Family heirloom, then turned into a demon girl

Chapter 16 Mission: 03-4 Douchi
After a moment, Credo took the initiative to retract his strength, took a step back, protected his body with the shield wing in his left hand, and pulled his right hand holding the sword behind him, condensing into a huge spear of light.

Nero took the initiative to close the distance, not giving Credo the opportunity to launch a long-range attack.

Credo thrust his spear of light into the ground, tearing the granite plaza apart. Then the spear exploded, sending golden fragments raining down on Nero like hail.

It was obviously impossible to pass through directly. So Nero stomped on the ground, using the force of the impact steel to leap high to avoid the nearest barrage of bullets, then curled up and used Gilgamesh's arm and leg armor to protect himself as he fell to the ground.

Credo thrust his shield forward, through the explosion, aiming at the spot where Nero fell, and swung the shield wings like a racket.

If this attack had landed, Nero, helpless in mid-air, would have been sent flying into the sea. Credo was playing badminton with his adopted sister.

However, this also shows that Credo did not really want to take action. He still planned to get rid of Nero's entanglement so that he could confront the Pope face to face.

Looking at Credo's shield, Nero stretched his body through the rain of fragments, stomped hard on the air, and rose again in the explosion of magic power.

A poorly executed double jump. It was practically no jump at all, merely a momentary pause in midair, offsetting inertia and gravity. Fortunately, it was enough.

Nero paused in the air for a moment longer, successfully avoiding Credo's swing and stepped on the shield.

However, even with the weight of Gilgamesh, Nero had no chance of suppressing Credo's left hand holding the shield - the difference in their physiques was too obvious, and it was impossible for Nero, who had nowhere to gain leverage, to overwhelm Credo with his weight.

So Nero changed her mind. Using the force of Credo's shield, she leaped up again, swung Echidna through the air, tangled around the shield, and flung herself outward, landing behind Credo. The serpentine sword in her hand also circled Credo halfway.

Then, before he could turn around, he pulled again, pulling himself towards Credo again, and around to the other side where he was not entangled.

Credo immediately understood that Nero wanted to tie him up, but the shield that was tightly entangled by the Serpentine Sword was a part of his body and he couldn't let go.

He simply knelt on one knee, plunged the sword in his hand into the ground, and summoned countless swords of light to fall from the sky, covering most of the square.

This movement pulled Nero again, dragging him directly towards Credo and into the range of the sword rain. Nero chose the same method this time, drawing the Yama Blade and using the magic power burst during the transformation to clear a vacuum area, preventing the sword rain from falling on him.

"O soul of Lombardy!"

Nero chanted a hymn and, imitating Credo, thrust his Yama Blade into the ground. But in reality, this was just a facade, just like Virgil's own sheathing of the blade. The Yama Blade, thrust into the ground, ripped through space, carrying the blade directly in front of Credo.

"?!"

Credo quickly raised his shield to block the sudden knife tip, drew his sword and jumped up, swinging a swift arc of light blade at Nero.

Having demonstrated her ability to attack across space at any moment with her Yama Blade, Nero no longer feared Credo would turn and flee. She drew her blade and stood up, swung the tip, shattering the light blade before carving a scar through the air. A shadowy figure, formed by magical energy, slowly emerged from the scar. "Are you calming down a bit?"

Credo flapped his wings and hovered in the air. His demonic face, expressionless, remained motionless. He asked in a solemn tone, "What exactly do you want to say?"

“Don’t go to the Pope.”

But this was an unacceptable option for Credo: "Are you kidding me? What about Jillie?!"

"I'll go find it." Nero stared at Credo. "I'm stronger than you."

"This is not a question of who is stronger or weaker!"

Credo's voice grew stern. "I am the Grand Master of the Knights, and you are but a sinner possessed by a demon! Understand the situation!"

"It's you who needs to figure out the situation. What about the Grand Master of the Knights? Does the Pope care about your opinion?" "Then I have to go!"

Nero took a deep breath, and after a gasp, he asked, "Credo, do you really still believe in the Order?"

"...You want me to betray our faith?" Credo's tone fluctuated violently.

Nero shook his head and retorted: "Our faith is in God and Sparta, not in the Church."

The meaning of this statement is clear enough. The current sect is the one who has truly abandoned the faith.

Credo was silent. After a moment, he slowly landed on the ground, but instead of transforming back into a human, he gripped his sword again. "Then I should see this with my own eyes."

"Then, I will personally purge the sinners who have betrayed God."

Nero looked at Credo, who was determined, and finally said those words:
"You're going to die."

Credo took a stance and said, "Are you still going to stop me, Nero?"

Nero raised his knife and pointed it at Credo in response.

Simple words were no longer enough. Now, there was only one thing Nero could do.

Credo flapped his wings and turned into a spear, rushing forward with the tip of the sword pointing directly at Nero.

"The victims of war—"

Without hesitation, Nero sang the second verse of his hymn. Then, leaping back and turning, he used his Yama Blade to leave a gleaming streak in the air. As Credo's charge collided with the streak, Nero spun forward and swung his blade again, adding the force of that blow to the streak.

Then, he sang the second half of the lyrics.

"—Poor fellows who are fighting against each other!"

Two consecutive blows lifted Credo's sword, disrupting his charging stance. However, Credo quickly adjusted his stance and used inertia to transform the charge into a step-forward slash.

“Please, Credo!” Nero dodged the slash sideways and jumped back to avoid the holy light bursting from the ground: “Don’t do stupid things alone!”

The whirlwind of air whipped up by the slashing blow tore at Nero's tattered skirt, making her figure appear particularly frail. Credo dragged his sword, the tip of which drew an arc on the ground. "Going to see the Pope alone would be truly foolish!"

"This is different!"

"Why is it different?!"

The two men, one meter apart, took up their positions again, their eyes filled with dissatisfaction as they looked at each other.

Credo formed a flashing sword formation behind him, while Nero held the Yama Blade with both hands, with the tip facing forward, raised to the level of his eyebrows.

The two men stepped forward simultaneously, engaging in close combat. Yama Blade slashed through the air, severing the suspended lightsaber and colliding with Credo's Durandal.

(End of this chapter)