On a road in Chiba Prefecture——
Cao Cao and Georg, who had left the area some time ago, reappeared amidst a rising mist. Yet, just as before, not a single person noticed their presence.
Pedestrians brushed past them as if they didn't see the two men in strange attire suddenly standing on the street—especially one who was carrying a long spear, his clothes tattered and his body drenched in blood.
"Well?" Georg withdrew his mist-like weapon and glanced at Cao Cao beside him. "Are you satisfied?"
"..."
"Of course not," Cao Cao said, resting the True Holy Spear on his shoulder and rolling his neck. "I haven't even forced out his trump card yet, and the winner hasn't been decided. How could I be satisfied?"
"But you didn't use your full strength either," Georg noted. "And besides, our purpose for coming here today was never meant to be a fight to the finish with Leon Eligos."
"That's what they call plans failing to keep up with changes." Cao Cao narrowed his eyes, which flickered with a sharp, piercing light. His fighting spirit remained high as he spoke. "I must admit, Leon Eligos's strength exceeded my expectations. It truly makes me itch for a real fight."
Initially, he truly hadn't intended to settle things with Leon here. However, Leon's performance had completely ignited Cao Cao's competitive spirit, making him wish he could have unleashed his full power then and there to fight the other man—who surely had cards yet to play—until a definitive victor emerged.
Truth be told, had the Underworld not already made its move, Cao Cao truly doubted he would have listened to Georg's advice to retreat.
"After Vali, he is the second person to make me feel such ecstatic joy. If it weren't for the interference, I wouldn't have minded showing him the true face of this spear—the one ranked above his."
Cao Cao lifted the Holy Spear, muttering as if to himself.
"Even if it meant using 'Truth Idea,' I wouldn't have hesitated."
Hearing this, Georg's expression shifted slightly.
He knew exactly what Cao Cao's statement implied. It meant that in Cao Cao's heart, Leon Eligos was no longer an opponent who could be definitively defeated simply by activating a Balance Breaker. One would have to exert a level of power beyond that to be certain of victory.
"Does that man truly hold such a high evaluation in your heart?" Georg couldn't help but ask.
"Is that even a question?" Cao Cao shifted the Holy Spear on his shoulder, speaking with an air of nonchalance. "What do you think the words 'Zenith Tempest' represent? That is a Longinus ranked higher than your 'Dimension Lost' or Leonnardo's 'Annihilation Maker.' It is the only artifact with the potential to rival the Holy Spear."
"Vali is decent, but in the end, he only wields an artifact ranked in the middle tier of Longinus. He possesses merely the power of a dragon. He doesn't hold the power of a God Slayer like I do, nor is he the incarnation of a natural disaster like that guy."
"Of course, if we're talking strictly about purity as a devil, Vali is superior to Leon Eligos. But don't forget, according to the intel, Leon Eligos has an extremely unusual history of growth."
Hearing Cao Cao's words, Georg immediately thought of the intelligence reports concerning Leon.
"You mean the abnormal growth that occurred after he was promoted to High-class Devil?"
Georg mentioned a point that had baffled many in the Hero Faction.
As far as they knew, not long ago, Leon was nothing more than an incredibly ordinary scion of pure-blooded devils. Aside from inheriting half pure-blood devil lineage and half exorcist lineage, there was nothing remarkable about him; he seemed utterly mediocre.
Perhaps in the eyes of average people, a pure-blood descendant who was born with enough demonic power to be considered top-tier even among Middle-class Devils was an elite existence to be envied. But in the eyes of those with true talent and genius, Leon—who barely managed to promote to High-class right before his official debut near adulthood—was as ordinary as could be.
He couldn't even compare to new-generation devils like Rias Gremory or Sona Sitri. For people like Cao Cao and Georg, he shouldn't have been worth a second glance.
But from the moment Leon promoted to High-class, everything changed.
"It took him over a decade to barely become a High-class Devil, yet in just a few months, he has grown into an Ultimate-class Devil, even increasing his number of wings. This alone proves he hides a massive secret."
"Then there are his subordinates. In just a few months, he has gathered two rare Sacred Gear users and even two Longinus holders. That kind of luck in encountering powerful artifacts is almost on par with us and the Grigori."
"Coincidentally, he didn't make a name for himself earlier or later, but exactly when we have prepared everything and are about to end our state of dormancy—"
Cao Cao closed his eyes, a strange smile playing on his lips.
"Doesn't it feel like fate is pushing everything from behind the scenes?"
At Cao Cao's remark, Georg's brow furrowed deeply.
"The times may be changing, but one characteristic has always remained the same," Cao Cao's voice rang out lightly.
"Whenever chaos is about to erupt, a few 'children of destiny' who are rarely seen will always pop up like bamboo shoots after a spring rain."
"Either they march forward together to create a prosperous era, or they clash against one another to forge an era of unrest."
"This is what it means when they say the times create heroes."
As he listened to Cao Cao's increasingly high evaluation of Leon, Georg's frown deepened further.
"Are you saying we might have let go of a hero destined to rise in the coming era of chaos?" Georg whispered.
Cao Cao opened his eyes.
"No, what I mean is that things are becoming more and more interesting." Cao Cao smiled, like a predator baring its savage fangs while staring at a plump prey. "Will someone stand up to end the chaos and become the hero of the new generation?"
"Or will we defeat these monsters and prove that only humans can transcend limits to achieve the title of Hero?"
"Don't you think that is exactly what we should go out and prove next?"
Georg fell silent. After a long while, he slumped his shoulders as if giving up on deep thought.
"Fine, that's not for me to worry about." Georg shrugged helplessly. "In any case, we've already boarded your ship. Whether this ship sails through the wind and waves or hits a reef and sinks halfway, we're in this together."
"Rest easy," Cao Cao said, turning around. "Throughout history, humans have always been the weakest side, yet whenever an era of chaos arrives, they always stand upon the stage as the final victors."
"I won't break down halfway. I will lead you all to stand at the pinnacle of the world and strike down all the non-humans."
"Achieving the strongest through the weakest, surpassing human limits."
"That is what the Hero Faction is meant to do."
With that, Cao Cao walked slowly forward. Georg spread his hands and followed him. The two gradually disappeared into the crowd. Ahead, it seemed people were waiting to receive them—a very impressive group. Unfortunately, the surrounding people still failed to notice any of them.
At the same time, in Leon's manor.
Flash!
When the previously silent magic circle suddenly flickered with red light and emitted a strange, dense fog, Leon's figure appeared from within. He seemed to have been repelled by something, flying out of the magic circle.
Before he could react and steady himself, several figures immediately rushed forward and caught him.
"Are you alright?"
That was the voice of Yukino Yukinoshita.
"Buchou!"
That was the voice of Asuna Yuuki.
"You're finally back! You idiot——!"
That was the voice of Utaha Kasumigaoka.
"Are you hurt?"
That was the voice of Mahiru Shiina.
Leon finally regained his senses and looked behind him. Yukino Yukinoshita and Asuna Yuuki had appeared at some unknown moment, each holding one side of his body. Behind them were the frantic Utaha Kasumigaoka and the worried Mahiru Shiina. The four of them protected him together, helping him steady his footing.
"Fortunately, it seems the worst-case scenario didn't happen."
Miyamoto Musashi was also present, her hand still resting on the hilt of the sword at her waist, her face filled with an uncharacteristic gravity.
Aside from those who were originally in the manor, there were several devils around the magic circle whom Leon had never seen before. They surrounded the circle, channeling demonic power into it and performing some sort of operation.
"You guys——" Leon spoke up, sounding somewhat surprised. "Why are you all here?"
The answer came from Asuna Yuuki.
"Musashi-sensei noticed that you used the magic circle to jump to an unknown location and couldn't contact you. She immediately called us all together and even notified the Underworld, asking them to send people to help you escape."
Asuna held onto Leon's side, her face full of worry as she looked at his tattered clothes and blood-stained form.
"What on earth happened?" Yukino Yukinoshita was also holding Leon, but she wasn't as gentle as Asuna; instead, she scolded him with a furrowed brow. "Didn't Musashi-san say that during this period, you should tell her beforehand no matter where you go?"
"The magic circle records show you activated the transport yourself." Utaha Kasumigaoka crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes at Leon. "Why did you leave silently by yourself?"
"Were you afraid we wouldn't be of use?" Mahiru Shiina also knit her beautiful brows, staring straight at Leon. "I remember you saying that a master and their retainers are one—a community of shared destiny, aren't they?"
The girls took turns criticizing Leon, making it clear just how displeased they were.
"No——this has nothing to do with me." Leon let out a bitter laugh at the sight. "I had no idea it was a trap. I thought someone was summoning me for a big contract, which is why I went."
Otherwise, he truly wouldn't have been so chauvinistic as to face a coming threat alone. Had he known there was a problem, he wouldn't have stepped onto that magic circle for anything. Even if there were a reason he had to go, he would have brought his retainers, and likely Miyamoto Musashi as well.
Going to a solo meeting knowing there was danger would be truly stupid. As a refined egoist, Leon certainly wouldn't do such a thing.
"That truly isn't Young Master Leon's fault." Miyamoto Musashi relaxed once she confirmed Leon wasn't in any serious danger. "The people sent from the Underworld have already inspected the magic circle. They found that the last jump was a legitimate summons within the scope of devil business."
"So, the other side must have utilized your devil flyers. By performing a minor interference with the simplified magic circle on the flyer to create an illusion, they managed to trick Young Master Leon."
"To be able to accomplish this means the opponent has a very high-level magician. Otherwise, as the one who drew the magic circle, it would be impossible for Young Master Leon to be tricked without noticing a single anomaly."
These words served as an excuse for Leon, causing the expressions of Yukino and the others to soften considerably.
"Let's help Buchou with his wounds first," Asuna said quickly when she saw there was still a trace of blood on the corner of Leon's mouth.
Yukino, Utaha, and Mahiru all immediately looked toward Miyamoto Musashi.
"Let's go." Musashi thought for a moment and nodded. "We'll leave this place to the people from the Underworld. They will try to perform a counter-trace to see if they can follow the trail of the summons that tricked Young Master Leon and find the magician who interfered with the flyer's simplified circle."
"They are professionals in this field; there's no need for us to interfere."
With that, Miyamoto Musashi led the way out of the basement.
"I——"
Leon was about to say he was fine—that it only looked dramatic and he hadn't actually suffered any particularly severe injuries—but before the words could leave his mouth, he was hoisted up by Yukino Yukinoshita and Asuna Yuuki on either side.
The girls were actually carrying him straight out of the basement.
"Wait, I can walk myself," Leon said, struggling reflexively in astonishment. "Put me down."
But the girls didn't listen. They silently carried him out of the basement and toward the living quarters.
Seeing their somber expressions, Leon realized they were still unhappy about him leaving to face an enemy alone.
But——that wasn't his fault, was it? Hadn't Miyamoto Musashi already explained it for him?
Leon opened his mouth, but in the end, he didn't say the words.
Women are unreasonable, especially women who are currently angry. Forget about making them listen to logic; once they lose their tempers, they're harder to hold down than a pig at New Year's.
He figured it was better to just surrender quietly to avoid being ganged up on.