BOOM!
My and Xenovia's slashes obliterated Honmaru Palace, leaving a scorched wasteland.
"Phew," I exhaled, sheathing Ignis before it burned my arm.
Xenovia, Durandal on her shoulder, wiped sweat from her brow. The sword was back in its sheath.
"Nice attack, Xenovia," I said.
"Your power's impressive too," she replied.
We high-fived.
Saji shouted, "That was too fast! You went for the kill right away!?"
"Quick wins are best," I said.
"That was overkill!" Saji yelled.
"No mercy for terrorists," I shot back.
"Exactly," Xenovia added. "Ruining our school trip deserves death."
She'd been loving the trip, so she must've been pissed. She looked a bit relieved now, tapping her new Durandal.
"The alchemists fused it with Excalibur. Not bad," she said.
"Fused with Excalibur!?" I gasped.
Irina explained, "They layered Excalibur as a sheath over Durandal's blade. Excalibur controls Durandal's aggressive aura, and their synergy boosts both swords' destructive power."
"Like when Durandal resonated with Ascalon against Diadora?" I recalled.
"Exactly. That sparked this new Durandal," Irina said.
A fused holy sword—Ex-Durandal. Straightforward name.
Weren't there six Excaliburs in the church's possession? The last one's with Arthur from Vali's team. What'd happen if that joined Ex-Durandal? Kinda wanna see.
"That was close♪," Cao Cao said, tapping his spear on his shoulder, grinning. His team stood unscathed.
No way they're unharmed by Ignis. That mist around them—Georg's work?
"Without moving to Georg's space, we'd be done," Cao Cao said. "You keep entertaining me, Issei Hyoudou."
So, Dimension Lost let them dodge by jumping to another space. Makes sense.
Siegfried grinned fiercely. "What a strike, Red Dragon Emperor. I felt death for a moment. Cao Cao, can I have him?"
"No, he's mine," Cao Cao replied.
Ugh, stop fighting over me! Creepy!
"I attacked too, but I guess I can't match Issei yet," Xenovia sighed.
"Cheer up, Xenovia! Ignis is a cheat, and its wielder's no joke!" I said.
(Ahem, aren't I amazing?) Albion boasted.
No need to brag! We know you're incredible!
(Hehe, even without clothes, I'm stunning ♪)
What!?
(You want to see, don't you?)
…Yeah, I do.
(Partner, you…) Ddraig groaned.
It's a guy thing, Ddraig.
"Let's start the experiment," Cao Cao said, tapping his spear.
Yasaka's body glowed.
What's happening?
"We'll channel Kyoto's energy through the Nine-Tails to summon Great Red. Georg!" Cao Cao ordered.
"Got it," Georg, a bespectacled mage, replied, raising his hand. Various magic circles—Nordic, demonic, fallen angel, black and white magic, spirit magic—swirled around him.
"He's a skilled mage," Rossweisse muttered, eyes narrowed.
Dimension Lost's weakness is its wielder, but Georg seems formidable. Trouble.
A massive magic circle appeared under Yasaka.
It looked familiar…
(Dragon Gate. Similar to the one that summoned Midgardsormr's consciousness,) Ddraig said.
Yeah, close enough, with some differences.
ROAR!
Yasaka roared, eyes wide, golden fur bristling—an abnormal state.
Georg said, "The array to summon Great Red and the sacrifice are set. Now, will Great Red be drawn to this city's power? Having a Heavenly Dragon and a Dragon King here might help. Cao Cao, I'm stuck controlling this array—it's tough."
Cao Cao waved it off. "Got it. Now, Red Dragon Emperor's mine. Siegfried, you take the holy-demonic sword?"
"Yep, round two," Siegfried replied.
"Then—Jeanne, Heracles," Cao Cao called.
"Here!" a blonde woman with a thin sword answered.
"Yeah!" a two-meter-tall giant replied.
"They're successors of Jeanne d'Arc and Heracles' souls," Cao Cao said. "Who'll you face?"
Jeanne and Heracles grinned.
Then—
"I'll take the Red Dragon Emperor," a third voice said.
Even the Hero Faction turned, surprised.
Cao Cao gave a wry smile. "Didn't expect you here…"
A woman with long, pale purple hair tied back stood where Honmaru once was. Beautiful but cold, she wore a form-fitting combat outfit like Xenovia's, a sleeveless coat, two swords at her waist, and dual spears in hand.
Dual spears? Rare. I've never fought that style.
Hero Faction member? She's not wearing their uniform, and the vibe's off.
Jeanne snapped, "What's your deal? You never join operations!"
Heracles added, "Claiming the Red Dragon Emperor? Keep joking, and I'll crush you first!"
Both sounded pissed.
The woman glared at them. "Shut up. Want to die?"
A chill ran through me. What killing intent!
Jeanne and Heracles fell silent.
Is she really Hero Faction? They don't seem friendly.
Cao Cao sighed. "She's Diarmuid, inheritor of Celtic hero Diarmuid Ua Duibhne's soul… sort of."
Diarmuid closed her eyes. "I don't care about that. I just want to fight the strong."
"Sounds like Vali," I said. "You with the Hero Faction?"
Cao Cao answered, "Technically. But she doesn't participate, earning her the nickname 'Hero Faction's Freeloader.'"
The faction sighed.
What a nickname! She's just a letdown!
Today's second letdown, huh?
"Don't talk about me! I'm reflecting!" Rossweisse huffed, cheeks red.
She's cute and pretty like this… Did she read my mind?
An awkward silence settled over the battlefield.
Cao Cao coughed, addressing Diarmuid. "Why claim the Red Dragon Emperor?"
"I fight the strong. I've always wanted to cross blades with him," she replied.
"No way. He's my prey," Cao Cao said.
"Mine," Diarmuid countered.
Zzt…
They locked eyes, killing intent clashing, tensing everyone.
What, a team fallout? Are they even allies? The faction seems to hate her.
After a few seconds, Cao Cao spoke. "Imagine preparing for a fight, and someone steals your opponent. What'd you do?"
"Kill them," Diarmuid said.
"Exactly. I've prepped for this. I'm not yielding."
Diarmuid thought, then clicked her tongue. "Fine, you have him today."
Cao Cao continued, "Jeanne, Heracles, who're you taking?"
"Angel girl," Jeanne said.
"Silver-haired chick," Heracles growled.
"So, Diarmuid, you face Xenovia, the Durandal wielder," Cao Cao said.
"Fine," Diarmuid nodded, reluctantly, pointing her spears at Xenovia.
So: me vs. Cao Cao, Kiba vs. Siegfried, Irina vs. Jeanne, Rossweisse vs. Heracles, Xenovia vs. Diarmuid.
"Xenovia, watch out. Diarmuid's no joke," I warned.
"She seems tough, but I won't let her target you," Xenovia replied, gripping Ex-Durandal's sheath. A mechanism clicked, revealing a handle. She pulled—a second sword.
It splits!? "She's dual spears, so I'll go dual swords. Suits me better," Xenovia said, wrapping holy aura around the blades.
You got this, Xenovia.
"Saji, restrain Yasaka. Miu, disrupt that magic circle without harming Yasaka," I said.
"Monster fight, huh? Leave it to me," Saji replied.
"To stop it, I need to block the city's energy flow…" Miu muttered, scheming.
I trust you both with Yasaka.
Saji's body erupted in black flames, swelling into a massive Eastern dragon.
"Dragon King Transformation: Vritra Promotion!"
JAAAA!
The black dragon roared, more stable than against Loki. Vritra's flames bind and drain. Hopefully, it'll hold Yasaka.
"Asia, protect Kunou and handle healing," I said.
"I'll heal everyone!" Asia replied.
"Kunou, stick with Asia."
"Got it! But—"
"I know. We'll save your mom. Promise!" I gave her a thumbs-up.
Pointing at Cao Cao, I shouted, "Let's end this, Cao Cao. Your crazy plan stops here!"
My killing intent shook the air, scattering gravel. A nearby rock cracked.
Cao Cao grinned. "Nice aura. It's almost pleasant."
"I'll wipe that smug look off your face."
"Smug? No, I'm genuinely enjoying this."
"Whatever, enjoy it alone." I drew Ascalon from my gauntlet.
A moment of silence.
Then—
CLANG!
Our weapons sparked as they clashed.