As you will see, there will be recaps at the beginning of some chapters.
...
Takeyo manifested one of Rama's most formidable divine weapons, a golden bow that radiated the power of the gods themselves. The weapon materialized from brilliant golden ripples in the air, emerging with an almost ceremonial grace.
This was the Kodanda, one of the many divine armaments bestowed upon Rama during his mortal life by the gods and Buddhas who aided his sacred mission. It represented just a fraction of the vast arsenal contained within his Divine Armory, the authority that allowed him to materialize any weapon he had ever wielded.
The bow's presence alone commanded attention. Its golden surface gleamed with intricate engravings depicting celestial battles and divine conquests. The weapon seemed to hum with barely contained power, as if eager to be drawn.
Of course, even this legendary divine weapon paled in comparison to the might of Terminus Est. Where Est's power remained fixed and absolute regardless of her wielder, the divine armaments within Rama's arsenal grew in strength alongside Takeyo himself. As he became stronger, so too would these legendary weapons reach new heights of destructive capability.
"This..." Jeanne's confident demeanor faltered as she stared at the magnificent weapon. "Are you really Rama's successor?"
The golden bow in Takeyo's hands radiated an authenticity she couldn't deny, yet doubt still lingered in her expression.
How am I supposed to recognize this? she thought frantically. I'm not exactly a scholar of Hindu mythology! I mean, I know Jeanne's history, but beyond that...
Despite inheriting the soul and fighting spirit of the legendary Maid of Orleans, Jeanne remained painfully aware of her own limited education. She could wield a blade with exceptional skill, command battlefield tactics with intuitive brilliance, and inspire those around her with unwavering courage, but identifying obscure divine artifacts from Eastern mythology? That was decidedly outside her wheelhouse.
Still, she couldn't simply admit ignorance in front of a potential recruit. Heroes were supposed to project confidence and knowledge, after all.
"I must be Rama's successor," Takeyo said with absolute certainty, a knowing smile playing at the corner of his mouth. "After all, you claim to be Jeanne's successor. Can you produce her battle standard?"
The challenge hung in the air between them.
"Um... well..." Jeanne's expression crumbled, her earlier bravado evaporating like morning mist. "That's... we are all heroes here! I am indeed Jeanne's successor, but as for the standard you're asking about... I don't actually know where it is."
Her voice grew smaller with each word, clearly deflated by the question.
If I brought out just the flagpole, she thought miserably, he'd definitely mock me for it. That would be so embarrassing...
Despite her initial skepticism, Jeanne found herself believing Takeyo's claim. The divine bow's presence felt too authentic to be a fabrication, and his confident demeanor suggested someone genuinely connected to legendary power.
"Everyone in our faction carries heroic bloodlines," she added, trying to recover some dignity. "Not just the descendants of Heracles and Cao Cao, we even have successors of Leonardo da Vinci among our ranks!"
She straightened her posture, pleased to have found solid ground again.
"Can you tell me more specifically about your faction?" Takeyo asked, his tone shifting to one of genuine interest.
Though he already knew the general details about the Hero Faction from his memories of the original storyline, hearing it directly from Jeanne might reveal information that hadn't appeared in the source material. Unexpected details often emerged when actually living through events rather than merely reading about them.
"Oh! I'll tell you everything!" Jeanne's enthusiasm returned in full force. "The user of the strongest God-Slayer weapon is with us, and we have..."
Her words tumbled out in an excited rush, painting a detailed picture of the Hero Faction's membership and capabilities.
Yuuma watched the exchange with mounting disbelief. Is this girl... simple-minded?
The fallen angel couldn't comprehend how someone could be so freely forthcoming with sensitive intelligence to a complete stranger. Jeanne was revealing operational details, member identities, and organizational structure without even a token effort at information security.
This has to be some kind of act, Yuuma thought, searching Jeanne's face for signs of calculated manipulation. No one could actually be this trusting... right?
But the more she observed, the more certain she became, Jeanne's openness wasn't strategic deception. It was genuine, almost childlike enthusiasm.
Several minutes passed as Jeanne's explanation continued unabated.
"...and that's the situation with our faction!" she finally concluded, slightly out of breath. "Would you consider joining the Hero Faction and becoming our comrade?"
Finally finished, Jeanne thought with satisfaction. It feels so good to share information about our amazing organization!
"Well, let me think about this first. You must be thirsty after all that talking, here."
Takeyo smoothly produced a bottle of water and offered it to Jeanne.
"Oh! Thank you!" She accepted gratefully, immediately taking a long drink.
"After consideration, I think joining sounds interesting," Takeyo said with an easy smile. "However, I still have several matters that require my attention first."
Playing with Jeanne is actually kind of fun, he mused internally. She seems like the type who would help count the money even after being conned out of it. System, you've really awakened something mischievous in me.
"You're really going to join us?!" Jeanne's face lit up with pure joy.
After explaining their faction so thoroughly, hearing an acceptance made all the effort worthwhile. She took another celebratory sip of water.
Yuuma observed this exchange with dawning understanding, her eyes shifting toward Takeyo with a new awareness.
So Takeyo-san is playing tricks on this naive girl, she realized. Or wait... is he actually trying to manipulate things in my favor?
The thought made her heartbeat quicken unexpectedly.
If Takeyo possessed genuine heroic bloodline powers, the Fallen Angel faction, specifically Governor General Azazel, would be extremely interested in recruiting him. Azazel had always shown particular fascination with humans who wielded powerful Sacred Gears and legendary abilities.
At this point, Yuuma thought, maybe I could convince him to join our side instead. Someone with his potential would be invaluable...
Her loyalty to Azazel and the Fallen Angels remained strong, coloring all her strategic considerations.
"Yes, I'm quite serious about joining," Takeyo confirmed. "But like I said, I need to handle some personal matters first. Could you wait for me outside Kuoh? I'll need approximately three hours at most."
His tone carried genuine sincerity, making the request sound perfectly reasonable.
"Hmm! No problem at all!" Jeanne agreed readily, giving an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
"Good," Yuuma chimed in, finally understanding the situation. "So Takeyo-san was just teasing this simple-minded girl."
Though actually, she reconsidered, perhaps Takeyo-san is doing this for my sake? The thought is... oddly touching.
"Wait a moment though," Jeanne said, a thought suddenly occurring to her. "Takeyo, if you're truly Rama's successor... why are you with a fallen angel?"
Her earlier excitement faded, replaced by cautious wariness.
As someone who carried a heroic bloodline, maintaining a relationship with a fallen angel seemed contradictory. Weren't there enough human partners available? Why choose someone from a faction that humans historically viewed with suspicion?
Actually, Jeanne reflected, now that I think about it carefully... I suppose I'm more beautiful than that fallen angel beside him.
The competitive thought emerged unbidden.
With her physical capabilities, noble bearing, and the inherited grace of Jeanne, Jeanne possessed a certain otherworldly beauty that drew attention naturally.
Jeanne's question fell exactly within Takeyo's expectations. He'd anticipated this line of inquiry from the moment she appeared.
"Actually, I'm not particularly comfortable with this relationship either," Takeyo admitted with apparent reluctance. "Or perhaps... would you consider being my girlfriend instead?"
"What?... Wait, what?!" The question mark practically materialized above Yuma's head.
My identity just shifted from girlfriend to ex-girlfriend in an instant?
Even knowing that Takeyo was likely manipulating the conversation, a strange discomfort settled in Yuuma's chest. The dismissal stung more than she'd expected.
Jeanne, meanwhile, had frozen completely. Her face flushed a brilliant shade of crimson as steam practically rose from her head.
Did he just... propose?!
A wave of embarrassment crashed over her, completely overwhelming her usual composure. She instinctively stepped backward, her long eyelashes lowering as she tried to process the unexpected proposition. When she finally raised her eyes again, they carried a mixture of confusion and bashful curiosity.
"This... this isn't impossible," she managed to stammer, her voice barely above a whisper. "But everything, everything needs to follow proper order! Order is very important! Yes, very, very important!"
She seemed to be trying to convince herself as much as responding to Takeyo.
"However," Jeanne continued, her voice growing slightly steadier as she found her footing again, "if you want to pursue me, you need to first separate from the fallen angel beside you! You and her are fundamentally incompatible!"
Her tone carried the firm resolve of someone with clear moral principles.
Jeanne possessed a straightforward nature and strong convictions, qualities that made her both admirable and somewhat predictable.
"No, no, no, Jeanne," Takeyo said gently, shaking his head. "Have you considered something important?"
"What?" she asked, tilting her head with genuine curiosity.
"If I could abandon her just to pursue you, wouldn't that mean I might abandon you in the future under similar circumstances?" Takeyo's voice carried a note of sincere principle. "I'm sorry, but I won't do something so dishonorable and dishonest."
"That's... that's actually a fair point..." Jeanne mumbled, her certainty crumbling once again.
The logic seemed sound. A person capable of casual betrayal couldn't be trusted to remain faithful later.
Jeanne found herself caught in another round of confusion, her straightforward worldview struggling to accommodate the complexity of the situation.
He's right though, she admitted internally. Someone who would throw away a relationship so easily isn't trustworthy... but then what should I think about this whole situation?
"Besides," Takeyo continued smoothly, "since I'm going to become part of your faction, letting my former girlfriend go shouldn't be a problem. After all, heroes aren't beings who casually destroy others' lives."
His words carried a subtle weight, implying a moral framework that appealed to Jeanne's heroic sensibilities.
"How could we be an existence that destroys humanity?" Jeanne protested immediately, her voice rising with indignation. "We exist to maximize humanity's potential and strength!"
The accusation touched a nerve, contradicting everything she believed about the Hero Faction's mission.
"Well then, if that's truly the case," Takeyo said with an understanding smile, "Jeanne, please go to this location and wait for me. I'll join you after I've settled my affairs here."
He provided her with specific coordinates on the outskirts of Kuoh.
"Okay! Do you have many belongings to pack?" Jeanne asked, her earlier doubts seemingly forgotten. "Would you like me to ask Georg to help carry things?"
In her innocent enthusiasm, she'd just casually revealed another piece of sensitive information, the presence and name of one of the Hero Faction's most powerful members.
Georg, the wielder of Dimension Lost and sub-leader of the Hero Faction, had just been transformed into a suggested moving assistant through Jeanne's well-meaning but strategically disastrous offer.
Yuuma could only watch in continued disbelief, wondering how the Hero Faction had managed to remain operational with members who possessed such catastrophically poor operational security.
If this is the quality of their intelligence discipline, she thought wryly, perhaps the Grigori has less to worry about than we thought.
"That won't be necessary," Takeyo assured her with an easy smile. "I don't have much that needs carrying."
"Alright then!" Jeanne beamed. "I'll head to the meeting point now. Don't keep me waiting too long!"
With a cheerful wave, she turned and departed, her steps light with excitement about the new recruit she'd successfully convinced to join their cause.
As Jeanne's presence faded into the distance, Yuuma turned to Takeyo with an expression mixing amusement and exasperation.
"So," she said dryly, "are you actually planning to join the Hero Faction, or was all of that just an elaborate performance?"
"What do you think?" Takeyo replied with an enigmatic smile.
Yuuma studied his face for a long moment, then sighed. "I think you enjoy making things complicated."
"Perhaps," he admitted. "But complicated situations often reveal more interesting opportunities than simple ones."
"And what opportunities are you seeing here?" she pressed.
"For now?" Takeyo's expression turned thoughtful. "The opportunity to understand both sides of an emerging conflict. The Hero Faction and the various supernatural factions are heading toward confrontation, that much is inevitable. Being positioned where I can observe and potentially influence events seems... strategically valuable."
"You're playing a dangerous game," Yuuma warned.
"Perhaps," Takeyo agreed. "But then again, since when has life been anything other than a dangerous game?"
He glanced in the direction Jeanne had departed, his smile turning slightly warmer. "Besides, despite her naivety, there's something genuinely admirable about her. That kind of straightforward heroism is becoming increasingly rare."
"You're too soft-hearted," Yuuma muttered, though her tone lacked real criticism.
"Maybe," Takeyo acknowledged. "Or maybe I just recognize potential allies when I see them, regardless of which faction they technically belong to."
"And what am I?" Yuuma asked quietly. "An ally? A pawn? Something else?"
Takeyo's expression softened as he met her gaze directly. "You're someone I'm choosing to protect, regardless of the complications that choice creates. That should tell you everything you need to know about where you stand with me."
Yuuma felt her cheeks warm slightly at the directness of his statement. "You really are troublesome, you know that?"
"So I've been told," Takeyo replied with a grin. "Shall we head back? We should probably avoid keeping our enthusiastic new acquaintance waiting for too long, at least not on our first meeting."
As they began walking back toward his apartment, Yuuma couldn't help but wonder what sort of chaos Takeyo was planning to create at the intersection of the Hero Faction, the supernatural factions, and his own mysterious agenda.
Whatever it was, she suspected it would be anything but boring.
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