Chapter 46
Chapter 46
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 46
Chapter Title: Extra Operation: Dusk Stroll
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*
Deep into the night, the sky blazed white. Amidst the forest, the ashes, dust, and charcoal that had once been a forest, and the flames themselves, this remote mountain village now resembled an oil painting by a colorblind artist, its hues scattered in wild chaos.
In the midst of it all, four men pressed forward, cutting through the inferno.
The man named Angelo blocked a falling tree trunk engulfed in flames with his shield, then staggered back. In that moment, another man slipped past him and thrust his blade into the base of the tree. He soon picked up a glinting stone.
"It's David's mark. This mess must be his doing."
"If David did it, then he had his reasons. Pedro, head east with Ermino. Kiril, you're with me straight ahead. Pedro, distance to the target point?"
"35 meters."
"We'll approach the target from both sides. If either side can't confirm all friendlies and hostiles upon entry, abort the mission. Rendezvous at Point-1."
"Glory to."
"Glory to Beitasser."
The two men, Pedro and Ermino, vanished into the underbrush. Angelo and Kiril drew their swords and advanced.
*
The village entrance was half-collapsed, crumbling under the fire. The long fence encircling the village had crumbled in places, and among the thatched roofs visible within, only the bell tower visible in the distance retained its shape.
The bell tower, engraved with Beitasser's key-sword emblem, must have once been the village center.
Angelo and Kiril halted for the first time after entering the operational area. They stared at the half-standing village entrance. Burning corpses were bound to its pillars.
With bizarre scars etched on their foreheads, they clung to the pillars so grotesquely twisted—save for their heads—that they scarcely seemed human.
"David's alive..."
"He has to be."
Angelo cut off Kiril's reflexive murmur with a flat tone. *Newbie.* But Angelo didn't show it.
A leader's emotions were poison to his men. Yet these men poisoned only demons, heretics, and witches.
They were Beitasser's vipers, his daggers. Angelo swung his longsword, knocking the bodies from the pillar.
-Crash.
The sound was closer to chunks of charcoal falling than bones or corpses.
Angelo methodically stabbed each fallen skull. Then he stepped into the village.
"Ah, Angelo. Pedro's team still isn't in sight."
"Target position is the bell tower. Kiril. If you want out, go ahead and pull back now—but stick with me at least until the tower. Someone has to report this to the Order. The more accurate the intel, the better."
Kiril's face paled at the thick scent of death in Angelo's words. He slowly followed Angelo into the village.
The roar of the burning village was eerie, mingled with screams that weren't illusions—screams like the wind, and wind carrying yet more screams. Sometimes close, sometimes far. Men's, women's, children's.
"All you wicked ones, fear Lord Beitasser. O sons of man. 'Found you?' Praise the Lord. And in your steps..."
Kiril murmured a hymn in a low voice, trailing off slightly. Angelo didn't interrupt. Praying, after all, could be positive in this situation.
Though reciting it in such terror might dilute the effect. Angelo ignored it, scanning his surroundings as he strode straight toward the bell tower. Now 10 meters away.
"O sons of man. Now prove yourselves 'Found you?' When you rise to pray, be pure as in following the Lord 'Found you?' May the Lord always behold you 'Found you?'..."
Angelo clutched his head and staggered. A headache. Flames, sorcerous screams, the bright-dark night sky and forest—all seemed to call to him.
Kiril's prayer felt distant. Yet he stared straight at Angelo, following behind, still murmuring the litany.
"Found you?"
"...What did you say?"
Angelo tightened his grip on his longsword and eyed Kiril. Kiril tilted his head, stopping in front of him. He gestured toward the bell tower, one hand clutching his rosary, the other his sword.
"Angelo, we're now 'Found you?' less than 7 meters from 'Found you?'. But Pedro still isn't 'Found you?'—we should head back 'Found you?'"
"Hmm."
Angelo lowered his hand from his head and slowly gripped his shield. He stepped back a couple paces from Kiril and spoke.
"Majin-class mental contaminant. Brother, abandon the mission and return to the rally point. Receive purification rites and report this to the Order. I'll continue the mission."
"Found you? Found you? Found you? Found..."
"Enough. If you don't withdraw in 3 seconds, I'll deem the contamination advanced and begin exorcism. 3, 2."
Kiril hesitated at Angelo's words, then stumbled around and fled. Good. Angelo muttered inwardly.
Kiril wasn't contaminated—or at least, not as badly as himself. He shook his head twice and turned back toward the bell tower.
"Found you?"
A man stood right before him. He had appeared silently, facing the bell tower, muttering something.
Angelo decided to ignore his hearing, assuming it might be unrelated chatter. He cautiously raised his shield and stabbed at the man's back.
"Found you? Found you? Foooouuund yoooouuu?"
-Crack.
The man's head snapped back... twisted, bones crunching, until it faced fully rearward. His body still faced forward.
With a bizarre brand on his forehead, the face staring at Angelo was bloodlessly pale.
"Foooouuund yoooouuu?"
"Turn around and kneel. Brother."
David stared unmoving, grinning crookedly. Angelo sighed at the sight and swung his blade. David's head hung in the air a moment before rolling away.
*'Faint demon scent. Deeming quasi-mental contamination advanced.'*
Angelo shoved the crumbling body aside with his shield and pressed into the bell tower.
*
Inside the bell tower, two men encircled a child. Being stone-built, the fire hadn't yet breached its interior.
Angelo ignored the shattered chairs, headless corpses strewn between, and the scattered heads of Davids rolling about. Each time his gaze met theirs, they whispered in his ear.
*'Found you?'*
*'Found you?'*
"Brothers. Report."
"Angelo. Where's Kiril?"
Pedro aimed his sword at him, demanding. His expression suggested advanced contamination. He strained not to fixate on any one spot.
"Returning to the Order."
"Why didn't you abort at entry point?"
"That's what I want to say. Brother. We'll file the report after. Who's the child?"
"A demon-possessed claiming to be a survivor."
Angelo turned to look at the child. A scrawny boy, wrapped in a white shroud, trembling and nodding his head incessantly. Angelo approached and asked.
"Survivor. Explain the circumstances."
"Wh-who, who are you?"
"Who I am doesn't matter. Survivor. What matters is 'who you are.'"
"I-I'm 'Found you?!' Pl-please, save me. Save me!! The demon's still in my head, the demon!"
"Pray."
"Huh?"
"Pray. To any god. Any words. Earnestly."
The boy stopped nodding and tilted his head.
"Why?"
"Pedro, the neck."
Pedro swung at the boy's neck without hesitation. At that instant, Ermino's blade blocked Pedro's.
-Clang!
"Have you all lost your minds? What are you... Brother! Snap out of it!"
"The one who needs to snap out of it isn't me. Why protect the demon?"
"The demon isn't Angelo—it's that brat!"
Ermino gestured shakily at Angelo. Pedro paused, then eyed Angelo.
"Angelo. Pray."
"Ermino. You saying the boy looks like me now?"
"Pray."
"Hmm."
Majin-class mental contaminant. A nightmare opponent, especially in a task force team.
Angelo quietly raised his rosary and rolled it through his fingers. He slowly counted to five internally. Pedro and Ermino sweated coldly, swords trained on the boy and Angelo. The demon stench hung thick. Angelo asked Pedro.
"Brother. Glory to."
"Glory to Beitasser."
Pedro answered without pause. Angelo nodded and swung—
-Crush.
Severing Pedro's neck. Speed and precision neither the boy nor Ermino could react to.
Pedro's shocked eyes floated midair before dropping with a thud. His body toppled slowly, hot blood spilling. Angelo addressed the boy and Ermino.
"Begone. I hear no more."
"How did you know?"
Pedro's rolling head whispered at Angelo. Angelo plunged his longsword into its brow. Pedro fell silent. But far off, the Beitasser statue before the altar spoke.
"How did you know?"
Angelo walked toward the statue.
"I hear no more."
"You look like a demon-worshiper who just slew two comrades."
"Demon."
"What?"
Angelo stopped before the statue, staring at its mocking face. He swung, cleaving behind it.
-Splatter!
Flesh tearing echoed from empty space. Angelo turned and crushed the writhing tentacles on the floor. The bisected human-shaped tentacle mass thrashed violently.
"H-how, how did you find me?"
"Demons can't hide their scent."
"Wh-who are you!"
"Demonica Inquisitor. Angelo."
"Kek. You, Angelo? My thirty-eighth Angelo."
"Speak no more. Demon."
Revealing a baptismal name to a demon was like grasping its true name. Demons and priests stood opposed. Names were secrets—and in operations, they used phonetic codes.
Angelo(a), Pedro(b), Kiril(c), David(d), Ermino(e).
Angelo stabbed the fist-sized eye at the tentacle mass's center, pondering. He waited for the last twitch to cease, then stood and walked out of the bell tower.
He drew a censer from his robes. Soon, a blue messenger alighted on his hand. Angelo wrote his report slowly and fed it to the messenger.
The messenger pierced the night sky and vanished. Angelo rubbed his eyes and sighed. The Fairn royals were now fully purified. The eastern kingdom had passed its crisis. Temporary peace, at least.
A long, grueling hunt.
*
[Operation Report: Dusk Stroll]
Operation Area: Fairn, Talian Barony Checkpoint 13.
Operation Summary: [Incident: Fairn Royals] 11th Investigation and Suppression Mission. Pursuit and Elimination of Culprit.
Operation Progress:
1) Estimated position of presumed demon culprit.
2) Advance scout Marcel Gamel missing during pursuit.
3) Squad split for investigation; Squad 2 missing.
4) Advance scout Marcel Gamel located, deemed heretic, executed.
5) Target point secured; Majin-class mental contaminant entity confirmed and eliminated.
Operation Task Force:
1) Demonica, Zephys Shiradast – Returned
2) Heretica, Elian Kyle – Missing
3) Heretica, Felix Jericho – Returned
4) Enmagicka, Marcel Gamel – Deceased
5) Heretica, Julian Mueller – Missing
We shall burn the demons, the heretics, the witches.
Operation Lead: Zephys Shiradast.
*
By the time one Inquisitor completes training and enters the field, over ten others have already fallen in operations. Thirty years since the Pantheon sealed its gates. Humanity's darkness spreads like mold.
We vow to be the brightest, fiercest torches. Inquisitors delve ever deeper into the shadows of civilized society.
Our epitaphs shall ever read 'Courage and Sacrifice.' Our ashes shall testify to the light we once shone.
Zephys lowered the censer and stroked his rosary.
[Ever beseech the Lord's bosom.]
So it shall be. If light dawns upon our brothers' corpses, and thereby humanity survives to stand tall once more.
So it shall be.