A gray-haired old man walked slowly among the numerous crowds of Tokyo at night. Despite his unusual clothes, no one paid attention to him. He himself did not particularly look at those around him, completely concentrating on his goal. The stress from constant travel and meetings with annoying people required an outlet. Therefore, the best of the city's establishments, illuminated in scarlet tones, which was recommended to him, awaited him.
Crossing the road on the pedestrian crossing to the other side of the street, the old man anticipated further fun, but after taking a few steps, he suddenly froze. Boredom and indifference disappeared from his face, giving way to concentration. He looked attentively towards one of the many high—rise buildings, trying to discern something in the night lights of the metropolis.
— Odin-sama, — the god did not react in any way to the voice of his companion that sounded behind him, — why did you stop? Did something happen?
— Focus, — the Allfather told her, — don't you notice anything strange?
The silver-haired woman followed his words, trying to understand the reason for her superior's wariness.
— There is an unknown energy in the air, — the Valkyrie's gaze moved further, towards the skyscraper in the distance. — And its source is ahead. About half a kilometer away. What is it, Odin-sama?
— Ha! It's good that you were able to sense it, — the old man praised her, but before the girl could rejoice, he continued, — however, you are too slow, Rossweisse. If you continued to move forward carelessly, you could have found yourself in great danger.
— But why? What could make even you wary, Allfather?
— Dragons, — he stated calmly, releasing a wave of divine power unnoticed by those around him. — Very strong dragons. Because of their rarity, you haven't encountered anything like this before, but this is how they mark their territory. Some of these reptiles are very jealous of strangers. — Not feeling any reaction, Odin stopped emitting divinity. — We are currently at the border of their land, but it seems the owners are not home... Just like that brat told me.
— Then why provoke them, Odin-sama?! — the Valkyrie was indignant, realizing his actions. — Why attract the attention of unknown dragons in the middle of a human city?
— Precisely because I know the identity of the one living here. After socialization, it should be much easier to communicate with her, unlike in the past. However, as she develops, more problems may arise, and I want to avoid some of them in the future. But it seems that Ophis really left Tokyo today.
— Ophis? — The name seemed familiar to Rossweisse. She tried to search her memory for the necessary information, and when she realized who they were talking about, she immediately turned pale. — Ouroboros?! The Infinite Dragon God?! That Ophis?!! — the Valkyrie screamed hysterically, drawing the attention of the passersby to their group. — Odin-sama, you can't provoke someone like that! Ouroboros is too dangerous!
— Stop making noise, useless Valkyrie. No one is going to conflict with her. Do I look like those idiots Maya?
— Huh?
— We should move. We're attracting too much attention, — the bearded man, the last member of their group, spoke up.
Following the advice, Odin slowly walked towards his original destination. Rossweisse silently followed her god like a loyal bodyguard. The procession was brought up by a sullen fallen angel, appointed by Azazel to accompany the Norse god.
— What did you mean when you mentioned the Mayans, Odin-sama? — The silence between them did not last long, and curiosity got the better of the Valkyrie. — I have seen mentions of this destroyed pantheon before, but only minor details. Most of the information was lost.
— Ha-ha! Naturally, it will be lost, — the old man said with a chuckle. — It is not exactly a secret, but the gods prefer not to mention the incident for several reasons. The point is that the Mayan gods, who had grown proud and emboldened over the centuries of prosperity of their pantheon, decided to glorify themselves throughout the supernatural world. In those days, Ouroboros, who at that time had the appearance of an old man, often traveled to different places, including the dimensions of various pantheons. Ophis never took hostile actions, so there was an unspoken rule between the gods to ignore and not touch the dragon of infinity, but these lunatics... I don't even want to remember, — Odin grumbled, trying to forget the idiocy that had happened. — Lightning, you should know about this. Finish for me.
— Ahem... — seeing the plaintive and pleading look of the Valkyrie, Barakiel could not refuse, — The moment Ouroboros appeared in the Mayan dimension, they gathered their entire flock for their own strengthening with the help of faith. The entire considerable pantheon of gods decided to attack Ophis, wanting to defeat the embodiment of infinity. As expected, the venture turned out to be a failure.
— How exactly were they destroyed?
— What exactly happened there is not known for certain, because just a moment after the first attack on Ophis, communication with the spies was completely lost. An attempt to contact them failed.
— In a matter of seconds, all life in the Mayan kingdom ceased to exist, — said the god, who had already calmed down. — As did the dimension they lived in. Ouroboros continued to appear in different parts of the world, completely unharmed.
— And such a creature now lives among ordinary people?
— Ophis has a boyfriend, and they are currently on something like a honeymoon, — Odin shocked the girl even more. — They are having fun to the fullest, visiting various attractions in the human world, denying themselves nothing and always robbing banks in these places. Perhaps this couple is the most wanted criminals in the world, but no one is even thinking of charging them with anything. Ha-ha-ha! I would like to see such a suicide bomber.
— And everyone just leaves the situation like this?
— Do you have any suggestions? Dragons are just enjoying life. During their adventures, they did not even touch anyone first, so the factions continue to follow the rule — do not touch Ouroboros, unless you wish to share the fate of Maya.
***
The first day of the planned vacation in Okinawa quickly came to an end. The group decided to devote the current day to performing boring routine in order to free up all their time on the second day before their evening flight for a serene rest on the beach. While the sun was shining in the sky, they were able to visit all the famous sights of the popular resort, as well as buy souvenirs to take home. As soon as the sun disappeared behind the horizon, the crowd of tired teenagers wandered off to their rooms. They needed to get enough sleep and gain strength for the upcoming day of active fun.
Everyone in the villa lay in their beds, immersed in a deep sleep. The minute hand had just recently passed 12, marking a new day, when in one of the rooms a couple suddenly opened their eyes. The dark room was illuminated by an otherworldly light emanating from inhuman eyes. The dragons had just sensed a clash of magic far from their home.
— We need to check, — the guy reluctantly released his beloved from his embrace to put on the scattered clothes, — who decided to fight there.
They moved a kilometer away from their temporary home. Far from ordinary people, on the coast dotted with protruding rocks, incessant shots were heard. The cloud covering the full moon slowly retreated, allowing the satellite to illuminate the picture of the battle.
On one part of the coast there was a young guy. Leaning his back against a rock, he hid from the incessant shelling. Two crimson spots slowly grew on his clothes. The shield in his right hand, his sacred mechanism, helped to avoid bullets hitting vital organs at the moment when his opponent launched a surprise attack.
— Is that all you can do? — the girl shouted arrogantly. The wind ruffled her long hair, periodically hiding the wide, bloodthirsty smile on her young face. — Can't the vaunted "hero" deal with one girl?
Several ancient muskets hovered around the speaker. After the shots, they disappeared, replaced by new, battle-ready rifles. The girl slowly closed the distance to confidently get to her target. Unfortunately for her, she was unable to move quickly due to partial petrification. At the moment of the sudden attack, she was unable to kill her opponent, allowing him to counterattack with an incomprehensible beam from the summoned shield.
— Why did you attack me? — the young man still had a glimmer of hope to come to an agreement with a potential ally. — You are also a descendant of a hero. And just like many of us, you suffered from the supernatural. You and your parents were attacked by a wild yokai. You managed to awaken your sacred mechanism, but your parents were already dead, — Perseus shouted out the information he had received earlier. — Didn't you start hunting them out of hatred for such creatures, destroying every yokai you encountered?
— Ha-ha-ha! — the girl's laughter instantly turned to anger. — That's exactly why I'm going to kill you! You think I'm a naive fool, huh?! Some unknown asshole showed up at my door and started telling me about his group and their hard life. Even an idiot would realize that you've already collected information about me and are trying to win me over. I hate such psychological games! — After waving his healthy hand, a second row of muskets appeared in the air. — If you want me, Oda Nobu, to obey you, then first prove that you're worthy of it!
At a mental command, the weapons began to surround the hero's shelter on both sides. The girl smiled in anticipation. She needed to distract the guy until her weapons reached their position.
— So you know, — she accompanied her words with a shot from a single rifle in her hand, — I don't care about this evil. I fought them to train my powers, and the culprit of my family's death is long dead, and his death was not pleasant.
Feeling something strange in what was happening, Perseus left his shelter in time. The young man, covering himself with a shield, jumped out from behind a rock, activating his mechanism. The eyes of the legendary jellyfish monster opened.
— Tsk, — Nobu clicked her tongue, grabbing her rifle with her hand, which pulled her aside, avoiding the rays of petrification. At that moment, she hated her own weakness, because of which the girl could not yet fly with the help of her weapon. — Die already! — Perseus was able to block most of the rifles that approached from the side, but he did not expect an attack from behind. Five shots fired from a blind spot pierced the hero's back.
— Crazy bitch, — cursing his opponent, the young man activated the transfer circle, but at the last moment something struck the spell, canceling it. — What the...?
He looked at the possible culprit in shock, but the girl also quickly looked around, searching for the unknown. The hero tried to teleport again, and the situation repeated itself, but this time he was able to trace the direction of the attack.
— O-ophis? — the guy shouted in shock, recognizing one of the new arrivals.
— Your friends? — the descendant of Nobunaga asked warily. She was preparing to sell her life at a higher price, realizing her dire situation. However, the girl doubted that they came to help her enemy, but this did not cancel their danger to her. — Or our death?
— Exactly, — Perseus was so inspired by the appearance of the leader of his organization that he did not hear Nobu's whisper at the end. — Can you help me here? I wanted to invite her to us, but she attacked me. And if this continues, then I will die.
— Why would I do this?
— What? — the guy could not understand her words. — Aren't you going to help your subordinate so that I can confront Great Red?
— Ha-ha! It seems he's already delirious from the blood loss, — Silence said mockingly. — With such insignificant power, Red won't even notice you. So why do you think you're so important that Ophis will help you?
— You're from the Hero Faction, which means you obey Cao Cao, — Ouroboros said calmly. — I don't care about you, you should beg Cao for your salvation.
— Ha! Wake up, idiot, — the girl, who had been silent until then, turned to the shocked hero, — they were the ones who didn't let you escape earlier. So they're waiting for an interesting spectacle. Am I right?
— Absolutely right! — Sai bared his fangs. — It's not proper for a man to run away from a battlefield, especially from a girl, — the dragon mockingly shook his finger at him. — This is not gentlemanly. Accept your fate, and we'll see.
As soon as the dragon finished speaking the last word, a musket shot rang out. Only instinctively Perseus was able to block the bullet flying at his head, but two others pierced his legs.
— I was planning to get rid of you anyway, — Nobu said with a bloodthirsty smile, summoning more rifles. — So accept your fate, worm.
— Damn it! — another attempt to escape immediately failed thanks to Silence. — Shit! Shit! Shit!
His gaze darted around in search of a way out, but nothing came to mind. He was surrounded by enemies, badly wounded and bleeding. Death in the form of a crazy girl with a gun was getting closer and closer to him, and there were no ways to escape.
— Fuck! — Perseus had only one chance left — he took out a miraculously intact syringe from his inside pocket and injected its contents into himself. A last—chance remedy, a magical amplifier for the sacred gear, after which it will be greatly weakened. — «Balance Breaker: Deadly Dance of the Wandering Royal Snake»
The gorgon's head separated from his shield, increasing in size several times, and independently hovered above the owner. Dark miasma began to emanate from the jellyfish, enhancing its ability to petrify. The snakes on her head began to move, turning their muzzles in all directions, spreading the effect to everyone except the owner.
— Creatures! — the injected drug also affected the hero's consciousness, enhancing his emotions. — I will destroy you all!
— Fuck! — Nobu did not expect such a trick and fell under the direct rays of the legendary monster's head. Her body quickly turned to stone with no way to stop the process. — This is not the death I wanted, but oh well, — a sad smile appeared on the girl's face. — Mom, Dad, I'm coming to you...
— Worthless, — Silence appeared behind the maddened boy, cutting off his head with his enlarged dragon paw. — Trying to attack dragons with such power is a complete idiot.
After the death of its owner, the sacred gear stopped working and disappeared. Its power also stopped affecting the surroundings, reversing the petrification effect. A few seconds later, Nobu managed to restore his body's mobility.
— So what now? — she calmly asked the dragon. — The pseudo—hero is dead, is it my turn?
— Huh? Why all of a sudden? — the young man looked at her skeptically. — I don't care about you. Your skirmish was just keeping us from sleeping, that's why we ended up here. And you're lucky that idiot decided to attack us, otherwise I wouldn't have intervened, — Silence returned to Ophis and took her hand. — Let's go back to sleep. We have a whole day at the beach tomorrow.
— Yeah.
Left alone on the beach with a corpse lying nearby, the girl looked at the place where the strange couple had disappeared for a long time in bewilderment.
— A-ha-ha-ha! — at one point, a ringing laugh burst out of Nobu. The heat of the battle and the proximity of death reached the girl's consciousness, and the absurdity of the situation made her laugh. — It's funny. I was just saved by chance. Ha-ha-ha! He said that tomorrow they would be relaxing on the beach, — curiosity shone in her eyes. — I want to meet them again.