Minutes later, the nun pulled up the footage.
The surveillance recording left nothing to the imagination, capturing everything that had just transpired...
How Esther had taken advantage of the chaos to snatch the box cutter, how she had retreated to Sephirot's side, how she had slashed her own arm, and finally, how she had dropped the blade at Sephirot's feet to complete the perfect frame-up.
The entire sequence was fluid and practiced, executed with a proficiency that made one's skin crawl.
A deathly silence filled the office.
John clutched his stomach, staring at the screen with a look of pure shock at the venomous expression on the little girl's face.
The nun covered her mouth, her expression one of utter terror.
They couldn't bring themselves to believe that a child could be so ruthless toward herself, let alone that her mind could be so maliciously calculating.
Seeing their expressions, Esther knew she was completely exposed.
Gritting her teeth, she quietly backed toward the door. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was paying attention, she slipped through the crack of the door.
Sephirot watched this scene, the corners of his mouth curling upward.
After escaping the office, Esther sprinted down the hallway, her eyes filled with a mixture of predatory glee and resentment.
Once she got away, she would find a way to make that man pay.
As she ran, Esther suddenly felt the air around her grow icy cold.
*Was the hallway always this long?*
She stopped in her tracks and looked around.
The familiar hallway had vanished at some point.
In its place was a town shrouded in mist and filled with towering trees.
Ash fell continuously from the sky.
*What kind of hellhole was this?!*
Just as Esther began to feel afraid, she saw a little girl in a western-style dress standing quietly not far ahead.
The girl's back was turned to her, and she looked incredibly frail.
Esther felt a surge of joy. If she could just grab this girl who looked like an even easier target, she might find a way out of here.
She lightened her footsteps and crept up behind her.
Just as Esther was about to reach out, the girl in the dress dissolved into nothingness.
Esther froze where she stood, a primal fear she had never felt before wrapping around her.
"Heh–heh–heh–"
Through the thick fog came a sound of horrifying, labored breathing.
Several deformed monsters, their upper bodies bound in sallow, leathery skin, twisted their torsos as they stepped out of the mist and surrounded her.
She backed away desperately, only to bump into something slick and slimy.
Esther turned her head to look, and her eyes widened in horror.
A desperate scream echoed throughout the town.
—--
In reality.
The police arrived at the orphanage after receiving the report.
When they asked the nun about Esther's whereabouts, everyone realized that the little girl had long since vanished without a trace.
"This... she was just in the room a moment ago."
The nun was somewhat dazed. As she spoke, she cast a glance toward Sephirot. His expression remained calm as he leaned down to whisper to Patty, as if Esther's disappearance had nothing to do with him at all.
She harbored her doubts.
However, the footage in the surveillance room had already made one thing clear: that little girl was a dangerous hazard.
Offending a major benefactor who had supported the orphanage for years for the sake of a missing girl of unknown origins was a losing proposition no matter how one looked at it.
The nun wisely chose to keep her mouth shut, turning back to cooperate with the police investigation.
The farce finally subsided.
—--
The next day, Patty left the Agency.
Sephirot held his phone, planning his trip to Haddonfield.
He was rummaging through carpool threads for the town of Haddonfield on a youth adventure forum.
Even though many murders had occurred in that town, it didn't stop plenty of bored young people from seeking out a thrill.
Soon, he found a post titled "Haddonfield true crime blog recording, looking for teammates, gas and rental split AA," and contacted the user.
"This way, in case something unexpected happens on the road, at least someone else can share the rental costs," Sephirot muttered.
After confirming the itinerary details, he was about to set his phone down when a bank notification popped up.
[Your account ending in xxxx, incoming transfer: $10,000,000.00]
Sephirot tapped the message and glanced at the remitter.
It seemed that kid Alex had recovered and successfully taken over the Le Domas Family estate.
Fortunately, the boy knew how to follow the rules and hadn't done anything as stupid as welshing on the debt.
With a thought, he summoned the system panel in his mind.
[Side Quest: The Debt-Ridden Sparda]
[Current Progress: $12,500,000 / $100,000,000]
"Hmm? No new debt generated?"
Sephirot was puzzled.
The meteorite he had brought down with the Faust Hat a few days ago had destroyed several buildings and some of the streetscape.
He had expected that incident to cause the system's debt to skyrocket, which was why he hadn't dared to check the status of this side quest until now.
Yet, there were no deductions on the system's current billing progress.
*Why?*
Sephirot rubbed his chin, recalling the news reports from that day.
Was it because the authorities had characterized the incident as a natural disaster or an act of god?
Come to think of it, it was quite strange; he hadn't received any form of official citation over the past few days.
With the government's resources, it was impossible for them not to have traced it back to him.
*Did someone pay it on my behalf?*
*Or are they simply too afraid to come to my door and demand compensation?*
Sephirot had a sneaking suspicion it was the latter.
The authorities didn't know his specific circumstances; they had no way of judging whether that technique was a standard combat capability or a desperate trump card.
They didn't dare gamble.
If they truly pushed him too far and he dropped a meteorite in the city center or some other core district... that cost was one no one could afford.
"So, the system's logic for determining debt is based on whether a claim exists?"
As long as someone filed a claim for damages, the system would record it in the ledger.
But if no one dared to speak up, the debt wouldn't be counted?!
"Doesn't that mean if I cause enough destruction in the future, so much that no one dares to seek compensation, I won't have to worry about being in debt?!"
Sephirot's eyes flickered with a faint light.
Then, as if remembering something, he opened his mobile banking app again. Looking at the "0" in his balance, his expression stiffened.
The ten million US dollars Alex had transferred was recognized by the system as legitimate income.
The moment it hit his account, it was swept away, leaving him without a single cent.
After all that running around, his pockets were still bone-dry.
Just then, a notification box appeared in Sephirot's mind.
[Ding!]
[One-time debt repayment of $10,000,000 detected. Milestones reward triggered.]
[The host may choose one of the following rewards:]
[Option 1: Ten random Devil Arms (One-time use)]
[Option 2: Obtain bloodline breakthrough materials]
Looking at these two options, Sephirot fell into thought.
Ten random temporary Devil Arms sounded flashy, but they were of little help to him now.
For melee, he had the thunder sword Alastor; for long-range, he had the deer bow crafted by Nico; and for utility, he had the Shadow Cloak and Snake Grab provided by Valak.
Combined with his innate talents, Trickster and Royal Guard, his current skill set basically covered every combat scenario. There was no need to chase after unknown consumables.
In contrast, the bloodline breakthrough materials that could trigger a metamorphosis in his strength were what he desperately needed.
Based on previous missions, a breakthrough item wasn't guaranteed every time.
Furthermore, he had already obtained two types of bloodline breakthrough items.
With a thought, Sephirot retrieved the two items from Silent Hill.
The first was the Ancient Demon Essence (Regeneration) dropped from killing the Ancient Ogre, a dark green heart covered in tentacles that was still faintly pulsing.
The second was the Hell Demon Origin (Spirit) dropped after killing Valak, a blurry, shifting phantom.
"I choose option two."
[Reward issued: Demon Essence (Magic Power) ×1]
Following the system prompt, a cluster of high-density energy appeared in Sephirot's hand.
This object was sustained by highly condensed magic power. The energy inside swirled at a speed the naked eye couldn't track, making it look like...
A Rasengan.
The heart, the phantom, and the magic sphere, three items radiating different auras, floated quietly before Sephirot.
Their energies reflected off one another, faintly forming a perfect equilibrium.
[Ding!]
[Three core essences collected.]
[New milestone goal unlocked: Please increase the bloodline awakening degree of the demonic bloodline to 20%.]
[Once this threshold is reached, you may consume the three essences to perform a bloodline sublimation breakthrough.]
[After the breakthrough, unlock the Sparda bloodline form: Devil Trigger, and obtain an exclusive talent.]
Looking at the final words on the system panel, even with Sephirot's calm personality, his breathing grew slightly heavy.
Devil Trigger.
This was the true trump card of the Sparda demonic bloodline.
It was a combat form that allowed the full release of the demonic power within the body, causing all physical functions and destructive capacity to increase exponentially.
Even the most basic Devil Trigger state would give him the capital to face, and even kill, Lord-class demon gods head-on.
When the time came and his bloodline degree increased, not only would his base strength be greatly enhanced, but even the flight capabilities inherent to Alastor would be unlocked.
As a Devil Arm harboring a lightning-element demon, only when its wielder entered the Devil Trigger state would Alastor manifest the power of thunder behind the user's back, condensing into a pair of flickering demonic wings of electricity for the user to soar freely.
Sephirot stored the essences back into Silent Hill, a hint of heat flashing in his eyes.
(Translated by yourtl.app)