Christabella staggered back several steps, her body trembling uncontrollably.
She pointed at Sephirot, her voice shrill: "Devil! You are a devil!!"
"You have demonic blood flowing in your veins, how dare you come here?! This is blasphemy against the Gods!!"
An uproar swept through the hall. The believers all looked towards the High Priestess, having never seen her so discomposed, nor an outsider who dared to kick down the church doors.
"Guards?! Quick! Seize this pagan! Don't let him defile the holy land!"
Christabella screamed hysterically, her well-maintained face contorted with rage and fear into something ugly. "Put him on the stake to be purified! Immediately! Right now!!"
Over a dozen guards armed with shovels, steel forks, and other weapons rushed out from inside the church, fanning out to approach Sephirot.
"Kill this devil! He is insulting the Bishop!"
"Die, pagan!"
A guard in miner's clothing raised his steel fork, roaring as he charged to the forefront, aiming straight for Sephirot's throat.
Sephirot's expression remained unchanged. His right hand drew the handgun from his waist.
"Sephirot! Be careful!"
Rose behind him shouted in terror, instinctively moving to rush forward and help him.
"Stay out of it. Fall back."
Sephirot's brow furrowed slightly. He kicked back with controlled force, his foot connecting with Rose's abdomen.
"Ugh!"
Rose grunted as she was sent tumbling backward.
"Bang!"
A deafening gunshot reverberated through the church.
The head of the guard leading the charge exploded like a watermelon, splattering red and white matter onto the faces of his comrades behind him.
The corpse, carried by momentum, stumbled forward a few more steps before collapsing to its knees not far from Sephirot, then thudded face-first onto the ground.
Dead silence filled the hall.
All the believers stared wide-eyed, unable to believe what they had just witnessed.
Here, they were accustomed to using the stake to judge others, to threaten outsiders, but they had never seen an outsider dare to strike back at them!
Rose was so frightened she covered her mouth, her entire body shaking.
"He charged at me with a weapon, with intent to murder,"
Sephirot lowered his gun, looking down at the body at his feet. "As a private detective, my self-defense is perfectly reasonable and lawful."
Christabella stood on the altar, her face ashen. She raised both hands high. "Do not fear!"
"That is a devil's weapon! He is only bluffing! Anyone who retreats will be defying God's will!"
"Kill him! Otherwise, God will punish us! Just as He did decades ago!"
Heeding their Bishop's command, fanaticism overcame the fear of death. The remaining guards exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and raised their weapons once more.
"Bang!"
Another gunshot rang out.
The second guard had just raised his weapon when a bowl-sized hole appeared in his chest; the bullet had blown his heart to pieces. The massive kinetic energy sent his body flying backward.
The corpse crashed into the crowd behind like a bowling ball, the impact knocking down several guards who were trying to charge forward.
"Hmm... Believing the cult's lies, not only attempting mob violence but also harming your teammates."
Sephirot blew on the white smoke curling from his gun barrel and shook his head helplessly. "Such a black sheep, I helped you deal with him. Don't mention it."
He glanced at the remaining guards, frozen in place, unable to advance or retreat, and raised his gun: "How about charging together? I'm a bit pressed for time."
Clang.
Someone was the first to loosen their grip; an iron rod clattered to the ground with a clear sound.
Immediately after, the sound of weapons hitting the floor followed one after another.
Even the most fanatical faith can seem fragile when faced with absolute violence and the utter disregard for human life.
The guards dropped their weapons in terror, scrambling back into the crowd, not daring to make another sound.
"Sensible."
Sephirot nodded in satisfaction, kicked aside the corpse in front of him, and walked toward the altar at the center of the Church.
The believers parted like they were seeing the devil, lowering their heads and making way, clearing a wide path.
"Cowards! You cowards! God is watching you!"
Watching Sephirot's relentless approach, Christabella finally panicked. Seeing the retreating believers, she trembled with rage, pointing at the crowd and cursing furiously.
Until Sephirot stood on the altar, his shadow falling over her.
The once-arrogant High Priestess now sat slumped on the ground, trembling hands clutching a cross, eyes shut tight as she muttered to herself:
"You demon! How dare you kill under God's gaze! God will punish you!"
"God is busy all day long, probably doesn't have time for such trivial matters."
Sephirot bent down, his handsome face slowly approaching Christabella, revealing a smile:
"But demons have plenty of time."
—--
Christabella.
Serving as both the High Priestess of the Silent Hill church and the principal of Midwich Elementary School, she had thoroughly twisted these two sacred roles into tools to satisfy her personal lust for power, constantly purging dissidents.
Even after everyone was dragged into Silent Hill by Alessa, she continued to abuse her power using the faith of the church, using holy fire to judge anyone she deemed impure.
And now, this High Priestess, who usually gave orders with a single glance and could make believers tremble with just a cough, was tied to a cross like fish on a chopping block.
"Let me go! You demon from Hell! Heretic!"
Christabella struggled and writhed frantically, her robes straining and deforming. Her usually spiteful face was now twisted with venom and terror.
"Madam, you wouldn't want to be humiliated in front of so many believers, would you?"
Sephirot stood up, considerately straightening Christabella's collar. "Now, I have two missing person notice cases that require your esteemed church's cooperation."
"Demon! Don't even think of making God's people serve you! Guards! Where are the guards?!" Christabella, though terrified, could not accept being ordered around by an outsider after years in a position of authority.
The believers below exchanged glances, looking at the two corpses on the floor, but none dared to move.
"It seems only pain can clear that stubborn head of yours."
Sephirot sighed as he watched her stubborn refusal to yield. "I'm not asking you."
The hand that had just straightened her collar slid down and firmly grasped her still-twitching right wrist.
"Crunch!"
The sound of bone cracking rang out.
"Ah!!"
A miserable scream echoed through the Church, drowning out the scattered prayers.
Christabella looked at her right hand in horror, trembling all over. Her right hand was twisted 180 degrees, contorted like a rope, with thin streams of blood seeping from the cracks and dripping down.
The believers below, smelling the blood in the air and seeing the once-lofty Bishop now screaming like a dying dog, lowered their heads even further.
Those who had been softly murmuring prayers now even lightened their breath.
"Can you talk properly now?"
Sephirot patted her face. Seeing no response, he pulled a photo from his inner pocket. "Have you seen this woman?"
In the photo, a blonde woman in a white floral-print dress looked gently at the camera.
Christabella trembled from the pain, but in this extreme agony, her reason returned. If she didn't cooperate, this man really would kill her, and without any guilt.
"N-no... I haven't seen this person."
Sephirot wasn't surprised by this answer.
He took the golden pocket watch from Rose and held the photo inside it toward Christabella.
"What about this one? Don't tell me you don't know this either. My patience is limited."
Christabella's pupils, unfocused from the intense pain, suddenly constricted the moment they focused on the little girl in the photo.
"The witch?! So this abomination is still alive?!"
(Translated by yourtl.app)