The holy spear lunged forward, skewering the middle-class devil's chest and snuffing out its life force in an instant.
"Devils truly are fools. To think they'd still try to resist after realizing I wield the True Longinus..." Cao Cao muttered, a look of pure disdain on his face as he watched the devil's corpse begin to crumble into ash.
"You terrified the poor thing. It's only natural he'd panic and lash out."
Siegfried emerged from the shadows, his trademark smirk plastered on his face. A sharp glint of curiosity flashed in Cao Cao's eyes.
"Well?"
Siegfried's grin only widened.
"Something interesting is happening. To think they actually tried to keep this a secret from us."
"Hoh? So the information about the existence of another world was true?"
"Yeah. The Three Factions have already sent representatives to scout the place."
"Representatives? Don't tell me... is Vali among them?"
Siegfried offered nothing but a knowing smile.
Cao Cao fell silent for a moment, taking a deep breath before murmuring, "Given his nature, there's no way he'd ignore an event like this."
"Exactly. So, what's the play? Do we head to the other world, or stick to the plan?"
Cao Cao turned the thought over in his mind, exhaling slowly before making his decision.
"We proceed with the original plan. We'll deal with the other world once we're finished here."
"Fair enough. I'll let the others know."
Siegfried turned to leave, but after only three steps, he paused.
"Oh, have you heard? The current Red Dragon Emperor already possesses power on par with a Super Devil."
Cao Cao went still for a beat, eventually nodding with a grim expression.
Siegfried glanced back at him, his tone turning playful.
"If his base power is already at that level, I wonder how terrifying he'll be once he brings out his Longinus?"
Cao Cao let out a sharp sigh.
"Don't ask me. All I know is that I'll still be the one on top as long as I have this."
Clink!
The holy spear emitted a mysterious, sharp radiance—a dangerous glow as if asserting that it would never suffer defeat at the hands of a 'lesser' Longinus.
Siegfried gave a lighthearted laugh and walked away, waving his hand over his shoulder.
Left alone, Cao Cao stared straight up at the star-studded sky. His voice turned solemn as he whispered to himself,
"Are there humans in that other world? And if so, how strong are they? I can't wait to find out."
"How about I explain it to you?"
A cold, razor-sharp voice sliced through the silence, snapping Cao Cao's attention toward the source.
Standing within the black shadows was a man with a stern face, long silver hair, and a pair of horns that looked almost like toys.
Stunned, Cao Cao immediately dropped into a combat stance, his eyes narrowing at the stranger.
"Who are you?"
"My name is Feldway. A pleasure to meet you."
"Feldway? I've never heard of you. For someone as powerful as you clearly are, how is it your name has never reached my ears?"
Feldway smirked.
The realization hit Cao Cao like a physical blow.
"You... you're from the other world?!"
Feldway gave a slight nod, offering a sincere compliment.
"Not bad for a human."
Cao Cao gripped his holy spear tighter, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
"Whoa, easy there. I have no intention of being your enemy."
"...You show up out of nowhere with a look that dangerous on your face, and you expect me to believe that?"
"Hmph! My face has looked like this since the day I was created."
"..."
"Hey, why don't you come out and explain?" Feldway called out toward the darkness with an indifferent expression.
Cao Cao's internal alarms blared louder. A second later, he recoiled in shock as a handsome, middle-aged man with silver hair stepped into the light.
"Vali? No... you're Rizevim Livan Lucifer. Vali's grandfather!"
"Hahaha! Not bad at all. So you've heard of me."
Cao Cao's wariness reached its peak; he was a hair's breadth away from unleashing his Balance Breaker then and there.
"Wielder of the Holy Spear, do you honestly believe you can defeat both Feldway and myself?"
Cao Cao remained silent, his muscles coiled like a spring.
"We aren't here for a fight."
"...Then what do you want?"
Rizevim's lips curled into a chilling, predatory grin.
"I want your power!"
Suddenly, Cao Cao felt an inexplicable sense of dread wash over him. But before he could even register an attack, the light in his eyes vanished, fading into a dull, hollow void.
"...Is this human actually useful? He was far too easy to control," Feldway remarked, his tone laced with doubt.
Rizevim smiled confidently.
"Don't worry. He might not be able to draw out the full potential of the True Longinus like this, but for our plans, he'll do just fine."
"...I'll take your word for it."
...
"Issei-kun, that one next!"
Akeno, brimming with excitement, practically dragged Issei toward the next ride.
Initially, Issei had simply been playing along with Akeno's whims. But after seeing her radiant, genuine smile time and time again, he found himself swept up in the atmosphere, truly enjoying the moment right alongside her.
They played until they lost track of time, only realizing how late it was when the sun had long since dipped below the horizon and their stomachs began to growl.
"Akeno-san, how about we stop by this restaurant?"
Issei pointed toward a maid-themed cafe that looked a bit... ambiguous.
"I don't mind at all. Perhaps I can learn some 'new skills' there."
Akeno licked her lips provocatively.
Issei was dying to know what kind of "skills" she was talking about, but he figured it was safer to keep his mouth shut than to ask.
To be continued...