Boom!
The battle raged on. The conversation between Himejima Suzaku and Inugami Gyobu didn't last long. Both sides had long-standing grievances and were mortal enemies; it was impossible to talk the other side into retreating. Inugami Gyobu's demonic energy surged, single-handedly tying up most of the Okunoin's high-level forces. The Four Gods, led by Himejima Suzaku, and the hosts of the Four Fiends were respectively dealing with the two generals, Inugami Gyobu and Ura.
Simultaneously, the mages of Oz who joined the battle drew out another opponent from within the Five Principal Clans. This was a woman dressed in a pure white magic robe. Through the high slit of her skirt, one could catch a glimpse of smooth black stockings fluttering in the wind. She wore a pointed mage hat, and golden hair like ears of wheat spilled out from under the brim. Her features were refined and beautiful.
"To think I'd run into Glinda's disciple here. Truly unexpected." The elderly mage Augusta narrowed her eyes, her tone somewhat amused.
At that moment, as if responding to her words, a visible white mist began to permeate the surroundings. The freezing air was completely out of step with the current season. The one creating this chill was the blonde girl facing off against Augusta. Her name was Lavinia Reni.
Her parents had died in a tragic accident when she was young, after which she was adopted by Glinda, the South Witch of Oz. When she grew up, she was sent to the Grey Mages organization for advanced studies. Afterward, her mentor was attacked by the East Witch of Oz, and Lavinia had been hunting the witches of Oz ever since to find her teacher. A few years ago, Lavinia had clashed with Augusta, but the latter had escaped. This time, she would not let these people leave so easily.
"Your gaze is truly terrifying—I can't even tell you're Glinda's disciple," Augusta mocked faintly.
"...It was you who made me like this." Lavinia's eyes were filled with hatred. "Tell me, where is my Master?!"
Hearing this, Augusta's expression remained smiling. "I can tell you about your Master, but you have to agree to something first. Come with me, Ice Princess."
After saying that, her figure vanished from the spot. As a fellow mage, Lavinia naturally knew Augusta hadn't gone far, and she immediately cast a spell to fly toward the traces left by her opponent. Even though she knew there might be traps ahead, Lavinia also knew she couldn't run away.
Walburga was left behind. She led the witches of Walpurgis Night, a joyful smile on her face. "Now then, let's make a grand scene!" After saying that, she raised her hand, and a magic circle materialized above her palm. A moment later, it spat out high-temperature fireballs.
Fireball. The absolute basic of offensive magic. In truth, even though humans could learn magic used by devils, most mages did not have very high attainments. The mages who had come with Walburga might be able to fly in the sky, but their overall strength was roughly the same as the novice exorcists of the Five Principal Clans. Therefore, the victory would truly be determined by the outcome of the battle between the high-level combatants.
All of Tokyo was a mess—at least in Rhodes' eyes, the current situation was like a British "Stargazy Pie." Of course, Rhodes had his own goals. He had two tasks: one was to deal with those two Great Yokai, and the other was to assist them in breaking the Okunoin's barriers.At first glance, it seemed like he could only choose one, but with the mindset of "the more work, the more pay," Rhodes intended to take them both.
Given the current situation, breaking the Okunoin's barriers was clearly the simplest task.
Boom—!
Another heaven-shaking roar erupted. Accompanied by the swaying of the earth, the third layer of the barrier finally shattered under the combined assault of the Utsusemi organization and the Yokai.
The final two layers were the most resilient. Meanwhile, the resistance from the exorcists grew increasingly fierce; they clearly felt they could not afford to retreat any further. The speed of the advance slowed down, which was not conducive to completing the mission.
Rhodes pushed his Presence Concealment EX to its maximum. As long as he didn't walk right in front of them in a grand fashion, the exorcists of the Okunoin basically wouldn't notice his movements.
Since it was a barrier, there had to be something like a "Formation Core." Rhodes didn't understand cores, but the system helpfully pointed out many clear paths for him. As long as he followed the arrows to the destinations and destroyed a few objects, he could successfully bring down the Okunoin's defenses.
If a problem could be solved with hands, there was no need to waste brainpower.
Guided by the system's mission markers and aided by his Presence Concealment EX, Rhodes quickly destroyed several cores of the fourth barrier. With the rumble of collapsing structures, the fourth layer of the barrier shattered. This left the casters responsible for the barrier completely unable to comprehend what had happened.
But before they could take any remedial measures, the fifth layer surrounding the Okunoin mansion flickered from transparent to blurry. Finally, under the shocked gazes of everyone in the Okunoin, it shattered completely.
"The fifth layer has been destroyed! How can this be?!"
Himejima Suzaku, who was currently battling Inugami Gyobu, could not hide the shock in her heart. It was precisely because of the protection of the barriers that she felt safe fighting outside. But now that the final layer was gone, it threw the emotions of everyone associated with the Five Principal Clans into disarray.
"Oh no! The thing sealed within the Okunoin—we absolutely cannot let them get it!"
Suzaku suddenly realized the truth. The talk of long-standing grievances and "fighting to the death" was all an act put on by this old Yokai. The true goal of these thieves was the Treasure of Uji.
It was the secret treasure sealed within the entire Okunoin, housing the heads of the three great Yokai of Japan: Shuten-doji, Otakemaru, and a part of the remains of the Golden-Faced Nine-Tailed Fox. Beyond that, it contained many relics of legendary high priests, precious books like the Cloud in the Blue volume of The Tale of Genji, and other priceless artifacts.
Inugami Gyobu and Ura had first feigned a massive frontal assault to draw away the majority of the Okunoin's main forces. Then, they had the mages of Oz and the Utsusemi members harass the remaining strength. Finally, they must have dispatched a small group specifically to crack the barriers and infiltrate to steal the Treasure of Uji.
Dammit! She should have seen it coming!
Even though the Okunoin's barriers were incredibly strong, if the opponents were mages from Oz combined with intelligence from traitors within the Five Principal Clans, breaking the five layers wouldn't be impossible.
Suzaku felt the urge to retreat. She signaled for the other three to hold the line while she rapidly flew toward the Okunoin headquarters.
Meanwhile, Rhodes, the instigator, knew nothing about any "Treasure of Uji." Once the fifth layer was broken, a notification popped up for the second mission.
[Mission "Assist in breaking the five layers of the Okunoin barrier" completed!] *[Rewards: Reputation with Walpurgis Night, Tokyo Yokai World, Abyss Walkers, and Utsusemi each +10. Item: "Senzu Bean" 50]
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My : https://[email protected]/AuAuMon
High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (102 Chapters – Ongoing)
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