Realizing her final trump card was gone, Mary Shaw's attitude shifted once again.
She looked at Ella with pleading eyes, trying to appeal to her.
"Ella, please, let me go!"
"I just want to kill you!"
"No! Ella, have you forgotten? I helped you get your revenge! Without me, you never would've taken down Edward!"
"Yeah, and without you, I wouldn't be like this now!"
Ella shook her head. She was done talking to Mary Shaw.
"Mr. Black, what exactly do you need Mary Shaw for?" she asked, turning to Roy, which was rare for her.
"I've got a friend who needs a vessel, so I wanted this one to help make a perfect puppet. But, of course, she's been completely uncooperative!" Roy replied.
What should've been a simple task had turned into a mess, all because of Mary Shaw's refusal to play along.
"Mr. Black, if it's just about making a puppet, I can help with that," Ella offered. "She taught me how to create a perfect puppet. Edward's puppet was actually my work. But I don't know how to enchant them, since I'm not a witch."
"That's enough!" Roy said. "I know plenty of witches, and I've got Mary Shaw's notes. As long as you can make the perfect puppet, others can handle the rest."
Ella nodded.
"So, does that mean Mary Shaw's useless to us now?"
Roy understood what Ella was getting at—she clearly wanted to kill Mary Shaw for revenge.
"Be my guest," he said.
Ella didn't have the power to kill Mary Shaw on her own, but Roy had marked her with his brand, allowing her to borrow a fraction of his strength.
As Ella approached, her hand blazing with hellfire, Mary Shaw begged desperately.
"No! Ella, spare me!"
"Mary Shaw, I begged you the same way back then. And what did you do?"
The answer was obvious, and so was Ella's choice.
But at that moment, the sound of Bumblebee's horn blared from outside the villa.
Beep beep!
Ella, about to strike, froze and looked at Roy in confusion.
"What's going on?"
"It's Bumblebee's warning!"
Something similar had happened during the Gospel Asylum incident, the first time Roy suspected Bumblebee wasn't what he seemed.
Mary Shaw burst into maniacal laughter, glaring at Roy and Ella with venomous eyes.
"Hahaha… It must be Mr. R! I curse you all! You're all going to die!"
Mr. R? Had the people from the Cabin arrived?
Back at Crystal Lake, Roy had only heard of Mr. R but never saw him.
Without hesitation, Ella thrust her hellfire-clad arm through Mary Shaw's soul, igniting it completely.
Mary Shaw burned away in agonizing screams.
[Ding! Obtained Mary Shaw's Fate Chest! Open it now?]
Since Ella carried Roy's brand and used his power to kill Mary Shaw, the kill was credited to Roy.
From what he'd seen, as long as it involved something Roy "owned"—like the three ghosts fully under his control—he'd get the kill credit. Ella's situation was similar to Eluretha's: both were independent entities marked by Roy, but if they used his power to kill, Roy got the chest.
Her revenge complete, Ella looked visibly relieved.
"Mr. Black, what do we do next?"
"I'll check what those guys outside are up to."
Roy moved to the villa's window, pulling back the curtain to look outside.
Thanks to his Ghost Wolf's dark vision, he could see everything clearly.
Bumblebee, likely not wanting to reveal his silicon-based identity, had already fled. As an Autobot scout, he wouldn't expose himself without Optimus Prime's orders. Only after knowing Roy for a while and trusting his character had Bumblebee revealed who he was.
Outside, a group of mercenaries was setting up a defensive perimeter, seemingly intent on surrounding the villa.
Roy recalled the pretty blonde secretary mentioning that Mr. R was a red-haired middle-aged man, confirmed by Crystal Lake's underground base surveillance. But he didn't see anyone with red hair outside.
Was he hiding it with a hat, or was he not even here, commanding remotely?
As Roy observed, Francesca's voice called out.
"Roy, come here!"
"What's up?"
Turning, Roy saw Jamie Eisen kneeling on the floor, tears streaming down his face, with a flustered Francesca standing nearby.
"This man seems to have a request for you," she said.
"Ella, keep an eye on the outside and let me know if anything happens," Roy instructed.
Ella nodded. After being turned into a puppet by Mary Shaw, she'd gained some special abilities, including seeing in the dark, so the night didn't hinder her.
After giving Ella her orders, Roy approached Francesca.
"Francesca, what's going on?"
Jamie suddenly grabbed Roy's leg, pleading desperately.
"Mr. Black, please save my child!"
"Let go, let go! You've got to explain what's happening so I can help!"
After a few minutes, Roy managed to calm Jamie down—physically—and got the full story.
Jamie's child was still in his wife Sally's womb. Mary Shaw had used a secret technique to sustain the fetus's life, but it wasn't a lasting solution. Since Sally was dead, she couldn't nourish the child's growth. Once the technique's effect faded, the child was doomed.
Jamie begged Roy to save his child, but Roy was at a loss.
"Mr. Eisen, your child is only just forming. It can't survive outside the womb, and Mrs. Eisen has been dead for days. The child can't be saved."
Roy shook his head. Even Raphael couldn't help in this case. Sally had been dead too long, her soul already in heaven, making revival impossible. Raphael's resurrection required the soul to still be present, shortly after death.
"Mr. Black, you're so powerful! You must have a way! Please, I'm begging you, save my child!"
But Jamie refused to accept reality, still kneeling and pleading.
There might be a way—Elizabeth could possibly help. But as a Demon Lord, her help came at a steep cost, even for Roy, often requiring a physical price. For Jamie, it'd be even worse.
And demons never granted wishes as expected—Roland Gordon, now dead, could attest to that.
With no other option, Roy knocked Jamie out to calm him down.
After dealing with Jamie, Roy returned to Ella.
"Ella, what's the situation outside?"
"I… I'm not sure. They're setting up defenses, but it also looks like they're performing some kind of ritual?"
"Let me see!"
Roy pulled back the curtain to take a look. The Cabin's forces had nearly finished their perimeter. Armed mercenaries stood behind it, some with heavy machine guns and RPGs.
No doubt, snipers with anti-materiel rifles were positioned in the nearby hills.
This setup could take on a small army in the Middle East.
But it didn't matter. Roy's physique could withstand small-yield missiles. If the Cabin wanted to escalate, they'd need a nuke.
What caught Roy's attention was a familiar figure in the crowd—a man in a red pointed robe, accompanied by others in similar attire.
Wasn't that the old man from Crystal Lake's island, the one who brainwashed Carrie through dreams?
Yes, it was Leonard Wolf.
Leonard had lost to Dahlia Gillespie in the Silent Hill incident but escaped the Otherworld before Samiel's arrival, narrowly avoiding disaster. Afterward, he joined the Cabin, using their resources to rebuild Samiel's cult.
Of course, it wasn't called the Followers anymore—that group was labeled a terrorist organization by the feds. Leonard renamed it the Dream Cult, though the core beliefs remained largely the same.
At that moment, Leonard was on a phone call.
"Mr. Wolf, there won't be any issues with this operation, right?"
"Mr. R, rest assured! My dream magic is foolproof. No matter how strong that man is in reality, he can't beat me in a dream!"
"Excellent, Mr. Wolf. I'm counting on you. Kill him, and I'll personally fund your church with fifty million. Capture him alive, and I'll give you a hundred million!"
A hundred million dollars!
Greed gleamed in Leonard's eyes.
"Mr. R, just wait for my good news!"
"I'll be waiting."
After hanging up, Leonard turned to his subordinate.
"How's the ritual coming along?"
"Your Holiness, it's almost ready."
Leonard had gone independent, his status far above his time with the Followers. To outshine Dahlia Gillespie and elevate his title, he had his followers call him "Pontiff."
Satisfied, Leonard nodded and asked, "What about the sacrifices?"
"They're ready—six blonde women."
"Perfect!"
Leonard was thrilled. Since joining the Cabin, everything had become so much easier—funding, sacrifices, everything. Before, he'd had to be cautious to avoid police attention. But the Cabin? They worked with underground groups. When Leonard requested sacrifices, Mr. R would even ask, "Is that enough? I can get you more."
It was exhilarating! Leonard had never fought with such resources.
If he'd had this many sacrifices when brainwashing Carrie, would he have failed?
"Let's begin!" he declared.
But at that moment, someone emerged from the villa.
Roy, carrying his executioner's blade, strolled casually toward the Cabin's defenses.
The mercenaries were baffled by Roy's boldness. Unaware of his strength, their commander barked, "Stop! This area is restricted!"
Roy grinned at the commander.
"Heh, you're already surrounded by me. Drop your weapons and surrender!"
Hearing Roy's voice, Leonard's face froze. He recognized it—the man who'd impersonated the Wrath King in the dream and toyed with him.
Panic surged through Leonard. Roy could manipulate dreams too, meaning his plan was useless. He needed a new strategy.
But the commander didn't care. His orders were to trap everyone in the villa.
"Final warning! One more step, and we open fire!"
"I'm warning you too. Don't drop your weapons, and I'm gonna lose it!"
"Fire—"
Before the commander could finish, a powerful black tide erupted from Roy's body.
The mercenaries had no time to react. The tide engulfed them, plunging them into terror.
Just like with FEAR yesterday, the Cabin's mercenaries collapsed instantly, screaming in agony and attacking each other aimlessly.
The Dream Cult wasn't spared either. Most cultists, with average willpower, couldn't withstand Roy's Fear Incarnate ability.
But one person stood out—Leonard Wolf.
As one of the Followers' two bishops, he had some tricks up his sleeve. When Roy's fear tide hit, a pendant around Leonard's neck glowed red, shielding him from the effect.
It likely drew on the Wrath King's power, which could negate mental effects. Roy himself had unlocked several Wrath King-related abilities.
But Leonard, standing alone amidst the chaos, looked painfully conspicuous.
Finally snapping out of it, he turned and ran.
How could he fight? Roy had wiped out the mercenaries and Leonard's men with a single move. He stood no chance.
Unfortunately, Leonard, who'd been lucky in the past, wasn't favored by Lady Luck this time.
(No image to share, so here's one of Zoe.)