Welcome to the next chapter of DxD – The Last Amagiri, but before starting the story. Let's answer some reviews:
altajir95: That's correct, their group managed to arrive in China and encountered Xuanzang, in addition to Kinkaku and Ginkaku. I'm sure that was a big surprise for them to have their weapon stolen and used against them. Cao Cao's existence was revealed to them too and being the wielder of the True Longinus, immediately stirring his desire to fight him. At the hotel, he had a slight run-in with Lu Lingqi, then found out her real name at the hotel.
shephawk: She'll know full well about her ancestor and what it means to hold the same genes as Lu Bu.
Lu Lingqi
Sitting in the Chinese restaurant, Kensei, Claire, Alice, and Kunou stood at the table the four shared with the first occupant. The young woman, who looked to be at least a year older than them, named Lu Lingqi sat there with a gentle smile adorning her face. A conversation seemed to be desired from both of their sides in an attempt to get to know one another.
But, the first thing that the people sitting at the table focused on was getting something to eat and drink, because of the long day it has been for them. Holding up their varied menus, the five people started choosing what they were going to be ordering for dinner. It didn't take that long for Claire, Alice, and Kunou, who chose their meals without a lot of time spent.
All three young women turned to see Kensei and Lingqi still going through the orders, but at least concerning him, it meant that he was ordering more than one thing. At around the same time, their waiter arrived at the table and stood in front of them giving a kind smile.
"So, are you prepared to order? Or do you require more time?"
"….," Lingqi sent a questioning look at Kensei, before noticing that he placed the menu down, showing he was ready to order. "Yes, but I believe that the three women should tell their orders first."
Recalling that they were the first people to finish picking out their food from the menu before Kensei and herself, Lingqi wanted them to go first. Taking the gesture, the three young women started ordering their food, a task that didn't take them long. Now, the time came for Kensei and Lingqi to make their order, but there was a bit of trouble in regards to that.
"You can go first."
"No, please I insist."
Kensei and Lingqi were attempting to let the other order before the other.
"You were here first. So, it's right that you order first."
"No, I don't mind waiting for a little bit."
"It wouldn't be right for me to go first."
"No, I insist."
"No, I insist."
"I insist."
"I insist."
Claire, Alice, Kunou, and the waiter were staring at both of them as the two were having their back-and-forth over who would go first. Seeing as neither of them was listening to the other in regards to taking the gesture, Kensei and Lingqi locked eyes with one another as their smiles started turning crooked.
"Well, it looks as if those two were raised in the same way to respect others. But, I can see that Lingqi-san is as stubborn as Kensei when it comes to that."
Claire thought before noticing that Kensei and Lingqi were started staring straight at one another with the stubborn nature, which resided within them beginning to show itself.
""I said, I insist!""
Kensei and Lingqi urged at the same time, both unknowingly let out some pressure behind those words, which sent a minor chill down the spines of the people around them. For reasons unknown to the normal patrons, there was a sudden chill running down their spine as if two apex predators were about to go head-to-head.
"Ugh, I feel a sudden chill for some reason."
"Uh, what is this?"
"I started shaking for some reason."
Realizing the sudden change, both Kensei and Lingqi stopped doing what they were doing and sat back down embarrassed.
"…."
"…."
For the first time, both of them looked downwards embarrassed about what just happened at that moment.
"Uh, could it be possible that we get a second waiter to take their order?"
Claire said, as her eyes seemed to flicker white from using demonic power in an attempt to make him forget what happened. It wasn't something that didn't go unnoticed as Lingqi sensed the power released from the far younger girl at that moment. But, she could tell that there wasn't malice behind it.
"Of course, ma'am."
The waiter said as if nothing was wrong as he called one of his nearby colleagues towards their table.
Once the second waiter arrived, the first one took Lingqi's order, while the second took Kensei's order, then both of them left the area. Afterward, their table was left in silence as the three other young women glanced towards the people in question.
"So, we're not going to talk about what happened?"
Alice asked, causing Kensei and Lingqi to flinch a bit.
"Ugh, not really."
Kensei replied, glancing to the side without wanting to look the blonde-haired young woman in the eye.
"I didn't expect that Lingqi-san would end up having the same reaction as Kensei."
"Please, don't mention it."
Lingqi seemed to give a faint embarrassed flush while attempting not to make eye contact with them.
Noticing the similar reactions from Kensei and Lingqi, causing some light laughter from the three other women at the table.
"That was something that I never expected. One second, I'm thinking about what to do concerning handling the other thing and dealing with those from the Hero Faction," Lingqi started thinking to herself as all the trouble and anxiousness welling up within faded in a second. "Now, here I am, sitting at the table with four tourists who made it all fade from a single conversation. It's almost funny. But, these aren't normal tourists."
"Come on, Kensei, you're not running from this now."
"Claire-san is right, Ken-chan. We're going to talk about this later."
"I don't feel like it."
Kensei was receiving Claire's and Kunou's teasing, while the two younger girls started to jokingly poke him using their index fingers.
"The girl, Claire is a half-blooded devil, who has the presence of light inside of her too. It could be a sacred gear, but it has to be the strongest light attribute I've met before. The other girl, Kunou, is without a doubt a youkai, a strong one at that. The one, Alice is, by all means, a normal human, but she has a sacred gear and a powerful, almost matchless one at that. And him."
Lingqi found herself staring right at Kensei for a moment, having first examined the three young women around him. Despite them, he was the person who had ended up catching her attention to most compared to all three of the young woman with irregular powers in their own right. It was surprising for Lingqi to note: a half-blooded devil girl with light powers, a special youkai, and someone who could have a Longinus.
"Even sitting as casual as this, Kensei is showing little to no openings at all. If I tried attacking him, then he would likely avoid or counter it. It was accidental, he took on that presence I released and matched it," Lingqi thought while sending a light curious glance over towards Kensei, who was still attempting to ignore the teasing from the two younger girls. "I can't sense almost nothing from him, but from instincts alone, I can tell he's far stronger than three of these girls. And those same instincts tell me that there's something different about him."
Lingqi started thinking as she felt something different about Kensei compared to the other three young women sitting beside him. But, if she continued with that thought and examining, then it might become noticeable to the four that she's examining them.
"So, Lingqi."
"If this is about that little incident."
"No, this is about something else."
Alice stated, showing intent on mentioning the incident between herself and Kensei from before.
"Oh, then what did you need?"
"Do you live here? I'm asking because you don't appear to be like a regular resident here."
Alice's question caused Lingqi to become surprised about the suddenness of it and the fact that she was able to tell that from her actions alone.
"Ah, well, I don't live here in Beijing. I lived with my family in another location that isn't as populated as the cities, but I haven't been there in a couple of years."
"Why? If you don't mind me asking."
Claire curiously asked.
"Hmm, explaining it would take much longer than spending time here. But, to make things short and simple, my family runs a martial arts sect. Because of that, I've been traveling around for some time as personal training and growth. I haven't even heard from either of them at all in a long too."
"Do you plan on seeing them?"
Kunou asked, right after Claire.
In response to that, Lingqi looked a bit complicated and thought about that question, then leaned her chin against her opened palm.
"It's a part of the long explanation that I mentioned, but there's a reason that I can't go return there yet. It's been a long time since I even been in China last. I'd just left from a certain group I thought were some good friends, and came back to see if I can resolve some things. And even if I can't go back home, just being in China fill me with a deal of nostalgia."
Saying that last part, Lingqi gave a beautiful and gentle smile that seemed to almost belong to a princess. But, a good deal of longing could be heard from her tone as well. She didn't want to reveal it, however, all of them could tell that she missed her family dearly.
"Well, at least three people in our group can relate to wanting to see family again," Kensei stated, as he referred to himself, Claire, and Alice without mentioning. "Even if it seems like a long time, the moment that you reunite with family makes all that time of not seeing them fade in just a couple of moments. I hope that you're able to see them again Lingqi."
Hearing Kensei's genuine response caused the unique-haired young woman to smile and tilt her head to the side and believed those words from him.
"Yea, I don't doubt that."
Lingqi replied, once again smiling at the comment meant to alleviate her worries.
It had been a couple of minutes until the waiter arrived with the food the group ordered. Alice, Claire, and Kunou ordered food fit for their particular tastes without being too much. Kensei and Lingqi, on the other hand, while not going all out in ordering too much food, did order enough to feed at least three people instead of one.
"This is all good. We've never eaten Chinese food before."
Kensei commented while eating the food with surprisingly good manners despite the amount being consumed.
"Hmm, I miss eating Chinese cuisine like this. I can cook food myself, but it doesn't quite have that genuine taste that I missed experiencing."
Lingqi replied, eating with the grace of a princess, but the amount didn't match too.
The three young women and other patrons stared at the two physically fit young men and women with eyes that showed either surprise or jealousy.
"I'm pretty much used to Ken-chan doing that since I know him, but…."
Kunou commented, staring at Lingqi who showed about the same level of fitness as Kensei without the slightest bit of fat or even muscles. But, the young woman was eating about the same portions of a grown man without the slightest hint of it being shown on her. Multiple women around Lingqi'd shared the same thought in witnessing the amount of food she's consumed.
"I know that Kensei mentioned that he trained himself since he was a child, but that still doesn't explain how their bodies can do something like this. I guess their metabolism is top-tier among humans."
Claire uttered under her breath, in witnessing two humans, albeit trained ones eating like this and still maintaining their same builds. It didn't take long for them to finish their meals as a satisfied breath escaped from their mouths, and a small graced their faces.
"It feels good eating real food from my country again."
Lingqi said, before filling up a small cup with the contents of the bigger ceramic container.
Once it was poured in there, Kunou instinctively caught the scent of a familiar drink that entered her nose. And it didn't take her long to realize what that was.
"Lingqi-san isn't that alcohol?"
Kunou curiously asked.
"Yes, why?"
Lingqi answered her question with a question of her own while drinking it.
"Uh, Kunou-san, the drinking age in China is eighteen," Claire informed Kunou about that fact as she let an 'ooh' escape from her mouth. "It wouldn't be weird for Lingqi-san to be drinking alcohol here in China if she's allowed to at this age."
"Oh, right. I can see how that would be odd for some people from other places," Lingqi said while staring at the cup in her hands. "I wanted to drink alcohol at least once, which was something that I promised I'd do when I got the chance. Once my dad mentioned that I'd be too immature to handle it even if I did turn eighteen."
Lingqi replied, still taking her father's own words as a personal challenge for her as she lifted the alcohol-filled cup. Placing the cup to her lips, she took one big gulp of its contents, causing all of it to descend her throat. In being the witnesses Lingqi's first time drinking alcohol, Kensei, Claire, Alice, and Kunou looked on with wonder.
"…," Lingqi opened her eyes a bit as she seemed to be examining the alcohol's taste. "Hmm, it isn't bad. But, it's a little bit bitter for my taste."
"I doubt that adults like drinking alcohol at first, but get used to it after some time."
Claire stated, in a more mature tone.
"Well, you're more mature for your age. I don't think that I'd hear that from most girls who're the same age as you around where I lived," Lingqi complimented smiling as she picked up the water beside her cup and drank it. "So, when do you all plan on leaving?"
"Sound kinda quick to want to get rid of us, Lingqi. Did we leave that bad of an impression?"
Kensei asked/teased.
"Trust me, you five left a good impression on me more than the last impression the last group I was with," Lingqi replied, smiling a bit. "I was just curious since I plan on doing something before heading back to the hotel. So, I'll be remaining here a little bit longer."
"We're not planning anything much tomorrow aside from looking at some famous sites here," Alice said as she'd turned her head towards Lingqi. "So, we don't mind keeping you company for some time. I mean, we can all tell if a person needs someone to talk to."
"She's right. If you don't mind we could keep talking about whatever," Claire added. "Besides talking might give us a more general idea of where to do in China and where to go."
Lingqi was left stunned by the comments and looks she was receiving from them, which started making more of the tension building up within her start to fade. A smile graced her beautiful face, something that neither of the five people at the table could reject.
"Thanks, I appreciate it," Lingqi stated before looking forward in thought about what she was going to say next. "If you plan on being casual about it, there are several places that you could go. There are several cultural places that you could go to in Beijing alone. And I'm sure that your group won't have trouble finding transportation around them all. In addition to being able to speak and understand the language based on our interactions now."
From there, their group of five continued with their conversation with one another, while laughing and smiling for a long period. Lingqi wasn't aware that she could speak to a group that she has barely known for just a couple of minutes alone. But, there she was laughing as freely as possible without thinking about what she planned on in coming to Beijing. A simple conversation with tourists who're interested in her homeland, and that was something that made her night.
Since separating from Kensei, Claire, Alice, and Kunou, Lingqi found herself leaving the restaurant smiling a bit more compared to before. As she stated, instead of returning to the hotel room she booked, she had business to attend to. So, she was walking across the streets, until finding herself inside of a vacant part devoid of people and dead silent.
Lingqi found herself sitting on a park bench while staring straight into the sky, while the moon was rested above her head.
"Never thought that I'd meet people I could have a genuine conversation with after leaving from the Hero Faction not so long ago," Lingqi stated under her breath recalling the time she spent, while a part of the faction, which had amassed humans and hero descendants who wielded varied powers. Among them, there weren't people she was able to have a genuine conversation with. "Among the few people that I could talk to, it was Jeanne."
In Lingqi's mind, the image of a blonde-haired young woman no different from her age entered her thoughts. And a feeling of sadness started welling up within her chest. To her, the blonde-haired young woman was the closest thing to a best friend she ever had in life. And that made her departure from the Hero Faction much more painful and hard for her.
"I tried getting her to leave with me, but she's too integrated into the group. I wouldn't be surprised if the two of us ended up being enemies the next time we meet."
Thinking about that happening weighed on her mind most of all, not wanting to fight against people she thought of as her friends and/or allies. As Lingqi remained sitting there thinking to herself, there was the slightest shift in the atmosphere around her that created a dead silence. It was silent before, but not even the blowing wind could be heard around her.
"…."
Lingqi maintained a neutral expression while looking forward unfazed about what was happening.
Standing behind her, there was a mysterious hooded man dressed in full white clothing, raising his well-muscled arms into the air. No hesitation, he brought his hand downwards with great strength behind them and smashed apart the bench Lingqi was sitting on into pieces.
"Well, that was some greeting."
Lingqi stated as she could be seen avoiding the attack before it landed.
But, the second that she locked eyes with her supposed attacker, someone else appeared behind her, with their fingers positioned in a manner resembling a tiger. A faint white aura could be seen gathered around their hand as that person aimed it straight at Lingqi's blindspot. Not seeming to react, at all, she ducked down avoiding the hit, which slashed the air without touching a single strand of hair.
"…."
The second assailant looked surprised.
But, then more so as the second assailant felt her kicking the side of their back leg without skipping a beat, which caused them to fall back while moving around as natural as an animal. Just as Lingqi was prepared to make a move, the first assailant stood right behind her and aimed a straightforward punch without hesitation. Reacting to this, she positioned her fingers in the same manner as the second assailant.
Thrusting her hand forward, Lingqi caught the first assailant's punch without showing backlash from the built-up strength behind it.
"…!"
The assailant seemed surprised about that, but more from the fact that he was flung straight up into the air as an unfazed expression could be seen on Lingqi's face. She freed him from her grasps, causing him to descend right towards the ground. As the assailant was descending to the ground, Lingqi stood in a stance that seemed as free and flowing as a tiger approaching its prey.
Seconds later, she slammed her fist against the assailant's back, causing him to be blown backward straight in the direction of another bench shattering it into pieces. She turned her attention back to the second assailant as a faint white aura covered her hand. Before the person could stand back up, Lingqi was right in front of them pressing down on their chest using her left hand, while her right was held up.
Staring down at them, Lingqi propelled her hand towards them, causing the second assailant to flinch from the presentation alone. But, noticed that she stopped her hand inches from their face without coming close to hitting the assailant's face. Despite being assaulted, she smiled and looked down at them.
"I win."
Having said that, Lingqi removed her hand and extended it towards the second assailant.
Staring straight at her extended hand, a laugh could be heard coming from them before grasping it in their hands as Lingqi helped them to their feet.
"You truly have grown stronger."
A female voice could be heard coming from the female assailant, as the first one and even a third one started to approach them. Soon enough all three of the unknown people stood in front of Lingqi, then removed their hoods, revealing their appearance.
The first assailant was a rather well-built male much older than her; the second assailant was a beautiful young woman a little bit older than Lingqi; the third assailant was a slim young man. All three unknown individuals were dressed in the same outfit that she wore before with a tiger symbol embroiled on it.
"*Sniff* *Sniff*…."
"Ugh, you promised that you'd keep your composure here."
The female among them said glancing to the side as the much older man seemed to start breaking out into tears despite being blown back by Lingqi.
"I can't help it…. It has been almost five years since we've met Milady," the man started, showing nothing, but an abundance of respect for Lingqi. "And she's grown into a truly strong and beautiful young woman!"
Both colleagues cringed in seeing this grown man in tears after witnessing Lingqi's growth as both a martial artist and a young woman. But, instead, she seemed grateful just for the compliment alone and gave the group of three people a beautiful smile. It wasn't long until the three people stood straight holding their opened palm on top of their fists before bowing.
[It's great to see that Milady is in good health.]
"*Sigh* I tell you lot all the time that I'm not a princess or anything, so don't refer to me as 'milady'."
Lingqi sighed at the royal treatment that she was receiving at this moment.
"But, all the people from the Lu Family deserve such treatment, the amount of fame your ancestor alone is still talked about in legends. All the accomplishments that your grandfather achieved reaffirmed that the Lu bloodline is just as strong as it was all that time ago. And you, Milady, you were named after Lu Bu's daughter."
"That's right. I did end up inheriting the same name as his daughter."
Lingqi agreed, not rejecting the words that she had heard from the first male, who spoke in an energetic tone as he stared forward.
"I do hold great honor in the kind of bloodline I was born into. Lu Bu was regarded as a hero soon after alongside the other Chinese historical figures still talked about today. But, even my grandfather admitted that there were a lot of mistakes that he made in life during that era too that led to his downfall," Lingqi stated, looking forward without rejecting that either. "It was one of the reasons that my grandfather wanted to correct all of the mistakes and create something that could do more good. That's the reason that he wanted to ensure the Lu Family represented all of the things that our ancestor didn't."
In watching Lingqi speaking in front of them, the three started witnessing once again the kind of growth that she'd undergone. She was proud of her lineage and could speak about the mistakes made by her ancestor while accepting them.
"My family learned from those mistakes to become something better, and that became what I'm most proud of."
Lingqi finished smiling, her words representing nothing but the truth.
"And that's something that Patriarch Lu Jie wanted to hear," the sole female spoke, smiling at that response. "He was interested in hearing about the kind of growth that his oldest grandchild went through since receiving your message. Aside from meeting with you for our other business, he wanted if to confirm it for ourselves. And we can't wait to report your words. Your mother and siblings miss you too dearly."
"Yea, Grandpa Jie would do something like that. And I want to see them all against," she started before continuing to the question she wanted to ask. "So, how's my father's condition after all this time?"
There was silence among the group of three as one of them was wondering who would end up speaking first. It soon came to the slim male as he stepped forward.
"Milady, Grand Master Han's condition is as stable as he was before. But, there's no way that we'll know when he might end up recovering from his current condition on his own time."
"…I see."
Lingqi couldn't give another response aside from that one.
She looked down, with the slightest hint of sadness behind her eyes as she thought about the condition that her father was in. Realizing she couldn't remain in the same state for long, Lingqi looked forward more determinedly to complete what she planned on doing here.
"So, because of the group that I was a part of before. I had managed to pinpoint the location of one of 'his' hidden bases inside of Beijing. But, at the moment, I don't have the numbers and might have to infiltrate it with whatever I have on hand. I can't ask anyone else back home to come too since it'll leave them without the best defenses."
"Well, that's the reason we're all here. All three of us were trained under Grand Master Han, and was assigned to be his three Top Masters," the first man spoke with pride in that title, which had been bestowed onto him. "None of us were able to do much last time against 'him', but we've been training all this time to correct that mistake."
"We're prepared to follow you into this battle no matter what happens."
The woman said standing in a prepared stance.
"Right. And this will be payback for what he did to the Grand Master."
The slim male added last.
Lingqi stared at the three Masters wearing a smile on her face, then faced forward taking in the atmosphere. And allowed the feelings of pride and courage to build up within the three of them.
"Alright, we're going to attack that base and find out whether or not he's there. And even if he's not we're going to be one step closer in being able to bring Jun down."
Lingqi affirmed taking control over the situation at hand and showing her confidence in being able to handle this plan through working alongside them. Once those words left her mouth, the memory of a much younger version of herself stood beside her unconscious father, while an imposing man stood before them both. The pressure from the man's presence, the intent behind his eyes, and the words he dared uttered.
In thinking about the person the four of them were planning on going after, she clenched her fist tight and various intense emotions started building up within her.
"I'm not going to let him get away with what he did seven years ago. I'm going to kill him before he attempts to do that ever again."
Lingqi was determined to ensure that nothing like that occurred in the past.
She remained there for a time talking about the plan that she had devised in storming the base whenever she'd manage to locate it.
In another location in China, a young man stood about, dressed in a Japanese Gakuran uniform, and something resembling Chinese Han clothing on top of it. In his hands, there was an ornate-looking spear resting there on his shoulders. It wasn't at all normal, as it was releasing a sanctified presence that could purge dark creatures while bringing believers to madness from staring at it.
What he was staring at was the remains of a battlefield, which appeared as if a monstrous creature had gone on a rampage. The spear-wielding young man looked around, recalling the moment that his underlings were forced to return upon being defeated. He wasn't mad and wasn't surprised about their defeat.
"Well, this looks like her handiwork alright."
He uttered, speaking in a tone to match his emotions on the matter.
"Lingqi certainly held back against some of the members," walking right beside the first young man was a silver-haired young man around the same age as himself. Sheathed at his waist were multiple ominous-looking swords, which released a demonic presence. "But, against those who tried attacking her using their Balance Breakers, it was a different story. Who did you send again, Cao Cao?"
"I send a Power-type, a Counter-type, and even a Wizard-type. But, I'm not all that surprised about the fact that a single one of them managed to take out Lingqi. I would've been surprised if either of them managed that come at all close to capturing her, Siegfried."
Cao Cao and Siegfried continued talking to one another while staring at the damage caused by the battle that Lingqi had with Balance Breaker users.
"I'm surprised you put this much effort in getting Lingqi back. I thought that the first time, considering the fact your ancestors were at odds with one another, there'd be a chance this might happen. Even you mentioned that it wouldn't be surprising if she left."
"Yea, that's the reason that I didn't share anything serious with Lingqi if she was going to leave anyway," replying to Siegfried, then sighed. "There are two reasons. One, Jeanne wouldn't stop complaining since Lingqi chose to leave. And two, I haven't returned to China in a long time either. Besides, I think that it'd be interesting to have at least one fight against Lingqi before she left. We're not in that much of a rush to find Lingqi, so we might as well take our time. More so, since there's one reason that Lingqi could decide to come here."
Choosing to be more casual about perusing Lingqi, and couldn't help admitting that he felt a little bit nostalgic as Cao Cao returned to China after all this time. Both the leader and sub-leader of the Hero Faction stood side-by-side, both looking forward to seeing what happens from this incident of theirs.
It has been two days since encountering Lingqi, Kensei, Claire, Alice, and Kunou were relishing in the time they spent around China, Beijing. In that time frame, there were moments where their group ran into Lingqi around the hotel. But, she appeared too preoccupied with something else to join them in touring around the famed locations this time. None of them were stopped from viewing all the beautiful places around town and taking photos when it was possible.
"Ken-chan, what was your opinion on Lingqi-san?"
Kunou asked as she and Kensei found themselves standing in the middle of a park.
It was named the Chaoyang Park located on the site of the former Prince's Palace in Beijing's Chaoyang District and became their largest park. At the moment, Kensei and Kunou found themselves staring at the flowers, which were planted around the area.
"Hmm, what do you mean exactly?"
Kensei asked turning his attention from the flowers and towards the Kyuubi, who had been hiding her fox parts.
As the two of them were hanging out alone, Claire and Alice were somewhere else, the latter was sitting down at a bench holding her sketchbook. In front of her, a Chinese family was posing there front of them, smiling and remaining as still as possible. Having caught sight of the blonde-haired young woman's drawing inside of the sketch pad, and asked if she could sketch them.
Claire, on the other hand, looked around too, while taking photos of the surroundings and flowers, while sparking a conversation with some of the other visitors. Both of them appeared to have been getting into the peaceful and gentle air around them.
"Hmm, well, I know that we could all tell that Lingqi-san wasn't a normal human."
Kunou was brought up as the four of them were experienced to tell whether or not someone was a regular human. No one, more than Kensei who'd gotten an immediate read on the fact that she was far more than a traveling martial artist. She was engrossed into the supernatural world like them, more so himself, Claire, and Kunou, all of which were born into that world.
And Kensei had to admit to himself that he hadn't reacted in that kind of manner against a normal person before, but there was something instinctive when it came to confronting Lingqi in that restaurant. It was almost as if he'd met his match and didn't need to hold himself back against them.
"Yea, there's no doubt about that. And it might be just a guess, but I think she knows how to manipulate ki too. Or at least knows about hiding her presence," Kensei noted, thinking back to the time that he and they met Lingqi for the first time. "I couldn't sense anything from Lingqi without focusing on using Senjutsu more, and there's the chance she would've sensed it. But, since that sudden clash of ours, I think that I sensed a sacred gear. I've got no idea what it was, but it felt strong."
"Yes, Kunou felt something like that too. Since Ken-chan started teaching Kunou Senjutsu too, she started to be more sensitive to things."
Kunou said, becoming more excited in uttering those words to him.
"Yea. I was surprised that Kunou wanted to learn it, but I was more surprised since you started picking up on it a lot faster than I thought."
"Hehehe."
Kunou started laughing as he placed a hand on top of her head, then started petting it.
Kensei was surprised when he started teaching Senjutsu to Kunou, and she started picking up the sensing the ki of others at a good pace. And could even use that to her advantage in that previous confrontation during Jason's and the other's attack on the Phenex Clan. She used that to sense what was happening from the castle towards the battlefield without seeing what was going on.
"If couldn't find the slightest opening at Lingqi, even when she was sitting there and seating. I felt as if I even tried to attack her, then her hand would be at my throat at the same time. I think that she'd be the strongest person I'd fought in a long time if we ended up having a match."
"That's so Ken-chan?"
Kunou seemed surprised that Kensei admitted that, but because Lingqi gave off the kind of strong and confident look she's seen from the Numbers.
"Yea, Kunou. So, you want to go for a walk alone for a little while? I think that Alice and Claire are preoccupied with their own very own thing."
"…!"
Kunou seemed so happy that if her fox ears and tails were out, all of them would've twitched from excitement. It looked as if she was too ecstatic to speak as all Kunou could do was rapidly nod her head.
Turning around, Kensei started walking forward, while Kunou grabbed onto his hand and shoulder. Together arm and arm, both of them went out for their walk around the park alone.
For the past couple of minutes, Kensei and Kunou looked at the various attractions around them. Kunou, of course, was smiling throughout the entire trip since she had some alone time with him. Both of them even bought a snack from one of the stands positioned at certain areas of the park.
"Hmm, Ken-chan, Kunou is so happy that we decided to come here."
Kunou stated while leaning her head against his shoulder.
"Yea, same here. I got to see one of my old teachers again, with who I got to have a good long conversation after all this time. And I'm spending time with three of my beautiful and cute fiancées."
"Hehehe, Ken-chan and his compliments," Kunou giggled while looking around before glancing at all of the rides she could see around them. "Oooh, there's a lot of different rides that we can all go on. I want to go on some with Claire-san and Alice-san too, but I want to go on one alone with Ken-chan too."
"I think I might've developed a habit in spoiling you, Kunou."
"Uh, does that mean you're going to stop spoiling Kunou?"
Kunou seemed to complain and whined at the thought while leaning up against Kensei.
"Uh, I don't know. I do love spoiling the girls I love sometimes, and I wonder what I'm going to do to spoil Kunou a bit when we're alone. But, I wonder what this naughty Kyuubi was doing alone under her covers last night."
At that teasing/flirting comment, Kunou's face started turning bright red, while thoughts started entering her head at the thoughts alone. Kensei smiled at the expression the young Kyuubi was making at that moment, and started thinking back to that incident, but didn't do anything. As Kunou looked to have steam practically leave out the top of her head, Kensei found himself bumping into someone.
"Huh? Ah, sorry about…."
"Oi, watch where you're going."
"Eh?"
At that rude comment, Kensei felt irritation starting to build up within him in a second.
Standing in front of him, there was a gray-haired, reddish-eyed young man who looked out of place as there were even Chinese people that were staring at him. It wasn't surprising, considering that the young man was two meters tall with a well-muscled build. He was an obvious foreign, with the chance that he's Greek considering, he did meet a few in the past. It was dressed in casual attire that seemed to fit his frame.
"Don't give me that 'eh' crap. Shouldn't you give me an apology shrimp?"
The gray-haired young man rudely asked.
"I was going to before you interrupted me, you Goliath-looking asshole."
Kensei replied, matching the same rudeness as the young man who glared straight at him letting out a bunch of animosities and seemed prepared to explode.
"What was that you little bastard?"
The young man stared down at Kensei looking forward to a response, while a dangerous smile could be seen on his face. Both him and Kensei looked eyes as people around seemed to avoid the entire situation, feeling as if it would be too dangerous for anyone to get involved. An instinct to avoid the situation, but it was more than that as both the young men felt above normal standards.
"Wait wait, Hera-chan~! That's a no-no ~!"
A sudden cheerful voice caught "Hera-chan's" attention, who turned around looking annoyed about the apparent nickname. Kensei turned around to find a foreign blonde-haired, blue-eyed young woman who looked to be at the most a year older than him. Like the two-meter giant, she was dressed like a tourist, while hauling around a meat kebab and sweets. in her hands.
"Eh, Jeanne. I told you not to call me Hera-chan."
The young man said, turning his attention to the young woman now named Jeanne.
"Eh, but what else am I supposed to call you," Jeanne looked confused while staring at Heracles while tilting her head to the side confused. The giant young man stared at them as if it was obvious enough that she could instead call him by the name he was given at birth. "I apologize for my giant friend here. He doesn't have many social skills. Here's a kebab as an apology."
Without receiving a response or comment noting he accepted it Kensei, Jeanne handed him the kebab, while she wore a cheerful smile he might see from Hisui.
"Thanks?"
Kensei replied, accepting the kebab without reservation as she nodded her head.
"Ara what a cutey here," Jeanne said, turning her attention over towards Kunou, who still looked to be a bit out of it at the moment. "Uh, too bad, she seems dazed. Well, let's go, Hera-chan~!"
Jeanne uttered as she started walking off, while "Hera" gave an annoyed sigh and started following behind her.
"I think that was the weirdest first meeting I've ever had. But, I got a kebab out of it," Kensei uttered taking a bite out of before turning his attention over towards the dazed Kunou, then the departing duo. "I can sense a sacred gear inside both of them. But, it isn't the thing that's weird about them, there's something unique about their soul. Ugh, I have the oddest feeling our vacation is going to turn into another weird situation."
"Ugh, Ken-chan heard Kunou at least when Kunou…."
Kunou seemed to be muttering something under her breath, while Kensei still looked amused about her reaction to him mentioning it. Kensei still wouldn't stop thinking about the two people that he had just run into moments ago, neither of their souls felt the same as normal people.
Kunou managed to recover after some time and was told about the situation concerning both the people he'd run into. As expected, she wasn't aware of either of them and was surprised about the encounter he had with the young man and Jeanne. Kunou wasn't worried though and instead believed that all four of them could handle it.
Kensei knew she wasn't at wrong, but he was sure Kunou was looking forward to going on the rides. But, he was not going to let something as menial as an odd encounter ruin the fun and continued. From there, both of them did go on one or two rides around Chaoyang Park alone. Afterward, Claire and Alice found and caught up with them, having finished their business.
Kunou looked on at Claire wearing a superior look, while the latter didn't appear to register at all, resulting in their usual staredown. However, the four soon returned to their usual routine, then proceeded in enjoying their time at the biggest park in Beijing. Kensei, Claire, Alice, and Kunou soon went on rides together and rode on the boats around the water together.
It was simple fun, not the kind of adventures they were used to going on, but the simplest things in all their lives was something meant to be relished most. And it wasn't long until the group went over towards the next location for today's trip.
At Beijing Zoo, Xizhimen, Xicheng District, Beijing, the largest zoo in China, housing multiple animals species in China and other continents. As soon as the four of them entered the zoo, the first thing the group did was go out to see the animals held inside the zoo. There were multiple common animals that their group went to see, getting snacks to eat at the same time.
"Ooh, Kunou loves seeing the baby pandas."
Kunou cooed while staring into the Giant Panda exhibit while staring at the adorable panda cubs playing around with one another. Some interacted with their parents or ate as Kunou and even Claire seemed to coo at the sight of them.
"Awww, I never thought that I'd see something so cute."
Claire couldn't maintain a straight face as she and Kunou could get a better look at the Panda cubs, because of the heightened senses provided from their respective lineages. To most, it felt as if the Pandas were at a further distance, but for them, it felt as if the hairs on them were visible.
"It's funny seeing Claire acting like this."
Alice pointed out while sketching out the Giant Pandas, their cubs, and the exhibit around them with impeccable skills and speed. It was an amazing thing for the people around her to witness as some bound themselves using glances over her shoulder as much as possible. But, as soon as the group noticed the drawings, it looked as if it was a photo instead of a drawn image.
"Yea, never get to see her acting like this as often as you would think. Most of the time, Claire would keep up the act like a young, mature person in the house. But, moments like this give her time to unwind sometimes."
"And that's good. If anyone deserves a break, then it's Claire."
Alice added, staring at Claire and Kunou, who looked close enough to the point where some of them wondered if the two would venture inside the exhibit.
"Kensei have you ever been to a zoo before?"
Alice asked out of the blue, as she seemed to have finished the drawing.
"Yea, I often went with Natsumi and Naoto from time to time. I went with my mom once, but she said she always hated going to the zoo as a child."
"Huh, why?"
Alice seemed surprised that Sakura would hate going to the zoo even as a child. But, that question caused a little bit of a nervous smile to appear on his face.
"Well, you know how animals are more sensitive to things like ki and killing intent from other animals."
"Yea."
"Well, as a child, my mom, who was called a demon throughout her entire life tends to give off a threatening aura even if she wasn't intending on it. Because of that, no none of the animals would want to come out whenever she walked up in front of their exhibit. All of them would hide inside of their den until she left," Kensei replied, looking on as he stared at the animals some of them sniffed the air as if an odd scent was around them. It could be on one else but him. "Animals can sense when an apex predator is around, and to them, there was nothing meant to be fearful of than a human-shaped demon."
"That sounded rough for Sakura. I wouldn't be able to imagine animals avoiding me from childhood."
"Yea, even after learning to control that 'demonic aura' of hers. It was over and done with, my mom developed an aversion to going to zoos because none of the animals would approach her. Natsumi who knew her almost more than my dad noted that she came off as threatening the first time they met, but she could be embarrassed about the littlest of things."
Kensei revealed as the two continued with their simple conversation, while Alice placed her sketch pad under her arm.
"This is new. I always thought that Tetsuo met Sakura first, then the two met Natsumi."
"Right, it wasn't that important and Natsumi didn't care about it anymore so I never mentioned it. But, she used to be a member of one of the Five Principal Clan, the Shinra Clan."
"Huh, Natsumi was a part of one of those clans. But, since you said 'used' to. So, that means…."
Alice was well aware of how the Five Principal Clan treated those who were blessed with their famed abilities, compared to those who weren't.
"Natsumi wasn't born with the same abilities focused on metal. But, she was born with a special kind of eyes that oddly didn't come from a sacred gear. She could see things other members could sense, but couldn't see. Due to her spiritual power being focused more on that, she was limited to what she could learn. So, it wasn't the kind of thing her parents and others were intended on. And it resulted in what you'd expect."
"She was bullied and treated as the black sheep of the clan by her parents and others, right?"
"Yea, Natsumi is nice and treats me as if I'm her son too. So, hearing that wasn't the kind of thing that makes one happy. At that age, my mom truly lived up to the title of a demon since she beat up all the kids who made fun of Natsumi. She even slapped Natsumi's mom and punched her dad. Afterward, no one messed with Natsumi and she made an actual friend."
"I can see the reason you are quick to rely on violence most of the time. So, how did she meet Tetsuo?"
"It was around the same time, and Natsumi kinda developed a crush on him. And then her parents came up with the bright idea of handing her off to be married into the Uesugi Clan. My dad didn't think about marriage and stuff like that. He also knew that it would get Natsumi away from the Shinra Clan, so he agreed to it. And I'm sure that you don't need to know what happens afterward."
"That's a surprise. I guess that Natsumi wasn't sad about leaving the Shinra Clan since she had Tetsuo and your mother with her. It sounds like a romantic and endearing tale. You know, when I think that I know everything, you come up with something surprising."
"Well, that's my life in a nutshell. If I remember anything else, I'll be sure to share it."
Kensei joked as Alice leaned up against him, smiling a bit as she looked forward.
Both of them continued watching Claire and Kunou cooing over the Giant Pandas and other animals that the two of them found adorable. And it wasn't long until the group started heading out to the next destination to view other rare and uncommon animals.
The group soon found themselves standing in front of a tiger exhibit, which was showing the largest tiger species in the world. And that was the Siberian tiger showcase, where multiple people could stand around and get a clear viewing of the tigers in an enclosed habitat. Multiple people gathered around watching the large tiger species as the animals did their usual business.
But, as the group was looking around to find a spot to stand, Kensei, Claire, Alice, and Kunou were surprised as the four found a familiar face.
"Lingqi?"
Kensei called out.
Looking forward, the group noticed Lingqi leaning against the railing watching on with an unreadable expression while watching the caged animals. She was still dressed in casual attire, which seemed to show all the curves of her mature build. Noticing her name being called, Lingqi stood up and turned to face the group with a surprised look, which turned into a smile.
"Well, this is a surprise. I didn't think that I'd see you all here too."
Lingqi uttered in surprise.
"Yea thought it would be good to see the animals here before the day ended."
Claire added, but the expression she was making didn't go unnoticed by them.
"You don't look too happy being here, though."
Alice pointed out, noticing the same thing as Claire.
Hearing that comment caused Lingqi to turn her attention back towards the animals in the zoo.
"Yea, I kinda grew up with the mentality that animals should be as free as people in the wild. So, seeing them in a place like this kinda hurts me a bit."
"I can understand that. it is sad seeing animals outside of their natural homes and habitats. But, it's sometimes for their protection since hum…people decided to make it too much of a habit of hunting them to the point of extinction. So, being here can be a learning experience to people and a home for them."
Kunou added, almost messing up in uttering 'humans' instead of 'people'.
"I get that. But, it still kinda hurts to see. Animals, in particular, tigers are kinda a favorite for certain people in my family who often works on protecting them. I know my grandfather hates seeing tigers placed into places like this since he spent most of his teenage years around them."
"Well, as long some people are working on protecting them, then some new option might come up soon. You're right, animals are creatures who deserve the same kind of treatment and freedom as people do. It would be a shame if all of them vanished because of humans."
"Yea, I feel the same. So, unless I ended up spoiling the mood. Would you four mind sharing a spot with me?"
Lingqi suggested, causing them to notice the clear spot right beside her.
"You couldn't spoil the mood here. And it'd be a pleasure since we haven't seen much of you at the hotel."
"Sorry. I kinda had some personal family business to deal with here. So, sometimes, I wouldn't have the time to return to my hotel room until it's time to sleep."
"Trust me, we know the feeling of being busy almost all the time. One of the reasons that we're decided on and are enjoying this trip so much."
Kensei pointed out without mentioning details, which was something that Lingqi could only guess about.
The five of them stood side-by-side watching the Siberian tiger exhibit together as a group. From there, it was noted that Lingqi did love looking at the tigers and their cubs more than the four of them did. Even then, it was notable that neither of them could find the slightest opening even with Lingqi standing there.
Amid their group standing around watching the Siberian tigers, there was a menial commotion occurring beside them. Turning around, Kensei and Lingqi sighed a bit in noticing that a group of men seemed to be having a light argument with one another. Kunou looked to have caught the scent of something as she stared at the men who'd started an altercation.
"I think one who started it is drunk or at least buzzed."
Kunou informed while standing there right beside Claire.
"I feel as if this is going to turn into a fight if that's the case."
As Claire expected, the patrons' argument started to progress into a fight as the men involved began to push and shove one another. One man threw a punch, knocking one of the men to the ground, then another one punched him. Soon enough, the entire thing progressed into one chaotic brawl between the men. Some did nothing but watch the entire thing, and some called the guards.
"Hah, well, I might as well do something."
Kensei uttered, walking forward before Lingqi, who planned on moving first could.
But, she remained in place and chose to look on, while wearing an interesting look. For the longest time, she had this curious feeling about Kensei as a martial artist and wanted to confirm them for herself. Although it wouldn't be a true test, it would at least be a hint. Kensei stepped in front of the fighting men without concern, catching all their attention before speaking Chinese.
"I'm requesting that you six calm down, there are children around here who just wanted to come here and watch the animals here. And I think that some of them are getting scared right now," Kensei said as calmly as possible, which wasn't wrong as some children were hiding behind their parents. "So, could you all please calm down and deal with this somewhere else?"
Kensei wanted to deal with this as rationally as possible and didn't want to cause a scene in front of all the kids watching. But, as one would expect, it didn't end as intended as one of the men pointed their finger at Kensei.
"This has nothing to do with you!"
"Don't get involved in our own business!"
"Mind your own business, bastard!"
Those were the comments that Kensei was receiving from the six men, who seemed to be buzzed on whatever kind of alcohol was drunk.
"Is calling me a bastard without warning something everyone has to do?"
Kensei thought to himself, while one of the men swung at him without warning. To him, it might have been one to be impressed about, but to Kensei, it was the same as watching a turtle walk. Using a fluid motion, he avoided it causing the man to fall forward surprised. Another one came in from behind to attempt to do the same kind of punch, but his punch hit the air as Kensei seemed to vanish.
"…huh?"
A snapping finger caught his attention, as he turned around to find Kensei standing right behind him. Not backing down, the men started making attempts at attacking him at the same time. Even the three of the men were fighting against one another beforehand. And from there, the six men started attacking Kensei at the same time, but none of them was able to reach him at all.
[Ooh.]
Most of the children looked on surprised rather than afraid now, watching Kensei moving around in a fluid motion, almost as if he was standing. For most, it looked as if he was mimicking a scene from a movie some of them had watched before. If one man went to punch him, he avoided it by getting behind him and ducking as another one tried their hand.
"This is interesting."
Lingqi found herself uttering as Kensei using multiple unique movements that she had seen from one martial art, in particular. It was different from what she had seen in the past, but the overall characteristic was still the same as before.
"He was trained in Baguazhang."
She recognized it herself as she had fought against a martial artist one who used the same one, but it looked as if Kensei adapted it to match him. As he was moving around as natural as possible without the slightest hint of an exhausted look, the six men fighting looked to be out of breath.
"He's a real martial artist. I don't know if that's all he knows, but he's moving around almost like a dragon dancing around to avoid attacks. It's almost too beautiful for words."
Lingqi was impressed as she watched Kensei stop moving.
It looked as if the men were becoming too exhausted to continue as the guards seemed to appear to arrest to cause of the incident. As the guards were asking about the situation, there was another more important one, that became known in an instant.
One of the mothers who had been holding their young girl who appeared no older than seven felt someone from the crowd of people bumping into her. Because of the sudden force and surprise, the mother and child ended up falling backward. From that, the parent and child ended up falling over the railing leading into the Siberian tigers' exhibit.
"Oh no, someone fell into the exhibit!"
Another woman from the crowd screamed, catching the guard's attention as the men were being detained. Their expressions paled at the thought of people entering an enclosed space with the largest tiger species. Not wasting time, the guards altered the right people about the situation. Some people ran over to see the situation and saw that the mother looked harmed, likely from shielding her daughter.
But, the tigers seemed to be moving in on the mother and daughter as most people started panicking without the faintest idea of what would happen next. Kensei and the others looked knowing that the handlers might not end up making it in time. He could tell the reason that the Siberian tigers were heading in their direction, and it might result in something more dangerous.
Kensei was preparing to jump into the exhibit to assist them, but before he could do anything, Lingqi jumped into it without hesitating. She leaped straight over the edge, sparking surprise from the group watching on as several of them had gasped. Most thought that Lingqi would end up hurting herself, but she landed right in-between the two groups involved not looking worried at all.
"H-Help, my mom is hurt. And it's scary down here."
The daughter begged, while on the brink of tears because of the tigers coming cautiously.
"P-Please, at least get my daughter out of here."
The mother added, wincing as she tried moving her shoulders, it and her shoulder looked fractured, it not at the slightest broken from the fall. But, Lingqi turned around giving them a gentle smile, while rubbing the daughter's head comfortably.
"Don't be worried, this is just a misunderstanding. You'll be fine."
Lingqi stated before turning to face the Siberian tigers, who stared at the young girl with curious looks, while a growl could be heard escaping from their mouth. Noticing the direction the main tiger was most focused on she smiled, then turned her head.
"Don't move. I'll get what they want."
Lingqi said while moving around the mother and daughter.
Their attention moved from the tigers to Lingqi, their helper, who walked a distance right behind them towards an obscured shadow.
"Wow, aren't you just adorable girl?"
The thing Lingqi picked up was a Siberian tiger cub that had been playing around the same spot that the mother and daughter. People looked on surprised as she was handling the cub as easily as a human child as it seemed to be pawing at her face. For most handlers, handling a tiger's cubs was something all of them needed to be the most careful in doing. More so, the mothers as they've been the most protective.
Walking around the mother and daughter, she placed the cub right near her, then she looked forward at the main tiger, which seemed to be her mother. Letting out a faint growl, the cub returned to her mother, who rubbed her face against her cub.
"You have your daughter back, and this mother and child meant no harm."
Lingqi uttered as if the Siberian tiger could understand them.
But, it seemed to work as the tiger sensed the feeling behind them, and the others started returning to what they were doing before. No one was in the crowd of people watching, and even the guards couldn't utter a word after what just happened in front of them.
"Well, I didn't think that I'd end up seeing something like this. I don't know, but it feels as if I just got shown up."
Kensei said out loud staring at what just happened.
"Yea, I never guessed that Lingqi could do something like that."
Alice added, looking just as impressed.
"She did mention that her family is good at handling animals."
Claire finished, while Kunou nodded her head in agreement.
"But, it is surprising considering that some animal would fight first to protect their young and Lingqi was holding onto that mother's cub. But, it didn't move at all in defense of if, as if there was nothing for her to be protective of. All the tigers were moving in on the mother and daughter who were close to the cub but stopped moving once Lingqi landed in front of them. It was almost as if they treated her as one of them."
As Kensei was thinking about that, their group turned to find Lingqi returning holding the daughter's hand, while the mother had her arm in a proper sling. All of them could see that the daughter took a liking to Lingqi, who also started receiving praise from the people who witnessed the entire thing. Due to the incident, she also received a bit of complaint from the handlers, which soon turned into praise as well.
"Lingqi that was awesome!"
Kunou was the first among the group to praise her.
"Heh, thanks. I just did what I did to protect these two," Lingqi said before handing the daughter back towards her mother, who'd grabbed a hold of her unbroken hand. Both of them were going to be taken to the hospital, so she could get her arm checked on. "I hope that you end up healing fine."
"Thank you."
The mother respectfully bowed her head, before being led by the guards so that she could get checked up. Just before leaving, the daughter turned around and gave one final wave before heading out.
"That was an awesome stunt, Lingqi-san. I didn't think that we'd see anything like that here."
Claire added, smiling after thinking about the incident that happened.
"It wasn't nothing that special, you can find anyone in my family able to do the same thing. My grandfather started something incredible from his training."
Lingqi stated smiling.
"I can share the same feeling too, considering what my family started too," Kensei stated, smiling at Lingqi as the question that he'd been wondering the entire time came up. "So, Lingqi, I was wondering about something since the first time we met."
"Hmm, and what's that?"
"Can you sense this?"
Kensei started subtly releasing ki and since it wasn't manifesting as an aura, no one around them could visibly see it at all. But, Lingqi could sense the ki radiating from him and noted that it felt stronger than what she had felt from a person before.
"You can use qi too. I thought that there was something about the four of you that wasn't normal," Lingqi replied and smiled. "You're a martial artist who uses qi, or well, I guess ki. Claire is a half-blood devil with light sacred gear. Alice is someone with powerful sacred gear, I think a Longinus. And Kunou is a youkai."
"Wow, I guess all of us ended up figuring each other out."
Claire couldn't help finding that hilarious since all of them realized who one another figured the other out during their first meeting. Because of that reveal, their group started feeling a lot more comfortable compared to before. A much more casual atmosphere started appearing behind them as things started settling down.
"So, is there any other reason that you happened to be in Beijing?"
Kensei asked while looking forward at Lingqi who glanced to the side in wonder.
"Well, there is another reason that I'm here. But, I don't…."
In that instance, a warm, viscous feeling started wrapping around Lingqi at that moment as she even didn't need to think to figure out who it was. A second later, she found herself alone in the same spot, but she couldn't see a single person around her at all. There wasn't Kensei, Claire, Alice, or Kunou, who had been standing right there in front of them.
It was complete silence around her, as Lingqi couldn't see the animals or people around her, even after walking around for a minute. Soon enough, she stopped walking around and started speaking to the person that had sent her there in the first place.
"Sending me in another dimension, in the middle of a conversation. That's kinda rude, down you think, Georg," a causal tone could be heard from Lingqi, as she looked around the area to see if there were someone in the same spot as where she was. "I know that you wouldn't come out and confront me yourself. So, is Cao Cao, Siegfried, or Heracles there with you."
Her voice across the silent location, because of how silent things were, and another sigh escape from her mouth.
"Well, it's been a while since we last saw one another."
Lingqi turned her head after hearing a familiar voice behind her.
"So, you're the first one to come and meet me, Heracles?"
She turned her head to find the gray-haired young man now named Heracles standing right there behind her. He was now dressed in a Japanese gakuran school uniform, with Greek-inspired armor worn on top of it.
"Yea, it looks like I'm the first to run into you Lu Lingqi. I guess that being traitorous to your former teammates is a common thing for descendants of Lu Bu. You kinda used us to find out about that warlord who became a foe to your family, then left."
"I left because I didn't agree with the methods that the Hero Faction uses to accomplish their goals. Wanting to prove that humans can fight against the supernatural is one thing. But, I didn't agree with the methods all of you went in wanting to prove that at all. I didn't think that Cao Cao would go through such lengths in wanting to bring me back considering our ancestors' previous dispute."
Lingqi replied, showing no lack of confidence in that difference in opinion.
"Cao Cao did describe you as being the fierce tigress that people should tiptoe around in an attempt not to take the wrong step and anger her. Well, this was more since Jeanne wouldn't stop complaining after you left the Hero Faction. You did end up making that girl sad."
"…."
Lingqi couldn't react to those words as she stared at Heracles who smirked.
"I don't care whether or not you left the Hero Faction. I did always want to fight against you all the time. So, this is the perfect chance for me to see which one of us is the strongest here."
Heracles commented as he punched his fists, together causing an ominous aura to cover both of his hands and let out fighting intent towards Lingqi. She had been enjoying the peaceful time that she was having beforehand, as she was well aware that it would end at some point.
"There were some people in the Hero Faction that I felt that I could get along with. And I knew that there were a lot of them that I wouldn't ever be able to easily get along with," Lingqi said while getting into a natural stance as she looked almost like a tiger preparing for a hunt. "And you were one of them."
There Lingqi and Heracles stared one another down, both of them were leaking out fighting intent that would've caused the animals around them to run in fright. A fight between two former teammates apart of the same faction of humans. It was a fight between two descendants of great and renowned Heroes.
A/N: And there goes the next chapter of DxD – The Last Amagiri, in this Kensei and the others carried out their conversation with Lingqi who introduced herself. This chapter was somewhat more focused on the kind of character she is and an introduction leading into her kind of past. It looks as if she is treated as an important person as Lingqi encountered three people from her home. And then there was the thing she had done at the zoo in saving the mother and daughter from a Siberian tiger.
There's the introduction of four of the main members from the Hero Faction, Cao Cao, Siegfried, Heracles, and Jeanne. It looks as if Kensei and the others are going to have to end their peaceful vacation if things continue escalating.
Kensei's Harem: Alice, Claire, Hisui, Kunou, Yasaka, Lu Lingqi, Sarah, Minako, Koneko, Kuroka, Ravel, Amaterasu, Brynhildr, Rossweisse, Ophis.