Chapter 23 - Downfall of Five Principal Clans

"That's exactly why we're here. We're going to punish your clan." Walburga said with a grin, though it wasn't part of their mission. She just wanted to intimidate the girl.

"Eh? But my brother is very powerful! He's said to be the strongest host of the Yellow Dragon. I don't think you guys could win against him." Momiji replied, shaking her head innocently. She was incredibly naive, likely due to her lack of exposure outside the clan due to her condition.

As a possessor of Telos Karma, one of the Longinus, her existence was kept hidden from the outside world by the clan. Even Walburga had to pierce through ten layers of defensive magic to reach her.

"Momiji-chan, you possess one too, right? A Longinus, I mean." Walburga suddenly said, changing the subject.

"Eh? How did you know?" Momiji was stunned, suddenly wary of their intentions.

"Don't be afraid. I knew because I possess one too. Mine is Incinerate Anthem, with the power to generate and manipulate holy fire." Walburga explained, conjuring a purple flame in her palm.

"Well, they said mine is Telos Karma, with the power to manipulate probability." Momiji replied, though she didn't fully grasp what Walburga had just said. Despite her confusion, she still shared information about her power, feeling a sense of camaraderie with her.

"I see. I now understand why you're being held here." Walburga said upon learning about Momiji's power. Manipulating probability was indeed a formidable ability, capable of tremendous effects like making her family the richest through lottery winnings.

"Momiji-chan, do you want to go outside?" Sae asked the younger girl, feeling compassion for her evident desire to explore the world beyond the clan's walls. Momiji's face lit up with excitement at the suggestion.

"Eh? Can I?" Momiji asked excitedly. She had always dreamed of going outside since she was young. Being cooped up in this house was boring.

"Of course. If you want to go, we'll take you with us." Karlamine nodded and said. It would be advantageous if she joined Exodus, given her powerful ability.

"But… What about my parents and brothers?" Momiji hesitated. She didn't want to be separated from them, but she also longed to explore the world outside. What should she do?

"Momiji-chan, I'm sorry to say this, but I think your father is just using you…" Sae said sympathetically. She didn't know Momiji's past, but she suspected that she was being kept there by her father to prevent her from leaving.

"Eh?" Momiji was stunned by the revelation, but she didn't become angry. Despite her naivety, she possessed a certain level of intelligence. She had often wondered if her father truly loved her, as he rarely visited her.

"How about this, let's play a game to see if your father loves you or not." Walburga suddenly suggested with a grin.

"A game?"

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

BANG!

The door to Momiji's room was forcefully flung open by a middle-aged man.

He sensed that the layered magic he had set up around the clan had been breached, prompting him to rush back home from Osaka. Upon opening the door, his rage surged as he found Momiji absent.

"Who did this?! Damn it! Search for her! We can't let her power fall into the hands of any other forces! If you find her, kill her if she can't be retrieved!" the middle-aged man bellowed at his subordinates who stood behind him. They promptly nodded and dispersed to locate Momiji.

He was the current head of the Nakiri Clan and the father of Nakiri Momiji and Nakiri Ouryuu. He had allowed Momiji to live due to her innate power when she was born. Otherwise, he would have already disposed of her because he desired a son, not a daughter.

BANG!

The door slammed shut once more, leaving the room cold and empty.

"Eh…?" A voice suddenly sounded within the room. Then, Momiji and the three girls reappeared. They had used the concealed items created by Ryuuga to observe Momiji's father's reaction.

They had never expected her father to order her execution if she couldn't be retrieved...

"Are you okay, Momiji-chan?" Sae asked, looking at Momiji with concern. It seemed that the game had ended with a grim outcome.

Momiji's eyes lost their light as tears began to trickle down her face. Sae could only shake her head and pull her into a comforting hug.

"What a terrible father, don't you think? How about you take care of him?" Walburga said with interest. She didn't care much about Momiji's emotions at the moment. She only saw it as an opportunity for the daughter to deal with her father.

"Walburga-san!" Sae was taken aback by Walburga's suggestion. She felt it was inappropriate to encourage Momiji in such a manner.

"No… He is… my father…" Momiji replied, her voice wavering.

"I also don't think it's appropriate. How about we just punish him?" Karlamine suggested. While she didn't support the idea of killing, she believed that her father should face consequences for his actions.

"Punish…" Momiji murmured, seemingly accepting the idea too quickly. Meanwhile, Sae felt a sense of urgency, worried that they might lead Momiji down a dark path.

"Alright. I will punish him." Momiji declared as she wiped away her tears. Clarity returned to her eyes, indicating a change within her.

"Let's go, everyone. From now on, I will no longer be a part of the Nakiri Clan, and I will be the one to bring about their downfall." Momiji said with determination, a smile gracing her lips. It seemed as though her tears from before had been but a fleeting moment.

If she was saying this, then her chance of success was likely over 99%, considering her power to manipulate probability.

"I like this girl." Walburga smirked as she created a teleportation circle back to the Hanging Garden.

— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — —

"You've all done well." Ryuuga praised the girls gathered around the meeting table once they had returned to the Hanging Garden.

Standing nearby were three young girls, one of whom was tied up.

"Um… Can I be untied first?" the girl in the middle requested. She appeared younger than Suzaku and Momiji, who stood on either side of her.

Suzaku stifled a laugh at the sight.

"Hey! Suzaku-san! Don't laugh at me!" the young girl exclaimed, her face turning red. Her name was Doumon Genbu, and she had been kidnapped by Shuriya and Kuroka on her way home.

Though she had tried to resist, she had been overpowered. Even her Sacred Beast was imprisoned in a cage. Poor Genbu...

"Well, let's not tease her." Ryuuga said with a smile, snapping his fingers to make the rope around Genbu vanish.

"Is this some kind of cult?" Genbu asked cautiously as she was freed. She considered making a run for it, but she realized that everyone present was stronger than her.

"Well, you could say that. Are you ready to be a sacrifice?" Akeno teased with a mischievous grin, causing Genbu to grow even more fearful.

"P-Please don't eat me! I'm still young and have no meat!" She said anxiously. She is really easy to be fooled.

"Pfttt. I'm just kidding, Genbu-chan." Akeno said as she held her laugh. She and her cousin is really the same. Even though she is younger than her, she called her with chan because of how cute her reaction is when being teased.

"Kuhh! You look like the sister of Suzaku-san!" Genbu groaned as she glanced at Akeno and Suzaku. Wait… They do resemble each other.

"Ara~ You've guessed our relationship, Genbu-chan." Suzaku beside her replied with a smile.

"..."

"Well, Genbu, have you heard of Exodus?" Ryuuga smiled as she saw the cute interaction of the girls. He decided to go to the main point.

Sometimes it calmed him down seeing their cute and lovely interactions. He wondered why he never did this in his previous life. Maybe because most of the cultivator girls were either too slutty or too cold.

"Exodus? Is that the new organization targeting supernatural forces?" Genbu asked, trying to confirm what she had heard from her father, the clan head.

"Right. That's us." Ryuuga replied with a nod and a smile.

"Eh…?" Genbu was stunned. It seemed better to join a cult than this group, as joining Exodus meant making enemies of the entire supernatural world.

"Welcome to our group, Genbu-chan." Akeno said with a smile, enjoying Genbu's cute, stunned expression.

"W-Wait! I-I didn't agree to join!" Genbu protested anxiously.

"Well, is that so? It seems like you'd rather die than join us." Akeno's smile vanished, replaced by a cold look.

"..." Genbu was conflicted. Ultimately, she decided to join them. She didn't want to die young and felt curious about their goals. She figured she could try being part of the group for a few days. If they hurt innocent humans, she would reconsider her decision.

"Since you three have joined, please sit down." Ryuuga said, waving his hand to summon three more chairs.

The girls nodded and took their seats.

"Hmm... Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise will still belong to Suzaku and Genbu." Ryuuga continued, waving his hand to release the sacred beasts from their cages.

"Buu~" The Black Tortoise spun towards Genbu and nestled in her arms, appearing to cry.

"Kaa~" The Vermilion Bird flew to Suzaku's shoulder. Despite their departure from the clans, the sacred beasts chose to stay with them until the end.

"Azure Dragon will belong to Akeno and Yellow Dragon will belong to Momiji." Ryuuga released the two dragons from their cages.

The Yellow Dragon immediately flew to Momiji, sensing her connection to the Nakiri Clan. Ryuuga tossed the Azure Dragon towards Akeno.

Rias and the others successfully retrieved the Yellow Dragon from Nakiri Ouryuu. Even though he was stronger than the other sacred beast hosts, Rias matched his level, and Yubelluna and Mihae were on par with the sacred beast hosts. They managed to defeat him after a hard fight.

When Momiji saw the Yellow Dragon, she didn't show any surprise or emotion. She didn't care about the Nakiri Clan anymore. While she was slightly worried about her older brother, she heard he wasn't killed, so it was all good.

"Rarrr!" The Azure Dragon complained and glared at Ryuuga. He gave it a stern look, causing the dragon to bow its head in submission.

"Pleased to work with you, Azure Dragon-chan." Akeno said, smiling at the Azure Dragon. The Azure Dragon, with its versatile powers of manipulating plants, wind, and lightning, was highly valuable.

Akeno then forcefully created a master-servant contract with the Azure Dragon, understanding its prideful nature as a dragon.

"Now, who should the White Tiger go to?" Ryuuga said as he scanned the maids around him. In terms of affinity, it should be either Shirone or Fujimai.

"Please let me take care of it, Ryuuga." Fujimai volunteered.

"Okay." Ryuuga agreed, releasing the White Tiger from its cage and tossing it to Fujimai. Unlike the Azure Dragon, the White Tiger didn't resist and accepted the master-servant contract she created without any fuss.

He looked at the sleeping Kuro on his lap and felt like their base was becoming more like a pet sanctuary lately.

"Since we have so many pets now, how about we name them?" he suggested. It felt awkward to keep calling them by their species names, like Vermillion Bird or White Tiger.

"Byakuya." Shirone said, raising Tao Wu in her hands. She had already picked the name even before Ryuuga suggested it.

"Ame!" Genbu chimed in, not wanting to be outdone. She named her Black Tortoise based on "Kame." which means turtle in Japanese.

"Azure would be okay, right?" Akeno asked, glancing at the Azure Dragon coiled around her arms. Unlike western dragons, this one didn't have wings and had a long, serpentine body. The Azure Dragon nodded, accepting its name.