From the 17th to the 19th century, there was no more lethal weapon of war than guns and firearms themselves. They were easier to carry than huge chunks of blades. A long-range weapon that surpassed the accuracy and precision of bows and arrows when handled properly. And of course, it could one-shot the enemy if aimed at the vital organs.
With a parting distance of only 5 meters, Florian was having a hard time chugging his saliva while raising his left hand. It was his sign of resignation, although it should have been with both arms, but—
"Hey! Hey! Hey! Wait! Why are you pulling a gun out all of a sudden?!" he exclaimed, startled. "Hold that down first," he added, while compromising with his hand swinging up and down. "It's too early to resort to violence, right? Shooting me would not be the answer." Florian steadied his posture before adding more. "And anyway, how did you get your hands on a firearm?!"
Florian maintained eye contact with the person holding a musket up, aiming toward his head. A girl appearing in her teenage years was unexpectedly armed with a weapon. What was it for? For self-defense?
Accompanying her was also a girl with silvery-white hair. Instead of stopping the mugging intent, she stood to the side and clapped her two palms like praying. She slowly closed her eyes and opened her delicate lips and benignly murmured a phrase, "Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing." (Psalm 100:2)
And just like before, words became a catalyst for a miracle to manifest. A rhythmic light emitted from out of nowhere.
"Oi! What's happening?" Florian witnessed it, and he exactly knew what sensation that was. "Did they enchant something? Don't tell me they're like that too."
In a cold, nonchalant tone, the black-haired girl lunged to her knees and placed her right eye on the scope reticle of the musket and uttered, "Get down."
"Get down?" Perhaps by instinct, Florian dropped his head near the ground and crouched on the floor. And then a loud bang exploded after the trigger was pulled.
bangboom
Two loud gunshots could be heard in the neighborhood. The first resonated with the sound of penetration through flesh, and the latter finished whatever it aimed at. Whatever it was, the gunshot exceeded the normal capabilities of a standard 30-mm pistol shot. A white mist smoked out of the gun's nozzle.
chack
"Something fell from behind," Florian said to himself. "I thought she was aiming for me. Did she miss or do it purposely? Was she targeting something behind me?" Florian raised his head and tilted it to look behind.
"Huh?" A humanoid figure lay flat on the floor of the ruined house, toppled down from above.
In just the blink of an eye, Florian Judahaiah, who struggled to fight for his survival against such beasts, felt the metallic liquid splash onto his lower half as the devil fell.
A headless, 6-foot-tall creature was laying flat on the ground, with one gunshot pierced through its chest.
"A d-devil?!" Florian was startled by the shock. "Crap, I almost died there. I couldn't sense its presence, but how could they have seen it in just the few seconds they got here? Did she aim for it right from the start?" Florian, not much different from how he had reacted before, reconciled his fright after the encounter with the harrowing creature.
He bent his knees and stood up straight to glance at the one responsible for exorcising the devil. "These two... don't tell me they're just like that too?" He was referring to the gentlemen who destroyed the Judahaiah residence in the recent encounter.
"Eeeehhh... Didn't think that would be much weaker than I thought," the girl holding the musket mumbled. "I actually wasted such precious smiting ammunition on such a lowly creature. What do you think, Anya?"
"Whether you're right or not, Illya, it's still our job to exorcise the evil creatures that are against the way of the Lord, no matter what it may take," Anya calmly replied after clasping her hands and uttering the word "Amen."
Illya released her grip on the musket and lowered it to waist level while fixing her posture. "Still, despite being able to use this, I still cannot control the recoil after a few shots with just my sheer force without any help from the divine spirit. I still have a long way to go," Illya mumbled to herself.
In terms of eloquence, Anya, having done her momentary rosary, looked back toward the direction of the house, seeking to settle something important. "Now, how do we handle that kid?" she said. "It's not like we can let that suspicious guy go after what he witnessed right with his own eyes."
"Ah, that guy from yesterday with his leech companions," Illya replied to what Anya was getting at. "It's not plausible for a guy like that to have predicaments in a dangerous place like this."
"Hmm, isn't it because he lives somewhere near here? Probably left something valuable in the area," Anya casually responded.
"But I cannot explain how unsettling that guy is. Especially him having no right arm despite us just meeting him yesterday," Illya said. "And how he didn't even seem traumatized after what he saw. We can't let go of such an individual without confirmation. Since, in the first place, Sister Leah appointed us here to patrol the incident area."
These two young women, both of them with their arms raised, had significant reasons to suspect Florian's actions and his involvement in the case.
"What's up with these two?" he said to himself. "Ain't no way someone my age is carrying a gun, even if it's just for self-defense or any other reason." Still maintaining his guard against the two girls, he slowly lowered his left arm, burdened by the sudden shock of the gunshot. "The hell are they doing here for?" Florian said to himself. "By the looks of it, these two aren't normal to just look directly at a devil creature like that so easily," he turned his gaze downward. The carcass of the devil was slowly turning into ashes, vanishing into thin air and erasing its trace from the upper world.
"They must have connections with that Ognar guy." Florian lifted his head, concentrating on the people in front of him. "Could we just leave already?" Illya mumbled to Anya. "Not until we finish this," Anya replied. To which Illya answered, "We're just wasting our time here. The devil has already been exorcised, and we've completed the morning patrol. I think it's time for us to leave."
"For sure, we killed the creature and it's thanks to our cooperation. Though, we don't have any certainty until we check further. We might not know if there are any auxiliary attacks that can happen after we leave," Anya explained clearly.
Anya was keeping her attention on any auxiliary threats or any reappearance of a devil in the area. Repercussions were unavoidable because of the previous opening of one of the gates of hell in Florian's house. Creatures from the underworld took the opportunity—even in the slightest tear—to make their way and spread terror in the overworld.
Illya, seeing that she had no reason to argue, considered the possibility despite her reluctance. "Fine, fine. You owe me a strawberry-glazed croissant after this."
"That's quite a hefty compensation for you to ask, Illya," Anya replied.
Illya lowered her musket to the ground, holding the body of the gun near the muzzle. She stuffed her delicate hands inside the pouch she was carrying near her right knee. A few seconds later, she brought something out with her hands. A rosary, just like the one Anya was holding, but it emitted a yellowish glow. She held the beads between her fingers, slightly raising it to chest level. Illya then clenched the beads and the small cross of the rosary with her right hand as if forcing something into it. The accessory glowed and emitted a kind of essence as she mumbled something while concentrating on it. A moment passed. "Amen."
Apparently, it was a kind of surveying ritual to detect the presence of any wicked intent, both from a sinful heart and even the ill will of the devil.
"That's strange. Looks like the devil's essence has completely vanished, even if the gate hasn't been closed," Illya muttered, noticing a disturbance. "I think you're right, Anya. It's still not time to leave."
"To think that we could unveil something here, Illya. The rosary would otherwise let us know if it's safe. May the Holy Spirit guide us." Anya and Illya knew something was wrong with what the signal told them. It was now either that the rosary didn't detect an anomaly—or something was disturbing the thin space.
"We cannot consider the former, otherwise we weren't supposed to be here," Illya said.
"It's now only the latter—or not," Anya followed up.
"This tension!" Florian could feel a disturbance in his right ear despite not being able to sense anything. "I can feel the eerie presence again." He noticed the unease in the girls' actions and how they were raising their guard again after using the cross. He was sure of one thing.
Out of nowhere, "Hey, my name's Florian Judahaiah! Aren't you two lovely ladies?"