"He's dead..."
After confirming that there was no one around, Loen walked out of the shadows and came to the still-warm corpse of the "Apostle of Desire".
"It's... still a bit warm around here."
Because it had been purified by a "Sun" Pathway Charm, some warm, pure spirituality still remained around the corpse. Loen, who had been dealing with holy water frequently lately, keenly noticed this.
"Hiss..."
Looking at the Beyonder characteristic slowly precipitating from the corpse, exuding an aura of corruption and desire, Loen forcibly resisted the urge to pocket it.
the authorities already knew about this incident. If he were to take this characteristic now, it would only bring endless trouble.
Although he could pin this whole matter on the mysterious person who had just killed the "Demon", there was still a certain risk involved.
Moreover, Loen always felt that the silhouette of that mysterious person just now looked familiar, as if he had seen it somewhere before.
"Why didn't he take the characteristic? Was it because there wasn't enough time for it to form?" Loen leaned down and carefully examined the corpse.
"It's gone... the spirit body is completely gone..."
"Sigh..." Loen stood up straight, sighed, leaned against the wall behind him, and then took out the one-penny coin from his pocket, habitually tossing it into the air.
The coin tumbled in the air and finally landed steadily in his palm with the reverse side facing up.
"Negan."
"If nothing goes wrong, the person who was just saved should be Duke Negan..."
Although he hadn't seen the other party with his own eyes before, through the form of address used by the "Wind-Blessed" bodyguard and the various promises the Duke made while calling for help, Loen had roughly guessed most of it.
"Heh..."
He suddenly felt it was somewhat ridiculous. He had originally planned to attend the party hosted by Viscount Negan, but halfway there, he had accidentally saved a Duke Negan instead...
"Duke Negan is a big shot of the Conservative Party. Whoever wants to assassinate him is definitely not some small fry... That "Demon" from just now was probably just a lackey. I ruined their plans this time, will I..."
"But I couldn't not save him."
"The subsequent investigation will definitely notice that I was nearby at the time."
Loen found himself in a dilemma. By saving Duke Negan, he was effectively offending the mysterious forces behind this "Demon", and implicitly offending the New Party as well.
But if he didn't save him, the subsequent investigation would likely still lead to him. By then, not only would he be unworthy of the title of "hero", but he might even be blamed by the conservatives and become the target of their vented anger...
Although he could choose to change his face and hide his identity, a powerful mid-Sequence Beyonder appearing and disappearing suddenly would definitely be investigated by the Church afterward. If something were actually discovered then, it would be even harder to explain.
"A straightforward path has turned into a dead end from both sides." Loen smiled bitterly and rubbed his temples.
"I am clearly a factory owner; I should naturally be closer to the New Party..."
Whether it was Loen's status as a factory owner or his friendship with Councilor Macht, both aligned him with the New Party faction. Yet, he had somehow accidentally become the savior of a Conservative Party big shot.
"Is this what they call... the capriciousness of fate?"
Just then, Loen heard footsteps coming from behind. He immediately raised his gun and turned around, discovering that the people arriving were the two Mandated Punishers he had fought alongside earlier.
Their faces wore expressions of vigilance and scrutiny, their gazes sweeping back and forth between Loen and the corpse on the ground.
Loen slowly lowered the muzzle. He took a business card from his pocket, held it between two fingers, and flicked it gently. The business card spun through the air toward one of them, who caught it subconsciously.
"James Scott, munitions factory owner." Loen revealed a slightly tired but composed smile. "As a munitions factory owner, it's quite reasonable to carry two guns for self-defense, right!"
"Woo—!"
After the Nighthawks finally dealt with those troublesome "Trip Experts", a shrill whistle suddenly came from the depths of the railroad tracks! A steam locomotive billowing thick steam, dragging several carriages, suddenly rushed out from the Darkness!
"They want to escape!"
The Nighthawks reacted immediately and raised their guns to shoot! However, even Demon Hunting bullets hitting the heavy Steel body of the train could only spark uselessly!
Having no other choice, the "Singer of the Divine" used all his strength to summon lightning, striking directly at the train.
"Boom!"
Amidst the violent explosion, the locomotive was severely deformed, careening off the tracks, and finally coming to a halt with a harsh, teeth-grating sound of metal grinding.
However, when the Nighthawks and Mandated Punishers cautiously rushed into the carriages, they found them empty, with only a few "Trip Experts" used as bait slumped in their seats.
On the other side, the battle inside the stronghold was also gradually coming to an end.
"The subordinates of the "The Hanged Man", although a bit crazy, are still useful at critical moments."
5 of Clubs stood on a hidden high platform, watching Mr. A, who was covered in wounds and still had a scalpel stuck in his head, tenaciously escorting Megose as they rushed out of the encirclement, eventually leaving smoothly with the help of the "Secret Saint" Botis who was waiting in the distance.
Having watched the whole process, he nodded with satisfaction.
Only then did he cast his gaze toward the messy stronghold below, where the battle was already coming to an end.
"Alright, now it's time for me to make an appearance..."
The emergency distress signal had already been received long ago. Going over now would be perfect to slack off a bit, and finish things up while he was at it.
"What did you say?!"
"What did you say?!" Just having escaped from the fierce battle underground, his robes still stained with dust and blood, the "Singer of the Divine" Ace Snake, upon hearing the urgent report from his subordinate Mandated Punishers, looked shocked and furious. Duke Negan was assassinated! Just a few blocks away!
"You all stay behind and cooperate with the Nighthawks to clean up the aftermath here!" Snake squeezed the order through his teeth, not even having time to explain further, as he transformed into a bolt of lightning, shot into the sky, and flew toward the crime scene mentioned in the report!
"It seems that tonight... Backlund is really lively." Leonard watched the "Singer of the Divine"'s retreating figure, wiped the dust off his face, and sighed with a bitter smile.
Suddenly, he felt something gently touch him.
He turned his head abruptly and discovered a familiar doll, staring straight at him.
"Ah—!"
He immediately shuddered, scared enough to almost fall over.
"Hahaha!" Soest couldn't help but laugh out loud, stepping out of the shadows, with two other inert "Trip Experts" in his hands.
"Captain Soest! You..."
"Don't be so excited, catch." Soest tossed the doll to Leonard.
Leonard caught the doll in a flurry, and looking at the exquisite but lifeless face in his arms, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but twitch.
"Its energy seems to have been exhausted. It's our trophy now. Keep it safe and take it back to the Church."
At the same time, Klein arrived late, following the address on the card given by Charles.
"Although I had already divined beforehand, but..."
The surrounding air was filled with a strong, pungent smell of gunpowder. The ground was covered with the wreckage of overturned carriages, and the walls were riddled with bullet holes and charred marks left by explosions. It was as if a small-scale war had taken place. "Nighthawks... oh no..."
Seeing a team of Nighthawks in black trench coats with serious expressions walking toward him, he immediately turned around and hid in a small alley nearby.
"Sherlock."
He had just hidden in the shadows when a familiar voice sounded from behind.
He turned his head abruptly and discovered that Charles was also here for some reason.
"Director? Why are you here?"
"Same as you, received an emergency support signal." Charles sighed and pointed to the messy street outside. "Unfortunately, we arrived a step too late. Look, the three major churches are already cleaning up the battlefield."
"Then how are our people?" Klein asked tentatively.
"The people should have all retreated safely, but the things in the stronghold... I'm afraid a lot has been lost." Charles lowered his voice. "Hurry back. Since this stronghold is exposed, they will definitely move important supplies to the guild. We'll be busy for the next few days."
"Understood." Klein nodded and was just about to follow Charles and leave.
Having walked only a few steps, Charles suddenly spoke up, asking seemingly casually, "Sherlock, you should know that James Scott, right?"
"Yes, we collaborated once before." Klein answered honestly, though he was a bit puzzled.
"That's good. Previously, because I was busy with official business, I hadn't been able to find the time, effectively standing him up once. Could you... help me contact him again?"