Ash's thoughts churned with fury. Demons shouldn't be allowed to live among humans. After everything they've done? Executed on sight. They devour children, kill for sport, burn villages, and take women.
Disgust twisted in his gut, his anger boiling over. With a sharp exhale, he slammed his fist against the nearest bookshelf, rattling its contents. His knuckles ached, but he welcomed the pain. They are wicked beings, despised by God. The captain shouldn't be protecting him. Why is he showing so much favoritism to a demon? A DEMON!
As Ash brooded, a calm yet commanding voice echoed through the quiet library.
"Come, lost child of the light."
Ash's eyes darted around, scanning the empty rows of bookshelves. He was the only one present. His pulse quickened. I'm losing it, he thought, shaking his head. He must have imagined it. Then, from behind several towering shelves, a soft white light flickered. It pulsed gently, illuminating the corner of the room. Drawn toward it, Ash cautiously stepped forward, weaving through the shelves until he found the source.
A small, floating white orb of light hovered in the air, its surface shimmering like stardust. Startled, Ash took a step back, his body tensing. Before he could react further, the orb spoke again, its tone both gentle and resolute.
"If you seek the power to kill a demon, I can grant thy wish. Just like Mel, you can destroy powerful demons. She is strong because of her Archangel's gifts—not by the fruits of her own labor. She exploits her gifts, "
The orb pulsed as it continued, its words coiling around Ash's thoughts like vines.
"But you... You are different, child. Every day, every hour, your mind pursues nothing but the eradication of wicked. You deserve a blessing. One bestowed by Judex Divinum. Something all humans should receive. Why have you been denied?"
"Such a tragedy."
"An angel must bestow upon the righteous the gifts of Judex Divinum. Who are we to deny the eager? The devoted? Righteous. Those who seek to do His will? We find the mightiest warriors to carry out God's justice. You should have been given a gift—a strong one, one that will help you fulfill your purpose."
Ash's throat tightened. His pulse pounded in his ears. A blessing... a gift meant for me? The thought was intoxicating. His voice came out hoarse. "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"You already know the truth, child. A demon cannot enter a cathedral. And yet, that ogre walks freely within these sacred halls, violating Judex Divinum's law. It bypasses the holy barrier because it lacks demonic mana, but that does not make it any less vile. You feel it, don't you? That unease? That revulsion? That is the mark of the unholy. But you... You could put an end to it."
The orb pulsed brighter, as though sensing the conflict in Ash's heart.
"Take my blessing, and I will give you the strength and knowledge to rid this world of that filth. Accept it and do Judex Divinum's work. Deny it... and the demon lives."
A strange force pressed into Ash's mind, pulling him in, urging him to say yes. His thoughts tangled, his will warring with itself. But wasn't this what he wanted? Wasn't this his purpose?
He hesitated, then asked, "If you are an angel... what is your name?"
The orb pulsed again, its light dimming slightly.
"I am the messenger of the morning star. A gift-giver. A redeemer. My name is not for human tongues. To speak it is to call upon the star itself."
The voice radiated, reinforcing its claim. "Just as Judex Divinum remains unseen by the impure, so too must my name remain unspoken by them."
Ash swallowed. He could feel only holy mana radiating from the being before him. The demonic mana was absent. "Then why reveal yourself to me now?"
"Judex Divinum commands us not to intervene directly. But with some leniency, I have been permitted to offer aid to those who can withstand my blessings." The orb fluttered. "We seek warriors, those willing to stand against the growing darkness. As the sun sets and the moon rises, the demons grow stronger. You have already felt the wickedness allowed into this temple. You know what must be done."
"Demons are appalling creatures that must be purged, and only the righteous will prevail over the wicked."
Meanwhile, across the cathedral, Mel groaned in frustration.
After returning from cleaning up Wain and Asura's mess, she was immediately ordered to help Asura with his clothes. For some reason, this idiot keeps ending up naked. They had already given him enchanted clothing to prevent this issue, yet somehow, he still managed to leave them in rags.
Baffled by his apparent inability to keep his clothes on, she slammed her head against the wall as Asura got dressed behind her. He shimmied into his new blue T-shirt, yet there was no jacket, unlike before. The shirt was slightly oversized, hanging loosely for a comfortable, roomy feel. To his surprise, it even had extra holes for his arms, a minor victory. But the real prize was his new black sweatpants. Snug against his legs, their soft texture was so satisfying that he couldn't help but do a little dance.
"Who's my roommate?" he asked as he adjusted his sleeves.
"You'll be rooming with Wain," Mel replied, arms crossed. "Since you two seem to get along, he can keep an eye on you and make sure you don't do anything stupid again." She grumbled, "The fact that the captain is letting a demon live is a mistake. I don't know why he thinks you'll be useful." She jabbed a finger into his chest, "All you've done is cause trouble."
Asura's face twisted at the insult. "Again with the demon crap? To think Karen never learns," he scoffed. "Ya racist asshole, can't you just call me Asura or monster like Wain?"
Mel whipped around, pressing her pistol to his forehead. Her brows furrowed, her narrow eyes sharp with fury. "A demon killed my family when I was young," she said, voice tense. "It ate my mother in front of me. Tore my brother apart like it was a game. But it didn't stop there. No… it wanted more. It turned my father into a brainless monster."
She hesitated for a moment, then continued, her voice a touch quieter.
"The demon left me alive. Went back to wherever it came from, leaving my sister to fight my own father and put him down. So, yeah, I have a reason or two to despise you and your kind. All your monsters are demons to me, and they always will be."
Asura sighed, pushing the gun out of his face and crossing his lower arms.
"Look, I don't care about your sob story," he said as he rolled his eyes. "That's got nothing to do with me. But I didn't kill your family. Some monster ate them—so what? That doesn't mean I did." He rubbed his chin, thinking for a moment. "I mean, most monsters would eat your family, but I'm one in a million."
Pausing, he added with a smirk, "Well, I have thought about it once, but you humans smell horrible. I doubt you'd taste good, so I'd rather not." He shrugged. "Lived this long without it, so I don't need to start now."
"Quit lumping us all together. 'Demon' is just a word for wicked assholes who enjoy tormenting others—human or monster." He scoffed.
Asura jabbed a finger into Mel's chest.
"And trust me, we're not excluded from their torment either. Those freaks don't just go after you humans. They feed off sin, off suffering—it doesn't matter who it comes from. So don't act like you're special." He pulled back. "And for the record, I didn't eat those children, so I got a track record for not being a dick."
Mel hesitated, then slowly lowered her gun and sighed deeply. For a brief moment, she considered his words. "If it's true that you've never eaten a human, I'll stop calling you a demon," she said at last.
Then, smirking, she added, "Although, I still don't know your name. What was it again, demon?"
Asura, visibly annoyed, flipped her off. "Ain't no way you don't know my name by now! I just said it, you dumb—"
Mel rolled her eyes. "What? It's not like you're memorable or anything. Just another loud-mouthed monster. Nothing new."
"Yeah, and you're just an annoying, bland woman," Asura shot back. "Not memorable in the slightest."
"Pfft, don't lie to me. You could never forget a beauty like me."
"Beauty?" Asura scoffed. "Guess this world's beauty standards are messed up too."
She immediately punched the back of his head before storming off down the hall. "Go back to your room! I'm done dealing with your moronic—" Her voice fading as she disappeared around the corner.
Asura barely caught her last words, rubbing the sore spot on his head. Under his breath, he muttered, "Dumb bitch."
A split second later, a bullet whizzed down the hall, striking the back of his head. It exploded into a ball of fire, launching him forward and sending him face-first onto the floor with a grunt. He lay there momentarily, bracing for another hit, but nothing came. Still rubbing his head, he heard her voice ring out from down the hall, sharp and expectant, like a mother catching her child mumbling under their breath. "You say something?"
Asura swiftly replied, "Nope, nothing.
He hurried back to his room, shutting the door behind him as if she might change her mind. As his eyes swept across the space, he immediately noticed a few changes, Wain must have come and gone. The bed beside his now had a pair of headphones resting on an open laptop, and at the foot of the bed sat a backpack, stuffed with plants that pulsed with holy mana.
Curious, Asura crouched down and rifled through the bag. The raw energy radiating from the plants made him hesitate. He briefly considered smoking a piece for a brief moment and then quickly remembered the fate of the Banana Wyrms, their bubbling bodies being mutilated as they rotted away. Yeah… probably not a great idea. The last thing he needed was to inhale something that might kill him.
Shrugging off the thought, he flopped onto the bed and opened the laptop. Sliding the headphones over his ears, he was immediately hit with a hip-hop beat. Not his usual style, but smooth enough to keep him listening. As the rhythm settled into his bones, his head began to nod. Then his shoulders moved. Before he knew it, he was subtly dancing in his seat, letting the music take over.
He opened his eyes and froze. Wain stood in front of him, arms crossed, staring down with the expression of a disappointed parent.
Asura felt like he had just been caught doing something heavily embarrassing. Quickly, he snatched the headphones off and hid them behind his back as if Wain had not just seen him grooving.
"My bad," Asura muttered, shifting awkwardly. "I just wanted to watch some movies, but I, uh… saw some music instead."
He gingerly placed Wain's headphones back where he found it, patting it as if silently proving nothing was broken. Then, with a casual slide, he retreated to his own bed, keeping a wary eye on Wain as he inspected his belongings. Finally, Wain sat down on his bed and looked over at Asura. "Did you like it?"
Asura relaxed, sprawling across his mattress. He turned his head just enough to glance at Wain before grinning. "Yeah," he admitted. "Shit's good. You make it?"
Wain grinned, eager to share his hobby with another. He pulled out the headphone cord and connected the laptop to a speaker. No one had ever been interested in his music before. Mel is always busy, and Ash is.... The old man had given it a shot once, but his heart belonged to metal, which Wain could respect. Everyone had their preferences.
Shaking off the memories, he refocused and hit play. The room filled with rhythm, and for the next few hours, they sat back and enjoyed the music. Asura bobbed his head, completely lost in the beat, which only widened Wain's smile. Someone was finally enjoying his music! But the moment was short-lived.
The door swung open. Ash stood there in silence, his gaze flicking between them. Asura and Wain jumped like startled cats. "Hey, whoa, man… What's up?" Asura asked, voice just a little too high.
Wain scrambled, tossing the laptop aside as if it were incriminating evidence, while Asura let out a low suspicious whistle. Ash rolled his eyes at their pathetic attempt to act casual.
"The captain wants to talk to us. Come with me," Ash said flatly. He turned to leave, but Asura called after him before he could disappear down the hall.
"Uh, can I get some boxers or something first? I thought Mel or someone would bring them with the clothes, but they never came..." A beat of silence.
Wain's expression twisted in horror. "Wait—you've been going commando this whole time?"
"Yeah?" Asura furrowed his brow as if it were obvious. "No one gave me underwear."
Ash's face twisted, appalled by the thought. Shaking his head as if to remove the knowledge from his brain physically, he muttered, "There's no time. Just move."
With that, they set off through the winding halls, the silence between them heavier than before. Asura had walked this route a few times now, but he still could not get used to the labyrinth-like layout of the cathedral. Every time he took the journey, it changed as if opening to new routes.
The main worship room has four hallways connected to it. One leads to the office and another to the training room, but you can also get to the classroom through some doors… It's confusing as hell, he mused, brows furrowed.
He had lost count of how many doors he'd opened while exploring this place. Fifty? Maybe that was an exaggeration. Forty? What he did know was that this place sucked. As Asura walked, lost in thought, the others were ever-vigilant of his actions, determined to stop his chaos before it ever began.
Eventually, they arrived at the classroom. Ash opened the door, but not out of politeness. He wanted to make sure Asura did not bolt. His patience was wearing thinner by the second, and Asura could tell. His glare was full of barely restrained annoyance. So, naturally, Asura stuck his tongue out at him as he walked past, just to be an ass.
Ash did not bite. He simply let out a slow exhale and followed them inside.
Mel was already seated in the same spot as before. Ash took his place without a word, and Asura glanced at Wain, hoping for some sort of explanation. But Wain looked just as clueless. With a shrug, they sat together in the same row as before.
The ogre kicked his feet onto the desk before him, hands laced behind his head, already settling in. Wain, however, scanned the room for the captain, only to find no sign of him. Did Ash lie? he wondered. Minutes passed before the door finally creaked open.
The old man walked in, glasses perched on his nose as he sifted through a stack of papers. He barely spared them a glance before speaking. "Good, all of you are here. Let's get started."
Without preamble, he began his report. "Wain and Asura encountered the leader of the cultists causing problems in town. We've known about him for quite a while. His name is Malachi."
The old man continued to read, "This is not his first rodeo. He has orchestrated twelve prior rituals. He's elusive, slippery. Every attempt to capture him has failed, and most of those who have confronted him…" He paused, flipping a page. "…ended up dead. Painfully."
Turning another page, the captain continued. "What we have collected so far on him are as follows. He carries a crimson book called the Book of Beelzebub, a tome that heightens demonic magic. It's usually wielded by high-ranking monsters, yet somehow, Malachi has gotten his hands on it." His gaze drifted upward toward the four. "Normally, humans can't use it. The book refines and amplifies magic power, but human bodies aren't built for demonic mana. And yet…"
He let the implication hang in the air. Asura frowned. "So, humans can't use quotidian mana?" he asked.
"Not normally," the captain replied. "There are rare exceptions, halfbreeds, born from humans and monsters. We call them witches. They don't usually cause problems. In fact, most of them cooperate with The Temple for their own safety.
The ogre returned to his paper. "We've found that witches have a unique refined mana type. Which Malachi doesn't match. His is raw and erratic, unlike the demonic mana witches have. We have also obtained blood samples, which have all revealed he is a full blooded human."
"Quotidian," Asura responded involuntarily as he leaned back to digest the information. "Wait, so there are offsprings of monsters and humans? What about Angels?"
The old man shook his head. "No, the Nephilim were wiped out long ago."
Asura slammed his fists on the desk, startling everyone. "Damn... too late for some epic Nephilim battles." He pondered whom he could fight. Hm. I can't fight witches… The witch queen will beat the tar out of me.
The old man let out a deep sigh, his patience thinning. He was growing tired of Asura's suicidal urge to fight anything that moved. It will certainly lead to trouble.
"Malachi's been getting more aggressive lately, especially after the failed summoning attempts. Whatever he's trying to summon is big." He glanced toward Asura. "Bigger than anything we've faced." The old man tossed the papers onto his desk, "He's getting sloppy, impatient. Normally, we wouldn't even see him, just the messes he leaves behind."
He paused for a moment, then continued. "The Cathedral we report to is starting to get annoyed by the frequency of the attacks. If they get involved, it won't end well for anyone."
Mel laughed, her tone dripping with sarcasm. "I'm sure my sister would love to harass me some more."
The old man ignored her remark and continued flipping through the pages. Asura glanced around the room, his confusion deepening. Information about their world wasn't hard to find. They just needed to talk to the right people, and he knew exactly who to approach.
"Uh, I could get us some info if you need it." He spoke with a casual tone.
Everyone turned to look at Asura, eyebrows raised. How could this monster, who'd only arrived days ago, know something they didn't? They all thought as if they were a part of the same mind. He squirmed under their collective gaze.
"And how exactly would you do that?" The old man adjusted his glasses, suspicion creeping in.
Asura grinned wickedly. "I'd ask the shadows, but they probably wouldn't answer. Creepy bast—er, buggers always lurk around like creepy stalkers." His nose scrunched at the thought. "But there are other monsters in town that I know you don't mess with." His devious smile widened. "Every town's got them. Humans love them, and my aunt runs the businesses in the human world. She used to tell me all about 'em."
He paused, then added, "They gossip more than anyone I know. If I asked her subordinates, they'd help."
The old man stroked his beard, concern furrowing his brow. "And this place would be...?"
Asura smiled widely, throwing his arms up as if they would celebrate with him. "THE STRIP CLUB!"
Everyone groaned in unison. Wain's head dropped in resignation. Of course. What else would he be interested in? Fighting and women—his two main priorities. The thought left Wain feeling disappointed.