Chapter 53. Omen (1)
Chiba Prefecture, Kanto Region, Japan.
“Guuugh!”
A demon with black hair and two long horns was strangling a bishop holding a Japanese sword.
Strangely, the demon was completely naked.
“K, filthy demon bastard, God’s judgment will surely….”
HISSSSS.
“Guh!”
The bishop could not finish.
A sound like escaping air came from his body.
Purple blotches began spreading across his skin.
At the same time, blood erupted from his mouth.
Then he died.
Whoosh. Thud.
No longer needing the bishop, the demon threw him away.
Then he admired the mountain of corpses from which he had just awakened.
Every corpse had dark or purple discoloration covering the skin.
They looked infected.
“Congratulations on your complete descent.”
Someone approached from behind and placed a long coat over the demon’s shoulders.
Under normal circumstances, standing behind him without permission would have been enough reason to lose one’s head.
The demon did nothing.
“Nergal…. If you came personally, the Sins must have sent a message.”
The hooded demon placing the coat around him was Nergal.
Among high-ranking demons, Nergal stood near the very top.
His power and status were still below that of a Great Demon.
That did not mean he could be ignored.
“A Horseman has been selected. And the existence of the Adversary has been confirmed.”
Nergal knelt on one knee and handed over a written message.
Messenger of the Seven Deadly Sins.
That was Nergal’s role.
After reading the message, the demon looked away.
“…I’ll handle it myself.”
FLAP!
After receiving the answer, Nergal spread a pair of wings covered in pitch-black feathers.
“Then I will return.”
The demon had already lost interest in Nergal.
Instead, he looked at the demons gathered around him, kneeling in worship.
Their skin was also discolored like the corpses.
Yet none looked like they were suffering.
They were filled with joy.
“The others should have crawled out by now too.”
The demon climbed to the top of the mountain of corpses and shouted toward the gathered demons.
“The first Horseman has been chosen. I, Marbas, Demon of Pestilence, command you. Gather as many sacrifices as possible!”
* * *
“Ahh… so it really ended up like this.”
After the council ended, John sat inside a private jet on the way home.
His head felt ready to explode.
“Hehehehe. At last, Nocturne will meet a Holy Relic capable of standing on equal ground with it. What an intoxicating feeling!”
Listening to Gabriel talk like this for an entire hour was practically torture.
“Why are you thinking so seriously, Bishop John? Kuhuhu. My fallen angel says those who enjoy themselves are first class.”
Technically, Gabriel was not wrong.
People who enjoyed things usually performed better.
But surely that depended on the situation?
The council had just ended with an extremely serious atmosphere.
Listening to nonsense like this beside him made John feel like he was losing his mind.
“Haha. Y, yes. Of course.”
“Nocturne, you can feel it too, can’t you? The scent of another one like us.”
Watching a madman rub his cheek against a nail gun was exhausting.
As John slowly became tired of Gabriel, an elderly white-haired man seated beside him handed over a cup of water.
“It is easier if you think of this as another form of training, Bishop John.”
“Huh? Ah…. Yes. Thank you, Bishop Paulo.”
It was the old man who had stood against Gabriel inside the nave while holding a sword.
Right. He came with us too.
He was Bishop Paulo of Cologne Cathedral.
He had learned swordsmanship from a young age and was famous as a master swordsman.
More importantly, he was so positive that he could treat listening to Gabriel’s nonsense as spiritual training.
“You say quite a lot in front of my fallen angel. More importantly, why did you follow us? Do you really have nothing better to do?”
Gabriel had apparently been irritated by Paulo’s comment.
He immediately mocked the old man.
“Hoho. The older I become, the more curious I become. I simply could not resist discovering what could exist in Korea that made the Shooter of the Nativity personally move.”
“But didn’t you two almost fight earlier? You seem friendlier than I expected.”
Seeing the two of them casually talking felt strange to John after they had nearly fought inside the nave.
“My fallen angel liked those priests. There’s no reason to continue criticizing them.”
“In this old man’s experience, holding onto emotions about something already finished never brings anything good.”
John scratched his head.
Strangely enough, the two men seemed compatible in unusual ways.
“I’ll retire soon anyway. My successor is already decided. So I intend to live like my teacher did, seeing what I want to see and doing what I want to do.”
“Oh, oh!! That line sounded good! Nocturne and my fallen angel are both extremely satisfied!”
A free-spirited old man.
A mentally unstable man obsessed with anything he considered stylish.
…How did I end up traveling with these people?
The more John listened, the more exhausted he felt.
Instead of dealing with fools, reviewing the council’s information seemed far more productive.
He remembered what had been said at St. Stephen’s.
“Cardinal Antonio responded to the request for support and was killed in battle against the enemy who stole Durandal.”
John’s aide had organized the investigation documents and explained the results.
The existence of the Holy Sword was extremely important even within the Church.
Because of that, personnel were always stationed nearby.
Cardinal Antonio answered their request for reinforcement.
The result had been terrible.
“Based on traces from the battle, we believe there were two demons. Both are expected to have been Great Demons, but their identities remain unknown.”
Two Great Demons.
The gathered clergy immediately became noisy after hearing the report.
I don’t believe demons can wield Durandal, but….
Demons were based on demonic energy.
A Holy Sword was fundamentally opposed to that power.
A demon using one should have been impossible.
But what if they had discovered a method?
The possibilities continued multiplying.
John shook his head.
I should prepare based on the possibility without spreading the theory.
Announcing an unconfirmed hypothesis would only create unnecessary chaos.
Better to handle the problems already facing them.
Apparently Gabriel had noticed John’s concern.
He stared at him.
“Bishop John.”
“I know.”
Gabriel covered his right eye.
“Kukuku. Irritation is overflowing within me.”
Paulo looked confused by Gabriel’s sudden strange behavior.
“Is something wrong?”
“The pilot wants to kidnap us.”
