Amon moved incognito through the labyrinthine streets of the capital, slipping past the glittering facades of high society and descending into the shadows of Zephys's underbelly. Though the capital shone as the beacon of the Hyades Republic, it was far from a utopia.

Here dwelled the forgotten: the homeless who clung to life with fading hope, fallen knights and mages who had failed their ascension, and countless others who had surrendered to despair. They gathered in the city's unseen corners, surviving on scraps despite the existence of relief programs that could never reach everyone.

As Amon wandered deeper into the slums, his eyes twitched. Suffering was not new to him, but his heart, becoming ever more human, no longer let him pass without notice. With a quiet sigh, the man who had once been a cold-blooded killer did something he had never done before. He stopped before a young beggar and pressed a few crumpled notes into her trembling hands.

"Get yourself something to eat."

"T-Thank you, kind knight."

"..."

Amon slowly passed out all of his money before heading towards the rendezvous location. An abandoned mansion that seemed as decrepit as the living conditions of the beggars. Amon didn't bother to hide his presence and immediately pushed open the gate, and three familiar individuals showed themselves.

"Lord Amon, you've arrived."

Bane was the first to welcome Amon, his demeanour completely submissive. As the one leading the intelligence branch for Eldorin, Bane Vallen's role as spymaster was pivotal in Amon's fight against the Demon Cult. Even now, as Amon danced in the light, the hardworking intelligence master was delving deep into the capital's darkness to uncover the truth of the Demon Cult.

"Lord Amon! You've finally arrived!"

"Maelle! Don't be noisy! Do you want to announce yourself to the whole world?"

"But, Renee… I'm excited to see Lord Amon! Besides, weren't you the one who was bouncing, hoping to report our findings to Lord Amon in person?"

"Maelle!"

At Bane's side stood two young women, neither older than twenty. Their shared features: raven hair and dark eyes marked them as kin, yet their presences could not have been more different.

The first wore her hair in a sharp bob, twin wands in her hands, shadows clinging to her like obedient servants. The other kept her hair tied in a practical ponytail, her plain leather garb concealing an arsenal of hidden weapons and devices. Although they were both petite, a little over 150 centimetres, that didn't take away from their lethality.

Together, the sisters formed the razor edge of Bane's intelligence network, an elite duo whose talents thrived in secrecy. Powers not meant for daylight, they were the hidden blade in Amon's arsenal against the Demon Cult.

Despite that, their adoration and respect for Amon were absolute.

In [Bright], they were doomed to become slaves of the Demon Cult, mindless demonic humans that did the Demon Cult's bidding. But Amon and Yue saved them from that fate. Once raised to become the ultimate assassins, they were now loyal subordinates of Amon and leased out to Bane due to their unique talents in intelligence gathering.

"Renne, Maelle. Good work."

Amon praised the two sisters, and they gasped in pure delight. Sure enough, since his heart-to-heart connection with Yue, Amon was melting his previous Number 23 mindset and was moving towards a life filled with humanity.

"Heheh, see? Lord Amon praised me!"

"He praised us!"

Renee scoffed, but her ponytail seemingly started to flutter, like a puppy wagging its tail. Amon didn't think much of it, but it was everything for the two young girls, who were starved for attention from their saviour and idol.

As he watched Amon casually deal with the two sisters in a way that he never could, Bane sighed:

"Seriously, you've become more warm and approachable… I can't say that's a good thing, though. Your coldness were perfect for an assassin."

One of the reasons Bane had been drawn to Amon was his uncanny ability to conceal every trace of intent, so complete that even his killing aura was buried, making him move like a soulless machine. But as time passed and Amon's humanity began to surface, that chilling emptiness faded. To Bane's eyes, the perfect assassin was gone, replaced by a man no longer ruled by cold precision.

"Bane, what did you find?"

"Right into business, huh?" Bane smiled at the blatant favouritism, but the spymaster didn't mind. "As we'd suspected, the Demon Cult is gathering offerings en masse to create gates. They are using the demonic mana from within to increase Magatama production. We've uncovered fifty such bases within Zephys."

"Fifty? How did they escape detection? And more importantly… where are they getting so many sacrifices?"

Amon scrunched his face, clearly perturbed by the scale of the Demon Cult's operation. He'd believed that they'd managed to reduce their numbers, and yet they spawned so many bases within the heart of the Hyades Republic.

"The Demon Cult's whispers are hard to endure, you know that better than anyone."

"..."

Amon sighed heavily. As much as Eldorin had raised awareness on the dangers of the Demon Cult, it was nearly impossible to fight against their influence. Joining the gospels of the Demon Cult meant eternal youth, immense power, and even a chance to reunite with the ones they loved the most. Humans were susceptible to such temptations.

Leaving that issue for another time, Amon gestured into the mansion and probed.

"What did you find here?"

"A Magatama production plant."

"Hoh? And I believe you cleared it?"

"Yes, to be more exact, it's an abandoned Magatama plant."

Amon raised his brows. All this time, Eldorin had been on the back foot, unsure of how the Demon Cult produces their Magatamas, the lifeblood of their ultimate plan. But if they found a production plant, no matter how little information it had left, there would ultimately be clues.

"What did you find?"

"Well… I think it's better to show you."

Bane gestured to the sisters, and the group slipped silently into the mansion. The abandoned halls were deathly quiet, the stillness so sharp it chilled the air. The place reeked of despair, as though the walls themselves bore the memory of what had transpired within them.

They descended into the depths, where hidden compartments revealed chambers steeped in the Demon Cult's influence. Though most of the tools and tables had been cleared away, the stains of blood and shreds of flesh clung stubbornly, testaments to rituals long past.

Had Eris been present, she would have heard the wails of the departed and demanded a rite to grant them peace. But Bane ignored the sacrilege. Navigating past disarmed traps and concealed doors, he led Amon deeper still into the mansion's most secret heart.

"This is…"

The familiar ziggurat that acted as a sacrificial altar stood firm. Around it, numerous dolls powered by the Magatamas continued to move, as if executing a higher command. The feeling of demonic mana rose to its apex, and a sense of unease crept up Amon's spine.

"L-Lord Bane, you didn't show us this before!"

Maelle was the first to shout, and Renee stiffened in the same manner. They had combed the entire mansion and found numerous clues, including documents that revealed the Demon Cult was collaborating with the Paradis Conglomerate. But they'd never stumbled across this secret chamber.

"Yes, I didn't show you this… because you didn't have to see it."

Bane smiled innocently, and that heightened Amon's senses. Then, he could sense a plethora of figures emerging from the background, each of them possessing considerable strength. While Amon should have zoned his focus on the enemies, his golden eyes narrowed and in a low growl, he spoke:

"Bane… you betrayed me?"

"Betrayed? What are you talking about, Lord Amon? I would never betray you!"

As if he'd heard the funniest joke in the world, Bane began to chortle loudly. Other than Yue and Leon, Bane was confident that his loyalty to Amon was second to none. But alas, because of that certainty, because of that loyalty… There was room for a nefarious entity to exploit it.

"Lord Amon, let me handle this betrayer!"

Renee shouted, sending out hidden weapons to take down the spymaster. But, Bane effortlessly countered, confused as to why his protege was behaving in this manner.

"Renee, what are you doing? If you're interfering with my presentation, I can only charge you with insubordination."

"You've lost your mind, Lord Bane! No, betrayer!"

"Like I said, I didn't betray Lord Amon! Just trust me and you'll see!"

"Shut up!"

"..."

Amon watched the exchanges with a cold fury. He didn't shout, nor did he question Bane about his betrayal. But he did do something that translated his wrath.

A dense pressure mounted on Bane's body, and his consciousness began to fade. While he was skilled, there was no way the spymaster could hold a candle to Amon's dragon pressure. Knocking the man out, he turned to the two sisters and ordered them behind him as the participating members of the trap revealed their wretched selves.

First came six grotesque chaos dolls, each infused with enough Magatamas to rival the might of a Demon Count and then loomed the flesh golems, hulking abominations that refused to fall, even when scourged by holy fire. Last were the so-called holy figures clad in white. Yet their attire bore none of the dignity of the Holy Church; instead, it was a profane blend of restraint and seduction, as if sanctity itself had been twisted into mockery.

And at the centre of it all…

A handsome young man with golden hair. The man who was making waves in the Hyades Republic, as well as the trump card the Demon Cult had played to fend off Amon…

The Pope of the Utopia Church… Nirvana Karnam.