Amelia didn't have the time to ponder what kind of heart it was, as she immediately sensed multiple presences suddenly appearing around the area.
Looking up, her eyes narrowed. Numerous Wraiths had silently emerged, surrounding her and the Inquisition team. On each of their chests, a similar glowing object could be seen, pulsing faintly.
On the other side, Adam and the other Inquisitors were already prepared. Their training drilled them to expect potential ambushes, so when it came, no one panicked. They moved hurriedly but calmly, slipping into formation just as they'd practiced.
In the blink of an eye, chaos erupted in the villa's yard.
Lightning flashed, water crashed down like tidal waves, fire rained from above, the earth trembled and cracked, and the roar of gunfire echoed in all directions.
...
A few minutes later, the villa yard was reduced beyond recognition, scorched, torn, and cratered. Traces of the fierce battle were present everywhere.
Adam stood amidst the devastation, panting heavily. Sweat poured down his face as he shook his head, fighting off the pull of exhaustion.
The battle had only lasted minutes, but to him, it felt like hours.
He was basically forced to stay on constant alert, where every wrong move could've easily cost him his life.
Sure, he got Alya, a healer on his side, and Archbishop Amelia was nearby. But he couldn't expect the latter to jump in and bail him out every time he was in danger, couldn't he?
Not to mention, as the strongest and the leader of the team, she was responsible for watching out for potentially far more dangerous threats. She had to conserve her strength, stay alert, and be ready for when real danger struck.
If she wasted her energy saving him or anyone else mid-battle, it could jeopardize the entire operation—and get everyone else killed.
Fortunately, the only threat they faced until the end was the Wraiths. And while they came out victorious, the win didn't come without cost. He was pretty lucky that he managed to hold on until the end. Others weren't as fortunate.
"How many did we lose?" Adam murmured.
"Three, including Tom and Jerry," Alya replied gloomily.
"Tom and Jerry?" Adam's expression froze.
He always treated them as his sworn brothers. They weren't just the jokers of the squad, always cracking ridiculous jokes and making everyone laugh, they were also genuinely good people. The kind who'd donate half their salary to orphanages. Kindhearted. Reliable. Loud, but never annoying.
And now they were just… gone.
The world had lost two of its most generous fools in a single night.
"We were caught off guard and unprepared," Alya lamented, eyes down, voice low.
"The Church didn't just send Archbishop Amelia, they even gave us tons of Purifying Bullets. Normally, with that kind of setup, these Wraiths would've been easy to deal with. But who would've expected we'd run into the anomaly kind? The kind that isn't afraid of purification or holy light? Our Purification Bullets turned out useless. Even the Church and Inquisition probably didn't see this coming."
She wasn't usually the talkative type. Always quiet, always deep in her own thoughts, watching things in silence.
But seeing her friends die one by one—friends who stood and fought by her side—shook her too much. Her emotions were all over the place, and talking was the only way she could keep herself from breaking apart.
If she didn't let it out, she was afraid she might lose it completely.
Adam stayed quiet. He didn't know what to say, and he wasn't in the mood to offer any hollow words of comfort. He was just as angry and helpless as Alya.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. He looked up and saw Archbishop Amelia walking toward him.
"Your Grace..." Adam muttered blankly.
With her usual unreadable expression, Amelia gave him a slight nod and patted his shoulder.
"The Heavenly Father does not overlook the sacrifice of the faithful. Those who fell today have returned to His embrace. By now, they must've entered His garden—Eden."
"Eden..." Adam repeated, looking wistful.
"Strictly speaking, their fall today only means they reached His embrace sooner than we did. Our final journey ends the same way. When you, me, and the others die… we'll reunite with them."
Adam's expression gradually turned solemn as he reflected on the Archbishop's words.
"That's why you have to stay strong. We can't let their sacrifice be in vain. Let's wrap things up here quickly. Tomorrow, we'll prepare a grand funeral for them."
Archbishop Amelia spoke a few more comforting words, bringing back his spirit.
"Yes, Your Grace! Praise be to the Heavenly Father!" Adam raised his arms to the sky, palms open.
Amelia gave a small nod, then moved to personally check on each remaining Inquisitor. It took her five minutes to complete the routine check.
When she finished, she gathered them and spoke. "It's unfortunate we lost four heroes in less than an hour. But don't let your hearts be heavy—the Church will honor their memory. Their families will be cared for, and their names will not be forgotten.
"More importantly, the Heavenly Father sees their courage. Anyone who gives their life fighting against evil does not die for nothing. The Father welcomes them into His arms. They've gone ahead of us into Eden, where there is no more pain, no more fear—only peace."
"Praise be to the Heavenly Father!"
Archbishop Amelia gave a small, content nod at them and continued. "Their deaths weren't meaningless. If anything, it confirms we're on the right path. Until now, the details of this operation were kept from you. But after seeing your courage and resolve, I believe it's time you knew more."
"The goal of this operation was to capture a traitor. We received information that someone who betrayed the Church was hiding here. That was our target. As for who it is, it's better you don't know. That's all I can say."
'A traitor?' Adam, Alya, and the other two remaining Inquisitors looked at each other in confusion.
Amelia paid no attention to their reactions and continued, "Since you're all down to four, I'll take half with me. The others will evacuate the deceased and report the situation to the other teams and headquarters."
"Alya, Adam, you're with me. While you guys are busy handling the Wraiths, I already cleared the remaining threats inside the villa. The only place left to check is the basement."
"Dela, Faris, you'll handle the evacuation and reporting."
After assigning the jobs, Amelia allowed the team a few minutes to rest.
Since the operation required a large number of Inquisitors, the Church didn't just send Archbishop Amelia—they also brought in Inquisitors from other countries and continents.
This was a precaution. In case something went wrong, it would prevent a total wipeout of a single region's Inquisitors. If that happened, it would create a temporary vacuum of power—and no one could predict what might occur during that gap.
Dela and Faris for example came from Asia and a country named Indonesia.
The four of them sat in a loose circle in the villa's yard. If it weren't for the burn marks, the four corpses lying nearby, and a few pits around the area, it might've looked like they were just out on a late-night camping trip at a creepy old house. All that was missing was a campfire.
"After this mission, I'm definitely taking a month off," Faris said loudly, taking a drag from his cigarette. "I'll fly straight to Bali. Just me, the beach, and peace."
Dela, a relatively fair-skinned woman sitting beside him, rolled her eyes. "As if that old man Budi would ever approve your leave."
"He'll have to. I've done the Inquisition a huge favor here. Risking my life and everything. He's got no reason to deny me. If he's remained stubborn, then I will complain about him to the Church for being an asshole. Hmph!"
Dela chuckled, switching the topics. "You sure you'll actually be able to sit still and do nothing?"
"What do you mean?" Faris raised an eyebrow.
"I mean, will you really be able to keep your hands off things if some supernatural incident abruptly pops up and requires your assistance? Or a disaster strikes?"
Faris went quiet for a second, then sighed, followed by a curse. "Damn it. You're right. There's no way I could sit through a whole month doing nothing. I can't even watch an old man pushing a trash cart without feeling the urge to help. If something big happens, I know I'll jump in. Even if the other side was hell."
"This job's both a blessing and a curse."
"This is the life of an Inquisitor…"
The four of them fell into a quiet, reflective silence.
"What about you guys?" Faris eventually asked, looking at Adam and Alya.
"What do you guys wish to do once this operation is over?"
Adam thought for a second before answering. "I'm taking another mission immediately."
"So diligent?"
"I have to. I'm still short on contribution points. I need them to exchange for a Rejuvenating Soul Potion."
"You got a relative with an injured soul?" Faris asked casually.
"Not a relative. It's Omar—the kid who died first. His little sister fell into a coma after a curse incident. That potion's her only chance to wake up."
"So it was that kid..." Faris said softly, nodding. He patted Adam on the shoulder and grinned. "Your skin might be black, but your heart's made of gold."
Adam just smiled, choosing not to comment.
Faris turned to Alya. "What about you?"
She stayed quiet for so long that Adam thought she wasn't going to answer. But then she finally spoke. "I'm taking another mission too. I want to strengthen my Blessing."
"Tonight's mission really opened my eyes. It showed me that without enough strength, there's no way to save everyone."
"You guys..." Faris shook his head, speechless.
They continued to chat until Archbishop Amelia returned to fetch Adam and Alya.
The four exchanged good lucks before parting ways to carry out their next tasks.
"See you later, nerds!"
"Good Night, Good luck!"
Led by Archbishop Amelia, Adam and Alya stepped inside the villa through what used to be the front door.
There wasn't a door anymore—it had clearly been destroyed, most likely when Amelia fought her way inside.
Even though she'd said everything was taken care of, Adam still felt uneasy. Walking in didn't feel like entering a house. It felt like walking into a slaughterhouse.
The hallway carpet was dirty and full of tracks—shoes, bare feet, and… animal paws?
That last one made him pause. His eyes narrowed as he studied the marks.
'What kind of animal left these?'
He didn't have to wonder for long.
As they reached the living room, the sight in front of him left him stunned.
A huge pile of bodies stretched all the way up to the second floor. Creatures were stacked on top of each other like a mountain. Surprisingly, there was no smell, foul odor, or whatsoever.
Adam stood frozen. Alya beside him looked just as shocked.
Amid the carcasses, Adam recognized some of the creatures. Hounds. Serpents. Wolves. Orangutans. Cats. Sheep. Foxes. Octopuses. Even cows. And more he couldn't name.
"Your Grace... is this your doing?" Adam finally found his voice after a long time.
Archbishop Amelia neither confirmed nor denied his guess. Instead, she explained, "They were once ordinary animals, but over time they were corrupted—some by the forces of hell, others by the underworld."
Adam only half-listened. His thoughts were elsewhere. He couldn't help but wonder: if Archbishop Amelia hadn't been here, would he and the others have been forced to fight off that entire terrifying, corrupted horde on their own?
'Bloody hell! By the time the Church showed up, my bones would've already been dissolved in their stomach acid.' he thought grimly.
Thankfully, they got Archbishop Amelia by their side.
Thankfully, Archbishop Amelia had purified all the corpses, so they didn't reek of rot. If she hadn't, Adam was sure he would've thrown up on the spot.
Even with the smell gone, just looking at the pile nearly made his stomach turn. It was only due to his years of experiences, that he had seen enough death to build some tolerance. But even so, the combination of gore and stench would've pushed him over the edge. He was deeply grateful Amelia had taken care of it.
"Let's head to the basement," she said. "I've already checked every room on the first and second floors—nothing useful there."
Adam and Alya nodded and followed her, cautiously stepping around the mound of corpses and into a long hallway behind it.
The corridor felt damp and cold, the kind of cold that sank into your skin.
As thought sensing their discomfort, Amelia cast Solar Mantle again, bathing them in soft, warm light.
"Thank you, Your Grace," Adam and Alya said in unison.
It took them less than twenty seconds to reach the end of the corridor. A window at the far wall revealed the silver moon, hanging bright and still.
To the right stood a plain wooden door.
There were no demonic engravings, no ominous symbols, nothing that screamed danger. It looked just like an ordinary door.
That's when a quote came to mind, one that he felt fit the present situation.
"It's always the quiet ones you have to watch out for."
In this context, it can be translated to something like:
"The more ordinary something appears, the more likely it conceals something dangerous."