Damian narrowed his eyes as he sensed a presence land about ten meters away from him, originating from the direction of Vatican City.
Behind this presence, a few kilometers away, he felt a group of other strong presences approaching.
They weren't as powerful as the one nearby, but they were undoubtedly formidable.
Damian sighed.
He had a pretty good idea of who this person was, and he could only hope they wouldn't waste time on something as futile as threatening or attacking him.
Slowly, Damian turned to face the presence.
He saw a figure whose body shape suggested a woman dressed in dark attire.
Her outfit, complete with a hood and veil, reminded him of the female assassins often depicted in movies.
As someone born in Italy(Assumed) and raised in Rome, Damian immediately recognized the Vatican's insignia emblazoned on her arms and chest.
The woman also carried a spear in her hand, her stance indicating she was ready to attack him at any moment.
The woman raised an eyebrow as she observed the lone intruder standing amidst the domain of the plague silk spiders.
Her eyes scanned the hundreds of charred and burning spider corpses strewn across the area, and her grip on her spear tightened.
"This man is dangerous," the woman thought, narrowing her eyes as she noticed Damian standing completely still, like a statue.
"Who are you?" Damian asked calmly, seeing that the woman wasn't inclined to speak first.
The woman didn't answer his question.
Instead, she pointed her spear at him in a threatening manner. "Who are you? What are you doing here in the territory of the Vatican Church?"
"Territory of the Vatican Church? Are you serious?" Damian replied, his voice calm but laced with disdain. "As far as I remember, this is Rome, not Vatican City. You have no claim over these lands, and you certainly don't have any right to question me about what I do with the monsters here."
The woman didn't respond to what he said.
There might not be any people living in Rome right now because of the plague silk spiders that had made this area their domain.
The Vatican might have proclaimed they would clear this area, but that didn't mean the land was theirs to rule.
In fact, anyone was welcome to fight monsters here.
It wasn't exclusive to the Vatican.
However, many in the Vatican still thought that, because of their declaration, the entire land had fallen under their authority.
Was it arrogance or wishful thinking? Damian couldn't decide.
Still, he was very interested in learning more about the Saintess, the woman said to have received the true blessing of the Heavenly Father, the one who awakened the holy power, rose to prominence, and became one of the strongest Awakeners and the leader of one of the most powerful factions in the future.
In Damian's opinion, the Saintess had everything: resources, wealth, followers, status, and beauty.
"But the most important thing she had was power," Damian thought.
He had a very good impression of the Saintess of the Vatican.
Not only was she truly powerful, but she was also someone who never strayed from her beliefs and philosophies.
Unlike most Awakeners who, after growing stronger, began misusing their power for personal gain, she genuinely helped those in need.
She was someone who had truly earned the respect she enjoyed.
"Even within the corrupted Vatican, she was truly a light bringer," Damian thought.
His face, however, betrayed no emotion as he patiently waited for the Saintess to speak.
After a full minute of contemplation, the Saintess finally lowered her spear, though she remained on guard.
"Good, she really is sensible," Damian thought.
"Who are you?" the Saintess asked, her mind racing as she tried to figure out who this mysterious Awakener could be.
As far as she could recall, there were no Awakeners in Rome who were this strong, almost unnaturally strong to the point of clearing an entire high-level dungeon's worth of monsters on their own.
She couldn't even make out his face, as he was entirely covered in the green blood of the monsters.
The only visible features were his dark black hair and his glowing blue eyes, which shimmered in the dark night.
"You don't need to know, Saintess. You won't have to deal with me again," Damian replied, just as he sensed the arrival of a group of presences landing behind the Saintess as she asked her question.
The group of women dressed in outfits similar to the Saintess landed behind her, fixing Damian with threatening gazes as if he were someone they needed to eliminate.
"The Warrior Nuns, huh?" Damian muttered to himself.
He could remember from his past life before his regression that the Vatican had several powerful factions.
Among them were the Seven Vatican Generals and their guilds, and, finally, the Warrior Nuns.
While not officially recognized as an organization, they were as formidable as one and would grow even stronger in the next two years, or perhaps sooner, as Damian's regression had already altered many events.
"Saintess, is this the intruder?" one of the Warrior Nuns asked, gripping her sword tightly.
"Yes," the Saintess replied calmly.
The moment the Saintess gave her answer, the Warrior Nun didn't hesitate.
She abruptly launched into an attack, rushing at Damian with the clear intention of severely injuring him.
"Wait! No!" the Saintess tried to stop them, but her voice fell on deaf ears.
The Warrior Nuns charged into striking range of Damian, their swords, spears, and daggers poised to strike.
But none of their weapons managed to land a blow.
A sudden burst of intense heat enveloped the area as a burning ball of light materialized and exploded in an instant.
The Saintess could only watch in wide-eyed shock as a blazing red energy appeared out of thin air, detonating as soon as it formed.
The eight Warrior Nuns who had attacked Damian were sent flying back in the direction they had come from, crashing heavily into the ground.
"Ahhh!"
"It burns..."
The Warrior Nuns writhed in pain, though it was fortunate for them that Damian had not unleashed the fireball's full power, or they would have been killed on the spot.
The Saintess rushed to her comrades, raising her hand as silvery-white energy emanated from her palm, gradually healing the burns on their bodies.
"Is that the so-called holy power?" Damian wondered silently as he observed her actions.
The Saintess glanced at Damian with a narrowed gaze. "You… you didn't have to do that."
"Are you serious, Saintess? They attacked me first. I was just defending myself." Damian shrugged, his tone laced with irritation.
"I won't let you get away with hurting my Warrior Nuns," the Saintess said coldly.
She stopped healing midway, grabbed her spear, and looked ready to unleash her full might against him.
"Think before you act, Saintess," Damian said, narrowing his eyes.
His presence shifted, becoming so ominous and dangerous that the Saintess instinctively froze.
"Look around," he continued, his tone cold and commanding. " I came here alone and slaughtered every single monster you Vatican people are too afraid to hunt in one night. What makes you think you're even remotely capable of fighting me unless you have a death wish?"
He tilted his head slightly, crossing his arms with a confident smirk.
"Besides," Damian added, his voice sharpening, "it was your Warrior Nuns who foolishly attacked me without understanding the situation. And instead of reprimanding them, you turn your aggression toward me? I didn't realize the great Saintess of the Vatican was such a hypocrite."
Every word Damian spoke struck a chord with the Saintess.
She didn't want to admit it, but he was right.
He hadn't done anything to them or anyone else, yet her Warrior Nuns had attacked him blindly, and now she was acting irrationally.
Lowering her weapon, the Saintess returned to healing her comrades with her holy power, her expression conflicted.
Damian shook his head, as if finding the entire ordeal amusing, and walked away without another word.
The Saintess watched him leave with an indifferent expression, though a question lingered in her mind:
"Who is this person? Where did this person come from?"