Sebastian halted his steps in front of a massive door adorned with intricate golden and silver engravings. Slowly, he pushed it open with both hands. As the door creaked open, he found himself inside the worship hall. The moon light pierced the stained glass windows, then Sebastian could see some people at the end of the hall.

  At the altar, Valentinus knelt before the church’s emblem. Around him stood three Inquisitors, their eyes locked onto Sebastian’s presence.

  "He got past Cain and Aspasia? Impossible," said one of the male Inquisitors.

  "Aspasia may be weak, but Cain? There’s no way he lost. Absolutely no way," added a female Inquisitor.

  Valentinus slowly rose to his feet, then turned to face Sebastian directly. A flicker of surprise crossed his face—he hadn’t expected to see Sebastian again after last night’s events, especially since he wasn’t the one Valentinus was waiting for. His eyes scanned the area behind Sebastian, searching for someone else, but found no one. His expression shifted to one of suspicion and caution.

  "Saint, your presence here is... surprising," Valentinus said.

  "Cardinal Valentinus, you will pay for your sins now. Gods judgement is near," Sebastian retorted.

  “This must be a mistake, Saint. There’s a huge misunderstanding at play here, you maybe misinterpret what I have said before during our Dinner, maybe we could short things out between us.”

  “There’s not a single misunderstanding between us, Cardinal. I’ve seen enough heresy and sin you have commited in the name of the church and God, now it’s time for you to repent and acknowledge your sin.”

  Valentinus smiled, and that smile twisted into a booming, mocking laughter that echoed through the chamber. Sebastian, on the other hand, couldn’t understand what was so amusing. There was nothing remotely funny about this situation—especially given what was happening outside. Valentinus’ laughter only fueled his rage further.

  Suddenly, Valentinus grabbed a candelabrum and hurled it at Sebastian, shouting, "Sins?! Heresy?! WHAT DO YOU KNOW ABOUT THOSE THINGS?! EVERYTHING I HAVE DONE IS FOR THE DIOCESE! FOR SPREADING THE FAITH OF GOD!"

  "HYPOCRITE!" Sebastian roared. "You use the name of God as a mask to conceal your corruption! Do not defile His name with your greed!"

  “And you, Saint! What have you done for the church and God?! Nothing! I’m willing to dirty my hand and plunge into viper nest just for the glory of the church and God! You got no place to judge me! Even more delivering God Judgement!”

  Sebastian looked at Valentinus coldly, his faith and conviction didn’t budge.

  “All I hear is just excuse after excuse, prepare your neck, Valentinus. I’ll make sure your head roll, even if I have to do it myself!”

  "YOU DAMNED SAINT! YOU BASTARD!" Valentinus bellowed. "I know you are not part of the diocese! Killing you here will not be a problem! Marcus, Antonius, Constantia—eliminate this Saint and erase all traces of his existence!"

  The three Inquisitors immediately drew their weapons, their gazes sharpened with murderous intent. On the other side, Sebastian braced himself for battle. He focused his energy once more, causing the stigmata on his hand to glow intensely. A golden aura enveloped his body, radiating dimly in the darkness of the hall.

  Sebastian could feel the immense pressure emanating from the three Inquisitors before him. Their eyes burned with an overwhelming desire to kill. He assessed them carefully—at the very least, they were on par with Aspasia in strength. He wasn’t sure if he could win this fight, especially since his victory over Aspasia had only been possible because she hadn’t known about his newfound power.

  Wasting no time, Sebastian launched the first attack, charging straight at Marcus. However, Marcus reacted swiftly, parrying with his rapier. Sebastian immediately sensed danger from behind and barely managed to dodge, but not quickly enough—Constantia's spear slashed across his face, leaving a sharp sting.

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  Sebastian leaped back, creating distance and repositioning himself, but Antonius came charging in from the side, swinging his axe. Sebastian raised his shield just in time to block it. Then, Constantia lunged at him with terrifying speed, thrusting her spear straight toward his heart. The tip of the weapon closed in, but Sebastian managed to knock it off course at the last moment.

  There was no time to think—he counterattacked, aiming for Constantia, but Antonius was already there, blocking his strike to protect her.

  A stalemate. That was the only thought running through Sebastian’s mind. But if this battle dragged on, he knew he wouldn’t stand a chance.

  The Inquisitors, meanwhile, were still assessing his abilities. They didn’t let their guard down nor underestimate him—after all, he had managed to defeat both Cain and Aspasia. As their clash continued, the tempo of the fight shifted. While Sebastian had started on the offensive, he was now slowly being pushed back by the relentless coordinated attacks of Constantia, Marcus, and Antonius.

  He needed a strategy—fighting all three at once was impossible. He had to take them down one by one.

  As the battle raged on, the doors to the worship hall swung open once more.

  Standing there was Ipsilas, his clothes tattered, his face adorned with a familiar grin. Fresh blood dripped from his sword, staining the floor beneath him. Yet, his body bore no wounds—not even a scratch. In fact, he looked even more exhilarated than before.

  The moment Ipsilas entered, everyone’s attention snapped toward him.

  The Inquisitors immediately realized that Sebastian had not come alone. Valentinus, too, looked visibly shaken.

  "Y-You..." Valentinus stammered, his face pale.

  "Good evening, esteemed members of the Latinum Diocese. It is a pleasure to see you all again in this place," Ipsilas greeted.

  The three Inquisitors instinctively jumped back, shifting their focus entirely onto Ipsilas. A suffocating presence filled the air as Ipsilas’ Essence spread throughout the hall.

  It was like a bone-chilling cold that seeped into their very marrow, making every breath visible as mist. Hands trembled on weapon hilts, and a deep, primal fear settled in.

  Sebastian felt it too. He had never known just how powerful Ipsilas was before. But now, after seeing how he had defeated Cain without sustaining a single injury, he understood—Ipsilas was a monster.

  "So, you killed Cain and the Saint took down Aspasia... Now everything makes sense," Constantia muttered.

  Ipsilas chuckled. "Cain was supposed to be the main course, but I never expected to meet him so soon. And now... I’m still starving. And you all look so... very... appetizing."

  With that, Ipsilas took his stance. Every muscle in his body tensed, and the rapier in his grasp gleamed menacingly, as if it had transformed into the scythe of the Reaper himself.

  His face—his twisted, delighted grin—was no longer human.

  For the first time, everyone in the hall felt true terror.

  Sebastian, still wary, also readied himself for battle. But something about Ipsilas felt off. The sound of his voice, the aura he emitted—Sebastian did not feel safe, even though Ipsilas was supposed to be his ally.

  Or at least, that’s what he had believed until now.

  Like a bolt of lightning, Ipsilas vanished, reappearing in front of Antonius in an instant. His speed was terrifying—his afterimage lingered in the air, as if his body had left reality itself behind.

  With a single, brutal thrust, Antonius was sent flying across the hall, crashing through the church walls.

  Seeing their ally fall so swiftly, Constantia lunged from the side, thrusting her spear straight at Ipsilas’ chest.

  "Heart Seeker!"

  Dozens of spectral spears materialized, converging on Ipsilas from every direction, all aimed at his heart.

  Sebastian felt a chill run down his spine—if Constantia had used that technique against him earlier, he wasn’t sure if he would have survived.

  But Ipsilas merely smirked.

  With effortless grace, he deflected every single spear. A single white flower bloomed in the midst of the chaos, sending a powerful shockwave outward.

  "Moonflower."

  Marcus seized the opportunity to strike from behind, his sword slashing toward Ipsilas—only to be stopped without Ipsilas even turning around.

  Ipsilas simply looked at Marcus, and an overwhelming killing intent choked the air, stealing the breath from his lungs.

  Marcus’ entire body froze. For the first time in his life, after decades of fighting to the death, he felt true fear.

  "Blooming Rose."

  A flurry of devastating slashes tore through Marcus’ body, sending him screaming in agony.

  Constantia could only watch, horrified, as her comrades fell in an instant. But escape was no longer an option.

  Meanwhile, Valentinus stood frozen, his face drained of color. Rage ignited within him, consuming every fiber of his being.

  “IPSILAS, WHAT HAPPENED TO OUR DEAL! THIS WASN’T PART OF THE PLAN!”

  “Deal? What deal? I don’t remember making any deal with..... any repulsive agent of the church in my entire life.”

  Valentinus was taken aback with Ipsilas word, now his rage boiled up to his head, the only thing he wanted to do was to kill Ipsilas.

  "IPSILAS, YOU TRAITOROUS BASTARD! I’LL KILL YOU HERE AND NOW!"

  A blinding purple light burst from his forehead, shaking the entire room.

  Sebastian, stunned, could only watch.

  And then, Ipsilas turned to him—smiling.

  And in that moment, Sebastian understood.

  With every ounce of emotion in his heart, he roared, "YOU! YOU KILLED FATHER DANIEL!"