Chapter 198: The Jealous Blade and the Memory of Solomon
She was once cast out by the Church, branded a heretic—a witch. And yet now, the same exiled sister had become the first to receive the favor of the resurrected divine child. She was his pillar. She was trusted. For Xenovia, the proud warrior of the Church, it was a truth hard to swallow.
"I did not!" she snapped, voice brittle as glass.
But her eyes betrayed her. They faltered, drifting toward Lord Solomon with a guilt-ridden flicker. The jealousy gnawed inside, and she feared that her bitterness toward Aisha might wound his impression of her. Her stance hardened, but her insecurity cracked the armor of her faith.
"If you want to witness it," Solomon said evenly, "ask them. Let them share their memories with you."
"…No. I want you to share yours," she muttered, almost like a child throwing a quiet tantrum.
Her words drew amused glances. The source: Lunarias Gremory, ancestor of Rias, whose voice now bore the playful pout of someone seeking attention.
"I want to see the real thing," Lunarias insisted. "Not just memories. I want what they had—a true journey, a lived dream."
Her cheeks puffed with exaggerated frustration, comically swollen like she'd just been told to go without dessert.
Solomon offered no reply.
He ignored her tantrum entirely.
That made it worse.
Lunarias stomped one foot, voice petulant as she summoned a teleportation sigil. "Fine! Find someone else! I'm going home!"
In a flash of light, she was gone.
Rias blinked, lips curled into a tired smile. "She's more dramatic than I am."
Meanwhile, Xenovia remained silent, her fingers curled tightly into her sleeves. Yet her eyes held a yearning—a hunger to experience what Revier and the others had glimpsed.
"I do hope Irina can join us…" she whispered.
Soon, it would no longer be a war between angels, fallen, and demons. The next summit was far more profound—a council of pantheons. A revelation of otherworldly truths. A strategy against the approaching wave of invaders.
"Looking for candidates, nyah?" chimed Kuroka, tail flicking mischievously behind her.
Her eyes shimmered with malicious delight. "I have a few options."
From Vali's camp, there was a magician who might cooperate. And in the Hero Faction, she'd long despised Jeanne's inheritor. Maybe it was time for revenge. Maybe a little kidnapping.
There were rumors, too. The Hero Faction had their sights on Kyoto's fox clan—a veiled warning to Vali's crew to stay out. That only provoked Kuroka more.
"If they say don't touch," she purred, "then we touch. I'll fetch the fox mother and her daughter."
Then came the real temptation.
"The little dragon god with the dumb expression… you think we could trick her into joining Solomon?"
If that happened, the remnants of the Calamity Squad would collapse outright.
Chapter 199: Kyoto's Nine-Tailed Monarch – Yasaka
By now, Bai Yue had concluded one thing with certainty: this world wasn't nearly as perilous as he'd first imagined.
He had a new strategy now—one that bent fate itself. He would lure the EvisEtourute World into open invasion.
Why hadn't that world attacked yet? Because its scouts hadn't fully deciphered this realm's strength. They weren't sure of its limits. They hesitated.
Once they learned that this world's highest powers amounted to just two dragon gods, they'd pounce.
So Bai Yue planned to leak that information—eventually.
Not yet.
Only when the time was right—when he had full access to Solomon's Temple of Time and manifested completely as the one known as Getia.
Then, when both forces were poised for battle, he'd let them collide here instead of there.
Divide and conquer.
Prevent them from uniting.
It was a tactic worthy of a king and devil alike.
"We're here, Bai Yue-sensei~" came a velvety voice laced with playful charm.
She leaned close, lips pink as sakura petals. Her face glowed with warmth, yet her smile hinted at deliberate seduction.
He rose, taking in the sight of his companion—Juno Himejima, Vice President of the Occult Research Club. Together, they stepped off the Shinkansen and into Kyoto's sacred breath.
Their destination: the fox queen of Kyoto—Lady Yasaka, leader of the Youkai.
Kuroka had warned him. The Hero Faction might move against Yasaka soon, scheming something tied to the Great Red. Bai Yue couldn't afford disruption.
Kuroka had already departed to seek other candidates. If possible, she intended to lure that peculiar dragon girl as well.
As he walked, Bai Yue felt a gentle arm wrap around his. Juno pressed against him, her touch inviting yet grounding.
Among them all, only Juno could truly accompany him now.
She had ties to Yasaka. Her mother, Himejima Juri, had once formed a bond with the fox queen. Yasaka would respect her—perhaps even welcome her.
The others, being devils, were unwelcome in youkai territory.
They left the station and headed toward a Shinto shrine nestled in ancient trees. The torii gate loomed ahead, crimson and silent.
Then, without warning, the air shimmered.
The space beneath the gate rippled like water.
A group of figures emerged from nothingness.
At their center stood a girl in a miko outfit, golden hair spilling over delicate shoulders.
No—she was a child. Or nearly so.
"I am Koko, daughter of Yasaka. Whatever your business, I ask you to leave."
Bai Yue raised one brow.
That was blunt.
"I am Himejima Juno, daughter of Himejima Juri," said Juno with calm grace. "I request an audience with your mother."
"Himejima… Juri?"
Koko's tone shifted. She knew the Himejima clan—one of the Five Great Houses—but that didn't mean trust.
Youkai and those houses had a strained history.
Just as Koko prepared to refuse—
"Let them pass," a voice called—rich, melodic, undeniable.
Koko bowed instinctively. "As you wish, Mother."
The pair followed her past the torii.
The world shimmered again.
Reality twisted.
They stepped into the inner realm of Kyoto.
Gone was the modern city. In its place: streets from the Edo period. The air smelled of incense and river mist. There were no neon signs, no cars. Only spirit.
Koko walked ahead. Her fox ears twitched, and behind her fluttered a plush tail.
At the end of the street stood a mansion of elegant wood and carved stone.
There waited a woman in a flowing kimono—her beauty radiant, her bearing regal.
"Welcome," she said. "Please enter."
Lady Yasaka, monarch of the Kyoto youkai.
She'd seen it immediately.
Though Juno had issued the invitation, Bai Yue was the true leader here.
She watched how Juno deferred to him. How her movements mirrored his.
Even Yasaka couldn't sense his power fully. That unsettled her.
She offered tea. They accepted.
But before pleasantries could unfold—
"Lady Yasaka," Juno said crisply, "would you consider becoming one of Bai Yue-sensei's retainers?"
Silence fell.
The room froze.
"…What did you just say?" Yasaka's tone dropped cold.
This boy? Her master?
Her words had barely landed before Juno summoned lightning in her hand. A spear of thunder, volatile and sharp.
Instinct took hold.
Yasaka retaliated instantly.
Flames burst from her palm—kitsune fire capable of wounding a high-class devil.
But as the fire surged forward, Juno did something unexpected.
She dropped her own attack.
She just stood there.
Defenseless.
The fox flame neared, roaring—
Then vanished.
Gone.
Evaporated like snow against iron.
Yasaka stared, mouth agape.
Bai Yue had released a veil of raw magic that enveloped Juno. His aura was too dense, too concentrated.
Her flame, on contact, had vaporized.
No explosion. No resistance. Just silence.
This... this power was beyond anything she had witnessed.
If he chose to destroy them—there would be no defense.
Chapter 200: A Threat Veiled in Courtesy
Lady Yasaka sat stiffly, her eyes wide beneath golden lashes. Her knuckles were pale against the silk of her sleeves.
Across from her, Bai Yue sighed, face cast in gentle regret.
Juno had acted boldly—too boldly. But he understood her intent.
She had orchestrated the encounter to demonstrate his strength indirectly. She'd played the "black mask," so he could be the "white."
Had he released his magic first, it would've been intimidation—nothing less than a threat. It would have left a sour taste.
But by reacting to protect Juno, he had revealed his power honorably.
A chess move in disguise.
He turned to Juno.
CRACK—
Lightning surged again.
It struck her. She yelped.
A punishment—not brutal, but sharp.
"Apologies," Bai Yue said, returning