Although Aliza had to remain, she entered the main sanctuary and kneeled at its altar. There, the children she had brought earlier watched as the older woman knelt before the entire congregation, taking refuge inside. A few nuns living within the cathedral held the children close, lowering their heads, and all spoke a small prayer.
Aliza lifted her gaze to the hanging symbol of Judex before her, its seven swords gleaming as the candlelight danced across the golden surface. "Oh, Judex, watch over those children with your angels. Let them shield and guide them as they tread through the demon's land." Bowing her head, she folded her hands gently, continuing her prayer in silence. She could not stand beside the others in battle, but she could offer her prayers for their safety. Until they returned, the devoted mother would never cease her prayer.
The group steeled themselves as they moved through the cathedral. Even the citizens uninvolved in recent events seemed to grasp the moment's gravity, their gazes heavy with sorrow. It was as if they, too, understood this was a march toward the inevitable—toward death. Their survival was uncertain, which meant their survival was the same. Outside Judex's walls, the grim moon loomed overhead, a malevolent witness of their fate. The odds of emerging unscathed were nearly nonexistent.
Gabe spoke as they reached the front doors,
"Thank you guys for coming... I'm sorry it resulted in something like this."
His words echoed in their minds. They needed help, desperate for a glimmer of hope, but in their request, they doomed the lives of others. Azraeus would surely meet them soon, guiding them through the fog of death to heaven or hell.
"Judex, I pray you allow Asura into your home." He thought as he stared at the monster, uncertain as to whether he would go to heaven or hell simply due to his birth. If the monster could wield holy mana and was willing to risk his life for others, he prayed such a person would be allowed passage. Yet, The Temple declared that all of demon origin would burn...
"The Temple is wrong then. Their ideals must be manmade and not of Judex." Gabe resolved himself in his mind. Mel flashed a smile at Gabe, her amber eyes filled with fierce determination,
"It's whatever. I'm glad you called, 'cause now I can kill the son of a bitch who killed my family."
Mel adjusted her gun, transforming it into a lever-action rifle. An explosion of amber flames with scattering sparks burst brightly in the room. The molten metal stretched comfortably in her hands as if producing only a pleasurable warmth in her palms. Its long, slender silver barrel gleamed in the candlelight, accentuating the intricate rose engravings intertwined around an angel etched along its surface, its hand reaching down the length of the barrel.
Near the feet of the angel was a dark brown stock that contrasted the rifle's silvery material, blending elegance with deadly precision. A masterfully crafted gun as if forged by the hands of the angel Hephestine. She levered the gun, loading a round into the chamber,
"This demon's gonna turn back to God after we're done."
Asura snorted at Mel's attempt to encourage the others,
"Except, let's not shoot him like Rose said."
Mel shot him an annoyed glare as he continued,
"But you can shoot the other guys. Grulls and Knogths are shootable."
Asura chuckled as he passed by Mel, trying to keep the mood less grim as they braced for the outside world. His arms tingled, which he had not felt in a long time. "Am I nervous?" The ogre asked himself as he stood beside the Paladins he met recently and those he had fought with in the past.
Gabe's gaze drifted as he stood before the front doors, his breath unsteady. He rubbed his hands against his sides, a subtle attempt to steady himself. Though nerves gripped him, he fought to maintain his composure, standing with quiet courage. Asura had developed a deep respect for the young Paladin, admiring his courage as he stood against foes that filled him with fear.
Asura smiled and weakly punched his shoulder. He turned to look at Asura, bewildered as he recovered from the shove.
"What?-"
"It'll be alright. If you get afraid, throw yourself behind me and use me like an ogre meat shield."
Gabe furrowed his brow, his lips slightly curving into a frown,
"I would never."
Asura shrugged,
"I can take it. Unlike y'all I'm sturdy. Human's weak me strong!"
The ogre flexed his four biceps, reminding them of his monstrous strength and biology.
"I'll heal too. So don't be stupid and throw the monster you just met at the dude."
Asura flashed a smile as he reached for the front door, ready to pull it open. Behind him, Tristen walked up to his brother and placed a hand on his shoulder. With a quick nod, he tried to reassure his brother as he passed.
"I got you, Lil bro. Don't worry too much."
Gabe glanced around, taking in his companions. Mel slung her gun over her shoulder. Her fiery red hair, confident smile, and blazing eyes gave her the look of a fierce gunslinger. Rose, with her crimson eyes, intricate tattoos, and dark attire, contrasted her appearance and resembled a vampire knight—elegant yet wielding deadly strength. His brother stood beside him, gripping his wooden bat, the shadow of his cap falling over his eyes like the cool baseball players the brothers admired on television as kids.
And then there was the monster—the black ogre who fought for him and his kind. Despite his small stature, Gabe was left astonished by his fearsome presence. His body was a living weapon, and his fists were blazing with holy mana, dealing powerful blows like a monstrous boxer. At first, Asura's appearance reminded the man of a devil with his horns and sharp teeth. His black eyes with white irises were haunting as he stood in the shadows as if he were the demon they should fear.
However, Asura was friendly, kind, and unexpectedly vulgar. His constant cursing left Gabe feeling like he was talking to a human. As he looked at the ogre, Gabe grabbed hold of his arm,
"Asura, wait. Take this."
His arm separated from his body as he pulled it away, revealing a golden mist that poured from the joint. The arm unnaturally quickly shifted, elongating and hardening into a silver metal pole. Asura watched as the weapon he had wielded earlier returned once more.
"Ohhhhhhh, hell yeah."
The silver great axe with a simple handle rested in Gabe's hand. He flipped his grip from the neck to the handle, offering the head of the axe to Asura like a gift, one he would never refuse. Asura grabbed the handle with a practiced hand, pulling it from Gabe's grasp while admiring the axe's straightforward yet deadly blade.
"I always hated when weapons are covered in bullshit. It'll all be covered in blood anyway."
Asura flashed a wicked grin, his sharp teeth glinting in Gabe's eyes. "I feel like I made a deal with the devil..." He thought as Asura lifted the axe to the light, catching the light at its edge.
"This'll do, Randy, this'll do."
Gabe furrowed his brow as he asked,
"What?"
Asura lifted his brow as he turned back to the door, grabbing it with his two free hands.
"You've never seen Redneck Wars?"
The Paladin shook his head in disbelief, his eyes blinking wildly,
"No... But you have?"
"I told you we had TV, didn't I? I've watched all like nine seasons."
Before the conversation could go further, Rose cleared her throat, the sound sharp and commanding. Her emotionless crimson eyes lingered on Asura as if silently reprimanding him.
"We have to leave."
Asura scoffed, but deep down, he knew she was right. They had to leave. Still, a part of him wished they could stay. He thrived in battle, but facing a demon was different—a fight like that teetered on a fragile scale, one that could shift with the weight of a feather. And the demon would almost certainly have that feather tucked up its sleeve.
"We all ready to book it to that building? Cause' only Judex knows what lies outside."
Without a word, they all nodded in silent agreement, their eyes fixed on the front doors as if the monster waited for them on the other side.
"Alright. Well, here we go. Follow the plan."
Asura clenched his jaw, gripping the front doors tight as he pulled them open to reveal the outside world. There it was—the demon's eye, the blinding moon. Its purple gaze seemed to bleed, casting crimson tendrils like the roots of a tree, spreading across the black canvas of the sky it had painted with despair.
Instincts screamed at them to turn back, to shield themselves from its piercing gaze as if the demon's grip already tightened around their throats. The phantom pressure made them all falter, but they forced themselves to endure. Even stepping into the courtyard made their legs feel as though they were wading through thick sand, heavy and unyielding like steel.
The group moved forward toward the golden wall at the edge of Judex's domain, the final bastion standing guard to protect the helpless from the vile forces beyond. As soon as their feet left its reach, the warmth disappeared, replaced by a sinister chill—the kind that settles when hope has all but vanished.
Their feet pounded against the pavement, and their muscles burned as they poured every ounce of strength into their sprint. It was only a matter of time before the demon appeared—it was a question of whether it would come before they reached the key to everything. Sweat beaded and dripped, and the wind hissed in their ears as they pushed forward.
Dozens of buildings rushed past in a blur, their eyes scanning every window, every crevice as if they were expecting the pale man in the coat to materialize at any moment. Asura's ears twitched as they raced, catching what he thought were the faint sounds of chittering insects in the distance. But with their nerves stretched thin, it was hard to tell if it was real or just his mind playing tricks.
"Shit..."
Asura cursed under his breath. The ogre shot a quick glance over his shoulder at the others as they rounded the corner. He kept pace, slightly ahead, though he could easily pull away. None of the group appeared out of shape, which was a relief, but they still needed to pick up the pace. A Grull or Knogth would not be able to keep up, but there were other races in the Fallen Kingdom that could easily hunt them at this speed.
"If it's a Goomy, I'mma piss myself." He thought as he raced through the street. The image of the hornet-like monsters left Asura shuddering.
The Gloomvorax were colossal beasts, slightly larger than polar bears, with six thick, barbed trunks for legs designed to snare their prey. Their hornet-like heads were set upon bodies shielded by rocky chitin, spiked backward in jagged formations. Striking yellow, orange, and brown hues covered their forms, boldly declaring that these creatures had no need for stealth—they would catch their meal no matter what. Massive, snapping mandibles sliced the air with a hungry ferocity, always thirsting for flesh.
At the rear of their bulky bodies, they carried a curved stinger, much like a scorpion's, able to quickly strike down those they ensnared beneath them. Their venom didn't dissolve flesh as one might wish. Instead, it coursed through the veins, wracking the body with agony as it seemed to peel the very skin from within.
But Judex's twisted joke didn't stop there. He gifted them translucent black wings, extending from their backs and humming with an eerie resonance. The sound burrowed deep into the mind, leaving an irreparable scar on your sanity.
It was a beast tamed by the Queen of Witches for the Fallen Kingdom—a feat Asura could never have imagined. If you asked how it was managed, they all spoke of how her singing soothed their restless spirits after they emerged from the Valley of the Damned.
"God, I hope it's not one of them bees... Wait, is that what the old man fought?"
Asura shook his head at the thought. "I should apologize, 'cause those guys are nasty..." He tilted his head, his gaze locking with the moon's malevolent violet eye. It seemed to follow them as they ran, tracking their every move as if awaiting to know their destination. He wished the sensation of being watched was merely due to its size, like a painting that shifts with your movement—an illusion, not reality.
"I'm gonna tell Orthos you fucked with his moon after this, and he ain't gonna be happy."
Tristen's voice interrupted Asura's thoughts as he raced onward,
"We're close. It's up ahead!"
Asura focused his gaze on the right side of the street. There it stood, just as they had discussed before leaving—the massive factory-like greenhouse, its hulking frame starkly contrasting the surrounding modern buildings. As they closed the distance, the three triangular roofs became increasingly visible from below. Their sheer size made it evident that they had been designed to maximize the passage of light into the building.
The glass was weathered and streaked with dirt but faintly gleamed under the moon's pale light. The building's architecture, with its heavy metal framework and industrial look, made it feel like a forgotten relic from another era. Vines and wild grasses claimed its exterior. However, the vines dared not crack its home's walls as if its owner had commanded them.
As they drew closer, Asura's trained eyes caught the subtle movement of the vines, shifting just enough as if trying to hide their awareness of their presence. However, the others remained oblivious, their attention fixed on the entrance as they caught sight of it. Mel shouted out,
"The entrance is on the left!"
They all rushed toward the door, their eagerness getting the better of them—except for Asura. As he reached the front door, he paused and turned, scanning the area with a swift, deliberate gaze, like prey aware of the hunt. His predator lay hidden, blending into the shadows cast by the moon's dark embrace.
A monotone voice spoke up from behind,
"See anything?"
Asura turned to find Rose, her vibrant red eyes scanning over the city.
"No, but it won't be long."
Rose gave a nod,
"Let's be quick then. Find the witch."
Asura huffed out a breath of air at the statement. He could not help but find it laughable,
"More like the witch will find us."