"DXD: Infinite Loot System"Chapter 268: Great Red—The Emperor of Crimson
The chaos finally receded, leaving the battlefield quiet. Tenra and Cao Cao emerged from the storm—barely standing.
Tenra's breaths came ragged, blood soaking through shattered armor. Two gaping wounds marred his chest, each a portal for True Longinus's holy power to ravage his body, burning and purifying with relentless fury.
Anyone else would've died. Tenra managed a bitter smile, shaken by his own recklessness. He fished out a Phoenix Tear, drank it, and felt the sacred energy fade. The wounds closed, flesh knitting together at a miraculous pace.
He looked up, battered but triumphant. Compared to the ruin across from him, he'd gotten off easy.
Of the three Cao Caos, one had been obliterated by Kusanagi's sword beam—nothing left but dust. Another survived, but barely: flesh torn, body mangled, little more than a broken shell.
The last Cao Cao, hands trembling, downed a Phoenix Tear of his own. Gradually, the worst of his injuries faded.
"Hah… hah… Tenra Kamiyo, you actually pulled it off." Cao Cao's voice was weak, his face pale, but his eyes still burned with a stubborn light.
Tenra just shrugged. Of course I did. But aloud, he asked, "Where'd you get Phoenix Tears? Thought those were a Phoenix family exclusive."
Cao Cao managed a wry grin. "Heh… You can find anything on the black market if you're desperate enough. Cost me a fortune, though."
Tenra snorted. Maybe it was time to tell his family to double the price.
He turned his gaze back to Cao Cao, now visibly depleted. "So what? You're patched up, but you've got nothing left in the tank."
Tenra's reserves dwarfed any Maou-class—he'd burned through plenty creating magical beasts and fighting, but with Ddraig and Albion funneling him energy, he could keep going as long as his body held out.
Cao Cao didn't have that luxury.
"You're right. I'm running on fumes. If this keeps up, you'll finish me for sure."
He paused, then smiled—a wild, almost manic edge to it. "But before I drop, let me show you my strongest technique."
Cornered, but not defeated. It was exactly the moment a true hero would test his limits.
Cao Cao's grip tightened on True Longinus. His aura sharpened, spear and man merging—he became the weapon, every movement honed to lethal perfection.
Tenra retreated, armor reforming around him. He recognized the look: the desperation of prey about to bite back. Was Cao Cao about to unleash that legendary move—Polar Night Longinus Chakravartin?
But before the duel could resume—
A monstrous roar split the air.
Both combatants turned. Down below, Tenra's conjured nine-tailed fox was being torn apart by Yasaka's true nine-tailed form—golden, massive, unstoppable.
Tenra cursed under his breath. The beast he'd made was strong, but it was only a copy, a construct. Without his power sustaining it, defeat was inevitable.
He had no time to intervene. And then, the world shifted again.
Energy from across Kyoto converged, pouring into Yasaka's golden fox. She doubled in size, radiance blazing. Pain and power mingled in her cry—and the sky itself split open.
A vast rift yawned overhead.
"Success!" Cao Cao's eyes shone with triumph.
At the same moment, Georg—still working the magic circle below—opened his eyes, a satisfied smile on his lips.
They'd done it. The summoning of Great Red was complete.
All fighting stopped. Every eye turned skyward as a colossal dragon soared from the rift—crimson scales gleaming, two pairs of wings blotting out the sun.
"Great Red… The Emperor of Crimson!"
For a moment, awe and terror gripped everyone. Before such majesty, even the strongest felt insignificant.
But then—
Something was wrong.
Tenra snapped to attention. Cao Cao's brow furrowed. He thrust his spear at the dragon—only to watch it pass straight through, meeting no resistance.
The silence was deafening.
Tenra doubled over laughing, tears threatening to spill. "This is your Great Red? You summoned a ghost!"
Katerea and the others joined in, laughter ringing out, their faces twisted with mockery.
The Hero Faction flushed with embarrassment. Even Cao Cao's composure cracked, his lips twitching.
All that effort, and they'd brought forth an illusion.
Georg's figure materialized from swirling mist, voice heavy with disappointment. "The experiment failed, Cao Cao."
Cao Cao sighed, but recovered quickly. "Forget it. We've got plenty of data. Time to retreat."
Georg relayed the command. Tenra moved to intercept, wings flaring.
"Trying to run, Cao Cao?"
Cao Cao met his gaze, calm. "I'd love to keep fighting, but I have to look out for my team."
"Our duel will have to wait."
Tenra scoffed. "You think you can come and go as you please?"
He lunged—but a curtain of mist rose up. When Tenra tore through it, both Cao Cao and Georg were gone.
"Tch. Escaped."
His eyes hardened. Across Nijō Castle, thick fog rolled in, swallowing the Hero Faction one by one.
All thanks to that Mist-user. Tenra could only catch whoever he could—he dove downward, determined not to let them all slip away.
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