After descending from the top floor in the elevator, Koneko led Arthas towards the forest near the hotel, her movements swift and determined.
Arthas followed closely behind the small, pure-white figure ahead of him, gradually leaving the glittering facade of the hotel behind and venturing into the shadowy depths of the forest.
"Onee-chan's aura is just ahead…"
Her footsteps suddenly faltered, and a look of hesitation and inner turmoil crossed Koneko's face. Perhaps she was afraid, afraid of meeting her sister, yet unsure of how to face her after so long.
"Don't worry, I've got your back. I'll be right here with you, no matter what happens."
Arthas stepped forward and gently squeezed Koneko's hand, offering silent reassurance. The girl nodded softly, steeling her resolve as she took another step forward, her gaze fixed on the path ahead.
Then, they sensed a gaze, a presence watching them from the shadows. As Koneko shifted her gaze in that direction, Arthas also felt something, a subtle shift in the atmosphere, and he followed Koneko's line of sight.
"Long time no see?" A voice, unfamiliar yet strangely familiar, echoed through the trees, sending a shiver down Arthas's spine. As the words faded, a figure emerged from the darkness – a woman clad in a black kimono, her presence both alluring and unsettling.
Her face bore a striking resemblance to Koneko's, almost like looking into a distorted mirror, adorned with adorable cat ears that twitched slightly and eerie golden, slit-like pupils that seemed to pierce through the very soul.
"Y-You… you are…" Koneko trembled, her voice barely a whisper, pointing incredulously at the woman before her, her hand shaking uncontrollably.
"Hello, Shirone. It's your Onee-chan, you know. I've missed you dearly."
"Kuroka Onee-chan…!" Koneko managed to squeeze out the words with great difficulty, her voice cracking with a mixture of fear, anger, and longing. It was clear that she was experiencing immense turmoil within, her emotions threatening to overwhelm her.
The black-haired, cat-eared woman, identified as Kuroka by Koneko, chuckled softly as she crouched down to stroke a sleek black cat that was rubbing affectionately against her feet.
"To think that you'd chase after a black cat that snuck into the venue all the way out here… Onee-chan is so touched, meow. You've really grown up, haven't you?"
"...Onee-chan, what's going on? What are you doing here? Why are you with them?"
Koneko's voice was laced with anger and a hint of betrayal. However, the woman simply continued to smile, her expression unreadable.
"Don't make such a scary face, Shirone. It's just a little something. The devils are holding such a grand banquet here, aren't they? So, I was just a little curious, and wanted to see what all the fuss was about, meow~~~~" The cat-eared woman said, making a playful cat-paw gesture with her hand and winking mischievously! She was putting on an act that was cute to the extreme, but Arthas could sense the darkness that lurked beneath the surface.
"Hahahaha, this guy, I remember you, you're that Gremory family familiar who took down Leviathan last time, right? You're quite the troublemaker, aren't you?"
A familiar voice echoed through the trees, a voice that Arthas recognized from their previous encounter. Then, a handsome man in ancient Chinese armor stepped out from behind Kuroka, his eyes glinting with amusement.
Bimei, the one who retreated with Vali last time. Arthas raised an eyebrow slightly, his gaze hardening. What did the Khaos Brigade intend to do by gathering here, in such close proximity to the Devil Kings?
Recognizing Bimei as well, Koneko frowned, then asked with a pained expression.
"Onee-chan, what are you trying to do? You've already joined the Khaos Brigade, are you planning to launch an attack on the devils? Is that why you're here?"
"No, we haven't received any such orders. Our orders are simply to remain on standby in the Underworld, to observe and gather information. Neither I nor Kuroka are on duty tonight, so we're technically off the clock. So, Kuroka said she wanted to take a peek at the devils' banquet, you see. Since she hadn't returned, I came to pick her up and escort her back to base. OK?"
Bimei said while yawning, feigning boredom.
"Kuroka~, let's go home. We can't participate in that fancy banquet anyway, so don't bother trying to crash it. We've got better things to do with our time."
"You're right, meow. It's time to go back, I suppose. But, I want to take Shirone with me, meow. I never got the chance to take her with me back then, and I've been regretting it ever since~"
"Oh my, if you take her back without permission, Vali might get angry, you know. He's been known to have a bit of a temper."
"If Ophis and Vali learned that this child also possesses the same power as me, the power of a Nekoshimata, they'd understand, right? They'd see the potential in her, just like they see the potential in me." Kuroka said, narrowing her eyes, her gaze intense.
"Maybe they would. Who knows what those two are thinking? They're a bit… eccentric, to say the least." Bimei nodded, his expression nonchalant.
Seeing the look in her sister's eyes, Koneko trembled slightly with fear, her body recoiling instinctively. She must be terrified, Arthas realized, terrified of what her sister might do.
"If you ignore my existence, I'm going to be very troubled, you know. It's incredibly rude to just talk about me as if I'm not even here."
Watching Kuroka and Bimei making decisions on their own, as if he wasn't even a factor, Arthas said with some exasperation, his voice laced with a hint of warning.
"Ah, that's true, you're that guy who forced Leviathan to self-destruct by making him eat a snake, after all. We can't be careless around you, or we might be the ones who get hurt, Kuroka. He's definitely not someone to underestimate."
"Hmph, don't compare me to those idiots from the Old Devil King faction. They were weak and foolish, and they deserved what they got."
Kuroka said, stepping forward and staring at Koneko, her eyes filled with a strange mix of longing and possessiveness.
"This guy is a familiar of the Gremory family, right? So he's your comrade, Shirone? Is he someone you actually care about?"
As Kuroka said this, Koneko's expression immediately became strained, her face paling slightly. She spread her arms out, standing protectively in front of Arthas and looking at her sister without backing down, her eyes blazing with defiance.
"What do you want, Onee-chan? What are you planning to do? If you lay a hand on Arthas Onii-chan, I won't forgive you! I won't let you hurt him!"
"You're awfully affectionate, aren't you, Onii-chan, huh… Shirone, you're far too pure and naive. You're so easily manipulated. You'll be deceived by people, you know! The world isn't as kind as you think it is!"
"That's not true! Arthas Onii-chan is the most important person to me, he's my family. He's kind, and he's strong, and he always protects me. I won't allow you to hurt him! I won't let you take him away from me!"
As Shirone said this, Kuroka's eyes gradually turned cold, hardening with a chilling intensity. She looked at Arthas with undisguised hostility, her gaze filled with a palpable malice.
"It's been so long since we've seen each other, little sister. I love you so much, and yet you're going to defy me, to stand against me, for the sake of some outsider! Fine, if that's how it's going to be, then I'll just kill this so-called Onii-chan of yours right in front of you, and then I'll take you away with me, meow! That way, you'll finally understand who you should be loyal to!"
The black cat before them spoke with a hint of cruelty, her voice laced with a chilling possessiveness. Then, the surrounding space rippled, distorting the air around them and creating a visible distortion.
"A space-manipulation technique? She's setting up a barrier!"
Koneko was slightly surprised, her eyes widening in alarm, while Kuroka smiled triumphantly, a hint of madness glinting in her golden eyes.
"I know what you're planning. This is where the devils are holding their banquet, after all. I have no intention of taking on the Four Great Devil Kings and their armies. Hehe, as long as you understand the basics of barrier techniques, space-manipulation techniques are quite simple, you know. I've already covered this forest with a barrier, completely isolating it from the outside world. So, no matter what happens here, no one outside will notice, and no devils from the outside can come in here to help you. You, the one who's been deceiving Shirone, corrupting her with your lies, I'll just kill you here, meow! I'll show her what happens to those who betray their own family!"
"What exactly do you think you're doing? Leaving the group without permission, Kuroka and Bimei? This is completely unacceptable!" A voice filled with confusion and displeasure echoed through the air, originating from a spatial rift that suddenly tore open nearby, disrupting the carefully constructed scene.
There was someone emerging from the rift, a man. He was a tall and imposing figure, and he held a sword that emanated a powerful holy aura, a tangible force that crackled in the air. The sword gave Arthas a strange sense of familiarity, a feeling that he had encountered it somewhere before, though he couldn't quite place it.
The bespectacled man spoke to Bimei and Kuroka, his voice laced with exasperation, and then, upon stepping out of the rift, he looked at the scene before him with a mixture of surprise and annoyance.
"Tsk… you came too? I should have known you wouldn't be able to resist meddling in things that don't concern you."
"If I hadn't come, there's no telling what kind of trouble you two would have caused. This mission was just for reconnaissance, a simple information-gathering operation, and you dare to take action under the Devil King's nose, to openly defy their authority? Are you trying to commit suicide, or are you just incredibly stupid?"
The man who had emerged spoke with some displeasure, his tone laced with frustration. However, the long sword he held, which radiated a terrifying holy power, remained pointed towards Arthas, a clear indication of his intentions, a silent threat that hung heavy in the air.
Although he disapproved of Kuroka and Bimei's reckless actions, they were his comrades, after all, and the man quickly entered a battle-ready stance, his expression hardening with resolve. His loyalty, it seemed, was divided between his mission and his companions.
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