Chapter 160 - Conflict

To follow Lavinia, who had followed Augusta, Tobio and the others went into the depths of the mountain.

However...

Suddenly, they were enveloped by a dense fog. And to their surprise, when they realized what had happened, in front of their eyes were Mordred and a tall man.

"Huh? What is this? We were following Lavinia... And now, in front of us, is Mordred-san... Huh?"

Natsume could not hide her astonishment.

Tobio was in the same situation... However, he had thought that the earlier fog was caused by a supernatural power, one that had transported them to this place.

The tall man approached them as he watched them with his silver eyes.

His gaze was serious towards them, a penetrating gaze that could even see their souls.

Valina tensed when she recognized him, but a bold smile soon appeared on her face. Her body exuded a powerful fighting intent.

"The False God, the White Dragon Empress, and the Shi Akuma. It has been a while since we met for some, and I am pleased to meet the newcomers. I am Satanael."

"…!"

In the presence of this man, those who did not know him (Tobio, Natsume, Sae and Kouki) were completely shocked.

That is because they recognized the name behind all the incidents that occurred. He is the Cadre who betrayed Azazel and Grigori, the final enemy.

Shigune said quietly as she held Poh-kun.

"He's that handsome man I mentioned earlier... That person was the one who made a contract with Koga-kun."

Everyone gave Koga a look, remembering his earlier transformation.

It was not hard to see that the man in front of them was the one in charge of that transformation. The mastermind behind the entire incident with the Utsusemi was probably this man, no, they were certain it was this man.

Jin, who was on guard against Satanael's presence, was using his eyes and ears to investigate the surroundings.

Somehow, the enemy had already completely surrounded the place.

In response to that, without making a sound, Jin raised his battle aura. Seeing that, Satanael showed a happy expression.

Satanael pointed at Jin as he spoke.

"You, False God boy, are you aware that Lycaon's will resides within this Sacred Gear?"

"I heard something about that from my leader."

Drako had already explained to Tobio everything he needed to know about his Sacred Gear. Of course, he didn't tell him everything, since there were things even Drako didn't know. He had left that to Baraqiel, as Grigori knew everything that had happened to the previous owners of the Longinus.

At least Drako had told her everything that mattered and its origin.

Satanael mentioned things similar to Drako.

"The paradise that appears in the Greek mythology "Arcadia", it is said that Lykaon was the name of the King who ruled it. Due to the acc.u.mulation of faults against the main God Zeus, he earned Zeus' anger and was transformed into a beast. His name was passed down through history as an evil king.

Lykaon...

The first werewolf, the evil King who is said to be the true ancestor of this race. As for the story of Lykaon, she was very famous for becoming a wolf. It was even said that it was the temporary form that a God took when he walked the earth.

Satanael looked at Jin with narrowed eyes.

"But, it's not a wolf that's your business, he's become a dog. It is a False God who is not a wolf at all... The reason for that is something that even the Grigori have not been able to find out. Even this may be a very rare case for the God who created all this. Probably, not even God had thought of this happening."

Satanael raised his index finger.

"But, your Sacred Gear is a special case in which more than one will be lodged."

Yes, that's right. Even among the Longinus, it's a strange thing to have two wills in one Sacred Gear.

"Ame no Ohabari". The strongest sword among all the Totsuka-No-Tsurugi, which are swords considered to be sacred swords because they possess great sacred power. Although it is considered a God, it is still a sword. That existence is also housed in Sacred Gear."

The source of the swords and blades created by Jin is the [Ame no Ohabari].

However, this sword had lost its divinity as a result of being under the influence of Lykaon, thus becoming a malevolent sword.

Satanael adds.

"So, the fact that you have appeared in the lineage of the Himejima is not strange. The one they worship is God "Hinokagutsuchi". The one who beheaded such a God was the Ame no Ohabari. She is what is known as a God-slayer Sword.

"That's a mixture of Greek and Japanese mythology. Plus, it's the fusion of King Lykaon who had a bad attitude towards Zeus and the sword that killed a god... What a coincidence that the creator of Sacred Gear was so greedy or... was crazy. Don't you think? The False Dog God who possesses the power to kill the Gods."

Satanael asked Tobio that, but...

Canis Lycaon... being a Sacred Gear with two different powers, it is considered a Longinus.

However, because the two consciousnesses are totally opposite, its original characteristics have been deformed and taken the current form.

Tobio responded with great caution.

"I'm terrified to know about my power. But, to overcome the obstacles in front of us, this power is necessary to survive. You seem to have a great interest in Sacred Gear... however... for me, all I care about is getting everyone home safely."

From his shadow, Tobio made a scythe appear.

Satanael saw Tobio's movements with an ironic face and pointed to the scythe.

"You see, that blade is releasing a sinister aura..."

As Satanael has said, the sharp blade of the scythe that Tobio is holding is releasing a dangerous aura. Tobio, being the bearer, felt that something dark was emerging.

Tobio felt that the being inside him was trying to overcome his will, trying to take control of his consciousness... He could still control himself, but if his strength continued to increase... How will all this end?

Satanael then showed an evil smile.

"Besides, you're not the only anomaly here. Aren't you, descendant of Lucifer?"

"What do you mean..." Valina frowned.

She spread her wings of light instantly, Valina knew how dangerous the man in front of her was. Satanael was a man who had deceived someone like Azazel, so he couldn't be underestimated.

"You carry in your veins the blood of the Maou Lucifer, and you also possess the White Dragon Emperor. It is not an exaggeration to say that in a few years we will be able to call you the strongest White Dragon Emperor in history. I pity the Red Dragon Emperor of this generation, as he will never be able to match you."

When Valina heard Satanael mention Issei, she couldn't help but mutter "Pervert".

"Still, don't you think it's very curious? For two anomalies to have come together under the same banner, whoever did it has to be someone really scary and interesting. Not only that, but this lady knight here is giving me goosebumps."

Contrary to his words, Satanael was very calm. He even smiled faintly in Mordred's direction, seemed unconcerned about the danger she posed at all.

Meanwhile, Tobio continued to worry about the dark aura emanating from his scythe. That aura should belong to Lykaon.

Satanael didn't let this go.

"Boy, what are you gonna do then? That evil King, Lykaon, seems to be interested in taking over your body. What will you do if that happens?"

"I..."

A melodious voice interrupted Tobio before he could speak.

"Could you please not give this boy any wrong ideas?"

Who appeared is a beautiful girl with black hair, Suzaku Himejima. All over her body you could feel a lot of fighting aura, she seemed to be a little angry.

When the next leader of the Himejima family appeared, the smile on Satanael's face disappeared.

"The Suzaku beast of the Himejima family? Are you after the remains of the Utsusemi Agency?"

In response to Satanael's words, Suzaku responded.

"You can say yes. Though we are few, I give my word that we will catch all the rest of that agency. However, do not hate me if I also catch or hurt the underlings of the "Wizard of Oz". After all, that incident was created by you..."

"As expected from the Himejima family, you are always quick to eliminate any threat to your family. Well, I've met a new friend, and I finally got to see the face of the Fallen God. Well, then, I'll let my subordinates entertain you."

While saying that, Satanael created a magic circle under his feet...

"Will you teleport? I will not allow it..."

Saying that, Suzaku quickly threw a powerful flame at Satanael.

In response, Satanael created a defensive magical circle. Satanael's body was enveloped by the light generated by the magic circle under his feet.

"Let us meet again, ladies and gentlemen..."

When the glow of the magic circle ceased, Satanael had already disappeared.

Suzaku immediately turned to Mordred.

"Miss..."

Understanding Suzaku's intentions, Mordred introduced herself.

"Mordred."

Suzaku nodded and asked.

"Miss Mordred, why didn't you help me stop him? I'm sure if we both acted together, we could have caught him."

Actually, Suzaku was a little upset. This was a perfect opportunity to catch the mastermind behind the whole incident. However, Mordred hadn't even tried to delay him.

"My master's orders. All your complaints, keep them to yourself. I have no intention of hearing you cry with fancy words. Besides, I don't think it would have been that easy. You should have felt all those waiting to ambush us from the shadows, and you should know how lethal those guys' abilities are."

This lady's master should be Drako. Although Suzaku was confused and did not understand what Drako was thinking, he should have his own reasons for doing so.

After she sighed, she turned to those who were hidden in this area.

"Please come out. Since your leader has left, you have stayed to fight us, right?"

At the words of Suzaku, two men and a woman emerged from the shadows.

One of the men was quite strange, although he had a well-worked physique, and the other man had a bandage wrapped around his right arm. The woman had her hair in two braids and held a teddy bear in her two arms, all of it damaged.

They are all wearing a suit similar to "Nephilim"... the Abyss Team suit.

These strange subjects were emanating a murderous aura from their bodies, and in their eyes, you could see their thirst for blood. Those eyes reflected the purest evil.

Their abilities were also in the information they received.

Therefore, the Sacred Gears these subjects possess are evil. They were neglected as children because their blood families abandoned them in fear of them. Not only that, but several people have tried to kill them in the past.

They lived alone while seeing the dark side of humanity. Their personality was taken away from them, leaving only their instincts and abilities.

They are also known to be killers. These people have done many bad things, and they must be eliminated as soon as possible.

However, by gathering them together in Grigori... Satanael began to use them according to his will.

The woman holding the teddy bear in her hands takes a step forward and says:

"Oi, oi... You're Sacred Gear bearers too, aren't you?"

She put aside the pretty smile on her face and put on an expression of disgust.

"So... how many people have you killed? Five? Ten? Or more?"

Hearing those questions from the woman, the men started laughing in mockery.

Mordred stepped forward and stuck her sword in front of her. Her bangs covered her eyes, making it impossible to evaluate her expression.

"The people I have killed are countless. Have I killed hundreds? Have I killed thousands? Tens of thousands? I don't know, I haven't counted. But I can say that my actions caused the death of more people than you can ever kill in your lifetime. Do you think you have seen the worst of the world? Don't make me laugh. You don't know what true terror is. You don't know what it's like to live through a civil war, you don't know what it's like to fight to the death against your own people. You don't know what it feels like to be rejected by the person you admire, you don't know what it feels like to kill that person with your own hands. You... don't know anything."

Mordred spoke calmly, and every of her words reached the ears of all present. Everyone, including the members of the Abyss Team, trembled at the purity and truth of her words.

The girl... went crazy.

She began to move her head strangely sideways, and out of nowhere, she screamed.

"You bitch... What do you know! I'll be killed! I'll be killed! Forgive me! I didn't do anything, I was just watching! I was just playing with that child! Yuuri-chan and Mirei-chan wanted to play with this child too! So, FORGIVE MEEEEEE! I didn't do anything wrong! That child, Yuuri-chan and Mirei-chan ended up in pieces is not my fault!"

She stared at a fixed point... which indicated the beginning of the battle.

The cuddly toy that the woman was holding in her arms moved away from her, and although that cuddly toy was lying on the ground, it began to grow and finally took on a gigantic size.

What appeared in front of Mordred was a ten-foot-tall cuddly toy.

The cuddly toy made a strange roar, and powerful fangs appeared when it opened its mouth. In the same way, sharp claws appeared in his hands.

This was this girl's Sacred Gear.

The strange man spat out a strange substance.

Mordred dodged, and the tree behind her melted when it received the liquid.

This boy could bring a highly toxic slime to life... but he couldn't create just one slime.

The kid started spitting out slime all the time.

The last boy, the one with the bandages on his right arm, removed the bandages. What was left was an arm with multiple mouths.

The ability of this one was his arm, as those mouths could create multiple curses that were indefensible to anyone who heard them.

These kids would probably put up a good fight for Tobio's group. But with Valina, Suzaku and Koga here, this should be pretty easy.

However, none of them needed to act.

Mordred had raised her sword. Crimson lightning flashed through the blade, and she mumbled a few words.

"Crimson Lightning!"

Lifting her blade to the heavens, Mordred let out all the mana that had acc.u.mulated on the sword, creating a deadly attack on all three humans.

"It's over, I hope you, like me, have a better chance in your next life," Mordred muttered.

She turned to the group still in shock.

"Right, we're off." She gave the order she had received from Drako.

"But..." Natsume protested instantly.

"No buts! These are Drako's orders! We've accomplished our goal by gathering the remaining Shi Akuma, we're all leaving except Valina."

Natsume wanted to protest more, but fell silent when she heard that Drako had personally ordered it.

She wanted to go and rescue Lavinia, but it seemed that wasn't necessary.

"Valina, Drako orders you to go and support him and Lavinia in their fight against Augusta."

"Huh, so my Big Brother requires the services of the great White Dragon Empress."