Chapter 19: The Arrival of the Hero Faction!
In the Human World, on the outskirts of Kuoh Town.
Several figures suddenly materialized, each one radiating a potent aura. Not a single one among them could be called weak.
"Can we confirm it? Ophis is here?"
"Yes. Two days ago, Ophis was brought to this town by Kuroka, apparently to meet someone. There hasn't been any news since."
"Vali's people, huh..."
Upon hearing the name 'Vali,' the man leading the group nodded.
His name was Cao Cao, the leader of the Hero Faction and a direct descendant of the Cao Cao from the Three Kingdoms era. He possessed the calm demeanor of a king and a meticulous mind. He was one of the strongest human candidates and the wielder of the first and most powerful top-tier Longinus: True Longinus (The Holy Spear of the Setting Sun).
According to legend, the True Longinus was the spear that pierced the Son of God, Jesus.
Known as the absolute artifact that "could even pierce God," it was the very definition of a true Longinus.
The people surrounding him were also exceptional geniuses among humanity.
Siegfried, a warrior raised by the Church using the genetic factors of the hero Sigurd. He possessed the Sacred Gear Twice Critical, the Demon Emperor Sword Gram, and several other legendary demonic blades.
Heracles, a giant who inherited the soul of the Heracles from Greek mythology. He held the Sacred Gear Variant Detonation.
Jeanne, a beautiful blonde woman who inherited the soul of the Saint Jeanne d'Arc. Her Sacred Gear was Blade Blacksmith.
Georg, a descendant of Faust who made a contract with the legendary demon Mephistopheles. He wielded the Longinus Dimension Lost.
Leonardo, a descendant of the genius artist Leonardo da Vinci, possessed the Longinus Annihilation Maker.
The Hero Faction boasted a total of three Longinus users—a truly terrifying display of strength.
Additionally, Arthur Pendragon from Vali's team had originally belonged to the Hero Faction before joining Vali because he felt their interests aligned more closely.
"By the way, this is what they call Kuoh Town, right?" Cao Cao asked suddenly.
"That's right, this is Kuoh. What about it?" Heracles asked, confused. It was well known that unless it involved the major factions, Cao Cao rarely took interest in small places like this. There usually wasn't anything worth his attention.
"The current Sekiryūtei (Red Dragon Emperor), the human who inherited the soul of the divine construct Enkidu from Mesopotamian mythology... isn't he in this town?"
"Oh, you mean the new fiancé of the Gremory princess?"
"Exactly. And Kuoh Town, if I recall, is Gremory territory."
"Is that so? Are we going to contact him?"
"Since we're already here, of course we have to meet him. Besides, I'm curious to see just how strong the legendary divine weapon Enkidu (Chains of Heaven) really is, and if it can stand up to my Holy Spear."
As he spoke, a look of anticipation crossed Cao Cao's face.
"That's impossible. As the strongest Longinus, even a weapon forged by the gods shouldn't be able to surpass the True Longinus."
"As for that, who knows? The power of the Red Dragon Emperor combined with Enkidu... that makes two Sacred Gears."
Everyone present was a Sacred Gear user, so they understood the weight of such power.
Especially Jeanne and Heracles; even though they inherited the souls of Heroic Spirits, they knew that without their Sacred Gears, their strength would plummet. Even with them, they were still just pawns in the grand scheme of things.
On the other side of town, the moment Cao Cao's group entered Kuoh, Akira was already aware of them.
Akira had his Shadow Soldiers stationed all over the town. After the previous eavesdropping by Kuroka and Ophis, he had decided to be more vigilant.
Besides, there was a high-level, cunning individual lurking in the shadows, so being cautious would never hurt.
Since Cao Cao and his group weren't exactly hiding their presence, they were detected immediately.
"Darling, is something wrong?"
Just as Akira was considering his move, a sweet voice called out from his embrace.
Currently, a mature and stunningly beautiful woman was leaning against him.
Quetzalcoatl had finally awakened. After waking up, she had ventured out only to discover that Akira was a man with many lovers.
But it was too late now; she found herself unable to leave him.
"Some interesting people have arrived. I was just thinking about how to handle them."
"Eh? Interesting people?"
"Human geniuses of this world. Every member holds a powerful Sacred Gear, and they even have three Longinus among them. Their leader has the strongest one, the True Longinus."
"Are they strong?"
"To me, they aren't exactly 'very strong,' but they definitely aren't weak either."
"I see. In that case, let me go."
"Hmm? You want to go?"
"After sleeping for so long, I want to move around a bit. And you probably need those Sacred Gears, don't you?"
"Alright then. I'll leave it to you."
"Okay! Just count on me."
Quetzalcoatl hopped out of Akira's lap, her face lit up with a look of pure excitement.
Just like Tiamat, once she left the Fate world and the restrictions of the Counter Force and its original laws, Quetzalcoatl's Spirit Origin had expanded rapidly.
Particularly in the world of High School DxD, where gods and demons lived side-by-side and supernatural entities were everywhere.
Furthermore, because this world also contained an "Aztec Mythology," Quetzalcoatl had even obtained the divine authority of the "Sun God."
Mythologies were complex things; as myths shifted and changed, the existence of the gods themselves would transform.
"This Big Sis is going into action, yay~!"
After stretching her limbs, Quetzalcoatl locked onto the auras of Cao Cao and the others within Kuoh Town.
She gave Akira one last bright smile before heading out.
"You go with her. If anything unexpected happens, take care of any unnecessary trouble."
"Understood, My Lord."
Within the shadows, a pair of blood-red eyes vanished.
Akira didn't particularly care about Cao Cao and his crew. He had mass-produced Samael, Ophis had been brought home, and he had even gained an extra daughter.
Even if Cao Cao wanted to stir up trouble, he wouldn't be able to make much of a splash.
The only thing Akira was curious about was the Sacred Gears; those things were bound to carry a lot of World Essence. With three Longinus delivering themselves all at once, he should be able to rake in quite a bit.
However, he did have a small concern: whether the world would react after he stripped away so much World Essence.
After his tests during this period, Akira realized that this world didn't have a "Will of the World" per se.
However, much like a human body being attacked by a virus or bacteria, the world would instinctively reject and try to eliminate such things.
There was no consciousness, but there was a reaction akin to instinct.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —
Join my Patreon here:
patreon.com/FaaanzKun
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —