3-1. Life Shield
Solen, Lucen, and Orin stepped out of their transport, the crisp evening air hitting them. They had reached the designated site: a massive private facility.
Orin read the sign aloud. "Life Shield… Sounds a bit ironic for a place with 'demonic visits,' doesn't it?"
"Our mission here is to monitor the unusual amount of demonic activity," Lucen briefed, his hand resting near the hilt of his sheathed blade. "Sick patients who are brought here never seem to get well. Our client is a man by the name of Viktor. He's the one who contracted us."
As they slowly approached the entrance, a young man wearing a black hoodie and possessing unsettlingly pale, fish-like eyes rushed out to meet them.
"You're the Saints, I believe," he said.
The moment they saw him, all three Saints' instincts screamed a warning. Solen, however, opened his spiritual eyes. To his surprise, not a single trace of Vice could be spotted within this man's aura.
"Y-yeah… that's us," Lucen replied, a hint of unease in his voice.
As they walked into the hospital lobby, they found an eerie scene: every single person—nurses, doctors, receptionists—was locked in a deep slumber.
"What happened here?" Orin whispered.
"I don't know," Viktor replied, his face pale with fear. "This happened yesterday before I called. Strange things have been going on here, I can't seem to understand it anymore."
Solen, Lucen, and Orin then donned their Saint Regalia—a rich blue robe with a large yellow cross prominently designed over the chest.
"Let's begin the investigation," Lucen ordered.
The three split up to investigate the massive hospital complex.
3-2. The Vice Bearers
Solen moved down a straight, dimly lit corridor, relying on his gauntlets' soft glow and a hand-held torch.
This regalia has some holy energy, so it should be able to stop basic negative attacks, Solen thought, feeling the comfortable weight of his holy gauntlets.
On the corridor walls, he saw deep scratches and handprints left by bloody palms. Etched onto the plaster was a horrifying message: "Release me…" He felt a powerful negative energy originating from behind a room ahead, but as he moved closer, he realized to his surprise that the wall held no door.
Step… Step… Step…
Someone was approaching from behind. Solen's instincts screamed, and he instantly activated his gauntlets. Three masked men, each wearing a white mask adorned with a black pentagram, rushed him at full speed.
Solen lit up his fists to brighten the environment, his eyes tracking their movements. They fired dark energy beams, but Solen's high-speed dodges put him immediately into close-quarters range. He engaged in devastating combat, his kicks and punches flat-lining all three of the masked assailants.
He turned to run back to where he had parted from Orin and Lucen, but the hallway was empty. No one could be sighted. It was as though the spot where they stood seconds ago had been erased from reality.
"What's going on?" Solen wondered.
More masked figures approached—a much larger group this time. Solen reloaded his fist, prepared for an intense fight.
These guys are called Vice Bearers, Solen realized. I've only studied about them, but it's my first time facing them in combat. People corrupted by their own Vices, they cease to live their own life but that of their dominant Vice instead. That's why their faces are always masked.
"AHHHH!" Solen roared, dashing into the crowd, plummeting them one by one. Punch… Kick… Punch… Ten bodies piled up in minutes.
"Seraphine Luxora!" he screamed, channeling his Wonder into an explosive wave of light that erupted from his fist, engulfing the area and scattering the remaining Vice Bearers.
3-3. Invincible Lion
Lucen and Orin arrived, running toward the light, only to find Solen standing amidst piles of defeated Vice Bearers.
"V-Vice Bearers are here?" Orin shrieked, looking at the fallen forms.
From the crumpled bodies, dark gates burst open, and mid-class winged demons started pouring out.
"Where's Viktor?" Lucen questioned, his hand already on his blade.
"I didn't meet him here," Solen answered.
"Let's finish this quick so we can find him!" Orin added.
Lucen didn't hesitate. He unsheathed his divine blade, The Excalibur, and immediately burst into action, moving with inhuman speed and precision. He was a silver flash, mercilessly slaying the demons.
Orin and Solen watched, stunned by his brilliant display of skill.
"Hyaa!" With one clean slash, Lucen beheaded six demons at once. The blade, praised for its ability to cut through any matter, was truly in worthy hands.
Lucen breathed in, then out, gripping his blade firmly. "Mirael!" he spoke the name of his ultimate technique.
A golden light instantly spread, creating a perfectly defined circle that engulfed every standing demon.
He stroked his blade sideways and uttered the word, "Valen."
All demons that stood within the glowing golden circle were instantaneously sliced to pieces as the golden light dissipated. Lucen knelt, catching his breath.
Orin scoffed. "Show off!"
Solen's eyes were still wide with amazement. Lucen's skill was truly evident. "W-what was that technique?! We were within the golden circle, but it didn't harm us…" Solen questioned.
"It's a technique that earned him the title of genius in the Sanctuary," Orin explained, despite his irritation. "The Excalibur is a blade that can slash through any matter. Using that to his advantage, he created a technique that extends the blade's slash instantaneously within the golden circle. Each slash produced is similar to any slash manually produced by him pouring energy into his blade. It's quite energy-consuming. It's a wondrous technique that makes him feared as the Invincible Lion… but still…" Orin paused, crossing his arms. "HE DIDN'T HAVE TO BE SUCH A SHOW OFF! EVEN YOU TOO, SOLEN! Y'ALL SHOULD HAVE LEFT SOME FOR ME!"
Lucen finally caught his breath and stood up. "No time for games. We have to locate Viktor!"
3-4. Beyond the Wall
The three held hands, forming a circular shape, closing their eyes in deep meditation to detect any spiritual presence within the whole hospital. They found no unusual presence, nor did they detect a single soul beyond those in spiritual slumber.
"That's strange…" Orin thought.
"He's just human… how could he have traveled beyond our reading in such a short time?" Lucen wondered.
"Maybe we haven't really had time to think this through," Lucen said, opening his eyes. "Unusual spiritual slumbers are usually caused by the presence of a strong demon… I wonder how Viktor wasn't affected, even when his spiritual readings fall below the average person."
"The causes of resistance to spiritual slumber are usually if you have enough spiritual resistance… or… if your Vice served as the gateway for the emergence of a demon…" Orin spoke slowly, reaching a terrifying possibility.
"It's possible that Viktor could be in captivity of a demon he let into the world then?" Solen pondered. "I wonder how that is true with his aura so pure…"
"It's all got me confused, but that could be the hidden detail to this mission," Lucen replied.
Solen pointed back toward the bloodied corridor. "I felt a strange, powerful presence behind that wall earlier. Perhaps it could link to where Viktor is being held?"
"Well… we won't know till we see what's beyond it!" Lucen said, his eyes blazing with renewed purpose.
Solen led the way back to the blocked corridor. Lucen pulled out The Excalibur and brought it down with a single, powerful slash—K-SHWAA!—breaking the wall into rubble.
Beyond the ruins of the wall, they saw a hidden laboratory. Rotting patients and scientists hung from the ceiling by demonic tendons. In one corner, Viktor was tied up, screaming silently, a white cloth muffling his mouth.
But Viktor was not alone.
A huge, muscular demon with large horns emerged from a pentagram etched on the floor, which was filled with the dripping blood of the hung humans. The demon blocked the path of the Saints as they ran toward Viktor.
"So this is where the real mission begins, huh?" Lucen said, his voice dropping low.
The three Saints materialized their divine weapons—Lucen's blade, Orin's lance, and Solen's holy gauntlets—all ready for action.