Chiba Prefecture, on a city street…
Cao Cao and Georg, who had already left this place some time ago, reappeared once more amid rising fog. Just like before, not a single passerby noticed their presence.
People brushed past them as if nothing were amiss, seemingly blind to the two oddly dressed men who had suddenly appeared on the street—one of whom was carrying a long spear, his clothes in tatters and stained with blood.
"Well?" Georg asked as he withdrew the weapon that had just been raised, glancing at Cao Cao beside him. "Satisfied?"
"Of course not." Cao Cao rested the Holy Spear on his shoulder and tapped it lightly. "I didn't even force him to reveal his trump card, and there was no winner. How could I be satisfied?"
After all, the purpose of this visit had never been to decide a victor with Leo Eligos.
"But you didn't go all out either," Georg said. "And this time, our objective—"
"That's what you call plans falling apart," Cao Cao cut in, narrowing his eyes as a sharp glint flashed within them. His fighting spirit surged as he spoke. "I'll admit it—Leo Eligos is stronger than I expected. It really got my blood pumping."
Originally, he truly hadn't planned to decide the outcome here. But Leo's performance completely ignited Cao Cao's competitive nature, making him itch to unleash everything he had and fight him head-on until a victor was decided.
Honestly, if the Underworld hadn't already made a move, Cao Cao wasn't sure he would've listened to Georg's advice to retreat.
"He's the second person after Vali Lucifer who's made me feel this exhilarated," Cao Cao muttered, lifting the Holy Spear as if speaking to himself. "If not for the interruption, I wouldn't have minded letting him see the true face of this spear that ranks above his."
"Even if that meant using Truth Idea."
At those words, Georg's expression shifted slightly.
He knew exactly what that statement implied.
It meant that in Cao Cao's eyes, Leo Eligos was no longer an opponent who could be reliably defeated by simply using Balance Breaker. To be certain of victory, he'd need to go a step further.
"…Is your evaluation of him really that high?" Georg couldn't help asking.
"Of course it is," Cao Cao replied casually, settling the Holy Spear back onto his shoulder. "What do you think the name 'Zenith Tempest' represents? That's a Longinus ranked above both your Dimension Lost and Leonardo's Annihilation Maker. It's the only Sacred Gear that can truly go head-to-head with the Holy Spear."
"Vali isn't bad either, but his Sacred Gear only ranks in the middle among the Longinus. All he has is dragon power. He doesn't wield god-slaying power like I do, nor is he the embodiment of a natural disaster like that guy."
"Of course, if we're talking purely about devil bloodline purity, Vali is superior to Leo Eligos," Cao Cao continued. "But don't forget—according to our intelligence, Leo Eligos has an extremely unusual growth history."
Hearing that, Georg immediately recalled the information they had on Leo.
"You mean how, after advancing to High-Class Devil, he suddenly experienced abnormal growth?"
That was something many within the Hero Faction found puzzling.
As far as they knew, not long ago Leo had been nothing more than an utterly ordinary pureblood devil descendant. Aside from inheriting half pureblood devil blood and half exorcist blood, there was nothing remarkable about him. He was mediocre to the extreme.
To ordinary people, someone like Leo—born with demonic power that already placed him among the best of Mid-Class Devils—was a superior existence, an object of envy. But in the eyes of those with true talent and potential, Leo, who only barely advanced to High-Class Devil near adulthood, was painfully ordinary.
He couldn't even compare to new-generation devils like Rias or Sona Sitri. To beings like Cao Cao and Georg, he wasn't even worth paying attention to.
But ever since Leo advanced to High-Class Devil, everything had changed.
"Someone who took over a decade to barely become a High-Class Devil somehow grew into an Ultimate-Class Devil in just a few months," Georg said slowly. "Even his number of wings increased. That alone proves there's a huge secret behind him."
"And his subordinates," Cao Cao added. "In just a few months, he's gathered two rare Sacred Gear users—and even two Longinus holders. That kind of luck with powerful Sacred Gears almost rivals ours and Grigori."
"And on top of that, he just happens to emerge right when we're fully prepared and about to end our period of dormancy…"
Cao Cao closed his eyes, an inscrutable smile on his face.
"Doesn't it feel like fate itself is pushing everything along?"
Georg frowned deeply at that.
"The times may change," Cao Cao said lightly, "but one trait has always remained."
"Whenever chaos arises, certain chosen ones—rare as they are—always emerge like bamboo shoots after the rain."
"They either join forces to create an age of prosperity, or clash against one another to forge a turbulent era."
"This is what people mean by 'the times create heroes.'"
As Cao Cao's evaluation of Leo continued to rise, Georg's frown deepened.
"Are you saying… we might have overlooked someone who's destined to rise as a hero in the coming age of chaos?"
Georg muttered softly, prompting Cao Cao to open his eyes.
"No," Cao Cao replied with a smile—like a beast baring its fangs as it locked onto prey. "What I mean is, things are getting more and more interesting."
"Will someone rise to end the chaos and become a hero of the new era?"
"Or will we defeat these so-called monsters and prove that only humans can surpass their limits and claim the title of hero?"
"Don't you think that's exactly what we should be proving next?"
Georg fell silent.
After a while, he seemed to give up thinking altogether, shoulders slumping.
"Forget it. That's not something I should be worrying about," Georg said with a shrug. "We're already on your ship. Whether it sails smoothly ahead or crashes halfway—we'll accept it."
"Rest assured," Cao Cao said, turning away. "Throughout history, humanity has always been the weakest. Yet whenever chaos arrives, humans always step onto the stage as the final victors."
"I won't abandon ship halfway. I'll take all of you with me to the top of the world and crush every non-human in our way."
"Using the weakest to achieve the strongest. Surpassing humanity's limits."
"That is what the Hero Faction should be doing."
With that, Cao Cao began walking forward. Georg spread his hands helplessly and followed.
The two gradually disappeared into the crowd. Up ahead, others seemed to be waiting for them—an impressively large group.
Unfortunately, no one around them noticed a thing…
At the same time, at Leo's manor.
When the previously dormant magic circle suddenly began flashing with red light, accompanied by a strange, dense fog—
"Whoosh!"
Leo's figure was ejected from the magic circle, as if he'd been repelled by something.
Before he could react or stabilize himself, several figures rushed forward and caught him.
"Are you okay?"
That was Yukino's voice.
"President!"
That was Asuna.
"You're finally back! You idiot…!"
That was Utaha.
"Are you hurt?"
That was Mahiru.
Only then did Leo fully come to his senses and look around.
Yukino and Asuna had appeared without him noticing, each holding one side of his body. Behind them stood Utaha, her face full of anxiety, and Mahiru, her expression brimming with worry. All four of them supported him together, helping him steady himself.
"Good. Looks like the worst didn't happen."
Miyamoto Musashi was there as well, one hand resting on the swords at her waist. Her expression was far more serious than usual.
Aside from those who had already been in the manor, there were unfamiliar devils surrounding the magic circle, channeling demonic power into it as they performed some kind of operation.
"You all…" Leo said in surprise. "Why is everyone here?"
Asuna answered.
"Musashi-sensei noticed you used the magic circle to jump somewhere unknown and couldn't contact you, so she immediately called us over and notified the Underworld as well, asking them to send people to help get you out."
Holding onto Leo's side, Asuna looked at his torn, bloodstained appearance, her face filled with concern.
"What exactly happened?" Yukino asked, also supporting him, though her tone was far sharper. "Didn't Musashi-sensei say that during this period, you should inform her beforehand no matter where you're going?"
"The magic circle records show that you activated the transfer yourself," Utaha added, arms crossed as she narrowed her eyes. "Why did you leave without telling anyone?"
"Did you think we'd be useless?" Mahiru frowned slightly, staring straight at Leo. "I remember you saying that a master and their servants are one—that they share the same fate, didn't you?"
One by one, the girls voiced their complaints, making it clear just how unhappy they were.
"It's not—this really wasn't my fault," Leo said with a bitter smile.
"I had no idea it was a trap. I thought someone was summoning me, like I was about to get a big job."
Otherwise, he'd never have gone alone to face an unknown threat.
If he'd known there was a problem on the other end, he would never have stepped onto the magic circle. Even if he absolutely had to, he would've brought his servants with him—or even Miyamoto Musashi.
Walking knowingly into danger alone would've been truly stupid. As a refined egoist, Leo would never do something like that.
"This really isn't Leo-sama's fault," Miyamoto Musashi said after confirming he was fine. "The Underworld's people have already inspected the magic circle. The last jump was a normal summoning within devil business parameters."
"So the other side likely used your devil flyer, subtly interfering with the simple magic circle on it to create an illusion and lure Leo-sama over."
"To pull that off, they'd need a highly capable mage. Otherwise, as the one who engraved the magic circle, Leo-sama wouldn't have been deceived without noticing anything."
That explanation eased the girls' expressions somewhat.
"Let's treat the president's injuries first," Asuna said quickly when she noticed the blood still at the corner of Leo's mouth.
Yukino, Utaha, and Mahiru all looked toward Miyamoto Musashi.
"Let's go," Musashi said after a moment's thought. "We'll leave this to the Underworld's people. They'll attempt a counter-trace to see if they can track down the mage who interfered with the devil flyer's magic circle."
"They're professionals. We don't need to get involved."
With that, Miyamoto Musashi took the lead out of the basement.
Leo was just about to say he was fine—that his injuries looked worse than they really were—when—
"I—"
Before he could finish, Yukino and Asuna each lifted one side of him.
"Wait, I can walk on my own," Leo said reflexively, struggling slightly. "Put me down."
The girls ignored him, silently carrying him out of the basement toward the living room.
Seeing their dark expressions, Leo immediately realized they were still upset about him facing the enemy alone.
But… that wasn't his fault, was it?
Hadn't Miyamoto Musashi already explained everything?
Leo opened his mouth, then closed it again.
Arguing with women—especially angry ones—was pointless. Once they got going, they were harder to restrain than a pig during New Year's.
Better to behave and go along with it, lest he truly get ganged up on…
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You can read up to chapter 169 on patreon.com/NiaXD.