel stepped forward. “You the one running the Hero Faction?”

The youth tapped his spear’s handle on his shoulder. “I’m Cao Cao, supposedly a descendant of that Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms.”

Cao Cao… a descendant of the Cao Cao? No way.

Azazel, eyes locked on him, warned us, “Everyone, watch that spear. It’s the True Longinus, the Twilight Holy Spear—the ultimate Longinus that pierces gods. The original relic.”

What!? A terrorist has that weapon?

“Even the Seraphs in Heaven fear that spear…” Irina whispered.

“So that’s the spear that pierced Jesus. The absolute spear that kills gods,” Xenovia added, both heightening their guard.

I remembered the prez telling me about the legendary spear that pierced Christ. So that’s it.

Asia stared at the spear, her eyes vacant, as if entranced—

Azazel quickly covered her eyes. “Those with faith, don’t stare at it. It can steal your mind. It’s a holy relic, like the Holy Cross, Grail, Shroud, or Nails. Asia, Xenovia, Irina—be extra careful.”

“One question,” I said.

“What, Red Dragon Emperor?” Cao Cao replied.

“Did you kidnap Kunou’s mother, Yasaka?”

He smirked. “Yep, that’s right.”

“No hiding it, huh? Fine, straight to the point: give Yasaka back and get lost.”

“Haha, no can do. She’s needed for our experiments.”

“Experiments?” I asked.

“Exactly. Gotta keep the sponsors happy.”

Kunou bared her teeth, eyes teary with rage. Her mother, kidnapped and used for some shady experiment—must be infuriating.

“Sponsors… you mean Ophis?” Azazel pressed. “Why show yourselves now?”

“No need to hide anymore,” Cao Cao said. “We’re here for a greeting, a little spar, and to meet you, Governor Azazel, and the Red Dragon Emperor.”

“Me?” I asked. Azazel makes sense, but why me?

“Yep. You defeated Vali at the three factions’ meeting, took down Shalba, Creuserey, and their goons single-handedly, and reached a Balance Breaker beyond what anyone’s seen. How could I not be interested?”

Beyond Balance Breaker… he means Zweiter Phase. Great, another Vali-type. But this guy feels creepier—not just a battle maniac, but something… off.

Either way, I’m not thrilled about a dude being interested in me!

Azazel summoned a spear of light. “Guess we’ll have to beat answers out of him.”

We readied for battle. I summoned my gauntlet and drew Ascalon. “Xenovia!”

“Sorry!” She caught the Ascalon I tossed, readying her dual-wield stance.

“Miu, protect Asia and Kunou.”

“Got it!” Miu positioned herself in front of them.

My gauntlet’s just armor without power here. Gotta figure something out.

Wait, where’s Rossweisse?

“Sensei, where’s Rossweisse?”

“She got teleported too but passed out drunk. I put up a strong barrier around her, so she’s fine.”

Drunk and asleep… better than fighting plastered, I guess.

No choice—Miu’s our magic support today.

The Hero Faction looked relaxed. They’re all sacred gear users, right? Those can be tricky with their unique abilities, like that shadow user we fought before. Indirect attacks are a pain.

Cao Cao pointed to a small boy and a bespectacled youth. “Leonardo, summon anti-demon monsters. Georg, boost his power.”

“Understood,” Georg replied, casting a magic circle around the boy.

Dark shadows spread, engulfing the bridge and beyond, tripling in size. They morphed, forming arms, legs, heads, eyes, and gaping mouths. Hundreds—maybe five hundred—black, bipedal monsters appeared, shrieking.

Gyu!

Gogya!

Gyaa!

They resembled Rossweisse’s summoned beasts.

Azazel muttered, “Annihilation Maker, the Beast Creation.”

“Sensei, is that…?”

“Yep. It creates magical beasts, any kind, depending on the user. Could even make hundred-meter monsters.”

Cao Cao grinned. “Spot on. Leonardo’s Longinus, Annihilation Maker, is as feared as my spear in its own way.”

Another Longinus!? This is a damn Longinus showcase!

Azazel sighed. “The Twilight Holy Spear that pierces gods, Absolute Mist, and Annihilation Maker—three of the top four Longinus in terrorist hands…”

No kidding. This is beyond bad.

“Any weaknesses, Sensei?”

“Target the user. They might be strong, but not as deadly as their gear. For Annihilation Maker, the kid’s still growing. If he could, he’d have sent kaiju to every faction’s base by now.”

So, strike now. Cao Cao gave a wry smile. “Figured out Annihilation Maker already? You’re right, Azazel. He’s not at full potential. Georg’s magic is boosting him to summon this many. Normally, he can manage about a third of this.”

He raised a finger. “But his specialty is creating monsters tailored to exploit weaknesses—anti-monsters. These are anti-demon types.”

He pointed at a shop. A monster opened its mouth, firing a beam of light.

BOOM!

The shop exploded. Light attacks—poison to demons like us.

“Anti-demon, huh?” I growled.

Azazel shouted, “Cao Cao! You sent assassins to gather data for anti-monsters!”

“Half right. We also used Leonardo’s black soldiers to collect data from your attacks. That helped us boost Balance Breaker users and create anti-monsters for demons, angels, fallen angels, and dragons. These beasts can match mid-tier angels’ light power.”

They used their goons and monsters to study us while training more Balance Breakers. These guys are meticulous.

Azazel smirked. “But you can’t make anti-god monsters yet, right?”

Cao Cao didn’t reply.

“How’d you know, Sensei?” I asked.

“Simple. If they could, they’d have sent them already, like they did with us.”

Good to know they’ve got limits.

Cao Cao aimed his spear. “Gods? I’ll slay them with this. Let’s begin.”

The battle started.

Gogaaa!

The anti-monster horde charged.

“Issei, handle these. I’ll take Cao Cao—Balance Breaker!” Azazel pulled out an artificial sacred gear, donning golden armor and sprouting twelve black wings. He shot toward Cao Cao.

“An honor to fight the fallen angel governor from scripture!” Cao Cao landed on the Katsura River’s bank, smirking as his spear’s tip opened, forming a radiant golden blade. The air trembled with divine power.

That spear’s bad news for demons like us.

BOOM!

Azazel’s light spear clashed with Cao Cao’s holy spear, unleashing a shockwave that sent the river surging onto land. They traded blows, racing downstream.

I’ll leave him to Sensei.

“Kiba, Xenovia, Irina—clear the monsters! Ravel, guard Miu, Asia, and Kunou while supporting them! Asia, keep healing!”

“Got it!” they replied, forming up.

Kiba, Xenovia, and Irina stepped forward, weapons ready.

“Kiba, make me a holy sword.”

“Sure. Dual-wielding suits you.” Kiba crafted a sword and tossed it to Xenovia, who caught it mid-air, charging with Ascalon and the holy sword, mowing down monsters.

As expected from a power-type knight! Since her otherworld training, Xenovia’s strength is insane, even without Durandal.

A monster aimed a light beam at her back, but—

“Not happening!” Irina threw a light spear, piercing its mouth. The monster crumbled to dust.

Nice, Irina!

Kiba dodged a barrage of light attacks with zigzag speed, closing in and slicing nearly ten monsters to pieces with a high-speed slash.

He’s sharper than ever!

“Not as tough as that white guy’s beasts,” Kiba said, flicking his sword. “These numbers are manageable.”

True, these monsters are weaker than Rossweisse’s summons—less durable, less tenacious. We can handle them.

My turn!

I leaped into a dense monster cluster, charging my fist with aura.

BOOM!

The ground cratered, dozens of monsters turning to dust. I grabbed one’s head, slamming it into another, then fired a massive aura blast, scattering more.

From behind, Ravel’s light bullets and Miu’s magic barrages supported us. Our teamwork cut the five hundred monsters down to a few dozen in minutes.

But the kid, Leonardo, kept spawning more from the shadows.

Gotta take him out.

Then, several shadows rushed me—girls in uniforms, wielding spears and swords.

“We’ll take the Red Dragon Emperor!”

“Stop! You can’t beat him!” a white-haired guy with multiple swords shouted.

He’s right. They can’t scratch me.

I caught a sword between my fingers, kicked away a spear, and dodged a flank attack, grabbing the girl’s wrist.

“Impossible!”

“Our teamwork, broken so easily!?”

They were shocked. Their coordination was solid, well-trained, but—

“You need to size up your opponent better,” I said, smirking.

“Time to exit! Dress Break!”

Rip!

Their uniforms—and underwear—burst apart.

“Aaahhh!” they screamed, covering themselves.

Nice figures! That spear girl’s got a killer body. Mental snapshot saved!

Blushing, they fled into a nearby building. Cute reactions!

Then—

“Onii-chan, still so energetic after that?” Miu said, her smile intense.

Crap! Was Dress Break a bad move? It’s my go-to for fighting girls! Forgive me!

Ravel, firing light bullets, yelled, “Issei-kun!? What’s ‘that’!?”

She caught that part!?

“I-I mean, uh—”

“Last night, Miu wasn’t in her room… no way!” Xenovia shouted, swinging her sword.

“Seriously!? Baby-making!?” Xenovia blurted.

“Too blunt! Kids are here!” I yelled.

“Issei-san!?” Asia gasped.

“Really, Issei-kun!?” Irina chimed in.

Guys, we’re fighting! Focus!

“This is more important!” Xenovia roared.

“She read my mind!?” I panicked.

“Just tell us!” Irina demanded.

“Focus on the enemy, please!” I begged.

My desperate plea echoed across the battlefield.

———————————————

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