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Kyoto, Nijo Castle—
Beneath the flowing waterways that crisscrossed the grounds, hidden tunnels stretched through the darkness.
Ryo, Ajuka, and Serafall were escorting a massive black metal container nearly three meters tall and two meters wide through one of those underground passages.
Carrying a lantern and leading the way, Ajuka glanced over his shoulder at Ryo. "Governor, did you move Samael because you discovered something?"
"You already figured it out, didn't you?" Ryo replied with a smile.
In the dim lantern light, that smile looked faintly ominous.
"A lure?" Ajuka adjusted his breathing as he spoke. "Under normal circumstances, Samael would need to be relocated to a secure holding facility after his capture. But moving him from Yasaka Shrine to a secret prison beneath Nijo Castle, and doing it in front of several core intelligence personnel... this is meant to leak information, isn't it?"
Ryo knew perfectly well that Indra had spies embedded within the Three Factions. In fact, there was a good chance those spies were hiding inside the intelligence departments themselves.
Of course, the Three Factions had done the same thing to Indra.
Both sides were playing the same game. After all, sometimes the easiest way to learn your enemy's secrets was to let their spies leak information for you.
And why would spies leak information? Because spies needed to prove their loyalty and rack up achievements faster than anyone else.
As a result, the people in intelligence agencies who appeared the most loyal and hardworking were often the most suspicious. Ironically, the real salary thieves who spent their days slacking off were usually cleaner.
So after Ryo made only a token effort to conceal Samael's transfer, those "loyal" spies who witnessed it would naturally pass the information to Indra's side, where equally "loyal" spies were embedded among the Three Factions.
By the time Ryo entered the underground passage, the intelligence war between East and West had already begun.
At this very moment, countless secret agents were probably risking life and limb behind the scenes.
Ryo silently acknowledged Ajuka's guess before explaining, "Indra's been gathering dragon species lately. As long as he intends to make use of them, Samael becomes a target he has to deal with."
"I see. The Dragon-Eater Angel."
Understanding dawned on Ajuka's face.
Samael's anti-dragon abilities could affect even Ophis herself.
If Indra planned to use dragons for anything significant, Samael was an obstacle he couldn't ignore.
Given both his personality and the current situation, sending elite operatives to assassinate or capture him was the most likely move.
"..."
Behind them, Serafall floated her magic wand through the air, using it to guide the enormous metal container forward.
Suddenly she asked, "Do you think Mr. Indra might send out the current wielder of the Holy Spear?"
Both Ryo and Ajuka stopped walking.
They turned toward her, then exchanged glances.
"...That's actually possible," Ryo admitted with a laugh.
The True Longinus, the Holy Spear of the Setting Sun, was one of the most important artifacts of the three factions. It even contained a fragment of the Creator God's will.
Since Indra had no idea that Ryo only needed the spear to complete the resurrection of God, there was a good chance he'd send the current wielder, Cao Cao, as bait.
From Indra's perspective, even if Cao Cao were killed or captured, Ryo's side wouldn't be able to find a suitable successor for the spear anytime soon.
And considering how seriously the angels treated the artifact, the Three Factions would most likely lock it away rather than use it.
Trading a weapon your enemy couldn't use, and whose symbolic value exceeded its practical value, in exchange for Samael?
Indra would probably consider that a bargain.
"Looks like God will be coming back sooner than expected."
Ryo grinned. "So~ How much interest do you think I should charge Gabriel for that favor?"
"Getting her pregnant should be enough payment," Serafall answered with a mischievous smile. "Let's see how she competes with me for the title of Number One Cute Magical Girl after that."
Ajuka's mouth twitched.
He wanted to point out that nobody was competing with her for that title in the first place, but knowing Serafall, it was wiser to stay silent.
"Oh, please." Ryo waved a hand dismissively. "Our Lady God would never let me get away with that kind of advantage."
The atmosphere abruptly froze.
Ryo stopped and looked at the other two in surprise. "What? Why'd you both suddenly go quiet?"
"Lady God?" Ajuka repeated, his expression strange.
"Oh? You didn't know?" Ryo blinked. "Now that I think about it, she always uses holy light like some giant censor bar."
Then his expression stiffened, "...Did I just reveal someone's private information?"
"At the moment, yes," Ajuka replied after a long pause.
Meanwhile, Ryo noticed that Serafall had fallen into deep thought.
"What are you thinking about?" he asked. "A female God isn't that surprising. And she never actually said what gender she is. I highly doubt she's actually fixed on it, she probably just considers herself a woman for now and could switch whenever she wants."
"That's not what I'm thinking about." Serafall shook her head seriously. "I'm just wondering whether God will compete for the title of Number One Cute Magical Girl."
Ryo: "..."
Ajuka: "..."
The two men fell into a long, speechless silence.
Eventually, Ryo cleared his throat. "Let's keep moving. We'll throw Samael into the prison, head out, wait for Indra to stick his hand into the trap, and then break it."
Ajuka smiled, "And once we've got a rope around his neck, we'll tighten it bit by bit until he surrenders."
...
..
On the outskirts of Kyoto, inside a traditional inn.
A black-haired young man with blue eyes sat on the windowsill, watching the setting sun sink below the horizon.
Resting across his knees was a weapon that looked more like a halberd than a spear.
It was the strongest Longinus of all.
The Holy Spear transformed into the form best suited for its wielder.
The True Longinus. Spear of Destiny.
At that moment, a brown-haired man with spiky hair and glasses slid open the door and stepped inside. "Cao Cao. We've got news."
"Georg."
Cao Cao turned his head toward his subordinate, the wielder of Dimension Lost.
"Information on Samael?"
"Yes." Georg adjusted his glasses. "It came from a core spy. They can delay discovery for at most thirty minutes. After that, the Three Factions will definitely realize the leak."
Hearing that, Cao Cao ran a hand along the shaft of the spear before rising to his feet.
"Notify everyone in the Hero Faction."
His eyes suddenly shone with intensity.
Steel and blood seemed to seep into his voice.
"Gather all members." He gripped the True Longinus tightly. "We're going to challenge the strongest being in the world."
.
.
.