« What?! Ha, damn it. This is getting ridiculous. »
Lucy, having heard the report of the situation, cursed in a voice full of irritation.
« For that reason, there seems to be a problem with the Takamagahara infiltration operation. »
At Kazuhiko's words, Lucy sighed so loudly that it was audible even over the phone.
« It can't be helped. From now on, we have no choice but to change the operation. »
« How should we change it? »
« First, I'll go there myself, and I'll have the second team directly commanded by Cheongmyeong. »
« No, coming here? How on earth…? »
Before Hwi-seon could finish speaking, a wormhole opened in the corner of the basement where they were, and Lucy appeared from within.
« There's always a way. »
Lucy pushed her long black hair back with her hand and said with a triumphant expression.
« So, I want to get to the point. Where is that Vlad? »
« Mr. Vlad stayed at the Oozora Mansion, saying he had an idea about a boy named Mikoto. »
« Well, if it's that guy, there's nothing to worry about. More importantly, the operation… »
Lucy took out the map with the original operation plan from her bosom and unfolded it.
« The original plan was to lure the Gilgamesh Faction to the Oozora Mansion, which served as bait, while simultaneously attacking from Shimonoseki and Osaka. »
« But the Oozora Mansion, which was supposed to be bait, turned out to be a trap. »
« Then there are two possibilities. »
Lucy extended her index finger and said.
« First, without attacking the Oozora Mansion, we will go all in on Izumo's defense and attempt a full-scale defense. »
« That would be difficult to penetrate. »
Lucy nodded and then extended her middle finger to make a '2' shape.
« And second, while we head to Izumo, we will lead the entire main force to attack Vlad. »
« Eh? Then wouldn't the bait operation be considered a success? »
Hwi-seon tilted her head.
The original purpose of the operation was to keep the main force tied up at the Oozora Mansion while attacking Izumo…
« No! Because Oozora is the enemy! If they use Gilgamesh's Light Spear or whatever from Oozora to attack Vlad's rear, then the bait is meaningless! »
Lucy shouted loudly.
« Common sense would dictate the second option. »
Kazuhiko, who had been intently studying the map, opened his mouth.
« Yes, logically speaking, even if it means giving up Takamagahara, we would target Vlad, the Demon God's strongest force. »
« Tsk, I knew it. Do you think they would give up that place? »
As Lucy was explaining in irritation, Cheongmyeong appeared behind her and grabbed her shoulder.
« No, logically speaking, wouldn't we give it up? Even if we leave Susanoo alone, we don't know how to interpret the spear, and besides… Ugh?! »
Cheongmyeong covered her mouth with his index finger as she was talking incessantly, and turned his head towards Hwi-seon.
« The man who introduced himself as Mikoto only said his name was 'Mikoto', right? »
« Jeong-hwa said he started to say 'Take' but stopped. But is that important? »
« It's important, very important. It's the biggest evidence that Susanoo isn't in Takamagahara. »
Cheongmyeong said, touching his forehead as if he had a headache.
« No, Susanoo isn't there? What kind of nonsense is that…? »
« Takehaya Susanoo no Mikoto. »
At the name Cheongmyeong pronounced, everyone, including Lucy, froze.
That was it.
The boy who introduced himself as Mikoto.
The Demon God who commanded all the magicians of the Japanese Archipelago.
It was Takehaya Susanoo no Mikoto himself.
« I didn't realize Seong Jin-hyeon's absence would be this impactful… Those magicians don't even know the target's full name. »
Cheongmyeong shook his head.
« He was at the Oozora Mansion from the beginning! Then Mr. Vlad… »
« That guy is cautious, so he would have figured it out. »
« Then why didn't he tell us?! If he had… »
« If he had, would there have been a better way? That was the best option. »
Hwi-seon couldn't answer.
Honestly, even now, looking back, there was no good solution.
A barrier strong enough to completely confine Jeong-hwa, who had excellent intuition.
Perhaps without Susanoo's help, Jeong-hwa wouldn't even have been able to escape…
« Oh? Wait a minute. If she has a talisman that allows escape, why is Susanoo still inside that barrier? »
« Now that you mention it, that's very strange. Could there be another restraint? »
Not a physical one, but some kind of mental restraint.
« There are siblings. Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi are both still alive. »
Kazuhiko sat down on the spot, his face dark, clutching his head with both hands.
However, the other two, excluding Susanoo, would not have reached the realm of a Demon God.
That means…
« This is a setback. They have a means of restraining someone other than a Demon God. »
This time, it was an unexpected variable that even Cheongmyeong hadn't foreseen.
« Things aren't going well. »
It felt like they had fallen into an antlion pit.
The more they tried to climb, the more they felt trapped by the collapsing sand walls, being sucked further in.
« It seems we've been falling into traps since the moment we set foot on Japanese soil. »
« That seems to be the case. I'm starting to worry about Vlad too. What is that guy thinking? »
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« This is it. I definitely sense magical power. Is he trying to hide? »
Vlad looked towards the central garden of the Oozora Mansion and said.
« In any case, I have no choice but to go. »
Without any hesitation, he entered the central garden where the barrier was erected.
Then a forest far wider than it appeared from the outside spread out, and soon a boy in traditional clothing appeared.
« I never expected you to attack so directly. A modern Demon God has quite the fiery temperament. »
« Susanoo… I never thought you'd reveal yourself so quickly. I thought, given your personality, you would toy with me a little longer before appearing. »
« If I were whole, I would have done so. But I can't control this forest. I don't have the power to do so now. »
He looked at the sky and sighed deeply with a wistful expression.
« So, why are you hiding here? What is Oozora scheming? »
« Oozora wants one thing: the revival of her deceased youngest daughter. »
« That's impossible. »
« I thought so too, but apparently it's possible. Wasn't there a precedent among the sorcerers? »
Vlad recalled Jeok-hwa.
Spirit summoning and body creation.
Was it the technique of the scholar, Polymer?
« That technique no longer exists. Seong Jin-hyeon destroyed it. Even the Gilgamesh Faction wouldn't have any more data on it. »
« That's right, he's Cheongmyeong's disciple. He wouldn't have done a sloppy job. But Oozora doesn't make such rational judgments. She's lost her mind. »
« It doesn't seem that way. »
« Not now, of course. She doesn't even realize that what she's holding onto is a straw, obtaining hope for life, and a light has returned to her eyes. »
Susanoo clicked his tongue and sat down on a suitably sized rock nearby.
« Haah… Then why are you helping them? Even knowing it's just a straw? You could easily escape if you wanted to. »
Even if he had lost his power, he couldn't have lost his knowledge.
If you just figure out the structure of the barrier, even without power, you can easily escape by slightly twisting the incantation.
Normally, they would make it impossible to understand the structure, but with the knowledge of a Demon God, even with interference, it wouldn't be that difficult to figure out.
« I can. But my sister and brother can't. »
« That's absurd. Amaterasu and Tsukuyomi are both Saint-level magicians, they couldn't possibly… »
« There is someone on the enemy side with a superpower that seals intelligence. »
« What? »
Vlad sat down on the spot in bewilderment.
« That Gilgamesh did a lot of research. To develop such an absurd superpower through biological experiments. »
« Is that even possible? Even among the central nervous systems, the brain has a complex network of circuits, making it difficult to control, and its resistance to external magical power is high. »
That's why, even with brainwashing, it's usually limited to extremely enhancing certain instincts, like in the case of the Cheonho tribe.
Or, like in the case of the Yeongno tribe, only controlling creatures with low original intelligence.
Even that requires continuously maintaining a large-scale ritual, and if the maintenance is stopped, the magic is also released.
But a superpower that permanently seals intelligence…?
« I think it's also absurd, but what can I do? Because of that, my sister and brother are practically idiots. »
Without Susanoo's help, they couldn't even eat properly.
Their existence had become unshakeable shackles for him, binding him to this place.
« The contract between the Gilgamesh Faction and you, Vlad, is your complete incapacitation. »
« That Gilgamesh must have been quite afraid of my abilities. »
Vlad snorted.
« That's understandable. The superpower you obtained upon revival is of a completely different level of power. »
« Do you know about my abilities? »
As Vlad glared at Susanoo, he nodded with a smile.
« I do. Revived by the origins of the Romanians and the world's longing for the vampire setting, you received your abilities from the collective unconscious of the universe. »
« …… »
« Dracula. That ability is to obtain everything reproducible among the abilities belonging to the category called 'vampire'... and that category includes not only existing vampires, but also 'all characters of vampire settings appearing in human creations.' »
« Amazing, you know it exactly. »
Vlad looked at him with a serious expression.
That was why he was the strongest.
With only that one ability, he possessed strength comparable to Seong Jin-hyeon.
Even if humans create stronger vampires in novels or animations, he gets even stronger.
An ability with no limits, endlessly growing stronger, limited only by human imagination.
« But that strength is useless against Gilgamesh's spear. I'm not saying anything bad, but escape this country quickly. »
« Can you say that? If I escape, won't Oozora's wish be unfulfilled? »
« Even if you die, Oozora's wish won't be fulfilled. No, if you die here, all of humanity will fall into the hands of that Gilgamesh. »
« I see, you're right. But I won't run away. »
« Are you an idiot? Even if it's you, if you get hit by that spear, you'll lose all your power! »
« I've fought against overwhelmingly stronger factions my whole life. That kind of risk is no obstacle to me. »
« You fought with that stubbornness and lost your country. »
« It's different now, I have someone I can trust my back to. And a young girl is saying she will fight, so can I turn my back on the battlefield? »
Vlad was referring to Hwi-seon, but Susanoo recalled Jeong-hwa, whom he had met last night.
« You're an incorrigible man. Is there an alternative? The fact that you're so confident means there's some kind of plan? »
« Of course there is. »
A mysterious voice answered instead of Vlad, to Susanoo's question.
Vlad smirked and took out a blue terminal from his pocket.
« Jirisan Sorcerer Cheongmyeong. You remember me, right? »
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