“Ahhh!”

  Tokka fell to the ground, struck in the stomach by her opponent's sword thrust. She had attempted a lunge, but it had failed miserably, and now she lay exhausted, in pain- with her belly torn open. It had been a foolish idea to face a troll and his underlings. Tokka was proud like all her kind, but not stupid—she knew that challenging a troll to a battle of strength would be suicidal, especially if she lacked fire to cripple its regenerative ability.

  "How boring! Are you exhausted already?!"

  The gang leader taunted her, poking her with the sabre he had in his hand.

  I have failed you...father...

  Tokka cursed herself for not running away immediately when she had the chance. After escaping the mountains, she had looked for a river to drink and catch her breath, but unfortunately, she had stumbled upon a reconnaissance party of about fifty trolls, plus the one who had challenged her to a duel, his name was Zog.

  As bad luck would have it, this troll was one of the "Fearsome Five", Yeddu's most powerful and loyal troll generals. Tokka would have had a hard time defeating one of those beasts, especially one trained and skilled with a sword. What irritated her most was her opponent's attitude. If for her winning this battle was the only hope for her people, for Zog it was nothing more than a show of strength. Tokka couldn't escape because she was surrounded, while Zog could have killed her on the spot—but instead he'd toyed with her, as if she were a miserable prey.

  "Kill her, boss! We're hungry!"

  "Yes! I've never eaten a lizard before!"

  Zog's subordinates shouted, ecstatic as if under the influence of some drug. Saliva dripped from their mouths in droves, making it almost as if they hadn't eaten in days—an impossibility given the vast amount of food they had at their disposal.

  "Okay, okay!"

  Zog simply shrugged. Only his mouth and blood-red eyes were visible under his black helmet, and they were staring at Tokka as if she were a delicious snack. Like his subordinates, the general began to drool like a dog who was starring at a succulent steak.

  “You're boring me, lizard. I'm going to kill you now!”

  Eaten by a troll, tsk! What a terrible end...forgive me, father!

  Zog raised his saber to the sky but didn't swing it immediately. He remained in that position for a few seconds too long, as if savoring the moment. He licked his lips and finally started to lower the weapon when something appeared before his eyes.

  "Hey! Who the hell are you?!"

  "Sorry, but you can't kill her. I have some questions to ask this girl..."

  Tokka opened her eyes with the last bit of energy she had and saw a figure standing between her and the troll general. She didn't know who it was or how it had arrived, but it was definitely no ordinary figure. It was a tall girl with red hair tied in a long ponytail, dressed in casual clothes, with two dragon wings on her back and her right hand covered in a strange red energy.

  "No one steals my prey! Dieeeeeee!"

  Zog roared, swinging his great saber at the newcomer, ready to strike the young woman. Tokka was sure even a tree would snap in half under the force of that colossus. During her brief scuffle with the general, was she sure he was enhanced by something, perhaps a long-lasting spell? His strength was far superior to the average troll, even for an elite like him. Despite all this, the newcomer remained completely indifferent—she almost seemed bored.

  "You're so predictable..."

  "W-What?!!!"

  The troll couldn't believe his eyes: not only had the girl blocked his blow with just her right hand, but the saber had also cracked on impact. Even Tokka was stunned by the sight; not even one of the Six Great Heroes could have done such a thing.

  Did she block the troll's blow with just her palm? Who even is this girl?!

  “B-But...H-How?!”

  “You only know how to ask questions? Since when are trolls so cultured that they know how to ask meaningful questions?”

  The redhead's dig didn't go unnoticed, and Zog gritted his teeth furiously.

  “How dare you, you insolent little thing! Don't you know who I am?! I am Zog! One of the Fearsome Five! I am— “

  “Someone I'm bored of. I'll leave you with my secretary.”

  In perfect sync with the snap of the redhead’s fingers, an Oni appeared out of nowhere and charged at the troll, striking him with a double kick to the face, hurling him against a tree and disarming him.

  "Can you take care of him, Shion? I'll take care of the lizard. Please, don't kill him! We need him for the interrogation."

  "Certainly, Lady Almodea! Leave it to me!"

  With that, Shion lunged at Zog, proving to be a match for him. The general's boldness had completely vanished in the face of this powerful warrior, who was easily cornering him. Meanwhile, Almodea turned to Tokka. She was losing a lot of blood and was nearly unconscious. Her wounds were quite serious, but she wouldn't die immediately if left untreated.

  “Heal!”

  As if by magic, Tokka immediately felt better and was able to stand up. The bleeding had stopped, and the wounds had healed without scarring. The other had used a simple Heal, a level 3 spell. It was a powerful spell, but the effects had been far too effective, as if she had cast the level 4 Greater Heal spell or even the level 5 Overheal spell.

  "I thought my wounds would be fatal, but instead..."

  She shifted her gaze to the taller girl, who was staring at her with her crimson eyes.

  "You...who are you? Why did you save me?"

  "My name is Almodea! Almodea Fearterror! I've come to save you because I have some questions for you!"

  Almodea? Like the one that...

  A light bulb went off in Tokka's head. She finally understood who she was facing.

  "A-Are you that girl who commands the Oni and the goblins?"

  "Exactly! Give me a second— Hey, Shion!"

  Almodea turned to her secretary, watching her beat the crap out of Zog. She could have helped, but why do it when it wasn't necessary? She loved watching Shion fight; she was so beautiful and graceful, yet so violent and brutal.

  "Are you done? Do you need a hand?"

  "There's no need to bother yourself, Lady Almodea!"

  "Die, you whore!!!"

  The troll leaped to his feet and lunged at Shion, clasping her hands and turning the fight into a contest of brute strength. He probably thought that, being against a smaller opponent, he would win easily. Never was a deduction more wrong. Shion simply lifted him bodily from the ground over her head and then threw him at Almodea's feet, who was mesmerized by that display of strength. The rapid flapping of her wings suggested she was both excited and ecstatic at her subordinate’s display.

  "Wow...you've gotten even stronger!"

  Almodea commented, completely astonished. She knew Shion was strong, the strongest of the Oni in terms of sheer physical power; she wasn't her bodyguard for nothing.

  During one of the parties one evening, Shion had literally beaten everyone at arm wrestling, with the exception of Almodea- who had limited herself to cheering her on, giving her a kiss upon each victory- and Hirashi, who had simply sat at a table reading, occasionally talking to Hattori or Huna.

  "Modestly, training with Lady Hirashi has paid off!"

  Shion smiled, placing her right hand on her left bicep, proud of having improved so much in the past few weeks, not only in hand-to-hand combat, but also with the sword. Almodea couldn't help but agree with her.

  “You'll be at least level 38...that's a lot for someone who started at level 20! You deserve a reward after this!”

  "Watch out for his henchmen!"

  Tokka shouted, noticing the rest of the trolls advancing towards them, ready to fight.

  "Huh? Oh, yes...Dark Flame! "

  Almodea turned to Zog's henchmen and shrugged, as if they were no big deal. A jet-black flame shot from her palm, instantly eliminating all the trolls in its path. Nothing remained but scorched earth.

  I can't believe it...who are these beings? How can they be so powerful?!

  Unaware of Tokka's thoughts, Almodea approached Shion and Zed, watching the only remaining troll with them. After that display of absurd power, the lizard girl shrank, ready to flee in case of danger.

  "How's the boss doing?"

  "He's fine! He's just-"

  "You insects are nothing! The powers granted to me by the Doom Troll will allow me to devour you and—"

  Zog yelled, before seeing a devastating punch land in his face from Shion, followed by a kick that made his head explode.

  "Don't you dare speak to Lady Almodea like that! How can you be so disrespectful to her?!"

  After the act the Oni turned to the demoness, with the face of someone who wanted compliments after doing something right, even though she had done the exact opposite.

  "I punished that fool, mistress!"

  "You're the fool. We needed him for the interrogation."

  Zed pointed out, slightly irritated by the woman's lack of tact.

  "It's no problem! You did great, Shion!"

  Almodea, on the other hand, seemed very pleased with her bodyguard's behavior, so much so that she gave her a kiss on the cheek as a reward. Given the severity of the tantrum, the troll would regenerate in a few hours, so taking him back to base would be the best idea.

  "Well, let's retreat! Let's take our guest to Almy...and this carcass too."

  With that, Almodea opened her wings, allowing Shion to cling to her, and then took flight. Zed, on the other hand, was sent to retrieve Tokka and teleported her to their base, where she was medically checked by Huna. Afterwards, she was subjected to a lengthy interrogation by the hostess. All in all, it went well- considering Zog's regenerating body had been locked away somewhere and was certainly not doing great.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  26th day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 17:12 PM

  Zed and his group often scouted the forest, looking for troll scouts too close to Almy's town. Moreover, there was still hope that there might be other surviving Oni besides the six of them. It was during one of those expeditions that he came across Tokka and Zog. Unsure of what to do, he opted to ask Almodea, and while reluctant to put her cuddles with Shion on hold, she decided to go with him. Tokka's rescue hadn't been done simply out of good faith; they had many questions to ask her.

  "So the Troll King has tricked you and has your father—aka the Lizardmen King—prisoner...what a sticky situation!"

  Almodea muttered. Everything had suddenly become more difficult for no apparent reason, and she didn't like it. For her, it was the classic moment where a manga plot loses its interest because some new, forced twist has been added.

  "Yes! Please, save my father! And my brother too! An army of undead is marching on our capital. Besides, the orcs need saving too."

  Tokka replied, lowering her head. She seemed quite embarrassed, but nevertheless continued speaking.

  "I was sent to convince my brother to make a deal with you, but the trolls intercepted me during my escape. I thank you for saving me and I owe you my life, but I must still ask you to lend us your strength! I know the battle doesn't seem to be going in our favor, but—"

  "Don't worry! I'll talk to Dad about it and see what I can do."

  "Dad?"

  As Tokka wondered what Almodea meant, Shion stepped forward and took the lizard by the hand, looking at it with proud eyes. She seemed extremely confident and wound up like a spring ready to burst.

  "Don't worry! Lady Almodea can do anything! She will save your father, your brother, and even the orcs! Who recognizes the greatness of our Lady Almodea is destined to be helped! You are one of those lucky ones!"

  "Exactly- what?!"

  Almodea's jaw dropped. Shion hadn't consulted her at all about this; what was she even thinking? Granted, the secretary had a nasty habit of singing her praises, but making such decisions without permission was going too far.

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  "You are the best, Lady Almodea! You will save everyone, won't you?"

  The Oni grabbed the demoness's hands and leaned toward her, staring at her with admiration. Almodea found herself forced to nod, helpless before such beauty. That had always been her weakness: beautiful girls. She couldn't say no to her, not to Shion—especially when she was making puppy dog eyes.

  She gives me extra work. Damn, she behaves like real secretary...

  A sigh escaped Almodea's mouth, but it wasn't followed by any complaint. She faced a difficult choice, and she would have to discuss it with her father first. The demoness was the leader of the city of Almy, but Almodeus was the true absolute ruler. If he didn't agree to any agreements made without being consulted, the situation would end in tragedy.

  "Okay, Tokka. I'll see what I can do, but I can't promise you anything."

  "Thank you, Lady Almodea!"

  "Rest here for now, okay? We have things to do..."

  With that, Almodea left the room with Shion, while Zed stayed behind to gather further information from Tokka. He had also been assigned to act as her bodyguard—obviously not for protection. It was vital that Tokka didn’t reveal herself to be a traitor or a even a spy. If she escaped, Zed had orders to recapture her alive, even by force.

  Since that was Almodea's order, he would have carried it out without thinking twice.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  That same evening, an emergency meeting was called to discuss the troll situation. All the high officials of the city of Almy were present at Almodea's house: Gurd, who acted as bureaucratic do-it-all; Huna, as the Sacred Priestess of the Crimson Dragon Cult; Shen, as the general of the armed forces; and Hirashi, as the city's strongest warrior.

  Tokka was also sitting at the table with them, representing the lizardmen. Next to her sat Trinity, representing the dryads. She had come there for a private discussion with Almodea, but decided to attend the meeting. Finally, Sergio and Morello were present as intermediaries for the Fear Tower. In the latter's hand was a large crystal sphere with a red "A" engraved on it. Unable to attend in person, Almodeus would listen to the meeting remotely.

  Almodea wasted no time in explaining the orcs' involvement and the trolls' imprisonment of the lizardmen's ruler. Testimonies were also heard about the war the Fear Tower had waged against the lizardmen kingdom. Despite being on the same side, the city of Almy was declared immune from any future troubles. The Fear Tower, however, took responsibility for the invasion, even though no one would punish them for the outbreak of hostilities. How could they blame someone who could have exterminated them? With a heavy heart, Tokka had to blame the incompetence of her older brother—the acting ruler of their kingdom—who had been deceived by a certain Vennominon. Of course she was assured that, should a second war break out, the royal family would be spared. This concluded the simplest part of the meeting; now they moved on to the more difficult part.

  -The direction of the situation was clear: trolls were everyone's common enemy.

  But the situation wasn't as simple as it seemed. Through Ryu's testimony, it emerged that even they were likely victims of some unknown subterfuge, given the presence of demons in their ranks. Ultimately, those responsible for all the chaos in the forest were essentially the following: Almodeus, Yeddu, and the mastermind behind the demons who were indulging the Troll King in pursuing his foolish desires.

  Of course, no one would dare oppose Almodeus, since he was the only force capable of holding back the trolls' advance. Trinity had to say through gritted teeth that this was merely a large-scale application of the law of the strongest. Essentially, she was giving her blessing to the city of Almy and the Fear Tower, recognizing them as two separate entities—so that one could not be blamed for the other's crimes. Furthermore, this action absolved Almodeus of any blame, reducing the number of those responsible for all this mess to just two individuals.

  Finally having agreed on a common enemy, the final part of the assembly could finally begin.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  "If what you say is true, this is the first great war of the Dark Jade Forest!"

  Gurd commented, astonished. Such a thing was inconceivable to him. So many small battles were nothing new, but an all-out war in the forest had never been heard of. Of course, he knew there were no righteous sides in such a situation, but he would still support his own side. His loyalty to Almodeus was total.

  "Lady Almodea, how shall we behave?"

  Shen, who was the military commander of Almy City, asked. If Shion was the demoness's right-hand man, he was her left—especially for field missions.

  "I talked to my father about it..."

  Almodea began, sitting at the head of the table with Shion standing beside her. She indicated the sphere Morello reverently held in his hand, as if it were an object worth more than his own life. After a few seconds of silence, which in this case signified assent, Almodea continued her speech.

  "...It seems that the troll base is divided into three mountains joined together."

  After a signal from the girl, Shion unrolled a small scroll. It was a computer-generated representation of the Alps bordering the forest to the north: the trolls' base of operations. There were seven interconnected mountains in total, but only the three in the center were under Yeddu's actual command. She had no idea what was in the others, and it didn't matter to her at the moment.

  -Unless it was caves full of dragons, rare creatures or beautiful women, Almodea wouldn't have shown interest.

  “From what we know from our interrogation with Zog, the troll troops should be ready to march within three days. We already know their movements—they will split into two forces: the smaller one is already marching and will attack the lizardmen swamp, intent on destroying the royal palace. Their intention is to sow discord and bring the fallen kingdom to battle my father's armies, causing mutual destruction. The second, larger part of the army will advance along the edge of the forest, intent on surprising the undead army guarding the southern border of the lizardmen kingdom. Once destroyed that, they will move toward our city.”

  Almodea's statement was shocking. The trolls could never have conceived such a plan; it was obvious that someone more cunning had carried it out. Tokka was the most shocked of all, having now learned the full scale of this conflict. It wasn't just the lizardmen who were at stake, but all the other species as well. She'd learned the fate of the Oni village from Zed and almost vomited. She was an experienced soldier; she'd seen it all, yet mass extermination was something she couldn't bear.

  “Do we know anything about their numbers, Lady Almodea?”

  Huna asked, trying to keep her tone calm.

  "Only the largest army. It's made up of both trolls and orcs, and the total number is around three hundred and fifty thousand."

  “Three hundred and fifty thousand?!”

  Everyone was stunned by that stratospheric number. They knew the enemy was numerous, but not to that extent. Seeing the surprise on the others' faces, Almodea raised her hands in the air, trying to calm everyone down.

  “Don't worry! My father will support us in the all-out attack!”

  "Do you mean that the Absolute Almodeus will attack with us?"

  Shen's question prompted some grumbling from the others present. To the Oni, Almodeus was something of a mystery, as they had never seen him. They only knew that he was a being of terrifying power, approaching that of the Strong Wind Dragon, even though Almodea had repeatedly reiterated that her father was the most powerful being in existence.

  “I confirm, I will be present together with my troops.”

  A distorted voice declared from the sphere Morello held in his hand. Despite everyone present being allies, only Hirashi and Almodea remained calm after that statement. It was the latter who spoke up immediately afterward.

  "The plan is this: Dad will attack the mountain in the center with his troops—it's the seat of the Troll King, Yeddu. Of course, this is a war, so there will be many deaths..."

  Almodea turned to the dryad, as if seeking her approval. If she got it, no one would object to the bloodbath. Trinity was quick to nod, giving her blessing. She didn't agree with a large-scale massacre, but she knew Almodea wasn't saying it maliciously. It was true that they had to save the orcs, but they also had to avoid losses among their own ranks. In the chaos of battle, they couldn't just stand by and watch who was a pig or not.

  "We'll take care of the sides instead. I was thinking of splitting us into two groups, one led by me and the other by Hirashi. Is that okay?"

  "We trust you, Lady Almodea."

  Shen responded promptly, smiling and giving a thumbs-up, followed closely by everyone else sitting at the living room table. The house hadn't been designed for all those people, but a little bit of temporary Void Magic from Hirashi had solved the space problem.

  "Good. I'm glad we're all in agreement."

  Almodea smiled, happier than ever that she was managing the situation. It was difficult to act like a mature woman, especially when she'd spent her whole life pretending to be a spoiled brat, but now she had Shion by her side and couldn't disappoint her. Especially since Shion was also playing the part of an experienced secretary herself.

  "How many soldiers do we have, Hirashi?"

  "About two hundred and fifteen goblin knights, ranging in level from fifteen to seventeen. However, they are only recruits and I doubt they would be of much use against the trolls. I would suggest leaving them at the city as guards. Your father's undead will be enough to keep the enemy troops at bay."

  "We could send them to my brother as emissaries."

  “Great idea, Tokka!”

  A light bulb went off in Almodea's head. A brilliant plan had occurred to her.

  “Zed, I have a task for you!”

  “Tell me, Lady Almodea.”

  "You will lead the goblin knights with Tokka to Gabiru and have us send support! We will use the portals to move the large number of troops!"

  Zed simply nodded, saying nothing; he wasn't one to talk much. From Hirashi, he had learned not only assassin techniques, but also a bit of stoicism.

  “Do you think this will be enough to stop the troll forces attacking the royal palace?”

  “That's a good question, Hattori. Maybe I should send some really strong units with them.”

  Almodea brought her hand to her chin, unsure who to add to the group.

  “May I suggest sending Yor? I think this kind of mission would be beneficial to her.”

  “If we're talking about Esoterica, I'd have sent Rubedo. But Yor is more than fine, too! I trust you, big sis!”

  After the motion was passed with a thumbs-up, everyone turned their attention back to the assault that was about to take place. After all, that would be the hardest part.

  "For the rest, how do we divide ourselves into the two groups?"

  Hattori asked, cleaning his sword very carefully.

  "I would do it this way: you, Hirashi, and Shen will attack the mountain on the right, where we know Tokka's father and his escort are being held prisoner underground. You will be joined by Zed and Gabiru's troops as support."

  The demoness pointed to the points listed on the rudimentary map that her bodyguard had unrolled earlier.

  "Shion and I will go to the right instead. From the information Zog gleaned, we know that the Orc King- Gherdmiude- resides there! If he surrenders, all the orcs surrender! Those I haven't named will remain here to govern the city in my absence."

  "Remember that most trolls are under the influence of the Ruthless Devourer skill, just as Zog was. They will fight with double the fury and will not stop until they are dead, or have devoured you."

  The distorted voice coming from the sphere Morello held in his hand spoke again. Everyone nodded in understanding and turned to Almodea to see if she had anything else to say. The girl considered this and held up three fingers on her right hand.

  "To recap: we must not kill the Orc King, the Lizardman King, and the most valiant and powerful warrior of the trolls, Hyo-Zan-Ryu! Is that clear?"

  "Lady Almodea, are you sure this is a sensible tactic? We are attacking more than three hundred thousand enemies with only brute force..."

  Huna asked, visibly doubtful.

  "It may seem that way, but we're just buying time! If we can subdue the Orc King and buy Dad enough time to overthrow the Troll King, we'll have won without having to exterminate them! Now, I know I promised you Oni total revenge, but..."

  The demoness paused, trying to understand what her allies were thinking. She couldn't have imagined things would evolve so quickly. At the time of the pact with Shen and his group, orcs and trolls were the bad guys, and killing them wouldn't have been a problem. However, now there was new information and a bigger picture of the situation.

  "Lady Almodea..."

  Shen stood up, quickly glancing at his companions. After receiving a nod from everyone, he turned back to his mistress.

  "I think I speak for all the Oni when I say that we no longer care about revenge; we will lend you a hand because you are our leader! You gave us a home, a role, and introduced us to that strange game called Monopoly. We truly owe you a great deal..."

  Almodea smiled at those words and nodded, standing up as well.

  "Very well, then let's do it! In two days we'll attack the trolls' base and, in the meantime, we'll gain Gabiru's trust! Come on then, let's get to work!"

  With a resounding group yes , everyone stood up, ready to fight in the name of Almodea and the city of Almy, which had become their new home, their hope – their family.

  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  26th day of the month of the gray dragon (March) 10:19 PM

  Normally, access to the Fear Tower was strictly forbidden to anyone other than authorized personnel, namely Almodeus, his family and the fear demon's most loyal followers. However, Shion was an exception—the first. After the meeting on the troll problem, Almodea decided to take the Oni to the famous memorabilia room, a huge chamber filled with glass cases and display cases containing weapons and various objects. Each of these objects told a different story, but they all had one thing in common: their original owner was no longer alive.

  "Wow! Look at all this stuff!"

  Shion's excitement was barely contained. She was currently in a forbidden place; it was a great honor for her to be among the lucky few granted access. Walking through that room was like seeing a museum, but her favorite part was holding hands with her mistress.

  "Yeah! All these things were taken by Dad, snatched from the corpses of every idiot who thought they were the chosen one to beat him! Fools..."

  Almodea explained how each artifact was tied to a story her father would tell her at bedtime when she was a child, and—though each object was extremely powerful—they were all there purely for collection and never used. The love of collecting was a trait she and her father shared, and sometimes it extended to living things as well.

  Almodea wanted to avoid saying out loud that she saw Shion as a rare item, given that she was the only one-horned female Oni in the Dark Jade Forest. It would have seemed like she was objectifying her and limiting their relationship to a mere master-slave scheme. To her, rare item was just a joke. Almodea saw Shion as anything but an object: at first, she was a playmate and an impromptu secretary, but she gradually became a guardian, a friend and an obligatory presence in her life who had carved a deep place in her heart.

  "Here we are!"

  They stopped in front of a large display case containing a large, sheathed sword. Almodea pushed aside the glass and lifted the weapon with one hand, despite its apparent weight.

  "What a glorious sword!"

  "Do you like it? Then I'll give it to you as a gift!"

  "What?! But I can't accept it! It's too powerful! I-"

  "It's for my protection! You have to be strong to defend me! You can't refuse, and I won't take no for an answer!"

  Almodea winked at the Oni. It was clear that the story of being strong was just a hoax to get her to accept the gift without making a fuss.

  "I...accept!"

  Shion's jaw dropped. She'd never seen such a beautiful sword that simultaneously radiated so much power. Her hands spasmed, as if she longed to wield it. It was clearly eons ahead of the ridiculous iron mace she'd left at home. Even Hattori's katana would have paled in comparison to the caliber of that great sword.

  "This is the Shin! It's a legendary item that belonged to a warlord. The guy's name was Shien, the Shogun of the Six Samurai!"

  Almodea handed the sword to Shion, who hesitated to take it—still shocked at having a legendary-class item before her. From what the warrior knew, that class was second only to the Divine item class.

  "Take it! It's a gift!"

  Despite Almodea's request, Shion hesitated again; she felt unworthy of wielding such an absurdly powerful sword. However, the demoness's smile melted her heart, making her worries disappear. Shion took the sword's hilt and held it, lifting it with one hand as if it were made of papier-maché. It weighed surprisingly little, despite its size.

  "Wow!"

  She removed the sheath and watched the blade's gleam of power shine through. The sweet sight almost brought tears to her eyes. She struck a powerful blow, shaking the room. She felt her arms grow stronger, probably thanks to the sword's enchantment.

  “I wouldn't use it here. If we break something, I don't think it can be fixed.”

  “Yes, you're right.”

  Shion held back from swinging a second blow. She was sure it would be even more devastating than the last. Her muscles were burning with excitement, and she could feel her blood pumping twice as fast from her heart. She couldn't wait to test this new weapon of hers.

  "Do you like it? I remembered it because its owner's name was similar to that of your old boss, you know? Shen-Shien...get it?"

  She nodded, still amazed by that powerful sword. Almodea smiled and approached the Oni, standing a few inches away from her.

  "I originally wanted to give it to Shen, but then I thought it would suit your fighting style better! With your brute strength, you can wield it with just one hand!"

  "It's true! It's not as heavy as it looks!"

  Shion gave a few light strokes into the wind, proving Almodea's theory. Despite the sword's considerable weight due to its length- exceeding one hundred and eighty centimeters- Shion was able to wield it with great skill thanks to her unparalleled physical strength. Training with Hirashi was paying off.

  "How strong my Shion is!"

  Almodea commented, leaning on the woman's free arm, rubbing her cheek against it. Shion blushed suddenly at this display of affection, but instead of remaining passive, she decided to take action and grabbed Almodea's hip, pulling her close.

  "You have Lady Hirashi to thank! It's thanks to her that my strength has increased so much!"

  "You really want to make me jealous by keeping talking about other women, huh?"

  "No, never! You know that for me there is only you!"

  After the ironic exchange, Almodea stood in front of Shion, who was still intent on observing the magnificence of the sword.

  "Do you like my gift?"

  "Very much, Lady Almodea! I don't know how to thank you!"

  At those words, the demoness hugged Shion, resting her head on the Oni's soft, voluminous chest.

  "You don't need to thank me; it's for my protection, after all. But..."

  She felt Almodea's warm breath on her neck, sending a shiver up her spine. The girl wanted to whisper in her ear, but the height difference made it difficult.

  "...Maybe you can reward me later, at my house. What do you say, Shion?"

  "I say I agree with you, Lady Almodea!"

  “Perfect! Now come with me! We have so many anime to finish before the war!”

  With that, Almodea took Shion by the hand and led her out of the relic room. The light soon went out, leaving those magnificent magical wonders alone in the cold of the dark room. Who could have imagined that the crusted blood of their former masters would be washed away and forgotten by history so quickly?