Osian felt the night breeze brushing against his skin. He looked down beneath his feet. The clouds that should have been looked up at were spread out below his field of vision.
Through the sparse clouds, the night view of the 17th district could be seen at a glance.
Art Deco-style skyscrapers that soared as if to pierce the sky and the lights flowing out from within them. The brilliant splendor on earth created by humanity that had built civilization. The lights from each glass window shone like their own stars. They drove away the starlight of the night sky, protesting as if they were the real ones.
Osian, who could see that splendid cityscape at a glance, was naturally flying through the sky. And while riding on the back of a giant wyvern at that.
"This is quite surprising."
The wyvern, or bipedal dragon as it's called, was a massive creature with a wingspan reaching 24 meters when both wings were combined.
On the wyvern's back, Osian along with Basilio and the Blood Brotherhood had boarded. Naturally, this wyvern was the transformed appearance of Aaron, one of the Blood Brotherhood members.
"Even though it's called a doppelganger, can it transform in this way too?"
Normally, doppelgangers cannot transform into large monsters like this. This was possible because Aaron was a very special case.
[I can transform by copying exactly any being I've seen or felt.]Aaron, who had become a wyvern, answered. Normally, a wyvern's vocal cords wouldn't be able to properly speak human language, but he had modified his throat area to speak as he wished.
An ability that could apply desired body structures to desired parts, not just copying appearances. No matter how you looked at it, it was an overwhelming superior version compared to other doppelganger monsters.
He was comparable to Lupona, who was a variant doppelganger.
"Now I finally understand how you could appear and disappear so mysteriously."
Because Aaron was there, the Blood Brotherhood could freely move around anywhere in the city. No one would think that enemies flying through the sky would appear in the middle of the night like this.
Moreover, Aaron had deliberately changed the color of his skin scales to match the night sky to reduce any potential danger.
Furthermore, he had made his wings thinner and wider than the rough and crude flapping of existing wyverns, enabling quiet flight.
It was truly a living stealth aircraft.
No matter how well-secured District 17 was, it didn't have anti-aircraft surveillance networks thorough enough to detect those moving this meticulously.
"I can see it there."
Finding the Trinity Building, which was their target, wasn't difficult. It stood uniquely higher than the surrounding buildings with a sharp spire.
Trinity Building had lights scattered throughout like other buildings. But everyone in this place knew. That was just camouflage shown on the surface.
The reason they were approaching Trinity Building by flying through the sky like this was simple. Entering through the building's front entrance would be openly walking into their trap, a suicidal act.
Even Osian, who would normally break through most traps with force, didn't feel like recklessly entering a building where he didn't know what traps those who handled the power of outer gods had dug.
So what they chose was to assault from above. The boss of those guys, the cardinal, would most likely be on the top floor of the building.
"Daver. Begin."
At Grace's command, Daver, wearing a gas mask, stepped forward. He raised his right arm equipped with a new prosthetic.
Mana gathered and magic was implemented in an instant. Above his head, fireballs that looked like compressed miniature suns were created one after another.
'I thought it wouldn't be an ordinary prosthetic, but he seems to have obtained quite a good one.'
Daver was originally an excellent mage, but the performance he was showing now was clearly superior to his appearance on that day they fought in the past.
The reason was because of the prosthetic right arm that Daver had newly equipped. The vast mana flowing from the prosthetic was amplifying his magic.
It was probably a specialized prosthetic for magic with ether water in it. The right arm that had been fine being cut off through the fight with Osian had, going around and around, worked out favorably in the current situation.
When Daver extended his hand, the super-large fireballs fell toward Trinity Building like meteors.
Each one was a giant fireball with a diameter of about 10 meters. In terms of pure power, those comparable to 5-star flame magic brightly illuminated the night sky and collided with Trinity Building.
KWAAAAANG!!!
A massive explosion sound rang out along with a shockwave mixed with heat. This rang out repeatedly, turning the top floors of Trinity Building into a flaming hell.
The windows of adjacent buildings couldn't withstand the shockwave and shattered, pouring down to the ground like rain. Regardless, Daver's magic persistently intercepted only Trinity Building.
This was to kill the Eternal Church's cardinal who would be on that top floor.
But as time passed, Daver's expression became distorted.
"Damn it. That was an attack I took quite seriously."
After his defeat in the fight with Osian that day, Daver had resolved never to be careless in battle again. This fight was the same. The opponents were terrible heretics who believed in outer gods. Knowing their power was dangerous, he had used magic seriously from the start.
But Trinity Building, revealed as the flames that seemed like they would burn forever receded, was excessively intact.
It wasn't that his magic had no effect - part of the top floor had melted and was drooping down - but considering the power of the fireballs, it should have been enough to erase the entire upper floors and then some.
"As expected. I thought it wouldn't be an ordinary building, but they've prepared thoroughly."
Grace wasn't particularly disappointed. Although they had put some effort into this first greeting to announce the fight, this much was sufficiently expected.
Their purpose from the beginning was to create an entrance they could use to enter the building through Daver's magic. You can't fill your stomach with the first spoonful.
"Well then, let's go in."
Basilio walked out to the edge of the wyvern's wing, his black cloak fluttering in the night wind.
Daver's attack was just the beginning. The next goal was to quickly approach their core through the ceiling they had collapsed and end the fight with a quick battle.
So the real fight could be said to be starting now.
"Let's go."
Osian stood beside Basilio, and beside him, Kudan and the Blood Brotherhood members lined up in a row.
Without anyone going first, they jumped toward Trinity Building almost simultaneously.
What remained were Aaron transformed into a wyvern and Daver who needed a brief rest after using magic.
Perhaps because of the massive explosion that shook District 17 downtown, emergency alarm lights began ringing throughout the city.
"Tch. They're moving immediately after all."
The city government agents who were secretly searching District 17 would have also noticed the explosion that occurred at Trinity Building.
Unless they were fools, they would have realized that Trinity Building housed the Eternal Church's main base. From the Eternal Church's standpoint, dangerous enemies had followed them.
However, Daver couldn't feel relieved. Naturally, from the city government's standpoint, they were also criminals who had to be killed.
"They're coming. Aaron hyung."
"I know. Hold on tight, little brother. Don't fall off."
Soon after, dozens of light beams cut through the night air from the ground, soaring high into the sky.
It was an attack from the city government side that had grasped their position. The attack to intercept the giant wyvern was fast and swift as if they had prepared in advance.
But if they were prepared, there was nothing they couldn't avoid.
Changes occurred in Aaron's body. His snout became shorter and his bulk clearly reduced compared to before. If before he had been reminiscent of a stealth bomber in size, now he had shrunk to slightly smaller than a fighter jet.
Naturally, the target area was also reduced, and his streamlined body enabled faster flight than before.
Aaron, carrying Daver, flapped his wings greatly and entered evasive maneuvers.
On the rooftop of Trinity Building where flames still flickered. Through the partially collapsed area by magic, Osian and his group burst inside.
The moment they landed, they immediately entered combat readiness.
What was visible was an office space half blown away by flame magic.
Part of the ceiling that hot heat had swept through had melted down, and the walls and floor were full of blackened burn marks.
At the end of that space, there was an area that remained intact even in the explosion. As if the pitch-black soot had been blocked by something, it stopped drawing a clean boundary line.
What seemed to have caused this phenomenon was a red-haired young man wearing crimson robes.
He stood there blankly, staring at Osian's group who had burst in through the blown-open ceiling.
Osian instinctively felt it. That guy was the boss of this place and the cardinal who had raised the Eternal Church.
"Ho. I never expected such a flashy entrance from the sky. This way, the preparations I made assuming you'd come up from the first floor have become virtually useless."
Even seeing enemies who had bypassed his subordinates and appeared directly in front of him, the cardinal's voice was even calm.
"Since you must have come knowing everything already, let me introduce myself. I am Zaxilos. I am a cardinal serving the Red Eternity and the master of this place. Who are you?"
"There are no names worth telling you."
The first to charge was Osian. From the moment he saw Zaxilos, he felt the dangerous scent emanating from his body. A sticky, thick and concentrated smell of blood. A monster whose number of victims while serving Red Eternity and rising to this position was impossible to estimate.
It was unnecessary to exchange words with such a creature. Osian moved like lightning and swung his sword, and Cardinal Zaxilos extended his hand, raising a pillar of red blood to block the sword.
"What an impatient person. When someone speaks, you should listen."
"You're just a monster wearing human skin."
"A monster? I am human. Just a bit more superior."
At that moment, two red spears flew and pierced Zaxilos' forehead and heart.
As soon as Osian's sword was blocked, Basilio immediately provided rear support. It was the moment when Osian was about to destroy the red pillar with his sword and cut Zaxilos' body in half.
Zaxilos' arm, which had been leaning back greatly, moved strangely as if controlled by invisible strings, and firmly grasped Osian's blade handle.
Red blood flowed from the hand gripping the sharp sword, then the blood permeated back into the body as if time was reversing. Osian applied force but the sword couldn't advance easily. Looking closely, the hand gripping the sword had transformed into sharp teeth like a beast's mouth.
Naturally, the teeth weren't ordinary either, so they were hard enough that even the sharp longsword made by Eldin couldn't easily cut them.
"This is surprising. Of all things, there's someone who handles similar power."
Zaxilos returned his body, which had been leaning back, to its original position.
The red spear that had penetrated his forehead was slowly being absorbed into his body. No, to be precise, the wound on his forehead was transforming into a mouth, gnawing at the spear with sharp teeth. Naturally, the same was happening to the spear lodged in his heart.
"Just who are you? This power can only be handled by believers. And if you were a believer, you naturally wouldn't even think of touching me."
Zaxilos looked at Basilio with curious eyes. Basilio didn't answer. However, his gaze watching Zaxilos from beyond his helmet was cold enough to make skin ache.
Zaxilos, who couldn't be unaware of that hostility, chuckled.
"Well then. There's no need to hear an answer. I'll just dismember your limbs and read the memories of blood."
"Will that really happen?"
Malina sprang out from the darkness and slashed Zaxilos neck with a shadow dagger. Just as that half-severed head was about to dangle and fall while spurting blood.
The blood returned as if time was reversing, and the severed head reattached.
"Ah. I wondered who it was, but you were the masterpiece that Sabrina mentioned."
"You...!"
"She told me not to touch her work as she pleased, but, hmm. Seeing you like this makes me covet you. How about it? Won't you also serve eternity?"
At that moment, Zaxilos head exploded with a pop. What took the place of where his head had been was Kudan's cannonball-sized giant fist.
As the headless body lost strength, Osian immediately slashed through the guy's palm and then chopped up his entire body to pieces.
Basilio also moved immediately. Following his gesture, countless sharp red thorns shot out, pinning Zaxilos body to one wall like a specimen.
The headless, chopped-up corpse was fixed to the wall in a cross shape. In that situation a person would have died a hundred times over but Zaxilos laughter echoed throughout the room.
[Hahaha. Are there such rude guests? I was going to receive you somewhat leisurely, but since you refused my wine cup, I'll gladly bestow punishment.]
The corpse fixed to the wall became mushy and melted, assimilating with the wall. At the same time, the floor where the group was standing split open wide like a beast's maw.