Under the pitch-black night sky, two convoys sped toward Ravensfall from different directions.
One convoy bore the FEAR logo, while the other sported a cabin emblem.
Ravensfall, a quiet little town, was about to get lively. It seemed like everyone's eyes were suddenly on this place.
But being the center of attention wasn't always a good thing. If Mayor Edward could come back to life and choose, he'd probably pass on all this spotlight.
At the Ashton household, Roy stood in front of Edward's corpse and told Ella to strip.
Sounds a bit spicy, right? After all, Ella was Edward's wife, and now she was standing bare in front of Roy.
What's more awkward is that Edward's body was propped up in a chair, his lifeless eyes staring at this morally questionable scene. Intentional or not? Who knows.
Roy: "Guess."
But Roy wasn't in the mood for messing around, even if Ella's pose was undeniably tempting and, well, thrilling.
"Found it!"
Roy ran his hand along Ella's pale back, managing to pop it open, revealing what was inside.
You could see that, though Ella had been turned into a puppet, her organs were shriveled, long past functioning. Yet her skin was soft, not stiff like a corpse.
All thanks to Mary Shaw's special touch. Roy spotted several magic circles drawn on Ella's organs.
Gotta hand it to Mary Shaw—she was a genius. Designing a perfect puppet like this? Impressive.
Mary Shaw had left a backdoor in Ella's body for easy control, and Roy's job was to use it to track her down.
"This should be it."
Roy found Ella's heart—not her original one, but a carved wooden replica, so lifelike it was eerie.
This was likely the core keeping Ella animated, etched with a magic circle Roy had never seen before. He couldn't quite figure out its effect, but one symbol caught his eye—a chalice-like mark he knew all too well.
Hiss! Wasn't that the symbol of the Sin of Sloth?
So, Mary Shaw was a follower of Belial?
Come to think of it, that Hook Man's crazy stealth skills kinda matched the vibe of a Sloth devotee.
That world-deceiving power? Elizabeth had shown it off a few times. Roy couldn't recall any other demon lord pulling off something similar.
So, Mary Shaw and the Hook Man were both witches worshipping the King of Sloth?
Roy's expression turned weird.
If that was true, could he have just flashed Belial's mark earlier and avoided all this trouble?
Too bad he'd already gone full throttle against Mary Shaw and the Hook Man. No backing down now, especially since he still had to avenge Francesca.
"Damn it! What a mess!"
Roy stuffed the wooden heart back into Ella's body.
Since Mary Shaw was tied to Belial, there was an easier way to find her.
"Hey, Professor Elizabeth."
"Little Roy, calling me at this hour? Something up?" Elizabeth's lazy voice came through, with faint shouts of "Daddy!" from Eluresha in the background.
Had Eluresha's ascension finished already?
That's good news!
"Uh, Professor, can't I just call to chat?"
Elizabeth's voice took on a mock-hurt tone, like a neglected wife. "But, Roy, you only call when you need something!"
Okay, fair. Roy wasn't big on calling Elizabeth—usually just texts unless something serious was up.
Her attitude gave him a headache, and then an even bigger one hit.
Zzzzt!
Ella grabbed him, and in a flash, things got heated!
"What are you—cough—Professor, I do need your help with something."
Roy tried to stop Ella's risky move.
This woman was staring up at him, blank-faced, like she wasn't the one sneaking a post-dinner dessert.
Being a puppet, Ella didn't have to worry about human limits—no throat issues here.
It was a weird mix: the warmth of a living body with a ghostly chill.
But Ella's expression made it seem like Roy was forcing her, when she was the one ambushing him. Now he couldn't even pull away.
"Roy, why'd you go quiet?" Elizabeth sounded annoyed.
"Sorry, thought I heard something weird. Figured it was an enemy, got distracted."
Roy tossed out a quick lie, forgetting Elizabeth, the master of deception, could sniff out lies like a bloodhound. She instantly knew he was fibbing.
Then, through her mark, she saw what Roy was up to.
Normally, a Hell Lord like Elizabeth would be pissed, but instead, she felt… intrigued. So, she played dumb, secretly watching the live show while crossing her legs.
"What's so important you had to call me?"
Roy didn't catch the shift in her tone. He was too busy covering the phone, trying to shove Ella's head away. But she was locked in, not budging.
No choice—he'd finish the call first, then deal with Ella.
"Here's the deal, Professor. I'm out of town and ran into two people who might be your followers. Things got messy…"
Elizabeth squirmed, tempted to get crafty, but Eluresha was staring right at her. Not the best time.
"I get it. Do whatever you want with them. I don't care."
Belial was the least territorial of the Seven Hell Lords, dealing with humans on a whim, so she didn't sweat her followers.
Roy, though? He was the exception. Elizabeth could ignore others, but not him.
During Lilith's ritual to hide Roy from the Reaper's gaze, Elizabeth had trekked all the way to New York to check on him—a rare move for the ultra-lazy Sloth Lord.
Roy gritted his teeth, fighting the weird sensation. Ella was too good, spinning her head like a drill in a way he'd never experienced.
"I was wondering if you could help me track them down?"
The line went quiet for a sec, and Roy swore he heard odd panting. Maybe he misheard.
"No problem! I'll give you access. You'll be able to sense all my followers on Earth!"
That was like making Roy an apostle of the Sloth Lord, on par with a pope.
"Cool, I'm hanging up now."
"Daddy, when are you coming back? I miss you!" Eluresha's voice, now more mature, came through, though her succubus devotion to Roy hadn't changed. She sounded like her mouth was full of water.
Call ended. Elizabeth patted Eluresha's head, growing fonder of Asmodeus's daughter. So well-behaved.
"Good girl, keep going!"
"Wah! Mommy Elizabeth, when's Daddy coming back?"
"Soon, sweetie. Don't worry!"
Back in Ravensfall, Roy tapped into Elizabeth's authority. A flood of info hit his brain—mostly useless thoughts from Belial's followers.
Like Christians tossing around "Jesus," Belial's devotees constantly invoked the Sloth Lord's name.
Call Belial's name, and the Sloth Lord hears. Now Roy had that power, too.
Good thing he could mute it, or he'd never think straight.
Soon, he sensed two Belial followers nearby, up in the Rockies outside Ravensfall.
"Got you!"
Roy started to move, accidentally dragging Ella a few steps. She followed like a hooked fish, trailing wherever he went.
"Mrs. Ashton, what's your deal?"
Ella mumbled, "Mr. Black, please kill me."
Roy's face darkened, his expression turning feral.
"You crazy woman!"
He pinned Ella down, yanking her jaw off with a twist. Retrieved his "weapon" and snapped her jaw back on.
Yep, puppet perks—Ella's parts were detachable. That 360-degree head spin? No human could pull that off.
"Kill me! Please!" Ella clung to Roy's leg, refusing to let go.
"Don't think I won't!"
Furious, Roy slammed Ella to the ground, and things took off like a rocket.
Ella showed no emotion—no pain, no pleasure. As she'd said, being a puppet meant feeling nothing.
No pain, no joy, no need for food or sleep.
Losing a few senses might be bearable, but losing all of them? Rough.
Honestly, Ella's state was worse than a ghost's. At least Francesca, Sadako, and Kayako could still feel something through special means, which is why they stuck with Roy.
Ella stared at Roy numbly. "When you're done, will you kill me?"
Roy twisted her head off. "You want me to kill you? Then I won't!"
Rebellious streak kicking in. Roy sprinted, releasing pink energy from his body—the power of Lust incarnate. He channeled some into Ella.
Slowly, Ella realized she was regaining some senses. Faint, but real.
"Oh! How? This… fullness. I can feel it again!" Ella cried, tears of joy streaming. Regaining sensation felt like being reborn.
Her senses sharpened, and she belted out a song to express her ecstasy.
Her voice echoed through the house. Edward's corpse sat silently, watching Roy restore Ella's senses.
Mary Shaw liked trapping souls in puppets. Edward's soul was still in his body, aware of his surroundings, even if he couldn't move.
Wonder what Edward's soul thought, watching Roy do "yoga" with his young, beautiful wife?
Edward: Feels like my head's itching. Grass sprouting up there.
To thank Roy, Ella pulled out all the stops. As a puppet, she could do things no human could, controlling her body freely.
Yeah, not just her head—her whole body could spin 360 degrees.
In a piercing high note that rang across Ravensfall, Roy ended the "battle." Ella's detached head blushed, looking more human than puppet.
[Ding! Obtained Ella Ashton's Conquest Chest! Open it?]
Panting, Ella gazed at Roy with indescribable joy. "Mr. Black, I really got my senses back!"
Roy stood, drawing his mark on Ella's abdomen, making her his follower.
"I know. Now open your mind!"
Ella willingly bared her soul, sealing the contract. Mary Shaw's control was overwritten.
Roy reattached Ella's head and looked down at her. "Still want to die?"
Ella shook her head, eyes misty. "No. It's just pain and touch, but it's hope. Maybe one day I'll be human again."
Roy nodded. He'd had fun—killing Ella now felt wrong.
"Alright, let's find Mary Shaw. I sense her in the Rockies. Any idea where?"
"The Ashton family has a villa up there. Edward used it for summer retreats. Mary Shaw might be there."
"Then let's go!"
Roy and Ella left, Edward's hollow gaze following them.