Night fell.
Following the guidance of the system mission, Rhode left the city center of Kuoh Town and arrived near an abandoned factory in the suburbs.
Checking the map, Rhode noticed that the mission target had been stationary here for a long time. At the same time, several red dots on the map were highlighted.
"Not bad. I should be there soon."
After Akeno and the others left, Rhode had come here alone. This abandoned factory served as a temporary base for Stray Exorcists.
Though it was only about twenty kilometers from the center of Kuoh, it was outside the town's official territory. Consequently, Rias's familiars had failed to detect the presence of Stray Exorcists here.
Of course, Rhode suspected that even if they had set up base in a basement in the middle of the city, Rias's lack of attention meant she likely wouldn't have noticed the "ghosts" in her own house anyway.
Without overthinking it, Rhode focused on the situation at hand.
He activated Presence Concealment EX. Combined with his cultivation of Qi, Rhode was essentially a human stealth unit and an anti-stealth radar; he could clearly sense exactly how many Stray Exorcists were inside the factory.
Perhaps because they were working for the Fallen Angels, there were no hidden sentries outside the factory. However, a group of heavily armed Stray Exorcists was still patrolling the area—at least thirty of them.
Furthermore, he discovered that the only passage leading into the building was strictly guarded. Infiltrating would be quite difficult.
After all, Presence Concealment EX wasn't an invisibility skill. Without a game-like stealth system where enemies only react when their "alert bar" turns red, walking right in front of someone's eyes would still get him spotted.
And even if he managed to sneak in, trying to take the Holy Sword back out would be a pipe dream.
If Rhode wanted to succeed, he needed a detailed plan.
Three seconds later, a rigorous plan formed in his mind.
First, step into the factory gate with his left foot. Then, wing the rest!
Since plans rarely kept up with changes, Rhode felt that adapting on the fly was the most important thing on a battlefield.
Thus, Rhode stepped out from the bushes where he was hiding.
Perhaps because they felt that no one would dare approach while they were working for a Fallen Angel cadre, the two guards at the gate were chatting quite relaxedly.
And as Stray Exorcists, their conversation was naturally vulgar. They cycled through crude topics like murder, money, sex, and women.
Rhode couldn't help but sigh inwardly at the decline of public morality.
Where is your faith?! Where is your justice?! And where is the location of the nearest massage parlor?!
"Huh? Did you hear something?" one exorcist asked, suddenly feeling a chill down his spine. He looked back but found nothing.
"I did, brother. I did."
"Where? And why does your voice sound different? Wait! Who are you?!"
The Stray Exorcist turned around to find a black-haired young man offering him a kind smile. His companion was already lying on the ground, his head turned 180 degrees, sleeping quite peacefully.
"Enem—"
Before he could finish, Rhode sent him to join his brother.
Using the same efficient method, Rhode took out over a dozen peripheral exorcists and easily entered the building's only entrance.
Not long after entering, Rhode heard voices coming from deep inside.
After walking dozens of paces, he saw a group of Stray Exorcists standing around, looking toward the center of the room. A short, obese old man in bishop's robes was speaking to an exorcist.
The exorcist standing before the bishop carried several long swords on his back, and a holy aura radiated from them.
Under the dim light, Rhode suddenly noticed that the exorcist's face looked familiar. He opened his system panel to check the target's information.
[Name: Freed Sellzen II] [Gender: Male] [Status: Holy Sword Factor enhancement in progress.]
Rhode was surprised. It was an old acquaintance.
But he remembered killing this guy back in the Vatican. How was he still alive?
Wait, there's a "II" after the name.
Rhode quickly realized the possibility. Freed wasn't a natural-born human; he was a warrior created by the Church through cloning the genes of the Germanic hero Sigurd.
Freed's strength was considered impressive among Stray Exorcists. Since the subject was powerful, the Church naturally wanted to produce more of them. Rhode remembered that in the original story, there was even a female version of Freed.
Having figured it out, Rhode revealed himself at the only entrance. Since he had deactivated his Presence Concealment, his appearance quickly caught the attention of the Stray Exorcists.
Seeing Rhode suddenly appear, the exorcists were stunned for a moment before reflexively grabbing their handguns or light swords and aiming them at him.
"Don't move! Get on the ground!" "Crouch down!" "Put your hands up!" "Don't move!"
The Stray Exorcists shouted their demands, but the orders were completely contradictory.
Rhode looked at them and shrugged helplessly. "So, do you want me to move or not?"
The Stray Exorcists blinked, actually seeming to ponder Rhode's question. They exchanged glances, unable to reach a consensus for a moment.
Seeing this, the old bishop at the center of the altar snapped, "What are you standing around for?! Kill him, now!"
Only then did the exorcists react.
Oh, right!
They were psychopathic Stray Exorcists. Killing and looting was their bread and butter; since when did they need to waste breath like the "good guys"?
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Gunfire erupted instantly.
However, someone accidentally shot out the few lights in the room, plunging the entire space into pitch-black darkness.
In the dark room, Rhode was the only one unaffected. Leaving aside his night vision, he could accurately track every exorcist's position through the deep red triangles marked by the system above their heads and his perception of Qi.
In the next second, several muzzles flashed, lighting up the surroundings. Spiraling bullets instantly blew large holes in the foreheads of the exorcists. Some even had their skulls flipped open, spraying blood and brain matter everywhere.
Some of the more experienced exorcists immediately sought cover when the lights went out. But no matter where they hid, Rhode's bullets found their heads with pinpoint accuracy.
The number of red dots on the map decreased rapidly.
"You damn monster! I'll—"
Before he could finish, a bullet hole exploded in his head.
In less than ten seconds, Rhode was the only one left standing in the entire room, aside from two others.
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High School DxD : Reincarnated into the Multiverse, but it's High School DxD (154 Chapters – Ongoing)
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