Raka, just wait! You just have to wait for me, and I'll get you out of there!

  As much as I struggled, the cage my hands were encased in didn't move one bit. In the end, even my betrayal amounted to nothing.

  "I lied to them."

  I couldn't help but beat myself up over that fact, Li, that idiot, Audrey, and Allison's faces appearing in my mind.

  "I'm a horrible friend."

  How could I have ever done this? Li has been nothing but kind to me. Even though he's always trying to seduce me, that other idiot didn't deserve to be lied to.

  "Allison, Audrey..."

  I can see their smiles clearly in my mind.

  Why is it that I always end up putting a nonsensical sense of duty over the people I care about? It was the same with Raka...

  If it weren't for me, she wouldn't have been captured at all.

  I always hated that priest, he has no respect for life. So what if those mythical creatures are living among humans?! Why is he so obsessed with getting rid of them in the first pce?

  "Meli... It's okay. You don't have to cry. It made me happy that you tried to save me."

  I could only hear her voice from the other side of the thick wall separating us in those cells.

  Was I really crying?

  "Don't you dare use that defeated tone with me! You're family! We're gonna get out of here, you just have to believe!"

  "Meli... Are you really asking a demon to believe"?

  She sighed.

  "I can tell. You're the one that's the most in pain right now. Those names you kept saying, are those your friends?"

  She really knew me all too well, to a concerning degree. She had hit right on the mark, this pain I'm feeling right now over my own weakness of mind and body is unbearable.

  I understand why Lord Shiva stripped someone as unworthy as me of their abilities.

  "Yeah... they are..."

  It was unthinkable, but Raka started ughing, making light of our situation.

  "Raka?"

  "Ah, sorry, I just thought that if Meli says they're her friends, they must be pretty fun people."

  The result of her comment was a tiny smile from me.

  "Since I'm gonna die anyway, I'd rather hear about Meli's friends than to sulk on my own as I await death."

  This girl... She really is something...

  "Yeah... There's a tiny witch who boasts about how fantastic she is, a failed Casanova, a cat, an overly enthusiastic nephilim, and a Debbie Downer."

  "Seems like a colorful group of people. I wish I could meet them."

  Suddenly, I could hear some noise near our cells.

  "Are you sure?"

  "Positive, sir, we didn't find her body."

  A body? Who died?

  The only reason those guys would search for a body is because of this priest's twisted interests.

  I continued to listen in, curious. However, the next line coming out of their mouth felt like a weight coming down on me.

  "Yeah, despite the fact the witch died, we haven't found her body anywhere."

  "It must be the doing of that false god outside."

  No, they couldn't be talking about her... I refuse to believe it...

  A false god?

  "Hm? Meli, do you also feel that"?

  Now that she mentioned it, there has been an abnormal amount of karmic energy floating in the air these past days. Even that priest never emitted that much. What is going on outside?

  "Father, I reckon that's not the case. You see, when you left the site at the time, I could see it with my own eyes."

  "Lucee? You're still alive?"

  "If you're wondering why I'm here even though the apostle of disasters killed me, it's fairly simple. I'm merely a reflection of the real one, created ahead of time."

  "I see... Regardless, it's a shame we couldn't get Lilenbherg."

  Lilenbherg? Where have I seen that name again?

  "I believe she used to be called Li, If I recall correctly."

  Right, I remember now, when I was gathering info for him before entering Santa Maria, I saw that name on my records. It's Li's real name.

  "That god killed her. Nothing we can do about it by now, Father."

  "You guys really were useless, up to the very end. You shouldn't have bothered coming back, even if you're a fake."

  "This is to be expected."

  A god? What the hell is happening outside?

  "Li... There's no way you are..."

  Suddenly, a thud could be heard from the outside. The noise continued to grow until the sound of destruction graced my ears.

  "Well, I suppose I'll have to deal with you ter. There are two uninvited guests. It is my duty to give them the hospitality they deserve."

  ***

  1 HOUR EARLIER

  "So, Allison, how did you get your powers back?"

  "I reached a consensus with "myself"."

  We continued to talk as we increased our speed more and more. The situation is serious, however it's somewhat amusing to run that fast on foot with Allison. This "disaster sprint" of hers is a rather peculiar technique. What the hell does storing the wind of disaster phenomena to increase speed even mean?

  "That doesn't answer my question, Allison. Besides, your eyes are still stuck like that."

  "I thought you digged the heterochromia look. Can't do nothing about it, regardless of if you like it or not. She's letting me use her abilities, but we stopped being connected to each other, my eyes are just the result of this fact."

  "It suits you. But can you fight like this?"

  "We already decided. You handle the priest and I get Melissi out of here. You don't have to worry about me, that soldier and Li's mom are really something when it comes to serious and rigorous training."

  Two people cd in white tried to assault us as we got closer and closer to our objective, Santa Maria's Church. According to Maria and Sally, this is the priest's headquarters. It would make sense that Melissi followed him here.

  Melissi... It doesn't matter if you lied to us... You're a nice girl... I know this...

  You must have had your reasons. We can always talk it out, as long as we both exist on this earth, you'll always be my friend. I just have to open your eyes so that you shouldn't follow this man. According to what Allison told me, it seemed like you were in pain when you traveled with them.

  You didn't want to betray their trust, did you? The bme falls on both of us. As your friend, I should have tried to connect more with you, make you feel more accepted, just like you should have opened up to us.

  We easily dispatched of those guys trying to stop us. They were honestly really weak. Ever since we fought that god, I doubt anything could scare me. If anything, I feel way more afraid of the time when we'll inevitably have to fight it again than those idiots getting in our way.

  I looked in Allison's direction, she easily dodged their attacks, immediately hitting them with "localized" tsunamis. She's kind of extreme.

  We were finally in front of the door, there was only one thing left for me to do. I had to get rid of this guy, once and for all. For Li, for Melissi.

  "Sorry, Li, I'll have to take revenge for your father in your stead."

  After hearing me say those words, Allison stood there, not saying anything. It was obvious those words had resonated with her.

  Following the pn, she immediately used a gust of wind to reach the uppermost windows, entering through it.

  "Good luck, Audrey!"

  I responded to her with a simple thumbs-up, I knew she was dependable. She wasn't the same girl that Jessica pyed around with. This time, she was determined to stand up for herself and for others.

  "This door is in my way."

  I didn't have the time to wait around, who knows what that priest would do to Melissi with that twisted mind of his. I simply broke the door open, using only my bare fists.

  I am a nephilim, this kind of act is a ughing matter for us.

  "Hey, Priest! I've come to make a donation to the church!"

  The man in question decscended to me using a stair made out of skin and bones. The sight was so gruesome it almost made me vomit. This man is truly horrible. I'm fairly certain those stairs are made of his people.

  "Interesting. As, sorry to say, we don't accept donations from your kind."

  "Some priest you are."

  I pointed to him, ready to take him on.

  "The donation is your life!"