— — — — — —
Splash~
The sound of water being disturbed echoed through the underground channel.
"Hm? What was that?"
A nearby yokai standing beside the castle's waterway called out suspiciously.
"Probably a kappa." One of the patrolmen answered lazily. "Those water monkeys are always trying to scare people."
The guard grumbled, gave himself a shake, and wandered off.
Three or four seconds later, a head emerged from the canal.
It was Georg, wielder of the Longinus Dimension Lost.
"Why am I always the one stuck with infiltration jobs?"
Wiping the water from his face, Georg grimaced. The water smelled absolutely foul.
From within the dimensional space mist connected to Dimension Lost, Jeanne's voice came through. "Do you think I'd be any better suited for it? I don't have a spatial Sacred Gear."
"My legs are short. I can't move fast." Leonardo spoke with complete seriousness.
"I'm too big. Easier to spot." Heracles sounded equally righteous.
"There are angels here. As the wielder of the Holy Spear, it's inappropriate for me to show myself." Cao Cao's tone was solemn. Then he added reassuringly, "Georg, you've worked hard for this operation. I owe you one."
If you're trying to get free labor, just say so.
Georg's lips twitched.
Truthfully, he knew they weren't wrong.
The dimension created by Dimension Lost was practically tailor-made for infiltration and covert transport. For an operation like sneaking into Nijō Castle, nobody else could do it.
Still, that didn't mean he couldn't complain.
Chatting with the others through their communication link, Georg continued moving through the underground waterways. After knocking out a few kappas and slipping through several submerged floodgates, he finally reached solid ground.
"Finally."
The sound of rushing water echoed behind him as he climbed into a subterranean tunnel.
Ignoring the fact that he was still soaked from head to toe, he looked around. "Though I have to admit, I didn't expect something like this under Nijō Castle. Digging out a tunnel like this must've been incredibly difficult."
"According to Indra, the shogunate used Sacred Gear users to construct an underground prison system," Cao Cao explained seriously. "It was specifically designed to contain Japan's yokai... Especially fox yokai."
"Fox yokai, huh?" Jeanne's tone became meaningful. "I heard the former commander of Kyoto's yokai was a fox yokai."
"A milf fox yokai, no less."
"...What exactly are you implying?" Something sounded off in Cao Cao's voice. "I'm repeating what Indra told me. The traps down here were designed to restrain even high-level fox yokai. I'm just warning Georg to be careful."
Georg immediately gave a thumbs-up. "Cao Cao, you've truly inherited your ancestor's spirit. No wonder you said especially fox yokai."
Damn it.
Cao Cao's face darkened.
These bastards were always using his ancestor's reputation to make fun of him.
At that point, he decided it was probably safer to stay quiet.
"Cao Cao? Cao Cao?"
Jeanne called out a few times. Then she added thoughtfully, "You know, Cao Cao always acts like a battle-crazed maniac. I never expected his tastes to run toward foxes… and married ones at that. Tsk, tsk."
"Unexpected." Heracles agreed.
"I'm still a child." Leonardo's tone remained perfectly serious. "But please continue. In greater detail."
Cao Cao: "...."
The communication channel fell silent once again.
A second later, the topic changed completely.
"So, are we sure Samael is being held somewhere in the prison?" Jeanne asked in a perfectly professional tone.
"Indra's people confirmed it," Heracles replied just as professionally. "Though they don't know which specific cell."
"No need to worry." Leonardo chimed in. "Indra plans to send Dragon Kings to attack Kyoto. That should force them to deploy Samael."
"Dragon Kings won't be enough, will they?" Jeanne sounded uneasy. "Ophis is here. And so is that monster called Ryo Yagami."
"I don't know the exact details." Georg carefully avoided a patrol while continuing through the tunnels. "But Indra's side guaranteed they'll lure away either Ryo, Ophis, or possibly both. He also guaranteed that the Three Factions would have reason to use Samael."
After a brief pause, he added, "Otherwise I wouldn't be helping with this."
"Still..." Jeanne remained skeptical. "This is the kind of operation where our lives are on the line. We need accurate intelligence."
Silence settled over the group.
Only Georg's footsteps echoed through the underground passage.
Although everyone knew the earlier teasing had been an attempt to lighten the mood, Cao Cao could tell morale wasn't in great shape.
They had all come here because of his ambition. Every one of them was risking their life for him.
At this point, hiding information would be unconscionable.
"...I'll explain."
Cao Cao cleared his throat.
His voice grew heavy. "Indra possesses something capable of attracting the True Red Dragon God Emperor."
"...Great Red?!"
Jeanne sucked in a sharp breath.
She wasn't the only one stunned.
Georg nearly lost his footing and had to perform an awkward midair twist to keep from crashing into the floor.
"The Dragon of Dragons, DxD?" Heracles bared his teeth. "The legendary being that wanders the dimensional gap? The red dragon mentioned in the Book of Revelation?"
"So that's it." Georg looked utterly shocked. "The Red Dragon God Emperor... No wonder Indra said Ryo and Ophis would be drawn away."
As former members of the Khaos Brigade, they knew exactly what Ophis wanted.
If Indra could really lure that being to Kyoto, there was no way Ryo and Ophis would ignore it.
And if they wanted to kill or capture the True Dragon, Samael would be the most effective weapon available.
Thinking it through, the conclusion seemed obvious.
If the True Red Dragon God Emperor suddenly appeared in Kyoto, both Ryo and Ophis would have to respond.
Sending only Ophis would be too risky. Ryo would likely have to move personally.
And even if Ryo wanted Ophis to stay behind, there was no chance she'd listen when her greatest target had finally appeared.
Most likely, both of them would confront Great Red together.
"Which means..." Georg's eyes narrowed. "Ryo Yagami will probably send someone to activate Samael."
"Most likely Ajuka." Cao Cao supplied the answer. "I've heard he's Ryo's most trusted subordinate."
"Ajuka, huh?" Jeanne let out a long sigh of relief. "That's a lot better than Sirzechs."
Compared to facing powerful monsters, Ajuka sounded downright manageable. After all, Ajuka was famous as a magician and researcher, not for overwhelming combat power like Sirzechs.
"When do they make their move?" Georg asked nervously. "Security down here is ridiculously tight. I'm not confident I can stay hidden much longer."
After calculating the timing, Cao Cao answered, "...About ten minutes."
...
..
Kyoto - Hōkyōji Temple
In the forest surrounding the temple, two cloaked figures stood beneath the night sky.
"Is it time?"
One of them raised an arm. Under the moonlight, golden scales gleamed across his skin.
The other figure let out a savage grin, "If it's, then hurry up. I can't wait to cause some chaos."
"You're awfully impatient, Azi Dahaka." The scaled figure muttered before pulling out a pure white silver cross. "Let's hope Indra wasn't lying."
With that, he tossed the cross into the air.
The silver cross rose into the moonlight.
Then a hand caught it.
Bathed in moonlight, its owner casually studied the cross.
"A cross, huh?"
Ryo weighed the silver cross in his palm before looking up.
Facing the two cloaked figures, or rather, the two Evil Dragons, he flashed a wide grin.
"Good evening, gentlemen."
.
.
.