"Looks like our guests are arriving." Jun said to everyone.
The overwhelming information that flowed in from having Apocryphal Truth active on a wide range bothered him significantly so he kept it restrained and left wide area surveillance to Asako with her countless incarnations.
Ever dutiful, the Hassan noticed the approaching group of six. Barakiel accompanying the inheritors of the five sacred beasts. Himejima Suzaku, Byakko Shinra, Doumon Genbu, Kushihashi Seiryuu and Nakiri Ouryuu.
Barakiel led the five up the hill and entered the shrine when Jun and the rest were waiting for them.
Ouryuu was a traditionally dressed handsome young man in his twenties, a cautious person yet confident in his ability, perhaps a little too confident as he took his seat with barely any greeting towards those already present.
Suzaku, already being closely acquainted with everyone other than asako greeted everyone before taking her seat.
Byakko was a boisterous looking shaved head young man that seemed to be glaring at Jun the whole time, not out of ill will but in the sense that he wanted to test this rumoured strong one with his fists.
Seiryuu was quite meek before Jun's presence as he had been quite intimidated by their last encounter, giving a curt greeting to everyone before sitting down.
Finally, there was Genju, a silver haired little girl with a yellow, turtle themed outfit that politely greeted everyone with great decorum before sitting down.
After they were all seated, Jun opened the discussion.
"So fellows from the five families. To what end did you call for this meeting?" He inquired with the proper decorum.
After all, they were allies for the time being so Jun would give them proper respect until they stopped deserving it. Not that he found the Five Families very deserving of his respect in the first place.
"We called for this meeting to further discuss the terms of our alliance." Ouryuu spoke as the leader of his group.
Suzaku and Genbu seemed not to be too into it though, the former especially, and Byakko was too preoccupied eyeing Jun so only Seiryuu was actually fully in support of him.
Hearing Ouryuu's words Jun began thinking.
'Although my sense of time is pretty messed up due to my forays into the Nasuverse, I could swear that only about two weeks passed since the initial agreement and they're already coming with complaints?'
'I thought everything was going pretty well from the reports, especially since I helped reduce the enemy's strength quite a bit before moving onto other matters and leaving the rest to Four Fiends + Lavinia and Valia . . .' Jun pondered.
"And what exactly do you want to discuss?" He asked.
Ouryuu looked at him intently.
"We believe your party has not been pulling its weight in this alliance." The Yellow Dragon inheritor declared.
This of course drew hostile glares from the boys and girls that thought they were actually doing a pretty good job and, if being honest, thought they were doing more than than what they saw the Five Families do.
"Oh?" Jun questioned.
"I heard my team has been doing quite well though?" He argued.
"Hmph! I admit they have had decent enough results. That's not the problem." Ouryuu responded.
While the "decent" evaluation left much to be wanting for the team, knowing their work wasn't the problem left them feeling a bit better and not as hostile anymore.
"Than what is?" Jun asked.
Ouryuu looked directly at Jun.
"Your lack of participation is the problem." He pointed out.
"What has that that have to do with anything?" Jun questioned.
"The agreement-" Ouryuu began but Jun wasn't keen on listening to his bullshit.
"The agreement was a cooperation between Grigori, the Five Families and my group. That's it. There is no mention of me having to personally take the field. In fact, there isn't anything about the obligatory participation of any individual." Jun pointed out.
"That may be so but both we and Grigori's leadership have other important duties. You party however, as a small group with lesser strength and no other concerns beyond our common enemy should of course employ your full strength." Ouryuu argued.
Jun just looked at him as if looking at an utter and complete idiot and then just shook his head.
"Do not mistake lesser numbers for lesser strength." Jun pointed how as if teaching a child.
"Other than you five, the Five Families are full of easily disposable small fry while in my group, there are actually quite a few individuals that could beyond doubt, by their lonesome, annihilate all of you and your families." He continued disparagingly
"As for important duties. You have no way of knowing what duties I have. I'll just have you know my faction is larger than just the individuals you know and that we have multiple important concerns."
"So just remember this Nakiri Ouryuu. The only reason I haven't taught your Five Families a lesson they will never forget just on the basis that I find you all to be immensely irritating, is the fact that I haven't had a good reason to get into a scrap with the Shinto Gods behind you all." Jun warned.
"Now . . . Unless you're done wasting my time with your ignorance and have something of value to say, you better make yourself scarce before my patience runs too thin." He concluded.
Almost everyone was stalled at the verbal lashing Jun had unleashed upon Ouryuu but since the Yellow Dragon inheritor had started the argument by calling them weaker and saying they were just some riff raff without actual larger goals most felt Jun's response was justified.
The one feeling it to be utterly correct the most was Asako who was the only one there to know of Jun's true reserves of power.
Suzaku seemed to be quite taken aback and fearful that relations would breakdown catastrophically.
Genbu, while feeling that Ouryuu was in the wrong first, also believe Jun's words were too boastful and harsher than they needed to be, thinking both sides to be in the wrong.
Byakko wanted to put Jun's alleged power to the test with a big fight while Seiryuu was feeling intensely insulted by Jun's view of the Five Families.
As for Ouryuu, he was both feeling insulted but somewhat intimidated. He might be overly confident but he was no fool and thought himself to be good a reading others and Jun did strike him as the type to exaggerate his power in such a boastful manner.
Still, he was also not one to take such a insult lying down and though his instincts told him this was a fight he didn't want to pick, his pride and logic that told him Jun could not have that much power in reserve got the better of him.
"Then how about we put that power you claim to the test?" Ouryuu challenged.
"If you want to be humiliated that badly . . . Who am I to refuse?" Jun smiled.
It only pissed the other party even more though.
"I have to admit I'm a little curious about the limits of the power possessed by the FIve Sacred Beasts so why don't you all show them to me?" Jun casually suggested a one on five battle like it was the most natural thing in the world.
Seiryuu and Byakko though Jun was looking down on them again but this suggestion actually set off all kinds of alarms on Suzaku, Genbu and even Ouryuu's heads.
The first was supremely confident in Jun's ability in addition to having feelings for him thus, she wished to avoid a fight at all costs.
Genbu didn't see Jun as foolish despite not liking his previous words but the aura of sheer confidence he gave off made her reconsider her opinion that Jun was overly boastful and that perhaps, his previous words were nothing but the cruel truth.
Ouryuu was also feeling stifled by Jun's confidence but the arrow had already been loosed, he couldn't back down now.
Normally, he would suggest a one one one between himself and Jun but with his diminishing confidence and Jun actually calling for the one on five . . .
"Then let's do it your way if you're so confident." He tried to present his words in a "if you want to be crushed that badly then okay" kind of way.
Quite unfortunately for him though, Genbu and Suzaku immediately excused themselves for the fight.
"I'm against this whole idea so don't count me in." Suzaku said.
"Hmph! You seem to be very partial to this guy Suzaku! Letting your personal feelings get in the way of your duty?" Seiryuu accused.
He was immediately shut up by Genbu however.
"I actually agree with Suzaku-san. Count me out." She said.
Byakko who had been raring to fight since the beginning though, very much liked the suggestion even though he would have preferred a one on one.
"Looks like it will be a three on one then." Jun said, silently mocking that Ouryuu could not even get his supposed fellow to all participate in the battle.
And so, the showdown was about to begin.
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P.a.t.r.e.o.n is officially up!
The link is: https://www.p.a.t.r.e.o.n.com/lusoba without the extra dots of course.
You'll get to read up to FOUR week ahead, a full month, but I'll still post here.
There's also my other novel Archon of DanMachi, do check it out!
I would greatly appreciate any support since this is going to be my breadwinner.