This World of Ours (Part 4)

"This way, Canary!"

A minute ago, just as the Executors stormed into the building, the innkeeper ducked down behind the counter and ran into the kitchen. "Come on!" He pulled on the young girl and forced her to follow him after hearing the crashing sounds from the lobby.

Step, step, step!

"Fast, we need to escape before they find us!" The fifty-year-old man uttered. 'No matter what, Canary mustn't be hurt!' He has treated the clueless blonde girl as if she was his dead daughter, so how could he allow her to be harmed by one of those monsters?

"W-What is going on, Mister Albert." Canary shakingly asked.

"...A group of suspicious men barged into the inn and wrecked the place. They are now fighting with our customers and god knows what will happen next...!" The elderly man gritted his teeth and sped up his footsteps. "For now, let's get out through the back door."

"O-Okay." The young girl nodded and complied with her employer's words... For some strange reason, the dusty bird cage which should have been on the bar's counter was now hanging from her skirt.

Hissssssss!

All of a sudden, an intense light illuminated the whole corridor as countless vines came out of the floor below them.

"What?! Hold, hold onto me, Canary, I'll definitely bring you out-" Albert cried out and tried to reach for the young girl. But he couldn't. He couldn't save the girl, because... his head was penetrated by a sharp thorn and his body was skewered by tens of poison-dripping green.

"No, no, Mister Alber- No, no, no, NO!" Canary froze in horror as she screamed her head off when she saw the elderly man's corpse.

CRASH!

Without warning, the walls around her cracked. They could not withstand the force of the battle between the Dead Apostle and the inquisitors and the entire building came down on her.

"Wha, what is, going on?" Paralyzed with fear, the young girl could not command her legs to run. She could only stare at the nearing ceiling while the falling debris announced her imminent death. "Ah... Am, am I, going to die...?"

Fortunately, before she was crushed by the collapsed floor, she found herself embraced by a firm and warm hand. The rubble surrounding her were deflected by an invisible force field and she was quickly pulled out of the ruined inn.

"Huh?" She blinked her eyes. Outside of the wreckage were two other groups of men. The first one was composed of four figures who were clad in long cloaks. They seemed to have numerical advantage, but they were in fact all wounded by the earlier battle.

On the other side was a blonde man and a white-haired man. Despite the fact that the former was clutching his bleeding shoulder in pain, they have to be confident of their victory seeing that the latter was smiling maliciously at their limping opponents.

"Die, heretic!" The muscular man led his two standing allies and charged towards Galkmer. The swords in their hands shined with a sacred gleam, threatening to annihilate the evil monster.

Alas, their final attempt at killing the bloodsucker was futile. Vines burst out of the ground and wrapped around the two following Executors. The poisoned thorns dug into their skins and the twisting green circled their necks.

Crack.

A short noise sounded out.

"Pete! Frederic!" As Irina cried out in despair, the zigzagging vines stopped and released the priests who have their necks snapped. "No, NO!" The blonde woman ran towards her companions while the two lifeless bodies fell down and landed on the earth.

Shlick.

However, she stopped the next moment... since she felt herself being punctured by a sharp object. "W-What?" Looking down, she saw a familiar blade lodged in her right calf.

"Thi, This is... Black Key...?" The female Executor frozen in realization.

A Black Key...? But it couldn't be from the surviving Mage, because he wasn't in possession of the Sacrament. And it couldn't be the Dead Apostle either, because the blade wasn't strong enough to instantly cut off her leg.

"...Why?" She uttered and slowly lifted her head, looking directly at the one who threw the blade.

"Why?" A voice filled with ridicule replied her. "Did you ask me... why? Are you serious right now, Irina? Such a foolish question... are you perhaps too lightheaded from the loss of blood?"

"Why, why are you doing this..." The blonde woman's spiritless eyes stared at her assailant in anguish. "...Klenn?"

"Of course it's for my own goals!" The traitor stated calmly and hurled another blade. It pierced the fallen woman's shoulder and pinned her into the ground.

"Ugh!" Irina clenched her fists from the unbearable pain she was feeling. "Why... Why did you betray us, Klenn? Aren't we partners? We have known each other for this many years... so why?"

"Haaah." The muscular man rubbed his face and exhaled. "That's right. We have known each other for over ten years. That's why I am so surprised. So, so, so surprise that you have never discovered... the true me."

"...The true you?"

"What do you think was on my mind when I joined the Holy Church and put in all those efforts, training myself to become an Executor. I didn't participate in all those 'heretic hunts' to smite evil, I participated in all the bloodshed in order to grasp my dream!" Klenn stared at his close friend as if she were a stranger.

"W-What are you saying..." Irina barely uttered out the words due to the pain.

"I chose this path because I recognized the frailty of man! The moment we were born as human, we become predators! -Predators who reign supreme on this planet... until you realized that we were at the bottom this whole time."

"We, the humans, are supposed to be at the top. I have always believed that, I believed that no one can ever threaten our standing. However, reality proved me wrong when I learned of the existences of... those things."

"The supernatural beings, the creatures from myths and legends, the species which can bend the world to their will. Those monsters have walked amongst us this entire time, and I was never informed of it...!"

"That's why, to trample on those higher existences, I have to become powerful! I have to become stronger than anyone in this world! Being a mere human won't help anything in this quest for strength, that's why I made a deal with the vampire."

"Are, are you trying to..." Irina found herself at a loss for words at the nonsense her partner was spouting. 'What is this... is he insane?'

"Yes, I wish to become a Dead Apostle." Klenn smiled and moved closer to the blonde woman. He lifted her chin as he watched the stunning blue eyes glaring into his own. "...To do that, I'll need another vampire to turn me into one."

"Unfortunately, it is highly likely for my actions to be uncovered by the Church after the mission, so I'll have to wipe out the team and leave no evidence behind." He lowered his hand and pulled out the Black Key from Irina's shoulder.

"Argh!" The female inquisitor screamed at the sudden pain she felt.

"Well then... Although it saddens me to end someone as beautiful as you... please die for my selfish wish, my friend." Klenn grinned, and the lifted blade came down on the blonde woman's neck, aiming to behead her.

"W-Wait!" All of a sudden, a young girl ran out from behind a wooden cover.

"Huh?" Klenn narrowed his eyes and his swinging motion was stopped. 'What the... the inn's waitress survived? But how?' He frowned and scanned the running girl. 'There's nothing unusual about her... then why am I having a bad premonition?'

At the next moment, a loud noise sounded out from the three men's behind. The last Mage widened his eyes and touched his neck. 'Wet. Why is it so moist? What-' Alas, he could not finish his thoughts because another bullet has punched through his neck, causing a gaping hole in its wake that was quickly filled with blood.

For killing a Magus +7,000 EXP

Klenn quickly tilted his body. He leaped to the side and a full metal jacket round found itself landing on the Executor's previous position. "Who?!" Klenn searched the surrounding wreckage for the assailant.

"Are, are you okay?" Meanwhile, Canary has reached the collapsed Irina. She bit her lips and made a makeshift bandage with her skirt to cover the bleeding woman's shoulder and calf.

"T-Thank you, but I am, fine." The pale woman panted heavily and thanked the young girl. "Please, get out, of here, it's dangerous, for a civilian to-"

Tang!

Another round of bullet was fired. However, it was deflected by the Executor this time. He handled the blades skillfully and the Black Keys easily cut apart the incoming metal projectiles.

"Come out, you coward!" Klenn's voice crackled with anger as he fended off the assault. Tang! Tang! Tang! Metal met metal once more and the rounds were all effortlessly blocked by the Sacraments. "I said, come ou-"

"Yes, yes, I heard you, you don't have to repeat it twice." A man stepped out of a wreckage from the left. His appearance was so average that you will never remember when you passed by him on the streets, nevertheless, his tone which dripped with immeasurable sarcasm immediately ticked the muscular priest off.

"You..." Klenn pulled three additional Black Keys from within his frock and glared at the unremarkable man. "Who are you?" He would've attacked the opposite man already if not for the smoking gun in his hand and the careless attitude he was showing.

"My name does not matter." Fenric smiled and gestured towards the dead Mage who has a hole in his neck. "Richard Wunderwether, the traitor of the Wunderwether family is my target. Please don't obstruct my assignment, and we can part way peacefully."

Without replying, Klenn raised the rapier-swords and threw them at the smiling man. How could he just let him go? Although he was clearly an Enforcer from the Mage's Association, it didn't change the fact that he saw the events that occurred tonight. 'I cannot let him leave here alive...!'

Contrary to his expectations, the Magus didn't dodge. He merely raised his hand a wall of wind came into being before him. 'What an idiot!' Did the man seriously thought that a wall of pressurized wind could block the six Black Keys he's thrown at full force? The flying blades are powerful Sacraments, they'll surely pierce through the- "What...?"

The weapons were all knocked away.

...

Klenn Basingstoke, The Corrupted Executor

Strength: 2.6

Endurance: 2.4

Agility: 2.3

As expected of a man on the level of a second class Executor.

These elite members of the Holy Church are incredibly powerful and they are all above the average man. The perfect example of that would be what has just happened a few seconds ago. Klenn has dodged bullets. Sure, the rounds are 9×19mm Parabellum, but it is still a projectile that traveled at beyond the speed of sound.

Even though Executors like Klenn cannot actually 'evade' bullets, they can foresee the trajectory of the bullet. For the human weapons of the Church, the Executors, the speed of their judgements surpasses even bullets.

He went into action the moment he recognized the usage of firearms from the death of Richard. Thanks to the warning, he located the area I was hiding in and went on full alert.

Why am I using the Luger P08? Why didn't I target him, or the more troublesome Dead Apostle first with Desperate? It's for science, of course. I just wanted to test an Executor's bulletproof frock and the capability of what is known as the peak of humanity. Well, It doesn't matter anymore, because...

This fight has ended the moment I decided to come out of hiding.

I have finished the calculation and the creation of a plan. Firstly, it is impossible for me to lose under normal circumstances since I can even beat that white-haired vampire to death when I pull out the Divine Construct.

There's a saying that a swordmaster can train themselves for their whole life only to fight and die in a battle that lasts a few seconds. This is exactly what's going to happen in the next second-

"Cinder Maelstrom."

...

"W-What?!"

A thousand-degree conflagration materialized and stormed the Executor. Bullets assaulted him when he chose to jump upwards to avoid the flames, and the robust man's frock barely saved him from death.

The black priest frock was stained crimson with blood as Klenn started bleeding from the bruises he's received. The pistol was quickly reloaded by his opponent and when he landed on the ground, eight more rounds headed his way.

Black Keys were used to deflect the projectiles once more. Clink, clink, clink. The parried metals fell on the earth and Klenn bolted towards the smiling man who was reloading his pistol.

Unfortunately, he has forgotten one important thing due to the rushing adrenaline. He was not facing a gunman, but a Magus. Excluding the initial sea of flames, all the attacks he's been hit with afterwards were from the firearm, so what was the magic user doing in the interval?

Nothing, actually.

"Time to test this." All of a sudden, the emptied Luger disappeared and a white gun materialized in Fenric's hand. He raised Desperate and aimed at the charging man while his eyes were signaling the traitorous inquisitor's death.

"May your soul find salvation in this eternal frozen land, Desperate: Silenced Snow."

The nearing Executor immediately felt something wrong when the snow-colored rifle appeared. However, he was too late to regret his poor life choices. The rifle was loaded. The rifle was aimed. And the rifle was fired.

He didn't even see it coming.

Although the force behind the Noble Phantasm should have created a sound many times louder than the pistol when it was shot, nothing came out. The bullet silently reached Klenn as if it teleported and the robust Executor turned into an ice sculpture before exploding into pieces of frozen flesh.

He didn't stand a single chance, nor could he retaliate at the least bit.

For killing a Holy Church's Executor +15,000 EXP

Seeing that the male inquisitor was dead, Fenric pointed his gun at the motionless Dead Apostle. The vampire was shocked. He has decided to watch the fight between the two men because he found the conflict amusing and didn't expect that Klenn would lose.

However, reality proved him wrong. The muscular man was instantly killed by a single round from the strange gun the Enforcer pulled out of nowhere. And now, the same weapon was pointed at him.

He was quite confident of himself, being a two-hundred-year-old Dead Apostle and all, but even he was not sure that he could withstand the same attack he witnessed earlier. 'Should I use the vines to cover my escape? Or should I take hostages...?' Galkmer narrowed his eyes and analyzed the situation.

"Don't be so stiff, vampire, I won't use this on you." Fenric put the Noble Phantasm away, stunning everyone on the scene.

It didn't matter to him since he only wanted to test the weapon against a peak human and see what will happen. He has already fired at Phantasmal Species that are above the vampiric race and noted down the results, so he knew that Galkmer would merely die a dog's death if he were to use Desperate.

'Really... I'm surprised that the Executor didn't burst into pieces immediately unlike the villagers I've tested on. That body lasted a fraction of a second before dying, that's good to know. This just proves that his physique is indeed at or near the top of humanity.'

"What do you mean? I do not believe that you will simply let me go." The white-haired vampire clenched his fists and raised his arms in surrender. "So how about a deal? You spare my life, and I'll tell you the locations of the treasures I've collected for two centuries. They will surely help a skilled Magus like you in your future studies."

The shrieking vines encircling all stopped at that moment. They twisted, decayed, and then all crumbled down. There was no point keeping the plant familiars active since they weren't capable of blocking such a destructive weapon in the first place.

"Ah, that's a fascinating suggestion." Fenric rubbed his chin in deep contemplation. "Yes, I think I will-" Out of the blue, a dark purple sword appeared in his hand and he darted at the defenseless bloodsucker.

Galkmer widened his eyes at the unexpected assault and his head was then separated from his shoulders. The Curse of Regeneration did not take effect as well... because what's the point of turning time backwards when the vampire was already deader than dead?

...

For killing a Dead Apostle +125,000 EXP

Ahhh, the 10 points parameter boost from the holy sword is incredible no matter how many times I use it. Thanks to Arondight, my physique which was weaker than the vampire was raised to the point that it was more than double of his. With that much difference, he was easily disposed of.

Hang on, let me just put the corpses in my Inventory so that I can experiment with them later. You don't simply come across the bodies of Dead Apostle, Magi, and Executors everyday, you know?

Anyway, now for the main dish... or is it main dishes?

"Are you all right?" I smiled towards Canary, who was treating the injured Executor.

"Y-Yes!" She stuttered and looked at me with both fear and admiration. What a polite young lady, it makes me want to eat you up. If only Artoria was this pure and innocent, she'd be the perfect teasing target. Hmm, doesn't Saber Lily exists?

"You, you're really strong, Mister." She glanced at my unharmed figure and gave me a strained smile. "W-Will you help me at saving this big sister? We need to bring her to a hospital quickly... Um. Now that I think about it... why hasn't the police arrive yet...?"

Oh, how cute.

"It's because a Bounded Field to repel outsiders was erected. Well, the one created by the Magi is gone, but..." I kindly smiled and snapped my fingers. All of a sudden, purple auras that were concealed by me appeared around us. "I am quite adept at creating these too, you see..."

"In any case." My smile deepened, and something became visible in my hand as blood drained from Canary's face. "Farewell, my dear lady..." The pistol was pointed at the girl's head.

"Bang."