Welcome to the next chapter of DxD – The Last Amagiri, but before starting the story. Let's answer some reviews:
shephawk: Glad to hear that you liked Lingqi's reaction, which was believable considering she never had an experience like that with another male aside from relatives. I have more moments planned out for her in the future chapters.
Rider126: There's going to be a serious fight against the so-called Hero Faction. Yea, neither of them have done much to honor their heroic lineage, but it's a good thing that their characters ended up changing in the future volumes of High School DxD.
altair96: Thanks. And the continuation of their confrontation with the Hero Faction is going to be inside of the next chapter. I chose one, which would fit her the most, and what fits most would be a sacred gear that manifests her weapon. That's what you'd expect from someone without experience in dealing with men aside from relatives.
Fighting Heroes I
Tomorrow morning, Kensei, Claire, Alice, and Kunou found themselves sitting around on the Jade Dragon Hotel Roof, which has been modeled into a comfortable sitting for the occupants. Sitting down on one side of a table, in front of them was Lingqi and the three of her father's most trusted subordinates she mentioned.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all, people who Milady trusts," the biggest one said bowing. "My name is Jian, one of the three subordinates of the Grand Master, Lu Han."
"My name is Li."
The female subordinate introduced herself, bowing her head.
"And I'm Hui."
The last male subordinates were introduced.
"Kensei Amagiri."
"Claire Yaegaki Belial."
"Alice Evangelista."
"Kunou."
The four introduced themselves to him too.
Having gotten a better look at Kensei, Jian looked at him wearing a curious expression on his face, but it looked as if he recognized him from somewhere. Noticing this, the black-haired swordsman looked on wearing a curious look and asked.
"Is there something wrong?"
"No, it would appear as if I've seen you from somewhere."
Jian replied, rubbing his chin as he tried going through his memories in an attempt to think about where.
"Sorry, but I don't think we've met before. I know my dad traveled to China once in the past, and you'd think that the two of us look almost alike."
Kensei waved off the confusion, while Li sighed a bit.
"I apologize for my colleague here. For the longest time, he'd been less than reliable when it comes to thinking or recalling certain things."
Li replied, placing a hand in front of him.
Claire and Kunou looked on, noticing that Jian still looked preoccupied with his thoughts to consider what Li said about him. If it was a normal person, then the usual response would be getting mad from being called dumb by their friend. But, Jian didn't even think about it at all.
"Well, since that's settled. I want to thank you four for assisting Milady in this mission."
Hui started bowing his head a second time.
"I keep telling you three to stop calling me that in front of others."
Lingqi sighed, feeling embarrassed from being called Milady in front of others.
In hearing that, Claire, and Kunou held back laughter, in noticing the kind of expression that Lingqi was close to almost making.
"Anyway, I think we should talk about what's going to be happening on the predetermined date. It might not be something that I want, but Kensei and his friends will be preoccupied fighting against the five main members of the Hero Faction. Our group, on the other hand, will be entering the location that'll take us to the marker that'll lead us to Wu Jun's base," Lingqi started, informing them about the situation planned thus far. "There's still no confirmation that he hasn't moved to another base as he hasn't made a move in quite some time. However, what or who lies in this base might tell us what he's planning on doing next."
Listening to the start of Lingqi's conversation, Kensei gained their attention as the four who were the most aware of Wu Jun looked at him.
"I think that it might be best if we are aware of this guy's abilities before heading out into battle. Based on the kind of expressions you four are making, and the conversation last time, he's not your common foe."
Kensei brought up a rational thought as Lingqi nodded her head.
"I know, I didn't plan on letting the people close to you head out into an unknown fight. I'll tell you all that we know about Jun. Indeed, he isn't your common foe, he was able to defeat my father, who was held in high regards as a real Grand Master. First, he is also a warrior who trained in two martial arts that you might know as Hakkyokuken and Hikaken," Kensei was aware of those two since it was two of the three martial arts he had learned from Sun Wukong. He learned and mastered their basic principles before adding them onto the Tougen Amagiri-ryuu, which is the reason he knows the two compliments one another. "Aside from that, his Sacred Gear is called Thunder Emperor."
"Thunder Emperor? I don't think we've heard about that one before."
"Yes, no one from our side has it."
Claire and Alice added, not recalling the name before, but were aware neither could count the number of sacred gears around the world.
"Based on the information that I gathered from a reliable source, Thunder Emperor was made using Vajra as the reference for its abilities. I'm sure you're aware of the weapon, wielded by the God of War, Indra?"
Kensei nodded his head, having heard about Indra from Sun Wukong too in the past. It was even a magical one that is often used by monks and priests in cultures around Asia too.
"A divine weapon able to command lightning. So, I'm guessing that Thunder Emperor can do the same."
"Yes, Thunder Emperor can create and control lightning, most passed wielders could create thunderclouds and caused a good amount of destruction. But, Jun has had it manifested before starting his ambitions, meaning that there's no wonder what he could do with it compared to the past wielders. There's also the dragon that he killed a long time ago too to challenge Yu Haung."
"What about it?"
Alice curiously asked.
"It was a dragon who could control lightning too. So, that means aside from wanting to issue a challenge towards the Chief God, there's a high chance he wanted to see if his lightning could overcome its lightning."
Lingqi's news sparked a surprised look from those involved.
"I can see the reason that you were hesitant about letting us get involved. I don't like making assumptions about whether or not we can beat someone without meeting them first. And he might've mastered his sacred gear too."
"Believe me, we've seen what he can do with that sacred gear too well. A good portion of our hometown, which Patriarch Jie build and Grand Master Han maintained was destroyed by him. A lot of the people living there were also injured in the crossfire too. Our Master tried his best to lead him to another location, but…."
Jian declared but was stopped as Li held up her hand, keeping him from speaking further. He realized that it will be the same as mentioning what happened again in front of their Master's daughter. And neither of them was aware of what the newcomers knew about him or if she wanted to. Lingqi realized their intentions but didn't feel like going into much detail about it yet.
"Well, aside from talking about what we're going to be doing in invading one of Wu Jun's bases. I have something to inform you about when fighting against Cao Cao, Siegfried, Georg, Heracles, and Jeanne," Lingqi said, turning her attention towards Kensei, who would be one of them. "All five of them have achieved Balance Breaker, out of them, Cao Cao, Siegfried, and Jeanne's are sub-species. I don't know much about Cao Cao's Balance Breaker since some of its abilities are unknown to me. But, if you want to…."
"That's fine. I'd rather it be a surprise," Kensei replied without showing much fear at all. "Most of the time, none of us knows about the abilities of our opponents before a battle. The others from the same group as me share the same feeling too. Besides, in the last battle, neither of us got serious, and I'm looking forward to finding out what the sub-species Balance Breaker of the strongest Longinus is."
Lingqi wasn't surprised to hear that response from Kensei, and neither were the three women sitting beside him, who gave a light laugh.
"Well, then let's continue with the meeting."
Lingqi stated smiling about the situation in front of her.
So, from there, the group continued listening to one another's plans about their separate situations. It kept on for a couple of minutes before the group started going along with their own business afterward.
It had been almost hours later, as the sun descended a long time ago, Jian, Li, and Hui found themselves doing their duties. Lingqi knew that the three were determined to find and fight against Wu Jun, but she told them that it would be best if the three didn't rush things. Being Han's daughter, and of course, their Milady, the three listened to them and chose to rest.
Meanwhile, inside the Jade Dragon Hotel's indoor swimming pool, Lingqi floated in the middle of the pool without moving a single muscle. Dressed in a white and black knee-skin athletic swimsuit meant for competitions. Not one person was inside the pool area, considering that it was close to closing time. But, it was the perfect condition for someone such as herself to calm down.
In a position, where she was holding onto knees and rolled up into the fetal position, with her eyes closed. It was so quiet and peaceful, the cold made her feel calm. All Lingqi could hear was the sound of her heart beating, and simply floated around without moving an inch. Of course, it wouldn't have been quiet if there were others around in the swimming pool; considering Lingqi has been in this position for half an hour. If she wanted to have it, going a whole hour would be a simple exercise for her.
"Hmm?"
She paused from doing that, opened her eyes, then found herself leaping out from the pool, and landed down in front of the person she sensed. A breath escaped from Lingqi's mouth, and ran her hand through her wet hair, as she looked forward.
"Didn't think that I'd get a visitor here of all places. So, did you need something?"
Lingqi asked, staring at the person, who was revealed to be Kensei dressed in simple clothing, a black shirt, blue shorts, and slippers.
"Hmm, kinda. Didn't want to interrupt your training session. So, was that something you learned as a kid."
"My dad taught us that you should get used to different conditions since a battle could happen anywhere. But, it's something he learned from his father. But, I quite like swimming and spending time in the water."
"Yea, I heard the same thing. I'm comfortable fighting anywhere."
Kensei and Lingqi kept talking to one another as normally as possible.
He couldn't help noticing that her swimsuit wasn't special, aside from being meant for competing instead, and not meant to show anything off. But, Lingqi had a blossom, beautiful build that would make it look as if the swimsuit was something special.
"Mind sitting down near the poolside, then?"
Kensei pointed over towards the end of the pool, as Lingqi nodded her head as the two went towards that area.
Both walked over, then sat down with their feet being submerged inside the pool and the cool temperature could be felt running up from their legs. Lingqi knew that this would be the perfect place for them to have a private chat, without someone listening in or interrupting them.
"So, what was it that you wanted to come and talk to me about?"
"Well, I couldn't help looking at you whenever you talked about Wu Jun and about what happened in the past. It was an all too familiar look, and I thought that you needed someone to talk to."
"That's a nice gesture, but you don't have to…."
"Yea, I know that line too. I learned a long time ago that it can be a bit cathartic to talk, and it can keep a certain group of people from using force. Well, if you don't feel comfortable about sharing a story. How about I share one of my own in return," Kensei said as Lingqi didn't appear to stop him from telling her a story if that's what he had wanted to do. "When I was about eight, I was kidnapped and brought to an island, where I was forced to fight as a competitor in some underground, supernatural tournament. My mother ended up finding out where I was and tried rescuing me. She came close too, almost killing their main bodyguard, but then some Old Devil used me as a hostage at the last second. My mother paused for a moment and was shot in the chest. Taro Aoyama and that bodyguard, Hayashi Namikaze were just some of the people responsible."
Lingqi listened to that story and found herself listening to the entire thing without her attention deviating from it once. She felt sad for his loss, considering Kensei had to witness his mother die in front of him from that young age. It wasn't long until Lingqi placed a comforting hand on Kensei's shoulder as she gave him a comforting look, which showed her feeling right then and there.
"I'm sorry about what happened Kensei. I didn't think that you went through something like that."
"That's fine. It was a long time ago, my mom would be ashamed if I let that one incident keep me down for long," Lingqi could hear that Kensei wasn't attempting to be strong in front of her and did mean it. "Besides, I ended up getting those assholes back for what happened. All of us brought apart their business, took their earnings, and it resulted in us forming our group. And because I was there, I met and made irreplaceable friends."
"That's a silver lining if I'd ever heard one. After that, I don't think that I can't share my own."
There was some more silence, as Lingqi was still taking in what Kensei said to her right then and there.
"I don't know where to start, but I guess it all started from my grandfather to some extent. Not that he Grandpa Jie anything wrong, but what he achieved spread across China and made him more famous than our ancestor. It's going to be a long story, so I hope you don't mind," Lingqi glanced to the side, noticing Kensei was prepared to listen to all of it. "Granda Jie felt it was his duty to right the wrongs committed by our ancestor, Lu Bu. So, he traveled all across China helping people as a martial artist, learning, and training in different styles."
Kensei kept listening to Lingqi, who sounded as if she had the utmost pride and respect for her grandfather, far more than her ancestor, Lu Bu.
"He mastered all the martial arts he learned after becoming an adult and had strong Qi. But, he still felt as if there was still something missing, and felt incomplete. It wasn't until Grandpa Jie found himself watching the tigers inside the mountains, that he frequented as a teenager. In watching them, he thought about the martial arts he trained in that mimicked them too but wanted to reach a deeper level in it. To realize that, he wanted to invent his wanted to invent a new martial art through his efforts."
Kensei was aware of her grandfather's thoughts too, considering that some martial arts did mimic animals and even imaginative ones such as dragons too. Even he adopted a Dragon Style, however, instead of being based around an imaginative one, Kensei developed it based on the fact he hung around Yu-Long, an Eastern Dragon for a month.
"Putting his heart and soul into placing all the martial arts he accumulated until that point, into creating just a single martial art. From sunrise to sundown, for several years, he copied their movements, breathing, then meditated and cultivated his Qi. All in order to mold his spirit, to harness the power and spirit of a tiger. After spending time there, Grandpa Jie noticed a change, he could sense the tiger's emotions and felt they accepted him. It wasn't that alone, his hair turned white, and his eyes turned blue."
The first time that Kensei met Lingqi, he first thought that it was a bit odd that her hair was a mixture of white and blonde too. He hadn't met a normal person whose hair was like that, and he sensed there was a different kind of power in Lingqi during her confrontation with Heracles.
"It reminded him about a tale that a tiger's fur would start turning white after living for five hundred years. And that is what inspired him to name it Byakko Kenpo because he didn't harness the power of a normal beast, it reached the White Tiger. Grandpa Jie left the mountains, using the ferocious and graceful moments of a tiger to defeat numerous villains and evil beings. He even earned the attention of even the Chief God, who came to respect him and granted him a blessing."
Kensei heard about Lu Jie just now, and he already couldn't help respecting him, because of what he'd achieved in his lifetime. It even reminded him about his maternal ancestor, Itsuki Amagiri, the founder of the Amagiri Clan, a man who from childhood leading into adulthood developed the Amagiri-ryuu from what he learned from his father. And, in the end, he earned the Shinto Gods' blessing for the Amagiri Clan.
And it reminded him about what his mother said:
"Our martial art started as something our ancestor, Itsuki learned from his father, a simple man who didn't run a simple dojo. After his parents died, he stepped onto the battlefield and turned that simple martial art into what his father envisioned. Each opponent, human, power user, demons, and evil spirits, all became a chance for him to evolve, creating techniques and spells. Others described it as a heavenly style, shapeless, but expansive as if it was mist. It led to him gaining the surname, Amagiri. And thus, he became Itsuki Amagiri. Our clansmen took it to heart, then started adding in their particular preferences, and most like me created their own. So, I wonder if you'll create a new style all your own, Kensei."
Those words echoed in his mind, and it led to him creating the Tougen Amagiri-ryuu.
Lingqi removed her feet from the pool, then she started moving a good distance from him and breathed outwards a bit. A second later, she unleashed a barrage of strikes using her hands, then a barrage of kicks, and finished it with a forward straight hit with her tiger claws. Kensei watched it all, her movements were similar to that of a tiger attacking an imaginary opponent.
"Ah, that was breathtaking. I can see that you trained it with nothing short of complete determination."
"Thanks, but I still haven't reached that same level as my grandfather, nor am I close to it. Not even my father is close to reaching that level. He became a man who'd grasped the powers of a mythical beast who reigned as the King of Beasts. Even earned the attention and blessing of the Chief God," Lingqi said before staring at her hand and narrowing them. "If it wasn't for grandpa Jie, then it would've happened seven years ago."
"Hah!"
Seven years ago, an eleven-year-old, Lingqi, was standing in the middle of a training room, in front of him there was a wooden punching post wrapped up. She punched, kicked, and struck the wooden host, dressed in their martial art uniform. Around Lingqi, there were other disciples, much older than herself watching on as she practiced on it with determination. A breath escaped from her mouth, as her left hand glowed with white light, then blasted the upper section of the wooden post.
"Kosou!"
Lingqi placed her tiger claw forward, then stood relaxed.
[Oooooh!]
Impressed and cheering about what someone much younger than themselves could accomplish. However, all of them were disciples of her father and admired the young girl's talents. She appreciated their compliments, but she never allowed them to go towards her head.
"That was amazing, elder sister!"
"Yes, that's right, Jing!"
"I haven't started training yet. But, I'll reach that level as fast as you did, maybe even faster."
Lingqi smiled as she noticed three seven-year-old younger brothers, who were triplets standing beside one another.
Due to how identical all three were, their hairstyles were much different to make it easier to tell them apart. But, for their relatives, it was easy to tell them apart.
"Jing, Jingyi, Cheng," Lingqi smiled as she approached her three younger brothers, all of which similar to her had a mixture of blonde and white hair. "It won't be that long until the three of you start training too. So, I hope that all three of you can take it seriously too. Don't forget that our martial art isn't for hurting people, but developing and for protecting those who can't defend themselves."
"Yea yea, I don't need you to remind me. I was just saying that I could reach your level too."
Cheng replied, glancing to the side as his brothers glanced at their younger brother.
"I want to become as strong as dad is and protect our home as the Grand Master."
Jing added with determination, but Jingyi looked forward at his older sister and seemed to want something.
"Um, elder sister can we see it. Your sacred gear, I mean?"
Jingyi asked, as Lingqi smiled and stood a distance from her younger siblings.
"Let's roar, Shimon Mouko!"
A flash of white light could be seen on Lingqi's arms and legs. Differing from her older self, what manifests was a pair of white arm-guards and leg-guards, something that martial arts would wear.
"That's so cool!"
Jingyi looked surprised as he noticed the things manifesting around her arms and legs.
"I heard from father, and he said that it was supposed to be called Spiritus Armiger, and this weapon manifested from my soul. But, I doubt that this is the shape that it's stuck as, if it's manifested from my soul, then I should be able to make it into becoming stronger."
"Elder sister, do you think I have one too?"
Jingyi asked, referring to a Sacred Gear.
"Don't know much about that, it could still be sleeping within you or anyone else standing around here now. If you do, then it'll manifest at some point in life. Whether you have a sacred gear or not, you could still become a stronger person as long as you train."
Lingqi replied, smiling and placing a hand on top of her younger brother's head.
Standing on the sidelines, Jin and Cheng looked on wearing a bit of a jealous expression on their face, although it wasn't something most would notice. But, Lingqi noticed that and pulled the other two into a hug alongside Jingyi, then started laughing.
"You three are a funny and cute group of little brothers."
Lingqi couldn't help laughing as she picked up her three brothers, as Cheng started struggling to get out of it.
"Oi, stop doing that. You're freakishly strong!"
Cheng didn't mind receiving a hug from his older sister, but he was being held straight up alongside his two other older brothers. He was aware that descendants of Lu Bu were born with a different bodily structure, but his older sister had been trained earlier on and had strength greater than an average adult male.
"Um, elder sister."
Lingqi paused as she heard another voice calling out to her.
She turned, where she noticed her youngest sibling, her younger sister, Chao who was a year younger than her brothers. Similar to Lingqi, her hair was long and tied in the back with a mixture of blonde and white. Chao stood in the same position while holding something behind her back. Seeing her, Lingqi released her brothers, all three landed on the ground with no issue at all.
"Yes, Chao?"
"Um," Chao seemed to be fidgeting in the same position, then reached from behind herself and showed Lingqi a book. It looked like the kind of story that a child would love with a princess being carried away by a prince, Chao was looking flustered as she talked. "Could you read this one to me?"
"Of course."
Lingqi replied, smiling without hesitating at all as Chao smiled at that.
"Come on, you always stop training for Chao."
Cheng replied, wanting to watch Lingqi training and learning their martial arts from that sight.
"Well, if I had to choose between training and hanging out with my siblings, then I'll choose the latter. I remember all the times that you three wanted to play games with me before."
Lingqi replied, taking the book from Chao's hands, while Cheng looked flustered.
As Lingqi was hanging around her siblings, a comfortable and ominous sensation started running straight up the older sister's spine. Despite her wanting to maintain a calm composure, her four siblings could tell something was wrong. Before either of them could ask what was wrong, something caught all their attention as fast, rapid footsteps could be heard coming towards the training room.
Standing at the door was an older male, who held the title of Master among their martial art sect. Without appearing tired from running inside of the room in that manner.
"I have come with a message from Grand Master Han! All of the Disciples will join Lady Fei, Young Masters Jing, Jingyi, Cheng, and Milady Chao inside of a separate hidden room. All Masters and Milady Lingqi will all be asked to join Grand Master Han inside of the meeting room!"
The booming sound of the Master could be heard across the training room, as the disciples started doing as told without hesitating. In announcing that the four younger siblings would need to join their mother, the Master who'd come to lead them to the room. Neither of them moved and inch from their older sister, not understanding what was going to happen.
"Uh, elder sister?"
Jingyi looked to his older sister for an answer, who nodded her head.
"Please head out with Master Gang. I'm sorry, Chao, I'll need to read that book later."
Lingqi placed a hand on her siblings' heads while walking towards the entrance to meet her father inside the meeting room. She turned her head to give her siblings one more comforting smile before heading out. After being out of their line of sight, Lingqi's expression turned far more serious as she wondered the reason that despite her being a disciple herself, she was being called out too.
Lingqi found herself inside a meeting room, where multiple Masters gathered. Aside from the serious demeanor and stance, which showed their rank, a black crest resembling a tiger claw mark was on their arm. She looked around to find her father, Lu Han, a middle-aged man with a well-build, muscular build and dressed in clothing appropriate for a Grand Master. Despite being middle-aged, from looks alone, it wouldn't be that noticeable. Differing from his children, his hair was turned all white without a single streak.
"Father. What's happening?"
As Lingqi approached her father, a seat could be seen beside him and in front of them a good distance.
"Lingqi. It appears as if we have some…unwanted guests who want to meet with me and you. I'm sure that you've heard of Wu Jun before."
"…that heinous warlord?! What is he doing here father?"
For someone as young as Lingqi, she heard about Wu Jun before and the kinds of things that he has done for nothing, but his selfish ambitions. As someone who wants to continue helping others rather than oppressing them, he was the kind of person she hated most of all.
"He wanted to have a meeting here with me, but I can't understand the reason that he'd come here of all places considering our different ideals."
Lingqi could hear that her father didn't want to meet Jun, but it looked as if he had no other choice.
"But, father why would you agree to meet him?"
"Jun's Thunder Emperor makes it possible for him to kill several people before we can react in time to counter," Lingqi could hear the rational and levelheaded explanation from her father. She could understand his desire to not have an all-out slaughter happen. "A strong barrier is maintained around the White Tiger Sect and the nearby town, because of one of our sacred gear users. But, it'd be simple for Jun to annihilate them. I'm having the other members escort the civilians into safer locations, as well as the disciples, your mother, your grandmother, and siblings, and our other relatives too."
Even for Lingqi, a young girl and disciple, she was aware of the dire situation. Despite being frustrated about the fact they had to listen to the demands of a warlord. But, keeping the civilians and disciples who placed their trust in them was the most important. As Lingqi was looking unsure about the situation, she felt her father's hand placed on top of her head and started ruffling her hair.
"Don't be concerned. I don't know the reason that Jun requested you to be here too, but I'll protect you no matter what happens. If I don't, then I won't have the right to be called a Grand Master or father."
His reassuring and strong tone caused Lingqi to smile, loving the fact that she had someone like Han as a father. Deciding to trust his judgment, she moved, then took her seat right there beside her father, who stared straight at his firstborn child with pride. Maintaining both a strong, determined look in front of his child and students, Han stared forward as he sensed their "guest" arriving.
Entering the meeting room was a black-haired, blue-eyed tall man with a well-build muscular physique, and dressed in black clothing meant to be a high-ranking man. There looked to be a dragon embroiled on the uniform, as three men would be seen following behind him too. Staring forward, the man, Wu Jun didn't appear much older in comparison to Han. His attention turned toward Lingqi, who despite appearing confident and brave felt an intense wave of pressure crashing down on her.
She didn't want to show fear or shake, but in the presence of this man, she could barely look him in the eyes for a second.
"Wu Jun, if you continue looking at my daughter like that. It'll be the last thing you'll ever see."
Han released pressure towards Jun, who ended up locking eyes with him, both the men seemed prepared for a battle. The men around them felt the presence released from their bosses and felt almost unnerved. Looking as if complying with the request, at least for now, Jun sat down in front of Han. Both were sitting at a good distance from one another, if either chose to attack, then the other would have enough time to react.
"So, what did the Great Warlord want from me?"
Han asked, wanting to cut to the chase before anything else.
"The White Tiger Sect has great influence, on both sides influence the normal and the supernatural. All because of the accomplishments made by your father during his era. You, who inherited his power, refined it and became the current Grand Master in your twenties. The people you have surrounding me, are, in fact, decent enough to be called Masters. But, none of them can master the Byakko Kenpo more than those who share Lu Jie's blood. Even those who happen to be descendants of Lu Bu too. So, it's pointless to teach them."
Wu Jun was speaking in a matter-of-fact tone while staring straight at Han, who stared back at him. Not one Master took that provocation and simply continued standing in their current position.
"You're speaking about things I'm aware of. But, you're mistaken about something. Strong or weak, talented, or talentless, we'll accept anyone who desires to become strong for good reactions. It might not be possible for them to reach the same level as our bloodline. But, my father's intention of teaching it to others wasn't to ensure that they'd become like him. But, it was for them to reach their path toward reaching their potential. So, don't speak such words about our disciples," Han replied, staring straight at Jun. Lingqi, in addition to the other disciples around her, felt the emotions behind those words. All of them felt nothing, but total admiration for Han. "I'm fully aware of your desires in conquering China, and you must be aware that I have no intention of helping you. If anything, it would be our mission to stop you from doing that."
"I have begun making preparations in uniting this entire country under my reign, and I will succeed where no one did. And in doing that, I will bring order, something not even Cao Cao achieved. I will continue with my goals, it doesn't matter whether you choose to help me or not. But, if I have your cooperation, it'll make things easier for both of our groups. But, even if I succeed in achieving them, there would be one more obstacle in my way."
Jun stated without showing a lack of confidence, more so reassurance in his chances of success. Despite having no intentions of helping him in his radical and militant desires, Han was curious about who he considered being the main obstacle in his agenda.
"And that obstacle would be?"
"The Gods."
"What?"
Han was surprised about that comment as Lingqi wondered whether or not Jun was serious, almost doubting he meant those words.
"The last obstacle in creating my ideal country is the Gods who reside in Heaven, continuing to watch things as if it was a simple show. If that's the case, I'll show them a good show as I succeed where no other warlord, no matter how brilliant or strong managed to do. I'll dominate, and unify China, then I'll turn my attentions toward the gods themselves. And I'll soon achieve the power to bring down the gods."
"You're talking about turning your sacred gear into a Longinus, aren't you," Han asked, realizing this man's goals are much more dangerous than he received. Jun didn't respond about him elevating his sacred gear into a Longinus. "It is true that the Longinus have enough power to bring down god-class beings if mastered. But, do remember that your opponents are gods, who have lived longer than humans and wield powerful abilities that can cause miracles to occur. Longinus or not, I doubt you could defeat them all."
"It was decided the moment that I was born that I'll succeed. But, I came up with a solution to make things easier for me to succeed in uniting China and bringing down the gods. I'll achieve the greatest power that even the gods are wary of, and through me, that power will be passed down to my children. I have sought out women who have the greatest qualities to give birth to powerful children."
From that comment alone, Han's attention was focused on Jun more than before, tightening his fist with an aura that began radiating from him. In his presence, even the guards beside the warlord started feeling unnerved as if a beast had appeared before them.
"Jun, I would be careful with the next words out of your mouth."
"You're daughters have inherited the blood and power of you, the White Monarch's son. So, after growing up into more into women, the two should be able to bear strong warriors," Jun replied, staring forward towards Lingqi, as lightning could be seen sparkling around him. "It didn't matter whether or not, you agreed on meeting me. I plan on taking them, and grooming them into excellent wives."
Lingqi was shaken, being aware of what Jun planned on doing with her. No, much more than that, she felt an intense rage building up within her as Chao was involved in that too. Her anger towards Jun for what he planned on doing to her younger sister caused her to begin standing up. Before Lingqi could stand up and speak out, Han held out his hand in front of his oldest daughter.
"Master Gang, please take Lingqi and leave from here."
"Father?"
Lingqi looked up at her father.
Unlike before, Han didn't glance at her, instead, turning his attention at their foe, Wu Jun, who stood up allowing an intense aura to be wrapped around him. She realized that this wasn't a situation that she could attempt to get involved with. So, Lingqi did as her father commanded, then rushed towards Gang, who was rushing towards her in return. Before running, on instinct, she activated Shimon Mouko, which allowed her to propel herself forward at her chosen defender.
Because of that, she made it a good distance from her father as Gang was close to grabbing onto her hand. But, neither of them could react to what was happening next as Jun appeared behind Lingqi in a second. She couldn't sense him until then as a tense sensation spread across her as if on high alert. There was nothing that she could do as Jun was too fast for her to respond. A pair of black and gold gauntlets could be seen around both his arms.
"I could tell that your potential is much greater than the women I have now, and you possess a sacred gear too. It would be your reward to become my first wife."
Jun stated as he extended his hand towards Lingqi, who couldn't do anything but attempt to run faster.
Nothing happened as Han appeared besides Lingqi, grabbing onto Jun's wrist, stopping his advances. The warlord felt a great amount of pressure around his wrist, then realized that it wouldn't be possible to take Lingqi and fight Han at the same time. Because of that, Gang made it to Lingqi, then started hauling her outside of the meeting room.
"Jun, I hope you are prepared to face the consequences for trying to lay your hands on my daughters."
"Han, you're as strong as I believed you were. It would be a waste to kill you, but I believe that your three sons will become strong warriors if groomed right."
Han's gaze sharpened more than before on Jun, as he threatened his sons. He retrieved a beautiful halberd, doubling as a spear from another dimension. An ancient weapon belonging to his ancestor, the Sky Piercer released a strong aura the second it was brought out. Lingqi, before leaving the room, witnessed the face-to-face between Han and Jun, witnessing a tiger-shaped aura around her father. Before long, shockwaves were released from the clash as both their guards joined in on the confrontation too.
"… at the end of that battle, my father lost against him. He was able to fight on equal footing against Jun, even after he activated Balance Breaker. But, in the end, he was pushed back and lost."
Lingqi kept looking up, having explained her past and the first time that she made Wu Jun, the man she thought of as her greatest foe. Kensei looked on watching as the young woman looked down from the ceiling, then wore an unreadable expression on her face. He couldn't come up with a single response as she continued speaking.
"If it wasn't for the fact that Wu Jun sensed Grandpa Jie approaching from a long distance, then things would've gone from bad to worse. I can still recall the feeling of his presence as if a genuine monster was approaching us. My father was put into a coma by Jun's lightning, and Grandpa Jie returned as the Grand Master. As long as he's there, Jun will not attempt to invade our hometown a second time, but that left the task of taking out that man unfilled."
"And that's the reason you volunteered to do it?"
"I wanted to volunteer at first, but I was too young and still immature. Seriously, who would ever trust a girl making demands, acting childish and emotional? Much to my surprise, Grandpa Jie suggested me, and under the condition, I'd become the Top Disciple in two years without Shimon Mouko. I did it, then started traveling, training, and fighting against other martial artists. At that time, I still looked for more information. I took the last advice Grandpa Jie gave me, then found allies. Of course, I'm sure you know how that turned out."
Lingqi seemed to be finished explaining what happened in the last, leading until that point.
"The last thing that my grandfather said to me before leaving was that I had something more inside of me, which would let him defeat him. But, in the last seven years since then, I still couldn't find out what that was. And I'm not sure that I could defeat someone my father couldn't as I am now."
"So, are you going to quit?"
"Of course, not," Lingqi replied, showing no hesitance in that response. "Would you?"
"No. Even if I had to fight against a god, I wouldn't quit."
"Same here. But, for people like us, that might be a bit blasphemous."
Lingqi and Kensei appeared to have shared the same thought about not surrendering no matter the kind of foe it was. If that foe turned out to be a god-class being, then the two would continue pressing forward.
"Well, look at the bright side about the Hero Faction. If you hadn't joined, you wouldn't have come back to China, and you wouldn't have met us."
Kensei tried lightening up the mood from mentioning that, which seemed to work as Lingqi seemed to laugh.
"Yea, there's that silver lining. I never thought that I would meet someone who would make me laugh this much, aside from Jeanne sometimes."
"Well, hanging around us can have that effect. More so, considering that I appear to be the butt of the joke more often than I'd like."
"It might be something that I'd look forward to."
Kensei could hear that Lingqi was becoming more casual about things now, instead of sulking and holding back as she did before. Because of that, it meant that he was successful in his initial intentions.
"It did feel good talking about that after all this time. The first person that I've ever mentioned that too was Jeanne the first time we met. She and some of the others from the Hero Faction didn't have the easiest life and felt that fighting back against the supernatural was the solution for it all. During my travels, I met good and bad people, it didn't matter whether those people are humans or not. It is kinda ironic, but for as bad Cao Cao is, there are things that Wu Jun has done that he wouldn't."
"Well, your grandfather trusted that you had the potential to stop him. If you have this much respect for him, then I know that you trust him."
"Of course I do, my father and grandfather believed that I could become stronger and even do things that neither of them could. So, it would be shameful if I didn't meet their expectations."
"Then, let's make sure this goes alright."
Kensei held out his hand towards Lingqi, who stared at it smiling. She stepped forward, then clasped his hands in a return, causing a notable sound across the swimming pool area, and tightened her grip. Both of them agreed as the two stood there. Seeing as it was almost time for the pool to be closed, the two left the location and returned to their respective rooms.
Meanwhile, in another location, somewhere far from Beijing, more so the replica of a location, instead of being one of the artificial dimensions Georg produced. The main reason that their group created such a space was heard in the distance as a multitude of explosions could be heard.
"I wonder when Hera-chan is going to calm down?"
Jeanne asked out loud as she was sitting down beside the others, while Siegfried listened in as the explosions seemed to be never-ending.
"I doubt that. It appears as if his pride took a hit as Lingqi pitied him, and still managed to defeat him."
Siegfried stated.
"Well, Rei-chan might be kind, but she isn't a weak woman."
Jeanne added, showing no animosity towards Lingqi despite her departure.
"Cao Cao, what do you think about this situation? This little trip of ours went from seeing Lingqi, to getting into a confrontation with members from the Kibou Alliance."
Georg asked, turning his attention over towards their leader.
Cao Cao kept the True Longinus right beside him, not letting it leave his side for not even a single moment. He looked deep in thought, thinking about the situation that occurred, he hadn't expected Kensei and the others. But, it wasn't something that irritated him the entire thing caused a smile to form on his face.
"It didn't go as I was expecting, but I do quite like the situation as it has progressed. It hasn't been that long since we faced a serious battle, and it has been kinda boring. To me, this moment was a blessing for our group to face off against a group such as the Kibou Alliance."
Cao Cao replied, showing that he was looking forward to fighting against Kensei a second time.
"I guess that fighting against Kensei Amagiri was an experience. As a swordsman, it makes me ashamed that I wasn't teleported where he was instead. But, fighting against that half-breed girl wasn't half-bad either."
Siegfried added, thinking back to the fight between himself and Claire before being called back.
"Ugh, fighting against that blonde girl with that Longinus was terrible. I never thought that I had to be face-to-face with some tentacle monster."
In hearing that, Siegfried almost burst out laughing but managed to contain himself as Jeanne glared at him with a pouting face. The group was stopped as louder explosions could be heard in the background, most of them all assumed that Heracles activated Balance Breaker from the frustration. But, Cao Cao was still thinking back over the battle between himself and Kensei.
"I wonder could he endure a confrontation with me using Balance Breaker."
Cao Cao wondered to himself as he was looking forward to their next confrontation.
It wasn't long until that predetermined confrontation came about as time came faster than anyone thought. Inside one of the most famous and popular attractions inside China, the Forbidden City, Kensei was standing around by a temple. He wasn't alone there, as standing beside him waiting too was Zane, Maria, Hisui, and Layla. Despite their current predicament, the group was still looking around with interest.
"If it wasn't for the fact that we'll be all fighting against some dangerous people, two Longinus users being among the group. It would've been fun walking around the Forbidden City like normal tourists."
Layla stated, looking around the location with great interest.
"Yea, it was ironic that we were supposed to come here on the same day. So, if it wasn't for the fact that the Hero Faction attacked us, we would've enjoyed our trip."
Kensei added as he started walking around.
Instead of being dressed as tourists, the group was dressed in their combat uniforms, something that could pass as more detailed school uniforms. Although, from time to time, there were some actual students interested in the place where the group purchased those uniforms. Of course, the answer was that a friend of theirs designed and handmade them.
Surprisingly enough, Kensei and Zane received phone numbers from some female students for the chance to send them a uniform. More so, the latter was confused about it considering that he never thought of himself as being a handsome male. But, he couldn't help noticing the new attention that he began receiving from female students at Kibou Academy. However, he made the mistake of asking Lena about it, who gave him a blank expression and a patent insult.
'Where's this newfound confidence coming from? You're still an unorganized, childish magician who would be far more useless without me. Now if you're finished with that, what do you plan on doing about….'
Harsh comments from Lena such as that often hurt him more than anything else could. Thinking about them is enough to deal damage to his confidence as a human.
"I'm happy about this situation since I got to meet Ken Ken earlier than I thought."
Hisui replied, wrapping her arms around Kensei's arm without hesitating.
"Ha, it was nice seeing you this soon too. So, Hisui can you sense the other group heading to their destination in that temple Lingqi located?"
Kensei's question, caused Hisui to sense out their location from their current position. She could sense that all of them, in addition to Rui, Iris, Lena, and Alexander who joined them arrived there.
"Yes, I can sense that all of them arrived there without trouble. I think that one of Lingqi's people is working on using that marker hidden at that time before the battle here starts. But, I can tell based on their ki flow, that it's not long until it activated there."
"It would make stalling them pointless if their group gets dragged into the battle, which was meant to give them enough time to invade that base," Kensei replied, then noticed that Hisui was hanging off his arms and looking at him a bit more. "Is something wrong, Hisui?"
"Hmm, there is something about Lingqi that's surprising."
"And that would be?"
"It is supple, but…," Hisui seemed to pause for a moment, causing some suspense before giving Kensei a bright smirk. "She's almost like a female version of you!"
"Thank you. Someone finally brought that up. She seemed too much similar, but it was so obvious that I couldn't even bring it up."
Layla added, smiling as Hisui brought that topic up. In hearing that, Kensei turned to see that Zane and Maria too seemed to be smiling at the comment made.
"Hah, I knew this was coming. Alright, get it over with."
Hearing that Kensei gave them the go-ahead, his so-called friends started.
"She's a martial artist and an older sister. And learned the ancient martial art her grandfather created."
Zane stated.
"I can tell that she's a battle manic and confident in herself too, who loves testing herself against others. But, she is more subtle about it compared to you. I can see myself having a decent conversation with her, though."
Maria added, staring at him smiling.
"I can tell that she's going to be a fun and decent addition to the Kibou Alliance if she decides to join us."
Hisui finished, laughing about the comments made.
"There there, anything else?"
Kensei replied, turning towards them as the three of them seemed finished with their comments.
"No no, but now that we've finished that. I'm not kidding about one aspect of Lingqi. She really is a different kind of woman, about the same as you when it comes to the uniqueness of her soul. It's common among your clan that a member has a strong soul, and there's the dragon trait you inherited from Tetsuo-san. But, for her, I almost get the presence of a beast from hers."
"Ah, she mentioned that her grandfather practiced spiritual cultivation using tigers as the foundation for years. It went on to the point that his hair and eyes changed color, which is the reason that their martial art had gained the name White Tiger."
"Hmm, determined people who put effort into training seem to cause the weirdest phenomena. It does make me think what would happen if a supernatural person does the same thing."
Hisui thought out loud.
"Your ancestor. And Lingqi's grandfather. It reminds me of Vasco Strada, who was able to attain holy aura all without having a sacred gear or being half-angel. Due to him, it inspired me to attempt the same thing. I want to meet him at some point for advice," Maria replied in a confident and inspired tone, thinking back to all the stories and rumors about Vasco Strada. "But, I think that'll need to wait some other time. Because our guests arrived."
As Maria mentioned, walking up toward them was the main members of the Hero Faction, consisting of Cao Cao, Siegfried, Georg, Heracles, and Jeanne. In response to that, Kensei and the others started walking up to meet all five of them halfway. Soon enough, the two different sides walked up face-to-face with one another without them uttering a single word at first.
As if, feeling the tension in the air, the normal tourists started heading off into another direction as neither of them was able to stand the presence from them.
"So, this is the famous main member of the Kibou Alliance."
Heracles commented looking down at Hisui, who stood in front of him.
"I'd be careful. I think we know what happened the last time you acted all haughty."
Kensei stated, causing Heracles to glare towards him as if he was prepared to attack. But, Heracles stopped as a hand from Cao Cao was raised in response.
"I can see that I was right about Lingqi not being here. But, I hope that girl there can handle herself."
Cao Cao said, turning his attention over toward Layla, who seemed a bit offended.
"I wouldn't doubt the second-in-command of the Numbers," Maria stated, showing nothing short of confidence in Layla's skills as a combatant. "All of the trains with us regularly."
"My bad, so shall we get started?"
Cao Cao replied, and asked staring straight at Kensei.
"Why not? I mean, we all came here dressed in our Sunday best. So, we might as well get this party started."
Kensei replied, showing no fear in facing off against the strongest Longinus wielder.
"Well, then you heard him, Georg."
"Yes, Cao Cao."
Georg manifested his Dimension Lost, producing a unique mist that spread outwards around them while making it invisible to normal humans. Soon enough, all ten people were covered in mist and vanished from inside of the Forbidden City.
Inside the alternate dimension, which was of the Forbidden City, Kensei and Cao Cao found themselves standing in the same location. Kensei didn't need to look around for the others, as he could sense from around the created dimension face-to-face with their opponents. Both the leaders of their respective groups stood at a distance from one another.
Kensei held Kurogane right beside him, while Cao Cao rested True Longinus in his shoulder. Despite looking as casual as normal, the two of them were as prepared as animals preparing to pounce.
"I guess that this would be round two for us," Cao Cao stated, tapping the True Longinus on his shoulder. "A fight against two humans who desire to test their limits against the supernatural."
"Well, I think that the difference is that I don't use the same kind of methods your group does. But, I didn't come here to share a difference in ideals between two leaders. Instead, I wanted to have another match against the True Longinus, which was said to have pierced a god."
"I guess you're right. And I want to the level of technique that you reached in fighting against the supernatural."
There was one final glance at one another, before similar to before, Kensei and Cao Cao charged at one another using high-speed. In a single second, the two arrived close in front of one another, as the spearman was the first person to make the first move. He aimed the sacred spear forward toward Kensei, who ducked down, opting not to move his head to the side.
Last time, he did the same thing, resulting in a slash on his cheek from the light released from the spear blade. It instead resulted in simple strands of hair being cut off from the top of Kensei's head. Kneeling on the ground, he placed his right hand on Kurogane's hilt in an iai stance. Realizing his intentions, Cao Cao made preparations to avoid it before being slashed. As expected, Kensei unsheathed the katana, aiming a fast slash at the spearman's side.
Anticipating that, Cao Cao pointed the True Longinus towards the ground, then extended its blade downwards to the ground. In reaction to that, he was propelled backward from the spear extending in the opposite direction. In avoiding that slash, Kurogane slashed nothing but air as soon as it was unleashed. However, Cao Cao noticed it slashed off a section of his clothing.
Noticing that neither of them was able to get a hit on the other one, both the swordsman and spearman started to adjust their plans. In landing on the ground after returning the True Longinus to its original length, Cao Cao went charging forward at high-speed. He managed to cover the distance between himself and Kensei in seconds, then grasped the spear in his hands.
Cao Cao spun is around in his hands multiple times, then started releasing light from the blade part of the spear, while approaching him. In response to that, Kensei channeled a good amount of ki into Kurogane, resulting in an aura being wrapped around it.
Taking one final step, the two propelled forward once again, in a straight headlong charge towards one another a second time. Once the two were close enough to one another, again, Cao Cao made the first move, which wasn't surprising considering the range advantage that came from his spear. In a single breath, he had released several thrusts in a single movement.
In reaction to this, Kensei released Sandanzuki at the same time, resulting in both the multi-strikes clashing with one another. If others witnessed the confrontation, most wouldn't be able to catch the spear and katana clashing, instead, the sparks alone would be seen. As soon as the clash ended, both moved backwards, with a deep slash appearing on Kensei's cheek as blood leaked from it.
"Looks like I got the first hit."
Cao Cao stated, landing on the ground as he rested the True Longinus on his shoulder.
"Sure about that. I think that it's a tie."
"Huh, what're you," as Cao Cao was preparing to ask that question a deep wound opened on his cheek too. "Ah, it would appear so. I didn't think that a katana like that would be capable of clashing against the True Longinus in all our clashes without breaking."
"What did you expect," Kensei asked while holding Kurogane right in front of Cao Cao. "This child here is one of the masterpieces of one of the world's greatest swordsmiths who spent his entire life perfecting his craft."
"Ah, I see. So, that's one of the creations of Amakuni Yasutsuna, the immortal swordsmith who was able to reach Takamagahara. I see, then that makes sense. Let's continue then!"
"Right!"
Both the swordsman and spearman rushed at one another for the third time, as a high-speed battle commenced between them. Their movements almost seemed like a blur as sparks started flying in the air as the two seemed to appear and vanish multiple times.
In the other location, there was an abundance of mist around the location, showing Zane holding Nacht and Licht in his hand. Standing in front of him, covered in a surprising number of defensive magic circles was Georg, who'd been on the defensive. Georg thought that he would be having a normal magic battle against Zane, but he found that it wasn't that case.
Georg never could've fathomed that he'd be on the receiving end of an onslaught of different bullets that has an assortment of attributes added onto them.
"Didn't think that I'd encounter a magician who uses guns as a weapon."
"Well, I am an inventor who also creates things too. Never thought I'd encounter a magician who uses a High-Tier Longinus. Kinda hoped that I had gotten a decent look at Gram too," Zane said, glancing to the side where Maria and Siegfried should've been fighting against one another. "Well, Maria promise that she'd record the data using the recording function of her Oracle Phone."
Georg looked on as Zane looked to be getting sidetracked thinking about all the things that he could create using this data. Not letting that opening go, he created multiple magic circles around his opponent, which unleashed an assortment of different attributes from them. Reacting to that, Zane moved backward, strengthening himself with enhancement magic.
He started moving around using movements that he never would've expected to see from a magician too while avoiding the magical onslaught released at him. Because of the different functions that Zane added to the Oracle Specs, he could see the attacks aimed at him, something that assisted him to avoid multiple attacks. But, Zane had noted there were will multiple magic attacks being directed at him, however, that wasn't an issue for him.
He prepared Nacht and Licht in his hands, then started releasing an assortment of different kinds of magic bullets. Multiple bullets shot out from their barrels, which collided against the magical attacks released Georg fired at him. Collusion between all the magic attacks caused explosions as the attacks clashed against one another while keeping himself unharmed.
"H-His precision in handling those guns is insane."
Georg was surprised about Zane's fighting style, which involved magic too.
"Let's see about that barrier."
Zane turned his attention towards Georg, who was still covered in a barrier.
Using another function of the Oracle Specs, in staring at the magic circle covering Georg, all of them were being scanned. A second later, there were different points located on the barriers, which Zane reacted to. Pointing the dual handguns at Georg, he started releasing a hail of bullets at them. His intended targets were those points his glasses picked out.
Thinking that he was safe, Georg took longer to react, however, that stopped as soon as the bullets hit the points and caused them to break apart.
"Wh-What?"
Georg was surprised about what happened and created forming new barriers around himself.
Zane kept putting the pressure on Georg, firing off the bullets at the magic barriers, causing them to break apart, leaving him few options. Having no other option in using defensive magic, he instead decided to use the mist of Dimension Lost as his sole defense.
"I guess you can somehow pinpoint the weaknesses in the defensive barriers that I created using magic. But, the mist of Dimension Lost isn't something that you can get passed."
Georg declared while continuing to create a numerous mixture of different magics.
"Wow, this is almost like a library of different magic," Zane looked impressed at the assortment of different magic that Georg was able to utilize in a second. "I can see Devil Magic, Fallen Angel Magic, White Magic, Black Magic…I can even see Norse Magic."
[Master, your inquisitive nature is a reason that I feel we're the most compatible. But, it won't help if you die as a result of it.]
Annelisse spoke, showing more emotion and familiarity with Zane. He looked down at the Magus Akashic, which was still in its miniature grimoire from around his neck, then nodded his head.
"Right."
Reacting to the oncoming magical onslaught, Zane got into a stance then activated a spell, which manifested a powerful defensive technique. Georg's offensive and Zane's defensive magics were released at the exact time, which resulted in a massive confrontation. From the offensive onslaught from Georg, a series of shockwaves could be felt from the other places.
Although he remained in the same spot as before, Georg managed to himself by using Dimension Lost, keeping the aftereffects from reaching him.
"Hmm, I wonder if that last assault did some damage to him."
Georg wondered to himself while looking at the aftereffect of that last assault.
His onslaught of magic attacks, there was a sizable crater in the aftermath and started looking out for Zane, who should've been in the middle of it. An abundance of dust could be seen around him but noticed that there was a noticeable light at the center.
"Ugh, he's more troublesome than I thought."
Georg started looking to see Zane's defensive spells handling the onslaught, as some damage could be seen on the spell. It soon faded as he started moving around again, he used magic to shoot right into the air, rising at a high distance from the crater.
"He didn't give off the impression of being a magician who could fight at close-range too. I have to defend using Dimension Lost while attacking at the same time too. I'll end up a laughing stock by Jeanne and Heracles if I don't do something at least."
Georg tried thinking about a method for fighting against Zane.
As Zane was landing on the ground, while pointing Nacht and Licht at his opponent, Georg was preparing to use another spell. Soon enough, multiple magic circles started appearing around him, releasing a brilliant light. Instead of releasing magical attacks, different figures could be seen coming from the magic circle.
Multiple Chimera came from the magic circles, these creatures had different animal traits and didn't appear to be the kind of creature a normal person could defeat. Once the different creatures came from the magic circle, their abilities were strengthened more by Georg using different enhancement magic on them.
"I can respect someone who continues adding more onto their magic knowledge. If it wasn't for the fact that you and I have different ideas, we could've had a nice chat," Zane commented before preparing his dual handguns. "It is a shame."
Georg and Zane showed off a good deal of magic power from one another, before continuing on their match that turned into a display of their different magical techniques.
Elsewhere, a great release of demonic aura as slashes, all of which originated from the three arms of Siegfried. His intended target, Maria avoided them with the speed and reflexes she honed since leaving from Hagun Island. More so, from the advice about training methods she and the others could undergo meant for their particular builds. A magician, such as Zane was able to improve his physical prowess more than most because of the advice Kensei gave without straining himself.
Neither swordsmen wasted much time conversing with one another and went straight forward into the battle. It was surprising for Maria to see Siegfried growing a dragon arm on his back, in addition to wielding three different demonic swords, all legendary grade ones. He was wielding a combination of Balmung, releasing a drill-like aura; Nothung, slashing space around it; and Tyrfing, releasing a destructive aura.
"Blades!"
From that announcement, Maria created different holy swords around her, then launched them straight towards Siegfried. Reacting to this, he moved forward, then started slashing the multiple holy swords fired towards him as avoiding most wouldn't be easier. She noticed that without hesitance, he was releasing the powers of those three demonic swords, breaking apart her mass-produced swords.
"I heard from Zane that demonic swords bring misfortune to their wielders. Surprisingly, he can wield five legendary demonic swords, but he's releasing them without thought. Either he mastered them, or he doesn't care whether or not he lives a long life."
Maria thought, but couldn't continue thinking about it long as Siegfried approached her.
Noting the remaining holy swords around him, Maria started controlling their path from her current position, which sent them towards Siegfried. In noticing that, he swung Nothung using the third dragon arm, resulting in them all being slashed apart without resistance.
"Hah, I don't think that even Jeanne can do that using Blade Blacksmith! That's an interesting technique!"
Siegfried replied while rushing forward towards Maria.
Once Siegfried arrived in front of her, Maria created two swords in her hands, both are one-handed swords, but the left one was sapphire, while the right one was crimson. As he started unleashing slashes toward her wielding all three demonic swords and responded wielding those two swords. Siegfried found himself surprised as Maria was able to handle fighting against all three swords while wielding two mass-produced holy swords.
She reacted to each strike, counter-attack, and thrust as if her motions were simply flowing throughout their clash, without being rigid. It wasn't something Siegfried had seen before from the swordsmanship used by those that he clashed against before.
"Hah, I'm surprised that you're able to handle fighting against someone wielding three swords at the same time."
Siegfried stated, feeling impressed by Maria's swordsmanship.
"I didn't think that I would fight against someone using three-sword style. To be honest. It's not the first time that I fought against someone using a three-sword sword," Maria replied, much to his confusion as she started thinking in her hand. She stepped back from Siegfried wearing a near impassive expression. "We dared Kensei once that he couldn't mimic the same sword style of an anime character he said is one of his favorites. His name was Zoro, I think. Surprising enough, he did it and gloated about it."
"Well, you've been doing quite well with a sacred gear that simply produces mass-produced holy swords."
"I could say the same thing to someone who wields a common one. But, I would never look down on the powers that an opponent uses, more so one that is based on dragons. And I'd expect the same courtesy because I have sent a long time training my Blade Blacksmith," Maria said holding her sapphire and crimson sword in her hands, like blue ice and reddish flames, started wafting off them. "Sapphire Crimson!"
From that announcement, Maria released a blue and red aura from the blades in her hands as Siegfried prepared to respond to it. She unleashed an ice slash and flame slash towards him, the ice one froze the ground in its path, and the flame one scorched the ground. Reacting to them, Siegfried unleashed a whirlwind and destructive aura, clashing against the two slashes breaking them apart.
He looked forward to finding that Maria wasn't standing there in the same spot but then sensed her presence right beside him. As expected, she appeared there, holding Sapphire Crimson in her hands, then slashed them there at close range.
"Kuh!"
Siegfried was hit with an ice and flame slash at close-range, feeling the great cold and heat at the same time, as a wound opened on the side. But, reacting to that assault, he released several slashes from all three swords in his hands. Maria was able to avoid it by jumping back, however, she ended up receiving damages from the three swords' traits.
"Hah, that was a good hit. I didn't expect that a mass-produced holy sword could do something like that."
Siegfried replied, giving a faint laugh as he felt the damage from the wound.
"I told you that I have been training it for a long time. And I do have a couple of things to add to it."
Maria stated, without revealing what those things were.
In addition to Blade Blacksmith, Maria has the light element to wield holy swords. Because she doesn't have one, she learned to focus that light element on the mass-produced holy swords she creates. She learned magic from Zane too, but didn't learn advanced magic and instead focused on refining the basics, all of which can be added onto them too.
"Hmm, I think that the others are taking things slow before getting serious. But, I think that we've gotten warmed up a bit after all this time."
"Yes, it would appear so."
Siegfried and Maria appeared to have come to an understanding.
There was a moment of pause as the two glanced at one another one last time, as familiar praise left from their mouth. At that moment, two different kinds of auras started gathering around them, a gold holy aura from Maria, while Siegfried released a silver, almost dragon aura.
""Balance Break!""
Both announced as the two were wrapped in a sudden light, which spread across the area both of them stood.
Meanwhile, in the real world, the second group, consisting of Lingqi, Jian, Li, Hui, Claire, Alice, Kunou, Lena, Iris, Rui, and Alexander found themselves teleported to another location. Lingqi was aware that if their group hadn't activated the marking in time, then their group would've been dragged into artificial space too. Good thing that did not occur, as the second group found themselves standing in front of a big building in an isolated area in China.
From appearance alone, it looked to be perfect for someone aspiring to become a warlord, looking as if it'd be a building to break into. Noticeable, there looked to be the insignia of a black Eastern Dragon designed on the front without caring about showing off who the building belonged to. A lot of them could also tell that the air here was different from the outside world.
Lingqi stood in front of the building, staring at the insignia as she looked to start tightening her fist as an arrange of emotions started welling up within her. It has been seven years since her last confrontation with Jun, who held intentions of harming her precious siblings. Though there was a high chance that Jun might not be behind these doors, this was the closest clue that she had gotten thus far.
"What're you waiting for," Claire caught Lingqi's attention as she reacted to her voice a bit, then she sent a smile in the older young woman's direction. "There's a chance he might not be there. But, this is still an operation that won't start until you give us the signal."
"She's right. You're acting as the leader this time around."
Kunou added sending an encouraging look in Lingqi's direction.
"We're all here to support you in this, Lingqi."
Alice finished.
Lingqi heard the words of encouragement coming from the people standing beside her and could feel that the others shared the same sentiment. She shared a small conversation with Zane, Maria, and Hisui, and could tell that similar to Kensei, the three were kind and trusting people. Despite not knowing her that long too, the three of them trusted her with their beloved teammates.
"Alright," Lingqi smiled looking forward with renewed confidence and vigor as she manifested the left gauntlet of Shimon Mouko. "Let's go!"
At that announcement, Lingqi aimed her first forward towards the entrance and knocked the door downwards as she announced their arrival.
A/N: And there goes the next chapter of DxD – The Last Amagiri, here comes a second chapter update of their series. It showed their initial preparations leading into their eventual confrontation with the primary members of the Hero Faction. There was some more reveal about Lingqi's past and the reason that she's chasing Wu Jun. Leading to that, was the confrontation between the Kibou Alliance and Hero Faction.
And the current match-ups for them are Kensei vs. Cao Cao; Zane vs. Georg; Maria vs. Siegfried; Hisui vs. Heracles; and Layla vs. Jeanne. On the other hand, Lingqi who leading their teammates and hers are storming one of the bases belonging to Wu Jun.
Kensei's Harem: Alice, Claire, Hisui, Kunou, Yasaka, Lu Lingqi, Sarah, Minako, Koneko, Kuroka, Ravel, Amaterasu, Brynhildr, Rossweisse, Ophis.