Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sound of explosions and clashes echoed around, shrouded in billowing black smoke. The once prosperous town was now shattered and devastated under the onslaught of war.
As Sirzechs had said, this was indeed an unprecedented crisis. The old Demon King faction, the Khaos Brigade, and many dissident forces dissatisfied with the current rule of the Underworld had converged to form the Rebel Army, sweeping through the entire Underworld.
Even if they were to emerge victorious, this war would leave a massive scar on the Underworld.
However, these were not the concerns on Tenraku's mind.
"You damn Devils, I won't let you manipulate me any longer!"
"Die! Hahaha!"
Tenraku and Grayfia walked through the streets of the town, not hurried nor rushed. Suddenly, a bloodied man charged at them, launching an attack.
It was said that after the outbreak of this war, there were many cases of Peerages attacking their own masters and defecting to the enemy. After all, not every lord had a deep bond with their Peerages like Tenraku and Rias.
For many, being forced into a Peerage due to exceptional aptitude and unique abilities was the norm.
Coerced and often subjected to their lords' domineering behavior, surely many harbored deep-seated resentment. The ongoing war provided them the opportunity to unleash their pent-up frustrations.
The man attacking Tenraku and Grayfia seemed to be one such individual. Surprisingly, this fellow was also a Sacred Gear Wielder.
His left hand was covered in a layer of metallic scarlet, resembling the initial form of Boosted Gear, 'Gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor.' He conjured an energy sphere in his hand, launching it toward Tenraku and Grayfia.
Sizzle…
The energy sphere tore through the air and almost instantaneously reached Tenraku, only to be casually swatted away with a flick of his hand.
Boom!
The energy sphere exploded against a building beside the street, sending rubble flying and causing the structure to collapse.
"Impossible!"
Never did he expect his attack to be easily deflected. The man's eyes widened, his expression one of disbelief.
"Die! Die! Die!"
Unable to accept this reality, the man raised his hand and unleashed dozens of energy spheres toward Tenraku and Grayfia.
A face twisted with frantic hatred, one might think he held a deep-seated grudge against them.
While these energy sphere attacks were formidable, they were quite ineffective against Tenraku and Grayfia. Tenraku activated his innate barrier, impervious to the onslaught. As for Grayfia, she didn't even bother to unleash her magic, letting all incoming energy spheres veer off course.
"You monsters!"
Finally realizing that these two were beyond his reach, the man cursed vehemently and prepared to flee.
However, thinking he could just escape after failing to win a fight? Such an easy way out did not exist!
Activating the ability of 'Shield of the Dark Night – Night Reflection,' Tenraku's shadow shot forth from his feet, freezing the man in his tracks just as he took a few steps forward.
"Ahhh… I won't let you manipulate me any longer!"
"You damn Devils! I curse you! I curse you!"
Struggling in vain, the man, now aware of his impending doom, cursed vehemently.
"I say, buddy, it's not like we're oppressing or exploiting you. Why curse us?"
"Never mind, since we've bumped into each other, I'll just take your Sacred Gear without ceremony."
With a sigh, Tenraku approached the man and directly activated the ability of 'Sacred Gear Plunder.' His hand plunged into the man's chest.
"Ahhh!"
Screams echoed in the surroundings. Once the Sacred Gear was extracted, Tenraku released the man from his immobilization. The man convulsed and collapsed onto the ground.
"You're the one… that…"
Realizing that his Sacred Gear had been taken away so easily, the man finally recognized Tenraku's identity. His pallid face was now filled with despair.
He had encountered that monster from the Phenex family. Fate was truly cruel!
Unable to fathom the man's inner turmoil, Tenraku had lost interest in him. He delivered a kick, sending the man tumbling into the walls, crashing through several before being buried in the ruins tens of meters away.
Unconcerned with the man's fate, Tenraku integrated the Sacred Gear into his own body. What he had taken from the man was a Sacred Gear called 'Twice Critical,' also known as 'Hand of the Dragon – Twice Critical.'
It possessed the ability to multiply the host's strength within a limited time frame. It was a somewhat common Sacred Gear that had become somewhat ubiquitous.
Although it superficially resembled the 'Gauntlet of the Red Dragon Emperor – Boosted Gear,' its abilities were vastly inferior to the latter.
Feeling the surge of power within him, Tenraku couldn't help but shake his head. While he was just one step away from reaching the transcendent level, simply taking low-level and ordinary Sacred Gears like this, even if he took hundreds or thousands more, wouldn't be enough to break through that barrier.
It seemed he would have to seek out the powerful Longinus!
"Lord Tenraku."
At that moment, Yubelluna and her peers returned, saluting Tenraku.
"How's the situation?"
Snapping back to reality, Tenraku inquired.
"All the survivors in the town have been safely evacuated, but the enemy's main force is heading this way. This little town probably won't hold much longer," Yubelluna responded with a grave expression on her face.
Frowning slightly, Tenraku spread two pairs of golden wings beneath his feet and ascended into the sky, hovering hundreds of meters above.
As Yubelluna had stated, the enemy's main force was indeed converging towards them. It was a dark mass of at least tens of thousands, comprising both Devils and humans, with many powerful auras mixed in.
This was truly a harsh and brutal war. In this situation, temporarily retreating was the wisest choice.
However, even so, retreating like this was somewhat unsatisfying.
"Grayfia, with your strength, you should be able to hold off those enemies, right?"
Looking at Grayfia, who was also floating in the air beside him, Tenraku asked.
"I can."
"But my duty is to ensure your safety. I won't waste my strength on something so futile."
Casting a faint glance at Tenraku, Grayfia added, "Kamiya Tenraku, if you truly want to help, come with me. Quickly restore your Spirit Power to create more Demonic Beasts for the coalition army. Don't play these Hero games in a place like this."
"Sigh… Even if it's you, Grayfia, I feel a bit hurt being spoken to like that."
"Firstly, whenever battle requires, I'll naturally create more Demonic Beasts."
"Secondly, I'm not playing any Hero game, nor do I want to become a Hero. I'm merely acting out of a sense of basic responsibility, wanting to contribute a bit more. My family and loved ones also live in this land, and I don't want to see them destroyed by those rebels."
Letting out a sigh, Tenraku spoke, and in Grayfia's eyes flashed a few nearly imperceptible glimmers.
"Well, since Grayfia is unwilling to act, then I'll handle it myself."
"It's impossible. Your Spirit Power hasn't even recovered half, and even with your Peerage, you won't be able to withstand the enemy's army."
Spirit Qi surged, and Tenraku was about to take action, but Grayfia wore an expression of obvious disbelief.
Grinning at the corner of his mouth, Tenraku's face showed a trace of confidence.
"Indeed, that's true. However, I still have an ace up my sleeve that I haven't used yet. This is the perfect opportunity to give it a try!"
To be continued…
You can read up to 70 chapters on my patreon and I've also activated (date to date) subscription model on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395/posts.