She searched her memories but couldn't find a suitable candidate. It was possible it was just a hallucination; people often experience strong déjà vu in such situations.
Exorcists from the Himejima family approached. Suzaku knew it wasn't time to rest. She immediately began issuing orders: "Gather the wounded and take them to safety. Stay alert for any counterattacks from remnants. Also, send word back to the Five Principal Clans immediately to report everything that happened here."
The exorcists moved out at once. Without their leaders, the Utsusemi and Yokai were quickly suppressed. The mages of Oz fled as soon as Walburga gave the signal to retreat. The isolation barrier over the Okunoin dissipated.
Not long after, the battle of the Okunoin was declared over. Suzaku, after some basic treatment, had recovered some energy. Looking at the communal treasure of the Five Principal Clans—now reduced to ruins—everyone's expression was complex.
"After this, who knows what actions the clan heads will take." "Regarding the alliance between Utsusemi, the mages, and the Watchers... they might take more extreme measures." "But if they do, organizations like Utsusemi will only multiply." "The identity of that man is also concerning. His power clearly didn't come from our clans, but without him, the fate of the Okunoin and our lives might have been rewritten today." "Equally important is the 'Treasure of Uji.' When I went to the altar, they were already gone." "What?! The items sealing the three Great Yokai were stolen?" "I've checked Sathanael's corpse, but found no trace of any treasure."
Suzaku offered a bitter smile. What she also found strange was that not only was the Treasure of Uji missing, but even the magic sword Sathanael had used had vanished without a trace. If one considered the timing of that man's appearance, perhaps the truth of the event lay elsewhere.
The facts were exactly as Suzaku suspected. Rhodes had taken the Treasure of Uji, and Sathanael's magic sword had been picked up by his Auto-Loot.
[Equipment: Magic Sword - Arondight (Unfaded Lake Light)] [Description: Also known as Arondight. The sword held by Sir Lancelot of the Round Table in the Arthurian legends. Like Excalibur, it is a holy sword forged by the Lady of the Lake. It originally possessed a powerful holy aura, but it lost its status as a holy sword and became a magic sword. It was lost during the Great War of the Three Factions but was recovered by the Grigori. Sathanael stole it when he betrayed them. Note: Deals extra damage to Dragon-type targets.]
"An old friend," Rhodes noted. He already had an Excalibur from a previous reward. He took out both swords to compare them. One radiated Holy Light, while the other was belching black miasma. "I can rotate between them, or maybe try dual-wielding."
He tossed the swords into his storage. Leaving the Okunoin area, he removed the Superman Glasses, opened his map, and prepared to check on the mages. Because of the glasses, while Walburga's group knew Sathanael had been killed, they had no idea Rhodes was the one who did it. Thus, his icon on the map remained green.
About ten kilometers from the Okunoin, a forest that had once stood there was now a wasteland. A layer of pale frost coated the ground and plants, but more bizarrely, purple flames were burning atop some of the ice. Trees were toppled, the earth was cracked and pitted, and the rivers were cut off. The forest's appearance had been completely transformed. The temperature was indescribable—one moment it was ten degrees below zero, and a few dozen meters away, it was a scorching fifty degrees. It was a landscape of pure combat residue.
Rhodes soon found the Oz mage group led by Walburga. Most of them were injured, and except for Walburga, who still wore her eerie smile, everyone looked grim. Who would have thought that while they had the advantage, a "Cheng Yaojin" would burst in and slaughter their strongest allies in an instant?
However, one battle remained. If their leader, the Purple Flame mage, could win, the result might still be acceptable. Sensing Rhodes' arrival, some mages looked his way. Walburga waved to him with a grin. "Rhodes! I'm surprised you didn't die."
Even though Rhodes was in the same clothes, without the Superman Glasses, no one connected him to the savior of the Okunoin.
"Your way of greeting is certainly unique. What's the situation?" Rhodes asked.
"Master has the upper hand currently. That Ice Princess is going to lose soon," Walburga giggled.
As she spoke, Rhodes saw two figures crossing the high mountains in a fierce battle. Countless magic circles formed around the white and purple figures, instantly releasing powerful elemental attacks. It wasn't just ice and fire; lightning, gales, light arrows, and water pillars were scattered across the sky.
Fighting the eighty-year-old Augusta was a blonde girl no older than twenty. She wore a pure white mage robe—the exact opposite of the purple one—and a tall, pointed hat.
[Character: Lavinia Reni] [Codename: Ice Princess] [Status: Injured.]
Lavinia was another character who didn't get much screen time in the main story, but she was certainly making an impression now. After all, her "Mount Fuji" scale was magnificent, and a woman who wore a mage robe with cutouts at the bottom—basically wearing it backwards compared to everyone else—was a rare sight. It looked more like a fetish outfit than a professional robe, but her combat power was fierce.
What caught Rhodes' attention most, however, were the two giants standing before the women. Before Lavinia stood an Ice Princess made of frost, with pale snowflakes drifting around her. Before Augusta stood a fire giant made of purple flames, its heat so intense Rhodes could feel it from where he stood.
The two combatants noticed Rhodes and the others approaching. Augusta smiled, while Lavinia's expression grew more solemn.
"Oh? It seems you've finished up at the Okunoin."
"No," Rhodes shouted. "Sathanael was killed."
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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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