Cao Cao had always prided himself on his ability to assess threats.
It was a necessary skill for someone who wielded the True Longinus. For someone who led the Hero Faction. For someone who sought to prove that humans could stand equal to—or even surpass—gods and devils.
And Leon Mishima was a threat.
A significant one.
When Cao Cao had first heard the reports, he'd been intrigued. A human who could fight gods. Who could defeat Loki. Who trained others to transcend their limitations.
It was impressive.
Admirable, even.
As a fellow human, Cao Cao had wanted to meet him. To recruit him. Someone of Leon's caliber would be invaluable to the Hero Faction. Together, they could reshape the world. Prove that humanity didn't need to bow to supernatural beings.
But now, standing here with the True Longinus in hand, watching Leon fight with that cursed sword of his...
Cao Cao felt something he rarely acknowledged.
Fear.
Leon Mishima wasn't just strong.
He was dangerous in a way that transcended raw power.
The sword in his hand—Laevateinn—burns through concepts themselves.
He knew of the myths, of the danger laevateinn possessed.
And now that same sword was pointed at him.
Cao Cao's smile remained fixed on his face.
But inside?
Inside, he was recalculating.
This wasn't going to be as easy as he'd thought.
Leon's eyes locked onto his. It was cold and focused. There was no hesitation there. There was no doubt in his eyes.
It was the eyes of someone fully confident and Cao Cao didn't like that.
Cao Cao tightened his grip on the True Longinus. The seven orbs of his Balance Breaker pulsed around him.
This was it. The moment that would determine everything.
Could the True Longinus—the spear that killed God—match a blade that destroyed gods?
There was only one way to find out.
"Let's see which legend is stronger," Cao Cao said, his smile sharpening.
He attacked.
The True Longinus thrust forward. Divine light erupted from the tip. The seven orbs amplified the attack, multiplying its power.
"Balance Breaker: Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin."
This was the technique that had pierced gods. That had proven even the divine could bleed.
The power multiplied. The seven orbs orbited faster. Each one radiating enough holy energy to vaporize lesser beings.
Divine energy flooded the area. The True Longinus glowed with blinding light.
Cao Cao's expression was serious as he prepared for his attack, still he felt uneasy as Leon watched him still calm and unfazed.
Then he did something Cao Cao didn't expect.
He lowered Laevateinn.
The demonic sword vanished. Disappeared in a burst of flame.
Cao Cao's eyes narrowed. "What are you—"
Leon's hand moved to his other sword. The longsword at his waist.
The simple blade that Cao Cao had dismissed as a backup weapon.
Leon drew the blade slowly.
It looked... ordinary. Plain. Nothing special.
But Cao Cao felt it.
The shift in the air. The change in Leon's presence.
Then Leon's voice rang out. Clear and absolute.
"Logos Ruina."
Cao Cao's instincts screamed at him. Every fiber of his being told him to move. To attack. To stop whatever was happening.
And he did.
Cao Cao thrust forward with everything he had, the True Longinus blazing with divine light so intense it seemed to burn away the very shadows themselves.
The seven orbs of his Balance Breaker spun faster, creating a web of holy power that could theoretically pierce through any defense, destroy any barrier, end any life.
"Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin—Full Release!"
The attack was devastating, absolute, the culmination of his mastery over humanity's strongest Sacred Gear.
Divine energy compressed into a single point of piercing light, aimed directly at Leon's heart with pinpoint accuracy honed through countless battles.
This was the strike that had wounded gods, that had proven even the supposedly immortal could bleed and die.
But the longsword in Leon's hand began to change, reality itself seeming to warp and twist around the blade as its true nature was finally revealed.
The simple, unremarkable appearance shattered like an illusion being dispelled, revealing something far more profound and terrifying beneath.
The blade elongated, its edge becoming impossibly sharp, intricate patterns appeared along the steel.
Leon moved.
His sword traced a single, perfect arc through the air.
And the True Longinus's attack simply... stopped.
It ceased to exist, as if the very concept of the attack had been erased from reality itself.
"What—"Cao Cao's eyes widened in genuine shock and dawning horror.
"What did you do?!"
For the first time since the battle began, Cao Cao lost his composure. His mind struggled desperately to process what he had just witnessed.
His trump card. His weapon. His Longinus. His attack.
It was destroyed.
"It was simple," Leon said casually. "I denied it."
What?
"What?" Cao Cao repeated. The word came out flat. Confused.
His thoughts raced. What kind of Sacred Gear was that? How had they never heard of it? The Hero Faction had extensive records on every known Longinus, every significant Sacred Gear in existence.
But this?
There was nothing in their database about a sword that could simply deny attacks.
Leon said nothing.
He just stood there with his sword in hand. Watching.
"Tell me!" Cao Cao demanded. His voice cracked slightly. "How can you do that? What Sacred Gear is that?"
Silence.
Leon wasn't going to answer nor he plans to.
And that silence broke something in Cao Cao's mind.
"TELL ME!" He roared. All composure gone. All strategy abandoned.
Pure desperation.
He raised the True Longinus. The seven orbs of his Balance Breaker reformed around him.
"Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin!"
The attack launched.
Leon's sword moved. A casual swipe.
The attack disappeared. Denied.
"No—" Cao Cao attacked again. And again. And again.
Each one more desperate than the last.
Each one denied with a simple cut.
"WHY WON'T YOU TELL ME?!" Cao Cao screamed. Sweat poured down his face. "I NEED TO KNOW! I NEED TO UNDERSTAND!"
Another attack. Denied.
Another. Denied.
Another. Denied.
His breathing grew ragged. His movements sloppier.
The True Longinus felt impossibly heavy in his hands now.
"This can't be happening," he muttered between attacks. "This can't—the True Longinus is absolute—it's supposed to—"
Denied.
"I'm the descendant of the legendary hero—I was chosen—"
Denied.
"I've proven humans can stand against gods—I've shown—"
Denied.
His legs trembled. His vision blurred.
But he kept attacking. Kept trying. Kept hoping that maybe, just maybe, one of his strikes would get through.
That something would work.
That he wasn't completely, utterly powerless.
Leon just stood there. Unharmed and unbothered.
Finally, Cao Cao's legs gave out.
He collapsed to his knees. The True Longinus clattered to the ground beside him.
His chest heaved. Sweat dripped onto the floor. His hands shook uncontrollably.
Exhausted. Defeated. Broken.
Cao Cao stared at the ground. Unable to look up. Unable to face the reality standing before him.
Everything he'd built. Everything he'd believed. Everything he'd fought for.
All of it crumbled by a single man.
By a power he had no answer for.
By a human who had surpassed everything Cao Cao thought was possible.
Cao Cao knelt on the ground. Broken and exhausted. The True Longinus lay beside him.
Then magic circles blazed to life around the area.
Multiple ones.
From them emerged the members of the Hero Faction.
Leon easily recognized them from the anime. Georg, Jeanne, Heracles, Siegfried and Leonardo.
They saw their leader on his knees. Defeated. Humiliated.
"Cao Cao!" Georg's voice carried shock and anger.
"You bastard!" Jeanne screamed at Leon. Her holy swords pointed at him. "What did you do to him?!"
"Attack!" Heracles roared. His fists glowed with power.
They charged as one. Desperate to save their leader.
Leon sighed.
He didn't even need to use his Zanpakutō.
Georg's magic circle appeared beneath Leon. A binding spell meant to freeze him in place.
Leon stepped out of it before it activated.
Jeanne's holy swords flew at him from multiple angles. A formation designed to give no escape route.
Leon weaved between them. Not a single blade touched him.
Heracles came from above. His fist descending like a meteor.
Leon caught it. With one hand.
The impact cratered the ground beneath them. But Leon didn't move an inch.
"What—" Heracles's eyes widened.
Leon twisted. Threw him.
Heracles crashed through three pillars before hitting the wall.
Siegfried thrust forward with Gram. The dragon-slaying blade aimed at Leon's heart.
Leon grabbed the blade. Bare-handed.
Sparks flew. The legendary sword screamed in protest.
"Impossible," Siegfried breathed.
Leon yanked the sword aside. His other fist connected with Siegfried's gut.
The dragon slayer doubled over.
Leonardo tried to summon monsters using his sacred gear.
But Leon had no plans on letting him do that.
He vanished.
One moment he was standing over Siegfried.
The next, he appeared directly in front of Leonardo.
"Wait—"
Leon's fist connected with his jaw.
Leonardo's head snapped back. His eyes rolled up.
He collapsed. Unconscious before he hit the ground.
The half-formed monsters dissolved. Faded back into nothingness.
"Is that all?" Leon asked quietly.
The remaining Hero Faction members froze. Terror written on their faces.
They were no match for him. Not even close.
Not even together.
Georg's hands trembled as he raised his staff again. But not to attack.
"Retreat!" Georg shouted. His voice cracked with desperation. "We have no choice! We can't win this!"
They needed to flee. Now.
Multiple teleportation circles blazed to life around them. Complex arrays designed for rapid extraction.
But Leon's eyes narrowed.
He saw more circles. In the distance.
Around Samael's cage.
Leon vanished again.
He appeared directly in front of the sealed dragon. His Zanpakutō still in hand.
The teleportation circles around Samael glowed brighter.
Leon's sword moved. A single casual swing.
The spell shattered. Dissolved like smoke.
The teleportation circles around Samael disappeared completely.
Georg's eyes widened in shock as he saw Leon destroy his carefully crafted spell with such ease.
But he didn't stop. Couldn't stop.
They had to retreat. Without Samael if necessary.
Or else they would all die here.
Cao Cao was in no shape to fight anymore. It was clear he'd lost badly to Leon. Completely and utterly.
The teleportation circles around the Hero Faction members grew brighter.
But before they could complete—
Leon vanished again from their sight.
When they found him, their hearts stopped.
He was standing beside Leonardo's unconscious form.
Right inside their teleportation circle.
The spell was almost complete. Almost activated.
"No!!" Jeanne shouted. Horror in her voice. "You bast—"
Light consumed everything then the teleportation completed.
And they were gone.
The sudden departure left an eerie silence in the devastated battlefield.
Seeing him now alone, Rossweisse walked closer to Leon.
"Leon-sama," she said quietly. "Why did you let them escape? You could have easily stopped them. Captured them all."
"Because I still have plans for them."
"I see."
"But for now..." Leon's gaze shifted to where Leonardo had been lying.
"He'll do. It's about time after all."
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