Then a spear pierced Ophis from behind.
My eyes widened.
A black-haired youth stood behind her. Chinese outfit layered over a school uniform. In his hand was a spear that radiated power so intense it made my skin crawl.
"Shine, the spear that destroys the gods."
Light exploded.
Enormous amounts of it. Pure, concentrated divine energy that made everything else look dim by comparison.
The True Longinus at full power.
It destroyed everything in its path. Not just Ophis's stomach. The ground beneath us vaporized. The space itself seemed to crack under the sheer force of it.
"Cao Cao," I said through gritted teeth.
If he was here, then that meant things had advanced way earlier than canon.
Damn it.
The light faded. The holy spear still pierced through Ophis's stomach. But there was no blood. No expression of pain on her face.
Nothing.
Cao Cao pulled the spear out slowly. The hole in Ophis's stomach closed. Like it had never been there at all.
"As expected of Ophis," Cao Cao said with a smile.
"I even put a lot of power in it. Enough to vaporize most beings." He tilted his head thoughtfully. "That would have taken half the power of one of the gods weak against this spear."
Then he looked at me.
And smiled wider.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Leon Mishima."
"Cao Cao?" Ophis said. Her head tilted slightly. Confused.
But her face was still blank.
"Yo, Ophis." Cao Cao waved casually. Like he hadn't just attacked the Infinite Dragon God.
My grip tightened on Laevateinn.
Cao Cao. The leader of the Hero Faction. Wielder of the True Longinus—the strongest Longinus. The spear that killed a god.
And he was here.
"Cao Cao," I said, keeping my voice neutral. "Why are you here?"
But I already knew.
They were here to steal Ophis's power.
In the original timeline, Cao Cao and the Hero Faction betrayed Ophis. They used her and took her power for themselves. All while pretending to be her allies.
And I was going to prevent that.
But I needed to be careful.
Very careful.
Because with Cao Cao here, there was a huge chance he already had Samael. The Dragon Eater. The purple dragon of the Bible. The curse that could kill any dragon.
And I was part dragon.
That thing was deadly to me.
I couldn't afford to be reckless here.
Cao Cao's smile didn't waver. "Why am I here?" He tapped the True Longinus against his shoulder.
Then his expression shifted. The friendly mask dropped.
"I'm here for you, Ophis."
The air went still.
Ophis tilted her head. "You are after me?"
"Yes."
She stared at him. Blank. Empty.
Then she said, completely blunt, "But you are weak."
Cao Cao laughed.
A genuine laugh. Like he'd just heard the funniest joke.
"That is true," he said, still smiling. "Besides Great Red, you are the strongest. You are infinity itself." He spread his arms wide. "What can mere humans like us do against a Dragon God?"
His eyes gleamed.
"That is why I want your power."
Ophis didn't react. She just stared at him. Blank as ever.
"You want my power," she repeated. Like she was processing the words.
"Yes." Cao Cao's smile widened. "Your Snake. The power you've been distributing to your allies in the Khaos Brigade. That infinite energy." He gestured casually with the True Longinus. "I want more of it. All of it, if possible."
He raised his hand.
No.
I moved.
Laevateinn blazed. I shot forward, flames trailing behind me.
I had to stop him. Before he could summon—
Cao Cao smiled wider.
A magic circle appeared beneath us.
Too late.
Damn it.
It was already there.
Already active.
He'd cast it before he even appeared.
ZUOOOOOOOO...
An intense vibration shook the entire area. The void itself trembled.
A very ominous aura erupted from the magic circle.
Cold.
Suffocating.
A pressure I had never felt before crashed down on me. It froze my body. My soul. The dragon blood in my veins went ice cold.
My charge stopped. My legs locked up mid-step.
My instincts screamed.
Every part of me that was dragon recoiled in primal terror.
Then something started appearing from the magic circle.
Gigantic. Ominous. With bizarre features—the upper body of a Fallen Angel, complete with fangs in its mouth, and the lower body of an Asian Dragon.
The Dragon Eater.
The curse of God.
The one thing that could kill any dragon.
[OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO...]
A creepy voice emitted from it. Not quite a roar. Not quite words.
Just pure malice directed at anything with dragon blood.
"Samael…" I said grimly.
Cao Cao smiled even wider. "So you know about it. No wonder you tried to prevent me. Unfortunately for you, it's too late."
Before I could say anything, Samael moved.
Fast.
"Ophis, move!" I shouted.
But she didn't.
She just stood there. Blank. Empty.
This idiot.
She was so confident in her strength that she didn't think anyone could harm her besides Great Red.
Samael's jaws opened wide.
And in one motion—
Gulp.
Samael swallowed Ophis whole.
"Dammit!" This idiot!
Laevateinn blazed white-hot in my grip. The conceptual flames surged higher than ever.
I had to destroy Samael. Now. Before whatever it was doing to Ophis—
My instincts screamed.
I twisted.
Cao Cao was already there. The True Longinus aimed directly at my heart.
He'd moved to intercept me.
To prevent me from destroying Samael.
"I can't let you do that," Cao Cao said. His smile was calm.
The True Longinus thrust forward.
But Cao Cao was slow.
I brought Laevateinn up. The blade intercepted the True Longinus mid-thrust and stopped it easily.
Then he pulled back and attacked again.
A thrust. A sweep. A diagonal slash.
I dodged. Parried. Intercepted.
Every attack.
And I felt... disappointed.
My disappointment grew with each exchange.
This was it? This was the wielder of the True Longinus?
To be honest, I'd expected a lot more from him. From the possessor of the strongest Longinus. The spear that killed God.
But this?
This was nothing special.
Then I realized it.
He was too reliant on his weapon.
Without the True Longinus's power, Cao Cao was just a skilled human. Good technique. Decent speed.
But against someone like me?
It wasn't enough.
"You know," Cao Cao said between strikes, his tone conversational, "I've heard stories about you. The strongest human. The one who defeated Loki."
"And?" I blocked another thrust.
"I was curious." He spun, slashing horizontally. "How strong would someone like that be?"
I ducked under the blade. "Disappointed?"
"Not at all." His smile returned. "This is exactly what I hoped for."
The smile slowly faded from his face.
His eyes narrowed. Calculating. Reassessing.
Then he jumped back. Created distance between us.
"I'll admit," he said, his voice serious now. "I underestimated you. I thought the stories might've been exaggerated."
"But I was wrong. Which means I should stop playing around."
He took a stance. Both hands gripping the True Longinus.
The True Longinus began to glow. Brighter. Hotter.
"You know what the True Longinus represents?" he asked. "The spear that pierced the son of God. The weapon that proved even the divine can bleed."
The spear began to glow. Brighter. Hotter.
"It's not just a weapon. It's a concept. A truth made manifest." His eyes gleamed with fanatic intensity. "That nothing is untouchable. Nothing is invincible. Everything can be pierced."
The light grew blinding.
"Even you."
"Balance Breaker," he said quietly.
The True Longinus transformed. Seven orbs of light appeared around Cao Cao, each radiating immense holy power.
"Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin."
The pressure multiplied. The divine energy was overwhelming. Suffocating.
This was it. His true power.
I was about to activate Laevateinn's full power when I heard it.
A whisper.
Quiet. Gentle.
It came from my other sword. The longsword at my waist.
My asauchi.
"Use me."
I froze.
Its awakening.
My hand moved to the hilt instinctively. The blade pulsed. Warm. Alive.
But I hesitated.
This was the True Longinus we were talking about. The strongest Longinus. Something that could rival even Laevateinn.
Was my asauchi ready for that?
Then I felt it.
The emotion in my sword. Confidence. Assurance. Trust.
I smiled.
What the hell was I doing? Doubting my own sword?
My asauchi. The manifestation of my soul.
If it was ready, then so was I.
My fingers wrapped around the hilt of my asauchi.
The blade sang.
I could feel it. The anticipation. The readiness.
All this time, it had been waiting.
The longsword gleamed in the dim light. Simple. Elegant. Unremarkable to anyone else.
But to me, it was everything.My soul made manifest.
I raised the blade.
The asauchi hummed. Vibrated. Like it was eager.
I closed my eyes. Took a breath.
Call my name.
My sword whispered.
Power exploded from the blade.
The void around us trembled. Reality itself seemed to warp.
I opened my eyes.
And spoke the name that had been waiting in my soul all this time.
"Logos Ruina."
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