Combined forces, the fall of the cult begins

A man was walking alone through a dark subway corridor; the air around him was turbulent. The man, who appeared to be in his 30s, had a robust body along with a piercing, exhausted look. His gray-colored hair, with a few black strands, was combed all back.

He stopped at the end of the hallway, where there was a single door with two soldiers guarding it.

- Is this where the Kagenou's daughter is?

- Yes, in here, Olba-sama.

The soldier who answered, gave his greetings to Olba and then opened the lock on the door.

- Please be careful. She's tied up, but she's violent.

- Ha, who do you think you're telling? This old man can still put up a fight.

- Uh! I-I'm so sorry, sir!

- No problem, go on with your work.

Olba opened the door and entered the room. A slight breeze disappeared from his back after his first step into the place. It was a cell made of stone; dimly lit and surrounded by cobwebs. On the wall, a girl lay imprisoned, bound with chains attached to the wall with a magic seal. She was the only one there.

- Claire Kagenou, right? -said Olba and then Claire looked up.

She was a beautiful girl, similar to the charm of his daughters. As he had kidnapped her in her sleep, she was wearing only a black robe. Her shapely breasts and magnificent legs were clearly visible. Her black hair was silky, and reached down to her back. Her gaze was strong and was directed at Olba with resentment. He expected that; a small price to pay for a much larger profit in a few minutes.

- I have seen your face in the capital. If I am not mistaken you are Viscount Olba, am I right?

Claire Kagenou was not frightened by his presence. On the contrary, her defiant gaze never left Olba's sight.

- Oh, I was on guard duty... or maybe it was at the Bushin festival. Although I visited many rural churches in the last few months...

- The Bushin festival? I just remember seeing Princess Iris humiliating you," said Claire, laughing. If it were her normal attitude, she would never joke like this, but the presence of her brother's listless friend seems to have rubbed off on her.

- Ha, you're not wrong. That was a special case. On the other hand, I don't think she could lose so categorically in a real battle.

- I don't think he'll change even if it's in a real battle. Viscount who was humiliated in a festival duel. - Claire's venomous words were meant to upset the viscount.

- There is, and a very big one. Little girl, you don't even know how important it is to stand in the finals of an event like that. Worse yet, I doubt you'll even be up to Iris-sama's level anytime soon," Olba said looking hard at Claire. He knew he would lose, though not without giving her some major damage in the way.

- If that's what we're talking about, I'm sure I'll be able to do it in another year.

- Unfortunately, that remains to be seen. I don't want to be the one to give you the bad news, but...

Claire's chains rattled before Olba reacted. Then, Claire's teeth were face to face with Olba's neck. Her eyes flashed for an instant, at which point time sped up before the old man's eyes.

The sound of biting air and the tension of the chains overlapped. If Olba had not moved his neck a little, she would surely have given him a mortal wound. Even so, the air pressure was enough to cause a fine cut on his cheek.

- How about proving who it is that won't last another year alive?

- I don't have to prove it, Claire Kagenou. There seems to be a misunderstanding.

Claire laughed fiercely, but Olba just rubbed his temple, as if he had a headache. He cared little for his captive's failed attack. He tried to move closer to Claire to reach a better understanding. His hand went to her shoulder.

Claire recoiled, hitting the wall, but her gaze was still focused hard on Olba. Meanwhile Olba lowered his hand. She stood with her guard up. Olba understood that "pretending" to be close would be counterproductive now. He no longer knew how to deal with her beyond words. Nor could he blurt out too much information. No one was to know that he had betrayed the cult. Not yet. Even with the soundless spell given by his contact, he would not let his guard down.

- Did you jump back?

Claire smiled confidently. Though the doubt of her captor's strange behavior was suspicious to her.

- Did you try to shoo a fly away?

- Ha, it seems you don't just have great magical power.

- Since I was little, I was taught that it's not the amount that matters, it's how you use it.

- What a good father you must have then —said Olba with total admiration. A vital thought like that would save many people's dreams. Children, mainly.

- It wasn't that bald guy who told me, it was my younger brother.

- Younger brother...?

- A cheeky brother. When we fight I always win, but even so, I never fail to learn something new from his sword. He doesn't learn anything from mine, though, so I like to tease him every day— Claire said with a mischievous laugh. For an instant, she forgot where she was. She wanted to add more information about the other troublemaker in her training, but gave up. Better to keep that comment to herself.

- Poor little brother. In that case, I'll be the hero who saved him from his evil sister. Well, let's leave the meaningless conversation until here, I need your honesty...

Olba changed the subject and then looked at Claire.

- Claire Kagenou, how is your health lately, can you control your magic power, is it difficult, does it hurt when you use it, do you have black spots on your body, has something like that happened to you?

- So they kidnapped me so you could play doctor? - Claire replied with a smirk.

- You know, I have two daughters, so I wouldn't want to resort to stricter measures. It will be better for both of us if you answer me truthfully. I'm not looking to be your enemy, but I need answers.

- Are you threatening me? You should know that only makes his children more stubborn. Unfortunately for you, I'm the type that gets more rebellious when threatened. Even if it's not in my best interest.

- So, you don't plan to answer my questions?

- Who knows.

Claire and Olba looked at each other. But it was Claire who broke the silence. He did not contradict himself at any time. From the moment he entered the cell, he did not show hostility towards her. Beyond the fact that he might be the author of her kidnapping, Claire would have little reason to antagonize him. Claire decided to be as pragmatic as Hikigaya Hachiman recommended in problematic situations.

- Okay, it's not that big of a deal anyway, so I'll answer you. You were asking about my health and magic power, weren't you? I don't feel anything special now, in fact, I'd be more than comfortable if I didn't have chains all over me.

- Now?

- Yes, now. Two years ago or so, I had those problems you said.

- Are you telling me you got cured? Yourself?"

As far as Olba knew, "it" could not be cured naturally. However, a few months ago, his new partner came in with his newly cured youngest daughter. I didn't believe him until now, but with this testimony, maybe...

- Well, nothing that I can remember... Oh, right. The "streatch"? That my brother mentioned. I don't quite understand what that was, but after practicing them I felt much better. That and no, just that.

- Streatch? It's the first time I've heard that word... anyway, if you had the symptoms then it means you were also fit.

- Fit...? For what?

- You don't need to know, we'll be out of here soon anyway. Ahh, now I feel like I sold my soul to Diabolos himself...—said Olba, but, suddenly, he was shaken by a sudden tremor.

- Uhh?!"

Olba backed up to the door behind him and as he thought about the origin, he looked contradictorily at Claire. With a sigh, she averted her gaze.

- Claire Kagenou, I'm sorry about this...!

Her employer's arrival was supposed to be quiet: However, this noise and mess indicated that another had beaten her to it. Hopefully, it would not be another radical faction of the cult; but the allies of his acquaintance. However, they might not recognize him or his subordinates. He only spoke to part of the forces, not all of them. To save the others, he had to come forward and announce his surrender. However, he could not leave the girl to her fate. What should he do? Doubts threatened his good judgment. However, age propitiated him to a suitable answer. Quickly, he approached the captive and weakened all the chains that restrained her limbs. They looked the same, but from one moment to the next, the metal would break easily.

- Don't come out yet, stay here and they will come to rescue you! I need you to be patient!

The chains that had her trapped were no ordinary chains, they were magical chains. Simply put, she could only use her own physical strength until she regained her body's full mana. Olba was sure of his decision as he realized what she had done in the little contact they had. She was a girl well schooled in combat.

- Viscount Olba, I demand that you tell me what is happening now! If it has something to do with my family, then stay here and I will tell them that you were kidnapped too!

Olba sighed with all his might. Claire's stomach must have been empty. Her kidnapping was the day before, almost a full day had passed. Since she was chained with the magic handcuffs and how lousy the cell was, she couldn't consume anything before Olba arrived.

- Damn it...! - Olba spat and Claire silenced her speech. Tremors began to crack the floor.

- Never mind, at least with this, I know you'll be able to...! - Olba exclaimed and then walked over to set down a drink in an area inconspicuous to the others. Moments later, one of the guards quickly opened the door and informed him.

- Olba-sama! We have trouble, there are intruders!

- Intruders?! Who?!

- We don't know! But there are several of them, and we can't fight them!

- Tch, I'll go! You take care of the gathering here! Gather the others and protect the little girl! It's time to get out of here! - Olba clicked his tongue and quickly left the room.

When Olba arrived there, everything around him was already stained with blood. The soldiers who were in charge of protecting this important facility looked unrecognizable for the most part, not at all weak no matter how much he would like to think so, and even so, he would not wish such a cruel fate on them. Among them, there were even people skilled enough to belong to the royal knight guard. And yet...

- How... how did it end up like this...!

In this subway corridor, illuminated by a single light, there were dead bodies strewn everywhere. They had all been cut up. Torn apart, through a clear and overwhelming difference in power. A sigh of relief arose. Olba knew he was on to the winged winner.

- You...!

Olba looked with surprise towards a group of people dressed in black suits. From the shape of their bodies, he could guess that they were young women. However, he did not recognize their features clearly.

However, in this space illuminated by a single light, it was so dark that he would lose sight of them if he blinked for even a second. They were controlling their presences by some strange magical control. They all possessed power beyond their own, Olba had already admitted.

Among them, a woman bathed in blood, looked directly at Olba under the moonlight.

- A slaughter," muttered the Viscount. Nerves kept nibbling at his hand.

At that instant, Olba's instincts went on alert. There was no reason, no motive, no logic, they were simply telling him that he was in danger. Even though he had been informed of that, of how it would feel to meet them, the doubts and uncertainty never completely left him.

Blood was squeezed from the black suit and fell dripping to the floor. A blood-drenched sword also lay on the floor, and behind it, the hallway followed along, filled with blood as abundant as paint. The scene worthy of a massacre disturbed her judgment for a few moments; however, she managed to formulate the first step for her peace of mind and that of her own.

- Who are they? What are they looking for? - Olba asked calmly.

There were 7 people who outnumbered him in strength, fighting was out of the question. If the negotiations and introductions ended well, there would be no concern. On the other hand, if it all went wrong... maybe he could run to his side's reinforcements. At least he was sure they would make him think twice about his line of work: he was no longer part of the cult. Olba tried to drop his weapon as he cursed his own bad luck. But still...

The blood-drenched girl didn't hear Olba's words. She smiled. The blood-soaked girl smiled from under her mask. He was going to be hunted...! The instant Olba realized that...!

- Stop, Delta.

The murderous fury stopped. Watching as this woman stopped and slowly stepped back, Olba let out a sigh of relief. But instead, another girl stepped forward.

- We are the Garden of Shadows.

This girl's voice was beautiful, so much so that he would be mesmerized if he wasn't in this situation. The words she spoke sounded familiar. Her posture too.

- My name is Alpha.

The girl who stepped forward, exposed her face. Her white skin was illuminated thanks to the moonlight. She took a step, then another. She did not slow her approach.

- An elf? Wait... you are...

With closer proximity, her features became clearer. She was an elf, a blonde elf. An indescribably beautiful woman. Again she took a step, and then another.

- We seek... the total destruction of the Diabolos Cult.

And suddenly, before she knew it, she cleared the air around her with the black sword in her hand. With a single swing, the night had been cut away.

A slash, a jet black attack, that was what Olba witnessed. Both the pressure of the wind and the sword threatened to crush Olba. How could someone so young gain so much power? The young promises seen by him were already enough to stand up to his greatest fears and bosses. They were so powerful and yet...

Olba trembled, a host of indescribable sensations surged through his being like a chaotic tide: admiration and hope; fear and doubt; relief and calm; jealousy and horror. What shocked him most, however, were the words the girl had spoken. That information was very new to him. It was not to stop it, nor to triumph over the cult; but its simple and total elimination; as if such a dream were possible.

- Where... where did you hear that name?"

The Cult of Diabolos. It was the name of something very few in this facility, including Olba in his early days, knew about. How far had they researched?

- We know everything. We know about the Diabolos Demon, the Diabolos Curse, the descendants of the heroes and of course... the truth of the 'Possessed'.

- H-How do you know that...?

Among Alpha's words, there were things that even Olba had learned very recently and from an outside source. There was no chance of the information being leaked, though perhaps from other branches, as it was highly secret. Moreover, Olba's assumptions, to his dismay, turned out to be true as the hero and the demon interacted more often than expected. So, Olba understood perfectly. He needed no further proof.

- Did you think you were the only ones who could cure the 'Diabolos Curse'?

- Wait...!

I could not allow the information to get out, whatever the case. Nothing guaranteed that the corridor was deserted and there was no surveillance. But could he really block the information without resorting to dialogue? The answer was no. It was something bordering on the impossible. Not unless he made a fuss and "accidentally" messed everything up.

In that case, his mission now was to show subtle resistance. Then, to inform his companions about the existence of an alliance and, at last, to get all his forces out safely. Therefore, Olba stepped forward.

- Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa! Olba, along with a feigned shout, drew his sword and went straight towards Alpha with utmost speed.

- Oh, but how reckless... huh?

Alpha easily dodged the attack and returned it with his sword. The slash impacted Olba's cheek, however, blood did not erupt. Olba stopped and exchanged a brief glance with her. She blinked.

No matter how many times she dodged his attacks, he attacked again and again. However, his opponent's movements were precise. He was keeping reckless movements to a minimum, dodging all attacks with perfect sword technique. And, on the contrary, Olba was being scraped on his arms, legs and shoulders. But he still had no fatal wounds. His disarray warped his space with his "missed thrusts" and "desperate magic"; moreover, every time someone came to Olba's aid, Olba ordered him to leave with different tones.

She was not planning to kill him, the doubt settled in her mind, until she got more information out of him. That was what Olba saw, and at the same time he realized that, he thought he saw his victory. After a few exchanges in the air, Olba was finally kicked in his chest and backed away.

- Looks like continuing this will be a waste of time.

- Yes, by now all our enemies must have fled. Well, now that the surroundings are empty, I can relax.

Olba replied. He simply clutched his sore chest and, with a smile on his face, took a drink. He felt better, but not all the pain was gone. Aware of his surroundings, he dropped his sword.

- What are you do- huh?

Olba's body fell to the floor on his knees at the claim of one of those dark figures. Sitting on what was left of the floor was a comforting sensation for him, and it threw the females off balance. But more alarming, his magical power was diminishing explosively. His will to fight vanished.

- Alpha, we work for the same side! I beg for mercy for my personal strength! I do not seek a direct fight against your side or your leader.

Without any prior reason, just by intuition, Alpha calmly approached Olba. However, she frowned at this one, then jumped back, taking distance. It was unexpected, but she expected a surprise attack. That didn't happen. Olba continued to kneel and beg for mercy for his own. Something was wrong with the information. Unless...

- What an interesting trick, maybe they didn't warn us in time-. She said as she thought about the possible motives for someone labeled as an enemy to desist from his purpose.

- Did you have your subordinates control what's left of the place? Although I see they are keeping it at bay by force.

- Yes, if all went well, my force is guarding the Kagenou's daughter; the other hostages have been released as ordered by Kami-san.

Alpha understood, then, that the too rapid fall of the fort was due to a joint action. Counting the Olba forces' own boycott and Shadow Garden's insistence, the unexpected resounding and almost deceptive success was logical. Apparently, Shadow Garden and Mount Divine had not yet recovered from their differences completely, but they colluded in their goals as usual.

- Alpha-sama, what is it that Kami-sama is looking for? - Said one of the girls at his back as she saw Alpha back away and put away his sword.

- No problem. Beta, looks like they beat us to it. Lord Shadow and Kami-sama never stop battling past us, apparently... Oh?

- Over here, you'll be interested to know what they were doing here.

When Alpha turned his attention back to Olba, he was no longer there. More precisely, in the place where Olba was, there was now a square hole, and down there, a door. It was a secret passage. The stairs leading up to it seemed unstable, but Olba had crossed normally.

- ... Fascinating.

- What guarantees us the neutralization of the entire section?

Alpha stopped the girl who was trying to jump into the hole. While she maintained some assurance in the act of surrender, she still wouldn't leave her back uncovered.

- That won't be necessary. He's up ahead.

- Who's there?

Suddenly, a dark purplish-haired beauty appeared from the shadows. Her cold aura spread in an instant. Next to her, another white-haired woman with a stunning smile stepped out.

- See you in months, Alpha-san

The violet-haired beauty smiled arrogantly. She was no elf, yet feline ears protruded from her head. Slender and as tall as Alpha, she possessed a completely dark outfit as well, however, as she stepped into the light, it became more like a pale gray. The difference between the two outfits was that Shadow Garden wore them in their dark shades; while the other faction prioritized a more formal tone, as if it were a gala parade.

- Ua-san!

- Mou, don't forget about me tehehehehehe

On the other hand, the other young woman spread an aura of warmth; though her eyes sparkled unusually. She was only slightly shorter than Ua, but her figure was more generous in the chest. Her off-white hair contrasted with her orange eyes. She wore a similar outfit to her companion, only with a few more embellishments.

- Senu-san too... how unexpected.

Beta was surprised by the sudden appearance of two Mountain Divine generals. She thought their cooperation would cease for a long time.

- Have all eight winds come?

- The joint operation with Olba-san was intended to be small and effective. It only took the two best to come this time.

Ua responded quickly. Her gaze scanned the whole place and then landed on Olba.

- I see.

Alpha watched the gesture between the two and understood who the cult's defecting force could meet with. Though it was still unclear why.

- As I was saying, Bodhisattva-sama already investigated this area, in the short term he will be meeting with Shadow-san.

Ua resumed the conversation while Senu closed her eyes and spread the feeling of warmth to everyone present. The scrapes and wounds of some began to heal.

- Did he...? Now that you mention it, Shadow-sama separated from us saying he would go ahead. Don't tell me that...

- Yes. He ran off in another direction, although, at first I was worried he might have gotten lost," said Alpha laughing amusedly.

- Then he already knew this was going to happen... he expected nothing less- Beta said, while all the others had a look of respect towards the hole below them.

- Bodhi-san is always one step ahead. Fufufufufu

- Not so much fluffiness, Senu-san.

- But Ua-san... Oh, it's Deltha-chan

Although they were planting a convincing comedy act, Alpha and the others knew the extent of Ua-san and Senu-san's powers. Not for nothing had Mount Divine never resorted to outside help. However, it seemed as if it hadn't affected them as much as Shadow Garden; after all, they were comically chasing a very annoyed delta, like two kids chasing a cute fluffy dog. Watching that interaction between the two best fighters and Deltha reminded him of their first encounter, when Shadow found and confronted his equal. It was curious to see the same girls from back then rise up as fearsome generals. One would never imagine that after their first encounter.

PD: Have a great weekend. Here's your favorite procrastinating writer back. Taking advantage of the time I have available, I will answer some comments.

For FerunaLutelou, review of ch1: I will try to adapt to the quotation marks in the long term. I will also indicate who speaks more frequently to avoid confusion in the reading. Thank you very much for your advice!

For Frau Kojiro, review of ch1: indeed, hikki wallowed in self-reflection for quite a while. Although his time as a chuuniboyou was similar to Cid's; that is, together with Zaimokuza, they fought against numerous people to achieve their goals. While only Cid, continued that, Zaimokuza is another story and Hikigaya disavows that past as too dangerous!

For 0x66 0x6f 0x63 0x6b 0x65 0x72, review of ch2: That is something to be told in the future XD. Actually, you're not too far from the truth, I remember watching Chuunibyou demo Kogai Shitai again and saying "oh, maybe Cid and someone else can fit in there, without so much fantasy" However, I don't consider myself good at slice of life, so I went with the approach of transmigrating to Hachiman.

For Venompool, review of ch2: Thank you very much for your feedback. I understand that the change of scenery is very sudden; however, it is a sequence that I once wanted to try to recreate in its moemnto. Most likely, some chapters will not be aligned to a sequentiality and will be self-conclusive.

For Hachiman fan, review of ch2: Oh, what a great coincidence, I read that fic back in the day. It didn't square a crossover with Game of Thrones for me so I read it right away. It was a thrill ride and very good. and, even though it wasn't completed, at least it gave us the end of your idea, something that usually doesn't happen. That also reminded me of the Hachiman Yakuza fic, a trope rarely used. Anyway, too bad it didn't stay with Saika, but its ending. Without further ado, thank you very much for your comment!

Well, after this I am going to communicate certain points that I see will be important in the future regarding the continuity of the fic.

First of all, my apologies for a late update. I have been busy with family and my studies. Secondly, my updates do not promise to be constant, as the situation in Peru is a bit unstable. Lastly, I still haven't managed to improve my English, however, as soon as I get the toef, I will do a general revision of all the chapters. I don't know how long it will take, but constancy is one of my virtues.

Thank you very much for reading and for your comments. They help me to express better what I want to say through the letters.