Chapter 21: The Mighty Goddess!
Under the watchful eyes of the group, Quetzalcoatl gave a thin smile. She placed one hand on Heracles' corpse, then lifted it, and the Sacred Gear Variant Detonation extracted itself.
Once a host dies, a Sacred Gear does not disappear immediately; it remains within the host's body for a short period.
Only after being pulled back by the 'System' would the artifact undergo its next round of 'selection.'
"Yay! Collection complete..."
Looking at the Variant Detonation in her hand, Quetzalcoatl gave a bright, cheery smile.
It was true that she was a kind God who loved humanity, but one should never think she wouldn't kill. Having good intentions did not mean she was soft or weak.
"That's Heracles' Sacred Gear! She came for the Sacred Gears!"
Jeanne shouted as she saw this, and the others narrowed their eyes, bracing themselves for combat.
They had always been aware that Sacred Gears were objects of desire for many, especially in the Hero Faction which boasted three Longinus users; they were bound to be targets.
They just hadn't expected this day to come so soon, nor that Heracles would be the first to fall.
"Miss Quetzalcoatl, you said you wanted to give us a trial, yet you robbed my comrade of his Sacred Gear. This doesn't align with your words."
Cao Cao stepped forward to speak. As the leader, when a subordinate is killed, he naturally couldn't remain silent.
A long spear appeared in his hand; the shaft was blue, the tip was razor-sharp, and it featured a downward-extending part like a tassel of wheat, radiating a faint, holy aura.
The first and strongest Longinus: True Longinus. The spear that, according to legend, killed the Son of God, Jesus.
One of the three Holy Relic-category Longinus, it contained the lingering will of God, giving it a consciousness of its own.
Because it was once used to pierce Jesus, it was hailed as the strongest Longinus. As a Holy Spear, it also possessed holy power, making it an extremely dangerous existence for both devils and demonic creatures.
Not long ago, Quetzalcoatl had heard Akira speak of the True Longinus—specifically the consciousness of the God of the Bible within it—which had made her very curious.
"Iyea, it's not a contradiction at all! Just as you want to prove the possibilities of humans, aren't you also using Sacred Gears made by a 'God'? That isn't power that belongs to humans."
Holding a Sacred Gear, even a Longinus, only granted one identity: a Sacred Gear User.
Not the owner of the artifact, but merely the person using it.
Akira had doubted more than once that the reason the God of the Bible spread Sacred Gears across the world wasn't out of love for humanity, but for a specific purpose.
For instance, letting humans assist in the growth of those artifacts, so that eventually, when He reclaimed them all, the results would be... unquestionable.
Furthermore, Sacred Gears fed on human thoughts and emotions. Human will could make the artifacts grow.
Every technique, every method of use—including Balance Breakers and Juggernaut Drives—was proof that humans were helping these artifacts evolve.
If the God of the Bible hadn't died, and one day in the future He reclaimed the Sacred Gears that had evolved for hundreds of years to arm His Angels, the result would be terrifying.
Of course, this was mere speculation, as the God of the Bible was dead and this could not be proven.
Quetzalcoatl's words struck a chord, leaving Cao Cao silent.
Cao Cao actually understood this point regarding Sacred Gears; great achievements reached by relying on such artifacts couldn't truly prove the worth of humanity in a certain sense. After all, it was a tool created by a god, not a man.
"Actually, humans have 'weapons' of their own creation, and they aren't inferior to these Sacred Gears. They might even be superior."
"Hmm? Weapons created by humans?"
"Noble Phantasms. Miracles materialized; the proof of heroism held by Heroic Spirits. The crystallization of human thoughts praying for a miracle—the ultimate weapons known as 'Glorious Illusions'."
"Noble Phantasms?"
"That's right. Put simply, they are conceptual weapons built using human imagination as the framework."
"Then, do you possess a Noble Phantasm?"
"I do. Even though this Onee-san is a God, I am also a Heroic Spirit, so of course I have one."
"In that case, would you show it to me?"
"That depends on how strong you are."
"If you say so, then I won't hold back any longer."
"Come then! Onee-san is really looking forward to it!"
Bang—!
Cao Cao immediately launched a surprise attack, wielding the True Longinus as he thrust toward Quetzalcoatl.
Unlike Heracles, Cao Cao was a technique-type fighter. Combined with the power of the True Longinus, he possessed both 'strength' and 'skill.'
"Power of this level is still far from enough to force me to use a Noble Phantasm."
"Then I shall increase the 'intensity'!"
As he spoke, the strength in Cao Cao's hands increased by several degrees. Simultaneously, he launched a flurry of strikes from various sharp angles. His goal was singular: to kill Quetzalcoatl.
To Cao Cao, while he was indeed curious about Noble Phantasms, the most important thing right now was killing the woman in front of him.
Boom—!
In his focus, a small opening appeared.
Quetzalcoatl seized this moment, launching a sudden counterattack. Although Cao Cao managed to react in time, he was still sent reeling by a monstrous blow from the Goddess.
He was knocked back over a dozen meters before finally stabilizing his footing, but the base of his thumbs on both hands felt sore and numb, a testament to Quetzalcoatl's overwhelming physical strength.
"Cao Cao, what should we do? Should we..."
Georg approached, casting a subtle, hidden glance toward Quetzalcoatl in the distance.
His meaning was clear: should they all attack at once? The enemy was obviously extremely powerful, and this was Kuoh Town—devil territory. If the commotion became too large, they would be discovered.
At the same time, the purpose of their trip was to bring back Ophis, not to fight a war.
"No. The opponent clearly isn't being serious yet. If we gang up on her, it will be very easy to trigger her wrath. Right now, she's just having fun; once she loses interest, things will become very difficult."
"Is she really that strong?"
"Yes, incredibly strong. She is the most powerful opponent I have ever encountered. Be ready; if things take a turn for the worse, retreat immediately."
"Understood."
Though there was a hint of doubt in his heart, Georg obeyed Cao Cao's command.
In his hands, a mist began to spread into the surroundings.
The Longinus Dimension Lost. It could spread spiritual energy indefinitely with the user as the center. It could seal any object that entered it and was even capable of transporting them to another dimension.
Any ability involving 'space' was usually a major headache, and Dimension Lost was no exception.
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