The Realm of the Dead, governed by the Greek God of the Dead, Hades, was a vast wasteland. The ground was barren, and no form of life could survive there. Truly, no living being should be able to exist in this immense desolate terrain.
It was indeed a place befitting the title of the "Realm of the Dead."
However, at this moment, it was far from an empty and lifeless kingdom due to what was happening.
Completely surrounding a large portion of the Realm of the Dead, protecting the palace of the God of the Dead, Hades, was a massive army.
There were tens, or even hundreds of thousands of beings cloaked in black robes, though the shades of their cloaks varied, indicating their power rankings, with those wearing darker cloaks being stronger.
All of them wielded long black scythes capable of draining the life force of those they cut.
These were all the Grim Reapers in service to Hades.
Alongside them was an overwhelming army of nearly 100,000 demons, each with a wide variety of appearances and forms.
These were not true demons but artificial beings created by Hades through his research on the body of Lilith, the Mother of All Demons, which Hades had discovered.
Their powers varied, but most were high-class beings.
However, at the forefront of the army, right at the gate protecting the entrance to Hades' palace, stood four exceptionally powerful demons.
The first was a giant young man, about two meters tall, with black hair.
This was Gressil, one of the demons produced by Hades, but his power was exceptional even among them, surpassing the Satan class with the potential to become a Super Devil.
Gressil's special ability was [Resistance], which granted him near-impenetrable resistance to any damage he experienced.
Beside Gressil was a short, thin young man with dark gray hair.
This was Sonneilion, another demon created by Hades, but like Gressil, he was a special case, with power surpassing the Satan class and the potential to become a Super Devil.
His special ability was [Crushing], which allowed him to "crush" objects and opponents using an invisible force, typically from above to flatten enemies, though it could be used in other directions.
However, standing beside Sonneilion and Gressil were beings of such immense power that they made the two seem insignificant.
The first was a teenage girl with long jade-green hair.
This was Verrine, one of the hundred thousand artificial demons created by Hades using Lilith's flesh and the Book of Lucifer. She was one of two demons born with the power of a Super Devil, alongside Balberith.
An irregular demon from birth, she possessed such power that even Hades feared her.
Beside her was a muscular young man in his early twenties with bronze-colored hair.
This was Balberith, another of the hundred thousand artificial demons created by Hades using Lilith's flesh and the Book of Lucifer. He was the other demon born with the power of a Super Devil, alongside Verrine.
An irregular demon with the potential to fight even a Heavenly Dragon or the Dragon God himself.
In the midst of them all stood a Grim Reaper wearing an extremely dark black cloak adorned with various ornaments and a clown mask, holding a long black scythe.
This was Pluto, an Ultimate-class Reaper and one of Hades' most powerful subordinates, perhaps the strongest Grim Reaper serving the God of the Dead.
"So we'll finally get to fight! I'm so excited!" shouted Gressil as his power erupted.
"Indeed," said Sonneilion beside him, nodding.
"True," said Verrine excitedly. "Don't you agree, Bal?" she asked, turning to Balberith.
The Super Devil merely nodded, his eyes fixed on their enemies.
"Don't rush," said Pluto, drawing the attention of all four demons, who looked at him with disdain.
"You'll have good battles, but don't be hasty, or you'll die. Our enemies are no ordinary foes," said Pluto, pointing his scythe toward the enemy.
There, dozens of meters away from the five, separated by a massive army of demons and Reapers, was a small group of just over a hundred beings challenging an army a thousand times larger.
Atop the mountain separating the Realm of the Dead and the Underworld stood those who had come to challenge and annihilate Hades' army. There was Gilgamesh, the King of Heroes, and his allies.
Cao Cao calmly approached Gilgamesh.
"So, what do we do with them? How do we fight?" asked Cao Cao, tapping his spear on his shoulder.
"That's a lot of enemies," said Tobio, looking at the massive army before them.
In purely numerical terms, they were overwhelmingly outnumbered. The group consisted of Gilgamesh and his faction, Vali's team, Crom Cruach, Tobio and Lavinia, plus Cao Cao and his subordinates, totaling just over a hundred people.
While this wasn't the entirety of the Hero Faction, it was what Cao Cao managed to gather in the short time available.
"But they're pretty weak," said Vali with disdain.
Even if they were greater in number, in terms of power, Hades' servants couldn't compare to them.
"Exactly. They're a bunch with no plans or anything like that. Deal with them however each of you sees fit and destroy them one by one," said Gilgamesh indifferently.
"Oh, you mean we can do whatever we want?" asked Crom Cruach with an excited smile.
"Yes, don't leave a single one. I'll handle Hades," said Gilgamesh seriously.
"Very well, then…" a golden aura enveloped Gilgamesh's body as he raised his hand.
But before he could do anything, Merlin stepped forward, raising his staff.
"Avengers, assemble!" shouted the Flower Mage, grinning.
Silence fell over everyone as Gilgamesh, Vali, Cao Cao, Crom Cruach, and the others looked at him sternly.
Merlin gave an embarrassed smile.
"I always wanted to say that," admitted the Mage.
That was all he could say before Arturia struck him with Excalibur and dragged him back to the others.
Sighing, Gilgamesh gave a faint smile.
"Alright, let's go," said Gilgamesh, waving.
At Gilgamesh's signal, the entire Avalon Faction leaped into the battlefield, advancing while unleashing their power.
"Advance!" said Cao Cao, brandishing his Holy Spear.
With his movement, all members of the Hero Faction summoned their Sacred Gears as they charged at high speed.
"Let's go!" said Vali, summoning his [Divine Dividing] and advancing.
Following his movement, Kuroka, Gawain, and Bikou leaped forward, joining the battle.
With a massive grin, Crom Cruach kicked the ground and shot toward the battlefield.
Beside him, Tobio leaped as Jin appeared at his side, and Lavinia joined them.
Seeing Cao Cao's movement, the Hero Faction members charged, with the more skilled members leading the front as they clashed against the artificial demons and Reapers.
Cao Cao's companions amplified the power of their Sacred Gears and used their abilities simultaneously.
"Balance Breaker!"
The talented executives of the faction, including Jeanne, Hercules, Siegfried, and Perseus, almost simultaneously activated their Balance Breakers.
"Here I go!"
Jeanne appeared with a giant dragon made of Holy Swords, manipulating it to deal massive damage to the artificial demons, whose weakness was Holy Swords.
Jeanne's Sacred Gear, [Blade Blacksmith], could create Holy Swords with various attributes, and its subspecies Balance Breaker, [Stake Victim Dragon], was devastating.
Upon being struck by the dragon made of Holy Swords, the artificial demons writhed in intense pain, turning to ash one after another.
The damage from a Holy Sword was unbearable for demons, regardless of the high-class demon's qualities.
Especially when it came to [Blade Blacksmith] in its Balance Breaker state, the story shifted to another dimension.
Jeanne herself slew the artificial demons one by one with the Holy Sword in her hand. She was a highly incompatible opponent for the artificial demons.
Beside her…
"Raaaagh! Explode!"
Hercules produced protrusions from his body. These protrusions flew out like missiles, exploding groups of artificial demons.
Hercules' Sacred Gear, [Mischief of the Giant], also known as [Variant Detonation], in its Balance Breaker, [Malicious Waves of the Superhuman], allowed explosives resembling missiles to emerge from his body and fire at targets.
His ability truly shone against multiple enemies. Indeed, artificial demons were blown up in large groups, one after another.
Beside them, another person fought alongside—a young man with well-groomed brown hair. He wore what seemed to be Greek-inspired armor, likely over a Japanese school uniform (specifically the gakuran worn by students in autumn).
This was Perseus, a descendant of the Greek Hero Perseus and one of the Hero Faction's most powerful members.
Perseus, wielding a powerful longsword and shield, fought alongside a horse, charging with everything he had.
His Sacred Gear was a large shield with a carved Medusa face, [Aegis Mineralization]. When the Medusa's eyes on the shield opened, anyone caught in its gaze was instantly petrified. Those within the shield's range couldn't resist its instant-death ability unless they were stronger than its wielder, Perseus.
And now, Perseus was in his Balance Breaker.
"Queen of Snakes! I'm counting on you!!"
The Medusa carving began to move from Perseus' shield, and finally, the face emerged from it.
The head that leaped from the shield grew enormous, becoming the head of a giant Medusa. Countless snake hairs writhed.
The massive head floated in the air, illuminating Perseus' enemies, instantly turning groups of artificial demons and Reapers to stone. Perseus' sword also carried the Medusa's aura, resonating with demonic energy.
Perseus fought as if dancing, with the Medusa head floating in the air, destroying enemies. Those cut by Perseus' sword, imbued with the Medusa's aura, were also petrified.
This was the Balance Breaker [Caput-Medusae and Mineralization Knight].
Beside Perseus, Siegfried also advanced in his Balance Breaker.
Siegfried's Balance Breaker, [Chaos Edged Asura Revenge], allowed him to multiply his power with each additional arm that emerged from his back, up to a maximum of four.
Each of these four arms wielded a Legendary Demonic Sword.
With this, Siegfried charged through the demons and Reapers, cutting them down with his swords.
"Damn it! These guys are strong!" shouted an artificial demon.
"He's not human!? How is he so strong!?" cried a Reaper.
The Hero Faction, especially its executives, was almost unilaterally repelling the artificial demons and Reapers.
Whether it was a high-class demon or a Reaper, it made no difference to the Hero Faction's executive class. That was the extent of their training and experience.
Moreover, the enemy only had the elemental achievements of high-class demons, and brute force was useless. It could be said it was an easy victory for the Hero Faction members.
Cao Cao walked slowly through the battlefield as his comrades fought.
"He's the leader!"
"We just have to kill him!!"
Artificial demons and Reapers attacked Cao Cao, who calmly raised his spear.
As he walked, Cao Cao stabbed with his Holy Spear at a speed imperceptible to the eye, and the artificial demons turned to ash almost simultaneously.
The Holy Spear Cao Cao wielded, among the 13 Longinus, was called the strongest and was the origin of the Longinus, the first Longinus.
It stood at the pinnacle of holy relics and was an absolute Sacred Gear that could pierce not only demons but gods as well.
Demons with power far below his could not escape annihilation, even from a light attack.
Cao Cao, effortlessly slaying the artificial demons coming at him, lost himself in thought.
*I thought I could become the protagonist of this world.*
*Back then, I, who possessed the Holy Spear, the strongest of the 13 unique avatars that destroy gods in this world.*
*I thought I had been chosen by the world.*
*I felt I was at the center of the story, with comrades who shared my ideals gathering, and I was walking toward the goal of facing the supernatural.*
*I thought my comrades who rose and ran alongside me could become heroes of the story…*
*But I was wrong…*
In Cao Cao's mind, Gilgamesh's face appeared.
A demon with an especially large aura blocked Cao Cao's path as he walked, destroying artificial demons with his Holy Spear.
"Hahaha! You're the leader of the Hero Faction, Cao Cao, right! Wielder of the Holy Spear! I'm different from those weaklings. I'm an existence that can match Sonneilion and Gressil!"
"I see. And?"
"Hmph! You'll only be able to smile with that composed grin for now! My special trait…"
A massive aura enveloped the demon's body, preparing to unleash some special ability from its hand…
"Slow."
Cao Cao instantly stabbed it countless times, riddling the demon's body with holes. In the next moment, due to the Holy Spear's effect, the demon with the large aura turned to ash.
Was that demon especially talented among them? The artificial demons were terrified by Cao Cao's effortless defeat of it, and no one else dared approach.
Cao Cao thought.
*…A person who can be the protagonist of a story is someone who can perform miracles. Someone chosen by miracles. Someone who can perform miracles time and again.*
Cao Cao had learned this completely through his own experience.
*I was… just the son of Villager A or B who received a strong spear.*
He wasn't someone important.
Suddenly, a pillar of immense golden aura shot into the sky.
Likely an aura attack from Gilgamesh.
Seeing this, a memory flashed through Cao Cao's mind, of a conversation with Siegfried.
"You know, it's always good to have a friend like Gilgamesh by your side. I bet if you got to know him, you'd think so too, Cao Cao," the vague memory of Siegfried's words reminded him.
"Friend, huh. What a mysterious thing. It's very reassuring to think that man is with us on the battlefield. I see, that's what a friend can be," Cao Cao thought aloud as he resumed stabbing the demons.
While the Hero Faction advanced, annihilating everyone in their path, the Avalon Faction was no less impressive.
Fenrir charged in his original form, tearing through all the Reapers and artificial demons in his path. There was no way those beings could rival or withstand the fangs and claws of the God-Devouring Wolf.
Enkidu also advanced across the battlefield at immense speed.
"Let's go," said the Weapon of the Gods, summoning his power.
Using his [Natural World Magic], massive roots erupted from the ground, crushing all the Reapers and artificial demons in his path.
The ground around Enkidu crumbled as it transformed into dozens of swords and spears with holy attributes, raining down on the artificial demons, who screamed in pain from the absolute damage dealt by the holy weapons.
Enkidu's Noble Phantasm, [Age of Babylon], allowed him to create any weapon he desired from the earth, with power rivaling Gilgamesh's own [Gate of Babylon].
With this power, creating Holy Swords comparable to Caliburn and Excalibur from DxD was a simple task.
The demons and Reapers didn't even have time to see their enemy before they were bombarded by an overwhelming number of holy weapons raining down on them.
Beside him, Sebas advanced calmly, walking with composure, unconcerned by his enemies.
Even in the heat of battle, surrounded by thousands of foes, the butler never lost his composure, walking with his arms behind his back.
But even this didn't deter the Reapers and artificial demons from charging at him.
"Insects," said Sebas, sighing.
All the artificial demons and Reapers charging at Sebas were suddenly blown apart by the butler's high-speed strikes.
His speed was so great that it was impossible to see Sebas move; he initiated and completed his attack in less than a fraction of a second.
"Let's go, worms!" shouted Mordred excitedly.
Beside Sebas, Mordred propelled herself with her [Mana Burst], crossing the entire army as her [Red Lightning] exploded from her sword, cutting down every being in her path.
There was no comparison; the artificial demons and Reapers not destroyed by Mordred's [Red Lightning] were completely annihilated by the swings of the Saber Servant's sword.
Arturia, beside Mordred, advanced calmly, wielding Excalibur with beauty and majesty, unlike Mordred's savage style. The cuts from the Strongest Holy Sword killed all artificial demons with a single strike, massacring every demon and Reaper in her path.