Jonathan wiped the blood from his face, stood up from the ground, and using the roots of the trees around him, which moved like shadows in the darkness, he tied the demon—who was trying to stand—down to the ground.
"Zz… Target suppressed, begin elimination!"
Boom! Boom! Boom!
When Jonathan reported this, he looked at Wednesday approaching. He reacted quickly because, at that moment, the helicopters launched missiles at the creature that was roaring in pain on the ground.
The blast wave sent many dangerous pieces of debris flying, injuring several soldiers Jonathan didn't have time to protect, but the creature that had been causing havoc had been reduced to a paste of flesh.
"I should make improvements to your suit. It's not appropriate for you to use this if you plan on being more active in the field…" Jonathan moved away from Wednesday as she stood up, trying to search for that thing through the cloud of smoke.
Wednesday coughed a little, lifted her rifle from the ground, but after seeing that everything was in order, she smiled slightly. She had underestimated the enemies Jonathan faced before, so this was far more than she could handle. Only now did she grasp the true magnitude of the words used to describe the Association of Light, as spoken by her father.
Boom!
"Zz… Have the rearguard advance!"
"Roger, incinerate everything in the surroundings. Don't forget to search for traces of life in the forest. Any human being found on the outskirts of society must be completely eliminated."
Wednesday looked at Jonathan with severity. Killing so many people was something she understood, but at the same time, she was aware that things could be done differently. She lived in a world where possibilities could be infinite; she understood that a person's life had a price, but sometimes negotiation was important.
Jonathan had walked a few meters away. He looked at Wednesday, who was focused on what lay on the ground, so he said, "This is what a hunter does, and they all understand it."
"I understand." Wednesday lifted her gaze to meet Jonathan's, who was watching her intently.
"You must understand this: this is my current job, and now I rarely work alone since many lives depend on me… A single wrong order and hundreds die."
Crack!
Wednesday was about to say something when she suddenly saw something in the darkness approaching Jonathan at great speed.
The seconds felt eternal. Akira lifted her weapon, but she soon saw Jonathan's calm expression, so she avoided firing by mistake and injuring him.
"Zz… We have another beast, we need reinforcements!"
Jonathan surrounded his body with a field of telekinesis; it seemed as if the darkness itself had fused with him in a single fraction of a second, protecting his body.
"Damn beast…"
Rooooaaarrr!!!
The gigantic creature attacked Jonathan with its horns, similar to those of a male deer. This time it was not like before, as the attack continued, carrying Jonathan upward at great speed, crashing him against branches.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"Ahhhh!"
Jonathan let out a furious roar. His sword pierced the demon's throat, but this was not enough to eliminate it.
Boom—
Moments later Jonathan crashed into a massive tree. This tree was ancient, its roots so thick they demonstrated its great vitality.
"Argh!!" Jonathan clenched his teeth, feeling the suffocation his lungs were experiencing at that moment.
Looking into this monster's eyes, Jonathan directed himself toward another entity through them. He could see beyond the visible, finding who the general of these demons was.
"I found you!"
Jonathan smiled faintly, the divinity over his body gathering with density, and he murmured briefly, "I have found you!"
In that instant, the divinity surrounding him burst with large spikes that pierced the demon's body numerous times.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
"If a demon general wants to fight me, he should come personally. Don't send your vassals to find me, because I'll eliminate them so easily it'll put me to sleep." Jonathan grabbed the demon's horns and, squeezing tightly, tore them apart.
Crack!
Rrrrroooaaarrr!!!
The beast let out a roar so strong it made the earth tremble, but Jonathan did not separate from the demon for even a second.
"In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit… I, Jonathan Belmont, condemn you back to the hell to which you belong." Jonathan shouted these words, dispelling all evil in the surroundings.
The infernal cold began to fade, and all those who felt as if they were inside a freezer sensed a warm current illuminating them.
"A Belmont has taken action…"
Many soldiers made their respective prayers. Wednesday watched how Jonathan had finished destroying the demon, but she didn't approach completely because she feared being careless once again with the surroundings.
"Zz… We have the prisoners, moving to phase two of elimination."
"Zz… The cleanup team has arrived."
Jonathan took a deep breath, looked at the blood coming from some wounds on his chest, but there was nothing to worry about. But Wednesday didn't understand this, so she quickly began giving him first aid.
"Zz… Proceed, send the prisoners to interrogation."
Wednesday looked at Jonathan and asked, "Do you always come out injured?"
"It's not common, but it tends to happen." Jonathan sat on a fallen log, feeling the life the forest gave to the surroundings, and inevitably remembered his past life.
Even though he was no longer the man he once was, he now felt grateful for the strength his panel had given him, and this was what he had to do with all that power, so he had to keep that in mind always.
"I'll be fine, I heal faster than normal people." Jonathan held Wednesday's trembling hands and channeled a warm light into them to calm her anxiety.
"It doesn't matter, you need to be checked."
"Yes…" Jonathan nodded. He wasn't naive, so that was what the protocol required.