Jeanne didn't care at all about how deeply her words wounded Cao Cao's hero-worshipping heart.
In fact, the more damage she inflicted, the more delighted she felt. After all, she found this self-proclaimed "descendant of Cao Cao" thoroughly repulsive.
She admitted he had skill—reaching this level in a world brutally unfair to humans undoubtedly required unimaginable effort. But his pompous tone irritated her to no end.
Constantly babbling about "heroes" and "humanity"… Was he infected with some incurable chuuni disease? It was embarrassingly awkward just listening to him.
Nearly everyone once dreamed of becoming a hero, but as they grew older and reality battered them, most people learned to compromise with reality.
Of course, there were always stubborn exceptions like Emiya Shirou or Siegmeyer—those who clung persistently to ideals like "hero," "ally of justice," or "brave warrior." Jeanne held a certain admiration for such individuals.
But this Cao Cao before her? Sorry, he wasn't even fit to polish their shoes.
Cao Cao possessed enough power but spouted empty hero slogans while acting like a terrorist. This world was chaotic enough without him adding fuel to the fire. Was he sick in the head?
Worst of all… the man called himself "Cao Cao."
Did naming himself after a ruthless warlord mean he felt compelled to plunge the world into chaos?
If I were your ancestor, Cao Cao, I'd beat some sense into you, brat!
Although Jeanne didn't personally know the historical Cao Cao, despite Chaldea summoning countless Heroic Spirits, she'd never once encountered him among their ranks.
Even Zhou Yu and Zhao Yun had been summoned as Heroic Spirits…
The thoroughly shattered Cao Cao no longer posed a threat. He slumped unconscious, and Jeanne swiftly lost interest, turning instead toward the strongest Longinus—[True Longinus], still gleaming faintly nearby.
Should I take it? Jeanne hesitated.
She hadn't taken Hyoudou Issei's [Sacred Gear] because she knew [Boosted Gear] contained Ddraig's consciousness. With her many secrets, she refused to house a foreign spirit within herself.
But… [True Longinus] shouldn't have this problem, right? At least from what she'd seen, this spear never exhibited a self-conscious personality.
However, she'd once heard others discussing High School DxD lore—that this spear might hold remnants of the Biblical God's soul or some hidden mechanism…
Overthinking alone only caused headaches. Facing such uncertainty, Jeanne decided to simply rely on intuition or leave it to time.
"I'll just toss it into storage for now."
She planned to bring the spear to Michael and his group later to check if remnants of the Biblical God truly existed inside it. Wait—if something like that did exist, wouldn't Michael and the others have discovered it long ago, considering how many wielders it had passed through?
Or was the God's remnant so deeply hidden even Michael couldn't detect it?
Forget it. Thinking too much is pointless. I'll just take it.
Just as Jeanne reached out to claim [True Longinus], the sky ripped open suddenly, and a powerful voice echoed like thunder:
"Hold it right there!"
A massive staff crashed down from the heavens, striking the ground directly before Jeanne, clearly intended to prevent her from claiming the spear.
Jeanne took several wary steps back, eyeing the staff with irritation. Then, her gaze caught five glowing golden characters carved onto its surface:
[Ruyi Jingu Bang].
"Huh???"
What the hell? [Ruyi Jingu Bang]?! Jeanne's expression twisted in disbelief.
"Please restrain yourself, young lady. Cao Cao and [True Longinus] cannot be harmed yet. Otherwise, it'll be quite troublesome for me to explain to that guy."
As the voice spoke, an old monkey wearing a golden circlet on his head, Buddhist beads around his neck, and smoking a pipe casually appeared atop the [Ruyi Jingu Bang].
Though the monkey appeared rather comical, his powerful presence couldn't be ignored—while perhaps not surpassing Sirzechs, he undoubtedly possessed power beyond typical Maou-class devils, possibly reaching the level of a Chief God!
Only someone at the Chief God level could forcibly tear through this dimension stabilized by [Rhongomyniad].
Jeanne momentarily froze—not from fear of his power, but due to the identity clearly indicated by the staff and monkey before her.
[Ruyi Jingu Bang]… and a monkey…
After the initial shock wore off, Jeanne's hostility exploded to a terrifying degree that startled even the old monkey.
"What dreadful killing intent and sinister aura… Do you really wish to fight this old monkey?"
The use of "old monkey" all but confirmed it—this comedic-looking monkey was indeed Sun Wukong, the legendary Monkey King from Journey to the West.
Realizing this, Jeanne's anger skyrocketed even further.
What the hell?! What have you bastards done to my noble and mighty Monkey King?
Even the Sun Wukong from "Campione!" wasn't this disgraceful!
No need to ask his identity directly. There was only one question left to confirm.
"Old monkey, you're here to take away a terrorist who wreaks havoc upon the world? You dare to snatch someone I've marked for death?"
Jeanne advanced step by step, her fury distorting reality itself. Surroundings rippled like reflections on disturbed water, space itself twisting ominously.
The overwhelming murderous intent thickened the air into blood-like viscosity, painting the heavens scarlet, as though the sky had caught fire.
Sun Wukong inwardly panicked. He'd merely spoken a few words—why had she exploded with such rage?
"As expected, things won't go so smoothly. Indra truly handed me a difficult job."
The [Ruyi Jingu Bang] shrank and returned to Sun Wukong's grasp.
"Fine then! It's been a long time since this old monkey stretched his muscles. Let's see what you've got."
Each word from Sun Wukong only further enraged Jeanne. Her voice was dangerously low as she barely controlled her fury:
"You dare challenge me? Are you even worthy?"
Hummmm—!
Countless magic circles appeared behind Jeanne, each displaying a weapon—swords, spears, axes, whips—all radiating divine brilliance.
Every single weapon brimmed with overwhelming power.
"A mongrel should shut his mouth and grovel! Or else—die!"
Targeted simultaneously by dozens of divine artifacts, Sun Wukong nearly lost his soul from sheer terror. Each weapon carried a divine aura both familiar and yet utterly alien.
Why are these here? Why so many? This shouldn't even be possible—not even in a dream!
Ignoring the monkey's stunned disbelief, Jeanne released her anger, channeling her vast magical energy. Instantly, the divine weapons streaked forward like arrows released from a taut bowstring, tearing through the sky toward Sun Wukong.
Yang Jian's mountain-splitting axe, Xiang Yu's Tai'e sword, Nezha's Yin-Yang blades, Liu Bang's Chixiao sword—and countless more she didn't bother identifying—were all launched simultaneously.
The mountain-splitting axe sliced the heavens with a sound like torn fabric, cracking the earth before even striking.
Sun Wukong blocked with his staff, arms numbed by the impact. Seeing even more artifacts flying toward him, he fled desperately, only barely surviving by avoiding direct hits or desperately blocking unavoidable attacks.
By such humiliating means, Sun Wukong narrowly survived.
"Stop running! Fight me head-on!"
Jeanne mocked cruelly, "Is this pathetic spectacle really worthy of the name Sun Wukong? You're just a circus monkey jumping around!"
Even the sealed and domesticated Wukong from "Campione!" hadn't enraged her this much.
Desperately dodging amidst the storm of weapons, Sun Wukong grimaced bitterly. "Young lady, please listen—"
"Shut up! Did I say you could speak?"
The crimson sword [Hrunting] chased him relentlessly, like a guided missile, repeatedly striking until finally knocking him from the sky.
Immediately afterward, [Gáe Bolg], [Gungnir], and other unavoidable artifacts rained down in a devastating barrage, obliterating the battlefield in blinding light.
Jeanne, backed by five [Holy Grails'] limitless mana, felt no fatigue. She could sense the monkey was severely weakened, though not dead yet.
At that moment, unfamiliar divine power surged nearby. Two golden hands swiftly grabbed Cao Cao and [True Longinus], escaping right under Jeanne's nose.
Buddhist aura, commanding Sun Wukong—clearly Indra, supreme ruler of Mount Sumeru.
Jeanne seethed with fury.
"Indra… You've got some nerve—!"
---
Atop Mount Sumeru, Indra fumed.
How humiliating—to personally intervene due to a mere girl wielding borrowed artifacts. Angrily, he contemplated Jeanne's impossible arsenal, suspecting the Biblical God's involvement.
Suddenly, the entire heavens shook violently, a furious roar splitting the sky, nearly crushing the entire Mount Sumeru:
"Indra… You've got some nerve—!"
---
T/N: GILGAJEANNE?
"Mm. If you've read this far, I suppose you're at least a little invested."
"If you want to support the translator, there's a Patreon here: patreon.com/wisetl. It's optional—think of it as tossing a few extra coins on the counter. Early chapters are just a bonus side-effect of that support."
"This place also has its own strange currency… Powerstones. For every 100 Powerstones the story gets, you'll receive 1 bonus chapter. 100ps = 1 chp, 200ps = 2 chp, 300ps = 3 chp… you can do the math."
"If you'd rather talk than throw money or stones, there's a Discord: discord.gg/wisetl. Go there if you want to complain, theorize, or poke the translator for more updates. Just don't expect me to mediate your arguments."
Say thank you to Maomao guys