According to the reports, Rhode was supposed to be just an ordinary hero suspected of possessing a Sacred Gear. But he had just wiped out every Vampire in this bar with casual ease.
What shocked Jeanne the most was that she couldn't even see how he had vanished at the end.
"Was that the ability of your Sacred Gear just now? It was so fast that even I couldn't track you."
She possessed the soul of the true Jeanne d'Arc. Her physical fitness and power were far beyond ordinary humans. Furthermore, she held the Sacred Gear Blade Brave (Holy Sword Creation) and had successfully developed a Sub-species Balance Breaker. She was strong enough to trade blows with High-Class beings. If the Rhode who was in that accelerated state had targeted her, she might not have been able to react in time.
"Want to learn?"
"Eh? Can it be learned?" Jeanne asked, her curiosity piqued. If she could master that, her strength would skyrocket.
"No."
"..."
Jeanne stared at Rhode with an expression of pure disbelief. How can you say that with such a straight face?!
"Speak. Why were you looking for me?" Rhode didn't directly mention her affiliation with the Hero Faction. Until his strength reached a level of absolute dominance—like Homelander—some things were better kept to himself.
The girl gave him a resentful look before saying, "This isn't the place to talk. Let's go to a private booth."
As the two moved to leave, the people on the dance floor tried to follow, but Jeanne stopped them with a sharp, chilling glare. "You're safe now. Don't follow us. Just go home."
The survivors looked at each other, then scrambled away, carefully avoiding the piles of ash on the ground. Once they burst through the front doors, they ran down the street like wild horses. The tourists on the busy street watched them, thinking they were witnessing some sort of bizarre performance art. Westerners, after all, had always been a bit eccentric.A secluded private booth in the bar.
The multi-colored ambient lights created a somewhat suggestive atmosphere, and the large screen was still playing an "educational biology video" that was quite an eyesore.
Jeanne blushed a deep red and quickly covered her eyes. Although she had left the Church and was constantly looking for a boyfriend, she was still a "Holy Virgin" at heart. These things were far too premature for her.
Rhode couldn't even be bothered to point out how wide the gaps between her fingers were, or how round her eyes were as they peeked through. He walked over, turned off the TV and the neon lights, and sat down without a hint of hesitation.
"You can talk now, right?"
"Um..."
Jeanne lowered her hands. Her expression carried a hint of lingering regret, but she also looked relieved.
What exactly are you feeling regretful about? If you want to watch it that badly, I'll turn it back on for you, alright? Rhode watched silently as Jeanne sat opposite him.
"Do you know about the Hero Faction?"
"Never heard of it."
"That's normal. After all, we're a new organization that was formed not too long ago. Every member is a descendant of a hero from around the world, or an ordinary person who has awakened a Sacred Gear."
After finishing her sentence, Jeanne waited to observe Rhode's reaction. Rhode felt like Jeanne was like a basic interactive learning toy—she just needed to say her piece all at once.
"And then? What does this organization do?"
At this, a proud smile appeared on Jeanne's face. "...Our Hero Faction aims to gather heroes of the human race from all over the world. We work together to establish our own legacy, showing the gods, devils, and angels who look down on us that even as mere humans, we can achieve great deeds and stand as their equals!"
As she spoke, Jeanne stood up in excitement. Her hands were clenched tight, and a faint, feverish flush appeared on her fair face.
Rhode's brow furrowed slightly. Everything about this Jeanne was great, but how did she end up in a pyramid scheme?
"Mr. Rhode, we have been watching you in the shadows for a long time!"
Rhode was startled. Since when had he been stalked by the Hero Faction? He checked with his System and quickly received a reply: [The host has not been monitored by any entity.]
Rhode naturally trusted the System's capabilities more than the Hero Faction. Thinking about it, the Hero Faction probably just gathered data on him and made paper-based deductions. After all, his identity and information weren't exactly a state secret within the Church. As a Saint, it was normal for Jeanne to have access to those files. Though, he suspected Griselda had probably helped him hide a good deal of information.
"While this meeting was a coincidence, it must be attributed to the arrangements of fate. Therefore, I, Jeanne, hereby extend an invitation to you, Mr. Rhode! Are you willing to join the Hero Faction and fight for the great cause of human destiny?!"
Jeanne smiled and reached out her hand toward him. "With us, you can find like-minded comrades."
"..."
"I heard that you don't have a girlfriend yet, Mr. Rhode? If you join us, perhaps you can find a compatible female friend!" Jeanne said with a wink.
"This 'Hero Faction' sounds an awful lot like a pyramid scheme." That was Rhode's first instinctual rejection.
"Eh? We are definitely not a pyramid scheme! Our members are all elites—the descendants of famous heroes in human history!" Jeanne explained, looking embarrassed.
While her behavior might indeed look like someone who had been brainwashed by a cult to an outsider, the Hero Faction's manifesto was indeed what she stated.
"Besides me, there's also Cao Cao, Heracles, Siegfried, and Leonardo!"
"The more you explain, the more it sounds like a scam..." Rhode looked troubled.
However, a mission panel suddenly popped up in front of him.
[Mission: Join the Hero Faction] [Goal: Successfully join the Hero Faction. Reward: Random.]
It's a pyramid scheme, but then again...
"I can join, but I must maintain a high degree of freedom. I reserve the right to refuse any mission I don't want to participate in." Rhode offered a relatively strict condition. If joining meant his personal freedom would be restricted or he'd be forced into specific tasks, he would simply forfeit the mission.
"No problem!" Jeanne agreed immediately. "The Hero Faction is a very open organization. We would never force our members to do this or that."
After all, most members were descendants of historical heroes or had directly inherited the souls of their ancestors. They were inevitably arrogant. To prevent the organization from dissolving within days, this unwritten rule was established. However, most people who joined were quite cooperative; otherwise, the Faction wouldn't have grown as large as it had.
"Then there's no problem." Rhode nodded.
[Mission "Join the Hero Faction" Completed. Reward: Hand Sanitizer x10]
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (53 Chapters – Ongoing)
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