A Little Late-Night Story / Hades
However, as one of the heroines of High School DxD and a fan of Ren, Le Fay would only have the normal thoughts that a harem heroine would have. "It's normal for Rhodes to be surrounded by beautiful girls because Ren's so outstanding. She needs to work twice as hard to stand out."
The night was so deep that there was no sound; the whole street was deserted, and even the wind was too lazy to blow.
The streetlights shone alone, their dim yellow light falling on the cold pavement, and there wasn't a soul in sight. The moon in the sky was cold and pale, and the stars hung sparsely in the dark sky, lifeless.
After they finished eating, they went to wash up as arranged.
Being trapped in another world for so long was quite mentally taxing, and Rias and the others, having just experienced a high-intensity battle, started yawning repeatedly shortly after returning. Asia, the only one who hadn't participated in the battle, was also exhausted, as she had healed all the girls who were injured.
Of everyone, only Kuroka probably still has the mood to play games all night.
Rossweisse stood there in the desolate night, her heart churning with regret—a real, ingrained regret, along with an inescapable shame that weighed heavily on her chest, making even her breathing feel heavy.
The reason is quite simple.
Drinking can lead to trouble.
Although Ren didn't blame her, she found it hard to forgive herself, so she made up her mind to quit drinking from that day forward!
Chapter 397 A Short Story at Night
How are you feeling?
In the quiet of the night, Lavinia appeared beside Ren and asked this question.
You'll find out soon enough whether it's good or not.
After Ren finished speaking, he only saw Lavinia's reproachful expression.
"Don't be so reckless next time, we're all worried about you."
"Don't worry, I have many flaws, but I'm never reckless when it comes to matters of life and death. I only do things that I'm 100% sure of."
Ren chuckled softly and reached out to stroke Lavinia's hair.
Upon hearing him say that, Lavinia showed her usual smile.
"Hehehe, I know you're a cautious young man, Ren. When I was fighting Jaucusta, you were the last one to make your move."
Are you praising me or making a sarcastic remark about me?
Ren thought for a moment.
The old witch Jaucusta, who once led the witch organization, coveted Lavinia's body and the Longinus, while Lavinia viewed Jaucusta as the murderer who had harmed her master.
The two naturally ended up fighting when they met.
However, Lavinia's mind wavered because of Jaucusta's words, and Jaucusta took advantage of her vulnerability, almost successfully possessing her using dark magic.
At that moment, Ren made a sudden move, killing the old witch who was casting her spell with a single blow. In the end, he not only obtained the unclaimed Longinus, the Cross of the Purple Flame Sacrificial Lord, but also abducted the beautiful girl Lavinia back home.
"?"
However, after hearing what Ren said, Lavinia tilted her head.
The girl was clearly not very calculating; even now, she was still very grateful to Ren for saving her.
However, Lavinia's cheeks quickly turned redder than ever before.
Because Ren's hand, which had been stroking her hair, had somehow slipped from her shoulder into her lining and was now plucking at her like a stringed instrument.
This immediately provoked a confrontational reaction from Lavinia.
"It's so late, and... you've just been in a battle; your body may not have recovered yet..."
She was indeed thinking of Ren's health.
However, Ren waved his hand dismissively, indicating that there was no problem.
He ate a lot of specialties from the Underworld at the hotel that night, and now his energy is even more vigorous than before the battle.
Lavinia, who doted on Ren, could only blush and give up her resistance, whispering, "Even so, you still need to make sure you get enough rest."
The rest of the night passed without incident.
Meanwhile, Ren and Lavinia were discussing important life matters.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Earth.
Using Absolute Mist and teleportation magic, Georg gathered all his Hero Faction colleagues who were able to teleport and teleported them to a remote stronghold in Europe.
The room, which had been protected by a barrier, was brightly lit.
The Hero Faction, including Georg and Siegfried, looked at their companions, whose spirits were even more dejected than their bodies, their faces also filled with gloom.
This plan to avenge himself on Ren and capture Ophis has failed once again.
More importantly, Cao Cao, in order to cover their retreat, used the Holy Lance to stop Ren from making a move, and judging from the current situation, he was clearly captured.
"Georg, teleport me back! I need to rescue Cao Cao!"
Siegfried spoke loudly as he walked up to Georg and spoke resolutely.
"Impossible. I didn't leave any specific spatial coordinates in Kuoh Town, and the otherworld I created with magic was destroyed. Besides... even if you teleport back, it won't help. We've already lost completely."
Even the defeat of the Five Great Houses last time did not make them so dejected.
After all, Cao Cao was still leading them.
But now even the core leader has been captured, and the current situation is tantamount to a group of dragons without a leader, completely losing its direction for the future.
Siegfried naturally understood this as well.
He knelt down with a thud, slamming his right fist into the ground, creating a dent in the floor.
After a long while, he gradually regained his composure.
With Cao Cao absent, he, as the deputy captain, had to shoulder the responsibility.
If it were Cao Cao, he certainly wouldn't launch a counterattack now.
We've lost a lot of men this time, so the most important thing right now is to recuperate and rebuild our strength. Once we've recovered, we can then investigate where Cao Cao is being held and rescue him.
After quickly formulating the corresponding strategy in his mind, Siegfried was about to give instructions, but the next second, as if he had sensed something, he looked out the window.
At some point, the villa was surrounded by a group of figures dressed in black robes, exuding an eerie atmosphere.
At first glance, they look like figures hanging in the sky; it's not impossible for an ordinary person to faint on the spot.
However, the members of the Hero Faction had already dealt with these guys before this operation.
These figures in black robes are Grim Reaper.
They live in the Netherworld, a realm distinct from the realm of the Underworld in Greek Mythology.
Although he is called the Grim Reaper of death, his status in Greek Mythology is similar to that of angels; both are official figures in mythology.
The brim of the hat was pulled down so low that one couldn't see the face beneath it at all, but only the eyes shone brightly in the night sky.
It exuded intense hostility and murderous intent.
Besides that, the most eye-catching thing was the huge scythes they were holding.
Each scythe has a different design; some are skulls, some are monster arms, and some are monster bones. In short, the design of the scythes gives people the feeling of a dark and sinister style of Grim Reaper.
Even before joining the Khaos Brigade, Cao Cao and his associates were secretly making deals with the Grim Reaper of the Netherworld.
In order to obtain intelligence and maintain the team's vast funds, the Hero Faction secretly performed many tasks for Hades, the chief god who controls the Netherworld.
This includes, but is not limited to, harassing attacks targeting Mount Olympus from Greek Mythology.
This operation to capture Ophis was naturally supported by Hades.
Furthermore, to increase the success rate, they even specially borrowed Dragon Eater Samael was sealed in the deepest part of hell.
However, this mission by the Hero Faction was a complete failure.
Grim Reaper sensed the hostility of the Siegfried Reapers very clearly.
He suppressed the unease rising in his heart, stood up, opened the door, and went outside.
Hundreds of Grim Reaper surrounded the entire manor.
His eyes, hidden beneath the hood, gleamed with an eerie green light.
Surrounded by this atmosphere, Siegfried's mood immediately sank even further.
Georg, Leonardo, and other members of the Hero Faction followed behind him.
And just then...
A long-haired man dressed in magnificent clothes appeared accompanied by a magic circle, emanating a powerful aura that made the members of the Hero Faction feel intense pressure.
If Ren were here, he would surely recognize the other's identity.
--Shalba Beelzebub.
Chapter 398 Hades
"Shalba, what are you doing here? And what's with all these Grim Reaper?"
Siegfried stepped forward and asked.
"The reason I came here in person is, of course, because of you. This operation wasn't just my doing; that old man from the Netherworld was also paying close attention. So, what results did you bring back?"
Shalba gave a distasteful, contemptuous smile.
Upon hearing this, the members of the Hero Faction fell silent, unsure how to respond.
Could we just tell them the operation failed, and that Cao Cao and Dragon Eater Samael both perished there?
Seeing that they didn't answer, Shalba grinned lewdly and said, "I knew it. Your operation must have failed, right? After all, even Cao Cao isn't here anymore. You guys always like to follow that guy around."
Even without guessing, Shalba knew the outcome.
The Hero Faction all wounded and exhausted, and even Ophis, the most important of them all, was not there.
The result is obvious.
"And what about Samael? Don't tell me you didn't even bring that thing back."
Shalba asked with a sneer.
Seeing this, Georg could only step forward and answer, "Because of that man, the Dragon Eater Samael's plan to devour the Infinite failed. Not only that, Samael was also sealed away by that man using a strange method. I've tried many methods, but none of them have worked."
Even now, looking back, Georg still thinks that palm-sized sphere was a bit too outrageous.
To completely seal the Dragon Eater Samael, dozens of seals would be needed to prevent its malice from spreading.
However, that man accomplished everything with just one ball.
Furthermore, it exudes no aura whatsoever, as if it exists solely to seal away creatures.
Upon hearing this, the Shalba burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! Amazing! Truly amazing! To think that such an important item could be left there like that. If His Majesty knew, I wonder what kind of expression He would have! After all, that monster is something that all forces are closely monitoring. To just lose it like that, as the seal's manager, He cannot escape blame."
The Hero Faction stared at Shalba, who was laughing heartily, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.
It took about half a minute.
Siegfried, seemingly annoyed, said, "If there's nothing else, then don't disturb our rest. We, the Hero Faction, will handle this ourselves!"
"Solve it? Yes, yes, this matter certainly needs to be resolved, but we can't keep letting you operate forever. By the way, let's make a deal: you hand over all the Longinus, and I'll leave you with a complete corpse."
Shalba stroked his chin and said.
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, the members of the Hero Faction thought they had misheard.
But when they noticed that the Grim Reaper hovering in the sky had pointed his scythe at them and was emanating an eerie aura, they realized that what Shalba had said was true.
The Shalba and the Grim Reaper came here specifically to wait for them.
Regardless of the success or failure of their operation, the decision to take action will depend on their combat capabilities.
Now, the Hero Faction has lost most of its fighting strength, and even the strongest, Cao Cao, has been captured. Those who remain are nothing more than hot commodities in the eyes of these grim Grim Reaper.
Moreover, these people also possess the Longinus.
The Longinus.
This is something even the gods would pursue.
Back when Cao Cao had just awakened his Sacred Gear, numerous organized forces tried to seize his holy spear. If he hadn't been powerful enough, he would have had his Sacred Gear stolen and his body left to rot in the wilderness long ago.
"Shalba, is this Hades meant?!"