A brilliant light filled the night sky above the city, so bright it woke the sleeping residents, stirring the whole city into a commotion. It wasn't just the light, though. The noise was a bigger factor. How many people could sleep through explosions in the sky reminiscent of nuclear detonations? Those who woke and looked out their windows could only suspect they were still dreaming. Few realized the aurora-like light shield was protecting the city, but the angel radiating a powerful presence from afar resonated deep within them.
"...What kind of fight have we been caught in?" Ann murmured, staring at the sky like the other city dwellers. She sighed deeply, holding the unconscious President Frey close. A demon playing with time, an undead fighting him evenly, a sniper bombarding them from an unseen location, and an angel effortlessly blocking those attacks. Was this what it meant to say there was always someone stronger? The awe-inspiring battle unfolding before her felt surreal, even though she witnessed it all. It made their own struggles seem insignificant.
Ann looked around. The Cheonbuhoe powerhouses, who had given them so much trouble, were sprawled like broken toys. Her gaze returned to the sky, to the slowly descending angel with outstretched wings, its presence drawing all eyes.
'I've heard of him. The Saint from another world…'
Seeing him like this, the title "Saint" made sense. No, it felt inadequate. He was clearly beyond human.
'They say a dragon appeared, too. A real angel isn't that far-fetched then.'
He wasn't the only impressive one. The muscular, beast-masked man fought the Executioner to a standstill and effortlessly crushed the Transcendents trying to help him escape. The helmeted man and the demon Ken helped capture the Southeast Asia Branch Manager. It was a shame they let the Executioner escape, but who could catch someone who could stop time? How could they possibly fight such an ability?
'I'll have to think about that seriously.'
His survival was a major threat. If the Executioner, seeking revenge, launched surprise attacks, the barely surviving Burning Torch wouldn't last.
'But things aren't so bad.'
Burning Torch suffered heavy losses, but they made powerful allies. Masquerade, a secret organization capable of fighting Cheonbuhoe head-on. Just knowing about them was a huge gain.
She stopped as she approached them to thank them,
A sudden unease washing over her. She looked them over: the radiant angel, the scarred warrior, the listless helmeted man, and the awkwardly fidgeting demon. She looked again and realized what was amiss.
'…Wait, wasn't there one more?'
A chill ran down her spine.
'Since when? How did I not notice?'
It wasn't just his lack of presence. It was as if he didn't exist, erased from her awareness.
'I even remembered details about Phantom! This isn't a mental attack, what is this…?'
She looked around. No one else seemed to notice, not even her capable comrades. Perhaps she wouldn't have noticed either, without her ability to manipulate fate.
'Where is he now?'
The answer was obvious.
Gnash
The Executioner gritted his teeth. Back in his human form, he clutched the still-unhealed wound on his chest from his escape and pulled his hood low.
"Damn, what a mess…"
He was in the Malaysian mountains, hundreds of kilometers from the small Thai city where the fight took place. He had teleported here instantly using Time Stop. He caught his breath and closed his eyes.
'…I owe that half-wit.'
He had sensed impending doom, and escaped thanks to the long-range sniping, the woman he mocked for only attacking from afar.
"Tsk!"
It wasn't solely due to her help. His subordinates diverted attention, and he wouldn't have escaped without Time Stop. But the angel, his natural enemy, was forced to withdraw because of the bombardment, so he couldn't deny the debt.
'Masquerade… I won't forget this. And those Burning Torch remnants. I'll kill them all next time.'
He would make them regret their compassion. He should have captured him first, ignoring the collateral damage. He would make sure they regretted it as they died.
'I overdid it. I need to hide and recover. At least I satisfied my bloodlust thanks to that monster, so suppressing the contamination shouldn't be difficult.'
Mental contamination was an unavoidable fate for those who embraced demonic power.
'Once I'm recovered, I'll make them pay. They'll learn what it means to make an enemy of the Eternal Greater Demon… the one who controls time…'
He stopped mid-thought, his lips twitching. He slowly turned his head.
"Ha!"
He gasped, his face twisting. He was certain now.
"…I didn't expect to be followed."
As if answering,
"You have good instincts. Better than expected."
A cold voice came from the shadows.
"Hmm, should I have kept my distance? You're still this alert despite your exhaustion. I underestimated you."
A figure emerged from the darkness. A man in a neat suit, unlike the battered Executioner.
"Phantom…"
It was Heinz II, the apex vampire in a white opera mask, who had been tailing him using 「Existence Denial」. But the Executioner had a question.
"How did you track me?"
He had erased his tracks after using Time Stop. Movement in stopped time left no magical signature, making it more stealthy than teleportation. His location changed instantly. It wasn't as convenient as teleportation, since he had to move physically, but with his Greater Demon body, he had crossed hundreds of kilometers to Malaysia in a blink of an eye.
He couldn't understand how he was tracked so quickly.
"Who knows?"
Heinz wouldn't answer. No need to give away information.
'You're exposed the moment I obtained your blood through Harley.'
For a True Blood vampire, locating someone whose blood he possessed was trivial. It became harder with distance and similar rank, but a few hundred kilometers was nothing.
"It's a shame. I was hoping to glean some information if I left you alone."
"You…"
"I wanted to observe you longer, but it doesn't always work out."
Heinz looked at the Executioner with feigned disappointment. He had kept his distance to avoid losing him. Tailing a quasi-divine being was difficult, even for him.
"Well, it can't be helped."
He shrugged and snapped his fingers.
「Blood Mystery」, prepared using 「Existence Denial」, activated. His unique domain, a countermeasure against Time Stop. Blood particles, a part of his being, swirled, isolating the space.
[…You dare. Face me with this? Alone?]
The Executioner, now in his demon form, growled. He was injured, but not worried about Phantom. He could just escape.
"Is this not enough? Greedy."
But,
He had more prepared.
"It's a waste not to use it… I've gained enough; I can afford some inefficiency."
He had been preparing since the bombardment, anticipating reinforcements or even the Cheonbuhoe leader's arrival. It would be a waste not to use it now.
Whoosh
The temperature dropped, and the world darkened.
[…This is?]
The Executioner froze, turning towards the new presence.
[An excellent specimen! I've been feeling stagnant. I can learn from you.]
The one who started this masquerade had arrived.
[…Hahoe Mask!]
[Kuahahaha! A Demon King level demon to dissect? Excellent! I can study the interdimensional differences. What luck!]
Hans, appearing on Earth, laughed at the fresh specimen. And another arrived.
"Hmph~ A Demon King from another dimension? Interesting."
An enchanting voice. A bewitching woman, her beauty evident even through her veil, smiled playfully at the Executioner. Abyssal darkness from Hans's skull staff and Hela's 「World of Demonic Heaven」 enveloped the isolated space, making it another dimension, completely cut off.
'What?! What is this?!'
The Executioner felt a chill. Three opponents of equal rank. And the angel and the undead monster…
'Impossible. I didn't know they existed, let alone that they were working together! Oracle—! What are you doing?!'
Masquerade's entire dark side was here. Usually kept hidden, but it didn't matter here.
"Perfect timing. I wanted to test my demonic eye against your Time Stop. And…"
Hela's eyes shimmered, her gaze, filled with greed, fixed on him.
"A good opportunity. It would be troublesome if you resurrected like Dr. We'll extract everything before leaving you to the expert."
Heinz II stepped forward, blood swirling around him.
[Indeed! I am the master of death—]
Hans declared, his voice echoing like a king's decree from the underworld.
[You cannot escape even death!]
His divinity was 'death'. Trapping him in a state of near-death was trivial.