Dawn...

Wei’en looked toward the end of that holy band of Dawn’s light. There, above Krimms Cathedral, Melbel stood suspended in mid-air.

Beneath the brim of his triangular hat was the same half-mask with its mysterious patterns. His slender figure exuded a holy, natural aura, and the black cloak behind him billowed in the wind like a pair of wings.

In his hand, a Cross Sword pointed this way from afar. "Clelia..."

His voice carried clearly over the distance, like a whisper in one’s ear.

Wei’en’s expression shifted. ’It seems Melbel is even stronger than I imagined.’

He remembered that "holy" light from their last encounter at the Cathedral. But that was an enclosed space, and he’d only found it dazzlingly bright.

But seeing it now, the same attack formed a blinding band of light that stretched for several kilometers to strike down those puppet bodies...

"Melbel," Clelia’s figure appeared on a nearby rooftop. She looked toward Krimms Cathedral and gritted her teeth.

"You damn bastard, it’s you again! You hounded me in Klande, and now you’ve chased me all the way to Caster."

Her voice had lost its earlier composure; her tone was filled with surprise and anger.

"Up there!"

Lisi glanced up. "Wei’en, stay here. Don’t move."

As she spoke, she gripped the handle of her Two-Handed Axe, crouched slightly, and then launched herself into the air, landing in an instant on the rooftop opposite Clelia.

Wei’en: "Mm."

’Don’t move. I definitely won’t move.’

’They’re all so powerful. Only a fool would rush in.’

But while he thought this, his hands didn’t stop moving. Driven by the idea that even if he couldn’t win, he could at least knock out a few of their teeth, he continuously loaded bullets into his flintlock.

"Huh? He’s gone?"

After loading his gun, Wei’en looked back up at the Cathedral, but Melbel was no longer there.

Before he could find him, an indifferent voice sounded from overhead: "Dawn."

[You are within the attack range of Melbel Osiris’s Power of Dawn Faith. Assessment: I suggest you find a corner to hide in. Reward: Survival Points +3.]

A red notification flashed in his mind. 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

’This is bad,’ Wei’en thought. He quickly dashed into a nearby shop and hid behind a wall.

Then, he saw a dazzling flash of light pass by outside, bathing the entire shop in incandescent white.

SCREEE!

Immediately after, a sound like a sharp sword scraping against steel resounded throughout the Dumitru District.

"Melbel!!" Clelia’s even more furious and panicked voice rang out.

"Sever."

"Ahhh—"

HISS.

"Damn it, don’t destroy this place!" Lisi’s shout followed immediately after.

Wei’en peered out the window and saw Lisi, Two-Handed Axe in hand, blocking Melbel with a grim expression.

But the so-called Thousand-faced Kreya was nowhere to be seen.

The rooftop where she had been standing... no, more accurately, where the rooftop *used* to be, had been reduced to a pile of rubble along with the building beneath it.

The entire building had been sliced diagonally in two.

He could even see several bodies, spraying blood, collapsing to the ground with the architecture.

Wei’en’s eyes widened. ’He’s that ruthless?!’

’It seems Melbel was actually showing me mercy yesterday in the Cathedral by not drawing his sword.’

’Otherwise, I’d probably be long dead by now.’

"Bastard."

To his surprise, he then saw Lisi charge forward, swinging her axe. The massive Two-Handed Axe became a blur of afterimages as she fought fiercely with Melbel.

CLANG, CLANG...

"You damn bastard! You’re one of the Dawn Church’s Holy Officials, yet you killed so many civilians!"

Melbel watched the furious Lisi with a calm gaze and said faintly, "The Dawn will forgive me, and it will redeem them."

He remained suspended in mid-air but didn’t initiate any attacks. Each time he extended his Cross Sword, it was merely to parry the axe’s blows.

It was obvious that Lisi was no match for Melbel; there was a significant gap in their strength, at the very least.

"Lisi, stop!"

Just then, a high-ranking committee member dressed in the red uniform of the Secret Investigation Department shouted up at the sky.

Wei’en recognized him. It was the tall, sturdy man who had been sitting to Deputy Director Balats’s left yesterday—Dorff Andrea.

According to what Marco said yesterday, he was also the high-ranking committee member in charge of the Combat Department, and he was exceptionally powerful.

"Lord Dorff, he—" Lisi, still unwilling to give up, swung her Two-Handed Axe even more furiously.

"Come down first," Dorff interrupted. "Do you want the Council and the City Guard to laugh at us?"

CLANG.

As her final strike was blocked by the Cross Sword, Lisi retreated with an ugly expression. She gritted her teeth, jumped down in front of Dorff, and after a slight bow, stood to the side without a word.

By this time, the entire Dumitru District had been surrounded by several hundred members of the City Guard armed with long spears.

On another side, two squads of Holy Professionals from the Dawn Church also stood ready. One squad was composed of Guardians in silvery-white armor, while the other consisted of Cultivators in Golden Robes.

Between the two factions were the innocent civilians caught up in the battle, dismembered limbs scattered on the ground, blood splattered everywhere, and the wreckage of destroyed buildings.

The surrounding crowd, having just escaped the disaster, visibly relaxed upon seeing the arrival of the Dawn Church and the City Guard. They stared at the corpses, their expressions filled with sorrow.

Perhaps their relatives, friends, or lovers were among the dead... But at this moment, they couldn’t, and didn’t dare, to speak out.

Dorff swept a solemn gaze over the scene, took a deep breath, and said, "I am Dorff Andrea of the Secret Investigation Department. I request that the City Guard begin by clearing this area."

"Yes, my lord."

A man stepped out from the City Guard’s ranks, bowed to him, and led his subordinates to carry the bodies on the ground to the perimeter. They then had the onlookers identify them one by one, making post-battle records.

"Who can tell me exactly what happened here?" Dorff asked again.

Lisi pressed her lips together. "It was Thousand-faced Kreya of the Eternal Life Association. She attacked Wei’en from our Investigation Department One."

"She attacked someone from our Secret Investigation Department?"

"Yes, my lord."

"The reason?"

"It was probably because of the last mission in the slums." Lisi lowered her voice, not wanting others to hear.

Dorff nodded. "You don’t need to concern yourselves with this matter anymore."

Then he looked toward the Holy Professionals of the Dawn Church and announced loudly, "The crisis is resolved. Members of the Dawn, please depart for now. My department will explain the situation to Bishop Andrews later."

Melbel, still in mid-air, held his head high, the corners of his eyes taking in everything below. After hearing Dorff’s words, he vanished on the spot.

The two squads of Holy Professionals from the Dawn Church also left with him, not having uttered a single word from beginning to end.

"He—"

Lisi had been keeping an eye on Melbel. Seeing him leave, she started to speak but was cut off by Dorff, who held up a hand. "Captain Lisi, do not do anything unnecessary."

"But..."

"No ’buts’!"

Dorff turned to the side and glared at her. "Don’t forget your duty. This battle was never something your Investigation Department One could interfere in. Your job is to record everything that happened here and report it. Also,"

"The Secret Investigation Department has a specialized external affairs division. Don’t overlook the existence of the ’Defunct.’ Do you understand?"

"I understand, Lord Dorff."

Lisi said no more. She bowed her head, then turned and walked back toward the Secret Investigation Department.

Clearly, given the Secret Investigation Department’s current strength, holding the Dawn Church accountable was unrealistic...