"Y'er kidding me?" Jeanne involuntarily muttered in her old dialect. They knew he was strong, but they never expected him to have a unique ability that could turn a simple twig into a powerful weapon capable of contending with the True fucking Longinus. That's a god-killing spear, not just some random thing found on the street.
Cao Cao was still strong even without his weapon, but there was no doubt that the weapon he wielded made him even more powerful. That's how he became their leader, because he was the strongest among them. They believed that with him at the front, nothing could stop them—not even the Gods or the Satans.
But now, doubt was growing in their hearts, all because of a single human. Kousuke Igarashi, a name now embedded deep in their mind. His very existence felt like someone had thrown a bucket of cold water over them.
"That's... not an ordinary stick, right?" Cao Cao asked in disbelief. He refused to accept that the True Longinus could be parried with a normal twig. Once again, it's the God-Slaying weapon. Meant to kill gods and devils. The spear that once pierced Jesus Christ and was drenched in his blood. That is the legend behind it.
There were even rumors that it might contain a fragment of the Biblical God, the now-deceased deity. Cao Cao was certain there was a secret within his Sacred Gear, though he hadn't explored that part just yet.
"Nah dude, it's just a twig I found in a forest earlier," Kousuke said casually.
The truth in his words made Cao Cao stumble backward in shock. It was like being told the Earth was flat, that's how absurd it sounded to him… and to everyone else there.
But they were forced to believe it. After all—
Clang!
"What was that supposed to be? Sneak attacks should be... like this." Kousuke said after parrying a demonic spell thrown at him, batting it harmlessly into the ground. Then, with a casual vertical swing of the twig, he sent a shockwave toward Diodora, the culprit—splitting the ground apart and nearly swallowing him whole if he hadn't flown upward in time.
"Yep, that's the legendary twig for you," Kousuke muttered with an appreciative nod.
He looked down at the stick in satisfaction. It had remained perfectly intact even after such a destructive strike. He held it firmly in his hand before turning to see Kuroka somehow slipping past him to hide behind Morgan. She stuck her tongue out at him, clearly declaring that she was no longer part of the enemy group.
He smirked but said nothing. He already knew how shameless she could be. Even now, she was staring at him with a heated gaze, much like a certain Witch. If he could read her mind, it'd probably be something along the lines of: 'I need him to fuck me now! Fill me with his potent seed!'
It was a good thing he wasn't a mind reader. Then again, it didn't take a genius to figure it out just by looking at her.
"Now then… should I remind you guys what I told Kuroka a few days ago?" he asked in a cold tone.
The smile on his face vanished. In its place were the eyes of a ruthless killer. Back in the Otherworld, he had been told many times not to jump to conclusions. That was the only reason he hadn't beheaded the entire Hero Faction the moment he arrived.
He wanted to hear their excuses. What kind of reasons did they have for taking his threat so lightly?
Cao Cao and the others could feel the immense bloodlust radiating from him. Their spines ran cold when his emotionless gaze met theirs. They were reminded once again of what Kuroka had told them—
[That isn't strength, it's the absolute resolve… to kill.]
He wasn't looking at them as worthy opponents to defeat, he was looking at them as people to kill. A mere pig to be slaughter. His indifferent attitude towards them only showed how worthless they are in his eyes. Human race strives to leave a mark in history, be it for better or worse. So to be treated as worthless, it was as cold as telling an ambitious person to just kill themselves.
"I warned you, didn't I? Don't touch the people I care about."
"You! Who do you think you—" "I never said you could speak."
Jeanne was riled up, about to hurl an insult at him when Kousuke vanished and reappeared behind her. The twig smacked her in the belly, but it felt more like a speeding truck had collided with her.
Wham!
Her body flew like a ragdoll, crashing over a hundred meters away. Even after the smoke cleared and her body began to glow with a green healing light, she remained on the ground—unconscious. Just like that, their Saint had been taken down.
"Jeanne!" Arthur cried out. He wanted to charge at Kousuke, but without a weapon, he was more useless than a healer.
Suddenly, something grabbed Kousuke's ankle, it came from his shadow.
He looked down and saw emotionless red eyes staring back at him, a monster made of shadow. He stared at the creature like a child discovering a toy for the first time, curious and intrigued.
Then, with a simple stomp, the shadow monster vanished like smoke.
He turned to a short, young boy with gray-blue hair who flinched upon meeting his gaze. Even someone who was always expressionless was now showing emotion for the first time, and that emotion was fear.
Because of his Sacred Gear, he had accidentally killed his own family during a nightmare one night. Since then, he had lived like a robot, just barely surviving until Cao Cao appeared before him.
Leonardo had followed Cao Cao ever since, believing that he had worth. That his Sacred Gear wasn't just a tool for killing, but something greater. Something that could liberate humanity from the gods and other supernatural threats.
But now… a human who didn't need to be liberated stood before him.
Kousuke's strength alone seemed enough to place gods beneath his feet, yet he used it to protect the people he cared about.
"Leonardo!"
He heard someone calling his name, likely Cao Cao. He wasn't close to anyone else in the Hero Faction. He turned to look but noticed something strange.
A sudden crushing pain bloomed in his stomach. And then… he felt light. As if he were flying. That was his last thought before Leonardo, like Jeanne, lost consciousness.