Sharon Holygrail? A Seven-Star Demon Hunter of the Demon Hunters?
Luo Shu immediately recalled her identity from Kurumi's words.
That Seven-Star Demon Hunter from the covert organisation Demon Hunters, who was schemed against by the Metropolitan Police Department, fought a bloody battle with Truth Astronomy's Demon Warlocks, and still managed to escape from Natsuki Minamiya?
To encounter such a dangerous figure...
Seeming to regain her composure after the initial shock, Kurumi's deliberately calm voice came through:
"Luo Shu, abandon the Demon Incantation and retreat. I'll have Takina cover you."
As if worried Luo Shu might act recklessly, she quickly added:
"The star ranking of Demon Hunters signifies both status and strength. A Seven-Star Demon Hunter is already a high-ranking member, second only to the elders leading the organisation.
"She's a powerful sorceress who has earned her own title among major covert organisations.
"We're no match for her. To take her on, we'd at least need a National-Level Sorcerer from the Onmyou Agency."
Hearing Kurumi's warning, Luo Shu narrowed his eyes. Calculating the distance between himself and the open front door, then the space separating him from Sharon, he chuckled:
"If I put down the incantation, are you sure you'll let me go?"
As he spoke, Luo Shu kept his gaze fixed on Sharon.
She wore deep blue nun's robes with a blue-and-white headscarf symbolising purity. From Luo Shu's angle, he could faintly make out white leggings beneath the habit.
'Nun's robes paired with white stockings? And the habit had a slit design, similar to a cheongsam... What kind of combination is this?'
Just as Luo Shu was mentally complaining, the golden-curled nun opposite him—the woman known as Sharon Holygrail—smiled and said:
"You have no choice, do you, officer?"
"If you think your companion hiding down the corridor with a gun trained on me can pierce my Spiritual Equipment at this distance, feel free to try running."
Her words made Takina Inoue, concealed at the end of the hallway with her weapon aimed at Sharon from the other side of the room, frown sharply.
Clearly, Sharon's words were a warning—a declaration that at this range, she could easily kill Luo Shu.
"This is bad."
Kurumi's voice sounded in Luo Shu's ear.
"I just used Chief Tachibana's clearance to access internal records on Sharon Holygrail.
"That nun's habit seems to be a Grade 3 Abyss Artefact stolen from the Cross Church, capable of withstanding standard sniper rounds."
Hearing this, both Luo Shu and Takina sensed something amiss.
If Sharon was wearing an Abyss Artefact that could block sniper fire, rendering their firearms useless, why hadn't she simply charged forward to eliminate them?
Sensing something amiss, Luo Shu tensed up. Relying on his Hyper Intuition, he instinctively activated Spirit Sight to examine his three spiritual flames from a metaphysical perspective.
The metaphysical viewpoint seemed to grant x-ray vision, presenting a 360-degree view of the spiritual realm.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Through Spirit Sight, Luo Shu swiftly observed the three flames above his head and shoulders. Seeing them simultaneously quiver and flicker unsteadily, his heart tightened:
"An Abyss Artefact?"
Instinctively, Luo Shu raised his gun - but not to shoot at Sharon. Instead, he fired three consecutive shots towards Takina Inoue's direction.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The bullets precisely struck the wall beside Takina Inoue. The sudden gunfire forced her to roll aside and dash out through the villa's back door.
"Oh? You actually noticed?"
Across from him, Sharon looked at Luo Shu with surprise, seemingly puzzled about how he'd detected the problem.
Just then, a grey mist enveloped the corridor, covering an area from the entrance hall to the corridor's bend - roughly a 15-metre straight-line distance.
"Curious... how did you deduce this thing has range limitations?"
With a slightly confused expression, Sharon raised her hand. As she moved, a silver bracelet dangled down, emitting clear chimes.
It was a pure silver chain with a spherical pendant at its centre, engraved with eye-like patterns on its surface.
The sphere seemed to contain tiny steel beads inside, producing a faint jingling sound as Sharon let it dangle freely.
"Mist Eye—or as you officials would classify it, roughly a Level 2 hazardous item. Its function is to create an isolated pocket dimension."
At this, Sharon smirked, studying Luo Shu with the gaze of a predator eyeing trapped prey:
"Though the activation time is a bit long and the range is limited, it's quite effective for capturing prey, wouldn't you agree?"
Sharon didn't seem bothered by Takina Inoue's escape, instead eyeing Luo Shu with curiosity:
"But almost everyone who knew about this Abyss Artefact is dead. So, Officer, how did you figure out its range?"
"Careless of me..."
Luo Shu rubbed his temple in frustration, then removed the headset, crackling with static, from his ear.
The connection with Kurumi had been severed, cutting off all contact with the outside world.
Considering he was trapped in an Abyss Artefact's pocket dimension, alone with Sharon, Luo Shu quietly made up his mind.
He kept his gun raised, but it was his right hand—the one that had previously held the Demon Incantation—that shifted, extending his ring finger toward Sharon.
And on that ring finger was none other than the Demon Heart.
That's right—Luo Shu intended to use the Demon Heart to hypnotise Sharon and turn the tables.
Yet the next moment—
A warm breath brushed against Luo Shu's ear.
Someone was behind him.
"I think it's best if you don't make any sudden moves!"
An arm snaked around from his left, locking his neck in a tight chokehold.
"Or I can't guarantee your head won't roll right here."
Hearing the voice behind him, Luo Shu glanced at where Sharon had been standing—only to see her figure dissolving into wisps of white mist.
Clearly, Sharon hadn't been foolish enough to reveal all of Mist Eye's capabilities.
She had deliberately misled him, using its ability to create a decoy while slipping behind him.
Now, faced with Sharon's threat from behind, Luo Shu remained eerily calm:
"My gut tells me I won't die here."
"Unfortunately, I must inform you that a man's intuition is often a lie."
As she spoke, Sharon reached out with her right hand, seizing the Demon Incantation Luo Shu had been clutching.
"Goodbye, nameless officer. Sweet dreams."
Just as Sharon prepared to tighten her grip and strangle Luo Shu—
"However, I refuse!"
A sudden alarm blared in Sharon's mind, and she immediately tried to snap his neck.
But Luo Shu, mere inches away, suddenly shouted in an eerie, guttural tongue:
"Exchange!"
Demon language—Sharon's eyes widened in shock.
The next instant, the Demon Incantation in Luo Shu's hand erupted in a deep crimson glow, dark and murky like congealed blood.