"Amazing, amazing! So you're the exorcist who took the Saint away, huh?!"
The white-haired priest's face lit up with excitement.
"We were planning to recruit you, you know. But I didn't think you'd just slaughter all of them like that! Honestly, you're more of a rogue exorcist than we are!"
"What a pity... we could've been colleagues. But now I'm even more interested in you. Strong people like you are worth killing!"
"So... let's have some fun. Don't be fooled by the fact I showed up with that bunch of losers. I'm actually really strong!"
The bloodlust rolling off him was intense.
Rod narrowed his eyes. This guy looked... familiar.
So instead of attacking immediately, he stopped.
The white-haired priest didn't waste the opportunity. In one fluid motion, he slipped a pistol from under his coat and fired.
It was a standard-issue exorcist weapon, something straight out of a sci-fi movie. Unlike modern firearms, its energy source wasn't gunpowder, but divine light bestowed by angels or fallen angels.
Despite the "light" origin, the bullets behaved similarly to conventional rounds.
But Rod's current physique had long surpassed human limitations.
Even attacks from a fire god couldn't touch him, dodging these shots was child's play.
Still...
After sidestepping a few bullets, a dark object suddenly exploded at the priest's feet.
Boom!
A thick cloud of black smoke filled the abandoned factory.
From the haze, the priest's voice rang out, cheerful and cocky.
"This is my cue to escape! Don't forget to brush your teeth!"
Within three seconds, he'd vanished into the smoke and darted into the nearby woods.
Once hidden among the trees, he exhaled in relief and muttered under his breath, "Who the hell wants to fight a freak like you?! I only joined this gig because they said I could kill whoever I wanted. They don't even offer benefits, like hell I'm risking my life for that!"
Swoosh!
His words were cut short by a gleaming slash through the air.
The priest hadn't even realized what hit him.
Suddenly, his field of view flipped upside down. As his vision spun, he spotted a decapitated body spurting blood like a fountain.
Only then did he realize: Oh. That's my body.
And with that, his world went black forever.
Rod calmly sheathed his Nichirin Blade and shook his head.
"Did you seriously think you were some kind of perfect organism?"
Up on the rooftop, Asia had witnessed the entire scene.
When she saw Rod take the priest's head clean off, she gasped and clamped her hands over her mouth in shock.
Sure, Rod had already told her that these "priests" were no saints, sadistic criminals exiled from the Church for committing atrocities, but that didn't make it easier to watch.
She still wished for a more peaceful world.
Rod reappeared beside her without a sound.
Asia was kneeling, hands clasped in prayer.
He blinked. "What are you doing?"
She finished with a soft "Amen," then looked up.
"I'm praying for the lost souls. I hope they'll find redemption in the next life."
"Why couldn't they just be good people to begin with?"
"Do you think God will forgive them?"
Rod replied without hesitation.
"Of course He will. That's why I help send them to Him."
Asia took a few seconds to process that. Her expression turned complicated.
"Mister Rod… wouldn't it be nice if people could just understand each other?"
"I think... maybe that's what God's always been trying to do."
Rod, as a transmigrator, had no particular reverence for gods.
He didn't hate them either, he was indifferent.
But the God in the DxD world was... different.
Unlike the scheming or villainous portrayals in other mythos, the God in this world had genuinely given something for humanity.
He died sealing the Apocalyptic Beast, an entity born from the Bible itself, representing the number 666.
That number, symbolic of humanity's imperfection, stood in direct contrast to God's perfect 7.
To prevent this Beast from running rampant and destroying mankind, God sacrificed Himself to seal it.
Before his death, He launched a war against devils and fallen angels, killing the original Four Great Satans and several top fallen angels.
He even dismembered the Two Heavenly Dragons and turned them into Sacred Gears.
You could say... He gave a lot of things for humanity.
"Yeah… probably," Rod murmured.
Even he couldn't bring himself to disrespect that kind of God.
There was an old saying:
"Do not let the one who brings you firewood freeze in the snow."
Rod may not have been religious, but he'd definitely benefited from the order that sacrifice had created.
With nothing more to say, he led Asia away from the factory.
Their next stop: the airport. It was time to head to Kuoh Town and wrap up this system mission.
But just before boarding the plane, Rod's phone rang.
It was Griselda.
"How's your end?" she asked.
"Heading out of Italy with the girl in tow. Oh, and I killed a few rogue exorcists in an abandoned factory. Might want to send someone to clean up the bodies. Not that it'll scare the locals, but… let's not traumatize the wildflowers."
"…"
Silence from the other end.
But Griselda quickly pieced together the truth, this was probably related to Asia.
She sighed, voice tinged with guilt.
"I'm sorry. On this matter, I can't offer you any official support."
Rod shrugged, not that she could see it.
"No big deal. You already paid me."
His tone was casual.
"If you really feel bad, just send me more main quests in the future. But spare me the low-level grind stuff, okay?"
"…Huh?"
Griselda was baffled.
Most people used guilt to bargain for more money or favors.
But Rod?
He just wanted more work.
Wasn't he supposed to want more days off, not more assignments?
Who the hell wants to work seven days a week?
After they hung up, she stared at her phone, lost in thought.
So many things he could've asked for…
Then it hit her.
"Oh no. I forgot to ask where he was going!"
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