An Ambush

"Brother, what do you think? Does it look cute on me?"

"Brother, let's take a photo together."

"Come on, brother, lean in a bit closer."

"Why does your smile look so forced? It's like you're being dragged into taking this photo with me. Let's see a wider smile."

"Perfect. Three, two, one!"

Click!

Satella planted a quick kiss on Austin's cheek just before the timer went off.

She hastily checked the result before giving him a dissatisfied look. "Your smile still seems a bit stiff. Let's take one more."

Click!

"Hmm... why does my face look big in this photo? Let's try another one."

Click!

"This won't do. Another one!"

Click!

Click!

Click!

After several attempts, Satella finally nodded her head in satisfaction. "Now, this is perfect."

By this point, Austin was already feeling dizzy from her actions. It seemed he learned something new today: never trust women when they say, 'just one more time'!

"Brother, let's give that ferris wheel a try!" Satella pointed at the colorful ride with excitement.

"Sure," Austin said, taking her hand as they walked toward it.

After picking up Satella from the hotel, the sun had set, and the day had transitioned into night, leaving him with limited options for their date destination.

After a moment of consideration, his choice eventually settled on the amusement park.

While his choice might seem a bit cliché, but there must be a reason why cliché things are loved in this world. 

...

"Brother, it's snowing," Satella exclaimed in surprise, stretching both her palms to capture the falling snowflakes.

"Yeah, winter has finally come," Austin responded with a sigh. Unbeknownst to him, four months had passed, and he was just a few days away from his first college winter break.

As he contemplated the upcoming break, he realized how amusing his initial thinking was. His original plan had been to stay a bit longer in Alves during the winter break, spending the days grinding his game and only returning home when his mom forced him to.

Back then, he was afraid of how his relationship with Satella would evolve. Now, he recognized that his fears were laughable. He had been hypocritical, wanting their relationship to return to normal siblings, while secretly desiring the opposite.

He realized he should have confronted his fears back then and talked to her instead of evading her by flying across the cities and settling on Alves, hurting both of them in the process. 

After all, they weren't blood-related siblings, so why should he have worried so much?

"I should take a lesson from the Japanese on this matter," Austin shakes his head. 

"Let's take a detour. I want to stay outside a little longer," Satella said excitedly.

Austin nodded in agreement, and they chose a longer path back to their hotel.

During their walk, they encountered a few people, but as the night deepened, the number of people they encountered dwindled.

Eventually, it reached a point where only the two of them remained on the street.

Out of nowhere, a sense of unease tingled in Austin, prompting him to lift his head. On the opposite side of the street, a middle-aged man in a black coat caught his attention. The man's entire right arm was wrapped in bandages in an unusual manner. 

"Is his right arm injured? It doesn't appear so," Austin squinted in suspicion.

The middle-aged man, as if aware of Austin's scrutiny, raised his head and locked eyes with him.

He smiled.

Usually, he would reciprocate with a smile in such situations. However, this time, a sense of innate disgust welled up within him upon seeing the man, preventing him from smiling.

Disgust... Austin silently pondered before something seemed to snap inside his head.

Divine Power!

This man must be carrying an object imbued with Divine Power or something similar!

Austin's heart immediately turned cold when he reached the conclusion. 

Is he an ordinary priest? Or worse, is he a member of the Church?

This was his first time encountering such a situation, and to make matters worse, there was no Alysia beside him to provide guidance on how to handle it.

Racing thoughts filled Austin's mind, yet he didn't reveal his anxiety on his face. He quietly whispered to Satella, "Let's take a different route."

Satella, seemingly sensing the man's peculiar aura as well, didn't ask anything and willingly followed Austin's lead.

However, before they could venture far, they heard the man laugh and break into a wider smile. "Haha, it seems my identity has been found."

"Are you crazy?" Austin feigned innocence, trying to appear puzzled. Inwardly, he cursed his luck, realizing the middle-aged man wasn't an ordinary priest but likely a Church member.

"Don't bother with the act. That foul stench, that malevolent aura—only beings like yours give off such vibes!" The man smirked knowingly.

"So, tell me, how many living beings have you killed? Thousands? Hundreds?" The man continued his interrogation.

"No answer, eh? So, it exceeds my assumption?" The man interpreted Austin and Satella's silence as a confirmation.

After a moment, Austin hesitated before responding, "Zero."

"Zero?" The man raised an eyebrow.

"We haven't taken anyone's life. Well, except for ants and other smaller creatures."

"Pfft! Hahaha!" The middle-aged man burst into laughter, his eyes crinkling at the corners. "Well, ain't that the funniest thing I've heard in my whole life? A demon claiming they haven't killed anyone? You demons really take shamelessness to a whole new level. I thought I'd seen it all, but denying it outright? Now, that's a special kind of audacity. Maybe I gave you creatures too much credit in the brains department."

He began to crack his neck casually, a smirk playing on his lips. "If you're not willing to come clean, I reckon I'll just have to send you to hell and hope the ones you've supposedly killed find some peace. Get ready to meet your end!"

"Hagrid!"

Swoosh!

Austin saw a rapid descent of light from the sky above. Without a second thought, he seized a nearby steel trashcan and hurled it at the approaching brilliance.

Slash!

Despite his uncertainty about the trashcan's ability to withstand whatever approached, he never imagined it to be sliced in two so effortlessly, as if it were butter that getting cut through by a hot knife. 

It was only then that he realized the descending figure was a man wielding a blade.

The glint he saw came from the blade's surface, reflecting the moonlight.

"Shit!" Austin cursed under his breath, swiftly pulling Satella with him as they leaped backward.

Bang!

They narrowly avoided the man's attack, which now struck the exact spot they had occupied just seconds ago. The concrete street split for a couple of meters from the blade force upon its impact. 

"Next time, dodging won't be an option," the man with the blade spoke with a chilling tone, his eyes fixated on the couple as if they were his prey.

"Seems like taking a few years off has rusted your blade skills, Hagrid," the middle-aged man mocked, letting out a laugh.

"At least I'm not taking orders from kids. Unlike someone pushing 50 and still being bossed around like a dog, Brad," Hagrid shot back.

While they bickered, Austin seized the opportunity to confer with Satella. "Let's just get out of here," he suggested.

He had no idea about their numbers or their abilities. Starting a fight without adequate information would be nothing short of inviting certain death.

As they quickly retreated, Brad noticed and casually shrugged his shoulders. "Well, looks like we've got a pair of cowards here. They didn't even hesitate to run away."

"Must be just a couple of low-rank demons!" Hagrid scoffed.

"Seems that way. But at least we've got some demons in our hands now. With this, my mission could be considered half complete. I've been on the hunt for them all month and haven't caught a single one," Brad remarked.

"That's because you're just weak!"

"Do you want a taste of my blessing? You just happen to possess the 'hunter' blessing, perfect for locating supernatural creatures. What are you so proud of?" Brad retorted sharply, raising his bandaged right arm.

Hagrid only snorted in response. Despite his mocking, he harbored a fear of Brad's blessing. If the two were to engage in a fight, it was clear that he would be at a disadvantage.

After a while, he couldn't help but ask, "Why are you not chasing them?"

"Huh? I was actually waiting for you to take the initiative," Brad answered, looking perplexed.

"What?! I was waiting for you too. Damn it! Are you stupid?!" Hagrid couldn't help but curse.

"Screw you! You look cool and calm; I thought you had set up some traps in advance. That's why I'm acting calm!" Brad argued.

"What kind of traps could I have prepared?! Do you think I'm a fortune-teller? I just sensed them when we were around. Do you think I had time to set up traps?!"

"Then, that means there's nothing stopping them. Asshole, we had the perfect opportunity to capture them, yet, we let them slip right under our noses!"

"That's because you're just stupid!"

"Say one more word to me and I'll burn your hair!" 

...

"Why are they not chasing us?" Satella asked.

"I don't know. Are they setting us up in a trap?" Austin responded with a frown. He couldn't shake the suspicion that they let him and Satella go too easily.

"Maybe? But still, we should just keep running for now," Satella suggested. "Have you contacted that fox?"

"I have, but there's no signal around here. That's strange." Austin shook his head, then spotted a construction building with several floors. "Let's head to that building's rooftop; maybe I'll catch a better signal."

Utilizing their agility, they reached the rooftop swiftly. However, even after reaching the top, the expected signal never arrived.

"Damn, did they jam the signal?" Austin cursed, realizing the situation. 

I should've known better dealing with a powerhouse like the Church; they probably have some high-tech signal jammer... Austin chided himself for his oversight.

He realizes he was so lost in desperation to seek help that he overlooked some obvious signs of a trap. 

Damn it!

Now that they had gotten to the rooftop, their escape route was limited to just one – taking the stairs down. But it wasn't going to be a cakewalk; their pursuers must have caught wind of their location. If they wanted to leave the building, a confrontation was inevitable.

With that realization, the clatter of hurried footsteps reverberated, and soon, two silhouettes emerged into view.

"Well, well, looks like Lady Luck decided to take a day off for you two. Walking right into your own trap takes a special kind of talent!" Brad grinned.

Hagrid soon arrived beside him.

Austin chuckled in self-derisive. His hunch had proven right – the enemies had indeed caught up with them.

With things reaching this critical juncture, it appeared that a battle was inevitable. 

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