Rod didn't make things too difficult for the driver scrambling for his life.
He just removed the steering wheel, and shot out all four tires.
Upon entering Vatican City, he immediately sensed a faint divine aura lingering in the air.
Saint Peter's Basilica stood as the most iconic structure of the Vatican, its grand silhouette an undeniable landmark.
Back in his original world, the site had always been packed with tourists during the day.
In a world where supernatural powers were very real, the frenzy of believers only intensified.
That's exactly why Rod preferred to operate at night.
As for investigation?
Totally unnecessary.
The moment he set foot inside the Vatican, the system had automatically updated the quest and highlighted every relevant clue.
Even better, it had drawn a bright red guidance line along the ground, like some in-game quest tracker.
All that was missing was auto-pathing and Rod could level up while AFK.
Following the glowing line, Rod arrived at a modest residential home far from Saint Peter's Basilica.
The streets were empty.
He silently scaled the wall and slipped onto the property.
Inside, he found an ajar window. From there, faint voices drifted out.
"Heh… Can't believe it was this easy."
"Even a saint wouldn't be able to recover from helping a demon. No way she walks away clean."
"Don't you agree?"
Peeking through the gap, Rod saw a slender, black-haired young man smiling smugly.
But he wasn't alone.
Several figures stood nearby, each shrouded head-to-toe in black robes. Even their faces were wrapped tightly in scarves.
Rod's trained eye could tell: they were all women.
"For now, stick to monitoring everyone who enters or leaves Saint Peter's. Track anyone tied to the Church. Once the saint leaves Vatican grounds, I'll step in and escort her here personally."
The young man, Diadora Astaroth, grinned triumphantly.
A pure-blood demon with a fetish for nuns and holy maidens, Diadora had mastered the art of disgrace.
He didn't need brute force, just clever manipulation.
This time, his target was the saintly Asia Argento, bearer of the healing-type Sacred Gear Twilight Healing, known as The Smile of the Virgin Mary.
Diadora's plan?
Feign injury. Lure her into healing him.
Then ensure others from the Church "accidentally" caught her in the act.
Once word got out that a holy saint had dared to save a demon, her reputation would crumble.
She'd be cast out.
And then, Diadora would take her. Just like he had with so many other fallen nuns before her.
"Huh… no wonder he looked familiar."
The moment Rod heard Asia's name, the plot clicked into place.
In the original story, Asia had been a saint beloved by the Church, thanks to her ability to heal even the gravest of wounds. But Diadora, the deviant demon, targeted her using deceit.
Rod recalled the setup clearly now.
So the main plot was finally starting to unfold?
Back when he visited Kuoh Town, nothing had triggered, not even a side quest.
Strangely, the protagonist Issei Hyoudou had been missing too.
Odd, yes, but since there'd been no active quest, Rod hadn't stuck around.
But now?
Once this mission wrapped up, he'd head back to Kuoh.
Maybe he could finally unlock some major storyline content.
And that meant serious rewards.
"Who's there?!"
Just as Diadora was reveling in his scheme, a noise by the window made him whip around.
A shadow moved, half a silhouette cast against the glass.
"A thief?"
Diadora didn't sense any sacred or exorcist energy. He relaxed slightly.
Still, if this person had overheard him, they'd need to be dealt with.
He lunged toward the window, hand outstretched to seize the figure.
After all, he wasn't just some low-tier imp, he was a pure-blood high-class demon, with power and speed far beyond a normal human.
Unfortunately for him,
What greeted him was a silver bullet.
Crack!
The high-velocity round slammed into Diadora's forehead, bursting on impact with a flash of silver and a splash of blood.
He staggered, but didn't fall.
"Tch. Knew it. Against a stronger demon, regular firearms just don't cut it."
Rod sighed.
He still liked using guns.
But in a world built on mythological logic, without supernatural augmentation, conventional weapons struggled against mid- to high-tier beings.
Otherwise, the gods would've ditched swords and spears for tanks and missiles long ago.
Diadora regained his footing.
Pain pulsed through his skull, and his warm, mild smile twisted into a monstrous snarl.
Tasting his own blood, his rage ignited.
"You dare injure me?! Not even my uncle's ever hit me!"
Purple demonic energy surged across his skin.
He roared, unleashing a devastating blast from his right hand.
The outer wall crumbled in an instant.
Several abandoned buildings nearby collapsed in the aftershock.
"You really can't keep your temper, huh?" Rod muttered. "This is the Vatican, y'know. Exorcists, or angels, will be on you in minutes."
"Y-You son of a-!"
Diadora was practically foaming with fury.
The nerve of this bastard!
Sneak attacking with a gun, utterly dishonorable!
And the smug tone just made it worse!
He hadn't planned to fight here at all, if he weren't injured, he wouldn't have acted prematurely.
Still… Rod had a point.
The longer he lingered, the higher the risk.
The thought of facing high-tier angels made Diadora hesitate.
And the moment hesitation set in, his will to fight began to slip.
Rod vanished from his view.
[Skill Activated: ClockUp]
[Effect: Temporarily enters hyper-acceleration, manipulating particle flow to act freely within a localized time frame.]
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200 P.S / 1 Extra Chapters
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