At the same time, military helicopters roared in the sky, their blades cutting through the air as they approached the abbey standing majestically among the dark hills. Onboard, numerous soldiers prepared, some with battle-hardened faces, others with the tension of uncertainty.
All they knew was that an expert elimination team had encountered trouble eliminating a very powerful dark entity, so now they were the reinforcements.
"Zz... Give us aerial illumination; land when the ground is secured."
"Sir, what's the situation?" An exorcist who didn't belong to the Special Forces elimination team looked at the man everyone was talking about and asked, wanting more information.
"Have you finished wiping away the tears and snot?" A man in his thirties, with wounds still covered with bandages and gauze, looked at the soldiers in front of him.
Rafael, who stood in front of all the exorcists and paramedics who had come to support them, looked at them in silence.
"The Guardian Bishop needs reinforcements, so we will be his reinforcements. Any extra questions?" Rafael's thick voice echoed throughout the helicopter cabin.
"No, sir!"
Rafael nodded with satisfaction and shouted, "Then descend now!"
"Zz... You've heard the orders; descend and find the team that needs reinforcements as soon as possible!"
Numerous armored soldiers descended by rope directly onto the abbey grounds.
The abbey, with its deteriorated structures, stood out in the darkness with its ancient architecture. When the first squad descended and nothing happened, Rafael nodded and gave orders to descend.
"Zz... There are signs of battle on the ground, entering the structures!"
As the helicopters descended, the ground trembled under the power of their engines, and a burst of dust rose, momentarily obscuring the vision.
When all the soldiers were deployed, Rafael descended, holding an assault rifle, and walked into the largest building.
"Zz... We've found the wounded; all need medical assistance urgently!"
As all the paramedics entered, what appeared before their eyes was a group of agents collapsed on the ground, some receiving first aid for their most severe wounds and others directly unconscious.
"For God's sake..." Rafael looked at this scene with horror on his face. This was not only more shocking than what happened in South Korea, but also harder to accept.
All the people on the ground were experienced elites; some were dead, and others seemed to be just recovering from shock.
"Agent, where is the Guardian Bishop?" Rafael approached the man, who seemed to be in the best condition, and asked him directly.
The agent looked at Rafael and replied, "He went to seal the portal; he's down that hallway."
Rafael looked at the dark hallway and nodded before going straight to that place.
"...
"[... Name: Anton ShadowBane
[Occupation]: Exorcist
[Faith Strength]: 109,037
[General Strength]: 150
[Spirit]: 225 [Aptitude] 1
[Protective Aptitude]: Tattoos of the 50,000 Guardians
[Talent] 5 <> [Outstanding Skill]: Hand of God
[Outstanding Skill]: Manipulation of Divine Energy
[Outstanding Skill]: Perfect Red King
[Outstanding Skill]: Umbrakinesis...]"
After a few minutes, Anton managed to sit, and only when he crawled towards a broken prey did he look at his hands, which were trembling.
What would have become of him if he had died now?
What would his death really mean?
He didn't have a definite answer to that. Maybe the only people who would really care about him if that happened would be some exorcists he had befriended. Others would be elderly people he spent time with every morning and some grandmothers to whom he always gave bread.
Only at this point did Anton wonder: What value does he have in this world?
"How pathetic. After all this, what's the point of asking myself something like that?" Anton clenched his fists, unconsciously recalling his mother. At some point, he had someone he called Mom, but she died when he was still young.
In this world, he hadn't bothered to find out if he had a mom or how his dad was doing, and the only thing he really cared about was himself.
"Damn selfish..." Anton wanted to cry, but tears never came from his eyes.
At some point, footsteps were heard near him, and when he looked up with the gun in his hand, he sighed in relief, seeing who it was.
Rafael, who saw Anton collapse, immediately approached and asked, "How are you?"
"A little depressed... How many deaths?" Anton didn't want to think about it anymore and asked, wanting to know today's casualties.
Rafael looked at Anton's lost expression, the dark circles under his eyes, and all those wounds that seemed to appear on his body before the older ones healed. "Of the sixteen agents who came with you, twelve have died, and the others are injured."
"What a disaster; everything would be better if I had come alone." Anton murmured as he closed his eyes from exhaustion.
Rafael, who saw Anton in that state, immediately called for help. "Sir, help is on the way, so please hang on."
Anton, who was now unconscious, remained silent, and unnoticed, a small tear came out of his right eye, but it was wiped away by the blood flowing from one of the wounds on his head.