The pale light of the moon shining in the middle of the night seeped through the dust-covered windows of the cabin.
The noise in front of the door had stopped. Slowly, the door handle began to move.
As the door creaked open inward, a harsh, grating sound rose from its hinges. When it opened fully, the stranger standing outside stepped inside.
At that exact moment, Eldon and Zach—who had concealed themselves in the shadows—sprang into action and lunged at the intruder.
They crashed to the ground together with a loud thud.
"Get off me, you idiots!"
Zach straightened up and looked at the stranger. A second later, he burst into loud laughter.
"You've lost quite a bit of weight since the last time we met, Axel. I almost didn't recognize you."
Unlike the mocking grin on Zach's face, the expression on Axel's face as he lay flat on his back was one of pure irritation.
Eldon stared at Axel in surprise.
He quickly gathered himself and got off him.
Zach returned to his spot in the corner of the room.
After brushing the dust off his clothes, Axel spoke.
"What happened to you? You look like you just came out of a war."
"Demon-blood user," Zach replied, holding his broken ribs with one hand.
A look of surprise crossed Axel's face.
Zach glanced at him from the corner of his eye.
He wasn't joking—Axel truly looked far weaker than usual.
Noticing Zach's gaze, Axel spoke.
"While I'm here, my angelic power is largely suppressed. I'm much weaker than I normally am."
"To be able to suppress even an angel's power… There's really something filthy and dangerous going on here."
"A high-level demon," Eldon added.
On that, everyone was in agreement.
"They were taking our blood while we were being held captive in the cave," Zach said.
"Then they haven't completed the summoning ritual yet," Axel replied.
High-level demons could not simply enter this world whenever they pleased. God had strict rules regarding such matters. Because of that, they either shared their power with low-level demons and sent them into the world, or they formed contracts with humans they had turned into disciples, granting power in exchange for service.
The people of this village were attempting to complete a ritual that would bring a demon fully into the world.
Yet the "heaven" promised by demons was far worse than the Hell described in the holy scriptures.
Such a ritual was neither easy nor quick. It required countless offerings—meaning countless human lives, their spilled blood presented to the demon.
Many people from this village and the surrounding ones had vanished without leaving even a trace behind. That was why they had come here.
Axel turned his eyes toward Zach.
"In that case, can you still move?"
"Don't worry. I've already started healing."
A mocking grin spread across his face.
Zach hated the demon blood flowing through his veins with every fiber of his being. But it allowed him to heal far faster than any normal human ever could.
"So what do we do now?" Eldon asked.
"On the way here, I saw the villagers," Axel said. "They were moving along the mountain path with torches in their hands."
"They're after something—and we have to stop them before it's too late."
Eldon didn't want to act recklessly, but every second they wasted only made the situation more dangerous.
"I saw the villagers taking our car. They were heading toward the large barn we saw at the village entrance."
"Our weapons were inside the car."
"Then our first target is clear," Zach said, carefully pushing himself to his feet.
Just as the three of them were about to leave the cabin, Zach asked:
"Where's Harper?"
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They began moving silently through the narrow backstreets leading to the village square.
They could already see the light of the villagers' torches.
They advanced while hiding in the shadows.
Zach was in front, Eldon right beside him, and Axel bringing up the rear.
Even wounded, Zach was still the strongest among them. He could take the first blow if they were attacked.
Axel, though weakened, could still do something with his angelic power.
The real problem was Eldon—who was completely defenseless.
He was sharp and quick-witted, perhaps the smartest among them, but without weapons, he wouldn't last even ten seconds against a demon-blood user.
He knew it himself.
Though it wounded his pride, he had accepted it.
As they moved through the alley together, they heard a sound like a roar.
"ARRRH!"
All three turned toward the source of the sound at the same time.
A demon with glowing red eyes stared down at them from the rooftop of a house, its gaze piercing the darkness.
"RUN!"
Zach shouted with all his strength, his throat burning.
The demon leapt toward them.
Zach grabbed a wooden plank leaning against the wall and hurled it at the demon.
CRACK!
The plank struck the demon's face and split cleanly in two with a sharp crack.
The demon was thrown backward.
Just as Eldon and Axel were about to exit the alley, their path was blocked by villagers. All of them were wearing black robes.
Zach kicked in the door of the house beside them and motioned inside.
"This way!"
The chase began.
They were being attacked from every direction.
They kept running.
They exited one house only to enter another.
Quickly, they climbed to the second floor of the last house they entered.
Just as they were about to jump to the balcony of the house across from them, the demon pounced on Eldon.
They rolled together.
Zach immediately grasped the situation.
With a swift motion, he threw himself at the demon.
He slammed his fists into the demon's face again and again.
It barely worked.
The demon grabbed Zach with one hand and hurled him away.
Zach crashed hard—first into the ceiling, then into the floor.
"Zach!" Axel shouted.
"I'm fine. Keep going."
Zach barely had the strength to speak.
He focused all his attention on his movements.
The demon pinned him down and sank its sharp teeth into his body.
Zach wrapped his arms around the demon's waist and threw himself backward with it. Together, they crashed through the window and fell outside.
The impact knocked the breath from Zach's lungs.
He looked up at the demon.
It was already on its feet, advancing toward him.
No—this couldn't go on.
The situation was completely hopeless. Without his weapons, he couldn't even slow down this creature that carried God's punishment, let alone kill it.
He forced himself up and started running.
Dodging past villagers with agile movements, he kept going.
He didn't look back. He didn't need to.
The demon was chasing him. It would never give up.
He dove through the window of a house.
He had to be fast. The demon could arrive at any moment.
He had to think of something.
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Before long, the demon smashed through the wooden door of the house and stormed inside with a deafening crash.
The interior was silent. No one was in sight.
"I can smell that cursed blood of yours, hybrid!"
The demon's roar echoed through the house.
Zach stepped out from his hiding place with a grin on his face.
"Don't you like playing hide-and-seek? It was my favorite game when I was a kid. Or did your dear mother never play with you? How sad."
There was a mocking smile on Zach's face as he spoke.
It was obvious he was deliberately trying to anger the demon.
The creature, already born of rage, grew even angrier.
It lunged at Zach.
Zach dodged aside.
The grotesque thing tumbled down the stairs leading to the basement with a thunderous crash.
Once again, Zach had put his quick mind to use.
As the demon rose from where it had fallen, it realized something was wrong.
A sharp smell filled the air.
The ground beneath its feet was wet.
It looked up at Zach, who was standing at the top of the stairs, its eyes burning with fury.
A demonic grin spread across Zach's face.
"Boom."
Zach threw the lit match in his hand down the stairs.
The falling flame reflected in the demon's crimson pupils.
"BOOOOOOM!"
A massive explosion erupted.
Zach hurled himself out of the house at the last second and turned back.
The old village house was burning like a massive bonfire.
The basement had been filled with barrels of fuel. All he had needed to do was knock a few of them over and open their lids.
After that, the rest was left to the first invention of primitive mankind—
Fire.
With a grin on his face, Zach turned away and kept moving.
He knew it wouldn't kill the demon, but at least it had bought him some time.
He hurried toward his destination.
Before long, he arrived.
The area was quiet. The barn door was wide open, and the car was parked right in front of him.
Zach advanced with slow, careful steps.
Just as he was about to open the car door, he felt a sudden hard knock against the back of his head.
Smiling, he turned around.
"You're being unfair. I fought a demon for you without any weapons."
Eldon stood in front of him, holding Zach's revolver.
"Sorry. I thought you were one of the villagers."
He lowered the gun and handed it back.
Zach took it with clear satisfaction.
At that moment, Axel joined them. His face carried a mix of unease and anxiety.
"Zach, how are you? I don't think we have much time. We need to move immediately. I can feel the stench leaking out of Hell. Whatever the villagers are after, they're close to finishing it."
"I'm fine."
Just as they were about to move—
"Wait."
Eldon stopped them.
Zach and Axel turned toward him.
"We should stay here a little longer and wait for things to calm down. The entire village is looking for us. This is a good place to hide."
Though Zach and Axel wanted hookup and act immediately, Eldon's persistent insistence forced them to give in and accept the plan.
They entered a nearby house.
As Zach sat in a corner, gathering his strength, a thought flashed through his mind.
Eldon was undoubtedly the smartest among them. Even though they were supposedly a "Detective Agency," he was the one who fit the definition of a detective best.
The situation they were in was clear—by all logic, acting immediately would have been the best choice.
So why had Eldon been so insistent on staying and waiting for things to settle?
At that moment, Zach felt the same hard knock at the back of his head he had felt earlier.
You clever bastard, he thought.
Eldon had never mistaken him for an ordinary villager. When he had approached from behind at the car and pressed the gun to his head, it had been to check his condition.
Someone who had fought a demon head-on without weapons could not possibly be "fine."
Eldon knew that very well, which was why he had pulled that little trick.
It had allowed him to assess Zach's state.
His senses were far more developed than those of ordinary humans. He would have noticed anyone approaching him from behind with ease.
But he hadn't noticed Eldon.
He had been exhausted after the fight with the demon.
That was why Eldon had fabricated a lie—to give him time to recover.
When Zach turned his eyes toward Eldon, Eldon had already shifted his gaze toward the mountain peak, thinking about their next move.
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They began walking along the path at the foot of the mountain.
Though it was dark, the moonlight illuminated the surroundings well enough.
Before long, they reached the mountain's summit.
The sight before them left them frozen in shock.
The villagers had gathered around a massive fire, dancing in a circle.
At the center of the flames stood a large cross.
And the person bound to it was—
"Harper," Axel said, his voice low and trembling with fear.